It is time to plant. The pink blossoms of the peach trees
have withstood the bitter cold of a near-freeze in mid-March.
The earth is beginning to warm, and it is going to rain.
Before settling down in a California farming community, I
spent a couple of years wandering. I drove along the great American
highways, from the high desert of the Southwest, across the dry
plains of Texas to the humid Louisiana bayous, over the rain-swollen
Mississippi delta, to the calm turquoise water of the Southeast
Atlantic ocean. In Italy I traveled winding two-lane roads through
the Apennines, discovering13th-Century hill towns, gracious people,
and the best cuisine on earth.
I've seen the vineyards of California's Napa valley turn bright
yellow with mustard blooms, and I've walked the raw sienna earth
of the vineyards of the Chianti region to the south of Florence.
On a drizzly morning in spring I enjoyed breakfast of fontina
cheese, fresh rolls and strong coffee in the diningroom of a
medieval Tuscan farmhouse. On a hot summer afternoon I nibbled
cucumber sandwiches and sipped tea at the Ritz in Palm Beach.
Whether playing the city sophisticate or the country cousin,
I observe new customs and enjoy new experiences.
Cats are frequently the subjects of my paintings and prints.
They are portraits, capturing the spirit in time and place; a
reflection of my personal journey.
Roxane Gilbert
March 2002
In September 2007, I started CritterBlog to begin a conversation and raise awareness of issues relating to animal health and rescue. Please read my latest posts, and feel free to add your voice in a comment. --Roxane Gilbert
