Blog No. 83: Oliver Sacks Documentary, Eagle Rescue, Emily Brzezinski

July 30, 2022

Oliver Sacks Documentary

It is often not the big things in life that make such a difference but the little things we do to fill our day that enrich us and make us feel grateful to be alive. I had that feeling this week when I made the decision to sit down to watch the PBS American Masters Series documentary Oliver Sacks: His Own Life. It is a wonderful tribute to a truly great human being.

I count Oliver Sacks as one of the most interesting thinkers of our time and have enjoyed so many of his books and lectures over the years...Mostly, he is an example of a deeply caring and compassionate human being who was full of love and respect for his patients and for life--a doctor who practiced medicine in such a humanistic and qualitative way, reviving the role of case histories, combining the literary and the scientific, providing his very ill patients with a narrative that validated and gave their lives meaning. As he was bringing many of these very ill patients out of their shells, he was also inviting and bringing the rest of the world in.

An individual full of quirks, Sacks was curious about absolutely everything, a true investigator, observer and storyteller of the human condition. He had many struggles in his life and his is not a Hollywood story but what a life! and what an inspiration!

This documentary is really well done and any of his sixteen books are well worth the read.

Eagle Rescue

If this isn't a feel good story, I don't know what is...
Enjoy!
(Shared with me by my friend Robert Piper.)

Emily Brzezinski

Emilie Brzezinski (1932-2022) has been on my blog idea list for over a year so I thought it was timely to write a bit about her now since she passed away earlier this week. I always take note of famous people whose parents were artists and I remember being surprised that Mika Brzezinksi's mom (of MSNBC's Morning Joe) was a really good sculptor. It seemed such an unlikely pair--outwardly straight-laced Mika had a chain saw yielding artist as a mom but then again, organized and seemingly left brained Morgan Mathiesen is my daughter too....

Brzezinski loved trees as I do and made it the primary subject of her work. I can relate to the intuitive nature of her process and the fact that spending time in her studio just brought her sheer pleasure. Here are a few examples of her monumental wood sculptures and a short video tribute produced a few years back by Mika and Joe Scarborough. .

Medecins Sans Frontieres

Painting of the Week

Green Garden mixed media on canvas 54” x 84”

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. 82: Musician Jacob Collier, Refreshing Summer Drinks, Derek Walcott Poem

July 23, 2022

Musician Jacob Collier

I don't profess to know anything about music at all apart from listening often and enjoying it across many genres. Someone recently turned me on to a young British musician named Jacob Collier (born 1994) and when I asked my friend what instrument he played, his answer was "everything!" And when I asked if Collier was a prodigy, my friend's answer was "beyond prodigy." In my mind, this guy is a phenomenon. Judge for yourself.

Known for an eclectic combination of jazz and other musical genres, Collier's energetic live performances are multi-media extravaganzas featuring original compositions as well as unique renditions of covers from many other musicians. He first went viral on TikTok in 2012 with Stevie Wonder's Don't You Worry About a Thing and here are some examples of other covers including the classic Moon River, Blackbird, Carole King's You've Got a Friend, and Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You.

Here is a recent original Collier piece entitled Never Gonna Be Alone.

For those who are much more advanced than me in musical theory (and it won't take much), check out an interview with Collier here regarding among other things, negative harmony.

For a general overview, check out Collier's Live Ted performance.

One YouTube listener named Random Awesomeness on youtube commented: "Non professionals will be impressed by Jacob because of how good it sounds. Professionals will be even more impressed because they know how advanced this is. That's the power of bringing skills into popular music that will truly improve public appreciation of good music."

Refreshing Summer Drinks

I am not a big drinker so I look for special non-alcoholic beverages for a little summer excitement and variety. And I am not going to lie--I chose these two recipes first of all for the color! But the ingredients and their deliciousness come close behind and of course you always have the option of adding gin, vodka, tequila, rum or whatever you would like ...

CUCUMBER GINGER LIME DRINK

INGREDIENTS
1 ½ packed cups fresh mint leaves, plus sprigs for garnish ½ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup hot water
2 English cucumbers, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger (about 2 ounces), scrubbed and chopped
1 lime, plus more as needed
Ice cubes, for serving

In a medium bowl, combine the mint leaves, sugar and salt, and smash them together using a fork or the back of a wooden spoon.
Pour in the hot water, and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

Combine the cucumbers and ginger in a blender, zest the lime right into it, then squeeze the juice from half the lime right in. Pour in 1 cup room-temperature water and purée on high until smooth. Pour the purée through a strainer, pressing it lightly with a spatula to get the liquid out. Discard the solids and pour the mixture into a medium pitcher.

Pour the mint syrup through the same strainer into a container, pressing on the leaves the same as before to extract the liquid.
Add 3/4 cups of the strained syrup into the cucumber ginger lime liquid. Taste and add more syrup or more lime juice to taste. Cover any leftover syrup and refrigerate for another use.

STRAWBERRY HIBISCUS LIMEADE

INGREDIENTS
Pineapple juice
2 sprigs fresh mint
2 hibiscus tea bags or 1/2 cup dried hibiscus flowers
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 pound fresh strawberries
1/2 cup homemade simple syrup

Pour pineapple juice into an ice cube tray, and allow to freeze overnight.
In a large pot, add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat.
Add mint leaves to a pitcher, and muddle them to release oils.
Pour the boiling water, the tea bags, and lime juice into the pitcher, stir and steep for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, purée strawberries in a blender. (You should have about 1 cup purée.)
Add the purée and hibiscus or simple syrup, stir and refrigerate until ready to use.
Add mixture and pineapple ice cubes to individual glasses, garnish with fresh strawberries, lime slices and mint and serve immediately.

Derek Walcott Poem

Love After Love
by Derek Walcott

The time come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other’s welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

Whole Woman's Health

Please donate to this organization that helps women get the support they need to navigate the abortion bans and get to states where abortion remains legal.

Painting of the Week

Blog No. 81: Deepak Chopra/Marianne Williamson Conversation, Wynwood Walls, Good Advice

July 16, 2022

Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson Conversation

A lot of the content on this blog has to do with my stumbling around through life--one thing leads to the next, whether on the internet, a random conversation with a complete stranger, or in daily life and I follow the thread. I happened on this very early this morning because of jet lag--I woke up at 2 am, just the time I would have been taking an early morning swim on the other side of the Atlantic. This conversation between Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson struck me as particularly wise about life and the interface between spirituality and politics. Definitely well worth the listen, even a few times over...

Wynwood Walls

Video by Christian Liisberg, Music by Mexican Singer-Songwriter Joan Sebastian (1951-2015)

In 2009, real estate investor Tony Goldman (1943 - 2012) looked for a way to revitalize the rundown Wynwood section of Miami. As a real estate developer, his idea was to take failing neighborhoods and transform them into cultural oases as he had done previously in New York City (Soho) and Philadelphia (13th Street). Goldman envisioned Wynwood to be an open air gallery and a celebration of street art and graffiti, an art form he felt was under appreciated. Beginning with just a few artists, it has since blossomed into over 80,000 square feet of painted murals from hundreds of artists from around the world and has become a major tourist attraction in Miami. My friend and gallery owner Christian Liisberg produced this video of the area on a visit he and his wife Annette took to Florida a few years ago and set it to the music of Mexican singer-songwriter Juan Sebastian.

