Creativity, Crafts, Books, Movies, Greyhounds & Favorite Things

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Every Friday, I share a poem. Friday is also the day I post a prompt of something you can do to make the world a kinder place. I call this the Kind is Kool challenge.

I offer both the poem and the kindness challenge without any obligation, so “Comments” are turned off every Friday. Enjoy.

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With A Bunch Of Spring Flowers

In the spring-time, out of the dew,
From my garden, sweet friend, I gather,
A garland of verses, or rather
A poem of blossoms for you.

There are pansies, purple and white,
That hold in their velvet splendour,
Sweet thoughts as fragrant and tender,
And rarer than poets can write.

The Iris her pennon unfurls,
My unspoken message to carry,
A flower-poem writ by a fairy,
And Buttercups rounder than pearls.

And Snowdrops starry and sweet,
Turn toward thee their pale pure faces
And Crocus, and Cowslips, and Daisies
The song of the spring-time repeat.

So merry and full of cheer,
With the warble of birds overflowing,
The wind through the fresh grass blowing
And the blackbirds whistle so dear.

These songs without words are true,
All sung in the April weather–
Music and blossoms together–
I gather and weave them for you.

 Kate Seymour Maclean

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Kind is Kool Challenge

Week 13 Challenge – Open and hold doors for people.

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Every Monday, I’m posting a painting “inspiration.” Every Thursday, I’m posting how I interpreted the inspiration. I decided to do this to keep myself painting, to strengthen how I go from an idea to a painting, and to give myself permission to play and try new things. For the next several weeks, I’m taking my inspiration from the great ideas you sent me.

This week’s inspiration is a repeat of last week’s inspiration provided by my friend, Susan…NATURE, THE WOODS, TRILLIUM. Here’s the first girl (now with a mouth) that came out of that inspiration…

The first girl’s focus was the trillium.

I wanted to use the inspiration again so I could do something with “nature” and “the woods.” Here’s the girl that came out of that inspiration…

I still have work to do on both girls, but that’s not unusual.

I’ll need to set aside some time in the near future and have a “finish paintings” week.

How to be HAPPY!

Every Thursday, Jay of The Depp Effect, posts something that makes her happy, and I’m playing along. She encourages us to look around and notice the things that make us happy. I enjoy this challenge because it makes me consider the things that make me happy, but are easily overlooked. It’s a wonderful exercise in attention and gratitude. Please grab the badge and join in.

Here’s something that makes me happy…PRETTY BLANK NOTEBOOKS.

Writing in these makes me feel elegant. The only temptation I have to guard against is hoarding them up and not wanting to write in them. Thanks to my “don’t save things for good” life improvement program, I’ve overcome my aversion to using and enjoying them.

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Last November, I did a post called How Did It Begin? The information came from the book How Did It Begin by Dr. R. & L. Brasch. Since I’m spring cleaning, it’s time for this book to move on and off my bookshelf, so let’s have one more round of “how did it begin.”

Blue for Boys and Pink for Girls

A long time ago, it was believed that evil spirits hovered menacingly over the nursery, but certain colors offered protection, the most potent being blue. The color’s association with the heavenly sky rendered satanic forces powerless and drove them away. As girl babies were regarded as vastly inferior to male infants, it was assumed that evil spirits would not be interested in them. This explains blue for boys, but offers no explanation for pink. Pink for girls may come from the European tradition that says baby boys are found under cabbages while baby girls are found inside pink roses.

The White Elephant

A white elephant typically describes a gift that is a nuisance and gives more trouble than joy. The white elephant gift traces its origins back to ancient Siam where the rare albino elephants were worshiped and allowed to lead idle lives. To own a white elephant contributed greatly to the sanctity of one’s home, but it also added to the household expenses. The ancient rulers of Siam, when anxious to get rid of a courtier who had lost favor or become too influential, didn’t dismiss them, but instead honored them by presenting them with the most sacred and precious gift–a white elephant. The courtier had to accept it and the upkeep often took care of the courtier’s wealth and power.

Blackmail

Today, blackmail is associated with illegal extortion, but the original meaning wasn’t as dark. It started in Scotland hundreds of years ago. Most of the land was owned by the English who charged high rents to the Scots. This was known as mail, the Scottish term for rent and taxes. The payment was to be made in silver which was referred to as white mail, but many times the farmers could not raise the money in which case the English landlords agreed to take produce in lieu of silver. These goods became known as black mail. Over the years, dishonest agents took advantage of the farmers and demanded more money than was owed, often backing their demands with threats. This resulted in the term deteriorating into meaning payment extorted by intimidation.

