It was a long, gray winter, but suddenly I’m ankle-deep in grass that needs to be mowed. The geese are back, plus the orioles and finches and red-winged blackbirds, the bluebirds and cardinals and bumblebees. Hannah the pup loves to roll in the grass and dive headfirst through the hosta, then cool off by swimming with the bluegills. What a lovely time of year.
Meantime I’ve put the wraps on a new article for the Discovery Channel Magazine. All about teeth–how paleoanthropologists and modern bone detectives rely on teeth for evidence, and what the future holds in terms of evolution, tooth regeneration, and teeth as a source of stem cells. Look for it in the July issue. And if you haven’t seen this magazine yet, check it out at http://www.readersdigest.com.sg/rd/rdhtml/en/discoverychannel/. Stunning photos and good writing on all things scientific and environmental.
I’m now at work researching an article about music for the same publication–music and memory, music and the development of human langauge, the mystical and the magical side of music. Meantime still tweaking The Boy Who Shoots Crows, to be out early next year from Penguin Books.
While researching the subject of music–I’ve always been fascinated by its universal ability to alter moods and produce emotions, invoke memories, even convey stories without a single word–I came across the following quote by Henry James. It applies to all arts, I think, all acts of creation. I wish I had written it (though I would have substituted the word mystery where James uses madness.) Have a beautiful spring.
“We work in the dark, we do what we can, we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion, and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art.” Henry James
