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| Fine Time Art 57 by Marion 2018 |
Monday, March 26, 2018
Monday, March 19, 2018
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Danny Boy
Danny Boy 1
Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summers gone, and all the flowers are dying
'tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summers in the meadow
Or when the valleys hushed and white with snow
'tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.
And if you come when all the flowers are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me
And I shall hear tho' soft you tread above me
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be
If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me
I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me
References
1. "Danny Boy" is a ballad set to an ancient Irish melody. The words were written by English lawyer, songwriter and entertainer Frederic Edward Weatherly (1848-1929) in 1910 and usually set to the Irish tune of the "Londonderry Air".
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Gardening update
I'm just amazed at how quickly the Kentucky Bean seeds sprouted! We just planted them 4 or 5 days ago. We have a long row of beans sprouts at the bottom of the fence and soon the plants will start to climb the strings we've attached to the top of the fence railing.
We have strings on the fence for cucumber seeds which have sprouted too. I'm looking forward to picking fresh green beans and cucumbers while standing up- no stoop labor here! The flower seeds have also sprouted and we've used blooming bed plants in the same planter circles so we have color long before summer gets here.
I hope my son is able to get a Confederate Rose plant at the garden center. It isn't a rose, but a type of Hibiscus with beautiful flowers that are white in the morning, pink at noon and red in the late evening, changing color all in one day. The plant is from China and was brought to this country in the 1600's.
We still have seed packets to plant. I'll post updates on our gardening projects, but I think some packets may be put aside for 'another time'.....We are getting a good workout with all this labor. we're not used to it. Sooner or later, someone is going to say, "enough is enough!"
We have strings on the fence for cucumber seeds which have sprouted too. I'm looking forward to picking fresh green beans and cucumbers while standing up- no stoop labor here! The flower seeds have also sprouted and we've used blooming bed plants in the same planter circles so we have color long before summer gets here.
I hope my son is able to get a Confederate Rose plant at the garden center. It isn't a rose, but a type of Hibiscus with beautiful flowers that are white in the morning, pink at noon and red in the late evening, changing color all in one day. The plant is from China and was brought to this country in the 1600's.
We still have seed packets to plant. I'll post updates on our gardening projects, but I think some packets may be put aside for 'another time'.....We are getting a good workout with all this labor. we're not used to it. Sooner or later, someone is going to say, "enough is enough!"
Monday, March 12, 2018
Monday, March 05, 2018
Gardens
There must be something in our genes that coax us to plant something when the winter days of ice and snow leave and March winds announce that Spring is on its way. Today my son went shopping for garden supplies. I suggested we try growing Kentucky Wonder Beans along a portion of the wooden fence that encloses the back yard. I had been successful in growing some many years ago when we lived in one of the student apartments in Stanford Village.
Our apartment was the only one that had a large, screened in porch. I strung string from the ground to the top of the porch and planted Kentucky Wonder Beans, which vine. It wasn't long before I could pick fresh green beans to cook for dinner. Not only did we have fresh garden produce, the vines shaded the porch so that we had another room when the weather was nice.
We have seed packets of cucumbers and flowers. If all the packets get planted, we will have a long row of sunflowers along the back yard fence and sprinklings of marigolds and other colorful flowers in the various planters in the patio.
At this point, all we are doing is looking at the pictures on the front of the seed packets. Perhaps our greedy imaginations of thriving colors will come to naught. Its a lot of hard work to accomplish what we have in mind and who knows---as some famous people have been heard to say, "We'll see".
I'll post updates.
Our apartment was the only one that had a large, screened in porch. I strung string from the ground to the top of the porch and planted Kentucky Wonder Beans, which vine. It wasn't long before I could pick fresh green beans to cook for dinner. Not only did we have fresh garden produce, the vines shaded the porch so that we had another room when the weather was nice.
We have seed packets of cucumbers and flowers. If all the packets get planted, we will have a long row of sunflowers along the back yard fence and sprinklings of marigolds and other colorful flowers in the various planters in the patio.
At this point, all we are doing is looking at the pictures on the front of the seed packets. Perhaps our greedy imaginations of thriving colors will come to naught. Its a lot of hard work to accomplish what we have in mind and who knows---as some famous people have been heard to say, "We'll see".
I'll post updates.
Thursday, March 01, 2018
a poem
A Foggy Morning
A cloud came down
and touched the earth,
surrounding all with a
misty shroud- a
foggy shield of vapors
hugged the ground.
