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Showing posts from October, 2009

Prayer for a friend

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waiting deeper than spoken word, prayer rises from the well of silent hope... What is more difficult than dealing with illness? Waiting... those interminable days or hours between test and result. The slivers of time that no matter how thin are sharply painful, as we hover between the not knowing and the finding out. I have a friend who is waiting right now, to find out exactly what is in that tiny lump. She has hovered longer than her share of time between hope and sanity. You probably know a handful of co-workers, acquaintances, friends and family members that are enduring those elongated moments, in similar situations. The hardest 'waiting' I ever did was in the late '90s. I had a great deal of trouble getting, rather, staying pregnant. After two losses, the third time was charm. Weeks went by until finally, the third trimester. Then a routine blood test indicated that the fetus had an 80% chance of being a Downs' Syndrome baby. I was 38 years old after all, though

Polymer Clay - not my forte?

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(Sorry, no intent to dis myself, the title just rhymed:) Still drenched in the flavors and sights at Hotel 21C, we ventured across the street to the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft for our afternoon with Polymer Clay. Our wonderfully talented and gregarious instructor, Lisa Simon , began by talking about the basics and showing us a few of her wonderful creations. Yes. She's the kind of teacher that makes you feel like any and everything is possible, if not in a four-hour window! Looking at the variety and complexity of her dolls was quite daunting for me though, a newcomer to clay, as well as Cassie, who is enormously creative but says she doesn't 'make art.' We started unwrapping colorful blocks of clay without a clue about the shape, appearance, personality of our creations. Rolling shapes, making beaks, bulging eyes, crazy appendages, the time passed all too quickly. Especially for Debbie (on the right, glasses on her head) who creates and exhibits Raku sculpture

First Stop - Hotel 21C

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My friend, aka art angel Debbie Westerfield , invited me to join her on a trek to Louisville for a polymer clay class, with Cassie Harpel, one of the most fabulous, sparkly women I've ever met. So incredibly in need of fun, companionship with kindred spirits, adventure and creative play, I jumped at the chance. After the hour and a half drive we started at Hotel 21C , recently in the news for being voted number one hotel in the country by Conde Naste readers (November issue). Click on the link and check out the MSNBC video with Matt Lauer. It's not hard to imagine why, though Kentucky doesn't generally top the list when it comes to vacation destinations. The first clue that you're there is the red penguin on the roof, one of the many that appear in random - often changing - locations throughout the hotel. We considered a spin in the hotel's limo, covered in red shiny dots, but got busted. Cassie is so gorgeous and charming, we were off with a warning and went in fo

Fall Giveaway!

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What's your favorite season? Read on, leave a comment and on October 31st I'll pick (randomly, of course) the winner of a seasonal box of goodies. took a walk the other day and yep, the air had that unmistakable chill, unlike a random cold snap in the summer. the leaves turning, bulbs waiting to be planted and roots going dormant for the winter that are felt more than smelled. unlike the triumphant scents of blossoms carried in the limbs of honeysuckle and rose bushes, mimosas and lilies in spring. Cats curled in nooks and tight against porch railings; I believe they, too, know it will soon be time to go inside, aside from the daily foray into the bright slant of sun that is another sign of fall. the pumpkins laugh, already, at the thought of Halloween, a wild night of surprise and celebration in our neighborhood. the mums almost look out of place, the bright color alongside the browning grass... autumn and spring are my favorite seasons, though they are the hardest on those of

Old Friends

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changing seasons old friends consider another morning, same says one, the other nods... I've been writing haiku since summer, for the first time in years (and years?). I wrote one for a challenge in Life is a Verb and it hit a nerve. I wrote a few more after completing the exercise and then a few more and the floodgates opened. I've been scribbling them in church (after the sermon of course), at traffic lights, the grocery store, in meditation and prayer for friends whose deep, troubling needs fill me with anguish. So neat, so compact, like an ATC, a small collage, a photograph... an entire story conveyed in a glance. Or, in 17 syllables. Probably for the same reason that, when I wrote fiction, I focused on the short story. Not because it's easier; anyone familiar with the mechanics of a good short story knows that it has to do the job of an entire novel in a fraction of the space. In my teens and early twenties I spent a great deal of time writing poetry and it was deepl
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Beauty in Strength In honor of her step mom, the lovely Pam Carriker is offering limited edition fine art prints from this gorgeous painting through the end of October. The buyer can then choose a second print from her print shop at a fabulous 50% off. Proceeds from this special sale will benefit the Susan G Komen Foundation. Visit her blog for more details - she said she hopes to write a generous check on November 1st! I think I'll go shopping...

haiku

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Lord make me a prism come, shatter the darkness and shine your light through me Happy Monday, hope your week is filled with meaning, creativity and light!