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Creative rummage

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Gift in Kind

November 28, 2018

My mother was conflicted about the holidays. She was a spiritual soul and quiet Christian and was attached to the rhythms of the Christian calendar. She attended church if the architecture compelled her, or if it boasted a great choir, but was never drawn to the built in community of a congregation. My sister and I pressed her on this once and she swiftly replied: “Well, it’s a good place to be a fraud.” That vexed my dedicated church going sister (who embodied humility and reverence) to no end. Mother loved the pageantry of Christmas but loathed the commercialism around the rest. And she always succumbed in the end and fell into the shopping frenzy like the rest of us. And then she fell into the same despair year after year.

I had fallen into a similar groove; Christmas was making me grumpy. This year I wanted to avoid the slump and made as many presents as I could. There are many movements invoking a simpler, handmade Christmas, so I am hardly a pilgrim here, I did worry that this whole experiment would take time I didn’t have. I potted amaryllises in recycled old vases from thrift stores and made preserves from our apple orchard. It did take more time than moving around a mouse on a screen, but not as much as I had anticipated. I dedicated a day to pulling it all together. I always force bulbs and put up cans, so making extra wasn’t a big deal. I think this was the key — just expand what you already do and you won’t be overwhelmed. And for those in the tightest circle — my family — I am giving what they really need and a few books. There will be no last minute rush to even everyone’s gift tally.

I received a dividend I did not anticipate — an extra spot of joy. I loved seeing the flowers grow, loved the response when I distributed them, and even enjoyed slapping labels onto the cans. And canning jars and bulbs can be used again. Works for me.

Elk Paean →

The Creative Rummage shuffles through random topics on artists, the arts and creativity and posts twice a month.  


Featured
Nov 28, 2018
Gift in Kind
Nov 28, 2018
Nov 28, 2018
Oct 12, 2018
Elk Paean
Oct 12, 2018
Oct 12, 2018
Oct 6, 2018
I AM AS MUCH AS YOU
Oct 6, 2018
Oct 6, 2018
Portals
Jul 3, 2018
Portals
Jul 3, 2018

I believe in portals. The kinds that don’t require passwords, only presence. There are famous portals like the ones in the Narnia Chronicles or the Harry Potter series. I have portals of my own: my garden is one and Independence Pass is another.

Jul 3, 2018
Irrational Obsession
Apr 21, 2018
Irrational Obsession
Apr 21, 2018

I fit one artist stereotype quite well — I was never a math star. Far from it. I stumbled through pre-calculus and closed the door and assumed I would always bellyflop when it came to mathematics. When I took my place in the world of practical numbers -one fleshed out in spreadsheets, budgets,  and investment data - I realized I liked looking for patterns within the numbers and that…

Apr 21, 2018
The Map is Not the Territory
Feb 24, 2018
The Map is Not the Territory
Feb 24, 2018

We rely on maps to navigate earthly and celestial terrain, and I feel grounded, in control somehow, when I am pulled into a fabulous map. Oh here I am! There I will go!  And then there are maps for our internal landscapes and methods we call on to steer through spiritual terrain. Mine help preserve sanity and joy—and trek through heartbreak and confusion. But they were falling short of guiding me through my own brand of American angst.

Feb 24, 2018
We are the People
Dec 29, 2017
We are the People
Dec 29, 2017

This year I wrote our kids a New Year’s Eve letter and gave them two framed We the People posters designed by Shepard Fairey...

Dec 29, 2017
Corollaries
Nov 24, 2017
Corollaries
Nov 24, 2017

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and the birthdays of two out of three of my favorite men fall in its wake. One belongs to our son, Duncan, the other to my late father, Henry. I think of Henry and his footprint in our era of belligerence and deliberate ignorance where men like him are scarce. My son reminds me of him -- 

Nov 24, 2017
#wetoo
Oct 27, 2017
#wetoo
Oct 27, 2017
Oct 27, 2017
Postcard from Colombia
Jul 13, 2017
Postcard from Colombia
Jul 13, 2017
“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world. ”

— Gustave Flaubert

I am currently in Colombia with my family cramming as much in as we possibly can between Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena. Traveling tilts you off axis, which to my mind, is a very good thing. Our family becomes more intimate as we push into close quarters, and reliant on each other for company.

Jul 13, 2017

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