Warming rays of
sun came piercing thru
to let the fleeting haze
reveal, a thousand
sparkling gems of
glistening dew.
Marion
March 2018
March 2018
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
The Far Horizon
[Editor's Post]
Our first featured article reprint for February 2018, was originally published Tuesday, October 19, 2010. A wonderful story about living in the mountains above Redwood City, California.
You can re-read and enjoy this article again here:
Our March 2018 reprint is a terrific story originally published May 31, 2005. It still rings with the warmth of family, love and laughter!
Our first featured article reprint for February 2018, was originally published Tuesday, October 19, 2010. A wonderful story about living in the mountains above Redwood City, California.
You can re-read and enjoy this article again here:
At The Sky Ranch by Esther
[Editor's note: This story was written by Esther]
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Our March 2018 reprint is a terrific story originally published May 31, 2005. It still rings with the warmth of family, love and laughter!
Telephone Chat with Elizabeth
[Editor's note: This story was written by MrsB]
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Monday, February 26, 2018
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Painting Rocks by KimB
Recently, a friend invited me to come "Paint Rocks" at her home. She explained it was a "new thing" her whole family had started to do and was a very popular past time.
She explained that you find a nice rock or cobble stone and paint it however you like, then you "hide" it for others to find. People put some sort of identifier on the rocks so the finder can post a message on line that a particular rock was found. The finder can keep the rock or re-hide it in the same spot or another location.
How could I possibly resist?
So I spent an enjoyable afternoon painting my rock and chatting with my friend and learned about painting rocks. It's easy but then not so easy.
First thing: You gotta pick a rock.
Next up: What are you going to paint.
Then the hardest part: What colors.
Since the main object is for someone to find it, I selected some bright colors. It was surprising that some colors worked better than others and I had to re-do-over a few spots when my selected color turned out to be a dud on my particular rock.
The last item is: Paint the Rock.
While concentrating on my rock, I considered how "not new" this activity really is. Humans have been painting rocks for a very very long time. 3 One of the prime indicators of "human-ness" is art.
There are the major cave works like Lascaux and Pech Merle 4 in France where the wild life and spotted horses of prehistoric times are recorded. There are myriad images painted in caves, on cliffs and overhangs all over the world. There are carvings and etchings of great intricacies that are some humanity's earliest expressions of the universe.
There are portable artworks too, rocks etched and carved in great detail; their purpose is not known but they were carried far from the location of the rock's origin. Deer horns, bones, ivory and just about anything portable served the same purpose. 5
We've been creating and carting around a lot of stuff for a long time.
The Mani Stone 6 is an example of portable art. The stones are marked with a Buddhist mantra and placed in a variety of locations, generally locations of Buddhist significance but they can also be found along rivers and roadsides.
Perhaps many many years from now, some future person will come across our current expressions of universal connection. They will ponder the meanings of the designs and images. They will analyze all the colors and paint types and consider individual brush strokes under powerful microscopes. They will consider the origin of the rocks and maybe extract DNA captured during painting. They will wonder at the variety and styles and no doubt completely lose their way in ascribing some massive, theoretical meaning to each rock.
Then again, maybe they will be correct, because there is some ancestral need to say "I was here". A need that transcends our current status, arising from our collective humanity. A need to match the universe against our most enduring weapon: our imagination.
I left my completed masterpiece in the care of my friend.
But it's "My Rock".
References
She explained that you find a nice rock or cobble stone and paint it however you like, then you "hide" it for others to find. People put some sort of identifier on the rocks so the finder can post a message on line that a particular rock was found. The finder can keep the rock or re-hide it in the same spot or another location.
How could I possibly resist?
So I spent an enjoyable afternoon painting my rock and chatting with my friend and learned about painting rocks. It's easy but then not so easy.
First thing: You gotta pick a rock.
A rock is a rock is a rock. 1It sounds simple but you know when you are about to become a Leonardo, all of sudden the shape, size, texture and color of the rock becomes a Big Deal. My friend had a large selection of rocks to pick from that had already been washed and dried. I must of looked over a dozen before I selected "My Rock".
Next up: What are you going to paint.
What do you paint, when you paint on a wall? 2You can paint anything you like on the rock but some rocks "hint" at an idea, sort of like the adage that the sculptor's marble block tells them what's inside, rocks can hint at images that would fit their configuration. My friend had a lot of samples of rocks her family had painted. Sunshine rays, geometric decorations, complex geometries, free form drawings and cartoon images created from transfer paper.
Then the hardest part: What colors.
