The word ‘lovely’ begins with an affecting root noun and adds an adverbial -ly to make it a descriptor. It’s a generally nice word that I’m rather fond of. All the more so when it is applied to none other than myself. Anna, the around the way girl, an ‘editrix’ who covers things sartorial and all around the way, plus some great images, gave me my first blog award.

Here are the rules:
1. Add the logo to your blog.
2. Link to the person from whom you received this award.
3. Nominate 7 or more blogs.
4. Leave a message on their blog, letting them know they are One Lovely Blog!

Step 3–oh dear, I read almost a hundred blogs. Obviously, I read them because I like them. They’re on hundreds of topics. Should I only mention great art blogs? Should I mention the ones that fit ‘lovely’ best? I finally chose the blogs written by people I would like to know based on his or her personable, lovely blog (da da dum):

• Boredom’s Bounty: For the Love of Pictures takes pictures of her life in NYC and posts them every day. I like pictures, I like her stories. Like real life here, they aren’t all of the Empire State building. I see it and I think, ‘I should do that.’

• The Blue Lantern: Jane not only works for NPR (cool), she writes arts journalism for the love of it. But she attacks it an a culturally voracious way that will take you from painters and design to hedgehogs. You must see the hedgehog post. Delightful.

• The Age of Uncertainty: A lovely blog by a lovely man in Steerforth, England. You’re all free to be madly jealous of him, seeing as he recently took on an amazing job where he gets to sort through old books all day looking for gems.

• Little People: A Tiny Street Art Project: OK, so this isn’t a person. The blog is of a series of miniature human figures placed around London in ways that create the most endearing and humorous storylines. It always a pleasure. Scroll down the page a bit to some great images like Crappy Christmas or Last Chance to Impress.

• Wurthering Expectations: A new find, this blog is by a reader whose voraciousness surpasses mine. He is storming the bastions of English literature, and his blog might be a good refresher course for those of you who miss you old Victorian lit class. (Granted, I might be the only one who feels exactly like that.) The blog is lovely for many other reasons, as I’m sure you will see for yourself.

• Under Construction/Art Contemplations: Bill is a blogger who knows about Medieval witch hunts AND art. Quite the combination. An artist himself, he shares his own work on his blog too.

• The Lusty Reader: OK, the girl likes her Romance novels. I like the Romantic movement. So aside from a love of reading in general, we have little in common. Thus it says a lot that I enjoy reading her blog as much as I do.

Aside from my lovely blog award, what’s new with Art Ravels you might ask? Actually, let me frame that as a series of questions directed at you, dear Reader.

• Is it true that you have to floss your teeth twice a day to prevent cavities? I floss mine once a day, which seems like more than enough, and my dentist told me I need 4 fillings from not flossing. REALLY?

• How do you keep voracious, herb-eating, pepper-popping, all together EVIL birds out of your container garden? They have nibbled my mint to stubs in a matter of days, the basil looks depressed, and the oregano is diminishing at a rapid rate. I’m afraid the sage and thyme are going to walk out of the planter in protest. And don’t even get me started on the topless hot cherry bomb. (a plant, people, a pepper plant.)

• If you are driving a taxi in midtown rush hour traffic and you see a biker in midtown biking in a straight line down the bus lane, do you speedily pull in front of him and stop to pick someone up? NO! No, you do not endanger said biker’s life. You take the extra 90 seconds to pull in behind them. May you heed the safety warning before said biker with a lovely blog becomes squashed.

In sum; dentists lie, birds are evil, and bikers must not be driven over. On the upside, Art Ravels is a lovely blog and so is my ride along the East River park before I hit Midtown.