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I am blessed with three sweet houndies, but into every good life comes a little naughtiness. I’m spending a few weeks remembering. This story happened shortly after we got Freedom and Casper. Nikki hadn’t joined our family yet.

 

Am I in all these stories?

Freedom and Casper joined our family in April. April showers bring May flowers…and thunder. With the first rumble, we found out that thunder turned Freedom into a shaking mess. I search the internet and saw the Thundershirt.

During this time, we had some weekend guests and at one point the conversation turned to the Thundershirt. My husband thought that a tight t-shirt would serve the same purpose, so off he went to get a t-shirt. Casper, being a cooperative hound, was chosen as the test subject. The t-shirt was slipped on him, it was huge, so the experiment was deemed a failure, but we kept the t-shirt  on him because he looked so cute.

Jump ahead a little bit…Everyone was talking and visiting; Freedom and Casper were sacked out in the family room, and I decided to put some of the recyclables in the bin in the garage. I went out, but I didn’t close the door completely. As I walked toward the recycle bin, I heard the door pop open. I turned around and out comes Casper.

 

I was curious to see what was out in front of the house, and then my mommy scared me.

Now, a little information about Greyhounds and their collars. Greyhounds and other sight hounds have necks that are larger than their narrow heads, so they wear a limited-slip collar, more commonly known as a martingale. A martingale collar consists of a length of material with a metal ring at each end. A separate loop of material passes through the two rings. The leash attaches to a ring on this loop. If your pup tries to back out of a martingale collar, the collar tightens around their neck.

I grabbed Casper’s collar but didn’t grab the tightening loop, so he backed right out of his collar. Oh, no! now I’m starting to panic, so I move towards him, probably in a pretty wild way. Casper gets scared and starts to move away from me. Now, I’m hollering for my husband, further spooking Casper, who trots down the driveway and onto the street, determined to find a new home where the lady of the house doesn’t scream and grab at you.

 

I’m a little scamp!

So there goes my relatively new Greyhound…collarless, not microchipped and wearing a t-shirt. I happened to remember reading that if your Greyhound ever took off and you could still see them, you should try to get their attention and then run away from them, hopefully tapping into their instinct to chase moving objects. That’s what I did…I called his name, got his attention and took off jogging towards the house, and IT WORKED. Casper caught up to me quickly. Thankfully, he had on that goofy t-shirt, so I was able to grab it and walk him into the house. WHEW!

I’m glad I decided to come back.

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Here’s what’s been happening in my studio…NOTHING.

The last several days, I’ve been in a real cleaning and tossing mode. I don’t experience this mode often, so when it comes upon me, I take advantage. Hopefully this will pave the way for some guilt-free painting later this week.

This Week’s Inspiration

In 2013, I’m doing Inspiration Mondays and Results Thursdays. Every Monday, I’ll post a painting “inspiration” and then on Thursdays, I’ll post how I’m interpreting that inspiration.

Last week’s inspiration was from my friend, Susan…NATURE, THE WOODS, TRILLIUM. This is the little mouthless girl that came out of that inspiration…

This week I’m going repeat Susan’s inspiration and focus more on the “nature” and “woods” elements. I’ll also give my little trillium girl a mouth.

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I’m reading Creating A Life Worth Living by Carol Lloyd. I picked this book because I’m trying to figure out the place I want painting to play in my life.

This week, the final chapter…Chapter 12, “Swimming in the Darkness,” helps you see your new life as a balance of long-term creative projects, practical transitional situations, and regenerating daily life. The chapter also offer some parting thoughts on perseverance, faith, and curiosity.”

This chapter introduces a final tool called the Five-Arena Calendar, which gives you a framework for mapping out your arenas of endeavor. Although I think this is a great tool, I’m still working on mapping out my projects (Chapter 10) and finding a partner (Chapter 11), so I didn’t spend any time on this.

The author also gives “Six Tips for Staying in the Process”:

1. Embrace Inspired Procrastination

2. Roll with the Punches

3. Accept Your Stubbornness

4. Don’t Dis Your Opportunities

5. Relish Confusion

6. Ward Off Panic with a Profane Mantra

I didn’t spend much time with this chapter because I’m still focused on completing tasks from the two previous chapters. Next week, I’ll write out my final thoughts on this book and then, what’s next? Any suggestions?

