FOTO FRIDAY: MOTHERs 'N CHILD/ren

                                                                                                       

It was terrific seeing so many Moms on FB this past weekend.  Why not share a favorite pic of Moms? It doesn't have to be people even... pets etc...  / Moms & you. Sibling/s can also share the photo with you and your Mom. Be sure to label so we know who is who. Thanks for sharing ahead of time.

Here is a pic of My Mom and me... 









This is my sister- in-law Terri and her daughter Becky 
(missing son Matt who's in Japan)          




Jana, Terri's sister-in-law and 2 of her 3 (missing son Charlie still at school in Peoria) William and Elizabeth (a most recent college grad!) 

Jen's with son Ethan on his Graduation. 
Jen's  cousin Sheri Rieck and her daughter Kaitlyn Erl on right.






Milwaukee friend Pam writes"never too old for the comfort of Mom." And one of Pam's Mom and Grandmother, a beautiful mother/daughter photo taken in 1932.   

Remembering mother daughter of time past

 









Check last week's additions to FOTO FRIDAY by clicking:HERE

Y'all Isn't the Only Difference...

When I left home Natureman had spent an entire week cleaning out the barn and hauling the 'enriched' hay up to the garden. He had also started roto-tilling part of the garden when he was interrupted by daily rain. So  here's the veggie garden I left last week in the End of the Rainbow Valley.

Partial view of our vegetable  garden

My trip down South to Little Rock, Arkansas truly illustrated the difference between gardening zones.  My brother Marc stopped by Dunbar's Community Garden Project a 2 acre outdoor neighborhood classroom worked by elementary and middle school classes . There are chickens, goats and bees besides the organic gardens. 

I was a bit early to see blooms on their sunflowers planted by their freight car storage shed but look how far ahead their gardens are in Arkansas' zone 6 compared to zone 4 here in southwestern Wisconsin despite Arkansas' very cold winter.

Garlic

Broccoli

The sugar snap peas already had blossoms on them.  

Monday the students would be helping  harvest their 20 some odd pounds of lettuce. 15 out of that 20 will go to the middle school kitchen and the remainder's sold to area restaurant chefs. One of the adult Corp workers was busily leaving phone messages as to what produce would would be available this week if the chefs wanted to include it in their daily specials. Produce is also sold at area farmer markets.

If the rains held off there would be a full day of classes coming to the garden.







Brother Marc's Rotary Club helped donate the last amount owed for the garden's wind turbine, they also might be helping with some funding for a future endeavor for an outdoor classroom shelter. 

For urban and suburban kids who don't grow up in a country setting like End of the Rainbow Valley what a terrific way to learn about where your food comes from, to eat locally and what it means to be organic...

Unweavings... Wisconsin's in Da House

Life has a way of adding interesting people to one’s life and such was the case as a mutual acquaintance introduced me to a internationally known fiber artist, Laurie Wohl, who just happens to summer not far from End of the Rainbow Valley.

Laurie’s “Unweavings” and their interfaith themes intrigued me enough to arrange my travel plans purposely through Chicago this past week so I could not only see Laurie’s exhibit but also hear her speak about her work “Birds of Longing.”

After 9/11 Laurie felt a need to do something through her narrative fiber art and she has accomplished this by interweaving biblical text and poetry in Arabic, Greek, English and Hebrew into her spiritual design onto a heavy woven canvas/ treated gauze,

The fabric is transformed by not only conditioning and transforming its shape by removing crosswise/ warp threads for new shape but also collaging a myriad of materials and adding texture with  modeling paste, acrylic paints/gels and gold wash for images and a creative calligraphy. Beading also embellishes pieces.

Ezekial

Shores of Loss

Seen on the top of this piece below in Hebrew is the Shema, the jewish affirmation of faith. This piece's threads reminded me of the fringes of the tallit, prayer shawl.  613 fringes don the prayer shawl for each of the commandments which we are to strive to follow. I need to ask how many threads there really are here.

Besides sharing beauty, art has always been used as a vehicle to embody political messages especially social  justice. 

Laurie's work illustrates we are all interwoven with our commonalities rather than differences. Spiritually we are all connected regardless of religion or culture.

Laurie's liturgical works besides gracing sanctuaries and world embassies have also been accompanied by dance and music. 

It was a special treat to see first hand a very laborious and stunning fabric art...  And  I wasn't the only Wisconsinite to make the reception. If you ever get a chance to view Laurie's Unweavings, you too will feel the power of  their message.

Wisconsinites and honorary Wisconsinite Laurie (3rd from the left)

For more information re: Unweavings click : lauriewohl.com

Oozing with Compassion...

What I didn't realize about the Compassion project was its magnitude.

