I thought this was an interesting article:




A country that loves art, not artists
.


In a survey of attitudes toward artists in the U.S. a vast majority  of Americans, 96%, said they were greatly inspired by various kinds of art  and highly value art in their lives and communities. But the data suggests  a strange paradox.



While Americans value art, the end product, they do not value what artists do. Only 27% of respondents believe that artists contribute "a lot" to the good of society.



Further interview data from the study reflects a strong sentiment in the cultural community that society does not value art making as legitimate work worthy of compensation. Many perceive the making of art as a frivolous or recreational pursuit.



USA hopes to help close the gap between the love of art and the ambivalence toward artists in society.



Other insights further illuminate the depth of the paradox:



• A majority of parents think that teaching the arts is as important as reading, math, science, history, and geography.



• 95% believe that the arts are important in preparing children for the future.



• In the face of a changing global economy, economists increasingly emphasize that the United States will have to rely on innovation, ingenuity, creativity, and analysis for its competitive edge—the very skills that can be enhanced by engagement with the arts.



As author Daniel Pink posits in his book A Whole New Mind—Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future, we have moved beyond the Information Age and into the Conceptual Age. "In short, we've progressed from a society of farmers to a society of knowledge workers. And now to a society of creators and empathizers, of pattern recognizers and meaning makers. . . . We've moved from an economy based on people's backs to an economy built on people's left brains to what is emerging today: an economy and society built more and more on people's right brains. . . . aptitudes so often disdained and dismissed—artistry, empathy, taking the long view, pursuing the transcendent—will increasingly determine who soars and who stumbles. It's a dizzying—but ultimately inspiring—change."



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Statistics referenced above provided by Urban Institute, Investing in Creativity: A Study of the Support Structure for U.S. Artists (2003), and Rand Research in the Arts, Gifts of the Muse: Reframing the Debate about the Benefits of the Arts (2004)

The Winter Solstice has the shortest daylight of the year, and then the days get longer.
I plant Narcissus Bulbs indoors,





...put up some tiny little lights around my glass balls on the fireplace mantle....





and Marshall sits out a huge hunk of coal!



Our weird little tradition all started years ago when we had a holiday fight- because of the stress of trying to run around shopping in the cold to buy a thoughtful gift for everyone we know with the deadline of Christmas coming at us fast.

When I came back from shopping there was a huge chunk of coal with a red ribbon and my name on it! I had to laugh.

Ever since then, the coal comes out to sit on the dining room table (now with a special handmade stand and funny little wooden groundhog.)

We let it sit there until Imbolc (also known as Candlemas and Groundhog Day in the USA on February 2nd) when we are halfway between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.
Then we put the carved Groundhog on top of the coal for the day and then put it away until next year. Usually the Narcissus bulbs are blooming by then.



Hmmm....I found this old photo from a few years ago, we had some Holly and Pine that year. Maybe I will add some pine tomorrow; it always smells so good.



Oh I know, it's pretty weird of us. Our friends are used to it now.

It all reminds me of a Seinfeld episode where George's father made up a holiday called "Festivus".

It's almost as if living insects were pulled together by magic to form a real fairy!
They were created by the French artist Petra Werle.

Although this house is lived in, the third floor has been abandoned for years.

The man in this photo is blind. He's one of the happiest people I know!
He's my neighbor and is about to move from this house that he has lived in since 1958.
Don't worry, he is moving in with a very caring daughter. 
He knows every inch by touch and I often forget that he can't see, as he moves about without difficulty.

He's semi-famous for doing caning work on antique chairs...all by touch....weaving a beautiful pattern.



He and his family told me the house has spirits and they plan to have a seance before he moves out.
Naturally, I asked to be invited.



The original shutters from the 1890s still hang on the third floor window.
The house will most likely be boarded up and then torn down by the university that bought it.

Am I really a slacker if I make fresh squeezed lemonade or limeade? 
I sincerely hope so.

I've been on a big fresh squeezed lemonade kick for over a year now. I always have a pitcher in my fridge, and have a glass everyday. It's like I'm hooked on it. At first I struggled to squeeze the juice out with a fork and then I bought a vintage depression era glass juicer on e-Bay for $13. which was worth every penny!





So just to try something different, I tried limes. Wow, it's a very refreshing drink. Just 8 limes, 7 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar. Lemonade is 4 lemons 7 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar.



I guess the old fashioned lemonade stand is really becoming a thing of the past.  Last summer I bought a little paper cup of lemonade, for 50 cents from some little kids who had a lemonade stand. When I took a sip I realized it was an instant powder mix lemonade. I just couldn't drink it. Around the corner out of their view I dumped it.  I've definitely become a lemonade snob.

This is a peek at my reality. 

Two of the new kittens, Lester and Quintessential have taken Princess JonBenét's spot on the couch. Hence the indignant pose.

...until I'm eating pumpkin seeds.
Hmmmm....now where did I put my broom?!