Fork You!

No the fork did not want to run away with the spoon 

and the spoon got all bent out of shape. 

A friend and I went to a wine tasting event in a small town a few months ago. We happened to come on a day that a lot of vendors were there selling their wares.  I love anything vintage and my eyes were drawn to a booth loaded with sparkling silverware. The artist re-purposed old silver plate eating utensils by stamping them with cute sayings or curling the tines of a fork and making something naughty. When I saw the above fork, I laughed.  The artist' mother said that I must have the same sense of humor as her daughter. She said it is a pickle fork, but it is more than that, it is a statement. It took me a couple of minutes to decide whether to bring it home or not.  After all, who really needs a fork that is vulgar? But I couldn't leave it there. I thought that I may eventually give it to my brother. Once I brought it home the fork has not left my house but has been displayed in my kitchen window since. 

Jayne Smith (no relation) of Back Space on Facebook makes the most adorable forks, spoons, and knives.  If you are interested in looking at other things that she does just click on the link above. 

Chicken Wire Dress Form

I love Pinterest and have a lot of different ideas out there in Pinterestland waiting to be tried.  A couple of years ago, I built a raised bed flower garden.  I have thyme, sage, chives and six roma tomato plants that came up on their own. Currently, the flower garden is not in accordance to Feng Sui and looks like it will topple over on its side at any moment. I have been working on the back yard for a while and it is nearly to my liking.  But it lacks art. 

I have driven by homes with the most beautiful gardens you can imagine and I am envious.  So far I have three stepping stones, a few colored bottles hanging on a metal trellis and nothing else.  Then I found projects that can be made with chicken wire on line. I had some left over for when the neighborhood cats thought that I had made an extremely large litter box just for them.  They were pleased, I was not. So, the excess sat in my garage for two years.  Then I saw a dress form made out of the wire.  I loved the idea and this weekend I made one.  The hardest part about this project is twisting the wires together. But if you have a wire cutter and needle nose pliers you are set, a pair of work gloves is a plus.  Twist the wires with the pliers and then curl them to look like little buttons. 

I used 48 inch chicken wire but you can use any size that you like.  I found a picture of a dress form and tried to copy what I saw.  Overall, the project took me about 2-3 hours.  I bought bright pink spray paint because I thought that it would show up better in the yard.  Then decorate with whatever you like.  I found some artificial flowers and an old necklace that someone gave me.  These dress forms would be great at Halloween decorated with cheese cloth and wide skirts.  There are tons of ways to shape them and decorate.  I have been eyeing a corset.  It looks a bit more complicated, but am willing to give it a try.  Final note, use stakes to anchor in the ground.  

Sunset

I wanted to see a sunset this evening, but I had to drive beyond the wires. In the city they are everywhere. I needed open spaces and the ability to see the horizon. Hurriedly, I drove to the next county and I parked the car. Then I waited. The rays of the sun broke through the clouds and I witnessed the grandeur of a sunset. There is nothing as beautiful as this.

Looking for your face

From the beginning of my life

 I have been looking for your face

 but today I've seen it.

Today, I've seen the charm

 the beauty

 and the unfathomable grace 

of the face that I was looking for.

Today, I've found you

 and those who laughed and scorned me yesterday

 are sorry they were not looking as I did.

I am bewildered by the magnificence of your beauty 

and wish to see you with a hundred eyes.

My heart has burned with passion and has searched forever

 for this wondrous beauty that I now behold. 

I am ashamed to call this love human

 and afraid of god to call it divine.

Your fragrant breath like the morning breeze 

has come to the stillness of the garden.

You have breathed new life into me. 

I have become your sunshine and also your shadow.

My soul is screaming ecstasy.

Every fiber of my being is in love with you.

Your effulgence has lit a fire in my heart and you have made radiant for me the earth and sky.

My arrow of love as arrived at the target 

 I am in the house of mercy

 and my heart is a place of prayer. 

Rumi

Castle Chateau La Roche

"Chateau La Roche was built as an expression and reminder of the simple strength and rugged grandeur of the mighty men who lived when Knighthood was in flower. It was their knightly zeal for honor, valor, and manly purity that lifted mankind out of the moral midnight of the dark ages, and started it towards a gray dawn of human hope." from the forward, "Chateau La Roche" booklet. 

It was a glorious day. The sky was bright blue with puffy clouds. This day was ordained to be an adventure. And it was. 

