nostalgia

 by Rain Trueax

 

I am in a nostalgic mood and hence thought I'd share here some music from way back in my life-- as in when I was born, from WWII. Because Blogger improved itself.... I cannot figure out how to embed these. Here though are the links to some videos with music from a bygone era.  The first one is 'I'll be Seeing You' with photos from the soldiers fighting that war for the freedom of the world.

https://youtu.be/cHcunREYzNY

The next is one of my favorites but when it was sung by the Righteous Brothers. A man is singing to his wife that things will be better. When Jimmy couldn't sleep in his own bed, it was because England was being bombed at night. We just think we know tough times. 

https://youtu.be/qI5j7qamG-A

The following song came from a movie called The Sky's the Limit, coming out in 1943 in the midst of the war. It's been sung by many since then, and I like this combination with Frank Sinatra singing it with images reminding us of the high cost of wars and finally Fred Astaire dancing as he did in the film. 

https://youtu.be/wtUVT-d5rmI

There are times when bringing up the past can help us get through the present-- with a few tears, of course. Crying is actually healing as is laughter.

And, of course, can't leave out-- As Time Goes by. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d22CiKMPpaY

A catalyst

 by Rain Trueax

Spirit of Tatanka by Denton Lund - giclée

There might have been more divisive times in history-- we already know there have been, but they have not been in my lifetime. What has been going on felt bad when we were in Tucson; then, we had a little break (for us) as we drove north. Being on the road takes a person away from news or anything but road conditions and how the park will be for the night. 

Back up here, at first, there were things to get done-- sheep shearing, getting in the hay, concern over how low the creek is (lowest we have ever seen it in 40 years), family stuff-- and that all distracts from what is going on in the country.

Now though... Yeah, we can't avoid it and don't like it. So the question for here is-- what can we do about it? How do we take enough deep breaths to feel better even though stuff is happening we don't like. Frankly, that happens on either side of the partisan divide. 

Admiring Edward Hooper's Moodiness Created Through Composition

"Lewis Barn", 1931, a watercolor by American artist Edward Hooper can be analyzed as to how he created the mood.
        Is the main subject the barn with the dark side facing left but the roof points the eye upward?  The upward movement doesn't uplift my spirit.  The dark lines and areas behind zigzag me back to the unseen back of the barn.  From the the wide dark band does your eye skip through the barn to the small window? When do you see the dark fence posts pointing  the eye toward the small square window,  plus the dark earth zigzagging toward the base of the front of the barn underlining the window? The fence posts might be seen secondarly.  The small static square window sets a mood of forlorned mystery for me.  Does your eye continue to circle in a figure eight or does it stop at the window?


Below is a later1955 painting, "South Carolina Morning." Is the main subject the woman in red or the woman grouping with the doorway? She stands out by color hue of red against white and not so much from the color values of darks and lights. The mystery is why she is standing in a doorway. The emptiness of the blue sky and light ground draws me into her.

(The pictures by Hooper are taken from the book, Silent Places, A Tribute to Edward Hooper, Fiction Collected and Introduced by Gail Levin)

What I admire is every part of his paintings is essential for creating the mood and mystery with no distracting extra information in the negative spaces. Hooper has no fear of cutting the composition with a horizontal right in the middle of the painting pointing to the main focal point. It is no wonder he is widely admired.

Season of columbine and rhododendrons

When I write a blog ahead of time, sometimes it just does not work when its date comes along. That happened for today's blog. After the Manchester terrorist attack, I am postponing the entry I'd planned 'til maybe early next month. It felt all wrong, with my heart aching for the ones killed, those hurt, and all of us, since this kind of senseless tragedy keeps happening. 

Nature is the healer and so, here is what my garden looks like outside the living room windows. It is full of the columbine that come up each year, with new ones self-sowing and no idea what colors there will be. The combinations are wild and totally by happenstance. No photos to prove it, but the hummingbirds also love this season.

The rhododendrons are beyond the fenced garden and ones that came with the land when we bought it nearly 40 years ago. They have survived pruning by the sheep (who are not supposed to eat rhododendron leaves as they are poisonous-- evidently not for those who enjoy buffet dining). They'd make short work of the columbines too, but that's the yard fenced off for the birds-- cats don't get access either.