The Backyard Diva............

My wonderful son is working on a landscaping crew this summer.  They are responsible for clearing vacant and abandoned lots in a rather large city near us.  Within a week of beginning this job, my son had every member of the landscaping  crew (including the owner) picking up trash for his mother.  Soon, I received crates full of rusted metal, discarded landscaping materials, and even broken toys.  While some of the members of my son's crew may not completely understand why his crazy mom wants this stuff, they have been more than willing to join the cause!

The above piece is a tribute to my son and his work friends.  It is composed of rusted metal, discarded landscape materials, acrylic paint, and found wire.

Out of Time.........

My mother had a bucket list.  It wasn't lengthy, but there were certain things that she wanted to accomplish during her lifetime.  She wanted to learn a variety of languages and she did. She wanted to travel around the globe and she did.  She wanted to excel at golf and well ....she gave it a good effort. In her 76th year, my mother decided to jump out of an airplane.  In August of that year, she went skydiving with my then 18 year old son while her more cautious daughter videotaped the adventure from the ground. 

Mom's next plan was to go up in a hot air balloon. However, shortly after her airplane experience, my mother was diagnosed with terminal second hand smoke lung cancer.  Throughout her treatments and courageous battle to beat this horrific disease, mom talked about going up in a balloon "as soon as she grew stronger".  She never did and almost a year to the day of when she jumped out of a plane, my mom died.

Following her funeral service, I handed each family member a helium balloon to which I had attached pictures of mom.  Following a short prayer, we let the balloons go and gave mom her hot air balloon ride.   The piece above is dedicated to my mom............. 

All Hail.........

From Buckingham Palace, to a street corner in the projects everyone wants their own little piece of the world...their own little fiefdom.  Maybe it's because life so often feels completely out of control.  I sometimes wake up wondering just what the day has in store for me.  

To quote my favorite book of the month, "who is in charge and do they love me?" Will my experiences today be positive or negative ones?  Where will I find myself at the end of the day?  WILL I find myself at the end of the day? The unexpectedness of it all is, of course, what makes life worthwhile.

Who wants to know exactly what will happen each day.  Humans like an air of mystery.  We like surprises too...well some surprises :)  A steady diet, however, of unpredictability can wear a body down.

Once more, I'm calling for some middle of the road time.  A few predictable days a week would be nice.  A calm ordinary day without surprises would be welcome. A day in which I am totally in charge of what happens to me and mine would be outstanding.  A small piece of the world for however brief a time where I could stand tall and proudly proclaim that at this moment and at this time I am the Queen of my existence would be freaking amazing.  All Hail Queen Patti.....................

The Social Network at it's best.............

I have mixed feelings about the social network. 

On the one hand, you hear wonderful stories about its potential to empower people who may not have a voice under different circumstances.  Take for example the recent situation with Delta airlines and returning military soldiers (who were charged a ridiculous amount of money for bringing four bags home from their deployment instead of three), or the stories that come out of repressed regimes where ordinary citizens have been given the opportunity to unite against an unfair system of government. Closer to home, there are everyday stories of friends and relatives who have been reconnected after years of separation through the magic of YouTube and Facebook.  

 

On the other hand, we know of several government officials who most likely regret exposing their private lives to a world wide network standing in the wings ready to exploit any sign of weakness or fragility. (What were they thinking?)  

Does the social network merely add to the continuing erosion of our privacy and civil liberties?  Or is it a useful tool designed to connect an ever shrinking society?  I suspect, that like many things that at first seem too good to be true, it's a little bit of both. 

I know I certainly continue to use it to promote this blog, Artful Musings and my business, Legacy Mixed Media.  The above piece pays homage to a simpler time when social networking actually referred to people speaking with one another...face to face............