HAPPY EASTER

This is the day the Easter Bunny buddies up with Santa Claus to deliver baskets of colored eggs and chocolate bunnies to little children.  One memory remains scorched onto my little girl brain all these years.  I was about 8 years old, and there was snow on the ground Easter morning.  A rabbit must've run across our lawn and left his paw prints in the snow.  My brother easily convinced me that they were the Easter Bunny's tracks.  OMG, back then, that was bigger than the resurrection!

The first mention of the Easter Bunny delivering candy and eggs originated in Germany back in the 1500s.  The Pennsylvania Dutch settlers brought the bunny tradition to America in the 1700s. 

Easter vies with Halloween for the most candy sales each year.  I bought four chocolate covered rice krispie bunnies, one to sit beside each dinner plate.  Also bought yellow chick Peeps to top our angel food cherry dessert.  Will add a nest of Cool Whip for the chick to sit on...gotta hold onto the little kid that still lives in all of us.  Speaking of Peeps, the Just Born Factory in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, makes enough Peeps in one year to circle Earth twice.  Yellow Peeps come in first as favorites, with pink second-favorite.

Easter wouldn't be Easter without Cadbury Creme Eggs.  The Bournville factory in Birmingham, England, cranks out 500 million of the cream-filled eggs every year.  Piled on top of each other, they'd create a tower taller than Mount Everest.

Then there's the traditional Jelly Beans.  More than 16 billion of 'em are made for Easter each year.  It takes about 2 weeks to make a Jelly Bean.  Yup.

Around 90 million chocolate bunnies are sold in the U.S. for Easter.  Some are hollow, some are marshmallow filled.  There's the big question:  do you eat the bunny's ears first?  59% of people do.

There was a time that pretzels were associated with Easter.  The salty twisted pretzel resembled arms crossing in prayer.  Legend has it that back in the Middle Ages monks baked pretzels to give as rewards to students who did well in their lessons.....arms crossed with hands on opposite shoulders.  Some say the three holes in the pretzel represent the Trinity. 

WE CHOSE BASIL

The boyfriend and I are changing the burgundy accent color in our unit to a shade of green that blends with our tall and narrow pantry cupboard.  We went to the paint store for color samples and chose the color Basil.  

Green is the most common color found in Nature.  Its combination of yellow (optimism) and blue (calm) makes it a positive color, promoting relaxation and harmony.  Should be perfect.

With the arrival of April, the human spirit gets the urge to make fresh starts.  We get new ideas for planting vegetable and flower gardens, going out and buying flowering plants.  We get excited about trying new things.  And, there's always the hope for new unexpected blessings that are randomly sprinkled on our path.  We must be careful, tho. Sometimes a blessing might look like a stone, and we might kick it out of our way.

LOVE AND COMPASSION

Good Friday.  This day arrives once a year, and on this day a mountain of memories falls down on me.  As a little girl, growing up in an ultra-Catholic family, Good Friday was a dread to me.  You see, I'm now decades older and have the right to share my opinion just like those who pounded theirs into my baby brain.  Don't get me wrong, goodness and kindness are my co-religions, and I think Jesus felt the same way.

Remember how little kids keep asking WHY?  That's what my baby brain wondered when we went to church on GOOD Friday to pay homage to a day when they did HORRIBLE things to Jesus?  Just didn't make sense, and I had no choice but to go along with the rituals.  

Another trauma for my baby brain was listening to the reading of the Passion of Christ.  In later years, members of the church participated in the reading.  I remember getting so antsy I just wanted to run away.  But, I had no choice but to pretend.  

Stones may be thrown at me for the next thing I'm about to share, but even as a little girl I didn't want to put my lips on the feet of Jesus.  Why?  Because even as a little girl I knew that some people in church were coughing, and this was the perfect opportunity to pass along any germs that needed a new home.  In my later years, I did refuse and simply laid my hand on his feet.  What could they do to me?  

Then there was the fasting business.  It wasn't like we were rich and ate lobster and steak......luxuries that we might forego for the sake of a form of penance.  We couldn't eat meat, but could eat fish.  That was another thing I pondered.  Why was I allowed to eat what I loved most and forbidden to eat what I liked least?  You see, my family went fishing, and fresh fried fish were my lobster.

There's a glaring difference between man-made organized religion and true inner spirituality.  The glory of living in a freedom-based country is our ability to choose between religion and spirituality.  You see, I am what I am because of my intense one-year biblical study, researching and reading eleven theological books, and the ultimate trip to Rome Italy to see for myself what religion is all about.  Pope Paul II even held my hand in one of the upper rooms of the Vatican complex.  Yup, I did it all, and then chose spirituality.  

The world needs organized religion.  Absolutely.  We see right now what happens when it's eliminated.  But, there are other religions.  Oh, I've studied them till my brain hurts.  

The saddest thing for me is this business of dying.  If it wasn't for the priests and nuns pounding it into my head that if I die with a sin on my soul, I would burn in the fires of hell forever and ever and ever.  How's that for cruel brainwashing of a child?  I didn't buy the business of babies who died before being baptized going to limbo and never being able to see God.  Somewhere along the last fifty years, limbo has magically disappeared.  When's the last time we heard about limbo?

Some may say I'm a terrible person for writing this on Good Friday.  To me, it's Bad Friday, because Jesus was tortured on this day.  Some say it's a GOOD thing he died for us, but how can torture ever be seen as good?  

What is spirituality?  It's defined as the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.  It is recognizing that there is something greater than myself, and that we are all a part of Divine Nature.  The two main ingredients are love and compassion.  In my mind, Jesus represents love and compassion.

The spiritual tendency is to be kind to others and not to criticize others, in the hopes of making the world a better place.  Do I pray?  Absolutely.  Prayer is the only path between us and the Divine.  Mom's words live eternally in my mind......"Honey, if you fall asleep before you finish your night prayers, always remember the angels will finish them for you."    Those words made all the sense in the world to me, and to this day I believe what Mom said to me as a little girl.

