Stockpiling Wood
We've been burning wood in the old Buckstove for a few weeks now, warming the old farmhouse up to a comfortable 68 degrees or so. And yesterday Paula and I…
Sonnet 73 • William Shakespeare • a motion poem
Sonnet 73 • Shakespeare from Dave Richardson Design on Vimeo. A motion poem designed a few years ago, about this time of year when fall — the changing of seasons…
First Day of Fall
The light's changing. The days are shortening and cooling, and yesterday was such a windy, gorgeous day, with a few leaves coming down, and hawks soaring in the sky, catching…
Building the Meditation Tower
Okay, it's a deer-hunting stand, according to my brother John. He took the initiative to design and build it, and Paula and I helped out at the end when he…
“21 Instructions Before the Retreat Begins” (v1.1) — a video poem
21 Instructions Before The Retreat Begins • a video-poem (v1.1) from Dave Richardson Design on Vimeo. Juried into the Liberated Words II poetry-film festival, Oct. 3, 2013, in Bristol, U.K.…
The First Chicken Portrait: Laura Lei
Before finalizing syllabi for next week, I sketched Laura Lei, one of our chickens. A few hours ago I was in their pen, taking photos, and the chickens thought the…
How Long Does It Take for a Chicken to Lay Her First Egg?
Well, it took 133 days for one of "the girls" to present us with our first egg. This appeared two days ago, and the next day there were 3 eggs.…
Trusting the Process of Art-Making
What does it mean to "trust the process" of art-making, or image-making, or writing, or creating anything new in the world? "Trust the process." Sounds suspicious. Sounds unfocused. Definitely over-used.…
10-point Buck Grazing in Back Pasture
At the end of the day yesterday, we took a break from all of the demolition and the garden work, and we sat in camp chairs on the back hill.…
From the Notebooks: A Sabbath poem by Wendell Berry
From my notebooks, a Sabbath poem by Wendell Berry: When we convene again to understand the world, the first speaker will again point silently out the window at the hillside…
Layered Miracles
Ellen Meloy was a naturalist, writer and river-runner. A bit of her writing, a phrase, lingers in my mind: “... to reclaim daily the notion of layered miracles.” (Eating Stone, p.…
Renovating the Old Farm House: Ripping Apart the Bathroom
Demolition continues. Ripping apart the bathroom. As we drag the old stuff outside and pile it on a tarp, the house seems to breathe a little easier.
Amelia, the Ameraucana
Amelia, one of our chickens, who have yet to lay eggs! As Paula would say, "Come on, girls! You have a job to do here."
Broad-winged Hawk on the Barn
We're pretty sure this was a broad-winged hawk on the barn the other day.
Bountiful Times in the Garden
The garden is bursting with green growth now: the cucumbers are twined around the cedar poles and producing super-cucumbers; we have too much zucchini, as usual, and the pole beans…
Renovating the Old Farm House: Demolition Continues (#8)
The renovation on the old farm house continues in the form of ripping walls apart, making a mess, scooping up the bent nails and shattered plaster into boxes, and storing the…
Inspiring Talk by Jarrett Krosoczka • “How A Boy Became An Artist”
A really inspiring story of pursuing your passion and overcoming some big obstacles in life.
Renovations #2: A Ceiling of Old Barn Roofing
Yesterday Paula and I put old metal barn roofing on the exposed rafters in the "dining room" of the farmhouse. This is, you will see, the same kind of roofing…