tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22866927841381921492024-03-17T20:03:58.090-07:00Krug's StudioThe Studio for Living Life With An Eye on DesignKrugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.comBlogger579125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-72259073935019113872023-10-10T10:09:00.001-07:002023-10-10T10:09:46.156-07:00Do Movies Design The Lives We Live?<p> I have loved movies since I was a child. My parents apparently did as well because I can't think of a weekend before my sister was born that we didn't go to the theatre. And, back <i>then</i>, most movies theaters had a double feature. Can you imagine that today? Anyway, we saw them all. A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Ester Williams, Ma & Pa Kettle, Gene Kelley movies along with some black and whites. We saw Doris Day, Alfred Hitchcock thrillers, James Dean, Elizabeth Tayler, Charleston Heston, Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum. However, I sincerely believe they have the power to change us and have.</p><p>I remember going to see a movie and was surprised to find there was a double feature. I don't remember the movie we went to see but the "B" movie was MONEY BALL and I remember it still. It shows, you just never know. Brad Pitt and baseball from a story by Michael Lewis whose financial books I admire. What a combination! ALL movies used to be double features. There was a cartoon and news of the world too.</p><p>As I enter my 78th year soon, I have become infatuated with movies I saw in my youth. In fact I have purchased their DVD's for the reason much of what is offered on Netflix or Prime I would never watch and oddly Prime charges for movies that are, as we say, long past their prime. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sj74UE8prTIwpmoJeo5iCOYqc8XK2AHMVNyQuPsTLDWDXzo-26dwfgP2-fTZtdGUDnKef1f4bphapLYQujhPZnzJHTV3O57_ZUzll_aKMXrA3_hJmOuzk7mwdkqhyphenhyphento1XANaX-0CW-P-nbEJWWRJgMdYCokDVfx5foadjcEpSk4o3uQeQTMEDE1oXNW9/s720/w1IGlhi8gIoKjviZ3X09Tlfv8B1d2r_original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="580" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sj74UE8prTIwpmoJeo5iCOYqc8XK2AHMVNyQuPsTLDWDXzo-26dwfgP2-fTZtdGUDnKef1f4bphapLYQujhPZnzJHTV3O57_ZUzll_aKMXrA3_hJmOuzk7mwdkqhyphenhyphento1XANaX-0CW-P-nbEJWWRJgMdYCokDVfx5foadjcEpSk4o3uQeQTMEDE1oXNW9/w208-h258/w1IGlhi8gIoKjviZ3X09Tlfv8B1d2r_original.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>A case in point. I got a hankering to see CHARADE with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. I remembered the scene in the church where one of the dead man's "friends" stuck a huge pin in his hand to make sure he was dead. Everyone in the theatre jumped! To "rent it on Prime was going to cost me $4.99. Really? A movie made back in 1963? As luck would have it I stopped at Big Lots to get something and stopped at their DVD shelf and found CHARADE for $3.00. Not only did I get a movie I wanted to see but I got it cheaper and it was now mine!<p></p><p>That started a search for other movies I had seen in my teens, 20's and 30's. There was DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, BLOW-UP, James Bond movies and so much more! </p><p>I have also become more and more interested in classical music and <br />recently wrote about it. Where did classical music go? I surmised it went to the soundtracks of movies. Watching AMADEUS I was struck by a Mozart piece that has become synonymous with the movie ELVIRA MADIGAN a tale of star crossed lovers that took Mozart's Piano Concerto #21 in C Major and made the second movement, the andante, the pivotal sound of the movie. Considered on of the most difficult pieces to play it has forever become enshrined as Elvira's music. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgJLX2gRiYku_G_VqR-Flm88ZRW-iQB4bmevmZnKjuVC1N2BOvrqeiJVcDTcJ32h1jNVUI0qdfSzRG9DdjKSMFUMkr0RfV5X0oM6Kpr2vlJ7n-3luXFr0ztACpp642fLwtVu7itUDuSquTnH9muKoi-BIqdJt9CBHD0uoZseMX7QiDmmsQzKSkGYJag3R/s720/large_clmlHwjEKXLzomugcKaOAahn9c8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="480" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgJLX2gRiYku_G_VqR-Flm88ZRW-iQB4bmevmZnKjuVC1N2BOvrqeiJVcDTcJ32h1jNVUI0qdfSzRG9DdjKSMFUMkr0RfV5X0oM6Kpr2vlJ7n-3luXFr0ztACpp642fLwtVu7itUDuSquTnH9muKoi-BIqdJt9CBHD0uoZseMX7QiDmmsQzKSkGYJag3R/w173-h259/large_clmlHwjEKXLzomugcKaOAahn9c8.jpg" width="173" /></a></div>The 60's and 70's were a prodigious time for movies, especially foreign movies. Fellini, Bergman, the British New Wave which produced TOM JONES with memorable eating scenes, BLOW-UP with an enigmatic murder and of course James Bond. Fellini's movies introduced America to a Italy few knew about and was so different from home. I can remember Bergman's SEVENTH SEAL being so glum that after watching it I just wanted a gun to end it all.<p></p><p>Stanley Kubrick took movie's to a whole new realm. PATHS OF GLORY and DR. STRANGLOVE made war anything but honorable, sex scandalous as shown in LOLITA, freedom's call honorable in SPARTACUS and forever changing science-fiction with 2001: A Space Odyssey where cheesy Buck Roger's special effects were dismissed forever.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOAmWv4vASOuL4bIDaA1Uw4PfGk7xykKCAIzpIhXdGyAkM0rUFNffb_WUonQXWIWLw_d_jvdItApxsAQZgwRgA0nqa97gzCHrLRFBrNwveqGKu3XguovKVNUlAByENOsz8TbcVpI0CvwvwQ1TN8lYJVQoIHb3K2Om99f7LbY3qgL63r2dbPEbZUFBQpi-/s720/Baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="720" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOAmWv4vASOuL4bIDaA1Uw4PfGk7xykKCAIzpIhXdGyAkM0rUFNffb_WUonQXWIWLw_d_jvdItApxsAQZgwRgA0nqa97gzCHrLRFBrNwveqGKu3XguovKVNUlAByENOsz8TbcVpI0CvwvwQ1TN8lYJVQoIHb3K2Om99f7LbY3qgL63r2dbPEbZUFBQpi-/s320/Baby.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Bringing Up Baby</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table>On closer examination, movies have influenced our lives in ways we rarely notice. BRINGING UP BABY is a classic Grant-Hepburn movie from the 30's, a laugh out loud comedy farce. A close look at the set used here and in many other movies during the 30's and 40's showed homes few Americans had or would ever have, possibly. Look carefully at 50's <br />movies and advertisements. Recognize anything? The homes they portray, as the ideal, in the those 30's movies were just about what all our friends had when I grew up in the 50's. The differences were very apparent when I visited or stayed with college friends in the 60's whose families lived on farms in Oklahoma.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsVvmRy87ekwMVxiNbEmG21XIW_gDmfmlzJMLNuqbHyBjx0yM4sdJrHgSfHKyptKDuw3XadssJds90ArELJgdR7qy9CZHRoH3NsSQbIjXIDzo-KuOsyrflBhnrl2mJbuCtv_1ZBA5Y5_Wa2vyyMj9uNLbkdN77U9giNbWD5jXQ6UhGZ8zdrrVgBdt3YWl/s720/blandings-house-feature-1948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="720" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsVvmRy87ekwMVxiNbEmG21XIW_gDmfmlzJMLNuqbHyBjx0yM4sdJrHgSfHKyptKDuw3XadssJds90ArELJgdR7qy9CZHRoH3NsSQbIjXIDzo-KuOsyrflBhnrl2mJbuCtv_1ZBA5Y5_Wa2vyyMj9uNLbkdN77U9giNbWD5jXQ6UhGZ8zdrrVgBdt3YWl/s320/blandings-house-feature-1948.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Contests were held nationwide for the <br />perfect "Blanding" house</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>MR.BLANDING BUILDS A CREAM HOUSE with Cary Grant paved the way for the Draper house in 1950's MAD MEN. As MAD MEN so clearly showed those returning from the war wanted more. They didn't want a farm like MA AND PA KETTLE, they wanted modern furniture and electric appliances! Living in Palm Springs, surely one of the cities most devoted to "Mid-Century" living, you see in real time how everything from the past was rejected. Trim, sofas and chairs had clean, no frill lines, roofs became V's rejecting centuries of A designs. Things had to be modern, clean, NEW!</p><p>Who can forget avocado green, or harvest gold stoves and refrigerators, or pink toilets and bathtubs in bathroom with square tiles? We had a friend once whose had pink fixtures and tiles in a bath. She painted the walls pink and added pink curtains. It was horrible! It was like being inside a Pepto Bismo bottle. However, how many soldiers and war brides had ever had such luxury before when an outhouse with a Sears catalog for paper and a hand pump dominated a kitchen? The series MAD MEN was entertaining and showed post war living again so different than many of those people grew up with in the 20's, 30's and 40's. Hollywood binge watching during those era's created a demand of what they were seeing on the screen.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYeJ0Lap_dGNR2qkRpJPBojetnZDsetYtTMUNu12DQ73Y_CoIYPf4C0XAqoM_xmMMapkkGgn4kb6LhySF8_GorPdgOX3oZHAPEatKRKsFutnMlb-H1qSvvCCFSQWtH6Fn4LMFF0OXT3oqZDyS7cSgqYr1NMFYEoEp_Lx9Z3_BypBdbBqCittxLMqbloAtE/s720/MV5BMmNlYzRiNDctZWNhMi00MzI4LThkZTctMTUzMmZkMmFmNThmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzkwMjQ5NzM@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="486" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYeJ0Lap_dGNR2qkRpJPBojetnZDsetYtTMUNu12DQ73Y_CoIYPf4C0XAqoM_xmMMapkkGgn4kb6LhySF8_GorPdgOX3oZHAPEatKRKsFutnMlb-H1qSvvCCFSQWtH6Fn4LMFF0OXT3oqZDyS7cSgqYr1NMFYEoEp_Lx9Z3_BypBdbBqCittxLMqbloAtE/s320/MV5BMmNlYzRiNDctZWNhMi00MzI4LThkZTctMTUzMmZkMmFmNThmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzkwMjQ5NzM@._V1_.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>2001 changed everything from <br />sci-fi to useful gadgets we<br />are using today! It predicted <br />cell phones and wi-fi</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQ8_KBvQVqrmW0QA5D8eMHdtw5YRCVS4vddMuMRVqBmc45aKsS1u-GfJNjDbhyqq0ZnWjd80kPZ1TJllPjPhLaG1ZiM6zkuF_s7neNNyZ5505vUjpXmQJNJId5YIEDEAoSPMU_x0Qq7DkIpxxDh1rlIhRCTiN1v8SQyWVDbucE_ORmoEljOfUPCMNVoJZ/s720/Kettle%20house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="720" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQ8_KBvQVqrmW0QA5D8eMHdtw5YRCVS4vddMuMRVqBmc45aKsS1u-GfJNjDbhyqq0ZnWjd80kPZ1TJllPjPhLaG1ZiM6zkuF_s7neNNyZ5505vUjpXmQJNJId5YIEDEAoSPMU_x0Qq7DkIpxxDh1rlIhRCTiN1v8SQyWVDbucE_ORmoEljOfUPCMNVoJZ/s320/Kettle%20house.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>No one wanted the Kettle house anymore</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table>Movies, for ill or good, do influence us in ways that we may not completely understand. It has made us aware though of luxuries we may never have heard about and shown us ways of living we may never achieve. I can remember showing my Peace Corps kids images of America. One scene caught the entire villages attention ... clothes lines strung across the tenements in Brooklyn. Where I saw poverty they were stunned at ALL the clothes the people had.</p><p>As movies have shown, maybe trained us, to want to live, movies also have the power to show us how to think. After watching Ryan Reynolds HOLLYWOOD on Netflix a few years ago and still available, it gave us the idea that if only Hollywood had been more progressive, would the Gay issue be such a topic today? Especially when we realized how many actors <br />were in the LFBTQ+ spectrum? Race relations, the impact, importance and reach of religion? Visual images and actions take on a whole different meaning when transferred from print to motion. Movies have POWER. As we seeing, almost daily now, it be used for good as well as for bad!</p><p><i style="color: #535353; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14.7px;"><b>Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!</b></i></p><p style="color: #535353; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i><b>Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</b></i></p><p style="color: #535353; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i><b>Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!</b></i></p><div><i><br /></i></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-32794392661690550472023-08-10T17:12:00.001-07:002023-08-10T17:15:23.119-07:00Designing In The Time of Chaos<p>Around June 4th of this year I noticed a water leak in my bathroom. It was a Saturday and I had an appointment so I put some towels down and would attend to it when I got back several hours later.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOmwwBPUUYq3MbL_fCg0qvrLfjyYUPX6Kj0GZkLh6aPY74a9L7CFiI6uf87JcepXjGqluf1HHu1mpfo6Ey5ByOy2b7wPI7yZSGR9HkYo898dQ2Q6G6fM0kN0b0ReJU8uE6JBXi4D11nXcb_QM1qhhL9LqFjA9Vkn7Lxc9QUYblvhVQRDzyhfL4ktAgeub/s720/Where%20it%20all%20began.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOmwwBPUUYq3MbL_fCg0qvrLfjyYUPX6Kj0GZkLh6aPY74a9L7CFiI6uf87JcepXjGqluf1HHu1mpfo6Ey5ByOy2b7wPI7yZSGR9HkYo898dQ2Q6G6fM0kN0b0ReJU8uE6JBXi4D11nXcb_QM1qhhL9LqFjA9Vkn7Lxc9QUYblvhVQRDzyhfL4ktAgeub/s320/Where%20it%20all%20began.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Where it all began, below the black<br />pipe inside the wall</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>When I returned the towels were soaked and there appeared to be even more water. Since it appeared to be coming from the toilet I checked that but could find no leaks. Then noticing there was water around the water heater in a cabinet across the room I checked that. It seemed to be fine too. There was water but where was it coming from? Finally on Saturday evening I started looking for plumbers and found one that would send someone the first thing Sunday morning...at an additional price, of course.<p></p><p>The plumber came as promised but he too could not find the leak. He gave me the name of a leak detection company that I called and they promised to arrive early Monday morning. Since I control my water in my and the condo unit above me, I could not turn off my water! I had already used up just about all my towels so did a load just in case. I ended up using them too.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVebi_skUl4vJYlQLHuV4M4BCnwzekI0aTjBWv8ZpMlHgvcr6jSK4JttaStr6SxXYncE9jZ-LMFYF9_dWlRZ-a3Cg_q8JuApgsrLZT6OI09KzDardtOpGt_STIyyoB79rB3sa0Z8gLPWUngNnPRPRowE64TYbVuQQEubs7J8xK1EejIg97UAT8IPqxI288/s720/the%20villain.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVebi_skUl4vJYlQLHuV4M4BCnwzekI0aTjBWv8ZpMlHgvcr6jSK4JttaStr6SxXYncE9jZ-LMFYF9_dWlRZ-a3Cg_q8JuApgsrLZT6OI09KzDardtOpGt_STIyyoB79rB3sa0Z8gLPWUngNnPRPRowE64TYbVuQQEubs7J8xK1EejIg97UAT8IPqxI288/w228-h171/the%20villain.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>The villain. What a 40 year old <br />pipe can do</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>On Monday the leak detector came and after checking all the usual <br />suspects put on his headphones then got me to tell me where he thought the leak was. Because this complex was finished in 1983, and asbestos was used for insulation, he was afraid the walls had asbestos insulation. I told him when we ripped the kitchen out before I moved in, "what insulation? The walls aren't even straight." Still he would not touch the walls so I got my retired contractor neighbor to help and we opened the wall with a hammer. No insulation but sure enough between the master bathroom and walk-in closet walls, where the water entered my condo, beneath the slab were bubbles of water. We found the leak. The leak detector man said his crew could not come out until Thursday. As this was Monday I told him I could not wait that long. I couldn't turn off the water either. He called a friend that could come that afternoon, jackhammered the slab to free the copper pipe with a hole that was leaking, replaced it and used a quick cement to repair the slab and we were done.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXBIEnqSmI8R2T75jMmdb0r_o8xRCJCRGYJuAInV5W44iggye-CY3cXmpoB7r2Bpb1HHdohGT_-9MzXlB1cdbh_tiijH6XRf5Treb1Mdq7HedR4yq-RQFGrDw0zJDHWtbmXYYkPc1kdDmAxVY4zRDxtj6vStZ7tTkVBwr4Si5WpvFJBVbUsVXv-_TAHOU/s720/bath%20where%20it%20started.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXBIEnqSmI8R2T75jMmdb0r_o8xRCJCRGYJuAInV5W44iggye-CY3cXmpoB7r2Bpb1HHdohGT_-9MzXlB1cdbh_tiijH6XRf5Treb1Mdq7HedR4yq-RQFGrDw0zJDHWtbmXYYkPc1kdDmAxVY4zRDxtj6vStZ7tTkVBwr4Si5WpvFJBVbUsVXv-_TAHOU/s320/bath%20where%20it%20started.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Where it all began</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>The water had gone into the walk-in closet and under all the laminate flooring in my master bedroom. You could visibly see the warped boards. I thought it would dry out and laughed when my robot vacuum bounced across the bedroom floor. </p><p>Finally I realized it was NOT going to dry so called my condo insurer, AAA. They came, inspected the damage and an assessment of the damage was made and work began.</p><p>As I write this I am living in the chaos of box hell for the seventh week. They sent a crew that came and boxed up just about everything in the bedroom and the walk-in closet. I had to fight to keep my bed because there was no other place to sleep and because of my various medical maladies it was impossible for me to move. The amount they gave me to do that would have been good for about three nights here in Palm Springs, summer or not.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7VOHs62E1OMQfoymghG9W8y8rulBULSQB_M2GotMgDf8cvw6U08uh6W1ANsAapnew_4A2Kcw2TVp9obfSACV0bLeBDY5RdjSN_QM1twmSXWnSq755nuO-hwsKunK0hY5YP-52iTQx0f4TqX2q7xZjpuKO5lLBSoPGt-K2CtA5RPrVnfGHl7CkGDlG0C_/s720/LR%20-%207%20weeks%20and%20counting.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7VOHs62E1OMQfoymghG9W8y8rulBULSQB_M2GotMgDf8cvw6U08uh6W1ANsAapnew_4A2Kcw2TVp9obfSACV0bLeBDY5RdjSN_QM1twmSXWnSq755nuO-hwsKunK0hY5YP-52iTQx0f4TqX2q7xZjpuKO5lLBSoPGt-K2CtA5RPrVnfGHl7CkGDlG0C_/s320/LR%20-%207%20weeks%20and%20counting.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>This is the living room now for 7 weeks</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>I was reduced to one chair in the living room in front of the TV. Boxes and furniture filled my living room. I had a bed but little else I could use. Then the oxygen machine arrived and so I had the bed and machine resting on the slab. As they removed soaked drywall more things were moved. Then they found black mold, some of it in the bathroom cabinet I used every day and stored my medicines. That was torn out. As they moved closer and closer to the new kitchen I installed before moving in, they found more black mold on the wall behind the kitchen. That renovation cost me plenty and I cried at the thought. Now seven years old, I would never match the cabinets and I worried about my quartz countertop.<p></p><p>They came to spray for black mold and areas that had some cleared up in a few hours. Everything from the floor up four feet where they had removed drywall was sprayed, covered in plastic and blowers dried the walls and studs before anything could proceed. I have been asked how long do you think the leak occurred and how long did you live with black mold? I have no answer but it has to have been for awhile.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilS-l7-34FzfdDq6YM_0kmF724uULcE67woU08uu8LlLCuTVj0rrMLKiZON9WVZr8Z4mO02lUKUPGb3XmfEmHxxpuYHZ0Ci82mISjZWBSk3oQE-NvSElIm2_igKeb3eTgX8lYHoqNOSUReDb0qgAFbmYHX3stZmjyFWzx41JVKd8ewFqgA9uBj2fKwCsEw/s720/black%20mold.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilS-l7-34FzfdDq6YM_0kmF724uULcE67woU08uu8LlLCuTVj0rrMLKiZON9WVZr8Z4mO02lUKUPGb3XmfEmHxxpuYHZ0Ci82mISjZWBSk3oQE-NvSElIm2_igKeb3eTgX8lYHoqNOSUReDb0qgAFbmYHX3stZmjyFWzx41JVKd8ewFqgA9uBj2fKwCsEw/s320/black%20mold.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Black mold in bathroom cabinets</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>The design part was that the studio, my converted second bedroom, was not affected. Since I couldn't leave most days because someone was here on and off, I painted. Boy did I paint! Ten new items in fact. As I write now, the new floor has been put down, the walk-in closet shelves have been replaced, they are hanging doors and floor trim is being replaced. New bathroom and medicine cabinets have been ordered and should arrive next week along with a plumber as I have changed the counter from one to two sinks.</p><p>Not being able to do much except be home and yes, wait a lot, is the time to get to work. As they tore down, pounded and packed I hid in the "studio" trying a variety of styles ... Pennsyvania Dutch, Mola, Federal, anything that would keep me busy as I painted and listened to audio books I got at the library. A natural gourd birdhouse became a cactus, several star shaped wooden shaped birdhouses became a kind of abbreviated Mola design where I felt the design with it's intricacies were highlighted without all the background design. Tiny windmill birdhouses (why do I do them? they take as much or more time than bigger ones to paint) became an homage to Americana or Pennsyvania Dutch design. Because of their dark backgrounds all had to be painted at least twice - once in a opaque cream color so colors applied on top would show. Otherwise the black or burgundy backgrounds would have eaten up any transparent colors. I know and learned that lesson early on. Don't fight it. Put the design on (I finally learned to use a white pencil), then a cream coat which is opaque and finally the color you want.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_LHnVL7spexnZz2TPDW6WNCou395L3pBRTAnLzlTpHzdZBYVF3s1_pcTvhN0kckXvzbz-0VUGLB8gv8B-yKiD-IZfNlquzmFa83LyhltROrn0pq9BmZWqFa3VT4erJfKBMwSmExRALDthQLeBoASZ0oCv8x4TkJL7bL_3HUFKxmwGsgLmfHfpe1hfCnr0/s720/studio%20medical%20room.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="720" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_LHnVL7spexnZz2TPDW6WNCou395L3pBRTAnLzlTpHzdZBYVF3s1_pcTvhN0kckXvzbz-0VUGLB8gv8B-yKiD-IZfNlquzmFa83LyhltROrn0pq9BmZWqFa3VT4erJfKBMwSmExRALDthQLeBoASZ0oCv8x4TkJL7bL_3HUFKxmwGsgLmfHfpe1hfCnr0/s320/studio%20medical%20room.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Studio where art and medicine boxes meet</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>I started a new project today that will take me days to finish. No matter. I have, if lucky, a week to go but will probably be in the vicinity of two - three more weeks. Then it will be time to move everything back to where it once was and a golden opportunity to cull the herd. I was surprised at how much I had accumulated and what better time than trying to put it all away!<p></p><p>I am surprised at how contractors work. While they put back wooden molding and doors that they removed it takes someone else to put back the slices of tiles that were molding in the hall and living room. So it sits undone and I cannot move the TV back and attempt to recreate my living room. I guess the good news is that items wrapped in the bedroom can now be unwrapped. My desk can be put back in it's old position, chairs unwrapped and placed to be used again and the computer, printer, scanner and office paperwork moved out of the dining room. "Be still my heart!"</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdE2TCPODZWbNXxhmnUletKnp-6xs9fF3MF69IetUq9BK1Ml9Y2AVjlOVIrV86rde7kDao03C_cZUGJvAYH3DlbOwdHeNbdqyeVcF0Yfs1GEaA7T5JqPAXuknYBSe4tpdHvyFSfJmI4MCZfG1DPuWOJIQxhWGwCu10GQ6TzZolOX9vAmZ7z1VK4Hulp_n_/s720/Red%20Star%20Birdhouse%20-%20left%20front%20angle.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdE2TCPODZWbNXxhmnUletKnp-6xs9fF3MF69IetUq9BK1Ml9Y2AVjlOVIrV86rde7kDao03C_cZUGJvAYH3DlbOwdHeNbdqyeVcF0Yfs1GEaA7T5JqPAXuknYBSe4tpdHvyFSfJmI4MCZfG1DPuWOJIQxhWGwCu10GQ6TzZolOX9vAmZ7z1VK4Hulp_n_/s320/Red%20Star%20Birdhouse%20-%20left%20front%20angle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>RED STAR BIRDHOUSE with Mola designs</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>I know I shouldn't complain. I could be in tornado alley, or hurricane Florida or today Maui where fires have killed so many and so many have lost everything. However, small leaks such as this have killed as well. We need to be vigilant and be thankful that we are still alive.<p></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: #535353; float: right; font-size: 14.7px; font-style: italic; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3X1wr8AtSI9kcYHc5Wc3IoXbD8v4D3LKuN7IIcbIAeOILpENax0CgYdmeB6AfzJ3J23D2J99StJ-2gyX6Y_Eue6pffnbJ3FtCh6cHFpnWFZL9EykfyfVBmgW_GEd5UTyJnaRLRgMfqq6XHSNpLnKGE2AwwV78B48Qkrx-NJeTYF2BHPiLSBGMBvRbmus/s720/Blue%20Star%20Birdhouse%20-%20top%20view.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3X1wr8AtSI9kcYHc5Wc3IoXbD8v4D3LKuN7IIcbIAeOILpENax0CgYdmeB6AfzJ3J23D2J99StJ-2gyX6Y_Eue6pffnbJ3FtCh6cHFpnWFZL9EykfyfVBmgW_GEd5UTyJnaRLRgMfqq6XHSNpLnKGE2AwwV78B48Qkrx-NJeTYF2BHPiLSBGMBvRbmus/s320/Blue%20Star%20Birdhouse%20-%20top%20view.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafD_3N0pEc7a-61FhOUfZkAPTg8-CtwpQyQzX__c8b4T0KydiEX0RyhoSkzcspu4HM7LD5q55YH8S3zaBZtdYuV8j1jJGzb4Ej6q_zRyc7N1kJgs6FV8JC5f7rMZldosJoPePBGqEzSXRDHLOSka6TV7cXiD3Gqx83ys90xHRnUvNw3gujk1h8eyRYvGE/s320/To%20The%20Stars%20Birdhouse%20-%20right%20front%20angle.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>TO THE STARS BIRDHOUSE</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>BLUE STAR BIRDHOUSE, above</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafD_3N0pEc7a-61FhOUfZkAPTg8-CtwpQyQzX__c8b4T0KydiEX0RyhoSkzcspu4HM7LD5q55YH8S3zaBZtdYuV8j1jJGzb4Ej6q_zRyc7N1kJgs6FV8JC5f7rMZldosJoPePBGqEzSXRDHLOSka6TV7cXiD3Gqx83ys90xHRnUvNw3gujk1h8eyRYvGE/s720/To%20The%20Stars%20Birdhouse%20-%20right%20front%20angle.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="clear: right; color: #535353; float: right; font-size: 14.7px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafD_3N0pEc7a-61FhOUfZkAPTg8-CtwpQyQzX__c8b4T0KydiEX0RyhoSkzcspu4HM7LD5q55YH8S3zaBZtdYuV8j1jJGzb4Ej6q_zRyc7N1kJgs6FV8JC5f7rMZldosJoPePBGqEzSXRDHLOSka6TV7cXiD3Gqx83ys90xHRnUvNw3gujk1h8eyRYvGE/s720/To%20The%20Stars%20Birdhouse%20-%20right%20front%20angle.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p style="color: #535353; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"></p><i style="font-size: 14.7px;"><br /></i><p></p><p style="color: #535353; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><i style="font-size: 14.7px;"></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: 14.7px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauLB5exOip0hDq5KpaMJv1VAcdU2u81lnZY5xzijMT-nHfu3Of_EX0RDncsALmMz_N5zzouB6qLShxY9LdeKSdLv6QX7on34ICVRZZliAKd2x8tDSKD0Keam-0Fk3kLbW00bmMc56g4Pa3DwMeB20ENmS3_2mqJDxplVhWm0m4bst6aB66-2ytj61WLtM/s1453/Cactus%20Gourd%20Birdhouse%20-%20front.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1453" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauLB5exOip0hDq5KpaMJv1VAcdU2u81lnZY5xzijMT-nHfu3Of_EX0RDncsALmMz_N5zzouB6qLShxY9LdeKSdLv6QX7on34ICVRZZliAKd2x8tDSKD0Keam-0Fk3kLbW00bmMc56g4Pa3DwMeB20ENmS3_2mqJDxplVhWm0m4bst6aB66-2ytj61WLtM/w199-h400/Cactus%20Gourd%20Birdhouse%20-%20front.jpg" width="199" /></a></i></div><i style="font-size: 14.7px;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!</i><p></p><p></p><p style="color: #535353; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i><br />Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</i></p><p style="color: #535353; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i>Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!</i></p><div><i><br /></i></div><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div><br /></div><p><br /></p>Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-22165124231416498642023-07-22T16:12:00.000-07:002023-07-22T16:12:52.459-07:00What Happened to Classical Music?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Kyz75atWwAgSXTncucDDvvl1CDIZ3D6iC32jHoz5OfFj_X1z1d79LsFHcAuVRi42SwyXmI0lUzwBSHGy63kUfwtn-3nAseUMze4ejkyVZUhRVTbBSLPH35KeLYGAQO-f_lGYhkTpa4eYKSWkT7eIqH0RfKcAhcK4r3BQ9p0BlgC6kvcNK6yUyih6f9wn/s1200/music-clipartMUSIC1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Kyz75atWwAgSXTncucDDvvl1CDIZ3D6iC32jHoz5OfFj_X1z1d79LsFHcAuVRi42SwyXmI0lUzwBSHGy63kUfwtn-3nAseUMze4ejkyVZUhRVTbBSLPH35KeLYGAQO-f_lGYhkTpa4eYKSWkT7eIqH0RfKcAhcK4r3BQ9p0BlgC6kvcNK6yUyih6f9wn/w256-h256/music-clipartMUSIC1.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br />My answer to this would be it went and found it's home in the movies, TV, cable.<p></p><p>What you say? No way? I beg to differ. And, believe it or not, many pop, rock & roll and blues stars would probably agree. The discoveries in music over the centuries paved the way for modern music. The music of the Baroque period was like Casey Kasim's Top 40 in our own times. Remember a Verdi opera in the 1800's was no different to that audience than say the soap ALL MY CHILDREN is to ours. Only we rarely sing now. For that we have musicals on a stage with real people. Is that so different? </p><p><br /></p><p>Most musicologists would define our music eras as:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Medieval 1150 - 1400</li><li>Renaissance 1400 - 1600</li><li>Baroque 1600 - 1750</li><li>Classical 1750 - 1830</li><li>Early Romantic 1830 - 1860</li><li>Late Romantic 1860 - 1920</li><li>20th & 21 st Century 1920 until today.</li></ol><div>However, I feel that this list isn't complete. There were other influences from South America, Ireland, <br />especially from Africa that first changed American music and then the worlds. New combinations of notes and syncopation made old boring sounds new and vibrant again. Some of America's greatest sound smiths listened to and then borrowed these rhythms and created much of our most treasured music of today.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RHtxijPe5fLgh7atnTInvPd0d7c6PHG6Pdc_GOVidPVi6Tdv-YrWBzYt0Wu76F066cWf1FGFfqIyXisOyPjdua_BOWsqzuth40o6C4tcfsTT6a0-DO7V0D3kjikOQl5N8yhYaHWx7aE5pOkKX52f07np1IOzRyhlooltQPbi4Z8wBgJwfsgtDmrp__Rj/s720/pexels-pixabay-210854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RHtxijPe5fLgh7atnTInvPd0d7c6PHG6Pdc_GOVidPVi6Tdv-YrWBzYt0Wu76F066cWf1FGFfqIyXisOyPjdua_BOWsqzuth40o6C4tcfsTT6a0-DO7V0D3kjikOQl5N8yhYaHWx7aE5pOkKX52f07np1IOzRyhlooltQPbi4Z8wBgJwfsgtDmrp__Rj/s320/pexels-pixabay-210854.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As I was dealing with medical issues and insomnia the other night, I finally played classical music from my iPhone to my HomePod to put me to sleep. As I laid there I begin to note the number of pieces (I always put music on shuffle to mix things up) that appeared in movies. I can never, ever hear "The Beautiful Blue Danube" without seeing in minds eye the Pan American shuttle in its ballet to dock with the space station in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. In fact while set in the future, the movie came out in 1968, Kubrick used only classical music to define his story. AMADEUS tells the story of the rivalry between the Austrian Mozart and the Italian Salieri for the ear and patronage of the emperor of the Austria-Hungary Empire. The film is filled with snippets of music from them both and was a surprising hit. What's not to like about Mozart?</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6kD3IVJi31Wr5M6MVhAGMcAJW29P0FaLyRwZeJL7NsUAggjtWc-lko1eIszgFC58zv4-nRNo4ei8P7kAaL3CuAUw3z1A4068Xht1TeftvLOIugfJLCqIDq5AnFY_RBKUzsv8NF67xxkWTY6qLqpbUiewrsLnH9Kg5IbApT2ry0EnldGvzh-hCGmBETxRD/s720/collage_2_essential_classics_labor_day_2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="720" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6kD3IVJi31Wr5M6MVhAGMcAJW29P0FaLyRwZeJL7NsUAggjtWc-lko1eIszgFC58zv4-nRNo4ei8P7kAaL3CuAUw3z1A4068Xht1TeftvLOIugfJLCqIDq5AnFY_RBKUzsv8NF67xxkWTY6qLqpbUiewrsLnH9Kg5IbApT2ry0EnldGvzh-hCGmBETxRD/s320/collage_2_essential_classics_labor_day_2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Kubrick was not alone. Though the haunting bars of ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA begin 2001, many other directors relied on classical music for their own movies most notable moments. This list includes THE SHINING another Kubrick movie that uses both Bartok and Berlioz to underscore the horror of that movie. What about THE KING'S SPEECH using Beethoven's 7th Symphony, RAGING BULL with Mascagni's opera <span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Cavalleria rusticana, Disney's FANTASIA entirely classical music set to cartoons, THE BIG LEBOWSKI using Mussorgsky's "PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION," or PLATOON'S use of Adagio for String's, used so poignantly at both FDR and JFK's funerals.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Why is it that so many killers in the movies always have the time to listen to opera arias? I think we are still writing classical music only we now call it the movie's "score." As Disney so clearly showed in his 1947 Masterpiece FANTASIA, classical music can and does tell a story. Movie and TV music today does as well.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_c41ObC6-7uqYEuingZMGOAwo9v6hXAmI5n8EBriM0FAwhxZGGlH0ErRZvV4CcXuQxDJhv5UPpK0G0AAs5Z5D0SSL-xT4A2QF-2Lelw-jPgXAo3CKeORpFpGdnEvgFRNo1VRQMiyVuHdcvnS3ytXAK_csI3TE5r0zmIS3EcVJ5mFuCg9jZJ2POEelx1Du/s768/Metropolitan_Opera_House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_c41ObC6-7uqYEuingZMGOAwo9v6hXAmI5n8EBriM0FAwhxZGGlH0ErRZvV4CcXuQxDJhv5UPpK0G0AAs5Z5D0SSL-xT4A2QF-2Lelw-jPgXAo3CKeORpFpGdnEvgFRNo1VRQMiyVuHdcvnS3ytXAK_csI3TE5r0zmIS3EcVJ5mFuCg9jZJ2POEelx1Du/w420-h236/Metropolitan_Opera_House.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><br />I ask you to consider any of John Williams scores. He is one of the most prolific "classical" score writers of our times. All you need is the first few notes of the "Imperial March" to know this is STAR WARS. But variations of this theme and others play through the entire movie(s) telling it's story in the quietest moments, social moments, action moments. Turn off the sound and see if it continues to have the impact. Motion and music go hand in hand.</div><div><br /></div><div>Just the first three notes of "Jaws" gives theatergoers goosebumps, or how about HARRY POTTER or INDIANA JONES or SUPERMAN? Did you know that William's even wrote the score for the pilot of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND? A whole bunch of Boomers can hum that one. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I pointed out, TV was also not immune. What about MISSION IMPOSSIBLE or Mancini's PETER GUN? Or his movies that included THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY', PINK PANTHER and CHARADE that all spawned #1 hits on the hit parade. Again, turn off the sound and the movie just doesn't have the impact it does with music.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even Pop sounds made it to the movies. GREASE, THE GRADUATE, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, AMERICAN GRAFFITI, LOVE ACTUALLY as well as Bio pics of Queen and Elton John. The Beatles acknowledged their debt to classical music and several albums were created that attempted to tell a story. Their movies A HARD DAYS NIGHT and YELLOW SUBMARINE were storylines told with music. Shouldn't we consider that opera? </div><div><br /></div><div>I just saw the new MISSION IMPOSSIBLE movie, Part 1. While I think it's an action movie looking for a plot I paid special attention to the music, blocking it at times. Try it. When you see a car chase, whether you know it or not it's the music that rev's you up. Try it. You will see. </div><div><br /></div><div>I urge you the next time you stumble on a classical music station not to quickly turn away. Remember if it wasn't for that music, those notes and bars, music as we know it would be very, VERY different. </div><div><i style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!</span></i></div><p></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i style="font-size: 13.2px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</span></i></p></div><p></p><div><i style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!</span></i> </div><p></p>Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-63817541109173308772023-07-18T16:12:00.001-07:002023-07-18T22:35:55.266-07:00When The Simplest Design Is The Best Answer! I don't know about you but when there is a problem I think we look for the most powerful solution. Men, ESPECIALLY men, seem to think that the more powerful anything is the better the solution. I mean seriously how many city dwellers need huge jacked up trucks? Men want to "dominate" the problem.
