“New Year’s Day is every man’s birthday.” (-Charles Lamb)

Here’s wishing everyone the Happiest New Year!  
May 2009 be full of wonder for you.

“A new year is unfolding—like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within.” (-Unknown)

“Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.” (-Claude Monet)

Santa brought me a tin of new paints for Christmas, and I’ve been excited to pop them open. Like a kid in a candy store, I want them all: they greet me, so many beautiful confections, plump before me-- little comfits, bonbons, taffies, caramels and gumdrops, just there for the plucking… BUT I told myself that first, I will make those color charts:

Actually, I cannot tell a lie:
I love making color charts. There’s something very zen about the experience of laying down one hue, and mixing it with bounteous other colors, coming up with an infinite variety of shades.

They’re rife with possibility sitting patiently in this palette; soon, they’ll become rich, luminous shades on smooth, white paper.

Hmmmmmm…
Will we want to make some lemony-orange citrus tones, Madame? Or shall we go for some deep, rich, sugar plum colors? Red-hot-steamy-cinammon shades? Or shall we swoon over minty greens in all their glory?

Ah, you say you want to concentrate on muted, lush, grayed-down tones? No problem. We’ve got that covered, too.

“Color possesses me. I don’t have to pursue it. It will possess me always, I know it. That is the meaning of this happy hour: Color and I are one. I am a painter.” (-Paul Klee.)

Let the fun begin!

“A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.” (Unknown)

So,…do you make New Year’s resolutions?

Christmas is over, and the holidays are waning now. For me, the New Year is certainly a time for reflection, for taking stock, and for evaluating what I like about the life I'm living, and what I can do to keep this crazy journey I’m on as pleasant as possible.

I do set goals for things I’d like to accomplish, all the time…just not necessarily at the beginning of a New Year. I constantly make mental lists of things I want to do, but I also sort of enjoy the detours life tends to throw at me, and the serendipitous opportunities that sometimes arise as a result of them. I have goals ranging from the simple and ordinary, to far-reaching dreams. We all do, I suppose.

Mostly, I find, the older I get, I just want to focus on doing those things that make me happiest. I want to set goals that are general and ongoing. Life is hard enough as it is, and I want to minimize the stresses in life. I want to stay healthy. Part of taking stock is realizing how fortunate I am living the life I am, and recognizing that I’ve had a pretty interesting life so far! I've much to be grateful for.

In the not-too-distant future, however, I do want to:

-Sew new curtains for our room upstairs. (I’ve already bought the fabric, and have a general notion of how I’m going to make them. I like to let creativity strike as it may. Now, it’s a question of finding the time.)

-Travel somewhere I’ve never been. But not for work.

-Use my new glass dip pens and inks more.

-Read good books, see good theatre, listen to good music, and enjoy good art. Let's face it; it's just good for the soul.

-Keep organizing closets and drawers and attic spaces. (When it's done, that's good for the soul, too. Trust me in this.)

-Sock some money away when I can.

-Try some new recipes.

-See my family as often as possible.

-Surround myself with interesting friends and people in general.

-Start painting larger…

-Start painting less cautiously…

-Start painting more creatively…

-Start painting, period!!

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man." (~Benjamin Franklin)

Happy New Year, everyone! And here's hoping we may all be better this year!
Cin Cin!

"Always on Christmas night there was music" (-Dylan Thomas, "A Child's Christmas in Wales")

Well, it hardly ever snows in NC, but in 2000, here’s what we woke up to one fine winter day.

It seemed a more appropriate photo to accompany some lines from Dylan Thomas’ “Child’s Christmas in Wales… ” than what's outside today.

"One Christmas was so much like another, in those years around the sea-town corner now and out of all sound except the distant speaking of the voices I sometimes hear a moment before sleep, that I can never remember whether it snowed for six days and six nights when I was twelve or whether it snowed for twelve days and twelve nights when I was six..."


"...All the Christmases roll down toward the two-tongued sea, like a cold and headlong moon bundling down the sky that was our street; and they stop at the rim of the ice-edged fish-freezing waves, and I plunge my hands in the snow and bring out whatever I can find... "

"...Looking through my bedroom window, out into the moonlight and the unending smoke-colored snow, I could see the lights in the windows of all the other houses on our hill and hear the music rising from them up the long, steady falling night. I turned the gas down, I got into bed. I said some words to the close and holy darkness, and then I slept. "

That was always a favorite of my mother's....
Happy Holidays, all--I'm heading down to see family for a few days, and spending Christmas in Georgia.

