Fotografaire - Blog and Photography

While at Work…

One can easily prepare chicken soup while at work.

Get out your crockpot, and if you don’t like scrubbing the crockpot after the soup has cooked, add a crockpot liner (a wonderful invention). Add a whole chicken, or if you prefer white meat only, add enough chicken breasts (with our without skin…according to your own dietary needs) for the people who will be eating the meal. Add enough cubed potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and other vegetables of your choice (I like to add fresh green beans). Add spices to taste. Add enough liquid to cover your chicken, and then some more, for the amount of soup broth you desire, whether it be water with cubes of broth, canned/boxed chicken or vegetable broth, or another broth form of your choice. As an alternative, I often add small bow tie pasta noodles or small shell pasta noodles to the soup (bow tie noodles shown below), instead of potatoes, .

Set the crockpot timer, and there you go! When you arrive home from work, the aroma of food for the soul will fill your kitchen. Your chicken soup will be ready to eat (other than possibly shredding/cutting the chicken).

Serve with rolls, biscuits or bread. Adding matzoh balls or dumplings to the soup is also a great idea, if you have the time when you get home, if not, not to worry, the soup itself is more than enough, and a healthy meal, in addition.

Winter Day

Winter is upon us, as the air swirls with cold. Still, one can bundle up, layer yourself with clothes, and walk outside to see some of winter’s beauty.

The bare branches on the trees can have their own beauty, against the sky.

Leaves cling to the branches, not quite ready to drop off, as autumn is ending, and winter will soon begin. Look around and about, you will see nature’s beauty everywhere, even in the most simple of forms.

Hibiscus Blossoms

The Hibiscus plant or rosemallow, has large blooms, and there are almost 300 species of them, in both perennial and annual plants. Some hibiscus are also in shrub format, and I understand that they can be trained to be a small tree, also.

Hibiscus plants are a beautiful addition to any garden. They have showy blossoms. They can be planted in the ground, or kept in large pots. There blossoms are trumpet-shaped, and have five leaves. When I say the blossoms are large, I mean large. The size of the flower ranges up to 6-7 inches, depending on the species. The petals are often used as a tea, jams, and/or vegetables.

I have two wonderful hibiscus plants on my porch. I keep them in large pots. Their blossoms are absolutely gorgeous.

If you are looking for a beautiful, showy, and large blossom plant for your yard, hibiscus is the plant for you.

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Notes From the Garden

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Holocaust Remembrance day…Yom Hashoah…is a holiday that is set aside to remember those who were murdered during the Holocaust, those who survived, and those who fought for survival for themselves and others. This year it takes place on May 2nd.

Why not visit a Holocaust memorial, a cemetery or synagogue, or you might light a candle, recite a prayer or a poem, or read a few pages from an inspirational book, such as a memoir.

Let us not forget all those who died and suffered.

The photograph above was taken by me.

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© Copyright 2007 - All Rights Reserved - No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my expresss written consent/permission.

The Luncheon of the Boating Party, by Susan Vreeland

The Luncheon of the Boating Party

Vreeland’s exquisite and beautiful prose make this novel of historical fiction one to read. She details the events leading up to the finished painting, how Renoir chose his models, his relationship with each one, how they connected with each other individually within the painting, and how they interacted with Renoir and the other models, externally, separate from the painting. We find out that Renoir painted on Sundays, in 1880, after actually having lunch with the models on the terrace of the actual restaurant in the painting, with all the dishes, silverware, glasses, etc., left on the table.

We feel his frustrations, his joy, his anxiety over each minute detail, each brush stroke. We imagine his presence, with his models in front, some more self-absorbed than others, some humble and understanding individuals. Some models don’t show up, and he has to rely on his canvas, during the week, to fill in faces, attire, etc. Renoir met his future wife while painting was in progress. We glimpse bits of life, within the realm of the painting, both figuratively and visually, as Renoir endeavors to paint “la vie moderne”, the modern life.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s painting, The Luncheon of the Boating Party, took months for him to finish. It was at a time when he was struggling to make ends meet, and a time when he was trying to establish himself as part of the Impressionist movement. This painting was (in his mind) the one major work that would establish him in that genre.

If you want an understanding of the time period, the Impressionist movement, life in Paris, and how Renoir managed brush stroke by brush stroke to finish this masterpiece, then this is the novel for you, as much of it is based on historical fact. Vreeland’s prose is fluid, beautiful and is a masterpiece, in itself. Word-paintings and images abound. I could go into detail, make in-depth statements, but that would take the joy out of you reading the novel, so I leave you with the above prose.

I have actually seen the original painting, The Luncheon of the Boating Party in the Phillips Collection, in Washington, DC. The Phillips family has had it in their possession since 1923.

The photograph above was taken by me, when I saw the incredible painting in Washington DC, last autumn. I was enthralled, mesmerized, it was quite emotional. It is enormous in size, and in its illumination, and is mounted on a wall of its own, overpowering the room. The minute you walk into the room, it beckons you towards it. You stare in awe, not believing you are physically viewing this beautiful masterpiece. It is a testament to the power of the artist and his artistic skills.

If you are ever in Washington DC, it is a must see.

© Copyright - All Rights Reserved - No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my expresss written consent/permission.