Living here in the desert, summer time brings bugs ... lots of bugs, especially fruit flies or gnats. It seems that no matter how careful you are there they are as well. I am learning to wash everything before I put it away.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRh6bcTB6fU8vmbl3RqimPtqmZS97gkqydqfBrZ4PodTC6_FFUnT9HcZzwvN3STQ1XpqbSY3SdIXtli5pVUg78B-4H6J5t7OOO5ZWb2notCFee-6pDKdHkaHcQw8FczMQncexML3NaXdF03ulYab8xrK6WqC0TfeP9fUBwzgkVTOOOqjYkI88HtLVMTQPM/s576/spray.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="328" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRh6bcTB6fU8vmbl3RqimPtqmZS97gkqydqfBrZ4PodTC6_FFUnT9HcZzwvN3STQ1XpqbSY3SdIXtli5pVUg78B-4H6J5t7OOO5ZWb2notCFee-6pDKdHkaHcQw8FczMQncexML3NaXdF03ulYab8xrK6WqC0TfeP9fUBwzgkVTOOOqjYkI88HtLVMTQPM/w194-h341/spray.jpg" width="194" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Your first reaction to a bug infestation is to get a bug spray. The stronger the better. And, of course the BIGGER the can the better. You're gonna get those bugs once and for all. Now is not the time to skimp.<div><br /></div><div>After carefully covering food or anything your lips might touch, the last thing you do before bedtime is give the kitchen a good spray. In the morning you see a few dead bugs but just as many live ones flying around. I guess the initial spray gets those flying around but somehow, somewhere they manage to come back like, well, zombies!</div><div><br /></div><div>You can imagine how frustrating this is. On top of the bug invasion I had a water leak between the walls in my condo that led to about half of the condo being torn apart to get rid of wet drywall and black mold. Is this the cause? I honestly don't know. The wet drywall was removed, the black mold mitigated and everything is now dry. Now to get everything put back together again, the world of boxes emptied and things put back in place. It seems the bugs took advantage as this is the worst infestation ever.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next step for me was to try fancy electronics. They had some deals during Amazon Prime July Sales so I got what appeared to be tightly rated zappers that you can place inside your home. I have them in every room now. But, do they work?</div><div><br /></div><div>Since the kitchen seemed to be the room most affected I put two, one on each side of the kitchen. They plug into any outlet and shine their blue ray of death to the<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GvVoX4FZrV2wMeNMemcvzUc2y5RExGvCPjfU4WLIKdmp6J_1dNzTk68_8dwh9Q1LIOztCps3NyfzIjSZQ6bTf1g3qqupoT5AhMm-tqet8-qiiTaPc4WeaU2zvuhRbizE-OPdal3ZZNDObYXFYugNKSj6Fn6Uqt8Jj9fi-RW8_rvZqhHSdmzzEgWXjuog/s576/Electric.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="576" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GvVoX4FZrV2wMeNMemcvzUc2y5RExGvCPjfU4WLIKdmp6J_1dNzTk68_8dwh9Q1LIOztCps3NyfzIjSZQ6bTf1g3qqupoT5AhMm-tqet8-qiiTaPc4WeaU2zvuhRbizE-OPdal3ZZNDObYXFYugNKSj6Fn6Uqt8Jj9fi-RW8_rvZqhHSdmzzEgWXjuog/s320/Electric.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>world, or so I hoped.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hum, I saw a few fried corpses but not very many all considered that the kitchen is as dark as a cave (no windows) at night and their blue glow is clear for me to see and is supposed to be like a searchlight for bugs. In summation I would have to say, the light is still searching for victims.</div><div><br /></div><div>As luck would happen, while I was going through my latest copy of CONSUMER REPORTS, there was a note on the best way to get rid of those pesky kitchen gnats that I had never heard before. They gave us three options: 1. leave a few drops of wine in a wine bottle and make a funnel so the bugs can get in but usually can't find their way out. They have a delicious death I guess. 2. was about the same with a beer bottle. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, it was number 3 that intrigued me. Get a small dish, pour in some fruit juice, I used orange juice, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and puncture it with small holes.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzuz8oYwhbha2JC-aCwcWRppism1dUNCf8i3hlnxBJQYPKETRnrCOPrO7aCatV_sPfg9jQtGViQ6P5j5z6Q-AgNzpKTh07iQCrmDJCM3prFUV92HG1t0tq3ZSbSZdbibJBEyI4tXl3AQCFQqR4wdNfQ8VonTe15JIYHSEPqjCKBhEGF2xOSWKrRWbEYu5/s635/Bugs%20in%20Juice.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="576" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzuz8oYwhbha2JC-aCwcWRppism1dUNCf8i3hlnxBJQYPKETRnrCOPrO7aCatV_sPfg9jQtGViQ6P5j5z6Q-AgNzpKTh07iQCrmDJCM3prFUV92HG1t0tq3ZSbSZdbibJBEyI4tXl3AQCFQqR4wdNfQ8VonTe15JIYHSEPqjCKBhEGF2xOSWKrRWbEYu5/s320/Bugs%20in%20Juice.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><div>I used a toothpick to put the holes in and left this on the kitchen counter. Nothing. Then I took a fork and give the plastic a few more jabs. Within a few hours I saw a bug in there. Here is two days later! As I write this I haven't seen a bug flying around anywhere and trust me they had spread ... kitchen, dining room even as far as the destroyed master bedroom.</div><div><br /></div><div>I discovered the best place to leave it was literally on the kitchen sink. No matter how hard you try, sinks and drains manage to attract bugs. By putting this mixture literally next to the controls seemed to have the strongest effect.</div><div><br /></div><div>As a kid growing up on Portland, OR, I can remember when the snail population was getting out of control and eating everything in sight, we would get Dad to give us a bit of beer, put it in a dish and leave it outside. Within a day or two the dish was filled with drunk, dead snails. You have to wonder if we design things to overkill when a much simpler solution is at hand. This worked for me. Give it a try. It will cost you just about nothing! Remember, this is environmentally friendly - no toxins, no sprays just a little orange juice in a small reusable glass container with a little Saran wrap.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</span></i></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!</span></i></p></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div>Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-29158719847316693272023-06-20T17:18:00.001-07:002023-08-10T12:21:25.537-07:00The Wonders of the Digital Age<p> I am 77 ½. The wonders of the digital age didn't hit me until I was in my 30's, when I bought a used Apple C computer, unlike my children who for all intents and purposes have never lived without a computer.</p><p>Two events in the past two days have made me feel ancient and, well, unnecessary.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCr8iv-MYJ4B3J3J5fnWYLnDR07qZ2iAR5Nzw0ELgMSuynWv14l469X3CBn7tri3KeQiOaHGK-olWdUhg1uSsdwOZy0-BxcL7jtnM57Gos_KZnACQtlu_j8wefUoauwQx6clv8eS6nLeiuko0b8YmF7qd1vziHu86MoQGv6hdFBka7nk5hbDc5RF5kIfG/s1221/b61e68c141c83225229e4f9ca03ff1c5a4f76e42-1820x2057.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1221" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCr8iv-MYJ4B3J3J5fnWYLnDR07qZ2iAR5Nzw0ELgMSuynWv14l469X3CBn7tri3KeQiOaHGK-olWdUhg1uSsdwOZy0-BxcL7jtnM57Gos_KZnACQtlu_j8wefUoauwQx6clv8eS6nLeiuko0b8YmF7qd1vziHu86MoQGv6hdFBka7nk5hbDc5RF5kIfG/s320/b61e68c141c83225229e4f9ca03ff1c5a4f76e42-1820x2057.png" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The buttons on top are NOT easy<br />to see. Trust me.</td></tr></tbody></table>For a wonderful price last Christmas COSTCO had two Sonos SL1 speakers for sale at essentially half price. I bought them because Geek friends go into rapture talking about their sound. At about the same time I got rid of my Spectrum Wi-Fi and went to T-Mobile's 5G Wi-Fi network. Oddly, even at my advanced age, it went smoothly except for my Amazon Alexa that would never connect. Since I am a Mac man through and through, I got rid of Alexa.<p></p><p>Setting up the Sonos speakers was difficult as well. I did all the App on my phone said to do and they would not connect. Why they use Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth and connect as easily as my $39.00 Anker speakers do, I will never understand.</p><p>Then a day or so later I discovered a symbol on my phone that showed the Sonos speakers. So I could play music on my Homepods in the bedroom and the Sonos in the living room at the same time, or so I thought.</p><p>Reading in the living room a few weeks ago I realized that only one Sonos speaker was playing. With the light on, showing it was on, the second one didn't play a single note. A neighbor came over to use a printer on Father's Day and when he was done I asked if he was familiar with Sonos speakers. He was. So I asked if he could get the "dead" one to work. On my iPhone he pulled up the App and, just like me, was unable to make it connect.</p><p>He called another Geek friend and the friend told him what to do. Nothing. Then he was told to unplug the unit, hold down a button on the top, plug the power back in and let it go through a series of flashing lights.</p><p>Again nothing.</p><p>Then when my friend said there was an infinity button on the back on top the on/off switch, the friend who was researching Sonos online said, unplug the unit, hold the infinity button down and plug in the power. After a series of flashing yellow, green and white lights a new page showed up on the phone. It guided him to ask where is the speaker, do you want to pair "both" speakers, etc. Replying affirmative to all inquiries there were more flashing lights and suddenly Vivaldi was playing on BOTH speakers.</p><p>Now tell me, how is one to know? THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE SONOS INSTRUCTIONS THAT SAID THIS IS WHAT YOU DO!</p><p>When I was in my 20's, even into my 50"s I could set up a sound system. I had a Harmon Karden receiver, a fancy turntable, huge speakers and was able to add cassette players and even a multiple CD player to my receiver with no fuss. Now I can't even connect speakers that play music off my phone.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSn_aVs_5c41ybXCkhUl-MtOaqnI2gIkLD3PeZ0DiK4qQ_-vjHGhU3GF58ExllibdHJovueQg9LiAYjuvFb1YvdfdNSgRYkEgj5SBii8yIQp6rKADUC6ZR15kfL7mMX_BMVXoalQYH6Z_pP5uJxyK-gR4MFaLfGn_FyNfniA48bSn4oyM39hxMgbFjAMp/s297/png-transparent-love-background-heart-cvs-pharmacy-logo-cvs-health-health-care-advertising-intrinsic-value-love-my-life-thumbnail.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="297" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSn_aVs_5c41ybXCkhUl-MtOaqnI2gIkLD3PeZ0DiK4qQ_-vjHGhU3GF58ExllibdHJovueQg9LiAYjuvFb1YvdfdNSgRYkEgj5SBii8yIQp6rKADUC6ZR15kfL7mMX_BMVXoalQYH6Z_pP5uJxyK-gR4MFaLfGn_FyNfniA48bSn4oyM39hxMgbFjAMp/s1600/png-transparent-love-background-heart-cvs-pharmacy-logo-cvs-health-health-care-advertising-intrinsic-value-love-my-life-thumbnail.png" width="297" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">I</span> just got off the phone with tech support at CVS.com. They are giving me a very hard time for me making sure I can get the meds I need. In the store, or holding <i>forever</i> on the phone to talk to them they urge you do do everything online. I have never been able to connect and today, after 45 minutes talking to the CVS tech guy I still cannot get online. I was given a case number and told that someone will contact me IN 2 TO 5 DAYS to get this matter resolved. I almost forgot, I was locked out of my system, the same system that doesn't work because I tried to many times to get into it. Is this CATCH-22 or what?<p></p><p>So, I now can either wait on the phone forever, leave a call back number they never return or get in the car and do battle at the counter behind 10 -15 people waiting in line. The other day we waited 15 minutes in line as all their cashiers tore the place apart, resembling a scene from a Keystone Cops comedy, trying to find a customers prescription. They finally had to fill it again because what ever system they use doesn't work. Rather than serve others in line as they made a search <i>we all waited.</i></p><p>There is even a line now for those ordering meds and refills online. I've noticed there is never anyone in that line. I wonder if they are as shut out of the system as I am. The only reason I go to CVS is because that is where my medical provider makes us go. No one here, doctors and patients, likes CVS.</p><p>Have we become too dependent on computers? I might venture a guess that Southwest Airlines passengers during Christmas thought so. When a system goes down, as it does more and more often, the world, literally, shuts down. We have nowhere to turn to and everyone has forgotten how to do things the old way, you know with pencil and paper!</p><p>I watched Apples latest WWDC conference and I already dread iOS 17, the new iPhone operating system. It can do all kinds of whiz bang things, things I do not want and will probably hide the things I now use on a daily basis. Who demands this stuff? What ever happened to user friendly? All I can say to any senior is befriend a late teen or 20+ year old. Let them set up your equipment for you! Otherwise you will be wandering the wilderness without a digital clue!!!</p><p><i style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!</span></i></p><p></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i><i style="font-size: 13.2px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</span></i></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p>Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-38597696494741648242023-05-24T17:20:00.001-07:002023-05-24T17:20:50.159-07:00The GOLDEN GIRLS Revisited<p> One of the perks to being retired is that you have the time to do things you didn't when you were younger and working. I have been haunting the Palm Springs Library's vast DVD selection and watching many of the shows shown here on PBS but were created for England's BBC. I find that many of their shows are vastly superior to what is produced here. I highly recommend FOYLE''S WAR and GEORGE GENTLY.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97G4UX8By2wZ7lO0qfl9fRNgStWgxbSLxAJ1eeyXMIj5zQPtOb6xlfGUMBGt94I84ARJqDQKW0NbV9AKSlVd1qS-xv57U1MloewzbPLzO1sNTgPtgLkEKjehpla6k5PNPgEffo9TjJszI0s5tHH5sNPAkvT1wXG9xbz2ZU1WoVMd4lWiHahXg8tQSOw/s376/TGGS1_DVD_COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97G4UX8By2wZ7lO0qfl9fRNgStWgxbSLxAJ1eeyXMIj5zQPtOb6xlfGUMBGt94I84ARJqDQKW0NbV9AKSlVd1qS-xv57U1MloewzbPLzO1sNTgPtgLkEKjehpla6k5PNPgEffo9TjJszI0s5tHH5sNPAkvT1wXG9xbz2ZU1WoVMd4lWiHahXg8tQSOw/s320/TGGS1_DVD_COVER.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>However, pursuing the stacks a week ago I happened upon Season One of THE GOLDEN GIRLS, a show I often missed. It came on TV in September of 1985. I had a daughter born in July of 1985 and a hell on wheels son of 4 at the time. I didn't see many of the shows even though it had a seven year run and won many, many deserved awards.<p></p><p>While the show is now 38 years old I first noticed that clips of funny scenes from GIRLS have been shown on Facebook, scenes so funny you got a good belly laugh now, all these years later.</p><p>So, I picked up Season One and was prepared to be disappointed. While some shows, like I LOVE LUCY have stood the tests of time, many others haven't. What is more important, having no commercials to break up the story line, you get a very different perspective on a show's flow.</p><p>I remember the first time I watched a season of EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND sans commercials and realized the mother really was a pain in the ass. She meddled in everything, coddling her sons more like a wife than mother. Deborah was right.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52zUARjk4tRdmkZVSkZJfjLBdWx5DqOMcPjlDBFwUAb4j2gTpcObsk2i4ECIBOQnN9w0Yvg7BiJR1NEeqjTjk5FCDUW8uLWKMx3-WR7FxWsx_NYIrMt9qz553UH23FD0biu48n6DsyXITLy4fL-krZe2Es0_MyD_ET3tNT6KTvhbz5ceiDKzDBP92sw/s750/golden-girls-drehorte.jpg.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="750" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52zUARjk4tRdmkZVSkZJfjLBdWx5DqOMcPjlDBFwUAb4j2gTpcObsk2i4ECIBOQnN9w0Yvg7BiJR1NEeqjTjk5FCDUW8uLWKMx3-WR7FxWsx_NYIrMt9qz553UH23FD0biu48n6DsyXITLy4fL-krZe2Es0_MyD_ET3tNT6KTvhbz5ceiDKzDBP92sw/w400-h234/golden-girls-drehorte.jpg.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br />But I digress. Watching GIRLS I realized that this was the first time on public television that women were allowed to express their feelings regarding sex ... sexual feelings they have, sexual feelings towards men and voice that they don't always (the toilet repair episode) need a man to get something done. That was heady stuff back then and paved the way for shows like SEX IN THE CITY. All these years later this is heady stuff today! Witness how men are telling women how they should control their bodies!!! I think we thought we were past all that. Apparently not.<p></p><p>Each of the characters in their own way voiced their feelings. Sex starved Blanche, played by Rue <br />McClanahan, now a widow whom all felt would like take on the fleet during fleet week in Florida and not the least shamed to admit it as a Southern Belle. Dorothy, the amazing Bea Arther, whose husband left her for a stewardess the age of their daughter still willing to date and find a man who treats her with respect. Ditsy Rose played by funny funny Betty White whose memories of St. Olaf drives everyone crazy.While she still adores her deceased husband's memory, she too is willing to date men. And the character Sophie, the Italian mother of Dorothy is both pithy, summing up all their travails, even she gets her chances to date as well. No other show even came close to this in 1985.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmyahTes0UcbcTgEQocghpqIOetOaLD81g36kEVkwCxTB0BobFg41Zgmq3g_uNZtRuGcDf6JCwx3syohFZIDZNcJYg5JCrT7-hDxsT6urszwv2fnJz0OLCuMy9N02E_Lom03YXTmPi_VcT4SSyYGTPjKXt6zdhdq8KEsujCpMjpQy2NVRSXFsYnx7ow/s1280/Feature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmyahTes0UcbcTgEQocghpqIOetOaLD81g36kEVkwCxTB0BobFg41Zgmq3g_uNZtRuGcDf6JCwx3syohFZIDZNcJYg5JCrT7-hDxsT6urszwv2fnJz0OLCuMy9N02E_Lom03YXTmPi_VcT4SSyYGTPjKXt6zdhdq8KEsujCpMjpQy2NVRSXFsYnx7ow/s320/Feature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>It also shows us that while times change, things also remain the same. That women today are still battling many of these same issues all these years later shows that vigilance of past successes is never as secure as we may think. The battles women had in the 60's, 70's and 80's for work, sports, careers, sexual freedom, even military careers, were all the children of mother's who during the war years provided the backbone work force of the US Arsenal that won World War II. While many look fondly at the 50's as the Golden Age, there were many women who did not. They were still feeding on the freedom they had and proved they could do just about anything a man could do.</p><p>GOLDEN GIRLS fed on that line of reasoning in a comedic way that still had a heart of steel beneath. They were not afraid to address the concerns of these women, women everywhere, and while we laughed they often had a point. For me, as a man, I only truly see the point now.</p><p>I urge you to watch these shows, again if need be! As for me, I plan on getting Season 2 the next time I'm at the library! I find that I still have much to learn.</p><p><i style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtvNYclQ2loxaCtM3du5ejnncF0t0wcm825qJgKtcdq5tacDttQss0-mEXFhSa0cYGZVvAxygybjDJqNm5VcLWyZKcIuA5et46ClGe-VQYKvUow1IpSJ8tAbLAAiCwIs1SpcrDQ96gVIdB8v3wHa-a-QEzl4cje2ktJE0aC2wBd0kn9Qy03ePYv-OHg/s3000/a080efd8-8e0b-435e-8b9e-f81e146e289d-TheGoldenGirls_0010_Group.jpg.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1998" data-original-width="3000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtvNYclQ2loxaCtM3du5ejnncF0t0wcm825qJgKtcdq5tacDttQss0-mEXFhSa0cYGZVvAxygybjDJqNm5VcLWyZKcIuA5et46ClGe-VQYKvUow1IpSJ8tAbLAAiCwIs1SpcrDQ96gVIdB8v3wHa-a-QEzl4cje2ktJE0aC2wBd0kn9Qy03ePYv-OHg/s320/a080efd8-8e0b-435e-8b9e-f81e146e289d-TheGoldenGirls_0010_Group.jpg.webp" width="320" /></a></span></i></div><i style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!</span></i><p></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i><i style="font-size: 13.2px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</span></i></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!</span></i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-87818108886567190302023-05-19T13:33:00.000-07:002023-05-19T13:33:06.503-07:00TALKING TO STRANGERS: Unburdening Our Regrets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipL0DjG1ByFtXzV2Hrh7xLyBNvryH0Bqd2O325IkLDvHVkaFY4I3g-RiMzqscjt6gQuBMnph34xhEoYLxsDLn7Nzlwzh5xrOkyrV_3-XEGEQzyJPjzfIxseEoz7k8aTb_tr0kGIijLhjcGWYhy2SpRzS-z3Ci-0RmViU0WgI8w3DESA9ko7iCN--Sv4A/s720/Strangers%20book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="451" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipL0DjG1ByFtXzV2Hrh7xLyBNvryH0Bqd2O325IkLDvHVkaFY4I3g-RiMzqscjt6gQuBMnph34xhEoYLxsDLn7Nzlwzh5xrOkyrV_3-XEGEQzyJPjzfIxseEoz7k8aTb_tr0kGIijLhjcGWYhy2SpRzS-z3Ci-0RmViU0WgI8w3DESA9ko7iCN--Sv4A/s320/Strangers%20book.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>A few weeks ago I finally picked up and read Malcolm Gladwell's book TALKING TO STRANGERS. Like his other books such as BLINK that talks about how we make decisions often in the blink of an eye or OUTLIERS that discusses if you put 10,000 hours into something you become a master. Master? Yes, a Mozart or Bill Gates. I entered the world of a trifecta of strangers in books and movies and the nightly news that seem to only talk to <i>strangers</i>. <div><br /></div><div> Gladwell's books seem simplistic until you scratch a bit below the surface. STRANGERS attempts to address how we talk to each other, friend or foe and create a society that we try to live in, lies and all. I might add that today, as opposed to my youth, we both DON'T talk to each other today OR listen! In fact, that we won't talk to each other directly, face to face could be the biggest problem this nation faces. The book makes you think and I think hopes that before your open your mouth, consider carefully what you are about to say! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBthbH3dGKZBgrOj_BJw4mGxMVrwPzXdMLw-TINxDxiCaBCuDf7W83RycNPP6HaFhZzucB_xFETWqED6QkXv5c0ECMy4lnbPYt93QQ_XOzJfMOhqDfZ706INcgT2vMgcfg-ndmZEHkyJ-4LvyqLSJH3M0NP_r4_a7n9bq8UeXgoNw5EQoUoycXxTaYow/s720/Car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="530" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBthbH3dGKZBgrOj_BJw4mGxMVrwPzXdMLw-TINxDxiCaBCuDf7W83RycNPP6HaFhZzucB_xFETWqED6QkXv5c0ECMy4lnbPYt93QQ_XOzJfMOhqDfZ706INcgT2vMgcfg-ndmZEHkyJ-4LvyqLSJH3M0NP_r4_a7n9bq8UeXgoNw5EQoUoycXxTaYow/s320/Car.jpg" width="236" /></a></div></div><div>Then the other day I watched, over two days, the Japanese film DRIVE MY CAR. Directed by Ryûsake Hanaguchi it won an Oscar for Best International Film in 2022. A long 3 hour movie (best watched over two days as I did) it tells the story of an actor/director who loses his wife at a young age to a cerebral hemorrhage. He feels guilt because he never knew what she wanted to talk to him about before she dies. A year later he is hired to direct UNCLE VANYA at a theatre in Hiroshima and is told that he is not allowed to drive but must allow a driver to drive his car. For car buffs this is a cherry red Saab Turbo in mint condition. Hesitant, he allows the young woman to drive him after a trial run.
