Music, Music! and Some Art

“Where words fail, music speaks.” 
― Hans Christian Andersen

"My Blue Boat Home"

     I've been doing a lot of sewing today and while doing so, I have been listening to music.  Several different genres....folk, soundtracks, bluegrass.  The folk song writer who has been on my mind because of his song "My Blue Boat Home" is Peter Mayer.  If you have not heard this song, be sure to click on the title to hear Scott McNeill singing it.  This is one of my favorite songs which we sing at my church, Westside Unitarian Universalist.  And to find out more about Peter Mayer, a folk singer and writer from Minnesota, click on his name. Here are the lyrics.

Lyrics to My Blue Boat Home

Though below me, I feel no motion 

Standing on these mountains and plains 

Far away from the rolling ocean 

Still my dry land heart can say 

I've been sailing all my life now 

Never harbor or port have I known 

The wide universe is the ocean I travel 

And the earth is my blue boat home

Sun, my sail, and moon my rudder 

As I ply the starry sea 

Leaning over the edge in wonder 

Casting questions into the deep 

Drifting here with my ship's companions 

All we kindred pilgrim souls 

Making our way by the lights of the heavens 

In our beautiful blue boat home

I give thanks to the waves upholding me 

Hail the great winds urging me on 

Greet the infinite sea before me 

Sing the sky my sailor's song 

I was born upon the fathoms 

Never harbor or port have I known 

The wide universe is the ocean I travel 

And the earth is my blue boat home.

     And here is what I have been sewing on...not finished just yet. Below is a picture for our December challenge with studioQ....a painting done by Josef Albers "Variant: Four Reds Around Blue".

     

"Four Reds Around Blue" by Josef Albers-1948

And here is where I am so far....the process....I hope to have more to show for tomorrow.

Selecting my fabric

Slicing it up!

One of many decisions to make...this one?

....Or this one?

Keeping in mind, I am not trying to replicate the painting, just using it for inspiration! Often, when I am designing I work intuitively...meaning I don't do much planning ahead.  I just do one section, then another and keep adding to it until I am satisfied with the results. Stayed tuned to see what progress is made tomorrow!  Ah, the suspense!  Even I don't know!!!

Samaritan House

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” 
― John Bunyan

Logo for Samaritan House

     Once a month a committee from my church takes a turn going to Samaritan House, serving the Supper Club to the residents there.  We buy fried chicken to feed from 20-35 people each time. And we all take sides and desserts.  They tell us they like our food best because most of what we bring is home-made!  I could say that they probably say that to all their benefactors, but I won't...it is a good feeling to think they are getting a home made meal!

     Samaritan House has been around since 1991 and has had a lot of people go through their doors. This link will take you to the their website which explains the House itself...history, location, needs, etc.  According to the website there are 35 groups which take part in the Supper Club as we do. And you will see there are many other ways one can pitch in to help.

      Being this was our December time, they are decorated for Christmas.  Last week when we had our dinner here at my Villas, one of our decorations was a beautiful gingerbread house.  Patty Bowles is one of my neighbors here and it was given to her by one of her students whose grandmother had made it for her.  So Patty, whose grandkids don't live near here, wanted to give it away to someone who might enjoy it.  I thought of Samaritan House and took it up there this evening when I went for Supper Club.

Gingerbread House...I wish I knew the woman's name who made it but I don't!

It was very much enjoyed by the residents of Sam House. I hope they will go ahead and eat it in a few days!

Villas Bookclub

“True hope is swift, and flies with swallow's wings.” ― William Shakespeare   

  The book we read this month was "The Storied Life of A.J. Fickry" by Gabrielle Zevin.

Book Cover

And we had a very interesting meeting to discuss it.  One of our members, Sandy Speigel, arranged for us to meet in a relatively  new independent bookstore that opened up in Fort Worth about six months ago.  The bookstore, The Last Word is located at 615 Jennings Ave.

The Last Word

And is owned by Paul Combs, a local Texas man.

Paul Combs, Owner of The Last Word Bookstore

It is a very eclectic, well-stocked place. He offers an area for meetings and plans to expand the area.  There is poetry night once a week...I think Tuesdays, but check his FB page for details.

