February 2011

As ordered

The was a small orange tree outside my casita in Tucson this week. The birds were busy knocking all the fruit to the ground and pecking out the middle. Three oranges were on my doormat the morning of my first day. Who says there is not a master plan. I take it as a very good omen.
Posted by varney on 02/07/2011 in | Add comment

Best in show

I am not really sure if many dog owners watch the Westminster dog show with their pets, but I do. It has become a regular event that everyone enjoys. I am convinced that my dog Monkey Lee is taking style tips from the regal looking bichons, Chinese shar pei and poodles. Monkey can't take her eyes off the TV and I must concede she needs the help, she is a bit rough around the edges. Miss Monkey Lee is the most wonderful blonde, yet butch, sweetheart. I have attended the show many times and last years winner the Scottie belongs to a close family friend who got me my first west highland terrier. There are 6 new breeds this year, a rather new and welcome addition to this great event. However, as a counter point to these new breed conscripts, is the age old fashion disasters that lead these beautiful animals. I wish I was a bigger person, and had enough benevolence or compassion to overlook the outfits on the contestants, but I can't, at least not yet. I took a couple of verbal beatings from some particularly neurotic handlers backstage a few years back, and need to get over it. For the record, the movie best in show is totally real. I love the herding group and terriers. Lately I have been very sensitive to the weather, the effects of hard southern rains will do that to you I guess. The colors of sky change more noticeably, and subtle nuances of color pre curse the spring. Earlier today there was the most beautiful lavender cloud that sat motionless against the purest blue sky. I get challenged by looking at natures little treasures. I always look for those stones that have unusual color. I find it easier to see new combinations when a stone in hand has distinctive and unexpected color. It will take a very specific blue spinel to get close to the lavender cloud color. It exists, and most likely will come from Ceylon where some color will be shared with light blue sapphires that have been being mined there for a very long time.

Posted by varney on 02/14/2011 in | Add comment

At swim two birds

It has been said that the greatest luxuries are time and space.I do believe this adage especially at this time in the worlds history. The title of this entry is also the title of a book written by a man named Flann O'Brien. The book is very quirky in an obviously Irish way. One ,or at least I, get the impression that the author had way too much time on his hands when writing the book. The phrases are arranged with very different meter, that boarders on poetry, and the words chosen to express certain ideas are perfect. So perfect in fact that there is no way not to recognize the time taken to craft the spesific nature of the authors intent. The Irish have always been noted for their ability to write beautifully and express their ideas without peer on the written page. Why is that? Why can one small group of people receive such renown in a specific medium of art? In the case of the Irish, I believe it's is the time they give themselves to do it and the quietness of the place. The is no venue in the world I find more difficult to wake up in the morning then Ireland. I have a home there and travel to Limerick to ride horses and think clearly. I consider it my counterpoint to New York and the softer side of New Orleans. The Irish describe rainy days as "soft days". What I want to convey is the slowness of time there and the unhurried beauty in the quiet countryside. In that millieu are the fecund seeds of creativity that start before you open your eyes in the morning. There you can absolutely hear the birds chirping outside your window, and more importantly, notice it and appreciate it. I know for myself, that simple luxuries like that inspire more in the way of art then anything. All my best ideas are born from this stillness and focus. I have a very hard time simplifying enough in big cities to create effectively. One of my favorite poems is "The cat and the Moon" by Yeats. I can visualize him sitting in his tower listening to the rain and writing.
Posted by varney on 02/17/2011 in | Add comment

The Better Parts

The better parts of one's memory are the things that you don't remember. That concept is a theory championed by Marcel Proust in his books: "In Search of Lost Time."  It is a theory I agree with. The things that happen in our every day lives that trigger memories long forgotten are the most romantic memories that we have because they live outside the sphere of our automatic recall. This afternoon I had two such memories happen at different times of the day. The first was eating a Pinkberry yogurt with chocolate, and the second was jogging by the street car on St. Charles Avenue. The yogurt and chocolate reminded me so much of the Dannon yogurt bars that I had as a child and the taste was nearly identical. I have for a long time been trying to find that same flavor unsucessfully until today. The second such memory was the smell of the dust coming off of the tracks as the trolly passed me on my evening jog. It smelled exactly like specific memories of growing up in New York and the onset of spring. It is impossible to describe exactly what the smells referenced, but they were very intimate and very identifiable of a specific time in my youth.  The importance of all this to me is that it transported me back to my childhood and the wonderful memories I had from that time. The certain colors in the gem stone world, when seen together, remind me of the trips that I took as a child and my first experiences with jewelry. 

Posted by varney on 02/20/2011 in | Add comment