Absence

My new photography class presents numerous challenges. First is to find fifteen minutes a day to meditate, or think about nothing. I admitted to the instructor that I don't have a quiet mind, and to date, I've failed that assignment outright. Another is to create a journal of sorts; not one that records the minutia of my days, but records those fleeting moments of interest or inspiration. Again, failed.

My first photography assignment includes (but is not limited to) the challenge of responding to a Pablo Neruda poem, Absence. I happen to be quite fond of Neruda's poetry, particularly his Ode to Common Things, not just because of the poems themselves, but also because of the exquisite drawings that accompany each poem. But I wasn't sure how to approach Absence.

Absence

I have scarcely left you
When you go in me, crystalline,
Or trembling,
Or uneasy, wounded by me
Or overwhelmed with love, as
when your eyes
Close upon the gift of life
That without cease I give you.

My love,
We have found each other
Thirsty and we have
Drunk up all the water and the
Blood,
We found each other
Hungry
And we bit each other
As fire bites,
Leaving wounds in us.

But wait for me,
Keep for me your sweetness.
I will give you too
A rose.

Michelle Featherstone - Coffee and Cigarettes

How's your week going, folks? I'll be honest; this has been One. Wild. Ride. For Me. So I thought I'd find something a cathartic for you (and me) to watch. I hope to see you back here next week. Have a lovely weekend!

Worthington Mansion

"Let's go for a short drive." my husband said to me Sunday morning. (Music to my ears!) So, we ambled down State Route 23, looking for inspiration until we came to Thomas Worthington's 1807 mansion in Adena, Ohio. Well, it's more than a mansion; actually, it's more of a sprawling estate with servants quarters, a farm, a spring house, a tenant house, and flower and kitchen gardens. We took the requisite tour of the mansion itself and then began wandering about the extensive property. When we came to the barn, I noticed goats and mules. I made my way to them with my camera and began shooting. This 'short drive' had become a day's commitment and I knew my time was running out.

"Hey look, a kitten," my husband said. Yeah right, I wasn't going to fall for that one again. "Liar." I said, without turning around. "No, really." he insisted. So I turned around and there was this black kitten trotting towards me. I picked him and he began purring. And purring. Interrupted by purring. I put him down after a while, but he only followed me everywhere I went.

You know that if I'd had my big tote bag, he would have totally come home with me ...

White Springs, West Virginia

 

Those of you who know me well, know that I went to this place a few years
ago, and I had the distinct pleasure of visiting it again for a few days' stay.
Actually, we stayed with some lovely people who own a home perched atop
a mountain at the foothills of the Alleghenies. And oh, it is such a stunning place!
I won't bore you with the details of my peach-infused milk bath, my radiance
facial or my strawberry salt massage, but rest assured, I came home polished
and rejuvenated. If you are not in the habit of taking special care of yourself,
I recommend you start making a habit of it. You can't be beautiful to others if
you don't treat yourself beautifully first!

Florence & The Machine - Dog Days are Over

I'm giving you a little music early again because I'm packing up to go on another mini-vacation with some special ladies. This time I'm headed south where the dog days are not entirely over, and I can drink in the last few drops of summer.



Enjoy the frenzy!

Vermont: What We Did

When I was in Vermont, I didn't eat the whole time. No, we did many other things. We solved the world's problems at the breakfast table. We put mud on our faces and established the Sisterhood of the Painful Facial. (Dead sea mud is loaded with salt ... do you know what that will do to your upper epidermal layer?)

And we started our Bucket Lists, a challenge I've been a little intimidated by. Among our life goals:

Win an academy Award

Write a book

Visit Tibet

Spend a week in Paris

Take a long bike ride, visiting every US state

Spend a month in India

Can you guess which is mine?

Vermont: The Culture & Nature Issue

When you say 'Vermont', people often think of green mountains and crystal clear lakes, which is quite accurate, actually. So writing about Vermont's micro-culture and natural attributes in one post is no stretch. It isn't just the landscape that gives Vermont it's reputation. Vermonters care about their state, and this ethic is passed from one generation to the next. You will not see bottles and cans on the roadside because that doesn't make for a thriving tourist industry, and it helps that the state has had a recycling program in place for decades.

My mother was an environmentalist before the term was invented. She collects her coffee grounds and potato peels because they make for good garden fertilizer. Victory Gardens never fell out of vogue here. It isn't so much a political or environmental statement; when you can eat like a king out of your own back yard, why wouldn't you? 'Eat local' is a term born out of necessity when it takes three hours to travel seventy-five miles. While, yes, there are numerous grocery stores in my home town, there's a special satisfaction from growing fruits and vegetables out of rich soil, and knowing what went into growing them. And many of the finer restaurants tap local farmers for their choicest ingredients.

You won't find a lot of health clubs in the Northeast Kingdom. Instead, you will find kayaks, canoes, ski slopes, hiking and biking trails. Vermont has the third lowest obesity rate in the United States, so they might be onto something.

On the northern border, you will find the signs are in both English and French. To look in the phone book would reveal a heavy French-Canadian population since so many families moved here from Canada, as my parents' families did. You needn't listen for long before you hear the dialect of French called 'Joielle', an older dialect that was isolated when the French Voyageurs and fur traders moved to Canada.

In Vermont, the pace is slower, and you can feel your busy mind relaxing a bit after just a day here. If you fail to adapt, you risk the gentle chiding of being called a 'flatlander'.

If you've never visited Vermont, why not?

Vermont: The Food Issue

While in Vermont, I ate beautifully ...

My mother's and sister's gardens are both wildly prolific due to the perfect summer they've had. There was a fine showing of heirloom tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, pumpkins and herbs. I considered grabbing a few things, but thought about how I would explain to airline security what I was doing with a soccer ball sized butternut squash in my luggage.

My brother-in-law, Louis, makes a storied corn chowder. I only eat corn chowder when he makes it because others just don't measure up.

The correct way to grill corn; soak it in water for a few hours, throw it in the coals with the shuck on to retain moisture and let the sweetness blossom. Enjoy.

This is what beets look like when you don't buy them in a can.

My mother has raspberry, blackberry and blueberry bushes growing behind the house. I make a batch of preserves with my mother every time I visit. If you have ever smelled raspberries cooking on the stove, then you know one of life's greatest pleasures.

My sister, Carol, has mastered the fine art of Middle Eastern eggs, which she made for breakfast for the whole family every morning. Paired with spicy Arabic coffee, what better way can you start the day?

They - Jem

Hi friends, I'm still trying to get caught up after my mini-vacation and I have a number of pretty exciting projects I'm working on that I'll share at some point.

Do you feel it? It's in the air ... the sky seems bluer, the grass greener. Autumn is here!  I'm actually pretty excited about cashmere sweaters and boots. I think it's time to plan a trip to Malibar Farms for a hay ride.

What are you planning?