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
Freedom is measured in hours 2008-03-09 15:38:00 Portrait of Queen Victoria, from 1838. She was born in 1819, I believe, making her just 19 when she sat for this. It was painted by Thomas Sully. I'm excited, I am turning cartwheels in my head. We have gotten plowed out, and it was pretty time consuming I tell you. But Parker has run up to Troy for mostly snacky things which we are dead out of. Tomorrow we shall be off to Cedar Rapids and shopping. It will be exhausting for sure. He says we must assume that the mud will be bad this year. (It hasn't been at all for like two years at least) This is a bit of a downer, I have plans to go a shopping alone to my crafting places (Michaels and Joanne Fabrics), and get some new stuff, yarns mostly, but some days you just like to take your time and poke around and look for something to inspire you. Read more:Freedom
The Idyllic Times 2008-03-09 12:23:00 Without question only one thing was better than Christmas when I was a kid, and that was summer. I'm sure I was not in any way odd in that, what kid doesn't adore summer, and all the promises of adventure and outdoor fun? For me, it was even more so, because of the Lake.Years before I was born, my dad and his dad built houses in northern Michigan. One I believe they built was the "Big House." It was a beauty of stone and wood and two stories with a large fireplace and a sweeping enclosed porch on the front overlooking the lake. The lake in question was Houghton Lake, the largest inland lake in Michigan, measuring 52 miles around, give or take.After Grandpa died, (before I was born, remember), the property was split and sold. One half was sold to the Hamp family from Detroit. Gram kept the Read more:Times
I Can't cook in that! 2008-03-08 14:38:00 This is a Picasso. A Pablo Picasso. I forgot to garner the date when this piece was done. It is called "kitchen." Well, I can't find the stove or fridge. I can't find the cabinets either. There seem to be a lot of "eyes" so maybe there are potatoes on the menu. This is the kind of thing that contrains me to suggest that "art" is the in the eye of the beholder. The beholder of course may be nuts, as anyone who calls this art must be. It is undoubtedly worth millions of dollars. I wouldn't travel across the street to see it, and certainly not to the Met. What do you think? A maze would be a more fitting name in my opinion.I'm keeping today short folks, blogger seemed to be off line for a goodly long time today. I just got on. Additionally about a third of my feeds didn't update today, I as
I am Woman, hear me Roarrrrrrrrr! 2008-03-07 10:57:00 This gem is called "Salome." Artist, Henri Alexandre Georges Regnault, 1870. I fell in love with it the minute I saw it. She is wild, saucy, smart, and definitely knows what she wants in life. She will be loved deeply and with great passion but can never be possessed. That is the way I see her anyway. ~~**~~**~~**No doubt I am not alone in thinking Augustus Caesar one of the most fascinating of men from our most ancient times. No? Come on you must be kidding! Doesn't everyone love to read about ancient Rome and Greece? On this day in history Augustus Caesar was made Pontifex Maximus of Rome. It was a very important post, and was given for life. It was given to Roman Emperors and later to Popes. I think he would have fallen in love with Salome for sure. ~~**~~**~~**~~ Well, I have to tell
Siblinglessness ~The sequel (6) 2008-03-07 09:47:00 I was always envious of my friends who had sisters or brothers. It did not matter which for the most part, any sibling would do. Some of that envy was no doubt quite self-serving. I had no defense against a charge of wrongdoing. There was no one else to point the finger at. I'm sure, much as most parents might deny it, there were plenty of times when a matter is simply dropped because the real culprit could not be determined. Perhaps some got the old, well, if nobody will confess, you can both get punished, thing. I wouldn't know, I had no where to hide, myself.My parents didn't assume that children had much of anything valuable to contribute to a conversation. We ate dinner, when we ate as a family at all, in silence. I grew up with a TV within view of the table, and we watched earnestly Read more:sequel
Chock full of Nuts ~~ Not Me 2008-03-06 13:20:00 This textile is entitled "The Bridal Chamber of Herse" and dates from 1550 C.E.~~**~~**~~**~~I hope you guys are enjoying the new blog. I am sure it's disconcerting to some, and some have probably left in utter disgust. Perhaps a few have even decided this is a great visit. I guess I like that it's so diverse, you never know what to expect, and I continually look for new stuff to titillate your taste and eye buds. The sad fact is that there aren't many crafting, food, and gardening blogs that update regularly. That's the way most people operate. I am somewhat driven. We all have to find our own niche as it were. I hope you can just skip the stuff that bores you to tears and enjoy what you do like. I do want input, so feel free. Although this is MY forum, I do not wish to either offend or b
