What's Been Going On

Black bean chili is on the stove. A spicey meal with nachos and melted cheese is in order here.

It has been a slowish borderline-ish meh week for me.

There has been some wonderful weather. Sitting outdoors, I have to be cautious not to fall asleep. What a struggle it can be to not allow the wind and sunshine to lull you into dozing off.

I have much catching up to do with blog reading and commenting. The bright sun out today ecourages me to garden some between being online. There are also boxes to fill with things to mail and donate. Puttering has produced a lovely variety of tasks that won't go away with me in a chair daydreaming or watching YouTube videos. 

How is your week going?

Prayers for everyone in the path of bad weather

All life is an experiment. 
The more experiments you make the better.

Journals of Ralph Waldo Emerson 1841~ 1844

Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 ~ 1882

Reflection Monday May 2024

Lilacs in Spring

Is there a time in any process, 

that you pay more attention to?

Does your baby, puppy, kitten

awwwness,

spread out through your life?

Or

Are you an awww snob?

Thinking About What Intrigues

First Sketch ~ The Party
from a personal photograph

Many years ago I saw the above image in real life when I was taking pictures (with permission) at a birthday party I attended. The majority, being elderly, added a somber vibe to the gathering. There aren't that many 80th birthdays to attend in life. I imagine there was a lot of reflection going on about our own longevity. I was near my sixties at the time. It feels like hundred years ago. All the party goers in the sketch are now deceased. 

Uploading the images, that one particular photo (above) reminds me of Cezanne's, The Card Players (below). To my surprise, after putting watercolor to the sketch, I see my colors are similar to Cezanne's painting.  The memory holds well in my artist's brain.

The Card Players
1890 ~ 1892 Oil on canvas
Paul Cezanne 1839 ~ 1906

What is it that captures my heart in Cezanne's painting is how he puts to canvas the concentration composure of the men playing cards. Deep in thought they are. At the birthday party, those folks are deep in thought as well. It intrigues me that the card game is similar to living to a ripe old age. How we win at a game or life, chances are chances. The cake is consumed. The cards are dealt.

Eventually I will do an acrylic painting from my photograph. I imagine it will be large as there is more off frame that I might add, if  it supports the concentration focus.

If I remember right, then I've done pencil sketches from other pictures of the room. I chose the small section of that table because it best represents what I feel from Cezanne's painting. I don't experience that many connections with my image choices reminding me of an old master's artwork. What will my painting be isn't the highlight. Feeling the connection with an artwork, no matter the artist or era, is the best part.

Day 117 of Week 17 April 2024

Route 17 Addison, Vermont
April 2024

It is a beautiful day here in Vermont. At lunch time, it was out and about for a short walk and picture taking. Hearing honking, I saw a goose flying in the distance off to the right out of frame. 

Using my iphone 13, pictures do not turn out well, even with editing. Serendipity excursions means that I don't always have a better camera with me.

Have a Camera Ready Weekend!

Play catch with a love one

Draw a row boat

Browse tents online

Read about flowering quince

Make pickled beets

Sing to your socks

Design your own camp shirt

Tell a daffodil a silly story

Poetry Thursday: William Wordsworth

Book Inscription 1881

One hundred and forty-three years ago, a man gave his wife a Christmas gift of the book, The Poetical Works of Wordsworth. The pale pencil lines he made to insure his script would be straight are barely visible. There are also light pencil marks in the table of contents marking some poems. To my surprise, the poem I chose to quote below, is one of them. Eerie.

From The Oak and the Broom, a Pastoral, VIII, 

O the Same Flower, last stanza, page 146:

Bright Flower! for by that name at last,

When all my reveries are past,

I call thee, and to that cleave fast,

        Sweet silent creature!

That breath'st with me in sun and air,

Do thou, as thou art wont, repair

My heart with gladness, and a share

        Of thy meek nature!

1805

William Wordsworth

Pastoral in poetry
William Wordsworth

A Little Birdie Knick Knack Makeover

There is no telling what might strike one's fancy sometimes.

For me, last fall for the holidays, the little resin something birds with scarves and other  decorations were being sold (around $7.00 US).

The bird in the photo had a dark green scarf. It fell off the shelf and broke its tail, and a piece out of its side (under the end of the scarf far left). 

I used glue to stuff and smooth over paper towels in the hole as the piece wasn't found. When it dries, I will use an emory board to smooth it out before painting.

