A big day for firsts - Applesauce and the Arboretum....

 

What a trooper ... braved excruciating heat and humidity for nature and the arts. Thing is - we're all weak little worn out puddles from the day .... and he's still going strong - bouncing like Tigger at the moment in his jumper!!

Graced with the ordinary ...

Graced with the ordinary ..., originally uploaded by Sparky2*.

" ... Let the world
have its way with you,
luminous as it is

with mystery
and pain--
graced as it is
with the ordinary."

~ by Mary Oliver, excerpt "Summer Morning" from "Red Bird"

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Oh, this weekend was a working weekend entirely ... we've had so much rain that the yardwork was overwhelming. I normally love yardwork ... or I guess in comparison to yesterday I suppose I should correct that to "I love to yard "putter".

The grass was tall and thick - the weeds were about to take us over - and there was lots of trimming and deadheading to be done. We also had to put the swing back together after the storms' strong winds blew it apart. The canopy is ripped - but I have a crafty plan for repairing it (hope it works!)

Buddy and I were creaking and groaning in unison ... and reaching for the Tylenol! When we finally put all the tools away and came inside we blinked in surprise at the time and thought "dinner?" Did I mention the wonderful little hamburger place around the corner - that delivers!!? ;-)

But the yard looks lovely again - had my morning coffee on the patio listening to the happy gurgling fountain and watching the birds and enjoying the roses. Then a few minutes later Lukas joined me for his morning cereal - and I listened to the gurgling of a happy baby and watched his tiny little rosebud mouth stretch up and open like a little bird's - eager for his breakfast! ;-)

Truly - there is luminous life in the ordinary.

At the Kimball

At the Kimball, originally uploaded by Sparky2*.

Zach and friend, Donavan, at the Kimball Art Museum today.

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Phillip Haas Film Installations at the Kimble Art Musuem

Phillip Haas Film Installations at the Kimble Art Musuem, originally uploaded by Sparky2*.

This was one of my favorites of the Philip Haas Film Installations (from Apollo and the Continents). You simply have to "experience" this to understand the profound effect it has! Each wall - as well as the ceiling (one wall as seen here is mirror) is larger than life murals - with a catch... the murals are alive - they blink, turn their heads slightly - so you actually feel as though you are the unwitting observers of "the Gods" as they go about their lives - as if they may see you at any moment. To see more (and better) images and for more info check out this link!
www.kimbellart.org/haas/#

Here is the blurb from the Kimble promo pamphlet:

Commissioned by the Kimbell, Philip Haas’s film installations interpret and elaborate upon selected works in the Museum’s permanent collection. Though based on deep research into the original artists and cultures, Haas’s films are poetic and sensuous in approach rather than factual like a documentary. Between seven and twenty minutes in length and running continuously, they are projected on screens of various unconventional formats and configurations. All are accompanied by original music, and several appear in elaborate architectural and sculptural sets, further immersing the viewer in the experience.

Phillip Haas, "Apollo and the Continents" at the Kimble Art Museum, originally uploaded by Sparky2*.

This one, from Arhat Taming the Dragon was so beautiful - the colors and textures so rich they just reach into you! I wish I had captured some of the more vivid colors on the screen ...

"Skeletons Warming Themselves" was powerful and startling ... so eerie ... like stepping into an all-too-real nightmare. We didn't stay long for that one because of the little guys (too intense) didn't get pics but I would have if on my own. In this one you see the same image from four perspectives at once (on each wall around you). The richness was mindboggling!

Invitation

Invitation, originally uploaded by Sparky2*.

This little fellow was peering in my kitchen window as though inviting me to come out into the day ... :-) Just when I'm feeling most "blah" or my mind is set on "overdrive" and my body on "mechanical" God sends something my way.

I had just been to Barnes & Noble last week and picked up a Mary Oliver book to send to a friend in China -
(and came out with a copy of Red Bird for myself as well, doncha know?) ;-)

- so this poem was still percolating at the back of my mind and when I saw the little face and bright eyes ... heard the chipping song ... it all came together ...


Invitation

Oh, do you have time
to linger
for just a little while
out of your busy

and very important day
for the goldfinches
that have gathered
in a field of thistles

for a musical battle,
to see who can sing
the highest note,
or the lowest,

or the most expressive of mirth,
or the most tender?
Their strong, blunt beaks
drink the air

as they strive
melodiously
not for your sake
and not for mine

and not for the sake of winning
but for sheer delight and gratitude --
believe us, they say,
it is a serious thing

just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in this broken world.
I beg of you,

Do not walk by
without pausing
to attend to this
rather ridiculous performance.

It could mean something.
It could mean everything.
It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:
You must change your life.

~~ Mary Oliver, from "Red Bird"