FOTO FRIDAY: MUM'S THE WORD

 

FOTO FRIDAY: Today was my Mom's birthday and I am so glad these decided to come back and show off their brilliant colors.  We had a little cold spell last week and I was worried they were zapped before bloomin'. I promise I won't tell since Mum's the word...

.Last week's FOTO FRIDAY was MORE THAN JUST WHITTLING

TBT: MORE LOSS

TBT: Yesterday continues to be a day of loss and if I ever needed a hug, today would have been it. It's been a decade since my Mom passed. As a survivor of WWII and its ugliness, always distrustful of man turning against man. 

May the goodness in all of us work hard in proving we can be better. 

     We were all together to celebrate Mother's Day in 2015.

MIDWEEK MUSINGS: POLITICAL ANIMALS

I skedaddled out of town after the last Political Animals get-together at the newly remodeled main library and my mind jumped to Fall in the Midwest...

Let me digress and share with you what was an interesting dialogue from two-time Pulitzer award-winning journalist, John Archibald. Mr. Archibald has been commenting on Alabama politics in his column since 2018 and on southern politics since 1973.

He has many daily readers, and they all don't love him. He spoke of changes, of how hate has grown in this country, reflected in some of his readers' comments. Archibald's reactions are respectful. He has not only attended these same readers' funerals but has been asked by families to write eulogies for those very same souls. Imagine that!

Also, there was mention of having to dirty our hands to deflate the hate dialogue of Christian Nationalism and improve the political climate with change, and not change that worsens others' daily lives. Martin Luther King even spoke of the church becoming sick. 

So what has happened to literacy?

People aren't reading books or newspapers. Where does one find the truth? 

Mr Archibald isn't optimistic and added we need community conversations and real news, not just social media quips.

 How can one argue with that?

MONDAY MUSINGS: ADAM & ME ,.IT'S OVER- THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

MONDAY MUSINGS & TUESDAY TUNES: I had to end it... You just went overboard and it was obvious by your actions Sunday night. You knew it. 

You spent most of the concert with your back to my side of the arena. (west) And the light show was overboard... Don't think that I didn't notice...

So dear Adam. We have to call it quits. Your addition of tattoos has been extreme. You might not have to look at the ones at the back of your neck, but I do.  

I'm feeling our 25 year age difference more than ever...

 I wish you luck in your future endeavors and all your songs, specifically Sugar, and of course, thanks for the MEMORIES.  ( click and skip ad) 

FOTO FRIDAY:MORE THAN JUST WHITTLING...

FOTO FRIDAY: Someone has some pretty sharp tools. Take your time admiring the newest art by Neal Harrington, a prof at Arkansas Tech,  greeting travelers in the Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock. 

TBT:WHO MADe YOU KING OF ANYTHING?

TBT : With No Kings Day having happened, this 2012 pic reappears on my memories from one of the many Madison protests back when Walker was wreaking havoc on Wisconsin, a state founded by progressives. 

 I am flanked by some of my favorite activists.

Left to right: Linda, Sue (z'l), George, yours truly, and Maureen. This is a wealth of years of protesting injustices. 

 Yeah, we still want to know WHO made you King of Anything? As relevant today when a 700 million dollar ballroom is built with the people's money... 

BTW I lent my sign to Maureen, referring to Sara Bareilles' song 

King of Anything.

MIDWEEK MUSINGS: THAWING/ HEATING UP?.

MIDWEEK MUSINGS:  My Wisconsin stay had unusually balmy weather for late October. Although temps dropped overnight with 2 mornings and thick frost on the rental's windshields, the days warmed up to high 50's-low 60's.  

Ironically, I came home to a cold Southern abode. Hmmm? Maybe the thermostat needed new batteries -  I changed them. Alas, still no heat kicking on. The thermostat read 62. Brrrr. Throws were added on sofas, the heavy bathrobe became an extra part of my inside apparel.  

I called my heating and cooling guys first thing the next day and left a message with the answering service. A return call - Did I hear correctly?  They wouldn't be able to come for 5 days? 

