last forsythia

I realize that by virtue of this image, I am now a self-confessed "rank sentimentalist" (but am in good company as such.) I cannot and will not resist the madness of forsythia blooming here in NWNJ in November.

And, offer this, a mere month from Solstice, to tease and dazzle you and me all winter long with the anticipation of the unhinged insanity to be displayed come Spring.

Happy Thanksgiving, my fellows!


ps : I really dislike the pruning of forsythia into any formal artificial shape. Please, if you must cut it back, do it in as random a manner as possible, make it bushier, create more opportunities for blossoms, but don't reign in its essential wild-ness.

green eggs... so lovely!

 Recently we had an Open Studio Day here at zhine-studio -- basically meant as a excuse to create together; all ages, all interests, all manner of expression. There is nothing like the energy of many creatives working in close proximity to one another, says I, cheek-to-cheek, elbow-to-elbow, reaching for the same tube of paint or shiny object.

Maybe you've felt this at a potluck? Or years ago during the heady afternoons set aside for art while in grammar school? Perhaps in the spontaneity of an impromptu jam session? Among the roar in Yankee Stadium? We are social creatures after all, so be sure not to neglect your need to connect with others...

To supplement our Open Studio activities, we shared food. My dear friends brought fresh eggs collected that morning from their chickens. The taste of FRESH EGGS is a significant improvement over store bought. And the color of the yolk! Vivid, vivid yellow!

I was taken in also by the green shells; a mossy green outside and, when first cracked, for brief time the inside is aqua.

As my friend J. tells me:
"Araucanas (chickens) lay green eggs... so lovely!"