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Wild Sage Discoveries

Discovering Roasted Mushrooms

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Roasted Mushrooms
I love the flavor of mushrooms but am often disappointed that much of it disappears when I saute them. But I recently discovered an easy way to cook mushrooms so that they retain their flavor. I simply roast them in a hot oven (400 – 450) for 15 – 20 minutes. In the past I have roasted button mushrooms whole by adding them to a pan of roasted vegetables the last 20 minutes. Recently I had a “tired” pound package of mushrooms that need cooking right away!I So I decided to roast them! I sliced them and placed them on a parchment-lined sheet pan. They cooked in the hot oven for 20 minutes. When I sampled them, they tasted great – lots of mushroom flavor! And much to my delight they retained their shape and some moisture.

I couldn’t resist adding a handful to my green salad. Delicious! The next evening I used them to make one of my 20 minute pizza suppers! Since then I’ve used the roasted mushrooms to make cream of mushroom soup, a mixed veggie stir-fry and a rice bowl supper. I now have mushrooms on my basic shopping list and eat them regularly.

Mushrooms are very healthy according to the popular documentary film, “Fantastic Fungi”. The film has gotten a lot of attention this year and most likely will get a nomination for best Oscar documentary. I enjoyed watching it and learning about how fungi function on our planet and how they have a multitude of important contributions to our health and welfare. After seeing the movie I was motivated to get the movie’s companion book “Fantastic Fungi – How mushrooms can heal, shift consciousness & save the planet” edited by Paul Stamets. It’s a beautiful “coffee table” style book with lots of photos and informative text.

20 Minute Roasted Mushroom Pizza
This is one recipe you should definitely try if you are a mushroom lover.

I had a container of roasted sliced mushrooms that needed to be used up. So I decided to create a special recipe to honor this new item in my refrigerator. I make pizzas in 20 minutes or less using flour tortillas as the base. Most of my original recipes are developed because I have stuff in the “fridge” that needs using up! This time I found leftover pesto, and roasted red peppers that needed to be eaten and this recipe is the final result.

Ingredients:
flour tortillas
olive oil
thick style spread: (pesto, tomato sauce, mayo, left-over gravy etc.)
1- 1.5 cups sliced and roasted mushrooms
½ – 1 cup grated cheese (your choice – I like cheddar or jack)
Other added toppings:
sliced ripe olives, roasted peppers, carmelized onions, leftover cooked
veggies – whatever your tastebuds are drawn to.

Steps:
l. Preheat oven to 450
2. Place tortilla on baking sheet
3. Coat the top of the tortilla with a thin layer of the spread of your choice.
4. You can add a base layer of chopped salad greens or spinach before adding other toppings. I find that one full handful is about right.
5. Top with mushrooms and/or any other toppings of your choice. I used up leftover roasted red peppers.
6. Drizzle with a tablespoon or so of olive oil and top with the cheese(s) of your choice.
7. Bake 8-10 minutes until the edges of the pizza are nicely browned.
8. Remove and let cool slightly.
9. Cut into 6 slices. I like to use my kitchen shears for this.
10. Enjoy!!!

I was eating the finished pizza about 25 minutes after I started heating up the oven!!!

Note: I make 20 minute pizzas regularly using up my leftovers. There’s something decadent about having a pizza for dinner. When I was a kid that was always a special treat. In the past creating the crust was as deterrent. Now that I’ve discovered flour tortillas, building a gourmet pizza is almost as easy as building a sandwich.

Cactus Bloom
It’s been hot out here this past weeks. Daily temperatures are usually over 100 degrees. But we’ve had a wonderful cactus bloom which brightens one’s spirit.

The Exquisite Corpse Explored

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A Collaborative Project undertaken by five Tucson Artists

The original exquisite corpse concept was formulated by DaDa writers and artists in the 1920’s using unrelated “fragments” of words or images to create new work. The New York Museum of Modern Art had an exhibit of exquisite corpses in 2018. Much of the work on exhibit came from those early writers and visual artists.

The Tucson Project

In the spring of 2018 six Tucson artists formed a study group to explore the exquisite corpse. Our goal was to  play” with themes and formats using images created by the group members to see what happened.

