Blog No. 128: Maria Shriver on Ted Lasso, Paul Simon's 7 Psalms, White Gazpacho Soup

June 3, 2023

I am out here in California from June 2nd through June 15th, 2023 with a big selection of paintings and works on paper. Please email me at pamsmilow@me.com if you are interested in setting up an appointment to meet with me and see art in the quiet of your home or if you would consider hosting a small "art gathering" during that time in exchange for a piece of art.

Many of the images below are clickable and lead to further links…

Maria Shriver on Ted Lasso

Maria Shriver is very active on social media and I admire her compassion. I found this recent post of hers and it corresponded with my sentiments exactly as she commented on one of my all time favorite TV shows:

"As Ted Lasso comes to an end, I want to thank this beautiful show and everyone involved. Not just for the joy I got from each episode, but for the lessons it taught me (and hopefully you too!). I hope you carry the spirit of Ted Lasso with you, and as Jason Sudeikis says, "Be like Teflon toward people's negativity or sarcasm." We don't need to walk in this world believing it is all bad. We don't need to succumb to the negativity. We can rise above all the noise. We can look for the positives, we can look for the light, and we can carry that light and we can carry that light forward. I'd rather view the world as Ted Lasso. Wouldn't you?"

"Ted is our modern day Mr. Rogers!"

Paul Simon 7 Psalms

There is an interesting review in this week's New Yorker Magazine (June 5, 2023) by critic Amanda Petrusich about Paul Simon's latest album Seven Psalms. Inspired by notes he took in the middle of the night after a series of dreams he had in 2019, Simon wrestles with religion, mysticism and life's big questions as he crosses into the eighth decade of his life.

I can relate. Although I am fifteen years younger, I find this time of life to be one of becoming aware of mortality and according to the author of the article, “Once you become awake to the puzzle of existence, via loss or its opposite, it can be extremely difficult to think about anything else.”

In the words of one of the "hymns" on the recording entitled “Love is Like a Braid," Simon sings

I lived a life of pleasant sorrows
Until the real deal came
Broke me like a twig in a winter gale
Called me by my name

For me, this is not necessarily something sad--quite the opposite, like an awakening. Opening up to the depth of human existence and all the mysteries that entails... He goes on to describe his process of making music, which I also find similar to the process of any creative endeavor: "I am reaching for something that might not be reachable and might not even exist...I am looking for the edge of what you can hear. I can just about hear it but I can't quite--that's the thing I want." He goes on to question, "How do you get there?"

Seven Psalms is all of 33 minutes. Have a listen and let me know what you think...

White Gazpacho Soup

INGREDIENTS
Yield: 6 servings

Recipe from Jean Anderson
Adapted by Suzanne Hamlin

1 cup blanched almonds
2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
3 slices French or Italian bread, crusts removed
¼ cup water
4 cups cold chicken or vegetable stock, or water
¼ cup fruity olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
½ cup lightly toasted croutons

Instructions:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds on a cookie sheet, and bake until lightly toasted, about 15 minutes. Cool.
Step 2
In a food processor or blender, blend almonds and garlic into a uniformly fine, gritty paste.
Step 3
In a small bowl, moisten the bread in ¼ cup water and squeeze dry. Add to the almond-garlic mix, and blend. Add 4 cups stock or water, olive oil, vinegar and salt. Blend until smooth. If a fine texture is desired, strain through a medium-fine sieve. Cover and chill 4 hours or overnight.
Step 4
To serve, taste for salt and stir in grapes. Ladle into bowls and scatter croutons on top.

Charity of the Week:
National Dance Institute

These performances at the Skirball Center of NYC take place on Father’s Day Weekend and are full of joy and spirit. Some people walk out of them and say it was the best thing they saw all year! Not to be missed if you are in New York Father’s Day Weekend…and if you want to attend the Friday night dress rehearsal benefit, National Dance Institute is a great organization to support…founded by Jacques D’Amboise www.nationaldance.org

Painting of the Week

Here’s a really old one from 1985! Including a GI Joe outfit glued on….

Products of the Week

Please visit our artShop to see our line of colorful everyday products including scarves, giclee prints, cutting boards, yoga mats and other gift items--designed to bring joy and color into every day life...

Charcuterie/Cutting Boards: great for summer entertaining. Cut one side, serve on the other…https://www.pamelasmilow.com/tabletop-kitchen

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 the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.

Blog No. 127: Random Acts of Kindness, Iam Tongi, Strawberry Shortcake

May 26, 2023

UPCOMING: I will be in California from June 2nd through June 15th, 2023 with a big selection of paintings and works on paper. Please email me at pamsmilow@me.com if you are interested in setting up an appointment to meet with me and see art in the quiet of your home or if you would consider hosting a small "art gathering" during that time in exchange for a piece of art.

Kindness

Stick with this video—it starts off a little slow but is totally inspiring…

You are not going to want to miss reading this column or going on this guy's instagram for some pure inspiration and a dose of love. Meet Zachery Dereniowski, winner of my Nobel Prize of Kindness, aka the MD Motviator on Instagram, TikTok and other social media platforms.

It all began during the pandemic when Zachery Dereniowski was feeling very isolated, struggling with mental health issues and even considering suicide. In desperation, he decided to make a video on TikTok, reaching out to others to share his pain with the world. “Speaking up is the direction to get out,” he says, “It takes a lot of vulnerable confidence to speak up. But once you do, and you find that support, there’s hope and you can get through whatever you’re going through.” Before he knew it, he had people reaching back out to him left and right, offering encouragement and support.

That set off a light bulb in him to literally "pay it forward." Watch this kindness expert in action on instagram, "enacting his "...formula...that vulnerability equals relatability equals empowerment. When we’re vulnerable together we can relate and when we can relate, we can empower others to feel comfortable in their own skin.”

Zachery spends his time going up to complete strangers and asking for a small sum of money or something from them. If they offer him kindness, he in turn rewards their generosity by returning what they had given him and much much more: he gives them a much larger sum of money (usually $500 or $1000) in return. When you see people's reactions, I guarantee you it will make even the most diehard stoics cry and yearning for Dereniowski's self-appointed job.

He has now added another dimension to his work--instead of just giving out money, “I’m in the process of starting a nonprofit,” he says, “The next step is to take these emotional viral videos of people telling their stories and combine it with a transparent charity so people can donate and see where the money is going...” See his videos @mdmotivator on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

And by the way, why am I not surprised that he is Canadian.

Singer Iam Tongi

For those of you who don't always follow American Idol, I introduce to you a singer named Iam Tongi. He was just crowned the winner of American Idol's 2023 21st Season.

I came across his beautiful rendition of The Sounds of Silence and fell in love with the sweet sound of his voice. (I have always been a big Simon and Garfunkel fan since my dad's lawyer friend's secretary was Garfunkel's mother! and my sister and I got a signed copy of their first album.)

Here are a few more of his beautiful recordings: Monsters by James Blunt

One of my all time favorites: What a Wonderful World
(When Katy Perry heard him sing this song, she remarked: "It is a wonderful world because you are in it.")

Stuck on You by Lionel Richie

Father and Son by Cat Stevens

I Can't Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt

Islands in the Stream by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake is my favorite dessert. My father used to make a running joke with my mom saying after every dinner, "Edith, bring out the strawberry shortcake!"--I can just hear him saying it--even though we almost never had dessert... I guess food tastes are hereditary...

Here is an easy recipe for making this dessert classic (courtesy Jane Grigson's Fruit Book, adapted by Nancy Harmon Jenkins) and Memorial Day always reminds me that we are approaching the delicious strawberry season.

