This Blog Has Eyes

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It appears that my little ol’ blog has made it into the big time! In the latest turn of events from the decade-plus lawsuit I’ve been weighted-down with, my adversary has credited my writing with having such credibility and influence, as to deserve a number of hyper-linked citations to it in his/her latest pleadings. I suppose I should feel honored to some extent that my adversary not only extended the effort to track me all over the internet, but then spent well over 30 hours to read each and every one of my 158 posts. Does he/she simply find my posts and artwork to be that excellent and entertaining that it deserves so much time? Or was the time spent as part of a vitriolic and cynical hunt, looking for (and expecting to find) the type of vitriol and false accusations directed at him/her that my adversary has made a career of flinging at me?

As I’ve lamented many times before, it is virtually impossible to relate to someone who is either unable and/or unwilling to recognize where they end and others begin. Such persons (whom I’ll refer to as “Vlad” for the sake of convenience) project upon others, their own motivations and morality (or with either the prefix “a” or “im” as may be appropriate) and therefore fully expect others to take the type of actions that they would under same or similar circumstances. The biggest problem with this is that Vlad is apparently clueless that Vlad’s arguments are with a person created in their own imagination and have no accurate relationship to the thoughts, motivations or actions of the very real, flesh and blood person at the center of Vlad’s private hurricane. Case in point, are Vlad’s insinuations that my blog reveals my “true” feelings, motivation and intent which are allegedly vengeful, fanatical, obsessed, self-righteous, malicious, and that my motions before the Court(s) have been persecutory, legally improper and without any reasonable basis in fact.

I will not attempt to use this blog to defend any of those allegations (which I have only paraphrased above for sake of brevity), as that will be properly addressed in the courts. What I will say here is that Vlad is correct in the claim this blog reflects my “true” feelings, motivation and intent. While I completely disagree with Vlad’s conclusions, I think my postings to this blog speak for themselves, especially when taken as a whole and not snippets without context. And I’m very proud to stand on that record.

Because this is an active case now before two separate courts, it is not in anyone’s best interest to make suppositions or to prejudge the parties or issues. So, while I greatly appreciate the support I’ve received from many of my readers both on and off the blog, I specifically ask that such commentary be either kept neutral or communicated privately off this public blog. Thanks so much for understanding.

Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day

The following images are either full or reduced size previews. Simply right-click (or control-click) on the preview to save the image(s) of your choice to your desktop. (Unless otherwise noted, downloads are 512px X 512px in .png format). As always, usage of any of the images offered on this blog are free for your personal use while subject to the limitations of my Creative Commons Non-Commercial – Attribution – No Derivatives – Share Alike- 3.0 license. (See sidebar for details)

Tonight’s freebies are not my typical fare. They are my heartfelt tribute to a very special and important woman in my life, my mother-in-law, Catherine Ann Fath Javorek. “Katie” as she preferred to be called, passed away last week, peacefully in her sleep, at the age of 92. Almost everyone who knew her, described Katie as a “Sweetheart”. She was caring and funny and always ready to stuff you with food. A deeply religious woman, dedicated to her Catholic faith, she nevertheless graciously welcomed me into her family and cheered when our son became a Bar Mitzvah. Katie introduced me to quilting while I was pregnant with Rob and shared her “Quilting Buddies” with me at monthly get-together. She loved flowers – outside, and enjoyed when I would read out loud to her from her favorite poetry book by Edna St. Vincent Millay. But most of all, Katie loved and lived for her 3 children, 4 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. I will miss her greatly but am comforted by the thought that she is now off dancing somewhere among the stars with her beloved Eddie.

RIP Mum

Cross & Jesus Relief

Cross & Shroud

R.I.P. Catherine Ann Fath Javorek

WHAT’S NEW ON ZAZZLE

Hydrangeas Batik (Blank Card)
Hydrangeas Batik (Blank Card)
Beautiful hydrangeas are the subject of this original digital painting by IconDoIt, that has the look of a hand-dyed fabric batik. A coördinated colored interior, the inside is blank. What occasion will you use it for?
Hydrangeas on a Fence (blank card)
Hydrangeas on a Fence (blank card)
Hydrangeas on a Fence (blank card)
Profuse hydrangea blossoms escaping over and through a white picket fence, this card features the 2nd in a series of original, batik-look hydrangea paintings by IconDoIt. Coordinated color interior with no text means no limit on it’s use!

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A Summer of Hummingbirds

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First things first. Over this last weekend, I created a new page for this Blog, titled “Hot Links” where I have gathered some of my favorite websites, blogs, and resources on the Internet. While I’ve still kept links already in the right-hand sidebar of my pages, I just had so many more that I wanted to share with my readers – and hope you’ll add to it, too. I’ve kept the links there as text-only to cut down on the loading time. Hop on over there when you get a chance and let me know what you think.