We started the project by creating by creating images that were 4.25 x 8.5” (half a sheet of standard copy paper). Each image had three segments and common “connecting points” so that there could be continuity. We met once a month from May through September. Each of us produced 4 unique images informed by basic themes agreed upon at our meetings. Our themes were: the human body, creatures found in nature, bodies with an ethnic theme and imaginary bodies inspired by technology.

Each month we would distribute color copies of our image to the group. By September our image banks included a total of 24 images. We shifted our focus to how we would present our images in a creative fashion. The traditional exquisite corpse books often utilized accordion spines or three-part pages. Our goal was to develop non-traditional ways of presenting the work. The finished pieces were shown at the October PaperWorks meeting.

The Participants

Elizabeth Brizard, Mabel Dean, Vicki Donkersley, Terry Enfield, Sherrie Posternak.
All are members of PaperWorks – the Sonoran Collective for Paper and Book Artists (www.paperworks.info ).

Elizabeth Brizard is a mixed media artist with a technology and teaching background. She has a unique capacity for thinking “outside the box”. She was inspired by her naturally playful nature and a spinning top known as a dreidel. Her exquisite corpse is a re-interpretation of the dreidel All of her cards are mounted and form a deck of cards calling for exploration. They can be attached to the dreidel. But they can also be assembled in unique “house-of-cards” structures.

Mabel Dean is a mixed media artist who took on the challenge of using the images to create individual families from each artists’ illustrations. Her attempt to produce a vertical figure with movable segments was only semi successful. She was unable to provide enough stability to rotate the body parts on the stand.

Her second attempt resulted in five stand-alone in books using the four images produced by the participating artist. Each booklet became a ‘family”. The body part pages are turned to create unique figures.

Vicki Donkersley known for her charming collage work approached the final challenge presentation by creating a game. She formed a triptych (three panels hinged together) to act as the game board. She reduced the size of the original artwork and cut them into 2” x 2” “game tiles”. Next she fabricated clear plastic corner “holders” on the card stock pages so the tiles can be easily inserted or removed, while being securely held in place as well.

The front and backs of the tiles feature different images so you can take out a tile, turn it over, and completely change the figure. When the tiles are moved around from figure to figure, they provide multiple variations, some are quite comical. Twenty-four tiles can be in use at a time.

Terry Enfield was first recognized by the Tucson art community as a textile artist and doll maker. In recent years she has become known for her unique polymer clay and metal art jewelry. One could say she is a mixed media art explorer as she continues to study many different formats for creative expression.

Her corpses were informed by her experience in working with form and stitch. She transformed her images into fine cards and made a custom three part box to display them. The three stacks of images represent the heads, torsos and legs of all 24 images. Body parts are easily rearranged. Her piece is a unique table-top invitation to touch and explore.

Sherrie Posternak Sherrie Posternak is well known for her encaustic and mixed media artwork. For this project she scanned each of the images and printed them on sumi paper. The images were mounted on a polyester/nylon spun fiber paper called Encaustiflex, using encaustic wax medium as the glue, saturating both the sumi and the Encaustiflex until each page became one complete unit. The covers are cotton quilt batting and sumi paper also saturated with encaustic medium. Bright binder rings hold the book together.

Reviving the Artist Within

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For the past 8 years I have made a doll each September to commemorate my birthday. When September 19 arrived last fall, I once again went to my studio full of anticipation about what the doll would become. I gathered stuff to make her – fabrics, art papers, paints and pens along with assorted yarns, ribbons, and buttons and do-dads. I started out by painting small pieces of canvas skin tones and bright designs that could become clothing or arms and legs. I had the intention to assemble the doll after lunch when the fabrics had dried. But my “vibe” had changed and I discovered that at there was no in doll in my consciousness.

I was disappointed but figured she would emerge later in the week. So I packed up all the pieces and stored “her” on the unfinished project shelf. I felt disappointed and knew that I “owed” myself a birthday doll if I was going to keep up the tradition!

For the next 3 or 4 months, I would occasionally return to the tray and fondle the pieces with the hope that on that day, the doll inside me would speak up and take form. The holidays came and went and one day I looked at all that stuff on the tray just waiting to become the doll and decided that the time had come! No more delays! I had to get the doll finished!

I began with the painted canvas drew a face on it and cut out her head. Immediately she developed a persona and became the centerpiece for the doll. I found the right yarns and fabrics in my “stash” and by the end of the day she had emerged fully and completely!

