Sentences we love

Bigelow's Landscapes

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:17:00 +0000

"I'm looking for a feeling of being inside a painting, one that will echo the experience of looking up and seeing light through trees and having no beginning or end."

That's New York artist Isabel Bigelow talking about her landscape paintings. You can see her spare, graceful paintings such as Bare Tree at Reynold's Gallery. Bigelow likes willows and exploring shadow and light in her paintings. As she suggests, you can fall into her paintings... perhaps feel you are lying on your back looking up through tree branches at the soft winter sky.

The Sad Tale of Tess

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:36:00 +0000

"And as each and all of them were warmed without by the sun, so each had a private little sun for her soul to bask in; some dream, some affection, some hobby, at least some remote and distant hope which, though perhaps starving to nothing, still lived on, as hopes will. They were all cheerful, and many of them merry."

Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928) wrote the classic of English literature, Tess of the d'Ubervilles, about a maiden's fall from grace. At the beginning of the novel, Hardy describes the maidens at the village May Dance. But the hope of youth is not to last and the story soon becomes bleak, then bleaker. Tess plummets downward through the social and sexual mores of her time. The interesting thing is how beautifully this sad story is told. Hardy writes poetically of the people, the diary farm and English landscape. Tess is an unforgettable character who has lived through song, theatre, movie and film adaptations. It is worth re-reading and seems fitting for the dark nights of winter.

The New Old Age

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:15:00 +0000

"At 20 we kill pleasure, at 30 taste it, at 40 we are sparing of it, at 50 we seek it, and at 60 we regret it."

La Belle Assemblee, 1807

We'll need to add on some new decades now that a paper published this month in the medical journal The Lancet said most babies born in developed countries would live to celebrate their 100th birthday. That begs the quantity vs. quality question. As the article asked, are functional limitations being postponed as well? They concluded most people are living longer without severe disability.

So I think I'll try to stick with the spirit of the 50's whatever my age...

The Value of Nonsence

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 02:00:00 +0000

"I like nonsense. It wakes up the brain cells." Dr. Seuss

Theodor Geisel (1904 0 1991) knew a thing or two about creativity. The Cat in The Hat has thrived for decades due to the rhythm and creativity imbued in its readable words -- words suitable for small readers which tell a big story. Seuss was not afraid to be silly. Few adults can say that. Now in a New York Times article titled How Nonsense Sharpens the Intellect, we learn that nonsense truly does play a role in fresh thinking. The unexpected helps break down old patterns in our brains. So start your morning off with a little Green Eggs and Ham!

Happy Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:38:00 +0000

"Those who wish to sing, always find a song." Swedish Proverb

In case you're having trouble finding your happy song to sing on this Monday morning, I'm sharing one with you. This whimsical video will help kick the Monday Blues. Yael Naim is a French-Israeli singer and song writer born in Paris in 1978. Naim's single New Soul brought her fame when it was used by Apple for last year's MacBook Air ad. It works much better than a jolt of coffee to start your day off right... humming as you go.

In Moderation

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:52:00 +0000

"Moderation is the silken string running through the pearl chain of all virtues."

Joseph Hall (English Bishop, 1574 to 1656)

That's so much more eloquent than saying "everything in moderation." That common quote is usually attributed to Aristotle. Also, Hall's sentence provides a lovely mental picture.

I believe the concept is wise and true... yet can't help laughing at Oscar Wilde's take on moderation:

"Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess."

Mad about Redheads

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:24:00 +0000

"I like redheads. Their mouths are like a drop of strawberry jam in a glass of milk."

So said character Roger Sterling in an episode of Mad Men. In this AMC series, which has attracted many "maddicts," great quotes are tossed around every week. It's a sassy, stylish show with amazing historical accuracy in the 1960's details down to the underwear and liquor bottles. But the great thing is the writing. I was surprised to learn that the writers for this show about a male-dominated ad agency are mostly female. Tune in, Tivo, or Twitter to hear their irreverent, funny lines.

The Big Fat Elephant

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:46:00 +0000

"The American way of eating has become the elephant in the room in the debate over health care."

That's just what I've been thinking. In our big discussion over health care reform, why don't we address actual health? In Michael Pollan's article in today's New York Times titled Big Food vs. Big Insurance, he argues we must address obesity, diabetes and other chronic (and expensive) conditions linked to our American way of eating.

In one stunning sentence, Pollan writes, "According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three-quarters of health care spending now goes to treat 'preventable chronic diseases.'" Really? That's amazing to consider the amount of health care we would NOT need to debate how to pay for if people ate healthier. Perhaps it seems too insensitive for the President to be discussing how bad it is for people to eat processed, fatty meals. But we need to find the best ways to keep talking about how we eat in this debate or we're missing a major ingredient in high health care costs. Whatever side of the political debate you're on, I presume most people agree that healthier Americans benefit us all.

