You're On Camera!

"Table for One, Please!"

                                                      "Do Not Disturb: Breakfast Time!"

The little friend caught on camera!

                                                                                     

Photography: Miss 'T', 2017.



Book

Oh, look, it's a book!
I'm sure it must be
A path to adventures waiting for me,
A yellow brick road to the Wisard of Oz,
A frivolous poem without any cause.
Should I open it and peek to see what's inside?
What if it's scary I might need to hide.
I'll never know unless I dare.
I need a good laugh, a cry or a scare.
I'm sure it can wait - well, then I'll never know
Maybe it's someplace that I'll never go.
But today is the day that's been waiting for me
I'll open this book, I will see.

Jessica McCain

The Magic of a Great Book

Hoping the Magic of a Great Book

Accompanies you this Holiday Season!

 

You, my Readers and Dedicated Fans,

Will never be away, because I will always keep

You in my heart,

In my thoughts,

And in so many

Memories.

 

Love you all, IT

 

Dec. 2017

 

 

Photography: 2017

Photographer: Ida Tomshinsky Copyrighted

 

Nature, the Poetry of Earth

"The poetry of earth is never dead."

(John Keats)

Yes, indeed.
Nature, the poetry of Earth brings beauty in our lives.
Nature makes us to change our plans
and affect our moods.
Nature sets a sky aflame at sunset,
magically transforms a familiar landscape
 into season's wonderland.
Nature is truly an intrinsic part of our lives.
It is no surprise that poets have always written
of her charms and her harshness,
and of the cyclical changes
 in the natural world around us.

November

The mellow year is hasting to its close;
The little birds have almost sung their last,
Their small notes twitter in the dreary blast -
That shrill- piped harbinger of early snows;
The patient beauty of the scentless rose,
Oft with the morn's hoar crystal quaintly glasses,

Hangs, a pale mourner for the summer past,
And makes a little summer where it grows.
In the chill sun beam of the faint brief day
The dusky waters shudder as they shine;
The russet leaves obstruct the straggling way
Of oozy brooks, which no deep banks define;
And the gaunt woods, in ragged, scant array,
Wrap their old limbs with somber ivy twine.

Hartley Coleridge

Thankfulness

What is the best thing about Thanksgiving?
Having the chance to say: "Thank you!"
This is a great time of the year:
To get together with family and friends,
Sharing laughter and fun.

The stage is set for a powerful and seductive fall.
Fashion, art, film or travel getting braver and more ambitious
As business ventures acquire style choices.
The summer winds turn cooler, the comfortable sweaters are out.
We are thankful for the nature recovery post hurricane season.

If you can believe it: the year comes to the end,
And know is the time to reflect on the past year's events and happenings.
The best gifts was and always be a book, a history book,
A book that educates, a book that gives pleasure, and stimulates to learn more...

If you ready to buy new socks, gloves, hats or handbags; or may be
You are ready to purchase new jewelry,
You can always to pair it with a new book from the History of Fashion Accessories Series.

The Bracelets Academy book written by Ida Tomshinsky, a Florida Author, will tell you the Comprehensive story filled with facts, quotes, and fascinated information that only a
Librarian can put together.

Hardcover 978-1-5245-7692-9
Paperback 978-1-5245-7691-2,
E-Book 978-1-5245-7823-7

"Bracelets Academy" by Ida Tomshinsky available from www.amazon.com, www.bn.com,
www.xlibris.com, or any local bookstores.

 

Comtemporary Poems

"The value of reading contemporary poems,
apart from the considerable pleasure
of thinking about what they're up to,
is that it gets us to focus our attention
and sharpen our critical skills,
things we need more than ever
in an age, like ours,
of distraction."

(Don Share)

Scientific Revolution

The Scientific Revolution was fundamentally intellectual revolution. Prior to it, Europeans had held a set of beliefs derived from the works of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, modified and give sanction by Christians theologians of the Middle Ages, particularly Saint Thomas Aquinas. This system of thought embraced the Earth and the Universe, the nature of matter, the laws of motion and change, the nature of human beings, and the relationship of God of creation. This comprehensive world view was based primarily on tradition and authority and was universally accepted.

