Artist/Picture Study - Paul Cezanne

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906) was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose artistic creations provided the foundations of the transition from the 19th to 20th century of art.

Cézanne’s exploratory and often repetitive brushstrokes are clearly recognizable and characteristic of his style. He used small brushstrokes and planes of color that build up to form complex fields.

The paintings convey Cézanne’s focused study of his subjects. Cézanne can be said to form a bridge between late 19th century Impressionism and the early 20th century’s new method of expression,  Cubism. Both Picasso and Matisse remarked that Cézanne “is the father of us all.”

Below are six pictures that Cézanne painted. Olivia studied these for a while and then recalled what she could remember about the pictures.

Source

Mountain Sainte-Victoire1882-1885

Oil on canvas, 65,5 × 81,7 cm

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Olivia remembered:
- In the picture, there are two big tall trees that you notice. The trees are right up front. If you look past the trees, you can see buildings, a bridge, and mountains. 
- The mountains look more like giant or very big hills, especially when they are painted green.
- The bridge looks like it is going across a large river and it is very long. 
- Some of the buildings look like they are just painted squares. 
- Also, it looks like it is the country because there are different farm plots. 
- Close to the river on the right side of the picture, there looks like there is a village. I couldn't tell if they were more buildings or trees.
- The two big trees look like they don't have any branches on the trunk. There is one little scraggly branch...and that's about it. 
- The picture looks like it is being painted from the perspective that the painter is on top of a hill. Everything seems a little faint, or smaller in the distance. You kinda feel like you are looking down slightly. 
- There are also smaller trees in the very front of the picture. 
- There looks like there is a house hidden among the trees that has a chimney.

- The whole picture is mainly done with greens, yellows, and the sky is blue with very few clouds. 

- It looks like it was done in watercolor - just how light the colors are and the blue in the sky. You can't really see the short, precise strokes. They are all blended out. 

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Source

The Peppermint Bottle, 1893-95 

Oil on canvas, 65.9 x 82.1 cm

National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

Olivia remembered:
- In the picture, it looks like there is a chest of drawers and sitting on the chest of drawers is some fabric or tablecloths. One is blue and has like swirly flower/fern patterns on it. 
- The other is plain white.
- Sitting on the fabric, there are two bottles - 1 that has a red label with a cork it; and the other looks like it is a jug or a vase, and it looks like it is completely see-through. 

- Also on the table are several peaches - at least I think they are peaches since they are orange or yellowish.

- It also seems like the fabric is propped up with things because of how it is draped and holding stuff.
- Behind the chest of drawers, there is a window and the whole background is painted this tealish-green color. The whole picture is painted like that with the exception of the red label and peaches. 

- The bottle with a red label - looks like it could be an alcohol bottle with wine or something. 
- The jug looks like it could be empty and appears to be completely see through. There is a peach that is hiding behind the vase. The vase is clear. 
- The colors are mostly greenish-blue with blue. 

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Source

Le Jas de Bouffan, 1878

Olivia remembered:
- In the picture, there is a row of trees going off the page on the left-hand side.
- To the right of the trees, there is a house. There is one big part and there is a slightly shorter side next to it. There are a bunch of smaller buildings next to it. 
- The house reminds me of an Italian or Spanish or Mexican style. You got those ridged rooftops on the little buildings...that could be outdoor stoves. They also could be animal coops. 
- On the big building, there is a white staircase that goes up to the second floor. 
- On the trees, it looks like the branches are coming down and they have lots of little leaves - almost like willow trees.
- To the right of the picture, there is another tree that has a much darker bark and has a much skinnier tree trunk than the other trees. 
- The sky is blue and there looks like there is a bunch of fluffy clouds. 
- Again, the colors of this picture are brown, greens, and yellowish-browns...or like tan. 
- There looks like there is brown mixed into the tree. It looks like it may be fall because the leaves are ready to change. 

- The bark on the other trees is very smooth. 

