Owner: A Feather Adrift URL:http://afeatheradrift.blogspot.com Join Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:27:33 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Authobiographical look at my life with plenty of commentary on politics, history, religion, and emphasis on cooking, gardening and crafting tips and ideas. Site statistics:Click here
As Tough as I Wanna Be 2008-04-12 09:10:00 Grades always were easy for me in school. From the beginning I got satisfactories in all those important areas such as writing, reading and mathematics. Those turned to A's when actual grades were given, though I don't remember the demarcation. In fact, I seldom saw a B. By the eighth grade I took such things for granted. In fact, I was placed in an advanced math class in eighth grade, taking Algebra instead of waiting until 9th. I don't recall feeling particular special, and I don't recall being thought of as weird. As I said before, more than half the kids I started kindergarten with, I graduated with. We, by that point, had a pretty clear idea who were the smart ones, who not.Algebra went fine. In ninth grade we started geometry and I began to struggle. Struggle for me was simply frustr Read more:Tough
It's Going to be a Bumpy Ride 2008-04-11 14:30:00 The artist is Zubaren and the piece is entitled, "St. Casilda."It can be found at El Prado in Madrid. It was painted in the time of 1638-42. It is religious in nature but the artist used presumably a friend as model. The dress is current to the day.St. Casilda was daughter to the Muslim king of Toledo and carried bread to the to captured Christians. Once caught, the bread hidden in her skirts when unwrapped, had been turned into roses.Well the rains seems mostly gone, and its soggy as you might expect. It's also gloomy and dark which is starting to wear on me for sure. I suffer to a degree from SAD. I got a start on my poor craft room. What a mess. You see, we stopped taking extraneous things to the basement, because it tends to be damp, so my room got to be the receptacle of everything th Read more:Going
, Bumpy
Bumps, Con't 2008-04-11 13:21:00 Have you heard of Madame Restell? I sure had not. Scandalous Women has nailed another one in her ongoing histories of women we mostly have never heard about. This one was reputed to be the wickedest woman in New York. Quite an accomplishment. Read all about her and find out what made her so controversial.~~**~~**~~**~~Wow, it's all I can say. Scientists at the Pole have found a "window" to the center of the earth, and boy are they discovering new things. Rocks found on the Arctic Ocean floor are the key. It offers an opportunity to study the mantle which makes up 70% of the Earth, better than ever before. It all means somehow that our geologic history is much more complicated than was thought. In a different vein, but still dealing with geology, the Grand Canyon may be older than we though
Cankpe Opi Wakpala 2008-04-13 09:23:00 Psalm Of Cankpe Opi (Wounded Knee)Cankpe Opi, the winter came and coldness settled in your valley.On that day when blood fell upon the snow and the rivers flowed with human tears, your name that was to be, is now the name it is.The wounded was formed and cries out in pain. It scratches at our hearts and cries out to be healed. Like a wound that does not heal, so it has continued to hurt. The people and the land and all the relatives and their friends hurt from your wound. Some could not take the pain and sickness and we was scattered off into four directions. Not matter how far and isolated we were, the wound is still there 116 years and it still hurts. So I pray for you Cankpe Opi. To pray for the healing to go out from your epicenter, To pray that the rivers will flow with the spring rai
I'm 58 Today and You're NOT, are you? 2008-04-15 13:30:00 This lovely painting was done by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot in 1796 and is entitled "Woman with the Pearl." It can be found at the Louvre. Problem is, there is no pearl. I'm including the provenance that attends the painting for your edification:This is a totally personal transposition of the Mona Lisa. In the past the leaf on the girl's forehead was taken to be a pearl. Berthe Goldschmidt, the model, is wearing one of the Italian dresses Corot brought back from his travels abroad. The title, which remains unexplained, seems to echo another portrait of a young woman by Jan Vermeer. There is the same enigma concerning the model, the same gaze, the same uncertainty about the costume. The blue and yellow turban in Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring is described as 'Turkish', while Corot has Read more:Today