Things get iffy when the young man Kafuku saw having sex with his wife applies for the play. While a young actor he is given the part of Vanya much to his surprise. Kafuku never lets on he knows the young man's past history. However, the young man in an aside after a dinner, beats up a man taking photos of him and during the dress rehearsal is arrested for the man's death. Confronted by the committee on continuing the play with Kafuku as Vanya, who knows all the lines, or his refusal to act and shutting down the play he pleads to think about it. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44xH0xKOVRa5sQDoisM7r0rNRAUN1J5_jKqRxjAdLu_JD5UqvcZn4NYMu9k_J3ejPSoEd9ToaL4Lh7SzlKvmFya819_VPfZSX5MIY3vVgB8eiA_HYxIODs_sG6pdAmKn0Zi-3ioWZeTxkzIUvlgDh65qOy0lZxT4iOcXK9nOe2kzNC23v45_ivyVScQ/s720/In%20car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44xH0xKOVRa5sQDoisM7r0rNRAUN1J5_jKqRxjAdLu_JD5UqvcZn4NYMu9k_J3ejPSoEd9ToaL4Lh7SzlKvmFya819_VPfZSX5MIY3vVgB8eiA_HYxIODs_sG6pdAmKn0Zi-3ioWZeTxkzIUvlgDh65qOy0lZxT4iOcXK9nOe2kzNC23v45_ivyVScQ/w232-h174/In%20car.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>He gets in the car and orders the driver to take him where she grew up. Then secrets are revealed. He tells her of his day spent not going home even though he knew his wife wanted to talk to him and when he arrives finds her almost dead. If he had returned earlier he might have saved her. The driver, on her part, tells of her childhood, being raised by a single abusive mother whom she let die when their home was buried in an avalanche. Going to the house he sees the destruction and feels her hurt and anguish on full display. They both grieve for what was never done.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUb4C1V3XMTrp-xcJRqOrMP2hOxSPPwTBfLRxy6IFQmszvJ-lt8OE_L_JpiqDJ3ldEGloM07MU5lBOjqvFh5MH6BNQ9B1htuPyZH5zNWWD4LS8tld4cAWWQ2pJUXQul0OKeD_ehN1gWflEJpl0JLzWqWkIGLXxIkPXxjbSKV9mu3HF8t0i2eEWG8OYeg/s720/Maladies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="479" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUb4C1V3XMTrp-xcJRqOrMP2hOxSPPwTBfLRxy6IFQmszvJ-lt8OE_L_JpiqDJ3ldEGloM07MU5lBOjqvFh5MH6BNQ9B1htuPyZH5zNWWD4LS8tld4cAWWQ2pJUXQul0OKeD_ehN1gWflEJpl0JLzWqWkIGLXxIkPXxjbSKV9mu3HF8t0i2eEWG8OYeg/s320/Maladies.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Then my book club picked Jhumpa Lahiri's Pulitzer Prize book of short stories, INTERPRETER OF MALADIES. Reading the chapter with the books title it tells the story of an American, East Indian heritage family on a trip to India. They hire a driver to take them to a famous temple a few hours away and while they go they begin to talk. The driver, who gives tours only on weekends, has a week job his wife calls "medical assistant" but in reality is a translator to a doctor whose patients often speak different Indian dialects. The American wife, who appears either unhappy or bored becomes interested. The driver, Mr. Kapasi. takes an interest in her and has hopes to remaining in contact even giving her his address. This hope is soon shattered when at a last stop, before reaching their hotel, the wife reveals to Kapasi as they watch husband and children walk away that she has a terrible secret, even worse than not loving either husband or children. One of the children is not even her husband's but the child of her husbands best friend who spent a night visiting them.
Kapasi is taken aback and asks if this was so secret and no one else knows why she is telling him? "Because you are an interpreter!" she says." The reader and Kapasi both wonder, interpreter of what? What advise could we give? In despair, he has none.</div><div><br /></div><div>I found this an interesting dilemma. Why would I find three items that discuss the same thing? It certainly isn't a design of finding out why we tell secrets. I do know however, that many of us do. Who hasn't on a train, plane or bus told another things you would never tell your partner, spouse, friend or parent? There is a kind of anonymous pleasure in revealing something, taking it off your chest. Clearly the wife in INTERPRETER feels that the burden of her eight year old secret is relieved when she passes the burden on to another.</div><div><br /></div><div>Is that why we do it? By giving a secret away we relieve ourselves of it's burden? It reminds me of the scapegoat where ancient Hebrews would pin secrets on a sheep or goat and drive into the wilderness. The animal was thought to take away all the guilt and shame of the past year. I wonder if the secrets we reveal have any impact on those we give it to? Clearly in these stories it did. And, I get the feeling it relieved them of their guilt! However, while you feel relieved, do we pass it on? What do you think?</div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</span></i></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!</span></i></p></div><div><br /></div><div><p data-reader-unique-id="66" style="caret-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.78); color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.78); font-family: -apple-system-font; font-size: 18px; max-width: 100%;"><i data-reader-unique-id="67" style="max-width: 100%;">Thank you for visiting my store! Please be sure to visit on a regular basis or contact me at KrugsStudio.etsy.com. New birdhouses, craft items, photography and canvas paintings are added all the time. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates local handcrafted items about my store.</i></p><p data-reader-unique-id="68" style="caret-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.78); color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.78); font-family: -apple-system-font; font-size: 18px; max-width: 100%;"><i data-reader-unique-id="69" style="max-width: 100%;"><br data-reader-unique-id="70" style="max-width: 100%;" /></i></p><p data-reader-unique-id="71" style="caret-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.78); color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.78); font-family: -apple-system-font; font-size: 18px; max-width: 100%;"><i data-reader-unique-id="72" style="max-width: 100%;">If you have the time and are interested about how art and design affect our lives, PLEASE check out my blog, KrugsStudio.blogspot.com. I discuss how art and design effects our lives, often in more ways than we can ever imagine. It covers a wide range of topics, not just art but does look at design and how we design our lives each and every day. Comments and ideas for future articles are always welcome. </i></p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div><br />Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-19883942819713485152023-04-06T09:59:00.001-07:002023-05-19T09:57:26.925-07:00Reflections On The Academy Awards<p> Shortly before this year's Academy Awards an OP-ED piece appeared in the Los Angeles Tims that caught my eye. It asked the question, "Are Too Many Oscar pics too moody for you?" Clearly she had not seen an Ingmar Bergman movie.</p><p>In the piece Virginia Heffernan discusses the fact that even in color many of the nominees looked drained. Here is the article:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vgRcTgfNYTkz41WLvW1mM_f4II9MuWOvC0col9f_2ho2wTLNbRxVMVI011DfkkTDb6Ql7wZPFP7I206B-9oIciyGoyifQmeuQvwvWw572PafAJ8Gfdn_4bgftYAxtbPXk6Og_ewqQFXqQqoJR9Z5rx8eFE33KZXLU7rhtxEaV19NU6SV0m6l8jSPzg/s3997/Scan_001.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3997" data-original-width="2104" height="1068" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vgRcTgfNYTkz41WLvW1mM_f4II9MuWOvC0col9f_2ho2wTLNbRxVMVI011DfkkTDb6Ql7wZPFP7I206B-9oIciyGoyifQmeuQvwvWw572PafAJ8Gfdn_4bgftYAxtbPXk6Og_ewqQFXqQqoJR9Z5rx8eFE33KZXLU7rhtxEaV19NU6SV0m6l8jSPzg/w563-h1068/Scan_001.png" width="563" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But after the Oscars, and I didn't see them all, I did reflect on them. American movies for the past few decades have been little more than rehashes of an original premise that goes on year after year. ROCKY morphs into ROCKY 51, where they battle each other in wheel chairs? STAR WARS 235 where the great grandchildren of Hans Solo fight the grandchildren of Darth Vader. You get the picture. This leads me to the discussion of this years nominees:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1. <b>TOP GUN:MAVERICK</b>. This one WAS a stretch. Twenty years later, really? For an action film it was heart pounding but, and it is a BIG but, we've seen it all before.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. <b>WOMEN TALKING</b> was truly an original, gem as it may be. Mennonite Women in Bolivia were given cow tranquilizer then raped by their men. After the mens arrest the woman have to decide whether to leave or not. As I watched I could not help but think of men in this country attempting to control the bodies of women. There is a line from THE KING AND I where the king says, " it's alright for the bee to fly from flower to flower but NOT flower from bee to bee."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. <b>EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE, ALL AT ONCE</b> is a fantasy and reality for the 1,000's of immigrants that come to this country. I have Chinese friends and hear and watch their struggles to make sense of what happens to them. It was a brilliant ploy to focus on the IRS and the dehumanizing processes it uses. Trump paid $750 in taxes the year I paid over $8,000. I'm a year older and certainly a great deal poorer. No matter what was said Michele Yo and Jamie Lee Curtis deserved their Oscars for playing the every woman to the Tramp's everyman.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4. <b>THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN</b> was certainly one of the grimmest movies I have ever seen. That a friendship could go so horribly wrong and take the twists and turns to its bitter end ... well, it's not a world or friendship that I would want to have. To me it made no sense, yet it certainly was original and not American.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">5. <b>TÁR</b> tells a sad disintegration of a brilliant female conductor who thought too highly of herself as she explored the music she so deeply admired. I didn't feel she was so evil as obviously others in her medium thought. I felt the young man who cared less for Bach and was into "modern" music still had a lot to learn. But, as in every generation, the young have no time for the past. And I question if that is why societies around the world are in the moral morass they are in as they forget the past only to have to rediscover it again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">6. I didn't see <b>ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT</b> as I had read the book and seen an earlier movie. While well intended to remind us about the evils of war (from the previews) an even gorier version was made to remind us of this fact. Nightly news reports of Ukraine bring this fact home to us every day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">7. <b>AVATAR</b> I also didn't see. I didn't much care for the original and didn't plan on spending 3+ hours more seeing its sequel, another sequel years away from the original. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also didn't see <b>THE FABELMAN'S,</b> <b>TRIANGLE OF SADNESS</b> or <b>ELVIS</b>. The first two weren't shown locally here long, if ever, and I grew up with Elvis and have spent an entire day at Graceland seeing everything you could ever want to see. Biopics tend to gloss over the less desirable aspects of the person and blow-up the known. As a Boomer Baby, almost, I will never forget his first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show where they would not show him below the waist!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love movie's and have built up my own DVD collection because you always CAN'T see it on Netflix or Prime. I had a wild hair to see CHARADE recently with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. It was a $5.00 rental on Prime. Five dollars for a 60 year old movie? A few days later I was Big Lots and looking through their DVD items found the movie for $3.00. Not only did I get it cheaper, it is now mine to watch whenever I please!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was lucky that my parents loved movies. Every Friday or Saturday from the second grade on we would go. I saw NIGHT TO REMEMBER and cried when the Titanic went down, saw all the Esther Williams swimming fantasies, SINGING IN THE RAIN and in the 8th grade saw PSYCHO a movie I couldn't get through again until last year when terrified of the shower scene, wrapped in a blanket like a mummy, I sat through the movie. I still remembered the college guys behind me screaming like girls!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Movie's can be a significant force in our lives. It can show the best and the worst of humanity. It can uplift like the recent RRR or it can bring us down as SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. As a movie lover, I may not and should not agree with say Rotten Tomatoes. I have found what the "critics" like or dislike is often at odds with the general audience and myself. A case in point was the movie DROP DEAD FRED. It was considered a terrible movie by Siscal and Ebert. Desperate for something to watch something when my kids were small, I was shocked to discover I could identify with Phoebe because in many ways I had a mom like that as well. While I never had an imaginary friend like Fred I did have an imaginary world like Jack Lemon's DAD who escaped to his imaginary world to escape his harpy wife.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We all have movies we love and those we avoid. In a testing, it was discovered it only took a few first bars of movie themes for the listener to identify the movie. Movies can be an escape or they can reflect our lives and often solutions and pitfalls to our own daily lives. Yet the past few years have been staggeringly sterile, a collection of Marvel or super hero tales with no end. That's why I enjoy both the Palm Springs Movie Festival and Cinema Diverse where films from all over the world are shown and we get a glimpse of other cultures and ideas. Often a foreign film will be made in America but rarely with the same impact as the original because it has to be morally correct. THE LAST TANGO IN PARIS was a perfect example. A widower meets a man in Paris after the death of his wife and they become lovers. Too scandalous for Americans, the male lover becomes (to me just as scandalous) an underage female and it went on to titillate Americans the way LOLITA had. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, I would like to remind you that movies and the world's they create are still "designed." Once watching the extras on the movie MONSTERS INC. they showed all the errors and problems with the software to create their "monsters." It was at the moment I realized just how much a movie, a cartoon takes at least 5 years to make, is created, designed if you will. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In this vain I urge you to look for original movies and don't accept more of the same old thing!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</span></i></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!</span></i></p></div></div><br /><p><br /></p>Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-46559000896760487672023-03-21T20:53:00.003-07:002023-03-21T20:53:44.933-07:00Finding Other Media<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Wg_mK6gzNiVCzT1ZgGYE5CVvH3nXocYr-lAWVnV_kSfwbOGDE-ZmIG7c0IgmIV2Ax-aGI_0YMdWWAvl-vZDg01V2fpFfur28vTSc6KsClJjHPqzfMlC5BQsCChXRwJ45XvPi8GMWH7sglysol6FUQw1tuB4c9d19A6turR717bmbH8xQNFBUVcWaWg/s1159/Map%20to%20Welburn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1159" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Wg_mK6gzNiVCzT1ZgGYE5CVvH3nXocYr-lAWVnV_kSfwbOGDE-ZmIG7c0IgmIV2Ax-aGI_0YMdWWAvl-vZDg01V2fpFfur28vTSc6KsClJjHPqzfMlC5BQsCChXRwJ45XvPi8GMWH7sglysol6FUQw1tuB4c9d19A6turR717bmbH8xQNFBUVcWaWg/w338-h320/Map%20to%20Welburn.jpg" width="338" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Here is the map to Welburn! It took us hours to <br />get there. I have since learned to order online. <br />Shipping is cheap and it comes quickly!</b></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table> A few years ago a friend and I made the trek to Welburn Gourd Farm in San Diego Country. And what a trek it was too. As we wound down a narrow twisting road after exiting the I-15 near Fallbrook, CA, with NO phone signal, we struggled to find the place. In awe that there were so many homes, I wondered, who would live where there was no cell phone signal? They had power and land lines and, maybe, that is all they wanted.</p><p>Finally we found it, parked the car and wandered in. I I have never seen so many gourds in my life. Big, small, tiny some already to use, others needing some TLC (actually, a LOT of TLC to get them burnished enough to paint)and others ready to use!</p><p>We went in the store to find amazing examples of gourds transformed into works of art using electric tools to create on the gourd surfaces visions of indescribable beauty, some using the natural color and others using a kind of colored dyes I was not familiar with.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-qMp6u3YjMTDLuatJRFac5QFvpTMyvZSN6MNAPByC3KMdxTSEt_-nkq6-3SliaIMk2JHcXfruVunR_Qj3E_HDoZxPumby7dgr-OYWcnZHBljg10glzjS4waOGZs7xSQrt4q6dkTxx6G8gfiwJXBx-vE7XNY3FW6R4i-DeWWI91jTLaw7dxXXKRFOnw/s720/buying%20gourds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-qMp6u3YjMTDLuatJRFac5QFvpTMyvZSN6MNAPByC3KMdxTSEt_-nkq6-3SliaIMk2JHcXfruVunR_Qj3E_HDoZxPumby7dgr-OYWcnZHBljg10glzjS4waOGZs7xSQrt4q6dkTxx6G8gfiwJXBx-vE7XNY3FW6R4i-DeWWI91jTLaw7dxXXKRFOnw/s320/buying%20gourds.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Truly, I had never seen anything like this before.<br />They even had gourd already to paint AND with <br />holes already drilled for a birdhouse!</i></b><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>We loaded up and over the next year or so my friend turned two gourds into amazingly real looking, if not LARGE apples, and then using his ethnic Chinese heritage created two amazing gourds using dragon motifs. They were, even if painted, works of art and are proudly displayed in his home.</p><p>I was more reluctant not really knowing what to do with them. I purchased gourds already emptied of their seeds and drilled for use as a birdhouse with hanging cords. It was only when an ETSY customer asked if I could create a "Day of the Dead" birdhouse for a Christmas present that I tackled a gourd. I could help others but found it hard to help myself.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FzXaZXLHsDQWkF-Zin9Gb-Q8OCjzpRJBhMm8Vyr2tkQZtu2KQ0dM0ivS5dho4AA-ktE8DJMkEqRdE8aPp2qYoz8cmV06dNqPm778lVFOEVovEII9HsV_g8KX36wGrgNtmMLwC8ejR3KlKbGlkMoo8yE-Sc5HD6OK2OW62VfzRyz3_5yKwUJB-RvuiA/s720/Day%20od%20dead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="524" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FzXaZXLHsDQWkF-Zin9Gb-Q8OCjzpRJBhMm8Vyr2tkQZtu2KQ0dM0ivS5dho4AA-ktE8DJMkEqRdE8aPp2qYoz8cmV06dNqPm778lVFOEVovEII9HsV_g8KX36wGrgNtmMLwC8ejR3KlKbGlkMoo8yE-Sc5HD6OK2OW62VfzRyz3_5yKwUJB-RvuiA/w183-h252/Day%20od%20dead.jpg" width="183" /></a></div>I sketched out a birdhouse plan, got it approved and created it. I covered the entire birdhouse gourd in orange paint and then using an undercoat of cream acrylic paint that would opaquely cover the paint that would allow for the eventual design. It was an approach I HAD to use with both black and the traditional dark maroon of molas.<p></p><p></p>This was a trick I had learned with painting other dark birdhouses. If you want to use most reds, yellows and other transparent colors, you need to put down a very light, opaque paint and then paint over that. In this case just about the entire birdhouse had to be double painted. Many yellows needed a third coat. I finished it, the customer was happy and that was that.<p></p><p>Recently as I continue my Mola inspired journey of paintings, wooden birdhouses, tissue boxes, etc., I looked at my vast collection of things ready to paint and grabbed a gourd. Already smooth, drilled with a hole and complete with hanging cord, I spray painted the entire gourd with a flat black enamel. Having tried the enamel on a scrap overpainted with acrylic paint that worked fine, I sketched the design on the gourd of three desert parrots, something I had seen at the Tuscan Outdoor museum and added desert flowers that are abundant in the spring.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mM6McMRkz6DtZnbhyv6d3gadXJ5kr7aUquwMIqpUoF6zNw_Npgd0EtTGUKDCkiFElA7hLIL6gORGKFHDUhTnlO4OnTvx3xBbBgyTZiOjqyvNCNbf9lEz7bzxl2hKrkt77abW-_h1wfTZTUseySUsONp3xc4PO3Vu9vcGFxExc6GNuXN9D2umd9gVpA/s720/white%20underline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="576" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mM6McMRkz6DtZnbhyv6d3gadXJ5kr7aUquwMIqpUoF6zNw_Npgd0EtTGUKDCkiFElA7hLIL6gORGKFHDUhTnlO4OnTvx3xBbBgyTZiOjqyvNCNbf9lEz7bzxl2hKrkt77abW-_h1wfTZTUseySUsONp3xc4PO3Vu9vcGFxExc6GNuXN9D2umd9gVpA/w175-h230/white%20underline.jpg" width="175" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Example of white undercoa</b></i>t<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p></blockquote><p> Then came the holidays and I created first one and then three more painted designs on canvas for a holiday card, one for myself and then another for a non-profit in town. That took hours and days to do. </p><p><span>Then came an opportunity to submit a painting to the Desert Art Center in Palm Spring's February show and the birdhouse was put away again. The painting and the hours it took took precedence but also added one very important lesson. I had been using a regular black lead pencil to put down my designs and squinted and hunted for them when laying down the first white or cream undercoat. I realized there are white lead pencils and why wasn't I using them. Painting done I found and ordered a few on Amazon so that when I </span><span>returned to the yet unfinished birdhouse and it's design I finished it </span><span>with a white lead pencil. Since </span>traditionally Mola's use a black or deep maroon base cloth, I wanted to be true to the design. Later I discovered that newer Mola's used a brighter and much more varied base color ... red, blue, orange, green, and egg yolk yellows. However, dark backgrounds make the sliver of bright colors pop and I was ALL for that!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"> </div>After trying several smaller Mola type paintings including one for a local non-profit, I painted the painting below to enter in a local art showing at the Palm Springs Desert Art Center. While very colorful it really was a bit more than I think the locals were prepared for!<br /><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"></table></p></blockquote><b style="text-align: center;"></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1ZFKuA277dFd1LsxYlNlC9grUrNLnyOVc7FnYCpk4I5IzQFVxV9I80vHuL2xNtWF4r9FO5qTMtgwTaEMsaTsAfEiFSbdJzQDmoF7Mw6frbuay1-tnSaHdzSXAkjkqoJe5kvznRMXRESophu5e4R0YRtZ-4-5ftXRkSle2nEbGY0LxXiQ_zpvLLI7mw/s583/Painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="583" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1ZFKuA277dFd1LsxYlNlC9grUrNLnyOVc7FnYCpk4I5IzQFVxV9I80vHuL2xNtWF4r9FO5qTMtgwTaEMsaTsAfEiFSbdJzQDmoF7Mw6frbuay1-tnSaHdzSXAkjkqoJe5kvznRMXRESophu5e4R0YRtZ-4-5ftXRkSle2nEbGY0LxXiQ_zpvLLI7mw/s320/Painting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> That led me to finish the long ago started birdhouse of another Welburn gourd painted black and with the start of a, well frankly, who know what. Borrowing parrots I had tried before I envisioned three desert parrots in a wild spring bloom similar to something I had seen at the Tuscan Outdoor Museum. I started in black leaded pencil but finished with the newly arrived white Amazon pencils. Because of the parrots and flowers top and bottom and in-between the parrots I had to paint every line like shown above and then add colors. The more transparent the paint (that's you yellow) it might take up to three coats! But the result was more than I ever imagined!<div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-style: italic;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeN-tobHUVYqpSmyUtdTYMJ1XVmbG3b_WFLzURv7KTg2r96KbGZ7zE4dI8v65esIcBdDo0tnGpmbfnIJJ8jzJjTOo_9IOm0V_vATq6QU94ZkNY0mpoMD8pQORBQlopRTdJ1Gs3E4ej_vVulLV0Xbkh0MN23Rrc_KsV053tBsyvOVvCT2TWhB0cb9l-pA/s720/Desert%20Parrots%20BH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="514" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeN-tobHUVYqpSmyUtdTYMJ1XVmbG3b_WFLzURv7KTg2r96KbGZ7zE4dI8v65esIcBdDo0tnGpmbfnIJJ8jzJjTOo_9IOm0V_vATq6QU94ZkNY0mpoMD8pQORBQlopRTdJ1Gs3E4ej_vVulLV0Xbkh0MN23Rrc_KsV053tBsyvOVvCT2TWhB0cb9l-pA/s320/Desert%20Parrots%20BH.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Desert Parrot Birdhouse</b></td></tr></tbody></table>Since the gourd already was drilled with a hole and included a jute cord on top to hang it all I had to do was drill a hole and cut a round piece of wood to make a perch. Of course this is not the way most gourds are used, at least from Welburn. They have samples and wonderful photos of their gourds transformed in to sculptured works of art on par with examples I saw in markets in China. <br /><p></p><p>The beauty with natural items is they are already somewhat ready for a life outdoors. With a wooden birdhouse you have a whole bunch of pieces that are either glued or nailed together each one of which can fail no matter how well they are cared for. A gourd might loose it's decoration but unless allowed to sit on the ground un-protected will last for years. To preserve it if it is decorated just apply a fresh coat of an outdoor acrylic varnish and it will return to it original beauty!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8iXzbUTK1ReZiFuQOhVNaN-wGVRMf4kCg4jaeBgcekop86HYjO9cpqE2QyULcIboLQWbGuckLMlIUWr2cPLt-ShdWaeYPxS23487evn5CorgJ_ZLrdiNR-jJanb5k4BUwK3SygwFpKYorQb49reUHP2CoiV8iyKa_XW9TioEJJaOtoEZ5GUmOsjyyqg/s720/gourd%20varieites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="720" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8iXzbUTK1ReZiFuQOhVNaN-wGVRMf4kCg4jaeBgcekop86HYjO9cpqE2QyULcIboLQWbGuckLMlIUWr2cPLt-ShdWaeYPxS23487evn5CorgJ_ZLrdiNR-jJanb5k4BUwK3SygwFpKYorQb49reUHP2CoiV8iyKa_XW9TioEJJaOtoEZ5GUmOsjyyqg/s320/gourd%20varieites.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>An example of the varieties of gourds available!</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p> If you are interested in trying a new type of surface media, here is the information to contact Welburn:</p><p>Welburn Gourd Farm</p><p>40635 De Luz Road</p><p>Fallbrook, CA </p><p>Open Wed. - Sat. 10:00 am to 3:00 pm</p><p>www.welburngouardfarm.com</p><p>There may be similar places like this where you live but I think you will be satisfied with both the quality and the prices! Please forward the information to me. I am <i>always</i> looking for something new to try!</p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"><b><i>Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!</i></b></span></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.2px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</span></span></i></b></p></div><p></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><p></p></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p></p><p></p></div>Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-51492328763744171232022-06-02T17:00:00.000-07:002022-06-02T17:00:50.727-07:00Revisiting The Movie NETWORK In The Era of Fox News<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KvuyWIUOfzixgt87BVLSIErbfhhNCLKRiNDeQ4xVpQiDSiZfw4S6B8ewz6hdV9dkd8FZvt7DL-daexz9YlDZ8lpgrHOyMKy5dw6oTjW5Ldbd0BywdwQXUfSOnoHNOTsSKLOWiF4rVzUzaPf2M7pC2JCGzXYSnyTr5GW5CLQmCG-ybhpls-EW5Y8H_w/s720/Network%20DVD%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="480" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KvuyWIUOfzixgt87BVLSIErbfhhNCLKRiNDeQ4xVpQiDSiZfw4S6B8ewz6hdV9dkd8FZvt7DL-daexz9YlDZ8lpgrHOyMKy5dw6oTjW5Ldbd0BywdwQXUfSOnoHNOTsSKLOWiF4rVzUzaPf2M7pC2JCGzXYSnyTr5GW5CLQmCG-ybhpls-EW5Y8H_w/w273-h410/Network%20DVD%20cover.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><br />I recently had a nagging desire to watch the movie NETWORK, a wonderful work of movie fiction origninally released in 1975 that won multiple academy awards in 1976. The movie tells of a failing newcaster's descent into madness. In fact, the term, "I'm mad as hell and can't take it anymore" is the notable comment in this madness. It's a comment that during the Corvid pandemic makes as much sense today as it did then during our first gasoline crisis in the mid '70'. The best actor award went to Peter Finch, playing Howard Beale, as a newscaster who is fired as his ratings are falling. Finch was given his award after his death. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">Beale was considered a mandarin of news casting. However, as his ratings fell, his fourth place network decided they needed "younger" blood, and Beale who had become a childless widower, took to drinking and became less and less a presence. At the news of his dismissal, two weeks hence, he goes on the evening news and states "next Tuesday I will commit suicide right here on the news." As you can imagine the ratings go up and everyone wants to see the "suicide." Sensing rising fortunes, the network instead decides to keep him on and as he rants and raves, ratings climb higher and higher. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjED1WDlo93UxeJYRuPgdRr4PMsgKuMuBOZ5gH8zT-2GmWjJjSbyOQgGbeY2jsZsiUc7662WTpYwfYcA5Jz-PR5GCT5n35-uAv-5xtx8IkY6afGucgJEAmqaaj-lTBuq5DEkD2weKqfCemSzSe97xCUDHMhvXEQ70VS2cc_WY7LiNWjNs0W256KDOxUEg/s792/Finch-mad%20as%20hell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="792" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjED1WDlo93UxeJYRuPgdRr4PMsgKuMuBOZ5gH8zT-2GmWjJjSbyOQgGbeY2jsZsiUc7662WTpYwfYcA5Jz-PR5GCT5n35-uAv-5xtx8IkY6afGucgJEAmqaaj-lTBuq5DEkD2weKqfCemSzSe97xCUDHMhvXEQ70VS2cc_WY7LiNWjNs0W256KDOxUEg/w431-h241/Finch-mad%20as%20hell.jpg" width="431" /></a></div>I believe this sinister movie, a movie that should be shown again today, has three parts. It portrays corporate greed, making money at any price, secondly, creating social tensions and finally capitalism run amok. The fact that Rupert Murdock, who founded FOX News in 1986, used, I believe, Paddy Chayefsky's tongue-in-checck script as a blueprint has been noted by Chayefsky as well.