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Source

Still Life with a Ginger Jar and Eggplants, 1893-94

Oil on canvas 72.4 x 91.4 cm

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York NY

Olivia remembered:
- In the picture, there are some pears, two jars, a wine bottle, a wooden stick with some eggplants tied to it.
- One of the jars and the wine bottle have twine wrapped around it and it looks like they could be hanging or hung. 
- The other jar is like a dark green and looks more heavy-duty than the other jar. 
- There's the same tablecloth with the blue and black swirly design from the other still-life design. In this one, you can see that the design is like a bunch of suns in a row...like a quilt block or quilt square. 
- There's - what I'm guessing - is a white tablecloth and what looks like a white vest. It looks like it is a different texture than the tablecloth.
- The back wall where you can see next to the eggplants, it looks like it is made out of glass. So, I feel like some of these items are being stored in a greenhouse or a glass sunroom.
- There's a wooden drawer or a chest or shelf/desk, and the top drawer is slightly open; and the next open drawer - it's hard to see the knobs since it is same texture as the wood. 
- The light looks like it is coming in from the left, and you see the reflection of the eggplants in the glass.
- The pears are orangeish/reddish/yellow - so they may not be completely ripe.
- The vase with the rope around it is white on top and then it looks like it is blue - like a big blue stripe on it. 

- The fabric is all bunched up - like there is something underneath it. 

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Source

Dovecote at Bellevue, 1890

Oil on canvas 58 x 78 cm

Private Collection

Olivia remembered:
- In the picture, there is a house on top of a hill and next to the house there looks like there is a silo. In front of the house there looks like there is a pine tree.
- Off from the pine tree, there looks like there are smaller pine trees.
- There is a big pine tree growing behind the house. 
- Next to the silo, there are smaller trees. Some of them look dead. One might have white flowers on it. 
- The sky is a much brighter, darker blue with less clouds. 
- There is also this little shrub growing on the hill, and by the way of the brush strokes, it looks like it is kind of tall.
- The silo has a burnt-orange top/cover and the house is tan with more yellow in it. There are two windows on the second story are completely black. 
- On the first floor, there's a window and what looks like a door - a greenish color. 

- You can see a lot more of his tiny, short strokes in this picture. 

- I feel like the house is abandoned. The whole feeling looks like it is slightly unkempt. 

- The grass is very brown and light in color. The trees are more green. 

- His other landscapes always have brown, green, and yellow, and sometimes orange. 

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Source

Les Bois, Aix-en-Provence, 1890

Graphite and watercolor, 46.6 x 30 cm

Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge UK

Olivia remembered:
- In the picture, there are three trees to the right and one tree to the left. 
- The trees appear to be growing on the side of a hill. 
- The trees are very tall and skinny.
- The trees don't look like they have any branches on the trunk. It's only on the top that you see a few branches. 
- There doesn't look like there are any leaves on this tree. So, they may be dead trees.
- The trees are brown, but there are hints of green, reddish-purple - like a red grape color, mixed into the trunks. 
- There are also these circles that paint. It's like when you drop water onto watercolors and then it spreads out. 
- The grass is very, very light...a vibrant green. 

- There are some tree trunks in the distance, but you don't see the top of them. You just see the trunks.

- The rest of the background is white. 

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Book Notes - Hurry, Spring

One book that was on my "Books I Want to Read" list was Hurry, Spring! by Sterling North, the author of Rascal. The drawings in this children's book were done by Carl Burger. I'm not sure when I put this book on my list of books that I want to read...perhaps long ago when the girls were young and we were doing more nature hikes and nature studies. 

At any rate, this book, written in 1966, is an easy read and full of beautiful black-and-white illustrations and intriguing facts about wildlife.

Some facts that I found interesting were:

- Skunks wander many miles early in the spring, hunting for maters. The little babies are called "woods kittens." 

- Wood ducks have about 8-12 ducklings each spring. They can evade almost "any predator except the snapping turtle, who with reptilian stealth pulls these charming bits of thistledown to their deaths."

- There are at least 15 references to lilies in the Bible.

- The ruby-throated hummingbird builds a nest of green lichens and cobwebs smaller than a silver dollar, with eggs the size of your little fingernail. 

- There are at least 40 varieties of wrens and more than 100 varieties of warblers. 

- Sometimes it seems that the more endangered the bird, the more eggs it lays. A dozen or more eggs are not unusual for the much-hunted wild ducks. For Canada geese, 3 to 7 are usual, with 4 goslings frequently brought to maturity. 

- It takes a worm a minute to satisfy a baby cardinal. 

Elizabeth Barrett Browning - Poet Study

Elizabeth Barrett Browning was an English poet during the Victorian era who was popular in Britain and the United States. She was born on March 6, 1806, and died on June 29, 1861.  

Source

Elizabeth was the eldest of 11 children and wrote poetry from the age of 11. According to Wikipedia, "Her mother's collection of her poems forms one of the largest extant collections of juvenilia by any English writer. At 15 she became ill, suffering intense head and spinal pain for the rest of her life. Later in life she also developed lung problems, possibly tuberculosis. She took laudanum for the pain from an early age, which is likely to have contributed to her frail health. 

