MONET and HIS GARDENS in GIVERNY, FRANCE - PART 2

In 2008 we stayed in the hills just above GIVERNY, FRANCE (home to MONET, his GARDENS and his WATER LILIES) in one of the MOST LOVELY BED AND BREAKFASTS I've ever stayed in (LA RESERVE).  It was new construction, copying the style of the late 1880's.

CHARMING, CHARMING, CHARMING!

The small, quaint village of GIVERNY, FRANCE, where MONET had his HOME, GARDENS, LILY PADS and STUDIO, is an enchanting community full of VISUAL TREASURES to delight the eye (and camera). 

A friendly ARTIST making a living on the streets of GIVERNY.........

MONET could walk from his home to the BAUDY HOTEL/RESTAURANT where he shared time and drinks with his friends and FELLOW ARTISTS (CEZANNE, MANET, PISSARRO, RENOIR, CASSATT.......).  

The hotel guest register from 1887- 1899 (the vast majority were PAINTERS from the UNITED STATES) was given to the PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART!

A few photos of the BAUDY RESTAURANT (pronounced BAWDY)........

A little further down the street, on the right-hand side, is the CEMETERY where MONET and his FAMILY are buried. The entrance is clearly marked with this HUGE POSTER of CLAUDE MONET.

TRANSLATED, this says -

          "HERE RESTS OUR GOOD FRIEND, CLAUDE MONET. SORRY TO ALL."

JOAN

MONET and HIS GARDENS in GIVERNY, FRANCE - PART 1

For NONFICTION BOOK CLUB we are reading MAD ENCHANTMENT: Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies by ROSS KING - 2/3 of the way through the book I felt compelled to look again at the photos I took when I visited in 2008 and 2015. Naturally, now I want to share some of them with you.

But first, a few excerpts from the book that will give you some insight into CLAUDE MONET's feelings:

Pg 137
     "I'm in a state of impossible anxiety.  I've ruined the good pieces by trying to improve them and now I have to try to fix it at all costs..... For the time being, I can't leave here and I can't see anyone."

Pg 178
     The visit marked Gimpel's first meeting with Monet, whose appearance and manner left a vivid impression on him. He appeared before his guest wearing a "big pointed straw peasant's hat" and then, without further ado, launched into a long monologue that - if Gimpel recorded it faithfully - amounted to an artistic manifesto tinctured with personal eccentricities.  "Ah, gentlemen," he greeted them, "I don't receive when I'm working, no I don't receive. When I'm working, if I'm interrupted, it finishes me, I'm lost. You'll understand, I'm sure, that I'm chasing the merest sliver of color. It's my own fault, I want to grasp the intangible. It's terrible how the light runs out, taking color with it. Color, any color, lasts a second, sometimes three or four minutes at most. What to do, what to paint in three or four minutes? They're gone, you have to stop. Ah, how I suffer, how painting makes me suffer! It tortures me. The pain it causes me!"

Pg 195
     "I am unhappy," the painter told his guests, "very unhappy." Surprised, they asked him why, to which he replied with his customary lecture about the mental horrors of a man's reach exceeding his grasp - how painting made him suffer, how he was unsatisfied with all his previous works, how "each time I begin a canvas I hope to produce a masterpiece, I have every intention of it, and nothing comes out that way. Never to be satisfied - it's frightful. I suffer greatly."

MONET'S GARDENS in GIVERNY are a sight to BEHOLD. When you walk by the LILY PADS and over the JAPANESE BRIDGE, you can SEE and FEEL why MONET was inspired to paint, yet tortured to reach perfection. I've visited three times - twice in September and once later in the Fall. The vegetation and colors were quite different each time.

FIRST his colorful HOME........

And his CAREFULLY PLANNED GARDENS.......

His JAPANESE BRIDGE covered with wisteria.........

AND, his MAGNIFICENT WATER LILIES.......

Here is a very short (less than 3 min) YOUTUBE video of MONET painting his WATER LILIES. I recommend that you enlarge the video to full screen. Notice the length of the ASH on his cigarette as he is obviously totally consumed with his craft.

I have more to share - the GORGEOUS Bed and Breakfast where we stayed in GIVERNY and TREASURES throughout the VILLAGE. Please look for my next post - MONET and HIS GARDENS in GIVERNY, FRANCE - PART 2.


