Flower Power, part 1

I was having some fun with ze frank's flower maker. Here's what I came up with:

'Pastel Petals'





'viva'

Speaking of flowers...
The Daily Weaving blog had a recent post about Artists and flowers, see it here. It's about a public art project in Charleston, WV. I like good graffiti. It reminded me of the Lizards on the Loose public Art project Orlando, Florida, did in 2008.

Song Memory, then off on a tangent...Nature Boy

I was thinking about a loved one who has had a long and difficult struggle with substance abuse, and now, mental health issues. There is a song that will occasionally remind me of this person, and it's called Nature Boy. (Actually there are a few songs, but for today, it's this one.) As a little girl I recall my father listening to Nat King Cole's beautifully somber version (see here). While I was looking up the song online I discovered something I didn't know. The song was written by Eden Ahbez, who was quite a fascinating character. The song is incredible and has become a standard covered by a variety of artists.

Lukewarm

I absolutely savor my morning coffee, that quiet hour with a delicious beverage is one of my favorite times of day. However, unlike everyone else, I don't mind when my coffee becomes lukewarm. On cold days I enjoy it hot, and I like it iced in the afternoon, but really my favorite way to drink my coffee is when it's just warm. I relish it as I sip it and as it gets down to room temperature during the course of my morning routine. But that is not what this blog entry is about. I just said all of that as a background and a way of explaining what comes next.

Gradually over the past 2 years the following Bible verse has been on my radar, and has really been understood by me as never before.

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Rev. 3:16

God is speaking to a Church that He is not pleased with. I understand the rest of the passage but this sentence has always puzzled me a bit. Perhaps, it's obvious to others but it wasn't to me. Since becoming a Christian I suppose I was always a little perplexed with this verse, because for me a lukewarm beverage isn't bad. Then, I never really understood why the Lord would rather have people hot or cold towards Him. Seems like He would only want them 'hot', as in passionate towards Him. And that those who were "cold" would be those who were indifferent or rejecting of Him. And why would he prefer even that than those who were 'warm/lukewarm' towards Him?

Well, it would seem I was missing the understanding altogether, because that is not what this verse is saying.

In the context of the times, one has to realize the importance of water. Cold, fresh water or hot water (either via springs or boiled) both have importance in the health of people. In ancient times, as today, lukewarm water is a breeding ground for disease. God wants His followers to be like fresh, cold water or like hot healing mineral springs, if you will, not like warm stagnant pools where bacteria and mosquitoes thrive, and can bring harm. I totally did not get this concept for years.

Lord, help me to be like cold, refreshing water to those who are thirsty; and help me to be like hot and healing mineral springs to people who are hurting and weary. Jesus was like that.

Let My Love Open The Door

I don't know why I like the song as much as I do, but I do. It's sweet, vulnerable and a tiny-little-bit blue. Can you imagine Jesus singing this song to all of us? I can.

Are New Yorkers More Rude Than Others?

Not in my limited experience! I know that it is a fairly common perception that New Yorkers can be brusque, brash and bold, and yes downright rude, but that is just not the case. I found them to be pleasant and helpful overall. One kind woman from a fashionable boutique directed us to another nearby store that sold umbrellas. She did this during a rain shower, and went out of her way to come outside to tell us - we were huddled under a nearby awning. That little incident was typical of our experience. Things moved at a faster pace, but that does not equal rudeness in most cases. Any rudeness we encountered was incidental and no more or no less that we'd observe anywhere.

On a side note, I did observe that subway cars, as crowded as they are, are unusually quiet, even when full. See, I think in the South folks would be chatting, even strangers. But that brings me to another observation. The pervasive use of texting on cell-phones and ear-buds in MP3 players has moved our human communication and interaction into another dimension.

Above photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/gustty/

How I Eat A Cupcake

I was a child's Birthday Party this weekend an ate my cupcake in my preferred fashion. I would describe it myself, but blogging actor Jorge Garcia has it nicely described and illustrated HERE on his old blog, so go over there and check it out. I was delighted when I read his entry several months ago and discovered that I was not the only one who does this. I kinda just started doing it on my own a few years ago. I especially like to do it with bakery made cupcakes as opposed to homemade ones. The bakery ones usually have more frosting and by making my cupcake into a sandwich, it seems to balance out the sweetness for me. If you try it and like it, let me know.


cupcake photo by shilelle

Scents and the City

Sometime in the beginning of the summer a co-worker asked me where I was going on my vacation, and I replied New York City. Then, that person said something like, "Oooh, it smells really bad there." I took notice of that because I consider myself to be a little more sensitive than the average person to smells. Big Daddy says I have a bionic nose.

I arrived in New York on a Tuesday afternoon, and was soon on a walk around the neighborhood and through a small part of Central Park. I was delighted that my co-worker's critique of The City smell was not my experience. For a GREAT BIG CITY, New York did pretty well smell-wise. The neighborhood of our hotel, The Upper West Side, smelled pretty good, thanks in no small part to lush and lovely Central Park. I often found myself catching a whiff of something woodsy that reminded me of my youthful summers in Pennsylvania. There were also the smells of food from the various restaurants and street vendor carts. That was nice.

It seemed to me that garbage was collected every night, which amazed me. Our garbage is picked up twice a week, but in a city that size, it would have to be daily. So occasionally one caught the smell of garbage, and somewhere around Times Square I caught a strong stench of urine, but it was only once and then it was the weekend and the City was busier.

Even the fuel exhaust in the Subway tunnels was not as overpowering and unpleasant as I thought it might be. New York smells fine to me. But I have to admit, for the first time I enjoyed the stinky mangrove smell that hit me as we were driving back to our Keys home. It was fun to go away and then it was good to be back.