Whats green, round and goes up and down?
.rotavele na ni aep A

What did the puddle say to the rain cloud?
!emit yna ni porD

What do you call an elephant with no teeth?
obmuG

The façade of the impressive Château le Seuil wasn’t the only image that made an impression on me.  I’ve long appreciated the tradition of planting a young tree to celebrate the birth of a new generation, and the ancient pine in front of the family home attested to the longevity of this line.

We can talk about all the wonderful things we can do for future generations, but the proof is in what remains long after the dreaming and scheming…

“It’s time for us to stand up and cheer for the doer, the achiever, the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it.”  Lombardi

I’ve wrestled with this paradox for quite some time:  as an artist, I need to make a concentrated effort to get away from people, to focus my thoughts, and realize the observations that are my own.  This is meant to be in equal balance with human interaction.  Often, it’s like being on a seesaw with the Big Kid.  I’m a tiny person, and I don’t like to play rough.  It hurts to come down with a thump!  I want to be sociable, and I realize my need for community, but why is it so difficult to be respected for who I am, and to communicate on the level of trust that my spirit craves?

As a creator, I love to know that my work is well received, and I don’t hesitate to let others know when they’ve touched my soul.  And then, the teeter-totters, and I crash to the ground with the mutual insult of bumbled communication.  It’s almost enough to chase me back into my studio and the solitary comfort of heavenly visions.

That quote is attributed to the famous American poet, Robert Frost, although I’m not sure of the context.  Who opened the door, and were there smiles, hugs and greetings?

Doors are fascinating objects.  They can be shut tight, or standing wide open for just anyone to waltz through.  This one was closed to us, until someone inside realized that there were 5 artists positioned comfortably around their garden.

Every painter has his favorite place to paint when the sun shines, and so I've accompanied Jacques Letrosne's studio group several times to this spot.  It's east of Aix-en-Provence, beyond le Tholonet, on the southern side of Monte Sainte Victoire.  The red soil creates a bold contrast to the pale limestone mountain, and the constantly changing light and atmosphere of the region never fails to provide new impressions.

This example was inspired by my first visit to les Roques Hautes, and all the memories that came with my first 6 weeks in Aix.  That visit was to a family picnic hosted by the AAGP (Anglo-American Group of Provence).  Everyone was very welcoming, but we were up against some very stiff competition:  the notorious Mistral wind was completely sabotaging the day.  Eventually, the Ste Victoire National Park patrol had to evacuate the area for the risk of fire, and so my opportunity to connect was cut short.

Where's the wonder and beauty of Provence when you're left alone with a three- and five-year old who were perfectly happy at home in their little community in Dresden?  Like most expatriate wives, hubby would drive off to his new adventure, while I got to work at establishing a new home.

I was quite good at it, mind you.  We'd changed our address 12 times in as many years, so this move was to be no different…except that, this time, everything was different:  small children need a sense of stability (they weren't babies anymore, and strongly sensed the shift from Germany to France), I didn't speak French, I didn't have a car, our neighborhood houses were separated by enormous hedges, and as soon as school let out in the 3 weeks after we arrived, there was a mass vacation exodus.  I never before felt so lonely or alone.

Since then, I've experienced the view from the top of la Sainte Victoire many times, and I know what it takes to get there.  The best views are reserved for those who persevere…

We’re continuing to explore the delights of J B Reboul’s la Cuisinière Provençale, although some of these recipes will have to wait until I have access to truffles.  They don’t fit in the budget right now, and I’ve not yet managed to get the dogs to sniff them out for me.

Not for want of trying, and with fair success at locating where the sanglier (wild pigs) have already been happily feasting.  Alas, until I take an offensive stance against these ravenous beasts, truffles remain unavailable, and what with spring coming upon us, I’m forced to explore other culinary suggestions.  That gives me roughly seven months to plan the wild game menus, train the dogs to sniff out the black gold, and summon the where with all to attempt serving pied-pacquets.

A bus station is where a bus stops.  A train station is where a train stops…  On my desk, I have a workstation...

If FedEx and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?

If quitters never win, and winners never quit, what fool came up with,   "Quit while you're ahead"?

Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks?

What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?

Little did I suspect that this would be the last photo my faithful camera would shoot.  I’ve treated it with respect, and it served me well.  And then it stopped.  It all went blank…

                             Aix-en-Provence, 27 January, 2010

CANON EUROPA                                                

PO Box 2262

1180 EG Amstelveen

PAYS-BAS

Dear Canon,

As soon as I saw Julia Child’s mortar & pestle in the film Julie & Julia, I coveted one for myself.  You’d think they’d be fairly easy to come by here in Aix, but I’ve not found any that compare.

            Mine came from the local brocante, and I’m guessing that its former owner was as frustrated with it as I.  It’s petite enough to be cute without redemptive effectiveness.  Try to crush more than two cloves of garlic, and you’ll have the contents threatening to escape with each push of the pestle.  It really ought to be condemned to the shelf of the tourists’ shop from which it evidently sprung.

            So, as I can’t manage a trip thought Italy right now—much as I’d love to—how could I procure the fated object of my desire?

Listed below are a selected list of many of the lesser-known gods and demi-gods of Greece that have apparently been ignored or forgotten by historians for various and sundry reasons. Some of these gods were obviously important and useful in everyday life habits, others apparently had no redeeming value whatsoever, but somehow achieved god- or goddesshood.

Q. Am I more likely to get pregnant if my husband wears boxers rather than briefs?
A. Yes, but you'll have an even better chance if he doesn't wear anything at all.

Q. What do you call a pregnancy that begins while using birth control?
A. A misconception.

Q. Can a woman get pregnant from a toilet seat?
A. Yes, but the baby would be awfully funny looking.

Q. What is the easiest way to figure out exactly when 1 got pregnant?
A. Have sex once a year.

Q. What is a chastity belt?
A. A labor-saving device.

You’re on a diet, so cookies are out of the question, right?  Not necessarily!  It’s better to eat a small portion of something nutritious when you’re hungry rather than starve now and gorge later.  Be sensible, eat right, and you don’t have to ruin your figure.

Beat until creamy:

250 g butter           

2 eggs

100 g peanut butter       

1 t vanilla

125 g (1/2 C) brown sugar

Preparation for parenthood is not just a matter of reading books and decorating the nursery.  Here are 12 simple test for expectant parents to take to prepare themselves for the real life experience of being a mother or  father:

    1. Women:  To prepare for maternity put on a dressing gown and stick a beanbag down the front.  Leave it there  for 9 months.  After 9 months, take out 10% of the beans.  Men:  To prepare for paternity, go to the local chemist, tip the contents of your wallet on the counter, and tell the pharmacist to help himself.  Then go to the supermarket.  Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.  Go home.  Pick up the paper.  Read it for the last time.

When the moon hits your eye
Like a big pizza pie
That's amore.

When an eel bites your hand
And that's not what you planned
That's a moray.

1. Every takeoff is optional. Every landing is mandatory.

2. If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger. If you pull the stick back, they get smaller. That is, unless you keep pulling the stick all the way back, then they get bigger again.

3. Flying isn't dangerous. Crashing is what's dangerous.

4. It's always better to be down here wishing you were up there than up there wishing you were down here.

5. The ONLY time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

6. The propeller is just a big fan in front of the plane used to keep the pilot cool. When it stops, you can actually watch the pilot start sweating.

7. When in doubt, hold on to your altitude. No one has ever collided with the sky.

8. A 'good' landing is one from which you can walk away. A 'great' landing is one after which they can use the plane again.

You know the story, right?  A dirt-poor traveler had nothing but hunger to his name.  His only possession was a cooking pot, and he got the fire going.  He added water and a rock.  A passer-by was feeling rather hungry, so our clever cook invited him to share his meal on the condition that he add what he had.  In went a carrot.  The next wanderer joined them, and added his potato.  Someone else had a bit of dried meat, another gave his garlic.  This went on until there was a great feast.

Cooking is the greatest nursery of creativity.  What may appear at first as a failure can become the gateway to the greatest thing since potage.

EXCERPTS FROM A DOG'S DIARY
Day number 180
8:00 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
9:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
9:40 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!
10:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
11:30 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
12:00 noon - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!

1:00 pm - OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE!
4:00 pm - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
5:00 PM - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
5:30 PM - OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE!

These are German comfort food for when the nights are cold.  Gemütlich!

Combine in bowl:

            1 kg grated potatoes—don’t peel them if the skins are good

            1 peeled and grated onion

            2 beaten eggs

            30g (¼ C) flour

            S & P

A woman said to her husband over breakfast one morning, "I bet you don't know what day this is."

"Of course, I do," he indignantly answered, and promptly left for the office.

At 10 a.m., the doorbell rang, and the woman opened the door to receive a box containing a dozen long stemmed red roses.

At 1 p.m., a foil-wrapped, two-pound box of her favorite chocolates arrived.

What do you do when your friend’s birthday is 14 February, and nobody thought soon enough to make reservations at her favorite fondue place?  Well, you blindfold her, and take her on a long drive in the country to your very own pantomime restaurant.  It’s happiness and fun for all!  Now you can try this at home…

Classic Swiss Fondue  for 10

Rub the inside of heavy saucepan with the cut surface of a garlic clove

Pour in:

         500 ml (2 C) Sauterne; dry white or rosé wine

         1 t lemon juice--helps to melt cheese

The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of NASS or USDA. This report was prepared for unlimited distribution to the research community outside the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  It’s not meant to be taken seriously, so there.

A coward is a hero with a wife, kids, and a mortgage. -- Marvin Kitman

A happy marriage is a matter of giving and taking; the husband gives and the wife takes.

A husband is living proof that a wife can take a joke.

A husband is what's left of the lover after the nerve has been extracted. -- Helen Rowland

A man must marry only a very pretty woman in case he should ever want some other man to take her off his hands. – Guitry

Ah Mozart! He was happily married - but his wife wasn't. – Victor Borge

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom called Kona, there lived a little cocoa bean.  He spent his days with his brothers and sisters, basking in the warm sunshine, growing up in the family pod, and dreaming of the day when he would reach ripe maturity.

He knew what would happen then:  That he should be pulled from his shrubbery, taken from his pod, separated from his family, and tossed haphazardly amongst all the beans, both good and bad, of the kingdom.  He knew that after drying came roasting and processing, but he was a truly brave little bean, and he welcomed the promised transformation.  He knew that through the roasting, he would become something more, something greater, and something eternal.

the weight of the world

Those of you who have been following my spiritual development study will have noticed that I've not put up any new chapters for awhile.  That's because it's time for me to get serious about writing my book proposal.  Soon, you'll see an online synopis and why this is the best creative resource book, and why there's no one better suited to writing it.  There are now links to sample chapters--that's how I discovered that I missed part 7 of the introduction.  It's pretty challenging stuff, too, so I dare you to join me!

Whatever the drug of choice, we dull our senses because we’re addicted to captivity…the addiction controls the controller

The word, ‘addiction’ comes from the 16th century meaning ‘bound or devoted.’  What is your addiction? 
   
The fixation distracts, distorts and dulls the mind to the reality that the life is out of control.  It’s ironic that the one who is so utterly devoted to something is usually the last person to recognize it.

You may recall from earlier posts that ‘mustgoes’ are another way of describing those tidbits in your fridge that need to be eaten sooner rather than later.  Here’s an absolute classic that always gets me excited about leftovers…

But first, a word about Asian stir-frying: Traditionally, the Asian method of cooking food is rapidly over a hot fire.  Have the ingredients washed and prepared, and cut into bite-sized portions for faster cooking and better fuel economy. Weapons, also known as knives, have no place at the dinner table.  Have the table set for dining, because you won’t have time to work on them while you’re tending the flame.  Measure the ingredients and keep them in separate bowls, ready to add while cooking.  Also, keep a cup of water at hand, ready to add if your food starts to burn.

My Monday started like a textbook case of “Why We Hate Mondays.”  So bad, in fact that obviously 24-hours are not enough to contain the travail:  my 2-year old Canon camera decided to stop working just as the photogenic bust of Saint Marcel made his annual processional appearance, and forthcoming Internet research reveals that this is more than a defunct battery, IOW I see €-symbols in the debit column. While we were in Barjols yesterday, dog Turner got into the garbage.  What does this mean for Monday?  That the evil compound in his stomach was percolating through the night, to be discharged from its temporal abode on our heated kitchen floor sometime during the night.  What a stench to wake one from peaceful slumbers!

I’m sleepy, pulled in so many directions of what I intend to accomplish today, in contrast to what others would have me accomplish on their behalf.  Some days, I need a Fun Day Monday more than anyone!  A slight adjustment of perspective is always a good start…

Provence web tantalizes our curiousity with this English translation, “Come and follow the procession of the bust of St Marcel and take part in the unusual Tripe dance when all the crowd jump along the road. Farandoles, folklore, village dance, mass... this is a true provençal festival to the sound of fifes and tambourines and the "Grande Marcel" (cow sacrifice) every 4^th year.”

Did they mention the blunderbusters?  No?  They really should.  You’d be wise to bring ear protection.  It’s quite a party.

Starting the New Year with a stack of old information seems a bit daunting to me, but then again, how can I really discover anything new unless I know where I’ve been?  My brother was kind enough to point me to some websites and applications that will convert my family files to html, so there’s something new to learn.  And our new video capture enables us to update those home movies to digital format, therefore I can pass memories of my grandparents’ voices along to the next generation.  Garageband lets me convert my Hooters cassette to mp3, oh, and that interview I made with my great-aunts won’t be lost forever, either.

Speaking of interviewing relatives, that’s the next step in compiling your family stories…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nycgeo/4077021916/

An Englishman an Irishman and a Scotsman were in a pub, talking about their sons.

