Shadow and Light - Elaine Badgley Arnoux (Excerpt)

Here's a brief 8 minute (the entire documentary is less than 30 minutes) clip of the short film, "Shadow and Light - Elaine Badgley Amoux." I thought it was a fascinating look at a great female artist. I especially love her quote, "that she was old when she was young and did not become young until she was old." Let's all be forever young (to quote Bob Dylan, another wise soul).

Day 253. Stretch Armstrong Brain

Does anyone remember those "Stretch Armstrong" toys from the late '70's and early '80's?  You could pull his arms and legs for days and then he would spring back into shape.  His body had a heavy, doughy feel, and not unlike a rising loaf, you could press your finger into his chest, making an indentation, and it would slowly fill in back into place.  (My childhood neighbor, Shawn Flannery and his friend, once pulled it so far that his appendages did actually break off--not an easy thing to do.)

Anyway, that's what I need to do to my brain right now.  You see, I'm thinking about something, some thoughts of mine about Bob Dylan, Kurt Cobain, Brittany Spears, and Miley Cyrus.  I don't have it completely thought out--I don't have my "brain" wrapped around exactly what I want to say or I haven't thought about it deeply enough yet.  That's why I need a "Stretch Armstrong" brain right now.  I need to pull it, stretch it around these thoughts so I can be clear.

I once told a friend from long ago, Lisa K., that I sometimes would just like the time to meditate on a single word or a single sentence.  To dive deeply into what something really means.  So maybe that's the case here--not just time to pull my hands around gray matter, but the time to do it.

Here's one of those fabulously cheesy commercials from way back when:  Stretch Armstrong and Stretch Monster!

Day 195. Wild Flowers and Hypnotized by Bob Dylan (SOLD)

Last year over the 4th of July, it was so hot with long days touching their fingertips on 100 degrees.  I didn't go anywhere and watched Alice in Chain's phenomenal "Unplugged" special on MTV in a cold, darkened room.

This year we gratefully didn't have that extreme heat, but I was still inside.  The last two weeks I could feel myself coming down with something which culminated with me Saturday night at Walmart's Fast Care for a sinus and ear infection.  There was one benefit to staying close to home and trying to get some rest--I could take my time playing with my paints.

Here's something I did over a 3-day period.  I just left it on my desk, and each day I would add a little something to it after I was done painting on something else.  The time it took to add all the little detail with acrylic and India ink was helped by my being hypnotized by Bob Dylan.

Bob.  I'll have to write more about him another time.  Suffice it to say, I think he's a genius.  The words, people.  Listen to the words.  I've seen him in concert more times than I can count, and it's true that at this point in his career his voice is shredded.  However, on his albums, his voice is still able to clearly deliver his message.

Below are three favorites I listened to that kept me in a suspended state of dotting my finger and leftover paint to watercolor paper and drawing very sloooooooowly.  At this point, the links are no longer working, but still, it's so worth it if you hunt them out for yourselves.  Listen to those repeating melodies meandering slowly behind the story, mandolin and fiddle luring you into mystery worlds.

From "Tempest"  "Scarlet Town"

From "Modern Times" "Ain't Talkin'"

From "Time Out of Mind" "Highlands"
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmhoa5_bob-dylan-highlands_music#.UdrTKb4o6ic


Alice in Chains- "Unplugged" from MTV

Day 56 Feline Gas Emissions-Brussels Sprout Style

For our recent anniversary, my husband and I headed to Wisconsin for a couple of concerts (Bob Dylan and Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits was one) and an art show.  We always take our cat, Norman, along on overnight trips, because he needs 2 insulin shots a day.

Here is Norman's story.  Kenny had been leaving food outside for him for some time.  One snowy November night in 2004, K. was lying on the couch recovering from surgery when he heard scratching in the food bowl outside. He opened our door, and there was Norman.  We had never been able to get close to him, but this time he came in from the snowy cold.  Now Norman is a BIG cat.  The biggest one we personally have come across--not just heavy (top weight was 23 lbs.), but, long legs/big-bodied overall.  We could feel bumps on top of his head and around his eyes, which we later found out were a spray of shots from a BB-gun.  We ended up having 9 BBs removed--incredibly, none had hit his huge, beautiful green eyes.  Anyway, that's the sad part.  The happy part is, we had him in our possession when we realized he had diabetes, and he is now healthy, happy, lazy, and incredibly spoiled.

AND, apparently, GASEOUS!  As we were driving along in our little truck, Kenny with coffee in hand and I with book, we suddenly smell the absolute worse smell!  Here's how it went down.

 

Kenny:  "Did you fart?"
Me:  "No, did you?"
Kenny:  "No..."
Kenny and I simultaneously:  "NORMAN!"
Me:  "It smells like Brussels Sprouts!  Since when do cats fart?  We're sooooo lucky!"

Actually, we're very lucky to have Norman...just not his gas bombs!

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 Norman in the hotel room: