March...International Women's History Month

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. — Eleanor 

Roosevelt

Many Strong Women

      Each year we celebrate National Women's History Month.  Because of the shrinking of the world due  to our use of cyberspace,  it has become INTERNATIONAL Women's History Month.

After witnessing the worldwide unity during the Women's March of January 21 of this year, and seeing all the activism occurring daily, it is becoming more and more apparent that if we want change, it is going to be up to the "fairer" sex to make the world an even better place to be.

       And meanwhile, on Wall Street, a new statue was on display for Wednesday March 8, the Day of the Month in March that is designated as International Women's Day.  I think this is one of the most dynamic shots of the  year!

Wall Street Heroine

And her adversary

I don't know if this is a permanent art work, but I hope so!  This is the kind of thing all our little girls need to see!  Here is a link to a video you can see about people's reaction to this little super girl!

I Am An Ambivert!

"After an hour or two of being socially on, we introverts need to turn off and recharge....This isn't antisocial.  It isn't a sign of depression.  It's just the way we are!" Jonathan Rauch 

I love this poster!!!

A couple of weeks ago, our minister, the Reverend Shari Woodbury gave a reflection on the subject of extroverts, ambiverts, and introverts.  Probably most of us fall in the category of ambivert. By definition, an ambivert is: a person whose personality has a balance of extrovert and introvert features. I had not heard this term before so had always had a difficult time deciding which I was when in a group being asked  was I....an introvert (a person who tends to turn inward mentally; one who avoids large crowds, feeling more energized by time alone) or an extrovert ( one who finds energy in interactions with others.)

Shari referred to an author/speaker, Susan Cain who has a very interesting TEDTalk  about being an introvert.  And she has a book that looks worthwhile for understanding the workings of the introvert. I haven't read it yet but it is on my list.

Susan Cain and one of her books

With this being said, I do think that I am closer to being an introvert even though I love meeting people and can usually get into a conversation with ease...a curiosity of wanting to know about what makes them tick.  But I need my "lone time"; I do not need to always be around people; in fact after being in a crowd, big or small, I need to be alone. But I am happy to discover the term ambivert...so I guess I am ambivert with strong introvert tendencies! 

I found these two "brains" on Google.....Sooooooo.......Which are you????

The Name Game

“It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.” 
― W.C. Fields

     Seventy-six years and a few months ago, this adorable little girl was born.  Her parents named her Mary Jacqueline with the plan of nicknaming her Jackie. Her paternal grandfather was called Jack even though his name was Jesse.

Mary Jacqueline

Paternal grandfather-Jesse better known as Jack (deceased before Jay was born)

       This baby, Jackie, had a big sister, Judy, who was 21/2 years older than she.  Judy had trouble prounouncing "Jackie"; her version was more of a "Jay"....so everyone called Jackie, Jay.

Big sister, Judy

As "Jay" grew, everyone called her that and as far as she knew....that was her name!  Her paternal grandmother always insisted on calling her Jackie.  That really irritated Jay because THAT sounded like a boy's name!!!!

Paternal grandmother who insisted on Jackie!

     When Jay was nine, her baby brother was born!  So cute...his name was John (maternal grandfather-deceased) Carnes (mother's maiden name)....and here we go...wait for it...Jack is a nickname for John...so new baby became Jackie!  Whew! Pressure off Jay...Grandma now has a Jack in the family!

Baby JACK!

    Time goes by...Jay graduates from high school and is heading to college.  By now she has decided that Jacqueline..or Jackie...is much cooler than JAY!

Mary Jacqueline graduating from HS

     So off to Mizzou goes Jackie...but it didn't stick...18 years of being Jay was just too much.  It actually wasn't too bad...she even gotten invited to a fraternity smoker (that's what they called frat pledge parties) to which she accepted but didn't get to attend once her gender was discovered.

      Okay...zip ahead about 60 years.  Jay often signs her name Mary J. as that is her legal name on all legal documents but she still often uses Jay and wouldn't you know, she gets a lot of Mr. Jay...mail and phone calls.  She has become more vocal on line lately and decided it is time for another name change!  So rather than sign my name "Jay" I am feminizing (is that a word) my name by adding an "E".   So for now on, I will be signing my name "Jaye"...a long time coming!  We'll see how it goes! (This creative name change usually happens in junior high! I'm a little  slow!) 

Jaye....2017

A Little Bit of Everything

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one” 
― John Lennon, Imagine

       This quote is from one of my favorite songs "Imagine" by John Lennon...if we would just listen to these words and live by them...the world would be as one! Now, to my up and down life with social media!  I stayed off  FB from the election until the inauguration... a nice dry spell to get my head cleared.  I am back on now but am trying to regulate my time and what I actually repost.  I have decided that one cannot sit idly by...that if I am not happy with the world the way it is, I need to say something..I am fact checking what I put out there...I do think there is way too much of reposting whatever is out there just because it sounds outrageous...and that is one of the reasons we are in the mess we are in.