I’m describing this process to illustrate the point that creativity is not easy. Getting started on a project can take forever!! I find it difficult to work on something unless I have a vision or an idea that I can pursue with enthusiasm.

I think one reason why I have produced so little finished work these past few years is because I’m out of practice and have let my creative juices dry up. I haven’t pushed myself to enter shows, or take on projects unless there is a specific reason to do so.

The other element of art-making for me is recognizing that I must be more patient with myself. It’s harder to start an art project if you haven’t been to the art table in months. Daily cutting, pasting, painting, drawing, printing keep all these skills at the front of your brain – ready to call upon when a particular challenge comes along. I have not been a daily art maker.

Recently I’ve been journaling about my lack of art production. It’s clear to me from all this soul searching that I benefit when I have some form of art-making as a daily practice. It makes me happy and I look forward to seeing what I discover each day during that time at the art table. The more I practice my art, the more likely I am to start and finish projects.

The quarantine is helping! For the past month I’ve been showing up at the art table most days. And my life has been much more enjoyable. I’ve spent time drawing and painting the flowers in my yard. I’ve started up this blog again. I’m having fun in the kitchen trying out new ideas. It seems like l that my muse has come back to entertain me.

I’d be interested in hearing from you about how you are motivating yourself to be creative and nurturing your inner artist.

“Imagination should be allowed a certain amount of time to browse around.”
Thomas Merton

Salads and Sauces

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I’m back! And I’m eager to shared thoughts and ideas with you. Today I thought I’d start out with some helpful ideas about eating “in”. Living alone has posed interesting problems to solve, among them food preparation. I love to cook but cooking for one can be a challenge. Ed and I took turns cooking. We’d alternate weeks. It made meal planning and food preparation fun. The week that you were the chef, you shopped, cooked and cleaned up. That gave your spouse a chance to be a “guest” at home. For me, that made my weeks as chef fun – planning what to serve. And I loved my time as a guest. Not only did I get a break from the kitchen, I also enjoyed some yummy meals as Ed was a pretty good cook.

Now I have a new appreciation for the way we dealt with family meals. Now it’s all me – breakfast, lunch and dinner. So I’ve been exploring ways of preparing simple and healthy meals that provide variety but don’t take lots of time. If there is food in the refrigerator that is easy to serve up, I’ll go to it first. But it’s really easy to slack off and binge eat stuff that is not nearly as healthy.

Salads are a mainstay of my diet but they haven’t always been so. They take time and planning. I now try to keep a variety of veggies in the refrigerator at all times. My basics are lettuce mixes, zucchini, celery, onions and cabbage. I almost always have these available. And then depending on what’s in the market, I’ll add radishes, daikon, peppers, fennel, tomatoes. These vary from week to week. Other salad supplies include olive oil, a variety of salad dressings, olives, and pickles.

Every few days I’ll mix up a bowl of greens using my basic salad mix. I’ll dress them with olive oil and store them in the refrigerator. They are my salad base. I have salad for dinner almost every night. I’ll serve up a bowl of these greens and then add some extras from the weekly shop. I finish off the salad with a bottled dressing and most of the time, dinner is ready in less than 10 minutes.

I’ve shared this idea of prepping a salad base with friend, and like me, they are surprised to discover that the base will keep well for three days in the refrigerator. The lettuces don’t wilt because the oil keeps the moisture in the leaf as long as there is no salt on the leaves.

My favorite dressings include:
Trader Joe’s Feta
Trader Joes Goddess – with Tahini as the base
Trader Joes –
Viniagrette
My own simple mustard viniagrette

These dressings also make wonderful sauces for roasted veggies, meats and fish. I use them regularly to amp up the flavor bland foods.

Sometimes I overdo it and have leftover salad. Rather than tossing it out, I use it the next day as a sandwich or burrito filling.

Lessons From Geese

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Lessons From Geese

Last year PaperWorks presented members with the challenge to repurpose
a cigar box. The challenge was titled “Outside the Box”. It made me really think about what can happen outside the cigar box as well as inside!

I have a file of favorite quotes and went through it to see if anything spoke to the challenge. I found the page with “Lessons From Geese” and immediately realized it was just right for my cigar box! And revisiting it today made me realize how appropriate it is for this time in our lives when we are facing the pandemic and the isolation that the quarantine has brought to our lives.

