The Yellow Ribbon

This is the yellow ribbon at our house. Jesse made this huge "Z" for us.

 

The weekend!

We had a fun time at Margaret's yesterday, Kate got all the usual "Old Lady" presents - denture cleanser, Preparation H, prunes, a red hat, etc. A lot of this stuff has just been saved and passed on to the next one to turn 50.

Then we had a extra-special party activity. We all made huge yellow bows, and tied them to the trees lining Margaret's driveway. Jesse called and was hoping to leave Iraq today!!!!! I made an extra one to put at our house.

The first photo is of the Gallery from the street at night. The others are photos of the birthday presents, the birthday girl in her red hat, and our yellow ribbon display.

 

 

 

 

Two great days

These have been two very special days. I'm having to digest it all to write much, but I'll start with two photos of the main part of the display of my paintings at the gallery.

 

 

Post Reception

The reception was great! We had such a good party, and had a good crowd. Folks were coming in for the whole time - mostly friends who had been invited, but some people who only read about it in the Sunday paper. I loved all the compliments, and we got good additions to our mailing list. Nothing sold except for some cards, but the hope is always that someone will come back to look again and then purchase.

And afterwards, the family and close friends adjourned to a nearby restaurant to cap off the evening.

It was an evening I'll always treasure, and many thanks to all who made it so special - you know who you are!

Photos will come tomorrow (or maybe Sunday). Tomorrow we go to Margaret's for Kate's big birthday party.

Reception Eve

We did our lunch thing, and got our much-needed haircuts. Then we went to the Gallery to work more, and work we did! Even John spent time with the heating pad this afternoon. Vicki, Allen, and the workmen had done much more.

We got the paintings moved to the Gallery side of the space - so it's totally different from the pictures I posted the other day. But it just looks great! Vicki is also a decorator, so now, she's working her magic with the small stuff.

I'll go over about noon tomorrow to get more finishing done - dusting and wiping the glass on the paintings, getting the food set out, etc., etc. I'll take my "nice" clothes to change into just before the starting time. I guess we're almost as ready as we're likely to be.

Today's photo was taken in Prague in 2007.

 

Nothing but hard work!

We worked really hard at the Gallery today. Made more decisions about hanging spaces and furniture arrangements, etc.

Then, even worse, when I got home, I tried on clothes - to see what fit and which I wanted to wear. John did agree to help by offering some opinions, and we've narrowed it down to three possibilities. You'll have to wait for photos to see the decision (and I don't know what it is yet).

This photo obviously wasn't taken in our area (it's in SE Colorado), but there's been a lot of snow in the Carolinas.

 

"With Hope and Virtue" (G. Washington); With Pride and Hope (me)

 

Renee called to share the moments of the inauguration with us. She made me realize that I needed to think about the day and think about what I was going to write tonight. Fortunately, thanks to CSpan, I got a chance to listen to the inaugural address again. So these are random notes I made this afternoon.

Memories that I took away from today's Inauguration and history-making events:

As I said in my last entry, how wonderful to participate, however vicariously, in this wonderful peaceful transition.

It was cold, as expected in January, but there was brilliant sunshine on the proceedings. And how great it is to have the literal sunshine AND the figurative sunshine in the hope for more openness in our government.

I loved that the new president pledged to protect the country from terrorism and outside dangers, without tramping on the rights and liberties promised us in the Constitution. "We reject the notion that it is a choice between our safetly and our ideals. We will not give them up for expedience's sake."

President Obama was eloquent in his placing the problems we face today in the context of historical events.

The phrase that I remembered specifically was directed to the rest of the world - that we would "extend a hand if you will unclench your fist".

Both of the Obamas actually sang the Star Spangled Banner along with the Navy choir (as did Gen. Colin Powell).

Bill Dahn asked in his blog what his readers were feeling today. My answer was Pride and Hope!

Another quote: "Our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness."

You've never heard me say anything nice about "W", but I have to say that his and his staff's handling of the transition has been most gracious.

How lucky we are to live in this wonderful country!

 

BARACK OBAMA

Chancellor Roger Brown reminded us in the piece in Sunday's Chattanooga Times Free Press that the peaceful transfer of power that will take place in the United States on Tuesday is truly remarkable. This is unique throughout the world and throughout history. We should rejoice and celebrate.

And this inauguration of the exceptional man who is to become our 44th President is an event for the ages.

Be thrilled for him, for his family, and for all Americans.

The Sunday paper

Today's Chattanooga Times Free Press had some exceptional articles - not the least of which was the feature article about me and my solo show on the Art Page. Sorry about that, but it is a good article. Click here to read the article.

With the drama and excitement of the upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama as our 44th President, there were a couple of other articles that I'd like to recommend.

