Wednesday, January 18, 2012

How I Celebrated MLK Day




I look out at the woods and an idea comes to my mind's eye.  Once I have a visual thought like that, even lazy as I am, I can't resist it.  What would it look like if I put some weaving out there in the snowy woods today? I have to see it.  I take some rag fragments I found in a drawer out to the woods, and put them in some branches.  It looks all right, but here's another version, a longer story.

Monday.  Martin Luther King Day.  We had our first wintry snow fall.  I decided to go on a rag bombing walk up to the quarry, with some rag scraps, needles, threads, my new camera.  I picked some trees to bomb, sort of back from the road, and started in.  As I edged my way into the thorns and bushes, I found the trees I'd picked from the road, to sew my rag weaves to, were actually across a ditch, on a ridge in front of another much deeper ditch.  I decided to take a few pictures of my weaves suspended on branchlets,  to test the idea.  I did notice then that I'd worn rather smooth bottom boots for this outing, and the upshot was a sudden downslide into the deeper ditch, protecting my camera with my elbow as I plunged down.  Ouch.  Ouch. Ouch.

I came to rest feeling hurt.  My knee hurt, my elbow hurt. But my camera was ok.  I crawled back out on my hands and knees, back up to the road before I noticed my face felt strangely empty where my glasses should have been. 

" Funny, I thought I was wearing my glasses when I came out here."

 So, I crawled back out again, to where I fell, and searched around in the snow, but couldn't find them.   I headed back down to the shop, with my rag bombing kit, to see if I'd left them safely behind.  No glasses.  This time I put on my good kicks, black suede boots with deep waffles, left behind by my daughter a few years ago,  and heavy gloves.  I hiked back up the hill, and back to the ditch-ravine,  back to the spot where I came to rest, and searched again, and this time I found them, buried. 

No photos were taken of my accident.  I thought I'd go back out again today,  to sew my rags around my chosen trees, but now it's snowing horizontally.  Miraculously, my knee and elbow are feeling fine.

Another thought came to me while floundering around out in the woods: I realized how much I love Martin Luther King, Jr.  He ignited the imagination of oppressed people, he shared a vision that compelled them to unite and take action. Together they had power they'd never before imagined.  I get it.  He was an artist and a great socialist, and my hero.

7 comments:

Hilary said...

I really love the photos of your weavings in the trees. Sorry you took a plunge to get them.

jude said...

great post

greelyrita said...

Ha ha. Well, not about your fall really but when I read "deep ditch" I already knew what was coming. I'm just like you - often not careful enough and not very heedful of the warning thoughts like, "Hmm, I'm wearing slippery boots." I'm getting too old now and I should really be being more careful but I think this is another of those lessons that I must learn the hard way - with broken bones. Amazingly, in 60 years and MANY falls, there's never been a broken bone. I'm so glad you found those glasses (and that you're not seriously injured). Spring is still quite a ways off. If you haven't got a second pair, you maybe should consider it. Mind you, so should I...

Recently, I was out walking the dog in really cold weather. The glasses were sucking the heat out of my nose, so I took them off and put them in my pocket. A little while later I bent down to do something and heard a pop. Wonder what that was. Forgot about it. When I went in, at first I didn't notice that my glasses were still off. Pretty blurry. Oh ya. Glasses. Get them, put them on. Still not seeing right. What IS the problem? I had popped out a lense. Somehow, I think we would understand one another.

Love your weaving. You're very talented at translating what you see into thread patterns. I've been a follower for a long time now and I look forward to your posts, read them right away! Thanks!!

Susan said...

There I was dreaming of textiles in the trees, and suddenly brought down! Lucky I didn't wreck my glasses and my camera, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I'd have posted a picture of my black and blue bruised knee, but stopped myself begging pity

greelyrita, thanks for your commiseration. I'm old enough to know better. Thanks for reading

jean Beck said...

Wish I was rambling with you. Spills and all.

Susan said...

Jean, are you still lame? Or, just too tired from all your fancy exercise classes....I hope you're better

Velma Bolyard said...

exactly how things sometimes go. mlk would chuckle.