Thai Elephant Ride

How can a simple cold WIPE YOU OUT?

Last week I felt it coming on...15 sneezes in a row, post nasal drip, that chesty feeling.  START AIRBORNE, VITAMIN C, and ECHINICHEA, NOW!!.  After limping through the Philharmonic Friday night, I was DONE.  Sucking throat lozenges, using 4 nebulizer treatments (breathing machine) daily, running, raw nose from constant blowing, gulping meds to lower my fever every 4 hours, and using enough tissue to stock Costco, I still felt LOUSY.  Even my eyes, red rimmed and runny, gave way to the disease, making it impossible to read.  The final blow...Prednisone...a cortisone derivative...the only thing that keeps me from bronchial pneumonia and the hospital!  Never patient with illness, I am dead meat, short tempered, and  yet itchy with "cabin fever".  This morning, after a renewing shower and hair wash...bed head does not do my hair justice...I cooked breakfast for Eddie and collapsed in a heap...back to dead meat.  How is it that a simple cold can wipe you out?

 

Nana, Why are you Jewish?

Maddie, you ask the most complex questions.  Let me try to explain to you how it is that I am still a Jew.  Yes, Papa Eddie is Catholic.  We live in a Catholic village in New Mexico half the year and  often attend church in a village chapel.  Our home is filled with religious art and we have a large altar in our living room, honoring many  saints and lit with candles.  Papa Eddie is a santero, a saint maker, a wood carver in the Northern New Mexico, Spanish Colonial tradition.  What is harder to see, Maddie, is the effect my childhood and my travels have had on my choices. 

I'm about the same age as the Jewish Nation of Israel and grew up celebrating the birth of that homeland, buying trees, holding fund raisers and making donations.  It was a huge part of our lives and important that our family, friends, and others support this tiny, young, struggling democracy, the only one in the Middle East,  the only country with not one drop of  oil.  

Our Conservative Jewish Temple offered "Sunday" school on Saturday and our parents gratefully dropped us off each week for our lessons but did not attend temple themselves.  Melanie and I were confirmed around age 16.  Both of us were members of Bnai Brith, a Jewish organization that did good deeds. I went on to become a Regional Officer of that organization, serving my people while wildly rebellious.   The family attended services like most Jews in Los Angeles, sporadically and usually around the High Holy Days.  While we learned of holidays at temple, we mostly celebrated Chanukah, lighting our menorah for eight days and often partying with our large, extended family. Grandma Hazel had 3 siblings and  Grandpa Al, who died when I was 23, your Mom just an infant, had 11 siblings, so there were always many aunts, uncles and cousins around.  I remember my Mom grating potatoes for pancakes during this time...she had to make millions!  She also grated horseradish for Passover and my recollections of her doing this include her tears and the smell that permeated the whole backyard, where she set up her grinder.

In those early days of celebrating the birth of Israel, the people in my life were not torn with a multitude of ideals...Isrealis came from all over the world at large and having a homeland was a simple thing to celebrate.  I do not recall hearing the story of the Palestinians and how they were displaced to make room for my people.  I do not recall radicalism or terrorism being a part of my learnings.  I do remember my Mom playing a card game called, Pan, short for Panguini, I think.  Her friends were all Jewish and they talked often of Israel and the need for all of us to "do our part".  

Later in her life, Grandma Hazel,  traveled with cousins to Tblissi, Georgia, then a part of Russia, and helped some distant relatives leave Russia where the persecution and anti-semitism was rampant and had become unbearable. Under extreme hardships they emigrated to Israel.  In order to leave, they had to give up their high level jobs, leave their home and belongings and wait for permission, sometimes years.  Then they had to pay the Russian government $10,000. per family member before leaving.  Mom never spoke specifically of amounts but I am certain that my Mom and her cousins funded this effort.  Few Russians Jews, particularly after they started the application process and lost their jobs, had any money.

 There have always been certain things that I love about my Judaism.  I am a cultural Jew, rather than a religious one.  My spirituality comes from within after years of travel and interaction with people all over the world, all of whom have some sort of belief system.  