Good Advice

Found this quote on instagram this past week, posted by someone who calls himself BeingAwoke. It may sound crude but every word of it is good advice:

"Love your fucking life. Take pictures of everything. Tell people you love them. Talk to random strangers. Do things that you are scared to do. Fuck it, because so many of us die and nobody remembers a thing we did. Take your life and make it the best story in the world. Don't waste that shit..."

And in the comments below it, someone had written something like "a lot more people would listen to your message if you didn't use so many curse words..." to which I replied with something I had read long ago: people who swear a lot are happier people. And then I got a reply from the author of the original quote saying: "you're fucking right!"

Whole Woman's Health

Paintings of the Week

Summer Flowers I, II, III, mixed media on paper, 28” x 19 1/2” each

Blog No. 80: Mysteries, Yes by Mary Oliver, Danish Friends, Hallelujah

July 9, 2022

Mysteries, Yes by Mary Oliver

Mysteries, Yes
by Mary Oliver

Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.
How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds will
never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the
scars of damage,
to the comfort of a poem.
Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.
Let me keep company always with those who say
“Look!” and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.

Some Danish Friends

Annette Liisberg of Galleri Liisberg and me

Christian and Annette Liisberg, Galleri Liisberg

Musician Stanley Samuelsen

Inger Molich, whose family were the famous Molich boat builders in Hundested, in her exquisite garden.

Wonderful dinner at Inger’s with Stenbiderrogn, sublime Danish caviar

When I come to Denmark, as I have so many times in the past, I am treated like royalty by so many people that I have grown to love over the years. The gallery owners Christian and Annette house me, feed me, are great ambassadors for Gert's and my art and are the best early morning swimming partners anyone could ever hope for. My sister in law Hanne always greets me with open arms, foresees my every wish and rescues me when I need it. Stanley Samuelsen serenades me with his beautiful Faroese music always accompanied by his lovely wife Merete. And Inger Molich, who reminds me of one of my favorite people long gone, Trude Victor, outdid herself last night with her cooking and an unbelievable meal featuring stenbiderrogn, a rare Danish delicacy only available in the spring, which she had frozen for me in anticipation of my visit this summer. Above are some pictures of the people who rock my world here....I am so incredibly lucky and grateful.

Hallelujah

Live in London

And don’t miss this heartfelt, tender rendtion by the kids of PS 22 Chorus.

The song Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen does not need much introduction. It is perhaps one of the most internationally renowned songs ever written. The film HALLELUJAH: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song has just been released in the United States and will be released on July 15th in Canada. It is a history of the song itself, an exploration of Cohen's spirituality and testimonies from a wide range of musicians on the effect this hymn has had on their lives. As a Leonard Cohen groupie, I look forward to seeing it as soon as I get back to New York City.

Whole Woman's Health

Paintings of the Week

Galleri Liisberg, Summer Exhibition 2022: Gert Mathiesen/Pam Smilow/Annette Liisberg, Hundested, DK

Blog No. 79: A Llittle Comic Relief, Ann Lamott, Wendell Berry Poem

July 1, 2022

A Little Comic Relief

This little vignette was making the rounds on facebook recently and it definitely made me smile. God knows we all need a little comic relief these days...

True story.

A Michigan woman and her family were vacationing in a small New England town where Paul Newman and his family often visited. One Sunday morning, the woman got up early to take a long walk. After a brisk five-mile hike, she decided to treat herself to a double-dip chocolate ice cream cone. She hopped in the car, drove to the center of the village and went straight to the combination bakery/ice cream parlor. There was only one other patron in the store: Paul Newman, sitting at the counter having a doughnut and coffee. The woman's heart skipped a beat as her eyes made contact with those famous baby-blue eyes. The actor nodded graciously and the star struck woman smiled demurely. Pull yourself together! She chides herself. You're a happily married woman with three children, you're forty-five years old, not a teenager! The clerk filled her order and she took the double-dip chocolate ice cream cone in one hand and her change in the other. Then she went out the door, avoiding even a glance in Paul Newman's direction. When she reached her car, she realized that she had a handful of change but her other hand was empty. Where's my ice cream cone? Did I leave it in the store? Back into the shop she went, expecting to see the cone still in the clerk's hand or in a holder on the counter or something! No ice cream cone was in sight. With that, she happened to look over at Paul Newman. His face broke into his familiar, warm, friendly grin and he said to the woman, "You put it in your purse."

Ann Lamott

When in doubt, turn to Anne Lamott:

"We’re all doomed. Resistance is futile.

Oh wait, never mind. What I meant to say was, Could somebody please send me the operating instructions?

Oh wait, never mind. Our marching orders are all over the Internet, with links on how to donate to the cause of women’s reproductive rights, how to aid and abet abortions on the grassroots level, links to where the marches and rallies will be, how to help keep control of the House and Senate.

In the meantime, filled with rage, fear and despair, I remembered a piece I wrote for Salon twenty years ago, on the brink of war on Iraq, so I dug it out, and have retooled it here for the current nightmare. It was called Hard Rain:
Everyone has had a hard time with life lately; not with all of it, just the waking hours. Being awake is the one real fly in the ointment -- but it is also when solutions come to us. So many precious friends died or got horribly sick this year, so many schoolchildren died in shootings, the world burned. One out of seven women in my county is getting breast cancer -- I can't even wrap my mind around that -- and our animals died, but on top of it all, like a dental X-ray apron, is the depression of life with this freak show of Trump’s Supreme Court.

"It's all hopeless," a friend muttered, which I kind of like in a person, and which I almost believe to be true: Nearly every time I remind myself of Friday’s ruling, I think of the old New Yorker cartoon of the two prisoners chained high above the walls of a prison cell, one saying to the other, "Okay, here's my plan." But it’s not hopeless, not by a long shot. Resistance is not futile. I think it's only one of the hardest things we’ve ever done, and I'll take that over futile any day.

My friend, who is usually a crabby optimist like me, is terrorized. He’s worried about Russian nuclear bombs, the permafrost, and life as we now know it under an endless, paranoid misogynistic right-wing conspiracy. He also sometimes talks about life in shelters, and caves. Now, this would not work for me. Shelters would be bad enough -- a dinner party is a real stretch for me -- but I don't even remotely have the right personality for cave dwelling. I need privacy and silence most of the time. Also, I hate stalactites. It's like Damocles goes cave-camping. (Luckily, I am old and will not live long enough to see that.)

In the days since Roe v Wade was overturned, I have stepped up my do-good efforts, a dependable counterforce to the dread. I went to demonstrations, sent money to Planned Parenthood and UNICEF, and signed petitions. (Always always always, when you don’t know what to do, help take care of the poor.) I prayed like a mother, an auntie, a grandmother. And I bought some flowers to plant, which is a form of prayer.

God only knows how this will all shake down. But in any case, us left wing religious people should try to stay on Her good side. It's not hard. God has extremely low standards. Pray, take care of people, be actively grateful for your blessings, give away your money -- you're cool. You're in. Nice room in heaven, near the dessert table, flossing no longer required -- which is what will make it heaven for me. Oh, and Jesus.