For me, spending time in Nature, outdoors, is where my soul breathes most freely.  No one is judging the clothes I'm wearing, nor criticizing me for not responding to letters in the mail asking me to do something to make money.  Nature is an open cathedral, a communion with the wonders of the pretty wildflowers and small animals who are only trying to make their way in the world like the rest of us.

Spirituality has been compared to a deep well, upon which we draw in times of crisis, unrest or personal challenge.  Spirituality reinforces inner peace and provides a sense of connection to a force greater than ourselves.  Spirituality can relieve the stressors of everyday life.  I see it for myself, how some of the most religious people are not happy, but constantly complaining.  They don't seem to have found the true meaning and purpose of being given life.  Spirituality is an awakening, where it's okay to let one's curiosities run free, to explore, to find what makes personal sense.  To me, that's the only way I have found to quiet and conquer the daily anxieties we all suffer with.  No matter how hard I tried, I wasn't able to get all dressed up and go to church, and that comfort would be there waiting for me.  Actually, being in church upset me.  I saw too much hypocrisy, too much show.  

Each and every one of us is born with a gift wrapped up inside of us.  Our only job while we're alive is to unwrap that gift and use it for the betterment of the human condition.  If we can honestly say that we've done that, then we have done our part.  No one else can judge us or make us feel inferior to their uninvited expectations.  

For years, I wrote in my journal notebooks.  That is one way that I found my spiritual self.  Maybe that's why it's so easy for me to share openly here.  It's a testament to my understanding of life and how I navigate my way through each day.  

I'm sitting here in my comfort corner looking at my beloved olive tree.  Since re-potting it, it's gotten new shoots.  That tells me it's healthy and happy.  What more can any of us earthlings want for ourselves?  Random acts of kindness are the perfect way to practice what is at the core of Jesus' teachings......Do unto others as you want them to do unto you.  It's that simple.  It doesn't take a diploma from an institution of higher learning to teach us this.

........Buffy went back to his parents' house yesterday afternoon.  She was such a good little girl during her sleepover.  This afternoon we're going shopping for groceries.  Will go out for lunch before.  The boyfriend wants to drive to a tiny town tavern for a burger, and that sounds like a plan for me.  It's time for us to be together, to share the goodness and the mercy given to us.  We'll talk, we'll laugh, and we'll be serious.  We'll be alone.  We'll probably take some pictures along the way.  It's what we do.  Life is an ever-moving stream of opportunity to taste and savor life.  It's a spiritual journey.       

TURTLE MODE

Saw this on Facebook this morning.  It so perfectly parallels the way I think these days.  The turtle taught me the value of receding into my shell and staying silent until storms pass.  It's my "turtle mode."

Turtles remind us to value the slow approach, rather than fast.  I now love to sit and ponder.  I love the word 'ponder.'  The world can be our own personal think tank.  When we're silent, Momma Nature tells us things we otherwise wouldn't hear.  Pondering allows fresh thoughts to flow through me.  The turtle teaches us to be comfortable in our own space. 

FRANCIS SCOTT KEY BRIDGE STRUCK BY CARGO SHIP

Another tragic event, the cargo ship crashing into the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore.  Terrorist attack is the first thought to come to mind since 9-11.  As I understand, six innocent construction workers are presumed dead.

• Francis Scott Key grew up on the family plantation, Terra Rubra, which means "red earth" in Latin.  It refers to the distinctive soil in northwest Carroll County, Maryland.
• The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was named after Francis Scott Key, the American lawyer and poet who wrote the words to the Star Spangled Banner. 
• The Key Bridge is a 4-lane, 1.6 mile span that crosses the Patapsco River, a key waterway that, along with the Port of Baltimore, serves as a hub for East Coast shipping. 
•  The site of the bridge is believed to be within 100 yards of where Key watched the bombing of Fort McHenry on September 12, 1814.  From his vantage point on the Patapsco River, Key was able to see that the American flag stayed up through the hours of darkness and was still at the top of the fort when morning came.  "And the rocket's red glare, the bomb bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there."  
•  Pronounced "puh TAP skoh," the river's name is derived from the language of the Algonquian tribe of Native Americans and translates to "backwater" or "tide covered with froth."   
• The bridge was a normal commuting route for over 30,000 every day, and an artery for commerce. According to Maryland government officials, the bridge carried more than 12.4 million passengers and commercial vehicles in 2023. 
• The Singapore-flagged ship Dali (that struck the bridge) had been in port for two days and was going to spend the next month at sea before reaching Colombo, Sri Lanka....9,000 miles from Baltimore. 

I personally have not visited the State of Maryland, so am not familiar with this bridge.  Sad, isn't it, that it takes tragedy to make us aware of our country's vital functioning parts.   

ASIAN CHEFS

Moisture is the blessing of the day.  From mist to teeny weeny snowflakes, today our deck is wet.  Droplets of water cling to the railing, waiting to drop off.  Went to bed at 3 a.m., got up at 11:45 this morning.  At least I didn't miss out on a beautiful sunrise, cuz Momma Nature pulled a curtain in front of it today.

I entertained myself until the wee hours watching Japanese grill masters on YT.  Here's a link to one of the master chefs that really puts on a fun show for his dinner guests.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPbueswx2do  Asian cuisine is delicious, but I'm not into sushi.  My palette craves not raw fish wrapped in seaweed.  Take me to a restaurant, and I'll order seafood.  Scallops, shrimp, crab, clams and lobster make my mouth water.  Take me fishing, and nothing tastes better than fresh fried fish with potato salad.  The boyfriend is known to grill freshly caught trout on the grill, wrapped in foil and seasoned with fresh squeezed lemon.  That was a campfire delight back in the days....

April is approaching.  Easter is this weekend.  A whole new earthly performance will take center stage.  Momma Nature will put away her white woolens and bring out her pretty pastels.  Life is a parade of change, presented to us in small portions, beautifully decorated like Asian cuisine.  