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Every Saturday, I share my weekly Artist Date.

This week, I spent some time reflecting on my faith. I drove around looking at different churches, grateful that I live in a country where we have the right to pursue God each in our own way.

I love old country churches.

They have a simplicity and honesty that I like. Something I seek to live out in my life and faith.

I recently found my first Bible.

Although I currently use a modern translation with jumbo print, I’m glad I grew up listening and reading the King James Version of the Bible.

There’s a majesty in the language of Shakepeare that makes my mind and soul sing.

Holidays remind us to slow down and reflect on the important things of our lives. I’m grateful for the sacrifice of Christ, for my family, for my country, for my friends. All bless me and challenge me. I wish you all a Happy Easter.

I’m linking this post to Audrey Eclectic’s Easter Parade Blog Party. Hop on over to see Audrey’s awesome art and blog and to checkout other posts about celebrating Easter. Did you do a post about Easter? Feel free to join in.

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Every Friday, I share a poem. Friday is also the day I post a prompt of something you can do to make the world a kinder place. I call this the Kind is Kool challenge.

I offer both the poem and the kindness challenge without any obligation, so “Comments” are turned off every Friday. Enjoy.

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Easter Morn

A truth that has long lain buried
At Superstition’s door,
I see, in the dawn uprising
In all its strength once more.

Hidden away in the darkness,
By Ignorance crucified,
Crushed under stones of dogmas –
Yet lo! it has not died.

It stands in the light transfigured,
It speaks from the heights above,
“EACH SOUL IS ITS OWN REDEEMER;
THERE IS NO LAW BUT LOVE.”

And the spirits of men are gladdened
As they welcome this Truth re-born
With its feet on the grave of Error
And its eyes to the Easter Morn.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

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Kind is Kool Challenge

Week 12 Challenge – Reflect and act on this…Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be a living expression of God’s kindness. Kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting. Mother Teresa

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Every Monday, I’m posting a painting “inspiration.” Every Thursday, I’m posting how I interpreted the inspiration. I decided to do this to keep myself painting, to strengthen how I go from an idea to a painting, and to give myself permission to play and try new things. For the next several weeks, I’m taking my inspiration from the great ideas you sent me.

This week’s inspiration is from my friend, Susan…NATURE, THE WOODS, TRILLIUM. Here’s the girl that came out of that inspiration…

Obviously, this isn’t finished. I consider this a painting in the “middle” of my painting process. It’s the time when I start to change things I don’t like. For instance, I didn’t like her mouth, and I originally gave her a red top and then…didn’t like it. When I get to this point, I really like to stop because I lose the ability to see the painting as a whole. If I take a break and come back to it, I can see things with a fresh perspective.

How to be HAPPY!

Every Thursday, Jay of The Depp Effect, posts something that makes her happy, and I’m playing along. She encourages us to look around and notice the things that make us happy. I enjoy this challenge because it makes me consider the things that make me happy, but are easily overlooked. It’s a wonderful exercise in attention and gratitude. Please grab the badge and join in.

Here’s something that makes me happy…PEOPLE PULLING TOGETHER.

One of the many things I love about reading blogs and social media is making new friends and hearing about what’s close to their hearts. Sometimes, what’s close to their heart strikes a chord in my own. Whether it’s casting a vote, signing a petition, spreading the word or chipping in a little cash, it’s encouraging to see what pitching in and pulling together can do.

The story of Mr. T touched my heart recently.

Here’s something fun! Every week, over at Kirbys Dawg Blog, Leah does a post called Ancient Beginnings where she tells you about the history of different dog breeds. You can submit the breed you’d like her to research and she randomly selects from the comments. This week, we were picked…Greyhounds!

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Here’s what I’ve read the last three months:

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

I’m a fan of Erik Larson. I’ve read two of his books, The Devil in the White City, about the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago and Isaac’s Storm, about the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. In the Garden of Beasts is primarily set in 1930’s Berlin during the early years of Hitler’s rise to power.  The focus is both on the American Ambassador to Germany, William Dodd, and his family and the many events, both large and small, that lead to Hitler’s seizing absolute power. Although Erik Larson’s books are scrupulously researched non-fiction, they read like narrative fiction. This is an insightful examination of the cumulative power of small, overlooked acts of evil.

Wow! That was a short list. Hopefully, I’ll be able to double my reading April through June.