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Remembering Philo
I didn’t expect this would hit me so hard. I met Philo Hagen only twice in person. I couldn’t call him a friend, but my life between 2008 and 2018 was shaped his influence and our online collaborations. I left my “hooping era” years ago, and so did he, but now he is gone from…
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Welcome 2025
明けましておめでとうございます！今年も宜しくお願いします。Wishing you a very happy Year of the Snake. This is the final design in the 12 year cycle of Nengazou in the Chinese “zoudiac.” It didn’t start out to be a series. For 2014, I drew the elephant-as-nordic-horse as a cute pastiche of the Chinese zodiac year, traditional Christmas decorations, and our favorite animal.…
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25 words
Another long-running annual tradition, this is my 24th time summing up my year in 25 words exactly. Living my best life teaching crafts and making art. Learning & collaborating with new friends at Oyama Senmaida. Yumbo license, hardscape patios, new shed, clean barn. Here are the others in reverse chronological order: 2023: House-building decisions had…
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Mother Trees
Up on the ridge of the mountain behind 555, there are five huge and ancient Shii trees. They are relatives of our Ent but somehow even larger. The mother trees of the forest. Photographs can’t show their majesty. While we were visiting with them, Tod discovered the shrine we knew would be there. We’d looked…
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Non-zero Days
My memory skips right over my successes and accomplishments, so I feel that I have done almost nothing for the year. Fortunately, my calendar, photos ephemera, and this blog prove me wrong. Here are some highlights (and lowlights) of the year. Around 555 We focused on hardscaping & outbuildings: patio, path, and tiles with my…
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Zero Days
The Appalachian Trail holds great fascination for me. I don’t know why, exactly. The epic 2,185 mile (3,516 km) hike from Maine to Georgia is a 6 month commitment. It passes through my home state, Pennsylvania, but I’ve never hiked a single section of it. However, I have taken on the concept of “zero days.”…
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Christmas 2024
I seem to be starting a tradition of taking Maura to the vet on Christmas. Last year he had an abscess that needed surgery; this year I have avoided that with prompt medical care. Mai-kun from Oyama Senmaida came over on Christmas Eve and got in a roiling fight in the storm drain with Maura.…
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Weave 2025
Every year since 2009 I have selected a word to guide me. My theme word for 2025 is weave. It narrowly beat out color, draw, muse, and present. I want to weave community through creating connections and weave beauty in patterns. I want to weave my ideas into the rich history and culture of this…
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Ending Notes
Am I obsessed with death? Perhaps. Any of my friends will tell you that I am deeply aware of the passage of time whether it’s mere moments or long ago futures. I am always thinking ahead and looking back. Planning and remembering. That’s who I am. I can’t help it. One of my goals this…
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Mystery Drones over Chiba?
For the past couple of weeks, people in the US have reported mysterious nighttime drone sightings, specifically over New Jersey and now spreading along the east coast and elsewhere. There are been reports of drones over US bases in the UK, too. And last night, Tod saw flying objects in the sky over our local…
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