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">FOX News was the highest rated free network in the 18-49 demographic from 2004-2012 and again in 2020. Millions tune in to watch Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and others espose their fictions and blatant untruths nightly. It was a faithful news outlet for former President Trump and is for his minions today.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Faye Dunaway's character, Diana, as VP of programing wants control of news. She is fended off by Max (William Holden), the current News VP who has been told he has the back of the network President. However, the CBC Holding company that now owns the network, one among many, wants it to grow so it can sell it to an even wealthier owner in the middle east. This of course is a reflection for oil crisis in 1975 when the Saudi's were in ascendence and petro dollars ruled the day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Beale is given his own news spot and news has becomes a circus sideshow along with a soothsayer and other silly segments of the "news hour." Beale is given to his madness and often collapses in a faint after his latest "vision."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9VUY2c-_UC8imrAAeVDIL4tmU-7spT7t4EZhUyXy3vfaF0dzwxZ6Z2yRFa05XZ525jnQ8bIGK64dUiV8QynakHlCqoltz9mFtHnFmJr1tobL3XQlbWo9MKhTT4rqBvRzIW2DCdLHxNKS4QAilNwcaYQDsrcLkWdg6xun_-78N9H2wzTmsaIOLLUXRw/s500/ned%20beatty%20you%20will%20atone%20network%20meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="500" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9VUY2c-_UC8imrAAeVDIL4tmU-7spT7t4EZhUyXy3vfaF0dzwxZ6Z2yRFa05XZ525jnQ8bIGK64dUiV8QynakHlCqoltz9mFtHnFmJr1tobL3XQlbWo9MKhTT4rqBvRzIW2DCdLHxNKS4QAilNwcaYQDsrcLkWdg6xun_-78N9H2wzTmsaIOLLUXRw/s320/ned%20beatty%20you%20will%20atone%20network%20meme.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This plays well, until it doesn't. When he urges his followers who are "mad as hell and won't take it anymore"to turn their TV's OFF, he is summoned by Arthur Jensen (Warren Beatty) the CEO to a special boardroom for a "discussion." Sitting at one end of a loooong table, ala Putin and Macron is their recent discussions over the Ukraine war, Beatty gives the performance of a lifetime! Roaring out to Beale:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>"You have meddled with the primal forces of nature Mr. Beale...that is the atomic and subatomic </i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>and galactic structure of thing's today! And, <b>YOU WILL ATONE!</b>"</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Beale atones but soon looses his edge and ratings drop. Since Jensen forbids his removal from the stage others conspire to get rid of him before profits drop! Their solution is to kill him ... on the air by hiring a radical group they have given voice to (today's Hannity, Ingrahm and Carlson?) who assassinate Beale live as he's broadcasting on the air.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-iLSj3Mdt-88pIP95H-XWdzVKCauEhlelp2M_0Dpt_IqJVKUSSrrLjQFoFB4f8qOHoZbihWFtQUKsfg61eJI7NFfgZ8QLar_GVGBMDy_MGFwjOrMfNf2fo2YV7dx6WqUiiXrttAaX7l-ENKmV4IK1lkHFE87x8Ux4ypfSJa1dhKskIuki6lzpY-Khug/s458/network11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="458" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-iLSj3Mdt-88pIP95H-XWdzVKCauEhlelp2M_0Dpt_IqJVKUSSrrLjQFoFB4f8qOHoZbihWFtQUKsfg61eJI7NFfgZ8QLar_GVGBMDy_MGFwjOrMfNf2fo2YV7dx6WqUiiXrttAaX7l-ENKmV4IK1lkHFE87x8Ux4ypfSJa1dhKskIuki6lzpY-Khug/s320/network11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>When I saw this 47 years ago, I thought it was a funny but cynical look at TV broadcasting. The broadcasters of the day were generally respected and Walter Cronkite was the first newscaster to admit we had lost the Viet Nam war. This was all before much cable, the Internet, even cell phones. Those all arrived later. News was generally on the three networks and available in the daily newspapers, and on radio of the day. In a word, NETWORK was a work of comedy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Secondly, NETWORK is about the social tensions of the day, tensions that <i>still</i> remain today. Max fell in love with Diana leaving his wife of 25 years. Ultimately he realizes Diana has no capacity for love and that his wife, who truly does love him, has been shattered forever. Corporate greed has, if nothing else, become even more predatory and we are yet unable to staunch it's march. American companies had begun their forward march to foreign locales using the term Global Economy as their crutch. The only people who profited were the CEO's and management. No one was asking for cheaper prices. Manufacturing moved notably to China where labor costs were lower and America's millions lost their middle class, blue collar jobs in the search for cheaper labor. In my outdoor manufacturing days, I noted that when Brown-Jordan, a high end outdoor casual furniture maker, moved to Mexico, their prices in fact went up, not down and the quality suffered. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And finally it shows Capitalism run amok. In order to make more and more money, more value, a newer generation driven by none other than greed, attacks an older generation that wanted order, dignity and responsibility first, before profits. I am not so naive not to understand to succeed AND survive you need profits but to attain them at all costs, well, that was not the way I, and for the most part, we were raised. In my generation, a house was your home, not a profit center as Millennials and such believe. Here, the newer generation IS clamoring for more and more profits. They can see only one way out ... eliminating Beale in the most sensational way possible, as assassination on the air. Ratings are ALL!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And isn't that what we are seeing today? While we are not seeing literal murders, FOX leads the pack in dissemination of false news, even as they claim it's not. They all force us to ask Socrates' eternal question - "What is truth?" We ask today, what is news and "false" news?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhChiGk8he6Ga6Chb48V2GzzbmQCmjXf4WuKUYP0ctPrNXkeI-wkoCPZM_WjO-qm_mQY1PR_x6Gy7qtbbcHnhCOlr_6SHYI4KTjkjLnOAp98RdUOwK4stZTzfTzRqwWs0idQF8t7qzZsNsj6Z6dwxRypILaa-Z1r8aEk_cAaomKvGN48Px-MHPlxq6loA/s735/Fox%20cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="735" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhChiGk8he6Ga6Chb48V2GzzbmQCmjXf4WuKUYP0ctPrNXkeI-wkoCPZM_WjO-qm_mQY1PR_x6Gy7qtbbcHnhCOlr_6SHYI4KTjkjLnOAp98RdUOwK4stZTzfTzRqwWs0idQF8t7qzZsNsj6Z6dwxRypILaa-Z1r8aEk_cAaomKvGN48Px-MHPlxq6loA/s320/Fox%20cartoon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>NETWORK forces us to consider many factors in how we allow information to enter our lives. TV hasn't quite the impact it once had. Today, social media governs our lives and allows anyone to express what they think and feel. In a sense we are all Howard Beals and are mad as hell and can't and won't take it anymore. However this freedom also demands the question, Can we have too much freedom? Can we allow an 18 year-old with a grudge, real or imagined, to buy an assault rifle and murder 19 10-year-olds and their teachers without any accountability? Can we allow hate speech to spread that has consequences be allowed to flourish without any consequences? I think not. For a jolly good time watch NETWORK and see what it asks you about reality. I think you'll be glad you did.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-78662860924506403412021-12-31T12:28:00.000-08:002021-12-31T13:26:10.447-08:00If You DON'T LOOK UP It Still Comes Down<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1tGgxkYBm-mOmcA_ZysPUH_yUWggAllKyFJc7plEtk4ehgHuSdiqxRLfpyf1c4OF3alyErZfK_Zhnm2ksw3wRdRU9LzCZxVYK4g7Mbv3hAYUxd9ktFJZmANWp1TUMGP1QFGnbtBP1YrMbdy132GmvEZJLEuhSXXnOPITFWfwJmXlg7uHtfc65CaAc4g=s812" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="812" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1tGgxkYBm-mOmcA_ZysPUH_yUWggAllKyFJc7plEtk4ehgHuSdiqxRLfpyf1c4OF3alyErZfK_Zhnm2ksw3wRdRU9LzCZxVYK4g7Mbv3hAYUxd9ktFJZmANWp1TUMGP1QFGnbtBP1YrMbdy132GmvEZJLEuhSXXnOPITFWfwJmXlg7uHtfc65CaAc4g=w640-h458" width="640" /></a></div><br />Every now and then there comes a movie that is a reflection of the times, you know, how we are living now. The first such movie that I can recall was the movie <b>NETWORK</b>. It's the story of a fictional network that predicted the creation and rise of Fox News almost to a tee. It recounts the unhinging of a popular news anchor who utters the famous, "I'm mad as hell and I can't take it anymore!" He passed away before the film's release but still won best actor for this film.<p></p><p><span>The screen play, written by Paddy Chayefsky, was a tongue-in-cheek comment on how he felt broadcast news, especially, was going in 1976. He later commented on watching Fox he never thought TV would head in the direction it did. I wonder, what does he think now especially since Fox News is far more entertainment than news fact.</span><br /></p><p>Another movie that comes to mind, to me, the perfect ending for a dreadful century, was <b>AMERICAN</b> <b>BEAUTY</b> (1999). It tells the tale of a middle class suburban man dealing with a mid-life crisis as the world he knows (as the rest of us discovered) crumbles. Forced out of his job during the "re-structuring" American companies forced on their workers as they moved manufacturing offshore, he reverts back into adolescent behavior that leads to an untimely end. </p><p>Netflix's newest and at the moment most popular film is their very own <b>DON'T LOOK UP,</b> a sweeping commentary on our lives today where reality TV and life have become so blurred you don't know which is which. It features an amazing cast: Meryl Streep, Leonard DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, Tyler Perry, Ariana Grande and many others. While billed as a comedy it is essentially a disaster movie made funny as it parodies events happening in this country today. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfboaX0KjNBU4fRKGwcmutX3Lda48t1DKrARJ2YfJqer0wGy5qeBp0oF_j8ZFsP_BttcLL1mYFf5qcYgX34dz3mesfmXOanAT-BqZsAIyu81xXb0HD6Le-zHdXNr4206iIA5Mb6s0C4rE1oiyXgzxzQMIdRlVlz7h3Fvw-nzVOGNZKC1_OfOS4WY-pcA=s2500" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="2500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfboaX0KjNBU4fRKGwcmutX3Lda48t1DKrARJ2YfJqer0wGy5qeBp0oF_j8ZFsP_BttcLL1mYFf5qcYgX34dz3mesfmXOanAT-BqZsAIyu81xXb0HD6Le-zHdXNr4206iIA5Mb6s0C4rE1oiyXgzxzQMIdRlVlz7h3Fvw-nzVOGNZKC1_OfOS4WY-pcA=w400-h200" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The comet's path</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table></p><div style="text-align: left;">While looking at the stars a student working on her Ph.D (Lawrence) discovers a huge comet heading our way. She takes her finding to her teacher (DiCaprio) who brings the coordinates to his class and they work out the trajectory. Suddenly he realizes the comet will be a direct hit on earth and the massive size of the comet is a life ending event when it hits earth.</div><p></p><p>They hurry to tell NASA and others in the government about the impending disaster ... 6 months and 14 days away ... and that's when the comedy begins. </p><p>You may ask, "How can a disaster movie be funny?" Trust me, once you realize that this is a parody of our polarized times it makes perfect sense. Streep, who plays the President, is outrageous, not unlike recent events here. Her chief of staff, her son, Jonah Hill, is as clueless about the real world as a recent president's own sons. He dismisses University of Michigan people and wants to check with Harvard, Yale and such.</p><p>To cap it off, despite the military's of the world sending rockets and a retired space shuttle to strike the comet in an attempt to deflect it's course, that too is deflected because a crazy billionaire thinks that it can be mined for the trillions of dollars of rare and valuable metals it holds. I mean if you have a billion, why not two ... right?</p><p>I've read the critics comments and wonder, do they really understand the message? Did they with the other two movies mentioned? Are critics and today's "influencers" so wrapped up in themselves (yes) that they can't see the forest for the trees? To me this movie speaks volumes about how shallow our times have become. You will believe a quack of any stripe over the reality of scientific data.</p><p>The closing scenes say it all. The president leads rally's nationwide with the slogan "Don't Look Up" as if what you might see is true until finally someone does look up and as they do, the reality of what is going to happen becomes real.</p><p>When it becomes apparent that they are, in fact, doomed the billionaire hustles off to his interstellar spaceship, President in tow, where after 22,000 + years in space they find and land on an inhabitable planet. </p><p>While our president does get her just reward, so do the citizens of earth. There is no happy ending, there is just ... an ending. All we can hope and pray is that we, in our stupidity, don't do something that will end this very same way.</p><p><b><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Thank you for reading my blog! Please be sure to visit on a regular basis or contact me at KrugsStudio@gmail.com. New blogs are added all the time. In conjunction </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">with my store I feel that “design” is an important part of our lives. Everything we use or live by was designed by someone. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates design about my blog.</span></i></b></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><b><i>Please be sure to visit my store, KrugsStudio.etsy.com on a regular basis. New birdhouses, craft items, photography and canvas paintings are added all the time. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates local handcrafted items about my store.</i></b></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><i>OWN or GIFT an original work of art this year!</i></b></p><div><br /></div>Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-73778438231852362752021-09-02T22:03:00.000-07:002021-09-02T22:03:32.220-07:00The Challenge of the NEW!<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjdRmaDn-Ytc9LVcHHFw2_yurYAC8VO4hqD04bj9NC9aw2MZjZf_QfplLIMDV2SLiHwiL6q8w_jU74aGdx6nXPWJlxVzKpHGlQJElArpTmR0HY1RdokIovQPz6oU-zSEhMg_ohn2vVIdc/s1008/Complete+village.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="1008" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjdRmaDn-Ytc9LVcHHFw2_yurYAC8VO4hqD04bj9NC9aw2MZjZf_QfplLIMDV2SLiHwiL6q8w_jU74aGdx6nXPWJlxVzKpHGlQJElArpTmR0HY1RdokIovQPz6oU-zSEhMg_ohn2vVIdc/w640-h373/Complete+village.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>This was a long way from designing birdhouses yet fun to do in many "new" ways!</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Last year, when I asked my daughter what she would like for Christmas for herself, husband and my granddaughter she thought awhile and then said, I would like you to create a Hanukkah Village for us to put on our mantle. While my daughter is a born and raised United Methodist, he husband is Jewish and I knew they were combining faith traditions as they raise their daughter, my granddaughter.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBX9XDPKKgSHCGyU-vVDyTIqA4r1be17-7QezG51jVjTUkPn6wSYh5J9Lq4QO2fcpE1_XM5_etTaJAWRkGhAI1rpXl-oosdt_7-rbQmu2VPWsK2BAadGLLz79Ngq78Tm026PksrAj2-Ifb/s720/3+houses.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBX9XDPKKgSHCGyU-vVDyTIqA4r1be17-7QezG51jVjTUkPn6wSYh5J9Lq4QO2fcpE1_XM5_etTaJAWRkGhAI1rpXl-oosdt_7-rbQmu2VPWsK2BAadGLLz79Ngq78Tm026PksrAj2-Ifb/s320/3+houses.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>She sent me a photo of the houses she wanted to use, (left) three different sizes of paper mache houses that had removable roofs. The Hanukkah tradition is for each day the candle burns, 8 days in all, there is a small gift for a child each day. With these, they could put a gift inside. I loved the idea but the challenge was that Hanukkah was less than a month away!<div><br /></div><div><span style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-O0QH123aBTuIKgLvNJQRxU-p1I-SpZ11vE-4voZ5F1RbGNisvjealqHSN56WdyJMXRSOXBF2teb-BUVE7XiDrYkYDiNEJIK6IliKIRpO23P1mKTOyztHe1hK_Q-vZ011SyUZbBdELN1k/s855/Synagogue.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;">I hurried over to the craft store to get two sets of the houses and thought I would use a wooden birdhouse (that really didn't look like a birdhouse) and use a wooden tree I decorated with snowmen skiing down a hillside to a frozen pond for the seventh and eighth pieces. There was room in the birdhouse to hide something and a space in front of the snowman tree.</span><br /></a></span><p>The challenge? How to design each one so they were unique and yet festive enough for the Holiday Season.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUi1V3UP6e-twv7ojpjW05to1gAZ_43IHWXZOlp-hH6yRV1zHvgr_7XAtISgdutJSwx-kLbjp6zDM0f__f55oXb1rACeV_j74IlB-1rVFdD8bNqcY0lO4kQ32v0xztNvJ71EHRR0AUqKX6/s855/Synagogue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUi1V3UP6e-twv7ojpjW05to1gAZ_43IHWXZOlp-hH6yRV1zHvgr_7XAtISgdutJSwx-kLbjp6zDM0f__f55oXb1rACeV_j74IlB-1rVFdD8bNqcY0lO4kQ32v0xztNvJ71EHRR0AUqKX6/s320/Synagogue.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>A birdhouse converted to a synagogue</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>I first tackled the wooden birdhouse that I made into a synagogue. I found some Hanukkah decorations and used them on the birdhouse keeping the synagogue as simple as I could. It turned out to be a kind of Spanish style synagogue but with a few simple additions it was passable.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajTanKNFpKHR3v7_8VnlkjBA8aFno2GMLdifoRKvwnSMgTsMe9QByaguNrl9ZP1yURkow7r9UO7kRgElo2C9Vs7fhCoi4z7ADMYNc0ApOE6uU9laS2kwnOQVYjBc8Toc9fzoLJ0hiyPaJ/s720/House+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajTanKNFpKHR3v7_8VnlkjBA8aFno2GMLdifoRKvwnSMgTsMe9QByaguNrl9ZP1yURkow7r9UO7kRgElo2C9Vs7fhCoi4z7ADMYNc0ApOE6uU9laS2kwnOQVYjBc8Toc9fzoLJ0hiyPaJ/w320-h320/House+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p>It was fun and that made me learn to use my scroll saw because the next item was a big, formal house with columns! I added lintels, feet became attic windows and of course you needed holiday decorations. </p><p>I had amassed a collection of items and for the first time I found that I was able to use them to embellish the items with more than just with paint. My two story houses with removable roofs were put to the test.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PyBEf3NlSJZErEVrF850tNjwFMZsPZflvSn2yg68nhzhfaEm5K5jyy-cxGY53ijUaEEYkmNSKWIfcv4Q4bUKmWfwq3hY-_sCxZbqPpv1ib8YqqT-pqzrwBdL2y8_JJcQUJa8pSmjEd8R/s720/House+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="720" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PyBEf3NlSJZErEVrF850tNjwFMZsPZflvSn2yg68nhzhfaEm5K5jyy-cxGY53ijUaEEYkmNSKWIfcv4Q4bUKmWfwq3hY-_sCxZbqPpv1ib8YqqT-pqzrwBdL2y8_JJcQUJa8pSmjEd8R/s320/House+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>A little adobe house with removable roof</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>What was so fun was that I got to do all kinds of detail work with a variety of objects that I found new uses for. I had never done anything quite like this and found that I would spend just about all night working on these fragile houses creating a kind of village from as you can see above, from nothing!</div><div><br /></div><div>The challenge was to decide HOW to decorate each piece. The Hanukkah tree was already done and the synagogue was finished but now what? I two two large houses to do, two mid sized and two small houses left. I wanted each one to be different but how?</div><div><br /></div><div>I was given free reign on how I wanted to decorate them and I didn't want them to all be too formal. I next tackled one of the small houses and converted it into a Southwest adobe style with visible wooden beams coming through the walls, front and back, Southwest colors and details complete with cactuses. It was fun. I did the other small house more in the Spanish Territorial style you would see in New Mexico!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQAhgtFnI2RQWtxLUWX5fT7eak-zQuHGqghDtnFgMpxET6jEz6aVjDYcLHYehfPwInai8ho4Aa0OWSbAv8dal-QYKpW6LPlrRVh1sNHOSwLTZ4VZfTpPIhGhREuzZ2SIy9pruX6hXVgrc/s720/House+3+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="711" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQAhgtFnI2RQWtxLUWX5fT7eak-zQuHGqghDtnFgMpxET6jEz6aVjDYcLHYehfPwInai8ho4Aa0OWSbAv8dal-QYKpW6LPlrRVh1sNHOSwLTZ4VZfTpPIhGhREuzZ2SIy9pruX6hXVgrc/s320/House+3+front.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>The two midsized houses were a challenge. I finally decided to paint one in the Pennsylvania Dutch / Bavarian style with dark walls and hearts and flowers similar to what I had seen in Bavaria on several trips. It was dark yet remained colorful with large red hearts and tulips adorning front and back. Adding a tree also added a German feel.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The second large house I decided to decorate in my wildly colorful "crazy-quilt" design incorporating both Hanukkah and Christmas elements. While I am not all that familiar with Jewish traditions some decorations at the craft store helped. Here I used Christmas colors and each base color had it's own design. The rub was that I used Christmas and Hanukkah wrap instead of fabric prints. It was a challenge with an amazing amount of detailing required.</div><div><br /></div><div>The last mid-sized house I made blue with snowflake patterns with a small birdhouse decorating the front. You "know" I had to get a birdhouse in somewhere. As you can see from the photo at the top the village is quite colorful and was a hit at my daughters house.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRup2lYQZD1lM8YsiYnodNyCVvDyTHVpB6v2FGaHZ_b0dugG5q-L_r6TEnpicx36Tq02JQCZbIUt5zm3oI_xpI7bt2dOYxhvmTqrjxEM8nRe2eJOZgIaYe91Bq-0X1rYGJhaHisOU3UsKl/s960/House+2+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRup2lYQZD1lM8YsiYnodNyCVvDyTHVpB6v2FGaHZ_b0dugG5q-L_r6TEnpicx36Tq02JQCZbIUt5zm3oI_xpI7bt2dOYxhvmTqrjxEM8nRe2eJOZgIaYe91Bq-0X1rYGJhaHisOU3UsKl/s320/House+2+front.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Packing them all in a box was yet another challenge. The miracle was that they managed to arrive with little damage despite the damage to the box. Pieces that fell off were easily glued back on and it was unique as displayed on their fireplace mantle.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sometimes you need a little, in this case a huge shove, to use your talents in new ways. This would be a wonderful gift for family, friends or yourself, something unique that you created! With tender loving care, this would be a decoration that could be used for years and handed down to the next generation. Who doesn't have Christmas things from years and generations past? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With the holidays just around the corner I hope that I have inspired my readers to attempt the same thing!</div></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</span></i></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!</span></i></p></div>Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-71749523080662034382021-08-27T21:52:00.001-07:002023-03-21T20:55:44.445-07:00Vincent van Gogh: A Journey<p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5JTV9987SIIQ2bUdKKhc-rYRIx8f7c-mUKMmpRDWLMQbrrLiOX18LTEKqiL_8Y1vYVcXIGKsO0zwswUwNE3B2GLgVgYbhZOUdv3STpqz3DDx6ermmkUdpsupa1fdG4cgwGrMMvepqnGw/s720/Taschen-+Book.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="614" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5JTV9987SIIQ2bUdKKhc-rYRIx8f7c-mUKMmpRDWLMQbrrLiOX18LTEKqiL_8Y1vYVcXIGKsO0zwswUwNE3B2GLgVgYbhZOUdv3STpqz3DDx6ermmkUdpsupa1fdG4cgwGrMMvepqnGw/w341-h400/Taschen-+Book.png" width="341" /></a></div>Out of the blue one day recently I got an email from Taschen Books about a sale they were having. Luckily for them, they featured a photo of a book about Vincent van Gogh they were having a sale on. Even at $50.00 it seemed a bargain as it would include ALL of his works, sketches, pen and inks and every painting he ever made. Of course, I bought it.</span></div><p></p><p>When it arrived I realized that it was huge. Over 750 pages not including index and oversized pages. As I started to read it though, I was struck by facts that I did not know and I already had a number of books about him, including his letters. I glanced through the letters but never sat down to read them.</p><p>I knew he was the second son born with the name Vincent but did not know he was born on the same day as his brother's stillborn death. There was a small cemetery in front of the vicarage house he grew up in and each day he could see his name sake's headstone.</p><p>His was a tortured journey that we have all heard about. But seeing all, not some of his paintings showed his slow but steady development as an artist. None of his work in Holland and with the miners in Belgium showed the brilliance that was to come. The authors of this book call his THE POTATO EATERS his first masterpiece but also note that it is a set piece, each face has been posed and that it was not truly an actual scene. Yet, in its own way, captured the essence of their lives.</p><p>My introduction to Vincent was as a 5th-6th Grader taking art classes at the Portland Art Museum. My </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5TsYmFI_2GZagYanZKrKIbyD8f1sV1TNMVY07zKb1OLT9CQbswNHkGPPhoD_c3D0cGRiG-LPOntoWFOaWtcK36gbb1wQ4kubb1n2_JbJVM9AGoteHFGJHFQ5IUWqXcK3OneglFmLbszd/s864/branches-almond-blossom-6_2867.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="864" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5TsYmFI_2GZagYanZKrKIbyD8f1sV1TNMVY07zKb1OLT9CQbswNHkGPPhoD_c3D0cGRiG-LPOntoWFOaWtcK36gbb1wQ4kubb1n2_JbJVM9AGoteHFGJHFQ5IUWqXcK3OneglFmLbszd/s320/branches-almond-blossom-6_2867.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Blossoms: Almond Tree In Bloom</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>father was naturally gifted and watching my doodles decided that I needed some training. For some reason the van Gogh collection was at the museum on a world tour as they were building a new museum dedicated to his art in Amsterdamn. So every Saturday I would walk past this vast collection as I went to art class. Often I would have to wait for my father who was the manager of the Schick Electric Shaver Shop in Portland, OR. He had to work half day Saturday's. I would wander the gallery and look at each painting. My favorite of all was Blossoms: Almond Tree in Bloom. When I finally saw the "second" new museum I was surprised to find this image prominently displayed on everything ... scarves, notebooks, coffee cups. It was like visiting a long lost friend. Then when my friend in lockdown in China showed me a picture he hung from his purchases in Shenzhen, China, I was stunned to see it was a faithful copy of BLOSSOMS he bought there. Our tastes were more alike than I realized.<p></p><p>The Los Angeles County Museum of Art had a show a few years back on Expressionism. The first painting you saw, one the curator worked five years to get and use, was a van Gogh painting. She felt that he represented the beginning of a movement of artists who went beyond the Impressionists and created what was called Expressionism. She had a point.</p><p>It is clear that when Vincent went to Paris his painting palette changed but his style became more forceful, more distinct. Yes, he dallied with Signac and Seurat's Pointillism, and some of Cezanne's increasing abstract's. He was enamored with Japanese wood block prints, even organizing a show of them, but all in all he was faithful to his own style. There was no one painting as he did.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBWKZEgA4z2hW1gdn4RxjR0ON0et7W-7CzzHBnHs-3qE3q_jX9dqtpQbn9L1I9xUH5cuvjSpHfsSYf9-btPXJ3HdbPl6a3BYDb5hZR-U1UoMYwlHVErEg59OrYMGN6hcruZTKLSqGkZqR/s1336/il_1588xN.2747789935_mjer.tiff" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1059" data-original-width="1336" height="509" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBWKZEgA4z2hW1gdn4RxjR0ON0et7W-7CzzHBnHs-3qE3q_jX9dqtpQbn9L1I9xUH5cuvjSpHfsSYf9-btPXJ3HdbPl6a3BYDb5hZR-U1UoMYwlHVErEg59OrYMGN6hcruZTKLSqGkZqR/w640-h509/il_1588xN.2747789935_mjer.tiff" width="640" /></a></div><br />The world's second most recognized painting, behind Leonardo's MONA LISA, is Vincent's STARRY NIGHT that now resides at MOMA in New York City. While I think it belongs in Amsterdam, we are lucky that we need only go to New York City to see one of man's most recognizable masterpieces. I read somewhere that astronomers say he even has the stars right the night it was painted. The painting is not huge, like say Seurat's SUNDAY AFTERNOON ON THE GRAND JATTE, but to stand in front of it you find yourself drawn into the swirls, even floating above the town in blue and yellow splendor.<p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3Il3H68Ingvd89exVxzWyNCJpWLCYPJJFAfsLcdkWhqiCaaoMg-yn72SY_ZwCVcdQu4CwRDY9GEs8eJsKSXKmp9Ke6roorBwN_xB14E3xJn1Rmy_YjQl3qB2o3jHfl-wquTx5fnmJ7jB/s720/Red+Vineyard.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3Il3H68Ingvd89exVxzWyNCJpWLCYPJJFAfsLcdkWhqiCaaoMg-yn72SY_ZwCVcdQu4CwRDY9GEs8eJsKSXKmp9Ke6roorBwN_xB14E3xJn1Rmy_YjQl3qB2o3jHfl-wquTx5fnmJ7jB/s320/Red+Vineyard.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>THE RED VINEYARD by Vincent van Gogh</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>Vincent is famous for only selling one of his 1,000 plus drawing, etchings and paintings. THE RED VINEYARD was sold for 5 Francs that he soon gave away. He was aware that in death his paintings could become more valuable. Millet, an early mentor, had died and he watched his paintings that could be purchased for a pittance suddenly fetch amazing sums. Dependent on Theo, his art dealing brother who financed his career from his own income and from the inheritance he received from his father who cut Vincent completely out of the will, van Gogh wrote and talked about the fame of artists after they died.<p></p><p>He was forever grateful to Theo who in fact had most of the paintings stored in a warehouse and would now and then enter them into show competitions. The first two paintings that were ever shown were THE POTATO EATERS and IRISES that is now in the Getty Center in Los Angeles.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ljKfeAwnDoXzMRnkOF4TLqEOPYd9O_3okjlOpL3m4nOheGxbXqlDaecKFCPnVDeOtbJ_0nZ03LDlUYognEmR12tDGqj5rUHbXN1fP9M18RuzkWcLd24apynT4cxrqVFIxygyPt2A5Lv7/s720/Irises.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="720" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ljKfeAwnDoXzMRnkOF4TLqEOPYd9O_3okjlOpL3m4nOheGxbXqlDaecKFCPnVDeOtbJ_0nZ03LDlUYognEmR12tDGqj5rUHbXN1fP9M18RuzkWcLd24apynT4cxrqVFIxygyPt2A5Lv7/s320/Irises.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>IRISES by Vincent van Gogh</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>I have a funny story about that painting and was surprised to learn it was one of the first paintings he would show to the world. The Getty bought the IRISES for $56 million long before the Getty Center was built. It was, at the time the most any painting had ever fetched at an auction. The now Getty Villa in Malibu was the first museum built with Getty's oil money. His house was torn down and an accurate copy of a Roman villa, patterned after a real villa in Herculeum was built. It caused a storm when it opened but was soon accepted for what it was.<p></p><p> My family and I went out to see IRISES but we could not locate it anywhere. It was the first such painting the Getty had ever bought and looking back, there was really no room to hang it in. Finally giving up my kids found the new media room with Wi-Fi and 20-30 computers all hooked up. My 10 or so year old son immediately latched on to one and my daughter and I looked around the room. I spotted a painting at the end of the room almost in total darkness and walking towards it realized here was the van Gogh. The woman in charge came up and asked me if I knew what it was. Speechless I just nodded. Getting closer she turned on the lights and I probably gasped. Looking at it I said, "I certainly have a better place to hang it than here!" "Where?," she asked. "My living room over my fireplace." After a good laugh she explained the dilemma they were having on hanging it. It was then and remains today one of my favorite paintings.</p><p>Vincent knew many of what are now famous Impressioinists of the day and lived for a short time with Gauguin. They were too different in style and temperament. He learned from and somewhat copied all their styles yet never let his own go. He was aware of own style and was liked by his fellow painters.