Climate Change...

Polar bears are the world's largest land predator. Males range from 775 to 1500 pounds, while females maintain a svelte 330 to 550 zone. I read that they do scold their young for misbehaving with a slight scuff. They share their dinner and wag their tails when they want to play. They typically survive -40º weather for weeks at a time and swim over 60 miles in arctic water to feed upon seals lounging on floating sea ice. That is… on a good day.

The reality is their environment is literally melting away. This unnatural change means the polar bears can’t evolve quickly enough to survive without it. They are drowning while searching for sea ice. They are resorting to cannibalism as they fight from starving to death. Their malnourishment is causing low birth rates. They are sadly in serious danger of becoming extinct.

The plight of the polar bear is very real and should be our wake-up call.

Our climate is changing. And this is a REAL problem.





Your help is needed. Take action via International Blog Action Day 09…

Step 1. Sign the petition to address the U.S.A’s role with pollution
http://www.blogactionday.org/en/takeaction

Step 2. Get involved by following any of their dozen of links to educate, inform and promote knowledge.

Step 3. Pay attention to the UN Climate Change Conference (Dec 7 – Dec 18, 2009) http://en.cop15.dk





(This is a recycled posting from 2008 - knowing I'm not the only one who tears up with concern.)

The Mask...

Classe' gave me a mask one day that he made of paper mache'. He told me to paint it. So one sleepless night, after a long shift followed by some unwinding east-side, I made this painting of that mask.

SOLD...

I drew this waaay back in 1978. I sold it too. In fact, it was the very first drawing I ever sold. (Ok, a classmate offered me $10 to draw Jerry Garcia - but he was too cute to take his money).

The guy that bought this later informed me he was taking it back to Chicago, making prints of it and selling them. I was flattered and then confused.

Alright, I'll be honest... I've been confused about most things ever since.

Me, Classe' and Linda...

...OH MY!..!!

All three of us worked on this one night - but of course, it was Classe' who pulled it all together. He's a driven genius when painting, so exciting to watch. I recall there was no running water so beer was used to clean brushes.

He gave it to Linda and I hadn't seen it in over 20 years. I simply love it.

Headin' Home...

Think you're escaping and run into yourself. Longest way round is the shortest way home. - James Joyce



I often ponder the meaning of home. Growing up, I moved 16 times before I was 15. As an adult, I've stayed in this same general area, yet moved 19 more times - (each time the rent went up!). So my idea of 'home' was never a box with a door on it. My idea of home has always been centered on my family.

As a child, my friends changed as easily as addresses. I never knew how to keep friends longer than a year, but as an adult I’ve been fortunate to have friends who don’t let go. They remain close even when I let time slip between us. My family’s love is unconditional and now I’ve found that with my friends as well.

Home is still built upon my family but now includes my friends. My valued family of friends.

An Independent Nature...

This 4th of July celebration was spent well outside my city limits. I ventured west to my brother's house and enjoyed a real neighborhood celebration. It was an amazingly different experience for me. It was Urban Americana at it's surreal best.

The neighbors all had the BBQ set up with lawn chairs in place for their little neighborhood fireworks display. Cute kids ran about like fireflies. Each man of the household pulled from their own bounty of fireworks as they took turns one-upping each other with lighting the next round. Not even a slow steady rain would slow them down. It took a brave old toad hopping through their battlefield to provoke a time-out. The rain continued, but it was my brother, the one who hangs with the Mensa crowd, who got under a big black umbrella as he lit one of the ‘big ones’. My brother is not a quitter. He played his best game. I believe he won the game with this move, sadly no one noticed due to all the smoke and rain.

As I left a few hours later, I paused to take in the quiet clean air, however it was thick with the most intense sounds from the neighboring nature. Frogs, crickets and birds, all boldly celebrating independence.



(My little American sparrow drawn as vectored lineart in Illustrator - 2009)

Possums...

...made with using an old wool sweater, some scrap fleece, yarn, thread and lovingly stuffed with bamboo fiber-fill. Shown here from two angles; it's a stuffed possum I made for my youngest nephew.

'Possum' was his nickname before his birth. Thankfully now, he's too cute to keep that name.