Sunflowers do not like to be chip-carved, but I’m getting there. I spent January drawing and carving, working out how to translate various things into carveable forms, how much realism I can incorporate (or want to, or should), and so on. Lots of interesting questions, lots of possible directions.


I am a teensy bit concerned about receiving a confirmation email for an online order the text of which still refers to COVID-era shutdowns in the present tense.


Meant to post this yesterday. Happy lunar new year everyone.

chip carving of Chinese-styled snake with five-petal flowers, carved red frame


GO PHILLY!

Fresh baked Soft pretzels


The other night I dreamt that the earth’s atmosphere spontaneously boiled away. Magnificent special effects, the swirls of white carrying the blue sky into the blackness of space, but then we were all still there, standing around, wondering at it, talking about it. Shouldn’t we be dead of asphyxiation? I wondered. And wouldn’t the temperature be swinging wildly from day to night? So I checked my phone, as one does, and indeed Weather Underground predicted a high of 180°F the next day.


Cozy studio, fresh pot of tea, birds at window, snow outside. What could be better? How about all of the above, and also not cutting my finger?

My studio is too cluttered to be described meaty in 255 characters


Proper snow at last. Not much, but I’ll take it.

Light snow on trees, ground, and garage roofs in early morning light


Here’s a little tip for all y’all thinking about staying in and cooking this weekend: lentil soup is much better if you remember to put in the lentils. Ask me how I know.