Inauguration 2009 was written by Dr. Roger G. Brown, Chancellor of the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. It's an excellent article about the meaning of this event, and it is quite well written.

From the Miami Herald, Leonard Pitts's pre-inaugural commentary, Another Perspective on Abraham Lincoln is an unusual perspective from an African-American.

I hope these links will stay viable for a while. If they don't work, e-mail me directly with your e-mail address, and I'll copy and paste it to you.
------------
Today's photo is one of John's - an abstract from Catalina Island.

Finally above freezing

I've been very good about basketbll scores lately. But it was a busy day today. The Lady Mocs won over Davidson; the Men Mocs beat Appalachian State; and the Men Vols beat Mississippi State. And a good day! John and Margaret will be going to the Lady Vols' game tomorrow. It's that time of year.

Here we are at 11:45 p.m., and the temperature has been rising all day. It's now soared to 34F! Actually above freezing! But it's not supposed to get out of the 30s tomorrow, and show showers are predicted for the next couple of days. At least with getting this couple of days of temps below freezing, it should kill off lots of those bad bugs - mosquitoes, Southern pine bark beetle, etc..

Flowering fruit trees, as in today's photo, are only a few months away.

 

A cold Friday

It's been below freezing here all day. The low last night was 9*. Schools were closed today so the kids wouldn't have to be standing out at busstops in 10* weather. I skipped swimming this morning. The Y policy is to cancel classes anytime the schools are closed in the wintertime. I remembered this, and since the school announcement was made last night, I slept until 8 this morning. Later in the day, though, we got an e-mail from the instructor saying that she would always try to get there if the roads weren't bad, so they did have class. Oh, well....... I did enjoy the extra sleep time, though.

I spent a little time at the gallery. The frames for the windows on the main space have been put in, and the job manager says that they'll get it finished Monday. We can't wait to see how much light there's going to be. Vicki and Allen will have the gallery side painted and ready to go early in the week.

I must mention the incredible news of the plane crash into the Hudson River yesterday. What a remarkable story of what is possible when well trained, competent people do what they are trained to do, and do it deliberately with cool heads and speed. Somebody wondered about how often birds and airplanes collided. It happens with enough frequency that airplane developers and manufacturers test airplane parts by actually bombarding them with (dead) chickens propelled from high-speed air-powered cannons. Click here to read about it. That said, it's still wonderful that this sort of accident happened, and there were no fatalities or life-threatening injuries.

Today's photo is of jellyfish at the Tennessee Aquarium.

 

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

It's supposed to be 10 degrees F or lower tonight, and it's already 16. Brrrrrrrr.

Gallery update: They have finished the front of the gallery side and have walled off the main space side and torn out the front windows and wall. Vicki repainted the long wall of the main space side, and I got pieces hung there today. They'll probably be moved sometime during the length of the show, but it looks SO good now, and I'm really pleased with it. I took some photos. Unfortunately, I used my small camera, and I really can't hold it steady enough to get unfuzzy shots. These are a few of the sharper ones. The paintings are not all straightened yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miscellaneous

To quote Molly Ivins: "I couldn't make this stuff up." This was in our paper this morning, headlined "Donor uses kidney in custody flight".

Melville, NY - The Long Island surgeon who wants his estranged wife to return the kidney he donated to her or pay him $1.5 million in a dirce settlement has asked a Nassau judge to throw her in jail for not allowing him to visit his three children, the doctor's attorney said Tuesday.
Dr. Richard Batista's attorney, Dominic Barbra, wants his estranged wife, Dawnell Batista of Massapequa, held in contempt."

We opened the barrier between the gallery and the main space today. They've finished the window wall and door. Also, they've removed the old dropped ceiling, so there are the huge high ceilings with the exposed rafters of the floor above. It's exciting, and the light is incredible! They were supposed to put up the barrier/weather wall to block off the main space, so we'll be coming in through the new door until they finish the main space. Then they're going to put the new awning over both sides. I haven't painted anything new for this show, but I have dragged out some older stuff and had it reframed and cleaned up. It may wind up being stacked around against the walls for a while, but I can deal with that. It's always an adventure! I only hope there is mostly some open space for folks to come for the reception on the 23rd.

I guess all this cold weather makes me want to post flower pictures - a hibiscus.

 

Brrrrrr

Gallery and Exhibit status: The glass was up in the side gallery this morning, but it was still not quite closed in (and it's to get VERY cold over the next few days). The workmen had a kerosene heater in their space, but we realized it was pumping carbon monoxide into our space, and had to tell them to turn it off. Oh, well.... The front should be closed in soon. Of course, then they'll start on the main side of the gallery. We cleared the walls in the front of the gallery today, and decided which of my pieces to hang. The show is supposed to open on the 15th, but it'll probably be only partially up by then. The reception is on 23 January. I'll probably wind up starting the exhibit in one space, and then moving it to the other. Oh, well - being flexible is a good thing.

