On Her Birthday

This little cutie was born ninety-nine years ago today. My mom was the second of three daughters. In my mind, she was the prettiest and nicest of the girls and absolutely the best mother in the world.

Like her, I was the second born, except my older sibling was a brother. Unfortunately, I wasn't as cute as she had been.

"No one worries about you like your mother, and when she is gone, your world seems unsafe; things that happen, unwieldly. You cannot turn to her anymore, and it changes your life forever. There is no one on earth who knew you from the day you were born; who knew why you cried, or when you'd had enough food; who knew exactly what to say when you were hurting; and who encouraged you to grow a good heart. When that layer goes, whatever of your childhood goes with her. Memories are very different and cannot soothe you the same way her touch did."

Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you.

(Quote is from Adriana Trigiani's book, Big Stone Gap.)

Your Birth Month Color and Meaning

I admit it. I'm a sucker for all those little quizes and other come-ons that are supposed to tell you something about yourself. Think astrology signs in the 70's. They would even tell you who your perfect mate was based upon the sign he/she was born under.

The above picture and heading, "Each Birth Month Has a Different Color and Meaning - See What Yours Is!", caught my attention and click. My birthday is in November so I had to click numerous times to find my color.

I wasn't surprised that it was a red; many articles relating to Scorpio say red is this sign's color. What did surprise me was that I like this particular rendition of red. It's not too loud. It has been gentled down. It is a color I would choose.
November's color characteristics are: "Passionate, motivating, intense." When to incorporate it: "When you need help through a transition, to remove emotional blocks, or need a sexual uplift."
Claret Red's Meaning: "Intense and passionate, this color inspires depth, strength, and love."

Oh, look, I found a color for Bud. It say's right there, Bud Green. Ha, ha. Bud's color is the same as mine, though Bud Green is the color for my daughter's birth month.

For pure color choice, the color I like best, it would be the one for January, Caramel. Its characteristics are: "Logical, sure-footed, practical, down-to-earth." January is my Mom's birth month. (Her 99th birthday would have been tomorrow.) I think these Caramel Characteristics actually fit the woman she was. Maybe there is something to this birth month color and meaning.

If you are interested in checking out your color, you can find it here.

Gifts From The Street

Remember Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift From The Sea? Well, I receive gifts from the street.

Except in the very worst weather conditions, Hubby Dearest walks/jogs outside five times a week. Every once in awhile he brings back a little gift for me. Above are some examples.

I don't walk outside. I've never been able to return the favor of a found gift. Until yesterday.

I was putting the groceries into the car when I noticed what I thought was a kid's toy soldier on the ground. At first I wasn't going to pick it up. When I did, I discovered it was a little NFL player. So I brought it home for Bud.

The playoff games Sunday didn't exactly go as I wished.

I'm hoping this is a good omen.

Have A Care

Be careful. Take care. Have a care. Take care of.
I've been thinking about how my mother always cautioned us to be careful or to take care of, or the older term have a care.

We were taught to take care of our belongings because there wasn't the means to replace anything we ruined. Clothes could be mended or patched, but if you didn't want to wear patched jeans, be careful not to tear them in the first place.
If you broke or lost one of your toys, too bad. You would wait until your birthday or Christmas for anything to replace it.

It wasn't just things she warned us to be careful of, she also warned us to take care of ourselves. Not to do things that would endanger us or cause bodily harm.

Not that I always paid attention to that, as evidenced by this photo of me almost at the top of that tall evergreen tree. But overall, Mom imbued in me the lasting habit of being careful. Taking care of. Having a care. And when I am consciously doing so, it gives me the loving sense of my mother, very much a part of me.

The Fog Comes

Fog

"The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on."
   (Carl Sandburg)

The fog has thickened as we wait to see what winter storm Jaxon brings to our part of the Midwest.

Carl Sandburg's poem about fog is one of the earliest I remember discussing. It was read by my grade school teacher when I was ten or eleven and then we talked about how the writer had compared the fog to a cat.
I think I already loved poetry, but talking about what the poem meant and the images it prompted was something new. I've never forgotten the lesson, nor the poem.

A Strange Invention

One of the books I read this week was a contemporary/historical romance novel in that it covered several generations. I liked the historical romance parts better than the present day romance, but what I liked best was what linked the story lines - photography. It gave me insight into what I like about taking pictures, as well as made me wish I had learned more about photography when I was younger - and taken it seriously.

There were many quotes about photography throughout the book. I have chosen some photographs to go with those quotes.

"What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary raw materials are light and time." (John Berger, English Art Critic)

"A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know." (Diane Arbus, American Photographer)

"In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality." (Alfred Stieglitz, American Photographer)

"Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still." (Dorthea Lange, American Photographer)

"I suddenly understand that photography can fix eternity in a moment." (Henri Cartier-Bresson, French Photographer)

"Photography is the story I fail to put into words." (Dustin Sparks, American Photographer)

"I see my path, but I don't know where it leads. Not knowing where I'm going is what inspires me to follow it." (Rosalia De Castro, Spanish Poet)

"Photograph: A picture painted by the sun without instruction in art." (Ambrose Bierce, American Author)

Books About Secrets

There have been many books written about secrets. A couple of nights ago, while watching Expedition Unknown with Josh Gates, I learned about one I had not heard of before, even though it was published in 1982.

The Secret by Byron Preiss is a treasure hunt book. Not just one treasure hunt, but twelve, each with an image of immigrants who came to the United States. Each image has an accompanying twelve line verse containing the clues to find the treasure. The image is also linked to a particular month and contains the flower and the birthstone (which is the prize) associated with that month.

In Tuesday's Expedition Unknown episode, Josh visited the locations where the only two treasures have so far been found, Cleveland and Chicago, and the people who found them.
Only two found in thirty-five years! That means there are still ten treasures out there. Other likely locations were mentioned on the show. There is also a website, thesecret.pbworks which lists all the images from the book along with where they might refer to and why.

This treasure hunt book reminded me of another one which might explain why I had never heard of The Secret.

In 1979 Masquerade, written and illustrated by British Artist Kit Williams, had been published. It, too, promised a treasure for the first person who could follow the clues and find it. The treasure was a jewel-encrusted, golden hare.

Williams hid his clues in riddle filled text and in his artwork which was gorgeous. Williams clues, along with all his red herrings, were difficult to solve. I, along with thousands of others, was still trying three years later when The Secret was published. Maybe that is why I don't remember it.

Josh's show reminded me of Masquerade, and though I couldn't think of the title, I did remember the author. I'm sure I had a copy of the book. I wonder if my children remember it?