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Category Archives: art
Flax
Last year, some folks at the college planted a field of flax with the intention of using the fiber to make paper. The paper hasn’t been made yet, but the artist in residence mentioned to me that they were looking for text … Continue reading
Posted in art, Benedictine monastery, garden, religion, St. Joseph, the Farm, writing
Tagged Benedictine monastery, crafts, flax, flax processing, linen, monastery life, nuns, Sisters, spinning, textiles, weaving
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February
Here we are in February and it’s hard to figure out what to blog. We’re digging deep into the Netflix queue for films, discovering after a half hour that we’re watching things we’ve already seen and barely remember. We’re thinking deep … Continue reading
Posted in art, the Farm, writing
Tagged February, food, furniture making, modern furniture, reading, winter
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The New Old Rockabilly
When I lived in Long Beach, California in the early 2000s, I was determined to walk to as many services as possible. When it was time for a haircut, I stopped in at a little bungalow on Redondo Avenue run by two … Continue reading
Posted in art, reviews, St. Joseph
Tagged bands, davina and the vagabonds, live music, lola cherry, rock, rockabilly, subculture, tattoos, vintage
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New Year’s with Fred
For me, New Year’s Eve means one thing: Fred Astaire. I don’t know if this is the experience of most girls who grew up babysitting in the Chicago suburbs in the 1970s, but for me the most magical part of … Continue reading
Posted in art, Park Forest, reviews
Tagged Astaire and Rogers, Fred Astaire, Gay Divorcee, movies, New Year's ritual, Top Hat
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Christmas Activity
I have so far avoided hosting Christmas Day for the whole family– the count on Christmas Day is 35, and it’s a time when we have an extra 4-6 people at the house already, Steve’s daughters and sundry partners/boyfriends. I … Continue reading
Posted in art, garden, recipe, St. Joseph
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The Ice Man
Today I have two poems to offer, one my own, but deeply indebted to Wallace Stevens’ poem, “The Snow Man.” Really, that poem could be about the ice fishermen who sit, always alone, on the small ponds and lakes around … Continue reading
Posted in art, poetry
Tagged fishing, frozen lakes, ice fishing, poetry, snow man, snowman, Wallace Stevens, winter poetry
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Playing the Building by David Byrne
Saturday we celebrated the start of the holiday season with a cultural outing to Minneapolis. We started at our usual breakfast place, Moose and Sadie’s, whcih always makes me feel like I’m in Chicago. Great cornmeal pancake with rhubarb sauce … Continue reading
Searching for Sugar Man and finding Jim Croce
Probably one of the most important early music memories I have is of Jim Croce’s death. In 1973, just as his career was taking off, he died in a plane crash in Louisiana. I was nine years old, and my father … Continue reading
Vatican II 50th Anniversary
On October 11, 1962, the first session of the Second Vatican Council began. Today I finished up some work on The Saint John’s Bible project at 11:35, with time to drive over to Saint John’s Abbey for noon prayer. I … Continue reading
Posted in art, Benedictine monastery, religion
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Stickwork, part 3: Lean on Me
At the end of three weeks, the sculpture is done! Five leaning buildings that started as images of a small chapel on the lake and became a means and representation of community. At the celebration, gifts were given to visiting artist Patrick Dougherty … Continue reading
Posted in art, Benedictine monastery, St. Joseph
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