It looked like everyone's life (5) 2008-03-06 09:45:00 I was a latch-key kid, although that was well before that term was coined by some psychologist or journalist. I never thought much about it frankly. I only remember feeling neglected but once as I recall. My dad worked the normal first shift at Buick Motor Company. He got home around four in the afternoon, give or take. Mother, on the other hand worked a swing shift of some sort, she went to work at like 2 or so in the afternoon and got out at midnight. She got home and went to bed, not to be disturbed by me in the morning.I was thus alone in the morning, expected to dress, eat breakfast and depart to school. I went across the street each morning to wait for Kathy so we could walk together. I saw her mother, Betty making hot chocolate and toast for her gang of kids. The older one's of cour Read more:everyone
I am Not Schizophrenic, just eclectic 2008-03-05 14:42:00 I am not at all sure what Vincent Van Gogh knew about cosmology, but he seems to have a sense of it in his famous painting "Starry Night." Read about what astronomers have to say about the changing face of our understanding of our universe and where it might lead at Scientific American. We thought that the galaxies were slowing in their redshift away from each other. It turns out, the speed is picking up. This raises many interesting questions about it, not the least of which is what it actually contains. Learn about "dark energy."~~**~~**~~**~~On this day in 1770, the Boston Massacre occurred. Five were killed while protesting the British imposition of the Stamp Act. Starting with taunting, the thing escalated and re-enforcements were called in. Some one fired a shot, and then a lot of s Read more:Schizophrenic
, eclectic
Are all the early years blissful? 2008-03-05 09:11:00 I grew up in the suburbs, which was a new thing, relatively speaking in the fifties. It was the home of countless WWII vets and their new families, and mine was no exception. I assumed, and was mostly right that most of my friends had dads who had served in either the European campaign or the Pacific. These issues were never really discussed by anyone, but they were part of the landscape. The point of suburbia is, that there is a certain sameness to the inhabitants, and this was certainly true then. It probably is not so much true now.As soon as I was old enough, I made friends with the family across the street from me. That required, no doubt that I was old enough to cross the street alone. Our street was not paved, nor were any of them but one, in the entire sub-division. It was not pave
I Think He Knows Something We Don't 2008-03-04 14:58:00 Excuse the big splotches all over this post. The Contrarian is sobbing so loudly and copiously about Brett Favre's retirement, it's well a crying shame. An icon has left the building and how Green Bay can survive without its perfect quarterback is still unknown. I don't see the big deal, it's not like Martha's show was cancelled or anything! Seriously, I am also a football fan, and have learned to love the Packers which was quite a stretch, believe me. But coming from a state that has not won a NFL championship since 1957, yes I said 1957, I was happy to root for anybody who could actually win.This type of blogging format is working for me, at least at the moment. I'm adding new blogs slowly, and a bit more carefully. I'm not sure which one's yet I'll move over from the other blog. I've cu
No title 2008-03-04 12:54:00 There once was a man named Fred,Who was found under a lady's bed,He scrambled and ran,Tripped over the divan,and got a fine knot it was said.There once was a dog named Bear,Who was faster than lightning I swear,He caught all the bunnies,Fore Pop finished the funnies,Or Mom had fed the mare.Winter dwindles on,Holding spring back with cold air,The seedling waits hushed.Limericks! Haiku! I was over at that 20 words site I mentioned yesterday, and all the sudden got an idea, and wrote my very first limericks and my first haiku poem. I'm thinking I may be addicted. I know they aren't very good, but it's a first try after all. I think I'll meander around the web and see what I can learn about both limericks and haiku. I have written a small bit of poetry over the years, and have none of it. Tha
Man Haters Unite! (3) 2008-03-04 09:14:00 Berdyne had a strange upbringing to be sure. Oh that is Mother's name, odd wouldn't you say? I've never seen another like it, other than Bernadeen or Bernadette, never heard an explanation for the choice, and don't expect to ever hear of it again. Dad had a normal name, Glenn, but that would be about the only thing normal about his family.No discussion of Dad's side of things can begin with anyone other than the matriarch, Gertrude. She lived to a very ripe age of 94, dying less than 3 months as I recall after the death of her only son. I doubt she thought there was any purpose any longer. Some thought that her relationship with Dad was akin to a "marriage" of sorts. Oh goodness, not in a sexual way whatsoever, but they were a couple in some sense of the word.Gertrude was one of nine child Read more:Haters
