are gone from the front & back yards. still face the daunting task of taking down the large limb that snapped off the big tree out back - couldn't handle the weight of the wet snow on the still green leaves.
so many places lost power, way more than were hit by hurricane irene or tropical storm lee a couple months back.
and sure enough, there are people saying the waaaay early winter storm debunks any talk of global warming. my guess is they've never seen the day after tomorrow, where the result of the ocean warming IS a cataclysmic winter storm of beyond epic proportions.
jrm 2010
In 2010, the jury again found him FABULOUS!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
no s'mores for john
his sunday hours have changed to early afternoon to closing, so he'll have to miss this sunday's "s'more toast" at the landing. seemed like the ideal place/people to introduce my keet to the joys of graham crackers, hershey bar & toasted marshmallow!!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
breakfast & bull dogs
okay, breakfast (where else?) & an "aspects of home" commission to pick up in washingtons crossing tomorrow - but it's from someone who raises bull dogs. and "bull dogs" just sounds so much pithier in the subject line!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
he's baaaaack...
Yep, John submitted another painting to the Phillips' Mill Art Show. This year makes three times out of three that he's been accepted! Quite the departure from the past two years, both of which featured railroad art, this year's submission was "Catalossa" - an incredible painting of Max (to view, scroll to end).
Over the past weeks, he's connected with the president of the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad. This week, he is getting an "Aspects of Home" commission from a new client.
Exciting times for this proud wife!!
Over the past weeks, he's connected with the president of the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad. This week, he is getting an "Aspects of Home" commission from a new client.
Exciting times for this proud wife!!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
snail mail
There have been so many moments this summer that have inspired me to take up pen & invest in stamps - wanting to sharing the fun of the GC Assembly, the anniversary of Mom's tumble, Mom & Dad's 75th wedding anniversary, all the splendiferous things that keep happening. Coming up - our 22nd wedding anniversary and the 10th anniversary of Mom being reunited with her O Best Beloved.
Sharing these moments through e-mail, blogging or Facebook just wouldn't be the same as writing it out. Making it even more fun is that I've designed & crafted the note cards! So special, knowing who's going to get THAT particular card, writing the note, addressing & stamping the envelope. Yes, it takes time, but that's part of the charm & power.
Sharing these moments through e-mail, blogging or Facebook just wouldn't be the same as writing it out. Making it even more fun is that I've designed & crafted the note cards! So special, knowing who's going to get THAT particular card, writing the note, addressing & stamping the envelope. Yes, it takes time, but that's part of the charm & power.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Most beautiful urban drive in the world
True, that statement is based on my limited knowledge, confined to Paris-San Francisco-Chicago (which has a pretty awesome urban drive of its own)-NYC-DC-London-Edinburgh. But I truly do LOVE the drive I took this morning home from the iconic railroad station architecture of Philadelphia's 30th Street (Amtrak) Station.
Sit back, as we meander from..
** 30th Street Station east on Market Street, the beautiful Beaux Arts architecture of City Hall straight ahead.
** Turn left, past Penn Station on the left, then left again onto The Parkway.
** Past the always beckoning Four Seasons, past gorgeous fountains at Logan Circle, past the Cathedral of St Peter & Saint Paul, past the Philadelphia Free Library and the Franklin Institute, down The Parkway lined with the flags of the nations, toward the Philadelphia Art Museum perched high atop one of the most famous flights of steps in the world.
** Swing to the right of the Art Museum, past the charming apartments where we oft picked up Marguerite de Angeli for a visit to Bryn Athyn, past the gilded glory of Joan of Arc atop her horse.
** Slolam along the thrilling curves of Kelly Drive, its sidewalks filled with runners & walkers & all manner of dogs; past Boat House Row, past rowers gliding in their shells up & down the river.
** Forego the Lincoln Drive to turn right up Midvale through the East Falls section of the city with its charming homes.
** Left onto Wissahickon Avenue, across the Lincoln Drive, up past historic Rittenhouse Town until Wissahickon takes a turn left and becomes Allen Lane.
** Left onto Cherokee, right onto Mermaid Lane, left onto St. Martin's Lane, then - across from St. Martin's in the Field - turn right onto Willow Grove Avenue.
** Left onto the tag end of Lincoln Drive which becomes Abington as we nip past the lovely glades of Pastorious Park, over to Germantown Avenue where I turn left up the Chestnut Hill to Highland Avenue for a baked-to-perfection raisin scone at Cake.
** Ramble Chestnut Hill's streets to Bethlehem Pike, cross Stenton Avenue to drop down Papermill Road.
** Where it bottoms out, turn right onto Montgomery Avenue, then left onto Evergreen which becomes Ardmore Avenue where it crooks right.
** Left onto Hartwell Lane, right onto Flourtown Avenue and - finally - back to the Wyndmoor stretch of Willow Grove Avenue & the end of the glorious stretch of meander.
Ah, the many glorious sights along the route! Too many to mention. But ask me to take you along on a meander & it will be my pleasure to reveal all!
Sit back, as we meander from..
** 30th Street Station east on Market Street, the beautiful Beaux Arts architecture of City Hall straight ahead.
** Turn left, past Penn Station on the left, then left again onto The Parkway.
** Past the always beckoning Four Seasons, past gorgeous fountains at Logan Circle, past the Cathedral of St Peter & Saint Paul, past the Philadelphia Free Library and the Franklin Institute, down The Parkway lined with the flags of the nations, toward the Philadelphia Art Museum perched high atop one of the most famous flights of steps in the world.
** Swing to the right of the Art Museum, past the charming apartments where we oft picked up Marguerite de Angeli for a visit to Bryn Athyn, past the gilded glory of Joan of Arc atop her horse.
** Slolam along the thrilling curves of Kelly Drive, its sidewalks filled with runners & walkers & all manner of dogs; past Boat House Row, past rowers gliding in their shells up & down the river.
** Forego the Lincoln Drive to turn right up Midvale through the East Falls section of the city with its charming homes.
** Left onto Wissahickon Avenue, across the Lincoln Drive, up past historic Rittenhouse Town until Wissahickon takes a turn left and becomes Allen Lane.
** Left onto Cherokee, right onto Mermaid Lane, left onto St. Martin's Lane, then - across from St. Martin's in the Field - turn right onto Willow Grove Avenue.