The box is used as the “stage” for geese in flight. I’m sharing this with you today in the hope that it will inspire you to maintain connections with your family, friends and community because they are necessary components to the life that we aspire to. We can not thrive without others in our lives.

The text below was written by Dr. Robert MacNeish and made popular by Milton Olsen, a minister and bird lover.

Lesson One –
As a goose flaps its wings, it creates “uplift” for the birds behind it. A flock of geese flying in a “V” formation has 70% greater range than a single goose flying alone.
People who share a sense of community with a common goal can get there quicker and easier because they are traveling in snych with each other.

Lesson Two –
When a goose falls out of the flock’s formation, it feels the drag of flying alone, and quickly rejoins the flock in formation to gain from the “uplift” of the bird it is following.
If we have “goose” sense we stay in formation with folks headed where want to go. We accept their help and give help to others.

Lesson Three –
When the lead bird tires, it falls back into the flock to enjoy the lift power of the bird in front.
It pays to take turns, sharing the leadership and hard tasks.

Lesson Four –
Geese flying in flock formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up speed.
By encouraging the others in our flock to do their very best, we will reach our goals.

Lesson Five –
When a goose is wounded or sick ad leaves the flock, two geese drop out and stay with it to help and protect it until it is able to fly again or dies. Only then do they resume their journey.
If we have a s much sense as geese, we stand by each other in tough times as well as good times.

I like to read these goose lessons from time to time to remind me of my role in the “flock”. Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us about interdependence and to me it is a fundament truth which requires daily acceptance. The older I get, the more I realize the wisdom and importance of this basic lesson in being human.

Birthday Doll, A Good Book and a Unique Pickle to Make

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Birthday Doll 2019
September brings the time of year when I create a simple doll to celebrate my birthday. I started her on my birthday, but with other demands, I just managed to finish her up over a month later! She is inspired by the Ethiopian Omo River Valley people who decorate their bodies with flowers for special occasions.

Many years ago a friend sent me a link to some video documenting this tradition. I was enchanted, and promptly bought a book of photographs done by . Recently I was looking at the book and decided to use it to inform this year’s doll. I also shared the video and book with a small group of art friends and several came up with their own body adornment also informed by the video and photographs.
https://hubpages.com/travel/The-amazing-body-art-of-the-Ethiopian-Omo-tribes

When I had finished her, I realized that she was a “black Madonna” goddess. Many ancient cultures worshiped a madonna with dark skin. Marion Woodman, a Jungian therapist, popularized the concept of the black madonna and wrote the following in her book“Coming Home to Myself”:

‘The Black Madonna is larger than life itself.
Nature impregnated by spirit,
She presides over fertility, sexuality, childbirth.
She accepts her body as chalice for spirit,
Presides over the sacredness of matter,
The meeting of sex and spirit.
Rejected by the patriarchy,
Her energy has smoldered for generations.
Now she erupts in us and in the world,
Demands conscious recognition,
Demands redemption of matter.’

She certainly is a concept of woman ripe for recognition in this day and age! In many subtle ways she represents the shadow side of my personality that is emerging as I live my life alone in the now.

The Book By My Chair:
This is a book suggested to me by my sangha friend, David Green. He had it with him one Sunday. I saw that it was filled with book marks and notations and commented about this. He replied it was an especially down-to-earth presentation of basic Buddhist meditation and self help exercises. Sounded interesting so I ordered it from Amazon.

The reward for doing this has been very special. It is a wonderful handbook for emotional self-care. If you are floundering in this area, do check it out at your local bookstore if there is one in your community. Or spring for it. At Amazon you can get the paperback version for $10.87 If you don’t find it helpful, you can always pass it on to someone you think needs it!! (HA!!! that’s my little flippant joke)

A New Kind of Pickle!
I love pickles and fermented foods. Always have! When I was a kid and couldn’t find anything tasty in the refrigerator, I’d settle for a finger-full of Gulden’s Mustard.

So, when my friend Terry Enfield told me about pickled cherries I could hardly wait to make some. And then I found a similar type of recipe for pickled grapes and made them too! They both are delicious as a garnish for an entree plate. And of course if you happen upon a jar in the refrigerator, they are perfect for a forbidden snack.

