Gotta Love Life in Camp Winnepausake! Laughs for you!

"Fallon!  Timberlake!"
"Sorrrryyyy."

This is hilarious!  Merry Christmas to you.  Thank you, Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake for your comic and musical genius.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMlXuT7gd1I&list=UU8-Th83bH_thdKZDJCrn88g

The Giggly Ballet Lesson

I wonder what the allure/appeal is for me with painting ballerinas?  Whether they are young or old, or doing whatever...it seems to be young ballerinas looking up to their teacher.  I guess this resonates with me.  I took ballet and tap dancing lessons and my teacher was  a former rockette.  She was tall, had a tall bun on her head and penciled thin brows.  She always smelled of cigarette smoke and wore bright pink lipstick, although none of this sounds attractive, I was in awe of her.  There was a mystery about her. She put up a wall on her personal life and kept it all business.  Why on God's Green Earth would that appeal to me in any way?  I wasn't good at ballet. I had the wrong feet. My feet are big and flat, no arch.  No arch is no good for ballerinas.  So, I was behind the 8 ball in ballet right from the get go. My friend, and sister on the other hand were quite good. I hated being judged on my every move.  Ballet was the not fun part of the lesson but man, was I excited when it was time to take off our black slippers and put on our tap shoes!  I loved tap dancing. I wasn't that good at that it. either.  One foot slapped heeled better than the other.  But I loved it anyway.

In this picture the girls are giggly and clinging to one another as they are too silly to be serious about doing anything wild with their toes, legs and arms.  Their teacher is beautiful and they are frightened and delighted by her beauty.  She is a goddess to them.  They just feel clumsy and awkward, but yet don't know how  clumsy and awkward they are.  But, there they are giggling and goofing while the teacher waits patiently to resume the lesson.

Now, then.  First position.
 

Thoughts Still like River Water at Dawn

A river is like a living breathing thing.  It moves, it roars, it stills and quiets like the thoughts in our mind.  This is an image of the Oswegatchie River in the Adirondacks in the early morning when it hasn't quite wakened.  The frothy swirls have gathered overnight to make this beautiful mosaic. 

 It reminds me of thoughts and activities that occurred during the day and the mind quiets and let's the thoughts gather and twist and turn slowly and naturally clumping nestling together, giving the mind a rest. 

Then the sun shines a little stronger, warmer and the quiet of the morning is broken with the first birds' songs and the whistling breeze racing through the pines like kids racing to the playground to start the day.  The river moves and the swirls untangle and start their downward trek stretching and disappearing with the bobbing ripples riding the current.  The day has begun and so has the busy bustling mind.  

Darkness to Light - Fill the Palette

Glob on The Paint to The Palette....

If ever there was a time to seek asylum from the world with art healing, it is certainly now.  A gloom has set over the world like a murky veil as if Dementors, the kind in Harry Potter have circled our skies staining it in inky black and reigning/raining despair upon humankind.

I, of course, am speaking of #ISIS.  An acronym that holds no humanity within it; these aren’t humans.  They are demons upon this earth.  The darkness preceded them with #MH370 vanishing in thin air, a mystery still unsolved. The conflict with Russia and Ukraine, Gaza and Israel, Syrian Refugee crisis and yet, another horrific plane disaster, shot from the sky was  #MH371.  And, shall we throw in a Pandemic disease with no sign of relenting? Ebola. A savage disease that has taken way too many lives with more suffering to come.  We have our own unrest right here in the USA with an economy that never recovered and a government so dysfunctional, IT needs to be impeached.  NRA, forgive me, but America is Guns Gone Wild.  Debate all you want and bow down to the Constitution, a document made during another time that resembles nothing like it is today, but America has a problem with guns.

It is hard to see the lightness and laughter right now.   Even laughter was extinguished with Robin Williams’ passing in such a distressing gut wrenching way.  I felt his pain and anguish.  If only… 

They say, “Every generation has its war.”  Can I tell you how much I hate that saying?  But it is true.  Humans are humans no matter the year.  Think of all the horrible wars over kingdoms, religions, and even Hatfields vs. McCoys.  And we have had Pandemics before, the Bubonic Plague and the Spanish Flu, for example.  What’s different, I guess, is that it feels new to me.  It feels horrible.  It feels like the walls are closing in and I am frightened. 

