This is what Mark found when he was ready to leave for work this morning.
SO annoying.
Hmmm. Do you notice how all this broken glass has a really beautiful bluey-green, kind of sea-glass quality to it? I wonder if we could use it in some kind of fused glass project.....
Wait. Hold on. I've veered off the point. We are victims here!
Items left behind: valuable construction tools.
Items taken: small bungee cord, clip-on sunglasses, ear bud for cell phone.
So to those tricksters who performed this little treat, here is my advice: If you were looking to find some valuable things for quick resale, you left those behind so you should probably consider another profession. If you were looking for something cool to add to your Halloween costume tonight, well, uh, I'd love to see what you do with that little bungee cord....
My condo building saves up stuff all year and has a giant yard sale in October. There's a lot of seniors in the building (including me) and there's a few each year that give up their home for one reason or another. Well, this must have been in someone's stash for years....and I bought it all for $1.00! Lucky me!
Marion Post Wolcott was a FSA documentary photographer who used her vision and photographic skills to showcase and educate the American public on the plight of those most affected by the Great Depression.
Marion bravely traveled alone through New England, Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi
in order to show the vast differences between social and economic classes of the haves...
and the have-nots...
She turned her lens towards all that she encountered and exposed the reality of America.
And through her artist and humanitarian commitment, she made a difference by helping to document over a three and a half year period the benefits of federal subsidies, helping to gain support for FDR's New Deal policies and projects, ushering in the promise of hope, a helping hand up and the opportunity for a better way of life.
Marion Post Wolcott
was a true American hero.
I know that we are all weary from the this long political road we have all been traveling lately. But now we are at those proverbial crossroads, and each of us must make a decision as to which way we will go. One way promises hope, and the other way promises to save us from all that we should fear. I choose to chance it and take the path that points towards hope. I do this because I will always choose hope over fear. Because faith is stronger then fear. Because fear is used to control people, whereas hope is used to inspire people. Which way will you go? Each of us must decide which path we choose, and whichever one you decided to take, I wish you well.
"We need to teach the next generation of children from Day One that they are responsible for their lives. Mankind's greatest gift, also its greatest curse, is that we have free choice. We can make our choices built from love or from fear."
Note: With the exception of this Friday's Halloween post, (see my P.S. at the bottom of this post) all of my other posts, between now and election day, (November 4th) are going to be political in nature. Why? Well, as my oldest, college going, vote registering daughter told one of her peers who declared her disinterest in politics by stating, "I don't do politics." ... ... "You may not do politics" replied my daughter, "but politics does you!"
... I don't know about you, but I like to have a say in what is being done to me!
And now for todays post... 47 years ago our nation elected John F. Kennedy as its 35th president, giving hope for a brighter future to millions of Americans. Sadly this dream was never realized due to an act of irrational violence and hatred. Now for many, with this election, we once again have that hope of a brighter and better tomorrow, for all humans everywhere. I pray that this time the hope can live, grow, prosper and spread, so that we may all live in peace one day.
John Lennon, whose life also was tragically cut short by another act of irrational violence and hatred, expressed the vision of a peaceful world more beautifully then anyone else I can think of...
The following words were spoken by Kennedy, and they are as relevant today as when he first spoke them, more then 45 years ago.
- No one has been barred on account of his race from fighting or dying for America, there are no white or colored signs on the foxholes or graveyards of battle.
- When written in Chinese, the word "crisis" is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.
- The basic problems facing the world today are not susceptible to a military solution.
- We cannot expect that all nations will adopt like systems, for conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth
- If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.
- Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal.
- Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.
- We have the power to make this the best generation of mankind in the history of the world or to make it the last.
- Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
- Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.
PS. For those of you who do not enjoy the heaviness of this weeks posts, I have decided that in the spirit of childhood innocence and fun I will be posting something lighthearted and halloween-ish on Friday.
I have to admit that Halloween is not my favorite holiday of the year. Don't get me wrong. I really love pumpkins, and you gotta admit, they have a lot of orangey goodness going for them. And then there are these sad pumpkins who started partying a little too soon....
And costumes? Well, Caspar the Ghost doesn't scare the heck out of me and what little princess doesn't make you want to say, "You are tooo cute!", and this year I have a suspicion that I will be particularly fond of monkeys and hot chili peppers (can anyone say "grandchildren"?).
However, to celebrate the holiday that is loved by so many, ATBD got into the "spirit" of things and came up with these items for your decorating pleasure:
Hey, who blew that candle out when I wasn't looking??
