Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Beautiful Morning

Apparently we are the only state without snow on the ground, for which I'm grateful. That said, it is still mighty chilly around these parts, more so tomorrow morning if the predictions prove accurate. Nonetheless, I can take just about any temperature if the sun is shining, and shining it is. Without any humidity to speak of, the sky seems to be a more brilliant shade of blue, which I'm now facing in my new space. I liked my "Dancing Green" office very much, however, I'm loving facing a window in my new space. Life is good.

After returning from the Polasek yesterday afternoon I couldn't wait to give the food coloring experiment another try.
I began, once again, by coating the foam core with corn syrup and dropping red and black food coloring. Not entirely pleased with that, I added a blue drop on top of the red which I fully expected would become purple. It did not, as you can see. I LOVE how that blue turned out. For the record, I tried it on glue, which proved to be unsuccessful--no movement of the color. The idea for the glue came up because after seeing my photographs online, Bruce said he wanted to see them in person. Sorry baby, they won't be around for long because they are too messy!

Lest you think I've gone completely crazy, I'm still taking photographs of just about anything I can find. As you know, I recently bought a kettle which I'm loving by the way. When Angela was over on Saturday night the discussion turned to tea. She claims that tea tastes better when consumed from bone china, a notion that seemed a little far fetched to me. Well, at some point in the past, my dear friend Mary Whited gave me a lovely bone china cup and saucer I retrieved from the buffet drawer.


I can't say that I noticed any difference in the taste, but it sure is prettier than my mugs! Another gift from Mary, whom is both a most generous and gracious lady, is this very cool blue vase which I've been trying to do justice to in a photograph for a while now. Still not there yet.

And then there's this delicate camellia I brought home from the Polasek yesterday:


So you see, I haven't completely abandoned the real world! Tomorrow I've scheduled a trip to Ocala to make a charitable donation. Here's a copy of the email:
Dear Gail,

I saw your work in Ocala at FAFO and was extremely impressed.  Not only did I love your work, but I have also continued to talk about it.   I work for the Marion County Children’s Advocacy Center - Kimberly's Cottage, and our agency is creating a gallery in our conference room.  We would love to see some or your pieces displayed as inspiration for our staff and our community partners.

Kimberly's Cottage is a non-profit agency that offers cost free medical exams, forensic interviews, and short term crisis intervention counseling services to children who have been victims of sexual abuse, physical abuse, and severe neglect.   Our conference room is not only where we hold meetings with community partners, but also where prominent members of our community meet with our board to discuss donor opportunities.

My request is that you consider donating one or more pieces of your amazing work to be displayed in our gallery.  We would display this piece with your contact information and the price of the piece – offering the individuals who see your work the opportunity to learn more about you and where to find more of your art, or potentially purchase the piece as it is displayed.  Not only would this offer exposure of your work to many of our community’s affluent individuals, additionally, your generous donation to this outstanding cause would be tax deductible. 

I am looking forward to hearing from you soon about this opportunity. 

I responded first by saying "what a flattering letter she wrote and really, how could I refuse?" Seriously, Bruce and I have been so blessed, I'm more than happy to donate to what seems to be a very worthy cause. 

A clever way to segue into this  The Humble Cabbage 
just wouldn't come to me. Clever or not, I love cabbage. I've not always loved cabbage. In fact, I used to hate it for many of the reasons sited in the article, chief among them, the smell! I don't know about you, but I can still remember walking into the elementary school cafeteria and being overwhelmed with the odor, yes that's the right word, of overcooked cabbage. Here's how I like to cook cabbage:
  • Cut in half and slice. Maybe cut up the slices a bit more.
  • I use a glass pie pan and fill it with the cut up cabbage.
  • After putting in less than 1/4 c water, cover with wax paper.
  • Microwave on high for about six to seven minutes. 
  • Poke with fork to determine doneness. Keep it a little firm like you would brocoli.
  • Season with a little bit of butter, and generous amounts of cider vinegar. If you're Bruce, once it's on your plate, cover with freshly ground black pepper. If you're not Bruce, do it your own way!
  • Be prepared to be surprised at how delicious it is!
Time to get away from the computer and over to my sewing table. I told you life was good.

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