JOAN

MY WEEKEND in GETTYSBURG, PA

This past weekend a neighbor, former US CONGRESSMAN and a man who is passionate about history took a group of us to GETTYSBURG for a personalized tour of the BATTLEFIELDS. We couldn't have asked for a better opportunity to be educated and the March weather was a perfect, partly sunny, 70-degree day. 

If you've never been there, the BATTLEFIELDS are preserved with period fencing, cannons, monuments, sculptures, and even an ETERNAL FLAME.  The one-way roads weave thru the battlefields allowing traffic and parking to be manageable.

The story of the CIVIL WAR and the BATTLE at GETTYSBURG is moving. The numbers killed is ASTOUNDING. We were told how one major bad decision by GENERAL LEE changed the course of our history. We also stood right where PRESIDENT LINCOLN delivered his famous GETTYSBURG ADDRESS.

After we left the BATTLEFIELDS, we had one of the best meals ever at SIDNEY'S AT WILLOUGHBY RUN. The service started out a bit slow, but EVERY person's meal was OUTSTANDING. What a CHEF!! And who knew that the country of LEBANON produces such a delicious ROSE WINE?

The following day we visited THE EISENHOWER FARM, located adjacent to the battlefields. 

IKE EISENHOWER graduated from WEST POINT, and in WWII led the ALLIED TROOPS to victory, earning a title of 5-STAR GENERAL. He was then convinced to run for the US PRESIDENCY, was elected and served 2 terms. 

The EISENHOWERS often used the HOME/FARM to hold meetings with WORLD DIGNITARIES when he was PRESIDENT. It was after his Presidency that he and his wife, MAMIE retired and moved permanently to the farm in GETTYSBURG.

What a fitting location to retire to, for a 5-STAR GENERAL who spent his life in service to his country. Their HOME/FARM is considered a NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE because the EISENHOWERS, while they were alive, donated it to the U.S. GOVERNMENT for preservation and historical purposes - with the stipulation that they would be allowed to live there for the rest of their lives.

We toured the house and farm for a nominal fee and the guides were very informative. I highly recommend a visit there. 

A group of BOY SCOUTS was touring with us (after they camped overnight nearby). They were curious about the ROTARY PHONES and CONSOLE TV.......... WHAT???? But that was true to LIFE IN THE 1950's and 1960's.

I happen to LOVE DOOR KNOCKERS and thought I'd end this BLOG POST with a photo of this unique and most beautiful one on the FRONT DOOR of the EISENHOWER'S HOME.

JOAN

"I WANT TO BE AN INTELLECTUAL WHEN I GROW UP"

We had a discussion in BOOK CLUB the other day about how to rate the book we read. Do we rate it based on literary excellence or pure enjoyment?  I vote for pure enjoyment, based on the ratings used by GOODREADS.com, because you might REALLY enjoy a silly book or an emotional book or a trite book because it might be just the thing you need at the time. A book doesn't have to be WELL-WRITTEN for it to be a good/fun/captivating read. Although I must admit, the more I read, the more I want to be in love with the way the words are all put together on that page. THAT grabs me.

OK, let me stop here to give you the GOODREADS ratings in case you aren't familiar with them.  

• 5 - It was AMAZING
• 4 - REALLY liked it
• 3 - LIKED it
• 2 - It was OK
• 1 - Did NOT like it

Naturally, it's not always easy to rate the book so definitively, so we always seem to have a 3.5 or 3.75 in the group....... you know what I mean?

Anyway, back to "I WANT TO BE AN INTELLECTUAL WHEN  I GROW UP". I made this statement in that same BOOK CLUB meeting. I really do want to be an INTELLECTUAL.  In some ways I feel that I am moving toward it, but in other ways, I certainly fall short. For instance, on TV I love to watch SISTER WIVES, THE BACHELOR, THE LITTLE COUPLE, COUNTING ON etc. What's up with that?! People always shake their head when I admit this, but to me, it's a study in human nature. And it's relaxing and I smile and I laugh. And so does CLOVER!!! sometimes........ 

Side note - I DO NOT watch THE KARDASHIANS!! Heaven help me.