       Because the book itself is about a guy who owns an Independent bookstore, the meeting place was spot on!  I really enjoyed the book...When I first began reading it, I thought...oh, it's another story about a curmudgeon like Ove, the book we just read last month....but it isn't...it develops slowly but really grabs you so you don't want to put it down. There is a bit of intrigue that peels away like the layers of an onion.  I definitely recommend it. And go visit The Last Word! Independent bookstores need our support!!

An Interesting Website

“I can hardly wait for tomorrow, it means a new life for me each and every day.” 
― Stanley Kunitz

      There are a few websites that I subscribe to...mostly art related.  textileartists.org is one of them. I get a newsletter from them a few times a week and it is always full of great articles about artists, techniques, etc.  I believe the subject matter would be of interest to most anyone, artist or not.
       The latest article I just read is on a fiber artist Ian Berry.  He does fantastic work in denim.

Ian Berry in his Studio

"Heath Street" by Ian Berry

     Here is a link about a solo show that opened this past November....in London!  He is British-born but his art is international. And here is a link to more of his art and a link to a video about how he creates his art. 

'Tis the Season

“What are you planting today to harvest tomorrow?” 
― Lailah Gifty Akita

     So busy!!!  This past weekend, the Villas on the Bluff where I live had two events! On Saturday night, we had our catered Christmas dinner from Olive Garden held at our clubhouse. We had a special treat this year with entertainment by a few of the members of the Trinity Terrace Ukulele Band featuring singers also. They led us in a singalong after eating!

Trinity Terrace Ukulele Band (in part)

One of my friends and neighbor here at the Villas, Reed Bilz, is also a member of this group and arranged to have them play for us.

One of the decorated condos

Then on Sunday, we had our second annual open house.  There were six people who opened up their homes for a tour...often it is those who have really gone all out on decorations or have done some remodeling in their homes.  There are four basic floor plans here and most of us have put our individual stamp on our condos.  So it is fun to see what each has done to this effort!  Then after the open house our social chair person with help from her minions, has a little hot cider and treats in the clubhouse.

Home Tour

Our fearless social chairperson, Gloria Belisch

And one of her minions, Mary Hiett, who hosted the reception after the home tour.

Then on Monday, I had lunch with a dear friend, Khadija Kapasi. Khadija and I had gotten to know each other when we served on the scholarship committee with Trinity Valley Quilter's Guild many years ago and just recently reconnected.  I knew Khadija and I were of the same mindset philosophically and politically, but this was the first time we had really had a one on one conversation and I discovered we really are of one mind!!! Great to see her! And she brought me this lovely bouquet!

Bouquet from Khadiji

Then Monday evening, we held an impromptu dinner, serving two purposes....for the volunteers serving the dinner and helping with the reception to eat up the left over lasagna and fetticine (small compensation for the work involved!) and to celebrate Burble's birthday!  Eight of us gathered around my table about  5:30 and had a great time well into the night!

The Lovely Miss Burble!!

I feel very fortunate to have moved to the Villas...great people and great location.  Dick and I located here shortly before he became so ill.  When we located in the country on retirement, we knew the day would come when we would need to move closer in so how fortunate that this came available  at the precise right time! He was very happy to have me "settled" in a good location!

Loving

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops… at all.”  -Emily Dickinson  
 
     I had recently (November 9) sworn off news, talk shows, etc. but I have slightly modified that claim...I record PBS Newshour and Charlie Rose...that way I can fast forward through any negative news that I do not want to listen to and yet be somewhat informed of what is going on! (I have a couple of good friends and daughters who let me know if anything reallllly serious is happening that I need to know about!)
     While eating my lunch today...taking a break from the enormous job of decorating my three foot Christmas tree and arranging my multitude of Santas that I have collected forever,  I watched an interview on the Charlie Rose show that was done a few days ago with the director (Jeff Nichols) and a couple of the actors from the new film "Loving".

From the film

It is based on a true story of an interracial couple who illegally got married in Virginia in 1958 where it was against the law for people of different races to marry.  Jeff Nichols explained that he got the idea for the film from the HBO Documentary (2011) about the Lovings.  As I have HBO, I went to HBO On Demand and looked up the title "The Loving Story", downloaded it and have watched it. (My lunch break got a little longer than planned!)

Mildred and Richard Loving

The above is a picture of the real Lovings...quite a story of their fight to become legal so they could live in Virginia where they grew up and where all their families lived.  It goes into their struggle all the way to the Supreme Court...very well done!