Charlie Rose

       And I have returned to listening to/watching a few talk shows.  One of my favorites on tv is the Charlie Rose Show.  My friend Joy got me interested in him quite a few months ago and I have picked up on him again.  He has a daily M-F show on PBS and has had for years.  He is very non-partisan, has guests from all walks of life...actors, authors, inventors, musicians, etc. I really enjoy hearing his guests, whether I agree with them or not. He can really pull stuff out of them in a very interesting and educational manner.  I tape everything on tv, even the news.  That way I can just fast forward through anything I don't want to hear or see!
       Which leads me to my next topic!!  The last couple of days I have been thinking about cleaning up my studio a bit!  I have drawers and boxes full of scraps of fabric...pieces left over from past projects.  I just couldn't throw it away!!  So I decided to just start sewing pieces  together and see what happens!  While sewing, I usually have the radio, tv or an audio book on.  This particular project has a lot of getting up and down with it, so I decided to get caught up on my Charlie Rose shows.  I am now caught up to today!!! So here is where I am so far on the purging of fabric.....

Just a FEW of my scraps of fabric

What I have done so far on my design wall

I am actually kind of liking this!  I am going to make a table cloth  (82"x52") out of all these blocks.  My daily dishes are multi-colored Fiestaware...bright colors...so I think this will be a good solution of what to do with these chunks of fabric that I hate to think of just throwing away!

Does This Look Familiar?

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Obama Campaign Poster Hope created by Shepard Fairy

     Shepard Fairey is a  young artist who became well-known after his campaign poster for Barack Obama's first presidential campaign long, long ago!  Since then he has developed a whole bunch of posters with this similar design  that are very appropriate for the times.

Shepard Fairey

Self Portrait

New poster for the times

New Poster for the times

And another Poster for the times

     But these are not the only things this talented young man has done...click on the link (his hi lighted name) to see much more of his talent.

Goodbye, Mr. and Mrs. President

“Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate.” 
― William Arthur Ward

We are going to miss these guys!!

     There have been several videos on FB of the Obamas and their leave taking from the White House.  I had said I would not be political on my blog and I'm not, but to give homage to such a wonderful couple is not political....showing admiration for and a heart felt feeling of loss at their going, to me, is not political....just putting it out there!!! Here are a couple of my favorite videos! A good bye to Mr. President. And a memorable speech from one fabulous first lady!

Here is a link to his top 50 achievements.

http://washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/marchapril-2012/obamas-top-50-accomplishments/ 

This is the picture that came with the article in Washington Monthly..notice the article was written in 2012
 so there are more accomplishments that could be added!

Or here they are listed in an abbreviated form...click on the picture to be able to read it better!

Strong Women

Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them. Unknown  

     On Saturday, millions of women all over the world are marching to proclaim their solidarity with each other (and some men who are marching  in their support).  These Marches are particularly emphasized in the United States. The immobilization of these forces have been brought about through the fear of not just the loss of women's rights, but the deep concerns for the loss of human rights with the inauguration of a new president.
     There has been no explanation or comforting words from the new administration that alleviates these fears  which stem from the rhetoric spouted daily. The people who are being selected for high, responsible postitions also do nothing to  soothe our concerns.  
      I am reminded of the way our nation was so split over Civil Rights and the Vietnam War back in the '60s and '70's. Do we need to relive those horrific times in order to bring justice and common sense to our nation again?
    I have many friends who plan to march in Washington; my state capital-Austin; and even here in Fort Worth.  I cannot be with them in body as I have a long standing date with my SAQA group to attend the last day of the KAWS exhibit. But I will definitely be with them in spirit!!

     We must be vigilante and heed the words of Edmund Burke-Philosopher and Statesman-1729-1797: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." And I will have to add-good women! Now, I can't say I agree with much of Burke's philosophy because he was pretty conservative ...but I do agree with this statement! So, come on all you good people!  Speak up!!!!

Creative Souls

Anxiety is the hand maiden of creativity. - T.S. Eliot -

     My Daily Good Website which comes to me  via email daily had an interesting article "11 Tips to Living a Creative Life" but I was first attracted to it by the above quote.  And I think there is a lot of truth to that comment.

Elizabeth Gilbert

The article and subsequent TED talk are from Elizabeth Gilbert, author of "Eat, Pray, Love" and has a new book out "Big Magic" which I have not read as yet. Pretty interesting.