A DOCUMENTARY or a HISTORICAL SERIES such as POLDARK, OUTLANDER, DOWNTON ABBEY, and VICTORIA keeps me riveted to the TV. And how about shows with INTRIGUE such as 24, BILLIONS, and TRUE DETECTIVE?? LOVE THEM.

I digress..... but perhaps you can see how becoming an "INTELLECTUAL" is in my sights. I am truly attracted to shows and books and discussions that stretch the mind - thus one of the reasons I enjoy a good BOOK CLUB group.

Life is a work in progress and figuring out what it is that will help me to become my BEST SELF is such FUN and REWARDING and STIMULATING.

How about you? What would make YOU your BEST SELF? Have you figured that out already?

JOAN

PART II - BOOK - "GULLIVER'S TRAVELS" by Jonathan Swift - HIS DISCOURSE ON LAW AND LAWYERS

In case you didn't read my PREVIOUS BLOG POST - "PART I" - I'll begin with an almost exact lead-in to this DISCOURSE.......

In an effort to expand my thinking and gain new knowledge, I joined a CLASSICS BOOK CLUB, which chose this book for discussion this month. I am VERY impressed by how creative the author, JONATHAN SWIFT was. 

His main character, GULLIVER can't stay still, so he chooses to leave home and set sail for years at a time. He lands in several different locations, where he is exposed to a variety of "INTELLIGENT CREATURES".  

GULLIVER describes WAR, LAW, and LAWYERS, to a HOUYHNHNM,  an inhabitant of a far-off island, whose community is so KIND and POSITIVE that it doesn't even have a word in their language for LYING or FALSEHOOD. How could they understand WAR, LAW, and LAWYERS?

In my previous BLOG POST, I shared directly from the book how GULLIVER described WAR. In THIS POST I'm sharing how he described LAW and LAWYERS.

Keep in mind that GULLIVER'S TRAVELS was first published in 1726. That's a LONG time ago and you would think a lot has changed since then. But, APPARENTLY NOT.

Be sure to note where the author CAPITALIZES or ITALICIZES a word for EMPHASIS. I found this enriched my reading experience.

As you begin to read below, it will CHALLENGE you, because the 1726 language is quite tedious...... but STICK WITH IT and let me know your reaction(s) to what was written.

"I assured his Honour, that Law was a Science wherein I had not much conversed, further than by employing Advocates in vain, upon some Injustices that had been done me. However, I would give him all the Satisfaction I was able.

I said, there was a Society of Men among us, bread up from their Youth in the Art of proving by Words multiplied for the Purpose that White is Black and Black is White, according as they are paid. To this Society all the rest of the People are Slaves. For Example, if my Neighbour hath a mind to my Cow, he hires a Lawyer to prove, that he ought to have my Cow from me. I must then hire another to defend my Right, it being against all Rules of Law that any Man should be allowed to speak for himself. Now, in this Case, I who am the true Owner lie under two great Disadvantages. First, my Lawyer being practiced almost from his Cradle in defending Falsehood, is quite out of his Element when he would be an Advocate for Justice, which is an Office unnatural, he always attempts with great Awkwardness, if not with ill Will. The second Disadvantage is, that my Lawyer must proceed with great Caution, or else he will be reprimanded by the Judges, and abhorred by his Brethren, as one that would lessen the Practice of the Law. And therefore I have but two Methods to preserve my Cow. The first is to gain over my Adversary's Lawyer with a double Fee, who will then betray his Client by insinuating that he hath Justice on his side. The second way is for my Lawyer to make my Cause appear as unjust as he can, by allowing the Cow to belong to my Adversary; and this, if it be skillfully done, will certainly bespeak the Favor of the Bench. Now, your Honour is to know that these Judges are Persons appointed to decide all Controversies of Property, as well as for the Trial of Criminals, and picked out from the most dexterous Lawyers, who are grown old or lazy, and having been biased all their Lives against Truth and Equity lie under such a fatal Necessity of favoring Fraud, Perjury, and Oppression, that I have known several of them refuse a large Bribe from the side where Justice lay, rather than injure the Faculty by doing anything unbecoming their Nature or their office.