Here’s a recipe you can use for either:
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 – 1 teaspoon of any or all seeds in your pantry. (mustard, coriander, anise, allspice – depends on what you have.)
1/4 teaspoon (or more) red pepper flakes (depends on your taste. I like less)
1 pound of washed grapes or washed and pitted cherries
Place fruit in clean canning jar.
Add a sprig of fresh rosemary (if you have it)
Place the vinegar, water, sugar, cinnamon and the seeds and pepper flakes into a saucepan.
Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour the hot vinegar mixture (including seeds, stick etc) over the fruit.
When cool, refrigerate. Can be eaten after a day, but they taste better when they have marinated for at lease a week. Keep refrigerated.

A Final Comment

I’ve come to accept that I am an occasional blogger which means I don’t post very often. I keep thinking “next month I’ll have my act together to write up something really interesting, but my life doesn’t work that way any more. I post when I have time to write something I think is worth sharing which isn’t as often as I want. The life of an 80 year old person just isn’t as exciting as it was 20 years earlier. Finishing my birthday doll got me started again. The next post will come your way when my muse finds something that insists that it be shared. Until then, I remain in limbo searching for the next interesting “something” I can get excited about.

A Potpourri of Thoughts and Ideas

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Here it is July, 2018 and this is my first post of the year because this year my art activities have been slim.  I’ve had nothing to write about.   But I’m coming back to “life” and enjoying new discoveries every week that I hope to share with you in the future.  My blog will have a broader focus drawing from my  encounters (recipes, books, movies, places, gadgets, art-making, programs,) – whatever I find interesting.  I hope you’ll find it worth the “read” as I know your time is precious and there are many ways to spend time on-line.

Potpourri
I looked up the definition for potpourri and when I read it, I thought this is just what I want my revisioned blog to be – a mixture of thoughts, ideas and actions.  So welcome to my journey.  I hope you decide to stay on for the ride.

Working On Depression
Depression has been my driver for the past two years and frankly I’m tired of it but it’s a hard demon to conquer and I seem to be one who can not tolerate the anti-depressant drugs offered by modern medicine.  As a result I’ve spent way too much time sitting in my chair with “poor me” thoughts or staring at the TV or an open book.  I don’t want to be an old lady “stuck” in a chair.  I want to be the “youngest” active and involved old lady you know!  

In March I decided to give up the chair.  The most important thing I started doing was writing morning pages every morning before the day got rolling.  I learned about morning pages from Julia Cameron in her book “The Artist’s Way” and I did them when I first moved to Arizona. I stopped doing them years ago but I never forgot how helpful they were whenever I lost my focus.

 

Morning Pages Are Transformative!
Every day I write three pages (two pages if they are college ruled!) of whatever comes to my mind.  When I begin I have no idea what will turn up on the page.  But what I do know is that when I am truly honest with myself helpful thoughts emerge.  I write about problems, disappointments, feelings, frustrations and progress. 

My pen reveals alternative solutions that I wouldn’t have thought of sitting alone in the chair.  Writing like that is like talking a problem over with a best friend but instead it’s me! The result is that my days have become brighter and interesting.  My life is becoming manageable and actionable. I look forward to starting the day!!!

If you are stuck inside your life, I encourage you to journal daily for several weeks.  See what happens.  You may find new ways of dealing with your problems and solutions you never thought of before.

Re-discovering Sketching and Watercolor
One of my art interests has been watercolor sketching.  Years ago when Ed and I traveled, I did watercolor journals to record our trips.  It’s been at least 8 years since I’ve done much sketching or painting.  I realized that wanted to “dive” back into sketch-booking.  

I’ve been especially inspired by Barbie, my sister who does amazing watercolor journals.  So, one of my new  goals is take taking on-line classes to develop my drawing and painting skills.  

Recently I’ve found YouTube to be a great source of free lessons and I’ve also started taking Craftsy art classes.  www.craftsy.com    I signed up for their “Unlimited” version  so I can take all the classes I want from their catalog for a full year.  They have 600+ classes to choose from!  Now I don’t have to wonder what to do with myself when I have free time.  

Right now I’m enjoying the Craftsy class offered by Marc Taro Holmes.  He is a well known Urban Sketcher and a very sharing person.  I subscribe to his blog. https://citizensketcher.com  The international Urban Sketching group has a monthly magazine “Drawing Attention” which I enjoy. Each month it features articles from sketch artists all over the world. https://Urbansketchers.org  It’s a good place to view many different styles of rendering with ink and watercolor.

