Mark and I got together with my brother and sister and the Angels on Wednesday for an early Christmas. My brother gave us each the most unusual gift -- a HUGE plastic bin with composting worms! We are all big gardeners so it was a most welcome gift. Specifically, they are Red Wigglers (Eisenia Foetida). They will live in the basement all winter. They "eat" kitchen scraps (no meat or fats) and produce the most amazing compost, ie worm castings, aka worm poop. It is actually easier than tromping outside to the composter in the winter. Just walk down the basement stairs. In the spring, you can put them outside, directly in the garden. It is fun and kooky and practical.
I am consumed with preparing new work for my January show. I have been spending every possible day out West in the studio. The delivery date is Monday January 2 and the show opens Friday January 6. I have never worked so hard at anything in my life. Sometimes I feel like a crazy person in the woods. Tempermentally I am not well suited to long periods of time by myself. I had the choice of doing a solo show in January or September. Living with metastatic cancer, it's hard to know how long I will be well. So I decided to go for it. I am very happy with the new work.
To celebrate the holidays, we will attend services at the Unitarian Church tonight. Last year I was moved to tears -- and could not stop crying -- as the choir sung hymns in Latin. So beautiful, so haunting, so deep. We also put up our first tree, ever. And that's a goodness!