      We have all heard of actors, writers, musicians, visual artists who have been tortured with anxious feelings about their work...in some cases, what may seem like a super ego may well be just the angst from which they are suffering.

       A few years ago, Dick and I had the privilege of attending a stage play at the Bass Hall, Fort Worth, Texas by invitation from one of my best buddies from college who is married to a guy whose family owns a Sound business for stage plays in New York City..(.the guys who work with the mikes, make sure all sound is good, compatible, etc.)  And Beth and Richard were here with the cast of "The Sunshine Boys" with Tony Randall and Jack Klugman,  Richard in charge of all the sound workings.

Play bill for the Sunshine Boys

       Beth sat with us in the audience while Richard was at work.  Apparently guys in this business often become very familiar with actors and on first name basis with many.  At intermission, Beth went to talk to Richard back stage;  she returned to say he really had his hands full! It seems that Klugman was not very happy....this was his first appearance on stage since he had suffered from throat cancer. They were trying it out away from NY because Klugman was very nervous about getting up in front of an audience.

      While on stage at the Bass, Klugman could not see the audience nor hear their reactions to the funny lines by either laughter or applause.  He was used to playing on Broadway in a much smaller venues!  And it was a week-day so the audience didn't fill up the hall like a weekend would. He had been used to being able to see beyond the stage and hear the audience applause and laughter.  At the Bass, being much larger than the theaters he was used to, (you know, everything is bigger in Texas!)  neither of these...seeing or hearing from the stage...was occurring. I guess Richard was able to convince him that all was well, because he seemed pretty jovial at the cast party after the show, which we were invited to attend! Quite an evening! 

     I bought myself a calendar for 2017 with my activities written on it. I look at it every day to see what, if anything, I am supposed to do.  This calendar happens to be about this very subject!  Artist's Angst!  Here is a picture for the month of January!

The though for January!

And, although age has soften the anxiety with each new work of art..(.I am now really just trying to please myself)...Most of my artist friends and I do go through a similar process!!

Standing on the Side of Right

"General Motors, General Mills, General Foods, general ignorance, general apathy, and general cussedness elect presidents and Congressmen and maintain them in power.” 
― Herbert M. Shelton

     I feel that I may have misled some of you by my last blog and maybe past ones.  Although I am not reading newspapers or listening to most news, I do record the nightly news from PBS and when I watch it, I just fast forward anything I don't want to hear....specific persons whose voices I do not want to hear, etc.  And I am a fan of Charlie Rose on PBS who is very current with what's happening. I also like Washington Week on PBS which I again record.  What I don't buy into is all the FB stuff that is negative, negative, negative!!  Before the election, I was out there signing every petition I could and I was reposting all kinds of stuff!  I am no longer doing that....only posting good stuff. I just wanted to clarify that I don't suffer from the ostrich syndrome...burying my head in the sand (do ostriches really do that?).
     Last night I attended the Stonewall Democrats monthly meeting, the first one of the new year.  I have been to a few other meetings with them but had not joined.  This is a great bunch of folk who really have their hearts and heads in the right place so I joined and am now a card-carrying member of this fine organization.

     Another reason I went last night was because I knew that a speaker from the local chapter of Moms Demand Action was going to be there.  I have been a member of this organization for a couple of years and believe strongly in what they stand for.

     Last Saturday, the MOMS held a letter-writing campaign which I was not able to attend, so at the meeting last night, I got the info to do so on my own. This campaign is to try to defeat a few bills in the Texas State Government that are very serious to the idea of open carry.  Now, contrary to popular belief, this national organization of MOMS, in conjunction with EVERYTOWN, is not for gun control but for sensible gun use and care. These bills which are being proposed will allow more people to carry  guns in more places with less restrictions than we have now. I am going to spend a little time contacting my legislatures to let them know of my displeasure of these bills.  If anyone who reads this wants more information, just let me know.

      Another website link I got at the Stonewall Meeting was from a site "indybay.org" which has a guide called "Indivisible:A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda".  I am downloading it as I write so haven't read it yet.  It was suggested to me that it has many strategies on how to overcome that person's agenda.

    And I also feel I better rewrite my introduction about no politics!!!

The KAWS at the Modern

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”
― Edgar Degas

     Yesterday, I had a great day with a couple of my favorite people...Annunziata and Lanham are neighbors from our neighborhood South of Fort Worth where we lived before moving to the Villas in FW. They lived right across the street from us, built their house a year or so after we were there...no Lanham at that time!  So I have known that young man since birth!

Lanham with a KAWS piece at the Modern

    We met at the Modern Museum in FW and had lunch then viewed the current guest exhibit.."KAWS:Where the End Starts". A very interesting, thought-provoking modern Pop Art exhibit. KAWS is a young artist-43-who began his art with an educated form of street art. Check out the link about him, how he got started and how he got to where he is today.

