post Earth Hour report

I am chained to my desk doing dreaded paperwork for my job & I just saw a bird walk by and up my fire escape. I could not get the camera out quick enough and now no one's gonna believe me. 

So, it is the morning after Earth Hour 2009 and here is what I did: making dinner a little too late to trek into NYC I lit candles (which some have now said was not helpful from a carbon foot print point of view) and sat by the window waiting for 8:30 to come so I could see  all of the lights in my view go dark. Like many folks will tell you -none did. So I went for a stroll just to see what was going on in my own neighborhood. I think I can safely if unscientifically say there was 99% noncompliance. There were lights on everywhere I went. 

As 9:30 hit I made my way home and turned on the computer to check the Earth Hour website and there were all these fantastic photos being loaded from all over the world by folks observing this hour of recognition that "we" need to do something major to save our planet. While those images were uplifting , I was sad more was not done locally to promote this event and to create support and action. I hope next year will be different. Especially now that the United nations has gotten behind this movement. I will say this:I enjoyed myself & the feeling of solidarity that I sensed with folks all over this earth. 

Earth Hour 2009

Today is EARTH HOUR & that translates into all lights OFF this evening. Even the cool colored holiday lights! For more information on Earth Hour go here .

cut paper hearts

A new project I am working on, involving over 150 cut paper hearts. I am trying to fill a found glass jar with the hearts and it is taking many more hearts than I  thought it would ! 

The new White House garden!

How exciting! The Obama family is going to plant a victory garden! I have long been a deep believer in organic gardening so this thrills me! It has been many years since I was lucky enough to have land to tend but the concept of compost and the wonders it can create are a core value of mine. You basically take waste & transform it into "gold" (with the help of hard working worms!). & food grown in your own backyard is 100% more delicious than anything you could buy in a store. I am also a fan of Alice Waters and her ideas about our relationship to the food we eat-the very stuff that feeds our bodies and fuels us. I think growing your own food is something that brings you into daily contact with nature. To see a plant spring from a seed, grow, produce flowers that turn to fruit-all of that is magical. In the big picture-imagine the positive impact this might have across the country! Gardens, in the depression & during  war time, were a means of self sufficiency. This may inspire others to return to this practice and everyone who has had a garden knows the abundance it can bring. I usually had more than I could eat & often gave away string beans and such. What  a wonderful idea! 

T.V. viewing on the 4th floor

Stayed up late last night to watch Mr. President. First Time I have watched Leno in a long time! 

site seeing

Since the warmer weather has hit, Nicki has taken to sitting in windows , looking for birds. 

Oh-and did I mention-we have mice in the apartment. 

TicTacToe

On Sunday during a visit to Jones Beach I collected some shells , rocks & beach glass. Today I placed them onto a vibrant napkin for a photo. As I looked  a thought occurred-tic tack toe. I cut some paper strips and played around a bit and voila! "beach tic tack toe" : all you need are some sticks for the lines or you can draw them into the sand. Then, collect things in sets and you have all that you will need. Even more amazing would be "beach chess". Can you imagine making chess pieces out of found items?!? My mind began thinking of the different types of "found" items that could be easily collected & used for such games. A set such as this would be the perfect memento from a trip somewhere special! 

Signs of spring

I walked today in search of signs of spring. I searched the sky for nests & found some both bird and wasps nests-most likely from last season. In general,  things still look pretty bleak around here . The lack of sun shine did not help matters!  

spring time art

I have been doing  some new pieces just for Spring-lots of flowers as I wait for the real thing to appear. 

Stars, snow flakes & shadows

I noticed this shadow on the bedroom wall this evening. It has a certain poetry & mystery about it. 

foot prints through the snow drifts

Today was an amazing day! I love living where seasons change (and sometimes rage) as it can make a day wondrous. We awoke to some snow. On the disappointing side if you were to ask me but at least we did get some snow. Then more came and the wind blew, creating drifts & making  things  interesting. 

Outside the bedroom window I spotted icicles! Really long ones that reminded me of my childhood: my brother & I used to "pick" the icicles off of my parents back porch  , as if we were picking apples and lick them like lolly pops. 

Another wonderful sight-the train passing our windows created trails of snow as they sped past. I can't help it : snow just makes everything more interesting! 

A nice surprise!

I logged on to a friends Etsy site and found last years Valentine tucked into her photo collage for a piece of art she silkscreened & is selling. Cool surprise! Can you find it?