** Left onto the tag end of Lincoln Drive which becomes Abington as we nip past the lovely glades of Pastorious Park, over to Germantown Avenue where I turn left up the Chestnut Hill to Highland Avenue for a baked-to-perfection raisin scone at Cake.
** Ramble Chestnut Hill's streets to Bethlehem Pike, cross Stenton Avenue to drop down Papermill Road.
** Where it bottoms out, turn right onto Montgomery Avenue, then left onto Evergreen which becomes Ardmore Avenue where it crooks right.
** Left onto Hartwell Lane, right onto Flourtown Avenue and - finally - back to the Wyndmoor stretch of Willow Grove Avenue & the end of the glorious stretch of meander.
Ah, the many glorious sights along the route! Too many to mention. But ask me to take you along on a meander & it will be my pleasure to reveal all!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Long, Hot Summer
Been offline for weeks - amazing how fast I got out of the routine of regular postings. Sure taught me a lesson!
Driven out of the computer studio by HEAT. It was beastly hot in July - many days in the triple digits. And we don't have air conditioning.
You think my blogging took a hit - the number of unread e-mails was utterly embarrassing. And a good indicator that I do most of my communicating via Facebook, which I did manage to access most days.
Lots to write about - feels like the most splendiferous summer of my life, topping even Summer '89!
Driven out of the computer studio by HEAT. It was beastly hot in July - many days in the triple digits. And we don't have air conditioning.
You think my blogging took a hit - the number of unread e-mails was utterly embarrassing. And a good indicator that I do most of my communicating via Facebook, which I did manage to access most days.
Lots to write about - feels like the most splendiferous summer of my life, topping even Summer '89!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
deep breaths - practice & repetition
practice & repetition
practice & repetition
as hard as heading in a new, more fully prosperous direction is now, it will get better.
practice & repetition
as hard as heading in a new, more fully prosperous direction is now, it will get better.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
elegant breakfast with two swell guys!
checking out today's weather - HOT - i did a quick run-thru of the channels to see if anything irresistible was on. and there, on the travel channel, was samantha brown savoring a weekend in san francisco!
didn't have the time to sit down & watch, but am awash in my own wonderful memories of my city by the bay. my very first trip, seeing off mom to australia, when we celebrated thanksgiving at the ripley ranch compound. we nipped into sf for the day - me, mom, bob & (to my shock) uncle paul.
now, uncle paul was NOT my idea of someone to see san francisco with for the first time. and i was pretty darned disappointed that we spent as much time in sausaulito as we did in sf, but it turned out to be a special time for all of us.
i took bob & uncle paul by surprise when the first thing i asked after we parked the car UNDER union square was, "okay, where's post street?" turned out it was right in front of us. i peered up & down, then said, "this way!" and headed right.
mom & i took the two ripley guys to the four season cliff hotel for breakfast! they were stunned. bob who was a trifle embarrassed at first, since he had on his giants jacket which he thought wasn't classy enough for the uber elegant establishment, was totally placated when i pointed out that if you had enough bucks to stay there, you could jolly well wear whatever you wanted (learned that eons ago at the greenbriar).
the dining room was GORGEOUS - high ceilings, loooong paladian windows, beautifully decked out tables with gleaming silver service, all right off the famous redwood bar.
background: learned years ago that there are two great ways to experience the great hotels of the world without breaking the bank - breakfast and cocktails. really didn't see uncle paul as a traditional cocktail hour type.
breakfast was a hit! uncle paul enjoyed every moment of the excellent service & outstanding food exquisitely presented. he even took home a tiny jar of preserves as a momento.
a forever memory of a quintessentially lockhart moment with two men who mean the world to me!
didn't have the time to sit down & watch, but am awash in my own wonderful memories of my city by the bay. my very first trip, seeing off mom to australia, when we celebrated thanksgiving at the ripley ranch compound. we nipped into sf for the day - me, mom, bob & (to my shock) uncle paul.
now, uncle paul was NOT my idea of someone to see san francisco with for the first time. and i was pretty darned disappointed that we spent as much time in sausaulito as we did in sf, but it turned out to be a special time for all of us.
i took bob & uncle paul by surprise when the first thing i asked after we parked the car UNDER union square was, "okay, where's post street?" turned out it was right in front of us. i peered up & down, then said, "this way!" and headed right.
mom & i took the two ripley guys to the four season cliff hotel for breakfast! they were stunned. bob who was a trifle embarrassed at first, since he had on his giants jacket which he thought wasn't classy enough for the uber elegant establishment, was totally placated when i pointed out that if you had enough bucks to stay there, you could jolly well wear whatever you wanted (learned that eons ago at the greenbriar).
the dining room was GORGEOUS - high ceilings, loooong paladian windows, beautifully decked out tables with gleaming silver service, all right off the famous redwood bar.
background: learned years ago that there are two great ways to experience the great hotels of the world without breaking the bank - breakfast and cocktails. really didn't see uncle paul as a traditional cocktail hour type.
breakfast was a hit! uncle paul enjoyed every moment of the excellent service & outstanding food exquisitely presented. he even took home a tiny jar of preserves as a momento.
a forever memory of a quintessentially lockhart moment with two men who mean the world to me!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
my white knight
yesterday, john put in a full seven hours loading up, setting up & partnering with me at the special village market (held as a way to promote attendance - our site is right off the parade route), came home for a few hours then headed out for a 4 1/2 hour stint at his part-time job. and headed out this a.m. at 4:30 for another 7 hour stint.
john was wonderful yesterday - morning prep went like clockwork (we were out the door a minute before our scheduled depart time), he seemed in good spirits when he left AND when he returned from his 2nd shift, he said good bye to me this morning without turning on the light (which seriously wakes me) & left in what seemed to be good spirits.
sending him off to slumbers this afternoon, making him a yummy dinner of his beloved chow mein, then a double bowl of popcorn tonight. white knights love double bowls of popcorn!!
john was wonderful yesterday - morning prep went like clockwork (we were out the door a minute before our scheduled depart time), he seemed in good spirits when he left AND when he returned from his 2nd shift, he said good bye to me this morning without turning on the light (which seriously wakes me) & left in what seemed to be good spirits.
sending him off to slumbers this afternoon, making him a yummy dinner of his beloved chow mein, then a double bowl of popcorn tonight. white knights love double bowls of popcorn!!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
NYC Travel Tips to friends of friends
Amigos-of-the-heart called up the other night, in part to check out travel tips for them to recommend to friends who will be visiting NYC. Hard to do, since we don't know their interests, but if John & I were heading up to Manhattan, here are a few of our favorite things...
