ANOTHER ANGEL AND SOME FUN STUFF

Jen's angel

Some fun stuff

Jen sent her angel..and she is wearing her mask as ordered.
Cute, Jen.
Thank you😀

While this week for some reason seems really packed with things that need doing, I have not been able to completely give up the fun of art play. Today's fun stuff was made up of quick sketches with pens (I used a variety for the exploration of it) and splashes of watercolor along with bits and pieces of collage. Lots of joy for me here and all done in under an hour leaving lots of time for "the list."

What are you doing creatively these days?

JUST IMAGINE...

Imagination. Seems like we need a lot of it right now in these troubling times. And it is working...in some pretty amazing ways.

Not only are parents and teachers tapping into their imaginations in order to teach and keep young people engaged. Not only are hospitals and staff tapping in to find new and creative ways to handle shortages of supplies and the glut of Covid patients with all that entails.Not only are restaurants and other "essential" businesses quickly imagining new ways to keep employees busy and business going. 

So much more can be attributed to imagination.

As I read through what scientists are achieving right now and the work done to re-fit plants to produce what is needed (but where the heck is the toilet paper?),I am truly amazed. Plants like GM and Ford are re-tooled and manufacturing ventilators. JPL scientists have designed one ventilator now that uses even fewer parts than previously thought required. Samsung has made a wristband that, among other things, buzzes when the wearer comes within six feet of another person. This last is being tested and used in some of the aforementioned plants to help maintain a safe work environment.

And, of course, there is so much more. I am sure many of you are aware of the innovative things that are taking place now. Please share.

We will get through this together...and apart because of these things and more.

Imagination. Ingenuity. Resourcefulness. Resilience. Spirit.

EARTH DAY 2020

A silly bird in a field of spring flowers

50 years! That's how many years we have observed Earth Day this day in the year of 2020. What have we achieved in those fifty years? 

Right now, with the Coronavirus keeping so many of us at home, we are able to celebrate cleaner air and cleaner water. Can we go out and celebrate the earth, though? Not so much. It is sad, but the blue skies are pretty wonderful to see, even from near to home.

However...what of the horrendous amounts of medical waste that are being generated (necessarily, of course) by Covid-19. Hospitals and nursing homes are using massive numbers of gloves, masks, gowns, etc--all disposed after use.
And what of the general public? No longer are we using reusable bags at markets. We, too, use disposable gloves for many things. We are ordering more online, which requires deliveries using much disposable packaging.

So, on this Earth Day I find myself wondering if in fact we have taken one step forward, two back. Only time will tell, I suppose.

WELL, NOT EXACTLY

A "sorta" poem

While this is not quite a poem, it also seems to somehow "fit" with our current situation. We certainly dream of how we would like to return to some kind of "normal," but the reality is not there...yet.

I'm trying each day to do some form of art and hope all of you are as well. Experimenting and exploring with a variety of materials and techniques helps to keep me engaged, often for many hours. As one of the "elderly" I am trying to observe strict regimens, though I walk each day (of course, social distancing), which helps also to keep me sane.

I hope all of you are doing well. This IS difficult (even for us introverts, by the way) and we SHALL see it end.

Stay well. Stay creative. Smile and be kind.

JUST A SMALL CHALLENGE

Lisa's poem

Sometimes known as "black out poetry," this is a simple, fun, creative play time during these stay-at-home times. Sure, I know you are gardening and mask-making and reading and binge-watching, and cooking, and cleaning, etc., but, that can't possibly be filling all of your time, right?

Grab a page from the newspaper, a magazine, an old book, or whatever. Tear out the portion you want. Pick the words you would like to highlight in your poem and outline them somehow. Then, gesso over all the rest. Add whatever touches you would like and Voila'!
(Thanks to artist Lisa Mansour for the inspiration)

I hope you will share.

APRIL SHOWERS BRING.....

journal play

Bring on those flowers! But in the meantime let's all play in our creative realm, whatever it may be, while the rains keep coming.

I find myself using the time indoors to doodle, to work in my art journal, to make postcards to send, and more--even finding myself fashioning a face shield out of gallon water bottle.

What creative endeavors have April showers brought your way?

doodling

postcards


Happy Easter!!!

WHO IS IN CONTROL?

Camillia rose to the challenge

I'm sure that at one time or another you have heard people describe someone as "needing to be in control." Well, we all feel that need, I think, at some time or another. Especially in times like these when things seem so very beyond our control, there is a desire to find ways.

If we can focus on the things that we do have some sway over--our healthy eating habits, for instance, or getting enough sleep, or even finding ways to relax.

Trust what you know and can see rather than getting caught up in so much of the panic that tends to accompany something like this pandemic.

We can control our own social distancing. We can control taking precautions dealing with cleanliness in our environment. We can control our attitude. We can be our own angels in our own corners of this resilient world.

And, lest we forget, we can CARE about those who are striving to keep this virus under control. They are also our angels!!

LOOKING AROUND

Colorful nasturtium flowers

During a day of not feeling well in which I finally had to admit it was only stress and tension, I opted to be a couch potato and just binge watch series that I like.

That left me invigorated and ready to go today. Heading out the back door for a walk in the canyon, I ended up going down the hill into neighborhoods and Coast Highway. Nothing new to see, really, yet looking around in new ways and with new eyes toward...what? creativity? possibility?

On the way down the hill I had spotted several patches of nasturtium and, while I don't really care for the bitter taste of the leaves, I thought I might pick a big pocketful of the flowers to saute. Of course, when the heat and oil hit, they dwindled to such a small bit that I now had to think of what could I possibly do with this tiny handful of sauteed nasturtium.

Omelet for dinner! Eggs, chopped spinach, crumbled feta,,some spices, and of course the nasturtium saute. Voila! And pretty yummy.

Guess I will have to keep just looking around.....

And when I'm not.....

JUST ONE OF THOSE DAYS

Laguna sky

I don't know just what made the day seem special. Was it the earrings I put on before heading out for a morning walk? Was it the lovely video of dancers sent early by my daughter's mother-in-law? Was it enjoying texting yesterday with my eldest grandson? Was it the cookies baked and sent over by my neighbor Bina? Was it the delivery of yet another Round Robin journal and some laser images delivered by friend Faith? Was it time spent in the garden weeding? Or the time clearing out shelves in my office in anticipation of a distant opportunity for new flooring?

These things and probably more. Sunshine. A light breeze. Morning fog that felt so sublime and soothing. Birdsong that seems to be everywhere. An array of pelicans flying low over the ocean's waves. A Zoom celebration of friend Eloise's birthday.

And there are probably more little moments that participated in making the day just feel good. So I will hold on to all of these things and hope for more of the same on yet another day...maybe dare I hope tomorrow? Life brings so many opportunities for enjoyment if I only look up from the busy-ness and the lists and the niggling fears. 

Live my best life with what I am given...for the now.