Almond Blossoms -- Goodbye Until Next Year

This Today's Flowers post is dedicated to my Mom.

This past week I found myself wandering around Ein Kerem, at the southern end of Jerusalem, following an off-site planning session that, to my delight, ended an hour ahead of schedule. 

I was so pleasantly surprised by having this extra hour to myself  that it took me nearly 15 minutes just to decide what to do with it.  The sun, hidden behind the clouds, was due to set in about an hour.  Perfect photography light.

It's the end of the almond tree blossoms.  Ein Kerem is filled with almond trees -- שקדיות shkediot in Hebrew.  This tree's claim to fame is that it is the first to bloom, in the dead of winter, and almost out of nowhere.  

Now most almond trees in Israel are divided between bloom and foliage, with the white/pink blossoms contrasting against dark spindley branches and the bright green of newly sprouting leaves.  

Here, the flowers have already dropped off as the tree develops leaves and shifts into fruit-producing mode.

Another Spring, already on its way...

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Keep the balance,

ALN

Ruby Tuesday -- They're Still Kicking. Well, Mostly

Getting back to blogging means getting back on the Ruby Tuesday bandwagon.  (Check out Work of the Poet's other photo memes, too... yellow is sometimes involved, and so is the sky...but alas, no time to keep up with everything, and so for now we stick with ruby).

They're just now winding down, though they've been gracing our table for the past week and a half.  That Guy I Married brought them home for us two Fridays ago, in honor of Shabbat.  

The flowers are called  כלניות kalaniot in Hebrew and are grown locally, on Moshav land in the area.  In fact, there is an anemone field right down the road from us.   They also grow wild at this time of year -- although only in ruby red -- all over Israel.

Keep the balance,

ALN

Reflection

For once, there's no hidden metaphor here... unless you're looking for some deeper meaning, and a reason to celebrate.  Here it is:  

It's finally started raining here in Israel.  

Okay, so it came two months late, but we'll take every drop we can get, even when it means mud everywhere.  Bring it on, we can handle it!

Keep the balance, and Let It Rain!

ALN

Perception and Creation Beyond Sight, 3

(This is a continuation piece of last week's post, Perception and Creation Beyond Sight 2).

Immaterial Elements and Tactile Shades.  Light.  Color.  Texture.  Composition.  For most artists, these are key concepts, central considerations in all their work.  With closed eyes, color becomes irrelevant, as does all but the brightest light.  

Sharon Karni's works, so rich in scope and layering (as well as color) showed me that textural nuance and material variety can be experienced as colorful, in and of themselves.  With eyes closed and color no longer a consideration, I was able to appreciate and enjoy the depth of Karni's tactile expression via her use of varied materials and textures, from wood relief to netting to nails.  

(An internet search led to one Hebrew explanation of her tendency to incorporate natural elements, such as beach sand and seawater, to her pigments, further adding to their sense of tactility.  The Biblical title of this work refers to words contained in a line of Moshe's Song of the Sea describing the Red Sea's waters as standing "frozen" on each side).

Sharon Karni, Frozen Abyss (Exodus 15:7-8), (detail), 2000-2004.  Mixed technique on wood.

Cathedral, a medium-sized sculpture in plywood by Israel Hadany, could be mistaken for simplistic in shape, a smooth, nearly organic form that -- in contrast to the surging interior of an actual cathedral, sags toward the middle, only to soar upward at each end.   To run my hands over its surface, eyes closed, was to flow down and up again, along its rounded exterior into the space created within.  But the temptation of actually seeing this work wedged itself into my tactile experience after only a few seconds.

Israel Hadany, Cathedral, 2005.  Plywood.

This was one of the few works for which, once I had opened my eyes, I could not limit myself to touch alone.  The contrast of light and darkness, spilling over, around and within the form, had me mesmerized.   An orderly row of small windows along its upper surface created a captivating sun-spot effect within.  Experiencing the sculpture by touch alone sharpened my awareness of the piece's richness and depth of form, as well as the visual beauty a sightless person misses.

Israel Hadany, Cathedral, 2005 (interior).  Plywood.

Compensation, Exaggeration.   It is commonly believed that those lacking one sensory ability tend to deepen their other sensory abilities -- namely, hearing and touch -- in compensation.  This makes sense to me, and I understand that magnetic imaging of the brain has proven it true on a neurological level as well.  