BOOK STORES
Books of Wonder 18 West 18th Street 212-989-3270 www.booksofwonder.com
Kitchen Arts & Letters 1435 Lexington Avenue 212-876-5550 www.kitchenartsandletters.com
Rizzoli Bookstore 31 West 57th Street 212-759-2424 http://www.rizzoliusa.com/bookstore
Shakespeare & Co. locations throughout NYC (but still independent!) http://www.shakeandco.com
Strand Book Store 828 Broadway (at 12th Street) 212-473-1452 www.strandbooks.com
FOODIES UNITE! (managed to hyperlink these - go figure)
seriouseats blog is an invaluable resource for all things foodie in NYC
Union Square (area) - Could spend an entire day in & around Union Square! (Tom Hanks bought flowers here for Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail); not far from Grammercy Square, a private mini-park (similar to the one in Julia Roberts/Hugh Grant flick, Notting Hill), ringed with wonderful brownstones
Zabar's – legendary Upper West Side food emporium (Tom Hanks saved Meg Ryan from infamy at the "cash only" aisle in You’ve Got Mail)
Serendipity 3 and/or Dylan’s Candy Bar - sheer unadulterated inner child FUN
Dean & Deluca – must include as it is mega popular, but my heart belongs to Zabar’s
HIGHLY RECOMMEND... (most hyperlinked)
Newyorkology - one stop blog for all things NYC
Beast Speed Boat tour of New York Harbor
Cocktails at Peacock Alley, The Waldorf-Astoria – ultra luxury hotel experience www.waldorfastoria.com/
Cocktails at the Algonquin Hotel, in the lobby – small, intimate, clubby, heavy literary & theater history; when you head out of the Algonquin (be sure to say good-bye to Mathilda, the current Algonquin Cat), cross 44th St and head east toward 5th Ave for about 20 feet - look back across the street at the remarkable facade of the 110 years old New York Yacht Club
We enjoy dining at Un Deux Trois, off Times Square
Best place for afternoon tea WAS The Plaza, before they gutted the spirit to make way for condos – suggest doing an online search & see what appeals most
Sunday, June 26, 2011
what a saturday!!
whew!
helped john set up our village market @ southampton station vendor space,
then hightailed it to justin & jody's to pick up ann,
who i then delivered to the general church assembly's final plenary session at the asplundh field house,
after which we took the college bus over to the doering science center
where i saw that she got settled for howard thompson's workshop &
confirmed with brian horner that he'd keep an eye on her while i
nipped back over to the field house to pick up the car &
hotfoot it back to the village market to
see how john was doing (just fine & dandy),
then back in the car &
down the pike to the doering ctr (great parking spot) where i
waited in the stunning atrium for howard's workshop to end,
then anne & i whisked out to the car &
bopped over to the dining hall for lunch,
where - wonder of wonders, miracles of miracles - i connected with roz taylor's table for a bit of "no assembly required" hob nobbing
(leaving anne under lisa's loving eye),
picked up anne at 1:15ish &
dropped off back at j & j's, then
zoomed up to southampton station to help john pack up.
followed by a bit of r&r with my beloved hubster at kenny's.
epic!!
helped john set up our village market @ southampton station vendor space,
then hightailed it to justin & jody's to pick up ann,
who i then delivered to the general church assembly's final plenary session at the asplundh field house,
after which we took the college bus over to the doering science center
where i saw that she got settled for howard thompson's workshop &
confirmed with brian horner that he'd keep an eye on her while i
nipped back over to the field house to pick up the car &
hotfoot it back to the village market to
see how john was doing (just fine & dandy),
then back in the car &
down the pike to the doering ctr (great parking spot) where i
waited in the stunning atrium for howard's workshop to end,
then anne & i whisked out to the car &
bopped over to the dining hall for lunch,
where - wonder of wonders, miracles of miracles - i connected with roz taylor's table for a bit of "no assembly required" hob nobbing
(leaving anne under lisa's loving eye),
picked up anne at 1:15ish &
dropped off back at j & j's, then
zoomed up to southampton station to help john pack up.
followed by a bit of r&r with my beloved hubster at kenny's.
epic!!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
dang it!
hoped i might get access to a friend's licensed kitchen. would have allowed me to bake my hand-crafted, twice-baked crackers without a lot of expensive access fees ~ the c&s club charges $100 per afternoon. ouch!!
alas, the friends very practically declined. makes sense. and brings home to me ~ again ~ the all too obvious reality that i haven't a purely practical bone in my body. i lead with the heart, not the head. we rep the friend's bbq sauce at our village market vendor spot not because we are such magnanimous type people but because it was the right thing to do.
which is the interesting place this takes us - determining the right thing to do seems 99.99% subjective. to me, providing the space for the bbq sauce was a no-brainer ~ just the right thing to do because we have the space & can help our friends. to them, letting me use their licensed kitchen was a non-starter because of its adverse impact. as i'd ask my dvhs students time & again when presenting two different points of view on some historical issue - which was right? reality is that both had their points, depending on your perspective.
dang it - would have been such a neat & tidy, even karmic solution. ah well, onward with hope!
alas, the friends very practically declined. makes sense. and brings home to me ~ again ~ the all too obvious reality that i haven't a purely practical bone in my body. i lead with the heart, not the head. we rep the friend's bbq sauce at our village market vendor spot not because we are such magnanimous type people but because it was the right thing to do.
which is the interesting place this takes us - determining the right thing to do seems 99.99% subjective. to me, providing the space for the bbq sauce was a no-brainer ~ just the right thing to do because we have the space & can help our friends. to them, letting me use their licensed kitchen was a non-starter because of its adverse impact. as i'd ask my dvhs students time & again when presenting two different points of view on some historical issue - which was right? reality is that both had their points, depending on your perspective.
dang it - would have been such a neat & tidy, even karmic solution. ah well, onward with hope!