By the time the Revolution was over, a whole new set of theories had been established, the result of vast amounts of experimental data, new methods of obtaining and explaining the data, and a changed attitude regarding the place of human beings in the universe. As the new explanations clashed with older theological truths, science was to acquire an altogether different meaning. It was the tumultuous time in Western intellectual history. The historic paintings and prints as well as original graphics left their trace in history.

Autumn Flowers: poem

Those few pale Autumn flowers,
How beautiful they are!
Than all that went before,
Than all the Summer store,
How lovelier far!

And why? - They are the last!
The last! the last! the last!
Oh! by that little word
How many thoughts are stirred
That whisper of the past!

Pale flowers! pale perishing flowers!
Ye 're types of precious things;
Types of those bitter moments,
That like, like life's enjoyments,
On rapid, rapid wings:

Last hours with parting dear ones,
(That Time the fastest spends)
Last tears in silence shed,
Last words half uttered,
Last looks of dying friends.

Who but would fain compress
A life into a day, -
The last day spent with one
Who, ere the morrow's sun,
Must leave us, and for aye?

O precious, precious moments!
Pale flowers! ya 're types of those;
The saddest, sweetest, dearest,
Because, like those, the nearest
To an eternal close.

pale flowers! pale perishing flowers!
I woo your gentle breath -
I leave the Summer rose
For younger, blither blows;
Tell me of change and death.

(Caroline Bowles Southey)

October Thoughts

The life stage is set for a powerful and provocative fall. Everything from business ventures to style choices emerged from last year's tumultuous political season that empowered in all fronts.
As the summer winds turn cooler, women empowered to be both strong and sexy. Do not shake the sand from your shoes just yet. Embrace the fall season, and if you can allow yourself the last escape. In Miami, new exhibitions at The Bass, Basel arts are coming soon, and the International Book-fair at Miami Community College in Downtown are calling. The body and mind will thank you for it. Until the holidays...
 

Life Comes Back after Nature Distractions

Reflections of the sun in the mirrored water.

Sun helps to absorb the water

after the hurricane Irma.

 

Where is water, life comes back.

 

 

 

Birds as symbol of life.

"Birds are back after nature distractions!"

Wind Distractions

 

Trees devastation

 

 

The avocado and the giant mango tree,

hibiscus bush all gone.

One hash-push green mass.

 

 

Wind distractions.

Power of wind of 90 to 110 mph in pictures

gives a view of visual observation,

but does bring the terrible sound of wind.

 

Hat on a Cat

 

Hat on a Cat, 2017

 

The modern-day element in French accent

is an ideal setting of the reminiscent interior design

in the Parisian style.

 

The handmade tale includes

red and green hat on a blue and white cat

matching the vintage red and green wallpaper.

What luxury truly means?

 

The personalization and making a statement

of one's own is how people want to live today.

What catches the eye is the design:

alluring, yet with just the right dose of imperfection

to suggest a human element.

 

'Bellas' Umbrellas - History of Fashion Accessories

The actual origin of the umbrella is so ancient as to be lost.  Perhaps the umbrella was evolved from a primitive shelter of leaves carried by Adam long before the earliest known civilizations. As social life developed from family to tribe and from tribe to small kingdoms the leafy shelter developed into a canopy, which became more ornamental and converted into a symbol of rank.