“Dreams say what they mean, but they don’t say it in daytime language.” (-Gail Godwin)

Aren't dreams fascinating? Who knows why we dream what we do.

I once dreamt that I knew I was having Siamese twins, (and I knew this—how?) In my dream, I was quite disgusted with my doctor, because he didn’t seem to have a clue that I was having these Siamese twins. I kept thinking “What kind of doctor is HE?!”

I have no earthly idea why I dreamt that...

Joe was telling me about a dream he had the other night that had me laughing:

He said that he was in a large auditorium, where a woman was asking him to give an important presentation on (get this) “the Three Stooges” to a group of college students. He was nervous, because he couldn't remember what their names were. Then, the woman handed him a big plastic bag, and told him he was lucky that this meant he’d be getting a free lunch! But in his dream, that only made him worried, because he’d be busy giving the presentation during lunch time! A real nightmare, eh?

Recently, my dad told me he was dreaming about my mom, and she was evidently relaying to him (in his dream) that she was worried about something or other. I was glad to hear he still thinks about my mom, but in this instance, with a strange sense of humor as well. He was trying to help her deal with her stress, when, in his dream, he suddenly thought to himself, “Wait a minute—she’s dead now, so she doesn’t have to worry about these things any more!”

What a load off!

Have a great weekend, and Sweet Dreams, all!
;))

“Proust had his madeleines; I am devastated by the smell of yeast bread rising.” (-Bert Greene)

When I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do was to lick the cookie or cake batter off of the beaters when my mom baked.

She seemed to make cakes constantly, because while we were never allowed to eat snacks in-between meals, we always had a dessert with our dinner.

(I’m talking Every single night of our lives...)

A little old lady, “Mrs Endris,” lived next door to us when we were small, and she would bake the most buttery cookies with a cherry in the center of each one. They were delicious--they just melted in your mouth. I can still taste them to this day. She was the only person I ever knew as a child who had a rocking chair right in her kitchen, and she’d leave just the screen door open so you could smell those cookies wafting out the door.

We used to go to her door and say,

“Mrs. Endris, our mother said we are not allowed to ask for a cookie, but... if you offer, we can have one.”

When my son was small, I baked all the time. I used to make all our own breads, from crusty French baguettes that I slit with a razor and misted in curved pans in the oven, to braided loaves of herb/onion breads, to cheese rolls and dinner crescent yeast rolls. For Thanksgiving one year, I made five pies. To this day, I love the smells of freshly baked foods emanating from an open door or window. I could never work in a patisserie: I'd be enormous.

We made cookies: raspberry thumbprint cookies, chocolate shortbread logs, lemon bars, English toffees, oatmeal and chocolate chip and gingerbread cookies, and the list went on… I’d freeze all those goodies for neighbors and teachers and family and us.

Now, the baking we do is typically relegated to holiday time. It’s still fun, and I still enjoy it…

Hmmmm... I have to say, I still like to lick the beaters...do you?

(highly charming photo of Sue (left) and Mary Kate (right) chompin' down here--we meant business!)

Tagged! ...You're It!

Well, how ‘bout that: It seems I’ve been tagged.

By Sigrid Frensen, specifically, a wonderfully talented artist whose art I have long admired. I didn’t realize until now, though, that she is from the Netherlands! I traveled there some years ago and absolutely fell in love with that country. Be sure to visit her blog...

Tagging Rules:

1. Link to your tagger and list these rules.
2. Share 7 interesting or random facts about yourself on your blog.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post, leaving their names as well as links to their blogs,
4. Leave a comment on each of their blogs, letting them know they’ve been tagged.

Now that I’m actually doing this, I realize just how phenomenally boring I must be! LOL I would say these are 7 random facts, not particularly interesting!

1) During my 54 years, I have lived:
on the outskirts of Manhattan,
in the Shenandoah Valley of VA, where I raised my son, Eric,
and now in Cary, NC. (I guess that means I’m a damn Yankee? Aren’t they the ones who come south and then don’t leave?)

