April in the Great Basin

I bought this water color about 15 years ago - whenever it was the Arizona Sun Devils won the NCAA tournament. It was my first year to enter this pool and in selecting the brackets, since I didn't know anything about basketball, I just picked the team to win that was the most west of the two. In the end, I came up with Arizona. This is by Joyce Rossi who wrote the childrens book, The Gully Washer. She's a friend of my mine and I happened to be in her home, where I saw it propped up against the hearth. Long story short, it was for sale and I had money burning a whole in my pocket. It's especially meaningful to me since one of my aunts was a principal at a Chinese school in Lima, Peru. Globalization is not new.

Ian and I have continued to participate in this pool with family and friends and last night when Duke won the NCAA play-off game, I got second place. I collected my winnings today and put it in an envelope. I've decided to feed that envelope and when I find that must-have painting, I will be ready. I would so love to go to the Laguna Art Festival but for now, I'm biding my time.
I am thrilled at Missy's place mats. Each one is a little different but the undyed side of the fabric creates a neutral unifying fourth color. I'll be sorry to see these go in the mail. I'm reading the Finnish American Rag Rugs: art, tradition and ethnic continuity - almost ready to put on my first rag rug warp.

I took this yesterday morning from the front door.

And this afternoon I am bundled up, reading on the deck in the company dogs. I desperately need to do a little solar collection. We have another system predicted to hit this weekend. That's how Spring works in the Great Basin. The garlic is growing well and carrots are planted. Potatoes will go in the raised beds before this next system arrives. It's been such a long winter that we're getting low on firewood, though we should be able to squeak through with a stick or two to spare. It's been a great day.