Sunday, January 26, 2025

118.6 - injection day

No rest for the weary: We leave in 2 hours to drive to the Florida Keys to visit friends for 2 nights. They rent on a Key in the area where we rented for 2 years, about 20 miles from Key West. The weather seems to be improving as projected. This is the first morning in a couple of weeks that we have been able to sit on the lanai in the morning and not be frozen (the glass sliders are closed though).

DH survived yesterday - he did sit down in between his court maintenance work. Yesterday was mostly doubles matches. There were 2 girls playing who are mirror identical twins. They even dressed as reflections. Really interesting to watch them as they look so much alike in how they jump around and hit the ball. Apparently they are quite good - they probably are mentally attuned too.

Time to get a shower, then breakfast before we leave. Have a sweet Sunday!

I just lost my whole post here--first time that's happened.

I didn't mean to stay away so long (last posted on Wednesday), but nonetheless we were busy. Weather here is finally warming up, but we still have big piles of snow all over the place and covering northern-facing slopes.

Yesterday afternoon when the temp**** the 40s we got dressed up sorta cool and went to an art gallery opening. NOT that we have any room left for new art, given the size of our combined collections, but that has never stopped either of us from appreciating or buying something new. I think about Gertrude Stein's Parisian walls covered with art hung "gallery style" from ceiling to nearly floor level and know I wouldn't like that look, but I do understand her enthusiasm.

Paula, welcome home, although I know you long for your happy place. DD, I'm so very glad to hear that your daughter's VA job is back online and that she can look forward to a reward for all her hard work and preparation. So sorry to hear about the end of schools being safe places for migrant children. I could rant for days about the Troll-in-Chief's behavior, but won't.

This coming week will be a busy, noisy time for construction. We're almost halfway through this period of living in the attic with a microwave. Clearly, we can make it up here for another two months.

Come on warm weather and rain--we need your warmth and wetness!

I love to spend other people's money. I think you should buy even more art, and rotate your collection!

Buying real art has not been a financial possibility for us, BUT, we have some beautiful pieces that have been passed down from family who could. They bring so much pleasure. So you should buy some more and feed the artists and your soul. :)

DD, I'm happy you have art you love however you came by it. Unfortunately, art wasn't part of my family tradition. Truth is, for a kid who grew up eating squirrel for dinner (Daddy and his .22 rifle made sure we had animal protein every night, no matter how he got it), I've been luckier financially than I dreamed and gradually able to indulge my love for art.

I do wish I had received a stronger art appreciation education earlier. At this late phase of life I especially wish I'd learned to appreciate not only representational pieces, but more abstract imaginings. Nonetheless, I do not care for homes or galleries filled with what I think of as monster-sized "designer art" of monochromatic abstracts that dictate or conform with the colors of the furnishings and draperies. Rooms that really speak to me are those in which the art surprises and even conflicts with a nearby piece.

This is a great subject. And speaking of art, I look forward to seeing pix of CC's latest acquisition when it's installed.

My parents and in laws grew up poor also, but did well! I celebrate anyone's hard work and perseverance to change their economic situation. I had a front row sea****ching the hard work as my parents prospered. I did not prosper in the same way financially for my own reasons, but I am rich in many, many ways and am very satisfied with my life. Probably too much explanation, but I don't want anyone to think that I begrudge them their hard earned success. But it is also true, I do love encouraging people to "buy it". :)

My benefactor Aunt is the one who has has given me many pieces, and she is a true collector. She bought me my first piece of real art when I was 18, and she was visiting me in Brazil. It was a watercolor of a historic building where we had dinner one night. When she really got into the art world, she was working with an art dealer who brought a piece to her attention. My Aunt liked if but wondered if it would go with her decor. The dealer said, you need to decide, are you going to be decorator or a collector? Either is fine, but I need to know. My Aunt ultimately decided to be a collector, and I love her collection so much. Each eclectic piece has some of her energy. She also made decisions to support diverse groups of artists. And I don't know how she does it, but she has these diverse pieces that speak to her displayed throughout her home (also not gallery style), some sculptures and textiles thrown in the mix, and it all works. I love to walk through her home and visit my favorite pieces when I am visiting her.

I must say from the sampling of art I've seen amongst our tribe, there is an abundance of good taste!

I took one class in Art History in college. I'm hoping to take it again when I am retired. The U of M allows senior citizens to audit classes for $10. :)

I definitely have an appreciation for art but have very little "real" art in our home. I remember going to a local art fair in my 20's and falling in love with a tree sculpted out of brass. It was a bit over $200 which was A Lot of money for me at the time. I found a way to scrounge up the money and purchased it. It found a place in every apartment and home I ever lived in and now has a home in DS2's apartment. He has great sense of design and has a very eclectic art display! A patient once made me a very cool vase and DS2 will take ownership of that too. I bought a very nice piece of pottery at an art fair in Sarasota last year with the plan to decorate our new FL residence with it. I've decided to make a beach/tropical nook in our bedroom since we are staying in WI. Just ordered shells and starfish to fill the pottery bowl and ordered coral and bigger shells to sit on shelves.

Thanks, DD and Paula, for taking the art conversation a little further. I appreciate learning more about your approaches to finding and enjoying beautiful expressions of this thing we call life. It's a universal human instinct, I think, to value beauty so highly, however we define it.

Troll in Chief! Love it.

And on a much more optimistic note, here's a fascinating article about a whole new way to power electric vehicles that has nothing to do with food, weight, exercise, or weather! (Well, it's a llittle bit about weather.)

https://www.motortrend.com/news/mercedes-benz-solar-paint-te ch-demo/

Now that is a great idea! Those large lithium batteries make me nervous - does not seem good for the environment in the long run.