DOUGH BOY
I left a ball of pizza dough to rest a little, while I got other things ready for dinner. While I was working, various children trooped through the kitchen and when I looked at the dough again, there was dough boy. Poking a finger into a ball of silky dough: irresistible!

OH YEAH?
Burton Silverman, reacting with characteristic acerbic wit to a comment from the peanut gallery during a demonstration he did today at the Main Line Art Center. This guy is amazing: intellectual and informed, paints like a god, gets himself all over the country, speaks several languages (and did, during out polyglot workshop) and seemed to have more stamina than any of his students (we were all pretty limp at the end of the three days) several of whom are half his age. Which is 80. When he mentioned this some wag in the back muttered "Wow, well in that case, speed the day to 80!"

SNAKE FIGHT
Here's something you don't see every day: two rattlesnakes engaged in scale to scale combat! We went to the zoo over the weekend and happened upon this little drama. The Zoo people were all pretty worked up about it...they kept coming and looking and getting other people to come and look...but nobody seemed to want to go in and break up the fight (!) One of the keepers told us it was two male diamond back rattlesnakes, and that they were engaged in a wrestling match over territory. I was surprised they didn't just bite each other...but I guess they are probably immune to their own poison. So they have to try and squeeze the life out of each other instead. Ah nature, red in tooth and claw!

SUN STRUCK
(and somewhat moonstruck, too.) Something I never thought to see, Henry in a tie! He was all dressed up for Easter services and brunch at his school on Sunday. It was a charming surprise! A couple of the other students were even wearing suits, which I have to say completely boggles my mind. Whoever lent Henry this tie is in for a big surprise as Henry found it extremely useful as a kind of attached handkerchief-napkin!

SPRING WIND

I thought it was old snow
clinging to the fence, stooping
I find white blossoms

HAPPY EASTER
There was a lovely brunch at Henry's school. His housemother Ani had made Russian Sweet Cheese (pashka), as beautiful as a work of art. Shockingly sweet and delicious too. She is going to let me have her recipe, but in the meantime, I think this recipe is probably close, but without the nuts and fruit.

FOUND OBJECT
is the theme this week at Photo Friday. Just a few days ago young H came in from playing outside with this piece of fur he'd found. We have foxes in the neighborhood and we are thinking that this looks like the very tip of a fox's tail!

FIRE BIKE
An experiment conducted by various male members of my household recently. I was invited to come and document the proceedings (as long as I stood well back.) The life of a home photo-journalist is never dull!

FREEDOM
Escaping the cage
the endlessly whirling wheel-
those first slow, free steps

BIRD ART
Sunday morning Paul and I had a quick date and went to see the Cecilia Beaux exhibit at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. It was really astonishing, amazing and inspiring. We were also very charmed by an installation of small wooden bird sculptures filling the air near the entrance. There's something for every taste at the Academy!

CIRCLE
I'm watching some fish
idly, half-bored, suddenly-
I see one watching me

The Good Life
Enough food, and someone to share it with. M. France said it best:

Hunger and Love are the pivots on which the world turns. Mankind is entirely determined by love and hunger.
-Anatole France
(letter to George Sand)

GREEN
My friend Carla Tudor in front of my favorite painting from her recent show at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Something about the delicate semi-transparent veils of intense color of this piece really spoke to my heart.

METALLIC MUSIC
in the classical vein. It sure wasn't Metallica, but H really belted out the brass notes of The New World Symphony tonight in very fine fashion!

STRAIGHT LEAVES ANNOUNCING
lotus cups spiked with saffron-
cold mud on my knees

NEIGHBOR CAKE
I wanted to try this recipe for Pistachio Chocolate Cake from Bonny Wolf's book Talking With My Mouth Full. I slowly assembled the ingredients, over the period of a week or two (I said slowly didn't I?) With everything sitting in the mixer I suddenly could not find the almond extract! I ransacked all the cupboards in an almond extract frenzy but finally gave up and started phoning the neighbors. The first neighbor I called thought she had some, but after a moment of active rummaging conceded she did not. She kindly offered me rum or maple flavors, but I declined with thanks. The second neighbor said she had some so I ran over. She met me at the door distressed because she could not, after all, find it! (Obviously there is an almond extract sneak thief operating in the neighborhood!) But this resourceful woman whipped out her cell phone and while I was standing on her doorstep she called a third neighbor who said for me to come on over and she'd look too. Bingo: she had some!

So it feels like this is the cake the neighborhood helped make! Awfully yummy too. If you are interested the recipe is here.

CHESS
A very serious game!

INTO THE LIGHT
My neighbors had an old, ailing, tree removed yesterday. It was a towering creation, that must have taken a hundred years or more to grow. It was dying, and its huge decaying limbs were a danger to the many houses in its vicinity. But it was actually shocking to see how quickly it was removed, with only a neat pile of woodchips left behind. Requiscat in Pace.


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I have been meaning to mention this award from the Shameless Lions Writing Circle for several weeks now. The small print says "A Roar for Powerful Words!" Many thanks to Mad Silence for nominating me.

NATURAL BEAUTY
My friends Pat and John were visiting recently and brought me a dozen eggs from their own chickens as a hostess gift. What a treat! I love how Pat so artistically placed one greenish-blue egg, from her Araucuna chicken, in with the others. Elegance!

CHANGES
Teenage son
shifting of hills, plains, valleys-
Landscape of his face