"My son was born on St George's Day," commented the Englishman. "So we obviously decided to call him George."

"That's a real coincidence," remarked the Scot. "My son was born on St Andrew's Day, so obviously we decided to call him Andrew."

"That's incredible, what a coincidence," said the Irishman. "Exactly the same thing happened with my son Pancake."

Due to inherit a fortune when his sickly, widower father died,

Charles decided he needed a woman to enjoy it with.  So, he went into a singles’ bar, and spotted a woman whose beauty took his breath away.

"I'm just an ordinary man," he said, walking up to her, "but in a week or two, my father will die and I'll inherit 20 million dollars."

The woman went home with Charles, and in four days she became his stepmother.

I summoned the courage to stand on the scales this morning, and the numbers confirmed what the fit of my clothes suggested.  We ate well during these holidays, and caught up on our restful repose lost during months of stressful living.  In other words:  fat and lazy, jolly good tidings.

Are any of us truly motivated for change when we see those blubbery tummy ads?  Perde 6 kgs!  What does €25 buy but a lighter wallet?  Surely, there’s got to be a better way!

…This is all things reconsidered…We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse.

For my grandchildren, I'd like better. I'd really like for them to know about hand-me down clothes and homemade ice cream and left over meatloaf sandwiches. I really would.

I regret to inform you that effective immediately, I will no longer be able to serve the Southern United States on Christmas Eve. Due to the overwhelming population of the earth, my contract was renegotiated by North American Santas and Elves Local #209. As part of the new and better contract, I also get longer breaks for milk and cookies, so keep that in mind.

However, I am certain that your children will be in good hands with your local replacement, my third-cousin, Bubba Claus. His side of the family is from the South Pole. He shares my goal of delivering toys to all the good boys and girls.

You should be aware that there are a few differences between us, such as:

It must be the early exposure to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.  Or maybe it was the enrapturing stories about life in early America that were passed from generation to generation in York County, Pennsylvania.  Add to that the field trips and days out to Gettysburg and Indian steps… you can keep going, if there was input, I was the thirsty sponge.

Now, it's time to disperse the delights.  The bookshelves are overflowing, and the walls want more room to display my paintings.  The auction is now in session…http://myworld.ebay.fr/aprylza

There’s only one way to prepare the classic Italian stewed beef with marrowbone, but I’m never quite sure what ingredients are going to turn up in my kitchen.  The carnivores in this house cry out for a hot meaty meal on cold winter days.  What to do, what to do?

For the 4 of us, I buy 1 kg (2 lbs) stewing beef, with marrowbone if available

Marinate, chilled, for up to 3 days in:

Following the success of Apryl's Holiday Drinking Guide, here are some useful reminders concerning seasonal feasting:

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And do it quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even more rare than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up!  Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me.  Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

There’s a ferocious wind blowing outside and it chills me to the core.  What’s the best cure for this ailment?  A hot cuppa and a good book!

I’m so grateful for a childhood with a large space to run, and loving elderly aunts in every direction.  Aunt Elsie invited me to enjoy her enormous library, and that’s where I passed many Saturday afternoons. She had a remarkable way of caring about my life at the same time that she shared her own.  If only her stories would have been captured in a book, I would build my own library around her long life and sweet spirit.

So, I console myself with her gingersnap recipe…

Continuing the current trend of large-scale mergers and acquisitions, it was announced today at a press conference that Christmas and Hanukkah will merge. An industry source said that the deal had been in the works for about 1300 years.

Now that I’m legally a professional identity, I’m also a contributing member of our economy.  That’s another way of saying that I’m obligated to pay 19% Value Added Tax on my sales.

So, I’m letting you know that my prices remain unchanged until 1 January 2010, at which time someone’s getting a 20% raise, theoretically speaking.  Therefore, starting with the New Year, I’m inserting the VAT into the price of my paintings, meaning that my prices will be going up significantly at that time.

As an added incentive for you to invest in my paintings now, I will include the price of post and packing for all unframed works sold until the end of 2009.

Payment methods are by cash at my home, or by PayPal.  Please contact me for further details.  (The Contact link is on the right-column.)

You'll find the paintings presented in the gallery pages:

la Sainte Victoire

Impressions of Provence

Sunflowers & Lavender

le Chemin (the path)

L'Eau Vive (living water)

Still Lives

Winter in Provence

Seaside

Masterworks

First, learn to spell genealogy and cemetery.  Once you’ve managed that, the rest of it is a great big jigsaw puzzle.  You gather the pieces at hand, and then start checking under the table for what’s gone missing.  You’ll have to call up neighbors in different states and countries, too, because the pieces tend to wander sometimes.  Sorry, there’s no lid, so you have no idea what it’s all going to look like.

If this sounds like fun to you, then you’re invited to travel through time and space with me as I solve that oft-asked question, “what’s a Zarfos?”  I’ll be blogging—probably occasionally slogging--through the steps, so I hope you’ll be encouraged to make an attempt at discovering your own family history through my comedy of errors.

Nobody says hors d’oeuvres anymore!  It’s amuse-bûche, or amuse-geule if you’re feeling a bit impolite.  It’s not exactly rude, but I wouldn’t say “stuff your gob” to my grandmother.

Because we’re above all that, and because we enjoy drinks among friends, we wouldn’t pour alcohol into our empty stomachs.  A good host will serve munchies, and a great host will make his own…

This one is double your fun, because it’s nostalgic, too.  Don’t you remember the first time your sweet aunt Matilda sent it to you…and then elderly aunt Dora, and your grandma, and her second cousin?

1. Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa will be speaking tonight at Calvary Memorial Church in Racine. Come tonight and hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.

Everybody’s got his reasons for wanting to be successful.  My list is long, and I admit that running out of wall space for my paintings was not the number one incentive.  Desperately needing to be a contributing member of the household had a lot to do with it, and being the only one at home left all of the deadly dull tasks to me.  Therefore, it was eat or be eaten, so I headed out with a fork.

One of the many delightful elements of belonging to a joyful worship community is our propensity for throwing big parties.  We have a lot to celebrate, because the more difficult life becomes, the more clearly we see where and how to give thanks.

Take the French respect and admiration for a perfect meal, add the American art of pot-luck, and a universal longing to connect, and you’ve got the ICCP Thanksgiving dinner.

I won’t take credit for creating this, especially if you’re someone who’s still black and blue from hitting rockbottom.  On the other hand, if there’s a drink in it, you may want to take a closer look.  For those of us who are teetering on the brink of the miry pit, the gales of laughter induced from reading this might be just enough to send you over the edge.  Cheers to you!  Let the wassailing begin!

SYMPTOM: Feet cold and wet.

FAULT: Glass being held at incorrect angle.

ACTION: Rotate glass so that open end points toward ceiling.

SYMPTOM: Beer unusually pale and tasteless.

FAULT: Glass empty.

ACTION: Get someone to buy you another beer.

SYMPTOM: Opposite wall covered with fluorescent lights.

FAULT: You have fallen over backward.

Suppose you're traveling to work and you see a stop sign. What do you do?

Now, suppose you’re a theology student who doesn’t get out of the books very often…

1. A post modernist deconstructs the sign (knocks it over with his car), ending forever the tyranny of the north-south traffic over the east-west traffic.

2. Similarly, a Marxist sees a stop sign as an instrument of class conflict. He concludes that the bourgeoisie use the north-south road and obstruct the progress of the workers on the east-west road.

The annual Anglophone in Aix event, organized by the International Christian Community of Provence (ICCP), is now preparing for its 2009 edition.

This traditional English and American Christmas carol sing has gained a loyal following, growing larger as the local French and expatriate communities are enchanted by the warm fellowship and the spirit of the holiday season.

Has any of my life been anything but by my own effort? Is there any room for the hand of God to move in my life?  Have I made any allowance for the supernatural in a manmade world?

Can you identify a fallen idol that could be blocking the flow?  Are you looking for praise, acclaim, or confirmation from the world?  Remember that any attempt to be part of the ‘in’ crowd will usually result in damming the Source. 

The pleasures of the Provençal meal are renown.  It’s more than just great cooking, although that can’t be denied!  It’s the deliberate choice of the freshest ingredients, skilled preparation, perfectly balanced tastes and textures, and above all it’s a gathering of intentional conviviality. 

Mealtime conversation offers a world of new understanding—especially if you’re learning to communicate in another language.  That’s why I fully appreciate a French dinner.  I keep my ears open, and my mouth busy eating!

Occasionally, we’ll gather for drinks.  It’s not intended for a meal, but we don’t want to saturate an empty stomach with alcohol.  With a generous selection of snacks, your guests will find their tongues loosened and their tummies full.

Six Jewish retirees were playing poker in the Condo clubhouse when Meyerowitz lost $500 on a single hand, clutched his chest and slumped over, dead at the table.

Showing respect for their fallen comrade, the other five completed their playing time standing.

Finkelstein then considered his four friends, and asked, "Now then, who is going to tell the wife?"

They drew straws, and Goldberg, always the loser, came up short.

Jesus nicknamed two of his students the Sons of Thunder, and He meant it.  (Mark 3:17)  He knew them so well that He could see through their strengths and failures and straight to their hearts.

What would Jesus call you?  Remember, He never condemned anyone who reached out to Him.  Challenged, yes, but never rejected.

These characters and their stories stir something in you because they speak directly into the mystery of your true self. Deep is calling unto deep.  (Ps 42)

“Look and you will find it.  What is unsought will go undetected.”  Sophocles

For stunningly beautiful rushing water, the spring of Vaucluse is not to be missed.  Be prepared to stroll along a gently winding path with a few or a few hundred tourists into the closed valley, (literally ‘Vaucluse’), to arrive at the foot of a tall cliff.  If you choose to ignore the ‘interdit’ warning, and climb the fence, there’s a much better view of the steeply sloping basin that is the source of the Sorgue River.

In the spring of 2002, the change in Tim’s contract changed everything for me.  After spending two years in the 11^th of our rented homes, we decided that we were finally in the right time and place to invest in our house of our own.

We didn’t favor any particular aixois community.  It was merely a question of Tim’s accessibility to the airport and a quiet retreat for this return.  So, we were delighted to find a home with much potential—a euphemistic real estate agent’s term meaning, “this place needs a lot of work.”

A study of John Torreano’s Drawing by Seeing, publ. Harry n. Abrams, inc., NYC, 2007 (ISBN 978-0-8109-9170-5), This is chapter 2:  Line constancy.

Because making a line is the first response we have to drawing, the first lesson is to learn to maintain line constancy.  The intention is to avoid any variation in intensity—light & dark—within the line itself.  You will become less object-oriented and more drawing-oriented.

Is there anyone more generous than the Creator of the Universe? 

Could any author write a more fantastic story than the one that YHWH is writing for you?

How big is your God?

One of the major blocks to accepting YHWH’s generosity is our limited understanding of what we are meant to accomplish.

Hohoho, those holidays are just around the next corner!  Here’s one way to be prepared:  dip stuff in chocolate…

Chocolate-Covered Pretzels

Melt in double boiler or for about 2 minutes in 500W microwave:

375 g (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate

¼ C butter

Stir until smooth.  Dip: 4-dozen small pretzels

A saleswoman was driving home in Northern Arizona when she saw a Native American woman hitchhiking.  The trip had been long and quiet, so she stopped the car for the Native American woman to get in.

After a bit of small talk, the Native American woman noticed a brown bag on the front seat. "What's in the bag?" she asked.

We must be determined to live from the new heart, and know that the old nature isn’t going down without a fight.  Can you really trust a God who doesn’t make sense?  That’s what He wants to know.  He wants to train and strengthen you so that you can be trusted to lead the others to safe pastures.

“You shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.”  Phil 2:15-16

“Let your light shine before men.”  Matt 5:16

“Humility says, ‘I bear a glory, certainly, but a reflected glory.  A grace given to me.’  Your story begins with creation.  YHWH created you with a glory that He wanted to share.  This original glory was free from the bondage of sin.   This was His intention for mankind, but it would not be granted without the freedom of choice.  Choice is a most godlike quality, and we continue to bear the consequences.” John Eldredge, Waking the Dead

The south of France is known and cherished for its many hidden treasures.  Most tiny, perched villages remain relatively undisturbed by the predictable floods of summer tourists.  Some offer more than others in the way of amenities.  The hamlet of Bonfillons has no restaurant, no shop, no bank from which to withdraw funds to pay for the food and souvenirs you won’t be buying here.

What it does have is breathtaking views and all the fresh air you need to revive yourself.  There’s hiking in every direction, from mount Sainte Victoire or up and over to the ancient route ‘chemin de la France’ or down to Vauvenargues.

There is a magical moment between the morning mist and warm sunshine, before the dew of the night evaporates…

nature morte 2003

What do you do if you’re twenty years too late for art school?  You look for alternatives, and that becomes part of the adventure.

So, you find a book, pick your classroom, and get to work.  I learned so much from the $6 copy of Graham Collier’s Form, Space and Vision, that I’ve decided to continue this course with John Torreano’s Drawing by Seeing, publ. Harry n. Abrams, inc., NYC, 2007 (ISBN 978-0-8109-9170-5)

Drawing by Seeing has given me the key to a major element that was missing in my work:  the ability to translate a three-dimensional vision to a two-dimensional image.  I’ve often been frustrated by my unintentional distortion of basic proportions.  Why couldn’t I draw what I could see?

“Belief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul; unbelief in denying them.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Romans 7:18 (KJV) says, “For I know that in me dwelleth no good thing”.  It’s a well-known verse for many of us who have been brought-up in a Christian setting, and it implies that our lives on this earth are nothing but toil and despair.  But Paul intended for us to know the distinction between flesh and spirit. The ‘flesh’ refers to the old nature, the method of self-preservation that becomes unnecessary once we’ve been crucified with Christ.  That’s the spiritual circumcision, and it opens our spirits to communion with God.