Apparently, the umbrella entered Europe via Greece, Italy and Turkey.  Tradition has that the Normans brought the umbrella to England with them, presumably as some sort of canopy regalia, in 1066. Jonas Hanway was the first Englishman to carry an umbrella regularly.  (Gays Trivia: “The Art of Walking the Streets of London,” 1712) In those days, the only covered transport was the private coach or Sedan chair.  The umbrellas were very heavy, made with whalebone or cane ribs, mounted on a long, stout stick of about 1" in diameter and covered with a heavy cotton fabric, waterproofed by oiling or waxing. Only on a few public buildings had gutters and fall-pipes. The water simply ran off the roof into the street.  Sometimes it was collected in gutters under the attics and poured out like a miniature Niagara Falls, through the mouths of grotesque gargoyles at each corner of the building.  The choice was then either to carry one of these portable tents or get soaked wet. By 1787, the umbrella had achieved some considerable measure of popularity within a short period of time and the French ladies’ umbrellas had achieved remarkable elegance. On the continent, they were used as much as a sunshade as protection from rain.  And it is from this period and via the sunshade that umbrellas began to develop into something lighter and more graceful. This was partly due to the use of finer fabric of silk and by the substitution of lighter materials. In the late 1800's came the development of the Fox Steel Ribs and Frames, and so the modern umbrella was born.

Parasols - History of Fashion Accessories

Parasols were used in France from early in the century. In the end of the eighteenth century, the parasol’s cousins, umbrellas, were used to keep the rain off; and parasols to protect from the sun both in Britain and America. The basic umbrella was invented more than 4,000 years ago. There is evidence of umbrellas in the ancient art and artifacts of Egypt, Assyria, Greece, and China. These ancient umbrellas, or parasols, were first designed to provide shade from the sun. An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs, which is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The word “umbrella” typically refers to a device used for protection from rain. The word parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun.
 
A parasol is defined as a light usually small umbrella carried as protection from the sun. The word parasol literally means ‘for sun’ in Spanish. The name parasol, which we know today, comes from its old Italian French name parasole, which is derived from the Italian word parare, which means prepare or ward off, and the Latin word sol, which means sun or sunlight. So, use the parasol and ward off the sun! Parasols originated in the East Indies about 5,000 years ago. In 3000 B.C., the Egyptians used parasols as a sunshade for sun protection. This was a royal privilege and bearers did the carrying. Around the 1st century B.C. the parasol spreads to ancient Rome and Greece. It took the Italian Renaissance in the 16th century to introduce the parasol to European soil. King Louis the XIV soon after brought them to France. A parasol appeared on a street corner in Windsor, Connecticut, in 1740 carried by a fashionable lady. It had been brought all the way from the West Indies and may have been the first parasol in North America.
 
Because of their high cost and limited manufacture, parasols of that early age were almost exclusively used by nobility, royalty and clergy, symbolizing wealth and power. Another very important cause of parasols popularity was the view point on beauty, which often demanded that rulers and nobility carry pale skin that was not tanned by sun, a tradition that survives even until today in Japan, where pale skin is regarded as one of the most important factors of female beauty.
 
 The parasol is most often associates with fashion trends in Victorian society in England and the United States. Perhaps the main reason for it popularity was the Victorian admiration, or even obsession for a fair complexion. It was more than a sign of beauty, it showed the world that a woman was a lady and didn’t have to work outdoors. The parasol was as a much a part of a well-dressed lady’s outfit as were her gloves, hat, shoes and stockings. A fashionable lady carried a different parasol for each outfit. They became popular gifts for men to give their ladies. Like the fan and lacy handkerchief, the parasol was both practical and helpful aid to the subtle art of flirtation. Parasols continued to increase in popularity until the Edwardian era in the early 1900s.
 
Lace parasols have had a long and rich history in Europe, especially during the 1600s and early 1900s. Apparently, it is from these eras, which saw the height of the opulence and elegance in Europe's society, that lace parasols today are associated with items of luxury, feminine class, and elegance. Nevertheless, their expensive price, women owned lace parasols in different colors to match every outfit – a long dress gown or dress with fitted top and full, heavy skirt, which was the central clothing for women at the time. When riding in a carriage, ladies would make sure that their driver pulls down the carriage's convertible top so her lace parasol is beautifully exposed.
 
While older women have long used parasols for protective purposes, it has been only recently that young women have seen them as a fashion accessory. After remaining out of fashion for about ninety years, parasols had a resurgence around 1990 as many women no longer considered it healthy or wise to be in the sun too long. Increased awareness about skin cancer contributed to the renaissance of parasols. Parasols are being carried again in increasing numbers in the U. S., Great Britain, France and especially Japan. There was an exposure in a baby showers’ trend to use the sunshade parasol as a center piece. The parasol is a true newest and oldest fashion accessory trend.