Monday, June 20, 2011
exhausted but happy
saturday's flea market at holcombe-jimison homestead, between lambertville & the rt. 202 bridge, helped buttress our event infrastructure.
my alarm failed to ring (or maybe i slept through it), so i got up an hour later than planned. no panic - figure was meant to sleep an extra hour.
car was packed & we were on the road within our 5-minute grace period of departure time. plenty of time to get take-out from fred's.
on the drive, thought i'd forgotten the table covers, john had left his prints & we'd left the bread (for sampling bbq sauce). took in stride (regrettable, but no going back so why get into a bother). picked up white bread at sunoco mart and it turned out we HAD packed the covers & prints (& crusty bread). happy happy happy we didn't waste any time stressing.
discovered we'd been assigned terrific spot at flea market. right next door to the administration building/"food hall" (hot dogs w/chili or saurkraut).
felt right at home right off the bat with auctioneer dave commenting as he went past our vendor space, "missed you at fred's this a.m." raised my just-purchased traveling coffee mug to show we'd been there.
liked the group. flea market is a once-a-year event at the beautifully bucolic homestead. like their mission ~ preserving what was done on the farm over the 250 years it was farmed.
great weather, not too hot & not humid. special, very special. visually beautiful to boot. felt like we were in a national geographic article.
a good day. more to come.
and we sold 5 bottles of bill's best bbq sauce!!
my alarm failed to ring (or maybe i slept through it), so i got up an hour later than planned. no panic - figure was meant to sleep an extra hour.
car was packed & we were on the road within our 5-minute grace period of departure time. plenty of time to get take-out from fred's.
on the drive, thought i'd forgotten the table covers, john had left his prints & we'd left the bread (for sampling bbq sauce). took in stride (regrettable, but no going back so why get into a bother). picked up white bread at sunoco mart and it turned out we HAD packed the covers & prints (& crusty bread). happy happy happy we didn't waste any time stressing.
discovered we'd been assigned terrific spot at flea market. right next door to the administration building/"food hall" (hot dogs w/chili or saurkraut).
felt right at home right off the bat with auctioneer dave commenting as he went past our vendor space, "missed you at fred's this a.m." raised my just-purchased traveling coffee mug to show we'd been there.
liked the group. flea market is a once-a-year event at the beautifully bucolic homestead. like their mission ~ preserving what was done on the farm over the 250 years it was farmed.
great weather, not too hot & not humid. special, very special. visually beautiful to boot. felt like we were in a national geographic article.
a good day. more to come.
and we sold 5 bottles of bill's best bbq sauce!!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
oops - forgot to repost creative links from facebook
will have to check out what's still retrievable from facebook. am still doing it - will until aug's "blogher" event in san diego and sept's "creative connection" gathering in st. paul. i WILL get to at least one of them!!
busy six weeks!
early may to mid june are always packed with things to do & places to go ~ this year even more so. and all of it WONDERFUL!
glad we have two village markets under our belt as we prep for saturday's flea market in lambertville. and mega happy that i am not, cannot (no permit), back so much as an itty bitty cupcake or a single twice-baked hand-crafted cracker. instead, focusing all of my attention on john's artwork (offering prints for the first time), repping "bill's best bbq sauce" (complete with attached grilling recipe) and selling magnets of john's artwork as a fundraiser for tabby's place (about 10 mins from l-ville, in ringoes nj). from 8 to "mid-afternoon" whatever that means.
so glad this blog is dedicated to sharing bits of this & that. good place to send people to get a sense of deev aka ellie b aka keet aka budgette - oh, and elsa lockhart murphy - who, in the immortal words of cara glenn dibb, "leads her friends astray." i hope!
glad we have two village markets under our belt as we prep for saturday's flea market in lambertville. and mega happy that i am not, cannot (no permit), back so much as an itty bitty cupcake or a single twice-baked hand-crafted cracker. instead, focusing all of my attention on john's artwork (offering prints for the first time), repping "bill's best bbq sauce" (complete with attached grilling recipe) and selling magnets of john's artwork as a fundraiser for tabby's place (about 10 mins from l-ville, in ringoes nj). from 8 to "mid-afternoon" whatever that means.
so glad this blog is dedicated to sharing bits of this & that. good place to send people to get a sense of deev aka ellie b aka keet aka budgette - oh, and elsa lockhart murphy - who, in the immortal words of cara glenn dibb, "leads her friends astray." i hope!
Monday, May 9, 2011
someone bought my shad fest poster!
i knew that john's would sell - it featured fred's, sure to please a lot of folks - but didn't expect mine to make the cut. exciting!
Monday, May 2, 2011
merrie month of may - creative links
to help draw done-deal energies around intention to be at the creative connection (sept ~ st. paul ~ social media track), came up with the dynamics-boosting idea of sharing a fav get-creative-juices-flowing web link each day. imagined this as for may only, but seems more in line with my intent to make it straight through to the mid-sept event.
www.fibergoddess.net ~ ~ began with what's utter temptation to moi - j'adore textures of all types; getting bolder & bolder incorporating them in my work. would love company!
www.pietopiacontest.com/about may 2 ~ ~ take 1 pie recipe, add a 300-word essay on why that pie tastes like your life, and you have PIETOPIA, a yearly call to find out what the flavor of peoples' lives are through a pie. savory, sweet, fruit, cream, custard, meat, or vegan, thinking outside the box is encouraged. open to all ~ enter by July 11. 3 winners flown to mid-Sept Creative Connection in St. Paul.
one pretty thing.com may 3 ~ love "one stop" creativity blogs!
thepioneerwoman.com may 4 ~ ree drummond, the pioneer woman ~ inspired by a mpb posting!!
psychcentral.com may 5 ~ today's creativity link = 10 blogs in one!
thecreativeconnectionevent.com may 6 ~ if i already posted this as a creativity link, sorry. NO, i am NOT sorry. it's a fabulous event and i am determined to get there, if i have to hitch-hike out & get into events (social media track) by panhandling in the streets of st. paul!!! women - passion - business
mattbites.com may 8 ~ oops! too busy having fun with john yesterday to remember posting a creativity link ~ here it be!!
inkthingkerblog.com - creativity link #2
tipjunkie.com/free-apron-patterns/ may 9 ~ one of my guilty pleasures is dreaming about fabulous aprons. alas, consider myself a klutz at the sewing machine. but still love checking out enticing patterns!