I apologize for not having a photo of the finished product.  They were gone before I could get my camera.  Therefore, you’ll just have to try them for yourself.

Procure a quantity of fresh dates, preferably pitted, although slicing them open doesn’t take long.

You’ll also need as many whole almonds as you have dates,

after Rembrandt's 'Adam & Eve'

A British man, a Frenchman and a Russian are viewing a painting of Adam and Eve frolicking in the Garden of Eden.

"Look at their reserve, their calm," muses the Brit. "They must be English."

"Nonsense," the Frenchman disagrees. "They're naked, and so beautiful. Clearly, they are French."

As you begin to unveil your glory, have you been pressured to return to your old self? Sometimes a personal change disrupts your relationships, and your family and friends might even go so far as to malign you or try to disgrace you.  Maybe you’ll be told “we like you just the way you are” and “don’t ever change.” What do you do with that?  Is this different from how you would like to respond?

“Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious...Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.  We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away…And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the LORD’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the LORD, who is the Sprit.”  2 Cor 3:7-8; 12-13; 18

L’Abbaye de Silvacane (from the Latin Silvo Cana, meaning reed forest,) is the youngest of the 3 Cistercian abbeys of Provence, dating to about 1144, when the monastery was founded on a desolate marsh along the Durance River.  The architecture is similar to her sister sites:  Sénanque at Gordes, and Le Thoronet in the Var.  There is harmonious regulation and order as instructed by St Benoît, so as to inspire austerity, simplicity, discipline and prayer.  As a result, the play of light and shadow through the buildings and cloister offer a serene assurance of a peaceful eternity.

The 1991 journal continues from 4 October, heralding a visit from my parents.  Tim and I were thoroughly excited to share our enthusiasm of the German life, including the ease at which a BMW can reach optimum speed on the Autobahn, so away we went!

Of the Hotel Amberger (Ludwigstr. 17-21, Würzburg), I had this to report, “This is a great location, but not much more.  We’ve had pensions (cheap hotels) that were nicer than this.  But it was clean, and possibly a non-smoking room.  Vielen Dank für’s Nichtrauchen.”  Evidently, this policy had been instituted for our benefit, but the air quality of the room hadn’t caught up with our standard.  I remember when this was typical in any hotel.  Sometimes, I get nostalgic for airplane smell, don’t you?

"When we are looking intently, identification is a secondary goal, for we are interested, curious to discover all we can about the object.  We also experience what was described in the previous chapters the simultaneous operation of the imagination.  The eye physically takes in all it can see, while the imagination speculates on unseen aspects of the object."

This is the final chapter of Graham Collier's Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963.

We’re all searching for significance in this world.  Every person longs to know that he is worthy.

We spend the first twenty years trying to find our place in the world, and the rest of our lives trying to find what we lost along the way…innocence…ourselves.

“God endowed you with a glory when He created you, a glory so deep and mysterious that all creation pales in comparison.  A glory unique to you, like your fingerprints are unique to you, like the way your laugh is unique to you.  Somewhere deep inside we’ve been looking for that glory ever since.”  John Eldredge

You may think this sounds rather scary.  Go ahead and think it.  C’mon, try it, you’ll like it!

Peel, remove pith and seeds from 1,5kg (3lbs) fresh pumpkin

Grate pumpkin flesh; and then combine in preserving pan with:

            1l (4C) water

            2 thinly-sliced oranges

            2 thinly-sliced lemons

            100g (¼  C) peeled and finely-shredded fresh ginger

A woman was leaving the Starbucks with her morning coffee when she noticed a funeral procession on its way the nearby cemetery. Two long, black hearses were slowly following one another.

Walking behind the second hearse was a solitary woman with a pit bull dog on a leash.

Behind were 200 women walking single file.

The woman put down her coffee, and respectfully approached the woman walking the dog. She said, "I am so sorry for your loss, and I know now is a bad time to disturb you, but I've never seen a funeral like this.  Whose funeral is it?"

Be fast, frivolous, and spontaneously fun!   This is a race against that devious internal censor!  Ready with paper…steady with pen, and GO!

1.  List 5 hobbies that sound interesting.

2.  List 5 classes that would be intriguing.

3.  List 5 things you personally would never do that sound fun.

4.  List 5 skills that you wish you had.

5.  List 5 activities you used to enjoy doing.

6.  List 5 random interests you would like to try at least once.

It’s not difficult to underestimate the strength of a north wind, even through the tone and force with which a Provençal will explain away his irrational behavior, “alors, c’est le cause du Mistral!”  It was only our determination to explore just one more village that gave us the strength to prevail. 

Such is the serendipity of country living, when the soft furry creature lying before you is the victim of furious driving and your future rug. 

Armed with skills acquired in Biology 101 roughly 20 years ago, and butchering lectures from Tim garnered from Daniel’s sanglier trophy, I made quick work of disrobing the beast.  Sadly or not, there are no photos due to my daughters’ squeamishness.

One of the principal conclusions from VISION V [of our continued study of Graham Collier's Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963. ] is that a preoccupation with the technical difficulties of drawing or painting stifles the creative spontaneity that we associate with vision in art.  Creative spontaneity is closely related to the developing process.  Both are aspects of the visual imagination.  The difference between them is simply one of time.  Creative spontaneity refers to the immediate impulse to draw, to the first drawing, which sets the artist working and the sequence of images in motion:  something he sees involves his imagination sufficiently for him to draw it and thus invest it with significance.  The developing process, on the other hand, signifies the further development of this first drawing, step by step.  As a sequence of events, creative spontaneity comes first, followed by the developing process, which is a building on to the graphic image, rather than the result of an immediate perception of the object.

Young children about the age of five or six are not concerned with technical problems of representation and they have no self-conscious worries about whether others will understand or approve their drawing.  The result has an urgent and vital quality because it is an immediate expression, stemming directly from the child’s feelings and ideas about the object or the experience.

Why is the resurrection of Christ important in your life?  Does this question stir up contentious memories?  Are you willing to confront them? 

These delightfully warm and filling little Italian dumplings are so easy to make, such a great way to use leftover mashed stuff, and so versatile and delicious, they may quite possibly be the perfect food.

An added bonus is that my girls have loved rolling them ever since they’ve been small, so I don’t even have to get my hands messy.  I get to stand over the stove to keep them simmering.  Maybe those cold winter evenings aren’t so bad after all.

A couple was celebrating their Golden wedding anniversary. Their domestic tranquility had long been the talk of the town. A local newspaper reporter was inquiring as to the secret of their long and happy marriage.

“Well, it dates back to our honeymoon,” explained the husband.

One of the great joys of having a scooter is the opportunity to have a closer look at the lesser-known villages of Provence.  Given the right weather (odds are in our favor), and enough warm and wind-cutting layers, we’re set to explore.

Rians stands on a hillside, as do many ancient villages near the Durance River.  The 12^th century bell tower still stands as a testiment to longevity.  Take a walk around to discover the other historic sites:  the St John gate and ramparts, the 15^th century granary that’s now the Tourist Office, Notre Dame de Nazareth church, the Compostelle pilgrim church of St Jacques Hospice, 12^th century St Esteve chapel and the Templars’ chapel of St Pierre.  There is also an archeological dig currently underway to uncover a Roman hill fort and villa.

More mysteries of my journals unraveled through time and space

Viehscheid 13.sept- 15.9.91:  Oberstdorf, Germany

The Viehscheid is an annual event for the alpine villages of Europe.  The herds have been living it up in the high altitudes during the summer, enjoying rich fresh grass and depositing their fertilizer on the hiking trails.  They pack up and head for home mid-September. 

Because all the cattle of the village are grazed communally on the mountaintops, their homecoming is primarily to distribute the herds back to their rightful owners. So, because the community is gathered in one place, there is no better reason to create a celebration.  And because a small alpine village created a celebration, we are all the more inclined to join them.

Imaginative drawing from the model unites the three stages of the creative process:  perception vision and imaginative expression.  It requites acute observation of an object, going beyond an awareness of its external appearance; this demands perception.  It also suggests certain ideas about the object that will provoke an imaginative attitude; this involves vision.  Through drawing, the object is transformed into a significant and expressive graphic image; here form is given to vision.

So says Graham Collier in his modern art study Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963.

All of the exercises in this study aim to shoot straight to the heart.  The goal is to free the prisoner before the Accuser has a chance to tighten those bonds again.  This one might free you to pursue a few deprived interests, as well as providing a momentary break from any of your unidentified narcotics. (Gal 2:17-3:5)

If you’re stuck between your old life and the new, this is an effective jumpstart — a defibrillator of the heart.  It is the discipline of fasting, and of sacrifice…it’s a confrontation of legalism versus obedience…and a consideration of a change of heart.

We have to ration these at my house.  They’re so good with fresh bread and goat cheese!

Slice 1 kg (2 lbs) sweet tomatoes

Place them on a single layer, cut-side up, on a metal rack placed over a foil-lined baking tray.  We often use cherry tomatoes, so a layer of baking paper can be used to keep the little guys from falling between the cracks.

A lady approaches her priest and tells him, "Father, I have a problem. I have two female parrots, but they only know how to say one thing."

"What do they say?" the priest inquired.

"They only know how to say, 'Hi, we're party birds.  Wanna have some fun?"

Picture a loving heart so huge that all creation is a brilliant reflection of His glory.  That’s the image that we were created to reflect.   But it’s not love if we are coerced into relationship.  Our loving Creator intended that we should have a choice. 

God’s most beautiful creation, that angel named ‘Lucifer’, made it his passion to draw us away from the pure light like moths to the flame.  By the third chapter of the Beginning, (Gen 3) sin broke the bond of love, and we have been bound to failure because of it.

Genesis 6:5-6 tells us of God’s heart for the first time in His Word, and there is no joy.  His heart is broken because ours made this choice for limitation.  We know we are not what we were meant to be.

“Sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done marvelous things;

His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him.”  Psalm 98:1

I grew up in Pennsylvania, so there’s a part of me that simply shrugs off any claims of fame that George Washington slept here.  Perhaps that’s why I never fully considered another historical figure renowned for sleeping around.

Although it seemed rather unlikely to my ignorance that Mary Magdelene came to Provence, it is highly possible.  The town of St Maximin is located on what was a Roman road that connected the strongest empire in the world 2000 years ago.  It’s such a vital link to the rest of Europe that the road has expanded into the autoroute, and the world still passes.

It’s an education, reading my old journals.  What was I thinking, that I said so little, but revealed so much?  A brief note, an observation, a judgment, I was my own audience, and I knew myself so little.  What do I see, eighteen years later? 

So much more!  And now, with photos!

“Villach 26.aug – 1.sept.1991, 

A great week of walking.  The Kurpark area is well-kept, but needs a litter patrol.”

What a hopeless perfectionist I was!  Or maybe it was really that bad?  In any case, it was only logical to discover that the farther one travels from the car park, the more wild and wonderful is life far from the madding crowd. I did a lot of that, too.  It never occurred to me that perhaps it wasn’t entirely safe to be wandering alone in the forest and mountaintops.

Pictorial quality is an element that grows organically into the design of a drawing or painting until it appears complete in the finished work.

As Graham Collier writes in, Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963, "A painter usually pursues a direction that evolves from the first shape and the first color that appears on the canvas.  He moves intuitively, identifying himself with the painting as it takes on a life of its own and carries him through  a complex progression of stages to completion.   The previous experiment revealed the authority of significant arrangements of form and color and the subconscious way they consume the artist, dictating what should happen next.  Pictorial quality suggests the independent authority of form and color over the artist, irrespective of subject matter or absence of it, affecting the painter while he is actually working on the painting."

Why is it that whenever I try to write or paint, or make that important phone call, or introduce myself to the new gallery owner, I find a sudden urge to catch up on the laundry? What is this reprehensible beast inside me that won’t let me be what I was created to Be?

There are so many delightfully delicious ways to dish up a courgette (aka zucchini), and this one has so many variations, that it’s never the same squash twice!

In fact, there are so many ways to vary this recipe, that you don’t even need zucchini.  Why not substitute another type of squash, or aubergine (eggplant), or capsicum (bell pepper)?  This is also a great way to use mustgoes (leftovers) in new and surprising forms…

There is a beautiful deserted island in the middle of nowhere and the following people are stranded:

2 Italian men and 1 Italian woman

2 French men and 1 French woman

2 German men and 1 German woman

2 Greek men and 1 Greek woman

2 English men and 1 English woman

2 Polish men and 1 Polish woman

2 Japanese men and 1 Japanese woman

2 American men and 1 American woman

2 Australian men and 1 Australian woman

2 New Zealand men and 1 New Zealand woman

2 Irish men and 1 Irish woman

2 Russian men and 1 Russian woman

2 Indian men and 1 Indian woman

One month goes by…

The revival of this historic sport is experiencing a slow start.  What with the stinging nettles and guard dogs, we’ve yet to enter any property to which we’ve not been previously invited.  And with the very reasonable price of admission, the gates of this national monument fling wide for the guest.

It’s that time of year again, when young men’s thoughts turn to beer.  Okay, you can tell me I’m being sexist, but photos of buxom beer glasses do not appeal to me, personally.

Admittedly, if there was ever a time when I didn’t want to live in Munich, it was during the annual biggest-party-in-the-world.  Like many Müncheners, the crowds of drunken tourists were best left to themselves out there in the field—all 6 million of them or so.  We knew the best local biergartens, and enjoyed them to a reasonable extent at lunch, after work or on the weekends.  What more could we ask?