2) I was a single parent for many years, and as a result, I am very independent-natured. My son, Eric, (who will be 32 next month,) is the best thing I ever did.

3) Joe and I met each other coming out of a movie theater, after seeing the movie “The Magdalene Sisters.”

4) I’m teaching myself how to paint with watercolors, which will probably take me a lifetime.

5) I have my M.A. in English, and taught at James Madison University in VA for several years.

6) I’m a second child. I have an older sister, a younger sister, and a younger brother. (I’m a Libra, but I’m never home on my birthday.)

7) I work as an Admissions Officer for Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and travel all over the country, recruiting prospective students for our graduate professional degree programs.

Wasn’t that exciting? (See? I’ve saved you, now, from having to read the book..)

Barbara, Drawing Breath
Cris, Cris, Artist in Oregon
Terrie, Feasting on Pixels
Sharon, Flat Sound of Wooden Clogs
Judy, A Drawing a Day
Jennifer, Jennifer Lawson
Leigh, Mudglue

(Hope you don’t mind, all! I won’t be offended if you don’t continue, though!)

“A hug is the perfect gift; one size fits all, and nobody minds if you exchange it.” (-Unknown)

My son always has a tendency to give me what I consider to be extravagant gifts for my birthday or for the holidays. I feel bad that he’ll spend too much on me, so I sent him a note recently, saying that if he planned to get me a gift at all for Christmas, THIS was something that would be a really nice gift, and nothing else.

I had always wanted a Venetian glass pen, and I recently got one for myself. Then, I saw this one and thought I’d love another one…they’re elegant to look at, fun to write with, and make interesting calligraphic marks on the paper. It's fun experimenting with sketching, too.

But then, after I sent him the note, it hit me that it might be kind of nervy to be asking for a gift, so I wrote again:

PS:
If you weren’t planning to get me a gift for Christmas, then you could get it for my Birthday instead.

This, too, hit me as perhaps somewhat audacious. I mean, a lot of things could happen between now and next October, so I wrote him still another note, and said:

PSS:
But if I die before my Birthday, then,... “Never Mind!”

In his typical sarcastic mode, Eric wrote back to me:

“Hmmmm...Always good to take into consideration the death factor when thinking about gifts.”

How true…
one never knows...;))

“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.” (-Carl Reiner)

Four seasons do it for me.

I like the variety of all the changes in climate, and I like living where we experience each one. But I do have to admit, North Carolina has what I call more “blended” seasons than other places where I’ve lived.

We get a beautiful burst of spring as early as February or March each year.

We get a long, flower-filled summer, and we definitely get heat and humidity in those later months.

Fall is stunning with the brilliant colors that rouse that time of year.

But our winter is “just enough” to do it for me: cold enough to enjoy sweater and coat weather, or to build a roasting fire in the fireplace, but not that long a season, and not cold enough to keep pansies from peeking up out of the ground. We rarely get snow, and if we do at all, it’s not typically that much. I do remember one year when he got 22” of snow, but that was extremely unusual, and that was some years ago.

Now, I love snow if I can enjoy it, and go sleigh riding in it, but to get out and have to dig my car out of it and plod into work on a freezing morning is not my idea of fun...I've paid my dues there!

I am always so glad when I see the cold weather is here to stay each winter, because for me, it means I’m home for the season. I recently realized I stayed in 65 hotels this fall, and so now my “hotel” is home, and I'm good with that!

“Weather is a great metaphor for life—sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, and there’s nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella.” (-Pepper Giardino)

“Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you. (-John DePaola)

This time of year always calls to mind Joni Mitchell’s song “River” for me.

The craziness of the holiday madness with the expectations and commitments foisted upon all of us can be overwhelming. So far, I'm being good this year, and trying to keep the insanity to a minimum….

RIVER

“It’s comin' on Christmas
They’re cuttin’ down trees
They’re puttin’ up reindeer
And singin’ songs of joy and peace

Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on…

But it don’t snow here, y’ know--
It stays pretty green;
I’m gonna' make a lot o' money
Then I’m gonna' quit this crazy scene...

Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on...

I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly...

