Woke at 6 a.m. to the sound of the plow going down the street. Jumped out of bed, turned on the Christmas tree lights and pulled back the curtains to find the picture perfect Christmas view. Just enough snow to coat the landscape, but not enough to cause any problems. By 7 a.m. the morning rush of traffic had our street clean down to the pavement. And by 8 a.m. I had two pans of triple gingerbread in the oven. Could not ask for a better day — just a better governor.
Hope you have a lovely holiday. I'm going to take a little break until the New Year begins. See you then!
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If anyone knows who took this photo, please let me know so I can credit them.
For the last few years my sister-in-law and I have both been buying these small table-top live trees. One year I decorated my tree with ornaments made in India that were covered with bits of silver, glass and beads. The colors were mainly blues, greens and silver. The next year I added flocks of different birds made of glass, glitter and feathers.
Meanwhile my sister-in-law's tree was dripping with glass icicles; a vision of cool elegance — just like her. I have a collection of icicles that were always the last ornaments that went on the full-size trees I used to do for the holidays. This year I borrowed her idea and got out all my icilcles, a few beaded snowflakes and some miniature mirrors to create a tree that sparkles without screaming.
One of the benefits of a small tree like this is that you can decorate it quickly and easily. And you can mix and match your ornaments each year instead of having to drag them all out of strorage each December and find room for every one on the tree. This way, I get to constantly re-discover forgotten ornaments, notice collecting themes and get to enjoy a bit of nostalgia while I create an entirely new tree.
but folks in Wisconsin don't take breaks from the serious business of getting our state back to its progressive roots. At noon today, almost 1,000 people defied Gov. Walker's unconstitutional attempt to stifle dissent and converged on the Capitol Rotunda to protest peacefully and sing holiday carols. You can read the details of today's event here in the Progressive Magazine. And you can get a glimpse of the action in the video below.
No snow means that one can still see foliage in the garden. The recent warmer temps — coupled with Wednesday's rain — melted the ice on the pond where the last water lily leaves have been locked in. We never cut the lily foliage back or moved them down to the deepest part of the pond as we usually do each fall. We'll learn the results of that little experiment come Spring.
Much colder today but everything is still hanging in there, including my Thanksgiving Hellebore. Here's a sample:
Visit Pam at Digging to see what kind of foliage other gardeners are highlighting today.
This year, I am happy to report that we are not buried under snow here in southern Wisconsin; something that's pretty much been the case the last few years. That doesn't mean, however, that there are flowers blooming outdoors in the garden — except for a few hardy streamers of Witch Hazel and errant Hellebore buds. But we are not without flowers for the monthly celebration of Garden Blogger's Bloom Day as this arrangement of all the silvery, glittery, girly items massed on my bathroom vanity demonstrates!
The Art Nourveau silver mirror, hair brushes etc. belonged to my maternal grandmother, then my mother and now they've come to me.
To see what's blooming indoors and out, in gardens near and far, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens who hosts this monthly botanical adventure.
What kind of gifts do you give friends and family in this year of living strangely in Fitzwalkerstan? Top of the list for most of my friends would be to get the required number of signatures to recall Gov. Walker. But I'm thinking a bit smaller in this instance. There's the whole buy local initiative, of course. But what about gifts that capture this moment in time, that celebrate it, link it to our past and future? There are a lot of potential possibilites out there, some obvious and others less so. Here are my suggestions:
Union Town by Tom Morello / The Night Watchman: This CD features 8 union songs; the last one on the disc was recorded live in Madison last February. The disc itself carries an image of the crowds in the Capitol Rotunda and the inside of the jacket shows one of the rallies here. In addition to the music, I like this CD (versus Morello's World Wide Rebel Songs, for instance) because it's inexpensive and has just enough music to get you fired up. Under $10.
We Are Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Uprising in the Words of Activists, Writers and Everyday Wisconsinites Who Made it Happen: Edited by Erica Sagrans. $18 paperback or you can download a PDF. The strenght of this book is that it contains the first writings, essays and blog posts coming out of public resistance to Governor Walker last winter. Farmers, politicians, students and citizens make their voices heard. First-person history in a convenient package.