Cherry Blossom Milk Pudding

Our deck was covered with Snow.....until Mother Nature decided to delete it with rainfall.  Honestly, though, the flakes were the size of pennies.  We both took the time to watch them gently fall to the ground and then snuggle together.  

Funny thing.....this morning I woke up thinking it's Sunday.  The boyfriend told me his plans for the day, and my question was, "on Sunday??"  He quickly brought me back on track with the fact that, no, it's Monday.  Yowza, that means I SHOULD do something that brings us a step closer to spring tidiness.

The calendar nudges me to get at our income tax and get the necessary numbers in the mail for preparation.  E-filing makes it so much easier, but we still do have to drive 40 miles to sign the original documents.  That's our excuse to go out for lunch and a trolley around the countryside.  Seems like we just went through the motions of tax time. 

Got a sweet phone call yesterday......from Buffy's daddy.....wondering if Buffy could come over Wednesday afternoon and stay overnight.  My heart made a somersault.  My right arm will get lots of exercise by throwing his toys for retrieval.  She's so funny about her toys....she plays with one, then gets another, and this goes on until she plays with all of 'em.  

While reading the letters of Van Gogh, I came across the phrase, "weal and woe" or joy and sorrow.  At one time the words weal and wealth were synonymous.  Hmmm.  Weal was a new word to me, but now it's mine. 

Quite gloomy looking outside.  Don't have a clue what the day holds weather-wise.  Guess like everything else, we'll take it as it comes.

"In classical music, all the instruments start to play at the same time and there is a great wave of excitement, and Spring wakes up just like that!"  ~Mehmet Murat ildan

EASTER WEEK

Yup, Mother Nature has a sense of humor, and the last few days she's been up to her tricks.  One morning we have shadows on our deck, the next morning we have snow.  Back and forth.  She knows how I've begged her for a huge snow storm in our area, so she sends the snow to the earth when it's dark.  

Sunday it is once again.  Sports on the telly, and my agenda is still up in the air.  My study of Vincent spurred my interest in art, so I did a quick research of the art timeline throughout history.  Starting 40,000 years ago with cave painting.  Living where we do, art galleries just aren't, so I have to do my looking online.  Also took a virtual tour of Van Gogh's Museum in Amsterdam.  I'll revisit the Louvre one day, too.  There are a lot of cultural arenas that I'd have loved to see, but I'm a guppy swimming in a thimble.  But, that's okay.  What do they say?  Grow where we are planted and be happy. 

Don't really know what I'd do without the internet.  I try to imagine retirement without it, and simply am not able to.  Oh, I have a ton of other hobbies, but, they, too, depend on my beloved Chromebook for ideas and instructions.  To me, the internet is a classroom.  Migod, how blessed can we baby boomers be, having started out without televisions.  The fact that I carry a phone with me everywhere I go can't help but make me giggle.  I started out using a crank phone that hung like a baby coffin on the wall.  

Well, last night we opted for take-outs.  The boyfriend went down to the Great Room for our chicken suppers.  Neither of us felt like showering and getting all dressed up to eat supper and then coming right back home.  It's that business of being way too comfy.  Girls basketball was on the telly, and I, of course, was once again in the mountains of Iran with the nomads.  

So, we begin Easter week.  We've invited our Easter dinner guests, and we'll serve a turkey dinner about 3 o'clock in the afternoon.  When asked what they could bring, I quickly responded, "your delicious dressing."  He makes the best dressing ever, and I'm a lover of dressing.  He knows that I love it, and wasn't a bit surprised when I bleated out my request.  That's what makes life fun, when we can tease and enjoy one another's talents.  

I made a pretty spring yellow and lavender bouquet for the table.  Went to the Dollar Tree for the posies, and they're as pretty as can be.  Sweet and simple.

As I write each spring, I anxiously await the arrival of the trillium.  They grow along a trout stream, and it's there that we first see them.  Think I get more out of the miracle of their annual rebirth than I would if I sat through an hour-long church service.  It's just the way my heart is connected to the earth, always has been since a little girl.  Picking fragile violets on a hillside was my beloved alone time on the farm.  Spring's first flowers are tender little beings, their stems thin and almost transparent.  We tend to forget there's an entire realm beneath the ground that's more peaceful and punctual than we are above ground.  

Makes me think about replanting my olive tree.  Poor dear was in the same planter as the day I bought it.  It's Roots were bound, so I pulled them apart so they could stretch out in their new digs.  I tied the branches for support, and she is now one happy little member of the plant kingdom.  Both she and my precious gnome Odin will grace our deck when the weather warms up.  Notice the tiny gnome in the planter.  

One walker just went by, wearing a winter coat and stocking cap.  My phone tells me it's 30 degrees.  Great day to snuggle indoors and eat leftover chicken.  We're ones who feast on leftovers, unlike those who toss them in the wastebasket.  One builds creativity by re-purposing food.  Mom taught me that.  When we were kids at home, our fridge would have little sauce dishes of leftover food.  Mom had a way to put them altogether in a frying pan, scramble eggs on the whole works, and I loved it!  Don't think my daddy would've allowed us to be finicky about the food mom fixed.  One of the sweetest memories I have is of daddy giving mom a hug after a meal and thanking her.  That's an honest to God fact.  

Well, best get my day moving.  This is Palm Sunday.  I remember we used to save the palms by putting them behind a picture on the wall.  Some braided the fronds, but we didn't do that.  

Ta-ta till the morrow. 

SHADOWS OF OUR DECK RAILINGS

Weekend time.  Tonight's entertainment is a chicken dinner down in the Great Room.  Dinner includes wine and dessert.  A nice event to shepherd us Venniers together for social interaction.  Since Covid, I've morphed into a rather reclusive soul.  I actually need a nudge to partake.  Shame on me.

The snow on our deck has been replaced with shadows of the railing.  Shadows are fascinating..... 