What are the colors you use when you paint? 2Like any work of art, the colors make a difference. My friend had about a hundred different colors and paint media to chose from. The basic paint is an acrylic poster type paint but there are painting marker-style pens for fine details and you can finish the job with an overlay of clear acrylic for a high-sheen look to your rock. She said they pick up a load of paints when the craft stores have sales and she had a dozen or more small brushes to select from.
Since the main object is for someone to find it, I selected some bright colors. It was surprising that some colors worked better than others and I had to re-do-over a few spots when my selected color turned out to be a dud on my particular rock.
The last item is: Paint the Rock.
I paint what I paint. 2
 |
| Magdalenian Horse c. 15,000 BCE 5 |
There are the major cave works like Lascaux and Pech Merle 4 in France where the wild life and spotted horses of prehistoric times are recorded. There are myriad images painted in caves, on cliffs and overhangs all over the world. There are carvings and etchings of great intricacies that are some humanity's earliest expressions of the universe.
There are portable artworks too, rocks etched and carved in great detail; their purpose is not known but they were carried far from the location of the rock's origin. Deer horns, bones, ivory and just about anything portable served the same purpose. 5
We've been creating and carting around a lot of stuff for a long time.
 |
| Bison Licking Insect Bite c. 15,000 BCE 5 |
 |
| Mani Stone6 |
Perhaps many many years from now, some future person will come across our current expressions of universal connection. They will ponder the meanings of the designs and images. They will analyze all the colors and paint types and consider individual brush strokes under powerful microscopes. They will consider the origin of the rocks and maybe extract DNA captured during painting. They will wonder at the variety and styles and no doubt completely lose their way in ascribing some massive, theoretical meaning to each rock.
Then again, maybe they will be correct, because there is some ancestral need to say "I was here". A need that transcends our current status, arising from our collective humanity. A need to match the universe against our most enduring weapon: our imagination.
I left my completed masterpiece in the care of my friend.
...after all,It is just a rock with some paint on it....
It's my wall . . . 2
But it's "My Rock".
 |
| Fire Pit painted rock KimB 02/2018 |
References
-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Stein
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_is_a_rose_is_a_rose_is_a_rose - I Paint What I See by E.B. White
First printed in The New Yorker of May 20, 1933.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._B._White - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_art
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_painting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Stone_Age_art
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lascaux
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pech_Merle - Magdalenian Horse, c. 15,000 BCE
Bison Licking Insect Bite c. 15,000 BCE - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mani_stone
Monday, February 19, 2018
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Warming days and seed catalogs
Our days of freezing weather is over and today it was warm enough to sit by the pool and watch the breezes blow the pool toys around. One can get fixated on the toys escaping traps as they float on the current of circulating circles of water across the length of the pool. A breeze will often nudge a toy out of the lanes of water circles and cause a log jam, then eventually another breeze will blow it out of the trap into the water circles again.
While I ate lunch by the pool, spotty rain clouds began to out number the few spotty white clouds indicating our days of spring rains are due. This is the time of year I begin thinking of seed catalogs and imaging bountiful harvests of tomatoes and cucumbers. These imaginary harvests never develop into what I call bountiful. Considering the amount of labor and the cost of watering the plants, the effort is hardly worth it considering one can buy beautiful tomatoes grown in a professional greenhouse for pennies. I'll wait until after the rains to decide if its worth the effort.
While I ate lunch by the pool, spotty rain clouds began to out number the few spotty white clouds indicating our days of spring rains are due. This is the time of year I begin thinking of seed catalogs and imaging bountiful harvests of tomatoes and cucumbers. These imaginary harvests never develop into what I call bountiful. Considering the amount of labor and the cost of watering the plants, the effort is hardly worth it considering one can buy beautiful tomatoes grown in a professional greenhouse for pennies. I'll wait until after the rains to decide if its worth the effort.
Monday, February 12, 2018
update on knitting project
Things are not going smoothly. I researched stitch patterns and knitted swatches of the patterns I liked best. I spent days learning how to knit a Saxon Braid; after knitting a swatch without errors, I was ready to start the main body of the afghan. I had already knitted the border, so all I had to do was select the number of stitches for each pattern across the width of the afghan.
I placed the Saxon Braid in the middle of the width with special stitches on each side to show it off. The patterns on each side were complex requiring counting and concentration. Even though I used pencil and paper to keep track, I often lost count and had to start over. I had started over numerous times by the time I got to row 5.
