Notes on my 78th Birthday; October 19, 1939 – Present

I’ve seen lots of water go over the dam this past year. Projects come and go. Some actually reach completion. There have been droughts, deluges, and cracks in the dam. I am holding up, maintaining sanity, enthusiasm, and outlandish pranks.

I am still very much focused on the natural world. I recently found a huge patch o Honeysuckle vines which I collected for my basket making class at the Gallery North Community Art Studio where I am on the faculty. I found beautiful little fruits on the Honeysuckle, collected some, sketched them, and will try to germinate them (new project)

For a long time my philosophy has been SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL. I squeeze myself into a Honda Civic. My man cave has a tiny studio where I make collages, write, nap, and draw.

Writing is a major part of my life. Going back over old journals, I find mostly trash. Nowadays, the blog – tomstock.org – finds me posting several times a week. This one will be #277.

I am happy and healthy. Nancy and I love to attend poetry events at the Walt Whitman Birthplace. Nancy is my spell check, and encyclopedia.

I love tending the garden and coking. I must get my fingers in the soil to feel the crumble and texture of grains falling out of my hands.

I am accumulating photos that exemplify my love for simple, uncluttered scenes. I continue to create collages. I will display two new ones at the holiday exhibit at Gallery North over Christmas.

I love to putter in the garage where I have dozens of unfinished projects. Friends allowed me to use their dock to tether my SMALL sail boat. After three years, I finally have invited a guest to join me, Gary Weiner, the man who proposed this blog and has guided me through it.

Nancy and I love SMALL getaways. We browsed in 9 used bookstores in northern Connecticut. We visited Princeton and Lewisberg and New Haven, and Millerton, NY. Nancy is a great companion, she has improved my driving, and for many other reasons, I love her.

My world is a beautiful place and I revel in it. I celebrate my life and will keep on doing what I do.