Rain for a Draught

The rain has been bringing the birds out in the spaces between storms.  One side of the sky clears while another heavy blanket slinks in.

lavender and pineapple sage flowering

I feel like the past two months have been a counting game of weeks and duties.  Payroll and scheduling and rearranging and sleeping through off days and trying, twice to work a second temporary job.  The off time has felt glorious. Two weeks ago I stopped trying to cram in more stuff, more work, more timelines and decided just to take care of the job at hand.

As I mentioned two months ago, I have been the temporary manager at a vegan cafe in Berkeley. I went from dishwasher to manager in a few months, or, even better, food prep to manager in two weeks.  How did it go? I haven't been printing too much and if I have, I haven't been able to tell you about it. After the first week I gave up trying to avoid overtime.  Luckily the days have been getting longer too so now I occasionally leave when the sun is shining.

When it isn't raining, that is.

neglected fractal cauliflower

But I am grateful for the rain.  There is a draught here in Californina and honestly, the months without any rain at all are eerie.  Not to complain about endless sun and temperate weather but the plants have been sad.  And, in a larger sense, the entire agricultural system is under stress.  But I won't go into that here. Sufficice it to say that I have been busy and I have been learning a lot about myself.   For example, I am generally not a very confrontational person. But I have had to deal with upset and irrational people and found that I can do it, with grace and peace, even if I feel a bit queasy afterwards.  Also I have had the opportunity to say exactly what I think about the way my place of employment is run.  Which is liberating. And has me thinking about other possibilities for the future.

For now though, there is this garden, which has thrived despite neglect thanks to rain and luck.

Expect more about printing soon. I have some things I want to share with you. And I am almost ready to start talking about new projects.

the return of rhubarb

This is Not the Culture Shock I Was Looking For

Espresso in the morning, now over ice, my suitcase unpacked, reorganized, repacked. The temporary housing situation continues though now I am reunited with the Storage Unit of Stuff. Unfortunately, no matter how carefully I thought I packed months ago, I am still culling shirts I never wear, shoes that don't fit,and kitchen utensils I don't want to move. Though I wake in the morning and do this for a while, I am still a bit on vacation mode. Ride a bike, listen to the radio, nap, visit friends.

Or pick elderberries from the bush that hides the door to the house and make elderberry cordial. We drank it last night, a tablespoon mixed with a glass of white wine while playing Scrabble. Incidentally, I had my highest scoring game ever. That might not be related. This was supposed to be a post to tell you I have books for sale, that postcards are on their way. Instead, this is to let you know I am putting the lag in jet lag. I am leaving for a short Baton Rouge visit and then a week in Asheville for the Ladies of Letterpress Conference, to talk to all sorts of printers about their techniques and experiences. When I get back, I should have postcards for you. Of course, I am still moving to California in a few weeks, and despite my intentions, I suspect my ambitious work plans will be subdued by "an uncooperative reality.*" While my vacation culture mode continues, I have these two photos for you. The first is a sign in an alley in Venice, one of the most magically picturesque places ever because there is no place like it. Second is from Milan, a detail of the only remaining MAC architecture projects.

See you in a week! *did you listen to this weekends' This American Life story about meeting Piers Anthony. This is what I missed in Italy.

December 2nd!

I had to take a few weeks off to do it, but this month's postcard went in the mail only one day late. Of course, it has taken me nearly a week to tell you about it. This month was a collaboration with my friend Eric Gilyard, currently a resident of a beach shack in Puerto Rico, though we used to live together and before that, work together. To see the image, you will have to subscribe.

Expect daily updates for a while. I have a lot to tell you.

Fall Break?

So October's postcards are going in the mail today if I can convince myself to leave the house. Technically fall break starts tomorrow but this is really just a chance for me to catch up on things I am behind on. Such as: grocery shopping, baking a cake, cleaning the bathroom and printing! I don't really take breaks. Not with so much to do. Tonight I am printing the covers for Baby Boy's demo for their tour on Halloween weekend. Also, I have been experimenting with the angle grinder as a tool for an intaglio plate. I'll let you know how that comes out. Today though, enjoy a glimpse of these postcards printed as a collaboration with my high school friend, Adam Ross. He finished art school years ago and now lives in Portland Oregon. The last time I visited him I really liked the paintings he was working on. Maybe we will work together again.