Portents of spring were premature. Groundhog day just has a way of getting you thinking about spring, so that any little indication gets interpreted as “The Beginning.” I won’t be fooled again. I know now that warm weather, balmy breezes and inviting water are just illusions created in Hollywood to fool the weak. These are last weeks reality. Last night’s was more of the same. More predicted for early next week.
Shown here are two watercolors from my collection. A third which I submitted didn’t make it into the show, either because there was just enough room in the exhibition for a limited number of works, which is likely the case; or perhaps because the painting was of an undraped female form (upper torso from the rear). There were no nudes in the show. Here it is…the one that didn’t make it…for whatever reason:
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Living on a smallish boat as I do, getting out for a day in the open really means a lot. Beautiful sunny days are great, but snow days can be good too. I’m not to eager to go for a hike when it’s cold and wet…raining and drizzling. So this was one day. You can see the Rhode River in the background and the small island called Flat Island. In spring, summer and fall, I can often be found exploring the nooks and crannies of the river in my ten foot, two and a half horsepower skiff…just enjoying being out on the water and observing the world around me. The following week the snow had melted and the sun came out just a bit so I took a walk in the woods looking for some signs of spring. You can see a better view of the river below, with Flat Island. The grass is beginning
to grow a little. Bits of green showing up here and there. It is really too early to call it spring, but I guess some of the plants are just a bit optimistic. Especially the moss on this tree trunk….
It’s great to get off into the woods from time to time and remember that this is really more or less the way the planet has been for many more thousands of years than the recent civilization has been making the urban landscape seem normal and ubiquitous. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t survive very well in the wilderness, and I don’t care to try; but our day to day life which depends so much on cars, airplanes, highways, air conditioning, mass production and so forth really does oppress the soul a bit. Take a look at a tiny little colony of moss growing on a fallen log and see the essence of life.
Under the weather in more ways than one. The winter cold has me in bed reading and putting chores off as long as possible. Enjoying hot vegetable soup, hot tea and toast. There isn’t much hope for an early spring, but I’m not quite ready to embrace winter wholeheartedly.
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