What is it that moves a person to paint pictures?  And what is it that imbues a good painting with a peculiar, magical life of it own that defies logical, cold-blooded analysis?  These are big questions, and men have been asking them for a long time…namely Graham Collier, in his art study book, Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963.

Children Served Here

There are certain steps that I’ve been told to take on the path to self-promotion.  Oh, the very thought of promoting myself, up until January this year, made me want to ditch the whole scheme!  But alas, that would relegate me forever to the ranks of hobby painters, and probably force me back into something more lucrative, such as teaching English in Korea…

Alrighty, if I devote 50% of my working day to business and other extroverted tasks, then the other half can be spent in the guilt-free work of creating.  It’s true, by golly, the traffic to my website is significantly higher on the days when I publish a blog than on when I am conspicuous in my absence.

I have so many discoveries to share with you that I’ve gathered over time and space.  Granted, it takes time to tell a tale, and I intend to be concise.  Therefore, if a picture’s worth a thousand words, then here’s my blog for today.  Now, go out and do something unexpected!

With the spread of the A/H1N1 virus, the rentrée (back-to-school) has instituted a new regulation:  keep your distance.  Schools and public buildings are equipped with hand sanitizers, and informative governmental websites have been created: ‹‹le site interministériel de préparation à un risqué de pandémie grippale››  

‹‹Pandémie grippale:  guide practique de la vie quotidienne›› 

‹‹le site du ministère de l'Education nationale›› 

‹‹le site du ministère de la Santé et des sports›› and ‹‹le site de l’Institut national de prevention et d’éducation pour la santé›› .  Does this mean that the traditional French cheek-to-cheek greeting is now history?

"Knowing when a work is complete, when any addition or subtraction can be only detrimental, is a major constituent of artistic ability.  The preceding work with the linoleum block demonstrated how we build a simple theme into a full symphony of patterns.  It enabled us to see when the process of development was complete.  And we could also see when the development of the theme had not gone far enough, and when it had gone too far altogether. "  We're moving right along in our course from Graham Collier's Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963.

It is normal to cry out for rest when you are in such an active period of transition.  Think of yourself as riding in rapidly moving transit.  The journey is slightly less jarring if you can relax and appreciate the view.  Your journal is your vehicle.  Let life propel you, and your ephemeros cushion the shocks.

Julia Cameron suggests that it is difficult for us to realize that this process of soul searching and journal writing can open an inner door through which our Creator helps and guides us.  It’s our willingness that swings this door open. [Tired of lukewarm living?  Read Revelation 3:14-20.]  The journal conditions us to hear the Source.  It leads us into many other changes that also come from YHWH and leads us back to YHWH.  This is the hand of the LORD moving through your hand as you write.  It is very powerful.  You are capturing first thoughts and learning to over-write the Censor.

Here's the next chapter of Graham Collier's Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963.

Vision is the ability to respond imaginatively to the latent aesthetic power of an object or of a visual statement such as a sketch, a roughed-out design, or the first few brush strokes of a painting.  The creative process in the visual arts is usually triggered by some visual stimulus—something seen, however simple and tentative…it is rare that a person is able to visualize the whole or completed project in one flash of insight or inspiration.  If most of us sit around waiting for such inspiration to strike, it is doubtful if we would ever produce anything.  The theme for a work of art often grows out of a new and sudden awareness of some ordinary, perhaps familiar object, or of a few lines of an incomplete drawing.  This new awareness of a thing seen we call heightened perception—the herald of vision.  To stretch our imaginations, it helps to build gradually, moving step by step from the first visual stimulus, each stage of development suggesting the next, until we can carry the theme no farther.

EXPECTATIONS & FAILURE… longing and striving for Eden… disappointment… faking it…

“Sometimes relinquishment means giving up a cherished dream, a plan, an illusion.  Life is often a series of adjustments — fitting our dreams to reality.  I have my notions of what life should be.  Unfortunately, my notions are sometimes more typical of paradise than of the racked utopia in which I live.  For some of us, relinquishment comes when we surrender our fantasies.  I may never shake the world with my accomplishments…Not every day will be one of ease and contentment.  Not everyone will love me.  People will make mistakes or disappoint me.  Goals may rot on my journal page…” from Ruth Senter, “The Bittersweet of Letting Go”, Today’s Christian Woman magazine, Sept/Oct 1989, pg 43

I call these “Taste of the 80s” Bran Muffins, because they were quite the food trend in those days.  You can treat yourself to one after you’ve been jogging in Central Park.

Or perhaps you’ll enjoy them with a light salad….  Here’s a slice of Cavaillon melon with Parma ham and a splash of balsamic vinegar; season with salt & pepper, and garnish with mint. 

Wllm LAHR's cigar factory, Red Lion, PA

These are US statistics for the year, 1902:

1. The average life expectancy in the US was forty-seven years.

2. Only 14 Percent of US homes had a bathtub.

3. Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.

4. There were only 8,000 cars in the US and only 144 miles of paved roads.

5. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

As you gain — or regain — your creative identity, you’ll lose the false self you were nurturing.  Losing yourself is a death and the ensuing crisis involves trauma.  Remember that the more you feel yourself to be terra incognita, the more certain you can be that the process of transformation is really working.  You are being reborn.

Do not to expect too much metamorphosis too soon. Growth must have time to solidify into a new form.  One day at a time, you are building the habit patterns of a healthy walk of faith.  Remember to be gentle with yourself.  Easy does it.

Children fall and check for an audience before bemoaning their agony.  Unchecked, they rise and toddle off to the next adventure. Over time, we grow to become embarrassed or fearful of our accidents.  We learn to avoid it, or after concluding there is no escape, we just lie down and take it, ineffectively wishing it away.

The charm of the backroad is perpetuated by serendipitous discovery…and if this house isn’t serendipitous, I’m scootering in the wrong direction!

This is “La Maison de Celle qui Peint,” (the house of she who paints) but apparently she creates mosaic, as well.  It’s an absolutely joyous riot of color.  I can only wonder how many dishes she had to break for her creation.  There are also knick-knack and bits and bobs, paintings and sculpture covering every available space on the façade.  Given permission, my own house and garden will be a variation on this Gaudiesque inspiration.

I’d never really thought about it before; that despite the number of times I’ve moved house in the last 20 years, the journals and photo albums aren’t getting any lighter.  They keep accumulating, and I so rarely even look at them.  Well, I have thought about it, and technology is at hand!  It’s time to scan and transpose, find treasures and metaphorically burn the toxic waste.

Tim and I moved to Munich in June, 1990, on a 5-year contract with his company.  After three short months of getting settled—read as regular trips to IKEA, we were informed that the sudden downsizing in the office meant that we’d be sent back to Silicon Valley in a few weeks.  And that was the wake-up call we needed to get traveling!

The creative imagination feeds on images, and image begets image for the artist, as idea begets idea for the writer.

The word ‘image’ may signify the mental image, the picture formed in the mind’s eye as the result of ideas produced by some stimulus to the imagination.  Or it may signify the concrete image, the drawing, painting or object that possesses the power to stimulate the imagination.  The concrete image may also be the practical result of an act of the creative imagination.

Vision is used in this context to mean the ability to recognize the potential aesthetic significance of the thing seen, its secretive meaning and associations, its power to heighten mood, or its possible emergence as a symbol.

So begins Part 2 of Graham Collier's Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963.

“Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins.  If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.  No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”  Matt 9:17

We are fermenting, as we mature.  When we are stretched, we are surprised by the crashing waves of grief.  We’ll fear the wind as the disciples did in Mark 6:47-52.  We want our illusions back!  We cry “give us the Law — at least then we knew what we were doing wrong!”  We don’t want the trauma.  We resent this pain no matter what growth it achieves. 

This is absolutely perfect for those days when it’s too hot to think about being in the kitchen.  Prepare it in the cool of the morning, and pull it out of the fridge when you’re ready for lunch.  Fantastic!

Serves 6-8 as a starter; 4 as a main course.

Purée in blender or food processor:

I do this in 2 batches, and then combine it in the covered serving bowl, so I’m listing the ingredients in the order I puree them:

…is that really what they're saying?!

Never mind, here's a test of your logic:

1. How can you arrange for two people to stand on the same piece of newspaper and yet be unable to touch each other without stepping off the newspaper?

2. How many 3-cent stamps are there in a dozen?

3. A rope ladder hangs over the side of a ship. The rungs are one foot apart and the ladder is 12 feet long. The tide is rising at four inches an hour. How long will it take before the first four rungs of the ladder are underwater?

4. Which would you rather have, a trunk full of nickels or a trunk half full of dimes?

Ça va?  Does your answer honestly reflect how you feel?  Writing takes you to the heart of the matter.  It’s easy to say “fine, thanks,” but isn’t there so much more going on inside?  It’s pointless and unnecessary to justify yourself as you write in your journal.  Doesn’t it feel better to let the truth spill out on paper?  Or are you still critiquing your own words?  Stop!  These things aren’t your fault!  You are looking at your battle wounds.  Look up!  Look around!  What do you see from where you are?

G’won, get out there!  Take a shortcut that leads you far away from your normal route.  Explore, seek and find.  What’s always been there that you’ve never noticed before?  What’s new?  What happened here over the centuries that before you arrived?

Sometimes, someone else has already done the homework.  This is from the historical marker on the chapel of Our Lady of Revest, located on the D65/D561 between Artigues and Esparron, south of the Durance River in Provence, France.

I saw a signpost early this morning, I followed it, and got lost on the information highway.  It was a quote, and I’m sure it was Henry David Thoreau, about nature…art…analogous to life…was it on an email, or ad-on, or someone twittered it?

It inspired me to note these images in my journal:  my YouTube photo clip of heavy clouds over Sainte Victoire; remarks on how the mysterious mountain is changeable and ever-changing; the power and intensity of light and shadow, and how we see it most clearly in watching what (we think) we know; a pastel drawing that I made as a reminder that, even when we can’t see the summit—the goal—we know it’s there, proceed anyway.

Graham Collier’s intended message in Form, Space & Vision, (published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1963), is that art is concerned with clarifying particular aspects of our world, aspects perceived through those intellectual and intuitive processes that trigger the act of drawing.

These reciprocal pressures between form and space, as seen in Cézanne’s landscape paintings, reveal a universe of energy and matter held in a state of dynamic stability.

What is this yearning for a better life?  Why would you want transformation? Haven’t you tried cleaning up your act, and it’s only gotten you into trouble?  Maybe you’re just fed up with the religious rhetoric that’s been keeping you in line.  Are you looking for time off for good behavior, or is there something more?  What’s the whole point of inner transformation to change external behaviors?  Why bother?

Change creates Crisis, the classic symptom of living by “action-reaction.”  It’s culture shock without ever leaving home.  Your body doesn’t know what to do with itself.  How does one overthrow the local dictator?

 “There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse.  I have found in traveling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to shift one’s position and be bruised in a new place.”  Washington Irving

Got an excuse to celebrate?  Want to prove that American cuisine is deliciously delightful?  Try this!

"Real friends are those who, when you feel you've made a fool of yourself, don't feel you've done a permanent job."

"Sometimes the majority only means that all the fools are on the same side."

"I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to."

"Lead your life so you won't be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip."

"Life is 10% of what happens to you, and 90% of how you respond to it."

"Life is like an onion; you peel off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep."

"Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself."

“Of course your heart would be the object of a great and fierce battle.  It is your most precious possession.  Without your heart you cannot have YHWH.  Without your heart you cannot have love.  Without your heart you cannot have faith.  Without your heart you cannot find the work that you were meant to do.  In other words, without your heart you cannot have life to the full.” from John Eldredge, Waking the Dead

How do you suppose Lazarus lived after Jesus brought him out of the tomb?  Look it up: John 11:1-44; then look at 19:9-11.

It’s difficult to find words that express such breathtaking beauty.  That may have something to do with lack of oxygen that accompanies having ones breath taken away, but in this case, the tongue can hardly express the wonder of nature.

There are roughly 20km (12,5 miles) of jagged coastline between Marseille and Cassis, and you can join a 4-hour, guided boating tour from either port.

For the rugged adventurer, this is an opportunity for marvelous hiking.  Be aware that the area is protected against the high risk of forest fires, so access is restricted during the summer months.  Phone for details:  08 11 20 13 13 or check their website: http://jetsms.jetmultimedia.fr/cdt13/CDT13info.html

The path to L’En-Vau is well marked, although I admit that I like to take the centuries’ old route straight down over the side.  The limestone cliffs are as smooth as polished marble from the passage of the generations.  Knowing the handholds, I find it much easier than the new and approved trail of sharp rocks and sliding scree.  Like most of the locals, I say a prayer, and hope I don’t get caught…

nature morte with mouse and skull

This is the blog in which I spout off about france telecom/Orange, and their enfuriating customer service.

You can track the days we’ve been off-line by the days that I couldn’t post my daily blogs, and I can show you a distressing dip in my statistics that coincide with the days sans service.

Perhaps you’ll want to peek into our dossier of phone calls to 3900.  When the message reminds us that, “this phone call may be recorded to improve customer service,” I have to wonder if there are other reasons…

In another chapter from Form, Space & Vision, by Graham Collier, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1963,

Recalling a previous project, the drawing of a dried out, rock-strewn riverbed, large rocks and smaller pebbles lie in some kind of purposive order.  Imagine how this positioning was achieved—what force pushed or pulled these stones to the position they occupy—consider the cause behind the effect, of the force of water to which the new dry stones bear silent testimony.

Carpe Diem rocks on

“When our life reveals the secret of the human soul, those watching it may try to shame us for making it.”  Julia Cameron, the Artist’s Way, Jeremy P Tarcher/Putnam, NYC; 2002; pg 70

“It is a well-known fact that we see the faults in other’s works more readily than we do in our own.”  Pablo Picasso

“Those who wait for the LORD will never be put to shame.”  Isa 49:23
    That doesn't mean that people won’t try to shame you.  It does tell you that you can trust in the LORD and stand courageous in the attack.