Literary Eats

If you like to read and to eat, you probably will enjoy the

Emily Dickinson's Gingerbread,

Ernest Hemingway's Picadillo,

Eudora Welty's Onion Pie and

400 + other recipes from American Authors

past and present.

 

Here is a book written by Gary Scharnhorst

entitled "Literary Eats."

Please enjoy both good reading and good food!

Devotion to Create

 

The strong sense of home: "Home, Sweet Home!"

 

Another two pieces of completely excellent expression:

"X-mas in July!"

 

Delicious beautiful production of soul-invigoration.

One word is yelling: "Yami!"

Every time I pick it up, I find the love 

for vanilla, pistachio, and chocolate flavors

of ice cream on a hot summer day.

 

Design style: flat applique 

Method: crochet

Colors: off-white, green, and brown

Accessories: buttons

Time: 30 min for each

Handmade: Ms. T. @ 2017

Oysters Rockefeller

Let me introduce you to the "Taste of Tradition" - a recipe from a collection of appetizers that are very appropriate for August's Seafood Season.

So, here is my first highlight of the ingredients:

36 oysters on the half shell        1/2 tsp. celery salt
2 c. cooked spinach                    1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. chopped onion                  6 drops Tabasco sauce
2 bay leaves                                6 T. butter
2 springs parsley                        1/2 c. bread crumbs

Now, let's move to the step-by-step instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degree
2. Place oysters on backing sheet
3. Put spinach, onion, bay leaves and parsley through food grinder or chop finely in food processor
4. Melt butter in skillet; cook spinach mixture for 5 minutes, and add bread crumbs
5.Spread spinach mixture over oysters and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve hot.

Enjoy!

 

Home-growing parsley

 

After the Rain

 

Here I come creeping, creeping everywhere...

 

In the noisy city street

Silently creeping

And cheering the sick at heart.

 

The summer rains will pass by,

the sun will come out -

hotter as ever,

and my flowers will grow and shine

brighter as ever.

Flowers and smiles go together

as August month is ruling.

Just Before the Rain

Hot summer day. Just before the rain.

Suddenly above me, the sky got dark. The sound of thunder roaring.

The palm tree's leaves awaiting the rain.

Far away the sky is still light, but not where I am standing.

It started to drizzle.

I took a quick shot of the view and hurried up indoors. 

Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea is one of the showiest vines you can grow.

 The large plant practically smothers itself in big clusters
of papery bracts.

While bougainvillea is tropical,
it's usually grown as an annual in cold-winter areas.

 

Bougainvillea is a kind of thorny ornamental plant, bushes, and trees with flower-like spring leaves near its flowers. Different authors accept between four and eighteen species in the genus. They are native plants of South America, from Brazil west to Ecuador and south to southern Argentina.

 

The "flowers" are modified leaves, called bracts,

that are long-lasting and bright.

They appear periodically throughout most of the year,

but are especially plentiful in the winter,

when the splashes of color are a welcome sight.

Bougainvillea blooms in fuchsia, red, white, yellow, and orange.

 

Bougainvillea require full sun and perform better

when their soil is left a little dry,

 making this a perfect plant for the drought-tolerant landscape.

It needs to be protected from frost and freeze.

Trina Turk Event in Miami

Trina Turk will be at a shopping event in Miami,

on August 10th, at 7200 Biscayne Blvd

Trina Trunk, the Los Angeles designer, in addition to her shoes and active wear added the first collection of comprehensive handbags. The launched-out line of bags priced from $158.00 to $598.00. Their customers wanted bags, and Trina Trunk introduced them in three different categories: fold-over clutches with wood handles called Kir Royal in references to the 1970s, the bohemian Sunset clutch in mix of colors, and the Sun that was in the stores by the Spring of 2015. The bags are accessorized with big tassels, and they are sold separately as a clip-on or key-fob.