After looking high and low for my little space heater, it finally dawned on me, it was up in the attic. If I pulled down the attic stairs, it'd be colder in the house. Luckily, my sister-in-law's office had an extra one.  It just moved with me room to room. Even 64 felt a lot better than 62.

Last Friday I called the heating company again to plead for an earlier visit and lo and behold, someone would come out a day earlier. That would be Tuesday afternoon. One problem.  Tuesday arrived and no call and I had class, so I left a message on the front door in case they showed up earlier. I made it home close to noon to find the note still on the door. Whew.

A couple hours passed, and still no serviceman. Yet, when I went to call the company, there was an unknown number on my phone and sure enough, it was my service call. He had just arrived at another call but he would come to me next. Halleluyah!

Boy, was I glad to see this guy even if Little Rock is expecting 74 degree temps for the next 3 days! I definitely wanted the issue fixed before winter arrives. 

A loose valve was the issue. Now it's toasty and the sweatshirt and robe can be put away and the comforters are refolded for a later date.

The serviceman did apologize for the wait but they are booked for the next 2 weeks. I inquired why they didn't hire extra bodies. He replied they'd have to lay folks off in December when business comes to a complete standstill. It's dead. 

Well, this senior homeowner is mighty happy there will be heat when chillier temps arrive. 

tUESDAY tUNES:SUNDAY MORNING

TUESDAY TUNES this week delivers Maroon 5's Sunday Morning as if she's a veteran performer in the Voice's Blind Auditions Season 27. Meet 20-year-old Grace Miller-Moody from South Carolina. 

Take a listen to her rendition of SUNDAY MORNING

Impressive, right?

SUNDAY MORNING

MONDAY MUSINGS: MAKING PEACE

 MONDAY MUSINGS: Peace comes in all forms. Today's musing wasn't what I was planning on, but it is what it is.  I received a call this weekend from a childhood friend who has been struggling with her health for a myriad of reasons. Her cancers morphed and no matter how they tried to label her health and treat symptoms, success was elusive.  

Unbeknownst to me, she had been in the hospital since earlier in the week receiving transfusions.  The goal was to raise her blood cell count, but the transfusions couldn't do enough...                                   

For most of her illnesses, she has kept her setbacks to herself but this call was different. It was to let me know that she would be returning home, and would be on hospice, sleeping a lot.  I was to let others know. Perhaps friends would like to come sit with her even if she would probably be asleep most of their visit...  

 I am truly thankful to have received her call and most of all, to know she has chosen this path of peace...  

Friends forever...

FOTO FRIDAY: COULEE MIRACLE GRO

 FOTO FRIDAY: I think I know what happened to my chickens in the End of the Rainbow Valley. 

They must have gotten into the Miracle Gro.  

                                Oh my!

TBT: LAST YEAR DOWN A COUNTRY ROAD

• TBT: Oct 30 2024 A favorite with a home day at Poggio Etrusco. This so reminded me of the many walks down our country road in the End of the Rainbow Valley, only here I was surrounded by olive trees.

TUESDAY TUNES: JEALOUS

TUESDAY TUNES: Laberinth's JEALOUS sung by Josh Daniel in memory of his friend's passing...

MONDAY MUSINGS: AMISTADES

MONDAY MUSINGS this week is dedicated to those who made my life richer while I lived in southwestern Wisconsin and while it is not possible to see everyone I would like to see, I promise to be back for Natureman's yahrzeit with his sons in early' 26!

Amongst those I was able to spend a bit of time with included friends from all aspects of my past Coulee life:  Lynn from Coon Valley, Sam, one of my bonus sons and his two youngest daughters, Gail & Kylie in Cashton, Thursday Jazzercise coffee timers, Jazzercising in Deb and Megan's classes in person, overnighting with Karol in Holmen, seeing La Crossians Marta & Bill, dining with Heidi and Scott, Jennifer & Daniel, Jo Ellen & David, Pat, Nancy, Sally, Ralph, Nancy and of course, the person who provided the impetus to have this extra visit, Colleen.