The feet were gray metal. I used acrylic paint to fancy up the scarf. The beak has also been painted. The eye has a spot of blue.

I don't put out a lot knick knacks. But that little bird just makes me smile, so out it goes right where I can see it. The body is a bit smaller than a real robin. A substantail bird, the height of the legs, I feel, makes it stand out more. Dusting my mother's knick knack too almost an hour there were so many.

Do you have a favorite knick knack?

Adventures in Social Media

Cedar Waxwings

 

Browsing along, laughs galore, interesting questions, fun in general on X aka Twitter, I got to thinking again about Life.

Science supports that human remains are best preserved where the climate conditions are ideal for such preservation to take place. Archaelogical evidence tells us the area had human activity. 

There is no scientific evidence to date that I know of that defines where human life began. In Africa then migrated to Asia or in Asia migrated to Africa, the big deal over where we began can might lead us to understand the conditions of our scientific birth. 

Interesting thought: What if all that will be left is what there is today? Social Media can cause a person to ponder such questions.

Baby Bison Attempts To Lead Herd Back To Yellowstone (Short Version)

Shocking
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An April Afternoon

Upstate New York, Lake Champlain
at Fort Saint Frederic
16  April 2024

It was a beautiful Spring day.

And here at 1 AM in the morning, my

throat is sore from a screaming nightmare

that woke me up. 

Vivid person appears intent on

harming me in the dream. Out of nowhere, 

at a place I don't know, fearing being there,

hearing somebody following me.

Not a good thing for that person

Anger is powerful, my anger.

The scream is louder than usual 

because I am certain there is

not going to be  good outcome.

Ergo, I awake. 

Cough drops at the ready.

Later that morning... 

I fell back asleep. Around 4 AM , I woke to a louder scream, different person, same danger though. My throat is slightly scratchy. Beautiful sunny day, I went out and had a relaxing time, bought and planted violas, lunch at McD, and a thrift store stop. I picked up a few lovely small containers for my picnic basket. 

There's a gorgeous ecru leather sofa there that I would buy in a heartbeat if I had the room. I also bought a small postal scale for letters from April 1988...1st class...$0.25 cents!

Anyway, I believe the nightmares are due to a heavy (for me) stress event this week that I volunteered for. As it is, I think it is best to let that go; and try a less stressful event.

Painting in Spring

Park at Asnieres in Spring 1887
Vincent Van Gogh 1853 ~ 1890
oil on canvas ~ wikiart.org

In the spring, what I look forward to is seeing...the first robin, the first daffodil, flowering trees, sunshine, and sandals on my feet.

For painting, as a child I loved the subject of spring the most. The joyful feeling of so many colorful flowers out of winter's white was magic to me. 

If you can get out and about, then consider taking pictures of the flowers and trees of spring. 

Paint your favorite image of spring.

Buds, Videos & the Gimbal

White Lilac Tree Budding 2024

The trees and shrubs are often neglected for photographs when they are budding. This year I set out deliberately with my old Samsung phone to take pictures of the bits of green showing.  

I was disappointed in the many pictures I took. The photo above is heavily edited. I use the Samsung cell phone camera because it is so easy to upload the images to my computer; and, it takes much better pictures than my iphone 13, way better. Unfortunately, the cell phone LCD screen doesn't display well enough for me to take quick pictures that will turn out well. 

At present, I'm still heavy into daily watching YouTube wild camping videos. There are about a half dozen campers that I regularly watch with 3 of them being the most watched. It takes talent to put together a good video. The 3 that I watch a lot are excellent video creators.

Are there homemade videos that you regularly watch?

What do you look for in a video the most (that makes for good viewing)?

Crocus 2024

Smoothness. The the camera's stability as it moves is tops for me. Most of the campers hike as they record. Without using a gimbal, a device you put the camera on to balance the movement, (think gyroscope,) the video jumps too much to make for comfortable viewing when the video maker is walking on rough terrain. Long arm selfie sticks or GoPro like extension arms to mount camera are what some hiking video makers use.

Music. If the music is too loud, overly dramatic, or just does not fit the atmosphere of what the films is about, the entire video can become not so great to watch. 

Talking. If there is too much talking going on, then it interferes with my enjoyment of the scenery. 

Sadly, there's a wonderful YouTube channel of travelers who hike, that just about describes every detail of what is being filmed. As in writing, don't hog the audience experience. Show, don't tell thing.