March 8,2011

It rained buckets yesterday then it turned to snow that fell heavily from the sky almost like the rain!!! Today it is cold and sunny. The weatherman says it will warm up to the 50's tomorrow and I look forward to that!Does it appear that I always talk about the weather? It is true that I am really sensitive to the changes not only physically but emotionally and mentally too. I have known for years that too many gloomy days and I am on the brink of depression..so full spectrum lights in the winter help a bit. Thankfully I live in Utah where the sun shines more than 80% of the time. As I get older the old injuries act up when there is a change and again Utah is a high desert and although it can get wet here it is not the norm. We had a 7 year drought here a while back and although we were glad to see the snow pack come back..I was secretly enjoying the non winters and hot dry sunny summers.
I love the snow but it doesn't really love me! One way I decided over the past few years to combat the blues was to get out in the weather and take lots of photos.
I made a 3d project for a 3d foundations class back in 2007. I called it the Wedding Nest. It was made of a wedding dress I found in a thrift shop, bird feathers, lengths of beads and branches with berries. I constructed a crow out of paper and set it all up in the bushes outside the art building for a day. I got an A..but it is what I have done with it since that is more interesting.
I brought the nest home and wondered if birds would ever consider using it..so I placed it in a tree out back by the property line. It is like a little jungle there in the spring. Then I began to take photos of it every once in a while. Over the years it has deteriorated and I have gotten hundreds of photos of it in it's various states. No birds ever nested in it..but it has become the reason I get outdoors on bad days! My digital camera has video capabilities and I have recently taken short videos of the wind blowing the material. That is what quiet Sunday mornings have helped with.
So in addition to a detail of a color pencil drawing of goldfish (due to the depth of puddles yesterday..our driveway could have supported a few fish!) I will add some photos of the wedding nest.
I am hoping to come up with some more art that I can put on my property and see how it fares!
So here is hoping that the weather is good where you are and that you find reasons to get outside and enjoy it!