I have been out on the bicycle nearly every Tuesday that it hasn't rained since the beginning of September.
We meet at a shopping center, where I leave my car. Others ride to the gathering. Then we ride the trails for an hour or two, then we stop for coffee for an hour. I'd like to say that I am getting to know The Woodlands, but some of the trails go off behind houses, and I have no sense of where we are at those times.
MapMyRide does not always pick up my route, but I am just getting used to it, so I probably am not pushing the right buttons!
Today, I also rode home from the coffee klatch...which means the car is still at the shopping center.
I rode 20 miles today, all told.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
It's a Frame Up
We nearly finished painting the living room outside walls. We ran out of paint with about eight square feet to go. The color is wonderful, especially with the glossy white woodwork. I hope an additional quart will match adequately.
I was able to shorten the glass curtains for two of the windows, hanging both but looping one upon itself while it waits for the corner cabinet to be put together. The striped curtains still need to be hemmed, but now that the wall is painted, it will be a pleasurable task one of these evenings. OK, several of these evenings.
We have put the illusions frames on paintings, and I snapped together the mix and match frames, discovering that one painting will need fillers on two sides to fill the frame, which is about a half inch too wide. Were it too narrow, I'd need new frame pieces. But the paintings look great framed, which they never have been, and the black frames set off their colors well on the kitchen walls.
I was able to shorten the glass curtains for two of the windows, hanging both but looping one upon itself while it waits for the corner cabinet to be put together. The striped curtains still need to be hemmed, but now that the wall is painted, it will be a pleasurable task one of these evenings. OK, several of these evenings.
We have put the illusions frames on paintings, and I snapped together the mix and match frames, discovering that one painting will need fillers on two sides to fill the frame, which is about a half inch too wide. Were it too narrow, I'd need new frame pieces. But the paintings look great framed, which they never have been, and the black frames set off their colors well on the kitchen walls.
Modern Art Songs
M, our choir director, lent me a book of contemporary art songs...lyrics by poets, music by the likes of Samuel Barber, Charles Ives, etc., who probably are not considered modern any more, but whose music is pretty wild. I looked through the entire book and found two songs that are possible; the best, I think, is one written in honor of Leonard Bernstein's birthday. It mentions pickled herring, so you know it has to be a good one!
The dining room cum music room is still partly strewn with sheet music from the early 20th century. I have played through it all, and have kept out several songs. Perhaps one of them will work for church.
But in reaction to the modern music mentioned above, I pulled out Mom's Music: The Universal Language, which she might have had as a textbook in the 1940s. The illustrations are very familiar, and I must have looked at it when I was young. Many songs that she sang around the house are there...Summertime, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, and so forth. They all seem eminently more singable than the more contemporary ones. Except that one with the pickled herring...
The dining room cum music room is still partly strewn with sheet music from the early 20th century. I have played through it all, and have kept out several songs. Perhaps one of them will work for church.
But in reaction to the modern music mentioned above, I pulled out Mom's Music: The Universal Language, which she might have had as a textbook in the 1940s. The illustrations are very familiar, and I must have looked at it when I was young. Many songs that she sang around the house are there...Summertime, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, and so forth. They all seem eminently more singable than the more contemporary ones. Except that one with the pickled herring...
Friday, April 20, 2012
Rain
For the first several months we were here, it was both hot and dry, with brief, inconsequential rain.
Today, it is raining so hard that I can barely see past the houses across the street...a TX white-out of raindrops obscuring the houses on the other side of the drainage swale.
Perhaps tomorrow would be a good day to stay in and paint; the grass will remain wet for a while... And perhaps the ground will be loose enough to plant the rest of the lantana and buganvilla around the the back yard...
Nice rain, sweet rain...
Today, it is raining so hard that I can barely see past the houses across the street...a TX white-out of raindrops obscuring the houses on the other side of the drainage swale.
Perhaps tomorrow would be a good day to stay in and paint; the grass will remain wet for a while... And perhaps the ground will be loose enough to plant the rest of the lantana and buganvilla around the the back yard...
Nice rain, sweet rain...
History lesson
Several years ago, I expressed to a Minister acquaintance that I was very skeptical about the very existence of Jesus. Good moral teachings, I thought, but legends and myths. I know, I know, but what did I know?
I had no idea that written history might provide clues about Jesus's existence. I have been reading, of late, a book by John Dominic Crossan called "The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant."
