Seeking the Sublime in the Everyday

   When I vote I think of this young man.   My uncle, Alan Woodhull Brown, Mom's big brother.  A student at the University of Pennsylvania, a sergeant in the United States Army. Sergeant, 93 Calvalry, Reconnaissance Squad, Armored Division He died in Dellbruck, in the Rhineland region of Germany on April 16, 1945, only three weeks before the end of the war. He was twenty-one. My grandfather was on the draft board of their town. What must it have cost him to put his boy's name on that list?  I'm pretty sure he never considered creating a deferment such as bone spurs to spare his son. I never knew Alan but thanks to Mom's stories he was a presence in our lives.  At Dad's funeral, a family friend saw my brother, Rob, walking towards her and said,  "Oh, my, he walks just like Brownie,"  so now we know that Alan had a jaunty, long-legged strut and we can picture him more clearly.   When I vote I also think of John McCain, who was offered early rel...

I want to introduce you to the New York Artists Circle, a diverse group of professional artists from the New York area that meets once a month, currently on Zoom, to share information and to encourage and support each other. I’ve been a member for at least 15 years. I know that because I met the daughter of one member there when she was a babe in arms and she's now a teenager.  It was the New York Artists Circle that gave the information I needed to become a Gates volunteer, which I wrote about in my post of January 31, 2019.  That wonderful experience led me to start Art at First, a program of exhibitions at First Presbyterian Church. Last week we held a virtual opening of our most recent show;  SAVE the EARTH: Artists Respond to the Climate Crisis You can still view that show at the church website https://www.fpcnyc.org/outreach-service/programs/art-of-first/ Here are a few highlights; Audrey Anastasi  This Week Bascove Red Tulips Fran Beallor Two Paths Glacier, ...

 My grandson, Teddy, was born by caesarian section.  When he was really little, well, bigger than this,    he asked his mom for some details about his birth.  Where did they cut you so I could get out of your tummy? She pointed to her side. Didn't that hurt? he asked. No, they give you medicine so it doesn't hurt. And when did that happen? October 16th. On My Birthday?! A birthday is always cause for celebration and this month we have many celebrations. Eleanor Roosevelt, for one; First Lady of the world, born October 11, 1884.  Here is her statue, standing in Riverside Park at 72nd Street.  She, that is her statue,  was spotted a while ago wearing a mask.  Well, of course, she would have worn a mask. What did she say?   "You must do the thing you think you cannot do." And..."The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." My cousin Tom was born on October 31, Hallowe'en.  I imagine when he was little he thou...

You know how people say, "If you love something let it go"?  I say if you love something get a whole lot of things like it and make a collection. I wrote about Aunt Connie and her collections and she was a great inspiration to me but there are many collectors in my life.  My Dad collected coins, stamps, and owls because he liked to say he was a wise old bird.  Mom collected giraffes and castiron Boston terriers.   I adopted her pack. My brother, Alan, collects pigs, my sister-in-law, Donna, collects china pitchers shaped like fruit, my Aunt Jan collected elephants, Aunt Mary Gae, bells.  My friend, Bill, collects snow globes, lead soldiers, books and clocks. It makes it easy to find presents for them. I collect collections. You may not believe this but I hate clutter.  I  live by William Morris's golden rule;  "Never have anything in your home that you do not find useful or believe to be beautiful." Here are my ducks; I bui...

  TRUCKS!  Zachary, the son of my friends, Lenesa and Frank, worked with earthmoving and construction equipment and when he and Lizzie got married the theme of the rehearsal dinner was  Constructing a life together-all the flowers,Sunflowers and Batchelor buttons sat in toy trucks and bulldozers.  It was gorgeous. That got me thinking. Then in the aisles of the toy store I was struck by the beauty of the cars and trucks-the detail, the colors, they were entrancing.  the dolls kind of creeped me out with their glassy stares but the trucks grabbed my interest and what else could I do but draw? I raided the toy box for more models.  Each of these fills a whole 18 by 24 inch paper.  The boldness and simplicity gave me a rest from my obsessive texture and detail. I had to give Sanitation a background so he'd stand out against the white paper. This one may be my favorite--what would we do without him? I remember my brother Alan playing for hours with his fri...

     I try to keep my posts uplifting or at least upbeat, but here's something I can't get over.  Have you seen this? It's an ad posted on our city busses and I am appalled. No, I do NOT  lay in bed.  I lay me down to sleep, I lay down my sword and shield, but I LIE in bed.      Here's what Mirriam Webster says: Lay  means "to place something down flat," while  lie  means "to be in a flat position on a surface." The key difference is that  lay  is transitive and requires an object to act upon, and  lie  is intransitive, describing something moving on its own or already in position. Beyond the present tense, the pair can become more confusing because  lay  is the past tense of  lie , and  laid  is the past tense of  lay .      They also say,  L ay  and  lie  have been tripping up English speakers for 700 years, and no one should be judged harshl...

In all the talk and uproar around statues, I've found some that we can ponder and appreciate. This is Doctor Benjamen Rush, Founding Father, a signer of the  Declaration of Independence, physician, writer, educator, humanitarian,   author of one of the first major essays against slavery in the Colonies,  founder of the first anti-slavery society in America. He said, " Temperate, sincere, and intelligent inquiry and discussion are only to be dreaded by the advocates of error. The truth need not fear them..." He wasn't perfect; in 1778 he wrote an anonymous letter criticizing George Washington and suggesting he be replaced as Head of the Continental Army, and this fervent abolitionist actually owned a slave.  Huh?  It's always complicated--he never said much about this; as I would imagine not. As an educator Rush believed that, as nurturers of virtue in society, women deserved to be educated  and patriotism  should be deeply ingrained in women's thoughts...