Common Good

Where there is love there is life. Where there is courage, there is hope. Mahatma Gandhi

There's that pairing of hope and courage again. They seem to go hand in hand....especially these days. 

A few days ago I quoted Jonas Salk...who developed the first successful polio vaccine. It was the same day I shared the photo montage of Patty's front garden in the snow....and she and I have exchanged a few emails since.

Patty is active in Rotary and one of their major goals is the complete eradication of polio. Patty's husband Reid and his brother Tom were personally vaccinated by Jonas Salk in 1952 after their mother died of the disease in 1950. Here are some interesting things Patty shared with me about Jonas Salk. 

Salk never profited personally from the vaccine. He chose not to patent the vaccine or seek any profit from it in order to maximize its global distribution. Six pharmaceutical companies were licensed to produce the polio vaccine, and Salk did not profit from sharing the formulation or production processes.

In a 1955 interview, when asked by by television personality Edwin R. Murrow, who owned the patent, he replied: "Well, the people, I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?"

Jonas Salk is a shining example of someone selflessly working for the common good. 

Kathy commented on my little reindeer in yesterday's photo...and I thought I would give a closer look. He's one of my favorite little Christmas creatures and he makes me smile.

It was super cold today....and the only time I stepped outside was to feed the bluebirds. The photo montage above is one I sent to Alyson from that very first snow several days ago. 

Where there is love, there is life. Where there is courage, there is hope.

Look Up!

Hope is the spark that ignites our hearts, even when the world seems to dim its light.

I walked into the woods a few days ago to snip some pine branches for the kitchen window sill. I was glad I thought to look up....because the treetops against the white winter sky were magnificent.

Every day the news is more shocking and gut wrenching...so many hurtful words and choices that are dimming our light. 

One of the things I am going to do more often is look up....reminding me to stay hopeful.

This is what I saw was today. 

The pine branches I snipped in the woods were lovely in the evening light. 

Hope...and Courage

Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.  Jonas Salk

Jonas Salk was the developer of the first successful polio vaccine. Let's hope that people like Mr. Salk continue to have the courage to to make their dreams come true. It takes courage these days. 

I made this photo montage for Patty down the street after I had a little photo shoot with her front garden in the snow. The way the snow settled on the grass and hydrangea in her front garden was magical. 

We got more snow overnight...and today was bright and beautiful.

Stillness of the Snow

In the falling of the snow there is hope for today, a promise for tomorrow, and peace for the future. For in the stillness of the snow, all things are possible. Samuel L. Barrett 

We had our first snow of the season today It didn't amount to much...but the first one is always magical.  I had nowhere to go so it was a perfect day to finish the tree....and get a really good start on the rest of the decorated.

And I loved getting out looking for stillness in the snow.

The patterns of snow and ice on the pond were spectacular.....and the ducks found one small patch of open water. In the stillness of the snow...all things are possible.

Balance and Flow

Here's to seeking out joy in the waiting, beauty in the ordinary, and hope in unexpected places. Morgan Harger Nichols

Most of my art projects will wait until after the holidays....but I'm finding a few minutes here and there so work in my Playful Pages art journal. As you may remember....I assembled the bones of the journal with some of my painted papers.....the colors inspired by this vintage paper on the inside cover. 

This was my starting place. The plan from here...with Rebecca's class guidance...is to add to and layer the pages so the spreads have balance and flow from one to the next. 

Here's where I'm at now.

I am trying to balance colors and repeat patterns to create flow. I'm extending the wire vine onto other pages and will try and connect them to something wherever they land. When I tuck something on a page that is peeking through...that gives me a start for that page spread when the time comes. 

The process is playful and engaging. 

Here was the first step with just a few papers 

and the original wire vine tissue overlay.

I'm finding hope in unexpected places.