equation

one water bottle +

one can of markers +

one set of paper dolls +

one blank piece of paper +

one tape dispenser +

many magical incantations (ala 'ali-ka-zer') +

a motley audience of animals, dolls and human beings

=

a fine piece of performance art by The Great Ally. you should have been here.

'round here

:: rasha, the second ::

:: animal rescue machine ::

:: goodbye, untrained smiles. sigh. ::

:: crazy eyes, above and below ::

:: caterpillar ::

we are here! so busy right now ...

:: listening {to the decemberists, of course, but also to kd lang, the pixies, and lucinda williams, elizabeth mitchell, and books on tape},

:: watching {my babies going in and out of focus, so fast are they growing},

:: painting {our faces, hair, bodies, and sometimes paper},

:: reading {new work by jack gilbert, old work from my favorite genre--18th and 19th century brit lit, michael chabon, annie dillard, e.b. white}

:: hoping {for the best}

:: contemplating {all the possible life changes, e.g., where in the world to live out our next years?},

:: admiring {the art of carson ellis}

:: marveling {that spring comes again}

... and generally keeping the beasts at bay, brushing off bad moods, ushering in the beach winds of summer, snatching bits of happiness and, you know, torturing caterpillars.