Roll with the Punches and Live in the Moment

Work in Progress -- Black-eyed Junco  Oil on Canvas (white marks / edits)

I completed reading the book: “A Shoemaker’s Wife” by Adriana Trigiani; a delightful tale which takes place in the Alps of Italy. I was intrigued by this story having traveled to this area and experienced the beauty and the people of that region first hand.

I wrote down the advice given to the young bride, a key character in the story, because I knew it was a golden nugget of truth: “Don’t worry about bad things that haven’t happened yet. It will save you a lot of anxiety.”

We all tend to worry about the things we fear and the events that we suspect are inevitable. We waste time and effort fretting about those things that we cannot control most of which never happen. If we followed the advice of the author, and stopped worrying about “bad things that haven’t happened (or may never happen), we’d be a lot better off.

I was told this was a walnut tree, but they don't develop a real nut???

I’m reminded of an experience I had years ago when I was in charge of a Hawaiian dinner that was being held outdoors. On the ground, we had colorful cushions placed around lengths of white butcher paper that served as a table cloth. Fresh flowers adorned the paper at intervals. Barbecue grills were set up for cooking, and leis were given out to each guest.

A former resident from Hawaii provided music and dancing while the food was cooking. What could go wrong? And then a rain storm moved in quickly and forced us inside. We pulled the barbecue grills under the eaves, gathered our cushions, flowers, and table adornments indoors and improvised things from there.

Initially, I thought I might come “unglued” and fall apart the stress was so great, but I didn’t. With the help of others who pitched in to help, we ended up having a glorious time. I learned how important it is to be adaptable. When fear and a crisis threaten to shake your sanity and your coping mechanisms, go with the flow. Roll with the punches and deal with one crisis at a time. Of course, a sense of humor never hurts either.

If you can identify this tree / nut, please give me feedback!

I was amazed and grateful at how forgiving other people can be in a crisis and how willing to pitch in and help when the “going gets rough.”

This is a close up of the "pod" as it grows on the tree; notice the shape of the leaves.

Being flexible and adaptable reminds me of the principle behind a rubber band. It’s a simple tool that we use all the time to bind things together. It will stretch and adapt as needed; but only to a point. Its flexibility may be tested if pushed too far. When we press it beyond its capability, a rubber band will snap. But it will expand and grow if we ease it slowly and carefully; a simple lesson in how to adapt in a crisis.

Another "work in progress" with editing marks; 11 x 14 oil on canvas

Green and Mean or Kermitesque?

Long before the words: “Feng Shui” or its premise came to America, I was the Queen of Green; a nature lover at heart and most alive when outdoors or surrounded by green and earthy wood tones. I experienced first-hand the effects of green as a healer and stabilizer.

In the 70’s, I was the first one on board with my olive shag carpet, my polyester green pant suit, and my olive green appliances. Back then, “going green” meant you colored your life with the stuff. Recycling was still an idea in some hippie’s head, and hadn’t caught on yet.

Unlike my mother, I had to earn my current green thumb through trial and error. I killed more African Violets with kindness than I care to admit. But I was a whiz kid at philodendrons and spider plants, and I was determined to fill every sunlit corner of our home with living color. When silk plants made their début, I breathed a sigh of relief and dotted my interior spaces with no-brainer color.

My mother still held her own, bragging about her 10 year old violet, and a philodendron that was musically speaking: “15 going on 16.” She teased me about my menagerie of “fake,” and dubbed me the “flower” lady. But I wasn’t intimidated. I still held my own as the green queen with yards of olive green carpeting the floors, adorning the kitchen, and draped and hung over every inch of my avocado loving body.

In this blog I’m sharing some of my green and blue-green paintings with you.

The color green means perseverance, patience, growth and healing. Green is related to work, wealth, and career. In my opinion, green is nature at its best.

A photo of an anhinga that inspired my next watercolor painting and “work in progress” is included below. Remember the watercolor is still in its preliminary stages.

Pelicans in the Jaws of Disaster

Brown pelicans, once endangered, are now at risk again; this time from the BP oil spill. Like many of you, I am sickened by the photos coming out of the Gulf.

Brown pelicans also battle for survival with fishermen who call them “pesky” and compete with them for some of the same fish. Many of these anglers carelessly leave their fish lines behind tangled in the mangroves, estuaries and waterways where pelicans live and breed. Some of these birds succumb in a fatal death struggle to escape the lines wrapped around their wings and feet.

I have observed these fascinating birds; painted them and drawn them. They may be awkward on land, but their patterns in flight are elegant and graceful. Their feeding dives are ruthless and straightforward when they spot a mullet’s scales shimmering beneath the water’s surface.

Living near the coastal waters of Southern Florida, I not only worry about the pelicans, but the other wildlife that abound here: sea turtles currently nesting on our beaches, herons, egrets, ibis, gulls, wading birds, dolphins, manatees, alligators, crocodiles and countless other seabirds and animals. I’m afraid the oil may reach our shores, and it could be deadly for them and to the hundreds of brown pelicans that call these waters home.

Our fabulous seafood, harvested, caught, and eaten in our wonderful restaurants, our entire way of life will slowly and steadily come to a screeching halt if we don’t find a way to stop this man-made disaster. Yet, all it seems we can do is pray.

You may want to read my article: “Mangroves at Risk—an Oily Predicament” by Carol Allen Anfinsen at http://blogz.org/