WORTH APPRECIATING

The photo of the truck and tree was taken at “Burdocks & Rust.” It’s the name of a fanciful and historical farmstead in Eldorado where we enjoyed a lovely garden walk and art show. In the photo Keith is standing in the doorway of an old wooden box car. Being an old Railroad guy, he just loved every sliver of it.

We were excited to see work by two of Keith’s favorite local artists, Pat Reiher and Barbara Bellmer. The art was primarily exhibited inside the outbuildings. Wonderful!

The people that created and shared this beautiful treasure are artists in their own right. Thank you, Bob and Julie Kissinger, whoever you are. I may never meet you, but I will always remember your home.

WORTH PAINTING

This month’s painting by Keith is this watercolor of a rusty truck in keeping with the “Burdocks and Rust” ambience. It hangs in our dining room and is one of his dreams — to find a rusty old truck in a farmer’s field for next to nuthin’. He found this one at Gordon Reveling’s farm outside Marshfield, but bought the Model A instead. If he can’t have it, he paints it.

Sorry for the shadow from the frame. Keith is mowing the lawn so I thought I’d try to snap this painting on my own. I have so many reasons to appreciate him.

WORTH SWAPPING

For more years than I can remember, we have been changing the colors in our yard each and every month by swapping out cushions, chair pads, flowers, and decorations. Keith and I know the value of a place in our personal history — how much we enjoy seeing old photos of places and things from our earlier life, especially our childhood.

”Look at those bee boxes, they are just like my grandpa’s.”
”My grandma used to have gladiolas like that along her garage.”
”Oh, wow! That’s just like that antique wheelbarrow we played with.”

Those are all things we’ve said to each other and countless more. Places and things tickle our memories and rekindle old feelings of happiness. Keith and I are both nostalgic people and assume everyone else is to one degree or another. Here’s my idea…

I am taking a small collection of photos of our house exterior each month and organizing them into a little storybook for my family. I think maybe I’ll do a video of interior decor too, the things that are iconic to them. We have lived in the same house for over forty years so the concept of “Granny & Paw” has become more than two people. We are also a “place” in the minds of our children and grandchildren.

I so wish we had something like this from our parents and grandparents. And I am so grateful photographs are limitless and free and digital. For all the war, pandemics, and political upheaval, it is still a magical time to be alive, and it’s worth remembering the places of our past.

WORTH DRAWING

A Ketubah is a marriage contract, written in both English and Hebrew, and signed by the bride, groom, and rabbi. Our daughter and her fiancée are having a traditional Jewish wedding in a few weeks, and Keith was honored to be asked to draw the background for their Ketubah. It is customary to feature a tree which symbolizes the family. The roots represent the ancestors and leaves represent the children. This photo shows the drawing at about the halfway mark. (You’ll note our grandkids aren’t the only ones who enjoy drawing at our kitchen table).

WORTH READING

Susan is my friend from high school. She is as saintly a person as I have ever met and a devout Christian. I feel her love of Jesus in her presence, her words, her breath. She lives quite a distance away, but we met for lunch at the halfway point. She is the kind of person that wants to know the deepest parts of you. And there’s few things I love more than sharing different perspectives on god, life, and its meaning in the 21st century. We talked for hours.

She surprised me with a gift — this book. It is one of the best daily readers I’ve ever read (well, still reading, actually). I was first introduced to C.S. Lewis when I was a teenager by my mother who shared excerpts from his book “Mere Christianity.” I was later introduced to “Screwtape Letters” by the Sisters of St. Agnes at a silent retreat I attended. I was hooked. Susan couldn’t have made a better book choice for me. You may know C.S. Lewis as the author of the children’s classic The Chronicles of Narnia. I love my new book. I love the author. I love his exceedingly brilliant mind. And, most of all, I love Susan. I hope you have a friend like her. Not a “let’s go shopping” or “let’s get together for a cook-out” friend. But someone who asks with all the love her heart can hold, “how is it with your soul?”

“We are mirrors whose brightness is wholly derived from the sun that shines upon us.” - C.S. Lewis

WORTH SWEATING

My daughter Mollie was prepping her home for realtor photos so it could be placed on the market. My sister Carey and I volunteered to help. Little did we know it would be super hot and humid. Even so, we worked like dogs, raking, sweeping, moving furniture, staging, cleaning, but mostly sweating. The list of things to do seemed never-ending.

Worth it! Mollie treated us to a Thank You lunch at one of our favorite spots where we cooled down, slammed fluids, and ate too much. Good thing she’s a nurse. Carey and I are getting too old for hard labor. (At least that’s our story for next time).

WORTH ZOOMING

I sure enjoy the virtual Artist Talks at museums around the world (if they are in English). I want to share with you a special experience with Amy Sherald (bottom), the painter of the audacious Obama portraits (National Portrait Gallery). An extra bonus - Michelle Obama joined the Zoom call! It was moderated by Thelma Golden, chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem.

See more portraits by Amy Sherald HERE.

Our discussion was mostly about Michelle’s portrait, the controversy, and her dress. The artist was inspired by the quilts made by the women of Gee’s Bend in Alabama. Beginning in the late 19th century, the women in this isolated community began creating these works of art from recycled scraps of fabric in unheated shacks with no running water or electricity. The quilts are notable for their abstract asymmetrical compositions, which are very different from the geometric regularity of traditional American quilts. “Hailed by the New York Times as “some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced,” Gee’s Bend quilts constitute a crucial chapter in the history of American art and today are in the permanent collections of over 20 leading art museums.”

See the beautiful quilts created by the women of Gee’s Bend HERE.

No matter who we are, where we are, and what scraps we have to work with, we can make art and give creative expression to the song in our soul. We may even bless generations after us as the women of Gee’s Bend have done.

Little girls all over America seem to be awestruck by the portrait. Some even think Michelle is a queen. Many girls have declined the whole set of Disney princesses, and opted to dress-up as Michelle for Halloween. Regardless of politics, I think we can agree it is lovely for little children to have role models who include them in the Great American Story.

WORTH CHEERING

This morning, I baked some cinny rolls and wrapped them in foil, hot out of the oven. We scampered to Roosevelt Park along the lake outside of town where I drizzled the warm rolls with cream cheese frosting - a Sunday treat at one of our favorite places. But it’s a special day in Fond du Lac, and we had the best seats in the house as we watched the cyclists fly by on the final leg of their 88 mile journey around Lake Winnebago. It is the greatest sound ever - the whirring of the wheels and pedals. I love it. I tried repeatedly to get a good photo but was too slow every single time. I included these two that someone else photographed at last year’s race, but let’s all pretend I got the shot. (I’ll try to do better next time).

WORTH FIGHTING OVER

We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary yesterday. We decided, since we’ve managed to stay married for five decades, we could probably share an iPad without killing each other. It is our gift to ourselves along with an art app for him and a cartooning app for me. We’re most excited to have the Apple Pencil. We’re feeling much fun ahead, but we may have overestimated our affection. We each say, “Are you done with my iPad yet?” Uh-oh.

Because we cancelled our party plans (Delta) , we spent our anniversary alone with the exception of a surprise visit last evening from Maggie and her family. They dropped off this huge ice cream cake (Oreo) which would take two people weeks to eat. I couldn’t fit it in the freezer. They had “our love song” from when we were just 17 blasting on portable speakers, and we all danced and danced while they lit off fireworks. It was magnificent. Just like the marriage.

"I can’t see me lovin’ nobody
but you for all my life."

— Happy Together performed by Frank Zappa
Live at the Fillmore East - 1971
This is “Our Song” from back in the day - click to listen