White Friday
Snows fell on NE Ohio this day after Thanksgiving. It was silent as we left this old house and made our way to our studio. The roads were blanketed with the season’s first snow. Here is a look:
Archive for November, 2009
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Gratitude
i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
wich is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-lifted from the no
of all nothing-human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)
ee cummings
Wordless Wednesday: Art from the HeArt
In the Eye of the Beholder
When I look at a photograph, I feel like I have a glimpse into how the photographer sees the world. That’s what I like about photographic images—it’s not the “prettiness” of a view—it’s the quality of the light, the slant of the sun, the place where the shadow meets the light.
And once in a while, I come across someone who sees the quiet spaces, the places where my heart stops to linger and to rest. A person who sees the extraordinary beauty in ordinary objects, and who appreciates the sacredness of it all.
Jodi Anderson captures moments in time through images and words that touch my being. She shares her work at her blog, so Not cool, and at the Women’s Colony. She has just opened an online shop where her luminous photos are available for others to own and enjoy. Jodi is hosting a giveaway of one of her pieces at the Women’s Colony as well as a 10% discount (the discount code is WOMENSCOLONY11) and is available to Jodi’s readers through November 23.
You can read what Jodi has to say about herself here. You will also find links to her main blog, her poetry, her videos and other things she shares.
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If you are so inclined, please visit Cups of Kindness, our art show and sale to benefit the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.
Cups of Kindness: Let it Begin With Me
If you want to know what the face of hunger looks like, take a look in the mirror. Folks like you and me are hungry tonight. Some are hungry all the time.
If you want to see the face of those who can help, take a look in the mirror. Over at A Knitting Nurse , Rudee has done just that. Rudee spins and knits amazing things. The colors she chooses are rich and vibrant; they emanate from within. Rudee has made a Fair Isle Hat, which she says, “should fit a head size of 22 inches–or 21 inches with big hair.  It won’t stretch bigger because fair isle doesn’t have a lot of give.  The colors are brown, yellow, cranberry and a hint of purple.  The fiber is Blue Sky Alpaca and it’s softer than a babe’s behind.”
If you’d like to see how you can own this one of a kind hat, visit my friend Rudee. You’ll have the opportunity to own a hat that came from Rudee’s heart through her hands, and you will be able to look in the mirror and see the face of one of the people who has helped the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank help folks like us. One. Cup. At. A. Time.
To Honor the Fathers: A Veteran’s Day Re-Post
They are fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers, old men now. They are forgotten heroes, many of whom as boys really, witnessed the horrors of genocide, the stench of death.
They signed up to help the war effort. To fight for their country, for what, in their heart of hearts, they felt was right. Hastily trained, they went overseas, on ships that were floating cities. My father was an optometry student, my father-in-law, an architecture student. Both were sent to Europe. My Dad had been tested to be a fighter pilot. He rated highly, but his air sicknesses changed that direction, and he was sent to work in a hospital in England. He never talked much about his experiences there, choosing only to relate humorous ones.
My father-in-law was in the engineer corps. They were sent ahead of the rest of the troops to clear mines and to build roads and bridges. He had no idea that when he was sent to the town of Buchenwald, Germany, that he would witness the some of the evils of human nature, horrors he has relived in the years since.
Neither man talked much about what they witnessed and how they felt about it, sharing only snippets of these experiences that shaped their lives. It seems to me that sometimes the quietest people have the most to say; we need to take a moment to listen, with our ears, our eyes and our hearts.
Raising a Cup of Kindness in 2009
photos courtesy Ron Wayton, photographer
Last year 76 artists and authors, and assorted web designers, sign makers, muffin bakers, photographers and patrons raised a Cup of Kindness as they donated over 150 pieces of work and countless other services to benefit friends and neighbors in need. Through the generosity of these fine folks and people all over the country, we have raised enough money for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank to provide around 28,000 meals. That is an astounding figure: twenty-eight thousand meals. That is enough to feed each of the 601 people in the Village of Peninsula 46.6 times.
Artwork is coming in and is being cataloged and packed to go to be photographed for this year’s show, which will open on Saturday, December 5th, from 10:00am-2:00pm, at our Elements Gallery and at the Peninsula Art Academy across the street, and will continue through January 10, 2010.  Check back for more details about online purchases and other ways to help.
We the people have demonstrated the Power of One. And one more. And one more. This is how we make a difference in the world. One. Cup. At. A. Time.
Wordless Wednesday: A Look Out the Train Window
Nearly Full Moon
The air is cold and crisp, the moon approaching full. It is so bright, you can almost read a book. Tonight is the Full Beaver Moon. This would have been the time to set the beaver traps before the swamps froze; it was the time that the beavers would prepare for the long winter ahead. How far removed we have become from our roots. Do you connect with the phases of the moon?
How Green is My Valley: A Colorful My Town Monday Post
The Village of Peninsula, population 601, sits in the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley. The Valley is awash with color throughout the year. When people think of Autumn in the Valley, I think that they think of oranges and reds and golds. Those colors certainly are there; the palate is also shared with shades of green. Not the fresh young greens of spring, but rather the mature shades that have experienced a season of sunshine, rain, and wind. Here is a look:
As always, please consider leaving me a comment, or a stone (o), to let me know you’ve been here.
For more looks at the Weekly Color Challenge, visit Jodi at the Women’s Colony; and to take a look at how other people see their towns, wander over to My Town Monday.
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