LJ Idol, Lighting, Dehydrating and the Treadmill - Lots Going On

I survived my latest LJ Idol challenge, and the next one has been issued. I'll be turning this one around in my head for a bit, but not for too long. The deadline is on Thursday. I enjoy contests like this - writing challenges in school were always my favorite thing. To pick something up from a minimal theme and write something worth reading was always a fun quest. Now to cogitate ... LOL. 

I'm starting to get excited about getting my new 
treadmill. It's one step closer ... but not quite here 
yet. I'll have to really educate DH about how I need 
this taken care of. He's a bit of a slob, and I'm not having 
my new machine mishandled. 

I bought peaches and a pineapple at the store yesterday, thinking to put them into the dehydrator for some lovely snacks. The peaches cut up into three trays worth of fruit, so I did those overnight. Then, after my morning meditation, I brought the dried peaches up, pulled them off the trays and into a baggie for storage, and then cleaned everything, cut up the pineapple, and put that fruit into the dehydrator to dry throughout the day. The cycle should be finished in the early evening, giving me plenty of time to empty and clean the dehydrator and then return it to the cupboard where I keep it. 

I love my new dehydrator, and I've been using it 
a lot. I bought extra mesh shelving and catch trays 
for it - just received those last week. That opened me 
up to being able to do the fruit that I've been doing 
yesterday and today. 

I'm having a kitchen ceiling light that's trying to die. *sigh* There's nothing that bothers me much more than a flickering light, so as soon as I drop my laptop off at the store, I'm heading over to Menard's hardware store for a quick purchase of replacement bulbs. My fixture takes two ring fluorescent bulbs - a 12" and an 8". The 12" is flickering a lot, but it doesn't make sense to me to only replace the single bulb. If one is going (and they were both purchased and replaced at the same time), the other one is surely going to be going soon. So, I'll look for two circular fluorescent bulbs and hopefully get those changed tonight. Flickering lights drive me CRAZY. 

My kitchen fixture is similar to this. It used to have 
a square shade around it, but the shade broke from 
old age and I haven't found a replacement that looks 
decent. So I keep the bulbs uncovered. At least it 
gives me very good lighting in my kitchen - an important 
room to have good lighting in while using sharp knives. 

I texted back and forth with the saleswoman for my treadmill yesterday. Apparently, on Wednesday, her phone decided that a dunk in a body of water was called for, and therefore, died. She spent Thursday getting a new phone and then hours of work getting it set up again and downloading the many things she had, including my sales proposal. She's back up and running now, and we discussed which of two screens I wanted, as well as the strictures on our delivery date because of Chickie's upcoming vacation. She'll check with her delivery people, send me a final copy of the invoice for payment, and I'll get the money transferred to her when everything is set up properly. I can hardly wait to get my new treadmill, even though it might not actually arrive until early next month (depending on their own delivery schedule meshing with Chickie's planned days off). 

I'm looking forward to my dehydrated pineapple. The peaches 
that I did overnight turned out wonderful, and I'm sure the 
pineapple also will. I love having dehydrated fruit for a 
quick pick-me-up snack. 

So, as I have my pineapple drying in the dehydrator, my new theme for the next story assigned, and my basic schedule for the day established, I hope you have a wonderful Saturday. We've cooled off considerably from our very HOT State Fair, and even though it's comfortable, I'm back in long sleeved shirts and jeans. It might be comfortable, but I'm usually cold, no matter what. Why I live in the Frozen Northlands is a mystery to me sometimes - LOL. Have an excellent weekend and I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini! 

Dentists, Doctors and Light - My Schedule is Toast!

I passed my dental appointment with flying colors, and had a chance to discuss braces with both Dr B and Dr Phan, as well as my long-time tech, Al. All agreed that my teeth were very crowded, and although my gums and teeth were in excellent condition, braces may not be a bad idea. So, I phoned up DeVoe Orthodontics when I got to the shop and set up an early morning consultation for the end of September (the first open time I could get for an early morning slot). I'm looking forward to it, and having something new starting in the fall may not be a bad thing at all. I'll probably also set up at least one appointment with one of the other two I had narrowed my choices to, so that I can make a choice between two or three options. 