The Joys of Cooking
One of my favorite activities is cooking.  I don’t do it every day, but I do cook several times a week and experiment with new recipes and food combinations.   When I discover a winner I like to share it with friends.  

Recently I had lunch with my friends John and Barbie.  They are both great cooks.  John fixed us broiled salmon and it was terrific!  This past week I tried his technique, and it was fast, easy and delicious!  Thank-you John!

John Nemo’s Broiled Salmon
Ingredients:
fillet of salmon (about a pound) — the thicker the better; preferably consistent in thickness if possible
olive oil
mayonnaise
chopped preserved lemon (about 2 Tbsp.)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400.
While waiting for the oven to fully heat: prepare a flat baking pan or sheet by covering it with a piece of foil.  Lightly coat it with olive oil and sprinkle on a bit of coarse salt and pepper to add flavor and prevent sticking.
Place the salmon on the sheet with the skin side down 
Spoon or brush a thin to medium layer of mayonnaise on the top.  
Sprinkle with the preserved lemon.
Once the oven has reached temperature put the fish in the oven and and bake for 4 minutes.
Turn on the broiler.
Blast the fish under the broiler for two or three minute until the mayo bubbles.
The duration of broiling depends upon the thickness of the fish and your desired level of rare to well done eating of salmon.  I like it very tender so I do it for 1 minute!
Remove from the oven and let it sit for 2 to 10 minutes before serving.

Note if you don’t have preserved lemon use grated lemon rind in the mayo and maybe a some lemon juice for additional flavor. Don’t worry if the mayo and lemon ooze all over the foil on the baking sheet.

A Problem Solved! Garbage Bucket Cover
You never know what kind of creative solution lurks inside your head.  Morning pages to the rescue!!!

I have an under-counter slide-out rack for a garbage pail.  It’s very convenient and I use it many times a day.  But in the summer in the desert, it gets smelly.  One way of dealing with this is to take the garbage outside every day.  That means a daily trip to the dumpster with a mostly empty large trash bag. I can put the food waste in a counter-top container lined with a plastic bag and remove it.  That works but I don’t like the garbage on the counter where I see it.  I much prefer the under-counter solution BUT what to do about the odor.

I’ve found a solution!  I made a lid out of mat board with a duct tape handle.  Now the lid covers the container  and minimizes the smell no matter what’s in it.  When I need access, I simply slide and dump.  When it’s filled I remove the lid and tie up the bag and take it to the dumpster!!

Feedback Please
I’m already working on the next post, but I do welcome your feedback.  Is my new approach interesting? useful? What kinds of topics would you like me to write about?  What can I do to serve you, my audience better?  You can get back to me using the contact page.  I’d sure like to hear from you.

Share with Others
Putting this together always takes more time than I think it will.  This post consumed about 10 hours to plan, write, edit, take photos and proof.  I enjoy doing it, and I’d love to share it with a wider audience.  It would help if you could forward the link to friends who might also enjoy receiving it.

Thanks, in advance.
Love, maybelle

Starting the New Year

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For over ten years on January 1st I have formed my personal intentions for the new year.  In keeping with this tradition this year one of my intentions is to post on my blog at least once a month. So here’s my January post just in time!

Living the single life

My life has changed a lot.  Now I am a “committee of one” – a role that I reluctantly have taken on.  It’s so much easier when there is someone present to be witness for each other and to share in decisions.   Ever since I read the book “The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo, I’ve been making an effort to simplify my life.  Part of this is driven by the aging process – I am being forced to simplify in order to cope with changes in my physical strength, stamina, memory and ability to focus.  I’ve discovered there are real benefits to slowing down and enjoying the moment.  Having too many choices can be immobilizing.  I’m doing things that make me happy whenever possible.   Big projects cause me stress and anxiety.  I’m finding that accomplishing little projects bring me great pleasure.

I made the decision to refocus my art-making on drawing and sketching, casual watercolor and stitching.  All of these activities offer potential for creative expression but are portable and don’t take up a lot of space. I’m no longer submitting my work for juried shows or taking intensive art classes that go on for days.  I’m limiting my travel to short trips of 3 or 4 days mainly to visit my sister.  And I’ve discovered on-line classes that I can take at my own pace.

