Fotografaire - Blog and Photography

Doris Lessing Wins Nobel Prize for Literature!

Doris Lessing won the Nobel Prize for Literature on Thursday October 11, 2007. The announcement shocked and stunned many. The 87-year old author (11 days short of her 88th birthday) is the oldest author to ever receive the Prize.

She is the author of many works, including The Golden Notebook. Her often brutal character depictions portray women caught up in emotional devoid situations, and caught up in the double standards of the time period. She is unafraid to pen what others might only think, yet they cannot or are fearful to write or speak.

From science fiction to novels filled with turmoil, emotional pain, injustice and discontent, much of Lessing’s work is based on her experiences during her childhood in Africa. Her work is often perceived to be controversial, mystical, and is often filled with fantasy undertones. She wrote on the subject of feminism, before the feminism movement became the political force it is. The Golden Notebook is an example of that.

She currently resides in London, and has lived in various cities throughout the world.

In my opinion, this is long overdue. Congratulations to Doris Lessing, a masterful story teller, a woman whose writings are brilliant in their depictions!

Give Me Autumn

Give me autumn…it is my favorite season. Give me cooler days, trees that sparkle with vibrant leaves, from purple, red, orange, yellow, and all the colors in between. Give me the serenity I feel when looking at these trees, whether in my yard, the surrounding subdivisions, or while traveling through the countryside on rural, country roads.

Give me autumn beginnings in the photo above, as seen through the window, while a passenger in a car…give me life.

Give me autumn, give me serene moments, give me spiritual moments and feelings when looking at nature. Give me autumn in my front yard, like in the photo above, with my oak trees and elm trees, my burning bush hedges, the woods across the street…give me nature’s beauty, serenity, and give me moments of joy and life.

~~Notes From the Garden - October 10, 2007

Silo and Autumn Beginnings

I was returning home from a weekend trip, yesterday, and came upon this setting, and had to take the photograph through the window of the car (no, I wasn’t driving).

The tranquility of the scene overwhelmed my senses. Autumn beginnings, nature blended with the nostalgic man-made silo and storage shed…these combined, evoked such a sense of serenity within me.

There is something about farms, farmland, meadows, fields, silos, barns, sheds, hay bales, woods/forest, that allows me to remember and recall place and time, moments long ago during my childhood, surrounded by rural settings on the perimeter of the subdivision that my house was located in. I loved the natural environment, the old and weathered farm structures, the woods I would spend hours in.

And, here I am, many, many, years later, nestled within the same type of setting, my home surrounded by woods and farmland, my daily walks out of my subdivision, are filled with the essences of these blendings…nature and man-made. I look out of my front window, my backyard, and see a forest, see a bit of wildlife, hear the birds chirping, as I watch them flit about. The beautiful nature is equal to the beauty of the nostalgic structures, reminding me of a time when…yes, reminding me of a moment, hour, day, a time when…

Stop, Look, Smell

I like the aroma of my garden, the varied scents that the flowers, bushes and trees spill forth, emanating together, a potpourri of nature’s aromas.

I like how the blossoms burst open on the flowers, creating a wonderland of shapes, sizes, colors, geometrics, and textures, from the beauty of the roses, the heavy clusters around my trees and in my gardens, of snapdragons, salvia, petunias, pansies, bougainvillea, daisies, violets, and lavender. The colors cover the landscape of my yard, individual garden areas are often profuse with vibrant tones and delightful blooms, especially the plants that are more drought resistant, which I am tending to plant, now.

Oh, how could I forget, the wonderful chrysanthemum, also known as mums. Their scents are so distinctive, and their appearance is classic and beautiful. From reds, to purples, whites to pinks, yellows to oranges, they are an added loveliness of colors to any garden in the spring, late summer through fall, and even early winter (in some areas). One can even keep them in planter pots, on their porch, around their yard, or if you live in an apartment, on your patio or terrace.

If you purchase them in late summer, and plant them, they will come back in the springtime. They are a favorite in bouquets, and also a favorite to give as a gift for Mother’s Day.

The next time you are walking in your neighborhood, stop to take a look, stop to smell the chrysanthemums.

~~Notes From the Garden

Support Breast Cancer

Support Breast Cancer, not only in October, but every day throughout the year.

I am an advocate for the Susan G. Komen For the Cure.

The funds are used for treatment, screening, grants, education, research and awards, etc.

Susan G. Komen Funding Chart

They use 8% for administration costs.

My way of donating to them is to walk in one of their “Susan G. Komen for the Cure” 5K events. The fee I pay to enter is my donation to the cause. It also allows me to physically participate in an event that has anywhere from 20,000 - 40,000 participants, on that particular day.

The feeling of being one person within tens of thousands participants is absolutely overwhelming, and brings me to tears thinking about it. I have participated with my daughter several times in the past, and this year, due to travel distances, will be participating without her.

We participated in the Little Rock Komen event last year. Walking towards that bridge, seeing tens of thousands of women before us was an incredible experience, one I can’t even describe or articulate strongly enough. In all, over 42,000 women participated!

You don’t have to show your support in a monetary way. You can volunteer, write a blurb in your blog, educate others through writing, photographs, music, conversation, etc. Contributor beware:

As my friend RubyShooZ warns, “Think Before You Pink”, and research the organization you are contributing to.

My Mother had breast cancer, and had a full mastectomy, including lymph nodes removal, at the age of 82 years of age. Nobody is exempt, regardless of gender or age. She was a survivor of breast cancer…but she is no longer with us.

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