"In the 1840s Elizabeth was introduced to literary society through her cousin John Kenyon. Her first adult collection of poems was published in 1838 and she wrote prolifically between 1841 and 1844, producing poetry, translation, and prose. She campaigned for the abolition of slavery and her work helped influence reform in the child labor legislation. Her prolific output made her a rival to Tennyson as a candidate for poet laureate on the death of Wordsworth.

"Elizabeth's volume Poems (1844) brought her great success, attracting the admiration of the writer Robert Browning. Their correspondence, courtship, and marriage were carried out in secret, for fear of her father's disapproval. Following the wedding, she was indeed disinherited by her father. In 1846, the couple moved to Italy, where she would live for the rest of her life. They had a son, known as "Pen" (Robert Wiedeman Barrett Browning) (1849–1912). Pen devoted himself to painting until his eyesight began to fail later in life; he also built up a large collection of manuscripts and memorabilia of his parents; however, since he died intestate, it was sold by public auction to various bidders, and scattered upon his death."

Elizabeth's work had a major influence on well-known writers of the day, including American poets Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allan Poe. She is remembered for poems such as How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43, 1845) and Aurora Leigh (1856). 

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How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43)

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. 

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height 

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight 

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. 

I love thee to the level of every day's 

Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight. 

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; 

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. 

I love with a passion put to use 

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. 

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose 

With my lost saints, -- I love thee with the breath, 

Smiles, tears, of all my life! -- and, if God choose, 

I shall but love thee better after death.

Olivia thought: 

- She is counting all the different ways you can love someone. 

- Even though you have grief, you can love someone. 

- There's lots of different ways to love someone. 

- I like how she said that even after death, she will love that person. It shows her commitment to that person. 

- Her ways of saying I will love thee - really no matter the circumstances - is what people should be doing now. That's something to think about as you're looking for someone or in a relationship. 

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Patience Taught By Nature

“O Dreary life!” we cry, “O dreary life!”
And still the generations of the birds
Sing through our sighing, and the flocks and herds
Serenely live while we are keeping strife
With Heaven’s true purpose in us, as a knife
Against which we may struggle. Ocean girds
Unslackened the dry land: savannah-swards
Unweary sweep: hills watch, unworn; and rife
Meek leaves drop yearly from the forest-trees,
To show, above, the unwasted stars that pass
In their old glory. O thou God of old!
Grant me some smaller grace than comes to these;—
But so much patience, as a blade of grass
Grows by contented through the heat and cold.

Olivia thought: 

- Patience though nature is something that people could learn from. Nature doesn't push things faster. 

- Be peaceful and kind even though there is a lot of chaos in your life.  

- Grass will keep growing no matter what. 

- "And still the generations of the birds" - I like that because in birds there are generations that live in the forest together. Even though there are different types and ages they all live in harmony together. 

- Even though things in nature may be changing, nature adapts. It remains serene. 

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If Thou Must Love Me... (Sonnet 14)

If thou must love me, let it be for nought
Except for love's sake only. Do not say,
"I love her for her smile—her look—her way
Of speaking gently,—for a trick of thought
That falls in well with mine, and certes brought
A sense of pleasant ease on such a day"—
For these things in themselves, Belovèd, may
Be changed, or change for thee—and love, so wrought,
May be unwrought so. Neither love me for
Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheeks dry:
A creature might forget to weep, who bore
Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby!
But love me for love's sake, that evermore
Thou mayst love on, through love's eternity.

Olivia thought: 

- The very first line "If thou must love me, let it be for nought." [Looked up the meaning:] If you're going to love me, don't love me for any reason other than love's own sake. 

- This person loves the poet for her smile, her look, and her way of speaking - even though they should love her for love's sake. If you love only these things, then you aren't loving the person. That's the outward appearance. Love them for who they are on the inside - not on the outside. 

- Love a person for all of his or her life, and then afterwards. 

- Sometimes a person will remarry after a spouse dies, but that doesn't mean that they have forgotten or no longer love the first person they loved.

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Flush or Faunus

You see this dog. It was but yesterday
I mused, forgetful of his presence here,
Till thought on thought drew downward tear on tear;
When from the pillow, where wet-cheeked I lay,
A head as hairy as Faunus, thrust its way
Right sudden against my face,—two golden-clear
Large eyes astonished mine,—a drooping ear
Did flap me on either cheek, to dry the spray!
I started first, as some Arcadian
Amazed by goatly god in twilight grove:
But as my bearded vision closelier ran
My tears off, I knew Flush, and rose above
Surprise and sadness; thanking the true Pan,
Who, by low creatures, leads to heights of love.