Citizens Arise! or Sit! 2008-03-03 15:02:00 I'm feeling rather self-satisfied with myself today, and in truth, I have no good reason to. What I did, I should be doing all the time. But at least I did it today. What you ask? I e-mailed all my Congressmen and told them what I thought about certain issues. I'm feeling very responsible today. I told em to hang tough on the FISA bill and not let Bush's scare tactics get them to absolve the telecoms from responsibility for spying on us. And I told my house representative to oppose that H.Res. 888, which wants define our nation as a "Christian" one. You may disagree with me. You can write to your congresspeople if you do. It's nasty outside. The lovely balmy yesterday turned to rain, then sleet, and then well nothing, but the wind is roaring and all the animals are cranky. They got very us Read more:Citizens
, Arise
Who are these people? (2) 2008-03-03 10:34:00 By a young age, I became fairly convinced that I had been stolen from gypsies at a tender age and transported to this northern land called Michigan and raised by these two strange people
. Let me tell you a bit about them, and then decide for yourselves if we shouldn't' require testing before people are allowed to procreate. It is not quite so bad as that, but it bears thinking about.Mother I can do faster. She was one of three children, born to a railroad man and a bi-polar mother. Certainly, back in those days, there was no clue what bi-polarism was, she was just crazy, period. Of course, you had to get mighty crazy before anyone did anything about it. So, my maternal grandmother was allowed to mismanage and mishandle her kids for a number of years before somebody stepped in. The only sto
Random Collections of Thought 2008-03-02 15:25:00 “Writing is not hard. Just get paper and pencil, sit down and write it as it occurs to you. The writing is easy – it’s the occurring that’s hard.” Stephen Leacock“Real seriousness in regard to writing is one of two absolute necessities. The other, unfortunately, is talent.” Ernest HemingwayJust ran into these and thought them apropos of today's work. I rather think that writing has deteriorated since the advent of the word processor and computering. It looks so clean going in, mistakes are easy to fix, little thought is required. We grow lazy and let pass poor writing because it "looks" nice. When it was a real pain to make a correction, we perhaps thought more about the words we were choosing. Text messaging only makes it worse. I really expect we will be seeing major spelli Read more:Random
The Beginning of Time 2008-03-02 13:34:00 It was a dark and stormy night, no wait, that was Snoopy. Actually, I have no idea what the weather was on the ominous and singularly important day of my birth. That is one of a very long list of things I never found out about my history. It was April 15, 1950, yes you wily reader, it was TAX DAY. I have always surmised that either a big amount was owed, or a big amount was coming back, either one of which threw my mother into labor. This has never been confirmed, but I am sure I am correct in my surmising.To be precise, I was born at 9:32 p.m. EST, Flint, Michigan, USA, Earth, Milky Way, Universe ( the only one I know of so far). I was born at McClaren Hospital, and before you say a word, yes, hospitals were around then, no midwifery for my induction into air-breathing. Although there are
Welcome to the New Me 2008-03-02 09:46:00 Welcome to all, especially those who have moved from the older blog "Living Beyond the Road." I am launching this new blog today and in some respects it will be familiar and in other ways, very different. This one focuses more on my interests and especially on my autobiography. I intend to write the story of my life. It will undoubtedly not be in a strict chronological format, although it will start out that way. I do this for a couple of reasons:Every story is an interesting one, mine no more or less so than another's. It is however mine, and if I don't write it, surely it will never be written. And all stories are valuable.Reliving one's life through the medium of story helps when we are stuck. Reviewing allows us to subconsciously move to those issues that are holding us back. We obtain Read more:Welcome
Oh enough Already with the Jokes! 2008-03-12 11:24:00 Welcome to "Leda and the Swan" sculpted by Jean Thierry. Work done in 1717.First off I'd like to apologize for yesterday's post. I try very hard to run down all the links and make sure they are what they say they are, but yesterday got a bit beyond me, and I later found a couple of bad links. They were both associated with the freebie section. I could not locate either the "socket" or the wipes/floss offers. I shall watch more carefully from now on. There is nothing worse than following links to nowhere. I dislike bloggers who link to something that in turn links to somewhere else. I try to drop the middleman and take you directly, in most cases, while giving due credit to the blog that alerted me. Time does not always allow me to do this as diligently as I would wish. The freebies sites s Read more:Jokes
Careening through the Northern Woods 2008-03-12 09:04:00 It always has seemed to me that those summers at the lake went on for years and years. I also thought that those utterly magnificent Christmases went on year after year, world without end. Truth was, I doubt I went to the lake with Gram much before the age of 10 and I was done with such "childish" pursuits when that driver's license was finally relinquished into my grasping fingers.The idyllic times seemed thus unending, and I guess that speaks more to the psychological impact they had on me. We are livers of the moment in childhood, never realizing that that is the preferred state of mind we will struggle to attain in later life. That is why it seems endless. In those delicious moments, time is nonexistent, we simply exist in a wholeness. It is what life is supposed to be.As I said, when Read more:Northern
, Woods
From Bad to Better in One easy lesson 2008-03-11 10:20:00 The painting today is called "The Thread Spinners." Painted by Velazquez in 1644-48, it can be seen at El Prado, in Madrid.Well, I feel a bit like Dorothy Parker. She is reputed to have said at a ringing phone, "What fresh hell is this?" It was not the phone that brought it to mind, just general "oh crap" can anything more go wrong? The car seems unwilling to start today, and recharging the battery seems not to be of any use. That makes it three vehicles that are not working, and unfortunately, we have no fourth. So the Contrarian's plans to go to Walker and pick up the mail and some bird seed at the granary is kaput. These kinds of problems require a full 24 hour think, before any further actions are taken. First we have to find somebody who has a vehicle that can traverse our luge of a l Read more:lesson
Why does Walmart have 40 Checkout lanes? 2008-03-10 15:08:00 We made it! It was not easy, but we succeeded in resupplying ourselves today. It did not start out well. We left the house at 8 a.m. and immediately discovered a dead battery in the car. That was disconcerting, but it recharged quickly, and we were moving at 8:30. We made it up the hill fairly easily although the snow path was cut between two five feet drifts as we careened around to the first gate, feeling like a bumper car occupants.Through the gate, and things got very much better, out in the field the path was no more than about 3 inches drifted right or left and the path was wide. As we neared the road, oh God, the snow was cut again into a narrow maze with snow going up over the top of the car. We pulled onto the road which was very clear of snow, it was all piled in the ditches. Our Read more:Walmart
, Checkout
Bumping into Myself 2008-03-15 11:19:00 This painting hangs in MoMA and was done by Henry Matisse, 1909. ~ One always wonders what caused the mind to come up with this theme. It seems to me a lot of male artists fantasized about women unclothed outside in groups. I personally have never come upon such a sight. Apparently they thought about it a good deal. ~ Just a couple of general housekeeping details. I made the snickery bars or whatever they were called. I mean the one's made from dulce de leche with peanuts, chocolate and shortbread. Much work involved, especially for the dulce de leche. It cooks for nearly 3 hours, and for me it was hard to find the exact right temp where it would simmer and not boil. I do not think I got it reduced enough, thus it did weep out when I cut the cookies. However it was very tasty. A small pie Read more:Bumping
I Love the Smell of ? Leather in the Air 2008-03-15 09:08:00 It seems strange to me that I remember so much of my time at my elementary school, and so very little about junior high. We did not call it middle school where I lived. I do not remember that we took a bus for example, though surely we were entitled to, being in excess of one mile, more like two I would think. I do remember a lot of parental driving, both by my father and Patty's mother or father, though I no longer remember which.I cannot recall when Kathy and I parted ways in favor of Patty, a girl my own age. Patty was a blond girl, of normal stature and looks, albeit she had a deformity that was appalling to her throughout her younger years. She was born with one leg longer than the other. Over the years, she wore a built up shoe, an ugly ugly misshapen and heavy clogging thing. She at Read more:Smell
, Leather
Eclectic/Psychotic? It's all Opinion. 2008-03-14 10:35:00 ~~~~~~~To the left we have "The Weaver" painted by Diego Rivera in 1936.To the right, "On a balcony" done by Mary Cassatt in 1878-79. Both can be found at the Art Institute of Chicago. ~~**~~**~~**~~Just a short update on the Palermo Pizza freebie. Yesterday, I mentioned that for signing up for their "newsletter" I got a 75c coupon. Following that an e-mail arrived telling me I would receive a further $1 coupon and a pizza peal. Not a bad promotion. I'll tell you if I actually receive it, but it seems worthwhile to join up. ~~**~~**~~**~~ Okay, it's down to the wire and you just must have some St. Patrick's Day decoration. Before you do it the easy way by running to some store and laying out cash, scurry into your crafting materials and find just a small piece of yarn that is green. Now yo