How many people are feeling anxious? Sad? Worried? I am sure I am not alone.  I can’t even watch the news lately, it has turned so ugly, so very ugly.

I can do the only thing that is in my control.  I can try to brighten my little sphere of life with color.

Well, this is a time when we have to work extra hard to find the light and colors of the world.  This is a time when the art community can draw together, no pun intended and spread the art joy.   Take that blank canvas and splash on the color and post it!  That art easel that has been staring at you, begging you to prop up a canvas and to create something, well,  go make it happy and USE it! 

I finally have an easel and I want to use it, but haven’t decided what to paint next.  Maybe I should just do an abstract of colors that make me happy.  When I am done, I will pass it along.

#ArtHeals

Let’s spread the colors to outshine the darkness.

My new fav show! Call The Midwife on PBS

God, I stumbled on this show twice on Channel 13, cried, laughed, cried some more.  I was so hooked with this engaging show chock full of heart, vibrant texture of life in post WWII London, historically filled with cultural milestones and characters a plenty.  It even has Miranda in it who was hilarious on a BBC sitcom titled by her name, "Miranda."  She is a fabulous actress/comedian.  Every single person in this richly packed show is deep in personality.

It is just a pleasure to watch. It is fascinating to watch the stories, how they handled emergencies in that time period and interesting to see the role of these intelligent women.  Look at them speeding along on a bicycle in the above picture?  That says a lot.  Independent.  Confident. Strong. Capable.

Can't find it anywhere.  Well, I am going to have to buy episodes online or something because I love nothing more than a good period show filled with intrigue, mystery and throw in,  of course, a little romance.

I am not the only one that fell in love with Call The Midwife.  It seems to have a following as strong as Downton Abbey. 

Watch for it next time it comes around!

Push Pause on Life. Look Out Your Window

Mindful of a Cat’s View

My cat in the window sill is like a child seeing for the very first time.  Its head twitches and reacts to whatever moves or sound it is drawn to in absolute wonderment.

I give it a try.

I look out the window and see a collage of pine needles, maple leaves green and burgandy,black lines, and brown curves of branches forever reaching outward, swirling zig-zagging dots of bugs, the hoppity hopping of birds finding the right branch and then, taking off in flight to who knows where, and the funny erratic movement of squirrels scurrying and leaping like daredevils.  The puffy white and grey clouds look bloated with rain with the tiniest patches of blue hidden beneath.

I listen.

Bachooowa. Chooow.Chooow. Chooow. A Cardinal?  Cheep.  Tweet.  A bird flits from one branch to another. Hop. Hop. It flies away. I watch until it disappears beyond the trees I can see.

Buzz. Buzz. A honey bee flies near the screen of the window.  I know this bee. It is protective of the flowers around this house.  I respect its territorial nature.

The buzzing drifts away.

To the left, a patch of young green leaves stir and sway by an invisible breeze, and then my attention is drawn to center to another patch of merlot colored leaves up high stirring them gently.

The gently massaging cool breeze reaches my face like a gentle stroke of a hand across my cheek.

Tweets. Cheeps. Trills.  Caw.  Caw.  Sounds of the suburban jungle is the background music that is massaging my soul.

Every moment is new, fresh to hear, feel and see.

Pause and look out your open window.

 

"Am I Wrong" by Nico & Vinz Hits A Nerve

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBmEJZofz2s

That's just how I feel. Trying to reach the things that I can't see.  Am I wrong?
Walk your walk and don't look back, always do what you decide
Don't let them control your life, that's just how I feel
Fight for yours and don't let go, don't let them compare you, no
Don't worry, you're not alone, that's just how we feel

So many lines of these lyrics have a yearning feeling that I can somehow relate to. I feel trapped, suppressed and want to fly.  I feel like my wings are clipped.  I so want to find my place in this life and want to find my niche, and feel proud and secure.  I want to move forward, but feel held back.  By what? By others? By my own inner demons?  The economy?  I have to be brave and take a leap, take a chance for my soul to feel free and satiated.

If one thing I know, I'll fall but I'll grow

The rhythm and the melody of the song is smooth and has a sweet almost Jamaican tempo beat that soothes me like rocking in a breezy hammock. 

It's a pleasantly haunting song.

Take a listen to the link above.
Am I wrong?