Ready to Go

I happened upon

 a cranberry pond...

could be the beginning to a beautiful novel.

zipper gender

It's curious how men and women zipper up clothes from different sides, it would make more sense if they were for the left or the right handed.

boy palette

 

A different red, white & blue

I've never been crazy for the color red in clothes, cars or anything--unless it's beside turquoise, that changes everything. I often call it a "circus palette" because it looks fun and happy like a big top could and should.

Post about post

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

Isn't it amazing how the post office kept going all through the pandemic? When so many shut down or took a break, those workers were still going strong.

 

Parade of Spoons

 

Bridge over Peaceful Waters

 This old and beautiful sepia tone photograph is

very small, only about 1.5 by 2.5 inches. Its unique size will make it hard to frame, but its dark romantic look makes it worthy of a wall. I got lost once, missing the signs for the Tappan Zee bridge, and spent four hours going out of my way over the George Washington, fumbling with paper maps in my pre-phone period. But this photo doesn't bring that same feeling back, it's way too pretty. The subtle natural colors and evening atmosphere bring to mind cocktails, soft jazz music and a slow ride to a familiar destination. 

Dante and Beatrice

 

Dante and Beatrice, painted in 1883 by Henry Holiday, is a painting in a style I wouldn't have thought about before, considering my stronger love for cartoons and playful artforms. But it came to me in an odd way, rediscovered in a pile of "cutters" as they were nicknamed, at a time when it meant more than coincidence, even if sought after. The story resonated more than the medium or technique, and according to multiple sources the story is that Dante Alighieri and Beatrice Portinari were in love but not seeing things the same way. Clearly in the painting, he's hurt by her ignorance, her lack of attention, and clearly she knows this, holding a rose while looking away as the other women look right at him.  I haven't found the rest of the story yet but imagine their pasts were complicated leading up to this moment. The realism of the painting style has grown on me because it shows the emotion of the story in a way cartoons could not. The detail that Henry Holiday puts into the people and landscape is that of a master artist, holding your interest and making you curious to find out more about him, his works and what the story meant to him. 

What's the point?

 There are many types of sewing needles used for different types of projects with most names indicating what they're used for, like quilting needles, upholstery needles and leather needles. Some have other names based on the shape or point such as ball point, sharps and curved. Basically they all work the same way, you just base your choice on the size of the eye for which type of thread will fit through and the size of the shaft that will poke through your fabric without leaving a gaping hole behind. If you ever spill an entire box of pins or needles as I have done, don't forget a magnet can make the clean up much easier without jabbing your delicate sewing fingers.