My son could tell I was getting stressed and reminded me that I had planned on making a church, not a cathedral. When the cathedral crashed for the umpteenth time, I decided to change some of the patterns, choosing simpler, but traditional ones.
I'm too far into this knitting project to give up, but keep tuned It might even turn out to be an Aran afghan that I will be proud of.
I placed the Saxon Braid in the middle of the width with special stitches on each side to show it off. The patterns on each side were complex requiring counting and concentration. Even though I used pencil and paper to keep track, I often lost count and had to start over. I had started over numerous times by the time I got to row 5.
My son could tell I was getting stressed and reminded me that I had planned on making a church, not a cathedral. When the cathedral crashed for the umpteenth time, I decided to change some of the patterns, choosing simpler, but traditional ones.
I'm too far into this knitting project to give up, but keep tuned It might even turn out to be an Aran afghan that I will be proud of.
Friday, February 09, 2018
A birthday
Today I'm celebrating my sister, Adeline's birthday by having a frosted cupcake. She is no longer with us, but I continue to celebrate the birthdays of family members even when they are no longer with us. Yesterday, when unpacking things that had been in storage, I found a swim suit I had forgotten about and remembered when Adeline and I went shopping for swim suits. We had been invited to spend a week in an apartment in Carmel, Calif. owned by my daughter and her husband, but they only used it on weekends, so Adeline and I had the apartment all to ourselves.
The apartment was only a few steps away from the ocean, but there was also a swimming pool and we anticipated doing a lot of swimming. We took long walks up and down the beach but I was the only one to use the pool, Adeline never went swimming although I coaxed and coaxed. She never used her suit. which was the prettiest. I had had to settle for a plain, ordinary one because it was the only one in the store that was my size.
We went to fancy restaurants, visited all the wonderful shops in Carmel and found a wonderful store for kitchen ware. We browsed there and even bought a couple of the cheaper items. Back in the apartment, we had tournaments of Spite and Malice and worked a jigsaw puzzle. The prize of the card tournament was something from the kitchen store. Unfortunately when we went to the store to buy the prize, the shop had closed and went out of business so the winner of the tournament went without a prize.
We finished the puzzle in time to leave it constructed for my daughter and her husband to see, but instead of leaving it on the table, we carefully moved it in one piece and put it on the floor in a corner of the living room. A few days later, my daughter wanted to know how we had been able to put it there.
There is a special place in my heard for memories of Adeline. She was truly a gift from the heavens when she joined out family. Happy Birthday, dear Sister.
The apartment was only a few steps away from the ocean, but there was also a swimming pool and we anticipated doing a lot of swimming. We took long walks up and down the beach but I was the only one to use the pool, Adeline never went swimming although I coaxed and coaxed. She never used her suit. which was the prettiest. I had had to settle for a plain, ordinary one because it was the only one in the store that was my size.
We went to fancy restaurants, visited all the wonderful shops in Carmel and found a wonderful store for kitchen ware. We browsed there and even bought a couple of the cheaper items. Back in the apartment, we had tournaments of Spite and Malice and worked a jigsaw puzzle. The prize of the card tournament was something from the kitchen store. Unfortunately when we went to the store to buy the prize, the shop had closed and went out of business so the winner of the tournament went without a prize.
We finished the puzzle in time to leave it constructed for my daughter and her husband to see, but instead of leaving it on the table, we carefully moved it in one piece and put it on the floor in a corner of the living room. A few days later, my daughter wanted to know how we had been able to put it there.
There is a special place in my heard for memories of Adeline. She was truly a gift from the heavens when she joined out family. Happy Birthday, dear Sister.
Wednesday, February 07, 2018
Shift by KimB
Shift
Shift the day to the night
Shift the left to the right
Shift the up to the down
Shift the spin of the world-go-round
Shift the light to dark
Shift the fire from the spark
Shift the high to the low
Shift the path of the way to go
Shift the door to a bar
Shift the welcome from afar
Shift the young to old
Shift the wary to the bold
Shift the way the story's told
Shift the way to know what's sold
Shift the mind to find the place
Shift the body to match the state
Shift the race to match the pace
Shift the end of starter's gate
Shift time from the start
Shift until the last depart
Shift the day to the night
Shift the left to the right
Shift the up to the down
Shift the spin of the world-go-round
Shift the light to dark
Shift the fire from the spark
Shift the high to the low
Shift the path of the way to go
Shift the door to a bar
Shift the welcome from afar
Shift the young to old
Shift the wary to the bold
Shift the way the story's told
Shift the way to know what's sold
Shift the mind to find the place
Shift the body to match the state
Shift the race to match the pace
Shift the end of starter's gate
Shift time from the start
Shift until the last depart
KimB 01/2018
Monday, February 05, 2018
Saturday, February 03, 2018
The Far Horizon
[Editor's Post]
It seems just a short time ago we started MrsB's blog but it has been more than a decade! So many great stories have been passed along and many of the tellers are no longer with us. The treasury of stories remains a reminder of what family is: a living experience.
