Tunnels, Veins, Arteries

Moles are amazing little creatures with their star nose and webbed feet. That being said, I have a love/hate relationship with them, as I may have mentioned. This year they have been ferociously busy tunnelling about the garden. There are mounds of dirt and exposed tunnels everywhere. The patterns of the tunnels keeps reminding me of the wonderful series "Cold Mountain" by Brice Marden, with their beautiful fluid lines, which have always to me had references of veins and arteries, a sense of life pulsing just under the skin.

Mole tunnels

Catalogue cover from the exhibition "Brice Marden, Cold Mountain"

What a Difference

Spring is rushing in and winter is in full retreat. The difference in the landscape in the past 2 day is amazing. The table outside the studio is emerging and have the moles/voles ever been busy. The lawn that is exposed has tunnels and mounds of earth everywhere. Looks like a Brice Marden painting from that wonderful  Attendant series. The moles and I have a love/hate relationship. I try to convince myself that they are aerating the soil but when I step into their holes in the garden the air turns blue. They love to tunnel along the edges of the stone walls.  I march after them stomping the earth back. We have been lucky with the snow melt, the rivers and streams are high, but no flooding. Only in the spring and sometimes after very heavy rain do we see water rushing through the garden gate to the pond.

Water rushing to the pond