</p><p>The mental breakdowns hit him hard and yet during his time in St. Remy and outside of Paris, in Arles, where he died, he produced some of his greatest masterpieces. Painting usually outdoors there is an amazing video on YouTube where they have found bugs, always a constant threat, buried deep in his paint. After he came back to the north of Paris, just before he died, he painted 80 paintings in 60 days. Many are considered some of his finest masterpieces.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6T1zdS0O08shTY7BOlp-Ws09WGfeLDC9hbwkZUYHn1wDF8gLptKx5HZ6bSeLY80_wVDTBfqPovhYXK-k3y6of_zMzbEh-U_97TGsnvfOMnuoHu_IodNUWn1onZzMamxqCTLk6y6nN_kgA/s1200/Vincent_Van_Gogh_-_Wheatfield_with_Crows-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6T1zdS0O08shTY7BOlp-Ws09WGfeLDC9hbwkZUYHn1wDF8gLptKx5HZ6bSeLY80_wVDTBfqPovhYXK-k3y6of_zMzbEh-U_97TGsnvfOMnuoHu_IodNUWn1onZzMamxqCTLk6y6nN_kgA/w640-h400/Vincent_Van_Gogh_-_Wheatfield_with_Crows-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>WHEAT FIELD WITH CROWS</b></i> by Vincent van Gogh</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While we may never know for sure, many believe this was his last painting. To me it represents a direction that he was moving, moving to abstract expressionism something that he didn't understand and yet moved towards it with each painting. While there is no doubt there was an element of insanity in his death, his new doctor in Arles, Paul Gachet was experienced with patients like Vincent. That he didn't see anything alarming in the behavior just before the fatal shot on July 27, 1890, something happened to put that bullet in his stomach, and his refusal of medical care that led to his death two days later.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">Van Gogh was commercially unsuccessful during his lifetime, and he was considered a madman and he and many others considered himself a failure. He only became famous after his suicide, something that he felt would happen and soon was seen as a misunderstood genius in the public imagination. </span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">His reputation grew in the early 20th century as elements of his style came to be incorporated by the </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fauvism" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;" title="Fauvism"><span style="color: black;">Fauves</span></a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); font-size: 14px;"> and </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Expressionism" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;" title="German Expressionism"><span style="color: black;">German</span></a></span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Expressionism" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;" title="German Expressionism"> </a><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Expressionism" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;" title="German Expressionism"><span style="color: black;">Expressionists</span></a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">. Germany missed the Impressionist period completely and quickly artists changed from the salon style painting favored in France as well as Germany to a vibrant form of Expressionism. The German art world moved from staid Dresden to growing, libertine capital Berlin and it was there that Vincent's art was shown, admired and started a movement.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); font-size: 14px;">There Vincent first attained widespread critical and commercial success over the ensuing decades, and is remembered as an important but tragic painter whose troubled personality typifies the romantic ideal of the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortured_artist" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;" title="Tortured artist"><span style="color: black;">tortured artist</span></a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); font-size: 14px;">. Today, Van Gogh's works are among the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_paintings" style="background-image: none; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;" title="List of most expensive paintings"><span style="color: black;">world's most expensive paintings to have ever sold</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span face="sans-serif"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); font-size: 14px;">, and his legacy is honoured by a museum in his name, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. It</span></span></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); font-size: 14px;"> holds the world's largest collection of his paintings and drawings.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); font-size: 14px;">Is every derided, ridiculed, </span><span face="sans-serif"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); font-size: 14px;">criticized artist another genius? We can never know. But, unless we try and continue to improve our craft we may never know with our own art. If you were, even today, to compare Vincent's work to what the French, the British and German Salons were exhibiting, they would probably be considered the scribblings of children. Some today might make the same comparison. Does the majority of the art world we see them that way today? No.They are visions of the world without restraint and for many, that is enough!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</span></i></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.2px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></p></div><p><br /></p>Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-27887690721938020952021-07-09T10:06:00.000-07:002021-07-09T10:06:16.160-07:00Remember When "Mail" Meant a Personal Letter?<p style="text-align: justify;">Mail today is anything but the kind of mail I remember as a kid. In those days, the 1950's, getting the mail generally meant getting a few letters from family, bills and The Saturday Evening Post. There was no email, junk mail to speak of or anything like the materials we receive today. I remember the highlight of the year was getting the Montgomery Ward and Sears regular AND Christmas catalogs! There was no Amazon. We got the newspaper every day too. And post cards! Remember those post cards from exotic places? I do.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnw0jRLopumzQufJ4nV-io8avZxAD66xyjpF_FqvSKYlwErdqkooLfuxxPCBYEfKmE7sQ9UipMpDUTnmQMCkygRnPaedFk59O09n43XS7ZfDy1FeUYRG_HGpN2hyphenhyphenLywogdVrRSaPLogz_/s720/blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnw0jRLopumzQufJ4nV-io8avZxAD66xyjpF_FqvSKYlwErdqkooLfuxxPCBYEfKmE7sQ9UipMpDUTnmQMCkygRnPaedFk59O09n43XS7ZfDy1FeUYRG_HGpN2hyphenhyphenLywogdVrRSaPLogz_/w480-h640/blog.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yesterday, July 7, 2021 I received, for once, only letters, well, of a sort. Each and every one of them was some kind of a plea for support or beyond ridiculous, claims.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since I have bought a few things through catalogs during Corvid I now average, in a month, about 100 catalogs, many for women. I am a single, 75 year old single man.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Let's go through yesterday's cache.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">First was the <b>2021 ASPCA Membership</b> Card. I lost my dog to age and illness last January. I have never joined or even been involved with the ASPCA. My enclosed Membership Card also requires a donation. The trouble is if you send a donation now in a month, even a week, you will be solicited again for more. There is a never ending cycle once you give that never stops. I know; I donated to Habitat For Humanity and get solicitations every or every other week.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then there was the Luekemia & Lymphoma Society with a nickel enclosed along with address labels. Even $18.25 would do so much. Yes. today until the next solicitation for double that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I need to explain that I am not a mean hearted old crouch. I do believe in supporting certain charities and organizations that are close to my heart. What makes me angry is that the people you want to help sell your name and address to others until your mailbox resembles a tsunami of paper crying for help! If you look up these charities, as I have, the amount that actually goes to the charity you "want" to support is pretty meagre. Some that have good records with the funds they receive have abysmal records on the people they will and do not support.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Next was a post card titled <b>DR OZ CREATES.</b> What did he create? A pill that, and I quote, "creates enormous erection, increase in thickness and width and crazy length increase and it gets biggest deal in medical history!" I think the medical profession needs to pull his doctor's license. I have prostrate cancer and ALL the limitations that comes with that. No pills for me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">How about "HEALING HIDING IN YOUR HOME?" Yup! I too can have <b>Supermarket Super Remedies</b> for only four payments of $7.99 after a FREE 21 day preview. For my effort whether I keep it or not I get the FREE <b>Get Energized</b>. And in case you want to know, a stomach cramp can be solved with a cookie, a gingersnap no less.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">An "Important Notice to: ALAN KRUG" came from <b>Consumer Reports </b>a magazine I have talked about before. I don't necessarily trust them because what they test is now, in this moment. The true test is what happens 6 months, a year down the road. And for me, it has not been good. After your yearly subscription you get letters like this asking for more money. They also send you tickets asking that you support a raffle they have every year as well. Since my luck as a gambler is zilch, I don't support that either. The only thing I have ever won was a contest for something I designed and I paid for the birdhouse and paints that created it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">United Service Organization is next and I think a new one for me. The letter included an American Flag magnet and the back of the letter says there is a<span style="color: red;"> FREE 3-by-5 American Flag</span> saved for me. Since I already have my uncle's and Mother's service flag's I won't be needing that either. I have nothing against the USO and believe they provide needed entertainment from the troops but if I donate I will only get even more mail!!!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Finally this one really caught my attention as it screams <span style="color: red;"><b>SECOND NOTICE</b></span> and warns that <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">DEADLINES ARE ENFORCED!</span> Inside it notes that it is an OFFICIAL PRIZE COMMUNICATION </b>re: $10,000.00 a week awarded for 52 weeks. I was even given an Authorization Prize number. All I have to do is call 1-888-588-4027 and provide the secret number and confirm my address. I don't think so. On the back are the STRIKE IT RICH XII SWEEPSTAKES "Official Rules" you need a magnifying glass to read. Also in small type, no purchase necessary to win, you find that it is sponsored by National Magazine Exchange. How many magazines do you think you buy before you get off that phone call?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I long for the good old days. To me, and many others in my age group, there is nothing quite like holding a letter, seeing the writing and enjoying the occasional photo. I keep them and treasure them many times before either filing them or throwing them away. I just purchased a Canon scanner and I find that is a wonderful way to keep those letters and see what they looked like. Need it again? (I hate reading things on my huge iMac screen.) I can reprint each and every letter, including emails, should I have the urge to see them again.</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</span></i></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><br /></p></div>Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-16967294759420925722021-07-04T09:41:00.001-07:002021-07-04T09:41:36.547-07:00The Beauty and Challenges of Mola Design!<p><b> </b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; text-align: justify;"><b>S</b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">ince I started craft painting, I have become enamored with a variety of folk styles. As a break from my graphic design business I started painting birdhouses with traditional Pennsylvania Dutch design, probably as a result of my German heritage. My German father was quite gifted but never in my memories of him did he make or paint things in this style.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIJ6OJ3gc7J5SXWyFxEIF50aBzAFk8cwDa7iOP791gHneuKl_X1njDpn_cW4y7QS4-5KEDbx012QpBkIueN2k6dIIC6CUuiggmJGuP4zKOW0G2DNk5jctTgBfwUoN9aYnJ1af7b-ihlON/s2000/IMG_6604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIJ6OJ3gc7J5SXWyFxEIF50aBzAFk8cwDa7iOP791gHneuKl_X1njDpn_cW4y7QS4-5KEDbx012QpBkIueN2k6dIIC6CUuiggmJGuP4zKOW0G2DNk5jctTgBfwUoN9aYnJ1af7b-ihlON/w640-h480/IMG_6604.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The mola that inspired it all!<br /><br /></i></b></td></tr></tbody></table> Yet, when I bought that first birdhouse those many years ago, that is the style I choose. The irony to me was when we went to Amish country in Pennsylvania I was stunned to see that nothing was in that style anymore. I was the sole "Pennsylvania Dutch" artist.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> Next I became smitten with quilted things. My ex-wife had been doing quilting and looking through her books and viewing a friends antique "crazy-quilt" realized there was something timeless in these designs that could be transferred onto 3D objects, i.e. birdhouses! My first "crazy-quilt" design was a hit as I won a national contest in design and received a bunch of paints and materials from DecoArt for my trouble. Starting an ETSY store a short time later it was one of the first things to sell. I have since created a variety of birdhouses, trays and boxes with these "painted" fabrics including a metal mailbox that proudly hangs somewhere in Germany right now! </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxakm5HLkJySDszYMniv4HlG518w6iiezbu8BQaoHffRqqEcb_fUgN_YSBVzINwK-Sa3VruXj2JmO0jLFE658wDfHOXV79Zth20j1zeNYlR-7zDfDiOm99-PduUrhWZ0QzqiYLow6TOZa/s720/BH+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="519" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxakm5HLkJySDszYMniv4HlG518w6iiezbu8BQaoHffRqqEcb_fUgN_YSBVzINwK-Sa3VruXj2JmO0jLFE658wDfHOXV79Zth20j1zeNYlR-7zDfDiOm99-PduUrhWZ0QzqiYLow6TOZa/s320/BH+1.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> However, after helping a friend and his partner finish hanging a variety of paintings they had collected over the years including Mola’s. The gift of one of his mola's, shown above, after owning them for years when I was married, made me realize these designs would and could easily be adapted to 3D objects from the 2D objects that they are. Created by the Kuna, now spelled Guna Indians of mostly Panama, these colorful textile items are made in cloth appliqué where design are cut through the top cloth to colorful cloths below creating patterns and amazing designs. One look that night of this gift made me realize this was a style I had to try out. So I did.</span><div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;"> No sooner had I finished it and posted a photo of it on Facebook that a friend offered to buy it. I discovered, though, that these designs are fiendish in their creation. </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> The old, "traditional" molas had either a black or deep burgundy top cloth layer. That makes sense as it allows the colors that show through appear brighter and more colorful. So, I too decided that my items would start off being black or deep burgundy. I even went to Lowe's with a burgundy mola to get an exact match of the color! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnjJZz5U5qxAwy-Ybdk6oXYuvya4DEWy6ImHmYCArfgN8jAFsIbe7R5sb_A7Xqz5ey3dMZmjQkd4fprKCPe-yuhqBswG75fV0MGkXSZBCXekb93qJbrzJ8DYKJyO4ABAVWzbrHGb1aycw/s720/Parrot+BH+outlined.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="637" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnjJZz5U5qxAwy-Ybdk6oXYuvya4DEWy6ImHmYCArfgN8jAFsIbe7R5sb_A7Xqz5ey3dMZmjQkd4fprKCPe-yuhqBswG75fV0MGkXSZBCXekb93qJbrzJ8DYKJyO4ABAVWzbrHGb1aycw/w177-h200/Parrot+BH+outlined.jpg" width="177" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /> However, I soon discovered that many of the bright colors, the reds, oranges, yellows and even some greens and purple were transparent or semi-transparent and needed to be painted twice or even three times to be clearly seen.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> To proceed you had to paint the wood a base color, then sand it as the paint raised the grain of the wood, then sketch your design in pencil and then, and only then begin to paint in the sketched lines with white or cream colored paint. That ensured the reds, oranges, yellows and other transparent colors would show. Lines of white or cream needed to be painted where transparent colors would be. The other challenge was taking two dimensional designs and putting them on a three dimensional object. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> The birdhouse at the right below has designs on both sides of the roof, the bottom, the spout as well as the four sides. You try and hope that the design will create a cohesive whole. And trust me there is no guarantee. The PARROT BIRDHOUSE was first tried as a photo frame to test for the procedure, laying down of colors and design. That was easy. Then to take that design and put it on a wooden watering can birdhouse was probably madness but something I just had to try.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmrWFJo1TvOBsrnU05_ctPpm6qPsVZMQwlaQoO7qtg-p8M92zvHoeYWUNrCsQxKJSvpNx6Es-1q-K6vdmgaMfjz7hy5su1KHV0yi0yAZ2YNPr4vnYJ6BQvk1cWPisU1-5IS8Rl6oAquE4/s607/Parrott+frame+outlined.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="576" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmrWFJo1TvOBsrnU05_ctPpm6qPsVZMQwlaQoO7qtg-p8M92zvHoeYWUNrCsQxKJSvpNx6Es-1q-K6vdmgaMfjz7hy5su1KHV0yi0yAZ2YNPr4vnYJ6BQvk1cWPisU1-5IS8Rl6oAquE4/w190-h200/Parrott+frame+outlined.jpg" width="190" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> As you see many of the elements of the frame are now on the birdhouse. The parrot is on the front and back around the hole for birds, the floral motif on the left of the frame is used on the front top, back of bottom of the watering can creating a cohesive design despite the fact it is 3D now. I even used the same colors. Is this successful? I don't know, you judge. However, what this suggests is that there are ideas out there everywhere; we only need to know where to look and when we look analyze how else they might be used. I am going ahead full steam with more mola designs using this motif because I enjoy the challenge, am happy that I can use all the colors I love and hope that others will like them too. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqGu2hOLu9q5Qf0pCmO-W7xg2yCsBPn8bk8H1Yu-YYIOEzVq9p2b-S7TYAZ4EznooBA-9iM3P8u2kW2SMxnLTSA1OC4etyhyphenhypheno3Lxq2POJqWqyzFz3wYi7z0v2MMwBBMvH8ofJqdDPpX9ep/s578/Parrot+frame+done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="576" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqGu2hOLu9q5Qf0pCmO-W7xg2yCsBPn8bk8H1Yu-YYIOEzVq9p2b-S7TYAZ4EznooBA-9iM3P8u2kW2SMxnLTSA1OC4etyhyphenhypheno3Lxq2POJqWqyzFz3wYi7z0v2MMwBBMvH8ofJqdDPpX9ep/w199-h200/Parrot+frame+done.jpg" width="199" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> To me, today has become very boring. All you see is white, grey, black in cars and now even homes and what people wear. The United States has to be one of the worst in the way of color use. It's as if people are afraid of color. Where are the vermillion, the white pink & black cars, brilliant blues and enchanting reds I remember of my childhood? </span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;"> Here are other examples of things I have created using the mola style.A metal roofed birdhouse with three front opening with roosts in its wood base. Again the sides, front and back plus bottom are decorated with mola inspired designs. I used a paper marché cactus in a mola pot for this cactus pot. The pot is painted with the traditional burgundy and the paper cactus is painted to look like the real thing. No watering required. The finishing touch was adding real sand at the cactus base. A small eagle faced but bird top and both sides 3" x 3" x 3" box decorated on all sides in a mola design. The same technique for all these items is required. Whenever a transparent color is to be used you must paint a white base line first, then add the color. And even that is no guarantee that it will work on the first round of color. Another interesting wrinkle is to add puffy fabric paints. They leave a little texture and are washable when wet with water just like acrylics. To keep all colors fresh and like new for a long time, each item is painted with an outdoor satin Varathane varnish.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEBE2Dn0764zLlSUBGt-fVmon0uu1qLM2Mbzto5Pry1U6PYDcehTwRj5OVdrOvV1ekoQoLXswQ_M6LE33aRz5ovun1ZWcyPKTJ0CYjhbxbxVscJhyphenhyphenoFIP_NKem16z2zK6HpBgCqS0Q_56/s2048/Parrot+BH+done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEBE2Dn0764zLlSUBGt-fVmon0uu1qLM2Mbzto5Pry1U6PYDcehTwRj5OVdrOvV1ekoQoLXswQ_M6LE33aRz5ovun1ZWcyPKTJ0CYjhbxbxVscJhyphenhyphenoFIP_NKem16z2zK6HpBgCqS0Q_56/s320/Parrot+BH+done.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> Good luck!<br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></i></div><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></i><o:p></o:p><p></p></div>Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-11957896143901867422020-11-02T12:37:00.001-08:002020-11-02T12:37:15.254-08:00Do WE Need Influencers? Apparently WE Do!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFLKi4wDlDL47NRMxOdSfAWnYQYUFBhMzF4GmJd6huxBdvjiXArhgv1Ra-vx_Nu_5u5Jw6RgDhHGsBbdXIIDGUvFTzUEChKVMX6N8XQ31Lt1iySK-ohi9KKoLOK6WtK8cuF1FVNw7GTW4/s768/influencer-marketing-with-icons-768x461-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="768" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFLKi4wDlDL47NRMxOdSfAWnYQYUFBhMzF4GmJd6huxBdvjiXArhgv1Ra-vx_Nu_5u5Jw6RgDhHGsBbdXIIDGUvFTzUEChKVMX6N8XQ31Lt1iySK-ohi9KKoLOK6WtK8cuF1FVNw7GTW4/w640-h384/influencer-marketing-with-icons-768x461-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the more disturbing, to me, effects of social media has been the increase in the number of people who we allow to influence us. Not content to follow the old TV format of some popular sports figure, Joe Namath comes to mind, making a pitch for some product he gets paid to shill, whether he uses it or not. Good ole Joe was trusted because he was an awesome football player. Mickey Mantle, another shill from a time gone bye, was revered until it became known he was drop down drunk off the field.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Some of these current "stars," get paid up to $1 million to post on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and the like. Can you imagine? AND, you know what? I don't know a single one of them and frankly could care less. That said, I am 75 and figure they have nothing of interest to influence me with unless they're pitching a better laxative, pain killer or some new fangled item to make me look say, 74?</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Personally I find it one more step we are taking as a society, as people, from having contact with, well, people. And even more in thinking for ourselves. Corvid aside there was once a time when girlfriends would head to the mall and together make a decision about what they liked or not and that was that. You tried that decision at school, usually, and depending on where you were on the social pecking order you either influenced your peers ... or not. Those "not" left a lasting impression.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Because we are creatures of habit and more than willing to let others influence us, marketers and corporations are having a field day where for next to nothing in production costs, they are willing to shower influencers with money and let them do the work. It's kinda like that message you get when the person you call doesn't want to answer the phone will tell you (electronically) that you are so important but they can't get to the phone right now so please leave your name and number and they will call you back shortly. Heard that one? Let me tell you, they NEVER call you back. The other excuse is Corvid-14. In eight months they can't get their supply chain in order? Really? If anything the pandemic has exposed just how lazy many companies and people are.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In case you don't know, an influencer is someone with the power to influence your purchasing decisions. They can have but not always, authority, knowledge, position or a relationship with the audience that often negates the other three categories. We want to be liked and an influencer makes you feel that if you use their product you will be the belle of the ball. You can put lipstick on a pig ... and it's still a pig.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Today social media reaches 3.484 billion people, 45% of the people on earth, who are actively on the Internet. It's literally a gold rush for just about any company that exists. That said, here are the four basic types of influencers:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Mega-Influencers:</b> These are people with a vast number of followers on their social networks. Vast means millions. There are no fixed rules on the boundaries between these different groups but usually they have made their celebrity offline - movie stars, sports figures, actors, musicians, even reality stars like Donald Trump. Because of this, marketing wants these people and is willing to throw money at them for their endorsements. This influencer tends to be fussy about what they endorse keeping an eye on the future and what could come back and bite them.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Macro-Influencers:</b> One step down from the Mega crowd they tend to be more accessible to marketers. They have followers from around 40,000 - 1 million. This group has two main groups: B-Grade celebrities who haven't made the big time and successful online experts who have large followings, like cooks, writers, environmentalists, even some politicians. Macro-influencers usually have a high profile and be excellent at raising awareness. There are far more so its easier for a brand to find one and work with them.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Micro-Influencers:</b> These are ordinary people who have become known for their knowledge about some specialist niche. They have gained a sizable social media following among devotees of that niche. They tend to range from 1,000 to 40,000 followers on social media. Often, marketing reaches out to them first. They also are picky about what brands to hype. Some are paid and others are not paid to promote a product. These influencers are usually from Generation Z, who spend more time on the Internet than any other media. This group will, in reality, become the influencers of the future.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Nano-Infuencers:</b> And finally we have the smallest group of influencers that only have a small number of followers. They tend to be experts in obscure or highly specialized fields. In most cases they have fewer than 1,000 followers. Most marketers feel they lack much influence but while cheap they carry a tremendous influence on their followers.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Personally I don't follow any of these people. If I need help I go to Google, explain what I am looking for and read what comes up. I've found YouTube can just about teach you how to do anything and have often used it to fix something. Many food web sites not only have wonderful recipes they practically take you by the hand to make sure you do it right. For me it's situational. I am not a follower.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, that said there is another kind of influencer that I never thought of as that before. These would be by types of content.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Bloggers:</b> A blogger is an influencer in social media that has the most authentic and active relationship with their fans. Marketers are finally realizing and encouraging this. Bloggers have connected with their fans for some time now and the trust they have earned from their fans translates into fans wanting to try out your product. Blogs can be about anything and over the years have 100's if not 1,000's of fans who trust them.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>YouTube:</b> The video go-to place to see much of the world. I just discovered you can see old movies, learn to use your Cuisinart, build a shed. You name it, they can show you how. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Podcasts: </b>Another form of video that covers an amazing spectrum of "things" is a podcast. You can find podcasts on just about any topic on earth. Religion, politics, books and interviews with their authors, how to take a photo, how to cook a meal. Podcasters themselves have become celebrities and their followers pay attention to what they may say or use, hence they are also an influencer.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Social Posts: </b>It is rare that a blogger, YouTuber or Podcaster relies on just that site. They usually have a social media site like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest touting what they are doing and driving traffic to their site. In fact, the majority of influencers now make their name on social media and promote heavily how and where they are trying to influence you.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Before I say that I never even look at these people, many 50 years or more younger, I must admit that I do look at things that rate the quality of a product many marketers would not approve of. I do check out the ratings of an item on Amazon by clicking first the 1 star reviews. You might as well get that out of the way and if you feel you can't live with the deficiencies listed I move on. If I can live with them I click on the 5 star ratings. I also read CONSUMER REPORTS who I feel need to review an item today and then in six months. I can't even begin to list the items I bought from their recommendations that in a very short time became simply junk. I stopped using them but did return to read what they looked for in an item and I followed that list. We didn't always agree and I still don't. I've noticed that MOTOR TREND has started keeping initially highly rated cars for a year and reporting on what the experience was like. CR also queries consumers about cars and their experiences. You soon learn all the glitters is not gold.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Personally I resent even the idea of an influencer. Why do we follow in most cases a person who often knows nothing about anything and is paid for it? What does Kim or any Kardashian bring to the table? They can't act, wear too much makeup and wears clothes far too tight. Really, what does a sports figure know about a deodorant or power mower? Before you blindly follow someone you might want to do what lawyers call "due diligence." Find out what do they know and does that benefit you in any way?</p><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: arial; font-kerning: none;"><i>Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed! </i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: arial; font-kerning: none;"><i>Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</i></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i><br /></i></span></div>Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-84632594316216925192020-06-23T22:27:00.000-07:002020-06-23T22:27:07.486-07:00Living GROUNDHOG DAY Today<span> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAui73lWYzy0vIYfcBVIBg_LZ7J_zELsyXd4Ce9-cgk40RVwtQ3Nqeq4OzglrYLntN60Ln37gHK0ZkJQeW6xQqDNCRL9EskvREF9M8RGQQMSb7VsjoG_kmKNCh5RyOUQaSnbioZUiDL2Wy/s720/movie+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="390" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAui73lWYzy0vIYfcBVIBg_LZ7J_zELsyXd4Ce9-cgk40RVwtQ3Nqeq4OzglrYLntN60Ln37gHK0ZkJQeW6xQqDNCRL9EskvREF9M8RGQQMSb7VsjoG_kmKNCh5RyOUQaSnbioZUiDL2Wy/w216-h400/movie+poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>One of the funniest yet thoughtful movies of this or any time is the now classic GROUNDHOG DAY starring Bill Murray and Andie McDowell. This 1993 movie tells the tale of a narcissistic weatherman from Pittsburgh with aspirations of hitting the "big" time. Assigned to go to Punxsutawney, PA for the annual Groundhog Festival February 2 to see if the groundhog sees his shadow or not (seeing it means 6 more weeks of winter) he goes with his producer and cameraman.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span> It is not a pleasant journey and he makes it clear this is beneath his "talents" to have to go. He alone stays in a bed and board, the hoi </span>pollo stay at the local hotel.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span> Our first day with Phil is a combination of trite events and disaster. After being obnoxious to the kindly proprietor of the B&B, he stumbles into an old classmate, an insurance </span></span>salesman. After stepping into a foot high puddle he arrives at the ceremony in the town park late but in time for the unveiling of the poor groundhog who looks like he'd rather be in bed. Seeing his shadow all groan! Phil reports this condensingly live and they hustle into the station's van for their return to Pittsburgh. Only, in ignoring his own weather report they get caught in a snow storm and have to return to Punxsutawney. He leaves them to their own devices and finally in a snit goes to bed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> The next morning the day seems to begin again. Sonny and Cher sing "I Got You Babe" on the clock radio, the world looks about the same outdoors and as he leaves he realizes that this is exactly what he did </span>yesterday. Oddly, he remembers but no one else does. This day is a little different only in that he knows what is going to happen. Try as he might, he CAN'T change it.</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The story line by the writers was timeless. The studio wanted it to be two weeks but as the movie</div><span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeC1vklTiIkYKTQTaNMl2EUqroOXlPZBGxTHuA_exgVJul_KCclf-hfdR5uHZgk_zc6WJ4t6qUDXpVEQMmz1MFl2VO1Tjc6ercdhbe_0ov1AN89J8tmraQfx3sMJ7cgL8O81HY0UcJnVx0/s720/see+shadow%253F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="720" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeC1vklTiIkYKTQTaNMl2EUqroOXlPZBGxTHuA_exgVJul_KCclf-hfdR5uHZgk_zc6WJ4t6qUDXpVEQMmz1MFl2VO1Tjc6ercdhbe_0ov1AN89J8tmraQfx3sMJ7cgL8O81HY0UcJnVx0/w400-h279/see+shadow%253F.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Does he or doesn't he?</b></i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">progresses you realize the timeline is much, MUCH longer. That's the joy and frustration.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span> Next he tries to die. One day he grabs the groundhog, steals a truck and drives over an </span>embankment where he and the groundhog die when the truck explodes. The next morning promptly at 6:00 am the radio starts singing "I Got You Babe." More suicide scenes follow but gradually he begins to realize that there is something more he is to learn. Eventually he does.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span> There has never been a better depiction of hell, even better than Dante. He made it a place of torment but GROUNDHOG DAY makes it </span>ordinary but </span>ordinary the same forever. While no one remembers Phil does and finally has the presence to begin to change internally. He learns French, plays the piano, becomes a friend to those in need, in short, a better and kinder person. It is that new and changed person that finally nets him the woman he wishes to partner with who finally sees in him a better man.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyiyYBvRzzbF-sJAAk6S_GVl9wrA47CL_RWWH90tRn0rBxswBkyet6lAMCjrHRUVsOcg0cJ1Tk7XPKdxf_rhIoMlszB5jg2hp6dp-PDbmt71pD5QkWzD3YjP8StpxZeQlObd5YNfHXTUuO/s720/Groundhog+suicide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyiyYBvRzzbF-sJAAk6S_GVl9wrA47CL_RWWH90tRn0rBxswBkyet6lAMCjrHRUVsOcg0cJ1Tk7XPKdxf_rhIoMlszB5jg2hp6dp-PDbmt71pD5QkWzD3YjP8StpxZeQlObd5YNfHXTUuO/s320/Groundhog+suicide.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Now you may wonder what that has to do with today. I woke up the other morning and looked </span>at what I would do today. GROUNDHOG DAY popped into my mind and I realized that today would be pretty much like yesterday, and the day before that, another words, pretty much how my life has been since March 18, 2020 when the governor of California ordered the shelter-in-place (SIP) order for every Californian.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>To be fair, every day is not "exactly" like the day before but on the whole it is. I walk the dog early before most people are up, usually around 5:30 am, I come home, make coffee, chat with my friend in China, eat breakfast and find something to do. I paint and have put new items in my ETSY store, I worked on a photo book and got that done and printed. I scrubbed the yucky black grout on my tiles floors, read books, lots of magazine and watched Netflix and Prime shows. I got rid of cable so watch the evening news on my iPad and cook all my meals every day. The only times I leave, besides the 30 minute walk outside the gates in the morning is for:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"> Doctor appointments though many are now virtual</li><li style="text-align: justify;"> To go get medicines</li><li style="text-align: justify;"> Grocery Shopping</li></ol><div style="text-align: justify;">and often I bundle chores together so I don't have to drive every day. I have spent up to 10 days without driving. Friends go shopping every day just to get out of the house. There are times, trust me. If we could leave before there was, well, no there to go too. Everything was closed.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> That was about all that was open until early June. However, it </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>appears opening up is cause again for alarm. Riverside County is second highest Corvid-19 count only after Los Angeles County. Some restaurants have had take out but after reading that a famous restaurant in downtown Palm Springs closed after reopening because an employee tested positive for the virus, further desires to eat out or even buy a burrito at the restaurant at the end of my driveway stopped. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span>A friend concerned about my well being sent me the risk factors for a variety of "opened" activities rated from 1 - 9. Eating out at an indoor restaurant is rated a Risk factor of 6, a drink in a bar is a 9! Who's to say someone working there isn't positive and shows no symptoms? Beijing is more or less quarantined after one case ballooned to over 200. One restaurant had seven workers who tested positive. People and fish tested positive in a fish market. Now they are all closed. Sure 21 million live there but, and it's a big BUT, no one knows who may have it or where it will pop up next. Our valley and our county are seeing 50% spikes over the past week.</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> So, for me every day is about like the day before however, to be fair every week is like the week before. </span>During one of my ZOOM meetings, one that worked, someone about my age wondered, "Is this the way I live the rest of my life?" She put in words what I was feeling. Peggy Lee's old song suddenly boomed in my head, "Is That All There Is?"</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> Much has been written about this and I won't dwell on it except to ask, <i>IS</i> this all there is? Getting it and living after is not without effects. Hearts, kidneys, liver even blood and for sure lungs are affected during and probably long after. The could be, first attempts, as bad as the disease. Ask anyone in the LGBTQ community. The first drugs killed as many as they saved.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> These are all things to definitely ponder as we shelter-in-place in "our winter and now summer of our discontent." Dying to get out may just give you that chance!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed! </i></span></p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</i></span></p><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div>Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-3677645914605602442020-04-15T17:45:00.009-07:002021-02-05T15:06:24.801-08:00Dogs Don't Practice Social Distancing!<div style="text-align: justify;">
As we Californians practice "social distancing" now for the third week, starting our fourth week </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Miss Maggie - the dog that knows no boundaries</i></b></td></tr>
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tomorrow, it dawned on me yesterday, after stumbling over my dog, yet again, that dogs DON'T practice social distancing. I became aware of that fact after leaving my condo to go to the bank, shop for food and get medicines at the pharmacy. I completed these four tasks in about two hours. It was my first time out to even do these minimal (allowable) chores in 10 days. Even if I didn't see anyone I knew, it was wonderful to just be where humans were masked and six feet away as they all were.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>The morning walk ritual that is done<br />visitors here or not!</b></i></td></tr>
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Having a dog you must go outside, in my case, four or five times a day. We have our long walk first thing in the morning, usually before the sun is up, then there are the WPP's (walk, pee and poop) around our condo complex starting around 5 am, then another around 11-12:00, then 4:00 or so to get the mail, and the finally one around 9:00 pm. I don't have to worry about forgetting, a cold nose on an elbow reminds me, just like when it's time for dinner. I may forget, she never does.</div>
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Usually, we don't see anyone in the complex though there are many dog owners here. If we do she heads straight to the owner to be petted. In fact I think she thinks she's a human. I stopped taking her to the dog park to play with the dogs. I realized she ignored her "kind" instead making the rounds of the humans sitting watching their dogs. Being owners they would give her a few pets and she would give them a lick or two, then move to the next one. So much for playing with the dogs.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xRxA_9JADBU1IKmgCOGJ2WJvWBrOjWHah6RJwWxZ-SCiMD1URR7KnMdNoEdGjFhQJwmbiHgjd5y_yzuy-fCtoqONgQdhxNmGTgRCg34UTaIcuGJt30SLJzA0ni92hUoRYynkPKM1ORUJ/s1600/meditating.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xRxA_9JADBU1IKmgCOGJ2WJvWBrOjWHah6RJwWxZ-SCiMD1URR7KnMdNoEdGjFhQJwmbiHgjd5y_yzuy-fCtoqONgQdhxNmGTgRCg34UTaIcuGJt30SLJzA0ni92hUoRYynkPKM1ORUJ/s320/meditating.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Meditating in place!</b></i></td></tr>
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In fact, shelter in place has meant for her that her master (though I really am not sure who the boss is here) is now always around. She brings her duck to play tug-of-war, licks some part of me to be petted and is ever watchful of dinner time. We have never had so much "together" time before. During a "normal" week I would leave for meetings, dinners, game night and sometimes be gone for hours as she laid out on the patio or dug through the trash inside our condo.</div>
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I now have a constant companion. I go to the kitchen and when I turn around she lays in front of the way out. Read or watch TV in the living room, a black lump is alongside my chair. There is even no privacy in the bathroom. At least she's not as bad as my last Lab. He would follow me into the tiny inner bathroom, close the door and lay in front of it. At 100 pounds, he was an obstacle in getting out.</div>
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Seriously though, in these times where so many of us are living alone, there isn't a better companion. I have come to realize you hunger for contact and no matter how often you Skype, of ZOOM or FaceTime they are not substitutes for a human hug, or chatter, just BEING with another living being. A dog loves to be petted, trots behind me wherever I go ... kitchen, living room, patio, bedroom or the studio. I have learned these past few weeks to stand and look around to see where she is, actually how <i>close</i> she is and is it safe to walk?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGz9QpBflvR0555VQYMlOWrq6l2SYAByTQgiYPv0m275QFhelZSxi_N5kbGFeW4cqaTiTDo0pXY6YOw_fn9-mPxmK62pV7kAydMLJ7bxr6tOiwwncaUqxNU-0sghY009y3Jif1ijc53NU/s1600/tourist.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGz9QpBflvR0555VQYMlOWrq6l2SYAByTQgiYPv0m275QFhelZSxi_N5kbGFeW4cqaTiTDo0pXY6YOw_fn9-mPxmK62pV7kAydMLJ7bxr6tOiwwncaUqxNU-0sghY009y3Jif1ijc53NU/s320/tourist.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Visiting the Grand Canyon with Maggie</b></i></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
I don't think we could have designed a better companion. Somehow, a robot just doesn't seem to be a solution, a cold metal and plastic object that even if it talks is, well, not human, not <i>something</i> you would want to pet.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When my partner was here from China, we drove to see my sister in New Mexico with a stop at the Grand Canyon. To her, a car ride is a car ride just as long as she is with me. I find her sprawled out in the back seat like some teenager. I have to urge her out to pee. I need to go now more than her. My sister has three dogs and mine fits right in with dogs sprawled all over the place.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In fact as we were gazing out at the majestic canyon a man asked about my dog and asked if he could pet her. It turned out he had just lost his dog who looked exactly like Maggie and we were both stunned to find out they both had the same name! His dog had aged and turned grey just like Maggie. He petted her awhile and finally moved on. Maggie watched him go tail slowly wagging like she understood.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My daughter wrote to see how I was doing and to ask if Maggie was talking back to me yet. I had a good laugh but noticed her looking at me with a grin. How could she know?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>After nearly 14 years, my Maggie had to be put to sleep. After returning home from a doctor's appointment she met me at the door and followed me around as usual. In the bathroom I could hear a knocking and when I looked out the door found her in convulsions on the floor. With the help of friends we took her to the vet. It had gone on so long there was fear she had brain damage and I felt that I had to let her go. In the few weeks since I still look for her and even call her when I come in the door. She truly was "man's best friend!"</b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i>Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed! </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.2px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i>Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-25560800951920670182020-04-13T16:29:00.000-07:002020-04-13T16:29:42.362-07:00A Custom Order Kick-Starts Juices Flowing During SHELTER-IN-PLACE<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>W</b></span>e will probably look back at this time, this "shelter-in-place" time as the<i> lost days</i>. I know they have been for me. Rather than having nothing to do, I found that I had so many possibilities that I was literally frozen in place with Indecision. I have unlimited hours to watch Netflix or Amazon Prime, enough books of my own, unread I might add, to start a library, lots of unseen DVD's, can cook and yes I could paint, birdhouses my forté, and own a daunting stack of blank canvases. Then, there's the yard. What did I do? I wrote a few letters, did a little baking and watched ALL six seasons of HOUSE OF CARDS, a grim gritty Washington D.C. drama that saw an amazing actor's downfall and a story line that could be out of Washington today. I have no doubt this is a far more accurate view than what we saw on the, in retrospect, fuzzy WEST WING.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KfXKrX_721rISu5GKAQbcVVTxrowDdmO-RKnQBNf7DxE5ErhuOtVeXav_xJAkrysNvcwnKkb2HVwm15ML-x-y3fL-_VeKVjnrtx7DhuF7DbftTJUdDWQ3EoLv27nUK6SPwZd-CLuA0cz/s1600/inspiration+photos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KfXKrX_721rISu5GKAQbcVVTxrowDdmO-RKnQBNf7DxE5ErhuOtVeXav_xJAkrysNvcwnKkb2HVwm15ML-x-y3fL-_VeKVjnrtx7DhuF7DbftTJUdDWQ3EoLv27nUK6SPwZd-CLuA0cz/s320/inspiration+photos.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Inspiration is only a few clicks away.</b></i></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
At the beginning of our third week of shelter-in-place here in California, I noticed a message on my ETSY account asking if I would be interested in painting a birdhouse that had edelweiss flowers against an Alpine setting. I had been looking at the studio and carefully closing the door for weeks now and going in thought, well, why not? I asked if they wanted it round or square and they wanted four corners for their cabin in Colorado. They were really going to use it.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We "all" know the song "Edelweiss" from THE SOUND OF MUSIC but I had no idea what they looked like so off to images in Google to find the flowers and some Alpine scenes.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
What I envisioned was a kind of two dimensional painting on a 3D subject, carrying the view around all sides, and the roof. However, I had never actually tried to do that and this was my chance. If they didn't like it there was always the store to sell it on.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_rLrttkFa14Ilz_RpwpxSXu4HOuItTfvLDmZVP6CbQw9pXS95rACzoTfttysiOlyaknrrfVb4uQUtUEFaWdESOhwzjHx3uusQXxpOETIxg6UOAbnhg7N98PR-VmP8klFaiULS2y_UEHl/s1600/1+alpine+raw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="566" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_rLrttkFa14Ilz_RpwpxSXu4HOuItTfvLDmZVP6CbQw9pXS95rACzoTfttysiOlyaknrrfVb4uQUtUEFaWdESOhwzjHx3uusQXxpOETIxg6UOAbnhg7N98PR-VmP8klFaiULS2y_UEHl/s320/1+alpine+raw.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Starting with pencil marks to show areas</b></i></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvASU2ObvdAH0oKuw99n1ekimZrKyEMjR1hZbIo-d4Cw48dJul4WvKXZv_Icjcp7Gk-Dr5n4D2NgMbGPaiZr9JofH8pGdobtRPdwBBQAxRfNctZ7YfBpFY6EouNffVU5TCjDpE0UibiIx/s1600/alpine+from+the+base++up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvASU2ObvdAH0oKuw99n1ekimZrKyEMjR1hZbIo-d4Cw48dJul4WvKXZv_Icjcp7Gk-Dr5n4D2NgMbGPaiZr9JofH8pGdobtRPdwBBQAxRfNctZ7YfBpFY6EouNffVU5TCjDpE0UibiIx/s320/alpine+from+the+base++up.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>I started from the bottom up<br />defining the lower levels first</b></i></td></tr>
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My idea was to layer the hills and mountains and use larger flowers in front with smaller ones in back to give the birdhouse depth. Snow was shown on the mountain peaks and a kind of ice river running down one of the sides. Since it already had a cord to hang it I didn't have to worry about adding feet. For some reason I decided that I wanted to frame the meadow at the base first thinking that each layer moving up would be less intense and finally reach the mountain tops and be crowned by the sky. In fact, the sky was one of the first finished areas I did. The clouds and colors set the tone for the rest of the birdhouse.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiMtwy8wVCTJ93NtOo6KOuNvqJ0SduDNRq3gCdZWG7ijdvRjNTE9zj5T0WbHg1jY1wR0TsYAryaiFQKWWpOQR7oUNcqX2ZQwZAQ15sX31p-3dzUkUmLE50_khSl2E8_d4MwnfBd6RPkuB/s1600/alpine+colors+blocked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiMtwy8wVCTJ93NtOo6KOuNvqJ0SduDNRq3gCdZWG7ijdvRjNTE9zj5T0WbHg1jY1wR0TsYAryaiFQKWWpOQR7oUNcqX2ZQwZAQ15sX31p-3dzUkUmLE50_khSl2E8_d4MwnfBd6RPkuB/s320/alpine+colors+blocked.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>You can see the layers of hills as<br />I moved up the mountain. The flowers<br />would come next.</i></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUgC7rjyiUktgZPFQFoT6xz6KKTRyZykMb1pkicdj_IntbCH_fjNnnMDLFNddx5FReXgNWIvJ3nVJzClDxtAJVKGY8BDdqlsiBKozDaSdcy_lJCsUiEgibjk5Ng_PJSJAEaaE8ZFsGKnF/s1600/alpine+no+base+and+no+details.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUgC7rjyiUktgZPFQFoT6xz6KKTRyZykMb1pkicdj_IntbCH_fjNnnMDLFNddx5FReXgNWIvJ3nVJzClDxtAJVKGY8BDdqlsiBKozDaSdcy_lJCsUiEgibjk5Ng_PJSJAEaaE8ZFsGKnF/s320/alpine+no+base+and+no+details.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Next the flowers were saddened<br />increasing the feeling of depth.</b></i></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
On both the foreground and the mid-mountains I used a feathered brush that gave me many thin lines for grass and was used for the rocky stones in the mountains. It worked well. To capture the ruggedness of the snow I used a palette knife and was so pleased with the effect I also used it to suggest the craggy mountains going dark on dark. Finally, with the addition of the flowers you could see the white flowers set off against the darker Alpine setting. As they were filled in and the florets of yellow added and dots of golden yellow and magenta across the field near the base I achieved the look I wanted.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiruRFghSdp7pLO9Fly2xePeTEICwuXS6W0gVmep5qeUHd9CMZ1yPeUcNWG-jVzn6H-kYy36PMQR0bYOSHzoNoT0nom8dDl55I0ewtPKerDUL_DuT2O-K879icdSMk-ev612COgxAJlqJJ/s1600/alpine+not+finished+base.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1259" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiruRFghSdp7pLO9Fly2xePeTEICwuXS6W0gVmep5qeUHd9CMZ1yPeUcNWG-jVzn6H-kYy36PMQR0bYOSHzoNoT0nom8dDl55I0ewtPKerDUL_DuT2O-K879icdSMk-ev612COgxAJlqJJ/s320/alpine+not+finished+base.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The solid green base helped but<br />something was missing.</i></b></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1CQ-TOFUZ52r8mvq9jgkSVvmQzUBaTfHM9D-XFxiXsPJ_Hy4qAvI4XaBHg7sp69fBrVyD9tcKLXzHSQNn7Bu5qXhClCxi8KGPlWPrlbDMZkAnRH5Az6Tnwt3OuHkepFxZHo9SFjzmcut/s1600/alpine+finished+front+angle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="543" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1CQ-TOFUZ52r8mvq9jgkSVvmQzUBaTfHM9D-XFxiXsPJ_Hy4qAvI4XaBHg7sp69fBrVyD9tcKLXzHSQNn7Bu5qXhClCxi8KGPlWPrlbDMZkAnRH5Az6Tnwt3OuHkepFxZHo9SFjzmcut/s320/alpine+finished+front+angle.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Painting the base like the birdhouse base <br />completed the look tying it together</b></i></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
The last problem was the base itself. What to do? I finally painted it a solid deep green but was not happy. I got out the cut feathered brush and repeated the strokes used on the lower birdhouse. The effect was perfect for capturing the base of <span style="text-align: justify;">the birdhouse. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: justify;"> Now, what to do with the bottom? Since they were planning on hanging it I decided to paint the very bottom with a large edelweiss so that no matter how it was viewed all the sides were painted, something you rarely ever see in a painting. I think I achieved what I set out to achieve and the reaction from the soon-to-be owner was very positive.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmCstJr4WYrQRCejsytEptcCD9hp6biZMKWebOrxQ00-79bVXBQ9p1VyTR2taC7Pl6pbzAjBH6nDmB4oJh1k4TX1SCsPogQlQZVWJYy5p3JRveJ_52v4dEbbDV66mEA-9c0Wto90qfOO3/s1600/Edelweiss+Alpine+Birdhouse+-+view+from+bottom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmCstJr4WYrQRCejsytEptcCD9hp6biZMKWebOrxQ00-79bVXBQ9p1VyTR2taC7Pl6pbzAjBH6nDmB4oJh1k4TX1SCsPogQlQZVWJYy5p3JRveJ_52v4dEbbDV66mEA-9c0Wto90qfOO3/s320/Edelweiss+Alpine+Birdhouse+-+view+from+bottom.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>No space is neglected. A large edelweiss<br />graces the bottom of ALPINE EDELWEISS BIRDHOUSE</i></b></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
I used a variety of paints mostly DecoArt or Plaid. I like Plaid for its dense opaque colors, however, it tends the thicken faster than most other craft acrylic paints.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I guess I proved to myself that you can have it both ways, a 3D scene that when viewed on an object looks like a painting glued to a 6 sided form. Never say never until you give it a try!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am so pleased with this I am trying a variation in the round. No matter how many you try, even with the same design they each have a wonderfully unique, distinct personality.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed! </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.2px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-12118412446893379432020-04-05T12:29:00.000-07:002020-04-05T12:29:24.766-07:00The TIGER KING Phenomenon<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ74-FfT2hAZJYsaJmeFaNMAponYScor6UnoIr2Un4soeDOzOk6ErUxdI7ckyWEC9sUeLXuDEikb754STQaEhDqTbcCzQz96RHTjZt2ATjANc5JVRnf2XZuQDpAGDmGMq51RCkgu_1Qi5G/s1600/joe+and+tiger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="720" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ74-FfT2hAZJYsaJmeFaNMAponYScor6UnoIr2Un4soeDOzOk6ErUxdI7ckyWEC9sUeLXuDEikb754STQaEhDqTbcCzQz96RHTjZt2ATjANc5JVRnf2XZuQDpAGDmGMq51RCkgu_1Qi5G/s320/joe+and+tiger.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Joe Exotic and Tiger friend</b></i></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
It seems that during every crisis there is something that catches our attention as a distraction from the thing we are really facing. 9/11, earthquakes here in California - we had one near Palm Springs last night, runs on the stock market, riots and wars somewhere in the world focus our attention on something grim. We often need a distraction to look away if only for a brief time. Days after 9/11 and the unrelenting covering of that tragedy, I remember we went to see the movie RAT RACE. Silly yes, but I got two hours away from reality and some good belly laughs to boot. This worldwide Pandemic is no exception. While I can't speak of what people in China or Italy, France or Spain are watching, reading or doing in their time of "shelter-in-place," I do know what America is watching. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28wNJsVkgm_iubMLLs6D-ZICdZQdP3tzCaUBPJdr2tAd1DHZY-bppeprV8H4QiC9sQzb9Uo_exQ6tizBoo6UEFcO6BXzW5LsqqOffxY65kVu0oWry-yo4Ms8BxvWZwrwqZs96-7X7OQob/s1600/watching+tiger+king.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="720" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28wNJsVkgm_iubMLLs6D-ZICdZQdP3tzCaUBPJdr2tAd1DHZY-bppeprV8H4QiC9sQzb9Uo_exQ6tizBoo6UEFcO6BXzW5LsqqOffxY65kVu0oWry-yo4Ms8BxvWZwrwqZs96-7X7OQob/s400/watching+tiger+king.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Viewing Netflix documentary JOE EXOTIC: Murder, Mayhem <br />& Madness</b></i></td></tr>
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People in the United States and even maybe around the Netflix world are watching TIGER KING: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. This seven part, mini-series, a form of docudrama made for Netflix is so wild and well, crazy, that no fiction writer could make this stuff up! </div>
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It relates the tale of Joe Exotic, a Gay renegade combination of Oklahoma cowboy, Gay queen, animal lover and snake oil salesman who created a larger than life persona. Truly, there has never been someone quite like this. </div>
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Born Joseph Schreibvogel (A German name that translates to "writing bird") Joe Exotic among other names, legally took the names of his last two husbands so legally he was Joe Maldonado-Passage.</div>
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This docudrama chronicles his beyond reality lifestyle, one so bizarre that as detestable as he and many of his competitors are, you just can't turn away. Why? Because you simply can't believe what you are seeing not only just from him but from some of his competitors and the fact that there are more exotic tigers living in the United States than in the wild. Unacceptable!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3Y5lPCU0ZdtU0fc5ZD2bwITyLZ_U-8_oK4SXYJuTcJ1kpSTncCgnbST9uYkWa5AFnBUUzmPaU0f-1xkAgY5IaSMsVWuRpGgcwCffe-bdYP9QBb29EWgWgEpwceNvQY8Z2dla0x1DukxZ/s1600/Carole+Baskin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="461" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3Y5lPCU0ZdtU0fc5ZD2bwITyLZ_U-8_oK4SXYJuTcJ1kpSTncCgnbST9uYkWa5AFnBUUzmPaU0f-1xkAgY5IaSMsVWuRpGgcwCffe-bdYP9QBb29EWgWgEpwceNvQY8Z2dla0x1DukxZ/s320/Carole+Baskin.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Carole Baskin, Joe's nemesis of<br />BIG CAT RESCUE in Florida</i></b></td></tr>
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Joe manages to gather them in Wynnewood, OK, a bleak place in the middle of Oklahoma that apparently gave no oversight to his G.W. Zoo. Joe's nemesis is Carole Baskin, who runs BIG CAT RESCUE in Florida who in her own right is a suspicious and shady character. She tries to shut Joe down thinking he is profiting from the breeding and selling of his 200 Tigers, lions, cheetahs and a whole bunch of other wild creatures.</div>
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Baskin is no saint. Her millionaire husband disappears after their marriage and she suddenly has a fortune to continue their rescue of big cats. The husband is never found (Joe speculates that the body was fed to the big cats in Baskin's care) and we learn that she makes a healthy profit pleading for volunteers to help run her own zoo (that are not paid) acting like a 60's flowerchild. She and Joe have a web presence and they capitalize on it. The images of her with a wreath of flowers in her hair, flowing blouses, with animal prints everywhere - house, clothes, vehicles, she tries to create an image of a loving, caring woman. She is not.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaSAfhgl8BNxv71nV17WPAT6EUg_MG5PnLqpEssINM9M4iDE_IKBZ6WjF6A1Y9P8xknAUBGOouyn5z22J6xPR9hqozpjzrR6vfBKDOIXsYNcDj1npMg-Uhh-_8Hykut0Z8EfZra8WYbak/s1600/joe-exotic-husbands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="720" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaSAfhgl8BNxv71nV17WPAT6EUg_MG5PnLqpEssINM9M4iDE_IKBZ6WjF6A1Y9P8xknAUBGOouyn5z22J6xPR9hqozpjzrR6vfBKDOIXsYNcDj1npMg-Uhh-_8Hykut0Z8EfZra8WYbak/s400/joe-exotic-husbands.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Joe with two of his five husbands</b></i></td></tr>
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Joe is no stranger to the matrimonial aisle. He meets his first husband in the 1980's, a bouncer at a Gay bar who dies in 2001 from HIV complications. In 2003 he meets another 19 year-old, John Findlay. Joe, Findlay and Travis Maldonado marry in 2014 (you see the wedding tape). Travis may be straight but is enticed to stay for pot and toys. He accidentally shots himself in the G.W. Zoo gift shop while talking with Joe's campaign manager. Finally Dillion is found on Grindr and in 2017 they marry. Gives new meaning to ménage a très, no? Some say Travis and Dillion were straight.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbd4TZbUmEaZJ8X10xe4FbpMK2VCpzyc8LpOvJw9d183XWZ-vHOotEtS3HkRIafWMOW2AR8tFJDvzBVFm_L5Lq_vuksR8oDxyf-Y-K3Tg1Y7jjKZBaAyj_UaP398vwCipfSz5k76aDQSO/s1600/Joseph+for+President.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="720" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbd4TZbUmEaZJ8X10xe4FbpMK2VCpzyc8LpOvJw9d183XWZ-vHOotEtS3HkRIafWMOW2AR8tFJDvzBVFm_L5Lq_vuksR8oDxyf-Y-K3Tg1Y7jjKZBaAyj_UaP398vwCipfSz5k76aDQSO/s320/Joseph+for+President.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Joe ran for President and when that failed<br />for the governor of Oklahoma. He got 19% of the vote!</i></b></td></tr>
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The animosity builds and Joe gets distracted. He runs for President then Oklahoma governor getting 19% of the vote in a campaign you might only see in an X-rated movie house. He blatantly copies Big Cat Rescue's logo, makes threats online about killing Baskin. The final straw and the one that got him in jail was his attempt to have Baskin murdered. He gave $3,000 to one of his employees to make the hit, but the employee, no stranger to the legal system and prison, takes the money and had a good time before returning. Nevertheless Joe was tried, found guilty for that and Federal Game law violations and is currently serving 22 years.</div>