It is a Maxim among these Lawyers, that whatever hath been done before, may legally be done again: And therefore they take special Care to record all the Decisions formerly made against common Justice, and the general Reason of Mankind. These under the Name of Precedents they produce as Authorities to justify the most iniquitous Opinions; and the Judges never fail of decreeing accordingly

In pleading, they studiously avoid entering into the Merits of the Cause; but are loud, violent and tedious in dwelling upon all Circumstances which are not to the Purpose. For Instance, in the Case already mentioned; They never desire to know what Claim or Title my Adversary hath to my Cow, but whether the said Cow were Red or Black, her Horns long or short; whether the Field I graze her in be round or square, whether she was milked at home or abroad, what Diseases she is subject to, and the like; after which they consult Precedents, adjourn the Cause, from Time to Time, and in Ten, Twenty or Thirty Years come to an Issue.

It is likewise to be observed that this Society hath a particular Cant and Jargon of their own, that no other Mortal can understand, and wherein all their Laws are written, which they take special Care to multiply; whereby they have wholly confounded the very Essence of Truth and Falsehood, of Right and Wrong; so that it will take Thirty Years to decide whether the Field, left me by my Ancestors for six Generations, belongs to me or to a Stranger three hundred Miles off.

In the Trial of Persons accused for Crimes against the State the Method is much more short and commendable: The Judge first sends to sound the Disposition of those in Power, after which he can easily hang or save the Criminal, strictly preserving all due Forms of Law.

Here my Master interposing, said it was a Pity, that Creatures endowed with such prodigious abilities of Mind as these Lawyers by the Description I gave of them must certainly be, were not rather encouraged to be Instructors of others in Wisdom and Knowledge. In answer to which I assured his Honour, that in all Points out of their own Trade they were the most ignorant and stupid Generation among us, the most despicable in common Conversation, avowed Enemies to all Knowledge and Learning, and equally disposed to pervert the general Reason of Mankind in every other subject of Discourse, as in that of their own Profession."

My sincere apologies to any LAWYERS if you find it in poor taste that I shared these paragraphs........ I did find these passages humorous, assuming one is willing to laugh at oneself. In 300 years, many things remain the same.

JOAN

PART I - BOOK - "GULLIVER'S TRAVELS" by Jonathan Swift - HIS DISCOURSE ON WAR

In an effort to expand my thinking and gain new knowledge, I joined a CLASSICS BOOK CLUB, which chose this book for discussion this month. I am VERY impressed by how creative the author, JONATHAN SWIFT was. 

His main character, GULLIVER can't stay still, so he chooses to leave home and set sail for years at a time. He lands in several different locations, where he is exposed to a variety of "INTELLIGENT CREATURES".  

GULLIVER describes WAR, LAW, and LAWYERS, to a HOUYHNHNM,  an inhabitant of a far-off island, whose community is so KIND and POSITIVE that it doesn't even have a word in their language for LYING or FALSEHOOD. How could they understand WAR, LAW and LAWYERS?

In this BLOG POST I'm sharing directly from the book, how GULLIVER described WAR. I will immediately publish my NEXT BLOG POST where I'll share how he described LAW and LAWYERS.

Keep in mind that GULLIVER'S TRAVELS was first published in 1726. That's a LONG time ago and you would think a lot has changed since then. But, APPARENTLY NOT.

Be sure to note where the author CAPITALIZES or ITALICIZES a word for EMPHASIS. I found this enriched my reading experience.

As you begin to read below, it will CHALLENGE you, because the 1726 language is quite tedious...... but STICK WITH IT and let me know your reaction(s) to what was written.

"He asked me what were the usual Causes or Motives that made one Country go to War with another. I answered they were innumerable, but I should only mention a few of the chief. Sometimes the Ambition of Princes, who never think they have Land or People enough to govern: Sometimes the Corruption of Ministers, who engage their Master in a War in order to stifle or divert the Clamour of the Subjects against the Evil Administration. Difference in Opinions hath cost many Millions of lives: For instance, whether Flesh be Bread, or Bread be Flesh; whether the Juice of a certain Berry be Blood or Wine; whether Whistling be a Vice or a Virtue; whether it be better to kiss a Post, or throw it into the Fire; what is the best Colour for a Coat, whether Black, White, Red or Grey; and whether it should be long or short, narrow or wide, dirty or clean, with many more. Neither are any Wars so furious and bloody, or of so long Continuance, as those occasioned by Difference in Opinion, especially if it be in things indifferent.

