Past Blogs

To paraphrase Garrison Keillor, it’s been a quiet week in the Town of Centerville, my home town. We’ve been in the deep, deep freeze here, with intermittent snow storms. Fortunately, our mail box and those of our neighbors down the road are all still standing. Not a winter goes by that our NASCAR-loving plow driver doesn’t score a few, and it’s no fun trying to get a new post into the frozen tundra.

One of our favorite neighbors stopped over for a “ten minute visit” the other day and stayed for two hours. That’s how things work around here and we like it that way. If we don’t have time for our friends, what is time for?

In those two hours we got filled in on all the local news. It seems that a fish got stuck in Farmer D’s mailbox. The fish was not from our Lake Michigan, but a salmon from the Pacific. The predicament can be traced back to a Fed Ex driver who delivered a Christmas present to our neighbor’s obviously unused side door last Christmas. (It is generally accepted around here that a 5 foot snow drift in front of a door indicates the door is out of service.)

The box was discovered during a brief thaw three weeks after Christmas, and its contents of Harry and David’s pears had mummified. A sign was then placed on the side door that read, “All deliveries should be put out front”.

So this holiday season a driver jammed a whole salmon into the front mailbox where it promptly froze solid. When Farmer D. tried to extract the box containing the fish it wouldn’t budge and a battle to free the fish ensued.

The missing kayaks were our contribution to the weekly news. We went down to the lake before the blizzard hit and noticed that our neighbors’ kayaks were missing. Then we noticed that the large tree to which they were securely chained and padlocked was also gone. Never underestimate the power of one of Mother Nature’s Nor’easters.

The good news is that we found the kayaks beached about a half mile down the shore. The bad news is they are frozen down. A rescue operation is planned for spring.

The fantasy ended a week ago. I had myself convinced that we were going to have a snowless winter. A two day blizzard quickly buried that delusion.

My first thought on seeing the mountains of snow piled up outside was, “I have to change the pictures.” The source of this reaction lies in my life long love of Japanese art and culture.

The Japanese immerse themselves in nature. Seasonal changes are noted and celebrated in myriad ways. Trips are planned for viewing cherry blossoms or the full harvest moon. Foods change seasonally and even the colors of the foods frequently match nature’s palette. For example, Doll’s Day or Peach Blossom Festival foods are all pink to emulate the flower’s hue.

Fashion takes its cue from the natural world as well. The beautiful patterns, colors and designs on traditional kimonos were all directly corollated to nature’s rotating displays. If it was snowing outside, a woman would not have donned her iris patterned kimono.

The Japanese style home features a tokonoma, a small alcove to display a carefully chosen scroll, ikebana or bonsai. These pieces of art are changed to reflect what is happening in the world outside the windows.

Our American home does not have a tokonoma, but I do love the idea of living with awareness of nature’s cycles. Over the years, I have collected a few pieces of art for each season. The time unmistakably has come to hang the winter pictures.

The first image is a mid-century Japanese print. The second is a photo by a former Milwaukee Journal photographer. The third is an acrylic by a local artist.

I was driving down the road the other day behind a car whose bumper sticker read, “When do I get to vote about your marriage?”

I smiled and thought how beautifully concise those nine words were. (Full disclosure: I don’t think that what you do in your bedroom is any of my business). A bumper sticker makes our cars mobile soapboxes, and I am a user and reader of them.

Since bumpers on cars are structurally useless these days, our cause-promoting stickers give bumpers a purpose to exist. And, because these stickers are devilish to remove, the stickee is most likely serious about the cause.

Shortly after my husband and I were married, we decided to be good citizens and work for our favorite candidates. Since we are on the side of the workers, not the oligarchs, this meant the Democrats.  We had no clue how to join the Democratic Party, but a church parking lot provided the answer. Every Sunday morning a car with an amazing display of bumper stickers for Democratic candidates was parked there. We approached the car’s owner and asked him how to become card carrying members. We’ve been card holders ever since.

An additional function of bumper stickers is to make a car easy to identify. When meeting a certain friend, for example, I will say to my husband, I know she’s here already, there’s her car.” It is easy to spot a car that proclaims, “Eat Organic”, “Coexist” and “An eye for an eye makes everyone blind”.

My all time favorite bumper sticker slogan was created by Senator Barney Frank. It read, “We’re not perfect, but they’re nuts.” I think I might need that for 2016.

When I worked for a library, I visited schools each May to promote our summer reading programs. My pitch to the kids was simple: Come to the library this summer or your brains will turn to mush. Your teachers will not appreciate your mushy brains returning to school in fall.

The other day I was sorting my art closet and pulled out a portfolio from my college years. My own words came back to me. My brain has gone to mush. Without constant practice, skills once acquired can vanish. “Use it or lose it” is more than a catchy saying, it applies in many instances.

I would have to practice for years to relearn drawing and painting skills I once possessed. Ditto for playing the viola, singing and German conversation.

But all is not lost. I have made conscious choices to put work, practice and time into other areas. Teaching, graphic design, writing, cooking, friends, animal welfare and travel happily occupy every moment of my days.

Our American culture idealizes those super individuals who excel at everything they touch. I believe that most of us can be content without being superstars. Choices and resolutions that make us caring, happy people suffice.

We are on the cusp of Christmas, and some joy is in order. What could be more joyful than the art of children?

Young people view the world with fresh eyes. Their art is spontaneous, original and smile producing.

Andy Warhol was the inspiration for my holiday art project in schools and libraries this December. His commercial art done before he was a pop artist is delightful. I used a small book he created titled So Many Stars as the motivation for the children.

The children all loved his book and were eager to write and illustrate their own books using the “so many” theme. The following art is by kindergarten, first, second and third graders. May it put you in a holiday mood….whatever you celebrate!