INGREDIENTS
Yield: 4 generous servings

2 pints ripe, well-rinsed strawberries
½ cup sugar, or more to taste
4 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons baking powder
1¼ cups butter
3 cups whipping cream
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Step 1
Pick over and hull strawberries. Cut in half or slice, depending on size. Gently crush about a quarter of the berries with a fork to release their juices. Mix with remaining berries and the ½ cup of sugar, adding more sugar if necessary. Set aside, covered, for about half an hour to develop flavor.

Step 2
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Step 3
Into a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, salt and baking powder. Add ¾ cup of softened butter, and rub into dry ingredients as for pastry. Add 1¼ cups cream, and mix to a soft dough. Knead the dough for one minute on a lightly floured pastry board, then roll it out to about ½-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut an even number of rounds - 2 rounds per serving.

Step 4
Use a little of the butter to grease a baking sheet. Place half the rounds on it. Melt remaining butter and brush a little on the rounds; place remaining rounds on top. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Step 5
Remove from the oven, and pull shortcakes apart. Brush the insides with some of the remaining melted butter.

Step 6
Beat remaining cream until it thickens. Add vanilla. Beat again just until thick.

Step 7
Place a bottom half of a shortcake on each plate. Top with a generous spoonful of berries. Cover with a top half, add a few more berries, and top with whipped cream. Serve immediately.

Tip
Extra shortcakes may be frozen, but they should be warmed before using. They are also good toasted for breakfast or tea.

Charity of the Week:
National Dance Institute

Not to be missed if you are in New York Father’s Day Weekend…

Paintings of the Week

Hard to say goodbye to my winter studio for now but I will be back!

Products of the Week

Blog No. 126: Ollie and the Gogos Rocumentary, Chasen's Chili Recipe, e.e. cummings

May 19, 2023

I will be in California for one of my sales trips from June 2nd through June 15th, 2023 with a big selection of paintings and works on paper. Please email me at pamsmilow@me.com if you are interested in setting up an appointment to meet with me and see art in the quiet of your home or if you would consider hosting a small "art gathering" during that time in exchange for a piece of art.

The Return of Olli and the Gogos

Hope you enjoy this short documentary entitled Ollie and the Gogos: A Rocumentary as much as I did.

It's the story of an infamous high school band in the 1960's from a small town in the middle of nowheresville Pennsylvania, that reunited forty years later to once again experience the magic of playing together in their old high school gym. What makes the story extraordinary was the fact that only one of the seven had remained connected to music in the interim years. But the band members were determined to play again and they spent the next year buying instruments, taking lessons, and practicing...

Though I don't think they will win any Grammy's for their performance, it is nonetheless such an inspiring and beautiful story about lasting friendship and the ability of music to unite and inspire...

Filmmaker Diane Bloom does a great job of capturing the joy and excitement of the band together again. Who says you can't go home again!

To learn more about Diane Bloom's major award winning other documentary, An Unlikely Friendship, check out my previous blog no. 17 and click here.

Chasen's Chili Recipe from Hollywood

CHASEN'S CHILI RECIPE
courtesy cravedfw.com

This is the stuff of which Hollywood legends are made. Rumor has it back when Elizabeth Taylor was filming Cleopatra in Rome she craved the chili made at Chasen's Restaurant in Los Angeles so much that she was willing to pay $100 just to have the order shipped to her. For years the recipe remained a closely guarded secret. It seemed the owner David Chasen came to the restaurant every Sunday to privately cook up a batch which he would freeze for the week, believing that the chili was best when reheated.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound dried pinto beans
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups onions, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup butter
2 pounds beef chuck, coarsely chopped
1 pound pork shoulder, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup Gebhardt's brand chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

Directions
1 Rinse the beans, picking out the debris. Place beans in a Dutch oven with water to cover. Boil for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat. Cover and let stand one hour. Drain off liquid.
2 Rinse beans again. Add enough fresh water to cover beans. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for one hour or until tender.
3 Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Simmer 5 minutes. In a large skillet sauté bell pepper in oil for 5 minutes. Add onion and cook until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the garlic and parsley. Add mixture to bean mixture. Using the same skillet melt the butter and sauté beef and pork chuck until browned. Drain. Add to bean mixture along with the chili powder, salt, pepper, and cumin.
4 Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered for one hour. Uncover and cook 30 minutes more or to desired consistency. Chili shouldn't be too thick--it should be somewhat liquid but not runny like soup. Skim off excess fat and serve.

Makes 10 cups or 6 main dish servings

three poems by
e.e. cummings

but the other
by e.e. cummings

but the other
day i was passing a certain
gate rain
fell as it will

in spring
ropes
of silver gliding from sunny
thunder into freshness

as if god's flowers were
pulling upon bells of
gold i looked
up

and
thought to myself death
and will You with
elaborate fingers possibly touch

the pink hollyhock existence whose
pansy eyes look from morning till
night into the street
unchangingly the always

old lady sitting in her
gentle window like
a reminiscence
partaken

softly at whose gate smile
always the chosen
flowers of reminding

!blac
by E. E. Cummings

!blac
k
agains
t
(whi)
te sky
?t
rees whic
h fr
om droppe
d
,
le
af
a:;go
e
s wh
IrlI
n
.g

Charity of the Week:
Sandy Hook Promise

Did you know that the number one killer of children in America is gun violence. Please help protect our kids by donating to Sandy Hook Promise.

Painting of the Week

My niece and nephew’s house in Brooklyn with my art www.pamelasmilow.com and my dad Mel Smilow chairs www.smilowdesign.com

Products of the Week

Please visit our artShop to see our line of colorful everyday products including scarves, giclee prints, cutting boards, yoga mats and other gift items--designed to put a smile on the face of anyone using them.

Phone cases to fit most cell phones—for a full seleciton of products, check out our artSHOP www.pamelasmilow.com/shop-all

Blog No. 125: Harry Belafonte in Pictures, Poem by Tagore, Elephant Stories

May 13, 2023

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mothers out there who make our world go round...

Harry Belafonte's Life in Pictures

We lost a truly great one recently: Harry Belafonte. Here are a few pictures, featured on CNN.com that capture the life and legacy of this giant of a man.

Poem by Rabindranath Tagore

Where the Mind Is Without Fear
by Rabindranath Tagore

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfectionInto the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake."

Secrets of the Elephants and other stories

I love a good animal story and I especially love elephants--their majesty, their intelligence, their strong familial bonds...This first video is about the group effort to rescue a baby elephant that will leave you feeling good not just about these incredible animals but also about the ability of humans to do good in the world.

And I recently watched the National Geographic series Secrets of the Elephants, which gives you a more comprehensive look at these magnificent creatures...The series is beautifully shot and makes us realize that they are so much more like us than we ever could imagine...Highly recommended!

Charity of the Week:
Sandy Hook Promise

Painting of the Week

New Harbor, mixed media on canvas, 54” x 54” $7500

Products of the Week

Yoga/Kitchen/Bathroom Mats https://www.pamelasmilow.com/yoga-mats $140

Memory Card Matching Game Boxed Set—24 images, 48 cards https://www.pamelasmilow.com/memory-game/memory-game $32

Blog No. 124: Krista Tippett Conversation with Rick Rubin, The Combat Paper Project, Songs about California

May 6, 2023

Krista Tippett Conversation with Rick Rubin

Krista Tippett took a hiatus from her amazing interview show On Being for a while and I never quite found her again once she resumed. Until now, when she sent out a recent email reminding us she was there. Here is the link to some of her conversations that took place after her break.

I came across this gem that I would highly recommend featuring Rick Rubin, this rock star music producer who has a lot of wisdom to share with us in this interview about creativity and in his recent book The Creative Act: A Way of Being.

Combat Paper Project

I recently heard about The Combat Paper Project, a collaboration of artists, war veterans and activists initiated by Drew Matott and Drew Cameron, based in Burlington, Vermont. It was formed to help veterans cope with their war experiences and consists of making paper out of cutting up and processing their old uniforms into paper and then subsequently creating art on the paper they create. A big part of the project is facilitating the connection between veterans through workshops and exhibitions.