        But what blows my mind is that 1958 was the year I graduated from high school and the Supreme Court case was in 1967.  That period of time took me through college, marriage and birth of one child with one on the way! And I didn't even know this was going on! Social media/FB/ cell phones, etc. have really change our way of living and have made the world a much smaller place ...which is a good thing!  

     

WW....And A Bad Five Minutes!

“Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances that we know to be desperate.” 
― G.K. Chesterton

Weight Watcher LOGO

     About 25 years ago, I lost 30+ pounds on the Weight Watcher plan.  Once I had made my goal weight, I quit going to the meetings.  Gradually through the years, I put about 20 pounds back on.  Then six-seven years ago, I was diagnosed with Diabetes II.  So I signed up for the diabetic dietary classes given at Harris Southwest.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that their outlook towards weight loss and weight control was very similar to the WW plan.
      Once again, I lost the same 20 pounds again....and kept it off for quite awhile. Then Dick got sick; we moved from our country home back into the city to my current condo.  While taking care of Dick my eating habits kind of dissolved! After he passed away, I had a great deal of time to fill. I am surrounded by restaurants and great friends who like to eat out! So on came the pounds again! And I decided to go back to Weight Watchers.
       I have been going for about five months now and back down to my goal weight of 25 years ago. The difference is....I am going to continue to go to the meetings! It is close to my home and the meeting I go to has a really great leader!  Her name is Susan and she is so funny yet sincere in what her people are achieving.  The program is really easier to do than it was last time I did it.  It is recommended you keep track of what you eat and the company has gone viral...they have an app to  use on the phone...so easy to keep track of points.  There is even a scanner on the app that I can use in the grocery store to scan a bar code and it will tell me just how many points a food is.  Practically ever well-known restaurant is listed with menus telling what each item is worth in WW points.  You would be amazed at what some foods are in points!
      And the meetings are good for emotional support too.  I went last night to my usual meeting and was pleased that I am maintaining my weight loss (another incentive is, once one has reached their goal, the meetings are FREE! I just have to weigh in once a month or more if I wish, and stay within my goal to keep the free status.)  Last night this one member was telling about a quote she had seen somewhere and put on her fridge..."So you have had a bad day?   Did you really have a bad day, or did you have a bad five minutes which YOU milked into a bad day?"  I love that statement!  The idea being don't let a bad five minutes drag you into a bad day...put it behind you! Move on!!!
     

An Amazing Presentation

“Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people. ” 
― W.C. Fields

     Yesterday I went to the Modern in Fort Worth to see the National Theater Production of the stage play of  "War Horse" which had been filmed in London. What a marvelous production! The stage play is from the book "War Horse" written by Michael Morpurgo and made into a Steven Spielberg movie.

Book Cover

     I had seen the movie on Netflix not long ago and thought I had read the book, but in the film yesterday, after the intermission, the London theater had interviewed the author of the book and the director of the play.  The book was written in 1982, but not until Spielberg picked it up and made a movie of it in 2011, did it become well-known.  When the author told of making Joey the horse the narrator of the story, I realized I have not read it, so now I think I am going to have to add it to my "to read" list.

        The play would be wonderful to see, but the film of it was a very close facsimile! The truly spectacular thing is that the horses are all life size puppets!  I am going to give you a couple of You Tube links so you can see a bit of the wonder of it all.  And one link goes into the making of the film and the explanation of how the horse "works". Just click on the blue lettering and that should take you to the links.  There are many more out there on You Tube if you are interested.

Advertisement for the National Theater Production

     It is difficult to fathom how one can get so emotionally wrapped up in a play with puppets, but it is so well done, you forget that the horses ARE puppets, and you don't even see the men who are the puppeteers! And not just the action of the horses, but also the singing...an Irish tenor/like voice..that comes in at various times throughout the play, and the other characters.  I don't know where you can see the film...I'm sure it is somewhere to be seen on tv...just Google it!

'Tis the Season!

 m“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” 
― Nelson Mandela

        Party time! This is the Season when everybody and every group has a Christmas party!  So far, I have been to three. The first one was last Friday....the first Friday of the month the Villas' lunch bunch goes to a different place for lunch.  But in December the traditional lunch location is Neiman Marcus' Zodiac Room at the Ridgmar Store....special this year as they are moving to a new location.