My nephew and I decided to visit a castle in Loveland, Ohio called, "Chateau La Roche. It was named after the original in France. 

Harry Andrews built this castle from the ground up. From his youth he was fascinated with Medieval times, dreaming of knights, castles, and chivalry.   He bought a plot of land along the Little Miami River, northeast of Cincinnati, so that he could invite his Sunday school children over and have small parties. The boys were able to camp, fish, and slept in tents. Eventually, Harry called his group the Knights of the Golden Trail. The tents eventually decayed and Harry built the boys two small rooms to stay in, which were called stone tents. This was the beginning for Castle La Roche.  But let me back up to the beginning of his story.

Harry was a WWI veteran and served as a medic. During his enlistment he contracted spinal meningitis and was declared dead.  He was moved to the morgue. Harry's records were marked "deceased" and sent to Washington.  As the doctors began working on his body they decided to use a new drug called adrenaline. The doctors pierced his heart, gave Harry a punch, and his heart began to beat again.  

When Harry revived, he was paralyzed and blind. After a while his sight was restored but not fully and Harry ended up wearing glasses. Six months later his fiance married another man before news reached her that he was not dead after all. Harry never married and avoided women altogether. 

In 1927, Harry purchased his land and in 1929 began building. All of the bricks are made of concrete and quart sized paper milk cartons were used as the mold. The total cost to build this work of art was around $12,000 and 23,000 hours of hard labor. 

The castle has electricity, water pump, oil-burning furnace, running water, sewers, and a telephone. 

We came not knowing what to expect. I was taken in by the feeling of times past. The castle was simply decorated and a couple of the rooms were blocked off that still contained memorabilia of the previous owner. I tried to capture what I could, but sadly it was very limited. 

Life was not easy for Harry and it was spent toiling the land and building a place that he always dreamt of.  He not only built the castle but created the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen.

 The garden area pictured here reminds of the movie " A little Chaos" with Kate Winslet that was released recently. There is enough room for about 30-40 people to sit and watch a theatrical performance where I was standing.  

I could have sat there for hours listening to nature and enjoying the view, believe me, I wanted to very much.  

After exploring every possible inch of the property we headed for home, but not until I convinced my nephew to pose one last time before we left. It was priceless!

 Oh, when I read the words manly purity in the brochure, I burst out laughing.  We know that is just a fantasy. 

The Chateau La Roche is located at:

12025 Shore Road

Loveland, OH. 

Ph# 513-683-4686

Admission: $5.00 per person

Noticing the Sunrise

Today, I woke up early so that I could see the sun rise, which I rarely get to witness.  As I drive to work during the week, I get a glimpse of the spectacular show that we are given every day and wish that I had my camera with me at all times.   

I, also, drive past fields where the morning mist has settled behind a rusty gate offering a look of romance and softness, daydreaming that a horse would suddenly appear and its rider is a cowboy sitting tall in the saddle.   

And the field flowers are glistening with the dew as the light begins to slowly rise over the horizon.  I look on with admiration of the beauty of it all. 

A leaf that has been the breakfast, lunch, or dinner for insects is unusually beautiful as I pass by, knowing that its days are very short. 

The Hollyhocks are blooming until the end, which is an admiral thing to do.  I want my life to be like this until there is nothing left of my existence...going to the grave blooming.

Not only did I get to see the sky and all its beauty but the other forms of it is all around as I meandered back home.  I am reminded of the scene from the movie, "The Color Purple" where Shug Avery and Celie are walking through a field with purple flowers.  Then Shug says "I think that it pisses God off when we walk by the color purple in a field and don't notice it." And I think so too. 

My Native American Experience

Yesterday,  I took three of my nephews to witness a Powwow in a city nearby. Powwow means to dream or have vision. Each Powwow usually has a host drum with several guest drummers, all of which are men.  Women usually take part by singing only. The drum is considered sacred and is to be treated with great respect. And no one is to approach the drum who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs nor are you to reach across it. Once the drumming begins, one feels the need to dance. 

The beat of the drum makes our bodies, mind, and spirits, join together in harmony. It allows us to connect with Mother Earth and to each other. So, therefore, dancing to beat of the drum is not only healthy but is spiritual too. So, if you find yourself wanting to dance when you hear music, just remember you are doing what comes naturally.  

Compared to the women, the men were like peacocks, displaying their elaborate regalia. As I was observing the Circle Dance, I felt that my eyes were drawn to the men as they proudly displayed their tribes traditional clothing. 

