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lunanista

~ Standing up for sanity (mine anyway) through art and humor.

lunanista

Tag Archives: Delight

Prompt Stomp: Lights

03 Thursday Dec 2015

Posted by Jeanette Clawson in Photographs

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Boston, Cee's Photo Challenge, Christmas lights, dahlia, Delight, gratitude, Hawaii, Light, photography, photos, Sunset

“I want to see 3-5 photos, showing us what lights up your life.” This is the challenge from The Hood: MLJ Photos. Cee was participating and inspired me to join this challenge.

I struggle with depression and the darkness of December in Wisconsin can be a challenge of a different kind. Last winter I stumbled across the idea of looking for delight in the light to be found in this darkness. Of course the light of my life is captured in this fun holiday light extravaganza and is the perfect place to start this journey.

lights2 mike caterpillar

We are not big on decorating our house with a lot of Christmas lights, but for the past few years we have gone to these outdoor lights festivals as part of our holiday celebrating. I have enjoyed playing around with trying to capture the lights and with getting interesting effects with photography of lights while on a horse-drawn carriage ride.

If you have been following my blog for any length of time you know that I love flowers. I paint them, doodle them and photograph them. I am learning that natural lighting can be such an asset and can be the upside of insomnia. Now when I can’t sleep on a weekend morning I wake up my husband and we jump in the car to get some early morning photos of beautiful place. I love the earth sculpture labyrinth that was home to this dewy blossom.

dewy dahlia

My younger son is going to college in Boston. The first time we went there with him I fell in love with a lot of the architecture. The library had such fabulous ironwork and I particularly loved these light fixtures.

boston library lamps and flags

On that same trip I took a self-portrait that I was quite happy with and it involved the light fixture in the beautiful old hotel we were staying in.

self portrait in light fixture

Last winter I was so very fortunate to go to Hawaii to see one of my good friends get married. The light in Hawaii was so lovely. I could post 20 photos of it to demonstrate it, however given the limits of this challenge I will only post this one. We were watching for the green flash as the sun went down. I didn’t see it, but certainly enjoyed the time to focus on the sunset. That was one of the things that I really loved. Every night crowds of people stop to watch the sun set. That doesn’t happen in small town Wisconsin. Aloha.

Hawaii 062

What brings you delight? I hope you have a beautiful day.

Art Abandonment Rocks

08 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by Jeanette Clawson in Art Abandonment

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

100 Mandalas, abandon, art, art abondonment, Claudia McGill, Delight, ducks, mandalas, painted rocks, river, Whimsy

rock art 001

I have been wanting to do this for so long! I am so grateful that one of my very good friends invited me over to decorate stones with her. I have been having great difficulties finishing much of anything, art-wise so I felt so good about these 2 little stone mandalas.

The one with the pink and gold flower I gave to a friend of mine who has terminal cancer. The other one I abandoned when I was finally able to go for a walk!

There is a river that goes through the back of our yard and as a consequence our block is quite big. Walking around our black with my husband is something I enjoy very much and have not been able to do lately. So I have been saving the little stone until I could put it near the bridge over the river. I knew this was where I wanted to abandon it for quite some time, ever since I was inspired to do this by Claudia McGill. Please check out the lovely little ladies that she shares with the world to spread joy and whimsy.

abandonded art 001

So here is the little stone in position.  Are here are some photos to provide you with the loveliness and whimsy of this little spot.

abandonded art 002abandonded art 003abandonded art 004

There is a large group of ducks that has been staying in this little park for quite a few years now and my husband and I love to watch them.  See how they waddle in a line? A neighbor has allowed them access to her vegetable garden and shrubs and these ducks seem to nest along the river and in her shrubs. In the upper right hand corner of the photo is where I left my rock.

This bridge is the main way to and from school for a lot of the children in our neighborhood elementary school. I love to think about one of them finding it on their way to or from school and I hope it brings delight to them. Just thinking about it is delightful to me.

Have a beautiful day.

Share Your World – week 43

30 Friday Oct 2015

Posted by Jeanette Clawson in Gratitude journal

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

cats, Darkness, debate, Delight, gratitude, joy, love, migraine, Peace, Share Your World, social justice, SYW, tea

If you have been following me for a while you know that I am a fan of Cee’s Photo Challenges. She also does a weekly post called Share Your World and I have considered participating in the past, but this week I decided to plunge in. She poses a series of questions and she, and whoever wants to participate.

If you were on a debate team, what general subject would you relish debating?