Working Words: Punching the Clock and Kicking Out the Jams: This anthology of poetry and essays — edited and with an introduction by M.L. Liebler — is an amazing and inspiring collection and includes titles both familiar and unknown. The voices range from Ed Sanders of The Fugs to Jack White of the White Stripes; from Walt Whitman to John Sayles to Michael Moore; Amiri Baraka to Dan Berrigan to Li-Young Lee. Coffee House Press, Minneapolis. This is strong stuff and not intended for Tea-Partiers.
Where We Worked: A Celebration of America's Workers and the Nation They Built: By Jack Larkin. This is the story of the 99%, our grandparents and theirs — all the citizens who built the mills and factories and dams and farms. While the book tells our history and our stories, it is the photos (from the Library of Congress) that speak most powerfully across time and generations. Most Americans today would be hard-pressed not to be able to find images that show the jobs members of their family have done. There's a whole section on coal mining, for example, with a number of pictures of breaker boys — the job my paternal grandfather had as a 10-year-old in Pennsylvania. Lyons Press, $40.00.
Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues: By Bill Moyers. I picked up this hardcover book by Moyers at A Room of One's Own after the first day of the Democracy Convention in Madison last summer. Came home, sat down and began to devour it. Moyers, as usual, finds those people who speak most clearly and eloquently about the issues of the day: from poetry to poverty, gay marriage to plutocracy. This book will give you Progressive talking points and an endless list of books you want to read by the people Moyers interviews.
Cut From Plain Cloth: The 2011 Wisconsin Workers Protests: By Dennis Weidemann. This hardcover book about the Wisconsin uprising has 150 photos and personal stories that exemplify the diversity and intimacy of this movement. I recognized old friends and new in its pages. Different enough from We Are Wisconsin that you could own both without too much overlap.
And, of course, you could make a donation to United Wisconsin (to Recall Scott Walker) in the name of a friend or family member as their gift this year!
NOTE: All of these books and the CD are also available through the South Central Library System in Wisconsin.
Professor Beverly Gordon of the Design Studies Dept. at UW-Madison will read from her new book, "Textiles The Whole Story: Uses, Meanings, Significance" at the Monroe St. Branch Library in Madison on Monday, Dec 12 at 7 p.m. The evening will include a slide show and Gordon will have some copies of her book for sale. The event is free and open to all.
Not long ago I went to a similar event celebrating the publication of "Textiles The Whole Story" and the many people who assisted Gordon along the way. Judging from the presentation that day, this should be an equally entertaining and informative evening. The book is beautiful, filled with visual riches that the cover doesn't begin to suggest. It's a must for anyone who loves textiles. The illustrations include almost 60 objects from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, part of the School of Human Ecology at UW-Madison.
Here's what the book's publisher, Thames and Hudson, says about it:
"There are few aspects of our lives — physical, emotional, spiritual — in which thread and fabrics do not play a notable part. Beverly Gordon reminds us memorably and movingly of the powerful significance of fabric throughout human history.
The author bridges past and present from the Stone Age, when humans first learned to make cordage or thread, to twenty-first-century “smart fabrics,” which can regulate body temperature or measure the wearer’s pulse. Her discussion integrates art, science, history, and anthropology, and she draws on examples from around the globe.
A dazzling array of illustrations includes paintings and photographs of both historic and contemporary textiles and a broad collection of textiles being created, worn, and lived with."
The first rush of visitors is over making it the perfect time to visit Olbrich's Holiday Express. The annual winter extravaganza features model trains, evergreens and a gorgeous array of poinsettias. This year's visual treats include unusual birdhouses like the glass one pictured below and stained glass panels featuring images of birds. You can find more information about the Holiday Express as well as December concerts on Olbrich's web site. You can also get one free ticket to the show by taking an online scavenger hunt; deadline is Tuesday, Dec. 13.