During my visit, I cannot say that my neurological abilities shifted in any meaningful way, but my attention certainly did.  The gallery, closed off only partially by short walls within the university's echoey, chamber-like corridor, had the opposite effect of that reflective, austere silence typical of most public art venues.  After only a few minutes I was intensely, almost painfully aware of the volume of sound entering the venue.  Previous wanderings through those halls, with my only goal to get from one end to the other, had not focused my awareness on the noise level, but here in the gallery I found it an almost overwhelming presence which disturbed my concentration.  In this context, an "enhanced" ability to hear became a limitation.

Closed In, Exposed Outward.  Last month, at a professional convention, I had the privilege of attending a presentation by several blind adults who shared some thoughts on their experiences before and after receiving dog guides.  One man, a psychologist by profession, had lost his sight as a result of a war injury.  He related his original refusal to have a dog guide, based on his fears of becoming dependent, and the many benefits he now credits to his canine companion, including a facilitation of his social connections with others.  Instead of standing out as an objectified, dependent person, he and his dog now share the limelight, and a sense of healthy interdependence.

I remembered this man as I made my way around the exhibit, eyes closed, hands roaming over the artwork.  I was acutely aware of the gallery's glass walls, and how ridiculous I must have looked to those who were unaware of the exhibit's focus.  I felt exposed, and this bothered me.  But I also felt strangely free, an unfamiliar sensation of being alone with myself, asking, If I can't see others, how much do I care how they see me?

In Conclusion.  I am so visual a person, I find it extremely challenging to even imagine a world in which my sense of sight does not play a dominant role.  Here in the Stern Gallery, I was reminded that my sight, for all its advantages, can limit my perception and my appreciation by its tendency to dominate my other senses.  I came to learn that approaching art up close can, with all the irony implied, create a distance.  

I credit this exhibit, its artists and curators, with providing us a particular opportunity to experience art -- and our own selves, experiencing the art -- anew.

* * * * *

Feeling and Meaning:  Seeing Art Through Touch

The Max and Iris Stern Gallery

Faculty of Humanities, Mt. Scopus

December 2008 - June 2009

Opening Hours: Sun-Thur 11:00-15:00 (except University holidays)

Curators: Susan Nashman Fraiman, Ahuva Passow-Whitman 

To contact Ahuva or arrange a guided tour, call 02-588-3881.

All photos here taken by ALN, and included here with permission of Ahuva Passow-Whitman.

* * * * *

Keep the balance, 

ALN

Inaugural Ruby Tuesday

It's time for new leadership... and a new Ruby Tuesday.  

Not that the two are necessarily related, but with the inauguration just over, a general excitement pervades the air, making the different colors that much brighter (and in certain contexts, all the less relevant... Go President Obama!).

I caught these cool, star-bursty creatures last week at Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, using a digital macro (note the varied focal lengths).  No idea what they are... some mysterious, desert-thriving species sticking out in all directions in the raised bed opposite the entrance to the Akademon (university book store).  Positive ID's welcome.

Note how the stamens reveal themselves over time.  I love the color transformation... even as the flower withers.

With brightest wishes to our new president.

Keep the balance,

ALN

Ruby Tuesday -- Orange, Really

I know I'm pushing the definition of "ruby" here.... but I am so fond of orange.

This is a piece I completed awhile back, as a present for my Mom.  It's small, about 2/3 the size of a sheet of printer paper.

The base is handmade paper (made by yours truly), with an overlay of selected fabrics and ribbons, then hand stitched and beaded.  Over the years, I was inspired to delve into the fiber arts, specifically paper-making, by my good friend Q.  As for the stitching technique, several years ago I had the privilege of attending a week-long workshop in hand stitching with Japanese fiber artist Misao Tsubaki, an incredibly talented woman and a wonderfully supportive teacher.  (See some examples of her work here;  her website, unfortunately out of date, is in Japanese, but there are photos there as well).

Remember to keep creating -- whatever makes you happy -- in these troubling days of war.

Keep the balance,

ALN

Ruby Tuesday

OK, so I'm putting this up on Monday night, in anticipation of a long Ruby Tuesday with no room for blogging.