Ode to the Favre, Contrarian blues 2008-03-13 11:56:00 Auguste Bernard's "Lady Reading the Letters of Heloise and Abelard" 1780. Located at the Chicago Museum of Art.Well, it's a bright and sunny day and the melt is continuing rapidly now. The Contrarian has offered to do the cooking today, and I'm sitting back in luxury, reading and crocheting, and well, seeing what is out and about or oot and aboot if you are Canadian. Bear chased Hobbes up a tree last evening and the poor boy didn't come back to the door until after we had gone to bed. It's the first tree he's been up in a goodly long time. Given his heft, I'm sure the way down was not as fun. He is the only cat who remains truly frightened of Bear. He always does the wrong thing, namely run. He can't screw up the courage to stand his ground like the others. He is no lover of cold, and wil Read more:Favre
Ranting from my Soapbox 2008-03-13 10:27:00 Today our featured art is "The Union of Earth and Water" painted by Pieter Paul Rubens in 1618 and presently lodged at The Hermitage in St. Petersburg.Just a small aside of something that has stayed with me long enough that it deserves to be committed to writing. A few nights ago, the Contrarian wished to watch one of his innumerable "classics," movies he considers timeless. (actually just any movie he likes that was done before 1950) He exclaims whenever this idea comes up that he "distinctly remembers that in an e-mail while we were courting, I said that yes I loved old movies too," yet I never want to watch any he suggests.This largely is because his favorite "classics" always seem to involve Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, or others of that ilk which I rather dislike. I'm more the Betty Read more:Soapbox
Pick a Read and add a recipe 2008-03-17 09:43:00 Painted by Jean Baptiste Camille Corot in 1870, and entitled "Interrupted Reading." It hangs in the Chicago Museum. ~Of interesting note, yesterday, I featured the famous mural by Seurat. Today, that painting was shown on GMA because a new stage play has been developed about Seurat's life and the mural serves as a backdrop to the play. Apparently part of the story are the people in the mural who come to life in the play. ~It also was explained that the monkey at the foot of the woman with the bustle denotes a prostitute. I certainly was unaware of that. Also noted was that each of the people portrayed in the mural is looking at no other person. There is often much more to a painting than we assume at first glance. ~Two other matters bear mentioning today as well. First, our DSL service is
There is so much you don't know! 2008-03-16 10:41:00 This summery beauty is by Georges Seurat, and is entitled "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte~~1884" and was done in the period 1884-1886. No doubt it took that long because it is huge, and was painted in the Pointillism method.I had the joy of seeing this wonder at the Chicago Museum. Up close it boggles the mind at the fine individual points of color. When one retreats one sees the wonderful blending that produces this fantastic work of art. It is simply monumental in its display.Update on Palermo Pizza offer. I got an e-mail with a $1 off coupon and indeed, I'm not getting a pizza peal, (which is okay, since I have one) but am getting the ruler and rack puller, both of which I can certainly use. I'm quite pleased with this offer!Bummer on the socks. I was going to start knitting some socks, s
Maybe our Politicians need to Quilt? 2008-03-19 12:41:00 These are 4 sides of the beautiful sculpture by Augustin Pajou, done in 1790 and called "Psyche Abandoned." It is at the Louvre, Paris, France. A nice feature of the Louvre site is the ability to view some art from several different points. ~~~**~~**~~**~~~Abby Sweets went out of the way to celebrate Spring with a tea for girlfriends. The menu is certainly impressive. I thought there were a recipe or two you might be interested in. Try the Buttermilk Scones for instance. If I tried to serve creme brulee in egg shells, I do believe the Contrarian would never stop laughing. Cute idea though, but definitely a girlie type meal. ~~~**~~**~~**~~~Cookies are always a favorite of mine, quicker to make than the normal cake or pie. I thought this one looked rather provocatively enticing. That mean Read more:Maybe
, Quilt
Yesterday, all I wanted was to hold his hand 2008-03-19 10:08:00 I usually have an idea of what I want to talk about in each installment, and sometimes I even stick to it, but because I am unschooled in the literary genre of "autobiography" I can veer widely off the mark, since I tend to follow my thoughts. For someone who is somewhat disciplined, here I fail completely. I hope you can follow along.I could talk probably endlessly about the teenage years. Perhaps in part that is because they naturally break in a hundred different directions. There are parent-child issues, scholastic issues, girlfriend issues, boyfriend issues, economics, political, and a host of others. I could talk about my formulations about God and the bible, about how I became a Democrat, about how I categorized the family finances. I could write a full day and much more on each no Read more:Yesterday
, wanted
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