This was a beautifully written pleasurable stream of loveliness; poetic, imaginary visualizations, a feast for the marvel of the gift and evolution of our senses, all here in what you artistically created. Thank you.
I could give up only the sense of smell.
I need Mozart,Rachmaninov, Vivaldi, Bach; I need Shakespeare plays, art galleries, to hear laughter, hear the words, “I love you” in all languages especially Italian; to see flowers blooming radiant colors changing from season to season, to watch colorful hummingbirds and self-less bees balancing in flight, a mother bird teaching her children to fly…
I need Michelangelo’s sculptures, da Vinci’s inventions,
The miracle of seeing colors.
What a glorious way to spend Saturday, Steven. Thank you for this moment
"Al Bellenchia has dedicated his talents to community building and service initiatives. ...Director of The Abode...small businesses and non-profit institutions."
Woo boy, that’s a tough question! The arts in its many forms is what brings joy to my life in many ways. From a very personal space, I would be a much sadder person without my quilting. The world would not be a poorer place without my quilts, but quilting is my “go to” thing to show love (with gifts), to express myself, to calm myself, and to give me hope that something will survive of me ( at least for one generation!).
Definitely music for me as well. I met my husband, a fabulous left handed guitar player, when I was 19 years old. He was different from all the other players I was used to hearing. He wasn’t out there trying to look good or get the girls or become famous, he didn’t even think about that stuff. What I saw in him was total commitment to a passion that I had never seen before and could never imagine. His love of the art form just blew me away. We’re married over 51 years and music has enriched our lives more than I ever imagined.
Thank you for this today, I can easily go, down that deep dark hole on a moments notice lately…music always gets me out of it.
I’m torn between literature, either fiction or not, and the opera. For the latter, good writing and storytelling is a treat to behold. I’m a big fan of audiobooks because it often combines the writing with amazing reading; an audiobook for me is thoroughly entertaining. As for opera, as a child I recall Saturdays and listening to the Metropolitan broadcasts and not really appreciating it. As an adult, though, through a relationship I and my employer had with the Seattle Opera to clean their amazing costumes, I was first exposed to the wardrobe and when I was invited to a dress rehearsal I became hooked. Then, the miracle of MetLive in HD! I’ve often remarked about those broadcasts - mostly on Saturdays and regrettably only nine or ten performances a season, that “they cannot get better than that”. But amazingly they can and continue to amaze me and my fellow audience members. And, in truth, my bucket list included a visit to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York at the Kennedy Center. I was rewarded with being in the audience with hundreds of other appreciative fans and left awestruck at seeing it in person. But MetLive in HD is a “poor man’s” opportunity to see works old and new, singers of incredible stature or new to the stage, conductors and musicians, too, but just to become physically and emotionally immersed in the production, well, I’m so looking forward to my next performance in late October. It’s an entertainment form that is incredibly rich in all aspects. I could go on, but I’ll leave it to others to express themselves. You can see I’m kind of awestruck!
Given the continuance of many other forms, I couldn't live without fiber work, specifically handspinning and knitting. I have raised $8,000 for progressive causes by making handspun/handknit "Emotional Support Chickens" for people dismayed (to say the least) by this administration, and who send me copies of donation receipts to the organizations of their choice. Organizations include ACLU, Planned Parenthood, NAACP, various non-profit local food delivery organizations, World Central Kitchen, and others. My small effort to make a difference with the knowledge and skills that I have.
Coming out of Covid lockdown and continuing in the madness of the reality shitshow, ‘Rule By A Fool’, the live, local music scene is much needed soul salve and intellectual distraction.