As for the title of this morning’s post, “A Summer of Hummingbirds”, this is the title of a fascinating book I’ve read by author, Christopher Benfey. Published in 2008, it has the intriguing sub-title of “Love, Art, and Scandal in the Intersecting Worlds of Emily DIckinson, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, & Martin Johnson Heade”. Anyone who is a history, sociology, or biography buff will enjoy this easy to read treatise that interweave glimpses of pre and post Civil War American society through the eyes of these famed authors, artists. Their lives not only touch each other in unexpected ways but Benfey has managed to reveal insight into these personalities, the influences upon them and the imprint they left for future generations without resorting to heavy-handed background detail or moralistic commentary that historians and biographers often fall prey to. The central theme of hummingbirds not only runs through the lives of the central characters, it is a theme which those characters and this book’s author view[ed] as an allegory for the entire era that saw the social fabric of America (and much of the world, as well) brought into question and literally torn apart. Suddenly, the “younger generation” growing up in the 1840’s began to question and discard the old traditions and attitudes of their parents regarding the concepts of nature, religion, sexuality, family, time, eroticism, and beauty. Not being familiar in the least with anything to do with Hummingbirds, despite having enjoyed Dickinson, Twain, Stowe and Heade for years, I had never picked up on this common thread between them much less recognized that every one of them had been drawn to this species and beheld it as a symbol in their works where the bird was never just a bird.

So whether you’re into history, sociology, biography, birding, the US, or Brazil (which was not only a newly sovereign nation back then but it’s Amazon River and Rainforest serves as home to the world’s largest population of Hummingbirds), this is a book I’m sure you’ll take pleasure in. You can buy it here.

Of course, how can I not offer with this review a selection of Hummingbird art? Enjoy!

Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day

The following images are either full or reduced size previews. Simply right-click (or control-click) on the preview to save the image(s) of your choice to your desktop. (Unless otherwise noted, downloads are 512px X 512px in .png format). As always, usage of any of the images offered on this blog are free for your personal use while subject to the limitations of my Creative Commons Non-Commercial – Attribution – No Derivatives 3.0 license. (See sidebar for details)

Hummingbird 3

Hummingbird & Flower 2

Hummingbird 4Hummingbird

Hummingbird & Flower

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Can Art & Poetry Serve A Purpose Without the Story Behind It?

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When I was a young teen, I always kept a small spiral notebook and several Bic pens close at hand in the event I should get the urge to dash off some prose. Society was different back then. It was before “After School Specials” and was when the Victorian-Era attitude that “Children should be seen and not heard” was still pretty much the norm. Anyone who knew me back then would probably tell you I was this happy-go-lucky kid, always ready with a smile and some absurd observation geared to make people laugh and forget their woes. Very few, if any, had a clue what was really going on in my mind and my life. Of course, the same thing was likely true for the other kids at the schools I attended. It’s just the way things were back then. But keeping up the façade of “all is right with the world” was at times an unbearable burden and that’s where my poetry came in

Writing prose was a life-saving outlet back then in the same way that visual art serves me today. It allowed me to vent, to dream, to cry, to wonder, to argue and even to pretend. Early on, I discovered that I had the natural ability to assume the literary voice of any character I read about in a book, saw in a movie, or dreamed up from scratch and write about their feelings as if they were my own. It was really no different than what most authors and actors do, but because I recorded these creative ramblings in a book that had the word “Diary” on it’s cover, anyone who picked it up to read assumed it was all about me. Of course, I hadn’t intended for anyone else to read it but it happened nonetheless, each time causing great suspicion and worry or ruffled feathers or outrage on the part of the unauthorized reader(s). Had they only asked me what the poems were about or what inspired them rather than jumping to erroneous conclusions, a lot of grief could have been avoided. But, as I was still considered a “child” then, it never occurred to my elders that I could possibly have something intelligent to say or that my feelings mattered.

Thank God our society (for the most part) has finally woken up to recognize not only that children DO have opinions and feelings and that they deserve the respect to be heard, but also, most people today realize the importance of being able to share their feelings with others. As a society, we’ve still got work to do in learning how to listen to each other but it is getting better, one individual at a time. And as long as we’re moving forward in the right direction, regardless of how slowly, there is hope.

For tonight’s Freebies, along with a few empty frames for you to fill with your own content, I’ve mixed together a couple of my shorter prose, written when I was teenager with decorative backgrounds I created close to half a century later. These poems served their purpose for me at the time they were written and so now I hope they can serve some purpose for you. It really doesn’t matter any more what or who I was actually thinking about so feel free to interpret them in whatever way you choose.

Free Icons and Clip-Art of the Day

The following images are either full or reduced size previews. Simply right-click (or control-click) on the preview to save the image(s) of your choice to your desktop. (Unless otherwise noted, downloads are 512px X 512px in .png format). As always, usage of any of the images offered on this blog are free for your personal use while subject to the limitations of my Creative Commons Non-Commercial – Attribution – No Derivatives 3.0 license. (See sidebar for details)

Children Play

“Children Play Games” – 1973 by Leslie Sigal Javorek – (600 x 309px)

Nouveau-FrameNouveau Frame 2

“Art Nouveau Style Frames” – Download size: (600 x 763px)

Listen

“Listen” – 1973 by Leslie Sigal Javorek – (600 x 763px)

Book Opening

“Book Opening” (600 x 595px)

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