Blog No. 195: Beekeeping in Zimbabwe, Excerpt from the Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo,

September 13, 2024

You can find additional content by clicking many of the images and underlined links below.

Beekeeping in Zimbabwe

Click image to see a short video on Charles Hamilton's bee project...

My friend, who on a trip was being put up generously with people he hardly knew, blurted out in a particularly good moment fueled by scotch, "you know, there are such wonderful people in the world." And yes, I have to agree...There are so many good people in the world doing wonderful things, if we could just get the media to stop directing us to look at the negative all the time...

So here's a wonderful person for you that I read about on instagram, published by his son. He didn't share his father's exact identity but I did some digging and his name is Charles Hamilton, a man that lives in the middle of nowhere in the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe in a simple, modest house with no internet and just enough solar energy to power his lights and charge his phone...and he builds beehives. He doesn't just build them for himself--he builds them to distribute free of charge to anyone in the surrounding communities who wants to learn beekeeping--and he makes them the following promise: if you let me teach you how to keep bees ethically and sustainably and you don't spray pesticide, you can bring me your honey production and I will process it and buy it from you (above market value at a very fair price) and sell it in the capital city of Harare. He’s not doing it for money. Celebrating the beauty of his dad, his son explains that he is doing it because "he believes in helping people. He believes in protecting nature. He believes that communities should look after each other. He believes in the goodness of human beings. Because that is the kind of person his parents raised him to be. And I’m privileged to say that it’s the kind of person my dad raised me to be."

His son, a filmmaker, has put together a go fund me for his dad and his beekeeping project. Details here if you would like to contribute.

Excerpt from Mark Nepo's Book of Awakening

I have written a whole entry on The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo--I love this book that consists of a daily wisdom--one for every day of the year--and I have given it as a gift to many of my friends. Each dated entry brings new insights, advice, and thoughts on life's emotional challenges and celebrations. I share with you here an excerpt from September 12th's entry which particularly struck me today:

In an Eagle's Eye

The vastness of this endless sky
is reflected in the corner of an eagle's eye.
In just this way, the heart
when lifted up, reflects the universe."

As the moon brings sun to those turned away from the light, the opened heart brings love to those struggling through darkness. It is important to remember here that the moon is not the source of light but a reflection; and likewise, as magnificent as the heart is, it is not the source of love, but a conveyor of forces often out of view when we are struggling.

I have come to realize that the people I've admired throughout my life, the ones I've tried to emulate, were all like the moon appearing in the night, and though I secretly wanted to be like these wonderful people, it was their openness that allowed them to shine in the middle of my darkness, an openness I didn't need to copy or envy, just uncover in myself..."

Carol Hancuh's Voting Line

I came across this really cool exhibit at the Minneapolis St. Paul airport recently on my way to a show in Boise, Idaho. A quilting artist named Carol Hancuh (I seem to be running into a lot of quilters these days), has a timely exhibit of life size Voters on Line to Vote. These full-size quilted figures represent Americans from all walks of life: farmer, yoga teacher, firefighter, housekeeper, nurse to name a few. She’s created a whole narrative around each, their background and what they do in life, and why they are standing on line to vote. She is as much a storyteller in words as well as images...As you walk to your gate at the airport, these life size figures are lined up in cases as if they are walking next to you.

The exhibit couldn't come at a better time, especially now when we are reminded of how fragile democracy is and how important it is to exercise our ability to vote. Thank you Carol Hancuh for that important reminder!

Paintings of the Week

Tree of Life Series, mixed media on paper mounted on canvas, private collection Ketchum Idaho...

Charity of the Week: The Innocence Project

About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.

Source: https://pamelasmilow.substack.com/p/beekee...

Blog No. 194: Northern Bald Ibis, Ayelet Waldman Quilts, Bon Jovi's Soul Kitchen

September 6, 2024

My blog will remain free of charge but for those who can and are willing, I have decided to offer a paying version for $50/year. If you decide to go that route, thank you so much in advance--much appreciated! and I would like to reward you by sending you an 8" x 10" giclée print of your choice as a thank you.
You can find additional content by clicking many of the images and underlined links below.

Northern Bald Ibis

I caught this story on NPR as I was driving down from Maine a few days ago and decided to include it here in case you missed it.

It is a fascinating story about the Northern Bald Ibis, a large, incredible looking bird previously found in Europe and Africa that disappeared way back in the 17th century. What remained was only a tiny breeding population in captivity.

Along comes a man named Johannes Fritz, biologist and conservationist who was determined to save these birds from utter extinction and had the goal in mind of breeding and setting them free in the world. He has spent an entire career doing just that.

It turns out that large birds, like so many of us animals, need parents to teach them the ways of the land. And one of the most important components of that for the Northern Bald Ibis was how to instruct them to migrate to warmer climes in order to ensure their winter survival.

This project has taken a major amount of planning over time and culminated in Johannes Fritz as pilot of a microlight plane actually getting up in the air with these particular birds, leading them south, the latest of such voyages from Austria to Italy. It involves foster parents too (who spend much time preparing by bonding with the particular birds), shouting encouragement from the backseat through a megaphone...