PHOTO BY KATY PLANTENBERG/OLBRICH STAFF
The pale pink and white poinsettias (above) are a beautiful change from the traditional bright colors. I was quite taken with them when I was at Olbrich earlier this week. I noticed Olbrich's Growing Gifts shop was selling them along with Amaryllis and many wonderful gifts for gardeners and others on your list. Olbrich is also offering holiday cards with images of the gardens taken by Olbrich staff members or local photographers. You might also consider a gift certificate to the shop or a membership to the Olbrich Botanical Society (the friends organization). I just used an Olbrich gift certificate to buy myself a copy of the 2012 Madison Area Master Gardeners Journal/Calendar — a great gift with a local slant.
PHOTO BY SHARON CYBART/OLBRICH STAFF
Holiday Express is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., except for Dec. 24 when it closes at 2 p.m. and it's closed all day on Christmas. Admission for the general public is $3 (ages 13 and up) and $2 for children ages 3-12.
When I was right out of grad school, my roommate and I had a great old apartment that allowed us to play out our decorating fantasies; albeit on a very limited budget. That means that at Christmas we could afford a big tree but not the ornaments. So we made paper chains, strung popcorn and improvised. One of the things we did was to put all our jewelry on the tree to add a bit of sparkle.
This year I decided to resurrect that idea and hung assorted earrings on the tiny tree that I ususally decorate with miniature ornaments. I have to say that it turned out to be easier said than done. Since I was using earrings that I actually wear, I had to be careful not to damage them by bending the posts or the loops that go through my ears. I resorted to hanging a few using ornament wires — until I remembered the stash of 1950's clip-on earrings I have that belonged to my mother. They proved to be easy to attach to the branches and added the touch of glam that my little tree needed to shine!
The New York Times recently published a story pointing out that most parents prefer real, tactile, paper books for their children even if they themselves prefer to read e-books. That group included even those parents who work in digital industries.
As an adult who has long loved children's books I completely understand their reasoning. Something important is lost when the size, shape, thickness of a book and the quality of the paper it's printed on are replaced by a digital device. For me the loss is a connection to physical, material culture and the way an artist or writer wants his or her work presented.
My attitude manifests itself in the fact that I own four copies of my favorite children's book: "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Unlike e-books, they represent four different concepts about how this story might be pictured:
An original 1911 hardcover version with four full color illustrations interspersed thoughout.
A 2005 paperback from the Barnes & Noble Classics series with pictures by the famed 19th century illustrator, Charles Robinson, and excellent notes and intro by Jill Muller.
The 2008 version released by the Candlewick Press of Cambridge, MA, with drawings by Inga Moore. I consider it the definitive illustrated version.
And last month I bought the one just released by Penguin in celebration of the hundredth anniversary of the original publication of "The Secret Garden" in 1911.
The covers fully extended including the french flaps.
The text of this latest purchase is the original 1911 version and the book has no internal illustrations — just a brilliant cover that is the entire selling point of the book and my reason for buying it. The book was commissioned by Penguin art director Paul Buckley, and is one of three titles with special covers created to debut what's called the Penguin "Threads" series.
The books feature stunning embroidered covers designed and created by artist Jillian Tamaki. You can see pictures of the other books — Emma and Black Beauty — on her sketch blog along with pictures of the work in progress (directly below).
The images, accoring to Penguin, were "sketched out in a traditional illustrative manner, then hand stitched using needle and thread, the final covers are sculpt embossed for a tactile, textured" effect. So, no, you don't get an actual embroidered book; more a facsimile you might say — though that doesn't do justice to how clever and creative the book is in concept and execution.
Indeed every stitch is as visible as if one were holding the original textile. What is particularly delightful is that the design wraps around the entire cover including the large front and back "deluxe french flaps." Not only that but the end papers show the backside of the embroidery. The thick paper of the pages has deckle edges — something not often seen in newly published books these days. All in all, it's a visual and tactile treat for $16.00. I found my copy at Anthropologie in Madison but it appears to be available at general bookstores and online.
The front and back sides of the same stitched images.
If you are a fan of "The Secret Garden," I've written more about Frances Hodgson Burnett's background and inspiration for the book as well as the various film versions of the story.
Click on any photo in a post to enlarge it, so you can see all the details.
Words & Images
The copyright to photos on this Web site is held by the photographer, Mark Golbach, unless credited otherwise. Original text is copyright by Linda Brazill. Please contact for permission to use.
