We were living in North Carolina. I was finishing my Ph.D. and my wife was teaching at an inner city elementary school. (We took turns putting each other through school.) We had rented a cabin on a mountain in Western Carolina, and friends from Florida were coming to spend a weekend with us.
Beautiful fall weather, and the four of us were taking a walk. I spotted this skeletal leaf and picked it up, both because I thought it was beautiful and because I was looking for a keepsake. It was during that walk our friends told us they were separating and would probably divorce. Oy!
Later (after we’d returned to Florida) I used a table saw to make a frame from cedar scraps (crudely), and an X-Acto knife to cut a mat of complementary color (even more crudely). I was just improvising, trying to learn the crafts. Now, though? The whole complex matters. That’s why I’ve disassembled the frame and mat, and scanned the leaf.
Obviously I’m simplifying stuff that’s more complicated. Gotta do more thinking. For now, though, I’m sharing a scan of the leaf. Later I’ll photograph it, with greater depth of field, and offer a more suitable presentation, both visual and explanatory.