According to the designer, the handbags reflect on the drive from Silver Lake community in East Lost Angeles to the ocean with bags of the bohemian flirt, then the driving through Hollywood’s urban area mirrors the buildings in geometric prints and designs. Finally, the floral prints inspiration comes from green, verdant, and lush Beverly Hills road to the beach. Sounds like poetry!

Style Future Trends for Fall

Fashion accessories of main style are leading with vintage-inspired pieces and unexpected artisan touches. Warm white is a trend because of the clean modern vibe that gives a nod to past classic looks. After summer traveling, many will bring another time zone trends to their own zip code.

 

Are you ready for the season's change?

After hot summer days

Fall trends are coming soon,

and now is the time to pay attention.

Inspired by Blues

 

Environmental Union of Various Styles

 

Color aesthetic of warmer colors of blue

and man-made textiles inspired to achieve

a more inviting atmosphere of summer craft.

The overlook is elegant and relaxed

yet contemporary,

and "very South Beach."

 

Photography, text and summer craft

by Ida Tomshinsky, 2017

 

Blues of July

 

Examine nature's poetic side 

where the living space is ending and the view begins.

The clean and fresh look with a shot of color outside

prepares for a 'beachy' feel inside.

 

Highlighting the Blue.

 

The Beauty of Nature.

 

Following the sun's movement on a summer

July's day have a natural rhythm.

The sweet days of summer

luring about beach and swimming,

and fresh crop of outdoors.

 

Photography and text: Ida Tomshinsky, 2013-2017

On Costume Division

Throughout the history costume has followed two separate line of development, led by two contrasting types of garment. The most obvious line of division is between male and female dress code: trousers and skirts. What is true that men have always worn bifurcated clothes and women not.

On another hand, Greeks and Romans wore tunics, that are figuratively saying are skirts. Mountain people like the Scots and the modern Greeks wear are, in effect, skirts.

Far Eastern and Near Eastern women have worn trousers, and many continue to do so. As a result, sex division turns out not to be a true division at all in the costume world.

Perhaps the most useful distinction of the dress code in the anthropological aspect lies in the differences between "tropical" and "arctic" dress. The geographical location had been a big factor to protect the human body from the environmental conditions of sun, cold and wind.

Fans (Fashion Accessory)

·         At first, the fan was a simple tool for coaxing a fire into life, for keeping away insects and flies, or for cooling the face in hot weather. Beside their primary purpose to keep a woman cool, they also used for flirting. It was not unusual that the matrons were passing on the communication codes to young girls by use of fans and gloves. The language of fans was most fully developed in Spain, where around sixty phrases could be conveyed with a fan.

·         Fans were used in ancient Egypt. Some were quite large, as can be seen from ancient frescoes. Fans were used in ancient Greece in the fourth century B.C. and probably before that. In Europe, In the Middle ages fans were used in the Christian liturgy and continued to be used in the Roman Catholic church until Vatican II. There are religious pictures of holy men holding fans. Sometimes religious pictures were painted on the fans, or lists of saints or holy days were written on them. Fans were used by the military to send signals on the battle-field, but were mainly used at court. The Japanese invented the folding fan and it was introduced into China about a thousand years ago. They were made with fine paper and bamboo. Fans were, and still are used, especially in Flamenco dancing. Without the hand-held fans, we would not have the electrical fans later in history. In a way, the hand-held fan was the prelude to the air-conditioning, the modern A/C. In 1947, a British scholar S.F. Markham writes, “The greatest contribution to civilization in this century may well be air-conditioning – and America leads the way.” Yet somehow people still say that air conditioning is the brilliant new idea or “the best thing since sliced bread” to keep the human body at the comfortable temperature at any type of weather. Above all, the fan as a fashion accessory is the true ‘grandfather’ tool of the keeping ladies’ faces cool.