Songs About California

California is full of mystique. It is a place that has attracted a lot of people from all over the world and has been the subject of many different songs over the years. Here is a selection that captures California for me. Sit back and enjoy!

I am California by John Craigie

California Dreamin' by the Mamas and the Papas

San Andreas Fault by Natalie Merchant

Hotel California by The Eagles

California Girls by The Beach Boys

California Sun by The Ramones

Charity of the Week:
The Peace Gallery, Damariscotta, Maine

The Peace Gallery was founded by former Marine Bernie DeLisle in order to honor and celebrate the creative endeavors of veterans while coping with their war experience traumas. It also functions as a community center located in the heart of Damariscotta, Maine.

Products of the Week

Blog No. 123: Podcast Now and Then, From the Mouths of Babes, Young at Heart Upcoming Concert

April 29, 2023

Podcast Now and Then:
Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman

We live in a time where the wisdom of so many can be shared easily on the internet through podcasts and online lectures and courses. Two very knowledgeable historians, Heather Cox Richardson of Boston College and Joanne Freeman of Yale have become our own private history professors through their podcast Now and Then, putting current events into historical context. And lucky us! They are true national treasures. Maybe with their help, we won't be doomed to keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

Below are a couple recent episodes of their podcast that struck me:

In light of the recent outrageous revelations about three of our Supreme Court justices, this one entitled Supreme Court Scandals: A Story of Justice is particulary apropos...

Here Cox and Freeman discuss the recent Tennessee expulsion of Justin Jones and Justin Pearson and provide us with some history around past expulsions in the states of Mississippi, New York State and California.

From the Mouths of Babes

A kid was in the midst of painting a picture. The teacher came up and asked her what she was drawing. She said "I am drawing a picture of God." The teacher then said--"No one knows what God looks like." and the kid replied, "They will in a minute!"

When my daughter was three years old, we were driving back to the City at night and it was a particularly clear night. We were both looking at the sky and I said, "Morgan, can you see all the stars? To which she replied, "No, but I can see most of them..."

Young at Heart Chorus Upcoming Concert

My favorite old people's chorus is about to have another concert in their hometown of Northampton, Massachusetts in a week. I enjoy their spirit so much that I drove up from New York a couple times to attend. If you can't make it on May 7th for their LOVE SHOW concert, here are a few of my favorite performances from past years.

Tom Waits Ol' 55

Cold Play's Fix You

Lou Reed's Take A Walk On The Wild Side

One Day by Matisyahu along with the Chicago Children's Choir and Hampshire's Young People's Chorus

Bob Dylan's Forever Young

Charity of the Week:
Save the Children

Photo of the Week

Such a nice photo taken by my friend Eddie Holm on a foggy rainy late afternoon from my big picture window in Chamberlain, Maine…

Blog No. 122: Songs of Peace, Artist Kensuke Yamada at Watershed, The Inspirational Sam Berns

April 22, 2023

Song of Peace: One Day

Thought I would start this week's blog with an uplifting group sing-a-long of peace shared with me by my Ann Arbor friends Claudia and Anita. It might be old news, since it took place in Haifa, Israel with the voices of 3000 Arabs and Jews in 2018, but it is never too late to revive it again. Click here to listen to Matisyahu's One Day and please feel free to join in...There is definitely something about singing that lifts the soul...

This event was organized by Koolulam, "a social musical initiative aimed at empowering communities and strengthening the fabric of society. Though collaborative create experiences, they bring together people of different backgrounds, cultures, faiths and geographies..."

And don't stop here, check out this other community sing video to totally inspire your day and lift your mouth into a big smile.

Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts & Artist Kensuke Yamada

Although I am a painter, I have dabbled in ceramics over the years, especially when I first met my Danish husband, Gert Mathiesen, who actually went to art school for ceramics. I had the good fortune of participating in a workshop this past weekend with the amazing artist Kensuke Yamada and it was so great to get my hands back in clay again after quite a while.

Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in Edgecomb, Maine is an amazing place and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in ceramic arts. Check out their website to see their varied list of programs and residencies. I definitely plan on going back to their beautiful facilities that include eight kilns and a very large and pleasant studio space on gorgeous grounds in a wonderful area of Maine.

I can't say enough about Kensuke Yamada and his art. I will let Kensuke's words and images speak for themselves: "In my sculpture, I seek figurative extensions of these shared experiences. Clay has become another primary source of communication for me. The vocabulary consists of gestures, patterns, textures, colors and rhythms. In conversation, these qualities bring the figure to life."is figurative scultpures are

The Inspirational Sam Berns

This is a truly inspirational Ted Talk given by Sam Berns (1996-2014) about what comprised his happy life... and how he didn't let obstacles get in the way of his dreams, despite suffering from a deadly disease named progeria, that was sure to drastically shorten his life...This is a shot in the arm to remind us to appreciate and concentrate on that which we do have...

Charity of the Week:
Save the Children

Photo of the Week

Can’t say enough about the facilities and staff at the Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in Edgecomb, Maine.

Boycott Walgreens

Walgreens confirmed to Politico last week it would not sell or ship mifepristone, which is used to terminate a pregnancy, in at least 21 states after Republican attorneys general had sent requests for the pharmacy not to—including in some states where abortion remains legal, such as Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Kansas and Montana.

Walgreens is coming under an increasing amount of scrutiny and a boycott of all their stores (including Duane Reade) has been called. Boycotts are a very effective tool and I hope you will consider staying away until they decide to reverse their policy.

Blog No. 121: Boko Haram Kidnapping Anniversary/The Chibok Project, Joan Baez, Poem by Sara Teasdale

April 16, 2023

The Chibok Project

Angela Fremont at the Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts this week working on one of her sculptures honoring the kidnapped girls of Chibok School in northeast Nigeria.

Artist and NYC Public School Teacher Angela Fremont

I recently met artist and New York City public school teacher Angela Fremont of the Chibok Project at a Kensuke Yamada figure making ceramics workshop that we both attended--she informed the group on the first day that she explicity came to the workshop just to learn how to make legs. I thought that was curious so I went up to her afterwards and asked her why. This is her story:

April 14th was the ninth anniversary of the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls by the Boko Haram terrorist group in northeast Nigeria. Some of the girls have since been returned to their home village but 96 still remain missing. This horrific event struck a deep chord in sculptor Fremont. She has since dedicated a lot of her life to reminding the world and calling attention to this tragedy, honoring their trauma by creating an exhibit of 276 sculptures of these school girls (torsos and heads only--hence the need to learn how to construct legs...).

The aim of her Chibok Project is to raise consciousness about the ongoing insurgency of Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria and global violence against women and girls in general. Since she began the project, she has raised over $15,000 to go to partner local domestic violence agencies on the ground in Nigeria. Click here to learn more and to donate.

Joan Baez

Joan Baez interviewed on the Stephen Colbert Show

Joan Baez’s new book Am I Pretty When I Fly

Last week I celebrated one of my musical heroes growing up, Joni Mitchell. This week I decided to pick another one, the great Joan Baez. She happened to be in the news this week as she ran into Justine Jones and Gloria Johnson, two of the Tennessee 3, at the Nashville International Airport while on a book tour for her new book Am I Prertty When I Fly. They ended singing together one of the most famous protest songs of the time: We Shall Overcome....Here are a few of my other favorites sang by Baez: Diamonds and Rust, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Forever Young and Guantanamera.

Enjoy the Kennedy Center's tribute to Joan Baez as well...

"There Will Come Soft Rains"
by Sara Teasdale

"There Will Come Soft Rains"
by Sara Teasdale

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild plum-trees in tremulous white;

Robins will wear their feathery fire
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree
If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,
Would scarcely know that we were gone.