You see it has been one year since my wonderful Tuscan adventure with my artist
buddy Colleen. 

As promised, she created an agriturismo exhibit Tuscany to Trempeleau which has been on display at Elmaro Winery this month. Yesterday, on a gorgeous fall day, was the sweet reception with local honey crisp apples & cheese, olives, spiced wine, Italian olive oil cake and wonderful art.

If you are in the area, you have until the end of the month to see it in person and even buy something for your walls!

Loved seeing you all and big thanks for Colleen being my travel partner!

The best gift one can give oneself is friends...

Lynn

Bonus grands Gail & Kylie

Jazzercise coffee time

Jennifer  

      

Nancy, yours truly, Pat & Karol

Nancy & Ralph

Sally on the walking path

FOTO FRIDAY: FALL'ING

FOTO FRIDAY: Nothing beats the beauty of FALL and remembering where and why I fell in love with the man and the Coulee...

Frost on the windshield these last 2 days is providing a gorgeous Fall visit as colors pop!

.

TBT: IN AWE OF GOURD TIME 15 years ago

TBT: Here we are in 2010 with the original Gourd Girl  (bottom step) and all her new inductees. We used my studio space above the garage to create this unique gourd art with her help. 

Mine still dons a den shelf in my new home...  It was such a wonderful creative day that Gourd girl returned to the Coulee and we made gourd people in a second class !

TUESDAY TUNES: CAN'T GET YOU OUTTA MY HEAD

K ylie Minoque says it quite well... because everyone who makes a difference in your life is always going to be part of those memories,  you can't get 'em outta your head... Catchy, right?

CAN'T GET YOU OUTTA MY HEAD 

MONDAY MUSINGS: A LIFETIME OF ART: DAVID STIEGLER

Friday, I had the opportunity to see a lifetime of an artist who wanted to have a last showing here in Little Rock. Unfortunately, David Steigler passed before his dream could be fulfilled, so his relatives ensured his dream came to fruition. a lifetime of art well represented, speaking for itself.

As I am journeying now through technique classes including sketching this quarter, it was particularly insightful and meaningful to see  samplings of his three decades of art. 

His family ended up in Rogers, Arkansas where he was raised by his dad and sister after his Mom passed when he was ten. In the late 60's he got a B.A. in Fine Arts at the U of A in Fayetteville and moved on to NYC for the entirety of his life.

I wanted to share some of his color journey and hopefully you will want to have oneof his pieces in your home too. Pencil, ink, watercolors, acrylic and oil...

Here is the website to see/ask about his work.

David Stiegler

 Steigler's love shines through his voluminous body of work. And we were privvy to just one quarter of it as the remainder was divided between other relatives.

                                        Self Portrait c1976

FOTO FRIDAY:GOLDDIGGERS?

FOTO FRIDAY: They came west not to dig for gold but to dig for something else that sparkled... 

Crystals. Every piece found whether big or small was a treasure.

TBT: NO KINGS DAY ALREADY EXISTED IN 2014

Our country already knew what big money was buying back in 2014... 

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TBT: With the importance of the upcoming elections, I will be posting daily photos of political signage I have taken since the last major election since the issues are just as poignant today, if not more. AND today, I don't have to say remember to say 'bring your ID ' as the US Supreme Court has ruled that Wisconsin cannot keep its citizens from voting without an ID. Halleluyah.

TUESDAY TUNES: TELL ME SOMETHNG GOOD

When I hear this one I always think of the one and only Chaka Khan.

1974.   Happy Tuesday!

TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD

FOTO FRIDAY: BOOM BOOM

FOTO FRIDAY: Need I say more than Boom Boom?

Red Hot must not have been red enough to see her. 

So here's my question to you, dear readers: Would you fix it right away? BTW The guilty did not leave a note...

TBT: MORNING WALKS 14 years ago

 TBT: My view out my kitchen window in Fall would beckon me outside for a good morning walk as the sun kissed the ridge. This was taken in 2011. 

The little red building is the chicken coop.