If you are interested in learning more about this, here are a few other articles about Fritz's lifetime work:
New York Times
The Guardian

Ayelet Waldman Quilts

Ayelet Waldman is a fascinating figure by anyone's estimation. She has led a very full life as a prolific author, public defender lawyer, mother, adjunct law professor and collaborator with her husband, fellow writer Michael Chabon. Her books and essays cover a wide variety of subjects including mental health, motherhood, micro-dosing, mysteries and novels.

I met Ayelet very briefly many years ago when she was organizing a political event and I donated and dropped off one of my paintings at her home in California. I had no contact with her since but was recently attracted to her beautiful quilts that occasionally appeared on my feed on instagram. She seemed so passionate about this new found interest and I was curious what was driving this sudden burst of energy--she seemed to be producing a quilt a day! So I wrote and asked her if it would be okay to feature some of these creations on my blog.

Little did I know that there was a moving story behind the quilts, related to her upbringing, and the current state of affairs in Israel and Gaza. In fact, there was an article which appeared in The New Yorker Magazine back in March 2024 about this very subject and her motivation. Here is that complete article entitled Piecing for Cover.

But for those who just want to look, here are a few of the quilts that caught my eye...

Bon Jovi's Soul Kitchen

Jon Bon Jovi is the 2024 MusiCares Person Of The Year for his philanthropic work. Photo: John Nacion/Getty Images

The Jon Bon Jovi Family Foundation's Soul Kitchens

Bon Jovi, known as one of New Jersey's most favorite sons, has earned that title not only by his musical prowess but also by his community-mindedness and philanthropy. Since 2006, The Bon Jovi Family Foundation has been active in trying to break the cycle of poverty, hunger and homelessness in New Jersey and across the entire United States. Their main focus at the start was with affordable housing: the JBJ Soul Foundation has helped provide support for almost 1,000 units of affordable and supportive housing in 12 states for thousands of people including youth and veterans.

In 2011 they expanded their mission to include a series of community restaurants to fight food insecurity, where those able to pay, do so, and those who can't eat for free (and volunteer in the restaurant if they are able). Diners sit alongside each other, fostering a sense of community that crosses economic lines. It's "Community Dining with Dignity" according to their website. "All are welcome at our table where locally-sourced ingredients, dignity and respect are always on the menu."

To date, there are four JBJ Soul Kitchens, one in Red Bank, one in Tom's River, both open to the public and two serving exclusively the Rutgers and New Jersey City University communities.

Living on a Prayer.

Painting of the Week

Pam Smilow, Mandala Series: Blackbird Singing in the Dead of Night mixed media on canvas 68" x 48" $6500

Charity of the Week: The Innocence Project

Source: https://pamelasmilow.substack.com/p/substa...

Blog No. 193: Substack, Eydis Einarsdottir Photography, Best of Lists

August 28, 2024

Substack

Welcome to my first blog sent out via substack. I decided to switch platforms from squarespace to substack and have been working to that end for the past month. It doesn't sound that complicated but it was, and for help I sought out an expert recommended by Mailchimp. I hit the jackport alias Robbie Kohli, CEO of Deep Focus.In, a Delhi, India native who is the epitome of everything customer service isn't anymore in the United States. He and his expert coworker, Harsh Gaur have held my hand through the whole transition process and taught me a ton of technical tricks that have proved invaluable along the way. It gives me great pleasure to put in an unabashed plug for them in case you have any needs in the area of digital and email marketing, website design, platform transitioning, social media, branding, SEO, etc. They are smart, extremely knowledgeable, personable and a pure pleasure to work with. In addition, I feel that I have gained some new friends. Don't hesitate to contact them and by the way, their English is perfect...

Eydis Einarsdottir Photography

I first came across the photos of Eydis Einarsdottir when I read Pico Iyer's book The Art of Stillness. Her beautiful photos served as dividers to some of the chapters and struck me as a perfect accompaniment to the book--serene, soothing, and deep in a quiet kind of way.

When I checkout her website, I realized there were so many of her photos I liked. The best for me were the ones I consider borderline surreal...

Eydis was born in Iceland and grew up in such a striking visual environment. As a result, she has long been fascinated with photography and her main subject: the ocean and water in its natural state. Here is a selection of her amazing work:

And look at what she can do with black and white and her knowledge of light. These photos shine through with such luminescence!

She sells her photos so please contact her through her website for dimensions and prices.

Best of Lists

I have always loved best of lists: best books, best movies, best tv series, etc. as they are very useful when trying to figure out what next to read or watch...

Here is one: The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century, as voted on by 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help (and courtesy) from the staff of The New York Times Book Review.

Here's another one: Top 250 movies in ranking order, as chosen by regular IMDb voters

Paintings of the Week

Gert Mathiesen, mixed media linocut monoprint acr

Charity of the Week: The Innocence Project

Source: https://pamelasmilow.substack.com/p/substa...