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway.”  Eleanor Roosevelt

We could all use a bit more fresh dairy products in our diets, agreed?

Okay, then.  You don't need to own an ice cream maker, but it sure is worth the price. 

Otherwise, you have the excuse of popping your head into the freezer to stir the mixture occasionally, but I don't have the patience.  Our 1-liter capacity electric freezer gives us ready-to-enjoy deliciousness in 20-minutes.

I have great nostalgia of hand-cranking our grandparents' machine.  My parents recall that the kids lasted for about 5-minutes' participation before scampering off with a, "call us when it's done!"

So, without further ado…

I've learned.... that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... that the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned.... that when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned.... that just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!" makes my day.

In other words, here’s another chapter from Graham Collier's Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963.

SPACE III:  the conscious organization of space

The intuitive is constantly at war with the rational in the visual arts.  [right brain vs. left brain]  The completely logical approach to art tends to inhibit feeling or attitude and spontaneity, which are vital to the creative process.

after Roy Lichtenstein's "Study for 'Tension'"

Not all criticism is 'shaming.'  Even the most severe criticism, when it hits a target, will tweak an internal response.  The insightful soul will tap into this to carve a new flow of understanding.  The criticism that damages is that which disparages, dismisses, ridicules or condemns.  It is frequently vicious, but vague and difficult to refute.  This is the hurtful criticism that must be confronted and forgiven, lest it breed into bitterness.

I never would’ve guessed that this killer-sugary confection would be such a hit in France.  Since then, I’m reminded that the French also eat up Jerry Lewis, I maybe it shouldn’t be so surprising after all.

My grandmother used to make batches of these, and freeze them until the youngsters came around.  I don’t remember ever really liking them, but they were perfect to share.  This was a popular commodity while I was in University, and I’m sure I managed some equitable late-night snack trades.

26. The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.

27. Richard Millhouse Nixon was the first US president whose name contains
all of the letters from the word "criminal."  The second was William Jefferson Clinton.

28. Turtles can breathe through their butts.

29. Butterflies taste with their feet.

30. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all of the worlds nuclear weapons combined.

SHAME is often used as an attempt to prevent someone from behaving in a way that would be an embarrassment.  It’s an offensive maneuver to salvage a wounded pride.

Stepping out in faith feels a lot like telling a well-guarded secret.  Secret telling, by its nature, involves shame and fear.  It threatens with, “what will they think of me when I do this?  They’re going to hate me for it!”

Living out your glory exposes a society to itself.  A life lived to the full opens cupboards and closets.  One person courageously stepping forward illuminates anyone who thought they were safe in the shadows.  It casts a beam of light into the darkness and says, “Do you see?”

After a full day of lavender hunting in the July heat, it's a relief to step into a prehistoric roadside hovel.

The best of these can be found at the Village des Bories, near Gordes, although you'll find them in various locations north of Aix-en-Provence.  They primarily served as shepherds cottages on their route from the south into the summer pastures of the north.

Another successful ICCP summer kids' camp is but a memory.

How do we determine 'success?'  Let the pictures tell their thousand words…

It's time for another dip into Graham Collier's Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1963

Visual and tactile senses are interrelated, as looking and touching are to ‘feeling’ and object imaginatively with one’s fingertips, merely by looking hard at it.

Strongly contrasting textures have considerable power to arouse a strong aesthetic response—attraction or repulsion.  Think of a smooth stone half-covered by a soft growth of moss; or an apple smooth & shiny on top but soft, rotten and fungus-covered on the bottom; or the skin of a woman’s face against the texture of a fur collar; or silk stockings in contrast to woolen ones; or finally, imagine drinking cold milk from a fur-lined bottle.  Contrasting textures act as contrasting colors:  they complement each other or heighten our awareness of their differing quality.

“What more can be said, what greater case could be made than this:  to find YHWH, you must seek with all your heart.  To remain present to God, you must remain present to your heart.  To hear His voice, you must listen with your heart.  To love Him, you must love with all your heart.  You cannot be the person YHWH meant you to be, and you cannot live the life He meant you to live, unless you live from the heart.
    “How deep are your relationships with others today?  Do you have enough time for connection?  What does your answer say about what you think the point of all living is?” from John Eldredge, Waking the Dead

What is this thing they call ‘abiding,’ as in John 15:1-17?

Where’s the boundary between asking YHWH to change you, then sitting back and waiting for Him to do it all, or doing it all through your own steely determination?  You know that you can’t and He can, so what’s He waiting for?

The classic Viniagrette really goes the distance for adding flavor to foods.  It’s the perfect salad dressing, and also can be a fantastic marinade for meats and vegetables.

Combine in a shaker, or whisk in a bowl:

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”        Eph 4:31-5:2

Pay attention to that:  Get rid, don’t tuck away or try to ignore it.  Addressing our ugly feelings is usually an action that seems counter to who we are as good people.  It feels safer to deny it, bury it, block it out, drug it up, ignore it and hope it’ll go away.  Instead, you’re told to bring it up so you can throw it out.

Fill the tank, put the top down, and bring the baguettes, it's a Provençal daytrip!

We start at Coustellet, visit the abbaye de Senanque and then follow where the roads lead.  It looks something like this…

It was the summer of 2002, and the search for the first house of our own was long and arduous.  After twelve years of travel and rentals, we were ready to settle for a while.  We were in Aix-en-Provence at the time, and what better place to stay?

So, when we saw the rather neglected house on a large plot of overgrown land, we saw great potential.  Did we see kids' camp?  Not at all, but that idea came later.

With the help of extraordinary friends, we throw ourselves into a week of preparation for a week of playing like children with children.

Here's what prep looked like last week…

If you knew that your heart is as a valuable as the One who created it, would it change the way you live? Love happens in a heart that’s alive and alert.

The truth is hidden deep in our hearts.  Love is the answer.  If only we could truly love and be loved, and never lose love, we would honestly be happy-ever-after.  These are echoes of Eden, where we stand naked and unashamed in a celebration of joyful intimacy.  This is communion as it was meant to be experienced.

This is the stuff French picnics are made of!  The variations are endless, and it’s another magical transformation of the mustgoes.

This example features fresh tomatoes and goat cheese.  The famous Quiche Lorraine includes Swiss cheese, bacon and spinach.  Another favorite is smoked salmon and sautéed leeks.

1. Mosquito repellents don't repel. They hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito's sensors so they don't know you're there.

2. Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least 6 feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.

3. The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as substitute for blood plasma.

4. No piece of paper can be folded in half more than 7 times.

5. Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.

“Do you not know?  Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  Is 40:28-31

What does it take for one to soar as eagles? How does one sprout wings?  Soaring happens after a period of slow, steady growth, not by the occasional desperate leap.  It takes practice to recognize and overcome the obstacles.  It begins with awareness.  The journal is a good place to confront them.

Thankfully, 'highway' doesn't refer to the size of the road, but the altitude.  Lavender flourishes on the rocky, sun drenched fields about 300m.  The roads are tiny, and streaming with international visitors.  They've all come to see the lavender in full bloom from mid-June to the end of July, and no one leaves disappointed.

Is it the natural aromatherapy?  The feast for the senses?

Photos don't do justice, but I like to try…

Summer doesn't get any hotter than this!  We're counting down the days until ICCP Kids' Camp.  Final preparations are under way. 

These are links to previous camps…

Continuing with Graham Collier's Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963; here’s a lesson in
FORM V:  planes and curved surfaces; forces and surface tension

The surface aspect of form is not perceived at any one single point of focus, but the eye skates over varying directional surfaces, to be bounded in landscape only by a horizon.  And in architecture that sometimes appears to have no bounds at all, wall and ceiling surfaces move out and then return to their source in an apparently self-perpetuating system.

So now we move from the object in isolation to the motion of the continuous surface of the sea, of the land, and of architecture…the surface of form.

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”  Ecc 9:10

Listen for the whatever, and then watch the how fall into place.  Get involved.  Get into the practice of putting thoughts into action.

Read what happened to the man who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years in John 5:1-15.  Do you want to be healed?  Do you want to be healed?  It’s going to involve looking closely at a lot of things you’ve taken for granted.  When you’re no longer paralyzed, you’ll have to change some old routines.

This delicious vegetarian lunch was created out of my appreciation for an enjoyable and helpful singing lesson from a friend.

Sauté until soft—that means, stir and cook over a medium heat:
    1-2 T olive oil
    1 minced onion       
    2 T pigñoli, almonds or sunflower seeds
    1 crushed clove garlic   
    1 t salt

taking the dog for a walk

The cost of living hasn't affected its popularity.

How can there be self-help "groups"?

Is there another word for synonym?

Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all"?

The speed of time is one-second per second.

Is it possible to be totally partial?

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  Prov 4:23

“No one can love who has not a heart.”  L Frank Baum, the Wizard of Oz

“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”  1 Sam 16:7

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Luke 12:34

Describe your childhood room in words or a sketch.  Was it a room in which you felt free to be yourself?  What was the best thing about that place?  Is there something in this memory that you still love?  If not, then was there a place that you could go to be alone?  What was it that drew you in?

0063-le champ de lavandre (22cm/16cm oil on canvas)

During the next couple of #travel Saturdays, I’ll be showing you some of the best reasons to visit Provence.  It’s lavender season, depending on the weather, from the last two-weeks in June and through July.

The final day of the week includes campers and their families in games and crafts, as well as a wrap-up drama and video presentation from the hundreds of photos taken during the week.

“God sets the lonely in families…”  Ps 68:6

More paints, paper & collage, this time it’s parents included.  Encourage the families to talk about what’s important to them, and then to create a picture together.  Watch for signs of stress in both children and adults, as control issues can really come into this.  In most cases, this is an edifying, loving project.  But as in all communities, moments of friction can ignite a bonfire.

Decorate anything you can get your hands on!  We'll be handing out white paper plates as a blank canvas.  This is an example of a photo collage commemorating the amazing fellowship we've had through creating this place.

Shalom.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

And the video from Day 5 last year…

In other words, here’s another chapter from Graham Collier's Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963.

FORM IV:  form in the plant:  the structural unit

The practice of drawing (and all the design activities that spring from drawing), makes first this demand of the eye:  that it should search out objects of interest, and concentrating, fix them in the mind that they may be more completely understood; thus will the imagination become active and the emotions quickened.  Some of the most complex forms readily available to us, on which we can sharpen the failing powers of an inquiring eye, lie all around us in nature….

You need a sense of safety and self-respect in order to step out in faith.  Transformation feels like the swing of the pendulum—for better or worse, and both.  As you grow stronger, so will the attacks of self-doubt.  This is normal and not to be avoided.  Courage is gained only by facing what you fear the most.  
    There is a tenacious struggle in breaking old, destructive habits.  Don’t let them catch you by surprise.  Be assured that they are proof that you’re on the right path.  These attacks will come from either internal or external sources.  Affirmations are a powerful antidote against self-doubt, that subtle form of self-hate.  Untreated it is self-sabotage.  Take it to your Abba Father!

This recipe comes from the cookbook of my mother’s first microwave oven in the mid-1970s.  It’s traveled the world, and as quick as it is to prepare, it disappears even faster than the 10 minutes it takes to prepare.  I recommend that you store it in a locked compartment of your refrigerator.

Aisha: mimicry is flattery

I planted some bird seed. A bird came up. Now I don't know what to feed it.

I had amnesia once -- or twice.

I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart. Now what?

“I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

“The position of the artist is humble.  He is essentially a channel.”  Piet Mondrian [Read ‘artist’ as ‘creator’--Whatever it is that you’ve been created to do.]

Is it discernment or perverse perfectionism that sets the standard too high to be reached by mere mortals?

Don’t let the photos fool you; the back roads of Provence are heart-warming any time of year.  The colors and lighting are different, and you’ll want layers of leather instead of lightweight cottons and a pair of Rainbows.  But the history goes back thousands of years.

It’s worth discovering the hidden places by open methods of transportation…

Your life can be a blessing!  Just as you wouldn’t hide your light under a bushel basket, you’ve been given this adventure to make this a better world for everyone.

God said to Moses, "Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."  Ex 4:12

Yesterday we made a vision collage so we don’t forget our dreams.  Today, in the second-half of this project, we complete a treasure box for keeping the reminders that others gave us for ways we’ve blessed them.  (It’s a little extra incentive, if the staff is giving tangible encouragements through the week—fun notes & drawings, etc.)

In other words, here’s another chapter from Graham Collier's Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963.

SPACE II:  the intuitive organization of space

We’re so accustomed to our three-dimensional world that our eyes are instinctive depth finders.  We have an instinctive or intuitive tendency to organize the placing of objects or marks in empty space, to create a seemingly ‘right’ and organic grouping within the space available; we tend to see relationships between marks or objects on a piece of paper or in space, even though such marks or objects have no direct connection to each other.

“The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.”  East Asian proverb

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.  If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.”  Matt 7:6

We tend to congregate with people who share an invisible ceiling.  Among us there is an unwritten consensus of impossibility that keeps us safe from harm.  Our intimates love and wish to protect us (and themselves) from danger, so any invitation to risk is a threat:  they worry about our being hurt, they feel an unbearable loss of control… or the possibility that they will be left behind by your progress.

In keeping with the best tradition of the Catholic ‘meatless’ Friday, most restaurants in Provence offer l’aiöli on their lunch menu.  It’s usually accompanied with steamed or boiled fish and vegetables.  You can team it with any meal that wants a hearty sauce:  grilled meats and fish, potatoes, zucchini or asparagus, also as a salad dressing or to garnish bouillabaisse, or in a fresh tomato sandwich.

