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.

   

     

Post-Thanksgiving

“Hope itself is like a star- not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. ” 
― Charles Haddon Spurgeon

       From a beautiful, sunny day yesterday to a dreary, chilly day today!  Actually, kind of nice weather to just stay in, after a busy day yesterday!  Great time with family and extended family.  Since Andrea and I are Marti's only family in the area, Marti's in-laws have very graciously  "adopted" us as family members too.  We have always, since Marti and Graham were married over 25 years ago, had a very close relationship which has only deepened through the years, with the birth of shared grandkids, and the loss of family members...parents, siblings, spouses, etc.  

The Ayers Clan

     This is our adopted family!  On the far left is Sara with her wife, Laura; then Luke with his wife, Jordan-both Sara and Luke are the children of Angela Ayers Nickell and husband Brant who are on the far right.  In the middle are Bob and Eddy Lou Ayers, the parents/grandparents of the clan. In the center behind them is Colin (our shared grandson) and next to him Kathleen (our shared granddaughter)-both children of Graham Ayers behind Kathleen and Mary/Marti Dodds Ayers-my daughter. Great family...I have known these Ayers and Nickell kids from birth and feel very much a part of this clan!

 

The Jay Dodds' family

And here I am with my smaller clan!  Another really good-looking bunch!  These were taken yesterday at Bob and Eddy Lou's home.  As I said, a beautiful day inside and out!!

Happy Thanksgiving

"I woke this morning with a devout thanksgiving for  my friends, the old and the new!"  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanksgiving Wall Hanging

     This is a wall hanging I made several years ago with fabric I had gotten in New England when Dick and I took our first big trip after I retired.  We went to New Hampshire, Vermont, etc in the fall when the colors were just fabulous!  The wall hanger is one made by Dick...representing geese flying in formation.

Vermont Creek

       When we retired and built our home on a couple of acres southwest of Fort Worth, we hosted the Thanksgiving Feast for family far and near.  At one time we had nearly 30 people....everyone would bring food...we did the turkey, dressing and gravy and desserts.  Football and games after! Now that I am living in a condo, I don't have room for such a crowd, but we still get together....not quite so many.  Either my daughter here in Fort Worth or her In-laws host.  Still good times had by all!

        As I write this at 5:00AM I am reflecting on what Thanksgiving means beyond eating, games, and football.  I have a few friends who do not celebrate Thanksgiving because of the connection to Europeans invasion of the land of the Native Americans.  Although I have great sympathy for Indigenous People, I can celebrate the time together and look beyond that horrendous period to what the meaning of Thanksgiving has taken on for me.

      For me this is  a time of gathering together of those I hold most  dear. And to those family in far away places, I know you are gathering together also and can visualize your feasting, too.   So much laughter and fun, not to mention the great food!!!  Dick and I always said we liked Thanksgiving better than Christmas which to me has gotten so fake...so materialistic...whereas Thanksgiving is a time of reflection and of hope.  

      Now I have to go make my apple pie to take this afternoon for the gathering so to all my family and friends, near and far away...Happy Thanksgiving and may the coming year be one of positive energy and gratitude for what is good in this world!

       

     

Meeting of the Crones

“If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.” 
― Henry David Thoreau, I to Myself: An Annotated Selection from the Journal of Henry D. Thoreau

      Yesterday, my art quilters group, studioQ, held our monthly meeting at Cabbage Rose, a fabric shop in Fort Worth.  This was our first time to meet in their new location.  When we first organized nearly 10 years ago, there were about 12 of us.  I guess it was our second year that we decided to do a Round Robin...that is a project where someone begins with a central block (the red square in the center bordered by black and more red in this case), then passes the block on to the next person with scarps of the fabric used.  The next person adds more and passes it with the fabric they received and the fabric they added.  This continues until everyone has added something. Our last person decided it was enough so she added embellishments!  And below you see the results! Which was returned yesterday by a newer member who had been enjoying it at her home.
       That first year, we entered it into the Trinity Valley Quilt Guild show in the  group category....the poor little thing looked so pathetic hanging with all these huge traditional quilts!  Nine or so years ago, art quilts were a bit of an oddity! Now all major quilt shows have an Art Quilt category which is quite extensive in some places.  There are even shows with nothing but Art Quilts!

An Early Round Robin

       And we didn't have a name yet either!  Shortly after that we decided we needed a name, by golly!  I was personally fond of being the Creative Crones, but several of our younger members didn't want to called a "Crone" which has, according to the dictionary, two distinct meanings:

1. Derogatory An old woman considered to be ugly; a hag.

2. A woman who is venerated for experience, judgment, and wisdom.

I personally think the numbers should be switched, but there you have it!  So we became studioQ instead....studio in lower case letters/capital Q.  The "Q" doesn't stand for anything in particular...could be anything! But I still use the Creative Crone moniker...(thus the name of my blog) with the emphasis on the number two definition!!!

