darling duckie

freedom of my mind

“Lock up your libraries if you like, but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.” 

~Virgina Woolf, A Room of One's Own

My Life in France: A Book In Review

"Good results require that one take time and care."

There are a couple of people that stand out in my memories of watching television while growing up: Bob Ross so effortlessly painting tree and birds and creating landscapes from nothing but a canvas and paint and Julia Child, with her distinct voice and her excitement for good food.

After reading Julia Child's memoir I have felt so inspired by her passion and determination to really learn. She was not always a cook. Her food did not always taste wonderful. But she loved food and her husband and worked oh so hard. And how inspiring was her relationship with Paul. They strengthen each other, supported each other, and were best friends. I love the picture above, where they sit side by side, working side by side. It is so romantic and (can I say it again??) INSPIRING!

Julia's memories and thoughts on her experiences really made me ask a few questions of myself:

Am I supporting my husband in the things he loves?

Do I really put effort in learning and growing?

What is it that motivates me, pushes me?

I really loved reading My Life In France. It was so different that I thought it would be and has changed me. (Plus every time I go to the DI I search out a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which I have yet to find, though I did score Volume II for a couple of bucks.) A friend let me borrow Mastering the Art... so I could make a recipe of Julia's for book club. Though I don't know if it turned out how it was supposed to be, it was yummy and I learned so much about cooking just through that one recipe and perusing the book.

Now I want to wander market places and cook something delicious...

Jane Eyre: A Book in Review

“The incident had occurred and was for me: it was an incident of no moment, no romance, no interest in a sense: yet it marked with change one single hour of a monotonous life.”

“No wonder you have rather the look of another world. I marveled where you had got that sort of face. When you came on me in Hay Lane last night, I thought unaccountably of fairy tales, and had half a mind to demand whether you had bewitched my horse: I am not sure yet.”

I used to believe to be able to truly call myself a reader I had to be a fast reader. Read multiple books every month. Remember all the details. So when it took me over a year to finish Jane Eyre, Iwas a little bit ashamed. But truth be told, I am a slow reader. Well, I am medium. Not slow. Just slower than some. And that is alright, isn't it? I can still call myself a reader, right?

And I don't want you to think any of it is Ms. Eyre's fault. She kept me company through pregnancy doctor visits and entertained me with witty commentary through long drives and late nights. She even sat with me through those hard months after Millie was born.

That Ms. Eyre, she is a loyal friend.

And I loved her. I love her for standing up to what she believes in and doing it even when it meant giving her chance at love up. It is so much more than a love story but such a unique love story too.

One of my favorite parts?

“Who in the world cares for you? Or who will be injured by what you do?

“I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. I will keep the law given by God. … Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour … If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? They have a worth—so I have always believed. … Preconceived opinions, foregone determinations, are all I have at this hour to stand by: there I plant my foot.”

Sometimes characters in books are referred to as heroines or heros but they lack the qualities that entitle one to such a name. But Jane really is a heroine. She has courage and self respect.

This is a great book, well worth the time and effort I put towards reading it. (It probably won't take you as long, I promise. Read it. Really.)

Plus, sometimes I wish we could speak how they spoke, eh?

“ere long I found you full of strange contrasts.”

“there was a pleasurable illumination in your eye occasionally”

“for with him I was at perfect ease, because I knew I suited him”

“in his presence I thoroughly lived; and he lived in mine.”

Wonderful.

If you are frightened of classics and whether or not you will be able to read them, start with Jane Eyre.  With an exciting storyline and gothic style, it will surely become a favorite of yours.

If you love Jane Eyre and are looking for another book to satisfy that particular craving, I would highly recommend reading The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Even if you don't like Jane Eyre or you have never read it, The Thriteenth Tale is a great book. 

art and meaning

Girl in the Yellow Suit by Lisa Golightly

 

“…We see a haystack by Monet, an iris by Van Gogh, or an asparagus spear by Manet and marvel at their presence and spirit and think that these works were about haystacks, irises, and asparagus. Not at all! Monet, Van Gogh, Manet employed haystacks, irises, asparagus to speak of the symphonies of light, the glory of God’s creations, the life force residing in all forms. We care about those paintings more than we care about stacks of hay, flowers, and vegetables because we care more about light, God and life than we do about any of their particular manifestations. Meaning, not beauty, is what we are after. Big, deep, wide meaning.”

