taste and see

It's a harsh day today. Fierce winds began to blow just before dawn. At times it sounded like a train whooshing by. Maybe the Hogwarts train filled with wizards? In the non-fiction world, however, that sound apparently is associated with tornados and is supposed to continue with gusts of  45-60 mph. This is unnerving and disconcerting. I remind myself not to make any major decisions today because my mind could be blown in the wrong direction and change my life. I'm not as steady and balanced as the animals in the nearby field. The baby, six and a half months old, stands apart from her mother quite often these days. Soon we won't be able to tell her apart from the other brown horses (except for the white socks on her ankles).

muse unnanounced
Before the winds began to blow, yesterday was a relatively mild sunny day and I met up with the cover artist of the Chokecherries anthology, Barbara Harmon. We'd never actually met during editing and production, although we exchanged emails and had phone conversations and I still had to return the original whimsical pastel that we used on the cover, Flowers from Goblins' Fair.

creativity, fashion, vigor, inspiration
Barbara is someone to emulate and learn from. Age becomes irrelevant within minutes of meeting her and glimpsing the way she lives her life. She writes and illustrates children's books, exhibits and sells her art through museums and galleries and has transcribed her poems from Mirthful Meditations & Philosophies from Fairyland into calligraphy.

Barbara and her artist husband Cliff (90 years old) have lived in Taos since the late 1940s. She and I met for lunch and had a long delightful time getting to know each other (we're both Leos!).

To learn more about Barbara, you can read the interview with her in the current edition of Chokecherries.  The book can be ordered online from SOMOS or if you're in town, stop by the office on Paseo del Pueblo Sur. Be sure to check out upcoming shows of Barbara's work this spring, she's working on a new series of paintings. As for me, I hope she and I will become good friends and share many more lunches and good conversations. When we parted she tossed her cane onto the front seat of her Toyota Landcruiser, climbed in, waved goodbye and drove off (as I took mincing steps across the icey parking lot to my car).

"My metier is fantasy in the World of
Willderwish, which encompasses both 
a light-hearted atmosphere and the 
mysteries of ancient bottles, 
bouquets, and muses in enchanted gardens."
     (excerpt from interview by L. Bleiler)