September • Colors of the Month

“Brown is the color of hearth and home — of dried herbs and stone-ground bread and freshly baked cookies. It represents all of the nurturing, life-sustaining, down-to-earth qualities of terra firma, the very shade of earth itself. Just as in the sturdy oak, brown represents roots, a steady, stable source of security, comfort, and normalcy. It is the color of fertile soil and plowed earth, buckskin and rawhide, weathered redwood, bison and mustang, frontier land — rugged and outdoorsy. It is pine cone and bracken, chipmunk and acorn, beaver and doe. Brown is considered a classic shade of solid substance.” - Leatrice Eiseman, “Brown: Earthy and Real,” Colors For Your Every Mood — Perfect for September!

August Alphabet | August 2020 in Pictures

“These are a few of my favorite things…”

A: Architecture — the Calatrava brise-soleil at Milwaukee Art Museum

B: Beagles — especially a certain pretty Miss Piper!

C: Cameras — I love photography and collecting vintage cameras.

D: Dragonfly — A favorite subject to photograph in the summertime; I especially admire their delicate wings.

E: Education — I have devoted my life to teaching and learning.

F: Fashion — I appreciate the creativity and craftsmanship and have cultivated my own style.

G: Glass — (at least) half-full of Champagne!

H: Heart — the universal symbol of love (and latte art)

I: Impressionism — Monet’s water lilies, Degas’ dancers, Renoirs’ joie de vivre

J: Journal — a place to record my thoughts and be creative

K: Knot — why not?

L: Lavender — a favorite fragrance

M: Macarons — vanilla, pistachio, and rose are my favorites

N: Naps — Piper’s the reigning champion

O: Olives — in cocktails, on pizza, you name it…

P: Paris — always a good idea!

Q: Quack — OK, Q is hard and I do like ducks!

R: Roses — especially white ones

S: Shoes — from ballerinas to stilettos

T: Technology — from vintage typewriters and cameras to the latest iPhones, MacBooks, and iPads

U: University — Marquette in my case

V: Vineyards — from California to Champagne

W: Water — I’m a Pieces!

X: Xylophone — really music in general

Y: Yachting — but I just call it sailing

Z: Zinnia — and most flowers, especially white ones with lots of petals

1: 1er arrondissement (Place Vendôme, the Ritz, Chanel, le Nemours, Palais Royal, lLouvre, Tuileries, Angelina, Gagliani bookshop, le Meurice…)

2: a pair of shoes

3: trillium

4: I tried to find a four-leaf clover, but settled for a hydrangea blossom

5: Chanel No. 5

Currently • August 2020

“Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor - I will need them all.” — Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift From the Sea

READING:

• Paris Dreaming by Katrina Lawrence: “An Australian beauty journalist shares her obsession with Paris - a city which has been her guide through a lifelong journey of self-discovery.” (Goodreads) — The beginning of this book really spoke to me: “Truth is, I cherish Paris as my getaway plan. Some people retreat to a health spa to recharge their physical and emotional batteries. I take myself to Paris to reset my spirits…Paris is a state of mind as much as a place.” I completely relate to the idea of Paris taking one from mademoiselle to madame from fille to femme, yet about two thirds of the way through, the book (but bien-sûr not Paris) lost much of its charm for me.

• The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama XIV, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams: “The occasion was a big birthday. And it inspired two close friends to get together in Dharamsala for a talk about something very important to them….joy. Both winners of the Nobel Prize, both great spiritual masters and moral leaders of our time, they are also known for being among the most infectiously happy people on the planet. From the beginning the book was envisioned as a three-layer birthday cake: their own stories and teachings about joy, the most recent findings in the science of deep happiness, and the daily practices that anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives. Both the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu have been tested by great personal and national adversity, and here they share their personal stories of struggle and renewal. Now that they are both in their eighties, they especially want to spread the core message that to have joy yourself, you must bring joy to others.” (Goodreads) — This is exactly what I need to read right now!

WATCHING: Not much! These days, I am more content to sit outside and watch the hummingbirds, chickadees, and cardinals that visit our deck everyday. Well, ok, I did watch Abba Forever: A Celebration on PBS this weekend. I guess, for me, Abba is either a guilty pleasure or a Scandi genetic predisposition.

LISTENING TO: Sirius XM radio — I have a trial subscription since trading in my car in June. My favorite stations are First Wave, the 80’s on 8, the 90s on 9, Margaritaville, and the Beatles, Elvis, and U2 stations. It is fun to rediscover songs that you haven’t heard in years.

ENJOYING: The first signs of fall — after a couple weeks of late August heat and humidity, the rain came on Friday and ushered in wonderfully cool temps, pleasant breezes, and gently-falling, golden birch leaves. As September approaches, I become increasingly eager for cozy sweaters, brilliant foliage, crips apples, bonfires, and football (whatever that means this year)!

FEELING: Excited and anxious — Back to school is always a bittersweet time as the freedom and pace of summer give way to frantic preparations for a new school year. I love cleaning, shopping for new school supplies, and organizing my office. Yet, as with all things 2020, this year is unprecedented as we plan for students and teachers to return to school amid both a pandemic and major school renovations. We made it through teacher in-service and, as of tonight, I finally feel as though we are going to be as ready as we can be. I pray that, after nearly thirty weeks away, we will all carefully and respectfully prioritize both safety and learning.

Links I Love • August 2020

“Wherever life plants you, bloom with grace.” — French Proverb

• Meet Milwaukee: Visit the city with Google Arts & Culture

• Dream Job: Meet the Woman Who Named the Most Iconic Nail Polishes of All Time — I thought this would be a really fun job.

• 5 Ways to Find Motivation & Feel Inspired (even in tough times)

• Radish is best food to pair with champagne, say French experts — Who knew? Definitely need to try that.

• How The French Concept "Mise En Place" Is Helping Me Stay Productive While Working From Home — I’m going back to school this week, but the concept still applies.

• The Great Gatsby prequel set for release days after copyright expires — I’m not sure how I feel about this.

• See Inside Jackie Kennedy's Park Avenue Apartment — and it could be yours for only $29.5 million!

• ‘Anne with an E’ Season 4 Revival Campaign Surpasses 1 Million Signatures — We shall see…but if I’m honest, I didn’t love Season 3.

• 8 Favorite Places to See the Eiffel Tower — I still have 5 to discover…someday!

• And yet another Guide to Hemingway’s Paris, curtesy of the Smithsonian

Capture 52 - Week 36: Break the Rules

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” — Pablo Picasso

To break the "rules" of photography you must know and understand the “rules”. The rules serve as a helpful guide for photographers, to help them think about their photos and their compositions. Put the “rules” aside and create a compelling image that breaks the rules! Don't forget to tell which rule you're breaking #Capture52 #capture52week36 #ruleofodds #ruleofthirds #ladyslippers #doorcounty

Capture 52 - Week 35: Rainbow

« L'esprit humain est comme un parapluie : il marche mieux lorsqu'il est ouvert. » - Darry Cowl

#Capture52 #capture52week25 #rainbowcolors #umbrellas