I wish I had a river I could skate away on…”

(-Joni)

“Give your stress wings and let it fly away” (-Carin Hartness)

“Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors.” (-Alice Walker)

Today it's pouring rain outside. It couldn't be a more dismal day, so I decided to start the morning with a hot cup of tea.

I woke up to the sounds of torrential rains, thunder and sirens, thinking how fortunate we are to be inside where it’s warm and safe and dry.

Our shelves are filled with various and sundry teas, and today it was Mango tea with honey in it for me.

Some nights, it’s chamomile or Sleepy Time. Some days there’s just no replacing Constant Comment, or Plum tea. Grandma always served us Tetley’s with oatmeal cookies, but I'm also quite fond of English Breakfast Tea or Earl Grey or Darjeeling...and of course, anything with cinnamon or orange is usually a good bet.

I’ve said before that my dad always brought back gifts for me of pretty teacups whenever he and my mom would travel anywhere. Aren't they beautiful?

For me, it really is almost like a picnic indoors to relax with a simmering, steaming cup of tea. I'll sometimes put a spoonful of jam into my hot tea, but I'd also just as soon put flowers in my cups. And I will often pour the used tea leaves over flowers outdoors to perk them up.

To sit snugly inside, where it’s warm and toasty, and peer out the windows at the dreary downpour outside, is simply bliss…Thank goodness TOMORROW is when I have to head out to Duke! I'm so fortunate I didn't have to go out into it today.

Tea is a cup of life. (-Unknown)

Lots of people put a lemon slice into a teacup but sometimes, I just like a slice of orange instead.

“Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage.” (-Catherine Douzel)

(Off to my indoor picnic, folks!)

“The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.”

OK, I’m a total sucker for nostalgic Christmas tree ornaments, and putting up our tree every year takes me down memory lane.

Everywhere we go, I try to find an ornament as a remembrance of our visit, so....

it seems we have tiny ornaments from Monticello, (Jefferson’s home in VA;) the beach; Delft, in the Netherlands; the Grand Canyon; Vegas; Bermuda; Italy…

You name it, we have an ornament to commemorate it. Out tree is trimmed out with sleds, a teacup, a lounge chair, frogs, old and new photos of family members....and well, of course, our birds...

But my favorite of all might still be the salt dough "gingerbread men" ornaments Eric made when he was about 4 years old. (He’ll turn 32 this year!)
Face it: I’m totally sentimental.

“Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days.”

(-Doug Larson)

“Come, woo me, woo me; for now I am in a holiday cheer and like enough to consent.” (--Shakespeare)

Joe has an affinity for frogs.

I always say it must have something to do with his French “Gervais” heritage, (he’s now a Jarvis) but any time he sees anything celebrating the frog, he just lights up.

As a result, we have been given numerous gifts with frogs and they seem to be everywhere.

A few years ago, a friend gave us this little ornament (above) of a frog sipping a drink, and I have to admit, I smile every time I get it out of the ornament box. It’s just very apropos. Needless to say, I had to sketch it.

“The frogs wore red suspenders
And the pigs wore purple vests,
As they sang to all the chickens
And the ducks upon their nests.

They croaked and oinked a serenade,
The ducks and chickens sighed,
Then laid enormous spangled eggs
And quacked and clucked with pride.”

(-Jack Prelutsky)

“The hardest part of skating is the ice.” (-unknown)

I’m finally home “for good,” (at least for a while) and it’s that time of year…

We’re bringing out comfy blankets for snuggling near a toasty fire in the fireplace.

It’s a time when traditions are dear…

When we head up to the attic to dig out boxes of simple trimmings that make a cozy home.

I enjoy pulling out the things we’ve collected over the years,

gifts from friends and family,

things we’ve made, and things that were made for us,

and the simple things that just make our house feel like a home: grandma's holiday tablecloth and pretty flowers and greens...

Despite the current dismal news reports over economic woes, and all the myriad troubles that seem to be bubbling up and rife throughout the world, I want to hold onto the beautiful things we do have in life: not so much the material things we have, but the people, places and memories we hold dear. Happy Holidays, all!

Before the ice is in the pools,
Before the skaters go,
Or any cheek at nightfall
Is tarnished by the snow,
Before the fields have finished,
Before the Christmas tree,
Wonder upon wonder
Will arrive to me!

(- Emily Dickinson)