Because my creative time has been hampered of late, I am sharing some double exposures created recently in my phone using the Diana photo app. This process is satisfying to me — part collage, part Tarot reading. You never know what’s gonna show up. And, even though the actual process of combining the images is facile (performed with thumbs!), there can be an element of artistry to it, depending on the images. Often, they are of quilts and paper collages — photos of work, in other words, where time and thought and effort were expended.

The first one, above, combines a slave quarter photo from Charleston with a close up of a stitched silk pennant I made as part of Mo Crow’s Love is the Answer collaborative project. This is from years back for those of you who were around then.

While stitching on the gown silk provided by Mo, I was at a point in my novel research when I was thinking a lot about our history of slavery (posted about here), so this particular random pairing produced by my app made sense.

This next random pairing could be an illustration for my book (The Weight of Cloth). Swamp photo taken at a preserve west of Charleston. The profile was a Paris Collage Collective prompt and the image a double exposure using a paper collage.

Spoiler alert: the picture could represent Cane Creek, a maroon community established by runaway slaves and others where three of my enslaved characters head at the end of the book.

Women’s March Boston 2017, plus screen grab of dickhead, plus photos of a quilt and neighborhood trees. He looks appropriately malevolent. Not human.

These I share just because I’m enamored with the collage I made using that mirror photo. Or enamored again. The last one includes a gel print I made of a Vanity Fair photo of Benedict Cumberbatch.

A few notes about my hip replacement last week:

Saltines are a blessing.

The orthopedic surgeon is a rock star, the anesthesiologist plays percussion, the nurses and OTs/PTs sing back up and then there’s a huge crew of roadies. It’s amazing how many people were required to replace my joint. I’m grateful.

Least favorite moment: being woken by an alarm triggered by empty saline bag and not being able to find my call button. It went on and on. I called “Hello?” over and over and no one came and still it went on and on. I finally used my phone to call downstairs and they paged a nurse.

I didn’t love throwing up after I got home either. A few times.

Progress: discernible with increased mobility and decreased pain.

Favorite moment today: reading in the sun outside and having to take off my sweater it was so warm!

Finn is a little confused, especially by the walker but also by being banned from the couch, but look how sweetly he stays by!