• Shadows can help us accurately estimate the time of day by observing their length and position.  Ancient civilizations, like the Egyptians, used this knowledge to construct sundials that used shadow movements as an indication of timekeeping.
• The Shadow has long been of interest to artists, photographers and scientists.  Artists use shadows to add depth, mood and emphasis in their artwork.  Photographers pay particular attention to shadows for dramatic lighting effects.  Scientists utilize shadow research as a means of uncovering insights into light's properties as it interacts with objects in nature.
• Shadows can create optical illusions that play with our perception.  For instance, the famous "Ames Room" illusion uses shadow sizes distortion to make people seem much bigger or smaller than they actually are.

• 

  Two adults standing in an Ames Room
  with a significant difference in size.

  The Ames Room was invented by American scientist Adelbert Ames, Jr., in 1946.  An Ames Room is viewed with one eye through a peephole.  The observer will see that an adult standing in one corner of the room along the back wall appears to be a giant, while another adult standing in the other corner along the back wall appears to be a dwarf.  An adult who moves from one corner of the room to the other appears to change dramatically in size.  Aaaaahhhh, the power of illusion.
• Shadows have cultural and symbolic importance.  In many cultures, shadows have come to symbolize darkness, mystery and the unknown; metaphorically used as an emblematic representation of hidden aspects of ourselves such as fears or subliminal desires.
• Facts such as these offer insight.  They show how shadows are so much more than just mere absence of light.  They're complex phenomena with vast history and wide-reaching artistic, scientific and cultural implications.

In folklore, The Shadow is known as the doppelganger, or "double-walker."  The dark, mysterious essence of the Shadow has intrigued mankind since the beginning of time.  The Shadow is attached to all things.  All that's required is a little bit of light, for there cannot be a shadow unless we first have light.  

Question to ponder:  Are we simply a breath and a shadow?

POST AND BEAM BARN

Stayed up till the wee hour of 3 a.m.  Snow fell during the darkness, leaving an inch for us to look at this morning.  My prayers again were 'slightly' answered.  We do with what is granted to us.

Had supper guests last evening.  Every day we add another page of memories to the life album.  Like I've said in the past, friends are those we choose to be our family.  The biological business is not within our realm to change.  

On our recent trolley, we came across a barn that's being disassembled.  The boyfriend's first words were, "That's a post and beam barn."  Our car came to a stop so I could click a pic....

The stone base is as interesting as the top portion of the structure.  We're thinking whoever is dismantling this barn is planning to save the post and beam skeleton to build a new structure.  One can't imagine the work that was invested in the original build.  Guess it's that business of good bones.  We'll return to watch the progression.

Not being familiar with 'post and beam,' I did some checking.  Find out that it's also known as a 'timber frame' construction that used heavy timbers instead of modern dimensional lumber.  It's a building method that goes back to 2,000 B.C.  In Europe, there are post and beam buildings still standing that were built during the Middle Ages.  This building would've been built in the 1800s.  Assembling a timber frame required teamwork and an experienced crew. Imagine the amount of timber and the work it took to join the posts and beams together.  Note the stone base.  This barn was built in three stories, to store large amounts of hay to feed the livestock that were housed below.   

Once again it's Friday, and today we're kicking back for a lazy day.  The house is clean, the world outside is white, and there's nothing earth-shaking on the to-do list. 

There's an old saying, 'spring will come when it snows on the Robin's tail three times.'  This means that once the Robins return, it will snow three times and then winter will be over.  This is snow #1, so are there two more on the way?  This girl can only hope.

CORRIDOR IN THE ASYLUM and TREE ROOTS

Overcast morning, no sunrise to capture, yet I know the sun is there.  Some days what we see isn't really all there is.

Am up fairly early.  Must report that my beloved olive tree is replanted in fresh potting soil and she's as happy as a plant can be.  The pot I ordered online matches the jacket on the large gnome I repainted last fall.  They'll make an amazing pair out on the deck this summer.  

While I was at it, I added fresh soil to my Christmas Cactus, which is still blossoming.  I was telling the boyfriend how I'd have enjoyed gardening in my life, but I put my job before everything else, plus I'm terrified of the wiggliest that are everywhere that I am.  Terrified isn't quite right, phobic is better.  Regardless, now in my late years I'm able to pamper a couple plants, and soon will have a hanging basket of flowers to tend to daily, as well.  By no means do I have a green thumb like some of my friends do, but I try.  If it's possible, I can get emotionally attached to my plants.  Some of us got double dips of compassion.  What can I say.

Corridor in the Asylum - 1889

This painting elicits feelings of loneliness and separation with one tiny figure seen glimpsed part way down the hallway.  Despite his colorful palette, the sharply receding corridor  feels hollow and haunted.  Vincent sent the drawing to his brother Theo to give him an impression of his new surroundings.  Throughout his 12-month confinement, he continued to paint.

Tree Roots - July 1890

This painting appears at first sight to be a jumble of bright colors and abstract forms.  Actually, the painting shows a slope with tree trunks and roots.  The work was not entirely completed, and that explains its unfinished appearance.  Tree Roots is probably Van Gogh's very last painting.  Researchers and experts have concluded that the location where Vincent got his inspiration for this painting has been identified.   See picture below: 

 

1890 postcard

Wouter Van der Veen (scientific director of the Institute Van Gogh) writes: 

"Every element of this mysterious painting can be explained by observation of the postcard and the location:  the shape of the hillside, the roots, their relation to each other, the composition of the earth and the presence of a steep limestone face.

"In May 2020, once the Covid-19 lockdown in France was lifted, Wouter Van DER Veen was able to travel to the site to verify his theory several months after the initial discovery.  The site is 150 meters (or 50 yards) from where Van Gogh spent the last 70 days of his life.  Spectacularly, the biggest tree trunk from the painter's last motif is still present and recognizable.  The Van Gogh Institute, in cooperation with local authorities, has erected a protective wooden structure to safeguard the site and allow for visits by the public.  Those who visit Auvers can stand at the exact place where Van Gogh's paint brush last touched the canvas."

In 1890, Vincent wanted to be closer to his brother Theo, who lived in Paris with his young family.  Vincent moved to Auvers where he rented a small attic room at the Cafe de la Mairie.  On July 27th, he failed to return for his evening meal.  The innkeeper knew Vincent's punctuality when it came to dinner, and that immediately caused concern. 

