Slow going

Not much has happened on the studio these last 10 days. Another round of cinder block was added and the outside of the building was covered with cement. The plumber and electrician will come next week, they say. And the frames are being constructed off site, partially assembled. So we are in a holding pattern and getting a little tired of only seeing cinder blocks. I have found a considerable number of good sized rocks for my future rock garden. I imagine that there are quite a few more buried under all the dirt. I have this vision of a huge mesh screen, piled with the rock filled dirt. And then washed with bucket loads of water until all the dirt is washed away. And I have a ton or more of rocks.

Meanwhile, in my art world...I was invited to be a part of this exhibit in Marietta, Pennsylvania. Contemporary Threads, with 13 fiber artists, is at the Marietta Art House and runs through December 16. Midway in the show, the current pieces will be swapped out and new work will be on display. And in November there will be a Fiber Bazaar, with all sorts of small items for sale, just in time for the holidays.

The show is in an old house with a beautiful wrap around on three sides porch. The floors are intricate inlaid wood patterns, something you would never see today. The show is open Wednesday to Saturday, 12 to 5, and Sunday, 1 to 5.

And this is the view in my back yard. The workmen made a nice swirly pattern in the cement. I think they were killing time.

The view from the bedroom window. Not much has changed. Let's hope something happens this week.

Lull in the Action

Nothing happening on the studio construction yesterday. The contractor came by to see what had been done and said one of the walls needed to be another round higher, so they will have to bring back the cement mixer and add a few more cinder blocks. Meanwhile, we heard that the sunflower fields were in bloom, and off we went. The farmer only plants the sunflowers every other year, crop rotation I assume, so we didn't get to see these last year. It was foggy when we first got there. As the sun rose higher in the sky, the fog burned off and oh! the beautiful colors.

Twining up the sunflower stalks are blue morning glories, the perfect complement to the yellow sunflowers.

The seed pattern is a perfect example of the Fibonacci series. To read a short explanation of why this is the most efficient way to fill a space, read this. Because I sure can't explain it.

There will need to a lot of bees and insects to help fertilize these millions, and maybe billions, of possible seeds. Busy bees, indeed.

The fog has burned off and it's sunflowers as far as we can see.

I'm growing sunflowers in my garden. It's been a real struggle. I planted seeds, some came up, and then the birds or bunnies ate the seedlings. I planted more seeds, some came up, and the birds and bunnies ate them again. I planted more seeds, and protected them from the birds and bunnies. Some came up. They grew to about 2 feet tall, and the deer ate the tops. I planted more seeds, protected them from the birds and the bunnies and the deer. Some came up. But I didn't protect them well enough, because the deer ate the tops again. Luckily, the plants sent off replacement shoots, and now they are about 6 feet high with incipient buds. Unfortunately, they seem to be right in the path of the future driveway. So it will be a race to see if they bloom and go to seed before the new driveway has to be excavated.