Claude Monet's Water Lillies

The Artist at the Window by Paul Klee

Disco Nights by GQ Remember this one?

"My Love" Paul McCartney, written for his soul mate, Linda

HAPPINESS by Raymond Carver

So early it's still almost dark out.
I'm near the window with coffee,
and the usual early morning stuff
that passes for thought.

When I see the boy and his friend
walking up the road
to deliver the newspaper.

They wear caps and sweaters,
and one boy has a bag over his shoulder.
They are so happy
they aren't saying anything, these boys.

I think if they could, they would take
each other's arm.
It's early in the morning,
and they are doing this thing together.

They come on, slowly.
The sky is taking on light,
though the moon still hangs pale over the water.

Such beauty that for a minute
death and ambition, even love,
doesn't enter into this.

Happiness. It comes on
unexpectedly. And goes beyond, really,
any early morning talk about it.

Zach and me at Whitehouse Fruit Farms on a class field trip-

STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Coming down the hill! Camping - July, 2009

Marge and me at the "Almost Queen" concert, July, 2009

click this to read Eliot's poem - one of my most favorite poems

Time past and time future
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
~ T.S. Eliot from The Four Quartets-Burnt Norton

ILLUSION
Time waits for noone, as many have said;
distrust for the clock always moving ahead.
Exchanging each moment, what next must we do?
Looking askance at that which is new.

Puzzles arriving for us to complete;
Troubles and worries alight at our feet.
The joys of each moment go by us unseen;
as pieces of puzzles don't fit in our dream.

For time's an illusion, that we can see;
Tomorrow's not certain, today we must be.
The moment is here for us to embrace;
Live in the present..the past can't erase.



Jan Luoma

The elusiveness of time-it's not always easy to focus on the moment, particularly when our dreams are so important.

How to Plan a Mad Hatter Tea Party

How to Plan a Mad Hatter Tea Party

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
Article Rating: (37 Ratings)
When the Mad Hatter throws a tea party in "Alice in Wonderland," it is not the sedate and dignified affair we usually associate with a tea party. It is a let-loose, crazy, fun time. Planning a Mad Hatter tea party can be almost as much fun as actually having one, from the crazy hats to the table settings. Plan your Mad Hatter tea party with the following steps.
Difficulty: ModerateInstructionsThings You'll Need:
Invitations
Tables
Chairs
Croquet set or horse shoes game
Decorations
Playing cards
China
Refreshments
Step 1Choose a location. Choose somewhere outside that has plenty of green lawn and places for tables. A location with a lot of flowers or trees will also help when it comes to transforming the space for the party.

Step 2Plan a menu. A tea party is just not a tea party without finger foods. Plan a menu that is both easy and appetizing. Guests must be able to talk and eat, so finger-food is the best option. A variety of small desserts and several teas and punches will add just the right touch to your final menu.

Step 3Arrange for entertainment or games. Since this is a Mad Hatter party, hats would be fitting attire. Arrange for guests to decorate their own crazy hats to wear at the party. Include a game of croquet in your party plans as well as other lawn games, like horseshoes or bocce ball. A few card games set at individual tables will give those who don't want to participate in a physical game something to occupy their time.

Step 4Decorate for the party. Fresh flowers are always a good idea at a tea party, and this one is not exception. Move your armchairs outside, or decorate plain straight back chairs with covers and large ribbon bows. A Cheshire cat in a tree and a few plastic flamingos will set the stage for your Mad Hatter tea party.

Step 5Set the table. Use nice white tablecloths on the table along with good silver and mis-matched china. Tiered dessert plates and large glass punch bowls can be used as centerpieces, and a single playing card with a guest's name can be set on each plate to reserve their spot. Use cloth napkins tied with large ribbon bows.

Step 6Send out invitations. Use handmade cards to invite all your guests at least 2 weeks in advance. Ask guests to R.S.V.P within a week.

Afternoon on a Hill - Edna St. Vincent Millay

I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.

I will look at cliffs and clouds
With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
And the grass rise.

And when lights begin to show
Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
And then start down!

Website about the unique Italian town on a hill, Civita, Bagnoregio

People are now visiting there because of the quiet and seclusion it offers. A walk up the hill to get there takes about 30 minutes!

YouTube - "Waiting for You" - Kenny G - Una Bella Canzone

Shall I compare thee to a summers day
Sonnet 18
William Shakespeare

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed.
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

"Alone" by Heart - Performed at Covelli Center on August 20th

They were awesome!

"Love Comes to Everyone" George Harrison

A beautiful Tabebuia tree in Naples Florida

'Harlem" by Langston Hughes

Harlem

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raising in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

"April Rain Song" by Langston Hughes

Let the rain kiss you.
let the rain beat upon yor head with silver liquid drops.
Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk.
The rain makes running pools in the gutter.
The rain plays a little sleep-song on our roof at night-

And I love the rain.