During the build up to the war on Iraq, I rented the movie "Independence Day." I wanted to see what it takes to mount an effective resistance against an alien takeover. This is what the current SCOTUS feels like to me. And according to the movie, it turns out that we have everything we already need. We have a great cause, protecting the lives, health and equality of women. We'll get a break or two in the next few months if we work like hell to hold onto the Senate and House, And we caught one alien -- Clarence Thomas. He handed over the insanity codes when he announced his conviction that overturning Roe v Wade is just the beginning; he took the lid off the stew pot so we could all peek in at how the aliens think. It was a big catch, and I started to feel hope again, that because we had all these things in place -- a cause, impending breaks, a big catch -- now all we needed was to get back to work. Maybe goodness would prevail, maybe not, but probably, and as Molly Ivins wrote years ago, freedom fighters don't always win, but they are always right."

John Lennon said, "Everything will be okay in the end. If it is not okay, it's not the end.” And I do believe this; I just do. I believe that love is sovereign here, and goodness. I just do. So we push back our sleeves, and fight back: left foot, right foot, left foot, breathe. And I believe we can do it, Cinderelli, Cinderelli. I just do.

Wendell Berry Poem

Portrait of Wendell Berry by Robert Shetterly from his Americans Who Tell the Truth Series

The Peace of Wild Things
by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Whole Woman's Health

Painting of the Week

Summer Exhibition at Galleri Liisberg, Hundested, Denmark. Painting by Gert Mathiesen

Blog No. 78: Rube Goldberg Machine: OK Go, Wayne Dyer, 5 Heartfelt Songs

June 24, 2022

OK Go: This Too Will Pass

I have been writing this blog long enough to forget what I have and haven't put in it over the course of the last year and a half. I can’t believe I never put this Rube Goldberg type video on: OK Go: This Too Shall Pass. It is so cool! It’s been around a long time but maybe you haven't seen it yet.

Wayne Dyer on Letting Go

Wayne Dyer's teachings always speak to me. He was such a kind compassionate soul, down to earth, and his words of wisdom are easily accessible. Here in this entry he speaks about control and letting go--I am sure I am speaking to myself when I post this...

Five Heartfelt Songs

Nothing like some beautiful love songs to remind us of the capacity of human beings to do good in the world and express what is most important in life...

Tom Waits Martha and I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You

Nick Cave Into My Arms

Simon & Garfunkel, Kathy's Song

The Beatles Something

Whole Woman's Health

Painting of the Week

Painting by Olivia, age 6. I always love children’s art much more than most adult’s work…

Blog No. 77: Houston and Homelessness, Buena Vista Social Club, Dance Grupo Corpo

June 19, 2022

Houston and Homelessness

Mayor of Houston, Sylvester Taylor on reducing homelessness in Houston, TX

A recent article in the New York Times brought Houston’s successes into the light.

A decade ago, Houston had one of the highest per capital homeless counts in the country. But thanks to Texas Mayor Sylvester Taylor, Houston is one of the few cities on track to reducing its homeless population--by 63 percent since 2011. No other city even came close. They achieved this by using a method called Housing First , a practice, supported by decades of research, that moves the most vulnerable people straight from the streets into apartments, not into shelters and without first requiring them to wean themselves off drugs or complete a 12-step program or find God or a job. The idea being that "when you’re drowning, it doesn’t help if your rescuer insists you learn to swim before returning you to shore. You can address your issues once you’re on land."

Here are current statistics on the 10 states with the most homeless people in the United States:
1. California (161,548)
2. New York (91,271)
3. Florida (27,487)
4. Texas (27,229)
5. Washington (22,923)
6. Massachusetts (17,975)
7. Oregon (14,655)
8. Pennsylvania (13,375)
9. Arizona (10,979)
10. Ohio (10,655)

Buena Vista Social Club Chan Chan

The Buena Vista Social Club documentary, directed by Wim Wenders and produced by Ry Cooder

Recently heard the song Chan Chan again--it brought me right back to a different time in my life as music often can do, and I thought I would serenade you with it this morning. It is a beautiful catchy tune written by Compay Segundo of the Buena Vista Social Club.

Dance Group Grupo Corpo

I've been in California for the last ten days, doing a lot of driving to appointments on $6.50+ gallons of gas, being schooled in Brazilian music and culture by my wonderful assistant, Poliana Espirito Santo. Even her name reflects the beautiful soul that is at her core...

Here is a dance group she introduced me to: Grupo Corpo, performing one of their beautiful signature dances entitled Parabelo. Music for this piece was composed by one of Tropicalia's foremost musicians, Tom Ze

Pam Smilow, Portrait of Poli 84” x 36” mixed media on canvas

Charity of the Week:
Coalition for the Homeless Houston

Coaliton for the Homeless, Houston, https://www.homelesshouston.org/

Painting of the Week

Blog No. 76: Anna Breytenbach Documentary, Early Summer Recipe, Steve Kerr

June 11, 2022

Anna Breytenbach Documentary

I just love this woman, Anna Breytenbach. So soft spoken, so present, so centered, with what seems to me such a deep internal wisdom. I have shared information about her before but I think it is worth revisiting this documentary--truly an extraordinary human being!

It might be too late but her impossible task is to somehow facilitate our reconnection with the earth --"I feel profoundly touched this is not just about our communicating with animals as amazing as that might be. The essense is sustainability and how we as humans can find a way to recomnnect with the rest of the living planet."

Early Summer Recipes

I am not usually prone to pasta salads but this is truly a delicious one, courtesy of Alison Roman through her blog A Newsletter. It was served at a family gathering recently by my wonderful niece Maia, who is a great cook!

PASTA SALAD WITH PEAS AND PARMESAN
serves 6

Ingredients
12–16 oz. short or small-ish pasta, such as cavatappi, small shells, rigatoni, fusilli
Kosher salt
1 garlic clove, finely grated
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
10–12 ounces snap peas, halved lengthwise
1–2 cups peas (fresh and blanched or frozen and thawed*
4 oz. parmesan, pecorino or other hard, salty cheese, coarsely chopped
1–2 cups herbs, such as parsley, basil or tarragon
1–2 cups pea shoots, if available, parsley tender stems and leaves, if not
*for blanching fresh, I usually go 60–90 seconds, until they’re bright green and tender. For frozen, I simply cover them in hot water from the tap to quickly thaw.

Instructions
1. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted, boiling water until al dente, or perhaps slightly past al dente, since this is the only time you’re cooking the pasta (i.e. it doesn’t go back into a skillet or anything). Drain, rinse with cool water and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, combine lemon zest and juice, garlic, scallions, and ⅓ cup olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and add pasta (it’s okay if it’s still warm as long as it’s drained well), toss well to evenly coat all the pasta.
3. Add snap peas, peas, parmesan, herbs and pea shoots (or more herbs) and toss to combine. Add more salt, lemon juice, black pepper or olive oil to taste.

Warriors Coach Steve Kerr

I don't spend a lot of time watching sports but when I do, it is usually to watch tennis or basketball. I am a big Warriors fan--the love of that team has worn off on me due to my countless trips to the Bay Area over the years. I especially love Steve Kerr, who not only is an awesome coach but often outspoken on the issues of the day. His father was a victim of gun violence--in fact he was murdered in Lebanon in 1984--shot by terrorists. Here he is speaking about the Uvalde massacre and his feelings on gun control, in case you missed hearing them when he originally spoke them at a press conference on May 25, 2022. My sister and I would always ask each other--where is the outrage...Well, here it is!