 The term "Indian" originated with Christopher Columbus who thought that he had landed in the East Indies. Here in the U.S. we refer to them as Native Americans or American Indians while in Canada they are referred to as First Nations.

Many Indian words are now part of our main stream conversational usage such as: wigwam, moose, moccasin, caribou, chipmunk, squaw, tobaggan, totem, and woodchuck. 

Native Americans have been living on the American continent since about 12,000 BC and were not separated by tribes or nations but a variety of cultures, peoples, and languages. 

The average African-American genome is 73.2 % African, 24% European, and 0.8% Native American. Latinos have an average of 18% Native American ancestry, 65.1 % European ancestry, and 6.2% African ancestry. Most Mexicans do not believe that they are of the same race as Native Americans even though they lived here at the same time and do not label themselves as such.  

I had a wonderful time with my family observing a culture within a culture.  The audience was encouraged to participate along with the dancers and many did. Maybe, I will be brave enough to do that next year. 

Wolfpack: A Review

They were secluded in a six room apartment for as long as they could remember.  No one was allowed to go out until one day one of the children bravely turned the knob on the door to enter freedom.  Last night I saw the documentary "Wolfpack." I came away speechless.  I kept trying to imagine how I would be if I were shut up in an apartment for the majority of my life with no way out.

Picture by Larry Busacca\Getty

The Angulo family lived in a housing apartment building in New York City. They were poor. They survived on Welfare and the little bit of money the mother made homeschooling the children. A controlling father kept his family at bay with strict rules and kept the only key to get out. The children's only salvation was their imagination, which I found compelling. Below is an episode from 20\20 reviewing the movie and most of all their lives after the documentary.

The signs that summer is soon coming to a close.

This evening, I went for a walk, it was a very long one.  There are lots of flowers everywhere.  While strolling along, I listened to the sounds of nature with each step that I took. The Cicada's are already singing their song that winter is coming soon.  I dread to hear that same melody which is sung every summer, even though it sounds lovely as I pass by.  

Insects and bugs are out in abundance, especially the mosquito's because of the excessive amount of rain we've had. My steps took me to the park and as I strolled through the gardens I saw the flowers above with metallic like bugs sitting two by two on the head of a flower.  I am not sure if they were mating or exactly why they decided to pair up in this way. The flower has seen better days, but I am sure that its job is complete before the season is over. 

I noticed a modestly covered angel that was bathed in the sun's golden light and surrounded by hostas. I tried to stay in the moment as I looked at it.  Isn't that what we are told to do?  But is is hard.  My mind focused on the future.  I have noticed that the nights are getting shorter.  Winter is coming soon, I said to myself. Enjoy this while you can. At that moment, I wanted time to stand still.  I wanted every day to be just like today, where the air is cool, with lush green grass everywhere, and the outdoors is an overall place of enjoyment. Life is but a dream...

Stuff and the art of breaking in a new computer.

Things have been hectic for a few weeks here and I haven't been able to post anything with a picture.  I have been working 10 hours a week overtime since last August and we have finally been released to work normal hours.  Not sure for how long though.  This is the second week of working 8-4:30 and loving it. It is nice to be able to come home and cook a meal, to go visit a friend, or read.  I cannot tell you how long it has been since I have read a book. You know those rectangular things that have binders with pages in between where words are written on each page. Books are my weakness and I have plenty to devour. 

I went out of town for a day trip a few weeks ago. While I was gone a storm came through and knocked out the electricity and my computer was damaged as well.  I didn't attempt to turn on the computer until a few days after the storm, and when I needed to use it, nothing happened.  My heart sank.  I had four orders for customers to be processed.  The thought of having to re-shoot was heart wrenching. Smart people would have saved their images on a couple of devices so that they would be somewhere safe if something happened. I didn't qualify for the genius meter on this occasion.  But I was lucky.  The power plug was damaged and all of my pictures were saved. However, my computer was 10 years old and had Windows XP on it which will no longer get updates. I have been told several times by technicians to get a new computer.  The amount of money that I have put into it would have bought a new one.  The thing is, the new one will not work like the old one and I have to re-learn some programs that I already knew how to use but the newer versions would be different. It took me two days to figure out how to burn a CD. Trust me I am a pretty smart cookie, but didn't feel like it for a few days. 

So, remember when things happen it is not the end of the world but an opportunity to dance.