~Peter London, from the book No More Secondhand Art

We really like art here in at the Fish Residence. Sometimes I think I buy too much of it but then I remember that there is a lot of value in having art in your home. Billy and I like to meander through museums. Of all the museums in Utah that we love, the Springville Museum of Art tops it. It is a beautiful building full of art with variety and lovely, deep meaning. It may be a little bit of a drive but it is so worth it. (Plus it's free. Woohoo!) We have been waiting for their upcoming art exhibit, the 40th Annual Utah All-State High School Art Show. It should be a good one. (High quality high school and university exhibits are my favorite. So many different styles and techniques. They are searching for their voice and style and it makes for amazing shows)

Most of the art in our home comes from independent artists we find at fairs and on etsy, with the rest of the art coming from my Grandpa Graehl's basement, thrift stores, ikea, and all posters. We collect from anywhere, but I do have to pace myself. Even putting this collection together for you made me want to buy a few paintings while Billy slept (tehehe).

I know very little about technique but I don't think you have to in order to appreciate and feel something through art.

Here are some of my favorite artist. We own some of these prints while the rest are on my wish list.

Who are your favorite artists?

What are your favorite museums?

 

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt

 

Bridesmaids by Cassandra Barney

 

By Vivian Maier

 

Take Me for a Walk by Sarah Jane

 

Voyages Over Edinburgh by David Fleck

 

Justin Hackworth

 

Mother and Child by Cassandra Barney

Mountain View by Ryan Fowler

 

by Dorothea Lange

 

Almond Branches in Bloom by Vincent van Gogh

tid bits in the sun

"No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace

As I have seen in one autumnal face."

~John Donne

That word: grace. It is the perfect word to describe autumn. Soft and glowing; and graceful.

 

autumn gardening

 

"Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

~George Eliot

 

I spent yesterday with the bees and a little butterfly. Billy took the child along with him to run some errands and left me home to (finally) work in the garden before the ground freezes and it is too late to plant the spring bulbs.

So there we were, just the bees and me. They pollinated the mums while I gathered seeds for next year. They talked of their winter plans while I quietly listened to their chatter, wondering at what fun they must be having on one of their last work days of the year.  And then a little butterfly joined in on the bees fun. It jumped softly from flower to flower, soaking in the sun and sipping the nectar from the mums. I wanted to talk to her but she was so distracted by her own thoughts that I let her be.

While they giggled and buzzed about their work, I pulled up the gladiolus bulbs to dry out for the winter and planted tulips and daffodils with a few iris inbetween. I wish it didn't take all winter for them to grow but this spring should be colorful and exciting. I beheaded the marigolds to save the seeds for next summer and gathered the basil and nasturtuim seeds. I churned the veggie garden, mixing in the tomatoes I didn't get to in time and the rest of the compost we have been decomposing.

All the while the sun kissed my neck and warmed my back.

on writing

And by the way, everything in life is writable if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.

~Sylvia Plath

As I sit, staring at the screen, feelings of inadequacy creep into my brain.

I think I have spent too much time reading what other people write. Not that reading is bad. But the comparisons that stiffen my fingers make it hard to write.

I have a new "writing assignment." I can't really tell you how excited I am. In fact, I have been working on the first essay for almost a month now. I have researched, pondered, and talked, trying to determine what is that I really want to say. All week I have had it as my number one thing to get done. And yet, here I am, already to Thursday and still not finished. And it is mostly my fault.

Too much dawdling, too much self-doubt, with a dash of laziness.

Writing is funny that way, as is most creative outlets. Well, at least for me. Sometimes, the words flow effortlessly. The emotions are easily expressed. Sometimes, I have so much to write, I can't get it out fast enough.

And then there are other times, the times that happen to hang around most, when I know there is something I want to say but how to say it is another issue. I read other peoples works for inspiration but suffer from self-doubt as I compare myself and my abilities to that of others.

And then I hide. I hide behind movies and books and blogs. I hide behind cleaning the house and list making.

And I get nowhere.

So that is why I haven't written anything here. But I will. Just be patient.

for today

"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want."

~ Ben Stein

 Today you are you, that is truer than true.

There is no one alive who is youer than you.

Dr. Seuss

 

never tell yourself...

"Lots of people limit their possibilities by giving up too easily when things get tough. Never tell yourself--"this is too much for me. It's no use. I can't go on." For if you do you're licked, and by your own thinking, too. Keep believing and keep on keeping on."

- Norman Vincent Peale