Nan's Notes
ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER MERGANSER
TO DO THIS WEEK
Visit the lakeshore and find some mergansers to write poetry about.
Buy a puzzle from Matt Shiffler Photography and give it to a friend with cabin fever.
Pick up food from Raddell’s Sausage Shop, Six Shooter Coffee, the Ritual Juicery – or any of the neighborhood food&drink places listed in the last two newsletters. (Back issues forwarded upon request.) I’ve run out of things to say about mergansers, so Michael Loderstedt has taken over. Feel free to contribute your own lakeshore thoughts.
In Praise of Mergansers
The mergansers are here, their cockades
styled for love. Drakes boat-race each other hard, heads down, feet slap to time such escapades, dipping and bowing, all just disregard.
What lady has not seen such foolishness?
Those rusty hens will dive so deep to say that all men’s nonsense is such crude business and a woman’s hand should lead us some day.
We’ll sleep well tonight while this old house roams across this lake. Eaves will creak, bones will ache Let’s call to mergansers, their jaunty combs and pray that sycamore to bend, not break.
These plump birds will leave our lake, shad now gone with nests to make before the coming dawn.
Thoughts on Re-Opening Ohio from State Rep Kent Smith
“1. The Governor has already tapped down some of his May 1st economic re-start talk since he first mentioned it on April 16th.
“2. The ratio of tests conducted to positive COVID cases is moving in the wrong direction over the last 5 days. It was 1 out of 9 on April 16th, now it’s 1 out of 7.
“3. I think "crowd-based" commercial offerings are going to be largely dependent on testing. If we can broadly test Ohioans on a consistent basis that will raise consumer confidence that larger gatherings will safe places. Until that occurs, it is not advisable.”
NEW ON WATERLOO
New Trees
Six columnar oak trees will be planted in the empty spots on Waterloo by April 30, weather permitting..
I looked up columnar oaks, so you don’t have to. They can grow to 60 feet, but they grow slowly, and only upward – they are very, very columnar. Also called upright English oaks, first found growing wild in a forest in Germany. The dark green leaves turn brown or yellow in autumn and remain on the tree for months before they fall in winter. The trunk is covered in dark brown bark, deeply ridged and very attractive, and the tree has small acorns hanging on the branches most of the winter that attract squirrels.
Presto Changeo! DayGlo Virtual Opening! Friday May 1, 6 pm
May 1 at 6 pm, the DayGlo magicians of Waterloo Arts will reveal a showcase of glowing art for your enjoyment. DayGlo pigments have a fascinating origin story that involves both science and magic, so it seems appropriate that this show involved a few extra tricks.
Thirty artists worked hard to complete their pieces using fluorescent paint courtesy of DayGlo Color Corp but just as the lights were dimming in the gallery, the pandemic hit and the black lights never came on. WA hopes to show this work in the gallery come fall but until then, there will be a sneak peek online, giving you the opportunity to support local artists now by purchasing a piece for pick-up later. This exhibit is made possible thanks to support from the DayGlo Color Corp.
How to see the show:
Artwork will be displayed at waterlooarts.org. After viewing the work, stop by Amy’s black-lit Zoom happy hour to say hello!
Join Zoom Meeting: https://waterlooarts.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0b592a6ec56e895f25b8a6968&id=af2e676c50&e=4dabf24f35
Meeting ID: 868 8246 5746
Beachland Donation Page
Responding to patrons who want to give directly to the Beachland, Cindy has created a donation page on the website where you can donate via PayPal, along with a link to help support area musicians through Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present and Future NEO Music Relief Fund.” We thank everyone for your continued support and we hope to see everyone again someday soon!"
https://waterlooarts.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0b592a6ec56e895f25b8a6968&id=1c09c35f04&e=4dabf24f35 click on COVID DONATIONS in the range bar
Pro Bono Art Consultations
Bellamy Printz can’t sew, so no masks, but her urge to volunteer has produced a program of limited pro bono artist consultations during the pandemic.