Charity of the Week:
Save the Children

Painting of the Week

Boycott Walgreens

Blog No. 120: Interspecies Communication, Joni Mitchell, Vietnamese Beef and Papaya Salad

April 8, 2023

Interspecies Communication

To register for this upcoming seminar, click image above

I for one am very curious about this relatively new field of interspecies communication and am planning on attending this four day free virtual seminar on the relationship between humans, animals and nature that begins this coming Wednesday, April 12th, 2023.

Here are the details:
Dates: April 12 - 15, Starting 10am UK time
Free every day for 24 hrs. If you opt for the paying version, the talks are available at other times as well.

The online seminar will include 24 speakers and experts sharing their skills, passion and expertise on topics such as interspecies communication, animal wisdom, higher consciousness and much more.

Anna Breytenbach of Diablo/Spirit fame, who I have written about previously on this blog, will host a conversation called Interbeing: What the Wild Ones Teach Us.

The seminar will be "a sacred gathering for animal lovers, nature appreciators, healers, empaths, futurists, visionaries and people seeking to revitalize their relationship with Nature.

The speakers include people who care deeply for rhinos, elephants, bears, wolves, macaws, sperm whales and mountain lions.

This event will help you to rediscover your innate ability to communicate with animals, plants and all of Nature and open you up to the infinite possibilities of your compassionate heart.
Registration is completely free. Optional upgrade pass available for bonus content.

Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell just won the Library of Congress 2023 Gershwin Prize. My friend Kathy brought this recent concert celebration to my attention and I am so glad she did. I missed it when it initially aired on PBS but here we can hear it all again in its full beauty. Sit back and enjoy as an all star cast celebrates this musical legend.

Vietnamese Beef and Green Papaya Salad

VIETNAMESE BEEF AND PAPAYA SALAD
Recipe by Sylvia Fountaine
This is my favorite thing to order when I go to a Thai Restaurant. During the pandemic, I found myself craving ethnic food but since I wasn't going out, I had no choice but to learn how to make some of these dishes myself. Here is one of those recipes...hope you enjoy it as much as I do...

INGREDIENTS

1 lb beef ( tenderloin, tri tip or flank steak)
2–3 cups shredded Green Papaya ( or rice noodles)
1 cup combo of fresh mint, cilantro and basil
2 T roasted crushed peanuts ( optional)
1 T fried shallots ( optional- see below)

Dressing:
2 T fresh lime juice
1 T plus 1 tsp olive oil
1 T plus 1 tsp sugar
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp mild red chili- finely sliced
1 finely minced garlic clove

Beef Marinade:
1/4 C pounded or finely chopped lemongrass
1/4 C garlic-finely minced or pounded
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 T oyster sauce
2 T sugar 1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp chili flakes

INSTRUCTIONS
Make marinade. Slice beef to 1/2 inch thick bite size pieces, toss with marinade and let sit at least 30 minutes. Or refrigerate up to 8 hours. Grill or pan fry until just cooked.

Peel and shred green papaya and place in a bowl of ice water for 15-20 minutes. (Alternatively, you could prepare rice noodles following manufacturer’s directions.)

Make dressing: Combine lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, oil, chili, garlic.

Drain Papaya and toss(or rice noodles) with dressing to coat. Place on a plate along with beef and a combination of the fresh herbs. Top with roasted peanuts and crispy shallots. Serve with chop sticks.

Fried Shallots: can either be made from scratch, although most Asian markets offer them as a condiment already packaged, which I have found are extremely handy and tasty. They offer good flavor and texture. Lemongrass can be found in most grocery stores, in the herb or produce section. If you find you cook with lemon grass a lot, a nice option is purchasing it in bulk, already chopped in the freezer section of most Asian markets.

Charity of the Week:
The Tennessee Three

Support the Tennessee Three by clicking on the image above.

Painting of the Week

Signs of Spring: Hummingbird, 8” x 10” mixed media giclee print $150 framed

Boycott Walgreens

Blog No. 119: Ted Lasso, Near Death Experiences, Opera

April 1, 2023

Ted Lasso

The new season of Ted Lasso (Season 3) just came out on March 15th. I actually was counting down the days until it aired-- I like it so much. If ever there was a feel good show, this is it--it's comedy and emotion and an antidote to our troubled times and just what the doctor ordered. Ted Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, (who landed the role of a lifetime--he will always be beloved hereon in) plays a compassionate, humble, sensitive coach who values kindness and compassion above competition and teaches us a lesson or two about believing in oneself, teamwork and what is important in life... He is an example for us all...Most of the characters are lovable and their personalities are explored in interesting ways. The show also touches on the subject of mental health with finesse... For this blog, I looked up a few reviews and did I mention that I really am not fond of many critics. Look at what the New York Post wrote about the show: "Nauseatingly nice ‘Ted Lasso’ doesn’t work without COVID." Thank you critic Johnny Oleksinski--for showing us that the mean spirited era of Trump et al is still alive and well...why am I not surprised...

Near Death Experiences

To follow up on last week's reincarnation stories, I'm going to include another story about two near death experiences--when consciousness seemingly survives your body--that also equally blew my mind. Again, I'll leave it to you to decide what you make of this...

Dr Mary Neal had her near death experience (NDE) while submerged in a river after a kayaking accident. Her story is very believable and I try to ignore the religious references that she assigns--we tend to try and fit our experiences into the framework of our belief systems but it doesn't negate her story to me. Where one person might assign meaning from Buddha, another might say Jesus Christ...

Another very interesting story is that of a near death experience of a migrant worker, Maria, who was brought to a hospital in Washington state with cardiac arrest, as told by social worker named Kimberly Clark Sharp.

Opera

I am no opera officianado--in fact I literally know nothing about the subject--and need to turn to my friend Molly for any insights into the genre. But over the years I realize it is an acquired taste that has caught my attention. Here are a few excerpts of various operas that have touched me and sometimes bring tears to my eyes...

Puccini's Turandot, Nessun Dorma Act III, sung by Luciano Pavarotti

Handel's Lascia Ch'io Pianga, sung by Deborah York

Puccini's O mio babbino caro from Gianni Schicchi sung by three different singers: Montserrat Caballé, Maria Callas and 9 year old Amira Willighagen

George Bizet's Carmen, Agnes Baltsa as Carmen

Verdi, La Traviato, Libiamo, ne liet"i calici, sung by Anna Netrebko & Rolando Villazón>

Satyagraha Act III by Philip Glass, Metropolitan Opera

Charity of the Week:
City Harvest

Painting of the Week

Just finished this 48” x 112” painting commission for a very nice family in Massachusetts. We started off by using my superimposing tool to decide what type of piece would look best in their home and then I created this painting especially for them using imagery and bits of collage that they chose to include. Really happy with the way it came out!

Boycott Walgreens

Blog No. 118: Division of Perceptual Studies, Poem by Ellen Bass, Masaka Kids Africana

March 25, 2023

Division of Perceptual Studies at UVA

After my husband Gert Mathiesen died in 2013, I grew up and began a long journey trying to figure out a lot of things about myself and the world around us--the meaning of life, about existence, about death, about dying. Does our soul survive our earthly experience? I am a natural born skeptic so although I kept an open mind, I wanted some really hard evidence to convince me that this is not all there is. I found it through the work of Dr. Ian Stevenson and his protege, child psychiatrist Jim B. Tucker, working at the University of Virginia's Division of Perceptual Studies. Founded in 1967 by Dr. Stevenson, this established branch of the University of Virginia's medical school "conducts research in which scientific methodology is utilized to empirically investigate phenomena which cannot be explained by the currently accepted scientific assumptions and theories about the nature of mind or consciousness, and its relationship to matter." Although I have had, and family members have had some paranormal experiences that are hard to explain, what finally tipped the scales for me was UVA's work with children who purportedly remember past lives. Hard to explain away when a child remembers their name in a previous existence, who their parents were, where they lived, how they died, etc. etc. and the documented evidence, after meticulous study and documentation, checks out. Here are a few cases where the evidence seems indisputable--I will let you take a look for yourself--it personally has blown my mind. If you have the time to look at these three videos, it should serve as a good introduction to the idea that reincarnation just might exist...

