the garden

March 25th

Spring comes to the kitchen

the violas were plucked from pots just brought home from the nursery
but the tiny daffodils are home grown

March 8th

a couple of years ago i was told
because i am a garden writer and photographer
"you should write a book"

(if you are a first-time visitor to my blog
you may be shocked at this claim
i mean
really!
i don't even use punctuation half the time
or seem to know when a sentence should
break
or not.
as i've noted on my about page
i started this blog so i could be free to type away
without worrying about selling
and all the rules that otherwise rule my working life

heck
i almost always forget to use spell check here!
anyway, back to today's post:

i like books
actually, i love books
and i've been making hand bound versions
for several years
and i'm the daughter of a librarian
the daughter of a woman who passed along
to me her love of making things by hand
so
i came up with an idea for a book
and i created a fabulous (i do say so myself)
book proposal which consisted not only of the requisite sample chapter
but a marvelous accordian folio of images i intended to use as illustrations.
it was good enough to wow 2 literary agents
just about the same time the publishing world declared
garden books are dead
but they both took turns trying to get me a book deal
they could not.
so
now
i will take another course of action
yes, i will self-publish
something, anyway.
just because the idea will not rest
and i want to hold someting in my hands
in other words
hold some fruit from the origianl germ of an idea.
i will most likely make a beautifully hand bound volume for myself
but i'm also playing with the idea of something more commercial
maybe a Lulu version
because i'm pretty sure that while the subject
definitly lends itself to an elegant presentation
it could also be handled very well in a
more casual and affordable format.
at this point in time
self-publishing a hard bound book
full of color illustrations would cost around $50 to $75 a piece
which is too much
not enough people would be willing to buy it.

i know many of you are interested because
you already know this story
already buy my work
and are some of the people who said
"write a book".

from time to time
i will post updates on the project
in the meantime
i've made some notecards
using some of the photographs

like this one

you can see all 6 in this new series
and buy them from Zephyr's shop
(those of you who subscribe to my newsletter will already know this.
If you haven't subscribed yet, but would like to receive mailings
announcing new work for sale, just say so and i'll happily add you to
my address book. And rest assured: in my newsletter, i make every effort to use punctuation properly, write complete sentences, and all that jazz)

May 15th

when faces called flowers float out of the ground
and breathing is wishing and wishing is having-
but keeping is downward and doubting and never
-it's april(yes,april;my darling)it's spring!
yes the pretty birds frolic as spry as can fly
yes the little fish gambol as glad as can be
(yes the mountains are dancing together)

when every leaf opens without any sound
and wishing is having and having is giving-
but keeping is doting and nothing and nonsense
-alive;we're alive,dear:it's(kiss me now)spring!
now the pretty birds hover so she and so he
now the little fish quiver so you and so i
now the mountains are dancing, the mountains)

when more than was lost has been found has been found
and having is giving and giving is living-
but keeping is darkness and winter and cringing
-it's spring(all our night becomes day)o,it's spring!
all the pretty birds dive to the heart of the sky
all the little fish climb through the mind of the sea
all the mountains are dancing;are dancing)                      

                                                e.e. cummings

May 2nd

something new everyday
in may