Charity of the Week:
Southern Poverty Law Center

Supporting victims of civil rights abuses and hate crimes in the US.

Paintings of the Week

Beautiful outdoor spot for two of my Trees in Penticton, Canada.

Blog No. 75: Awaking in New York, Mozart's Jupiter Symphony, Jacques d'Amboise

June 5, 2022

Awaking in New York by Maya Angelou

Awaking in New York

by Maya Angelou

Curtains forcing their will
against the wind,
children sleep,
exchanging dreams with
seraphim. The city
drags itself awake on
subway straps; and
I, an alarm, awake as a

rumor of war,

lie stretching into dawn,
unasked and unheeded.

Mozart's Jupiter Symphony

In honor of my husband Gert who died right around this time nine years ago, here is his favorite piece of classical music, Mozart's Symphony No. 41 his last, completed in 1788, and performed here by The Sinfonicade Galicia, conducted by Lorin Maazel.

Jacques D'Amboise 1934-2021

Of all the people in my life that I have known personally, NYC ballet dancer, choreographer, actor and visionary educator Jacques d'Amboise is up there when it comes to impact on the lives of others, espcially children. I had the privilege of attending his memorial life celebration at City Center this week and it just reaffirmed what an extraordinary man he was. Highlights of the evening for me were the beautiful, exhilarating, full of life and spirited dancers of National Dance Institute, Jacques' brilliant vision for arts education in public schools. Quoting their website, "Jacques d’Amboise founded National Dance Institute in the belief that the arts have a unique power to engage and motivate individuals towards excellence. Recognized as one of the finest classical dancers of our time, Mr. D’Amboise performed with the New York City Ballet for decades. While still a principal dancer, he established National Dance Institute in 1976, bringing his unique artistry and generosity of spirit to impact the lives of children. He led the field of arts education with NDI’s acclaimed program that teaches the magic and discipline of dance to thousands of children each year."

Here are a few of my favorite NDI signature dances, a version of which were performed the other night:
The Appalachian Clog Dance

When the Saints Go Marching In

Charity of the Week:
National Dance Institute

Please donate to this wonderful non profit that brings such joy to so many public school children

Painting of the Week

About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow created 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. 74: The Art of Life Documentary, Tom Waits, Inuit Artist Jesse Oonark

May 28, 2022

The Art of Life Documentary

I spend a lot of time on youtube--I start off looking for one thing and inevitably end up stumbling on something else. In this case, I found this documentary entitled The Art of Life, about a man named Michael Behrens, mathematical prodigy and Buddhist who has chosen to live his life totally outside the realm of societal convention, in harmony with the natural world on the Hawaiian Islands. To quote the filmmakers Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo and Caroline Harrison, "To many, his life will likely seem absurd. As it did to us. But there’s something about Michael Behrens that draws you in. At the age of fourteen, he discovered his gift for understanding abstract concepts. He was considered a mathematical genius as he made his way through Stanford and eventually MIT, generating a reputation as a brilliant radical. But society never captured his heart..."

As Caroline Harrison sees it, if nothing else, Behrens "will help you to see beyond the utilitarian constructs so many of us live and think within."

If you don't want to dive into the entire thirty-eight minute film right away (although I do think it is well worth your while), you might want to pick up at minute 27, where they go into detail about Behren's very special observations and relationship with his neighbors the dolphins.

Tom Waits

Here is a selection of some of my favorite Tom Waits songs.

Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen),

Ol'55

Jersey Girl

I Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You

San Diego Serenade

Martha

The Heart of Saturday Night

Inuit Artist Jessie Oonark

Jessie Oonark, Two Fish Looking for Something to Eat, serigraph, 22” x 30”

Wool and Felt Wall hanging, YellowKnife Courthouse

I used to have this beautiful thick light blue catalogue of Inuit art. I have no idea what happened to it but when I was younger and making a lot of prints myself, I was interested in the simplicity and rawness of some Inuit art and the whole story behind printmaking coming out of Baker's Bay and Cape Dorset in Canada. My boss at the time brought back from a trip up there a very cool Jesse Oonark poster of an anorak and it was reminiscent of the colorful print below. Here are a few other Oonark pieces that caught my eye this afternoon.

Charity of the Week:
Doctors Without Borders

Photo of the Week

Blog No. 73: Reincarnation of Marty Martyn, Auschwitz Survivor Edith Eger, Patti Smith

May 21, 2022

three things we love

Reincarnation of Marty Martyn

Dr. Jim B. Tucker, Division of Perceptual Studies, Univ of VA

After much thought and reading over the past nine years, the scales have finally tipped for me in favor of thinking this is not all there is. Here is my favorite reincarnation story about a young boy from Oklahoma, Ryan Hammon, who began talking at the age of four of his past life as a talent agent in Hollywood. Incredible as it seems, his fifty plus detailed facts about a man he claimed to be, Marty Martyn, were researched extensively by foremost past life researcher Dr. Jim B. Tucker, and they checked out to a tee. "There is a piece of us, the mind piece, this consciousness piece, that seems to be at the core of who we are and doesn’t seem limited to the life span of the brain or the body but seems to be more primary than that…and continues through multiple life spans."--Tucker is a psychiatrist and professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. For more information on this and other cases, check out Tucker and his mentor, Ian Stevenson's long list of books and scientific journal articles on the sujbect.

Auschwitz Survivor Edith Eger

This beautiful, radiant soul, Auschwitz survivor Edith Eger, has a lot of very important things to tell us. She is a Hungarian born psychologist who specializes in the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder and her brief ted talk about resiliency is succinct and well worth the seven minutes. If you would like to go deeper, I recommend you listen to a longer version where she speaks more specifically about her childhood, her experiences in Auschwitz and how she has been able to find joy, passion, love and purpose, the "untapped potential in the shadows." Both have valuable lessons for all of us. Eger has written two books on her life and philosophy: The Choice: Embrace The Possible and The Gift.

Patti Smith People Have the Power

Please play this full blast!

To quote Patti Smith just ahead of performing this song for an audience in Stockholm, Sweden: "There are a lot of things to talk about and think about. But also we have to be happy, have fun, have a good time and remember joy because while so much strife is around us and so much things to make us feel so confused or sometimes frightened or sad, we still have to maintain our enthusiasm for life, for helping one another, for joy and this song is for you all...."

Lyrics

I was dreaming in my dreaming
Of an aspect bright and fair
And my sleeping it was broken
But my dream it lingered near
In the form of shining valleys
Where the pure air recognized
And my senses newly opened
I awakened to the cry
That the people have the power
To redeem the work of fools
Upon the meek the graces shower
It's decreed the people rule
The people have the power
The people have the power
The people have the power
The people have the power
Vengeful aspects became suspect
And bending low as if to hear
And the armies ceased advancing
Because the people had their ear
And the shepherds and the soldiers
Lay beneath the stars
Exchanging visions
And laying arms
To waste in the dust
In the form of shining valleys
Where the pure air recognized
And my senses newly opened
I awakened to the cry
The people have the power
The people have the power
The people have the power
The people have the power
Where there were deserts
I saw fountains
Like cream the waters rise
And we strolled there together
With none to laugh or criticize
And the leopard
And the lamb
Lay together truly bound
I was hoping in my hoping
To recall what I had found
I was dreaming in my dreaming
God knows a purer view
As I surrender to my sleeping
I commit my dream to you
The people have the power
The people have the power
The people have the power
The people have the power
The power to dream, to rule
To wrestle the world from fools
It's decreed the people rule
It's decreed the people rule
Listen
I believe everything we dream
Can come to pass through our union
We can turn the world around
We can turn the earth's revolution
We have the power
People have the power
The people have the power
The people have the power
The power to dream, to rule
To wrestle the world from fools
It's decreed the people rule
It's decreed the people rule
We have the power
People have the power
We have the power...