Dr DeVoe apparently is a very popular 
guy. I couldn't get in to see him until 
the end of September. But that's OK. It 
took a lifetime for my teeth to get this 
crooked, I'm not in a major rush to spend 
the money to get them straightened. But I 
do want it done, finally - LOL. 

It's rather weird to be thinking about the end of summer already, when summer has barely started. But it's those things to look forward to that can keep me going. My landlord came over yesterday and helped with the lights. He found the problem in one of them and got that one going for us, and discussed options for the second light with DH, leaving him to handle the issue on his own. Which he did! After another hour or so of work on the ladder, he managed to get it together with minimal cursing. He made several mistakes which were purely stupid, but figured out work-arounds and now, after more than a year of darkness in that part of the store, we have light. I'll have to put used bulbs into Minion and add taking them for recycling into my schedule for tomorrow or Friday. 

It's quite delightful to have light in that darkened 
part of the store again. DH is "slightly" more comfortable 
with electricity now, but I'm not sure he'll ever 
truly be comfortable with it. The only rewiring that 
has been done at home has been my own doing. Necessary 
for one hall light that wasn't staying on. 

This week I get my two days off, but next week I'm crammed again - after my eye doctor on Wednesday, I need to come into the shop because Chickie Mama needs to be driven to Mayo for a consultation with her doctors that afternoon. I'm trying to get a ton of things done tomorrow and Friday so that losing the majority of next week's Wednesday won't mess me totally up. It's still going to be a PITA for the next couple of weeks, though. 

I try to have a fairly scheduled week because I'm 
always short on time. Next week will really suck 
because I won't have my laundry day and that will 
mess things up badly. But, I can't do anything about 
Chickie Mama's need to meet with her doctors. I'll 
have to figure something out for a work-around. 

I hope you followed my link and voted for my story "America", but even if you didn't vote, I hope you followed the link and clicked on some of the entries. There are some very talented writers in the group and some tales well worth reading. We're down to approximately 25 people now, so at least it's easier to read through the various offerings. I'll try to start weeding down my final choices for my own votes today or tonight. Lots to read and lots to enjoy. 

So, I'm out of here. I have a swimming pool calling my name, and a clear sky to greet the dawn. I hope all of you have a wonderful Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

A Celebration of Sunrise

So much to do today and so little time. I'll be burning my candles from all ends - front, back and center while I run around to do errands and try to get two repairs finalized. I have the normal "day off" stuff to get done - laundry, housecleaning, grocery shopping - but there's a pile of stuff next to me that also has to be dealt with today. Hmmm ... looking at my clock, I have twelve hours before I talk with Aearwen and start to wrap up my day. That's probably not enough time. 

Sunrise and mountains - two things I love. I'm looking
for beautiful sunrise and mountain photos for you
to enjoy today. 

Time - it's really not our friend in so many ways. There's always something that's left undone at the end of the day. Of course, optimists might look at that undone item as an unspoken guarantee of awakening the next morning. Pessimists might look upon it as one more indication of poor planning, inefficiency, and general malaise. I just look at it as normal - I don't think I'll EVER actually get everything done that I have pending on any day's agenda. 

I love the lighting in this one, the clouds, the reflections below. What
a wonderful and happy way to start the day! 

Highly organized people make lists - "To Do" lists of various complexions. I've always found keeping a list or a journal or similar things to be time I really don't have. My journal is my daily blog - whipping thoughts into organized chaos. My to-do lists often are photos of things I have to remember to purchase when I go shopping. Everything else exists in piles around my workspace. Not very efficient, but when dealing with a physical reality, not a writing task, the "everything else" actually takes up physical space. 

I'd probably call these mountains a bit closer to hills, but it's
still a wonderful and celebratory sunrise to share with you. 

