From Skilled Hands

We will always remember where we were on the 11th day of the 9th month in the year 2001.  I was driving my daughters to riding lessons. We were listening to the radio, confused. I  phoned my husband and was able to talk for just a minute before the connection was lost. And that is how we felt: lost.

We tried to pump gas, and searched for a gas station that was open since computers were down. We looked for a place to buy some things we needed, and stores were closed.  People were constantly telling each other to stay safe.

In today’s Wall Street Journal, Peggy Noonan eloquently wrote about the children of 9/11.  My children remember the day, and their fears.  I remember the skies being silent, since no planes were flying. When airplanes were again permitted to fly, my children were afraid of the sound and what it might mean.

It has been 8 years, and my children are 18 and 21, young adults.  Their lives and ours, and our world has never been the same. What do you and your children remember about those days?

I had fully intended to post more photos of the fairy habitat behind our studio and gallery. Then my computer wouldn’t start. 2-4 days is the estimated time for repair.

Stay tuned…..

UPDATE: computer will be fixed tomorrow AND it’s under warranty!  Must be my pure thoughts and clean living.   Photos will be posted as soon as I get my computer back.

We went for a walk in the woods last night.  It had been raining on and off all day, and the air smelled like spring rain and fertile soil.  There was the quiet coolness that follows a rain, with the only sounds the birds and the dogs playing in the woods.

We ran into my father-in-law and his dog. They slowly made their way through the woods, stopping to look at this and that, and to clear sticks from the trails.  The May apples were up, groups of them like families at a reunion. Jacks in the pulpit were all along the  trails. Fiddleheads emerged from winter’s sleep.

It’s a good thing to take time to look at things; you see things you’ve not seen before, and things you have seen in a different way. Take a deep breath and take a walk.  Let your senses explore the explosion of beauty that surrounds you. Let me know what it’s like.

It’s what you think it is…..

And worse. Standing water and more. A call to the plumber in the morning is in order.

These are the times that try men’s souls and hearts. From an economy that is struggling to
people who have lost hope. This is the time to envision the light at the end of the tunnel we have know for so long. This is the time to know in our collective heart of hearts that the way to change is to be change.

This is the time to post a sign in a place we can see, and to open a place in our hearts that can feel it; to know that we are not alone and cannot do it alone. This is the time to Accept All Offers.

It’s a wee bit chilly in my town, with the temperatures hovering around 2 degrees F, and the windchill plummeting them well below zero. The warmth of community is a pretty wonderful thing. Take a look at my town, the Village of Peninsula, Ohio, population 602, gently resisting change since 1837.

Outside and inside the Log Cabin Gallery:

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Travis Erwin is the Chief Marauder of My Town Monday. He’s taking a break until after the holidays. In his absence, Junosmom and Chris are posting the links to My Towners. Take a look at their sites; you’ll find links to people blogging all over this incredibly amazingly diverse and beautiful blue planet. You’ll learn a lot and have fun, too.

And Happy 17th Birthday to my amazing and wonderful #2 daughter.

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And if you are so inclined, please visit Cups of Kindness, our benefit for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

Each dollar raised purchased 7 nutritious meals. So far, we have raised enough money to purchase over 13,000 meals. That is 21.6 meals for each of the 602 people in Peninsula.

Friends and neighbors helping each other.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Cups of Kindness,our show and sale of small scale artwork. All proceeds from the sale of the artwork will go to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

Hunger does not discriminate; it affects people without regard to background or social status. In our land of plenty, people are hungry every day; they have to decide between paying rent or eating, between medication or food, between staying warm and buying groceries. Of this I am certain: having enough to eat is a right rather than a privilege.

So far, over 50 artists are donating artwork to benefit the Foodbank. The Cups of Kindness website has been donated by Carrick Enterprises; a professional photographer, Ron Wayton, is donating his services so that we have photos of the work on our site. The logo was donated by Teri Schott. Food for the opening is being donated by companies and by individuals who have offered to bake for us. People have walked into our gallery to ask if they can help.

Once again we demonstrate the Power of One. We the people who reach out to our friends and neighbors in a time of need.

If you live in the area, come on down for our opening celebration, Saturday, December 6, from 10-2, at our gallery, Elements Gallery, 1619 W.Mill Street, and at the Peninsula Art Academy across the street.

Enjoy light refreshments, music, and Christmas in Peninsula. You’ll be a part of a very important event. If you’re not close to our neck of the woods, you will be able to purchase artwork online on December 8th. The show will run through January 11, 2009.

Friends and neighbors helping each other.

This was an exquisite weekend in my town, the Village of Peninsula, Ohio, population 602. The sky—-oh, the sky—that infinite azure
September sky; and the brilliance of the leaves were breath-taking. And today, in the middle of that blue sky, were a couple of clouds that moved a bit to reveal an incredible rainbow that was gone as quickly as it appeared.

Before I had any idea what the day would be like, I signed up at Mrs. G’s to participate in a Day in the Life post. It started out just fine, with an early morning drive into our beautiful valley, the Cuyahoga. I love that time of day, when the sun streams over the trees and the day is still quiet.

Sunrise on the bridge is especially lovely.

The trees line the road with gold.

The day progressed, with Steve throwing pots.

I worked on a vase I was carving.

Stephy and Loren worked on their projects.

Then the train came into town, bringing loads of interesting and interested people into our little Village. People come into our studio/gallery curious about the process.

An artist, Lahoma Clearwater, brought in some new work. Lahoma makes “leafings,” incredibly beautiful one of a kind cement castings of leaves that she collects. Using acrylic paints, she blends colors that make her pieces “sing.”

My workspace temporarily morphed into a place to keep Lahoma’s work until I could hang it.

Since making pieces was no longer possible,I decided to walk through town, knowing that I had committed to couple My Town Monday with a Day in the Life.

The folks from the Methodist Church have been raising money to restore the steeple of their historic building.

They have removed it, as they continue to raise funds.

At the end of a busy day, Steve and I returned home, and went up to our barn.

We opened the doors in the upper part of the barn and looked out, knowing that we were home.

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My Town Monday is a product of Amarillo’s own Travis Erwin. Take a trip on over to his place, and you’ll find links to places all over this beautiful planet. You won’t regret it. I promise.