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How much money can there be in holding big cats? I saw an article today that estimates that Joe, today, is still worth $10 million. That's a lot of cats!</div>
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The draw though is that, well, it's utterly disgusting and mesmerizing. I have long been a non-fiction fan because you just can't make this stuff up! It seems that people and events stagger the mind that until they happen, make us unable to consider, even think about. It's a train wreck from beginning to end and, like a crash on the freeway, <i>we just can't look away.</i> I would even question that you could "design" this, but as you watch you clearly see it was. Every step was choreographed with, however, not a clear ending in sight.</div>
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<i> </i>Except for the murder-for-hire attempt, is Exotic any different from Buffalo Bill Cody? Or the Ringling Brothers? They had wild beasts they exploited making money off the public paying terrible wages as they tintilated the public while fattening their wallets. While Joe may have paid his employees less than minimum wage he did give people, many felons, a second chance. Baskin, wealthy in her own right, uses "volunteers" for free and lived a pretty good lifestyle, wealthy herself. So who was living off the fatted hog?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1i8BwwTA8d6Q1V9-n08iNg1EkOH-QKwRvHVcbKkjm5tCTxWYBIDYJgUBXe4OHZbp7Rt0vC1Y2B22VHakFfFve-8bFhy2JCbjQJpg0r_A-hetXpjqOf2db4A0mdD2lsIiQXjCYD02SlifH/s1600/Joe+and+Tigers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1i8BwwTA8d6Q1V9-n08iNg1EkOH-QKwRvHVcbKkjm5tCTxWYBIDYJgUBXe4OHZbp7Rt0vC1Y2B22VHakFfFve-8bFhy2JCbjQJpg0r_A-hetXpjqOf2db4A0mdD2lsIiQXjCYD02SlifH/s1600/Joe+and+Tigers.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Maybe he should have called himself Joe Cody<br />or Joe Ringling. Truthfully is / was there<br />any difference?</b></i></td></tr>
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We have a month more, at least here in California, to "shelter-in-place." Look at the murder and mayhem and take your mind off CORVID-19!!! It couldn't be a better distraction for a truly American story, maybe even the story of the American dream.<br />
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This documentary also highlights the perils and danger of these "private" zoos, shelters ... whatever you want to call them. We need to remember that wild animals are, well, wild! One of the cats nearly bites off the arm off one of his employees, others are scratched and mauled. He was lucky. Here in California a "pet" wild chimp literally bit the face off its friend and handler. It had been there for years when suddenly ..... More than we should, we read about or see and hear stories of patrons getting killed or maimed in private zoos, far more often than an official zoo. As I said, these are WILD animals and you can never let your guard down. Why do we go? The thrill, the danger? Clearly the folks visiting any "shelter" or private zoo could be putting their own lives in danger. However, if someone puts on a show, there will be an audience. Making a buck is the American way.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgLeZ0SR7DG-EU20a8jvUeE5f2Skl6nLSO0UU2jytFnw_z5pkGmIb155PhgyHbVXGSbpue7T7_3ULbk9lMuON4Qt3ACmOlh4LxdH_MQHgbq9uIs_sYvqnaYd9oCvKxwHgo1MC3s0DzDE3/s1600/Trump+as+Joe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="540" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgLeZ0SR7DG-EU20a8jvUeE5f2Skl6nLSO0UU2jytFnw_z5pkGmIb155PhgyHbVXGSbpue7T7_3ULbk9lMuON4Qt3ACmOlh4LxdH_MQHgbq9uIs_sYvqnaYd9oCvKxwHgo1MC3s0DzDE3/s320/Trump+as+Joe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>The "Donald" as Joe. Rumors on Facebook said junior<br />compared himself to Joe. Someone took him up<br />on a potential look alike. But, it's all fake news, right?<br />Remember his ancestors were German and his<br />mother was Scottish and his wives Slvenian.</b></i></td></tr>
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Remember, a good many American heroes of the past on closer inspection today could be considered murderers, cheats, land grabbers, crooks, sexual predators. This modern era looks at things very differently TODAY as they did back THEN. It's only now that we are re-writing what is and is NOT acceptable. Consider ... Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, the glass ceiling, the good old boy network, equality for African Americans, women, the LGBTQ community, the faces of immigration, even religion! </div>
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As much as many in this country would love to believe this is a "white" country the reality was we never were. There were already people here, we forcibly brought people from Africa, and not a few either. Immigrants came from England, Ireland, Scotland and Germany at first then the flood came from everywhere. Each wave was never welcomed. The Chinese were brought to build our railroads and forced to return to China. Mexicans were good enough to pick our crops but not to live here, at least not permanently. It's happened to them all. We didn't want Catholic Irish or Italians, Jews were marginalized, Nordic folks were only good for the lumber industry. The list goes on and on.</div>
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Here in California we are to shelter-in-place until the end of April after already doing it for two weeks. So I say, why not? It's better than the show in D.C.</div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed! </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</i></span></div>
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<br />Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-59955713935935460822020-03-28T16:53:00.000-07:002020-03-28T16:53:30.858-07:00To Keurig Or NOT To Keurig, That IS The Question!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpmq80ZKTac_DsdEryi73tzJqQ-t-AQmZhOvw9ewK8iJVqUjPYoICFKg6RXtKn6nz42Pvhb0pv4KL3WvsyrQzriYWDtpPJSJDUlXQCfSXzl_9ovj_Ml_SaflfgRAnSbWuH7mblPWG6W38B/s1600/cup+of+coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="720" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpmq80ZKTac_DsdEryi73tzJqQ-t-AQmZhOvw9ewK8iJVqUjPYoICFKg6RXtKn6nz42Pvhb0pv4KL3WvsyrQzriYWDtpPJSJDUlXQCfSXzl_9ovj_Ml_SaflfgRAnSbWuH7mblPWG6W38B/s400/cup+of+coffee.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>How we start our day!</i></b></td></tr>
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I have been a coffee drinker most of my life. I guess you could say I started in college because of the all nighters I would pull for my various Journalism classes and a memorable Philosophy 101 class where the dean finding out there were so many graduating seniors made us work like we were getting our masters! At least I didn't learn to smoke. I can remember editors at the student newspaper with a cigarette in their mouths and another in the nearby ashtray.</div>
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And, at the good old age of 74 I watched the rise of Starbucks, Peet's and who knows who else. I never liked Starbucks, the regular coffee was too bitter, the lines went on forever and the cost was high and kept on increasing. I would marvel the few times I would go, usually at an airport, and be flabbergasted at the orders of the loyal patrons. I would ask myself, "How did they learn to order all that stuff? And all in one cup? Five bucks? Really?" Usually I would hunt down the McDonald's that actually had pretty good coffee that was faster to get and far cheaper. I don't want to buy the store!!!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3Ez3RQrHcnjf4v6Aq5nTIVlua6ZahCDOHrbGZlLzwm-x-diD-9FeHqHjbPND0IHNAATVavSC5Xx1yEMjzl7ds1XV9T-WqyF9P4_tvBVHxyUSUZ-FMsRcTWnMK_wmIwcYdAJ8n5xZTOC1/s1600/perculator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="721" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3Ez3RQrHcnjf4v6Aq5nTIVlua6ZahCDOHrbGZlLzwm-x-diD-9FeHqHjbPND0IHNAATVavSC5Xx1yEMjzl7ds1XV9T-WqyF9P4_tvBVHxyUSUZ-FMsRcTWnMK_wmIwcYdAJ8n5xZTOC1/s320/perculator.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>I tried it again. It takes forever on an electric stove.</i></b></td></tr>
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Coffee though does evoke many emotions. People I've known over the years have all kinds of rituals in the storage and preparation of coffee. I can remember my grandmother always had a pot on the stove, drank it black and there was always pieces of eggshell in the grounds. Why? Who knows. That's the way they did it in South Dakota.</div>
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For many years we had a Faberware percolator that could make 12 cups. It actually make good coffee, nothing fancy but strong enough to make you realize you were drinking a good, smooth, strong cup of coffee. I guess in around the 80's we got our first drip coffee maker. It was a bit faster and the coffee was ok. When I had my own business and often worked at home, I could easily drink half a pot and maybe more. It kept me going between taking the kids to school, calling on accounts, working on graphic design projects, picking up the kids and finally around 8 each night, running out of steam</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmHRzDmfYQeRPlU8hClBcQz08jootk99R9wnzxeXLUiHoo9zkI3SGI64dMOowfirp2wO1HrcwVIPFXABL2eLgDFzZaiKN_0dIZH0v65qYYL1eF6TvskMwON0J605BKq-U_hG_ViVV-kJZ/s1600/Mr.+coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="556" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmHRzDmfYQeRPlU8hClBcQz08jootk99R9wnzxeXLUiHoo9zkI3SGI64dMOowfirp2wO1HrcwVIPFXABL2eLgDFzZaiKN_0dIZH0v65qYYL1eF6TvskMwON0J605BKq-U_hG_ViVV-kJZ/s320/Mr.+coffee.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Good old Mr. Coffee. You could even set it<br />to have the coffee ready when you woke up!</i></b></td></tr>
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I never needed an alarm. I just woke up at 4:00 am, made coffee, worked a bit, walked the dog, then got ready for the day. A cup would follow me in the truck as I took the kids to school and the ritual started all over again.<br />
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I first became aware of the Keurig device from friends. It was a quantum design change in coffee delivery. There is always a childless couple in everyone's life and they were the first to have one. It was simple ... make sure there was water in the reservoir, put in one of the little white cups, select an ounce size for your cup and wait. It isn't fast. In fact I could make a 12 cup pot in about the same time this thing makes one cup.</div>
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It sounds like a great deal until you look at the prices. They begin to approach Starbuck prices! I compared prices for Folgers that at a cost of (hopefully) $9.99 at Costco gives you about 260 cups of coffee per the pod price at the same store. Folgers runs you about 4¢ a cup depending on the current cost of coffee beans and can be more for fancier coffees including Starbucks in either ground or unground bags. The cheapest K-cup I have seen was 31¢ a cup with prices climbing to $1.61 each! If you don't believe me, go look at Costco. They have thoughtfully done the price comparisons for you.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKds7fCEm2PK2fCQLq7tvWAZGtQH2dKqngzeuKNCWvgOdjRdx5Gc4Mu1LHoreYM-7ttwSe5C4IA3bM9UyK1Mo4ljSaIr5SULItzK5bAXLz9anahZJb2Z6bfaSnHHEZ6qiHyN7BF6QLA5Q2/s1600/keurig_b2000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="549" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKds7fCEm2PK2fCQLq7tvWAZGtQH2dKqngzeuKNCWvgOdjRdx5Gc4Mu1LHoreYM-7ttwSe5C4IA3bM9UyK1Mo4ljSaIr5SULItzK5bAXLz9anahZJb2Z6bfaSnHHEZ6qiHyN7BF6QLA5Q2/s320/keurig_b2000.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Keurig B-2000</i></b></td></tr>
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Then there's the cost of the Keurig. It was originally developed for offices as a replacement for the dreaded pot of coffee that lingered all day on some burner that by 3:00 pm was strong enough to grow hair on the bald. However, it's one advantage, a good fresh cup of coffee also had a disadvantage, it took several minutes to brew a cup.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCVvtmrtIRkpsbl_JNo4TFasytr5lxTsLVoc5MQk32a4apmJVA8Fk20CgcNnQI5Uw6ZUxNP0gt2Bq74ZCaGO3LpbxVaaMsAMahlJKZgwWmhqe2odirDshhCe0GmWAqzAu6sTeF1QtQiSQ/s1600/early+keurig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1228" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCVvtmrtIRkpsbl_JNo4TFasytr5lxTsLVoc5MQk32a4apmJVA8Fk20CgcNnQI5Uw6ZUxNP0gt2Bq74ZCaGO3LpbxVaaMsAMahlJKZgwWmhqe2odirDshhCe0GmWAqzAu6sTeF1QtQiSQ/s320/early+keurig.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Early home use Keurig.<br />K-cups were part of the system.</b></i></td></tr>
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At some point people that used them at work began to agitate for coffeemakers they could use at home. The company was started in 1990 by Peter Dragone and John Sylvan. At one point they were a division of the Green Mountain Coffee bean company. It took until 2004 to create a machine that would be used at home. However, the K-cup was developed for offices in 1998 but became an integral part of the Keurig coffee system everywhere it was used.<br />
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The patent for the K-cup expired in 2012 and the stampede was on. Unable to make the fat profits of before Green Mountain sold the company to an investor group that then sold it to Dr. Pepper for $18.7 billion. Keurig is such an important part of this company they changed the same to Keurig Dr.Pepper. In fact it was so lucrative Keurig tried in 2015 to introduce Keurig 2.0 that could only use licensed K-cups shutting out anyone that wouldn't pay royalties. There were so many complaints and threatened boycotts that it was soon withdrawn.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9bLEZGkDPMumUSxuGLYAMKzt819LpdOv1AkJDk2ZaOHa_75uMg2_HuVLKohTHrLv1BmLJ6KSS_aEECoPvcTpDmJCMJa2FLu4vx1q7KbdXjnWnBZc5MlaNx0wPr000Mf6Td1CZ6NR8YM9/s1600/coffee+choices.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="864" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9bLEZGkDPMumUSxuGLYAMKzt819LpdOv1AkJDk2ZaOHa_75uMg2_HuVLKohTHrLv1BmLJ6KSS_aEECoPvcTpDmJCMJa2FLu4vx1q7KbdXjnWnBZc5MlaNx0wPr000Mf6Td1CZ6NR8YM9/s400/coffee+choices.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Take your choice. Everybody is making K-cups in every price range.</b></i></td></tr>
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But, I digress. I have used the Keurig at friends but being a coffeeholic I didn't want one. If I drank say 5 cups a day, my old totals, it would cost me $2.50 a day, each and every day, something I wasn't able to afford when I first moved to Palm Springs. However, after the move I realized that I was only drinking one or two cups a day, usually my first cup talking to a friend overseas. The need for and even the desire for more coffee seemed to have dissipated. I found that I was leaving more than half of the pot left each day. I would heat some up the next day in the microwave but as we all know it was well past it's prime.<br />
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The other hindrance was the cost of the Keurig. Even the cheapest model with basically nothing to do but make one cup of coffee cost $100. You could buy a fancy Mr. Coffee for half and on Black Friday Sales a quarter of that. It was a little messier, yes, you had to dump the grounds each day but the cost was much, MUCH cheaper. And the grounds could be composted.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qwDDcak8dse_fzXSn7iztkH8zSNNKtL4r8iHTZwwZduFQBwc1izQu6qyWZUKCG7GEuNdouK3rFPQRi3xMD0J_5ixO7AYhKCuoRoVzG6KZI3YkNMgIGB3nXkSuHZM5cu5ZNAyfMYBS65l/s1600/Ambiano+system.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="380" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qwDDcak8dse_fzXSn7iztkH8zSNNKtL4r8iHTZwwZduFQBwc1izQu6qyWZUKCG7GEuNdouK3rFPQRi3xMD0J_5ixO7AYhKCuoRoVzG6KZI3YkNMgIGB3nXkSuHZM5cu5ZNAyfMYBS65l/s320/Ambiano+system.jpg" width="168" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>The Ambiano system:<br />K-cup holder, coffee filter</b></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlY6zzpA7DjuIzAw62H9wkhxHWsGPyC3-mNiqY1f68nN83Vx35-z9fbmG4k5m4hZuSi4_f5xtTPNsgldxaNeXvW3HvWOF54c239Q6-2ZhW20WCBestegQ1AsfUfAvyv1Z6pkF43PqGuv0/s1600/drip+drip+drip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="523" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlY6zzpA7DjuIzAw62H9wkhxHWsGPyC3-mNiqY1f68nN83Vx35-z9fbmG4k5m4hZuSi4_f5xtTPNsgldxaNeXvW3HvWOF54c239Q6-2ZhW20WCBestegQ1AsfUfAvyv1Z6pkF43PqGuv0/s200/drip+drip+drip.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>There is a lot of<br />coffee splatter </b></i></td></tr>
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About a month ago, Aldi, the German grocery chain that has taken America by storm had a sale on a Keurig knockoff. For $30 you got the maker, the ability to use your own coffee or use a K-pod and a reservoir to hold enough water for several cups of coffee. You could chose 8 oz. and 16 oz. cup sizes. I bought one.</div>
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It has actually been a fun adventure. You can get K-cups for every imaginable coffee, tea and even hot chocolate. But I also have noticed that it is a bit messy. As the water drips into the cup it splashes both in the cup and around the machine onto the counter. The cheapest K-cups I found after comparing prices at Costco, Aldi, Walmart and Amazon is about 20¢ a cup. And that coffee would be considered marginal by dedicated coffee drinkers. Each cup takes about 2 minutes set at 16 oz. and fills my cups at least to the brim. It's good I guess and other than wiping the counter each time, is simple.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-Lqk9ystVQTEQ8R9dpX7GRo4JLJ4K2WV-vjOnNzpXilWxrgSpu0vqI_duptWdXz3FMLOD-25K1ebMAVg2NUoc7IHNOjzfnZ5hKOOtCCCftM7mDsDJWmPRaC-hX4qbYsyvy62_RV3oxRu/s1600/open+k-cup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-Lqk9ystVQTEQ8R9dpX7GRo4JLJ4K2WV-vjOnNzpXilWxrgSpu0vqI_duptWdXz3FMLOD-25K1ebMAVg2NUoc7IHNOjzfnZ5hKOOtCCCftM7mDsDJWmPRaC-hX4qbYsyvy62_RV3oxRu/s320/open+k-cup.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>9 billion a year end up in the dump.</b></i></td></tr>
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The downside to the K-cup however, is that it is estimated over 9 billion cups are sold each year. They consist of a plastic tub, coffee and a foil top that is punctured to release the coffee. It goes into the trash, then the landfill where it will live forever ... well, not maybe forever but for a long long time. It is so far not environmentally friendly by any stretch of the imagination. Sylvan, the inventor was quoted as saying that he wished now he had never invented the cup because it was terrible on the environment.</div>
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So ... right now I have several drip coffee machines, an on the stove percolator that easily takes f o r e v e r, a French press in two sizes, an electric kettle for instant coffee and the Ambiaco K-cup coffee maker. I have only been using the Ambiaco for a few weeks now ... actually since the shelter in place order from the California governor. That though is another story! There really is no winner and I use one of these when the mood strikes me. Instant coffee is quite good these days (some) and the K-cup is a simple alternative as well. I do like that I can use any coffee I buy at a substantially cheaper cost though I admit it's not as simple as popping a cup in the holder, selecting the cup size and letting it rip ... actually drip.</div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed! </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</i></span></div>
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Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-28542120118817525252020-03-21T23:16:00.000-07:002020-03-22T11:20:24.365-07:00“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness...."<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8OOhaP5JZU1P-pD0zCLeqduXUpplBPWyGMhHu0GCIEUwJHL6uOQMaO-hG-rs6tfq_AKOS4aQ4kgXR6pxvL2vN21k1r6gQ36BKqOH2mUFC-VgTcC39oOKkAx6OuOGaI-KUv8qskIAVP9q/s1600/book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="308" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8OOhaP5JZU1P-pD0zCLeqduXUpplBPWyGMhHu0GCIEUwJHL6uOQMaO-hG-rs6tfq_AKOS4aQ4kgXR6pxvL2vN21k1r6gQ36BKqOH2mUFC-VgTcC39oOKkAx6OuOGaI-KUv8qskIAVP9q/s320/book.jpg" width="196" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> The opening words of <b>THE TALE OF TWO CITIES</b> by Charles Dickens have ricocheted through my thoughts since about the beginning of the the COVID-19 crisis.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_JoWIthg1NvP4DdZIUso_G2olkjH9F8CAZQPSBlexYVNqUWmMJGmGz4wrfVbhWQ5wlQI4yNjR4wfJMwPszclFye_NOx8e-VjWBqBEd_l8yCdHCHlEE3TZMrJsNzd6zPwEr-sotdyRxlC/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_JoWIthg1NvP4DdZIUso_G2olkjH9F8CAZQPSBlexYVNqUWmMJGmGz4wrfVbhWQ5wlQI4yNjR4wfJMwPszclFye_NOx8e-VjWBqBEd_l8yCdHCHlEE3TZMrJsNzd6zPwEr-sotdyRxlC/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="175" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">French Revolution</span></b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Describing "the terror" of the French Revolution in 1789, a sad and far more violent revolution than the American version that spawned, it nevertheless offers words to address our current 21st Century.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> The 21st Century has not been kind to humankind. Starting with the great computer blackout in 2000 because no one thought to consider a new century of date counting with millions of Microsoft Window Computers, the soon to follow Internet crash of 2001-2002, a kind of new age Ponzi scheme, to the effects of 9/11 that changed the way we viewed travel and ourselves forever. The iPhone in 2007, a device David Pogue said would change everything and we, at Macworld in January of 2007 thought Steve Jobs and crew had smoked too much something in Silicon Valley. (Pogue was right, the iPhone and Android DID change everything in ways we still don't understand now). From China we had SARS, and MERS and H1N1, and now of course, COVID-19. Global warming became a reality from the scientists abstract as vast changes in weather and climate stalked the earth. Huge swathes of industry quit camp at home and went to China and other places in search of cheaper labor and more profits. Because of the ensuing pandemic world trade is coming to a standstill. Stock market exchanges around the world have crashed and so far 1/3 of all wealth has vanished overnight.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg968s1DtB7fmwy5LvcALBsaJvdRD1F23D9VJZ1hs38BmgcgRhYlNi42TZIetpvvLR-Uj3KEDR8LNP9jKwINv6K7iTDw9HIZXtxcTbZW2yEiWCPyBMWGWHbH8wHsn3zzy94GcLCbnzl1Qbh/s1600/New+Orleans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="624" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg968s1DtB7fmwy5LvcALBsaJvdRD1F23D9VJZ1hs38BmgcgRhYlNi42TZIetpvvLR-Uj3KEDR8LNP9jKwINv6K7iTDw9HIZXtxcTbZW2yEiWCPyBMWGWHbH8wHsn3zzy94GcLCbnzl1Qbh/s400/New+Orleans.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hurricane Katrina: New Orleans under water</span></i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> We had terrible hurricanes and blizzards, historic floods, the population of the world seemed to be on the move, never-ending wars, democratic governments increasingly seem to fall before strongmen, some letting go and others holding on at a terrible human price, one economic rupture that nearly brought the world down in 2008-2009 and is now being brought down again by a pandemic. And to think, all this in only 20 years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Christians will find many words in their Bible about change. And let there be NO doubt, we are witnessing one of the biggest changes in humankind's history. One portion of the Bible that comes to mind to me is</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ecclestiastes 3:1-8: <span style="background-color: white;">For everything there is a season, and </span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-17361A" data-link="(<a href="#cen-ESV-17361A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">a time for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. (NIV).<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwv-I2zihjyGui4tAOcwER45pgKBrpbhScajUXej0A4wgaJhuASQu0OiElCAgiFxN5VTcEjadEFLisxwWsOCb482HLqFMXKs_0dlqdGTahvqeu6ubgoGIWwAzakDtFp93qEyDfdOR_yyq/s1600/Trump-New-Yorker-coronavirus-two.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="490" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwv-I2zihjyGui4tAOcwER45pgKBrpbhScajUXej0A4wgaJhuASQu0OiElCAgiFxN5VTcEjadEFLisxwWsOCb482HLqFMXKs_0dlqdGTahvqeu6ubgoGIWwAzakDtFp93qEyDfdOR_yyq/s400/Trump-New-Yorker-coronavirus-two.png" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>See No Evil!</b></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Wise words but hardly comforting. Of soberer thought are Lincoln's words during the Civil War: "Human nature will not change. In any future great national trial, compared with the men of this, we shall have as weak and as strong, as silly and as wise, as bad and as good."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">
Many wise men and women have predicted these times. Eric Toffler predicted in the 1990's that the 21st Century would have the biggest migration of people than ever before in the history of the world. The great </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">philosopher Santana wisely said, "Those who forget history are condemned to relive it. Even Gladstone in 1795 said, "The only thing necessary for evil to persist is for good men to do nothing."</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2LbAT_hyXvEoCPtef1gpvi9lYf_5olKxlP3LAAi8z0s3nECuJJqYT0JM-rLNcRndISt3e1gCY7jcO0zgzom9G9NTDkvZxlVB2I-7TKsYd9nAwjb4SFSEdYwhazn2OdtbYCda9Uc44mT3/s1600/Immigrants+in+hugary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="720" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2LbAT_hyXvEoCPtef1gpvi9lYf_5olKxlP3LAAi8z0s3nECuJJqYT0JM-rLNcRndISt3e1gCY7jcO0zgzom9G9NTDkvZxlVB2I-7TKsYd9nAwjb4SFSEdYwhazn2OdtbYCda9Uc44mT3/s400/Immigrants+in+hugary.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Border issues are far greater than the US and Mexico.<br />Here immigrants try to get into Hungary!</b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> As I sit writing, sheltered in place, it is hard to accept the changes that are daily changing my life. Blame and counter blame is thrown around the world. Can we call it a Chinese pandemic? Is that racist? A Chinese friend, no less, noted when this started by asking, "why do all these terrible illnesses come from China and not, well, India?" Why? In this century four have erupted there and started to spread. This recent outbreak has been fast and devastating. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GesnQ_uyqVzrmTxnt0Lf1BXJ5VcMgIFblt1VXGTYL-qvd1PjFBm6En1ES_OH557CNUhL9BxY3p-vvVQuFfmWXGf_pzeZP9gwePj7Tg3BaDQQEinVzP9O5CR1Hn15WBKy2AXhHfxYkDQI/s1600/10463154-3x2-940x627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GesnQ_uyqVzrmTxnt0Lf1BXJ5VcMgIFblt1VXGTYL-qvd1PjFBm6En1ES_OH557CNUhL9BxY3p-vvVQuFfmWXGf_pzeZP9gwePj7Tg3BaDQQEinVzP9O5CR1Hn15WBKy2AXhHfxYkDQI/s320/10463154-3x2-940x627.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b> XI: Pooh Bear No More</b></i></td></tr>
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Even if the Chinese government doesn't accept blame for poor sanitary conditions is its many outdoor markets, I find it interesting that today, finally, the government gave a formal apology to both the family and co-workers of Dr. Li, the young eye doctor who blew the whistle about a new virus and paid for it with his life. Police who were involved in the attempted coverup are being punished but as the saying goes, too little too late! When I asked another Chinese friend about how this can happen he noted that there are many laws, even more than here but rather then enforcing them it's more of a Mafia style shakedown.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqaOgh8b9oEv9Xb3Cmmy73p-Ire4bGe9qzloO4mkYDtYOzkCX_10xD9FqNln9NAv93QqxMM0ufDutJvC8JjqiPna7EqAC7vTMdO0BN62vb4x8HLtU05B4kcq_G0HX7jJj0I33De9tSpJK/s1600/Wuhand+expressway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqaOgh8b9oEv9Xb3Cmmy73p-Ire4bGe9qzloO4mkYDtYOzkCX_10xD9FqNln9NAv93QqxMM0ufDutJvC8JjqiPna7EqAC7vTMdO0BN62vb4x8HLtU05B4kcq_G0HX7jJj0I33De9tSpJK/s400/Wuhand+expressway.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Is this our future of staying in place? <br />Wuhan interchange in a city of 11 million.</span></b></i></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> WIRED magazine had a fascinating article years ago telling how a pandemic would spread. They said it would reach the entire world in 48 hours because, well, too many people travel around the world at any one time. While not exactly following the predicted path it has reached the entire world. And in places where it shouldn't.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8L_xv7JMChnxaoxo9lIY5_u3mflza_7I2awqJuo4egPS38RjD41mynnfORva-QupZv3yzYubJhniwHw2IyvduoXcVI0_PJyzYftP40mPpJJi32piDn0AWjf5rey3yDif1lnC7Unv3Zth/s1600/chinese+banks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8L_xv7JMChnxaoxo9lIY5_u3mflza_7I2awqJuo4egPS38RjD41mynnfORva-QupZv3yzYubJhniwHw2IyvduoXcVI0_PJyzYftP40mPpJJi32piDn0AWjf5rey3yDif1lnC7Unv3Zth/s320/chinese+banks.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">China is already bailing out banks</span></i></b></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> The blame, if there is really any to be had, is that we have all become interdependent, just as the breakdown in supply chains has <i>clearly</i> shown. While the west has cheerfully moved all it's production to China to let them deal with the smog and political fallout there, they have given up the right to call the shots in search of the cheapest price. Only it's not so cheap anymore if you can't get it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> The rise of far more aggressive governments, the rising cost of labor and transportation already had some looking for a new nest to roost in, places like Viet Nam, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, even countries in the Middle East. After this, it will most likely go from a trickle to a stampede. Companies simply cannot let themselves be caught again without an alternative source.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> And it isn't only the United States that has been living beyond it's means. China has a banking and real estate problem so deep that should it fail, as it clearly could in this crisis, Wall Street will have seen nothing yet. We might be glad of "only" losing a third of our wealth. Consider this, it took the stock of General Motors (GM) until 1953 to regain the value it had when Wall Street crashed in 1929. That's right, 24 years. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_6RMuu2y4kRsRvPNHwA5F6Ypwm4DGYgWYxwDPcAmLhsBcIRaiwgpg7RYCIdWmm1STvi6YQ3EC-J0pOYD2P9DHG-jsNDEKl_DtImYQokKaVo0Zlg8186UjVv0h5nyYfb7FkoeK-jjkNLX/s1600/Shoppers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="720" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_6RMuu2y4kRsRvPNHwA5F6Ypwm4DGYgWYxwDPcAmLhsBcIRaiwgpg7RYCIdWmm1STvi6YQ3EC-J0pOYD2P9DHG-jsNDEKl_DtImYQokKaVo0Zlg8186UjVv0h5nyYfb7FkoeK-jjkNLX/s320/Shoppers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Christmas? No, hoarding.</b></i></td></tr>
