Decoration Day Blues

Another Decoration Day has come around.  Last year on this day I wrote a whole story about the story, the song that shares a title with this post, and some related things.  No need to write all that again, but if you want to see it, check this blog last May.  I'm not sure who actually wrote the song or performed it first (a lot of bluesmen from the old days covered it), but the one I know best was one of the earliest such songs I heard, one from Howlin' Wolf, dating from his days with Sun Records. His blues was related to a woman who had died and requested that he decorate her grave every year.  Most people who acknowledge this day are probably decorating the grave of veterans, which is how the holiday got started back in the 19th century, and renamed Memorial Day about 50 years ago.  I am lucky enough not to have any loved ones die on this day (in or out of the military), so my thoughts go first to the song, which was on one of the first blues records I ever bought, back in the 80's.  So I have no graves to decorate on this day, but I have plenty of blues in other ways, but I won't list those here- I don't have the time.

Haven't written much here of late because I've been busy with work, specifically my job of teaching.  Getting my students through the end of the semester is a lot of work, then grading all the stuff that came in was several days more.  The college required us to go to distance learning back in March, telling us it would just be for two weeks, but I didn't believe them, and sure enough, it went 8 weeks. Takes a lot more time and effort than going to a classroom and doing it there.  I had a plan and it worked fairly well- out of 31 students I had registered, all but 6 passed, deservedly,  which is not bad for that class. But the grades are done and submitted, the assessments (school nonsense) are done and submitted, so nothing to do until fall classes, if they happen.  If the virus isn't stopped, if the economy doesn't suddenly recover, I imagine that the department will be eliminated, if not the whole university. But that's a problem for another day.

I'm hoping that tomorrow I am able to get into the Studio and get some work done. 

I could have colored the last proof of the Vesuvio piece from home, but was more wrapped up in school of late, and didn't get to it yet.  With no place to show art right now, there wasn't an immediate need.  (have all my coloring stuff at home right now and could knock it out in a few days, and eventually I will)  My plan for tomorrow is the new supermarket piece.  Been over a month since I worked on the paper sketch, but since I know where it is going, I figure I should just go ahead and start it on the block. Since it would likely have to evolve on the block anyway, I may as well start drawing there, and see where it gets to.