A bus station is where a bus stops.  A train station is where a train stops…  On my desk, I have a workstation...

If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?

If quitters never win, and winners never quit, what fool came up with,   "Quit while you're ahead"?

Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks?

What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?

I was thinking that women should put pictures of missing husbands on beer cans.

I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older, then it dawned on me - they were cramming for their finals.

I thought about how mothers feed their babies with little tiny spoons and forks, so I wonder what Chinese mothers use. Toothpicks?

Picture that each of us is a house.  Imagine a quaint neighborhood with a road dividing the sidewalks, and each cozy cottage is edged with a low fence.  You can determine how close to the public views your house sits, and you choose how you’ll maintain appearances.  People are always passing down the road, and walking on their way.  Maybe you’ll say “hello” to some of them as they pass, maybe someone will stop to visit.  Some of your visitors are a joy to know.  You’ll invite them to ‘set a spell’ on the front porch and get to know each other better.  There are a few whom you’ll even bring inside as you share opinions and experiences.

Family comes barging in, as they will.  Even if you try to lock some of them out, the more persistent ones will tap on the windows until you respond.  Most of them know which particular buttons to push.

As in Ex 3:11-12, the Spirit of God is ever-present as you take up your adventure.  Sometimes, the distractions of daily living make you forget your vision.  It’s important to keep reminders, like regular Scripture reading, and a collage of what you really love…

Gather paper, markers, scissors, glue, lots & lots of colorful magazines, and as much glitter as your senses can handle.  Before you start cutting, make a list of about 10 things that make your life worth living.  What’s really important to you?  What would you love to do every day?

In other words, here’s another chapter from Graham Collier's Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963.

FORM III: the aesthetic implications of form

Skeletal form and mass form…help our eye, mind and instinct to operate together in appraising the modus operandi of the object when it demands comprehension rather than mere identification.  An awareness of structure directs our attention and interest to search for the inner, more permanent nature of the object.  It helps us to recognize associational affinities with other objects and insures that we perceive more about an object than merely the shape of its external appearance.

“Happiness was but the occasional episode in the general drama of pain.”  Thomas Hardy, from The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) chapter 45 ad fin.

Virtuous souls play a game that keeps them from living life to the full. Most of us are entirely unaware of how we are magnetically drawn to these personalities who create crisis.  They are usually charming and adorable, highly passionate, extremely clever, and powerfully manipulative.  Consequently, they herald certain destruction for the meritorious person in their vicinity.  You’ve seen them before; they are charismatic, but out-of-control, long on problems and short on solutions.
    Squabblers are the type of people who can take charge of your life.  For creative people, they are the challenge of a lifetime:  so much to change, so many distractions….

Barbecue season is just heating up, and Tim, the grill master is only getting better.  Marinate your steaks while your building your barbie...

“Oh, we’ve got to get ourselves back to the Garden.”  Crosby, Stills & Nash

So, what’s the great eternal Mystery?  It is that deep calls out to deep. [Psalm 42]

We all carry an internal memory of Eden.  Sometimes, we hunger and thirst for righteousness so desperately that we are drowning in despair, and we will pull our most beloved down with us in the struggle. 

Those of us who are a shade healthier need to keep our feet on solid ground and throw out the lifeline.  This may require you to shift your balance from your normal stance.  The lifeguard gets behind the victim in order to maintain his position of strength, “I can’t save you, but I can lead you to safety.”

Our theme is loosely based on “Indiana Jones” this year.  Try picturing your favorite adventure story, add silly games and water and song and dance and the occasional bouncy castle, and you’re beginning to get the idea.  No flannel boards or coloring pages here!

Following the Scripture Israel’s cry, and chooses to send Moses.  He used a burning bush to catch Moses’ attention.

He hears the cry of our hearts, that’s why He sent Jesus. His life was a bright spark in a dark world.  'Freedom in Christ' calls us to live with passion for the better way.  Oppression can not smother the flame.

God wants to use you in great ways, too.  Jesus told us that we’re a city on a hill, and a light that needs to shine. FLAGRO NON COMBUROR—we are burned but not consumed.

In other words, here’s another chapter from Graham Collier's Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963.

FORM II:  structural families:  objects of mass and the structure of volume

This is entirely different from skeletal forms with its intrusions of space between the parts.
    Objects that are composed of mass—a pebble or a loaf of bread—have no such skeleton and thus form a second family of object-types, called the ‘mass’ group.  Such objects are not made up of a jointed series of skeletal parts, are usually static rather than vibrant, and have a ‘lumpy’ or ‘massive’ quality—characteristics in direct contrast to the linear objects we first examined.

Know that your transformation will be a threat to those who are still feeling threatened by their own glory.
    Your growth is often delayed by other people’s plans and expectations.  You want to set aside time for your real work, but in the name of servitude and selflessness you do something else instead.   It becomes a habit to be distracted by your responsibilities to others, neglecting what you’re compelled to do.  Such behavior should make you a Good person.  In reality, it makes you an angry person.  That simmering frustration can only be contained for so long before it overflows.  Your passion is an energy force that must become a new creation.  When you are blocked, this energy will take on a new, and potentially destructive form.
    Self-respect carries a responsibility and a commitment.  You need to know who you are before you can effectively give yourself away.  The command to love your neighbor as yourself  (Luke 10:27) means so much more if you love yourself the way YHWH does.

Everything's coming up Carpe Diem

Is there any validity to these claims?  I dunno, but they’re fun….

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time television was Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

Coca-Cola was originally green.

Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.

“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
    They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.”  William Shakespeare, As You Like It, act 2, sc 7, l 139

Can you believe that you have a glory that Satan fears, and a that you’ve been given an important role to play?  Why would you not have an enemy who is determined to keeping you from acting your part?

Château la Coste, in le-Puy-Sainte-Réparade, is one of the most popular local wineries.  The vintage wines are award winning, and their vrac, at €2,40/litre, are quality table wines.

We’ve been dreaming, scheming and preparing for AIXplorers: digging for the truth since January, and now we begin the big push leading up to 7 July.

“Indiana Jones” is entirely too simplistic in describing the theme.  Try picturing your favorite adventure story, add silly games and water and song and dance and the occasional bouncy castle, and you’re beginning to get the idea.  No flannel boards or coloring pages here.  This is not school, this is life, and it's worth living!

Well, it is if you're following Graham Collier's Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963.

By means of lines moving out from joints in the lateral (that is, two dimensional) directions we revealed the structural characteristics of an object; and once a frame was placed around this structure drawing, a flat grid pattern emerged.  On looking at these finished drawings, the eye is first aware of the areas of space between the lines of the structure and sees them in terms of length and breadth only, or simply as a flat pattern of divisions.  Then, gradually, certain other factors become apparent, and we realize that our eyes are apprehending–not only up, down, and across–but also in.  We find ourselves visually probing the possibilities of the third dimension, depth.

The Second Eternal Truth is that some great struggle is raging throughout time and space.  It can seem as if your life is a battleground when you think about the losses, the wounds, and the casualties in your life.  Who’s to blame for this war:  You?  YHWH?  Others?  The Adversary? 

So, you're looking for a delicious, healthy soul-satisfying snack or meal for hiking into the hills or lounging by the pool?  Grab a bowl and get to mashing (or use your food processor, but isn't that a hastle to clean up after?)

If you happen to have leftovers, hummus becomes felafel when it's mixed with breadcrumbs, and then baked or fried until golden....

Carpe Diem takes the cake

Q. What occurs more often in December than any other month?
 A. Conception.

 Q. What separates "60 Minutes," on CBS from every other TV show?
 A. No theme song.

 Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
 A. Their birthplace.

 Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?

“I am concerned with a certain way of looking at life, which was created in me by the fairy tales, but has since been ratified by the mere facts.”  G K Chesterton

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.”   Eph 1:18

Myths contain a profound element of truth that keep them timelessly compelling.  Meanwhile, we become so distracted by what’s going on in front of us that we neglect what’s essential.  Like Alice’s looking glass, success and failure have very little to do with the bigger reality.

When the wine supply slows to a trickle, we know it’s time for another Vrac day.  A metre en vrac, means to get it in bulk, and at €2,30 per litre for quality wines, it’s quite a good deal. 

Once upon a time, there was a young family who moved house more often than reasonably necessary.  It may have saved them from spring-cleaning, but it resulted in a lot of excessive wear and tear and broken items.

And so, one thing leads to another, with patience and white glue, I covered our hideously scratched enameled lamps with pieces of broken porcelain plates.

Happily, I’ve found that my porcelain suppliers, Lovers of Blue & White, now has a website.  They offer a wonderful, constantly changing selection of perfect unbroken pieces, which is a fine way to start.  If your timing's right, you might catch them with some pieces that are headed to the garbage, and procure those for your creation.  You might also seek out potential shards from junk shops and car boot sales.

le Château de St Marc Jaumegarde

Please don’t tell me you’re not an artist!  I’m not asking you to be one.  Would you like to try…to create…to comprehend?  I’m sharing what I learn as I continue to improve my craftsmanship.  Go ahead and let yourself play!

Continuing with Graham Collier's Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963; here’s a lesson in DRAWING MARKS 1: lines and marks with ink

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.”   Eph 1:18

“I am concerned with a certain way of looking at life, which was created in me by the fairy tales, but has since been ratified by the mere facts.”  G K Chesterton

Myths contain a profound element of truth that keep them timelessly compelling.  Meanwhile, we become so distracted by what’s going on in front of us that we neglect what’s essential.  Like Alice’s looking glass, success and failure have very little to do with the bigger reality.

Fresh steamed asparagus is one of the delights of springtime in western Europe.  With a slice of fish, and not too much sauce (this recipe makes enough for 4-6 servings), it’s a wonderfully healthy meal that can be ready in 10 minutes!  Add a glass of dry white wine—such as a Cassis-- and you’re a world-class chef….

Where's Carpe Diem?!

Customer Service Rep: Yes, Ma'am, how can I help you today?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install love. Can you guide me through the process?

CS Rep: Yes, I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready to install now. What do I do first?

What exactly is His Will?  Why would it resemble my desires?  
    How could it, when I’m not sure what I’m doing, where I’m going, what I’m working for? 

Everyone goes through periods of deep inner peace and joy, modulated by the unwelcome times of restlessness and doubt.  This is the growth of faith.  
    If we knew, always knew, what it is we know, then there will be no new territory to explore.  The Promised Land would always remain as distant as the Great Tomorrow.  Mindlessly moving through daily existence, we rarely experience the abundant life. 
    Invention demands creation, and creation requires a Creator.  Like the slave moving toward his freedom, you’re challenged to face your fear and trust an unseen guide.

arc-en-ciel à la Ste Victoire 15mai09

Sometimes it's more important to bake a birthday cake and plant tomatoes than it is to write a new blog.  Have you seen my video about the Picasso theme at Cathedrale des images at Les-Baux-de-Provence or my sneak peek at the expo in Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence?  How about visiting the castle in Vauvenargues where he lived for awhile?  There's something delicious in the oven....

One of the great joys of life in an English-speaking country is the availability of great reading.  I always stock up at the second-hand bookshops when I'm back for a visit, so for $10, I'm taking a course from Graham Collier's Form, Space & Vision, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 1963.

The purpose of art is “not to reproduce what is already given (which would be superfluous), nor to create something in the pure play of subjective fancy (which can only be transitory and must necessarily be a matter of complete indifference to other people), but to press forward into the whole of the external world and the soul, to see and communicate those objective realities within it which rule and convention have hitherto concealed.”  Max Scheler, the Nature of Sympathy, trans. P Heath

Nor would the purpose of art study be to reproduce an art instructor.  I’m passing on my notes from this book, and sharing my creations that came from it.  I hope you’ll take a few minutes to share the love by creating something from what you learn here.

Not every day turns out as I planned.  That’s why I screen my phone calls.  Thankfully, there was one welcome interruption yesterday:  an invitation to hear Bruno Ely speak to the tour guides about the upcoming expo at the Musée Granet:  Picasso regards Cézanne.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24941048

What exactly is His Will?  Might it resemble my desires? 

How could it, when I’m not sure what I’m doing, where I’m going, whom I am serving? 

Everyone goes through periods of deep inner peace and joy, as well as unwelcome times of restlessness and doubt.  This is faith. 

If we knew, always knew, what it is we know, then there will be no new territory to explore.  The Promised Land would always remain as distant as the Great Tomorrow.

Here’s another snack that I serve to our hard-working crew.  Guacamole is a successful marriage with a great beer, and we’ve just discovered an excellent organic micro-brewery near Grenoble.  La Brasserie du Chardon is worth knowing about.  Cheers!

After many years at sea, a pirate decided to retire. Since he had suffered injuries on the job, he thought that he should collect on his worker's compensation insurance. He had a wooden leg, a hook where his right hand should be and a patch over his right eye. The agent assured him that he would be compensated if the injuries were work related.

"How did you get the wooden leg?" asked the agent.

In a booming voice the pirate replied, "Me and me mates were on the high seas when the boom swung 'round and knocked me into the sea where a shark bit off me leg."

The agent replied, "That is certainly work related. How did you lose your hand?"

 “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  George Santayana, The Life of Reason (1905) vol.1 chapter 12

“People, in trying to avoid God, create diversions.  These diversions then are created so they do not have to confront God.”  Blaise Pascal

Your past experiences really do provide the answers for today’s choices.  It’s against all human nature to stop reacting in fear of perceived danger.  Your struggle to contrive your own life and the lives of others is a feeble attempt to gain control in an out-of-control world.  This stranglehold on fate is making you gasp for breath.  If you’re not in control, then Who is?

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24811547

Very few wineries in Provence have acquired a taste for marketing, and although this is part of their charm, it’s also harmful to profitability.

