Quiet Day

Working by myself, both James and D away, and no one bothered me. I have a small show to install in the tiny gallery, 16 pieces, matted drawing. High School kids, the show is called "From My Window" and I've got to say that they didn't get the concept. I talked with the art's administrator, Sharee, and she knows they didn't get it. One is very good, I'll buy it if it comes up for sale, a lovely cow standing on a 4-wheeler, and a couple of the others are pretty good. It's not the quality of the drawing in the rest of them, it's the lack of concept. It's easy to be a critic when you install shows (the Preparator, after all) but the whole point was missed here. I could write 50 pages on what I see outside my windows, in just a couple of days, 25,000 words, which could be the equivalent to a drawing. The hanging hardware is skewed because Sharee has saved and reused mats and backing, which I applaud, so I don't mind re-affixing all the hangers. The backing is foam-core, so the hangers are cute little notched hangers (so you can level them) with a couple of little forward leaning barbs, you sort of push them into place. It's not an exact science. In fact I'm flustered with the imperfection of the whole system. I can improve on it, I already have: I put them in a tad low, then push them into position, secure them with strapping tape. I'll probably secure the pieces with some little rolls of tape. I like to keep things straight, but anything affects that, up, down, sideways, the floor, a bad level, the fact that you were late for some important something. I have to laugh, I amuse myself. The water is extensive. Today, I felt like I was living on a costal plain at flood tide, without a helmet. Water everywhere, sheets of water, extending as far as the eye could see; in most places it's less than a foot deep, and herons graze, egrets; I think if you saw it for the first time, and didn't know what it was, you wouldn't know. Merely seasonal flooding. You seek high-ground and pay attention to the larder. I should be able to drive in tomorrow, I have a list, last major re-supply of the year. Juice, beans, eggs, bread, drinking water, but the first thing you know, I'll be doing ribs on the grill. There's nothing I like better than Baby-Back pork ribs with roasted potatoes and slaw. The sauce, of course. I boiled it twice this winter, though it was well covered with a layer of fat. It speaks strongly of places I've never been.