Poem by Ellen Bass for Women's Month

Thank you Marynelle for sharing this beautiful poem with me.

The Sound of Their Names
by Ellen Bass
(for the Women of the 19th Amendment)

Praise their grit and gospel, their glistening
brains, their minds on fire. Neurons, numbering the stars.

the axis, the atlas: I will not and I shall.

Their mouths, praise. Ridged palates
and smart muscular tongues, teeth, sound or pitted,
their wit and will. Their nerve,

and founded within the body. Honor
now their wombs and hearts, biceps and blood,
deep mines of the flesh where passion is tested.

Thank all twenty-six bones of their feet,
arches, heels, bunions, sweat,

marching the streets in high buttoned boots. Praise
the march. Praise justice.
Though slow and clotted.

Their hands at the press. The grease and clatter,
the smell of ink. Feel the sound
of their names in our mouths:

Susan B. Anthony
Dr. Mabel Ping-Hua Lee
Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Wilhelmina Kekelaokalaninui Widemann Dowsett

Praise their eyelids that close
and give rest
at the end of each long day.

Praise the work that goes on.

Masaka Kids Africana

According to the mission statement on their website, "There are more orphans in Uganda than anywhere else in the world — over 2.4 million children — due to the AIDS epidemic, extreme poverty, and decades of civil conflict. Masaka Kids Africana is on the ground in Uganda to help as many of these young people as we can. We give children safe shelter, food, clothing, education and medical care. Through us, children gain an education and the life skills they need for future success. Their lives are completely transformed. Masaka Kids Africana sponsored children have gone through some of the worst experiences a child could face — but through dance and song and sharing their love of Uganda, these children connect to each other and the world. They see their own potential — they have hope for their future.

Charity of the Week:
Masaka Kids Africana

Click on image to support and donate to TechLit Africa

Painting of the Week

Mandala Series: Stream of Consciousness, mixed media on canvas, 54” x 54” $7500. This series originated by my copying a drawing I did as a kid.

Boycott Walgreens

Blog No. 117: Nelly Cheboi, A Pastor's Story, Andy Goldsworthy

March 18, 2023

Nelly Cheboi

I always enjoy watching CNN's Hero of the Year program, where you learn about the power of people to make a huge difference in the lives of many, in places all over the world. Every one of those celebrated are heroes!

This year's grand winner is a woman named Nelly Cheboi, born in 1992, who grew up in a poverty stricken area of rural Kenya and in 2012 won a scholarship to Augusta College in Illinois to study computer science. During her third year of college, Cheboi had already started giving back. Realizing the importance of education, she built a school, Zawadi Yetu, in her home country. And after realizing how much goes to waste in the United States, she started shipping used computer equipment from the U.S. to Africa.

In 2019, after quitting a lucrative job in the tech industry, she founded a nonprofit called TechLit Africa (along with Tyler Cinnamon) which focused on building computer labs in Kenya. Partnering with schools, TechLit presently teaches over 4000 students basic computer skills using recycled technology, providing a curriculum focused on self-efficacy, troubleshooting and internet skills, teaching coding, graphic design, audio and video production. There are currently 10 labs in Africa with their eyes on building 100 more.

A Pastor's Story

Found this on facebook the other day and thought it was worth repeating here.

A pastor transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the church that he was to be introduced as the head pastor at that morning. He walked around his soon to be church for 30 minutes while it was filling with people for service. Only 3 people said hello to him, most looked the other way. He asked people for change to buy food because he was hungry. Not one gave him anything. He went into the sanctuary to sit down in the front of the church and was told by the ushers that he would need to get up and go sit n the back of the church. He said hello to people as they walked in but was greeted with cold stares and dirty looks from people looking down on him and judging him. He sat in the back of the church and listened to the church announcements for the week. He listened as new visitors were welcomed into the church that morning but no one acknowledged that he was new. He watched people around him continue to look his way with stares that said you are not welcome here. Then the elders of the church went to the podium to make the announcement. They said they were excited to introduce the new pastor of the church to the congregation. "We would like to introduce you to our new Pastor." The congregation stood up and looked around clapping with joy and anticipation. The homeless man sitting in the back stood up and started walking down the aisle. That's when all the clapping stopped and the church was silent. With all eyes on him....he walked up the altar and reached for the microphone. He stood there for a moment and then recited so elegantly, a verse from the bible..... “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of my brothers and sisters, you did for me.’ After he recited this, he introduced himself as their new pastor and told the congregation what he had experienced that morning. Many began to cry and bow their heads in shame. "Today I see a gathering of people here but I do not see a church of Jesus. The world has enough people that look the other way. What the world needs is disciples of Jesus that can follow this teachings and live as he did. When will YOU decide to become disciples? He then dismissed service until the following Sunday as his sermon had been given.

Andy Goldsworthy

English sculptor, photographer and environmentalist Andy Goldsworthy is hands down one of my favorite artists and he works with unconventional materials--his medium being nature itself. He uses such things as ice, leaves, sticks, stones, sand, and rain to create his mostly ephemeral work--and because of its impermanence (and unless you are onsite with him when he is creating it), one can experience it through his photographs, videos and books. All photos courtesy Andy Goldsworthy.

Charity of the Week:
Tech Lit Africa

Studio Shot of the Week

Boycott Walgreens

Blog No. 116: Crip Camp, Judy Heumann 1947-2023, Ebinum Brothers

March 10, 2023

Crip Camp Again!

I featured the Obama produced documentary, Crip Camp, in the first blog post I ever wrote over two years ago. I mention it here again because it is a truly amazing film, not to be missed, and because one of the main people featured in the film, Judy Heumann, known as the mother of the American Disabilities Act, died this past week at the age of 75. Crip Camp documents a very important piece of history that began at Camp Jened Summer Camp in Upstate New York and turned into a movement, making a tremendous difference in the lives of countless people with disabilities throughout the world. I highly recommend this documentary

Judy Heumann

1947-2023

click the image above to hear Judy Heumann’s Ted Talk

Judy Heumann talks with Trevor Noah about her book.

It is not every day that I attend the funeral of someone I never met but I did just that, via livestream, last Wednesday to celebrate the life of an extraordinary woman, someone I grew to admire after first seeing her in the film Crip Camp. Her name: Judy Heumann, known as the mother of the American Disabilities Movement. Hers is a remarkable story that began when she contracted polio at the age of eighteen months . As a child, her family fought hard to have her treated as an equal and she took over that fight throughout her whole life, not just for herself, but on behalf of every person with a disability. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government’ programs and services. Thanks to her leadership and fellow disability advocates who fought the good fight, including a month long sit-in of a government building in San Francisco, buildings and buses are in many cases now accessible, children with disabilities can attend schools (she was not allowed as a child), sidewalks have ramps (she couldn't cross the street in front of her childhood home because of curbs, and people with disabilities are required to be treated as any other citizen with the same civil rights. The landscape has changed but the fight is not totally over. In her own words, "Some people say that what I did changed the world...But really, I simply refused to accept what I was told about who I could be. And I was willing to make a fuss about it." Listen here to Rachel Maddow sing her praises and even shed a tear...

Ebinum Brothers

Meet the Ebinum Brothers: Victory Ebinum and Marvel Ebinum. "Brothers, artistic communicators, models and actors born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria."

I just met them myself by stumbling on one of their short videos on instagram. And I looked further. Wonderful choreography, mesmerizing music, tender, pure, original, amazingly beautiful. I am humbled. Their work speaks for itself.

