March 29, 2014

Moon Mother


Happy Birthday to this wild and wonderful creature.

Dear Aunty Daryl, today marks the day you were brought into this world by your dear mother and my dear grandmother Helen, __ years ago. You come from a long line of fiercely strong and complex women who are quick to laughter, confident with hearts wide open. You have taught me many lessons through the course of my 27 years just by being you. Thank you for always accepting my heart's many woes, for being a woman quick to celebrate the good of life of those around you and for inspiring me to be my own woman of strength and knowledge. You always know where the best hole in the wall restaurants are tucked, the best books to read (J. Boyden!) and you are ALWAYS good for a delicious, life giving meal at the drop of a hat. Today I celebrate YOU! Words cannot do my love and admiration for your good soul adequate justice so I will leave it at that.

Happy Birthday Aries woman. You are the ram! And so am I. Enjoy the celebrations to come.

I love you

March 26, 2014

Long Gaze

Yosh's cat Margaret sums up my feelings toward this long season well. Marshand, MB 2009.

Alls I have to say is THIS TOO SHALL PASS. I have decided to forgo the ever-tempting transit pass for April and ride my damn bike instead. Shove that 90 bucks back where it came from. Winter weight pushing pedals for momentum; at first begrudgingly-- and then with determination. I will find my stride, I always manage to after a long time out of the saddle. This evening I find myself perusing the personal photo stacks of 2009. I seemed to take the Nikon F3 every where I went then. Now all I haul around is a tote filled with useless stuff. No cameras, no rolls clacking at the pit of it all. That too shall change. I realized today while watching Jackson devour an apple with snot pouring up and over it like two open taps that I have hardly any photos of that blue-eyed wonder. Damn shame as he is growing like a beautiful weed.

So, goals. Here is a list of mine for the coming weeks:
- Cycle to Charleswood every single day until it is dry enough to dust off the Magnum
- Bake a loaf in my dutch oven
- Make pasta from scratch and feed some loved ones
- Leave a camera at work, fill up them rollzzz of that beautiful little creature
- Pick up a quill, dip and drag until something entirely new is finished

That is enough goals for now. I find March to be a terribly exciting month. The melt is on, albeit slow as molasses. Light lingers. The sun holds warmth. I am working on a handful of really neat projects with one inspiring mentor at the moment. Last night she said to me from the floor, "sometimes to get creative, all you need to do is create". Sha-POWPOW! Simple application. So I got a little bit creative with two paintbrushes and it felt good. With that said, I am at a funny place within my personal art practice right now. At a stand-still really. Past and present stencils lie all around, dotting the surfaces of home; rolled up, pinned tight, gathering dust, hanging proud. They act as ongoing reminders of what I am deeply, truly passionate about but also what I am deeply, truly avoiding. SO DO IT, FUCK! Okay, okay, okay. I find it difficult to make time for disciplined practice after long days of work outside of the home. It shouldn't be difficult to approach something I genuinely love to do, but it is. All I seem to be able to do these days is cook dinner, clean up and crawl into a place of solitude with Margaret Atwood propped against my knees until sleep beckons. Not so bad, not bad at all. But the stencils in my head never let me off the hook. I suppose that is a good sign? Perhaps.

Looking forward-to's:
- The inaugural Spring trip to pick up planting supplies for the garden I am hell bent on growing this cycle
- First solo ride of the season
- Feeling warm enough to wear my new beautiful leather loafers BAREFOOT
- "Ah-Reeming" out my new sun porch and overhauling that tired space with much lovvvvvve
- First BBQ'd-everything meal in the porch with Craig and Chris and a case of Brewhaus

March 21, 2014

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Margot's HQ. Painter's tape, negatives, tea, candles, inspirational clippings, greens.
















Slices of home: March edition

Humphrey Bogart on the radio tonight. Meatballs and Steve's slow and low tomato sauce digests. Rooibos tea in a ceramic mug from my mother. Nothing to report these days. Head down, deep focus, hands continue to carve carve carve carve with blade after blade. A cardstock flower garden grows.

TIMING
CHEMISTRY
MAGIC
WILL
LUCK

*Ektar 100 // Kiev 60

March 19, 2014

Lion & Dad Egg


Dino on the loose at the AGO. Toronto/ March 2014
Cool dad on the loose in Toronto.
How I have missed this particular expression of Leo's.
Good eggs; father and son in the sun.
Boy and his bobcat.


* All photos from a single 220 roll of expired NPC 160 // Kiev 60 TTL

March 2, 2014

Edith Ann's sandwich



Lily Tomlin, I didn't think I could love you any more. Happy Birthday Auntie Marj, I love you too.

March 1, 2014

Attractive arrangement

Bridesmaids and bouquets. 
Tessa
Sophie
Tiffany
Beth


Dear Bridesmaids, pleasure to meet each and every one of you, once and for all in Saskatoon. It was a pretty surreal experience to watch you interact candidly on such a joyous occasion, firsthand. While surreal, it was a complete pleasure to capture on film. I have read such beautiful stories of each of you over the years, penned by your dear friend Elizabeth's hand. Now that I have met you, I respect your sisterhood all the more. Friendship lottery! You are all such beautiful spirited women! Wind in your sails as you carry on through Spring.

Love Meg