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Musings: to meditate, think, contemplate, deliberate, ponder, reflect, ruminate, reverie, daydream, introspection, dream, preoccupation, brood, cogitate.

Sunday, August 3, 2014

View Outside My Kitchen Window - August


Well, I'm back, as you've seen from the posts I've done lately.  This was the view outside my kitchen window earlier today. . . .

The Coneflowers are in bloom. . . .those pinkish purple flowers under the Arborvitae.  The hummingbird has come to the little blue bottle feeder hanging from the porch post.  We had wonderful weather last week--late Spring kind of weather--but since Friday it's been getting a little warmer, a little more humid, and now, today, the air conditioner has been called back into action.

I've been practicing drawing a little in the evening---just one little pencil drawing most evenings of an animal from Tasha Tudor's Sketch Book.  Speaking of Tasha Tudor, that's what I've been thinking about lately as I stand at my sink doing dishes, and all day long as far as that's concerned.  I'm going to be hosting a Tasha Tudor Birthday celebration here on the 28th, the 99th anniversary of her birth, with the intent of starting a Maryland Chapter of the Tasha Tudor Museum Society.  If you can make it, look for the invitation with RSVP information on the Tasha Tudor Museum Facebook page later this week, or e-mail me (my address is on my Profile page).  I've been rereading the books I have about her life, making all sorts of notes for my meetings and planning things for us to do.  I'm also using my immersion into all things Tasha Tudor to encourage me spend time drawing.  As Tasha says, "To anyone who asks me how to start drawing, I say sketch, sketch, sketch and sketch.  Just keep on doing it.  Dont get discouraged.  To be an artist, you have to sketch constantly.  It just takes persistence.  The older you get, the more confidence you have."'

Here is the view out the other window.  You can see the Garden Phlox on the far side of the Arbor.   I also thinned out the Lilac bushes on either side of the Arbor entrance which has never blossomed.  They act more like trees than a bush, so I limbed them up and made them look like trees. . . .

This month Shakti Gawain is talking about creativity in her book "Awakening".  She says our inner child is our source of creativity. . . ."As adults we have suppressed it. . . .We all had that magical, creative essence within us as children."

Now it's your turn to share.  Did you awaken your inner child and get her/him to play?  Did you take some time away from the computer to start a new project?  Or did you use the time to just relax and dream a bit, or read, or visit someone, or take afternoon naps in the hammock to recharge?

10 comments:

  1. Sounds like you're brimming with ideas for a Maryland chapter of "Tasha," Cath. Best of luck with everything. As I probably told you, I never heard of Tasha until the first Christmas I was a teacher, when our principal gave everyone on the staff copies of "Take Joy." Of course I was an immediate fan. It was like the time my SIL handed me Susan Branch's "Vineyard Seasons" one rainy afternoon in a bookstore. I opened it up, took one look... and KNEW! I have found my people!! :>) Are you putting notices about what you're doing in libraries and schools? Teachers' bookstores even? It might be a good route to go. Most of the people I've met who know about Tasha have been teachers, or others that work with children at least. PS - I think Tasha is so right about just sketch-sketch-sketching! Her advice sounds just like Susan's. Start small & practice. I think there's a page in one of Sue's books about sitting down and drawing a plain old yellow pencil. I'm guessing we all have a lot more artistic ability than we THINK we do. We just gotta put in the time to dig for it! You clearly have the passion to do that, so you're halfway there - in my opinion anyway. OK, take care and talk to you soon.

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    1. Thanks for the tip, Janet. I planned to put up my poster at the library but hadn't thought about schools. I'm not sure, though, if they have community boards, but I can check. I'll look for a teachers' bookstore, too.

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  2. I think it's the same advice to improve one's writing --- and in my case, piano playing. Funny thing about practice! I wish I lived nearer, how fun that Tasha Tudor evening. I always enjoy the pics out your kitchen window.

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    1. Yes, it seems there is very little we are naturally good at doing.....the rest takes practice, practice, practice! I wish you all lived closer so you could come to my Tasha Tudor Party!

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  3. Hi, Cathy ... wishing you much success with your endeavors; lucky people in your neck of the woods to have you spear-heading this effort. Would that I were your 'neighbor!' Looking forward to your progress reports. As for my inner child ... she's gone AWOL on me! Hoping to run into her when I least expect it *smile*

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    1. Sharon, I find that hard to believe about your inner child! You love and make fairy gardens after all. :-) And I see you've won, yet again, a gift on someone's Blog! You are most definitely attracting good fortune to yourself.

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  4. Well Cathy, I must be the constant child, for I am looking for my inner adult! She must be in there somewhere. But seriously,I consider myself lucky as never having a lack of imagination or energy for creating. Much luck with your new group, I'm sure you will find numerous Tasha fans in your area.

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    1. Thank you, Jeri. There are 5 of us so far. People have 2 more weeks to respond, so hopefully I'll get a few more. Do you attribute your ability to hang onto your inner child to some adult in your life growing up? Or do you think you were just born that way? In Tasha's case I think she got a creative gene and then circumstances, both negative and positive, helped develop it. One thing I've noticed from all the successful (i.e., well-known enough for me to know about them) artists is that much of their drive came from the need to eat.....that is to say, earn a paycheck. I've been fortunate in that respect (or unfortunate depending on your point of view) so I've had to find other reasons to express my creativity. That's why I have SO many interests and am spread so thinly--a jack of all trades, good at a lot of things but not great in any one thing. At least I don't get bored!

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  5. Your Tasha Tudor Party sounds very interesting to me, Cathy. I'm afraid I have a lot on my plate right now with my grandson living with us to attend school. His mother just left on the train to travel back to NH. Even though he will be quite busy, I'm reserving my time to be available to him until he gets fully settled. You seem to have endless energy, my friend! ♥

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    1. I'll give a report of it! Where is your grandson going to school? How wonderful that you will get to have this time with him. I'm sure his parents feel better knowing you are there for him since they are so far away. My boys were all just an hour away--they lived on campus so we did not see them for weeks at a time so they could get involved with the social scene on campus. It was especially handy to be close when they had to vacate on breaks.

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