We never lost control.

"Ascending Dragon"

The willow woman.

Lynn Boggess (American, b. 1955)

4 February 2022, 2022

Genévrier de phénicie, Ceyreste, France. Crédit photo : Daniel Groux

What does this have to do with man-made monsters you might say—my book mentions that among other things Formosus was accused of dabbling in alchemy and creating a “frog with huge eyes” who showed “diabolical intelligence.” The brief mention of him ends with

Each one is a tiny yearly event in the natural world, given its own little slot to be appreciated and celebrated. 

Here’s just a few:

March 6–10   蟄虫啓戸  Hibernating insects surface March 11–15 桃始笑   First peach blossoms

July 12–16   蓮始開   First lotus blossoms July 17–22   鷹乃学習 Hawks learn to fly

October 18–22 蟋蟀在戸 Crickets chirp around the door

October 23–27 霜始降  First frost

I’ve always thought this was lovely, and I’d love to know what the micro seasons would look like for other countries. 

Some pics from a cheese contest that took place at the village yesterday :) The cows responsible for the cheese were invited and had their own contests on the side, with a little podium for cows constructed out of hay bales. When Licorice the cow won a prize, the little girl that was leading her climbed on the makeshift podium proudly but hesitantly (“is that thing stable….?”)—meanwhile Licorice was rushing her, like let me climb up there! I won! It was so cute.

There were buffets where you could blind-taste dozens of different cheeses, a separate contest for cheese pastries, and a mini-street market outside where among other things local farmers were selling their cheeses in little cardboard cones like French fries.

The librarian’s husband told me he had been selected as jury member for one of the cheese pastry competitions and had to taste 24 different pastries over the course of the morning. He got to take the 3rd prize winning pastry home and then gave me a big slice of it (“for your dinner”) as he did not intend to eat cheese again in any configuration for at least a week.

But the dark truth is, every time Pyrgus got too many flies in his eyes or ears (which was often), he turned and just wiped his entire face all over Pampoldine.

(Took me a while to capture the exact moment of the crime)

Poldine’s expressions ranged from polite disgust, to cold seething, to ready-to-snap exhaustion.