Fifty-eight, con't 2008-04-15 11:43:00 ~~**~~**~~**~~Isn't it grand to be in such good company? America ranks a lovely 5th in the world in the number of people it executes. And the big 5 accounts for 91% of all executions worldwide. Even better! Our other co-killers are China, Iran, Pakistan, and Iraq and the Sudan. We get the nod from Vox Nova on this one. Even better? Look at the comments! I can tell you that this is the general position of reactionary Catholics, executions are fine because the Church still "allows" them to opt for the death penalty. Of course, JP II suggested that there were virtually no circumstances any more that would justify using it. No matter, he didn't forbid it, thus the wacko right can still be for it. Oh, does that meant that essentially Texas is fifth in the world?~~**~~**~~**~~The Farmer's Almana Read more:Fifty
Sweats and Poetic Justice 2008-04-14 13:00:00 The dress on the left is British Court Dress dating from 1750. The one on the right is American/European, and dates from 1884-86. One can but wonder how anyone considered this fashion or why anyone would agree to wear such incredibly uncomfortable clothing. And we think fashion is insane today? Both are found at the MMA. (I remember seeing some of these outfits when I visited several years ago.)Well, hope your weekend went well. It was cold here, but at least it's starting to dry out. The Contrarian woke me early this morning and called me to the front window. Looking out we counted 8 deer meandering around out front, amazingly unconcerned about us. The dogs were out, but no where to be found. No doubt they will pick up the scent later and get very excited, although they basically don't ch Read more:Poetic
, Justice
Sweats, con't 2008-04-14 12:03:00 ~~**~~**~~**~~Just as an aside, did you notice that Obama and Clinton met for an interview about faith on CNN? I didn't catch it, but the big news was the absence of John McCain who begged off because of "prior" commitments? I'll just bet that was it. Sure I do, uhuh, you right, you got it. He's avoiding the dang topic cuz that whole reactionary right fundamentalist side of the table is still in flux. You bet.~~**~~**~~**~~This is one great link I tell ya. If you quilt or do other work with fabric, this little calculator is invaluable. If your project can be reduced to height and length dimensions, then you can calculate your fabric needs just by plugging in the numbers. Thanks to Niki's Ventures for bringing us this one.~~**~~**~~**~~Part of this article was also used in the Politics Plus
Breezes Blowing Through My Mind 2008-04-16 09:39:00 "Nympheas" is obviously one of Claude Monet's "waterlily" pieces. It was done 1916-1919. It can be found at Musee Marmottan, in Paris. He is one of my favorite painters. ~It's windy as heck today, but warm, and I cannot remember the last time I said that! I got a good deal done on my office/craft room, mostly thanks to the Contrarian who helped me move a few pieces of furniture around. Now I have a nice trestle table to cut material on. ~So it's getting late, and we better get on with it if we are to finish today. ~~**~~**~~**~~~Have you ever wondered which civil war general you were most like? Honestly, no. LOL. But if you have spent many a sleepless night pondering this burning question, relief is only a click or two away. The American Presidents Blog has a little link to a quiz you can Read more:Breezes
The Age of American Unreason 2008-04-15 16:00:00 Today, with great delight and thanks to Pantheon Books, I review Susan Jacoby's latest book, The Age of American
Unreason. This is her eighth book, and from perusing the web, some believe it is her best to date. She is a journalist and has written for any number of well-known publications. She is a forum contributor at On Faith, noted Washington Post and Newsweek section. This is about the ninth book I've been fortunate enough to review, and this one was exceptional in my view. I am no expert of course, and make no such claims. I will leave the nitpicking criticisms to those who claim such expertise. I am here to report what I thought about the book as a lay person. I recognize that publishers are finding bloggers a good way to get the word out so to speak about books not normally destine
Oh Yeah? Back Atcha Double 2008-04-17 09:57:00 This lovely example of cubism was done by Marc Chagall and I couldn't find a location for it. It was done in 1913 and is entitled "Self Portrait with Seven Fingers." I'm sure there is a fascinating story behind that. I can tell you that Chagall did famous paintings involving the Eiffel Tower and donkeys both of which are pictured here. In the part of the painting to the right, the woman appears to be floating and this is part of another of his paintings involving a man and woman dancing, she in the air.Things are going well on the home front. I've made serious progress on my crafting room. A couple of days should finish the job. At this point, I just have a lot of little things to put away. Most of the actual cleaning is done.Even better, the Contrarian got a bit enthused as well and has