Thus, around my desk today are two beading repairs that HAVE to be wrapped up, a pile of cyber-notifications that have to be dealt with, and some photography and product scan experiments that I have to try out today to move forward with the latest major project for the shop. It'll be a cold and busy day for me today. 

Here's hoping your Wednesday turns out to be spectacular. Stay happy, stay cozy, and spread love. I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully feeling much more accomplished. 

Light - No Light Without Bulbs

Light can be a necessary evil, but we're fortunate in this day and age to have light at the other end of simple electrical switches. We just flip the switch and "voila!", light. Of course, that depends on a bit more than flipping a switch. There has to be power to the switch, the circuits to the lamp or fixture have to be intact, and there has to be a working light-bulb of some type in the appropriate socket. Usually this isn't a problem. In my shop, however, it's a major problem. 

Light bulbs. We hardly think about them any more, except to
decide on the type - LED, fluorescent, or incandescent. They
are ubiquitous in our lives, and essential. We take them for
granted, but they are a relatively recent invention - 1879. 

Like many more industrial settings, we have fluorescent lighting in the shop. It provides ample light at a reasonable electrical cost. In office buildings, the fixtures are usually hidden behind dropped ceiling tiles with wafer grids and baffles for the lit sections. My set-up is a bit more industrial than that. The building itself dates from the 1920's or so and has been used over the years for everything from a bakery producing loaves of bread to a branch of the local Half-Price Books bookstore. I got the location after the bookstore moved on to a different location in the early 1990's. 

This is similar to what I have, except my run of lights is continuous,
not with the breaks between fixtures. It gives great light, so when
one fixture burns out, I don't worry too much. I have more than
one fixture out right now. Time for bulbs and ballasts. 

The landlord fixed up the place and redid the lights and wiring before we moved in. We have three rows of fluorescent fixtures running from the front door to the back, and two rows of fixtures in the basement. That's a lot of fixtures, and a lot of bulbs - the eight-foot long variety of bulbs. The length of the bulbs wouldn't be horrible, except for one minor addition - the ceilings are 12-foot high. So I have a VERY tall and rather heavy ladder from when I had my Mall of America shop. We use that to climb up and change the bulbs - but it's heavy, difficult to move, and since we have remodeled several times, some areas of the shop are almost impossible to get the ladder into. 

Each fixture has a ballast which controls the power to the bulbs. These
also burn out over time, and they're a lot more expensive to replace
than the bulbs are. 

The holidays are coming up. I'd like to be fully - or at least somewhat fully lit when they arrive. DH will change ballasts in the fixtures as needed (I hope he remembers how to do that, the old style we used to use has been supplanted by a new style regulated by law as less of an environmental problem and they install quite differently). He'll need to get that handled over the next month or so. I, on the other hand, will pick up the first box of several eight-foot fluorescent bulbs later this morning. Oh, the joy of small business ownership. - NOT! 

I'll drop by the building supply store this morning and purchase the
first box of 16 new bulbs. I'm sure we'll end up needing at least
one more box before we're finished. DH can get more in his truck,
along with some ballasts. 

For all of you, my patient readers, I wish for a light-filled and happy day. It's Tuesday, the pool is calling my name, and it's all good. Happy day to all, and I'll return tomorrow. 

Let There Be Light

Light. When we speak of someone understanding something, we often speak of "lighting up their mind" or "coming into the light" of knowledge. Light illuminates the dark corners, allows daytime activities to take place at night, and provides security and comfort during the dark hours or in dark places. Humans need light for our own physical and mental well-being. In general, lighting has been improving steadily since the gas streetlights and kerosene lanterns of the 1800's, and is now brighter and safer than ever before.

The original Edison light bulb was first brought to
the general public eye by one of his employees who
wanted a safer holiday tree. He strung several
of these together for his tree and a crowd gathered
in front of his house every night to look at them.
These were MUCH safer than the candles in use
until then. 