Annunziata and Lanham

A Bust of the Artist

Annunziata and Jay outside the Modern

    I was pleasantly surprised by the numbers of people who were at the Modern!  I say pleasantly because I think it is very cool when so many people enjoy art!  The Modern is free on Sundays, and it is always crowded with all ages and walks of life.  I love it when I see couples with little kids up to teenagers in attendance!  Culture is not dead!

One of the walls between rooms in the exhibit

    I asked the  monitor (you know, the guys/gals who are there to tell you to not get too close...I am speaking terms with many of them...just ask my kids!) who painted it because it is on a permanent wall and is a very good rendition of KAWS work.  He told me that the artist himself came and painted it for the show! I knew artists often help with the installment of  their works because they have very definite ideas of how their art should be displayed, but I didn't realize they would go this far!  I then asked what would become of it when this show is over...he said it would be painted over!  He said there were many layers of different art work on the walls. Wow!  I thought...boy, years from  now, when arecheologists are uncovering this, they are going to be really mystified by that!

A Good Beginning

“Let go of what was and embrace what is to be.”
― Lailah Gifty Akita,
I am feeling really good about my first day of the new year! I went to church....the night before, I had said maybe, that I would decide in the morning. And I am really glad I did! Almost all of my favorite people were there. The service was to the point and brief! Our resident harpist played two of my favorite songs..."The Wind Beneath My Wings" and "Imagine"; and we had an "atonement" ceremony. We wrote on dissolvable paper that which we wanted to let go of from 2016 and placed the slips in bowls of water. Then we wrote on another piece of paper what we want to embrace for 2017, just private notations to take with us...and I went to lunch with a couple of friends.

While I am at lunch, I get a text from my daughter telling me of dinner plans, so I decide to eat light as I am going out again that night! Then I go home and actually got quite a bit done. I am putting facing/binding on a couple of Andrea's quilts; I have a small challenge quilt which I have pieced but not quilted ready to work on for today. Then I got ready and drove to Marti's to go with them for dinner. Surprise!! I hadn't read her text very closely...dinner is for Monday night, not Sunday! That'll teach me to read text messages more carefully!

And I stopped by the library (which wasn't open) to drop off a few books that are due this week...which reminded me I don't think I had "reviewed" them on my blog so here they are:

First book

I first started this as an audio book, but thought it was one of those I would prefer to read and it was! It is historical ficion based on a Negro man who came to Texas with his master during the Civil War, with his wife and children. As soon as they got to Texas, his master freed all of them and the story develops with the main character, Britt Johnson (who was a real person as were his master, wife, etc.) and the dealings they have Indians and post Civil War. The setting was of particular interest because they had ranches not far from Weatherford and talked about traveling all over this area...Fort Worth, Dallas, Graham, and more. I recommend it for history buffs who are also interested in local history.

Second book

The second book I was taking back to the library is also historical fiction with all the characters real people. I, of course, knew who John Wilkes Booth was (and he does assassinate Lincoln in this book too!!) but I really didn't know that much about his motivation, his family and many of the other conspirators that he worked with during that time. I again found the description of the times leading up to the assassination to be very well written and the involvement of other people in the plot was interesting to me. Also the affect his acts had on innocent family members was quite revealing. Another four star for me.

Happy New Year!

Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier.' Alfred Lord Tennyson

A new year is upon us!

     This is the first day of the rest of all of our lives!  What are we going to do with this year? Do you make resolutions?  I kind of do....informally.  It is a time to reflect on the past and a time to look into the future....neither of which we really have a lot of control over. You cannot change the past and you can only hope to improve and enjoy the new year.

      Last night I celebrated the new year in with some of my friends...I only had to walk around to the other side of the building and I was there...pretty safe trip!!  We played charades, ate, drank and laughed ourselves silly!  Joy had asked me to come up with one of the lists of songs, books, etc. for our charades. One of the topics she wanted a list for was quotes.  That was the toughest one for me.  Now, I love quotes...you may have noticed I begin each blog with a quote.  But to come up with quotes that could be acted out...without saying a word?  Well, I googled "favorite quotes", "famous quotes" and came up with many I didn't think would work for charades but are worthy of noting so I decided to share them here...too good to waste!!

1. "Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest!"-Mark Twain

2. "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them more!"-Oscar Wilde

3. "When I was a boy, I was told anyone can become President. Now I am beginning to believe it!"-I would like to say this quote was made this past election, but it was said by Clarence Darrow..and I couldn't find out just who he may have been referring to...presidents during his lifetime..Arthur, Cleveland, McKinley, T. Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, and FDR. If anyone has an idea of which he is speaking of, I'd love to know!