The Zodiac Room at Neiman's-Ridgmar

Our organizer and hostess is Burble Williams, long time resident of the Villas.  Every year she not only organizes the lunches, but she purchases a famous Neiman Marcus chocolate cookie for everyone who attends!
.

Yummmm!!!!

      Then that same night, the membership Committee from Westside UU (of which I am a member) had our Christmas get together at Chadra's Mezza and Grill...a restaurant with a Lebanese cuisine...very tasty!

On Park Place just off 8th

     And the third luncheon I attended was yesterday at the Petroleum Club.  My neighbor Sandi invited me to the Fort Worth Woman's Club Christmas Luncheon and bridge party.  One of their members is also a member of the Petroleum Club and she always hosts their Christmas party at the club.  Very swank!!  And really great food!!

The Gallery where we ate lunch...lower right chair is where I sat.

The lounge where we played bridge

Fort Worth from the 40th floor of the Petroleum Club

Looking down on the Fort Worth Convention Center

The vanities in the ladies' restroom

My gift Snow Globe

     The lady who hosted the luncheon and bridge had placed a small snow globe at each plate and this was the one where I was sitting.  I didn't see it until well into the lunch and thought "How appropriate for me"! Hope is my focus in my quotes for each blog entry! And I have a pretty extensive collection of Santas!

Book Reviews

    “Don’t let mental blocks control you. Set yourself free. Confront your fear and turn the mental blocks into building blocks.” 
― Roopleen, Words to inspire the winner in YOU
        I have completed two books which I have not reviewed yet.  One was for my bookclub with my church. We read  "The Age of Desire" by Jennie Fields.  It is about Edith Wharton, author of many well known books, "The Age of Innocence", "The House of Mirth", "Ethan Frome" and more.  Apparently Mrs. Wharton, living in the Victorian Age was somewhat sexually deprived!  If you want to find out whether she overcame this condition, you will have to read the book!!!  I realized I have never read anything by Wharton, and now that I know a whole lot more about her, not sure I want to! She was not always a very nice person....and I don't mean morally.  She was from a wealthy background and, typical of the times, thought nothing of those who spent their lifetimes taking care of her.  It is well written and easy to read...does tell a great deal of the period and other persons of the time...Henry James, for one.  He and Edith were big friends.

Book Cover for "Age of Reason"

      The other book I "read" recently was an audio book...."The Muse" by Jesse Burton.  Jesse Burton is a young English author and actress.  This is her second book....her first being "The Miniaturist" a tale about a young girl soon to be wed to a wealthy merchant in 1686 Amsterdam. (I have read it also and liked it very much..a peculiar book, but holds your interest.) "The Muse" is a modern-day novel about Odelle Bastien, a young girl form Trinidad coming to London-1967 seeking work.  I had a bit of trouble getting into the plot at the beginning, but soon became totally wrapped up in the story. It shifts back and forth from the present (1967) to rural Spain in 1936.  There is intrigue, art, literature, and politics all wrapped up in a very good story.  This is one that I think I would have enjoyed reading rather than listening to...and may still!  Jesse Burton seems to get better with her writing....looking forward to more from her.

Book Cover for "The Muse"

"Crack of Dawn"

“Hope and Memory have one daughter and her name is Art, and she has built her dwelling far from the desperate field where men hang out their garments upon forked boughs to be banners of battle. O beloved daughter of Hope and Memory, be with me for a while.” ― W.B. Yeats 

  Studio Art Quilters' Association is sponsoring what they call a "Trunk Show".  They put out a call for 7" x 10" art quilts which will premiere at the 2017 Conference to be held in Lincoln, Nebraska next spring.  After the conference the art works will travel to various venues then come home to SAQA and be on sale if the artist gave permission to sell. Size was the only requirement; technique, color, design, etc. was an open book!  My kind of regulations!
      I had an idea in mind for a larger quilt which I may still do...in my mind's eye it was called "Raindrops".   I thought doing a mini of my idea would be good practice to see if I liked the idea.  Fabric was no challenge...I have tons of fabric...from yardage to scrapes!   So I started pulling out all my blues, greens, turquoise, and anything in between.
        I sewed my strips and miniature  squares together and began to place them side by side.  After having the size correct with out binding yet, I put it all up on the design wall to study before final construction.  As I looked at it, I thought it to be too dark and monotonous. So I picked up a sliver of hot pink and layered it between a couple of sections. And that was the pop I needed to see! Thus, "Raindrops" became "Crack of Dawn" in an instant!
   

