Tomorrow, it’s April Fool’s Day. Not something I think much about, but while “fooling around” on Facebook found reminders that it’s approaching. Already a bit going around is that Volkswagen has been renamed “Voltswagen”. The company admits putting that out as an early April Fools joke.
In general, I’ve little interest in April Fool’s, but the day does conjure memories from my school days. April One was a day to be aware of, to practice caution. I remember just about every kid in my school trying to fool others. One couldn’t believe anything.
An awareness of April Fools Day is worldwide. Finding the fool is more fun than becoming the fool, and the efforts of finding have occurred for hundreds of years. It’s more than in-school, kid-play kinds of fun. The “adult world” finds newspapers and advertisers getting into the act. Ergo, “Voltswagen”!
Tomorrow, wisdom will mean being cautious of new information from any source. For me, a self-reminder, as in the morning as I read online newspapers. It might be that some stiff-back editorial types will decide to add humor to their editorials. Anything’s possible.
Dear Friends: April Fool’s can glimpse “The Far Side” as did the cartoonist himself. Diana
Lift Every Voice and Sing, (1939) by Augusta Savage
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Prior to a story in today’s New York Times about Augusta Savage, I didn’t know of that fine artist. I began reading casually about her, and found myself blown away by images of her sculpture, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. I searched for others of her works, finding them all of high quality, and most of all, full of compassion.
Gamin (1929)
Savage was a mostly self-taught artist and worked during the Harlem Renaissance period. She was born in 1892, in Florida, the seventh of fourteen children, and grew up in poverty. Throughout her childhood, she created art. She married early, had a child and was divorced before her arrival in Harlem in 1921. At that time, Cooper Union offered free tuition. She enrolled and completed a four-year art course in three years.
Her story and her personal grit are compelling. I’ll add a link to the NYT story later in this article. Here, I want to focus on her absolutely wonderful sculpture, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”.
She receive a commission in 1937 to create a sculpture for the 1939 New York World’s Fair. She was the single Black artist, to receive a commission from the fair. She created, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, a 16-foot sculpture cast in plaster.
The Fair organizers renamed Savage’s work, “The Harp”, and displayed her sculpture among others by world famous artists like Willem de Kooning and Salvador Dalí. Her piece was well-received by visitors, and reportedly became the most photographed image in the Fair’s sculpture exhibit.
This is a link to a brief video of “Harp” taken by a Fair visitor. Way beyond words, the visual reveals the special qualities of Savage’s work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILpqM0cYZgE
This brilliant artist’s story has its high points and plenty of sadness. To me, what’s saddest of all is explained in The Times. It’s that, “…when the World’s Fair ended, Savage could not afford to cast “The Harp” in bronze, or even pay for the plaster version to be shipped or stored, so her monumental work, like many temporary works on display at the Fair, was destroyed.”
Think of the loss!
The historian, Jill Lepore, has a new book coming this spring, entitled, “Joe Gould’s Teeth”. The heroine of Lepore’s story is the artist then known as Miss Savage. Joe Gould, an art reviewer, fell in love with Savage and harassed her. In her writing plan, Lepore intended to focus on Gould, but instead became fascinated by Savage’s escape from his attentions and harassments. In Lepore’s telling, Savage is a heroine.
Yesterday, March’s Super Moon was scheduled to be nearest to earth that evening and at its fullest. The “Worm Moon” appears every March, and this time interested both me and my adventurer friend, Susie. She proposed that we drive east into the desert to see more clearly the rising full moon. We’d meet in early evening and drive to the desert high country, to enjoy the special moonrise.
Yesterday’s weather almost bombed our planning. That afternoon was cloudy-dark with blustering 40 mph winds. We debated the possibility of any-at-all moon visibility, but finally shrugged and decided to take our chances. We made the trip east and under a very dark sky, until suddenly, Susie pointed upward, “Look, a bit of light!”
That was so. From behind clouds, the moon created a spot of light that showed through. We pulled onto an off highway road and parked where there might be good visibility. At that very moment, and in gorgeous drama, the moon totally broke through those troubled clouds.
We exited the car, having to brace its open doors and ourselves against the high, sand-blowing winds. We lugged the cameras and worked our way in darkness up a little hill and found the sky in clear view.
Living Art
Our photos captured that moon, it’s spectacular rise, the re-disappearance behind clouds, and finally, a glorious re-emergence. Witnessing living art transported us from the Oregon desert into our worlds of imagination.
ArtistsAt Work
Thanks to Susie’s bold and adventuresome spirit, we found ourselves merging our collaborative sense with the dynamics of that extraordinary external event. The experience spontaneously excited our brains, setting them in sync, and enabling us to create worthwhile art.