June in Eden

Then I went into the garden
and forgot all about it. Some spiders
mum, some slug half-buried

in a strawberry. I have this thing, my mother
says, with memory. The thing rings or is left
on high. The thing dissolves

as if it had never been seen
at all, makes of itself a question.
answered and answered. objects behave

like the tree: every morning more
candy-colored pie cherries. Because Rosi, don't you love
this Eden - its beetles, its blooms, all waiting

to be named.

(Rosalie Moffett)

Nature Icon Takes On Estate

 

I tried to go a little more unexpected with our warm- weather destination.

This is a summer journey in the land of 'what if...'

From the old-fashion notion to actual evidence is always floating around in the ether.

Those sunny, promise-filled days of summer are finally upon us.

There are a little bit of escapism for everyone.

Cheers to that!

 

 

New look: garden party tips.

An installation pays homage to the flavors of summer.

The quiet burgeoning scene: outdoor accessories from fashion insider.

 

Photographer and text: Ida Tomshinsky, 2017

Summer Muse

The unexpected time-warp joys

of the summer-ready essentials updates

 

 

After the warm summer rain

sexy mushrooms are everywhere.

 

 

The brown, white and green

proved to be the colors of Earth.

The craft story grows;

photo exhibit celebrates Ida Tomshinsky,

original's authentic quiet genius.

 

 

The secrets of the mystery garden.

Hidden gems for craft lovers.

For the latest in style, tradition, culture and luxury.

 

Photographer and text: Ida Tomshinsky, 2017

Outfits vs. Fashion Accessories

No outfit was complete without accessories by 18th-century middle- and lower-class women. There were two types of gowns: the open robe and the closed robe.

Accessories included neckwear, gloves, pockets, masks, pocketbooks, redicules (handbags), muffs, and pocket watches.

Suntans were not at all fashionable in these early time! Women desire their skin to look as white and spotless as porcelain. They took great care to protect their faces from sun and wind by wearing masks. Green silk masks prevented sunburns in summer, and black silk or velvet masks kept the face warm in winter. In a way, the silk masks played the role of the modern sunglasses.

Fashion was modesty oriented. Women did not feel comfortable wearing the low-cut dresses in the 18th-century. For this reason, it was a trend to wear neck accessories and kerchiefs to cover up the neck and upper chest. Neckwear pieces were also practical and used to stay warm on cold days.

Fans was an important accessory for a woman to keep them cool on a hot summer day. These portable air-conditioners were often decorated with beautiful designs. Also the fans were a tool of communication and were used for flirting.

Protection of the hands led to the necessity to use gloves and carry muffs. Both gloves and muffs protect the hands from sun and wind, and kept the hands warm during the cold winters.

The Chick and the Duckling: A Story for Younger Children

A Duckling hatches out of its egg.
"I'm hatched!" he says.

"Me, too!" says the Chick.

"I'm going for a walk," says the Duckling.
"Me, too," says the Chick.

"I'm digging a hole," says the Duckling.
"Me, too," says the Chick.

"I've got a worm," says the Duckling.
"Me, too," says the Chick.

"I've got a butterfly," says the Duckling.
"Me, too," says the Chick.

"I want to swim," says the Duckling.
"Me, too, says the Chick.

"Look, I'm swimming!" says the Duckling.
"Me, too," shouts the Chick.

The Duckling pulled the Chick out of the pond.

"I'm going in again," says the Duckling.
"No me," says the Chick.

Sun and Wind

In Miami, ordinary days are always victorious
And filled with the same warmness and gentleness.
The summer is endless for us -
Fulfilled with triumph and hospitality kindness...

In the hot summertime the King of Sun
Rules until the hurricane season,
Taking time off for disputes
And following the fable from Aesop -
The Sun argues.

The mighty Wind from the far seas
Blows on trees
And throws,
And sways
The branches and leaves.

'Miamians' hurry indoors.
looking for water, ice, and shelters.
Then barricading the homes,
And waiting and waiting for the contest's victors.
People try their best at the Wind might.

Every year we learn more
The easier influence masses
With kindness and gentleness
Then with force and war!