Many of you have been around for several incarnations of the lowly light bulb. We're not using the original filament light bulb of Edison, we're using much fancier ones now. What brings light bulbs to mind this early morning? My pool was rewired and new light fixtures were installed overnight between Wednesday and Thursday. Yesterday's swim was WAY BRIGHT and I'm not sure I approve.

Incandescent light bulbs came in a variety of sizes and
lumen production. Well suited for a multitude of
environments and applications, they became the primary
form of electrical lighting for almost a century. 

Incandescent lights cast a yellow-toned light. The light itself is warm and welcoming, but the bulbs burned out often, needing replacement on a regular basis. Office buildings switched their ceiling lights over the fluorescent tubes years ago, but there was no good household alternative. Until this century. Several years ago compact fluorescent lights became the rage for homes and offices. Instead of the long 4'-8' tubular bulbs of the industrial ceiling fixtures, the compact fluorescent bulbs use a coiled shape that takes up approximately the same width of space as the older standard incandescent light bulbs. Compact fluorescent bulbs last longer and cast off a blue-toned light. No more warm tones, now we were in the cool tones.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs became popular
a decade or two ago. They last much longer than
standard incandescent bulbs. However, they are
less environmentally friendly, releasing mercury
into the environment when broken in landfills. 

A few years ago the next big change in household lighting came to the public eye - LED lighting. The light emitting diode lights have now started taking over because of their longer life and low power requirements. It is LED industrial lighting that my YMCA has switched to, and the lights are super BRIGHT. Our swimming pool had standard fluorescent fixtures, but now they have been switched over to LED fixtures instead. The lumens have been seriously increased, but it's not necessarily for the better. It's almost too bright.

The newest and brightest bulbs are the LED lights.
Unfortunately, some home wiring won't work
well with LED light bulbs, requiring the home
owners to stay with fluorescent bulbs or tear
out their wiring and have it redone. LED lights
are very bright and size flexible, leading to some
wonderful front and rear headlight displays on
today's automobiles. 

Yes, we've come a long way from protecting the candle flames as we walked up darkened stairways, but I'm not sure it's all for the better. LED lights save on power and will cut down on electrical and utility bills, but some ambiance has been lost. It's disappointing, in a way. Have an illuminating Friday.

Shedding Light

Tonight will feature a full moon, and it is my hope that it will cast a clear light upon the members of the Supreme Court as they hear arguments about gay marriage on Tuesday and Wednesday. The actual case decisions won't be handed down until June so we will still have weeks to wait before finding out if the Court will take groundbreaking strides into acknowledged equality and recognition of same-sex couples and LGBT rights. So, since I'm hoping for clarity of light, I'm going to make today's entry a photo blog of the beauty of moonlight.

So, I hope these pictures will help you keep the moonlight and clarity of its white light in mind today as life goes on. Now, if that clarity will only shine on the Supreme Court Justices today and tomorrow...

Sunrise - The Best Time of the Day

I know I have mentioned how much I love sunrise.  When the sun comes up, I feel that the day is full of possibilities and the path that you choose to tred is open and unwalked before you.  I grew to love sunrise while I was in Middle School.  Since we lived quite a way from the school (walking usually took almost an hour) we were picked up and dropped off via school bus.  The corner where the kids of the neighborhood waited for the school bus faced East and there were no houses across the street to block our view of the sun.  In the winter, when the temps were so cold, the sun would rise and place the world into a red-golden glow.  Shadows would stand in high relief.  Features were demarked with a kiss of gold.  And the sky would alight in a multitude of colors.  I am still amazed, almost 50 years afterwards, by the daily display of hope that occurs in the sky. 

And so I share with you two pictures of sunrise that I have seen in the past two months to paint your own day with colorful possibilities.  The first picture is of a sun dog that occurred three days ago.  Unfortunately the true rainbow light of the side lights didn't come through in the picture so you'll have to take my word for it.  But the two curved side lights were actually rainbows, and the center sun pillar was a golden/red shaft of light.  Stunning. 

