A local bookstore has a street display of used books…bins for perusing
and inspiration. One of them today was filled with children’s books. I was
taken decades back to the time when I was given the incredible gift
of reading. Reading
was always central in our house. Well, that and programs on the big Philco
radio. But, every day there were books and magazines and time for reading. I am
filled with gratitude each time I see a child literally immersed in a story in
a book.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
Small Stone: January 20, 2014
I did not take a photo of the little girl with the iguana.
I woke up feeling out of sorts today. I simply needed to snap out of it.
First, a beautiful cloud reflection of the sunrise just beyond one of my
favorite trees down the block. Then, I went for a happy walk ─ looking for only
things that were upbeat. They were everywhere. A young Latina was sitting on her front stoop in the
sun holding her iguana. Both totally content. I had never noticed an outrageous
plaster pig on a balcony. I laughed. A beautiful street-side planter filled with
succulents was in bloom with a marvelous yellow flower. And, then turning the
corner by the playground, I heard a chorus: cheerily
cheer-up cheerio….the song of the American Robin. A flock was enjoying the
last rays of sun on this very warm day…and singing to me. And, their song cheerily cheer-up cheerio is exactly the
message I was looking for today.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Small Stone: January 19, 2014
I simply chose a cloud picture from my files for today. To document the interaction with a photo would have been invasive, or beside the point.
As I walked along the edge
of the park this afternoon, two very young gay men were walking ahead of me.
They were obviously enjoying being together and one reached for the
other’s hand ─ such a common show of affection. There was a moment of embarrassed
hesitation. What was so clear is how both did not know if it was ok to for
two men to make an innocuous public statement. It was disconcerting and painful
to see. I have thought for some hours now about how we are socialized to withhold
the expression of even the most basic and loving gestures. And, how standards of disapproval
and rejection sometimes underlie fulfillment in human interaction.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Small Stone: January 18, 2014
The artist gives us a Madonna
and child figure, but perhaps in a burqa? An anti-war statement with the halo
framed with “no war”. And, a tear in the eye of the Madonna figure. This message
meant so much to the artist that she has attached this large painting to the
front of her house for all to consider. Very powerful and enigmatic. Still dealing
with the enigma, but thinking of what issues would prompt me to make such a
public statement. It would not have been a question in my youth!
Friday, January 17, 2014
Small Stone: January 17, 2014
We take a lot of ribbing
here that every conversation ends in talking about food and restaurants. This
year, they all seem to end in a discussion of the lack of rain and the severity
of the historic drought. After a phone conversation with a friend about the
dire circumstances our environment is experiencing, I was walking in a nearby
neighborhood, still focused on the future. I turned a corner and this little
blast of Spring brought me back to the present. Of course, that is the goal of the Mindful Writing Challenge. And, this
photo says “This is the present. Enjoy!”
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Small Stone: January 16, 2014
It seems that absolute
precision is required in so much that we do today. The digital age has brought
an exactness that was never achievable…seemingly. My great love of letter press
printing has required enough precision to be able to set type, set up a
printing block and turn out nicely done printing. Beautiful, but not at
millimeter specifications. This much used and loved “furniture” is part of the
press work in setting up type for printing. We often use wood blocks that help
keep it all in place. I think they are beautiful…and precise enough for me.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Small Stone: January 15, 2014
The first picture is a Denver Square; second: San Francisco Victorian; third: a 1915 store front; fourth: an art deco apartment building; fifth: a 2013 street side mural. All of the San Francisco buildings are within three blocks of my house.
In my childhood Denver , I thought of “architecture”
as the buildings I knew well─ the Denver
Square . Solid, built of brick and with almost no
adornment. But, now I live in city where there is a long tradition of
ornamental architecture. I wonder what a child growing up in my current
neighborhood takes in as their “standard” of architectural style. So very
diverse, it must have a life long impact on creativity.
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