I've finished these pieces that I showed in the previous post. There's eight pieces total and as I look at each one, I love how each girl has her own personality. They each measure approximately 5.5" x 6".
I have been busy getting things ready for my flight to Houston. I leave home in the wee hours Thursday morning. I am taking my camera along and hope to get some great photos. I had hoped to make a camera bag for my camera but just didn't get around to doing that, so I'm using a found bag to do the job this time.
I seem to be playing catch-up these days! I'm a bit behind again, and not only that, I've run out of seams to embelish as both sides of this blue tea cosy are almost full up! This first photo is Detail 64 and seemed to go on forever! This is detail 65b And this is 65c. Those beautiful little irridescent beads I bought at the CreativFestival. They came on a strange stiff necklace at $1.00!I jumped to Detail 73 for some reason, but it is pretty I have to say.
I've been working on Toni's Geisha block this last while and I love how it's looking. There's some lovely stitching from the ladies before me and it was a pleasure to add to that. This is the whole block with everyone's work.
I added the cream dress and the red and black flowers beside it. For the dress I used two strands of a shiny cream rayon thread and did very small chain stitch close together. Check out her shoes! I used some very small bamboo beads that were perfect. The flowers are large bullions with an orange thread with gold going through it, surrounded by black jet beads.For the white flower I used silk ribbon and black beads.
I was going to stop after the white flower, but because there's only one person left in the rotation, I tackled the bottom pale orange section and stacked fan shapes in chain stitch. I decorated a few and left some for Sandi and Toni to do. It's in the mail on it's way to Sandi in California.
Note: Between now and election day, (November 4th) my posts are going to be political. I hope you all will keep reading. Much love, and best wishes, Victoria
The following video, made by Ron Howard is most enjoyable! Please watch!
We are in the home stretch folks, and even though I really do like to keep things light and fun here on my blog, in all good consciousness I feel that I have to use what little time there is left, before the election, to communicate my feelings. I realize that there are some of you who will disagree with me no matter what, and I hope that we can respectfully agree to disagree, I in no way wish to offend anyone. But truth is I am offended. I am offended with how this country has been run for the last almost 8 years. I am offended that we are eyeball high in debt, continuing to borrow from other countries in order to pay for a war that we had no business getting into. I am offended that our government asks the most selfless and bravest of our country to leave their families and risk their very lives, tour after tour, while neglecting to provided them with their most basic needs of safety, health and well being. Meanwhile, as Rome, (America) burns and Nero, (our government) plays his fiddle, we are all told that our tax money will be going to help bail out the greedy Wall Street gang of crooks, (only of course after an extra 150 billion dollars of pork was added onto the 750 billion bail out plan... and yes, I am ticked at Obama, as much as I support him, as well as McCain and all the rest in the Senate for voting yes on this). I am offended that these financial "experts" merrily continue to live the high life during this most serious of economic crisis that they created, taking lavish spa vacations while patting each other on the back for doing such a great job. I am offended by the lie of "Trickle Down Economics". It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you want the economy to do well you need to practice "Trickle Up Economics". In other words, give the tax breaks to those that need it most, so that they have money to put into the economy, which they will, because they need to buy just in order to survive... they don't have the luxury of socking it away in the Cayman Islands! And I am most offended by the lies and fear mongering that this election has spawned, thus igniting the most vile of hate and bigotry. I am shocked and saddened by what is being revealed, and I hope that just like beautiful crops grow from a layer of smelly manure, somehow something beautiful can also grow from all of this crap.
Whew, I feel a bit better now. I needed to say that. I needed to say that because I love my country, and my country is dying. I fear that if we don't try something new, she isn't going to make it. It doesn't make any sense to keep taking the same medicine, if the medicine is making things worse! I believe that there is a cure, but it means letting go of fear and going bravely in a new direction. That is why I am voting for Barack Obama.
I'm in the process of making these small pieces and it's sort of like an assembly line production. The focal points on them are hand painted faces and then they are collaged on similar mixed-media backgrounds.
My ironing board sets up against a daylight basement wall and right above the board is a six-inch ledge and a window. You can see Abby at the end of the ironing board looking out the window. We are having a terrifically horrible windy day (gusts from 40 to 50 mph). My house sounds like it wants to blow away. So Abby is watching leaves and other debris blow by.
Here are the rest of the blocks from this week. I am now only 11 blocks behind the group, but I have 5 blocks done that the group doesn't have done so really I'm only 6 behind now.
I jumped to Detail 73 for some reason, but it is pretty I have to say.
