Happy May!

Whoops! It feels like I posted to this blog just yesterday, but I guess it's been six weeks. Funny how staying ultra-busy messes with perspective.

I'm still on my art kick, happy to report. I recently finished Michael Kimmelman's THE ACCIDENTAL MASTERPIECE, an enlightening look at the art world, its effects upon humanity, and how even the ordinary can become extraordinary art. Reading the book sparked memories of growing up around these old, craggy German and Swedish farmers who were true artisans. They used the long Minnesota winter months to create pieces of beauty, mostly carved from wood. Art was all around my blue-collar upbringing, though those of us in the midst of it didn't recognize it as such. I think this topic may be my next book of essays. But I have to finish my other two books first! Ha ha! Always something in the hopper.

My office window is open, and the sounds of spring (whistling wind, chirping birds) filter into my work space. This week is yet a supremely busy one: Grading about 70 papers and keeping my other work rolling. But I know an easier schedule is just around the corner: only two days of classes left. Next Monday, I don't have to go anywhere! Down to nothing after 16 weeks of leading three classes at two different colleges on Mondays/Wednesdays. Hallelujah! That cheering sound you hear is teachers around the world celebrating the end of the semester!