Dear Friends: Special memories may seem enough, but preserving them with photos, Oh, my! Diana
It tickled me to spot this Merlin falcon, an adult male, atop a high juniper and searching my territory. He’s the first I’ve been lucky to capture after several years. It was in 2014 that his ancestor and I exchanged memorable glances. Happily, my zoom lens caught that instant.
Having since not seen a Merlin, I figured the first was a chance spotting. Yesterday’s capture suggests I’ve been too lax about looking for Merlins. Starting now, my eyes will be wider for these wonderful birds.
Here, another couple of views of that 2014 Merlin.
And, another look at yesterday’s Merlin.
Both of these birds, for sizable periods, hunted while perching in one spot, and great camera targets. Now, hoping for more sightings, I intend to learn where these birds nest, and whether their appearances are often or seasonal.
Dear Friends: Sighting and photographing a special bird really makes my day. Diana
The dogs and I headed to the forest to check trail conditions. This warm weather has begun to invite horseback riding. We found the trails fine for that. I wanted to find a path to the trails over which my horse could pull a cart. Every upward entry to paths is short, but steep and very rocky. Once having passed a rocky segment, hikers and riders meet great trails.
The challenging segments don’t contain little rocks, but partially-buried boulders. Worst, the top rocks are positioned over secondary, also-buried boulders. I examined a steep area with signs of people having attempted to clear rocks, resulting in a deep hole with more big rocks. Sigh, rockiness goes deep.
I couldn’t get a good photo of the rocky hole. It’s challenging to capture depth with a digital camera. As an illustration, here’s an uphill path. I added a red line stretching from high point to high point. Beneath that line is depth, and above the line, beyond the trail bump, are shadows indicating a deep hole. Some rocks dug from that hole lay beside it. The difficulty for a horse pulling a cart and human is evident.
Teeth-gnashing, because immediately beyond those high shadows is the perfect road that appears in the two preceding photos.
I want to drive my horses. In previous summers, I exercised the horses between driving lessons on local neighborhood streets. Since then, an inflow of homeowners has made this area more populated. New residents are increasing the traffic of cars, bicycles, and motorcycles. Newcomers often aren’t aware that, legally, horses have the right-of-way. I’ve become a little timid and an seeking alternative routes.
Meanwhile, today will be sunny, warm, and ideal for horseback riding. Yesterday, I cleaned the equines, brushed their coats, manes, and tails. On getting finished and released, each headed directly to the dirtiest spot available and rolled mightily. Ah, well.
By the way, this morning’s moon-set was more spectacular than yesterday’s. Now that earth and moon are positioned more closely together, I couldn’t resist taking another photo using approximately the same amount of zoom. Neither capture is great, but together show today’s moon, nearer, rounder, and more satisfying.
Worm Moon on Friday
Worm Moon on Saturday
Dear Friends: Let’s transition to spring without losing track of technological discoveries. Diana
Very early this morning, my camera captured the March Moon it its setting phase. Already the moon seems almost full, but tomorrow nearer to earth will appear more full and glorious. Some experts consider the March moon a Supermoon, as one of the few most-near to earth. Casually, March’s is known as the Worm Moon, for occurring in warming weather when worms emerge from the ground.
Along with most everybody, I love full moons. Besides lighting darkness and making shadows less threatening, their nearness increases naked-eye visibility, suggesting possible surface contours, and viewers begin to imagine. Moon appearances since time immemorial have in humans generated wholehearted responses.
When I was a little girl, the moon’s shadows convinced me there was “a man in the moon”. When older and learning of Shakespeare, he and the moon became intertwined in my mind and imagination. Most everybody recalls the Romeo and Juliet balcony scene, where Juliet says, “O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon, That monthly changes in her circled orb, Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.”
The moons continually compel human imagination, aside from our comprehension that earth rotates elliptically on its axis. Not revolving in perfect circles, the earth physically alters between being close to or farther away from moons. We see, understand, and imagine.
How this morning’s sighting has consumed my brain! Astronomy, a huge, fascinating and fun, topic. These days, incredibly more interesting, too, with a space vehicle physically having landed on Mars and exploring.
Dear Friends: Our intelligence is increasing quickly, and ahead, knowledge will be very technical. Diana
This will be short. This morning for whatever reason, Word Press had me blocked from my site. It’s taken so long to get in again, with slow help from “experts”, that now my brain is filled with angst.
Except that on my mind is the sad passing of Honey, a mixed-breed dog rescued years ago by my friends, the Gilberts. I’ve for years known Honey, one of the best trail dogs ever. She followed loyally and single-mindedly at Julie’s horse’s heels whenever I was riding with the Gilberts. And Honey always stayed nearby whenever I hiked with them. Long ago, they rescued Honey, a lucky pup, have given her a great home.
