New York City and its people

I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art last Sunday. I took advantage of the opportunity to do some Christmas shopping in their wonderful gift shop.

While waiting for the train back to Brooklyn, a dark green train pulled in (not the usual silver with large windows) There were 2 conductors on it , one came out on the platform to shout out the next stop. ( I had never seen THAT before)  But more unusual were the people who jumped off the train laughing and smiling with camera's in their hands  turning around to take pictures of the train. Then people like me who were waiting for the train, took out their camera's and took pictures .When the train pulled away everyone had smiles on their faces. They all knew something that I didn't.

When I settled in on the train I had been waiting for, I asked a young man next to me what that was all about. He told me that that train was over 50 years old . At Christmas time they get a few out and make short runs just for the fun of it.

That sounds like a small town event to me,certainly not  my image of New York City.

 That young man and I had a great conversation all the way home. Back in Iowa, I would have gotten into my car and driven home all alone.

One of the really good things about this city is the people!

So THIS is Joy!

Last week I was trying to decipher the difference between 'happiness' and 'joy'.

This morning  I was reading  'God calling' ( a daily reading),  As I was closing the book I checked my calendar and discovered that I had read the wrong passage for this day.  I reopened the book to  today's date of Dec.16th and read the title: 'What is joy?'  Coincidence?  I don't think so.

Here is God's explanation of JOY,  from the book,'God Calling'.
 
JOY is the reward of patiently seeing Me in the dull dark days, of trusting when you cannot see.
JOY is as it were your heart's reponse to My smile of recognition of your faithfulness.

Here are some more from other passages in the book:

"The foundation of Happiness is the complete surrender of every moment to God.
The superstructure of Happiness it the JOY of communion with Him."

"Nothing in the day is too small to be part of My scheme. The little stones in a mosaic play a big part. JOY is the cement that  secures the Harmony and Beauty in my mosaic."

So there!  I couldn't have said it better myself!

This is the third from my Fruit of the spirit series.

Peace, now that is a good word. That is something we can do something about!

I know it isn't easy, but if you want peace in your life, get out of  un-peaceful situations.

Do what you have to do. Set boundaries, avoid 'toxic' relationships, attend AlAnon meetings, move out, leave, walk away, pray, pray, pray!

Everyone's home should be their retreat, their haven, a place of peace.  If it isn't, change something. Life is too short not to.

Opps!!  I have to go now, I am falling....... falling...... falling...... off  my             soap box.

Let's talk about JOY

Here is the second painting from my Fruit of the spirit series.

I love this word. It is different from 'Happy.' Happy is a temporary short lived feeling. JOY is deep, a sense of well being, a word of hope and faith. The angel said "I bring you tidings of great JOY! "

I am trying to think of Joyful times in my life. Certainly not when I was out with the girls laughing and having a good time. That would be a happy time. Joyful is more real, like the birth of a child.

This is harder than I thought. I must think on this a bit. If anyone is reading this, I would love to have a conversation about this word, Joy.

Anyway, I am really 'happy' that I painted this series, it makes my feel 'joyful'

Check back for the third in this series.

Fruits of the Spirit

These past 5 months since moving to Brooklyn I have been creating some new works. I love working with oil pastel and acrylics, yet watercolor with pen and ink detail is what I have been doing. I don't really have an explanation other than after I finish a piece I move right on to the next. I find them very interesting, the detail adds a richness to each piece.



I have been working in series, the first series I will be posting is from the Bible. In Galatians, Paul lists the fruits of the spirit. There are 12 but I have completed 3. The first one is Love. The final result wasn't at all what I was aiming for and I was not pleased with it. But, as often happens, it has grown on me and now I can sincerely say that I am proud of it.



The three together (Love, Joy and Peace) make quite a statement on a wall, I know because the originals are framed hanging on mine. To see the other two, continue to check in.



That's it for today.

Time to RETHINK a few things

I have been in Brooklyn for 3 months now. I intended to journal about a Midwesterner's view of the big city. Actually, I have been so preoccupied with this new life style that I feel sort of like a 'New Yorker" already, so I hope I can still write about the new experiences.

First of all, my apologizes go out to ANYONE who may have read my blog entitled, 'Take time for yourself ' dated April 26 '09. A great reminder to myself that you should never preach or tell others what they 'should' do. (Thank you God for the reminder to be humble.)

In that post I said that everyone can take the 1st hr of each day for themselves. Well how about that young mother who needs to get the kids ready for the sitter or for school and still have time for her teeth and hair and hopefully a piece of toast, at least before leaving for work herself ? Sure, she could get up early for that precious 'one hour alone time', but is that wise after only 6 hrs of sleep?

I WAS that mother, how could I have forgotten! Shame on me.

I have a new 'role' in life. I have become a housewife. I have always wanted to be a housewife, but I was that young mother I just talked about instead. Now for the first time in my life I am staying home with the kids. I prepare supper on Mon and Wed. evenings for a a very appreciated son and daughter-in-law. I do the laundry.( the washer and dryer are on my floor and it only makes sense since I am home all day. Besides, I like sorting colors and folding fresh warm clothes. It is civil, it is organized,) I do not have to go to work. I love it. I also love 6:00 P.M. when the kids go back to their home and I am once again a single retired lady. If the kids are crying upstairs, I get to ignore it. I can sleep in on Sat mornings and do anything I desire on Saturdays and Sundays.