Charity of the Week:
Doctors Without Borders

Photo of the Week

Saying goodbye to my studio on the ocean for the time being this coming week…mixed feelings…

Blog No. 72: Stephen Pace, Coconut Curry, If They Should Come For Us

May 13, 2022

At her young age, Amanda Gorman is a force to be reckoned with and already a national treasure.

three things we love

Many of the images above and below are clickable and lead to further information, so click away….

Painter Stephen Pace

*Unloading at Duryeea's Pier #2*, 1988, Oil on canvas, 60-1/2h x 84-1/2w in

*Lobster Boat at Dawn*, 1982, Oil on canvas, 42h x 70w in

*Pulling Lobster Traps*, 1989, Oil on canvas, 48 1/2" x 72 1/2"

I first saw painter Stephen Pace's work at the Dowling Walsh Gallery, a wonderful gallery in the heart of Rockland, Maine. Although Pace started as an abstract expressionist in the 1950s, it is his seemingly simple, zen-like figurative paintings that capture the essence of Maine for me. Beginning in the early 60's, his subject matter switched as he started painting the every day life of the coast of Maine: lobstermen, boats, seagulls, the sea...I share some of my favorite images here. You can see more of his work by visiting the gallery in person, through their website and/or by watching this film about him on vimeo.

Coconut Curry with Tofu

Although I live alone, I do like to eat well and during the pandemic, as I found myself craving certain foods that I would usually get in a restaurant, I started to cook more for myself. And as a result of one of my absolute favorite restaurants in NYC (AbcV), I also realized that meat does not always have to be the center of a dish.
Here is a recipe I made last night for the first time from a Melissa Clark recipe on the New York Times cooking app. Surprisingly, even in my local small town Maine grocery story, I was able to find fish sauce, curry paste and unsweetened coconut milk...

COCONUT RED CURRY WITH TOFU
Serves Four
(I made it with green curry paste instead).

INGREDIENTS
14 ounces extra-firm tofu
1 tablespoon peanut or safflower oil
1-inch ginger root, peeled and minced
2 shallots or 1 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Thai chile or 2 serrano peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro stems
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
½ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
3 tablespoons prepared red curry paste (or green)
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 cup snow peas
Basil and/or cilantro leaves, for garnish
Brown or white rice, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS
Cut tofu into 1-inch slabs and lay it out on a baking sheet lined with paper towel. Cover with another layer of paper towel and place another baking sheet or something similar on top to press the moisture out. Let sit for 20 minutes. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ginger, shallots, garlic, chile and cilantro stems, and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté until golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Stir in curry paste and cook 2 minutes. Pour in coconut milk, scraping up any curry paste with a wooden spoon. Add fish sauce, lime zest and juice. Add tofu cubes and snow peas. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the snow peas are tender, 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and add more salt and/or fish sauce if needed.
Serve warm with brown rice. Sprinkle with torn basil and/or cilantro leaves on top.

If They Should Come For Us

Poet, writer, filmmaker and creator of the web series Brown Girls

If They Should Come for Us
By Fatimah Asghar

these are my people & I find
them on the street & shadow
through any wild all wild
my people my people
a dance of strangers in my blood
the old woman’s sari dissolving to wind
bindi a new moon on her forehead
I claim her my kin & sew
the star of her to my breast
the toddler dangling from stroller
hair a fountain of dandelion seed
at the bakery I claim them too
the sikh uncle at the airport
who apologizes for the pat
down the muslim man who abandons
his car at the traffic light drops
to his knees at the call of the azan
& the muslim man who sips
good whiskey at the start of maghrib
the lone khala at the park
pairing her kurta with crocs
my people my people I can’t be lost
when I see you my compass
is brown & gold & blood
my compass a muslim teenager
snapback & high-tops gracing
the subway platform
mashallah I claim them all
my country is made
in my people’s image
if they come for you they
come for me too in the dead
of winter a flock of
aunties step out on the sand
their dupattas turn to ocean
a colony of uncles grind their palms
& a thousand jasmines bell the air
my people I follow you like constellations
we hear the glass smashing the street
& the nights opening their dark
our names this country’s wood
for the fire my people my people
the long years we’ve survived the long
years yet to come I see you map
my sky the light your lantern long
ahead & I follow I follow
Source: Poetry (March 2017)

Charity of the Week:
World Central Kitchen

Feed refugees. Click image to donate to Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen.

Painting of the Week

Landscape with Tree, Village and Moons mixed media on canvas 60” x 80” $8500

Blog No. 71: Wise Quotes, Film The Last Tepui, Eurovision Song Contest

May 7, 2022

Pam Smilow Tree of Life Series I and II: Day and Night , mixed media on paper 60” x 22” each, $4000

three things we love

Many of the images above and below are clickable and lead to further information, so click away….

Wise Indigenous Quotes

From the website inspiringquotes.com, here are a few wise proverbs from indigenous people world-wide:

The roots of all things are holding hands. When they cut down a tree in the jungle, a star falls from the sky. — Lacandón proverb

We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. — Aboriginal Australian proverb

Do not judge your neighbor until you walk two moons in his moccasins. — Cheyenne

Don’t be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts. — Hopi proverb

Where there is true hospitality, not many words are needed. — Arapaho proverb

The Last Tepui

Biologist Dr. Bruce Means and Climber Alex Honnold

Alex Honnold hanging from a tepui in Guyana

Many carnivorous plants are found at the summit of the tepui

I always knew I wanted to be an artist ever since I was little but second choice would have been a journalist. After seeing the film The Last Tepui, I now am reconsidering. This biologist, Bruce Means, might just have the coolest job around although I could do without the spiders and snakes. I watched this mind-blowing Nat Geo film the other night him while staying at my new friends Dede and Scott's beautiful little house deep in the woods of Otisfield, Maine. The Last Tepui is the story of an 2021 expedition into the very remote and untouched region of condensed sandstone mesas, known as tepui ("islands in the sky") that rise out of the jungle between Guyana, Venezuela and Brazil. The purpose of the trip was for Means to carry out his last field study in the area (he was eighty at the time of the film) with an expert climbing team (including Alex Honnold of Free Solo fame, National Geographic explorer Mark Synnott Venezuelan Federico Pisani and an intrepid team of photographers and local Akawayo guides). The Last Tepui documents their exciting, extreme journey and climb into this unbelievably biodiverse, untouched region in search of undiscovered species of frogs, snakes, spiders, etc. Thrilling is an understatement, even from the quiet of our living rooms...Couldn't recommend this film more highly. Here is a link to the trailer and film itself.

Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest is a big deal in Europe. This year it kicks off on May 10th in Turin, Italy. The competition begins with 40 countries, with two semi-finals on 10 May and 12 May and then reducing to 26 groups for the grand final on 14 May. Systur, the Icelandic entry consisting of three sisters (and their brother on drums) is something that caught my eye (ear) with their song Með Hækkandi Sól. So did the upbeat song Trenulețul (The Little Train) sung by the Moldavian folk punk band Zdob și Zdub and folk musicians the Advahov Brothers. To have a taste of other current entries, click here for a sampler with songs from around the world
And if you are really interested, here are past winners of the Eurovision Contest 1956-2021.

Charity of the Week:
Unicef

Products of the Week

Mother’s Day is rapidly approaching…Let’s not forget to celebrate our moms…

Animal Giclee Prints (100+images) by Pam Smilow and Gert Mathiesen, 8” x 10”, $150 Framed

Blog No. 70: Long Lost Family, Insurrection, Songs in French

April 30, 2022

Pam Smilow Maine Series: Red Lobster Shack mixed media on canvas 60” x 40” $7500

three things we love

Many of the images above and below are clickable and lead to further information, so click away….

Long Lost Family

Stolen child Tyler Graf reuinited with his Chilean birth mother

The reality show Long Lost Family is a television series in the United States and England, although versions of it are popular in other countries as well. Each episode follows the story of two adults who have been adopted (or have given up a child for adoption) in search of their birth parents (or long lost children). It is a caring, sensitive show hosted by two adoptees themselves and it makes you realize how important and essential to our core it is to know where we come from.

Some 20,000 children were adopted by foreign couples during the Augusto Pinochet era (1973-1990) and Chile's Court of Appeals says at least 8,000 of those are suspicious cases (although some fear that number is much higher). One of these cases is that of Houston firefighter Tyler Graf, who always wondered why he was given up by his birth mother. With the help of a nonprofit, Nos Buscamos, he went in search of his past. Watch his moving story here. ABC News did a feature on these stolen children if you would like to read more

Insurrection

Just in case you have any doubt of what we are up against in the United States of America these days, the New York Times compiled a video of exactly what went on on January 6th, 2021, minute by minute. We have all seen tidbits of this, but I realized how I myself only saw pieces of the story and this comprehension footage, although terrifying, is worth watching to get the full picture.

And now, when you are totally depressed, watch this! Self described Christian, straight, white, married, suburban mom, Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow leads the way with this inspirational speech she made a week or so ago on the floor of the Michigan state senate. We just need to engage and fight like her...Hate will only win if people like me stand by and let it happen...we will not let hate win."

Songs in French

You probably know by now that I am a sap. In honor of Macron's win over the far right, white supremacist, racist, anti-semitic Marine Le Pen, here are some of my favorite songs sung in French that bring me back to the year I spent in Aix-en-Provence in 1976-1977. Nothing like music to evoke those memories...and bring you right back.

GEORGE MOUSTAKI singing Ma Solitude and Ce Soir Mon Amour.

The Quebecois group BEAU DOMMAGE singing Motel Mon Repos.

JACQUES BREL singing Ne Me Quitte Pas and Marieke

EDITH PIAF singing Je Ne Regrette Rien

GRAEME ALLRIGHT singing Il Faut Que Je M'En Aille.

GEORGES BRASSENS singing Les Copains D'Abord

Charity of the Week:
Unicef

Products of the Week

Mother’s Day is rapidly approaching…Let’s not forget to celebrate our moms…

Blog No. 69: Faith Ringgold, Robin Williams, NY Times Best Books

April 23, 2022

No, this is not the Caribbean. It is Round Pond, Maine on a beautiful sunny day in April…Photo taken by my daughter Morgan Mathiesen.

three things we love

Many of the images above and below are clickable and lead to further information, so click away….

Faith Ringgold

Click image to hear Ringgold read her beloved children’s book Tar Beach

One of the Flying Home Series Mosaics at the 125th Street Subway Station

Artist Faith Ringgold’s life’s work is being celebrated right now at the New Museum in downtown Manhattan through June 5, 2022. I look forward to seeing it when I am back in New York. I was first introduced to Ringgold's work through her children's book Tar Beach, which I enjoyed with my daughter many moons ago. Most known for her amazing story quilts, I have always admired her for her versatility and the fact that her art and her life are seamlessly intertwined. She is unabashedly herself and doesn't feel the need to stick to the confines of the "art world." I share her approach. Her humanity comes through in the way she combines her art with her politics, with her role as mother and teacher, through paint, sewing, illustrating, writing, and sculpting. Quoting from the website of the New Museum, "Ringgold has drawn from both personal autobiography and collective histories to both document her life as an artist and mother and to amplify the struggles for social justice and equity. From creating some of the most indelible artworks of the civil rights era to challenging accepted hierarchies of art versus craft through her experimental story quilts, Faith Ringgold has produced a body of work that bears witness to the complexity of the American experience."

Robin Williams

Robin Williams (1951-2014)was one of the greatest entertainers of all time, beloved throughout the world, until he met his untimely death by suicide in 2014. The recently released documentary Robin's Wish, tells the story of his illness and clears up myths of his final days. Robin did commit suicide but it was not a result of depression. In fact, he had lewy body disease, a degenerative brain disorder similar to alzheimer's, which went undiagnosed. It wasn't until after his death that an autopsy revealed how far along the levy body disease had taken over his brain.

Robin Williams was a true national treasure and I love to revisit his movies from time to time. Here are links to some of my favorites: Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poet's Society and Good Will Hunting.

NYTimes Best Books

Why read? photo courtesy of Forbes Magazine/ Getty

The New York Times asked their readers what book they considered the best book in the last 125 years. Here is the list they published on December 28, 2021. What books would you put on the list?...Place your choice in the comment section below.

Charity of the Week:
Unicef

Products of the Week

Mother’s Day is rapidly approaching…Let’s not forget to celebrate our moms…

Blog No. 68: Ann Lamott Birthday Thoughts, Amazon Unionizes, The Temptations

April 16, 2022

Pam Smilow Midnight mixed media on canvas 52” x 80” $8500

three things we love

Many of the images above and below are clickable and lead to further information, so click away….

Ann LaMott Thoughts

Ann Lamott's Thoughts on her 68th Birthday:

"I am going to be 68 in six days, if I live that long. I’m optimistic. Mostly.
God, what a world. What a heartbreaking, terrifying freak show. It is completely ruining my birthday plans. I was going to celebrate how age and the grace of myopia have given me the perspective that almost everything sorts itself out in the end. That good will and decency and charity and love always eventually conspire to bring light into the darkest corners. That the crucifixion looked like a big win for the Romans.
But turning 68 means you weren’t born yesterday. Turning 68 means you’ve seen what you’ve seen—Ukraine, Sandy Hook, the permafrost…Marjorie Taylor Greene. By 68, you have seen dear friends literally ravaged by cancer, lost children, unspeakable losses. The midterms are coming up. My mind is slipping. My dog died.
Really, to use the theological terms, it is just too frigging much.
And regrettably, by 68, one is both seriously uninterested in a vigorous debate on the existence of evil, or even worse, a pep talk.
So what does that leave? Glad you asked: the answer is simple. A few very best friends with whom you can share your truth. That’s the main thing. By 68, you know that the whole system of our lives works because we are not all nuts on the same day. You call someone and tell them that you hate everyone and all of life, and they will be glad you called. They felt that way three days and you helped them pull out of it by making them laugh or a cup of tea. You took them for a walk, or to Target.
Also, besides our friends, getting outside and looking up and around changes us: remember, you can trap bees on the bottom of Mason jars with a bit of honey and without a lid, because they don’t look up. They just walk around bitterly bumping into the glass walls. That is SO me. All they have to do is look up and fly away. So we look up. In 68 years, I have never seen a boring sky. I have never felt blasé about the moon, or birdsong, or paper whites.
It is a crazy drunken clown college outside our windows now, almost too much beauty and renewal to take in. The world is warming up.
Well, how does us appreciating spring help the people of Ukraine? If we believe in chaos theory, and the butterfly effect, that the flapping of a Monarch’s wings near my home can lead to a weather change in Tokyo, then maybe noticing beauty—flapping our wings with amazement—changes things in ways we cannot begin to imagine. It means goodness is quantum. Even to help the small world helps. Even prayer, which seems to do nothing. Everything is connected.
But quantum is perhaps a little esoteric in our current condition. (Well, mine: I’m sure you’re just fine.) I think infinitely less esoteric stuff at 68. Probably best to have both feet on the ground, ogle the daffodils, take a sack of canned good over to the food pantry, and pick up trash. This helps our insides enormously.
So Sunday I will celebrate the absolutely astonishing miracle that I, specifically, was even born. As Fredrick Buechner wrote, “The grace of God means something like, “Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you.” I will celebrate that I have shelter and friends and warm socks and feet to put in them, and that God or Gus found a way to turn the madness and shame of my addiction into grace, I’ll shake my head with wonder, which I do more and more as I age, at all the beauty that is left and all that still works after so much has been taken away. So celebrate with me. Step outside and let your mouth drop open. Feed the poor with me, locally or, if you want to buy me something, make a donation to UNICEF. My party will not be the same without you."--Ann Lamott

Amazon Unionizes

Two best friends succeed in forming the first Amazon Union in Staten Island.

During the height of the pandemic, we all talked about celebrating essential workers who stayed on the job and serviced us--the grocery store workers, the bus drivers, the nurses, online warehouse employees--people who provided critical services when we needed them most. Christian Smalls, a Staten Island assistant manager at Amazon, became very concerned that Amazon wasn't doing nearly enough to protect workers from Covid-19, whether on personal protection equipment or social distancing. He decided to lead a walkout in March 2020. It got him fired the next day under the guise of his violating social distancing himself. State attorney general Leticia James accused Amazon of unlawfully firing Smalls for speaking out on safety issues...

Long story short, this unlikely pair went up against Jeff Bezos, huge sums of money and a campaign of union busting and misinformation and they won! Listen to Amy Goodman's interview with the pair--two ordinary citizens who stuck their neck out and won. Watch this movement--the New York Times thinks it is ushering in a new era.
Many of us rely on Amazon, and these two union founders have vowed this is just the beginning of protecting Amazon workers rights across the country.

The Temptations

Owen Williams, the only surviving original member of the Temptations.

I am not usually big on musicals but saw Ain't Too Proud, the story and love letter to the Temptations when it made its start at the Berkeley Rep a few years ago pre-Covid. I loved it! It has finished its run in New York but now goes on tour to many cities around the country. Check out the schedule to see if it is coming to a city near you. I highly recommend it as it weaves the drama of their lives into their incredible music and dance! Here is a preview of the show. And if you want to be uplifted, listen to this playlist of all their greatest hits. And for those who want to go deeper into the history of these motown wonders of the 60's, here is a documentary about all the original leads.

Charity of the Week:
Amazon Labor Union

Products of the Week

Blog No. 67: Boycott Koch, Langston Hughes 3 Short Poems, Trude's Orange Cake

April 8, 2022

Another photo from Maine, taken with my Iphone 12.

three things we love

Many of the images above and below are clickable and lead to further information, so click away….

Boycott Koch

Koch Industries, one of the biggest multinational conglomerates in the world, is refusing to leave Russia. What can we do about it?

We don't hear much about BOYCOTTS these days. But they are effective tools if enough people do them. So if Koch Industries is insisting on staying in Russia, then if ever there was a time to boycott them, it is now (we had many reasons before the war in Ukraine to do so too). They are makers of a lot of products that we use in every day life under the umbrella Georgia Pacific. DON'T BUY:
Brawny
Angel Soft
Mardi Gras
Quilted Northern
Dixie
Sparkle and
Vanity Fair.
Please take a look at this complete list and think twice before purchasing these products. Spread the word.

When I was a kid, we didn't eat grapes and lettuce from 1965-1970 because we were BOYCOTTING companies that exploited farmworkers. Founded by Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and Larry Itliong The United Farmworkers organized a successful nationwide fight against these growers and were finally able to unionize. To read more about the UFW story, click here. And here is a short video history about the five year Delano Grape Boycott.

In the words of Cesar Chavez, "we don't need perfect political systems; we need perfect participation."

Langston Hughes
3 Short Poems

American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist

As for Langston Hughes by Terrance Hayes Courtesy BOMB Magazine and Terrance Hayes

Three short poems
by Langston Hughes
(1901-1967)

DREAMS
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

THE DREAM KEEPER
Bring me all of your dreams,
You dreamers,
Bring me all of your
Heart melodies
That I may wrap them
In a blue cloud-cloth
Away from the too-rough fingers
Of the world.

I, TOO
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.

Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

Trude's Orange Cake

Trude’s Passover Orange Cake

I always forget about this cake until Passover rolls around but I should remember it all year because it is delicious no matter what occasion and it is gluten free.
Passover is my favorite holiday hands down. It has deep significance for anyone who treasures freedom and democracy and it is particularly apt this year when we are under such threat. If you have never been to a seder, get yourself invited to one. You won't regret it...

Trude and Max Victor were friends of my mom's back in Heilbronn, Germany. They are the reason we moved to Usonia, the cooperative Frank Lloyd Wright community where I grew up. They were such lovely, cultured people who were definitely role models for me. In fact, I have modeled my life in many ways around the way they lived theirs. Aside from so many things, Trude was an amazing cook. Here's to her and one of my favorite recipes!

Ingredients
2 large navel oranges
6 eggs
1 and a half cups grated almonds
one cup sugar
1 teasp. baking powder
pinch salt

Boil the oranges whole (organic would be good) in water to cover for 30 minutes or so.
Let it cool for a while, and then process the whole oranges in a food processor.
Beat the whole eggs and then add the rest of the ingredients.

Bake in a greased form (I use a round springform- but I don't think you have to) at 400 degrees for one hour or maybe a bit shorter.
Let it cool.
Served with confectionary sugar on top. Yum...

Charity of the Week:
United Farmworkers Union

Painting of the Week

Pam Smilow Tree of Life Series mixed media on paper 60” x 22” private collection

*Blog No. 66: Prince Mapp, Eagle's Nest, Peter Ralston Photography

April 1, 2022

three things we love

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

Prince Mapp

Meet Prince Mapp. I got to know him through my daughter, who works alongside him for the crime reporting app Citizen. Growing up poor in South Jamaica Queens, Prince started "hustling" in the street when he was eleven. He made one very bad decision as a teenager that cost him big time (as well as someone else's life). He spent 18 years doing time in various upstate prisons including SingSing and Clinton. This is his compelling story, told by him through this youtube video, as he walks us through his life. Prince credits Harry Belafonte and Hudson Link for his college degree--an organization that provides higher education opportunities to incarcerated people in New York State as well as reentry and support resources upon their release. If ever there is an argument for rehabilitation, it is here. Prince spends most of his time now spreading love and speaking to young men like him, in hopes of preventing them from making the same mistakes he did. I was so struck by his story, which in a way is the story of so many people growing up poor and black in America, struggling to make ends meet and to belong, wherever they might find it. It compelled me to paint a portrait of him and write this piece for my blog.