About 9 o'clock that evening a badly wounded Vincent entered the inn.  When asked what was the matter, Vincent said, "I tried to kill myself."  Theo was notified the following morning, and he rushed from Paris to the bedside, which he never left.  Vincent was conscious and the brothers were able to talk.  Theo later wrote to their mother:  "Vincent said, 'I would so like to go,' and an hour later he had his wish.  Life weighed so heavily on him."  At age 37, Vincent died.

His brother Theo was devastated after Vincent's death, and his health deteriorated rapidly.  Three months later he was admitted to the hospital and on January 25, 1891, six months after Vincent's death, Theo also died.

Cemetery in the Village of Auvers
North of Paris
~Two simple graves of Vincent and Theo~
❤❤

VAN GOGH'S FAMOUS PAINTINGS

Gracious sake, yesterday was the first day of spring, and I neglected to honor its arrival.  We hear the chirping of possible snowfall the next days, but this chick isn't holding her breath.  Despite my lengthy prayers for a blizzard beyond belief, we get nothing closely related to winter in our area.  I personally feel we need below zero temps to kill germs.  And, we need snow to satisfy our soil with moisture.  

Yesterday we ventured out for Chinese lunch.  When the waiter came to our table with the bill, he also left two fortune cookies.  I grabbed one, opened the plastic wrapper, broke the cookie in half and read, "You will soon have a day filled with fun."  When the boyfriend opened his fortune cookie, there was no fortune.  What's a person supposed to make of that?  

Today we will visit the gallery of Van Gogh's masterpieces:

The Starry Night - 1889

This painting depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at St. Remy's before sunrise, with an imaginary village.  A church steeple dominates the village scene.  The painting is filled with whirling clouds, shining stars and a bright crescent moon.  There are many interpretations offered about the meaning of the cypress tree.  Was it a symbol of mourning?  or a symbol of his close, almost inseparable, relationship with his brother Theo.  Both the cypress tree and the steeple point to the heavens.  The Starry Night is one of the most recognizable paintings in Western art.

Cafe Terrace at Night - 1888

First, a print of Cafe Terrace at Night, hung on my office wall for years.

This painting reflects Vincent's mood when he wrote that "the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day."  The silhouette of the Starry sky is key to the patterning of the whole--the poetic idea of the work--the double illumination and contrast of the Cafe and the night sky.  Notice in the silhouette of the orange Cafe floor and the adjoining window and doors, we discover the inverted shape of the blue sky....the scattered disks of the stars are matched in the elliptical tabletops below.  The positions of the stars in the night sky of Cafe Terrace at Night are accurate, according to astronomical data.

The most eye-catching aspect of the painting is the sharp contrast between the warm yellow, green and orange colors under the marquise and the deep blue of the Starry sky, which is reinforced by the dark blue of the houses in the background.

At the 2013 European Conference on Arts and Humanities, it was suggested that Van Gogh's painting contains allusions to Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper.  A close study of the painting reveals the main characters include one central figure with long hair and white robe surrounded by 12 individuals (Judas the one figure standing apart from the others) plus the window pains behind the main figure forms a cross.  Around the time Vincent was working on Cafe Terrace at Night, he wrote to his brother explaining that he had a "tremendous need for, shall I say the word, - for religion," with direct reference to this painting.

 It's interesting that the Cafe in the painting is still in existence, renamed the Cafe Van Gogh.  

Starry Night Over the Rhone - 1888

Next we see Vincent's Starry Night Over the Rhone, a print of which also graced the walls of my office for years.

Note here the swirling forms of the reflections and the emotional intensity.  In the center sky, Vincent showcases the seven stars that make up the Big Dipper.  Vincent painted this at a spot on the banks of the river which was only a couple minutes away from The Yellow House that we previously learned about.  

The challenge of painting at night intrigued Van Gogh.  The vantage point he chose for this painting allowed him to capture the reflections of the gas lighting in Arles across the glimmering blue water of the Rhone River.  Here he emphasized the importance he placed in capturing the sparkling colors of the night sky and the artificial lighting that was new to this period in time.  Note how he balances the night sky with the waters of the Rhone.  In the foreground, two lovers stroll by the banks of the river.  The stars glow with a luminescence, shining from the dark, blue and velvety night sky.  Dotted along the banks of the Rhone houses also radiate yellow light that reflects in the water and adds to the mysterious atmosphere of the painting.  Note the two boats close to shore. 

Vincent wrote to his brother, "Once I went for a walk along the deserted shore at night.  It was not cheerful, it was not sad--it was beautiful."

 

Vincent Van Gogh, Self-Portrait - 1889

Vincent painted over 40 portraits of himself.  The one above is one of his most famous.  He shows himself wearing what he worked in--his blue jacket and shirt.  In an attempt to be as true to himself as possible, he depicts his sharp features--the furrow in his brow, and the striking red tones of his hair and beard.  Heavy lines of paint seem to emanate from his head like a wavering force field, perhaps mirroring his turbulent thoughts and tortured spirit.  This is one of the final self-portraits he painted before his death the following year.  

Why did he paint so many self-portraits?  He himself was a model always present.  All he needed was a mirror.

I'm winding down the study of Vincent Van Gogh, but there is yet more to follow.🖌

DRAWINGS

We're pretty sure that little Buffy is part mountain goat, the way she literally flies up onto the back of the couch.  Her stay ended late yesterday afternoon when her parents returned from their 2-day venture.  It was difficult packing up her load of toys, but that's part of puppy sitting.  Along with every hello there has to be a good-bye. 

Van Gogh's drawings are as intriguing as his paintings....

