The White Rabbit

I don't know where time keeps going and I'm plum out of it.  I can't buy, find more, save it, freeze it, or give more of it.  It's gone when it goes by and doesn't return.  So while I am sitting here writing about time, my mind is racing ahead; I will be late if I don't get going now. 

What do the 'listing' and 'let search engines find your blog' settings do?

What do the 'listing' and 'let search engines find your blog' settings do?

The Stray Cat

A friend found a cat that had been locked in her storage area for two weeks; she took the cat to a vet who kept him overnight, gave him fluids, and antibiotics for his cold.  My friend came to me on Friday and asked if I would take him in.  And, we did.  My sweet husband, David, bought another litterbox and more litter while I fed the kitty.  I boiled up some chicken, shredded it, put some broth with it, and fed it to the kitty. The kitty slept with a bowed head.

His head just touched the pile of soft towels that we had gathered, and I covered him with a small, light blanket.  He drank a lot of water and gobbled food.  He was skinny, skinny, and had a big meow. Sweet natured, the kitty was orange and white, had been neutered but clearly not taken care of in weeks.  His spine protruded; his back legs trembled.

Kitty had many physical problems.  He was severely anemic; his kidneys were shutting down; he had Feline Leukemia, a blood parasite, and something else that was terminal.  We had to put him down.  Normally, I would be sad while visiting the cat and realize that this 10 years plus old cat had had some good meals, was warm, and loved in the last three days of his life.

His soul tugged on me, though.  And I've pondered this over the last several days.  I am sorting out why and will share that later this week when I've figured it out some more.

New Day!

I went to visit a friend yesterday whom I have not seen in a while because both of us have been in and out of town at different times and have been very busy with new things.  We always discuss art; what we are making, what we are having difficulty with, how we can solve our issues with art, life, men.  We had lunch and went thrifting, each of us finding some cool new stuff to wear.  I have a few good friends who will listen and interact with me and I treasure the time that I spend with each one.  Finding words to describe the texture of a friendship is difficult; however, I know a good friend when I find one.  more...

Mud Wrestling and Other Teaching Techniques

I love to teach, always have, and always will.  But sometimes it's hard to understand what in the world some students are doing in school.  After all, they have a choice: they can register for a course or not.  Simple. Easy. Yes or No.  So, besides wondering, I just enjoy as well and wish I could take a snap-shot of some of my students and years from now, just click and re-run the instant snap-shot, real-live, activities.  Laughter is the only response possible unless I want to invite an ulcer, which I don't.  Because, soon the students will go on to the next class and never again will they be like they are that instant in that particular classroom with that particular book, lesson, or point of view.

More News!

Wow! Has it been that long since I've reviewed this page??  Well, floods from frozen water pipes, family events and illnesses, moving: all of these things have stayed my hands from writing... I have joined J's Studio to Bookbinder 007 and now teach from my studio at home... Until this winter, I had regular classes on Friday mornings.  And when it poured snow in our relatively un-snowy town, oh my, forward momentum stopped, short and cold.  I am revving up and hoping to renew connections and movement forward.

J's Studio

One of my favorite pictures is not of a book that I made nor one that one of my friends made. The roses pictured here came from my neighborhood grocery store and were on sale for $1 a bunch, so on a good day, I could buy $5 worth. You can't buy bookcloth that cheap and have it look as pretty or smell as good.

I am always pinching a penny, especially now, with barrels of oil costing $138 as of the last NPR report on Friday, June 5, 2008. I make my books and the stuff of coverings from anything handy; anything that looks good or that works. Sometimes I worry about the archival qualities of the paper, fabric, leather, metal, or poster that I cover the davey board with, but most times, I don't. I just enjoy the look.

In these pages I will show you what kind of books I make, how I made them, and what they look like. Some of my teachers have included those from the Smithsonian who taught me in the 1970's how to bind, teachers like Mark Stone and the people in Washington, DC, active in the calligraphy society there as well as Pam Leutz in Dallas, Texas, and David who teaches at the Craft Guild of Dallas. There are other people, too, who have shaped my understanding of bookbinding and have guided my mind and hands to make well-constructed books that are fun, too. Thank you to those named and those remembered.

I've even invented my own structures as I have taught people how to bind and see the problems new binders encounter. Yes, I teach classes and workshops, demo, and make simple repairs on cookbooks and other important family books. You are always welcome to contact me and come visit my new studio, opening next month in Asheville, NC.