Winter is definitely -- sadly -- not yet in full swing here in Israel, which means no rain, as of yet (with the minor exception of the rain that overran my friend N's gutter system).  At least we have succulents, and some color remaining, here and there.  Presenting this afternoon's garden tour:

Tuesday morning addendum:  Are the Heavens laughing?  Twenty minutes after posting, it started to rain.  Didn't last long, but still...

Keep the balance,

ALN

Enough to Make Your Mouth Water

It's definitely more expensive than the supermarket, or the shuq (outdoor market), but sometimes, you just gotta do it - take the kids out to dinner in the mall and buy them a little treat afterwards.

  ...Or maybe it was just the Mommy guilt, knowing that I'm going away for three days.   Whatever.  The kids were happy about it, and I got in a couple of photos for this week's Ruby Tuesday.  (Don't worry, we didn't buy them that much candy!)

I'm off to Be'er Sheva, and I have no idea what the internet situation will be over there, so it may be a few days.  Meanwhile, as usual,

Keep the balance,

ALN

Succulents Bloom Too...

...and around here they often do it off-season.  This is from awhile back, but it's similar enough to what's going among the succulents.  I'm very attached to them, really.

At least my garden knows how to keep the [flower] balance, even if I don't always.

See all the other beautiful offerings here at Today's Flowers.

Happy Autumn!

ALN

Ruby Tuesday - First Attempt

It's Tuesday, so in an attempt to jump start myself, I'm joining Ruby Tuesday for the first time (Many thanks to Leora at Here in HP for her encouragement).

The ruby part is a bit subtle, which I like, but if you're one of those who thinks "mauve" is more accurate a description than "ruby,"  just consider it an extension of my avocado tree post.  

Keep the balance,

ALN

Take It Slow...

This tree has been growing on our property for, well, longer than the property has been ours (we've lived here for about eight years and the tree's been around for over a decade). 

All this time, it remained small and barren. In fact, I had no idea what kind of tree it was... until this year. (Go ahead, take a guess.  Then scroll down).

Ready?

Did you guess avocado?  You win.  The fruit really disguise themselves among the leaves.  It took awhile before we even noticed them, and even then we saw only one or two (of course, we didn't have such great expectations, after all those years).   Now I've found six.  Or is it seven?

I took these pictures about a month ago.   The growth process is so slow, it'll be quite a few weeks before we can pick the avocados.  Meanwhile the tree has already begun another reproductive season, and it's got new blossoms, about to open.  

Everything around here is rush, rush, rush, all the time, but not the avocado.  I won't overdo the metaphor;  you can work out the rest.

Take it slow.... avocado.

Keep the balance,

ALN

Passion Runneth Over

The passionfruit are growing like crazy.  Our neighbors' vine is dripping with fruit -- over fifty, by our latest estimate.... and counting.

(And a big thank-you to That Guy I Married, who recommended altering the gamma on this photo, which, as he subsequently explained to me, has something to do with accentuating light and dark areas, which did indeed enhance the photo).  Yet another way to...

...keep the balance,

ALN

Thought for the Day

I found these photos pretty fascinating, c/o The New York Times.

Not to exaggerate a metaphor, but how aware are we, really, of the effects and ramifications of everything that comes out of our mouths?

Apparently it's graphically traceable: By virtue of our very movement, we affect the world around us in countless ways.

What a thought.

Keep the balance,

ALN

Hidden Blooms

These flowers aren't actually more hidden than any others, although they are rather modest, delicate-looking blooms.  I have to admit, I barely noticed them.

Carob trees are now flowering in our area... I photographed these two days ago while hiking with the kids in the rolling hills behind our moshav.   (Apologies for the quality -- forgot my camera and the Nokia is, well, only a phone, after all).

Sukkot is a celebration -- of planting, of the rain we'll soon begin to pray for (although the rain itself has already begun, intermittently, in the central and Northern parts of the country). 

Meanwhile, the weather around here has been perfect for hiking -- slightly overcast mornings, beautiful sunshine in the afternoons.  So go ahead, shut down that computer, go outside and hike!  The world is waiting....

מועדים לשמחה  -- Have a wonderful Sukkot.

Keep the balance,

ALN

A Beautiful Collection

Just jumped over to Me-ander's beautiful photo carnival.  Highly recommended - she's got some real gems up there.

גמר חתימה טובה

ALN

Back to Balance... Or Not

Ah.... it's good to be back.  