Olivia thought: 

- It's saying that Flush is people and Faunus is animals. 

- It occured to me that maybe the dog is dead.

- The first two lines - maybe the dog died; lines 3-4 was the poet crying.

- She clearly is talking about her love for her dog. 

- The dog is shaking its head when the ears are flapping her in the face.

- I liked this poem. I liked that it is about a dog.

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Change on Change

1.

Three months ago, the stream did flow,
    The lilies bloomed along the edge;
And we were lingering to and fro,—
Where none will track thee in this snow,
    Along the stream, beside the hedge.
Ah! sweet, be free to come and go;
    For if I do not hear thy foot,
    The frozen river is as mute,—
    The flowers have dried down to the root;
    And why, since these be changed since May,
        Shouldst thou change less than they?

2. 

And slow, slow as the winter snow,
    The tears have drifted to mine eyes;
And my two cheeks, three months ago,
Set blushing at thy praises so,
    Put paleness on for a disguise.
Ah! sweet, be free to praise and go;
    For if my face is turned to pale,
    It was thine oath that first did fail,—
    It was thy love proved false and frail!
    And why, since these be changed, I trow,
        Should I change less than thou?

Olivia thought: 

- Okay. That one was a lot more confusing. 

- Read an analysis of the poem, Change on Change talks about how love can change - just like the seasons. Definitely in the first part, you can tell the poet is happy and everything is going smoothly in her relationship. And then it starts going downhill - just like winter. Plants are dying and the river is frozen and silent now. 

- The time between the good relationship and the present time was three months. 

- It was the guy's fault for the failed relationship. His oath failed and then his love was false and frail. 

- She shouldn't change more than he did. 

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The Autumn

Go, sit upon the lofty hill,

And turn your eyes around,

Where waving woods and water wild

Do hymn an autumn sound.

The summer sun is faint on them - 

The summer flowers depart - 

Sit still - as all transform'd to stone,

Except your musing heart.

Olivia thought: 

- The coming autumn and how you are seeing the change from summer into fall.

- The two lines are telling the reader to be reflective of the moment and sit still. 

- I can picture this - the hill. Instead of a rock, I picture a swing. 

- The summer sun is high and it's more to the northwest when it sets. In the fall, the sunset shifts to the southwest. The sun seems small and you don't see it on the plants and flowers as much anymore during the fall.

- I like the Flush and Faunus one the best out of all of the poems. 

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My Favorite Photos - February 2022

 As I looked back on my photos from February 2022, I realized that I didn't take a lot. Normally, I have hundreds that I take each month...easily. For some reason, I just didn't take a lot this month. These are the ones that have special meaning for us or that I like.

We celebrated the Lunar New Year on February 1st with a dinner at home. 

Meanwhile, in Thailand, Sophia was celebrated the Lunar New Year by going to a celebration and out to eat. 

I've been seeing quite a few birds this month - including this pileated woodpecker. I didn't realize they had white on some of their feathers until this one spread out its wing.

The blue jays are prolific. They like the shell corn, especially, at the feeders.

Sophia has been exploring Thailand and going to some beautiful parks and natural places outside of the city where she is living while studying abroad.

Danny enjoys basking in the sun. Here he is on the chair in the living room.

Aspen can almost always be found with a stuffed animal by her side. She has "Bunny" by her head. This is her favorite one.

Sophia is still in Thailand. February marks her second month there. She'll be there until May 1st. This is one of the many temples she visited. It actually is considered an art gallery because an artist created this temple-like structure. Around the exterior and inside the buildings are many references to wants vs. needs, and how one should aspire to only live with one's needs and not succumb to one's wants. 

Sophia saw this rhesus macaque in Thailand at one of the temples. I can't believe how close she was able to get to it. I love monkeys...so I was happy to see this one out and about, and not trapped in a zoo.

Olivia and I were driving one day and saw these two deer cross the road and then stand on the side of it. They joined the rest of their herd - another four deer in the woods.

On February 24th, I organized a service event after the Lions' evening meeting. We had Lions and guests working together on four hands-on service projects. We did three collections as well - so seven service activities in all. People really enjoyed the evening. 

