Eye_ology

Behind the mask @Joan Currie

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.

Winston Churchill

Thanks to all our healthcare workers – true heroes!

Tea Time…

Tags

Afternoon tea, Tea ceremony, Tea time

Teacup © Joan Currie

The Tea Party

I had a little tea party
This afternoon at three.
‘Twas very small-
Three guests in all – 
Just I, myself and me.

Myself ate all the sandwiches,
While I drank up the tea;
‘Twas also I who ate the pie
And passed the cake to me.

By Jessica Nelson North (1891-1988)

A lovely cup of tea punctuates the day…

Into the sea…

Tags

Aging, Circle of life, loss, Mandala, Pema Chodron

Twenty Tropical Shells by Johann Gustav Hoch, Rijksmuseum

We are all like children building a sandcastle. We embellish it with beautiful shells, bits of driftwood, and pieces of colored glass. The castle is ours, off limits to others. Yet despite all our attachment, we know that the tide will inevitably come in and sweep the sandcastle away. The trick is to enjoy it fully without clinging and when the tide comes, let it dissolve back into the sea. by Pema Chödrön

Sometimes it is hard to accept what we know lies ahead.

You, on the other side…

Tags

Art, Grieving, Loss of loved one, Memories, Mixed media, Poetry, Remembering, Woman with Roses

Lauren DiMarco at Joshua Tree

 Still Too Sharp
by Joan Currie

My memories of you are like shards of glass, 
they have to be handled very carefully.
Fearing that if I were to sustain a wound,
the bleeding would never stop…

A life worth living…

Tags

Alfred Austin, Art, Charcoal sketch, Poetry, Summer, Youth

African White Iris photo by Joan Currie

When Summer, lingering half-forlorn,
On Autumn loves to lean,
And fields of slowly yellowing corn
Are girt by woods still green;
When hazel-nuts wax brown and plump,
And apples rosy-red,
And the owlet hoots from hollow stump,
And the dormouse makes its bed;
from Is Life Worth Living? – by Alfred Austin

This poem brought me back to the delicious summers of my childhood…

Rijksmuseum

A lasting fragrance…

Tags

Aging, Fashion, Lauren DiMarco, Longfellow, Photography, Poetry, Time

Party dress @ Joan Currie

Maiden, that read’st this simple rhyme, Enjoy thy youth, it will not stay; Enjoy the fragrance of thy prime, For oh, it is not always May!

from It Is Not Always May by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Sometimes it is hard not to lament the passing of time…

Getty image

Jumping….

Tags

Art, Design, Mixed media art, Ray Bradbury, Reflections

Lauren di Marco in Ireland – @ Joan Currie

If we listened to our intellect, we’d never have a love affair.
We’d never have a friendship. We’d never go into business, because we’d be cynical.
Well, that’s nonsense. You’ve got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your own wings on the way down.
Ray Bradbury.

Loving where I’ve landed right now…

Some Things I Taught My Daughters…

Tags

Aging, Coming of Age, Daughters, Memoir, Mother-daughter, Relationships, Self-help, Things I Taught My Daughters

© James Currie

Sometimes I wonder if what I taught my daughters over the years will adequately prepare them for going out into the world on their own.

This last weekend I made a list of some of the things I taught them (it made me feel better):

1. How to draw a face, mix colors, carve soap, blow bubbles, make a wish, and chalk a hopscotch board on the sidewalk.

2. How to ride a bike, drive a car and motorboat, sail a Laser, paddle a canoe, ride a horse, skate, toboggan, throw a ball, and use a tennis racquet.

3. How to write a thank you note, compose a poem, keep a journal, make a speech, say hello in five languages, read a map, and wrap a gift.

4. How to snuggle up with blankets to watch movies on the sofa, sing Broadway songs, play the piano and guitar, tap dance and waltz around the living room.

5. How to bake and decorate a cake, make a French pie crust, mega chocolate chip cookies, maple fudge, and butter tarts.

6. How to needlepoint a pillow, knit a scarf, sew a quilt, and draft a pattern.

7. How to spot constellations and satellites in the night sky and look for the green flash just before the sun sets.

8. How to use a hammer, screwdriver, saw, drill, and car jack.

9. How to use a camera, computer, iron, glue gun, vacuum cleaner, mixer, coffee machine, and hair flattener.

10. How to apply sunscreen, foundation, eye shadow, mascara, lipstick, and nail polish.

11. How to do CPR, dress a wound, and prepare for an emergency.

12. How to make a bed, clean a floor, paint a room, and refinish small pieces of furniture.

13. How to wash the car, use duct tape, cut grass, plant bulbs, and make a flower arrangement.

14. How to make a budget, use coupons, recycle and upcycle, and roll change.

15. How to keep their word, obey the law, vote, volunteer, continually learn and discover, work, and pray.

Try making a list yourself – your child or children could help!

Going with the flow…

Tags

Art, Dance, Lauren DiMarco, Pitbull, Summer dance

© Joan Currie – Figure sketch by Lauren DiMarco & Skirt by Joan Currie

The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music,
and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable.
Dancing is poetry with arms and legs.  
Charles Baudelaire

Sometimes you can’t help but dance to the music…

“Pitbull” dominates my fun summer playlist!

Fire Quellers…

Tags

Creativity, Fire queller, Matisse, Photography

© Joan Currie

Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent
with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play. – Matisse

Allow no one to extinguish your creative fires…