Does anybody out there ever get Raynaud's phenomenon? I've had little bits of it before, on the pads of 1-2 fingertips, when my hands got very cold, but nothing like this morning. This wasn't from the cold gallery, but from the drive over. I had the heater on in the car, of course, and gloves on, but all my fingers were white, all around, from the second knuckle to the fingertips. The circulation finally returned and they warmed back up, but it took a while. I'll call the rheumatologist tomorrow and ask for suggestions, plus doing some online checking tonight.

There was a Friends of the Library Board meeting this afternoon, and then John and I met at a little Italian place for dinner. They have a very limited menu, but the food is excellent.

We went to hear historian Doris Kearns Goodwin (Team of Rivals) speak tonight. The talk was due to start at 7, and the publicity said that it would be first-come/first-served seating. Well, okay - we'll get there early, so no problem. The place won't be full. Right! We got there at 6:20, and people were lined up in the lobby of the UTC Fine Arts Center. It turned out that the theater where she was speaking was already full, and they were getting ready to open seating in the other theater in the Center, with a live TV feed. And when that theater filled up, they opened up another room with TV. Goodwin is a great speaker, with delightful anecdotes about the presidents she's been close to (beginning with LBJ). And the part of her talk about Lincoln and his Team was excellent. Hearing her personal stories about how she got interested in history was good, too. She certainly made Team sounds like a good book to read.

If we go to any of the other talks in this series (3 more), we'll go even earlier - and take a book to read while we wait.

So, after being gone from 9:30 until after 8 p.m., I was glad to get home, in my jammies and robe, and in my recliner.

Let's think summertime with the photo.

 

Monday

Monday - going to swimming.

Monday - going to Panera.

Monday - going to Walmart.

Monday - going home for lunch.

Monday - going to bridge.

Monday - going to the chair.

And a fire in Margaret's fireplace. It feels good on a cold winter's evening.

 

A slug day

What a "slug" day! I cannot believe that I actually slept until 9! I don't know that I've ever done that before. But it surely did feel good. All I did today was the laundry, read in the David Baldacci book, and knit. John watched lots of ballgames (the Lady Vols lost to Vanderbilt), and caught up on some missed series episodes using "On Demand".

It was supposed to be partly cloudy today, but that never happened. The high for the day was 47, but that was just after midnight. During the day, the highest we saw was 37, and it's been going down ever since. The low predicted for tonight is 28. But, it IS January.

Today's picture is one from the palemale.com web site, taken in Central Park, NYC.

 

Bright spots

There were a few bright spots in this gloomy, gray, rainy day.

Betsy called - just to check in to tell us how much she had enjoyed our visit. It's always such a treat to spend time with her. We all just wish the distances weren't so great.

Richard called. How great to talk with him. He's such a sweetie, and we hadn't heard from him in quite a while. He had gotten the invitation to my show, and that's what prompted him to call. He's planning to retire something this year (when he turns 70). It sounds like he's doing great, and still in contact with Carol's kids.

As a capper to the day, I made a pot of chicken noodle soup. It was absolutely the right thing for this nasty, yucky weather.

And here's a sunflower to remind us of summertime.

 

A more normal Friday

It surely did feel good to get back to swimming this morning. And to get to the Gallery for a short time. The work on the new front of the shop has been started - on the side room (which will be the exhibit space for featured artists). The glass is scheduled to be installed this afternoon or Monday. Then the room can get painted, and hopefully be ready for me to hang by Wednesday. Then they'll be starting on the other side of the shop - the main space. Always chaos! Allen has been reframing some of my stuff, and it surely is looking good.

I had to hurry home because the Merry Maids were coming for their second visit (first monthly visit). I had them spend more time in the kitchen, and clean all the glass fronts on my cabinets. There are lots of little individual panes, and cleaning/dusting them is really a "pain" (sorry for the pun - well, not really). I was glad to have somebody else to do it. They did the back of the house first, so John could go on and take a nap in the bedroom while they were here. I guess it worked - he said he got a good nap.

I'd bet we're going to sleep really late in the morning (at least I hope so).

Today's photo is one that John took of me and my internet friend when we met in person for the first time this week in Texas.

 

Home again (again)

We got home about suppertime with wonderfully uneventful travel. Something new and different! We had such a good time. We arrived on Betsy's 89th birthday, Ken's birthday was the day before. And we wished them many happy returns, of course.

We did what we always do at family get-togethers...we EAT! And then we talk and talk and talk some more. And then we talk about eating. And then we eat again. We did exchange photographs, too - looked at some old and some new ones.