        Any way, when we met yesterday, one of our focuses was to show our current challenge.  As I think I mentioned in an earlier blog, we have enjoyed doing our Masterpiece Challenge so much we decided to continue it and expand it to not just paintings, but any chosen art form. So last month Michelle gave us Frank Gehry's "Biomuseo", a museum designed by him and opened in 2014 in Panama City, Panama.  I have given you a link to the structure...it has a very interesting mission, etc..

Biomuseo 

From this picture, many of us designed an art quilt with this for inspiration.

My rendition...I doing quite a bit of hand stitching on it so am not quite finished..no binding yet.

Kay's

One of Heather's

One of Michelle's

A group shot of all of them together

Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of everyone's individual, but you can see them altogether here.  Our next challenge will not be until January...we are meeting in December but just for the food...nothing serious!!

Theater Weekend

“Yesterday is but a dream,  Tomorrow is only a vision. 
But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope.” 
― Kālidāsa, The complete works of Kalidasa

      This was my "theater" weekend! Saturday night I went to the Fine Arts movie at the Modern of Fort Worth with my good friend, Joy.  We saw "The Handmaiden" which was quite intense!  It was again in subtitles as many of their movies are.  The setting was Japan; the languages were spoken were Japanese  and Korean so the subtitles (which was told to the audience at the beginning) were in white for one and yellow for the other. And that was important because it helps the viewer realize that not all characters spoke both languages so some subterfuge was occurring.

The four main characters

      This is not a film all would enjoy because there are some scenes of very graphic love-making but we both thought the development of the intrigue, the mystery; how the plot grew, twisted and changed to a very satisfactory finale, was so gripping that the love-making was a vital part of the complete story!  This is  film I will not soon forget!

      Then we continued the evening with a late dinner at The Tavern, one of my favorite restaurants in FW. One of their signature dishes is their iron skillet cornbread!  They also have great soups, salads, seafood...Joy said her crab cakes were the best she had EVER had!  Cornbread can be purchased by the slice or by the skillet...I recommend the skillet so there is some left to take home!

Inside the Tavern

      Then today (Sunday), this afternoon, several of us went to the play at the Stage West where we have season tickets.  We also ate lunch there before the performance which is always another eating favorite!  They serve a brunch on Sunday which is huge!!  And tasty!  Quiche, fruit, cup of soup (today it was corn chowder), and a mini muffin.  They also have sandwiches and salads for those not wanting the Brunch.  And the Mimosas are hard to pass up! Desserts are always a real treat, too.

       The play we saw today was "Murder for Two"...there are only two actors in the whole play; one of them is the Detective, and the other guy plays ALL the suspects!   They are also  singers, pianists, and dancers.  It is a very cute farce with two very talented young men!

The "Murder for Two" Cast

     I think this play is on for another 2-3 weeks.  I have given you a link to the Stage West website if you want to check it out.

The First Day

“Write it on your heart

that every day is the best day in the year.

He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day

who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

Finish every day and be done with it.

You have done what you could.

Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.

Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;

begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit

to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear,

with its hopes and invitations,

to waste a moment on the yesterdays.” 

― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Collected Poems and Translations

        This is a little long for my introductory quote, but the whole poem spoke to me such that I couldn't just pull out a part of it. So......today is the first day of MY new year.  I do need to speak of yesterday, because it was such a wonderful day!  I was taken to lunch by my good friends, Debby and Raymond Pitts.

Jay and Debby

They took me to the Press Cafe, one of the new restaurants off of the Chisholm Trail area. Great lunch and then we split one of their HUGE cookies!

The Press Cafe (obviously!)

Then in the evening, my daughter Marti, granddaughter Kathleen, and SIL Graham took me to dinner at  La Madeleine's, another favorite of mine...great soups, sandwiches and salads!  And  I had a birthday coupon for a birthday dessert which we all shared! My grandkids have traditionally since they could put pencil to paper made birthday cards for their grandparents and today was no exception.  I rec'd a handmade card from Kathleen as well as a very appropriate card and gift certificate from Graham and Marti.

Graham, Kathleen, Marti, and Jay

    Earlier in the day, I had a text from my sweet grandson who is a Freshman at University of Arkansas, a phone call from daughter Andrea in McKinney, and all day long I received pings announcing messages on FB, text messages and emails  from family and friends from all over!!! And one very special email from Heifer International!

Andrea had contacted me earlier in the week to see if I would mind if she sent me a gift by way of this wonderful organization, Heifer International which sponsors third world country individuals by gifting them with basic needs which hopefully help with ongoing successes.... a flock of geese, a calf, sheep, etc. I, of course, said "yes".  I love getting gifts, but really, what do I need?? Nothing in the material sense so I am going to encourage more gifting of this nature!  

     Here is a copy of their mission statement and I have created a link I hope you can use if you wish.

"Founded in 1944, Heifer Project International is a sustainable development organization that works to end hunger and poverty and protect the earth. Through livestock, training and Passing on the Gift, Heifer has helped 15.5 million families in more than 125 countries improve their quality of life and move toward greater self-reliance. Heifer helps build strong communities because each project participant Passes on the Gift of their animal's first female offspring, training in its care and in sustainable agriculture to another family in need, multiplying the benefit."

And so...one last thought on this first day of the rest of my life!!!!