Eagle's Nest

Thanks to my friend, nature lover par excellence Tina Carro, I am cancelling Netflix, shutting down Hulu, unsubscribing from HBOMax. Who needs it since she has turned me on to a site with webcams, a myriad of webcams. There you can watch bald eagles feathering their nests, feeding their babies, standing up, sitting down, flying in, flying out. This is armchair science at its best. Check out this camera from Pennsylvania Farm Country and if you get sick of that one, click here to see other bird nests and other animal webcams across the country. Makes me want to become a biologist and it certainly puts our human superiority complex in major doubt to see them so up close and personal...

Peter Ralston Photography

Peter and Terri Ralston in their gallery in Rockport, Maine

I had the good fortune of spending an hour and a half with the photographer Peter Ralston in his gallery in Rockport, Maine the other day. I sought him out because his photography is outstanding and I have long been an admirer, ever since I discovered his work many years ago in Rockport Harbor. You may recognize his name and work as his photos often show up in Heather Cox Richardson's Letters from an American newsletter.
What a wonderful spirit the man has--Ralston is a true storyteller in his photos and in his writing--and it reminds me again and again that if you live your passion, it comes through loud and clear to those around you and is contagious. He has Maine is in his bones, ever since he was introduced to the state by his Pennsylvania next door neighbors, Betsy and Andy Wyeth, who encouraged him "go deeper" with his work and spend the summer with them in Cushing, Maine. Forty years later, here he remains, one of the most celebrated Maine photographers, documenting his adopted state and the people, animals, nature and light that inhabit it.

Like me, Peter likes to share the things he loves--contact him through the gallery if you want to see and read his weekly newsletter called "Images from Maine." And better yet, visit his gallery in person in Rockport, Maine, or check out the myriad of wonderful photos available for viewing and purchase on his website . There are so many images that I love that are not included here...

Peter considers himself blessed-he survived a death defying illness and is here to live life to the fullest. He considers himself one of the .01 percent and that has nothing to do with economics: 1) Make a living at what you love 2) Have it contain a meaningful aspect that contributes something to the world 3) Do it in a place where you feel that you belong and 4) surround yourself with people you love and who love you. He then cited to me JM Barrie, author of Peter Pan: "Nothing is really work unless you'd rather be doing something else."

Charity of the Week:
HudsonLink.Org

Painting of the Week

Pam Smilow Untitled (Floating House Series) mixed media on acrylic 50” x 80” approx. $8500

Blog no. 65: Friendship in Vienna, Mary Oliver Poem, Corey Booker & Ketanji Brown Jackson

March 26, 2022

click image to see all 100+ available animal giclee prints by Pam Smilow and Gert Mathiesen $150 each (framed)

three things we love

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

Friendship in Vienna

On my travels through youtube, I came across another film that caught my eye--a made for TV movie that dates back to 1988, featuring Ed Asner again--he always made decent films! This one is about a friendship of two girls in Nazi occupied Austria and it has particular meaning to me because my mom, Edith Kern Smilow, was in Vienna just before this time. She left Germany in 1935 or 1936 to get out of the way of Hitler (she went the wrong way!) and to work in a Maria Montessori school there. But there was a polio outbreak in the school and she returned to Germany, only to leave again in the nick of time in 1938, this time to be a children's nurse in England.

The film is touching story and gives you a very good feel for how occupation and tyranny can happen very quickly. It is my hope that we all put extra effort in protecting our democracy, which is in real danger right now...lest we take it for granted.

Mary Oliver Poem

Image courtesy of the Wordy Feminist on Etsy

Pam Smilow Tree Series I-III, mixed media on paper, 60” x 22” each, $4000 ea.

When I Am Among the Trees
By Mary Oliver

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”

Corey Booker, Ketanji Brown Jackson

Illustration Courtesy of Louisa Bertman @louisabertman (Instagram)

Courtesy Sarahbeth Maney, Gina Cherelus and the NYTimes

I had planned something else for this column but decided to save it for another time so I could honor Corey Booker's beautiful emotional speech he made on the senate floor during the Senate Judiciary Committee's confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Jackson Brown this past week, in stark contrast to the mean-spirited demagoguery of many of his fellow (Republican) senators.
I encourage you to listen to the full version here but if you are pressed for time, you can get the flavor with the short version too. In Booker's words, "I am not going to let someone in the senate steal my joy...Today you are my star. You are my harbinger of hope...You have earned this spot...You are worthy..."

Charity of the Week:
Jose Andres World Central Kitchen

Painting of the Week:

Trying to urge on Spring with this painting called Sunshine… Pam Smilow 50” x 80” mixed media on canvas $8500.

About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow created 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.

Blog no. 64: Tashi and the Monk Documentary, The Song: One Day, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin

March 18, 2022

Hearbreaking New Yorker Cover by Ana Juan. Courtesy New Yorker Magazine and Ana Juan. @anajuan_art and if you would like to see more of her awesome New Yorker covers, click here.

three things we love

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

Tashi and the Monk

In the foothills of the Indian Himalayas, Buddhist Monk Lobsang Phuntsok created a community for abandoned children called Jhamtse Gatsal: The Garden of Love and Compassion. He himself had been abandoned as a child and vowed that he would help children like him feel loved and wanted. To quote him speaking to his kids: "Everybody kind of give up the hope on us. But in this place, you are welcome and you have opportunity to change, and we will be with you, no matter what. This is a community of love and compassion." Tashi and the Monk documents this amazing place and the fantastic work a single man has done to rescue so many unwanted children...

The Song: One Day

I am not particularly musical--in fact, I am not really good at carrying a tune, but I do love to sing (mostly in the car) and I recognize that singing is very uplifting to the spirit. I remember once, way back when in Cornwall, Connecticut, there used to be a once monthly get together where someone played the guitar and people would come and just sing along. We don't do that much any more and I wish we did. Just before covid struck, I was even thinking of hosting that kind of evening in my studio. Maybe I will do it in the future...

In the meantime, we can all enjoy this match made in heaven that joins my favorite Young@Heart Chorus out of Northampton, Massachusetts (you have to be over 70 to join) as they join the celebrated Chicago's Children's Choir, along with the Hampshire Young People's Chorus, singing the hopeful song ONE DAY by Matisyahu.

Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland

It is International Women's Month and I can't help but think that if women ruled the world, we might just be much better off... A country that stands out in the gender equality category is Finland. It just so happens that one of my oldest friends (from fourth grade)--Sue Gallo--has been living there in Helsinki for the past six years, along with her partner Alyssa, and they are always singing the praises of Sanna Marin, one of the world's youngest prime ministers. And at 37, she leads an all-female coalition government. CNN did a small feature on her recently. And hear Trevor Noah talk about her and offer a good laugh here.

Charity of the Week:
Jose Andres World Central Kitchen

Painting of the Week