sevenclowncircus.com may 10 ~ because momming is such an awesomely creative thing to do (also good for non-moms, but definitely gal-ish) ~ welcome today's creativity link!
www.fibergoddess.net ~ ~ began with what's utter temptation to moi - j'adore textures of all types; getting bolder & bolder incorporating them in my work. would love company!
www.pietopiacontest.com/about may 2 ~ ~ take 1 pie recipe, add a 300-word essay on why that pie tastes like your life, and you have PIETOPIA, a yearly call to find out what the flavor of peoples' lives are through a pie. savory, sweet, fruit, cream, custard, meat, or vegan, thinking outside the box is encouraged. open to all ~ enter by July 11. 3 winners flown to mid-Sept Creative Connection in St. Paul.
one pretty thing.com may 3 ~ love "one stop" creativity blogs!
thepioneerwoman.com may 4 ~ ree drummond, the pioneer woman ~ inspired by a mpb posting!!
psychcentral.com may 5 ~ today's creativity link = 10 blogs in one!
thecreativeconnectionevent.com may 6 ~ if i already posted this as a creativity link, sorry. NO, i am NOT sorry. it's a fabulous event and i am determined to get there, if i have to hitch-hike out & get into events (social media track) by panhandling in the streets of st. paul!!! women - passion - business
mattbites.com may 8 ~ oops! too busy having fun with john yesterday to remember posting a creativity link ~ here it be!!
inkthingkerblog.com - creativity link #2
tipjunkie.com/free-apron-patterns/ may 9 ~ one of my guilty pleasures is dreaming about fabulous aprons. alas, consider myself a klutz at the sewing machine. but still love checking out enticing patterns!
sevenclowncircus.com may 10 ~ because momming is such an awesomely creative thing to do (also good for non-moms, but definitely gal-ish) ~ welcome today's creativity link!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
fishy
having great fun on my shad fest poster design! have it down on the board - not as exuberant as my original drawing, but i did that with colored pen & the actual poster with watercolor which lends a more muted dynamic. but i surely do like what's emerging.
that's how the whole process feels - like an emerging of something already there, all i'm doing is calling it forth.
big thanks to dave at fred's who acted like my doing a poster design was the most natural thing in the world. one of the greatest powers on this earth - someone believing in you!!
that's how the whole process feels - like an emerging of something already there, all i'm doing is calling it forth.
big thanks to dave at fred's who acted like my doing a poster design was the most natural thing in the world. one of the greatest powers on this earth - someone believing in you!!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
their awesomenesses - fab femmes!
Playing catch-up with a month-long tribute on my Facebook page to some of the awesome females who have & who still do touch my life in ways too fabulous to unfold in words. The reasons will be varied, but the admiration will be consistently over the top. To date, they include (starting with the first):
EMILIE K. ASPLUNDH ~ being with emilie always connected me with my best self. that is a great gift. a gracious lady, hilarious friend, still a wonderful role model for always doing all you can with all you have.
JENNIE GASKILL ~ 04/02's unforgettable woman was Miss Jennie to me, my 1st grade teacher. although one of my oldest teachers (i think she was older than miss erna), miss jennie always seemed young, filled with refreshing enthusiasm, especially teaching about nature. and, for her era, she was remarkable hip about human nature, too.
WHITNEY LOCKHART SIDDONS 04/03 ~ today's awesomeness - my niece, Whitney Lockhart Siddons. Smart as a whip, deeply creative, focused on what needs doing to maintain healthy balance, quite remarkable mother, inspired wife, praise-worthy for how she & Chad continue to develop/nurture/maintain the little family on Dalton Road, wonderful role model for her admiring aunt
JOYCE COOPER 04/04 ~ "Aunt" Joyce never treated me like a kid, always like an interesting friend. In my mid-teens, she teamed up with Mom to take me to the Pub Tiki for dinner, followed by my very first opera - Carmen. What bliss!
TASHA TUDOR 04/05 ~ an early lesson (I was in my early 20s when we first met) of a creative woman teamed with a superb businessperson & project manager (as witnessed by her farm). And totally unsentimental about her work, which I continue to find an important trait for a balanced life.
ELSA Asplundh ACTON 04/06 ~ blessed to have her lilting spirit & lyrical soul part of my life since forever!
MIM LOCKHART 04/07 ~ my older sister, is celebrating her 67th! in spite of 8 years between us, mim has & continues to illuminate my understanding & expand my life experiences in ways impossible to express in mere words. "numerous felicitations on the anniversary of your birth!"
MYRA Johns ASPLUNDH 04/08 ~ From opening her home to her kids' classmates & friends to opening up our small hometown to the larger world, Myra is - quietly, yet most definitely - beyond epic. that rare being ~ a paradigm shifter.
ELAINE Synnestvedt ASPLUNDH 04/09 ~ a genuine Earth Mother, Elaine is a living expression of the delightful saying, "She has children in her head!"; she's touched so many lives directly, untold more indirectly. Puts the "awe" in awesomeness!!
MEGAN ASPLUNDH 04/10 ~ another rare world-touching, paradigm-shifting woman. grace, humor, intelligence, action, open heart.... sharing pertinent adjectives would take way more than 320 characters & spaces. from being a student founder of the valley youth center to bringing vaishali to our neck of the woods, megan's all about opening up every aspect of our being. beyond, way beyond awesome.
VAISHALI 04/11 ~ with colorful clarity, joyous insights & a great smile/laugh, vaishali (way-shawl-lee), my spiritual bff/sister, can express with vibrancy & verve (& a bit of help from bugs bunny) deep spiritual teachings in ways that open mind & heart. beyond awesome!!
EMILY JANE Asplundh LEMOLE 04/12 ~ I’ve never been able to fathom how Janie seems to be able to look into my soul & know which books to share with me that will turn my face toward the spiritual sun, but am forever grateful that she does. I hope that I can be in some way, shape or form the woman i see reflected back at me from Janie's face.
ELIZABETH ASHBY 04/13 ~ was the very first epic woman i ever met. was just a very little girl when "miss ashby" - who lived where sig & judy now - would call out, "lassie, would you come up" to visit her for a bit. if i could capture in words her spirit, the presence that surrounded her as soon i drew near to her, i'd be the most gifted of writers. those who were privileged to know her understand.