Landscape Near Montmajour with Train - 1888

This drawing was created while Vincent was staying in Arles in southern France.  He made a series of drawings around the hill of Montmajour.  He described this drawing tohis friend and fellow artist Emile Bernard:  "....an enormous stretch of flat country, a bird's eye view of it seen from the top of a hill -- vineyards and fields of newly reaped wheat.  All this multiplied in endless repetition, stretching away towards the horizon lie the surface of a sea, bordered by the little hills of the Crau (*ancient confluence of the Durance and Rhone Rivers).  It does not have a Japanese look, and yet it is the most Japanese thing I have done:  a microscopic figure of a laborer, a little train running across the wheat field is all the animation there is in it."  One has to look closely to see the train in the center of the drawing.  

Vincent placed particular importance on drawing; he was a self-taught artist, and sketching was an essential means of study.  In 1877, he wrote to Theo, "as I sit here I cannot help making a little drawing now and then, like the one I sent you recently. "  This brief statement is testament to the fact that Van Gogh's extensive written notes to his brother were dotted with diminutive drafts and sketches.  It was as if his drawings kept him company during his otherwise solitary life away from his family. 

Garden of the Hospital, Arles - 1889
Pencil, reed pen and brush and ink on paper 

Vincent is treating us to a glimpse of his world.  His works reveal the aspects of the everyday that fascinated him, even this peek nature's beauty outside his hospital room.

If you have a touch screen and enlarge to closer look at the small pen and brush strokes, it's absolutely mind-boggling the intense work he put into each and every detail. I especially like the colonnade that wraps around the back side of the drawing. 

Pollard Birches and Flock of Sheep - 1884

I wouldn't have noticed the flock of sheep on the far right, had the title not indicated it.  Van Gogh loved pollard trees with their gnarled trunks.  In a letter to his brother Theo, he compared a row of pollard trees to a 'procession of orphan men.'  What he meant was that nature had a soul of its own.

What are pollard trees?  Pollarding is a pruning technique involving the removal of the upper branches of a tree, which promotes the growth of a dense head of foliage and branches.  Learned something new today!

When I look at this drawing, I can't help but wonder if there's a hidden message.  We see a woman on the left side, a grouping of trees in the middle, and a man tending a flock of sheep on the right.  Might this mirror the fact that there was always something standing between him and the woman he loved.  Just a thought.

This study has taught me to really look at paintings closely and to examine all the elements of a painting.  It helps to know a bit about the artist, because they paint their story instead of writing it.  🖌

PORTRAITS POSTMAN and DR. GACHET

Toward the end of this week, I will introduce Van Gogh's most famous paintings, the ones often seen in prints.  My initial intent was to peek in at the various stages of Vincent's life, and the paintings and drawings he did during those times.  This has been a study I've wanted to do.  My dad's aunt was an artist, as I'm told.  But, I was never lucky enough to be introduced to any of her works.

In high school, I took first year art.  The teacher is as vivid in my memory as a nightmare.  One of our projects was to paint a still life.  She sat some stuff out on a table and had us do our best.  I painted what I thought equaled a Van Gogh, but when it was handed back to me with an F, I cried right on the spot.  That grade would drastically affect my chances of getting on the honor roll.  I went right down to the principal's office (female warden) and begged her to let me quit so the F wouldn't ruin my grades.  Thankfully, she allowed me that request.  As for me, that was the end of my art education.  It wasn't as if she asked me to paint a vase and I painted a bird.  This was in the beginning of the class, when we really hadn't had any instruction yet.  Regardless, that b___ch managed to kill something inside me with that one grade.  Now, I buy the adult coloring books and that's as far as my confidence allows me to go.  

Postman - 1888

Joseph Roulin, postman in Arles France, was one of Van Gogh's closest friends and favorite poser.  He painted at least six portraits of Roulin.  He wore his official blue hat bearing the word 'Postes' in gold.  His suit is blue with gold buttons.  Vincent wrote to brother Theo:  "...he has a silent gravity and tenderness for me such as an old soldier might have for a young one." Vincent considered Roulin a combination father, mother, patron saint, Oriental sage and loving, all-forgiving Christ.

This painting highlights Vincent's strong admiration for Japanese art.  This influence is evident here the bold multi-colored beard and the floral wallpaper  background.   Again, notice the expression in the eyes.  

At the top of the portrait Vincent humbly signed his name in small print.

After Van Gogh entered the asylum in St. Remy in May of 1889, he never saw Roulin again.  Postman Roulin died 13 years later, but lives on in Van Gogh's vivid portraits.

Another interesting portrait is Dr. Gachet......

Portrait of Doctor Gachet - 1890

Remember Marguerite Gachet at the Piano?  This is a portrait of her father, Dr. Paul Gachet, a homeopathic doctor who took care of Vincent the last years of his life.    He did three paintings of the doctor, all in a somber mood and melancholic stance.  

Vincent's first impression of Dr. Gachet was unfavorable.  Writing to Theo.......  "I think that we must not count on Dr. Gachet at all.  First of all, he is sicker than I am, I think, or shall we say just as much, so that's that.  Now when one blind man leads another blind man, don't they both fall into the ditch?"

The doctor is holding the foxglove plant, which he grew in his backyard herbal garden.  Pay close attention to his masterfully painted eyes and hands.  And the brush strokes in the jacket.  And the many shades of blue.

In 1990, the painting was sold for $82.5 million at auction, a record-breaking price, which is still one of the highest prices ever paid for a painting at auction.

CHURCH AT AUVERS, THATCHED COTTAGES, BANK of the OISE RIVER

The siren was set for 6:30 so we're ready to welcome Buffy at 9ish.  The sun is coming up in the east as I type this....that's always the first miracle of the day.  

Update on spring tidy-up......bedroom #1 is finished.  Yay!  Such a good feeling to have the project underway, taking it in small increments.  At our age, we prefer the turtle to the hare, for obvious reasons.  

Also sorted through the paperwork that piles up on the kitchen counter.  Makes me cry the trees that give themselves to junk mail.  There's one source that makes me want to upchuck, and that's the mail we get from crematoriums.  People our age talk about their arrangements and it's good to be informed.  I don't know, it just seems like they want to be sure they are the ones to throw me in the toaster.  