 

Self Care

This refocus has allowed me to be more involved with taking  care of myself through exercise and good health practices.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that even tho I live alone I enjoy putting time and effort into food preparation.  After Ed died, I expected that this would be a chore.  Instead it has become a creative adventure.  Recently I’ve started to ferment veggies to make my own probiotic foods. I’ve had fun developing original recipes that give me a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.  I’ve started attending a regular Feldenkrais class that has helped my lower back become stronger.  I’m even getting a monthly facial- something I had never done before.  I’ve begun going to the movies by myself and enjoying it!!!  I plan to continue this blog but I expect to be writing more about my new life as an active and creative “crone”!!!  and sharing it with you.

An Encounter with the Flu

One of the big challenges this month was dealing with the flu. This was traumatic as I seldom get sick and Ed wasn’t here to take care of me!  For years I have gotten a flu shot and this year was no exception.  But the day after New Years I realized that I had the flu.  Granted it was a mild case but it kept me down for eleven days!  I discovered some interesting alternative treatments on-line that seemed to help moderate my symptoms.  I learned that oregano oil is both an antiviral and antibiotic!  Fortunately I had some on hand and so I put several drops on a spoonful of yogurtand gulped it down fast.   Ugh – tastes terrible but I did it for several days and feel that it knocked out that virus.   (Next time I’ll use oregano oil capsules.)

I developed an ugly chest cough which I treated with Ricola cough drops and Sambucus (elderberry syrup)  I drank camomile tea with ginger, honey, lemon and 3 fresh basil leaves.  Water was my best friend and my hydration goal was to drink a half cup every hour.  On the eleventh day I woke up without coughing so I pronounced myself cured and took a walk around the park to celebrate.  Just last week I read that golden kiwi fruit is being successfully used as a flu“treatment”.  There is documented evidence that if one eats three a day when they first have the flu symptoms the virus is killed within three days.

It’s too bad family doctors don’t offer these kinds of alternative treatments for colds and flu.  Of course I don’t know if my self-determined approach cured me,  but my on-line research alerted me to these alternatives, and I believe they prevented me from landing up in the hospital with pneumonia.  Three cheers for the internet.

On-line Classes

I’ve been taking a most enjoyable and interesting on-line class with Australian sketchbook artist, Liz Steele (www.sketchingnow.com).  Her training is as an architect, but her love of rendering has made her a highly regarded Urban Sketching Teacher.  She has developed unique and original approaches for sketchbooking.  I’m taking her newest class “Watercolor Sketching” and learning how to work fast and juicy!  I’ve had to “unlearn” some “bad” habits and I’m enjoying the results.  Here are two versions of an assignment she gave us – working juicy – one wet on wet and the other waiting for paint to dry before painting the adjacent areas. Each painting was done in about 5 minutes!   I’m only half-way through the class.  The first two weeks focused on painting skills and soon we will be adding drawing to the formula.

I’ve also enrolled in two on-line photography classes, which focus on developing skills using iPhone apps and working with digital photos to create composite art.  There are so many interesting classes one can find on the internet.  I  never got involved until I took a class this past year on creating mandalas as a spiritual practice.

Happy Making Activities

Kale and Garlic Soup

2 slices bacon, chopped

6 cloves garlic sliced (or grated)

4 – 5 cups finely chopped kale – no thick stems

1 quart of chicken broth (I like Costco’s brand)

Place bacon in a 2-3 quart saucepan and render the fat over low heat.

Add the garlic and cook gently (don’t brown)

Pour in the broth and add the kale.

Bring to a boil and lower the heat to simmer.

Cook 30 minutes or until the kale is nice and soft.

Fresh Flowers

When Ed was alive he often brought home fresh flowers.  I miss his little gifts of love, so in his honor I almost always have fresh flowers or a blooming plant on the dining table.  This is the orchid I got to celebrate his 80th birthday.  Every time I pass by it or glance across the room, it brightens my spirit and makes me smile.

I share all this with you as an example of one way of creating a solitary life with a positive focus rather than being enveloped by grief and melancholy.  Our lives are impermanent  so the gift we have each day is to live as fully as possible.

To be continued next month…….

2017 – A Birthday to Remember

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Another Year – Another Birthday Doll

For the past six years I have marked my birthday by creating a doll. This year was no different.  This time my doll was a co-creation because I used hands and legs that had been made years ago by a dear friend and fiber artist, Ardyce Stoops.  She died seven years ago and I was the beneficiary of some of her unfinished work.  I’m sure she is smiling at this particular result.

