Having Babies and Other Celestial Events

The ultimate and rather excellent form of creativity is one that's open to most of us. That is creating children. None of us asks to be born. We step out innocent to the world's ways. We require nurturing to approach our potential--to be handled before we can handle. Children are soon enough presented with a puzzling world. I was blessed with the birth of my daughter and now my granddaughter, Scarlett. Jess is a florist/artist/actor/event planner, James is an artist/supervisor/actor and now we all wonder what path Scarlett will eventually follow. Whatever it is, I won't be disappointed. All I know is that this one event, right now, makes it even more clear...no matter what else happens during our short stay on this planet, this sort of creation rises above all else! Watching James cut the umbilical cord and watching the joy on Jessica's face (more beautiful than any painting or sculpture could ever be) as she held her newborn with a glow of accomplishment and satisfaction, listening to her through these days in the sheer amazement of what has transpired...being in awe of her new offspring. Who knows what these little hands will do and where these little feet will take her!

"Your children are not your children, they are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but are not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you." Kahlil Gibran

Art is life and life is art. Offspring may be the greatest art, but they are also like art. They flow through life in some force that we really don't understand. Like art they require love and work. James and Jess will know more of this in the days ahead.
P.S. James and I have been using our freetime in creative pursuits, he with painting in the studio and I with sketchbook at the kitchen table. Birth must be inspiring beyond what we realize. Look to the skies tonight as Mars will be the closest to Earth in some time and in NYC they are predicting a lunar eclipse at 4:51 AM. Hmmm. I suppose one could be awake for that!

What's in a Name...

It has come to my attention the idea of "championing" a new naming style is occurring in the U.S. My daughter and son-in-law have received a few comments about the name they have chosen for their new daughter. Their first intention was to protect the mother's family name by giving the baby "her" maiden name as the surname, as there are few descendants of that family name. This choice is not familiar to a lot of people and in some families could create a feeling of being "abandoned"...but not in this one. Mother's last name has a special meaning as does her husband's. This baby is holding onto a family lineage by having a middle name after her father's last name. It is not hyphenated. If so, it would be a four syllable last name and a mouthful for the child and doctors and teachers..plus there just aren't enough small boxes in forms that she or her parents would fill out. She now has an alternative to choosing the middle name to go by, if she chooses at a later time in her life. What would it be like if she had a first name, middle name, father's last name and mother's last name. Oooo! It is refreshing to view that the two of them are creating a "name legacy" (by honoring both of their families, non-hyphenated) in their choice of what to name their new bundle from heaven. If you could see her, you would know - she is named very appropriately!

Baby's at Home and Doing Well

If you want an experience that will top all others in your life, experience the birth of a child from the sidelines! Wow! Little Babe is doing wonderfully and happy to be in her own environment. Mom is sooo patient and knowledgeable! Lots different from when I was a new mom, but let's not go there. In true Brooklyn style, there is a "block party" today. We will go out on the stoop for a little, but not long. It is supposed to be a hot one today, after many days of unseasonable weather, 70's and low 80's.

Welcome to Our World, Scarlett!

Live from NEW YORK CITY...It's OFFICIAL!! My granddaughter was born 8/21 at 9:36 PM. She weighed 7 pounds, was 20 1/2 inches long. Proud Mom and Dad are doing great! She comes home tomorrow! Since the Mac I am working on is not cooperating, I will send email to family and friends soon.

500 Years of Women in Art

This was wonderful - just had to share it. It is done by eggman913.
And when you are done with this one, there are more coool videos to choose from the menu at the bottom of the frame. Enjoy!

Countdown

In a few days I will be on my way to NYC area to be with my daughter and her husband while they have or have had their 1st child. In the meantime, we are busy as always, G working on his 1950 Chevy, getting it ready to make lots of trips to the landfill with stuff we have on our property that was pushed over (out of sight) into ditches around the perimeter. It sure is easier to work on older autos by yourself. I am doing laundry, cleaning, planning and packing. Blogging may be sporadic until about 9/5/07, but will update when I have time. Life is good when your immediate family is about to increase by one! I am so looking forward to being a grandmother. Also, looking forward to cooler climes. It has been over 100 degrees here every day for a long time. Only in the high 70's in NYC.

Meteor Shower Weekend

Just got word from a friend in Colorado, look at
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/070712_perseid_meteors.html
for meteor shower news. Check out the night skies this weekend. I'm going to!!

REMAKE OF A FARMHOUSE

Remember what the west side of the house used to look like, especially since the tornado and hail storms...well, it has a new look as of today. It has taken us two days to do 1/4 of the house, an easy side, not a lot of "lofty" work, but working around the rain.


New coat of paint, new roof (of course) and new window awnings. See the comparison, wow!
New look at left...after hailstorm at bottom, bye bye yellow house!

Commonalities

What do a blue-tailed skink and a woodhouse toad have in common? They both live here around my house. The skink is living in the garage and the toad(s) are everywhere. Herman found one today. I could tell by the "glee' in his bark that he found something that was about to be tasted, that is what he does...bees, wasps, beetles, mice, whatever is scurrying over the ground or flying nearby. The only bad part about (cute) critter is that it is poisonous. As Herman bit into him, the toad secreted his glands. I quickly lunged for the toad as Herman backed off, bad taste and then his mouth began to foam. I threw the toad out way out in the yard over the fence...as far as I could. He was about the size of a fifty cent piece. But after reading about them online, Herman is very lucky to be alive tonight. They can cause the predator's airways to close. I don't know if the dog has had enough of a BAD taste with this one.
Now I am hyper-aware of them, I am afraid they can't stay around the house, if I see one, it will have to go away. I picked up one the other day, which they say could be dangerous and I thought he had peed in my hand, but guess that was the gland thing also, I knew to wash my hands afterward...and not touch my face.
The skink is harmless. They will lose their tails if you catch them that way. I have no purpose to catch this one, unless he got into the studio today while we were installing the awnings and had the door open.
By the way, haven't seen the SKUNK since we got back from Colorado. I think our neighbor may have intervened.

Not the Same Feeling

Used to be - Sunday night would come and I got this knot in my stomach. Had to get to bed at a decent time, make sure my work that I had brought home was complete and together, make sure my clothes were ready to wear in the morning. "Early retirement" is not for everyone, but I sure like it! Started painting the west exterior of the house today, then it rained, then it got like a "sauna" outside, so will try again in the morning. We are looking forward to seeing what the new color is going to look like. Will post before and after photos soon, I hope.

As Bob Barker always said..

"Don't forget to have your pets spayed or neutered." Well, we finally did. You know, it wasn't laziness, it was at the most"macho" ideals...maybe we will "stud" one out, cause he is such a neat dog...but it never happened (and besides that one has seizures, perhaps a product of inbreeding, which I did notice on his pedigree certificate). This non- neutering caused the problem that we had with all the dogs, "dominance issues". It won't be resolved with the deed done today, but it will be lessened. We took our two dachshunds in to be neutered today. We will pick them up in the morning, after they get their "sea legs back again". Herman is 6 and Chaco is 4. Chaco had his teeth cleaned also..just as humans, some are born with more hygiene issues than others, he has "bad breath" and his teeth are quite brown in color. It ends up taking a toll on an organ or with health in general, just as in humans. We are hoping that the alpha response will cease to be a problem, over time, and that we will have less likelihood of aging dog problems with regards to abnormal growths in their testicles. Worrying about them "getting" to a female dog, has never been a problem. I am looking forward to happier times for them all.
PS, we used our outdoor "chimes" and some flashy/spinners in the garden of corn, hopefully the deer aren't big fans of windchimes. If so, we may have created a "monster"!