Blog No. 185: Sonabai Rajawar: Indian Folk Artist, Advice from Kurt Vonnegut, Thai Crunch Salad

July 6, 2024

You can find additional content by clicking many of the images and photos below as well as the underlined links. And scroll all the way down for previous blog entries.

Sonabai Rajawar, Indian Folk Artist

My Camden friend Kathleen Brown shared with me the work of a very interesting and cool Indian artist named Sonabai Rajawar, whose mud bas relief art sprung from her solitary and lonely life and escape from a mean husband that isolated her from the rest of the world...

Not allowed to go out of the house, Sonabai started out creating toys for her only child and then it blossomed into her desire to give meaning to her life and environment, expressing her creative spirit in any way she could. Using materials she found readily available around her: straw, bamboo, and clay that she sculpted and colors made from herbs, spices, vegetables and cooking oil from her kitchen, Rajawar created an incredible unique world of beauty and meaning by applying the clay mixture to the walls surrounding her: inside and out.

American art historian, photographer and cultural anthropologist Stephen Huyler devoted his life to exploring Indian art and craft throughout rural communities in India and assisted by Kathleen Brown, captivated by the uniqueness of Sonabai's work, created this thirty minute documentary about her extraordinary art. He also created a beautiful, colorful book of her work entitled Sonabai: Another Way of Seeing.

Sonabai influenced a whole new generation of folk artists in her hometown village of Puhputra, in Chattisgarha, India (although she had absolutely no interest in fame) and this unique form of bas relief to this day continues to adorn the village with gorgeous ornamentation--a true expression of the indomitable human spirit...

Sonabai: Another Way of Seeing by Stephen Huyler

Vishakha Chanchani has written this book about Rajawara

Advice from Kurt Vonnegut

Advice From
KURT VONNEGUT

In 2006 a high school English teacher asked students to write to a famous author and ask for advice. Kurt Vonnegut was the only one to respond - and his response is magnificent:

Dear Xavier High School, and Ms. Lockwood, and Messrs Perin, McFeely, Batten, Maurer and Congiusta:

I thank you for your friendly letters. You sure know how to cheer up a really old geezer (84) in his sunset years. I don’t make public appearances any more because I now resemble nothing so much as an iguana.

What I had to say to you, moreover, would not take long, to write: Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.

Seriously! I mean starting right now, do art and do it for the rest of your lives. Draw a funny or nice picture of Ms. Lockwood, and give it to her. Dance home after school, and sing in the shower and on and on. Make a face in your mashed potatoes. Pretend you’re Count Dracula.

Here’s an assignment for tonight, and I hope Ms. Lockwood will flunk you if you don’t do it: Write a six line poem, about anything, but rhymed. No fair tennis without a net. Make it as good as you possibly can. But don’t tell anybody what you’re doing. Don’t show it or recite it to anybody, not even your girlfriend or parents or whatever, or Ms. Lockwood. OK?

Tear it up into teeny-weeny pieces, and discard them into widely separated trash receptacals. You will find that you have already been gloriously rewarded for your poem. You have experienced becoming, learned a lot more about what’s inside you, and you have made your soul grow. God bless you all!

----Kurt Vonnegut

Thai Crunch Salad Variation

I used to love the California Pizza Kitchen Thai Crunch Salad and would go there regularly for lunch with my friends but then the location near Bloomingdale's closed and I totally forgot about it. I came across this related recipe on instagram, courtesy Valerie's Kitchen, and my mouth started watering again...

Here it is for all of us to savor:

THAI PEANUT DRESSING
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons less sodium soy sauce, or tamari for gluten-free
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ lime, juiced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Place all ingredients for the dressing in the bowl of a food processor or small blender. Process for about 2 minutes, or until smooth and emulsified.

CRISPY WONTON STRIPS (OMIT FOR GLUTEN-FREE)
5 to 6 wonton wrappers
vegetable oil, as needed

Slice the wonton wrappers into strips ¼-inch strips. Heat about 1-inch of oil in a large skillet or sauté pan. Fry the strips in batches, spreading them out so they don’t stick together. When golden brown, quickly remove from the oil with a slotted spoon drain on paper towels.

THAI CRUNCH SALAD
3 cups romaine lettuce, well chopped
8 ounces 3-color coleslaw mix
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
1 cup shelled edamame
3 green onions, chopped
½ cup shredded carrot
½ red bell pepper, diced
2 cups rotisserie chicken breast meat, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
½ cup roasted unsalted peanuts

In a large serving bowl combine the Romaine, coleslaw mix, cilantro, edamame, green onion, shredded carrot, red bell pepper, and rotisserie chicken. Toss well to combine.

Drizzle about ¾ of the peanut dressing over the salad and toss well. Add the avocado and peanuts and toss lightly. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the top and garnish with the wonton strips.

Photo of the Week

Tree of Life I, II, III mixed media on paper 60” x 22” each

Charity of the Week:

Source: https://pamelasmilow.substack.com/p/blog-1...