Sudden Oak Death

My oak has fallen prey to Sudden Oak Death. Ok, that is a dramatic way of saying that I have fallen off the novelling wagon.

I diverted my attention to more enduring pursuits such as baking oatmeal cookies and making wrapping paper.

Cookies

I set out bowls of walnuts, currants and chocolate chips for the kids to personalize their cookies. And afterwards I had bowls of walnuts and currants. Some of the cookies, to my surprise, were leaking hot green goo when I took them out of the oven, like failed radioactive waste containers. I am told it was actually Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.

You win some, you lose some.

Paper

Making the wrapping paper was unbelievably satisfying.

I ordered large art portfolio folders from Amazon. Never mind Sudden Oak Death, the shipping of these folders required the ritual sacrifice of an entire forest. These flat folders, ordered at the same time, arrived in two separate appliance-sized boxes. The empty space was filled up with yards of crumpled brown paper, which did not keep the folders from being bent. I kept the paper. If I recycled it I'd have to do some sort of confession and atonement.

And today we made a whole roll of wrapping paper with sponges and paint. I left it out all day, and as it dried I'd roll up the painted part and unroll the unpainted part onto the table.

There were no rules. Except maybe that the dry part of the sponge goes toward your hand and the painty part goes toward the paper.

I admit that I did more painting than anyone else.

It is kinda satisfying to express your creativity on paper in a way that is meant to be torn up and thrown away.