On My Desk

Cat on table at computer
white and black curly whiskers
wild colors painted through fur; browns, golds and reds
light-sage-green, unblinking eyes thinking deep thoughts
wet, white chin
twitchy tail and tufted ears

can she type?
for I have no thoughts tonight.

Remember

Ryder Studio School Show on Canyon Road

Ryder Studio School exhibition
at Canyon Road Contemporary Arts,
Santa Fe, May 22nd through June 1st.




Open house last night,
and perhaps another next Friday.




During Memorial Day weekend;
painting demonstrations at the front porch.






Need more photos of the Opening?
check the Ryder Studio blog at:
RSB

Memorial Day

Monday:

Consider visiting and honoring a friend who is a veteran.
Or visit a cemetery - those you knew and those you did not know.

Memorial Day
is for thanks
and prayers
for those who have served
and those yet to serve.

If you serve your country;
thank you.
M

The American Dream - Winner(s)

I think the American Dream would just have to be the idea that we are all given as children: that you can be anything you want to be, and there are opportunities for all. I think Americans generally have a boundless sense of optimism and enthusiasm that attracts people to our country from all over the globe. The American Dream is that anything is possible!

-Lisanne

*******************************

First Runner-up:

Perhaps it's easiest to say that I don't know what my American Dream is, because it changes with me. I have been called closed-minded in the past, but I dream of an America where people judge each other on their own merits and abilities and not upon arbitrary societal labels that have nothing to do with the heart of a person. I dream of a comfortable life but know that money causes more problems than it solves. I wish Americans were more literate than they are, to realize that Thoreau was not a crank living at the edge of the village but a man searching for his soul and the soul of his country. I wish that rampant consumerism wasn't the outer symbol of an inner soul, even if I do plug in my iPod and thereby at times make the world go away, a musical cone of silence.

-Bob

*******************************

Congratulations Lisanne and Bob!

Your prizes will be in the mail.

To all entrants: Drop me a comment
with your address
so that I may send everyone
a small greeting from Santa Fe.

Keep dreaming!
M

Hiking Bandelier National Park

Hiking today with J & Corrie,
a contract physical therapist I had worked with
in Peru, Illinois last winter.




Drank much water
during the 5 hours of hiking,
but still had a red face
at the end of the day.
(Work - not sun!)




Cowboy hat
and forest-green pants;
I thought perhaps
I could pass as a park ranger,
but the red face ruined my disguise.

Finding Voice

She finally found her voice in Santa Fe.
Before; she had been quiet and shy,
unwilling to meet strangers.
Nervous about being touched or held.
She was hungry for contact
and yet afraid.
An individual of the night
slinking in and out of shadows
running from the light.
She had always been proud and powerful,
and was not one to shrink from fighting
for what she knew was hers.
She was not large, but she radiated energy
and grace, and silliness, and a childlike wonder of her world.

But in Santa Fe she mellowed
and began reaching out to those around her.
First, only the closest were allowed to touch and hold,
until she herself decided to initiate contact.
Then she began to willingly meet others
nearby at first
and then reaching to those from farther away.
She could sense good
and was pulled to learn more about it.

Now in Santa Fe, she sings freely;
unabashed
full volume
and full of energy.
She runs to greet friends
and strangers;
quickly making new friends
with every new someone she meets.

She is no longer afraid of touch
and will now even enjoy frequent
lap-sits
shoulder-shakes
ear-tickles
and especially
belly-rubs.

Luna has found her voice
and her place
in Santa Fe.




M