IT, 2007

Fashion and Poetry

What could be in the world of Fashion and Poetry that unite them in one entity?
The answer is short - the Majesty Inspiration. Both Fashion and Poetry are siblings and have one parent called Arts. To create a successful peace of art, we need inspiration, the muse that feeds the creative process of  art and design.

There are endless interactions a muse can take - a truly wonderful day, Greek goddess, fairy-tale princess, woman, celebrity, artist, slogan or motto, or combination of things and events.
There are many studies that include samples of fashion inspiration from the first couturier Charles Frederick Worth and his wife; Elsa Schiaparelli and the Surrealists; Yves Saint Laurent and Piet Mondrian; Oleg Cassini and Jaqueline Kennedy; Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy.

For example, Alexander McQueen's crafty carryalls have inspirational equation of a Celtic prayer-cloth tree plus friendship bracelets and plus 18-th century British needlepoint. Another sample from contemporary fashion could be the Miu Miu's plushie stompers. Add a dog collar plus Paris Hilton and plus Elmo, and the summary illustrates the season's most memorable accessories.

A truck with an advertising slogan passed by and made strong statement, but what if we take these words and describe something else by telling a new story and in the way we creating new information? As a result, a poem is born out of the inspiration of few words. For example:
"Dorothy was right, no place like home for solders in fight that making the heroic flight..." (IT, 2007)

They Come! The Merry Summer Months

They come! the merry summer months
of beauty, song, and flowers;
The come! the gladsome months that bring
thick leafiness to bowers.
Up, up, my heart! and walk abroad; fling cark
and care aside;
Seek silent hills, or rest thyself where peaceful
waters glide;
Or, underneath the shadow vast of patriarchal
tree,
Scan through its leaves the cloudless sky in rapt
tranquility.

(William Motherwell, fragment from the poem
"They Come! The Merry Summer Months")

Summer Time

 

Summer time starts with flowers

 

Tea time starts with flowers: Gerbera Daisy.

Celebrating summer with nostalgic floral display.

Delicate, bright and bold;

pretty and delightful summer-in-bloom

will enliven any room in someone's home.

Ishtaboli or Lacrosse Game

The Choctaw men (from southeast Native American tribes) loved to play Ishtaboli, a stick and a ball game that the French colonists renamed Lacrosse. The game was so violent that the Choctaw called it "the little brother of war." The Choctaw built huge playing fields that could hold up to seven hundred Ishtaboli players at one time.

To play, warriors and nobles would wear loincloths with fringed belts and elaborate structures covered in egret feathers that stuck out behind them like tails. They carried long sticks made from wood with webbed ends woven from strips of deer hide.

The Ball Game: The Historic Aspect

Many Mesoamerican societies played a ball game that held great significance, no just as a sport but as a ritualistic way of setting disputes. The Maya inherited this game from their predecessors the Olmecs, and they considered it so important that they built ball courts in all but the smallest towns.

Players were divided into two teams, and the game involved hitting a large, heavy rubber ball across the court and into high hoops. To play, they wore a loincloth with a thick padded belt to protect the waist and hips. They also wore padding on their forearms and knees, at the sides of the body, to protect themselves from injury when diving to the ground. Players also wore large headdresses and decorative chest ornaments.

To the Maya, the game represented the struggle between the forces of life and death, and the losers were often decapitated.

The Boring Book

There's a book I keep on my bedside table
for when I can't sleep. It never fails,
half page and I'm gone. My friend
who wrote this book should be pleased.
Not everyone can sit by his reader
like a father singing to a fearful child,
and summon the moon for her
and turn her pillow soft as the sea.

 (Lola Haskins. 92017) - New Letters, Vol. 83, Nos. 2 & 3, p.125)

Common South Florida Lizards

Florida is a home to at least
thirty species of lizards.

 

Common little brown wood lizard of South Florida.

Lizards often loose their tails,

but they have the ability to regrow them easily.

 

 

 

Cuban anole poisonous lizard 

 

"Study of Lizards"

Photographer: Ida Tomshinsky (South Florida, 2017)