Saturday, August 18, 2018

fortunately proved not

“Every morning upon awakening,” Dali wrote in 1953, “I experience a supreme pleasure: that of being Salvador Dalí, and I ask myself, wonderstruck, what prodigious thing will he do today, this Salvador Dalí.”

The squirrel was in awe of Salvador Dali, probably because he know precisely what Squirrel would do with his day.  

A little low on news today, I had to wait all morning for the handyman to come so I had my prepared list and my gallon of paint ready.  I also did  food shopping so I would have something to do while waiting. 
Well.
Do you remember the Bufo Toad saga from last year?  A quick synopsis-  a family of these giant poisonous toads moved into our entry fountain and we couldn't get rid of them-  they just hunkered down under the water and stared at us when we would yell at them.  By the end of the summer the fountain was completely clogged with toad shit, and it had hardened onto the fountain surface so thick that it looked like adobe.  This particular handyman got the problem, pretty much cleaned out the whole system and chipped off the hardened toad shit for several days.  He also built up a chicken wire platform for a bunch of rocks under the water so they couldn't get in.  I didn't have many problems with them this season, they just didn't come back and if they did they couldn't submerge so I could chase them away with a giant broom.
Ugh ugh ugh!
So, the pump stopped working again the other day, the motor was running but no water was coming out the little spigot on top.  Daniel took it all apart today and OMG, what a friggin' MESS-  apparently the toads had been laying eggs in the fountain and they had been falling down under the rocks past the chicken wire and into the depths.  When he removed the rocks and started fishing around the damn baby toads scurried out like lemmings and tried to escape. They had grown too big to get through the hardware cloth we had put in to keep the full grown guys out!  Hundreds of them in all directions.  Now the pump is filled with baby toad poop instead of adult toad poop.  They have won again.

Moral of the story is to never ever buy a fountain to trickle happily at your front door.  And if you do, don't locate it under a hanging light that zaps bugs to fall into it.  And if you do, never ever turn on said light to attract the bugs because it's like ordering them Blue Apron.
Just to see comparable size

CAUTION:  if you watch the video link above, these are NOT pets, the young woman gives us lots of information but they are NOT the kind of  critter you want to live with.  Certainly I am not happy about sending out hundreds to fend for themselves in my yard!  Keeping Molly on a very short leash- they kill dogs in South Florida regularly.
The best Bufo is a bronzed Bufo.  Yuk!

************

Lets move on over to an ARTY PARTY after that:
I 'collect' mark-making images of embroiderers-  not real, but virtual.  There is a woman, Frances Soame who had the most inventive mind-  she embroiders hand written stories, or diaries on found and historical clothing like this
The above is a closeup of this children's pinafore
She has highly influenced many current artists like Rosalind Wyatt who have done work commemorating her husband's family history and their work in mental health reform.  The following are hers, embroidered from old family pictures and letters on authentic clothing from the era.






As you probably know by now, I love a story with my own work, in fact there doesn't seem to be much reason to do anything unless there's a story. Anyway, the stories that Wyatt has brought forth in her work have influenced many current artists to stitch and 'journal' in their work.  This bears checking into!  

So, if you've been reading this, or have simply stumbled upon it, thanks!  Come back soon and I will start showing more of what I'm up to also.  This month is devoted to making my own clothes smaller, about time!  Maybe I should embroider some story on them!
                                                                      Sandy

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