Truth to tell, Crossan had me at the introduction, wherein he recounted translations of ancient Egyptian writings...bits and shards of normal lives...that told of mothers-in-law, marital strife, and other things that we think normal in modern familial life. Wow. I was instantly fascinated.
The first part of Crossan's book is a terrific review of what was happening to the Eastern Mediterranean under the rule of the Romans...the turmoil among the peasantry, political movements, dissent, and so forth. By comparing several writings by Josephus, Crossan was able to tease out Josephus's own biases and analyze his texts for us. I am going to have to read it all again.
The second part of the book (I am on page 322 out of 426 pages) consists of systematically comparing Jesus's life and actions according to the Gospels: Mark, Thomas, Gospel Q, Matthew, etc., to attempt to fix the earliest of each report. I am not a Biblical scholar, so some of Crossan's terminology is difficult for me. But it is interesting, nonetheless.
Not least, what interests me is the overriding sense of the oppression of the local people by the Romans, and how the local people coped.
If you are interested in this book, I see that Amazon has it, used, for very little: http://www.amazon.com/The-Historical-Jesus-Mediterranean-Peasant/dp/0060616296/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334964755&sr=1-1
I had no idea that written history might provide clues about Jesus's existence. I have been reading, of late, a book by John Dominic Crossan called "The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant."
Truth to tell, Crossan had me at the introduction, wherein he recounted translations of ancient Egyptian writings...bits and shards of normal lives...that told of mothers-in-law, marital strife, and other things that we think normal in modern familial life. Wow. I was instantly fascinated.
The first part of Crossan's book is a terrific review of what was happening to the Eastern Mediterranean under the rule of the Romans...the turmoil among the peasantry, political movements, dissent, and so forth. By comparing several writings by Josephus, Crossan was able to tease out Josephus's own biases and analyze his texts for us. I am going to have to read it all again.
The second part of the book (I am on page 322 out of 426 pages) consists of systematically comparing Jesus's life and actions according to the Gospels: Mark, Thomas, Gospel Q, Matthew, etc., to attempt to fix the earliest of each report. I am not a Biblical scholar, so some of Crossan's terminology is difficult for me. But it is interesting, nonetheless.
Not least, what interests me is the overriding sense of the oppression of the local people by the Romans, and how the local people coped.
If you are interested in this book, I see that Amazon has it, used, for very little: http://www.amazon.com/The-Historical-Jesus-Mediterranean-Peasant/dp/0060616296/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334964755&sr=1-1
When is a gate a cage?
When J was a baby, I painted up a crib that my great grandfather had made. I can remember my youngest brother sleeping in it, though not vividly.
This crib was made with a solid bottom and sides and top were simple frames with screening in them...no slats to get baby's head stuck between. I cleaned the screens and painted the frame light blue.
I have no recollection of where that crib went to after J outgrew it, which was pretty quickly, as it was a fairly small piece of furniture.
When my siblings were little, C and M at least, there was a wooden playpen for them (singly) to play inside the house. When Mom wanted to work in the yard, she had a wonderful folding fence that opened out scissors-like and was long enough to make a good-sized 'playpen' right on the grass. Mom joked that the neighbors must have thought of it as a cage for the children, but I think it was a terrific way for the children to start on their "peck of dirt" and be outside in the air without being in harm's way.
We had a folding playpen for J that had soft, padded top and fabric mesh on the sides. When she was very little, much to Grammy M's dismay we made J's bed in the closet in the trailer when we were in Florida that first winter. I liked the idea of using a drawer (kind of picturesque) for a bed, but I don't think we did that.
In addition to the crib, we had a piano bench from Great Grandfather, but we gave it up in the last move. We also have a castle from a train layout that we put Christmas lights in during December. It is presently sitting atop the bookcase that holds the architecture books. The child's chair and kindergarten table are in the (barn) garage, waiting for me to paint the chair and finish painting the table; they should go well on the patio when it gets "roomed".
This crib was made with a solid bottom and sides and top were simple frames with screening in them...no slats to get baby's head stuck between. I cleaned the screens and painted the frame light blue.
I have no recollection of where that crib went to after J outgrew it, which was pretty quickly, as it was a fairly small piece of furniture.
