I've just uploaded my third electronic Artist's Book on Scribd.  If you are curious, as of this writing all three of them can be viewed and downloaded for free at [link] .  


And in other news, my laurel tree is slowly committing suicide.  

The laurel is the tree that we get bay leaves from, the fragrant leaves that were sacred to Apollo (you may remember the myth of Apollo and Daphne).  Branches of laurel were woven together to form the crowns presented to the winners of athletic and literary competitions in ancient Greece.  Except for the winners of the Olympics, who were awarded wreaths made from olive branches.  

I have to keep the tree in an over-sized pot so I can carry it indoors to survive our bitter Michigan winters. It has lasted about 8 years so far. Unfortunately, at some point last winter it gave off a sticky, resinous mist that coated the outside of its leaves and bonded to the nearby windows.  The main shoot of the tree died outright, and the leaves on the side branches that survived have became brittle and mottled with brown spots.  

And to top it off, the laurel has been picking fights with other plants, goading the aloe vera in the next pot into foolhardy and ultimately self-destructive sparring matches.