Painting of the Week

Composition in Green Gold with Blue Cone, mixed media on canvas, 52” x 82” This is the color of spring for me. It’s coming….

Boycott Walgreens

Blog No. 115: The Elephant Whisperer, Michael Moore Again!, Some Favorite Proverbs

March 4, 2023

The Elephant Whisperers

I have always been in awe of elephants, these highly intelligent animals with complex emotions, feelings, compassion and self-awareness. They have a life span of 50-70 years, have the longest gestation period of any mammal (22 months), form very close family ties, are matriarchical and have teeth the size of bricks, among many other interesting facts. And they are one of very few species to recognize themselves in a mirror! In fact, when my husband died, I looked to these animals to educate myself about grief.

I think you will enjoy The Elephant Whisperers, this lovely Academy Award nominee for best documentary short film about Raghu and Ammu, two elephants in the south of India. Couple Billie and Bomman successfully raised these two orphans at Theppakadu Elephant Camp, one of the oldest elephant camps in Asia, established approximately 140 years ago. We are all connected and love conquers all...

Michael Moore
Again!

I don't think I exaggerate when I tell you that I think Michael Moore is one of the most important voices America has right now and I want to amplify his wisdom by including his March 3rd Episode 285 of Rumble: Blue Continues to Crush Red in 2023 here. He is not an optimist, as he so aptly puts it, but this podcast will leave you feeling encouraged and hopeful about the future of our political scene. Moore has been no slouch on foreseeing the future--he predicted Trump's victory in 2016 when all the pundits were predicting Hillary and in 2020 he was one of the few to insist that the midterms were going to break in favor of the Democrats, not the landslide expected for Republicans.

Moore has his hand on the pulse and it has been there for a long time, as seen through his outstanding films (Bowling for Columbine, Roger and Me, Farenheit 9/11, Sicko, Where to Invade Next, to name a few). I for one think I am going to spend some time revisiting some of these documentaries.

And if you still want more, here is a vintage interview with Michael Moore given by the indomitable Amy Goodman of Democracy Now where, among other subjects, Moore tells a personal anecdote about an encounter with Donald Trump and also meeting the last surviving prosecutor from the Nuremberg Trials.

Some Favorite Proverbs

Here is a list of some proverbs that have struck a chord in me:

"There is only one beautiful child in the world and every mother has it." — Chinese proverb

"A kind word is like a spring day." — Russian proverb

"Failure is the mother of success." — Chinese proverb

“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” —Japanese proverb

"It takes a whole village to raise a child." —African proverb

“A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.” —Chinese proverb

“Got no checkbooks, got no banks, still I’d like to express my thanks. I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.” —Irving Berlin

“I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

‘Enough’ is a feast. —Buddhist Proverb

Products of the Week

The PERFECT HOSTESS GIFT! Thick laminated wood CHARCUTERIE board that doubles as the perfect size cutting board (the opposite side). Adds a festive note to any table. Made in America $76.00 https://www.pamelasmilow.com/tabletop-kitchen

orange-lily3150743-cutting-board (1).jpg

rust-tree-of-life-gert-mathiesen-cutting-board (2).jpg

egyptian-scribble-series-cutting-board (2).jpg

pink-cactus-botanical3150759-cutting-board (1).jpg

maroon-blue-scribble-series-cutting-board+%281%29.jpg

Charity of the Week:
Feeding America

Please click on image to find out ways to help.

Blog No. 114: Temple Grandin Different Minds, Woodstock Revisited, NYTimes Most Notable Books 2022

February 25, 2023

Temple Grandin Different Minds

This is not the first time I have written about Temple Grandin, animal behaviorist and professor of animal science at Colorado State University--she is one of the smartest and most creative thinkers I have come across. As an autistic person, no one can dispute that she is a different kind of thinker. In this Ted talk, Grandin explores different ways of processing information i.e., through patterns, through visual imagery, through mathematics and music as opposed to the more prevalent verbal fact based thinking. She makes the argument that the world desperately needs all kinds of people and in fact, outside the box types, often screened out by our educational system, are quite frequently the biggest contributors to society. I personally did not know that Thomas Edison was autistic, that Einstein didn't speak until the age of 3, that Darwin, Sir Isaac Newton, Michelangelo and Mozart, among many others, were considered to be on the spectrum as well.

Grandin is a prominent author and speaker on both autism and animal behavior. Today she is a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University and also has a successful career consulting on both livestock handling equipment design and animal welfare.

Woodstock

Anti-Semitism is on the rise all over the world and racism is forever rearing its ugly head throughout America. We have never been more divided as a nation, on the verge of civil war. And to top it off, February 25, 2023 has been deemed "a day of hate" by an ultra-right antisemitic group of Nazis alive and well in the U.S. What happened to the days of Peace, Love and Woodstock?! I thought it was time we were reminded of those days with this documentary about the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival. My hope is that we might somehow imagine that good spirit back into our lives...And to accompany that thought, here is a playlist from Friday's Woodstock offerings.

New York Times Ten Most Notable Books 2022

In case you are looking for a new book to read, here is the New York Times List of 10 Most Notable Books of 2022 chosen by their staff.

Painting of the Week

Charity of the Week:
Earthquake Victims

Blog No. 113: Superhuman Geniuses, Reliable Media Sources, Chicken Marbella Recipe

February 18, 2023

Superhuman Geniuses

If you ever doubt the the capabilities of the human mind, just take a look this video. Meet five of the most mind bending people on this earth with extraordinary and extreme talents most people couldn't even imagine. How do they do it? Where does this come from?

Arkiana Kramarik, self taught art prodigy

Savant Kim Peek, the real Rainman, with an ability to memorize facts and information without equal.

Ainan Cawley, science prodigy from Singapore

Reliable Media Sources

In this day and age where facts are not always facts, it is important to trust where we get our news. Here are the go-to sources according to Robert Hubbell, writer of a daily newsletter about current events entitled Today's Edition, that appears in my inbox every morning.
Hubbell's List:
"Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo, Ian Millhiser (Vox), Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern of Slate, Charlie Sykes and Jonathan Last (Bulwark), David Frum (Atlantic), Philip Rotner (various sources), Jennifer Rubin and Eugene Robinson of WaPo, Lawrence O’Donnell, Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes, Neal Katyal (all of MSNBC), Dennis Aftergut and Laurence Tribe (various sources), Democracy Docket, the trio of commentators Joyce Vance, Barbara McQuade, and Jill Wine-Banks of #SistersInLaw, as well as Joyce Vance’s Civil Discourse, and many others.
As to independent voices, I frequently consult and promote Heather Cox Richardson, Dan Rather, Tim Snyder, Judd Legum, and Katelyn Jetelina (all of Substack).
Jessica Craven of ChopWoodCarryWater is in a category of her own for her constant bias toward action.
And despite my frequent criticism, I always check the the New York Times and the Washington Post on major stories."

Chicken Marbella Recipe
(from the classic
Silver Palate Cookbook)

This is a sure bet recipe to make when you are having people over. I am going to make it for my book club this coming Thursday and I hope they like it as much as I do...

CHICKEN MARBELLA
(makes 6 to 8 servings)

INGREDIENTS
½ cup olive oil
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 cup pitted prunes
½ cup pitted Spanish green olives
½ cup capers, with a bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 head of garlic, peeled and puréed
½ cup fresh oregano, chopped, or ¼ cup dried oregano
2 teaspoons of salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 chickens, 3½ to 4 pounds each, quartered
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

PREPARATION
Step 1
In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers and juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan; spoon the marinade over it evenly. Pour in the wine and sprinkle the chicken with the brown sugar.
Step 3
Bake until the thigh pieces yield clear yellow juice when pricked with a fork, 50 to 60 minutes, basting two or three times with the pan juices once the chicken begins to brown. (When basting, do not brush off the sugar. If the chicken browns too quickly, cover lightly with foil.)
Step 4
Transfer the chicken pieces to a warm serving platter and top with the prunes, olives and capers; keep warm. Place the roasting pan over medium heat and bring the pan juices to a boil. Reduce to about ½ cup. Strain into a heatproof bowl, add the parsley and pour over the chicken.