NINA Glebe FINKLEDAY 04/14 ~ what can i say? wherever she goes, nina leaves art in her footsteps.
BETTY MOREY 04/15 ~ betty's energy level puts adults 1/3 her age to shame, she's got fingers in an awesome number of "pies" PLUS she raised some utterly terrific-in-their-own-right kids!!
PHOEBE BOSTOCK 04/16 ~ "miss phoebe" was already fairly ancient when i cleaned her house. miss phoebe reinforced lessons learned re: value of doing a good job for its own sake, shared tales of people & events from earlier generations (she knew everything & everyone), and gave me - in her stories & respect - a fresh image of a grandfather i never met.
BENITA Acton ODHNER 04/17 ~ although confined to bed in her later years to bed, due to severe bone disease, "aunt" benita's room was a gathering spot for bryn athyn's most interesting characters & scintillating minds. i admired her intelligence, youthful spirit & sense of the absurd. for a woman confined to bed, to me "aunt" benita seemed beyond limits.
FLEUR 04/18 ~ a feline femme, fleur - the shyest of our cats - rarely lets us stroke, let alone groom, her mat-attracting medium-long coat. but when mats develop, she changes attitude, becoming docile. this a.m., she stayed utterly calm as i attended to mats near her face. wish i acted so wisely doing things i dislike but are in my best interests!
drum roll, please... behold the most epic of epic women in my life - KATHARINE Reynolds LOCKHART aka Mom (also Mum-Nan-Gocky-Aunt Kay-Grammie Kay-Grammie-Gramster-Cybergram-Grandma L-Mindwalker1910...) 04/19 ~ My #1 cheerleader & #1 nemesis ~ and #1 courageous woman I've ever known. In just over 2 years, we identified & faced our core issues (even if we fell short resolving most). Entirely due to Mom.
a dynamic duo - my great-aunt, Aunt MARGorie LOCKHART, and her sister, MOLLY WALLACE 04/20 ~ 2 widows who epitomized hip chicks!! they wrapped us in love & great times whenever we visited their big house up on the bluff above brady's bend. quick witted & fun loving, they embodied Auntie Mame's advice to LIVE! LIVE! LIVE! (they hopped bus tours hither & yon well into their 80s!!)
KATHY KELLER 04/21 ~ Kathy always carves out space in her work places to spotlight area artists, taking many from novice to noticed to known. the current art show ~ "barnyard animals" ~ at graphic imaging is reminiscent of the ones mounted at mixed media, the art supply store she owned in d-town. kathy sensed an artist spirit in me when i didn't take it seriously & gave me room (literally) to make it so.
EILEEN GLENN 04/22 ~ through her encouragement to participate on the theta alpha international exec board, she helped open up a level of community activity i'd never considered, had never been suggested. through our gabs at santiago's, she opened up my mind & spirit at a time that i needed it A LOT. right woman, right place, right time.
CINDY Hyatt WALKER 04/23 ~ at 7, my 11-year old sib was killed. in ‘59, people ignored such things. i was left dangling, psychologically self-destructive yet mega pleasant ~ adults bought the attitude, ignored the pain. until 7th grade & cindy. she saw ME. changed everything.
SUZANNE BERNHARDT 04/24 ~ looking around pendleton hall & brickman center, i see "suzanne on steroids" ~ suzanne was, in my experience, the 1st to soften the austere college building, the 1st to make the commons area actually welcoming (no small feat!). as a educator, suzanne played a paradigm-shifting role in producing theatricals; as a dean, she made changes that created a lasting impact.
LINDA Simonetti ODHNER 04/25 - twins deep intelligence with deep passion for thought. linda lays out her loves for the rest of us to play with, should we so desire. when i'm with linda, i feel like MY intelligence shoots up. lso sparks my intellectual curiosity & thirst for deeper knowledge; she lobs spheres of fascinating thoughts at me, with full trust i can adroitly serve them right back to her.
ANNE D'HARNONCOURT, ERNESTA BALLARD & JANE PEPPER 04/26 ~ google any one of the three & you'll see why these iconic civic leaders (director/ceo of the philadelphia art museum & two past presidents of the pennsylvania horticultural society) touched my life in ways impossible to describe. jane influenced me, ernesta inspired me, but anne - anne infused my psychic plasma with glory.
CANDACE Nelson ZEIGLER 04/27 ~ impossible to overstate the impact candy had & continues to have on every level of my life. candy's achieved beyond-the-beyond success on so many levels of her own life by seeing the personal & professional opportunities in front of her and, without fuss or fanfare, acting on them. forever blessed by her friendship. so much in my heart that simply can't translate into mere words.
EUNICE "Mom" ZEIGLER 04/28 ~ the only thing the two of us had in common when we first met was a deep love of her son & daughter-in-law, yet from that first meeting to today, she's made me feel part of her close-knit, supportive family. we might not see each other for decades, but when we do the welcoming wrap of connection is right there. "mom" z gave me something i didn't know i yearned for - a sense of welcomed belonging. truly awesome.
BERYL cranch SIMONETTI 04/29 ~ just recently, the insights & good counsel of this quietly remarkable woman served as capstone to my 35 years of consciously striving to develop a stronger sense of inner calm, integrity & alignment. impossible to describe what i mean and impossible to sufficiently convey my thanks to beryl for helping create a space where the pieces could finally fall together.
KAREN CAVANAUGH 04/30 ~ the final fab femme in the spotlight is my keystone, karen provides a sweet friendship, unvarnished honesty, mirthful humor and shoe-shopping expertise that helps me keep my life together. wednesday eves + starbucks + karen = increased clarity & confidence!
EMILIE K. ASPLUNDH ~ being with emilie always connected me with my best self. that is a great gift. a gracious lady, hilarious friend, still a wonderful role model for always doing all you can with all you have.
JENNIE GASKILL ~ 04/02's unforgettable woman was Miss Jennie to me, my 1st grade teacher. although one of my oldest teachers (i think she was older than miss erna), miss jennie always seemed young, filled with refreshing enthusiasm, especially teaching about nature. and, for her era, she was remarkable hip about human nature, too.