For artists, and friends of artists: Bellamy is offering individual half-hour consulting sessions, through her Deep Dive Art Projects, to people who want to talk about their work, need a quick but in-depth critique, need help with their statements, are thinking about grant-related projects, etc. Visual artists and other creatives are certainly invited to start a dialogue. DM Bellamy to arrange. Deepdiveart.com.
Questions Answered, Recipes Offered from Raddell’s Raddells reports you’ve been asking about breakfast products (people have time to eat an actual breakfast these days). They have eggs for $2.29 a dozen. The Daisyfield bacon is ready to slice at $5.19/lb. And homemade breakfast sausage is $5.39/lb. I highly recommend the bacon.
They also offer recipes using their products. Here’s a quick video on how to make jambalaya: https://waterlooarts.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0b592a6ec56e895f25b8a6968&id=534ae07c0d&e=4dabf24f35
Or you might be trying zelodec for the first time. (I looked that up for you, along with the oaks; it’s a smoked Slovenian sausage in a large casing, traditionally a mix of pork and bacon, that can be used as a lunch meat, or served as the main entrée). You want to cover it with water in a pan/pot. Bring to a boil on stove top, then reduce heat to a simmer for approximately 2 hours. Remove from water to cool, then peel off the casing and slice as desired.
Six Shooter Coffee Offerings of the Week Behold The Cinny, a fluffy house-made cinnamon biscuit with orange zest and a deliciously sweet glaze. Biscuitheads are at Six Shooter 7am-12pm daily serving this and some other wildly tasty morning delights. A little pick-up after that big breakfast? Amaretto Espresso Fizz: Espresso, sparkling water & amaretto simple syrup plus garnish. Simple and lively, served in minutes for takeout or curbside pickup
Puzzles at Matt Shiffler Photography
Matt has raised almost $250 ($500 with the match offer that started the puzzle program) for Cleveland Rocks and the Beachland, by selling puzzles made from his dramatic photographs. After a slow start, they started flying off the shelves, says Matt; nine puzzles sold in 24 hours. So Matt is considering making them a permanent addition to his gallery: 300 piece is $60.00, 500 piece is $80.00, 1000 piece is $90.00. Choose any photo from the Web site - mattshifflerphotography.com - and send Matt a message. If you already have a puzzle, Matt is doing a free giveaway on his photography page: https://waterlooarts.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0b592a6ec56e895f25b8a6968&id=994a8eac58&e=4dabf24f35
OTHER UPDATES
Dru Christine Is Making Masks
https://waterlooarts.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0b592a6ec56e895f25b8a6968&id=6f2a06d8af&e=4dabf24f35 Masks ($10 -14) and other delights. Shipping May 1 for masks.
Drue is also scheduling on-line sewing advice: Got questions about sewing? Need some fashion and style advice? Ready to take the entrepreneurship plunge? Schedule a virtual consultation with Dru Thompson! During these 1-on-1 sessions, you can get expert advice from a seasoned fashion professional on sewing, fashion and style, entrepreneurship, and more. Ask her anything! Sessions are $15 for 30 minutes. Instructions for consultations will be sent after your session is booked. Please note: If you need to reschedule your session for another day, you may do so at no additional cost. No refunds.
Bring your questions and book your consultation here: https://waterlooarts.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0b592a6ec56e895f25b8a6968&id=cb4fd86c45&e=4dabf24f35 or druchristine.com
Help for Artists
MetroWest CDC list of help for artists https://waterlooarts.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0b592a6ec56e895f25b8a6968&id=4d84d6ec9b&e=4dabf24f35
Connecting a Rain Barrel
Euclid Creek members are itching to get people started on their gardens, so they’ve put together this handy video showing how to connect a rain barrel to your downspout:
Where Are Clevelanders Sick?
Go to https://waterlooarts.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0b592a6ec56e895f25b8a6968&id=1a09a9bb34&e=4dabf24f35 for a map of coronavirus cases in Cleveland by Zip code. Or to https://waterlooarts.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0b592a6ec56e895f25b8a6968&id=06092dfd0f&e=4dabf24f35 which also delivers a Cleveland COVID dashboard.