In High School I did participate in the forensics program that included debate, but I chose to recite (sometimes my own) poetry. I was pretty good at it because I love poetry. However, I was very shy as a child and debate was way outside of what I was interested in. As I have gotten older I have found the courage, usually because of my passions and interest in social justice, to engage in debate. I have traveled widely and lived on 3 continents. My sons are adopted African Americans. I have health problems of the physical and mental kinds. I have had to advocate for my self and children and have chosen to do it for many others. The last few years race and economic injustice have been the main topics I debate. I have been so privileged in so many ways in my life I feel it is my responsibility to speak for those who can not or who are not invited to the discussion. My methods of debate are usually quiet and private and involve conversations with people who I believe I can teach. Sometimes I have used my blog as an avenue to share my ideas of social justice, but not as much as I thought I would when I started. This is actually a topic I think about a lot when deciding what to write about/post. My health limitations have precluded the energy it takes for me to overcome my desire for privacy and emotional involvement with so many of these topic. So, that may help you see why I chose to participate in this “Share your world.”

What is your strongest sense?

Probably taste, but I think quite a bit about my senses increasingly. Most of this summer I was not able to read for more than a few minutes at a time and most days I was not able to draw at all. Some of my vision issues have improved, but some continue to present challenges. The best thing to come out of this is my increased involvement with photography. It has been tremendously rewarding. My migraines demand that I spend days at a time in what I refer to as my “sensory deprivation tank.” I lay in my dark bedroom with my head packed with ice packs and some very quiet music or on an ok day an audio book. And I pet my cats. Those interactions with my cats (and the support from my husband) are a source of incredible joy and satisfaction to me. So, when you ask my strongest sense, I think all of mine are turned up too high for this world.

At one point I was identified by a food company as a “super-taster” I was selected for a 3 month training program in sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (which may have a relationship to my migraines – I think). The training program actually made me too sick to continue into the job. For most of my life I was told I was a wimp when it came to hot foods and it turns out that I experience them differently than many people. Hot was actually characterized as a mouth sensation rather than a flavor and there was a whole education around this, too. Needless to say I really enjoy good food. Some of my friends and family think it is hilarious, but when I was introduced to the concept of mindfulness and eating I felt validated. To me a fresh raspberry can be a revelation. So, from my sensory deprivation days, I can still enjoy one of my strong senses and find great joy in a simple meal.

What would you name the autobiography of your life?

The funny thing about this one is that I have started writing my autobiography. I have had many people tell me I should write a book about my life and I have started to give this some deep thought in my quiet hours. You already know part of the title. Lunanista: Finding Delight in the Darkness. For any more on this you will have to wait to see if/when I finish it!

List your favorite flavors or types of tea.

As you may have guessed by the taste response, I have some ideas here, too! I love hot and cold green and English Breakfast teas, but most black teas are lovely to me. I also love Oolong, as it reminds me of my time living in Asia. I can no longer drink Jasmine tea because the fragrance triggers my migraines. Also, an allergy technician friend of mine recommended that I stop drinking chamomile because it was making my allergies worse. I love almost any tea with mint and have grown my own mint periodically. I love honeybush tea, but it is really difficult to find in my neck of the woods. On a cold day a lovely cup of chai feels like home, too. I also love to make my own fruit syrups to add to my iced teas in the summer. This past summer I made a cherry syrup that is lovely. My mother-in-law has found a place that produces lemon whipped honey that is so lovely in either hot or cold tea.

What are you grateful for from the last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Cee includes this question every week and it is part of my personal gratitude practice. I have gotten away from my gratitude journals and hope this will bring me back into it. This past week has been very challenging for me physically. I have some new medical mysteries that have added problems on top of the migraines. Oddly enough, this is where the title of my book came from. I was laying in bed with pain levels at about a 7 or 8 but I was listening to some beautiful music and my little cat came and snuggled right up in my arms. Petting him led him to purr and there was something about that that was just plain wonderful. I have a safe, quiet room and lots of ice packs. My husband is so loving and does what he can to make me feel better – of particular note this week were hand and feet massages. I have been blessed with a group of such wonderful friends and family. They have brought me food and laughter and so much thoughtfulness. My cup runneth over. Next week I have an important medical test and a followup with my neurologist about some other tests I have had and I have hope that we will find answers or better questions. (But really I want answers). I look forward to delicious meals with loved ones. Purring cats. Renewing my gratitude journal practice. Laughter, music, books and moments of peace and joy. May you have peace and joy in the coming week as well.

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