Dostoevsky’s “The Brother’s Karamazov”; Steinbeck’s “East of Eden”; Dickens’s “Oliver Twist”; Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird”; “Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard,” Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”; Tolstoy’s “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”; Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”; Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children”; Gogol’s “Dead Souls”; Whitehead’s “Underground Railroad”; Michener’s “The Source”; Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”; Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea”’ Shaw’s “The Doctor’s Dilemma”; Inge’s “Bus Stop”; Levi’s “If Not Now, When?”; Gaines’s “A Gathering of Old Men; Wiesel’s “Night”; Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”; Wilder’s “The Bridge at San Luis Rey”; Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin”; Eliot’s “Silas Marner”; Barrie’s “The Admirable Crichton”; Albom’s “Tuesdays With Morrie”; Hersey’s “The Wall”; Wouk’s "The Caine Mutiny” Towles’s “A Gentleman in Moscow”: Lewis’s “Babbitt”; Melville’s “Bartleby, The Scrivener”; Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time”; Uris’s “Mila 18”; Frayn’s “Copenhagen”; Wilson’s “Fences”; Coelho’s “The Alchemist” …
You are welcome. Thank you for your nice comment. I am happy to suggest others if you wish. DM me if so. Happy to share. (Same offer is open to all who may be interested)
As we are currently living in Dante’s nine circles of hell, I need all available senses and artistic resources to buffer my heart and mind from the Trumpian Destroyers of most things good and beautiful.
I sink into a pool of music, turning up the volume to let it reverberate through my physical self. It feels so good to be consumed by the sound.
I dig out my art history books, letting my eyes meander through a painting, seeing the brushstrokes or lack thereof, pondering the subject matter, the artist’s life and world.
I focus on plant and animal forms and am never disappointed in this pursuit. Sometimes I pull a few weeds or simply watch the insects at work.
I purposefully dig into stories, books, and movies of human endurance in spite of terrible odds. (Thank you, Substack)
All of these things help me compartmentalize the daily tremors of the news and keep me moving, mostly forward, on a narrow path of hope that we might get through this terrible mess.
Visiting the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia to hear the fabulous Philadelphia Orchestra, I particularly enjoy them playing Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. I love most classical music.
Reading non fiction, especially biographies, but also cozy mysteries when anxiety lifts its ugly head.
I love food that is well prepared, but if I had to choose a sense I must lose, it would be taste and smell.
It seems to me that the foundation of all of the art forms we love is simply, story. The stories we tell ourselves and each other about our world, our existence our dreams, hopes and faith or lack of it. Perhaps we were given our particular array of senses so that we could fully appreciate and comprehend these stories and live accordingly. All of that said, the loss of any of our senses would be a small death for me. At my age, I require hearing aids and am facing macular degeneration in the near future. Nevertheless, I am driven to continue telling stories with my imagination and illustrative skills. Do feel free to check them out at my Instagram page:https://www.instagram.com/ilenelederer?igsh=MTYzYXRpaXk3bjNscA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Oh Ilene! If you posted the link before, I missed it. Thank you. I am in awe of your art. One of my favorite artists is Jerise Fogel who does paper cutting among other forms. Her Judaic pieces have been gifts to family.
So many choices, but the beauty of nature surpasses all. You can f8nd peace, tranquility, quiet, or beautiful songs sung by birds, insects, and wildlife.
This was a beautifully written pleasurable stream of loveliness; poetic, imaginary visualizations, a feast for the marvel of the gift and evolution of our senses, all here in what you artistically created. Thank you.
I could give up only the sense of smell.
I need Mozart,Rachmaninov, Vivaldi, Bach; I need Shakespeare plays, art galleries, to hear laughter, hear the words, “I love you” in all languages especially Italian; to see flowers blooming radiant colors changing from season to season, to watch colorful hummingbirds and self-less bees balancing in flight, a mother bird teaching her children to fly…
I need Michelangelo’s sculptures, da Vinci’s inventions,
The miracle of seeing colors.
What a glorious way to spend Saturday, Steven. Thank you for this moment
Beautifully said, thank you both,Steven and Alexia.
All of them. But especially the written word.
Blogging about flogging...
Vonneguts poems had
1
Humor
2
Riddles
3
Rhymes
Thus they are retrievable 55 years later
I want to be Vonnegut when I grow up.
On Fri, Aug 4, 2023 at 3:15 PM Al Bellenchia <albellenchia@yahoo.com> wrote:
Thanks for the connection. Let me take a look at what you’ve sent. Give me a bit…life!!!
Al Bellenchia
Sent via mobile device. Please excuse my brevity.
