Today I find myself without the right words to send "out there" into the world, so I will retreat behind my lens and leave the wise words to the experts. (Remember: Just breathe...)
"Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth." -- Henry David Thoreau, Walden
"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter." -- Rachel Carson, Silent Spring
"Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn." -- John Muir, The Mountains of California
"Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting – over and over announcing your place in the family of things." -- Mary Oliver
Well, here we go again: The weathermen all predicted a veritable doomsday of a blizzard, so school was cancelled the night before, morning came and...there was barely any new snow! Somehow, this always happens on the days when I have the most to do. (Funny how that works, huh?) But I wouldn't let the snow day get the upper hand--here's how I kept the kids happily occupied, while keeping my own sanity...
1. Cooking up a creative meal together. The kids are slightly obsessed with the show "Master Chef Junior" (which I fully endorse, since it has the double-benefit of making them more helpful in the kitchen and more willing to try new foods), so we whipped up a french toast breakfast buffet, complete with pomegranates, clementines, powdered sugar, chocolate coins, and syrup. (Mornings are the one time when I don't mind if the kids eat some chocolate because it gives them a little wake-up boost but won't keep them up when it's bedtime. I just pretend that we're French, eating pain au chocolat!)
2. My son asked for a "proper camera" for his recent birthday, and we were happy to oblige! So, activity #2 involved a photo shoot of our breakfast. If your kids don't have cameras, why not lend them your phone to take some snaps?
3. Swimsuits on, bath-time for the dog! Delilah hates bath-time...
...but she loves it when we dry her off!
4. My daughter had the idea to make paper dolls. For added sturdiness, we pasted them onto cereal boxes before cutting them out, and then backed them with pretty decorative paper.
5. Legos! Need I say more?
6. Dress-up time with the grown-ups' stuff: Hats, jewelry, scarves, boots...the works!
7. Write and illustrate a book.
8. Musical instrument practice time!
9. This one involves pre-planning: When you hear forecasts for snow, make sure to hit the library for a new stash of books!
10. And finally...get out there in the snow and go wild!
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I just got back from a lovely ski weekend in Great Barrington, MA with my family. (Well, to be technical, my husband and daughter went skiing, my son went snowboarding, and I went photographing!) While I'd love to show you some pictures from the ski trip, I thought you might like a little break from all of the snow and ice lately...to take a little vicarious vacation to Hawaii!
Aside from a couple of posts featuring the work of my photography students, I've featured other photographers here only twicebefore. But I'm making an exception again, for one of my nearest and dearest friends, Michael Graziano, whom I've known since we were 16 years old, when we met at a summer arts program for high school students at Wesleyan University.
Michael and I are birds of a feather. We both grew up in Connecticut; we both lived in New York City for many years, where we were both in creative fields; and we're both crazy about the music of Neil Finn and Liam Finn (but oddly, not Tim Finn). He's one of those friends that no matter how much time passes between get-togethers, we start right up where we left off. (I love that kind of friendship, don't you?)
For the past twenty years, Michael worked at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and as its Producing Director, he helped raise millions of dollars for its charitable efforts. Last August, he decided to step down from his high-profile job and step out into the Great Unknown. I've been thoroughly enjoying his Facebook updates (let's be honest: how many friends can you say that about?), and I'm betting you'll enjoy this armchair trip, too.
The following quotes are Michael's updates from Facebook, and all of the photographs in this post are his, taken with his iPhone (all used with his permission, of course!).
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September 23, 2014: "An adventure begins this week. I am off to live in Hawaii for 4 months, volunteering at Kalani retreat on the Big Island. I'll be living in a tent, which I bought from an Italian gal who is leaving for Costa Rica. I am bringing few possessions--clothes, some good books, a journal, my good-luck necklace that I bought in Amsterdam when I was 20 years old. I will be living in the shadow of the Kilauea volcano, nature's reminder of its own awesome power. How will I be touched, humbled and changed by dangerous Pele, the ancient Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes?"
October 15, 2014: "I am making friends with some new members of the animal kingdom here in Hawaii such as this gecko. There are also the feral cats that live on the property and are very sweet. Less friendly are the wild pigs that roam around my tent at night but they scare easily. I am trying to avoid the dreaded fire ants which pack quite a sting. Sea turtles can be seen in the ocean nearby but so far they have only poked their heads and shells out of the water and not ventured onto the land. So many living things to encounter!"