Sometimes the Quarrel between two Princes is to decide which of them shall dispossess a Third of his Dominions, where neither of them pretend to any Right. Sometimes one Prince quarrelleth with another, for fear the other should quarrel with him. Sometimes a War is entered upon,  because the Enemy is too strong, and sometimes because he is too weak. Sometimes our Neighbors want the Things which we have or have the Things which we want; and we both fight, till they take ours or give us theirs. It is a very justifiable Cause of War to invade a Country after the People have been wasted by Famine, destroyed by Pestilence, or embroiled by Factions amongst themselves. It is justifiable to enter into War against our nearest Ally, when one of his Towns lies convenient for us, or a Territory of Land, that would render our Dominions round and complete. If a Prince sends Forces into a Nation, where the People are poor or ignorant, he may lawfully put half of them to Death, and make Slaves of the rest, in order to civilize and reduce them from their barbarous Way of Living. It is a very kingly, honourable and frequent Practice, when one Prince desires the Assistance of another to secure him against an Invasion, that the Assistant, when he hath driven out the Invader, should seize on the Dominions himself, and kill, imprison or banish the Prince he came to relieve. Alliance by Blood or Marriage, is a frequent Cause of War between Princes, and the nearer the Kindred is, the greater is their Disposition to quarrel: Poor Nations are hungry, and rich Nations are proud, and Pride and Hunger will ever be at Variance. For these Reasons, the Trade of a Soldier is held the most honourable of all others: Because a Soldier is a Yahoo* hired to kill in cold Blood as many of his own Species, who have never offended him, as possibly he can."

*NOTE - A Yahoo is a humanoid creature dominated by the Houyhnhnms

What did you think???


JOAN

BOOK - THE MILL ON THE FLOSS by GEORGE ELIOT (1860)

When I first started reading this book for our local CLASSICS BOOK CLUB I had just come off of 2 NONFICTION books and was a bit frustrated - I wasn't getting "the point". A friend in Book Club said, "It's just a story - a novel - about a family". Ok, so I settled in, relaxed and went with it.  About halfway through I couldn't put it down.

Some of the author's sentences run a full paragraph long. In the beginning, I felt she should "get on with it", but after a while, I didn't even notice. What I DID notice is that GEORGE ELIOT can uniquely describe in detail, a situation or an emotion that may be hard for most of us to put into words. WOW!

The story itself progressed beautifully and each character was fully developed - I felt as if I knew each one of them. The main character, MAGGIE was faced with such challenges ALL of her life. All she really wanted was to be loved and recognized - first by her father and mother, then her brother, then other family/friends and ultimately by a LOVER.....

I want to share some examples of GEORGE ELIOT'S brilliant writing talent. This and her story-telling is why her book is considered a "CLASSIC".  As you read the following, keep in mind that it was written in the year 1860. 

Pg 37

We keep apart when we have quarrelled, express ourselves in well-bred phrases, and in this way preserve a dignified alienation, showing much firmness on one side, and swallowing much grief on the other.

Pg 40

Our delight in the sunshine on the deep-bladed grass to-day, might be no more than the faint perception of wearied souls, if it were not for the sunshine and the grass in the far-off years which still live in us, and transform our perception into love.

Pg 71

Mrs. Tulliver had lived fourteen years with her husband, yet she retained in all the freshness of her early married life a facility of saying things which drove him in the opposite direction to the one she desired. Some minds are wonderful for keeping their bloom in this way, as a patriarchal gold-fish apparently retains to the last its youthful illusion that it can swim in a straight line beyond the encircling glass.

Pg 215

But you youngsters nowadays think you're to begin with living well and working easy; you've no notion of running afoot before you get on horseback. Now, you must remember what you are - you're a lad of sixteen, trained to nothing particular. There's heaps of your sort, like so many pebbles, made to fit in nowhere.

