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!

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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!

FOTO FRIDAY: THE VINES 4H CENTER

 

FOTO FRIDAY takes us out to Ferndale to a special place. This the Vines 4H center where a handful of Master Gardeners helped add some fall to the 40 tables for the annual banquet and silent auction ...

What a lovely setting for conferences!

TBT: YE PROTESTETH TOO MUCH, NOT.

 TBT: Other countries experience protests every week and yet here in the U.S. we are way too complacent. 

We are better than this and we need to speak up and let our voices be hard. Calling/ writing our legislators, donating to candidates who support the programs that help all of us to be a better country in caring for all of our residents, and yes, getting out in the streets and letting our voices be heard. We need to get everybody to vote because our interests are not being protected. 

These pics were taken in 2014... here we are 11 years later still needing to voice these same concerns... 

MIDWEEK MUSINGS: BALANCING OUR LIVES

Unfortunately keeping a balance in our lives is not always easy. However, if we ignore it for too long, it becomes even more difficult to regain. 

 I am still working on my studywhich needs to be straightened before that youngest grandchild arrives this month.

Monday's Q&A at the Clinton Center was about a country that has ignored regaining balance, fiscal balance that is, since 1999.

Yep, that country would be us as in the U.S. and we are all going to be suffering the consequences unless certain measures are taken.

An overflowing room welcomed Monday's guests Douglas Holz-Eskin, American economist, a Bush policy adviser, President of the conservative think tank American Action Forum, and Secretary Janet Yellen, first woman as a United States secretary of the treasury (2021 to 2025) and chair of the Federal Reserve (2014- 2018.) who also led the White House Council of Economic Advisers. 

Maya Magueras moderated the evening and as last time monopolized a bit too much of the conversation. It's nice she is knowlegeable but we wanted to hear more from our guest speakers.

L to R :Douglas Holz-Eakin, moderator Maya Magueras and  Secretary Janet Yellen   

The discussion was re: our country's debt and interest, and its threat of losing the confidence of the world market, while at home saving the Americans 's endangered programs like seniors' social security and health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Education needs to change to also prepare young people with careers to help combat Climate Change in addition to the technological fields. 

Reforms need to happen with the IRS, taxes but where the real fraud is...

Balance is mandatory. It can not be delayed any longer now that we are talking about being trillions in debt.

None of this will be easy but bipartisan participation is crucial in our government. This is where both sides come together again for the greater good. It's where both sides make it work, not that's ideal. We have no other choice...