October 26, 2014: "The lava approaches. We shall see what Madame Pele has in store for us this week. The closest town may have to evacuate but we are not currently in the lava path. It will likely cross the highway, though, so we will be cut off from civilization as new roads are made. The lava changes its path and rate of flow all the time so nothing is certain."
November 15, 2014: "This guy has been living in the shower stall for a few days now. Seems to be friendly so far."
December 10, 2014: "When I arrived in Puna in October, it was hot, humid and rained every day. Now that we are in the 'rainy season' of December, it is glorious with the sun shining, lower humidity, cooler nights and no rain for days. Perfect holiday weather."
December 24, 2014: "These palm trees looked to me like snowflakes against the sky. Happy Christmas Eve from Hawaii!"
January 12, 2015: "Night falls over my tent."
January 13, 2015: "Cats. There must be close to 100 feral cats on property, fed by animal-loving volunteers and whatever they can find in the jungle. These cats act like dogs, begging for food or attention. This is Wilbur."
January 17, 2015: "Sunset at Mauna Kea into the clouds at almost 14,000 feet."
January 18, 2015: "Goodbye Kalani! I depart today after 3 and a half months filled with laughter, challenge and creativity. I shaved off my beard and hair yesterday in prep for the next leg of the trip. Time for new growth. I'll be exploring the islands for the rest of the month and head to New Zealand in February. Aloha Kalani friends!"
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Safe travels, Michael, and thanks for letting me share a little part of your Hawaiian adventure here! I hope New Zealand is EVEN BETTER! xox Joy
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I now return you to your regularly scheduled weather. (How GORGEOUS were those pics?!)
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr! It's been hitting the single digits here for the past week, and everywhere I look, there's ice.
That means two things:
1. I'm walking around outdoors like I'm about 50 years older than I am, hobbling ever so sloooooowly along, so I don't wipe out. (I've done that, and it's no fun.)
2. I'm taking more pictures than ever. (I can't help it--I'm a sucker for things that sparkle!)
Confession time: I took the shot above while lying down on my stomach in the driveway (it's a photo of the ice on it). Yep, that's right, I'm crazy like that when it comes to getting the shot I want! Wet clothes can be changed whenever I come back indoors, but there are only a few precious minutes to get the right shot before the daylight changes. (Note to my photography students: Recognize the bokeh effect in the shot above?)
All of this glittery, sparkling wonderment outdoors is helping me notice things indoors that are catching the light in lovely ways, too.
Perhaps with some people, they'd just see a piece of toast and a pair of glasses, but really, it all depends on how you look at it, don't you think?
I put a vote on Facebook for my photographer friends: Should we be called "photoptomists" or "optimographers"--we of the breed who are making the best out of winter with our cameras? The vote was nearly unanimous: Photoptomists we are!
Sure, I wouldn't mind if it were a good forty degrees warmer. But right now, I'm seeing the world through very sparkly, frost-covered glasses.
How 'bout you? Are you making the best out of winter, or are you just barely muddling through? I'd love to hear!
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I hope your holiday season has been warm and wonderful so far! (Mine has involved too many cookies!) We have a caravan of relatives on the way to stay with us through the new year. Eleven of us under one roof--luckily, we all genuinely like each other! I want to give them the love and attention they deserve during their stay, so this is the last time I'll be writing to you in 2014.
I just participated in Susannah Conway's "Find Your Word." (So much fun!) She led us through five days of creatively pinpointing the one thing we most want to focus our efforts on during the year ahead. On Day 4, it finally sunk in that I needed TWO words. One that focuses inward -- contemplate -- and one that focuses outward -- radiate. And because I'm visually driven, I needed to translate my words into pictures.
For contemplate, I chose a picture of the woods behind our house because I contemplate best when I'm simply looking out at the woods, letting my thoughts wander wherever they may. I keep a sketchbook in hand to jot down whatever comes to me--pictures, words, dreams, and a fair share of nonsense. It's important for me to take time to be mindful each day, instead of rushing from one thing to the next.
For radiate, I chose a picture of ice on branches, ice being melted by the morning sun. I like the idea of light and warmth, and embodying both, sending the positive energy outwards.
So, here's my end-of-the-year wish for you: I hope that you find yourword for the year ahead, something to ground you and guide you, a little bit of magic that will lift you up and let your soul sing its sweetest note. Happy, happy, happy 2015!
One of the tricky things about having a blog is that it takes a bit of time for it to find its "friends"--the faithful readers who share your interests and your general views of the world.