WHITNEY LOCKHART SIDDONS 04/03 ~ today's awesomeness - my niece, Whitney Lockhart Siddons. Smart as a whip, deeply creative, focused on what needs doing to maintain healthy balance, quite remarkable mother, inspired wife, praise-worthy for how she & Chad continue to develop/nurture/maintain the little family on Dalton Road, wonderful role model for her admiring aunt
JOYCE COOPER 04/04 ~ "Aunt" Joyce never treated me like a kid, always like an interesting friend. In my mid-teens, she teamed up with Mom to take me to the Pub Tiki for dinner, followed by my very first opera - Carmen. What bliss!
TASHA TUDOR 04/05 ~ an early lesson (I was in my early 20s when we first met) of a creative woman teamed with a superb businessperson & project manager (as witnessed by her farm). And totally unsentimental about her work, which I continue to find an important trait for a balanced life.
ELSA Asplundh ACTON 04/06 ~ blessed to have her lilting spirit & lyrical soul part of my life since forever!
MIM LOCKHART 04/07 ~ my older sister, is celebrating her 67th! in spite of 8 years between us, mim has & continues to illuminate my understanding & expand my life experiences in ways impossible to express in mere words. "numerous felicitations on the anniversary of your birth!"
MYRA Johns ASPLUNDH 04/08 ~ From opening her home to her kids' classmates & friends to opening up our small hometown to the larger world, Myra is - quietly, yet most definitely - beyond epic. that rare being ~ a paradigm shifter.
ELAINE Synnestvedt ASPLUNDH 04/09 ~ a genuine Earth Mother, Elaine is a living expression of the delightful saying, "She has children in her head!"; she's touched so many lives directly, untold more indirectly. Puts the "awe" in awesomeness!!
MEGAN ASPLUNDH 04/10 ~ another rare world-touching, paradigm-shifting woman. grace, humor, intelligence, action, open heart.... sharing pertinent adjectives would take way more than 320 characters & spaces. from being a student founder of the valley youth center to bringing vaishali to our neck of the woods, megan's all about opening up every aspect of our being. beyond, way beyond awesome.
VAISHALI 04/11 ~ with colorful clarity, joyous insights & a great smile/laugh, vaishali (way-shawl-lee), my spiritual bff/sister, can express with vibrancy & verve (& a bit of help from bugs bunny) deep spiritual teachings in ways that open mind & heart. beyond awesome!!
EMILY JANE Asplundh LEMOLE 04/12 ~ I’ve never been able to fathom how Janie seems to be able to look into my soul & know which books to share with me that will turn my face toward the spiritual sun, but am forever grateful that she does. I hope that I can be in some way, shape or form the woman i see reflected back at me from Janie's face.
ELIZABETH ASHBY 04/13 ~ was the very first epic woman i ever met. was just a very little girl when "miss ashby" - who lived where sig & judy now - would call out, "lassie, would you come up" to visit her for a bit. if i could capture in words her spirit, the presence that surrounded her as soon i drew near to her, i'd be the most gifted of writers. those who were privileged to know her understand.
NINA Glebe FINKLEDAY 04/14 ~ what can i say? wherever she goes, nina leaves art in her footsteps.
BETTY MOREY 04/15 ~ betty's energy level puts adults 1/3 her age to shame, she's got fingers in an awesome number of "pies" PLUS she raised some utterly terrific-in-their-own-right kids!!
PHOEBE BOSTOCK 04/16 ~ "miss phoebe" was already fairly ancient when i cleaned her house. miss phoebe reinforced lessons learned re: value of doing a good job for its own sake, shared tales of people & events from earlier generations (she knew everything & everyone), and gave me - in her stories & respect - a fresh image of a grandfather i never met.
BENITA Acton ODHNER 04/17 ~ although confined to bed in her later years to bed, due to severe bone disease, "aunt" benita's room was a gathering spot for bryn athyn's most interesting characters & scintillating minds. i admired her intelligence, youthful spirit & sense of the absurd. for a woman confined to bed, to me "aunt" benita seemed beyond limits.
FLEUR 04/18 ~ a feline femme, fleur - the shyest of our cats - rarely lets us stroke, let alone groom, her mat-attracting medium-long coat. but when mats develop, she changes attitude, becoming docile. this a.m., she stayed utterly calm as i attended to mats near her face. wish i acted so wisely doing things i dislike but are in my best interests!
drum roll, please... behold the most epic of epic women in my life - KATHARINE Reynolds LOCKHART aka Mom (also Mum-Nan-Gocky-Aunt Kay-Grammie Kay-Grammie-Gramster-Cybergram-Grandma L-Mindwalker1910...) 04/19 ~ My #1 cheerleader & #1 nemesis ~ and #1 courageous woman I've ever known. In just over 2 years, we identified & faced our core issues (even if we fell short resolving most). Entirely due to Mom.
a dynamic duo - my great-aunt, Aunt MARGorie LOCKHART, and her sister, MOLLY WALLACE 04/20 ~ 2 widows who epitomized hip chicks!! they wrapped us in love & great times whenever we visited their big house up on the bluff above brady's bend. quick witted & fun loving, they embodied Auntie Mame's advice to LIVE! LIVE! LIVE! (they hopped bus tours hither & yon well into their 80s!!)
KATHY KELLER 04/21 ~ Kathy always carves out space in her work places to spotlight area artists, taking many from novice to noticed to known. the current art show ~ "barnyard animals" ~ at graphic imaging is reminiscent of the ones mounted at mixed media, the art supply store she owned in d-town. kathy sensed an artist spirit in me when i didn't take it seriously & gave me room (literally) to make it so.
EILEEN GLENN 04/22 ~ through her encouragement to participate on the theta alpha international exec board, she helped open up a level of community activity i'd never considered, had never been suggested. through our gabs at santiago's, she opened up my mind & spirit at a time that i needed it A LOT. right woman, right place, right time.
CINDY Hyatt WALKER 04/23 ~ at 7, my 11-year old sib was killed. in ‘59, people ignored such things. i was left dangling, psychologically self-destructive yet mega pleasant ~ adults bought the attitude, ignored the pain. until 7th grade & cindy. she saw ME. changed everything.
SUZANNE BERNHARDT 04/24 ~ looking around pendleton hall & brickman center, i see "suzanne on steroids" ~ suzanne was, in my experience, the 1st to soften the austere college building, the 1st to make the commons area actually welcoming (no small feat!). as a educator, suzanne played a paradigm-shifting role in producing theatricals; as a dean, she made changes that created a lasting impact.