Pg 259

When uncultured minds, confined to a narrow range of personal experience, are under the pressure of continued misfortune, their inward life is apt to become a perpetually repeated round of sad and bitter thoughts: the same words, the same scenes are revolved over and over again, the same mood accompanies them - the end of the year finds them as much what they were at the beginning as if they were machines set to a recurrent series of movements.

Pg 340

And there was that slight pressure of the hands, and momentary meeting of the eyes, which will often leave a little lady with a slight flush and smile on her face that do not subside immediately when the door is closed, and with an inclination to walk up and down the room rather than to seat herself quietly at her embroidery, or other rational and improving occupation.

Pg 375

But this must end some time - perhaps it ended very soon, and only seemed long, as a minute's dream does.

Pg 402

The middle-aged, who have lived through their strongest emotions, but are yet in the time when memory is still half passionate and not merely contemplative, should surely be a sort of natural priesthood, whom life has disciplined and consecrated to be the refuge and rescue of early stumblers and victims of self-despair.

Ok if you've read this far, what do you think? Incredible? Or too wordy for your taste?

JOAN

NO BLOG POST SINCE AUGUST 2018????

WHAT???  Ok, so how is THAT possible? 

• SEPTEMBER - 13 days touring IRELAND with great friends (8 couples and me)
• OCTOBER - 4 nights in VA (a group of 9 women friends) - a full day of wine tasting, a food/culture/historic walking tour of FREDERICK MD, and a day at the WATERFORD FAIR (artisan crafts) in WATERFORD, VA
• OCTOBER - the next weekend..... 3 nights in NASHVILLE, TN for a GLORIOUS wedding (my neighbor's beautiful daughter). Truly a work of art (both the WEDDING and the BRIDE!).
• OCTOBER - 2 weeks later..... BACK SURGERY - ugh - FUSION of L4/5.  The first 2 weeks were VERY tough - the bottom half of my body felt like it had the flu - achy, achy, achy!!  After that, it was one day at a time, getting stronger and WALKING more. I was told it would be a 3-month initial recovery (it's 12 WEEKS TODAY!!), actually 3-6 months and up to a year for a FULL recovery.  I'm well on my way and what a difference the surgery has made already.  WOW!!!
• NOVEMBER - HEALING and THANKSGIVING - my first long distance drive (over an hour) by myself.
• DECEMBER - well, you all know how December can be with family and friend events..........
• JANUARY - a 5 night get-away to the BAHAMAS with a BESTIE for a little SUN and WINTER TAN
• JANUARY - Book Clubs. Reading books for Book Clubs. Lunches/Dinners out with friends. Did I say "reading books for Book Clubs...??  

And here we are.  

NEW YEAR'S REFLECTIONS AND REALIZATIONS - 

• I've had THREE MAJOR surgeries in the past 1.5 yrs (hip and knee replacements and spinal fusion).  Ok, FIVE SURGERIES in 3 years if you count my 2 EYE SURGERIES - MACULAR HOLE REPAIR and subsequent CATARACT REMOVAL.  I've realized how much each surgery has taken a toll on my body/psyche.  Recovering from surgery isn't for sissies, that's for sure.  And my recovery isn't over yet.  All of these surgeries were to improve my quality of life and ability to WALK and TRAVEL with more ease (and NO PAIN).  I remain focused on that end result.  
• NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the importance of having a pet.  CLOVER!!! has been a GODSEND.  She's good company.  She's highly entertaining.  She literally makes me LAUGH OUT LOUD.  She reminds me (regularly) to GET UP FROM THE COMPUTER or to PUT MY BOOK DOWN and pay attention to her.  She challenges me to get up and WALK to the door and let her out.  These may sound like "LITTLE THINGS" but when you're recovering from surgeries, they are "BIG THINGS".  Oh, and she SLEEPS later than I do in the morning!!
• FAMILY and FRIENDS mean the WORLD to me. My 2 SISTERS over-saw my surgery on my behalf and took care of me those first few days when I could do very little for myself. I received a VERY thoughtful POST SURGERY CARE PACKAGE before this last surgery from my NEPHEW/WIFE. Visits, emails, cards, phone calls, flowers, chocolates, meals, lunches out, time together with friends...... I am SO GRATEFUL and so VERY VERY BLESSED.

Yes, IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS......... 

JOAN