Birthdays

Our granddaughters' birthdays are this month and one of the many things they enjoy doing is cooking with their mother. Flour and chocolate do have a way of finding their way out of the bowl, so maybe these will come in handy.

This was an easy apron pattern; the more involved ones will be good for Christmas. And I believe the kerchiefs will fit. When the girls would visit us, they found it humorous to dress up wearing the couch arm-covers as a headpiece. I checked the kerchief measurements against those. Odd reference material, but they sure came in handy.

Partings

We've been spending as much time as we can with our grandchildren and family before they leave New England. Two of our children are moving a distance away: job changes.

One of our daughters has already moved and with her went this study of Saint Michael. She has always had a devotion to him and it occurred to me that the desire to paint him had been placed in my heart for her journey. Knowing the picture was with her gave me peace of mind as it reminded me that God is present no matter where, or how far we venture.

And now our second daughter's move is one that we struggle with. Saint Therese, the Little Flower, so poignantly expressed it when she said that "life is constant partings." In reading scripture this morning I took solace in this verse: "Behold I will send my angel before thee, and keep thee in thy journey, and bring thee into the place that I have prepared."

May God give us the grace we need to understand his Holy will.

Bus Stop

Something about sitting in the coffee shop window on a rainy day and looking out at the bus stop is much like being immersed in a Dickens' novel. And how I would love for him to have been there to tell me the name he would give to each and how all would fit into his novel.

Treetops

Climbing the large firs on the island was a favorite pastime for many of the neighborhood children. If someone was willing to let you stand on his back to reach the bottom limbs, you were on your way to the top.

And being at a level with the church steeple and surveying the neighborhood from such heights changed your perspective of the world. There was a sense of justice about it all--we may not have been given wings for soaring, but did have feet for climbing.

Friend or Foe

I don't mind being a Gulliver when confronting the insect kingdom. Under a microscope, this little creature's red eye appears as ferocious as any dragon's. Must admit, his bubble lair certainly is more approachable than a smoke filled cave.

If he meandered into Lilliput, would he be considered friend or foe?

Another Beginning

I selected one of a number of drawings I worked on of Saint Michael and will copy it to the board. And yes, I've resorted to claybord once again. I seem to be stuck in claybord mode and thought I'd try a head study, such as those you'll see over at Whistling Trains Flicker, before a three-quarter image on gessoed board.

My teacher told our class that he had spent three months practicing the calligraphic-type brushstrokes, integral to icons, before actually being allowed to paint an icon. I couldn't imagine why it would take three months to perfect such strokes, but after watching him freehand a perfect circle, and then trying it myself.... Well, better a humble beginning, than no beginning at all. And if all else fails, there is a compass : )

Time

I made my second trip to the Museum of Russian Icons--this time with a camera and notebook. Fifteen minutes before closing, I realized I hadn't taken any notes, or pictures. Not surprising really, because when you're among icons, time just "is."

An icon is a window where the earthly and the Divine meet. It is not meant to represent an external reality, but a spiritual reality. And maybe that's why I lost track of time, and why I feel the need to return.