LINDA Simonetti ODHNER 04/25 - twins deep intelligence with deep passion for thought. linda lays out her loves for the rest of us to play with, should we so desire. when i'm with linda, i feel like MY intelligence shoots up. lso sparks my intellectual curiosity & thirst for deeper knowledge; she lobs spheres of fascinating thoughts at me, with full trust i can adroitly serve them right back to her.
ANNE D'HARNONCOURT, ERNESTA BALLARD & JANE PEPPER 04/26 ~ google any one of the three & you'll see why these iconic civic leaders (director/ceo of the philadelphia art museum & two past presidents of the pennsylvania horticultural society) touched my life in ways impossible to describe. jane influenced me, ernesta inspired me, but anne - anne infused my psychic plasma with glory.
CANDACE Nelson ZEIGLER 04/27 ~ impossible to overstate the impact candy had & continues to have on every level of my life. candy's achieved beyond-the-beyond success on so many levels of her own life by seeing the personal & professional opportunities in front of her and, without fuss or fanfare, acting on them. forever blessed by her friendship. so much in my heart that simply can't translate into mere words.
EUNICE "Mom" ZEIGLER 04/28 ~ the only thing the two of us had in common when we first met was a deep love of her son & daughter-in-law, yet from that first meeting to today, she's made me feel part of her close-knit, supportive family. we might not see each other for decades, but when we do the welcoming wrap of connection is right there. "mom" z gave me something i didn't know i yearned for - a sense of welcomed belonging. truly awesome.
BERYL cranch SIMONETTI 04/29 ~ just recently, the insights & good counsel of this quietly remarkable woman served as capstone to my 35 years of consciously striving to develop a stronger sense of inner calm, integrity & alignment. impossible to describe what i mean and impossible to sufficiently convey my thanks to beryl for helping create a space where the pieces could finally fall together.
KAREN CAVANAUGH 04/30 ~ the final fab femme in the spotlight is my keystone, karen provides a sweet friendship, unvarnished honesty, mirthful humor and shoe-shopping expertise that helps me keep my life together. wednesday eves + starbucks + karen = increased clarity & confidence!
Monday, April 4, 2011
popeye syndrome
still have the unexpected dip into sadness over reality that whitney & chad have never once invited us out to visit. john pointed out the other day that they are welcoming & friendly when we visit, but the connection goes no further.
as sad as it makes me, am also understanding that whitney does what she feels needs doing in the best interests of that dear little family on dalton road. reality is that she associates me first & foremost with high stress moments. and there were plenty! my presence has always & forever deeply irked peter, beyond description ~ and maybe whitney, too.
thought this morning, "what if i could go back & do things differently?" my conclusion - whatever i thought would be the better, less fingers-on-a-chalkboard thing to do would have backfired as well.
will continue doing what i do best - occasionally sending my great nieces a package (now by mail, rather than in person ~ works better for me) of seasonal goodies. have ribbons & stickers, butterflies & notecards with their initials, crafting suggestions & the current issue of "family fun" magazine.
all i can be is all i ever should have strived for - to be what i yam. 'cause that's all that i yam!
as sad as it makes me, am also understanding that whitney does what she feels needs doing in the best interests of that dear little family on dalton road. reality is that she associates me first & foremost with high stress moments. and there were plenty! my presence has always & forever deeply irked peter, beyond description ~ and maybe whitney, too.
thought this morning, "what if i could go back & do things differently?" my conclusion - whatever i thought would be the better, less fingers-on-a-chalkboard thing to do would have backfired as well.
will continue doing what i do best - occasionally sending my great nieces a package (now by mail, rather than in person ~ works better for me) of seasonal goodies. have ribbons & stickers, butterflies & notecards with their initials, crafting suggestions & the current issue of "family fun" magazine.
all i can be is all i ever should have strived for - to be what i yam. 'cause that's all that i yam!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
doing the "popeye"
simple fact ~ am over the top. no number of attempts at muting my hyper whatever (you pick it) nature will succeed in muting what is. i yam what i yam & that's all that i yam.
which is not to say that i can't be muted, as needed. in business, i succeeded beyond any of my own expectations by funneling my energies into interest in meeting my clients' needs, whether it was directing them onto someone else more to address their needs or handling them myself. i gained acclaim (really!) & honors by letting people know they were visible to me (even if that just meant being pleasant) & doing what needed to be done - big or small - to meet their needs.
but i took/take great joy in doing a job well, in letting someone know they matter by serving their needs without sacrificing the company's. one of the great things i enjoyed most in the business world - the delicate dance between meeting the clients' needs without injury to the company. it made mondays a joy instead of a curse.
realized last week, making tea sandwiches & hand-crafted crackers as well as cookies for the cairnwood village "monday minister's tea" that i can no more root out that deep love of doing for others than i could stop loving john. doing for others is not a way of getting their approval - it's part of my most core nature. their approval or disapproval or even total lack of awareness of my existence is NOTHING compared to the joy joy joy of doing that's knit deep into my very being.
hope i do the "popeye" all of my life!
which is not to say that i can't be muted, as needed. in business, i succeeded beyond any of my own expectations by funneling my energies into interest in meeting my clients' needs, whether it was directing them onto someone else more to address their needs or handling them myself. i gained acclaim (really!) & honors by letting people know they were visible to me (even if that just meant being pleasant) & doing what needed to be done - big or small - to meet their needs.
but i took/take great joy in doing a job well, in letting someone know they matter by serving their needs without sacrificing the company's. one of the great things i enjoyed most in the business world - the delicate dance between meeting the clients' needs without injury to the company. it made mondays a joy instead of a curse.
realized last week, making tea sandwiches & hand-crafted crackers as well as cookies for the cairnwood village "monday minister's tea" that i can no more root out that deep love of doing for others than i could stop loving john. doing for others is not a way of getting their approval - it's part of my most core nature. their approval or disapproval or even total lack of awareness of my existence is NOTHING compared to the joy joy joy of doing that's knit deep into my very being.
hope i do the "popeye" all of my life!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
redemptive aromas
am SO in need of bright sunshine & warm spring breezes!! it's been a mean, raw & miserable day. a day redeemed in large part by the wonderful aroma of pot roast & veggies slow cooking in the kitchen. cozy comfort.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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