In fused-glass class today, one of the other students asked the instructor, “Where do you get ideas for projects and patterns?” I had to zip my mouth to stop from saying, “Where do you NOT get ideas?” For me the problem is “Where do I get the time to carry out all the ideas I have already?” … read more Where do ideas come from?
Month: October 2015
The mother in Virginia
Fifty-two years ago today, a teenage girl in Richmond, Virginia gave birth to a healthy baby boy. She knew he would never again see her smiling at him, or hear her voice say “I love you.” She gave him a name, knowing that he would never use that name. And then she let him go. Today, on … read more The mother in Virginia
Death by hanging
Jacky Sutton’s friends don’t believe that she committed suicide. Some of them hinted that it could have been a murder committed by ISIS. Jacky was a former BBC journalist who worked in media development for many years. She spent most of her time in very rough places, including Eritrea, Afghanistan and Iraq. She helped me out … read more Death by hanging
German frittata
I’ve got four hungry people to feed this morning and no omelette pan. What to do? If you’re Germanic like me, you make a frittata. It’s perfect for a group breakfast on a weekend trip because you can keep them all busy doing the prep work of chopping, grating and mixing. I love having guests for this reason. … read more German frittata
The secret life of trees
She was such a beauty, her many arms curved gracefully to the sky like a dancer. The loveliest tree in the yard at our cabin. Unlike some of the older, taller trees, our scarlet oak seemed very healthy: straight of trunk, and with no fungus or weak spots. I looked forward to many more years of … read more The secret life of trees
The plumber’s daughter
Most folks do not look forward to a discussion about septic tanks, I’m told. I do, though. We had a local construction guy, Chris, out to the cabin today, to look over our septic and water supply situation, and I anticipated it with a kind of glee. Toilets, gas lines, water lines, furnaces, AC, gray water, … read more The plumber’s daughter
Guilty, guilty, guilty
The cop’s flashers come on as soon as I pass him, and he pulls out to follow me. Immediately my mind and heart are racing. Did he track me down for doing 85 mph on the Interstate Tuesday? Will he arrest me for not speaking up when the clerk at Ingles charged me for regular … read more Guilty, guilty, guilty
Day 100: Copper river
My sculpture is leaning a little to the left. As I pile the pennies onto the sculpture, I position them with meaning. Quadrants: left lower is negative, right upper is positive, right lower is falling, left upper is rising. The rising quadrant has the most pennies so far, and I think that’s a good way … read more Day 100: Copper river
Day 99: Playing with Kandinsky
Can you build a whole painting around a single square of color? You can learn to, if you play around. That’s what I’m doing by playing with colored rectangles derived from those used by Wassily Kandinsky in Thirteen Rectangles. Although the arrangement of Thirteen Rectangles seems random, each shape and its color is part of the dynamic … read more Day 99: Playing with Kandinsky
Day 98: A taste of Columbus
Columbus is the quintessential Dead White Guy – castigated as one who was undeservedly glorified by other elites. The guy had a tough trip across the Atlantic, for sure, and he launched the colonization of the Americas, so he is not insignificant. But you don’t have to be a Howard Zinn fan to know that he didn’t … read more Day 98: A taste of Columbus