 I love Judaism for never making any peoples' belief systems wrong but teaching me to respect them and look at how alike and how different my beliefs are from theirs.  I chuckle at the numbers of young religions today, born from the belief that someone, usually a man, had a vision.  It is their belief that they are right and therefore that makes others wrong. The God I learned to love would NEVER have accepted that very narrow view of human nature.  

 We must all remember the religions that have existed for thousands of years and give them the respect they deserve.  The Zoroastrians are credited with being the oldest religion and there are still people who practice this belief system today.  Remember too that all of the world's holy books were written, in most cases, much later, by men, to interpret and make sense of the things they didn't understand. 

  Thousands of years ago, women were not allowed to be schooled therefore, men played the only part in most religions.  Some still work this way. Thanks goodness today there are female Rabbis and it's important to Jews that women  be as educated just as men.  Give thanks that women are given choices and respected as leaders, doctors, holy people, mothers, and teachers.

Judaism does not go out and convert people. Much the contrary...if one wants to convert to Judaism, one has to study, take tests, discuss questions with learned leaders and study more.  This process is a long and difficult one.  How I respect this aspect of Judaism.

 I love my Judaism for encouraging me to ask questions and when I get the answers to those questions, they simply raise others.  It is an  intelligent, "thinking religion" that respects learned people and wants Jews to inquire and think for themselves, rather than blindly adopting some rules set down by others.

Judaism teaches that if you HAVE, it is your duty to spread it around.  I love this idea of giving. It is bigger than tithing a percentage and different than giving only to the "church".  It has to do with giving back to world society and being a worthy, responsible person, one who cares for everyone on our Earth.

I love it that for Jews, no baby is born "in sin".  This Christian idea just seems weird to me and I've always had a hard time buying the sinfulness of infants.  After all...babies are delicious!

God gave me the ability to worship my Spirit Power in any building on our planet (or maybe another planet, too).  Our backyard in California, our patio in New Mexico, the estuary in Baja, or the airport in Athens all invite spiritual quests.  Within each of us is the ability to know a Higher Power and turn our lives over to him/her.  Yoga helps me meditate and reminds me to stay quiet and allow God or Spirit to enter.  God is where you need her/him.

The photos above represent a Greek Orthodox Church and mural, The Ortega's, Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel, a Buddhist monk in a complex in Asia, my painting of  the Jewish Rebecca, and Papa Eddie's San Rafael, Our Lady of Guadalupe and Santa Librada.  It is a good thing to have roots.  It is a good thing to know you belong. It is also critical to love and to respect all people.  Make efforts to understand the positions that may be different from yours.  Be all inclusive. Make comparisons. Ask questions.  Love yourself. Forgive easily. 

Le chaim...to LIFE!

A Valentine's Show

A most amazing thing happened last week...a well-known Pasadena retailer and gallery, The Folk Tree,  accepted my work for an upcoming art show entitled, Hearts and Flowers  XXII!   Stomach rumbles, negative brain chatter and sweaty palms occupied my drive to Pasadena.   How could they possibly think my paintings were "painterly" enough to be included among their more well known and long featured artists?  Perhaps they wanted them to fill in some holes or maybe someone had become ill and couldn't complete promised work.  Trying to be professional and unable to think clearly, Gail, the curator,  helped me fill out the necessary paper work.  Dancing out of the store, I felt affirmed, alive, and  hopeful. THEY LIKED IT!  

Come see this exciting, fanciful, group show!  It showcases all media, including jewelry, and featuring 20 artists. The show opens January 24th and closes February 21st. Join us for a Valentine Party opening, Saturday, January 24th from 2-6 p.m. at The Folk Tree, 217 S. Fair Oaks Ave. , Pasadena, California.

