Summer Reading
But this is about biographies - a huge thank you! Since girlhood I seem to reach for biographical reading whenever I am "in a brown study" over things, wanting a job or project, grieving, sluggish for emotional or physical reasons, in flux and lost. Somehow Biographies do the trick, when I must be still, my heroes swashbuckle for me ... (more)
Update from last July -
This summer sizzles and scintillates and " ... easy, breezy..." is a keyword for me, so as not to get overheated!
A huge stall and hiatus in things has passed and progress in business and personal life abound! A few years ago, they said "wheelchair" and "end of things" and it's been exactly the opposite, with a bit of application. Praise for all who helped and have been patient and fun!
Summer reading this summer? White papers to support and update the work during the week, and almost-forgotten romances for weekends - especially those that respond to the growing number of later-in-life romances !
The largest-growing age group is those over 100 years old ! Creative? Dreaming of better than ever artwork keeps me in prayerful thank yous at the easel. And making my own stories of the new options and possibilities is fun for me this summer - making notes . I will be sure to include the biographies of others who are doing neat things for the world and for themselves later in life. Yes.
At "upper midlife" one gets out early and late and avoids the noonday sun when heat advisories go up , so that leaves time for books and notes and writings WHILE being senior-smart.
What are you reading this summer? Comment below and be confident that your ideas will be respected. The feedback is always a vitamin.
elle
Last year's Summer Reading ( July 13, 2017 ) entry follows here:
July and we may duck indoors to escape heat, it's plenty of outdoors time, at the pool, lake or beach or breezing about for business or pleasure! We are happy escapees from winter's confinements in America's Northeast Connecticut - two blizzards this year! More; a fix on both feet found me wildly bursting OUT OUT OUT, when the weather and the feets finally allowed.
Thanks to technology, wait times en route are never boring - audiobook and kindles on my ipad iphone let me engage with my summer reading choices: Some white papers, learning and technology for workdays/workhours; some religious , some women's things, and health and diet things, and stories - fact and fiction, they make the time fly and fill the spirit.
But this is about biographies - a huge thank you! Since girlhood I seem to reach for biographical reading whenever I am "in a brown study" over things, wanting a job or project, grieving, sluggish for emotional or physical reasons, in flux and lost. Somehow Biographies do the trick, when I must be still, my heroes swashbuckle for me - reading of the challenges and triumphs of the subject, I am entertained, informed and almost always inspired before long,...even empowered from within ... to get up and get at it once more, with new insights and inspirations.
As a girl, Lives of Women in Holiness, Red Cross, Nursing, Medicine and Arts of all sorts seemed to find the top of my list. Achievers of either gender in patriotism and science and wonderful inventions and business really lit me up, and still do!
This Summer?
- Woman Transcendentalists like Margaret Fuller - do not always approve, but am impressed. -- Innovators of the new Millennium - just finished one about Elon Musk and was just plain thrilled - did you know you can get a used Tesla for under 50 thousand USD? wow! I was hurt in the spine and thought I'd never drive again, so I sold the car to pay the medical bills a bit.....then of all things - I healed! instead of a wheelchair, it was the Manchester Road Race / Walkers. Instead of death, life and plenty of it back at my work including one that went to the White House.
- For the Fourth of July, "John Adams" and his famous lady Abigail
The list goes on Elizabeth Vigée LeBrun and her important portraiture and much more. Czeslaw Miłosc. the Polish poet, Elie Weisel, and last summer, Edna Gladney. Somehow reading biography really helps me because it focuses like other media do not and so the results are better. My Nancy Drew Collection, while not exactly biography to some folk , is very real to me and her immortal fans of her immortal , never changing , ever evolving self.
What are YOU reading this summer? I am not being silly, I am interested in your comments about it: where does summer reading take you???
INK and Hartford's 28th Annual Open Studio
28th Annual Holiday-kickoff event in Downtown Hartford - and media - "the ink".
Wish me luck! - I am part of the art for The 28th Open Studio Hartford events that wind up this weekend - my fifth year with this “Art meets Disneyworld” wonder!
Come to the closing show this Saturday - details at the link above.
But about the INK - media coverage was not what it should be - so the sales were less that we had a right to expect for all our hard work and investment. A steady stream of really charming visitors arrived in spite of a cold snap in the weather, but much less than would have been there with DECENT coverage.
Open Studio Hartford is VERY popular and very worth it! 300+ artists at a dozen locations all over downtown Hartford is a BIG BIG BIG deal ... and YET... there were zero tv spots to let folks know we were here! I was there and TV and other media were NOT - NOT ONE CAM to video the event at startup to bring visitors! Not one reporter panning the room with questions and attention - attention we EARNED.
And so, much of the Public missed the fun and extras - and that hurt the event folk at every level - after all that work in organization, prep and really beautiful setups at every art venue, with free and reduced parking, and free shuttles through the locations !
An old hand at artstuff, I PROMISED to Act and find ways to see that OSH is respected in the media, responsibly. There is still time for them to redeem themselves this year and promise better for the future!
This weekend, we are still having grand fun with Ekphrasis and the Saturday event After Party ! The event opening/closing party is getting famous as an All-American event with folk from jeans to evening formalwear in attendance - free admission and often 500+ attendees during the evening. See the link for details - art , food, wine/un-wine , music, performance! Please come ! Family-friendly.
But the "ink" - When biz leaves Hartford, it is most certainly in part because Hartford is just plain lazy supporting it dynamically. Nothing comes from nothing and support is NOT that difficult to generate. Let's do better! The work shared represented honors in schools and conscientious self-starting work for years - years! Can you imagine how we felt, after placing faith in the famous event , and setup to share really fine things - only to be left chatting among ourselves?
I am going to get real action on this topic - the show Admin was grand - but not the INK. I love Connecticut so, and Hartford specially - and am media-active lifelong - I can help ^_^ What about YOU? 28th Open Studio Hartford ! Pass it on!