Their other now-elderly rescue, Chloe, still accompanies them on hikes, but she’s deaf and not strong for a long outing. They also have eight-year-old Nick, a litter brother to my Osix. These two dogs are beautiful, lovable, and each is a little quirky in similar ways. Neither is crazy about running with horses or going on hikes. Sometimes they’re into it, other times not at all. Distant gunshots frighten, send them running to hide. The Gilberts and I love these two, we shrug at their idiosyncrasies.
Julie says Honey was the best dog ever, as her company on annual touring and camping expeditions. She’ll look for another who like Honey will become a trail and camping companion.
We all “get it”, the difficulty of saying goodbye to a long time pet. The best, for us humans, is knowing we did our best in taking care of that beloved family member.
Dear Friends: Everything revolves around doing our best, in order to be at our best. Diana
The dogs and I followed my “camera eye” to the city’s eastside, to a nearby BLM, where we wandered in a desert environment. The dogs raced happily while my eyes stayed groundward, spotting for young growth to record the onset of spring. There wasn’t much new, for what (hopefully) was our last snow only recently melted. Signs that the season is changing are tiny.
I’ve been playing with full-on Photoshop. Well experimenting, really. The complex, seemingly-massive software represents a sizeable investment for a casual user. One who will use Photoshop enough can gain sensitivity to the potential in photos. There are nearly-unlimited options for editing.
I’m a neophyte, find it satisfying and even sensational to have created a basic collage. The acts of editing, making placements, and applying colors didn’t come quickly. Photoshop forced me to spend time studying (and re-studying) instructions, and time experimenting with design elements. I prefer to learn with less effort.
The driver is my trying to create a website for Eight Pines Ranch, and hoping on my own to achieve that goal. The full-on Photoshop might be a necessity. Using it to edit means working with “layers” and knowing how to manipulate them. I’m just beginning.
Meanwhile, please enjoy yesterday’s tree sightings.
Dear Friends: Just a bit of learning transports one on toward newer visions and goals. Diana
On a day promising to be chilly, windy, and maybe snowing, the dogs and I went to the mountains. Well, more like close-to the highest points because they’re still snow-covered. Not daring to risk driving on snowy roads, we stuck to clear areas, lower near the Deschutes River.
In this transitional period there’s plenty of breathtaking landscape.
Winter trees
Doggie pack
Dense spots
Natural paths
Tiny survivors
The unpaved off-roads in after-winter awful condition are ditchy, bumpy, and difficult to navigate. After stopping several times to walk and having to struggle my Jeep back to pavement, we finally found a road more comfortable for driving and parking, and did.
Finding ourselves near a worn horse trail, we took that natural beautiful path into the forest.
Louie
As promised, a light snow fell in the mountains. We got caught.
Just because, it’s nearly impossible to resist photographing this interesting fellow.
Dear Friends: This delightful, refreshing outing has encouraged more hiking soon. Diana
These days, when we’re pandemic-living with altered life styles, a topic that has gained interest is a mental state popularly called “mindfulness”. Simply, one achieves mindfulness by learning to focus an awareness on the present moment, and at the same time, calmly acknowledge and accept one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
It’s a practical goal of learning to focus on and manage one’s inner-self. It’s an inviting manner of self-therapy, with the possibilities of enlightenment and self-control. I got interested in learning about mindfulness. The quest has introduced knowledge about the human brain based on scientific studies, and to my surprise, introduced the Dalai Lama and modern Buddhism. Just imagine.
Sharon Begley is a science writer, science columnist, and author. Her Train Your Brain, Change Your Mind, published in 2007, isn’t up to date on new knowledge from brain studies, but is close enough to enlighten us. Essentially, she reports that in the late 1990s, scientists studying the human brain began understanding it less of an unchangeable mass. Instead, it has the quality of plasticity. In other words, scientists began to recognize that enlightenment, from learning and physical activities, alters the brain.
Scientists became interested in knowing more about the link between mindfulness and Buddhism. Meanwhile, the evolving understanding of the human brain had captured the Dali Lama’s interest. He recognized an opportunity to reconsider some traditional concepts within the Buddhist framework. The scientists and Dali Lama began annual meetings to explore ideas about the brain and to exchange experiential knowledge.
That’s as much as I can share now, for only having begun my exploration. I’ll learn on, through what promises to be an adventure, and update you.
Dear Friends: This journey might lead to a whole new adventure, that of meditation. Diana
Diana's Morning Blog 