Painting of the Week

This is an early piece, oil and mixed media on handmade paper, I did way back in the late 1980’s. I always included a Muybridge photograph as part of the collage elements in this series of abstract work.

Charity of the Week:
Earthquake Victims

Blog No. 112: Jim Dine, Valentine Love Songs, Chocolate

February 10, 2023

Jim Dine

Hearts might be cliché but I love them anyway and nobody does hearts like Jim Dine. Of all the abstract expressionists, he is one of the artists I admire most. He paints what he knows with seemingly little pretense, mostly things from his every day life, including his wife Nancy's robe, tools reminiscent of his grandfather's hardware store in Ohio, as well as his own face in self-portrait. He has been at it for over six decades, not just as a painter but as a printmaker, sculptor and also a writer of poetry.

Jim Dine’s version of the Venus de Milo. These scultptures are on Sixth Avenue in New York City.

Click to hear a conversation Jim Dine had with Ruth Fine

Valentine Love Songs

Love makes the world go round in all its glorious forms. Here are a few love songs in celebration of Valentine's Day.

Nick Cave Into My Arms

Cat Stevens How Can I Tell You

Bonnie Raitt Dimming of the Day

Tom Waitts Martha

Lady Gaga Remember Us This Way

Bad News About Chocolate

Mast Organic Dark Chocolate is one of the healthier chocolate bars.

This is bad news for chocolate lovers and I am sorry to bring it to you around a holiday that is so chocolate centered. It appears that most dark chocolate has seriously toxic levels of cadmium and lead including some of the most popular brands. Researchers found that cadmium in cocoa beans naturally comes from the soil and is directly transported to the beans by the cocoa tree. Lead contamination occurs after harvesting, when the wet cocoa beans are exposed to soil and dust during the drying, fermenting and transport phases.

These are the chocolate bars you want to look for the next time you get a craving--they have the lowest levels of heavy metals:
1. MAST ORGANIC DARK CHOCOLATE
In the Consumer Reports study, their chocolate fared better than any other brand, registering the lowest lead level of all the bars tested. Its cadmium content was also under half the maximum allowable level. Made with just three listed ingredients—cocoa beans, cane sugar and vanilla beans—Mast's simple 80% Cacao bar is available from Whole Foods, Wegmans, and other retailers.
2. TAZA ORGANIC DELICIOUSLY DARK CHGOCOLATE
Taza's stone-ground Deliciously Dark variety contained the second lowest amount of lead in the entire Consumer Reports study. The level of cadmium also fell within the safer range. Can be found at Whole Foods, The Fresh Market and other specialty stores.
3. GHIRADELLI INTENSE DARK CHOCOLATE
Commonly found in supermarkets and drug stores nationwide. Its Intense Dark 86% Cacao bar ranked third lowest in lead, according to the study, and also boasted the lowest cadmium level in the whole "safer choices" category. Pretty easy to find in many places.
4. GHIRADELLI INTENSE DARK CHOCOLATE TWILIGHT DELIGHT
Ghirardelli's Twilight Delight bar also fell within the safer range for both heavy metals, although its cadmium content was the highest among this group. Described as "intensely delicious" on the company's website, the 72% Cacao bar contains five ingredients, with vanilla extract and soy lecithin rounding out the combination of unsweetened chocolate, sugar and cocoa butter. Available at Walmart, Rite Aid and many other stores.
5. VALRHONA ABINAO DARK CHOCOLATE
Valrhona, made of 85% Cacao, had the highest levels of lead among all the "safer choices" in the study, though it fared better than several others on the cadmium scale. Look for it at specialty chocolate shops and upscale supermarkets.

And these below are the ones to avoid:

TOP 5 HIGHEST IN LEAD Hershey’s Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate (265%) Chocolove Extremely Dark Chocolate 88% Cocoa (240%) Hu Organic Simple Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao (210%) Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao (192%) Endangered Species Bold and Silky Dark Chocolate 72% Cocoa (181%)
TOP 5 HIGHEST LEVELS OF CADMIUM Pascha Organic Very Dark Dark Chocolate 85% Cacao (253%) Alter Eco Organic Dark Chocolate Classic Blackout 85% Cacao (204%) Beyond Good Organic Pure Dark Chocolate 80% Cocoa (138%) Scharffen Berger Extra Dark Chocolate 82% Cacao (136%) Equal Exchange Organic Extra Dark Chocolate 80% Cacao (120%)
>TOP 5 HIGHEST IN LEAD AND CADMIUM Trader Joe’s the Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate 85% Cacao (127% lead, 229% cadmium) Theo Organic Extra Dark Pure Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa (140% lead, 189% cadmium) Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao (143% lead, 181% cadmium) Theo Organic Pure Dark 70% Cocoa (120% lead, 142% cadmium) Lily’s Extremely Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa (143% lead, 101% cadmium)

Painting of the Week

Part of my Yellow Spruce Series—one of my favorites from that series…

Charity of the Week:
Earthquake Victims

Blog No. 111: Architecture and Design Film Festival, Astrologer Leslie McGuirk, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

February 4, 2023

Architecture and Design Film Festival

The Architecture and Design Film Festival is something I look forward to every year in the fall in New York City. I used to go all the time with my sister Judy. I also know the festival's founder, Kyle Bergman, who along with Ultan Guilfoyle, considered making a film on Usonia, the Frank Lloyd Wright community where I grew up.

Once a year, ADFF puts their highly curated selection of architecture and design related films online for everyone to see, especially if you are not near any of the scheduled venues (which include NYC, DC, Toronto, Chicago or Vancouver).

From February 8 - 17, 2023, you can see this year's festival selections which include a film about Maija Isola, one of the original designers of the Finnish design house Marimekko, learn about Alice Street and how two artists in Oakland California help their community adjust to gentrification, and learn about the life and work of Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza, to mention just a few of this year's offerings. I missed it this year because I was in Maine so I for one look forward to this online viewing.

Bergman describes this festival as a celebration of "the unique creative spirit that drives the industry. With a curated selection of films, events, and panel discussions, ADFF creates an opportunity to entertain, engage, and educate all types of people who are excited about architecture and design. With well-attended screenings, legendary panelists, vibrant discussions, and events in six major cities, ADFF has grown into the largest film festival devoted to the subject. The ADFF also programs international film festivals at cultural institutions and private venues.

Astrologer Leslie McGuirk

Leslie McGuirk is a renowned astrologer, artist, author, product designer, who I met a couple years ago at Rancho La Puerta, a health spa in Tecate, Mexico. She was there lecturing on astrology, her longtime love and passion since she was nineteen years of age. Leslie is very genuine--she connects with people and animals in a deeply authentic way without pretense. She has spent years studying the science of the planets and stars and is incredibly knowledgeable. Before I attended the lecture, I naively thought astrology had just to do with horoscopes and birth signs. (Little did I know that this field has been around for millennia and is much deeper than I ever thought). And I never knew that Carl Jung insisted on seeing the charts of his patients before working with them as he found them so useful in understanding a person's psyche.

I hired Leslie to do my own chart and it was an amazing experience. Human beings, like all things in nature, have a design and unique patterns that make them who they are. It was exciting to learn mine through her... and so much of what she told me rang true...

To learn more about McGuirk, you can listen to Traci Stein interview her on her podcast , listen to McGuirk's Ted Talk and visit Leslie's own website, where, if you feel so inclined, you can book a session with her to do your own chart...