Château Val-Joanis is one winery that is keeping one foot in the past while making strides to the future.  They have a lot to offer, and they know it.

Their bi-lingual website provides history of the château and surroundings, notes on their wines and olive oil production, details on the renowned classic garden, information for visitors and receptions, and other ways to stay informed.

it all seems so unlikely

Serendipity takes a stroll...

join the adventure here!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22985418

We revel in the delights of May, beginning the month with Labor Day on the 1st, VE Day on the 8th, Ascension Day on the 21st and Pentecost on the 31st.  Of course, if any of the holidays should fall on a Tuesday or a Thursday, it’s only right to “make the bridge” rather than disrupt the holiday atmosphere.  Considering that we’re coming out of another winter, the glorious weather must be celebrated!

There’s something about seeing fields of May flowers that revives the soul fully out of hibernation.  The bright colors in a blue, blue sky make life worth living.  So, why then, does the poppy represent war remembrance?  Why do we see poppy lapel pins on Victory over Europe Day on 8 May, and (more strangely) when poppies aren't even blooming on 11 November?

 “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  George Santayana, The Life of Reason (1905) vol.1 chapter 12

“People, in trying to avoid God, create diversions.  These diversions then are created so they do not have to confront God.”  Blaise Pascal

Your past experiences really do provide the answers for today’s choices. 

It’s against all human nature to stop reacting in fear of perceived danger.  Your struggle to contrive your own life and the lives of others is a feeble attempt to gain control in an out-of-control world.  This stranglehold on fate is making you gasp for breath.  If you’re not in control, then Who is?

This is an incredible mix of spices for those who are unaccustomed to spicy foods.  Any cut of chicken can be used, although this is most suited to grilling.  A whole chicken does well as a rotisserie roast, bite-sized chunks are fantastic skewered and grilled, and it doesn’t hurt to bake in the oven, either.

One day, while his boy was away at school, his father decided to try an experiment. He went into the boy's room and placed on his study table these three objects: A Bible, a silver dollar, and a bottle of whiskey.

"Now then," the old preacher said to himself, "I'll just hide behind the door here, and when my son comes home from school this afternoon, I'll see which of these three objects he picks up. If he picks up the Bible, he's going to be a preacher like me, and what a blessing that would be. If he picks up the dollar, he's going to be a businessman, and that would be O.K. too. But if he picks up the bottle, he's going to be a drunkard - a no-good drunkard and Lord, what a shame that would be."

    The refusal to begin your journey won’t keep you from having one.  You begin your days in motion anyway, like a prisoner making your daily rounds within the walls.  It’s only after that desperate cry, “take me where You would have me go; make me what You would have me be,” that your journey becomes both God’s and entirely your own.

    Each of us is unique and irreplaceable.  There is only one of us in all eternity.  At this moment, you are an individual person on earth with a whole realm of unseen reality wanting to aid and guide you, while others would attempt to distract and discourage you.

    Think of your own inimitable experience.  No one else has taken your journey, even if he’s walked in your steps.  You may look at the same sights, but your view is uniquely yours.

L’Estaque is a delightful coastal area west of Marseille, rich in history, tradition and culture.  It’s been inhabited for 26 centuries as a fishing village, and increased in population (287 people in 1872 to 13536 in 1931!) through the Industrial Revolution. 

So, instead of blogging today, I'm logging.

The big red ring indicates the safety zone around our property, and we’ve been gradually clearing the overgrown pines and underbrush around what used to be 500-year old olive groves.

This teaching theme resonated with me: “Resurrection is the victory over evil, and the consecration of ‘Easter people’ who anticipate the new creation.”

I know how it feels to wake up wondering how you let yourself get into such a shallow grave, or as Nicholas Murray Butler put it, “Many people's tombstones should read: Dead at 30. Buried at 60."

I’d been raised with good Christian ethics, and confessed the deity of Jesus Christ at a young age without experiencing any evidence of ‘rebirth’ in my life.  The crosses I carried weren’t particularly threatening to anyone.  But that’s all changed now.  Declaring myself an artist and actually daring to live as one has been the equivalent of Yeshua calling Himself a rabbi.  I’ve been insulted, ridiculed and threatened; conversely others have encouraged me more than ever before.

My life is a tug-of-war, and I’m the rope.  
    What can you do to shift the odds to the winning side?  Are you struggling with any negative consequences of an out-of-control behavior? What feels like slavery?  What’s missing in your life because of these compulsions? Name all the people and situations that keep you from living life to the fullest extent.  Cartoon your carrot and stick.
    What will you miss about giving up a particular behavior?  What do you feel when you notice a compulsion to indulge?
    What stands in the way of your journey?  Is it circumstances?  Or relationships?  Any obligations? Do you want to begin, but feel overwhelmed by the pressures?

True to the best of Pennsylvania Dutch style, my dad was raised on something sweet after the meat.  He took to this so well that his childhood nickname was “Cakeface.”  Therefore, one sure-fire way for my mother to ensure marital bliss was to bake a Betty Crocker Cookbook Butter Cake every Friday.
   
I confess that my housewife skills are lacking.  I only make this for birthdays and other good excuses.  Blame it on modern times.

An alien woman was speeding down the road in her little red sports car and was pulled over by a woman police officer who was also an alien.

The alien cop asked to see the aline driver's license. She dug through her purse and was getting progressively more agitated.

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a story.”  Maya Angelou

“When the wild ducks or the wild geese migrate in their season, a strange tide rises in the territories over which they sweep.  As if magnetized by the great triangular flight, the barnyard fowl leap a foot or two into the air and try to fly.  The call of the wild strikes them with the force of a harpoon and a vestige of savagery quickens their blood.  All the ducks on the farm are transformed for an instant into migrant birds, and into those hard little heads, till now filled with humble images of pools and worms and barnyards, there swims a sense of continental expanse, of the breadth of seas and the salt taste of the ocean wind.  The duck totters to right and left in its wire enclosure, gripped by a sudden passion to perform the impossible and a sudden love whose object is a mystery.
    “Even so is man overwhelmed by a mysterious presentiment of truth, so that he discovers the vanity of his bookkeeping and the emptiness of his domestic felicities.  But he can never put a name to this sovereign truth.  Men explain these brusque vocations by the need to escape or the lure of danger, as if we knew where the need to escape and the lure of danger themselves came from.  They talk about the call of duty, but what is it that makes the call of duty so pressing?  What can you tell me, Sergeant, about that uneasiness that seeped in to disturb your peaceful existence?

Exciting things are happening in Vauvenargues these days.  Nestled snugly at the foot of the Sainte Victoire mountain, east of Aix-en-Provence, the villagers are preparing themselves for an inundation starting Monday, 25 May, 2009.

It was in 1959, when Pablo Picasso announced that he’d purchased Cézanne’s Sainte Victoire—le veritable—and despite the flood of visitors during the three years he inhabited the château, life goes on as ever on this sunny hillside.

The community website has been updated, and it’s never looked better.  Depending on the level of your French, you can learn everything you need to know about visiting, staying, and moving in.

Our days fly by so fast that it’s hard to pin ourselves down, so the rare evening with friends was especially dear.  I’m sharing the basics of our conversation with you because all of us were surprised to find ourselves coming full circle, even circles within circles.

And I rather expect, that in writing this, I will uncover more circles; and as you read, you’ll link in with several circles of your own.  This has the potential for great beauty!

Keep in mind that any great work of art shines with a brilliance that is offset by depth and darkness.  Likewise, our shared ideas are a veritable Pandora’s box.  We weren’t too many minutes into catching up with one another until the conversation came to the current financial crisis.

Marché Aix-en-Provence

Fresh produce is a treat for the senses.  No matter how busy or distracted we may be in our efforts to survive and thrive, the bright reminder of life at the peak of existence is meant to bring us back to the essential.

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a story.”  Maya Angelou

“When the wild ducks or the wild geese migrate in their season, a strange tide rises in the territories over which they sweep.  As if magnetized by the great triangular flight, the barnyard fowl leap a foot or two into the air and try to fly.  The call of the wild strikes them with the force of a harpoon and a vestige of savagery quickens their blood.  All the ducks on the farm are transformed for an instant into migrant birds, and into those hard little heads, till now filled with humble images of pools and worms and barnyards, there swims a sense of continental expanse, of the breadth of seas and the salt taste of the ocean wind.  The duck totters to right and left in its wire enclosure, gripped by a sudden passion to perform the impossible and a sudden love whose object is a mystery.

Have you ever experienced the stages of adjustment when you move to new surroundings?  It’s commonly known as ‘culture shock,’ and there is a predictable pattern of behavioral change as the thrill of discovery ebbs and flows with the violent tsunami of loss.

Looking back, I’m relieved that I didn’t drown in the backwaters of expatriate wifedom.  The working spouse is usually occupied with his (check the statistics) new adventure, while little missus tries to recreate the home environment.

Bloom where you're planted

1. Money isn't made out of paper; it's made out of cotton.

2. The 57 on Heinz ketchup bottle represents the number of varieties of pickles the company once had.

3. A rat can last longer without water than a camel.

4. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave!

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”  Genesis 1:27

    Any phrase repeated in early eastern writing is meant to give emphasis.  Therefore, this is an important thought. What does this verse mean to you?

I thought I recognized the village from a shortcut I took following a local back to Aix.  The perched village topped with a wrought-iron steeple, the plantain-lined narrow lane all seemed to match the Cézanne painting I was challenged to identify.

Close but not quite, I don’t know when I was more happily wrong.  Cézanne painted Gardanne when he lived there; did he ever pop over to neighboring Cabriès?

the olive branch

The olive trees around our property are teaching me so many things.  They look rather pathetic, fighting a losing battle against the rampant pines… until you know their story.

    These small trees are the survivors of a deadly frost 40 years ago.  Original inhabitants recount hearing the trees groaning and collapsing from the three weeklong freezing temperatures.  But olives send their roots deep into the soil.  After a time, the tree will send up new growth.  If the tenants of the land improve their conditions, then a fresh start is possible.

Sometimes the muse sneaks past and makes a silent getaway.  Other times, she’ll hit you on the head with a carrot.
   
That’s what happened to me this morning.  I was ready to give up on a blog topic.  I’m not finished with my Easter painting, the home renovation projects aren’t worth mentioning, and the garden is prepared but bare.

But one facebook comment led to another, and I realized that we’re one month away from panic carrot buying day.  As Picasso said, “Bad artists copy. Good artists steal.” 

That leads me the theft of something else he said, “An idea is a point of departure and no more. As soon as you elaborate it, it becomes transformed by thought.”

“The glory of God is man fully alive.”  St Irenaeus
    And that begins now!  Why not?  Can you surrender yourself to the mystery?

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”  Luke 18:29-30, emphasis added

This is one of the first recipes I ever learned to make.  It’s reputed to date back to colonial America, and since I’ve had my hands on it, it’s traveled the seven seas.

It’s perfect with chili, or toasted with honey & butter, or grilled sausages, or with a salad or ruccola & tomatoes….

Warhol in my cupboard

1. Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

2. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.

3. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

4. The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.

Carpe Diem meets Pierre-Louis

“After a while, the accumulation of event after even that we do not like and do not understand erodes our confidence that we are part of something grand and good, and reduces us to a survivalist mindset.”  John Eldredge, Waking the Dead

“You make a commitment, and that commitment will make you.”

“Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”  2nd letter to the Corinthians 4:16-18

I love an excuse for doing active research, so last year’s kids’ camp theme had us seeking the knights of AIXcalibur.  That’s how we stumbled into 1450, the fabulous year of Good King Roi Réné in Provence.

The good citizens of Peyrolles-en-Provence host an annual medieval festival, and it’s a rollicking good time!  They have an excellent website (in French), so here’s a brief overview of this year’s schedule:

I'm on my way from the market to make my final offering for the man who changed my life. 

I thought I knew what love was, but now I see that I had confused duty and intense loyalty, and came up with something vaguely acceptable.  I’d been longing to have a safe place for my heart.  Because he let me get close enough to be in his life, I experienced the kind of love that made me want to live like that, too.

But he died for it.  The ones whose lives could’ve been so changed felt threatened by him.  He refused to let them tell him how he ought to live, so they had him destroyed.

This has been one of the most difficult blogs I’ve written.  Ironically, I keep putting off finishing this essay on procrastination, and it’s making me crazy!

As with most things I do, it’s not a problem for me to get started on an idea.  In this case, I gathered up my notes on writers’ and artists’ blocks, perfectionism and procrastination, and read through them, producing more notes as I went along.  So much, in fact, that I don’t know where to begin!

Please forgive me for starting in the middle.  I’ll circle back around once we’re rolling.  Here are a few of my most useful jumpstarts.  Rather than waiting to publish once I’ve perfected this, I’m following my own advice and simply moving forward.  (That would be tip #1.)

Don't move!

“Black Bart terrorized the Wells Fargo stage line for thirteen years, roaring like a tornado in and out of the Sierra Nevadas, spooking the most rugged frontiersmen.

    “During his reign of terror between 1875 and 1883, he is credited with stealing the bags and the breath away from twenty-nine different stagecoach crews.

    “A hood hid his face.  No victim ever saw him.  No artist ever sketched his features.  No sheriff could ever track his trail.  He never fired a shot or took a hostage.

    “He didn’t have to.  His presence was enough to paralyze.

a handful of ingredients

    Last Sunday was damp and drizzly, and we were feeling as gloomy as the weather.  What could be better to bring the four of us back to life than chicken soup?

    Potato-Rice Stew is almost a risotto, but it doesn’t need the constant attention of stirring and adding ladlefuls of broth.  It’s warm and squishy and prime comfort food.  Beautiful stuff!