"Crack of Dawn"

 After getting it all together, I decided, as it was a small piece, I would hand stitch it.  I do love to hand stitch in the evening while watching television....I can stay awake if I am doing something besides staring at the tv screen!

Closeup of stitching

A Celebration and a Process

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” 
― Lao Tzu

My Lovely friends and the newly weds!  Carol and Sue!

     Last Saturday, I had the pleasure to attend one of the most moving marriage ceremonies I have ever been to...two lovely ladies from my church who have been partners for over 15 years, finally decided to tie the knot!  A year and a half ago, this would not have been possible for them to do in the state of Texas, but since the Supreme Court ruling June 26, 2015 stating that same-sex marriage was legal in all 50 states, thousands of loving couples have been allowed to experience marriage, something that heterosexual persons have always enjoyed.
      It kind of blows my mind that there may still be individuals who would deny this joy to some while proclaiming  their righteousness on the subject!  But that aside...what a day for these two! Our little church could hardly contain the guests who came to help with the celebration!  I was so delighted to be a part of it!
      A few weeks before the service, Sue came to me and rather shyly asked it I would make a ring-bearer pillow for the ceremony...maybe heart-shaped with some rainbow ribbons?  I have never made a ring-bearer pillow before but when has that stopped me!  I told her I would be delighted to give it a try!
      First step: Google!  I love Google!  That was one of the reasons I wanted a Smart Phone...so I could have instant information!!! I needed to know the approximate size of RB pillows and any other useful information!  Then off to Joann's for colors of the rainbow fabric and ribbon!  I had plenty of white satin from another project of a few years ago.

The begins of the sash.

Ribbons to braid into the laces.

All the parts to put together.

Voila!  All together!

Ready to bag up and give to the ladies!

Don't we all just look too happy for words!!

And one more picture of another couple from my church...Myron and Linda Ice!  A year or so ago, Myron took up the art of cake decorating...so Linda makes the cakes and Myron decorates them!  They are both music teachers, but if they ever decide to give that up, they have a whole other profession waiting in the wings!

Linda and Myron Ice...I missed getting a pic of the cake before they started cutting it up, but you can see a corner of the top off to the lower right...cranberries that looked like they are covered in frost!  A perfect December wedding cake!

Water Is Life!

“Hope is a force of nature. Don't let anyone tell you different.” 
― Jim Butcher, Changes

Logo for the Standing Rock Peaceful Protestors

     I haven't blogged for awhile, but I have had a very busy week!!   I am going to be writing in reverse...I am starting with the events in my life of this afternoon.  Today the Peaceful Protestors of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe (who wish to be called "Water Protectors" rather than Protestors)  had asked peoples throughout the world to stand with them  in protest against the Black Snake pipeline which is attempting to run an oil line through the sacred grounds of the tribe and under the Missouri River in North Dakota which could potentially affect their water source  and on a bigger scale the whole Missouri River system. If one could not participate in person at the site, then they asked that everyone participate in any way possible.

Encampment of just a few of the peaceful protestors 

     So my church, Westside Unitarian Universalist held a vigil for an hour this afternoon which I attended. It was a very moving program...song, meditation, slide show on the current state of affairs of the standoff....some very brutal...harking back to the use of National Guard in the '60's against Civil Rights protestors! We had wonderful music performed by a couple of our church members with Indian heritage.  Alisa Tomlinson plays Native American music on her flutes; Joe Villaneuvre is a harpist....both so talented!  Their music was very soulful and took me to a different place!

Alisa and Joe playing together

Alisa Tomlinson

Joe Vellaneuvre

     And just as I got in my car to head home, I had NPR on the news.  They were broadcasting that the Corps of Engineers had just announced they will not be granting easement rights to build the final section of the Dakota pipeline! Talk about timely!! Just gives me goosebumps to think as we are sending positive vibes to the Standing Rock  Tribe, the announcement is being made!!!

And YES!  I support the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

Here is a link to an up to date News flash is you are interested in reading more.