On Aug 4, 2023, I wrote:
Al Bellenchia
I hope you are well
Sorry for the in formality
Thank you for your efforts,
Impressive CV:😁😁😁😁😁
linkedin.com/in/albellenchia
especially😁😁😁😁😁
"Al Bellenchia has dedicated his talents to community building and service initiatives. ...Director of The Abode...small businesses and non-profit institutions."
Let's collaborate? I've been a subscriber to you for2 years without reply? Don't you get DM Direct Messages?
Woo boy, that’s a tough question! The arts in its many forms is what brings joy to my life in many ways. From a very personal space, I would be a much sadder person without my quilting. The world would not be a poorer place without my quilts, but quilting is my “go to” thing to show love (with gifts), to express myself, to calm myself, and to give me hope that something will survive of me ( at least for one generation!).
Same for me - quilting!
I don’t. Friends do and when I’ve been ill they’ve sent. They are my healing covers. Yours must be too for the recipients.
Definitely music for me as well. I met my husband, a fabulous left handed guitar player, when I was 19 years old. He was different from all the other players I was used to hearing. He wasn’t out there trying to look good or get the girls or become famous, he didn’t even think about that stuff. What I saw in him was total commitment to a passion that I had never seen before and could never imagine. His love of the art form just blew me away. We’re married over 51 years and music has enriched our lives more than I ever imagined.
Thank you for this today, I can easily go, down that deep dark hole on a moments notice lately…music always gets me out of it.
Debussy's "Clair de Lune", Eva Cassidy singing "Over the Rainbow", Thelonius Monk's Blue Album.
Henry Bell's Art. Botanic Gardens - especially Rose beds, flowering trees, and Dahlias
Eva Cassidy singing ANYTHING!
Eva the songbird. Best version ever. "Fields of Fold" a close second!
I’m torn between literature, either fiction or not, and the opera. For the latter, good writing and storytelling is a treat to behold. I’m a big fan of audiobooks because it often combines the writing with amazing reading; an audiobook for me is thoroughly entertaining. As for opera, as a child I recall Saturdays and listening to the Metropolitan broadcasts and not really appreciating it. As an adult, though, through a relationship I and my employer had with the Seattle Opera to clean their amazing costumes, I was first exposed to the wardrobe and when I was invited to a dress rehearsal I became hooked. Then, the miracle of MetLive in HD! I’ve often remarked about those broadcasts - mostly on Saturdays and regrettably only nine or ten performances a season, that “they cannot get better than that”. But amazingly they can and continue to amaze me and my fellow audience members. And, in truth, my bucket list included a visit to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York at the Kennedy Center. I was rewarded with being in the audience with hundreds of other appreciative fans and left awestruck at seeing it in person. But MetLive in HD is a “poor man’s” opportunity to see works old and new, singers of incredible stature or new to the stage, conductors and musicians, too, but just to become physically and emotionally immersed in the production, well, I’m so looking forward to my next performance in late October. It’s an entertainment form that is incredibly rich in all aspects. I could go on, but I’ll leave it to others to express themselves. You can see I’m kind of awestruck!
Nature...
(Ma Nature creates some GREAT installations!)
She did some very interesting stuff with Christo!
Given the continuance of many other forms, I couldn't live without fiber work, specifically handspinning and knitting. I have raised $8,000 for progressive causes by making handspun/handknit "Emotional Support Chickens" for people dismayed (to say the least) by this administration, and who send me copies of donation receipts to the organizations of their choice. Organizations include ACLU, Planned Parenthood, NAACP, various non-profit local food delivery organizations, World Central Kitchen, and others. My small effort to make a difference with the knowledge and skills that I have.
Does it have to be a certain amount to get a chicken. I would love one.
Me too. A chicken. I was brought up in a poultry family and they are comfort. Joyce Vance’s live ones especially.
Yes. I need to get some.
I would have to say…Music.
Live local music.
Coming out of Covid lockdown and continuing in the madness of the reality shitshow, ‘Rule By A Fool’, the live, local music scene is much needed soul salve and intellectual distraction.
Freeing. 😊
I can’t imagine. I can’t decide.
