MARCH MADNESS

It’s Friday and tomorrow it’s MARCH (rabbit-rabbit). Just when we’re dreaming of spring, here comes thirty-one days of chill (in like a lion) known as March Madness. And it’s the weekend. Do you have plans? Hey, you darling California people, enjoy that rain, stay away from mud, drive carefully! I’m thinking about you!

MUSICA.

It’s a great weekend for MOVIES, plus we have the Oscars on Sunday — hope the rain is over by then so the stars don’t cover up their dresses! I’m trying to figure out our Oscar Menu that night. Peah-Ci-da to start! Because the month of March seems to last forever, I think of it as a time to get things done so when Spring actually arrives, I’ll be

FREE. I try to get as much out of every abnormally long and never-ending day as humanly possible. It’s a healthy-eating, organizing (with Kellee and Sheri, thinking about what new things we can get for our web store this year, what new designs we can come up with, we were on the phone for two hours yesterday, plotting!); it’s a cleaning-the-studio and getting-ready kind of time, vacation and garden planning, being cozy reading a good book (I’m reading Goldfinch ~ (did I say Hummingbird?) ~ has anyone read it? I’m barely into it, but the writing is great so far). It’s such a thick book ~ I can live inside this book for a while. I hope it turns out to be nice in there.

Since we went to England, a very long time ago, I’ve not had the chance to really clean my studio! New piles get added to old piles, and you can almost hear them groan. So, with next year’s calendars finally done, that’s how I’ve been spending the last week, filing, organizing, throwing away. I’ll have you know it is heaven in here right now. I can see the tops of tables. Shocking! And I thought I’d give you a little tour of what’s on my front burners: THIS ↑ in all its glory, may look like a mess to you, but it’s actually everything I need to write a diary about my first little house on the island, drawings and memories. ♥ I’m always scribbling something, I write while I watch TV, when I first wake up, in restaurants and while we’re driving and these are stories gathered over the years that have been piling up. Now I get to organize them into some sort of sense that spells B-O-O-K. Don’t ask me how, because I don’t know yet. I compare the process to sweeping the kitchen floor. All the tiny bits and pieces are scattered to every corner, I sweep and sweep and the crumbs and kitty hairs come closer to each other, I sweep some more until they are one solid thing in the dust pan. That’s book writing.

And then there is this ↑ pile to consider. It’s everything I need, recipes, stories, and sketches to write a book all about tea and tea parties. This will be my prettiest book ~ think dishes, teacups, creamers, flowers, delectable desserts and delicate sandwiches.

Then of course there’s this↑, my Pancake Book, like a giant lump of clay just begging to be shaped into something that brings all of you home for breakfast on a snowy morning or outside for a summer brunch under the roses. It doesn’t look cozy from here, but trust me, this pile of paper is like warm-just-from-the-dryer flannel jammies personified. Every time I make something delicious for breakfast, the recipe goes into this pile. This book will also have the story about my mom called Pancakes which some of you have read.

There are more piles in here, a read-aloud Christmas Story, a couple of How-To books about Creativity, a pile of sketches I would like to paint (and paint and paint). I don’t lack for something to do. But you can see above, this is where my heart of heart lives, even in this freezing weather . . . this is where my dreams go to grow. When I do this, I am happy, and I’ve been doing it since I moved here, always to the same place. Martha’s Vineyard, empty wide beach. Snow is gone for the moment, so we take advantage of it.

For the all too important work of shell collecting. It’s spring and I can’t have enough yellow things in my house right now. These paper thin shells are called Jingle Shells (like the song) or Mermaid’s Toenails.

Quite perky for a windowsill.

My destiny, isn’t it a kind of meditation? Salt water seashore and cold winter wind and jingling seashells?

And now, this morning. I come downstairs and it’s still dark and I turn on the light over the stove to make my tea.

And there is the little Missy, already downstairs, waiting for me. I love how her eyes need to adjust to the light . . . I grab the camera.

Blink-blink-blink, she squints at me. And then . . . clickity-click down the stairs comes the King of the Roost, the Lord of the Manor, he who is waited on hand and foot, Jack.

He goes straight to Girl as he always does ~ but normally he never gets this close, she runs long before he can get to her. Leaps across the kitchen table in a single bound if need be, to get away from him. But this morning, I think he got a kiss!

I couldn’t move too much or I would scare them and this is too rare, but look at that…. don’t you think he’s getting a kiss? Look at her feet. She’s such a dainty Girl.

So much for that, the romantic moment doesn’t last long — she’s outta there, enough is enough!

So, have a fun rest-of-the-day! Here ↑ are a few more ways to get the most out of March! I’m off to see my friend Margot’s newest art project with two of our girlfriends today, and then the four of us are going to LUNCH. I love to go to Lunch with the girls ~ one of the things that makes for a red letter day. ♥

Have you had lunch with your girlfriends lately? If not, wouldn’t now be a good time to put a date on your calendar, something fun to look forward to? You need to catch up! Have yourself a wonderful weekend! Bunny-Bunny, Girlfriends. XOXO