Tag Archives: All Things Fulfilling

Deeply Ingrained: #1 in Blog Series

1 Comment

Naturally, since I am a memoir writer, I spend much time thinking about the influences our ancestors played in the kind of life we live after they have departed this Earth. For me, this topic can not be covered all in one blog post. This is the first in a series of three writings on this subject. What I have in mind for the final, I am especially excited about because it will culminate the series into an obvious thread of ponderings.

“I remember with great affection my mother’s wonderful eye for design and the well-coordinated home she made for us four kids and my Dad, the one who custom-built homes for our family and so many others…The hunt for economical, special cast offs is something I have developed…they bring interest to an abode…” ~ excerpts of writings from my personal journal which sits on my  inherited 1920’s antique spinet writing desk of my grandmother. ~  Sue Batton Leonard.

Do return for the 2nd in the series of blog posts about my life as a memoir-writer and other ponderings about my family flock. Our ancestor’s influences have been cast into the big net of family who took great notice.

 Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. ~ Winston Churchill

Art Journeys

1 Comment

Hemingway once said “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” 

For the time being, a place on one of my “art adventures wish lists” has been put on the sidelines. Mother Nature dealt Asheville, NC a hard-blow with Hurricane Helene and I pray for the Floridians who will face ravages of Hurricane Milton. One can only hope “a better safe than sorry,” approach has been taken and the coastal residents have fled for safety.

For now, Asheville, North Carolina, specifically the arts district and the beautiful grounds of the Biltmore have been replaced with an art museum in Bentonville, Arkansas which has been on my radar for quite sometime.

The curvaceous Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

There are current and many upcoming exhibitions which can be viewed on their website. Even if much time passes before I hit this art venue on my “wish list” I have no fear of missing out. Great exhibitions are always scheduled at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

 

Quiet the Waters

1 Comment
And on this beautiful fall day, my memories ripple over one another, like stones tripping over water. So writing about a central theme  is not the goal for this day.

 

Last summer on our 70th landmark birthday weekend, my twin sister and I found this scene along the Brandywine River in PA when we went to the 2023 American Impressionistic Society Show.

 

Take a few minutes to quiet. What thoughts come to your mind when you look at this image? Sitting in peace once a day for ten minutes or more, daily without one thing other than our own thoughts, is the only way we can truly quiet the waters.

“Peoples thoughts can be a deep well, but someone with understanding can find the wisdom there.” ~ Proverbs 20:05

Provisions and Forages

Leave a comment

In what seems like the blink of the eye, the whole picture has changed out on my wonderful porch. Many days of summer were spent out on it.

Now, one need not look any further than the porch door to see the squirrels foraging for winter.

How about you? Are you beginning to stock the larder with soup and stew makings? Things to keep on hand – basic soup stock or bouillon, dried beans and legumes ,barley and rice. Then there are veggies that hold in a root cellar – carrots, potatoes (russets and sweet), turnips, onions, leeks, shallots for the daintier tasting soups (such as leek and potato) and of course plenty of fresh and dried seasonings. A heavier hand in seasoning brings better results. Something I need to take note of.

Many old-world master paintings as well as many of today’s contemporary artists have chosen to feature items from the pantry or root cellars in their autumn paintings. The fall season has arrived! Enjoy it in your own creative way of living.

Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” ~ Matthew 9:38

 

Celebrate Life on Independence Day

Leave a comment

Happy Birthday U.S.A!

 Every 4th of July my faith in our country is restored when I see all the American flags and banners of red, white and blue and hear the patriotic tunes. It leads me to believe there are many in our country who have the same American spirit of faith our forebearers had when they built this new country. 

So, tomorrow on America’s birthday, celebrate the independence we have as a nation and all it stands for. As President Herbert Hoover once said, “Freedom is the open window through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit and human dignity.”

On both sides of the aisles and 

our patriots serving near and wide.

Good Companions

Leave a comment

Literary and visual artists can be great companions and both involve forms of self-expression.

Both types of artists are essentially all about the story, yet the methodology is different in how it is relayed to the audience. When one looks at visual art, words are used to describe it. When one reads a narrative, visual images come to mind, such as what a character, place, or scene looks like. The co-mingling is there. The process of how the brain assimilates the two is understood by a few. It is so complex and how  words and images are interpreted is different for each of us.

The visible and invisible worlds are inexplicably intertwined…once you’ve opened your mind to this, you can dance between them. – Alberto Vilaldo

 

 

A View of My Writer’s Nest

Leave a comment

Today’s post is not quite as short as a tweet, but its about a sweet little thing that I am very grateful for!

I have a cool new summertime writing space, which gives me a bird’s eye view and I couldn’t be more pleased with it.  So, how I view life and the nature of people who exist in it is coming to you from a new vantage point. One day I might even be led by the spirit to go out on a limb and write about something existentially profound. 

It is a good day to settle in and ponder what that even means!

 

Entering Into the Worlds of Others

Leave a comment

 

I want to enter into the world of L.M. Montgomery. She’s an author whose home and whole universe existed on Prince Edward Island in Canada, one of the places on my life’s “want to see list.” In her Green Gables books, Lucy Maude Montgomery’s imagined characters and her descriptions of an idyllic, bucolic real place opens up a view of tranquility and serenity not found in many places today. It is brought to her readers  through her apt, uncomplicated writing. I like her penchant for simplicity and wholesomeness found in life and nature. Fans of L.M. Montgomery return to her book series time and time again for escape.

Lucy Maude Montgomery mentions the good company she finds among her dreams and her visions which as a writer I can relate to through penning my cozy Neighbor to Neighbor fictional series which includes Sew the Heart and Heart of Community. Someday I’d like to bring book #3 to my readers but, my visions for my self-created community within those books keeps changing and as a writer I am mindful of the fact that the “words we use,  shapes the culture we create.”

 

It’s not what the world holds for you. It’s what you bring to it. ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery

Happy 150th Birthday, Lucy Maude Montgomery! You left the world a better place for your contributions to the literary world.

 

 

Impressions of Community

Leave a comment

America’s love affair with it’s hometown communities still reigns in some places and I feel grateful and fortunate to be living in one town where I feel such a culture exists in this place.

Yesterday, two events took place in Bel Air, Maryland which celebrated the town’s 150 year history – a family fun run and an evening community choral concert for all ages. Anyone who wanted to enjoy could join in.

A song written especially for this year’s celebration of the Bel Air town anniversary called “A Special Place in my Heart,” as well as other American favorites, spirituals and Broadway favorites such as “Will the Circle be Unbroken”  and “Summer Time and the Living is Easy” all sung for decades now, were among the tunes of the warm evening. Voices Lifted, Concert #1 for the 2024 summer season was well-worth attending at the amphitheater in Shamrock Park. For the full listing of town sponsored concerts, visit the website.