Through My Lens - Wordless Wednesday

Cape Porpoise Harbor by Denise Dion-Sullivan

Monday Musings - Be counted!

April 1, 2010, is "Census Day". 1790 was the first year the US census was taken in the US via horseback and counted 3.9 million people. Jump ahead to the last census taken in 2000 which accounted for more than 281 million Americans. The US census is mandated by the US Constitution and is the leading source of data about America's people and the economy. All census forms were mailed mid-March so take the 10 minutes to fill out yours (I filled out mine and it took 5 minutes). Click on the hand logo above to be taken to a fact sheet entitled "Be counted in 2010" and read how you can make a difference in our greater USA community!

Reflections

Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it, I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.

the XIV Dalai Lama

photo by Denise Dion-Sullivan

Thinking Green

Intolerable Beauty: Portraits of American Mass Consumption

Chris Jordan is a Seattle-based photographic artist who has an interesting take on our mass culture and consumerism. Look closely, as his art depicts piles of cell phones, aluminum cans, and other garbage. Click on the photo above to be taken to his website.

Artists statement from his website:

Exploring around our country’s shipping ports and industrial yards, where the accumulated detritus of our consumption is exposed to view like eroded layers in the Grand Canyon, I find evidence of a slow-motion apocalypse in progress. I am appalled by these scenes, and yet also drawn into them with awe and fascination. The immense scale of our consumption can appear desolate, macabre, oddly comical and ironic, and even darkly beautiful; for me its consistent feature is a staggering complexity.

The pervasiveness of our consumerism holds a seductive kind of mob mentality. Collectively we are committing a vast and unsustainable act of taking, but we each are anonymous and no one is in charge or accountable for the consequences. I fear that in this process we are doing irreparable harm to our planet and to our individual spirits.

As an American consumer myself, I am in no position to finger wag; but I do know that when we reflect on a difficult question in the absence of an answer, our attention can turn inward, and in that space may exist the possibility of some evolution of thought or action. So my hope is that these photographs can serve as portals to a kind of cultural self-inquiry. It may not be the most comfortable terrain, but I have heard it said that in risking self-awareness, at least we know that we are awake.

Through My Lens - Wordless Wednesday: Blowing Cave - Kennebunkport, Maine

photo by Denise Dion-Sullivan

Monday Musings - Maple Syrup Sunday in Maine

Did you know it takes 40 gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of pure maple syrup?
When my children were younger we always participated in Maine Maple Sunday. The event is always the fourth Sunday in March and is a great opportunity to get out of the house and enjoy the Springtime, warmer temperatures. Maple Sugar makers around the State open the doors of their sugarhouses and invite the public to join them in their rites of spring - making delicious maple syrup.

Click on the photo above to be taken to the Get Real Maine website for more information and for maple syrup - sugarhouse locations throughout the state of Maine. Many sugarhouses offer free tasting and live demonstrations of how syrup is produced. This years Maine Maple Sunday falls on March 28th, so get out there and enjoy the day!.

Happy 19th Birthday Evan!

May the good Lord be with you
Down every road you roam
And may sunshine and happiness
surround you when you're far from home
And may you grow to be proud
Dignified and true
And do unto others
As you'd have done to you
Be courageous and be brave
And in my heart you'll always stay
Forever Young, Forever Young

May good fortune be with you
May your guiding light be strong
Build a stairway to heaven
with a prince or a vagabond

And may you never love in vain
and in my heart you will remain
Forever Young, Forever Young

And when you finally fly away
I'll be hoping that I served you well
For all the wisdom of a lifetime
No one can ever tell

But whatever road you choose
I'm right behind you, win or lose
Forever Young, Forever Young
Rod Stewart

Happy First Day of Spring

Break open a cherry tree and there are no flowers, but the spring breeze brings forth myriad blossoms.

Ikkyu Sojun

Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Thinking Green

It's easy to find a place to recycle Paper, Plastic, Glass, and metal – but what about batteries, tires and CFL's? I have paint cans I am trying to recycle and found a place called Earth911. It's a very user friendly site- all you do is type in your zip code and it directs you to a location nearby. Click on the logo above to be taken to their site.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I am not Irish but am married to a man with the name of Sullivan who's paternal great- grandparents were from Ireland. Each year I have made it a point for my sons to recognize this part of their heritage and we have celebrated St. Patricks Day in some simple way. Since we are not corned beef and cabbage lovers, I usually make an Irish Stew served with Irish Soda Bread and a bit of Guiness to wash it all down. With that said I wish all of you that celebrate today - a very Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Monday Musings - Spring Quiet

Gone were but the Winter,
Come were but the Spring,
I would go to a covert
Where the birds sing.

Where in the whitethom
Singeth a thrush,
And a robin sings
In the holly-bush.

Full of fresh scents
Are the budding boughs
Arching high over
A cool green house:

Full of sweet scents,
And whispering air
Which sayeth softly:
“We spread no snare;

“Here dwell in safety,
Here dwell alone,
With a clear stream
And a mossy stone.

“Here the sun shineth
Most shadily;
Here is heard an echo
Of the far sea,
Though far off it be.”

Christina Rossetti

image found on google images

Reflections

Thinking Green

Did you know the average person can save 25% on heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer simply by using curtains or window shades. Read more about the rise of Green options in curtains by clicking on the window above.

image found on google images

Through My Lens - Wordless Wednesday

Winter view of Goat Island by Denise Dion-Sullivan

Upcycled CupCake holder - Monday Musings

This is the time of year I go crazy with de-stashing and reorganizing. There is something about the end of winter that simply inspires me to do so. Maybe I simply want to be free to play in the gardens as soon as the ground thaws.

I found this great item in a shop recently and was told by the sales person it is a cupcake holder. I don't bake cupcakes, ( although I do enjoy one on occasion) but immediately thought it would be great with small, clear glass jars to corral all my jewelry supplies. I found these inexpensive clear glass votives fit perfectly. Here are the before and after photos. I have placed mine on a Lazy Susan so I can easily turn it to find what I need and is perfect for keeping beads at my fingertips. It's just what my studio needed!

Reflections

photo by Denise Dion-Sullivan
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. - Lao Tzu

Edible Green Planters - Thinking Green

Edible Greens Planters from Paxton Gate are made from repurposed Napa wine crates. Perfect for city dwellers as well as country bumpkins, they are small enough to keep in your kitchen or dining area. Each planter kit comes with premixed potting soil, a packet of organic Dr. Earth fertilizer, and mixed salad greens seeds. Plant varieties include a selection of heirloom lettuces and spicy salad greens such as arugula, garden cress, mache, mizuna and other mustard greens. They are wonderful in that you couldn't get more fresh or local than coming from your windowsill to your table! Click on the photo above to be taken to the online shop to order your planter.

Through My Lens - Wordless Wednesday

photo by Denise Dion-Sullivan

Monday Musings

I actually found this link on a "tweet on twitter" from cannedcumulus. It is apparently a Public Service Announcement in the UK. Quite effective and moving. Click to view, oh and pass it on: