Saturday, February 24, 2007

Friday, February 23, 2007

Communication: Whittemore Bear Calls a Contra

In the evenings when I arrive at Concord's Scout House for the Contra Dance, the tall windows are glowing yellow in the darkness. If it's warm, the windows are open, and fiddle and piano music drifts out over the evening air. If it's midwinter, the windows are snugged, but I can see the dancers, and already almost smell the nice wooden floor. The thumping of feet and the rhythm of Cal's double bass call to my own feet, and I want to dance, even before I can make it through the doors.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Gravity: A visit from our guest strip Green Dog Cafe
Friday is Doughnut Day, right? Here's a sample of dainty pastries from my book, Diseased Fancy. You may never eat another doughnut....

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Sunday, February 11, 2007


A Non Definitive Statement about Yellow.

When I was little, my mom would buy three items in different colors, so my brothers and I each had our own color. My color was yellow. I had a yellow anodised metal bowl with a curled rim. We used them for popcorn. I had an enamelled metal mug. Buttercup yellow outside, white inside. It had a squared off handle. She also got us plates with little ditties and pictures by Edward Lear. I don't know if it was coincidental but mine had yellow boots and little shoes hanging from a tree or a plant: Shoebootia Utilis.

When we had fondue, I set out the forks according to the colored dot on the end (and even today I sometimes get a wild thrill out of using the orange or the green fondue fork).

I had a yellow "jellybean" jacket - transparent rubberystuff in a pretty yellow. And even though it wasn't considered mine, i pretended the clear umbrella with the yellow edge and clear yellow handle was mine. My own umbrella was orangy pink and dinky, but the yellow and clear umbrella was big enough to actually get into. It was bell-shaped, not like those offensively large flat umbrellas people carry around in the financial district.

My mom has a set of plastic glasses in a lot of bright transparent colors. I like them all, but I guess I have a responsibility to drink from the yellow ones when I'm there.

The pencil I use to sketch all my cartoons is a transparent yellow mechanical pencil. When I flew Virgin Atlantic last year, I was delighted to see that all their plasticware is in bright transparent colors. Somehow, the attendant knew to give me the yellow set: yellow knife, spoon, fork, and best of all, tiny coffee stirrer (yes, yes, I'm morally opposed to the inherent waste of a utensil designed solely to stir coffee - which is already in Brownian motion anyway - and then throw away, but I can't deny that I did coo on the inside when I got mine). I also got a pair of socks, an eyemask, and toothbrush in a transparent yellow ziplock bag with a yellow cord. Thanks Mister Branson!

If you have a nice bright yellow motorcycle you don't need anymore, please send me the title papers and key. Thanks.

And because you probably need a hug, here's one from me. ****
Pet Worm