The school year is in full swing, the kids are back in school and I'm back at work.  Finding time for it all --  blogging included --  has become the task of the season.  How dare you go to work instead of blogging?  deadpans Dad.  Even Mom, who doesn't fully get the blog thing, called a few days ago wondering whether I'm still alive, for lack of published evidence.  

Returning to the Jblogosphere after over a week's hiatus feels something like jumping back onto a nonstop spinning carousel;  it's simultaneously thrilling, dizzying and weighted down by false starts.  As much as I've missed it, there has been plenty to keep me busy around here. Included below, an abridged record of the flurry, a kind of back-up disk for my sleep-deprived mind:

Things to Do Instead of Blogging

1.  Back-to-School Night (known in Israel as an asifat horim, lit., "gathering of parents"), one for every minor inhabiting the household, and sometimes more.  (RivkA explains it here in all its glorious detail).  Even the daycare centers here hold a back-to-school evening, usually in order to spell out the additional charges they request, for everything from toilet paper to art supplies to enrichment activities.  These events are painfully long and drawn out and can drag on for three hours.    This year, as a balance- and sanity-preserving measure, I skipped the preschool one altogether.  I hope they'll still let my son graduate.

2.  Working in the art studio, making paper and carving linoleum prints for greeting cards.

Here they are, drying on the mini-blinds:

Close-up of the same print as the one up on top, in a different color palette:

Supplies (Carving knives, water-based printing inks, soft-rubber brayers, carved linoleum printing blocks, card samples)  The art table is a low-budget home-made model:  an old wooden door on a frame of leftover construction wood.  Works for me.

My friend Q has a large studio where she makes handmade paper of amazing quality.  A few years back we added on our own, much smaller studio to our own house, but a full work schedule meant it often sat unused.   Going back to my artwork is probably adding years to my life.  At least that's the feeling I get from it.

Indoor plumbing repairs.  Particularly unsuccessful new hobby;  definitely sticking with my day job.  Note the bucket under the studio sink.  Guess why it's there...

Scheduling my kids' extracurricular schedules.  Another less successful venture.  In keeping with Israeli tradition, my kids are now signed up for various after-school creative ventures.... only problem is, the schedule is still new and I keep forgetting to send them on time...

Catching up on Srugim and other stuff.  I'm up to episode 12, and I'm wondering how things will hold together now that the geographic focus has spread out beyond the Swamp itself.  Last night we watched the first couple hours of the BBC's Pride and Prejudice, which follows the book down to nearly every last detail (which is why it takes about six hours to watch.  (I'm just amazed that we have such a detailed historical record of all those line dances... and how did they manage to get their hair arranged so neatly with no running water in the house?).

Work, work, and work.   More work.  Don't know why this one's so far down on the list, actually.  Time-wise, it's way on top.  Lots to do:  Strengthening our connections with the families, designing a class schedule for the school year, helping our new staff members find their way, meeting with medical and mental health staffers, inviting patients' schools to meet the department.... the list is endless.  Despite this, I'm still making every effort to leave work on time.  Balance, balance.

Dancing around the living room, music on full volume.   I do this with the kids, but between you and me, I would do it anyway.  (Just ask my former roommates -- Friday afternoon was Disco Time in the kitchen.  Remember Cate Blanchett in Bandits?  Only she, as always, looks amazing, and I look like, well, never mind....).

Getting some sleep.  Only kidding - I just added that one for Mom.  Amazingly enough, even without blogging I haven't managed more than five hours a night.  I'm still waiting for someone to invent a pill with no negative side effects...

All the other stuff:  Laundry  Dishes  Cooking  Homework help  Bedtime   Stories  Wiping noses (and other places)  Commuting there   And back   Shopping  Phone calls  Hair cut  Bank statements  Emails  Visiting neighbors  Shul meeting  Cleaning aquarium  Guests here  Floor clean  Food ready  Table set.... Go.  Shabbat.

(Speaking of keeping the balance...)

Shabbat Shalom,

ALN

Have You Stopped to Smell the Flowers? They Have!

Too tired for words.  Instead, I offer you images.

From today's outing to a butterfly reserve (yes, we are on vacation in the Old Country).  They are quite used to us humans entering their domain, and so were willing to hang around for the mug shots.  

Enjoy.

Keep the balance,

ALN