Magic of Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:13:00 +0000

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."

Roald Dahl, author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach

Kid's return to school tomorrow so I'm trying to remind myself the magic of summer is not over yet. There was enchantment in the sky as a hot summer day clouded over and we were deluged with dime-sized hail, as our kids decided they would truly swim rather than splash around, in our lazy family lunches on the deck, and in the brilliant hummingbirds swooping by our heads on their way to sip from the feeders.

I'll continue to watch our corner of the world with glittering eyes - after all fall has magic in it too.

Summer Retreat

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:45:00 +0000

"September is the Monday of months."

That's Jeff Scher writing an introduction to his short film created from his paintings. In this mix of media, Scher explores end-of-summer memories on a ride home from vacation. As he says it's back to school, back to work, back to the city. As with many passages in life, it is bittersweet.

Watch Jeff Scher's film and beautiful oil pastels and watercolors titled Summer Retreat.

Summer Break

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:22:00 +0000

August has been full of swimming, visits with family and friends, hiking, play dates, watching our hummingbirds, reading and "deck time." Along with school starting again, so will my blogging of wonderful sentences!

Tomato Time

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:01:00 +0000

"There's nothing finer in life than true love and a home-grown tomato."

Gary Ibsen, The Great Tomato Book

The past few weeks, our farm box has contained some heirloom varieties including the green zebra. I like to drizzle our Stonehouse Extra Virgin Lisbon Lemon Olive Oil on them -- yummy about any which way you eat them!

If you're lucky enough to live in Carmel, California, you may have visited the TomatoFest organized by Ibsen for the past 17 years. However, he retired last year from the event, so not sure anyone else has picked up the job. So have your own tomato fest in your backyard or farmer's market !

Cronkite's Last Words

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 04:01:00 +0000

And that’s the way it is.

Walter Cronkite died today. And the one thing I keep thinking is that I invoked his name in a speech so many years ago... and even though I did, not much has changed.

So long ago and far away, I was named the Young Careerist of California by the Business and Professional Women's (BPW) Foundation. To win my state, I interacted with amazing women, demonstrated my community involvement and gave a speech. As a news broadcaster, I said that I would know news had progressed when I saw the female equivalent of Walter Cronkite. You know, with gray hair, wrinkles, and bags under HER eyes. But twenty years later, it has not happened. I would never have guessed it as a twenty-something.

But, Walter, you are still the best.

Ageless

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:37:00 +0000

Age is something that doesn't matter unless you are a cheese.

Billie Burke, American actress (1884 - 1970)

I've always thought that was a great quote. Now I like it even more knowing who the speaker was. Burke was chosen to play Glinda the Good Witch of the North in The Wizard of Oz when she was 53 years old. Wasn't she lovely in that? Never would have guessed her age...

Summertime Lullaby

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:13:00 +0000

Summertime, and the living is easy
Fish are jumping, and the cotton is high
Your daddy's rich, and your ma is good looking
So hush little baby, don't you cry.

One of these mornings, you're gonna rise up singing
You're gonna spread your wings and take the sky
But till that morning, there is nothing can harm you
With your daddy and mommy standing by.

Summertime is a famous song composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. You may have heard it sung as a snappy jazz standard - however Gershwin was inspired to write it after hearing a Ukrainian lullaby. The back and forth rhythm is both soothing and sad. The lyrics have the same duality - comforting until you think of the context of African American life in the 1920's when the drama takes place.

Kindergarten Wisdom

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:45:00 +0000

"Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap."

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten is a book of short essays written by Robert Fulghum (published 1986). I'd read it years ago but the point of the title is more meaningful here on the last day of our kids' kindergarten year. As adults, we often make life more complicated than it needs to be. Fulghum's basic rules make for a pretty happy life. He advises to play fair, clean up your own mess and say you're sorry when you hurt someone. These simple kindergarten rules can be applied to politics, business, everything. Parents who have already been through the kindergarten graduation ceremony say it's a real tear jerker - I have no doubt. His essay ends with:

"And it is still true, no matter how old you are - when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together."

Tropical June

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:39:00 +0000

"The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain..."

We can probably all see Audrey Hepburn speaking those words leading into the pivotal song from My Fair Lady by Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner. Eliza finally "gets" those tough vowel sounds with this rhyme and moves from a squashed cabbage leaf to a lady.

I wish the rain in Oregon was staying in Spain or anyplace else! This has been an odd start to June complete with tropical hail, wild wind, and power outages. Now our days should get back to normal summer wonderfulness!

To Be of Use

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Mon, 25 May 2009 21:54:00 +0000

The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.