Dostoevsky’s “The Brother’s Karamazov”; Steinbeck’s “East of Eden”; Dickens’s “Oliver Twist”; Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird”; “Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard,” Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”; Tolstoy’s “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”; Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”; Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children”; Gogol’s “Dead Souls”; Whitehead’s “Underground Railroad”; Michener’s “The Source”; Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”; Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea”’ Shaw’s “The Doctor’s Dilemma”; Inge’s “Bus Stop”; Levi’s “If Not Now, When?”; Gaines’s “A Gathering of Old Men; Wiesel’s “Night”; Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”; Wilder’s “The Bridge at San Luis Rey”; Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin”; Eliot’s “Silas Marner”; Barrie’s “The Admirable Crichton”; Albom’s “Tuesdays With Morrie”; Hersey’s “The Wall”; Wouk’s "The Caine Mutiny” Towles’s “A Gentleman in Moscow”: Lewis’s “Babbitt”; Melville’s “Bartleby, The Scrivener”; Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time”; Uris’s “Mila 18”; Frayn’s “Copenhagen”; Wilson’s “Fences”; Coelho’s “The Alchemist” …
Thanks for this list. I’m always looking for masterpieces I might have missed along the way. Or ones I need to revisit.
You are welcome. Thank you for your nice comment. I am happy to suggest others if you wish. DM me if so. Happy to share. (Same offer is open to all who may be interested)
As we are currently living in Dante’s nine circles of hell, I need all available senses and artistic resources to buffer my heart and mind from the Trumpian Destroyers of most things good and beautiful.
I sink into a pool of music, turning up the volume to let it reverberate through my physical self. It feels so good to be consumed by the sound.
I dig out my art history books, letting my eyes meander through a painting, seeing the brushstrokes or lack thereof, pondering the subject matter, the artist’s life and world.
I focus on plant and animal forms and am never disappointed in this pursuit. Sometimes I pull a few weeds or simply watch the insects at work.
I purposefully dig into stories, books, and movies of human endurance in spite of terrible odds. (Thank you, Substack)
All of these things help me compartmentalize the daily tremors of the news and keep me moving, mostly forward, on a narrow path of hope that we might get through this terrible mess.
Beautiful. Thank you. I need this so much.
I can’t live without music and books.
Visiting the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia to hear the fabulous Philadelphia Orchestra, I particularly enjoy them playing Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. I love most classical music.
Reading non fiction, especially biographies, but also cozy mysteries when anxiety lifts its ugly head.
I love food that is well prepared, but if I had to choose a sense I must lose, it would be taste and smell.
It seems to me that the foundation of all of the art forms we love is simply, story. The stories we tell ourselves and each other about our world, our existence our dreams, hopes and faith or lack of it. Perhaps we were given our particular array of senses so that we could fully appreciate and comprehend these stories and live accordingly. All of that said, the loss of any of our senses would be a small death for me. At my age, I require hearing aids and am facing macular degeneration in the near future. Nevertheless, I am driven to continue telling stories with my imagination and illustrative skills. Do feel free to check them out at my Instagram page:https://www.instagram.com/ilenelederer?igsh=MTYzYXRpaXk3bjNscA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
What gorgeous work!
Thank you, Paula B! And again for taking the time to visit!
Oh Ilene! If you posted the link before, I missed it. Thank you. I am in awe of your art. One of my favorite artists is Jerise Fogel who does paper cutting among other forms. Her Judaic pieces have been gifts to family.
So many choices, but the beauty of nature surpasses all. You can f8nd peace, tranquility, quiet, or beautiful songs sung by birds, insects, and wildlife.
That’s like asking, which is your favorite child? 😜
Clearly, every art form has meaning for me and for our society
Seeing Picasso’s “Guernica” change the way I thought about politics and art
Art museums bring us beauty, knowledge and history.
We are a family filled with “kosher hams” otherwise known as musical theater performers. I can’t imagine a world where musical theater did not exist
But if pushed, I would have to say Books
Without Books, we have no scripts, no films , no theater, no poetry.
We have no knowledge.
How with so many “kosher ham” friends did I not know the term! Thank you.
Writing. Music. Acting. Singing. Painting. Performance. All of the arts.