And the sunrise above was late last year.  It was such an extraordinary sky that I pulled off the road into a parking lot to take some pictures as it painted the sky in vivid colors.  I share these with you today to brighten your day. 

Good Solstice to Everyone

Do I celebrate Solstice?  I certainly do, although I don't do specific rituals; I don't set up an altar, I don't pour libations (especially not with our snow of yesterday and overnight), I don't drum or sing.  But I do focus on the day - I do think of my friends and family and I do honor this day.  I honor it because in the Song, this is a day of import and the return of the sun to our skies is a sign that the year is coming to an and and a new year is beginning.  Today, in my part of this world, the sun's circuit across our skies will be the shortest of the entire year and the new year will begin. 

The sun, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere on it's
track through the sky on this Solstice Day.  Celebrate its'
return by re-lighting the fire of your soul. 

In the past, Solstice used to be a day where the fires were doused the night before and all fires were started anew when the sun rose again the next day - something that could not be taken for granted.  Sometimes Solstice sacrifices were made to help the sun rise, sometimes the night was spent in prayer or with loved ones.  It used to have many ceremonies surrounding it, and was (and still is) honored in many cultures and in many hearts.  I honor this world and the Spirit which created it.  I honor this larger universe and the Song and Dance which permeate it.  I live for the day when I can join that dance and perhaps have one small spot in the chorus reserved for me.  I honor the Power, the Rhythm, the Melody and am enfolded in the Love. 

Herne the Hunter.  I don't know the artist, but I love the image.

Traditionally, Herne loses his life either at Halloween or the
Winter Solstice, and is born again as the Green Man in the Spring

around the Equinox. 

Today's Solstice is remarkable, and if you are fortunate, you may see some of the other celestial happenings that will occur today.  We, of course, will have either the longest or shortest day of sun in our respective hemispheres.  We also have a full moon today, AND a full lunar eclipse today.  The heavens are full of portents for us, while our world tries its' best to self-destruct.  But, as you reflect on the Powers of the Universe. and them reflect on the small-mindedness of the earthly powers who can find no comfort in their weapons and repression, remember that evil still walks these lands and do your best to combat it where ever you find it.  This is your job as a Human Being.  This is your obligation as a note in the Song.  Walk your path truly with an open heart and a song for others.  Spead love around you - it is infectious.  You won't change true evil, but you can make your area of the world just a little better.  You can be one small flame to help lighten the hearts of others.  And, after all, isn't that the Purpose of us all?  So that's my celebration of this Solstice day, and I hope it is shared by many of you and that the world will be a better place because of it.  Mitakuye Oyasin (Lakota for "we are all related", the traditional ending for our prayers).

Falling? Or Just Falling Into Place....

I've been trying to get an opportunity to talk to my DH for days.  It gets very hard when he gets into a work tunnel - he's very focused when there is a ton of work to do.  But I'll have to try.  He's aware that my friend Seth is coming to town (Hi Seth ... waving madly - can't wait to see you again!), but I don't think he quite has it through his head that I want to spend some time with Seth.  So I do need to tell him about that and get that through his head without making him angry or causing him angst.  It'll happen, but it might not until Sunday sometime and considering I'll be taking some of Monday off to spend time with Seth, Sunday would kind of be the last opportunity.  It'll happen...it will...

In the meantime, we did get the last shipment yesterday - aaarrrggghhhh.  I'm just overflowing with processing and inventory right now and going a bit crazy.  It was storming hard last night - the rain was coming down so hard we couldn't even see across the street.  The roof, door and basement of the shop were leaking (sigh - it's a long haul with the landlord that never seems to end) and by the time we got to the grocery store we were so soaked and cold that we ended up buying a rotisserie chicken and some veggies instead of the colder items we would usually have purchased because we decided we wanted something hot to eat.  The lightning was going off like flashbulbs at a movie red carpet premiere and there were tornado warnings for the southern part of the state.  We were only under severe thunderstorm warnings here - high winds and lots of lightning.  But it was enough that I didn't dare turn on the computer last night and spent the night beading on my BFAC project instead, getting even closer to the end of the project.  One step at a time...

