Harts Pass no. 739

I started the day looking for some sort of homage to spring… and ended up with this. The first line is from a Mary Oliver poem (apologies) - or at least the internet attributes it in some circles to her work - but from there it took on a Harts Pass life of it’s own. If you are a homeowner (or any kind of Cascadian wildlife) the sound of a flicker “pounding” on your roof in search of bugs is definitely NOT a hopeful sound of spring. Thankfully, it is usually short-lived as they move on to other sources once the rest of the insect world is a little more abundant.

Anyway, the constant drumbeat of the news cycle these days is pretty darn hard to escape… kind of like the flicker. One thing leads to another. With any luck the concentration of prey will disperse and the persistently destructive efforts of the hunter will lessen and fade over time. I suspect they shall, but it never hurst to throw few rocks in the direction of the noise and to make an effort to scare the pesky pecker back into hiding.

Harts Pass no. 738

Am I naive? Is this too much wishful thought? I think - fundamentally - that this is true, but at the same time such an implosion might only happen over SO many days or months or years that the victims of such a bully are irreparably harmed or systemically forced to alter the course of their lives…

This is happening, people. And from the observations of a lowly wolverine, we need to find the action that starts to put the bully back in his box. And better yet, helps him/them see that repression and hate and subtraction and restriction and retreat from the world are the things most TRULY antithetical to the so called American Dream.

Harts Pass no. 737

Last week I had Thor meet a fellow wolverine at the border - a Canadian wolverine named Wayne. This week that new relationship continues.

A VERY Sweet Polar Opposites Video - from the archives!

From the archives, but a very nice reminder that these books we make -- even if they aren't NYT #1 Best Sellers -- DO still find a life of their own and make an impact on the readers of the world. We need that now more than ever. Byyye!

Harts Pass no. 736

And for this latest week, another chance to ponder the ridiculous state of our national “leadership.” I can’t dig in too deep. I need to function. I need to be a positive presence in the world of my family, classroom, and community. Perhaps a few wolverines, including this first-ever sighting of Wayne (he’s Canadian), bantering about the border is something to consider. We shall see. Time marches on…

GRRR!!!

Harts Pass no. 735

I mean absolutely, FEBRUARY FLEW! The trip to CT and NYC was great, but it certainly didn’t help with the passing of time. Still snowy hear but close on the heels of a warmer week, the sun is starting to do it’s work. Tree wells open up. Non-compacted trails and roads are melting back to dirt… and then slowly creeping outward from there. Still below freezing temperatures at night will keep things at a slow but steady beat. The birds are back. Time IS marching on :)

Harts Pass no. 734

Another haiku comic… and this time a useful constraint for helping me to find just the right words to accompany the images in my head. The idea of being true to oneself is nothing new. Sadly the acceptance of such expression in whatever myriad forms that it may take is currently under fire. “All should be welcome.” Five syllables to end this comic. And SO much more than that!

Harts Pass no. 733

Another haiku comic. Another attempt to parse this moment in time and to say something relevant to both the world that I inhabit -- the cold temps that have gone on for weeks (and the theoretical world of the wolverine) -- and the backwards-thinking political ideology that is currently whipsawing our country. GRRR!!!

 

Harts Pass no. 732

And then there is the complete and total HAVOC that our political discourse is taking on my generally optimistic cartoon brain... Why DO all of these ridiculous powerful old men act SO afraid of so many things?

Harts Pass no. 731

The funny thing about teaching (as opposed to just working at home all day) is that I'm quite literally bombarded by a multitude of things from 60-70 different kids on any given day. Inspiration abounds! This week in graphic design I was introducing the golden ratio as a design constraint -- the golden spiral, the fibonnaci sequence of proportional numbers and shapes... and the kids were psyched about skiing. Anyway, so all of the bumps, the trees, and to some degree the arc of the ski jumping wolverine are all making use of the ratio. So it goes :)

Harts Pass no. 730

An annual attempt to honor MLK Day. And this time, in this year, the "double-down and rededicate" quote from his son feels appropriate to almost everything...

Harts Pass no. 729

Another #haikucomic and this one feels particularly right. No new snow of late, but the early winter was good to us and the bluebird days and cooler nights have even retained some powdery quality to the snowscape. Enjoy it while it lasts! GRRR!!!!