Haven't gotten our income tax paperwork put together yet.  I've contacted our accountant, and all I have to do is mail some figures to him and he does the rest.  He's used to me being a late lady, but with computers, ours probably takes him ten minutes max.  Then we drive to sign the forms, pay our fee, and that's it.  People who own farms and have a lot of properties and businesses have a massive task to tend to this time of year.  Sometimes there are perks to being simpletons.

Ordered a planter and potting soil online for my olive tree.  If we're gonna jazz this place up, then we're going all in.  The olive tree is gonna have a snazzy house, too.  I'm giggling to myself, though.  I ordered the potting soil but didn't realize I ordered a 25-lb. bag.  When it was delivered,  with all the kindness the boyfriend could muster up, he raised his eyebrows and sorta smiled.  Poor man.  I must be like a life sentence to him.  Might have to buy some more plants so I can re-pot 'em.  

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  

The Church at Auvers - 1890

Auvers-sur-Oise is a small town near Paris.  Note how the foreground of the church is brightly lit by the sun, but the church itself sits in its own shadow and neither reflects nor emanates any light of its own.  In a letter to his brother Theo, Vincent wrote how the dark emptiness inside a church symbolizes 'empty and unenlightened preaching.'  

This church, built in the 13th century, is flanked by two chapels, with a split pathway to each of them.  A woman hurries on her way.

Vincent lived in Auvers for less than two months, he painted 70 works in Auvers, most of them related to the town and its landscapes, like these......

Thatched Cottages at Cordeville - 1890
(A Hamlet at Auvers)

Characteristic of Vincent's style, this painting narrates crude motion....in the clouds and even the cottages.  The thatched Cottages and landscapes are distorted, flowing and blending into one another.  

Houses in Auvers - 1890

Vincent painted the buildings huddled together in leaning, uneven rooflines.  

Houses at Auvers - 1890

This painting shows the landscape of early summer.  The view from above creates a tapestry of shapes in which tiled and thatched Roofs form a patchwork of color.  Note the red flowers painted in the forefront along the ledge.  

Farms near Auvers - 1890

Bank of the Oise {River} at Auvers - 1890

In this painting, Van Gogh filled the canvas with vivid colors, working mainly with greens and blues to form the environment.  He incorporates brighter and warmer tones in the line of boats along the shoreline.  He makes thick, angular brush strokes  in the trees and water to render expressive textures. This painting portrays two ladies and one man in boats. It looks like the one lady might be holding a fish pole.  What do you think?   Take a close look at the sail boat toward the back of the painting.  Once again, this is one boat that is different from the rest.   

Each painting that I post, I think maybe it's time to wind down our Van Gogh study.  But, there are too many of his works yet to be studied and admired before I succumb to the conclusion.  If nothing else, I'd be pleased if my readers will become familiar with my favorite artist of all time and be able to recognize his works.  🖌

LANDSCAPE WITH SNOW

Couldn't sleep this morning, so got up at 5:30.  Headed for the coffee pot and nuked left-over coffee from yesterday.  For some reason, the colors on my Chromebook were all screwed up, and have no idea how that happened.  Went into settings and deleted quite a few third-party cookies, thinking that may be the problem.  Still didn't help.  Then I went into Accessability and changed the color inversion.  Voila!  

Gave the boyfriend a haircut yesterday and put together a floral arrangement for our unit alcove.  We toyed with the idea of going out for a fish fry supper, but then decided to have our own happy hour and eat leftovers.  Nothing goes to waste at our house!

Got a text that we're having an overnight guest Sunday.  Yuppers, little Buffy Boo is arriving at 9 a.m. and staying till Monday sometime.  Boy, that made my day and the whole weekend.  This week the little monkey had "the" surgery, so she'll get even more special attention, if that's possible.  

Sat outside on the deck for a while yesterday afternoon, but was nippy.  Am reading a book about Vincent Van Gogh, still feeding my brain the details of the artist's life.  One thing for sure, I'm learning just how little we know about anyone.  We think we know people, but we really don't.  Until one really digs down deep and retrieves the facts, all else is mere assumption and speculation.  Just imagine how much of that is going on in our world today.  Guess it's a human thing. 

Landscape with Snow - 1888

Van Gogh left Paris in mid-February of 1888, to find rejuvenation in sun-drenched Arles.  When he stepped off the train, he was confronted by a snowy landscape.  

This painting concentrates on the terrain between where he is standing and the red-roofed cottage in the distance.  Note the black-hatted man and his companion walking along the path. 

This painting is a myriad of brush strokes in all directions.  This is the first of his works that I've seen where he painted a snowy landscape.  I personally love it. The original is housed in the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

WOMAN ROCKiNG A CRADLE and MADAME ROULIN AND BABY MARCELLE

Another week winding down.  Gotta share yesterday's angst while doing our bedroom #1 spring tidy-up.  Awhile back I ordered a bedspread large enough so we wouldn't need a bed ruffle.  Those things drive me nuts when changing sheets, always getting in the way of tucking the sheets under the mattress.  SO, we take the spread out of the plastic zip bag, and the frickin' thing is too big and the color is ever so drab.  SO, now I have to look for another spread.  My go-to place is WM online.  

We're toying with the thought of changing the accent color in our unit, which is a burgundy that was here when we moved in.  I just loved it, but after seven years it's outlived its newness.  Possibly might go with a shade of green that would match our pantry cupboard.  It's that business of when a person starts one thing, there's a domino effect and other stuff suddenly needs attention.  Guess that's a good thing.   

When cleaning under the bed, we found 12 ceramic Christmas trees that are adorable, and I'd forgotten that a gal gave them to me out here at Venny.  They were the only treasures found besides the Christmas village.  

Last night about 10:30 I was tired and went to bed.  Well, my mind started racing like it was on the Indy 500 track.  Got up, went to the kitchen, had me some cheese and crackers and stayed up until 3 in the morning.  Maybe fell sleep around 4 and am now up at 9.  It matters not, cuz there's not an 8-hour job waiting for me. 