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

I don't usually like to mix politics with this blog but this short speech given by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez needs to be heard. It was given on the floor of the House of Representatives this past week on the occasion of the GOP led ouster of Muslim representative Ihan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Ocasio-Cortez is one gutsy person who speaks out for what she believes and I for one, in this day and age, find this incredibly refreshing.

Products of the Week

Marla Sukoff is an excellent yoga teacher and a friend of mine. Please feel free to contact her directly about her in person and online yoga classes at marla@presentwisdom.com

Charity of the Week: Hudson Link

Blog No. 110: The Parent Test, Pico Iyer, Recipe: Puree of Celery Root Soup

January 28, 2023

The Parent Test

Click above to see a brief segment on the high diving board challenge

So funny how we take classes and have job training for so many things and yet the most important job in the world, raising our children, is not something that most of us ever get any instructions for. So we resort to our own personalities and egos, intuition and often do as our parents did to us (or the exact opposite, as the case may be).

My mom was an early proponent of progressive childhood education and our parents, probably considered on the permissive side, introduced my sister and me to concepts of creative learning, the teachings of educator A.S. Neill and general concepts of free education. So when I saw a show on Hulu specifically dedicated to parenting, I was very curious. It is a subject that interests me greatly.

The Parent Test on Hulu is a reality show--it takes twelve diverse couples (and one single dad) and their families with very different parenting styles and puts them through some rigorous test situations to see how the adults interact with their children and vice versa. What emerges is a picture of what kind of kids come out of differing methods--the strict parents, the free thinking ones, the tiger parents, etc.

I think The Parent Test is worth watching. At times it may seem somewhat superficial (it is a TV show after all), but it provokes deep thought about child rearing practices and how we bring up kids in America. Most parents all have the same goal of providing their kids with the best life they could possibly have but there are so many variables that go into trying to achieve that aim. Do we want out kids to just be happy at all costs? Do we want them to be super achievers and at what expense? How do we handle their fears? How important is structure in a child's life? What type of parenting style encourages confidence? And how does race and religion affect parenting styles and choices? These are some of the subjects investigated as the show presents the families with challenges (i.e., getting your child to jump off a high diving board, letting them cook a dinner on their own, seeing how children handle a fine dining situation...) and we observe their interactions. I personally found it one of the more interesting reality shows--fascinating and with conversations well worth having...

Pico Iyer

**“One of the most soulful and perceptive writers of our time” —**Brain Pickings

Click above to hear an interview with Pico Iyer at the Society in NYC

Pico Iyer, Illustration by Kristian Hammerstad

My old friend Todd introduced me to a lot in life beginning when we met as teenagers and has never steered me wrong all these years later. He recently shared with me this interview with writer Pico Iyer from the podcast Death, Sex and Money, where Iyer talks about his long term friendship with Leonard Cohen, among other things.

Born in England to Indian parents, partially raised in the United States, journalist, essayist and novelist Siddharth Pico Raghavan Iyer has travelled throughout the world and written extensively about it. He currently resides in Japan. Iyer just released his fifteenth book entitled The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise which I am going to put on my reading list and his writings have appeared in many prominent publications including The New York Times, The New York Review of Books and Time Magazine (to name just a few) on many different types of subjects including Cuba, the Dalai Lama, Islam, globalism, and stillness. Described by Brain Pickings as “one of the most soulful and perceptive writers of our time,” Pico Iyer has been interviewed several times on Krista Tippett's podcast On Being.

Puree of Celery Root Soup

Click to see how to prepare celery root (Celeriac)

This one is recommended from my friend Molly via the New York Times Cooking app. She says she made it without the milk and it was just as delicious. This is the kind of recipe you can fool around with, adding or subtracting ingredients to your desire.

PUREE OF CELERY ROOT SOUP
Recipe from Jimmy Bradley and Andrew Friedman Adapted by Marian Burros from the NYTimes Cooking app
Yield: 4 bowls
¼ cup olive oil
1 small leek, white part only, coarsely chopped
½ medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2½ cups peeled, coarsely chopped celery root (about 1 pound after peeling)
3 cups no-salt-added chicken stock or broth
4 to 7 tablespoons skim milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sliced chervil or tarragon
* Step 1
In a saucepan over medium heat, heat 3 tablespoons oil and add leek, onion, celery and garlic. Sauté until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes.
* Step 2
Add celery root and stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until celery root is tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes.
* Step 3
Using a blender and working in batches, purée soup until smooth. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and milk as needed to enrich soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, soup may be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before serving. Reheat gently just until steaming.
* Step 4
To serve, divide soup among four bowls. Garnish with chervil or tarragon, and serve hot.

Painting of the Week

Working now on a piece similar to the one above for an office space in Boston…

Charity of the Week: National Dance Institute

Blog No. 109: Painter Gary Komarin, Eva Cassidy, Animal Reunions

January 21, 2023

Painter Gary Komarin

A contemporary artist that I admire a lot is a painter named Gary Komarin. I first saw his work in March, a home goods store in San Francisco, where they were showing a series of his most famous Cake Paintings...I myself like seeing and showing art outside of a pristine, sterile art gallery and actually prefer to show in a more "living with art" type of venue.

Below is a selection of Komarin's work and what strikes me is that although my work does not necessarily look like his, we paint from a very similar intuitive place. I couldn't help but identify with the words of Carol Diehl, who described Komarins' process in a 2012 essay for an exhibition of entitled The Road to Dialoro:
"For most artists there is no eureka moment; instead ideas develop through practice and over time, one thing leading to the next, and Gary Komarin is particularly sensitive to this intuitive process. If his marks appear awkward and childlike, it's because he has learned over the years how to turn off his internal critic and work from a place of detachment that allows for freshness, newness, and authenticity. Komarin has built into his working method ways of keeping himself from over-thinking or becoming too precious — techniques that allow him to get out of the way and almost let the painting paint itself. "When I have to become involved," he says, "is when it can feel burdensome." Komarin keeps things fresh and loose by doing several paintings at a time, working quickly on the floor on large squares of untreated, raw, canvas — sometimes even drop cloths — with big, inexpensive brushes and open buckets of latex enamel and other copious materials such as house paint or Spackle. There's an element of control, of course, but the paint may drip, splash or bleed in unexpected ways, gifts of accident that the artist may choose to keep or not. Those decisions, while still intuitive, draw on a stored knowledge base, a liftetime of observing and evaluating form, color, and line, so that when something happens, for better or worse, he recognizes it. Komarin sees this activity as a direct engagement with his materials, an exchange rather like collaboration, where he's not making something happen so much as encouraging it to happen. As he says, "I like to be surprised by my own work."

Singer Eva Cassidy

Click image to hear Eva Cassidy’s sublime version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

Click to hear The London Symphony’s Orchestration of Eva Cassidy’s Autumn Leaves

I am not sure where I heard Eva Cassidy's voice for the first time--I think I was somewhere in California at the time but it was many years ago so I can't be sure--but what is unforgettable is her voice--if there was ever a voice of an angel, this is it. Her most famous songs have been compiled on an album of greatest hits. Here is a version of one of my favorite songs: It's a Wonderful World made famous by Louis Armstrong, which happens to have been one of her favorites too (and incidentally the last song she ever performed live). She died way too young and never had a taste of how famous and beloved she would become. But we do have her heavenly music to remember her by....Since her death, her recordings have sold more than 12 million copies.

Animal Human Reunions

I couldn't resist posting this video--it's for Morgan, whose dog Frenchy gets equally excited to see her again if she has been gone for one minute taking out the garbage or away for three days. These reunions are very touching. Warning: you might shed a tear or two like I did...

Paintings of the Week

My pieces in a gorgeous home in Ketchum, Idaho. Thanks Jami and Mark, two of my favoirite clients, for the photo…

Charity of the Week: National Dance Institute