My Work?

A good friend asked me yesterday when I was going to put some of my own work up on my blog. (At least she reads it - LOLOL.) I do talk about my work all the time, but rarely put up photos of completed items. And I am not one of those who will post work-in-progress photos of anything. It's a longstanding habit of mine to keep my works-in-progress tight to me until they are completed, then to photograph them and share them. And I think it is a good habit. Part of the reason is that I don't like to take the time to photograph, but the other part is that I feel when I share, it is finished, and if I share in mid-stream, it will never be finished. I have been making a concerted effort over the past several years to finish the projects that I start, and I don't always have the time to spend on creating, so often my projects can stretch over six months or more. In-progress photos won't show a lot of progress in those cases - LOL.

Instead of spending my limited time photographing unfinished works, I concentrate on doing at least one creative thing every day. It could be as simple as looking up photo inspirations for my latest concept drawing, or as complex as bending the wires for my next cloissonae. Either way, I can't just focus on the day-to-day mundane life - I have to focus on color and light. When I look back over my long career and many areas of craft, it always comes back to color and light. And learning how to melt glass to showcase that wonder has been the best thing ever! But I also play with my pencils and colored markers, and my inner imaginative window - some of the best projects come from boring days at work, just daydreaming potential projects to join a long line. I don't think I'll ever have the time to be bored if/when I ever retire... :-)

So, today I have to get some soldering done, go to the post office, I have a doctor's appointment, the State tax department isn't accepting my withholding report so I need to speak to a real person, I need to do three loads of laundry, type the Federal wages forms for income taxes, find out how to arrange for my electronic scale to be repaired, contact two possible future vendors, and meet a friend for dinner and a movie (Sherlock Holmes). And in between all of that, I want to continue work on other projects in process....whew! It's no wonder that I'm tired - LOL.

Celebrations

Although I celebrate Solstice, many of my friends celebrate Christmas or Hannukah. Everyone is entitled to celebrate during this month of joy in whatever method they enjoy, but since Hannukah is over, and Solstice is over, I will wish everyone remaining a Merry Christmas.

I remember Christmases from my childhood and early teen years. I would take the bus to downtown or my little area of more exclusive independent shops on Third Avenue. Then I would start to soak up the season and try and find special gifts for my loved ones. The lights in the wreaths and fir swags festooned with bows, the bells in the hands of the Santas ringing for red bucket donations, the carols coming from the stores and occasional outdoor choral performances, and the skating rink in front of the May D&F downtown store were all parts of my Christmas experience. All of these contributed to my holiday spirit and have found their joy and color expressed in my artwork.

I am very grateful that I have been able to make some wonderful gifts for friends this year, and that I have been able to afford a few gifts for my DH. My family members are all employed, their children are healthy and seem to be happy, and we have a positive outlook for the year ahead. We are very fortunate and I wish good fortune for each and every one of you over the holidays and into the new year. I'm going to take a short break from writing until next week to relax for a few days. So I ask you to celebrate the season with those close to you and look around to see what might influence your personal artwork in the year to come.

Pass It Forward

Today is Friday, the end of the work week for many of you. On Fridays I usually treat myself to a cup of brewed coffee at my local Caribou Coffee. I look forward to it - one small piece of sunshine in my day. Considering that today is supposed to be cloudy and rainy - that small ray of sunshine might be all that I see today.