As I'm heading towards the 2.5-year mark of blogging here at Joyfully Green, I'd like to say a warm "thank you!" to those of you who have been with me from the very beginning, as well as "welcome!" and "I'm so glad you're here!" to the new friends who have found my little corner of the internet. I'm really so touched by your kindness and support, and am always happy to hear from you. On that note, I got this lovely message recently at my Joyfully Green Facebook page:
I've been receiving Joyfully Green since Christmas 2012. I want to personally thank you for the beautiful, quiet photos. I am 76, still cook daily and enjoy baking new recipes. I too have been taking photos since a teenager with my Brownie. Still love the art of photography!
(It's amazing how a few kind words can lift us up, isn't it? What if we all took a little time today to send a note to somebody whose work we appreciate? Thanks, Denise, for the inspiration!)
For this weekend's round-up of Joyful Reads, I wanted to share some of my very early posts about winter and the holidays that most of you probably missed the first time around, when it was just me, my relatives, and the crickets. I hope you enjoy them!
There's something that is pure magic about the first snowfall of the year. It takes us by surprise as the first flakes start fluttering down. And then it takes us by surprise again, when it decides "to stick."
All children seem to love snow, anytime, anywhere. For adults...not so much! They grow weary of it, and fast. Last Thursday night, when it started to snow for the first time this season, both of my children headed out with cheering excitement to the back yard, in their pajamas and winter coats. Each child held up one arm high, like two Statues of Liberty, both holding a cup instead of a torch, to catch the fat flakes falling.
On Friday morning while I was taking Delilah on her walk, I saw a neighbor standing out in her driveway in her pajamas and robe, holding a coffee cup. She waved to me and called, "I just had to come outside--it looks so beautiful!" Our little corner of the world was glittering in the rising sun, and I agreed with her completely.
I'm always heart-warmed when I see a bench or a chair outside, proof that somebody thinks it's worthwhile to just sit for a while and enjoy the view. This chair was parked at a marina, with a lovely view of the boats coming and going. Of course, I also loved this particular view of the setting sun. It reminded me of one of my favorite books, The Remains of the Day, and how it ends by the seaside, after the sun has done its work.
I hope your week is full of quiet moments and beautiful views.
How are we at the end of August already?! It feels like school just ended, but it's starting again next week! Determined to soak up every last ray of summer sunshine, we started off the week by hitting the beach...
The water was already too chilly for me (but I like it bathwater temperature, so perhaps I'm not a good judge). The kids agreed it was cold, but had a good, long swim anyway.
I still remember when I was studying vocabulary words for the SAT in high school (sheesh, decades ago now!) and one of the words was "coruscate" ("to emit flashes of light; to sparkle or glitter"). I always think of the word "coruscate" when I see sunshine dancing on water...
This is how it is at the end of August here in northern New Jersey: One day, we're at the beach eating rainbow-colored snowcones, and the next, golden leaves are fluttering down from the trees. Tempus fugit, indeed.
Your turn: How are you making the most out of the last days of summer?
This week was all about entertaining and enjoying our friends, and the weather (mostly) cooperated beautifully! We dined al fresco as much as possible, taking full advantage of summertime. The wine above is called Sofia, as in Coppola, from her father's famous vineyards. The bottle is stylish and beautiful--I'm repurposing it as a vase!--and the delicious contents were gratefully consumed after a badminton mega-marathon. (Summer = badminton!)
Is there anything more idyllic than breakfast outdoors with good friends on a summer morning in the "country" (well, the suburbs...)? Just look at these fresh strawberries! I bet you can practically taste them, right?
One of the best perks of having a good friend from Paris as a houseguest: homemade crepes! Isn't this stack of deliciousness a work of art? Naturally, I wouldn't let anybody touch them until I took some pix! That's the rub when you're friends with a photographer and/or blogger--"photos before forks!" (I just made that up, but I can tell I'm going to be using it. A lot!)
The picture below, although not delicious like the previous three, also represented the week for me. Recognizing the extraordinary beauty of the entirely ordinary, like morning sunshine hitting a silver doorknob to make it glitter and gleam.
And finally, I'll close with my favorite "office view." From late spring to mid-fall (but especially in the summer), I love to work outside after breakfast, on our deck, with a view to the woods. Ideas seem to flow better with fresh air and sunshine, don't you think?
Wishing you a weekend that's full of wonderful summertime pleasures!