Marge Piercy's poem To Be of Use concludes with these lines. I was reading her poem thanks to Matthew B. Crawford who has written a popular article in The New York Times titled The Case for Working With Your Hands. Crawford's essay is from his soon-to-be out book Shopclass as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work. It's hit a chord since many people - both in and newly out of work - are pondering work itself. Crawford's premise is that working with your hands is more tangible - that fixing a car or toilet is more satisfying than sitting in a cubicle without really seeing the fruits of your efforts. As a mother, one distinction I make is how easily a job can be explained to children. As Piercy writes, "the work of the world is common as mud."

Senseless Beauty

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Sat, 23 May 2009 01:57:00 +0000

"Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty."

You've been seeing this saying on bumper stickers for a few decades. It's credited to Anne Herbert who continues to write regularly on her blog. I think it's the use of unexpected words which gives it staying power. The word "senseless" has a negative connotation - yet is paired with "beauty." The wording suggests we shouldn't waste time thinking about what we might get back from kind acts - simply toss them out, feel good about it and move on. It's a concept I find both whimsical and solid at the same time.

Getting Some Fun Out of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:51:00 +0000

Maybe we do the right thing
Maybe we do the wrong
Spending each day
Wending our way along

But when we want to sing, we sing
When we want to dance, we dance
You can do your betting, we're getting
Some fun out of life

This song written by Edgar Leslie and Joe Burke was recorded by Billie Holiday in 1937. Then decades later Madeleine Peyroux recorded it. Both of their sultry voices do right by the sweet-tart lyrics. Nobody says wending anymore... it's just an old-fashioned way of saying you're traveling along. Get some fun out of life today by listening.

Twain on Austen

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:34:00 +0000

"Jane Austen's books, too, are absent from this library. Just that one omission alone would make a fairly good library out of a library that hadn't a book in it."

Mark Twain and I do not agree on the merits of Jane Austen. One aspect I admire is how well she chronicled her era (she died two decades before Twain was born).

Twain left behind a scathing and unfinished essay of Austen. Yet he certainly was familiar with her novels -- meaning he took the time to read them. Twain was a master of the "put down" and seemed to relish writing them. So I'm not sure if this literary feud was real or for the sport of it. You'll find an interesting essay on Twain's writings about Austen in The Virginia Quarterly Review. Twain went on to observe that an Austen novel was such that "once you put it down you simply can't pick it up."

May Day

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:56:00 +0000

"Be like a flower and turn your face to the sun."

Lebanese American poet Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931)

This morning it's snowing on our deck furniture and there is only gray sky to turn my face to. Somehow in this odd month where we wear shorts one day and practice T-Ball amid snow flakes the next, I'm hopeful we'll soon emerge and feel it's truly summer. Perhaps we'll leave May baskets on doorsteps tomorrow and ring the bell to spur the season along.

Abigail Adams

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:00:00 +0000

"I've always felt that a person's intelligence is directly reflected by the number of conflicting points of view he can entertain simultaneously on the same topic.”

As wife of our second president and mother of our sixth, you would expect Abigail Adams to be one smart First Lady. She wrote incredible letters and managed her family and farm, often on her own since her husband was absent for long periods of time on political trips. But I remain amazed at her forward thinking attitudes about educating women and women's place in the new society. I'm just starting Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution by Natalie Bober so hopefully that will provide some answers to the independent thoughts of a woman born in 1744. Bober's book is listed for young readers but is wonderfully written for adults too.

Toothpaste Troubles

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:44:00 +0000

"Money in the bank is like toothpaste in the tube. Easy to take out, hard to put back."

American journalist Earl Wilson (1907 to 1987)

Our toothpaste is causing me stress. The other day, we bought new tubes for the kids called Fun Sparkle - while my dentist recommended Age Defy for me. I am embarrassed to be seen at the check out counter buying Age Defy! Don't marketers realize the havoc they wreak with such names?! Why can't I have Fun Sparkle at my age? I think I'll throw caution to the wind and add a little sparkle to my day.

The Goldilocks Principle

noreply@blogger.com (Susan from Sisters, Oregon) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:56:00 +0000

"This idea that the way forward lies in finding an exact middle path between opposites is of extraordinary importance in storytelling."

English author Christopher Booker had this to say about The Story of the Three Bears. Or as Goldilocks would simply say, "just right."

English Poet Robert Southey (1774 to 1843) was the first to tell The Story of the Three Bears in print -- and in a kinder, gentler way than it had been told. While first versions depicted menacing bears, Southey's were good-natured. Also, the first versions listed the many ways the bears tried to kill the ugly old woman who ate their milk (who later became Goldilocks who ate their porridge) until resorting to chucking her aloft on a church steeple. Not exactly a cozy family tale!

Years later, Joseph Cundall re-told the story, praising Southey's version but changing the old woman to a pretty girl. Goldilocks had many names through the years including Little Silver Hair. To me it remains an odd tale with an uncertain interpretation. What do you think is the moral of the story?