When my siblings were little, C and M at least, there was a wooden playpen for them (singly) to play inside the house. When Mom wanted to work in the yard, she had a wonderful folding fence that opened out scissors-like and was long enough to make a good-sized 'playpen' right on the grass. Mom joked that the neighbors must have thought of it as a cage for the children, but I think it was a terrific way for the children to start on their "peck of dirt" and be outside in the air without being in harm's way.
We had a folding playpen for J that had soft, padded top and fabric mesh on the sides. When she was very little, much to Grammy M's dismay we made J's bed in the closet in the trailer when we were in Florida that first winter. I liked the idea of using a drawer (kind of picturesque) for a bed, but I don't think we did that.
In addition to the crib, we had a piano bench from Great Grandfather, but we gave it up in the last move. We also have a castle from a train layout that we put Christmas lights in during December. It is presently sitting atop the bookcase that holds the architecture books. The child's chair and kindergarten table are in the (barn) garage, waiting for me to paint the chair and finish painting the table; they should go well on the patio when it gets "roomed".
Task List
Here are a few things on my To-Do list:
- Floor in the attic (yes, we have one...it is over the garage)
- Floor on the patio (it is a concrete pad), perhaps stamped concrete or limestone tile
- Screens on the patio
- Paint bathroom wall blue
- Paint living room walls green
- Hang more art
- etc.
And how was the move, Mrs. Calabash?
The move is still not forgotten...the garage has not seen our cars since the weekend before the truck arrived with all of our goods. Phil's clever line: there is room in the garage for a car, but it has to go in sideways.
At this point, we have set up the house, painted a wall in the kitchen (moss green) and a wall in the dining room (golden yellow), and will paint two walls in the living room tomorrow (with luck) the same color as the green kitchen wall. The green is great with the kitchen curtains, which I have augmented with glass curtains (made of cotton), though the glass curtains need shortening.
The green will be wonderful with the drapes in the living room, which also need shortening...they pool on the floor right now. The ones on the neighbor's side reflect the same colors as Tan's painting of PEI, and the curtains on the patio side reflect the same colors as a painting I did long ago...turquoises and yellows. The painting over the fireplace needs a frame, as does the turq painting.
One discovery lately is Jerry's Artarama down in Willowbrook (18 miles away), and through the good graces of two Groupons, we have framed three items and bought frames for most of my oils (pre-made frames are lots cheaper, and hopefully will still look great).
But the garage is definitely more organized, with some more things to take to the storage unit (computer desks) and more boxes to open.
I wish I had the flat file here...it is still (I think) in Norwood. I have lots of things that could go into it.
But the move is still in progress. Rugs cleaned and on the floor, curtains hung (even those that need shortening, lengthening, etc.), and furniture arranged. Not too much extra, though some of my antique chairs will not be on the floor for a while because they need repairing.
I would put the chairs on the wall, if I had wall space. Between bookshelves for books and music and the artworks...Rafa's, mine, Joanne's, and inherited and adopted art, there is not a lot of wallspace left. Of course, up near the ceiling....
At this point, we have set up the house, painted a wall in the kitchen (moss green) and a wall in the dining room (golden yellow), and will paint two walls in the living room tomorrow (with luck) the same color as the green kitchen wall. The green is great with the kitchen curtains, which I have augmented with glass curtains (made of cotton), though the glass curtains need shortening.
The green will be wonderful with the drapes in the living room, which also need shortening...they pool on the floor right now. The ones on the neighbor's side reflect the same colors as Tan's painting of PEI, and the curtains on the patio side reflect the same colors as a painting I did long ago...turquoises and yellows. The painting over the fireplace needs a frame, as does the turq painting.
One discovery lately is Jerry's Artarama down in Willowbrook (18 miles away), and through the good graces of two Groupons, we have framed three items and bought frames for most of my oils (pre-made frames are lots cheaper, and hopefully will still look great).
But the garage is definitely more organized, with some more things to take to the storage unit (computer desks) and more boxes to open.
I wish I had the flat file here...it is still (I think) in Norwood. I have lots of things that could go into it.
But the move is still in progress. Rugs cleaned and on the floor, curtains hung (even those that need shortening, lengthening, etc.), and furniture arranged. Not too much extra, though some of my antique chairs will not be on the floor for a while because they need repairing.
I would put the chairs on the wall, if I had wall space. Between bookshelves for books and music and the artworks...Rafa's, mine, Joanne's, and inherited and adopted art, there is not a lot of wallspace left. Of course, up near the ceiling....
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