Carpe Diem as Queen of the Night

Okay, so I learned them from someone who fwded it to me after he got it from someone else, but it’s just that relevant!

1. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight-savings time.

2. The most powerful force in the universe is gossip.

3. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above- average drivers.

4. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven.

Carpe Diem goes below the surface

“Nature herself appointed that nothing great is to be accomplished quickly, and has ordained that difficulty should precede every work of excellence.”

“It goes a long way back, some twenty years.  All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was.  I accepted their answers, too, through they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory.  I was naïve.”  --Ralph Ellison’s Battle Royal

It is imperative that you examine what you believe to be true.  Bring your doubts and questions into the light.  Know yourself!
    The goal of spiritual development is not to change your beliefs.  It is to understand them, and to be able to stand confident in them.  If fact, I am quite positive that I don’t want you to change your mind because of what you read here!
    Read these quotations, and consider your reaction:

If you have the opportunity to visit Barcelona, don’t forget to go to church… one in particular, although it’s still under construction….

You can read about Antonio Gaudí’s masterpiece at the official website of the Sagrada Familia church...

For 20 years, I’ve lived as an American expatriate and speculated about life for the contemporaries of these cathedrals.  How did it feel to live in the shadow of such a monumental building project, knowing that it would never reach completion during your lifetime?

And for the master craftsmen, was it an encouragement to consider that the work of their hands would outlast their names, and that their contribution was one tiny portion of a remarkable body of work?

Carpe Diem & la Ste Victoire

Alas, if my grandmother had known about facebook! 

She was the faithful correspondent, sending weekly updates about the homefront.  Every morning, she’d write several letters to friends and distant family.  Even though we teased her, I’m proud of her deep love of people that extended everyone she met, including a woman she’d met at a campground on a family vacation more than 40 years before.

What would she do with knowing that I’m reconnecting with friends I haven’t seen in 30 years?  The memory of her priceless giggle is my treasure.

Ste Victoire & le barrage de Bimont

Facts and myths about this famous Provençal landmark abound:  Wikipedia, the Aix-en-Provence office of tourism, and any study of Paul Cézanne can tell you everything you need to know.

    I’d like to show you around one small corner of it…

I get by with a little help from my friends

Rules of engagement from ‘the Source’

    Sunday and Wednesday are my life transformation blog-theme days.  This study can be followed individually, but is so much better with a friend for better-or-worse.

The Covenant for group studies
    A Covenant is a solemn agreement.  God made quite a few of them with the early faithful in Genesis.  Likewise, we can make certain promises to each other for the greater good of our relationships.

Paella chez Anderson

The guests are here, and they’re hungry!

This is one of the Anderland favorites to feed a crew in the middle of a big work project.  It’s an easy job to cook the rice ahead of time, then to heat it all up when we’re ready to eat.

The fact that no one understands you doesn't make you an artist.

I'd rather die living than live dying.

Some minds are like concrete, thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

Sweat is nature's way of saying your muscles are crying.

les carrieres

    It is said that Dante was inspired to write his ‘Inferno’ after experiencing the Gaulic quarries of Val d’Enfer (Hell Valley).  John Cocteau and his friends were equally inspired to create the film ‘le Testament d’Orphee’ in 1959.  The towering cut rock facades are impressively suited to inspire a growing number of multimedia presentations.
    "Ce n'est pas Cathédrale d'Images qui s'adapte à l'image, c'est à l'image de s'adapter à ce lieu".  --Anne PLECY
    In other words, “it’s not that Cathedrale des Images is adapted to these images, it’s that the images are suited to this place.”

Cardoons at market

   The Impressionist artist, Robert Henri wrote in the Art Spirit, “When the [creator] is alive in any person, whatever his kind of work may be, he becomes an inventive, searching, daring, self-expressing creature....  He disturbs, upsets, enlightens, and he opens ways for a better understanding.  Where those who are not [creators] are trying to close the book, he opens it, shows there are still more pages possible.”

Bathesbée (Thisbe) in the Musée Granet

I hope to give the art critics plenty to work with. 

Practice improves my technique, and the sales will help cover another month of house payments.

Using medium that are less costly than oils allows me to offer a low starting price, which gives a varied price range for any collector.

I'm loudly denying all rumors of my death, so this also lowers the current value.

Here's what else is on ebay this week...

Carpe Diem at the Gate

How do you describe the unknown?  What does it look like?  Squelch the voice of reason; it’s time for you to explore the unfathomable.  There’s no wrong answer!  What’s the most unlikely thing that could happen right now?

Whether or not you choose to “believe” isn’t the issue.  The purpose of this study is intended to uncover the truth that you already know but forgot for the countless distractions along the way.  What really matters is that you are determined to love better, respect, support, and encourage one another as we journey together.  This is communion.  We are choosing to Be.

Another magical transformation of leftovers into gourmet Mustgoes…

Soften*:
    250 ml (1 C) lukewarm water        1 t honey
    8 g (2 t) dried yeast
*This means to prepare your water as you would for a baby’s bath—not too hot and not too cold; add the honey and then the yeast.  Let it repose for a couple of minutes as you prepare the dry ingredients.  When you return your attentions to it, you’ll see that the yeast has “flowered”.  That means it’s alive & active, so your bread will rise.  If you don’t notice any change, then your yeast is old and you’ll want to discard it.  Use 2 t baking powder instead, and don’t let it go through the rising process before you bake your dough.

I don't get it!

A man walks into a local restaurant one evening, and this is the first time he's been there.

As he sits at the counter drinking his coffee, suddenly he hears someone call out, "Number 35!"  And everybody in the restaurant bursts out laughing.

A little later, someone else calls out, "Number 47!" Again, everybody bursts out laughing.

So, the man turns to his neighbor and asks, "What's the deal with the numbers, and why is everybody laughing?"

    Antoine de Saint-Exupery is best known as the author of The Little Prince.  The timeless quality of this beauty & the beast tale is one small evidence of this man’s life.   His observations are recorded in books such as Wind, Sand and Stars [1967 translation by Lewis Galantiere; Harcourt Inc, Orlando FL], and as he flew over storms and wars, Saint-Exupery saw far more than the landscape. 

For instance,

Aix-en-Provence

    I intend to make Saturday tourblog day, so it’s only fair to start in Aix-en-Provence (until I manage to go anywhere else).

    Its history dates back to a Celtic settlement of the Salyens tribe, when it was a small fortress hilltop town that stood on a crossroads of a major route that later became the Roman via Aurelius.

    We’ll jump ahead to the 15th century… That’s when Aix became the capitol of Provence.  More about its history in later blogs.  For now, take a virtual tour of what you’re likely to see as you wander the streets….

Carpe Diem as the Birth of Venus

It was in the spring of 2005 when I was working through Julia Cameron’s the Artist’s Way and conducting a women’s Bible study following John Eldredge’s Waking the Dead, that I realized there was more going on than meets the eye.  When our church staff team did a timeline exercise that coincided with my other personal discoveries, I finally started paying attention.

A record harvest of truth and ideas can be gleaned from the most unexpected sources when you learn to be aware, and it can alter the entire course of your life.  The workbook that I consequently compiled is the result of this evolution of divine coincidence.

In 1934, Dorothea Brande wrote, “With the best of intentions, we usually go about the formation of a new habit or the eradication of an old one in the manner most calculated to defeat our purpose.  Whenever you come across a piece of advice in these pages, I exhort you not to straighten your spine, grit your teeth, clench your fists and go at the experiments with the light of do-or-die on your countenance.”  [Dorothea Brande; On Becoming A Writer; publ. 1981, Jeremy P Tarcher/ Putnam reprint of the 1934 edition publ. by Harcourt, Brace, NY; pp 61-67]

The apostle Paul was making the same complaint in his letter to the Romans (7:14-20), “I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”

Sunblock

    I’m just back from Allauch.  That is not what I expected to be doing this morning.  It was going to be a simple matter of taking my entry in a photography contest straight to the local post office, and letting them do the rest.

    Or so I had hoped.  The rules of entry sheet had shifted to the back of my extensive ‘to do’ pile, and the 20th April deadline slipped in faster than I’d anticipated.  Allauch isn’t far away, and if the French postal service isn’t on strike, it’s an impressive force.

après Cézanne, la Montagne Sainte Victoire vue des Lauves

    When I joined Jacques Letrosne’s studio in October 2003, I asked for an education in les Beaux Arts—the Fine Arts—everything that I’d missed from my well-rounded Bachelors of Arts in Fashion Merchandising.  It sounded like a simple enough request to me….

    As I worked at trying to recreate the weekly still life, he would gently correct my perspective and suggest points to consider.  Typical to a French education, one must know what to ask in order to reach an answer.  How different from the American I teach/you learn method!

Beat 5 eggs in a bowl, set aside.
Combine in double boiler:
    grated rind and juice of 6 lemons
    400 g preserving or granulated sugar

Heat gently, stirring until sugar has dissolved.

    What’s a double boiler?  It’s a metal pan, set over a pot of simmering water.  You use this if cooking by direct heat would burn your ingredients.

0050-la mer à Sète

“Now is the winter of our discontent, Made glorious by the sun of York.”  William Shakespeare, Richard III, act 1, sc 1, l 1

“The wind blows wherever it pleases.  You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”  Jesus (John 3:8)

This is the stirring of the soul.  You long to breathe deeply, filing your lungs and stretching your wings to fly.  You need more…more of what?  You try this or that, one thing or another, and once again the sound of profound, empty silence.  Your unidentified deeper desire remains.

What's cooking?

   What’s the quickest way to doggie obedience?  Loving attention and bribery work nicely.  
    Dr Pavlov gets all the credit, and look how effectively his technique can be used to your favor. Training the dogs to come when called involved a set of jingly keys and dog treats.  Immediately before their morning and evening feedings, I’d shake a set of keys.  And in the evening, to call them in from their last run, I’d rattle them again.  It wasn’t long before the expectant Goldens were drooling in anticipation.
    We don’t feed them every time we call them.  Often the reward is play.  But we do need to keep the biscuit supply going….

journalizing

I have a bad attitude over the word ‘journal.’  It sill reminds me of enforced scholastic compositions and grade-motivated performance.  And ‘diary’  makes me cringe with memories of 12-year old record-keeping of crushes, and which girlfriends were in or out that particular moment.

I find it interesting to discover the word ‘diary’  follows ‘diarrhea’ in my Concise Oxford English Dictionary, (11th ed., Oxford University Press, 2004, pp. 396-397).

So, I’ll call it ‘ephemeros,’  from the Greek, meaning ‘lasting only one day.’  It’s a far more accurate description to suit my constant state of flux, and rapidly shifting perspectives.

What’s the point of this exercise?  Louis Pasteur said, “Where observation  is concerned, chance follows only the prepared mind.”  You write from where you are, not from where you wish you were, and in the process you’ll end up where you want to be.  There is no wrong way to fill your journal , so your opponent’s opinions do not count — although you’re welcome to write down his words as evidence of his tactics.

    This is my fridge.  (You can say ‘frigo’ if you want to frenchify it.)  From  my marriage in 1988 until we bought our first house in 2002, I lived in 11 rented accommodations internationally.  Some locations were better than others, and we never lacked for basic requirements, but I always joked, “if we ever buy our own house, we’re having an American fridge.”

    There’s something about that vast white enamel; it’s a harbor for magnetic attraction.  There’s no better place to display photos of friends and loved ones.  You go for your orange juice, you lift them up.  You pop in for a beer, they make you smile.  It’s time to prepare dinner, and you wish they were at your table.  When it’s party time, you’re even asked to make introductions!

24karat Carpe Diem

    We had an interesting family discussion this weekend regarding televangelism.  What is it exactly?  Simply stated, it’s someone whose message of evangelism—the gospel (the ‘good news’ of salvation)—is televised.  So, what’s the problem with that?  If you don’t like what you’re seeing, then turn it off.  That’s far easier than dealing with a lot of noisy people we know.

    Well now, every controversial subject has a lot more going on below the surface.  We did a bit of Googling (which you will not find in my 2004 Oxford English dictionary), and the prognosis is not good if you’re considering televangelism as a life’s pursuit.

    Rather than going into the finer points of stone throwing, my simple question is this:  Does being rich as Crœsus make a person any less holy than myself?

Ste Victoire morning 20feb2009

    Growing up in York County, PA, we knew what day it was when the school cafeteria served a doughnut at lunch.  Fastnacht Day was the big bang before the austerity of Lent. That’s when the table discussion often turned to, “so, what are you giving up?”

    Here in France, the fasting also begins on Ash Wednesday.  It seemed baffling to me that instead of giving up this marvelous pastry, we were invited to each nothing but crêpes and other bread products.  It hadn’t realized that my indoctrination in ‘the land of plenty’ had so changed my perceptions.

Most of my fine arts education has been acquired from books--I invariably give in to that magnetic pull of a 2nd-hand bookshop.

These 12x18mm (4-3/4" x 7") drawings were valuable lessons, and now it's time to move along the old to make room for the new.

Each of these drawings will be auctioned on ebay in the upcoming weeks, starting monday 9 feb 2009.  You can find them here.

Music is 'Burr Wedding' by 'I Wish I Knew'

ICCP Staff Fun-Do evening

    It’s a momentous assignment, my first blog.  With so many topics to choose, which would make the maiden voyage?  What will set the tone, and brighten the world wide web?

     Our conversation yesterday, on dreams, was interesting and fun.  Adam told us about how he was riding his bike and crashed, then realized that he was right in front of a cycle shop.  I’d dreamed that I was on an art tour of New York City and got a fantastically foreshortened view of the Statue of Liberty through the sunroof of our bus, then observed an architectural work in progress that resembled Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia.  Could I reproduce my dream work and create a new sensation?