One treat was getting to meet up with an internet friend and her husband. What nice folks they are! I feel like I've known her for years - and I have - just not in person. But now we have actually been in the same space at the same time.

It's taken a while to get caught up. John's watching the FL/OK game now, but first listened to the Lady Vols on the radio. They beat Kentucky 69-64. Glad to be home.

This photo was taken by the waiter at Bistro M in McAllen. (Sorry, Betsy got almost hidden in this one.)

 

A beautiful day!

Seems like we've done nothing but eat - but it certainly has been enjoyable! It has been great to visit with family - not just because we're related, but because we enjoy each others company. We just wish the distances weren't so great.

We've just printed out our boarding passes for the trip home tomorrow. No telling how long the actual trip will take. I'm sure there'll be delays because of the terrible weather all over the country. We've even had flooding in the Chattanooga area. It's a good thing John moved his boat out of the rowing center before we left - it's a good possibility that the boathouse will be flooded before we get home.

Betsy took us to a little restaurant in Weslaco that had been recommended to her as a place where the local Mexicans went to eat. I can understand why - we had a superb (and HUGE) breakfast. That'll certainly be our main meal today.

I'm hoping for a special treat today. We're going to go to a big local flea market here, where I'm looking to meet one of my internet "Bosom Buddies". This'll be our first face-to-face meeting. She and her husband spend two months on South Padre Island, and this is the first time we've been able to make connections while I'm here. Should be fun, and I'll try to remember to get some photos.

Stay warm and dry!

From Texas

We left Flo's house at 5:15 this morning, and finally got to Harlingen, 2 hours late, at 3:30. It does make for a long day. But we got a bigger car than reserved (a van rather than an economy car) - and that's great for four of us.

It is great to see everybody. And Ken had gotten us the great locally made tamales for supper. Always a treat!!! The big event for the night is the Texas/Ohio State game.

It's cool and overcast today, but hopefully more sunshine tomorrow.

I don't know what the plans are for tomorrow. We'll see what happens.

Fog and rain

Today has been a really yucky day - foggy and rainy all day long. The weather channel said the temps in south Texas were supposed to be in the low 70s beginning Monday. It's supposed to be around freezing when we get home, with possible snow flurries here at home. Winter is such fun.

Betsy called this morning, and we'll be at my cousin's house Monday night, so all those Univ of TX alumni can watch the football game.

We listened to the Lady Mocs on the radio - they lost to Georgia Southern by 2 points. This was their first conference loss in a couple of years. The Lady Vols were behind Rutgers at much as 22 points, but managed to pull out a 2-point win. It's never dull.

I got the invitations to the show sent out today. Plus I got the wash done, and the suitcase packed. We'll get our boarding passes before we leave home in the morning. This is the invitation to the show, and the painting is the one shown on the front of the card.

Eccentric & Eclectic

Works
by

Mary Zelle

15 January - 1 March 2009

Studio2 / Gallery2
27 West Main St.
Chattanooga, TN 37408

Please come to an opening reception
23 January 2009, 4 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

(Behind Blue Orleans Restaurant, parking
lot at west end of Gallery2 building)

Computers & Barges

I've been playing with my computer today - changing over from IE to Firefox as my browser, and setting it up to get my comcast e-mail in my gmail mailbox. Comcast changed their web e-mail format a few months ago, and I really hate it. I finally decided to try the gmail switch and change to Firefox all at once. I did have to spend some time on the phone with Kate to get it set up, but I'm most happy with it now.

Our RiverBarge trip from Chattanooga to St. Louis in July has been cancelled. In fact, we got a letter today, and the RiverBarge company has cancelled the whole year - because of the slow economy and lack of bookings. We're devastated - not only because of our trip, but because of the whole situation. However, this just reinforces our belief that this is really a "class act" company - to realize this, and just cancel the whole season - and recoup in 2010. Some other company might have just hung on to the deposits and gotten in deeper and deeper before going belly-up. I hope they can make a comeback.

Today's photo is of the River Explorer docked in Decatur, AL.

 

Happy New Year!

I hope everybody has gotten as much football as desired. John didn't really watch much. Bowl games used to be better when there were only four of them (Orange, Sugar, Cotton, and Rose) and only the best teams got to play. Oh, well... But he read the entire J.A.Jance book (Cruel Intent) read - I just got it from the library yesterday.

We did almost nothing today. We slept late and took naps. I'll bet the YMCA parking lot will be full tomorrow with folks starting on their New Year resolutions to lose weight and get fit. That happens every year, but it usually lasts only about a month.

We made one unusual discovery this morning - we have no 2009 calendars. That's amazing - we usually get 2-3 free ones. Guess everybody's cutting back. We'll check tomorrow and see what we can find on sale.

Today's photo is an orchid in the Ocean Journey building of the Tennessee Aquarium.