But what I would like to suggest for all of you is that you bring your inner sunshine to the outside and light up the lives of others today. Smile - a lot. Have a positive attitude. Use color in your work today; leave the graphite pencils and black markers in their carryall and use color. Buy a small toy for a child, throw a ball for a dog, give a pinch of catnip to a cat. (If I knew what would make a fish, hamster or snake happy, I'd probably suggest things for them too.) But, if you help to spread happiness and your own inner sunshine today, it will create light on this earth that will help illuminate the dark areas of the world. Those areas, which are very frightening, need to know that there are options. They need to know that life is joy, not a day-by-day plodding. They need to allow themselves to feel gratitude to life instead of hatred towards it. Please do your own small part to lighten the world today.

Creativity = Creation

Why do we create? Why do we all feel that we need to contribute something to the general welfare of our fellow beings? I don't claim to have the answers, but I do know that everyone creates something - good or bad. Most creations are good. They can range from the mundane to the sublime. Some examples would include: cooking a meal with love for your spouse and/or children; or perhaps doing the laundry - folding their clothes neatly because you are doing it with love and therefore you enjoy the act of the task. A step away - perhaps composing a lullaby for your child to soothe away the night terrors or strumming a guitar or lap harp to bring a small amount of beauty into this world for a short time. Planting a garden can be another act of creativity (one that I'm afraid I don't have any talent for at all even though I adore plants and flowers dearly). Writing a poem, short story, or novel requires creativity - choosing words that will ring with clarity, chosen carefully from hundreds of options, weighed and either discarded or placed carefully next to other words which will allow them to resonate in a chosen harmony.

What other types of creativity exist? There are certainly the "standards" that many people think of when faced with defining creativity. Things like painting or drawing a picture, composing a symphony, or playing an instrument professionally. Craftspeople are creative - jewelers, potters, leatherworkers, etc. They have the ability to take disparate parts and combine them in ways that will make an incredible finished product. All of these examples, and many others, are the good side of creativity.

But there is also a bad side because this world is marred and evil exists. There are those who will use their ability to think of creative solutions to cause pain, to steal, to abuse, to terrorize. There are those who will do these things in the name of a deity, there are others whose actions prove that evil exists among us. I take it as my duty, when I have the opportunity to participate in the creation of beauty, to try and keep negative thoughts from my actions and my art. In this fashion I can create white light which dispells the darkness, at least for a time. And if enough of us can create this white light, we can overwhelm the world with positive actions and begin a long and slow walk towards minimizing evil and hatred in the world. Create love today in your personal way.

Light Pollution - The Price of Progress?

I love the stars. I have a link to the Astronomy Picture of the Day in the right-hand banner of my blog, and I start every day by clicking on this link and viewing some of the magnificence of the universe. They had a picture two days ago from Mauna Kea that was indescribably beautiful. As you move through the picture from left to right, you are left totally mesmerized by the heavens above. Why aren't we all out looking at our amazing panorama nightly? Light pollution. I live in the city. There are many advantages to living in the city, and I'm not sure I'm brave enough to become a country girl on a full-time basis. But living in the country, closer to nature and further from the city lights, allows you to see this wonderful painting of the sky. I've been in the country and far away from "civilization", but usually even in the far away places, there are some lights somewhere that are affecting the view. Light pollution has cut us off from our origins and turned our focus to a very small area from the vastness above.

People will translate that small, insular look of their surroundings to their immediate environment. We build shelter because we don't want to be exposed to all of the rain, snow, cold and other less than wonderful weather. We also build shelter for protection from other people and security for items that we cherish (items that are starting to get out of control for so many of us). The same thing can happen on the psychic level. We can build shelters for our mind (or our art). We erect walls for comfort, deciding that we will create within those walls. In extreme cases we can even build a full structure. But a creative person will view the walls and roof with suspicion and will, when able, blow up the roof and collapse the walls - creating their art "outside the box". I'm not fond of trite sayings, but it does seem that mankind is more comfortable inside a box than outside, and the challenge of any artist is twofold: 1) Get yourself out of your own personal box of comfort and create something entirely new, and 2) Through this artwork of your creation, chip away at the walls that others are creating to allow them to experience the joy that the panorama of the heavens allows. Turn off your personal light pollution and revel in the larger universe of creation. Valar valuvar.