cleaning - thanksgiving

thankful for a short vacation to clean and rid our home of clutter.

not that we have the staff of a cruise ship, seen above, but

neither do we have the enormous space. 

the beauty of work. 
joy to you. 

glass and waterfall

wow!  remember this?  the chihuly glass sculpture grabs you when you see it, and 

 then you refocus on the lovely surroundings.  

 glass sculpture is everywhere.

what could be better?

we've visited the franklin park conservatory before,

but the beauty catches you each time - 

especially when it is snowing outside.  

thankful for beautiful places.

and for you.

happy thanksgiving!

franklin park conservatory - the hot shop

 the hands of a master glass-blower are constantly moving.  

he spins the rod while working.

 then he blows the glass.

 the artist shapes the molten glass by rolling it on a steel table, then

 spins it again in the 2,500 F furnace.

 his continually moving hands seem always in danger, 

 as you can see by his thumb in this photo,

 yet he goes from one task to the next like a well-practiced cook in the kitchen.

 the finished works look beautiful, giving no indication how impressive and dramatic their creation was.  

the glass blower has a four-year college degree in this art, and

his skill is beautiful.

if you get to columbus, ohio, see for yourself at the franklin park conservatory hot shop.

joy to you.

chihuly up close

chihuly.

watching glass being created gives one an even greater appreciation for this art.

stop by tomorrow for a demonstration by a younger glass artist.  

joy to you.

orchid - a little larger than usual

 this sculpture looks very real.

just enormous.  maybe 14 feet tall?

compelling beauty at the franklin park conservatory,

columbus, ohio.

thankful for artists.

smooth sailing

 here's to a calm pre-holiday weekend.

peace.

back in time - red river gorge

 `it's time to get outside.

the fresh air is calling.

joy to you today.

graeter's ice cream

soon our favorite ice-cream parlor will have peppermint stick ice cream.
just for the holidays.

transient beauty.
joy to you!  

another healthy option

edible beauty.

homemade cranberry with apples

 healthy food during the holiday feast time is a

beautiful thing.  

just put organic cranberries with apples and a bit of water in a pot.

add sugar toward the end, using less than you think you'll want.

you can always add more.

nutritious beauty.

sunlight..

that looks like candlelight.
here's wishing you a lovely weekend.

wednesday morning

 the first snow brought the holiday season into clear focus.

hot chocolate with breakfast and warm boots to school.

winter beauty.

joy!

still green

 our terrarium is healthy and growing in the classroom.  

the beauty of green.

joy to you.

steve mccurry - untold

 it's hard to know what to say about this book. 

 steve mccurry has been one of my favorite photographers for years.

this book answers the questions that his amazing photographs leave in your mind.  

 afghanistan,

 kashmir,

 an oil fire in kuwait, there are sections based on his travels.

 mccurry's famous national geographic photo is included, with the story

of searching for the young afghan girl years later.  she and her family agreed to 

be photographed again.  

 it's compelling.

mccurry was in nyc on september 11, 2001, working in his office by washington square park.  he could see the world trade center out the window.  after seeing smoke billowing from the windows, he ran up to the roof with a  camera.  his documenting of the event appeared in the new york times and magazines and newspapers around the world.

what stays with you is his love of regular people making the best of their circumstances.

an inspiring gift for art lovers.

amazing beauty.

sunday morning

 the time changed recently, so the sun 

 rose

 a little later than usual.

morning beauty.

joy to you!

like washing on the line

natural beauty.

joy to you!

pediatricians on screen time

 as a teacher, i see how excess screen time effects a child's behavior and achievement.  

last week the american academy of pediatrics issued a statement.

they say that excess media is associated with poor school performance, obesity, aggression, and lack of sleep.  at the same time, we live in a world of screens, so the aap recommends families make a "media plan".  

the aap wants children to have less than two hours of entertainment screen time per day, and children younger than 2 years, none at all.  

this is beautiful because it's helpful to families.  if we teach our children to use media safely and within limits, perhaps they will go outside and get some fresh air.

perhaps families can enjoy each other without a screen.

the beauty of support for children.

joy to you and your family.

leaf person

 our montessori students love nature.  

they sweep leaves and play in the woods at recess.  

some children made this leaf person on the sidewalk last week.  

i caught it with my camera before the wind swept it away.

the beauty of children. 

joy to you.

ault park pavilion

joy to you.

top 5 - the illusion of separateness

top 5 reasons to read the illusion of separateness:

5.  it's short.  at 208 pages, you can read it in a weekend.

4.  the beauty of the prose.  like poetry, your imagination builds a clear picture on spare description.  

3.  the text jumps through time, and from one character to another.  brief events happen, and the reader is unsure how or when they will connect.

2.  the characters are warm-hearted.  some are very lonely, and as the title says, their connections are invisible to them.  for the most part.

1.  events from world war II create the plot.  a baby is given to a young woman, who saves him, marries, and when he reaches school age, tells him what she knows about his background.  

highly recommended.  

i'll read it again one day soon.  

the beauty of the written word.

joy to you!  

cold with fog

here's to a beautiful november, and

peace to you this weekend.