La Berceuse (Woman Rocking a Cradle)
~1889

Remember Van Gogh's painting of postmaster Roulin of Arles?  This is a portrait of his wife, Augustine Roulin.  He called the painting 'La Berceuse' meaning 'lullaby, or woman who rocks the cradle.'  The rope she holds in her hands is attached to the unseen Cradle.  Pulling The rope would gently rock a baby to sleep.  Mrs. Roulin had just given birth to a baby girl, and the title refers to both the woman who is rocking the cradle and the lullaby she sings. 

The green skirt that pours generously out of the painting is balanced by the bright red floor.  Note the decorative scheme of the wallpaper, with its red and green pattern and bursts of white and pink flowers.  Japanese influence, for sure.  In all of Vincent's portraits, the way he paints the eyes amazes me most.  Makes me think that he was able to see into the eyes of souls.

Van Gogh hoped La Berceuse would be seen and felt by the poor and the broken-hearted.  Vincent said it was a picture that might console fishermen far out at sea in a storm.  Instead of being thrown about by the ocean waves, they would feel they were being rocked in a Cradle and hear a lullaby being sung to them.  

Madame Roulin and Her Baby Marcelle - 1888

Vincent painted several portraits of baby Marcelle, three by herself and two more on her mother's lap. 

Van Gogh sent one little portrait of Marcelle to Theo's wife Jo, who was pregnant at the time.  He wrote, "I like to imagine that ours will be as strong, as healthy and as beautiful as that one--and that his uncle will consent to do his portrait one day!" 

What is critical to my understanding is the fact that if one doesn't study the artist and his works, merely looking at one of the artist's paintings is pointless.  The paintings are the artist.  The artist paints his passions in his/her paintings.  It's no different than writing.  Writers write about what they know, feel and understand.  Every expression of artistic creation is a reflection of the person holding the brush or the pen or the camera lens.  🖌

In the Cafe: Agostina Segatori in Le Tambourin

Tis a rainy, gloomy day here.  Just perfect.  The soil begs for moisture, so at least it's being slightly sated.  

Well, I've piddled away half my morning trying to attach my newsletter article to an email.  Finally, had to send it via an alternative option available on my Chromebook.  Fingers crossed that I hear back from the editor saying he received it.  Otherwise, I'm gonna start banging my head against a brick wall.  Boo-hiss!

Yesterday we didn't get anything accomplished relative to our spring-cleaning.  I got my brain into a matter that I wanted to research, all the while the boyfriend was putting up with my detour.  That means today it's serious business.  Bedroom #1 is getting the ax, so they say.  The closet is in A+ shape, already having been tackled.  At least that.  This is the time we're turning the mattress, putting on a new mattress pad, brand new sheets and a brand new bedspread.  When we clean, we clean.  

I told the boyfriend we're gonna have to check to see what's under the bed.  It's where we store my Christmas village, but other than that neither of us remembers what's under there.  It's not like it's easy to get on our hands and knees anymore.  Little things are now big challenges. 

  

In the Cafe:  Agostina Segatori
in Le Tambourin - 1887

Vincent exhibited his work to a larger audience at the Cafe Le Tambourin in Paris.  The Cafe was popular with artists and writers.  He was a regular at that cafe and had a brief relationship with the owner, Agostina Segatori.

Vincent is said to have been in love with Agostina.  In this portrait, he painted her sitting on a stool at a table shaped like a tambourine, befitting the cafe's name.  There's a mug of beer on the table, and Agostina is holding a cigarette.  The two saucers beneath the beer mug suggest it's her second drink.  Drinking and smoking weren't appropriate for respectable ladies at the time, but rather associated with arty types and prostitutes.  Note the parasol on the stool and the hat she's wearing.  In the background are Japanese prints that Vincent had put on display at the Cafe.  Vincent was unable to pay cash for his meals, so he exchanged paintings for them.  

Agostina and Vincent had a falling out.  He wanted all of his paintings back, but Le Tambourin went bankrupt, and the Cafe was sold, including Vincent's paintings that were still there. 🖌 

ENCAMPMENT OF GYPSIES

Today's post begins with a quotation that is particularly meaningful to me.  Biological relationships can and should be a beautiful part of life.  But, that's not always the case.  It's that business of when one door closes, another door opens.  When family members turn their backs on us, well, then, we don't cry in our soup, but rather replace them with true friends that, over the years, grow to be true family.  I, personally, see this as a beautiful part of life, and for it I'm eternally grateful.  Genuine friends are stone solid family to my heart.

We have our patio door open, the fresh air feels divine.  I've been putting my olive plant out on the deck.  The poor thing has lived indoors ever since I bought it.  Am wanting to replant it, too, but don't have a planter.  She deserves to live in a nice home, too, so just may go online and buy her one.  I have a vision of an Italian painted planter, but I'm not gonna spend $100 for one.  I'm just too frugal for that.  Went to both thrift stores in town yesterday, but no luck.  A lot of people must be shopping at those stores, cuz both stores were really picked over.  Also have to get some potting soil for her.  The spring season gets one excited to tend to plants, and the thought of flowers on the deck gets me enthused.  

Encampment of Gypsies - 1888

The area surrounding Arles, France, had a tradition of gypsies living there.  Van Gogh was drawn to their unconventional way of life, and he depicted them in his paintings using vibrant colors that mirrored the colorful life of their culture.  The gypsies lived outside the community, much like Van Gogh, who was excluded from the social scene in Arles because of his unconventional behavior and appearance.  It was this lack of social interaction that deepened his despondency.  As can be seen by this painting, he admired their lifestyle and highlights their close-knit community spirit.  He includes ages from child to what appears to be an elderly man sitting beside the wagon.  The hint of a building on the right side beneath the tree.

Warm tones of yellow, orange and red are used to reflect the summer heat, while cooler tones of blue and green are used to represent shade and coolness. the brush strokes, and thickness of paint applied. 

The covered wagon leans beneath its load.  Might that wagon mirror the weight of his personal burdens? 🖌