MIDWEEK MUSINGS: AI

 MIDWEEK MUSINGS: Many of you know I met Natureman online through a Jewish dating site called Jdate and you all know how well that worked out. Hey, we even got on a Times Square electronic billboard as one of their success stories. I named us the "Senior Poster Children. "

So you shouldn't be surprised I returned to this site to see if Love could strike twice.  No matter what the site's previous issues were,  now they have been taken over by a company in Germany. They decide who you can see and when. I don't like it at all.

Okay, 'AI  (Artificial Intelligence) decides not only who I can read about but goes outside of my parameters- age, distance, even religion. Why would I be on a Jewish site and be introduced to members who aren't even Jewish? I can date non-Jews where I live.

Back in the old days we searched by zip code, now you list mileage difference you'd consider. It doesn't mean that's what you are shown.  Another difference is you used to be told who liked your profile, then they added a percentage of compatibility. Okay, a guideline. and if you chose someone below 70 %  you were probably doomed to fail as a couple. I wonder if Natureman and I had had a percentage if we still would have been a couple? In the newest German version you only get to negate / heart the candidates you see and you don't get to read their entire profile. 

Well, with time 'catfishing' ( people who pose as other people using their pics/ fake profiles) has gone through the roof. And guess what's helping them catch unsuspecting souls now?

 AI. Oooh, I had a smooth one this week. He took my words gave them to AI to use in first person retelling me my own thoughts as if I would think he's really reading and thinking about my written words. Whoa. Okay 'Dave' in 'North Charleston' who just finally shared he's a  'marine engineer' (Right - say I with sarcasm)/ whoever who, wherever you live and do, you definitely caught the wrong fish because even if I'd like an empathetic companion, I don't want to be with a computer...

TUESDAY TUNES: JT , OH WHAT YOU STILL DO TO ME...

 TUESDAY TUNES: There are some musicians who always capture your heart. James Taylor is one of those for me. Listen to this one ... Starting with the ABC of it - JT makes it his own.

TEACH ME TONIGHT 2020

*Dinah Washington received accolades for this 1954 song  

Washington's version

MONDAY MUSINGS: 11K MILES IN 3 MONTHS

MONDAY MUSINGS: I know many of you are shocked when you hear of my particpation still in Couchsurfing but wait 'til you see what rolled in Friday night. This British Couchsurfer Ray actually lives in the Netherlands.

This trip over the big pond he bought a 'motor bike' during his stay in Mexico and has put 11,000 miles on it in 3 months! He also spent 2 whole weeks at Burning Man. 

He might have an idea of where he is heading but it depends on who he meets along the route. Friday, he was stopped at a vista and visited with some bikers who told him about the large annual motorcycle rally: Bikes, Blues, and BBQ  in Rogers. Arkansas, so he detoured.

I knew this 'chap' was going to be interesting. He did not disappoint. He is very articulate with a much older soul than his 35 years, as he recites Keats when the mood hits him. Women beware. 

We had some very interesting conversations. The most interesting was him worrying that we should not talk about racism since he thought we disagreed about the U.S. 's institutionalization of race. He felt that was nonexistent in Europe. I think sometimes one doesn't recognize their own country's bias. Seriously, England's hierarchy and history of colonization is deeply rooted within our country. 

This all stemmed from our stop at Central High's National Historic site which ironically we found locked. What? Yes, the government shutdown now had disrupted our plans.  The Clinton Library would also be closed. He stated this is a very monumental time in history.

But Central High School was open due to a 20th reunion so we could go in and see the Little Rock Nine's photos from the past and today and their mascot which inspired other stories...

Fortunately, the Mosaic Templar Museum was open and there was a new exhibit re: Emmet Till. If you are in town, you definitely should go check it out.  More food for fodder.

After a drive through downtown and en route home we stopped at the Turkish Food Festival, tasting about 7 different delcious savory and sweet items, enjoyed the music and crowd of a truly muticultural event.

You can see we made the most of it...

Opening one's doors can bring a variety of experiences...

Ray, Fare thee well on all the paths you will take!