Georgia OKeefe at PEM in Salem, MA

Georgia Okeefe Banner, Peabody Essex Museum Salem, MA

Calder gave Georgia this Pin

Ms. G looking very western.

Would not be G.O. without flowers

Sculpture from her phone and G. O. kimonos 

My favorite of the show

Jazzy Kimono

She never wore this drop dead gorgeous necklace. She framed it and hung it in her bedroom.

Arctic Weather and Indoor Still Life Photography

Blue and Grey Still Life

Blankets on bed with tail

Hawks and flowering plants

I was driving my car and the outside  temperature was 1 degree.  A smart yankee will stay at home. When the weather continues for mores  and more days, upon days, a smart yankee will find indoor activities.  If you fail to have an activity during the storm, you could catch the evil cabin fever.

So, I stayed inside for five days in a row. I wore only a bathrobe, and PJs the entire time. Same PJs also. Never changed them.  This  can make you a little crazy.

So, when I finally showered, dressed, and left my house and went out, I was confronted with people (myself included) who needed to re-socialize.
All the  outdoor sounds,  the driving sounds, and the supermarket PA system sounds are all too loud. You bump your shopping cart into other dazed citizens shopping carts. You look around the store and people are bumping into strangers, sometimes friends, sometimes long time neighbors. People stop and start to interact, all around me are circles of shopping carts. People are now talking, smiling and laughing. This interaction with people  brings smiles to many people faces. Oh yes, we are all a little confused and silly right now. But, we just survived CABIN Fever.  We made it out.

Today at the supermarket, we will also be doing a very Yankee Thing. Or you could call it a very Yankee Foolish Thing. WE are in the check out lane and purchasing a heavy loaded shopping cart filled with everything we could possible need or not need in the next six years. It is called Yankee Hoarding and we do get carried away. The store shop managers and owners love when an entire town gets into their cars and they all drive to the nearest big supermarket and start their Yankee Hoarding Shopping Experience.

Maudsley Outdoor Sculptures With a Few Thoughts to the New Year

Maudsley Outdoor Sculptures
Ancient Tree Art

Dance

Spirit Collector

First resolution listen to more jazz and view more art. 

Surround myself with good friends, and good foods.

Exercise, exercise, and exercise.

No Excuses.

Avoid toxic people. 

Draw, dance, and be happy.

Lesson from a guy about women,s lib.

I remember that day very well. I turned on my ipod to a mix of jazz. Eight hours later, the music was still soothing my soul. It also was the day that Alex Trebek lost his job on Jeopardy.  He asked a contestant who was in the military if her job was harder because she was a woman. Ouch. But, really destroy a person who had a very long career and made  one slightly negative comment. Really? Are we getting oversensitive? Are we turning into a nation of whiners? 

I explored my twenties being a liberated, free, human being. I could do anything a male could do. It might take me longer, but, I did it and do it well. I also killed my back, but, that is a subject that should be somewhere else. 

My dear friend Fred in Maine, taught me about moderation. My friends had just bought and moved into an  antique sort of gothic and victorian house located 1/2 up or down -depending on your direction- one of the the largest hills running through the downtown area of a small town  near Augusta. Cars flew up and down that road, but, I digress. 

 They were working cleaning up their backyard of their new home,  So, I asked Fred what I could do to help. He looked me in the eyes, and said "I have just the job for you." He continued "I will load this wheelbarrow  with theses stones here. You will take the filled wheelbarrow down the garden pathway to where the vegetable garden is going to be. " No problem, I could do that. Why not? I was strong and at the time very physically fit. The reality of the situation was that within one quick yankee minute, I had knocked over the wheelbarrow and spilled all the stones on the ground and may I add that all I did was try to lift  the handles. 

Am I equal to men? Not in physical strength. My mind is far superior to many men's brains. That is where strength counts-it is what you have in your memory system. I learned from Fred, that I was not equal to men. However, I learned from myself that I loved the brain that I have cultured for almost 70 years.

The New England Winter Has Finally Arrived.

Early Winter Light Reflects into Joppa Flat Audubon

Sun Setting Early Winter AT Quill Pond

Wind Mill Sunset AT Tender Crop Farm

As we begin the long winter season, we enter a world of grey in New England. We received day after day of darkness and colorless days. White, grey, cold, dark is what New England winters are like.

But, there is a winter light that artists have accented their pictures with for centuries. One only needs to get outside at sunset to find that special short lived winter color. The color reflects on the frozen ponds, highlights the grey clouds into pinks, purples, and gold.

The winter in New England is the quiet season for me. The lawn movers, air blowers, and loud men in spandex are now inside. It is time for quiet reflection, catching up on history books, and sitting in front of a warm winter fire.

I do miss the flowers, the singing birds, and the way the leaves move and dance with the winds during the other seasons. But, this is my season to rest and reflect on a new year coming, and making new plans, and new dreams.

Flowers

Flowers from Trader Joes

Flowers from my garden and planters.

Selection from one of my many planters.

Today, I want to celebrate flowers. I started taking macro shots of flowers about 20 years ago. I love to highlight their specials colors, details, and shapes. Each flower has evolved over millions of years to attract their pollinators. They do this with smell, shape and color. It is truly a wonder how they developed into the beautiful species we have today.  

In the summer, I can spend hours watching the hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees frolic in my yard. In the winter, I love to buy flowers to brighten up my kitchen. 

I have said it before, but, I need to repeat myself. Nature is my  religion. It is a simple thought but, one worth repeating.

Our weatherman is predicting our first winter storm this week. Let it snow. I look forward to a long walk in the woods. Happy winter everyone.

Textures of Nature

As I look around my neighborhood, my mind is alerted to shapes, sizes and textures of nature. The diversity in nature is infinitive.
Light touches these textures and highlights curves, bumps, and smoothness of the surfaces. 
Age in nature is also infinitive. How old is a rock? Why do leaves drop off from their trees and begin to feed the soil? How do trees live hundreds of years?
Nature is full of unanswered questions. The best I can do in nature is to observe everything around me.