The University and Community weren't the only participants as the La Crosse Pump House Arts Center distributed 6,000 6X6 canvases throughout the school district. Of course not all of the small canvases made it back to the Pump House but there were enough student interpretations of Compassion to cover all the walls throughout the historic Pump House. 

Very impressive to consider this art was done by K-12 graders.

The mayor of La Crosse even had signed a proclamation for the Compassion project endeavor.

One would need an entire day or two to truly enjoy each canvas.

Here are some for you to interpret.

A lone wagon wheel...

I think you will feel  your heartstrings being pulled!

Each canvas has been catalogued so you can search its artist on a computer nearby...  A wonderful undertaking indeed. 

May 'compassion' continue to grow for these students as they become world citizens...

Bewitched...

Not too long ago on Facebook a friend posted an article about Kohler Museum's decision to dismantle  and move a historic landmark, Mary Nohl's home.

Neighbors had always complained about the tourist and local traffic. But so what? They come, they look, they enjoy, they turn around and leave. I lived across the street from her and many people used our driveway to turn around. The move is about money because this is lake view property, Lake Michigan that is.

Anyhow apparently it's a done deal. I knew it was important to visit and document possibly one last time before the land is sold and a McMansion is built.

Mary, one of Wisconsin's top 4 folklore artists, was our neighbor when we lived on Beach Drive in Fox Point, a northern Milwaukee suburb. When she passed away she left her home and art work to the Kohler museum in Sheboygan.

Due to Mary's eccentric ways and art she was called The Witch of Fox Point. The legend was that her husband and son never returned after going out on the lake one day because she cast a spell. Well, truth be told, she never was married nor did she have a child. 

Other than unusual cement lawn sculptures who are really rather friendly looking, her home was whimsical decorated with folksy wooden cutouts mostly lake related with all sizes of fish and their skeletons.

The larger creatures's eyes were colored glass and would be illuminated by passing cars's headlights at night.
It really was eery as the early morning fog rose off the lake and would waft through the grounds amidst the figures. Over the years some of the creations were broken by vandalism/ weather's wear and tear. The Kohler museum did a wonderful job of restoring the property for the last almost fifteen years. 

It is indeed a sad moment knowing that the very thing that made this property so unique, its location, will be changed.

I wish  I wish I could wiggle my nose like Samantha on Bewitched to insure the home and art could remain where it has always been on Beach Drive...  I sure hope the spirits don't revolt.

FOTO FRIDAY: MEMORIES EVOKED

Some things just can't be bought especially if it's a memory. This week I was the recipient of a family member's beadwork.  Geri was so artistic in so many ways and everything she touched reflected her artistic side.  Her daughter Alisa inherited this gift. Now when I look at this bead work I will think of both of them. Do you have some art that evokes special memories? 

Ginger still has niece's Sarah Penick Ryan art made for her from church camp when she turned four years old...  Sarah's married now.

Colleen shared a generational pic this Mother's Day. 


Do share. 
Take a look at what people shared of their handmade work in last week's FOTO FRIDAY:CREATVITY

It Takes 2 Hands to Handle the Whopper...

Many of you realize that I have Southern roots and every once in a while I get a hankering for the caviar of the South.  You know, Pimento Cheese. My last meal in Atlanta en route to the airport I had the opportunity to order that southern staple as we brunched at 'Sun in the Belly,' a Decatur eatery.  I wasn't sure how it would be to travel with a huge cheesy meal in 'my' belly so instead I ordered the bar-b-que shrimp with smoky cheese grits while daughter Lori and BF partook in the  Pimento  Sandwich with fried green tomatoes. The place is known for using local products and especially for its amazing bacon so one of the kids ordered the sandwich with and the other without. Everybody was happy with their choices. And my cholesterol went up not just eating my own choice but also by ogling everyone else's meals. 

You could request a fried egg with the fried green tomatoes pimento cheese, lettuce & bacon...

I know you can understand it always tastes better eating it in the South than in southwestern Wisconsin in the End of the Rainbow Valley... Thanks Lori for giving me a bite and if you can't get to Atlanta here's a Pimento Cheese recipe for you to try at home.

Pimento cheese is one of the all time favorites of the Little Rock Capital Bar and Grill whose chef was gracious enough to share his pimento recipe and so I pass it on to you... 

Pimento Cheese

• 1 lb. sharp cheddar
• Splash of cider vinegar
• ¾ c roasted peppers, pulsed or chopped  (make sure to drain the water)
• 2 T onion powder
• 2  T garlic powder
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• ¾ C mayonnaise (Start with ½ c and add as needed)
• Pinch of cayenne
• Dash of sriracha

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Adjust to personal taste.