One of the projects was filling these hand-sewn bags made by the two Lions in the back (one with a white shirt and the other a red shirt). They also made 81 pads to put with the 27 kits that will be given to Global Health Ministries (GHM). GHM gives the kits to girls in third-world countries who have their period and are not allowed to go to school. With the underwear, reusable pad holder, and reusable pads, they will be allowed to go to school and get the same education as the boys do.

We made two fleece-tied blankets for the Ronald McDonald House. This is an easy and favorite project to do for volunteers.

One of the projects was making handmade/handsewn placemats that were embroidered with our club's name, the name of the Lion, and the year. This, along with a card and a variety of food, were given to Lions who have not been able to attend meetings due to health issues. Olivia came along on these visits with me. 

I worked for a month on this quilt top. It's a variety of animal prints in the center - squirrels, deer, hedgehogs, raccoons, and more. There are a random assortment of border prints. The fabric came in a kit. All I had to do was cut all the pieces and sew them together. Now I just need to do the backing and have it quilted. 

Sophia completed her second month of studying abroad. She's enjoying the warm weather, trying new foods, and doing her classes. She said the classes are easy - just generals - so it has allowed her to do some exploring that she wouldn't normally be able to do if she had a challenging workload. 

5x5

There is a swap on Swap-Bot that I thought looked intriguing. It's called 5x5 and there are five prompts that each require five answers.

5 people in your life that you think of as heroes

I saw this description on Everyday Heroes that I like: "The Everyday Hero, is the person who smiles at you on an off day. It is the war veteran fighting for freedom and equality for all. As well, it's your friend, parent, or mentor sacrificing for your happiness. The Everyday Hero is within every single human being on this planet, and is expressed by simple, ordinary actions. Heroes do simple acts; of kindness, courage, and love."

1. Sophia - she can make anyone feel listened to and appreciated. She connects with strangers and can always find a compliment to give to others. She is adventuresome and courageous and is navigating living in a foreign country for four months where she does not know the native language there. 

2. Olivia - is passionate about the environment and wildlife, and has and wants to continue to make a positive difference with both. She is a motivated and hard worker, especially with these topics. She has a creative eye for photography and loves to look at things from a different perspective.  

3. Paige - has used his career in radio to inspire others in radio in different markets to help those in need, especially after disasters (natural and man-made). 

He works so hard to provide for his family and wants what is best for everyone.

  

4. Mary - became a widow in her 30s when her husband died unexpectedly the day after Christmas. She raised two sons, both who had the same medical condition that her husband did. She has persevered through so many challenges in the past 18 years, yet still maintains a positive, generous, and compassionate spirit. 

5. Jim - has raised four children on his own after his girlfriend decided that she missed out on her "party years" and wanted to go her own way. He has provided a stable and loving home, ensured that his children have worked hard in school, gave his children countless opportunities for after-school activities and lessons, and more. 

5 books you want to read

I have quite a few books on my bookshelf that I have checked out of the library. The next five that I will be reading include: 

1. Yes Man by Danny Wallace. The description from the back cover says, "Recently single, Danny Wallace was falling into loneliness and isolation. Until one day, when a stranger on a bus advised, 'Say yes more.' At that moment, Wallace vowed to say yes to every offer, invitation, challenge, and chance. For a year. Soon after resolving to be more open to what the universe had to offer, Danny wins $45,000 and becomes a television executive...and a minister. He gives spare change to anyone who asks. Invents things. Travels the globe. Nods a lot. And finds that romance isn't as complicated as it seems."

2. Hurry Spring by Sterling North. This is actually a children's book. However, as the cover insert says, "it is a book for readers of all ages...it has the thoughtful substance to intrigue the adult mind. It also has the swift excitement to entrance the young. From the first clangor of wild geese wedging northward to their Arctic nesting ground, through the arrival of red-winged blackbirds and wood ducks, this poetic and expert narrative brings you the urge and the surge of Spring."

3. The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor. I'm on page 107 out of 192 pages. The short stories are well-written, but a little on the sad side. I needed to take a break from reading them. The description on the back cover says, "In her heralded first novel, Gloria Naylor weaves together the stories of seven women living in Brewster Place, a bleak inner-city sanctuary, creating a powerful, moving portrait of the strengths, struggles, and hopes of black women in America. Vulnerable and resilient, openhanded and openhearted, these women forge their lives in a place that in turn threatens and protects - a common prison and a shared home."

4. Get the Hell out of Debt by Erin Skye Kelly. The author wrote this book "after her own struggle to become consumer-debt free. She was tired of listening to middle-aged men in suits tell her to consolidate and refinance her debt when all that seemed to happen was she'd end up in more of it while they profited from it. When Kelly figured out the two most important tools to money management - and started achieving massive results - other women wanted to join in on the debt-free journey."

5. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margaret A. Magnusson. This book was mentioned by a pastor of a local church who highly recommended it. The book cover says, "In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called dostadning, do meaning "death" and stadning meaning "cleaning." This surprisingly invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings can be undertaken at any age or life stage but should be done sooner rather than later, before others have to do it for you." The artist encourages readers "to embrace minimalism" and suggests things to "easily get rid of (unworn clothing, unwanted presents, more plates than you'd ever use)" and which items "to keep (photographs, love letters, a few of your children's art projects." 

5 fragrances that remind you of happy times

1. Apple blossoms combined with freshly-mown grass - the smell of spring each year here at the farm.

  

So many memories of the girls when they were little come back...then playing in the backyard, swinging on the swings, all the animals we've had either roaming or playing in the backyard or pastures...just so many wonderful things to think about.

2. Maja soap and C.O. Bigelow Barber Elixir Blue No. 1620 - the soap is one my mom used to use when I was growing up. I remember it distinctly when she and my dad would go out for the evening. My dad wore Bigelow body spray in his 60s and 70s. I still have the container with some of the cologne in it. Maja is still being made. The only place I can find No. 1620 is on Ebay. 

3. Old Spice - my grandpa on my dad's side used to wear this cologne. He lived in Illinois, so we didn't see him as much as I would have liked to see him. Every time, though, he wore Old Spice. No other colognes. 

4. Home-baked cinnamon rolls, parker house rolls, and caramel rolls - smells that filled the house when my grandma on my mom's side came over to bake. 

She used to be a professional baker, so these rolls were ones we looked forward to having.

5. Wood fires - reminds me of campfires when camping with the girls, roasting hotdogs and marshmallows in my parents' backyard as a child and well into adulthood (early 2010s), fires in our backyard, the woodstove in our home now, and the fireplace in the home growing up.  

5 activities for a rainy day

1. Sewing or quilting. I have plenty of fabric and sewing projects to keep me busy for weeks, if not months.

  

2. Baking or cooking. It's a good excuse to try a new recipe or use some ingredients that I have on hand.

3. Cleaning the house. I might as well spend some time cleaning where I'm going to spending time while it rains.

4. Reading. There's nothing like getting under some blankets, having a hot chocolate, and reading when there's a thunderstorm or just raining heavily.

5. Getting caught up with things that I've wanted to get done indoors. I always have a long list of things I want to get done. If I have a lot of time indoors because of bad weather, I seem to be able to get at least a few things marked off my "to do" list. 

5 jobs you've had or hope to have in the future

1. (Had) Founder/Executive Director/Artist Director of a non-profit organization I founded. At our farm, we offered art and farm camps for kids, and gave them hands-on experiences to see the connection between the arts, nature, and agriculture. We had a great staff of teen camp counselors, talented artist-educators, amazing volunteers, and a restorative justice program. There was nothing like it at the time, and people drove 50+ miles one way just to bring their kids to the day camp. 

2. (Had/Have) Homeschool Educator. I have homeschooled my daughters since 2003 - when Sophia was 2 1/2 years old. Both she and Olivia have always been homeschooled, and it was the most rewarding "job" I've ever had. 

Although I was the teacher/guide, they also introduced me to interests that they had, and we learned a tremendous amount together. 

3. (Hope) Todder to 3 1/2 year old Teacher - When the girls were little, we did the Growing Together program at the Minnesota Waldorf School. They and I loved going to this program. It was calming and in a beautiful location; there were high-quality, natural toys; we enjoyed a healthy snack together; the children and adults all worked to clean up together; and there was time for outdoor play. The mothers also made natural toys and talked about parenting. 

4. (Hope) Work with animals, especially dogs. 

I would like to do something that involves rescuing dogs - whether it is from high-kill shelters or getting senior dogs out of shelters and living out the rest of their days in a type of "senior sanctuary."

5. (Hope) Working with seniors and doing a type of community center/adult daycare type program. There is nothing for seniors in my community and I would like to see some type of educational, artistic/creative, recreational, exercise, and food program for those who are 55+ years old. 

Adults with no cognitive impairment to mild- or mid-level impairment could be involved. Beyond that, it would require a whole other level of staffing, nursing, and services that I wouldn't be ready for handling. It would be out of what I would consider my scope of abilities. It would be ideal, though, to have programs that help those with mid- to late-stages of cognitive impairment.