Lunch at Mozza and the Armand Hammond Art Museum, Los Angeles

Haven't been into Los Angeles for too long!  Drove in with a friend to see the woodblock show at the Armond Hammer Museum on Wilshire at Westwood.  This show is a reminder to all of us who love wood blocks that there is a long history of such art. While the work from Asia, particularly India, is far more detailed and therefore, difficult to accomplish, the style of the work was not my favorite.  Mexico produced the work that blew me away...bold, huge pieces forcing me to stand back and consider how it might have been printed or produced.  The show reinforced my resolve to "get started" even it means using the more recent, readily available, stamp like material that is easily carved with a chisel of sorts.  Perhaps after trying this easy method, the technique will challenge me to try wood.  

Our meal at Mozza on Highland at Melrose, was STUNNING.  We lunched at the smaller, less expensive of the 2 Italian eateries, the Pizzeria and marveled at all four of the pizzas we tried.  My personal favorite was the one with broccoli...unbelievable.  The squash blossom and soft mozzerella was also mind blowing. If you take a chance and go without reservations, be there when it opens and sit at the pizza bar...a visual treat that does not require reservations.

Photo shows wood block prints purchased when visiting Michoacan, Mexico last November.

Elephant Ride in Thailand

Sandy and I wished to visit some villages in northern Thailand and discovered the only way to get into the most interesting ones was to ride an elephant 3 hours into the jungle, then over the mountains. After contacting a Karen tribesman, reserving an elephant and agreeing on a price, we climbed the stairs and stood on the platform. Fear gripped us as we noticed the giant step onto the head of our elephant. We quickly balanced to keep from falling off and settled in for an adventure.

Getting onto the elephant was terrifying but once on it...here's what we discovered...we both had to sit on a rather small board with a 3" standup border. Thai people are TINY but both of our butts would NOT fit in the 3 sided box. Each of us sat the whole time with one leg thrown over the side of the box and half our butt inside the box. As we started out of the Karen village, we agreed the gait of the elephant was soothing and we relaxed into the scenes of village life.

Soon we began to climb, higher and higher into the mountains. The elephant followed a VERY narrow trail the width of one elephant foot and the ground was wet and snot slippery. We discovered quickly that we had nothing to hold onto but the board we were sitting on. Doesn't sound so bad until you know that the mountain trail was VERY steep! We put our hands between our legs and tried to hold onto the board that served as our seat. We were thrown back, looking at the clouds and trying to hold tight to keep from falling backward. This travel method seemed AWFUL until we reached the top of that mountain and began to go DOWN the other side. We were truly terrified and tried to find something to hold onto as we were thrust DOWNWARD. We looked passed the mahout and elephant's head at the ground and grabbed onto the 3" back of our sitting board. Our muscles, not used to this position, began to quiver and we quickly lost our sense of humor. Concentrating on the interesting ears of the elephant helped as they had tons of veins and hairs. Some parts of those ears were even transparent.

Our mahout was sitting on the elephant's head...chain SMOKING. The smoke drifting up to us no matter which direction the breeze was blowing. At one point, the mahout, who spoke NO English, began singing, "Silent Night", in ENGLISH...it was, after all, December. We cracked up despite the difficulty of holding on and not sliding right off the elephant's head.

At one point in the scary journey, we heard a thud and noticed that Sandy's purse had slid off the elephant and into the jungle...we had a hard time getting the mahout to understand what had happened and to stop the elephant and retrieve the purse.

After arriving in the first village, we realized how worthwhile the trip had been. In each village, the natives wore the most outrageously beautiful costumes. This particular dress was for every day, working in the fields, cooking all the meals, sweeping the always strewn dirt road, etc.

After much visiting and gesturing, we were invited into a home. A local jeweler brought out his silver jewelry to assess our interest in purchasing. In one home, we were invited to "sit down" with the family in their small hut. They graciously offered me a very low, very tiny, 3 legged stool. After I managed to get down to the stool, my butt hung over on all sides. I started to giggle, they started to giggle, and eventually we were all laughing together over the ridiculous seating arrangements. Most of the villagers were as tall as my waist or my boobs...tiny compared to me. They were all warm, loving, open, and willing to share their lives with us while unable to communicate language. Our visits to these hill tribes of Thailand etched amazing memories into our hearts forever.

Today

On this rainy Wednesday, I set up my first blog site.