Shaking It Up in the Heartland 2008-04-18 09:26:00 This beautiful example of African art is a Mask made of wood, fiber, beads, and pigment. It is from Angola or the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is from the late 19th-early 20th century. The word Chokwe leads the discription. I am not sure if that is the tribe or what. I believe it to be absolutely gorgeous though.Well, soggy it is. It has rained almost non stop since about 5 yesterday afternoon. It's getting boring to say the least. We probably will wait to shop until at least Sunday, letting it dry out, if indeed it stops raining any time soon. Water is starting to pool around in the "yard" and our creek may start flooding us--just kidding.I'm nearly done cleaning the craft room. Just a few more baskets of this and that's to go through and redistribute to their proper location. I'm qu Read more:Shaking
, Heartland
Testing My Wings 2008-04-19 10:27:00 Graduation loomed and I had little idea of what to do next. I was reasonably accomplished at typing, bookkeeping and shorthand. I envisioned working at General Motors in the office, rising to the level of some body's "private" secretary. Why you ask would I set my sights so low? After all, I was graduating third in my class, albeit the total class was 103 students. In order to understand, you have to take a short excursion back in time to 1968.We were stretching our wings as girls no doubt. We thought that our hair styles, clothing, and British rock and roll set us apart as the "new generation." The war was still fairly new, although one boy had died from my school, but he was probably four or more years ahead of me, and frankly I'm not sure I even remembered him at all. Flower power and f Read more:Testing
, Wings
"There's a stranger in our house" 2008-04-20 10:35:00 Thus begins the central theme of the movie, The Good Shepard, starring Matt Damon and a cast of prominent actors, and directed by Robert DeNiro. The movie opens and quickly moves to the fiasco that became the Bay of Pigs. Soon thereafter, a CIA spy bemoans that in fact someone on the inside tipped off the Cubans. True to the spy business, terms like "stranger in the house" are used to denote the fact that a mole existed within the CIA.Well, this is not a blog on the relative merits or accuracy of the movie. As I am wont to say, we watched it last night, and well, it got me to thinking. It got me thinking on at least two different levels and I cannot seem to focus on one without necessarily invoking the other. They seem in some sense to go hand in hand. One births the other or the reverse.
Waving at the Top of the Hill 2008-04-22 10:05:00 This beautiful stained glass is undoubtedly more beautiful than any photo can do it justice. It is "The Virgin Mary and Five Standing Saints" and was done between 1440-1446 in Germany in the Rhine Valley. It can be seen at MMA.We had some brief showers this morning and then the sun can out. It is back and forth but more cloudy that anything. The water is just standing still, and it's so frustrating. Both the Contarian and I are just getting so tired of waiting to get out of here and do some shopping. It's near to time to start a few plantings at least, and we are mired in this mud. He thinks the lane itself is much better but we have a good 50 feet where the car is sitting that is now a swamp. He's of course regretting that he didn't leave the car farther from the house. But of course, on
I Have Excess Water to Sell!! 2008-04-21 15:30:00 Maya Deren is the actress and this is a still from a movie called "Meshes of the Afternoon." Done in 1943, it is a 16mm black and white silent film of 14 minutes. The cinematographer was her husband, Alexander Hammid. It is known as a trance film, an experimental cinema. The balance of the provenance can be found at the MoMA site.Nice to finally see some warm weather. Yesterday was quite lovely and I spent some time outside sitting and listening to the birds. The enormous amount of rain we had, is still lying in pools and I have no idea when it will finally seep away. Travel is inadvisable as we don't want to get stuck again. Unfortunately more rains seem on the way and it is doubtful we will be shopping any time soon. It's getting to be a bit of a drag as we are running out of most thing Read more:Excess
