Introduction: Such as It Is

I’m cheating, perhaps.  I have posted to a WordPress blog site and am moving them the the website provided by them. If you have already read these older blogs, thank you for your patience.

I am new to this, but then, everyone who tries something different is ‘new to this’. I am retired, so that dates me.  I was raised during the time that girls wore dresses to school and most other places, and boys wore jeans, tucked in shirts, and belts.  Opinions were shared in the family, but seldom shared with outsiders. Though I worked in one of the school systems in the Midwest and managed to work as an adjunct in a community college after working in the medical field (hospital and doctors office), and a six-year leave to get our children out of the house and into school, my experience with having/sharing an opinion had to follow the policy of the institution. So, my real opinions have been shared with few.

I hope not to offend with any rant or rave. My opinions may get colored by a discussion with my better-half, best friend, or demon – depending on his readings on the web, political/social event, or news commentator’s remarks.

The picture (with this essay) is of our back yard. A hummingbird feeder waits patiently to be visited by any late-migrating birds. The colorful bird on the feeder is a little fellow that is making a decision whether or not to take a drink.  Russian sage stands beside the feeder as one other temptation and a plot of marigolds in the background tries to tempt butterflies. The field of corn in the background has already started the drying-out process that precedes the time for it to be harvested.

Color My World

How many of us remember the first rules of art when we were learning to color? First, we were to stay in the lines. Second, we were to use appropriate colors. At least, that is the way I remember it; but that was so long ago. I am relying on the art lessons of  grandchildren at this point.

Color inside the lines.  Follow the rules. Act appropriately for the situation and circumstances. Does all that change as we get older? Has someone changed the rules while I wasn’t looking? It seems that in the world we find ourselves today, those that break the rules, forget the lines, misbehave as much as possible are not only noticed, but are successful and celebrated; and shame on our generation, it seems to be only much younger people that are in that group.  Well, we have heard for years – or even told our parents some time ago – that your are only as old as you feel, age is just a number though sometimes it feels that age has done a number on us. I, for one, hope that age is an advantage and not a death sentence. Surely, with age, that number stands for gathered knowledge and wisdom which still has a place in this digital age. Regardless of youth or age, one should take responsibility for their actions.

Use the appropriate color. Remember when we picked up any color to fill in the area for grass and sky in a picture but we were supposed to use the appropriate colors of green and blue? In a world where colors are splashed together in buildings and on clothing, it is hard to tell what is appropriate.  Long gone, it seems, are the use of primary colors with specific secondary colors. While looking at nature rather than at art books, it is quite obvious that the Hand using that brush didn’t look or write those rules. I’m not saying that I want to splatter color all through my domain – house, well, maybe you would think that looking at the current condition of my working space, but, for the most part, there are certain combinations of colors that put the human spirit at ease. These color combinations are different for each individual; decorators make a business of knowing what will work for you or for the largest number of people.

As an older person, I hope to push those lines just enough to finally spread my wings a bit.  It seems that in the past I have been confined by what it meant to be female, middle class reaching for upper-middle class, educator, and parent.  I was brought up to think that each of those required certain constraints on my lifestyle. Marriage, brought a freedom from some of those constraints while creating some others that were gladly accepted. Now, we are who we are but still trying to reach a point of success that has alluded us in past. We are not ready to blur the lines that we were taught to color within which may doom us in the world as it is but we also realize that color rules have been broken around us for years by that Hand that has painted our world.