About that April post: I said that I did most of my thinking when I walking my dog, Sammie. Well, that was true then, but now the scene has changed a little. Picture this: My sweet little 2 month old Leo is on a harness type thing attached to my tummy (someone out there knows what they are called, but I don't...they do work great no matter what they are called.) O.K. back to the description. Baby is on my tummy, Lucy is either in the stroller, or on her scooter next to me and Sammie (the dog) is on his leash. Sammie wants to smell everything and Lucy wants to keep moving. Streets are tricky. Yes, I am still thinking; but this time is about survival.

I am back to blogging and it feels good.

Keep it simple

People in Brooklyn have Stoop sales. We call them garage or rummage sales, but the concept is the same; you remove things from your home that you no longer want or need, you put a price on it and then you wait for people to come and buy it from you. Although the concept IS the same, there is one big difference.
Compare these next two scenes.
Last month as I was preparing to move I had a large garage sale. I started preparing the week before, going through all of my drawers and closets, cleaning the garage, taking the items to the garage, finding 'make- shift' tables, putting up a tent in case of rain, pricing everything, going to the local newspaper and paying $70. for an ad, waiting until dark the night before to take everything out to the driveway to display it so that I would be ready at 6:30 A.M. for the early shoppers (who pretend they were not aware that the sale starts at 8:00.)
Last week my daughter-in-law said she wanted to have a stoop sale. We planned on having the sale last Sat. On Friday I was dreading all of the work we would have to do that night. She shrugged the idea of preparing off with a "We can do that tomorrow" I am thinking "WHAT?"
Sat morning at 10:00 we started to hang items on the iron fence around our stoop. She brought down her jewelry box and laid some pieces that she wanted to sell on a T.V. tray. My son found a clothes rack in the basement and we hung some clothes on it. Shoes were placed on the sidewalk. People walked by and bought stuff; all morning long. At 2:00 we decided we were done and put away the few unsold items and my daughter in law put her $75. in her pocket and enjoyed the rest of the day.
Hmmmm, I like the idea; "keep it simple"

Don't underestimate the power of the 'stroll'

If anyone were to describe me, a statement like this would probably be part of the description:"She walks very fast with her back straight." Let me just stay "Things, they are a changin."

The first few days here, my friend (who drove the many miles from Iowa to NY with me) commented on how slow the people walk. I hadn't noticed, but since then I have become one of them. For me, if I walk fast I just might not get there(because I will die, or at least feel like I am dying) I have discovered the stroll as a means of survival.
In New York everyone walks, and not just a small distance. Three days a week I push a stroller with either my little 2 1/2 yr old Lucy in it with Sammie on a leash or visa versa. We walk 11 blocks to and from the day camp twice a day. On the other days we walk 10 blocks to the park.

When I get groceries I take a cart on wheels and walk 4 blocks to market and return with a cart FULL of "stuff". I am lucky, my flat is on the ground floor, most residents have a flight or 2 of stairs to climb with groceries in hand.

New Yorkers walk and walk and walk. IF you want to take the train (subway) you need to walk to the station. Then you need to walk down the stairs. When you get to your drop off site you need to walk up the stairs and in some cases, a lot of stairs. Then you have to walk to your destination.

Does this sound like a bad thing? It isn't. You just have to remember to Stroll.

Did I say this was going to be easy?

My intention was to journal my journey from Iowa to New York city. Well, THAT didn't happen! I have been here for 3 1/2 weeks now and I DO have some stories.

As the photo shows, my friend (who volunteered to drive with me and then fly home) and I set out on June 26th and arrived in Brooklyn on the 28th.

Going across Manhattan to get into Brooklyn was not the best idea MAPQUEST ever had. That truck you see in the photo drove down the length of Manhattan starting at Times Square during the Gay Pride Parade. Two little ladies in that big truck stalled in the middle of the celebration; yeah well it sounds funny NOW. We did have quite a view.

Check in regularly if you want to see New York city through the eyes of a person who has lived in small towns in the Midwest her entire life .

That's all for now.

Leaving "stuff' behind.

Today's art choice is an oil pastel I recently did for my Grandson. His room is all about Panda's and I love that kid so much that it was a joy to a paint, even though it isn't a subject matter normal for me. He loves it.

It feels good to be writing again. Last weekend I was in Minneapolis spending Mothers day hiking in the woods with my kids. There is nothing like being in nature to refresh the soul. The weekend before was 'girls weekend 'at my house. Three of my lifetime friends from South Dakota came for their last weekend with me in this town and house. If laughter is good medicine, we all got a good dose.

Emptying out a house,especially if you are an artist (pack rat) is really a big job. Here is an example: Last night after watching American Idol (don't you just love Danny? He is so nice and cute.) I went to my studio's storage closet to box up some supplies. I have made the decision to only bring my painting supplies to New York. I love anything creative and I have a tendency to stretch myself too thin. I want to spend a year concentrating only on painting. So here is an example of my problem: I love to make greeting cards and journals from my handmade papers and embossing and lino prints etc. I started to box it all up to save in storage until I return and move to Minneapolis. You cannot believe the agony I put myself through. I got everything organized and found myself mourning over the fact that I cannot take it with me. This morning I find myself more disciplined, "I will leave it behind."

I also face the dilemma on what to do with all of my 'non painting' art. I just posted some of it on etsy. If you are reading this and have the time I would appreciate it if you would check it out and pass the word.

I have so much more to say, but out of time today. http://artworksbydiane.etsy.com/