Water, Con't 2008-04-21 14:55:00 Thought that terrorism grew up in some Islamic fundamentalist training camp somewhere in Asia or the Middle East? Wrong you are. Go west young man, go west. America's first confrontation with this evil occurred there, and Urantian Sojourn has all the facts for you. White dudes were the culprits. And can you tell me why Zorro had no sidekick?~~**~~**~~**~~If you like to grow greens, then stop by Veggie Gardening Tips and learn how to get the most from your planting. Many don't like all the tough leaves that require long cooking. But the inner leaves are tender. Harvesting will kill the plant, so plan accordingly.~~**~~**~~**~~Laws still on the books in Alaska:A law in Fairbanks does not allow moose to have sex on city streets.Fairbanks: It is considered an offense to feed alcoholic beverage
Are You Sure Where You Are? 2008-04-23 10:05:00 This mural was done by Bartolommeo di Giovanni between 1490-95 in Italy. It is called "Scenes from the Life of Saint John the Baptist." It can be found at the Art Institute of Chicago. I guess I am constrained to recall any of these "scenes" about John.The office is just about done. It will be finished tomorrow since there is but a small area that still needs some sorting. We've moved a lot of things around and it's shaping up as a more usable room now, easier to get around in, more organized. So I'm quite pleased. When we get out I'll get the paint and that will really make a huge difference no doubt. I've got spaghetti sauce on the stove ready to go. Usually I make sauce and then meatballs, but I ran out of meatballs and don't have all the ingredients now, so I just cooked up loose grou
Dripping Wet in Rural Iowa 2008-04-24 14:30:00 This is a Cheyenne woman photographed by Edward S. Curtis. I believe it was taken in 1911. You can find other photos that depict Native Peoples from the Great Plains westward at: By the way, there are tons of other subject matter photos here. It's a large chunk of Americana. Hope you enjoy them.On the home front a couple of things. First the office cleaning is done. I owe a great thanks to the Contrarian who hates cleaning but pitched in like a trooper and probably shaved two days off the project. We are ready to paint!Secondly, the Contrarian called our neighbor and asked for some assistance to get the car out of the mud hole it had sunk into at our back door. We live in the holler so to speak and from the south, water runs down the hill to us. It continues past us to the creek which als Read more:Rural
Wet, con't 2008-04-24 13:02:00 ~~**~~**~~**~~Soon, if you haven't already, lettuce will be going into our gardens. Of course, no matter how carefully you plan, some will get away from you and will bolt. Here's what you can do: Read Veggie Gardening Tips and she will help you and me both out.~~**~~**~~**~~You can find a thoroughly intriguing and thought provoking post at Urantian Sojourn today. It discusses what has happened to our sense of community in American? Did we ever have one? Where did it go? How do we get it back? We bloggers know that one of the reasons we do this is that we want that community, and we jump for joy at each new visitor, hoping to find common ground. We want that in our country as well. We seek family and friendships for the same reason, or at least one reason. It is simply the human thing to d
I moved the Blog 2008-04-25 17:21:00 I still have tons of work to do, but I've imported all the posts. Sorry for the inconvenience but I cannot face another day like today. Too much work lost for no good reason other than that Blogger doesn't care because it's free. Everybody I have ever met from wordpress say they love it. I'm missing my fun stuff since it won't accept java script, but I know it won't fail to save my work again.The NEW URL: only thing different is replacing blogspot with wordpress in the url. I have a lot of work to do, and after my autobiographical post tomorrow I'll get right on it. I think I can simplify some things since they have drop down categories and I have reduce my tags quite a bit! I'm sure it will take some getting used to, but I'm excited.
No title 2008-04-25 08:47:00 This photograph is from the Library of Congress and pictures Mrs. Stanley McCormick and Mrs. Charles Parker. It was taken April 22, 1913. I find it interesting that neither woman had a first name. Actually such referrals were the norm well into the 60's I imagine. I offer it in honor of the silly discussions I'm having at Catholic Forums wherein a small segment of men and women decry the "feminist" movement and blame it for every ill they now perceive in society. One can but imagine how courageous some of these women had to be in order stand up and demand the vote. No doubt some faced fierce opposition even from their husbands. We owe them a debt of thanks. I understand that this deluge of water is to be followed by fairly cold temperatures by the end of the weekend. This miserable winter/
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