Thanksgiving Treats

Just couldn't pass up these chocolate Thanksgiving turkeys for the grandchildren. Not one of the four basic food groups, but being a grandparent sometimes trumps good nutrition.

Art and Beauty

Been attempting the drawing exercises in Charles Bargue Et Jean-Leon Gerome: Drawing Course. The drawings in this book are to be savored.

An interview with James Langley, a teacher at Savannah College of Art and Design. A lot to ponder.

Tulla

I took this little girl along with me the other day when I went to visit the grandchildren. I wasn't altogether satisfied with the new fabric I selected: a blend of cotton and spandex. Stuffing the doll was like filling a water balloon. The spandex allowed it to stretch forever. Needless to say, she's a bit longer than was originally intended.

But the granddaughters are very forgiving and welcomed her in spite of her shortcomings. Oh, and her name. They called her Tulla. It suits her.

Unknown

Periodically my sister and I would rummage through the attic and dig out my parent's box of photos. My mother didn't quite understand our interest in family, or friends that were before our time, but she'd sit with us for awhile and share anecdotes about the ones she knew. Once my mother told us a little bit about their lives, these people were no longer unknown. They were someone.

The saints became real for me when I began reading Butler's Lives of the Saints. It's a bit like digging through that box of photos in my parent's attic. The saints encountered many of the same sufferings, hardships, and losses that families encounter in their daily walk through life, yet grace was, is, always there to see them through.