Even when members pass away, their wisdom and humor remain with us and give us insights and hope and laughter when we take a moment to reflect on who we are, the directions we selected and the paths we next decide to follow.
We are introducing a re-introduction to some of those wonderful stories with a monthly feature: The Far Horizon. We will select a story from the past to reprint and revisit. After all, this is what we do went we gather together sharing the stories of our lives.
So take a moment to share the memories, we're happy to have you with us.
KimB Editor
It seems just a short time ago we started MrsB's blog but it has been more than a decade! So many great stories have been passed along and many of the tellers are no longer with us. The treasury of stories remains a reminder of what family is: a living experience.
Even when members pass away, their wisdom and humor remain with us and give us insights and hope and laughter when we take a moment to reflect on who we are, the directions we selected and the paths we next decide to follow.
We are introducing a re-introduction to some of those wonderful stories with a monthly feature: The Far Horizon. We will select a story from the past to reprint and revisit. After all, this is what we do went we gather together sharing the stories of our lives.
- "Do you remember ..."
- "There was this time ..."
- "How could we forget about ..."
- "I laughed so hard ...."
So take a moment to share the memories, we're happy to have you with us.
KimB Editor
Thursday, February 01, 2018
Knitting
My latest afghan knitting project is more complicated than I thought when I first decided to knit it. In fact, I'm having a lot of problems with it. I've been knitting for years and considered myself a skilled advanced knitter; I've lost count of the sweaters, afghans, baby blankets and scarves, many with complicated patterns that I've knitted over the years, but this knitting project is giving me headache!
I planned this project when we had days and nights of hard freeze with danger of water pipes bursting. While waiting for warmer weather, I thought it would be nice to make an Aran afghan. I wanted to knit it in one piece instead of the usual 5 or 6 bands which are then sewn together. I started knitting swatches of traditional Aran stitches that I found on the internet.
Little did I know the trouble I was in for when I chose Saxon Braid as one of the designs. The Saxon Braid is a series of special stitches knitted out of sequence, creating a series of intersected crosses or X's as the design develops. Its only 24 stitches wide and 16 row repeat pattern. After I started the swatch I discovered this was not going to be ezpz.
I took me three days to knit the first row, and once I got that knitted correctly, it took another week to get past row three. I either had too many stiches left at the end of the row, or not enough to finish the pattern. I counted and recounted the stitches, unraveled what I had done and started over. I only knitted a foundation of 2 rows before starting the pattern, so starting over meant that I had to begin at the real beginning. That meant casting 24 stitches onto the needles and knitting a couple of rows then start the Saxon Braid. That took more time than trying to knit the 24 stiches correctly.
I've reached row 8 and keeping my fingers crossed. If I do a swatch without errors, I'll add Saxon Braid to my afghan.
I planned this project when we had days and nights of hard freeze with danger of water pipes bursting. While waiting for warmer weather, I thought it would be nice to make an Aran afghan. I wanted to knit it in one piece instead of the usual 5 or 6 bands which are then sewn together. I started knitting swatches of traditional Aran stitches that I found on the internet.
Little did I know the trouble I was in for when I chose Saxon Braid as one of the designs. The Saxon Braid is a series of special stitches knitted out of sequence, creating a series of intersected crosses or X's as the design develops. Its only 24 stitches wide and 16 row repeat pattern. After I started the swatch I discovered this was not going to be ezpz.
I took me three days to knit the first row, and once I got that knitted correctly, it took another week to get past row three. I either had too many stiches left at the end of the row, or not enough to finish the pattern. I counted and recounted the stitches, unraveled what I had done and started over. I only knitted a foundation of 2 rows before starting the pattern, so starting over meant that I had to begin at the real beginning. That meant casting 24 stitches onto the needles and knitting a couple of rows then start the Saxon Braid. That took more time than trying to knit the 24 stiches correctly.
I've reached row 8 and keeping my fingers crossed. If I do a swatch without errors, I'll add Saxon Braid to my afghan.
 |
| Saxon Braid |
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