The Great Art Give-Away

This past Tuesday was special as I celebrated my 80th Birthday.  I decided to have a big party the day before marking the end of my 80th year.  It turned out to be one of the best days of my life.  Not wanting more “stuff” I decided to give away much of the art I’ve made since I retired 25 years ago. There were close to 200 pieces for guests to choose from – each person picked out two pieces.

Each person choose one finished piece (painting, collage, assemblage, or book) and one smaller piece (book samples, demo pieces, small hand-art pieces etc.)  I took photos of them with the art they had chosen and am planning to make a book of the photos so I’ll be able to enjoy and know where the work has “landed”!

It turned out to be a very special project because I got unexpected feedback from most of the new owners who sent me e-mails telling me what they had done with their gifts and how much they are enjoying have them in their home.

A Birthday Bonus

But there was another joyful bonus as well. When I sent out the invitation I suggested that people bring school supplies for a nearby elementary school that is populated with children from  families that have extremely limited financial resources.  Most of the teachers regularly have to buy pencils, crayons, notebooks etc with their own money.  My dear guests brought 19 bags of basic school supplies and contributed $123 to a discretionary fund I set up for the Principal!

When I delivered the “take” to the Principal this past Friday she was speechless and grateful beyond words.  She was totally surprised by the generosity of my friends.  And within the hour I received four e-mails from grateful teachers who had benefited from the bounty provided.

Maybe I’ve started a mini movement and that others will do the same!!!  Several friends have intimated that their next birthday may include some collective gifting and giving.

My sister, Barbara Wolff, traveled from her home in Santa Fe to help me with this special occasion.  Here we are with our “rosy glow” of an unforgettable celebration.

Another Birthday…Another Doll

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Some of you know that for the past 5 years I’ve made a doll to celebrate my birthday.  With Ed missing, it was not a day I was looking forward to at all.  I scheduled it fully so there wasn’t a lot of time to be alone.  I spent the morning in a meeting and took a class in the afternoon and went out for dinner to co-celebrate birthdays with friends.  Came home exhausted and went directly to bed.

I started the next day and decided to make a simple “stuffie” style doll with beaded embellishment.  As a “process” artist my projects evolve and I never know at the start what the finished result will be.  I selected percale for her form which I painted with diluted acrylics. While the fabric was drying I collected fabric scraps, bits of ribbon and beads.  These included batik quilting scraps, golden organza and scraps of a grid-like fabric, magenta ribbons (from my sister’s birthday gift packages) and gold, red, magenta and green beads.

I cut out four rectangular layers (3 percale and 1 thin white felt) for the dolls body.  After setting aside one layer for the back of the doll, I made a fabric sandwich (percale, white felt, percale) and basted the layers together.  Next I drew the doll shape on to the top layer which I then machine stitched in place.  My first embellishment was to tack the golden grid fabric on the body of the doll.  After fooling around with the golden organza I decided to use it for hair as I couldn’t find a good place for it on the doll’s body.  Next came beading, then the application of the leaf shapes on the bottom of the doll, more beads and finally a face which I painted on percale and then hand-stitched in place.

I didn’t have a clear vision for the hair, and I wanted to use the organza, so I started playing and voila!  I found I was accumulating strands of hair.  I knotted them and added beads and found I had created braid-like ropes!  When I pinned them into the top of the head they fell into a unique hairdo which seemed just right.

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I fashioned a hanger from some wire and sewed it on to the back reinforced with several layers of scrap percale.  I made a 1.5” slice vertically down the back for stuffing access.  Next I pinned the back on to the top layers and machine stitched the doll around the edges several times.  Using sharp scissors, I trimmed off the excess fabric leaving about 1/8” around the outside stitching.  On the back side I ran a thin bead of PVA over the stitching so it couldn’t unravel.  The final finish of the edges involved dipping my finger into diluted acrylic paint and rubbing the exposed raw edges.  I like the way that the green paint serves to further define the edge.

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I ended by tacking her hair in place on the body as it had a mind of it’s own, going in places I did not want it to land and covering  the slit on her back with a decorative patch.

Now, it’s time to dream up a new project. In the meantime, I trust you are happily involved with your own projects and it being October I’m guessing that your fall calendar is already filled to the brim.