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What is even more inexcusable is the hoarding of important things the very doctors and medical people need are being hoarded just like the toilet paper we clearly do not need. Despite assurances that there is food, more than ample supplies, try to find milk, eggs, flour, spaghetti, and many canned goods. I went to four stores to get eggs, milk and flour. I got eggs in one, milk in another and never found flour of any normal kind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> We are scared and we have a right to be. However, we also need to keep level heads and follow the guidelines given to us by the CDC. Sadly our present administration, like the Chinese decided to ignore it, then say it was a hoax perpetrated by the Democrats before the numbers of infected and death tolls started to rise and could not be ignored any longer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxlUNE_z6_m-OZJhZqmrbcDUlT0l8mcQFDfobZ7UA3PBy1gQu3Yqt5LAS9u0sNLMDuyMpqjtVLA3_G9LznGO11M8wsjfBEwp50i7WEtRAGe0TGqesnuTWT_5vu6YEJLJ4ECkgaY80FRk5/s1600/empty+shelves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="720" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxlUNE_z6_m-OZJhZqmrbcDUlT0l8mcQFDfobZ7UA3PBy1gQu3Yqt5LAS9u0sNLMDuyMpqjtVLA3_G9LznGO11M8wsjfBEwp50i7WEtRAGe0TGqesnuTWT_5vu6YEJLJ4ECkgaY80FRk5/s320/empty+shelves.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Could it have been avoided? Many health officials say yes. China should have jumped on it at the first reports. President Xi it turns out knew about it two weeks before publicly acknowledging it. As America watched passengers get picked off one by one in the marooned cruise ship in Japan, with many Americans aboard, where one case ballooned to over 700, our government also did nothing. A friend in the shipping business said get them off! Ships have some of the worst filtration systems in the world. If one passenger had it, their virus got sucked into the ducts and was redistributed through the entire ship. It was, in effect a petri dish for the virus. As I write this cruise ships all over the world are being denied docks, even if there are no cases onboard for fear of it coming there.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfB6jSOk-yN7St1FiOAzp0zLjcOoyAv4XiMUiiScwxP81MZkMUoB7tZiLWwGN_YdmkgtgmJuuEEhWDJfLhhza8z5av9SmP_5tQLOa-kIeS3XT_TlSYV6-9wd7rX0q7FOrTnZTX0w0dONru/s1600/san+francisco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="720" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfB6jSOk-yN7St1FiOAzp0zLjcOoyAv4XiMUiiScwxP81MZkMUoB7tZiLWwGN_YdmkgtgmJuuEEhWDJfLhhza8z5av9SmP_5tQLOa-kIeS3XT_TlSYV6-9wd7rX0q7FOrTnZTX0w0dONru/s320/san+francisco.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>San Francisco with all sheltering in place</b></i></td></tr>
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I do know one thing though, the blame game is not going to heal the sick or create a vaccine or treatments to save either the dying or prevent us from getting it. However this turns out, with the entire world working for this one virus it may open the pathway to cure all viruses in ways individually we have been unable to do in the past. United we stand, divided we fall.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> And yes, we have "designed" the dilemma that we are in today. Supply chains, shipping, trade and manufacturing are all manmade events. They have thoughtfully been designed for the greatest profit. However, events have shown that not all contingencies have been thought out. I suspect that this will change. One thing is for sure though, the world will never be the same again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Shelter in place and wash those hands. We must all do what we can to stop a pandemic that cares not for race, or religion, sexual orientation, rich or poor. It is an equal opportunity killer at worst and has the potential to stop the world.</span></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed! </i></span></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-11373262630958789382020-01-26T09:11:00.001-08:002020-01-26T09:11:33.232-08:00While BIG Box Stores Suffer, Catalogs Sure Haven't<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPpA2yE0VmNpVaVRPzk4eBJJwO0EcT-3mTKfJgiVq1DXYphyphenhyphenA5xQTyNryR34NVnAQ9jJeR0thnikxaC3WzwqatwUgJDHTDJnIBkViuApNAANx3xUcgne3y_5k7mLh3z2VZBfn08R6OdUq/s1600/9781510735057-us.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="386" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPpA2yE0VmNpVaVRPzk4eBJJwO0EcT-3mTKfJgiVq1DXYphyphenhyphenA5xQTyNryR34NVnAQ9jJeR0thnikxaC3WzwqatwUgJDHTDJnIBkViuApNAANx3xUcgne3y_5k7mLh3z2VZBfn08R6OdUq/s320/9781510735057-us.jpg" width="247" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Mail order catalogs seem to have been an American invention. <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">The first general mail catalog is the Montgomery Ward </span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">catalog</span><b style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"> </b><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">that</span><b style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"> </b><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">was</span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"> produced on August 18, 1872. And while many businesses </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">were</span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"> already publishing </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">mail order catalogs</span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">, it </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">was</span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"> Aaron Montgomery Ward that </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">is</span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"> credited for producing the first </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">mail order catalog</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"> meant for the national general public. It wasn't long though before Sears & Roebuck produced their own, a venerable institution </span></span><span style="color: #222222;">until it's demise.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Sears & Roebuck originally started in 1886 as a watch mail order company in 1886. Their first mail catalog was in 1888, a good 12 years after Wards. <span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">However, when rural delivery became free in 1896, Sears, Wards and other vendor's catalog mailing exploded. I can remember as a kid in the 1950's waiting for the Sears Christmas catalog. If you're a Boomer or earlier you know exactly what I mean. Kids today really do miss out.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> As a marketing and advertising major in Journalism School our director said that the only books we needed were ... the Bible, The Works of Shakespeare AND the Sears catalog. All three, he said, told complete stories in as few words as necessary. If you ever read a Sears catalog, despite 1,000's of items, after looking at the photo and reading the description you had NO doubt what the item was, how it looked and what it could do usually in 100 words or less. I can think of many web sites that could learn or lesson or two from this! While the Sears <span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">catalog ceased publication in 1993 (you can just about see the beginning of it's demise about that time. The biggest retailer started to fail as Walmart became the biggest retailer), its lessons seem to have been remembered. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuIVtIpSg5-r6_JMWGjwY7uVcoTy951GznUoVkxAh9Q6PsteUMRt5pZ6XbXp457Bm1Et9UV8LZ2q2h2LbNdVw4eSoUrdLnbRw2vk08NcMDUyX0NJxAya01G5uLtnJ1Tg5RaUh_SKAkphj/s1600/Christmas+Catalogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuIVtIpSg5-r6_JMWGjwY7uVcoTy951GznUoVkxAh9Q6PsteUMRt5pZ6XbXp457Bm1Et9UV8LZ2q2h2LbNdVw4eSoUrdLnbRw2vk08NcMDUyX0NJxAya01G5uLtnJ1Tg5RaUh_SKAkphj/s400/Christmas+Catalogs.jpg" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="color: #222222;"><b>Christmas catalogs received</b></i></div>
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<i style="color: #222222;"><b>in ONE week last November!</b></i></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> While big box stores, Kmart, Sear, Macy's, Penney's, Forever 21 and many more are closing stores or declaring bankruptcies, never to be seen again, if anything, I am getting more catalogs than ever before. Internet sales may be booming, but so are catalogs! What's even more interesting is that while you often see things you would never find in a store, often they are also available at such sites as Amazon who sells that item cheaper and if a Prime member, with free shipping! Yet, they keep coming!!!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> You have to wonder, what and why? If you were to design a "comfort" food or item, nothing beats a casual stroll through pages ... printed or digital, in the comfort of your home. You also find things that while available online, you might never have been aware of until you saw it in a catalog. It can be trying to find things on Amazon. Here in your lap is the thing you were looking for, looking back at you on the printed page!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPk__9Xb99pET3IE_2TukPCB8hz-gSImsORuP2KkwZQlJl3-X8R9gKvqTpaDycnoJaSALGeUOL1ZMr7sFgryEgESZHWcUh5QtVu7WXey424v3TqKiks-kfx79jRTk6rFz0sDeAQbKEKyI8/s1600/Catalogs+This+Week.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPk__9Xb99pET3IE_2TukPCB8hz-gSImsORuP2KkwZQlJl3-X8R9gKvqTpaDycnoJaSALGeUOL1ZMr7sFgryEgESZHWcUh5QtVu7WXey424v3TqKiks-kfx79jRTk6rFz0sDeAQbKEKyI8/s320/Catalogs+This+Week.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Catalogs received this week!</span></b></i></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Shopping today is such a miserable hassle. Depending on where you live, if you are single, married or married with children you have to get everyone dressed in something, then go to the car, load everyone in after making sure all windows, doors, lights and appliances are turned off, doors locked, then driving to the mall which once took 10 minutes but today can be an hours long trip. You arrive mad at the stupid drivers, the kids bickering in the back seat, a <span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">disagreement with the spouse of where you will go once there ... the "purpose" of the trip, then <i>finding</i> a place to park and depending on the weather slogging to the entrance. As if to add insult to injury, you also take a quick glance around to see where to hide if some crazed gunman wants to add a sense of adventure to your shopping chores. And worse, if you live in California you have to bring your own bag or be charged for everyone you get from the seller. So the back of my SUV has a bundle of bags that I somehow manage to forget every time I go to the store or mall! Need a bag?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"> WHY do that? Stay home, leaf through your catalogs, fill out the order form, put a stamp on it, put it in the mailbox and take a nap.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"> Rather than adding stress to our lives, we can relax and depending, wait to receive our package. I am sure that's why such sites as Wayfair, Overstocck.com and just about every catalog out there <i>also</i> send you emails to order online. They are covering their bases and audience. At 74 I find that I like holding the catalog and reading the pages rather than looking at a screen that makes it difficult to flip back and forth between items. I have yet to find any digital store's pages that equals the same experience as a printed catalog. Maybe digital takes a certain age to use. Yet, those catalogs keep coming so someone, somewhere is still ordering from them!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"> </span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed! </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.2px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;">
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-44960665254625671972020-01-05T20:53:00.001-08:002020-01-05T20:53:32.787-08:00BIG BROTHER Is Here and We Barely Notice It!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Growing up in the 50's there were all kinds of threats and fears about the Commies. There was a show I watched as a kid where the "good" guys caught a "Commie" each and every week. No kid could escape the fear of a Soviet atomic bomb with the regular drills to drop and cover under our desks during an atomic bomb attack. Yeah, we would have all fried in place under our desks. Even at 9 and 10 I could understand the fear of Eugene McCarty's list of Communists in government and the blacklisting of many in the movie industry.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAuvsC47xLi3G6XI0afn_GwqAPBnM0zOse1bGWmwmVp5spN3Lk2Z5l-wxfblZDa9kZckjEhnmF7Ouk9RGyqK-MXEUnz74ouWBkdGyzPxJQ-qxdlRp9VlYewAFFYjlYY779-_g2WLZVdHAG/s1600/1984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAuvsC47xLi3G6XI0afn_GwqAPBnM0zOse1bGWmwmVp5spN3Lk2Z5l-wxfblZDa9kZckjEhnmF7Ouk9RGyqK-MXEUnz74ouWBkdGyzPxJQ-qxdlRp9VlYewAFFYjlYY779-_g2WLZVdHAG/s320/1984.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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As a late bloomer in reading I soon caught up and was reading any book I wanted after my mother sent a note to the local librarian with that very message the 7th grade. I remember seeing the movie first and then reading George Orwell's chilling <b>1984</b>. Shot in grainy black and white, it depicted a society (what we thought it was like living in the Soviet Union) where every citizen was watched and for any deviation of correct thinking was removed for "education" much like several societies I can think of today. It was, for a young, red-blooded American an almost unbelievable concept. We lived in a free society and could do and say just about anything we wanted. Or so we thought.</div>
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Over the years much as been made of the idea of "1984's Big Brother" both coming toward and after. The 1984 Super Bowl ad of Apple introducing the Apple Macintosh is one of the more memorable concepts. Yet while the Mac definitely revolutionised computing becoming the first salvo into the technological world we live in today, it was not quite what Orwell had in mind. OR, was it?</div>
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I just finished Christopher Wylie's book <b>MINDF*CK </b>and if he gives us any warning it is that not only is Big Brother here, so is big sister, Uncle Sam, just about every government, politician and every advertiser in the world. We are definitely not alone.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26RcF-U8b_TWRA51f1HITDemBSrxVza9Cb6POK-JodK0fIOIEcLhSfPkpsrzDrIUzkQx7n1RB5Iq5MBQ4HEw3zgubzCu385ieHySTm_V8YKlieXTyHij9olQE80WsoRpy2vNOwavbyb-B/s1600/christopher-wylie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="664" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26RcF-U8b_TWRA51f1HITDemBSrxVza9Cb6POK-JodK0fIOIEcLhSfPkpsrzDrIUzkQx7n1RB5Iq5MBQ4HEw3zgubzCu385ieHySTm_V8YKlieXTyHij9olQE80WsoRpy2vNOwavbyb-B/s200/christopher-wylie.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Christopher Wylie</i></b></td></tr>
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So we have a 30 year old telling how from about the age of 16 he became a kind of technological wiz in understanding and harvesting "big data." For those of you that don't know, big data is all the information various agencies have on file about us, about <i>you!</i> Whether we have a card for credits at the grocery store, our census records, doctor records, credit cards and payment histories, what we do online through Facebook, YouTube, SnapChat, WhatsApp, Twitter and a whole bunch more of online looking and shopping; data is collected about <i>you</i>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKoTtU-G0HrKHghAe1N9GaR-om5jZuVyNA3BWHil5irei49mkuzC5h8M17bLrzSu2eXSUjkVQodSfYii6QtHLfzPfcDEMBhdjCWrqbVDL2eOrZXNZuUSXnurrWaxu2TOb2oCu-O2Yeg50U/s1600/2019-mindfck-pdf-cambridge-analytica-and-the-plot-to-break-america-by-christopher-wylie-random-house-1-638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKoTtU-G0HrKHghAe1N9GaR-om5jZuVyNA3BWHil5irei49mkuzC5h8M17bLrzSu2eXSUjkVQodSfYii6QtHLfzPfcDEMBhdjCWrqbVDL2eOrZXNZuUSXnurrWaxu2TOb2oCu-O2Yeg50U/s320/2019-mindfck-pdf-cambridge-analytica-and-the-plot-to-break-america-by-christopher-wylie-random-house-1-638.jpg" width="226" /></a> From a rather small beginning in the UK, the firm SCL whose purpose was to collect not only data but big data that could be used to influence people. Money came from the British government, our DARPA, the Russians and was used to test the idea they could sway people to do things. They used this data in Caribbean islands and African elections. But they needed more money and far more data. So Wylie helped in the creation of a company called Cambridge Analytica (CA) that managed to get data that FACEBOOK was collecting on it's social network to drum up more advertising. Yes, every click, and share and photo post gives them more and more information about you.</div>
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About this time, around 2014-2015 Steve Bannon, a close friend of Donald Trump and owner of the very rightwing BREITBART was brought in to see and hopefully invest in this big data. Bannon instantly understood what could be achieved and the rest is history. However, not only did the Trump Campaign understand this but so did the Russians. With a population of less than half of the United States and far fewer resources and under heavy sanctions they figured out that the best way to demoralize America was to turn it against itself via propaganda.</div>
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There was an immensely popular movie in the early 60's called THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, starring Frank Sinatra I might add, that tells the story of Korean prisoners of war that were brainwashed during captivity and at a certain signal would complete the program they were hypnotized to finish, in this case, an assassination. The original was a nail biter and for many, it was something that couldn't be done though some thought it could. However, CA proved that using your data it could be done based on your likes and dislikes. They discovered that what people said and what they privately thought were often different. This could be and many fear it has been exploited.</div>
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Soon after Facebook was forced to allow users to download and print out the data they had on them, a reporter on ABC was stunned to find there was over 1,000 pages on her and finally she stopped the printer. There, on her desk, were hundreds of sheets of paper all detailing the data Facebook had on her.</div>
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What Wylie is saying that in that 85 million user breach on Facebook that CA harvested, the actual number was far greater. Every person who was a friend, friends of friends and so on were included. Not millions but hundreds of millions of profiles and data on each and every one was harvested. </div>
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While he left before the politicians were using it in the United States he could see the results from Canada and felt that he had no choice but to blow the whistle on the monster that he had created.</div>
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Design, design, design. You may be sick of my mantra but everything we do is designed for us or against us ... we even do the same thing to ourselves and others. You cannot hide your head in the sand anymore. It may be too late and now, at the age of 74 I could see why Issac Asimov created a world in his FOUNDATION TRILOGY that outlawed robots. However, they did use psycho-history to predict future events, quite similar to predicting a world not unlike ours today. Will we allow it to be true or, finally, put the brakes on what we share, finally learning what privacy really means? I urge you to read this book. If you are reading this blog you are on the Internet and <i><b>they are watching.</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed! </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</i></span></div>
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<br />Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286692784138192149.post-2820621218977560922019-12-06T17:19:00.001-08:002019-12-06T17:19:19.384-08:00The Failures of Design<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuChnwNnr9q2FXgYh-caHPg_ezUIx1xs3vTOxu1yMD-n3EHYYMM4YxwJZ4WeBeTwDlLrVrWMRdY3jGC5tgFT9tsBD-QV5djzwSt3WycC_RaoWVWb_wxeyayZXGu1RtHTr_C5uQzKUptZFL/s1600/irobot-robot-vacuums-r675020-64_1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuChnwNnr9q2FXgYh-caHPg_ezUIx1xs3vTOxu1yMD-n3EHYYMM4YxwJZ4WeBeTwDlLrVrWMRdY3jGC5tgFT9tsBD-QV5djzwSt3WycC_RaoWVWb_wxeyayZXGu1RtHTr_C5uQzKUptZFL/s200/irobot-robot-vacuums-r675020-64_1000.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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As I fight my "robot" vacuum, which is by the way is my fourth, three have been sent back, it brings to mind how often design has failed in our lives.</div>
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I want you to think of an item you have, anything, such as a car, a phone, a cooking appliance, anything that you just love using. If its that good that means the designer designed an item that you want to use over and over again. It gives one a nice, warm, comfy feeling. You are never frustrated using it.</div>
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Now think of an item you absolutely hate to use but in the course of your life must. It too could be a car, an iron, even the way a door opens. I have plenty of those in my life and I bet you do too. Some you could fix but never get around to it and some, like doors hung the wrong way, often can't be. However, when you use them you give them a silent curse.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Do you feel the robots are ganging up on you?</b></i></td></tr>
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Back to the robot vacuum, an Aiper I might add. Today it vacuumed a bit and when I didn't hear it hump anything went to look for it and there it was, docked. The floors still had tufts of dog hair everywhere. The point was to, well, to vacuum it. Dragging out the plug-in vacuum I had the whole place vacuumed in about 15 minutes. The robot can take up to hours if it vacuumed at all! Ironically the only robot that does a fairly decent job is my $25.00 O'Cedar with a simple replaceable mat that does a credible job of collecting dog hair especially under the bed and under the couches - better than I can reach or the robot can find. Though it too has a problem with humping my pedestal barstools and a swivel recliner.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZZsElTzU51yaVvVWkanOzKU_xK3Xi668XfFWvk80JtNi83TYQy-wKvpgCudilzPOhIsEOAJmavzGk9sK_QDMokJDByjycv9meranvlx52MgeIonuiA1UlNmLkbVn_ToUNuId8jQYK0sY/s1600/Xerox-copier-Model-A-printer-1949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="561" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZZsElTzU51yaVvVWkanOzKU_xK3Xi668XfFWvk80JtNi83TYQy-wKvpgCudilzPOhIsEOAJmavzGk9sK_QDMokJDByjycv9meranvlx52MgeIonuiA1UlNmLkbVn_ToUNuId8jQYK0sY/s320/Xerox-copier-Model-A-printer-1949.jpg" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xerox Copier Model A</td></tr>
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Technology is both a blessing and a curse. One of the best stories I ever heard about our technology revolution was about the very first Xerox copier. Evidently when it hit the market the first model was a flop. No one, other than the engineers, of course, could use it. Finally, taking a lesson from Margaret Mead, the anthropologist, Xerox brought in people off the street to watch how they used it, filming their actions. It soon became apparent that no one understood what the buttons were for, how to lay the item to be scanned and just about everything else. Engineers often don't think the same way as you and me. After many trials and changes, they tried it again and they started a revolution of an item we can't live without today. However, like many things, even all copiers are not the same.</div>
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While just about every company knows about Apple </div>
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and its creations, the Apple Computer, the Macintosh, the iPod, the iPad, the iPhone and now the Watch and stunning new iPod Pro's, rivals haven't seemed to learn the lesson or if they copy haven't learned it completely. While I sometimes have issues and not every product is perfect (think of iOS 8 and now the buggy iOS 13) their products on the main are very user friendly.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6dyUUGX5Li2YKs5Lnceo7TngIiHvvHBIpUEKdBY41gQqQNU-K2u46arLJ_jjldAdyUPhTCvnKrXyjVYmSXIBWC6ERdOVr4jrJlr3UZb2vw8JW7fu8gs3o5s83mSnOj4_9fA5fyxgama-/s1600/apple-ipad-air-2019_gr8d.640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6dyUUGX5Li2YKs5Lnceo7TngIiHvvHBIpUEKdBY41gQqQNU-K2u46arLJ_jjldAdyUPhTCvnKrXyjVYmSXIBWC6ERdOVr4jrJlr3UZb2vw8JW7fu8gs3o5s83mSnOj4_9fA5fyxgama-/s320/apple-ipad-air-2019_gr8d.640.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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When the iPad first came out a popular YouTube video was of a 2 year-old who was given a new iPad to use and within minutes turned it on and was using the games put on there for her. It was said that in test runs of this same iPad, seniors were given it to test their reactions and many refused to give them up. A finger was much easier to use than a mouse. What's even more, it's much easier to lug around than a laptop and each iteration becomes more and more powerful. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXE6Uff7uE1pybnRZpzwdrUf0NJMafaYFuElfmkz1C95plo4uPs1uQ07JFlCDtAQYlCCypMA9wn1JZEL6H3tmBFQ903J5vRjN1PoO51nMsXK5EYusqIU1ha7d2a17rGOMNZ1z1OH7vRjgW/s1600/boeing-737-max-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="720" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXE6Uff7uE1pybnRZpzwdrUf0NJMafaYFuElfmkz1C95plo4uPs1uQ07JFlCDtAQYlCCypMA9wn1JZEL6H3tmBFQ903J5vRjN1PoO51nMsXK5EYusqIU1ha7d2a17rGOMNZ1z1OH7vRjgW/s320/boeing-737-max-8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>737 Max - an example of how design can go so wrong</b></i></td></tr>
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There are spectacular examples however of great companies creating bad, even deadly products that again were designed by people. Taking shortcuts has not helped Boeing's bottom line and as the 737 Max fiasco continues, planes they make are coming under increased scrutiny. The new 777-X is under attack in the European Union and the Canadians are demanding that the infamous MCAS software be removed from the 737 Max entirely. The big question now is, would you fly on one?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMgcEeNJ7cvgS_C_vO2cZaKsyrtQ1U5bFzINz1cqBYc4m1WSg51o1s4Z2YA3l46ld_MelOsVJfbB1Ms-sTebpHhiy-3DmvK8cAKm4EMAgSNtLk5H23XA86EdNrqDDCiItne9S6GuV-Wsk/s1600/Pontiac+Aztek.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="536" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMgcEeNJ7cvgS_C_vO2cZaKsyrtQ1U5bFzINz1cqBYc4m1WSg51o1s4Z2YA3l46ld_MelOsVJfbB1Ms-sTebpHhiy-3DmvK8cAKm4EMAgSNtLk5H23XA86EdNrqDDCiItne9S6GuV-Wsk/s320/Pontiac+Aztek.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Pontiac Aztec. Would you buy it?</b></i></td></tr>
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There are many examples of how design can go so wrong. Remember the Pontiac Aztec? It was GM's foray into the world of small SUV's. It was so ugly that it was considered by many to be one of the ugliest cars ever designed. Even today you have to wonder what the designers were smoking to create a car with so many different designs that appeared to be combined into one car.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtVE8Vm6KQMz4Xj65LOWAG__Ag7-M0bCaeGyFCGMM_RuwJFMJUfiqgcVyJRUSbWyD1YF0KV1I12XvqkLctfhRcqCMwkjbN39dEpLEfx4jlVCrLIrS1N_eRCKU0ksujtZuP9fWOL_Iu-4r/s1600/Bath+wallpaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtVE8Vm6KQMz4Xj65LOWAG__Ag7-M0bCaeGyFCGMM_RuwJFMJUfiqgcVyJRUSbWyD1YF0KV1I12XvqkLctfhRcqCMwkjbN39dEpLEfx4jlVCrLIrS1N_eRCKU0ksujtZuP9fWOL_Iu-4r/s320/Bath+wallpaper.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Guess they couldn't find the toilet paper<br />and smeared it on the walls.</b></i></td></tr>
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However, it was the beginning of a whole series of cars that mostly came from Japan, but America was not far behind, in the discovery if you add a fold or a crease here, five or even ten creases had to be better. Look at just about any car today and you will see what I mean. 2019 Chevy pickups are selling slower because it's, well, ugly. Most companies have still not learned Coco Chanel's dictum, "Less is more."</div>
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The list goes on and on. Anyone that has driven the LA freeways knows exactly what bad design is. There is no North, South, East or West it says Ventura, or San Diego, maybe Riverside or if in the heart of the city, Santa Monica. Do you know what direction that is? One wag wrote that "LA signs merely tell those who know where they are going that they are almost there." If you were at City Hall, Ventura is north, San Diego is south, Riverside is east and Santa Monica is west.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRrXnDQqWTVFJ1gfCar5Yx3HopK5tRUWUbY8tJeY63GbFmQfkla5iSElf0FcP2D7-BRcwYNY50Wx0VeA3MjtTlQVmcqawpLhZ2s9Yfr44EE4AbudyMfD_uex3PB7FDTYr8y0H16Nv7Vrc/s1600/toilet-bad-design.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="432" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRrXnDQqWTVFJ1gfCar5Yx3HopK5tRUWUbY8tJeY63GbFmQfkla5iSElf0FcP2D7-BRcwYNY50Wx0VeA3MjtTlQVmcqawpLhZ2s9Yfr44EE4AbudyMfD_uex3PB7FDTYr8y0H16Nv7Vrc/s200/toilet-bad-design.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Two for one?</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOU8IOl2FWQOaX3_4M2M_j5OuRiX1495yymK34UWB-LHIg6VwyPbxIinofX0Ryv7EyVsT_Z5A4G2hP2U5LOVF8SGPZPo4syjZqzF0ucCSJa4r9yIbwylspGXmAURbpbojbKtgXPHjWoSX/s1600/Bathroom+stalls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="403" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOU8IOl2FWQOaX3_4M2M_j5OuRiX1495yymK34UWB-LHIg6VwyPbxIinofX0Ryv7EyVsT_Z5A4G2hP2U5LOVF8SGPZPo4syjZqzF0ucCSJa4r9yIbwylspGXmAURbpbojbKtgXPHjWoSX/s320/Bathroom+stalls.jpg" width="223" /></a> Lets look at indoor design. Here's some interesting wallpaper. It kinda makes you think well, hum, they ran out of toilet paper? I certainly would not be sharing these urinals. What is it about bathroom design that common sense is replaced by, oh I don't know, idiocy? It would seem that one of our most important functions takes a back seat to common sense. I am sure that everyone reading this has had this stall experience. It brings to mind a crazy radio show in Los Angeles where the morning hosts, Kevin and Bean sat in stalls and talked to the people that went into the stall next to them. I'll say one thing, they didn't linger!</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybSxQkADAUxvn2iDEWeyRFUbD2UOwlIGPpvGJH4Z9A43LznIFV9Y4ue6BV6A_wAT4OygnHPUmkK8Wdu9h6EXSjJm11dm4eZZIGHE6oTlUOQWAOV4861PJ5SWxAVcoFJKN8224pk8r-alg/s1600/snaps-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybSxQkADAUxvn2iDEWeyRFUbD2UOwlIGPpvGJH4Z9A43LznIFV9Y4ue6BV6A_wAT4OygnHPUmkK8Wdu9h6EXSjJm11dm4eZZIGHE6oTlUOQWAOV4861PJ5SWxAVcoFJKN8224pk8r-alg/s320/snaps-3.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Really? Snaps!</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xVMAuAUlyISfweRZVBleXhXlikLIPMQqbIBUYyPBNa4HpZWN6_1uBSXkD9qG-I36nq-NL2g_PfEXsznoBmbAzcxiAfwf-OAYM-kfyL6dmuwmi7OUvl7OrMOnwPeAFCEKLZbIFeK5633o/s1600/quit-school-bad-design.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="438" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xVMAuAUlyISfweRZVBleXhXlikLIPMQqbIBUYyPBNa4HpZWN6_1uBSXkD9qG-I36nq-NL2g_PfEXsznoBmbAzcxiAfwf-OAYM-kfyL6dmuwmi7OUvl7OrMOnwPeAFCEKLZbIFeK5633o/s320/quit-school-bad-design.jpg" width="265" /></a> Another area where design plays a crucial roll is baby clothes. Ever tried to put these on a crying angry baby? Those snaps are like creatures from hell as you wrestle with kicking legs and screaming baby. What are designers thinking of? In the 21st Century you have a choice of either zippers or velcro to use. The same could be said of men's buttons, women's hooks on jewelry or clothing (think of <i>that</i> dress it took two to put on).</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0IbxfXrQmYPOiO0k7ah4jGbVxioQCDieZfIpci2nZjT_uNaHRJhXDom-Sifs5mLAMZ6dLTB1iscpYKUCuRPxOTETdwuckwc2rJgm_T3BFL0cwd-B5NkzqO6y4xkX3yMZJElpIKz3nxW06/s1600/Wet+seat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0IbxfXrQmYPOiO0k7ah4jGbVxioQCDieZfIpci2nZjT_uNaHRJhXDom-Sifs5mLAMZ6dLTB1iscpYKUCuRPxOTETdwuckwc2rJgm_T3BFL0cwd-B5NkzqO6y4xkX3yMZJElpIKz3nxW06/s320/Wet+seat.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Bidet anyone?</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We are surrounded by poor design and it can only be the choice of words and their placement for after all, a sign or poster "was" designed by someone too! I don't think the "take action" poster above intended you to quit school. Even though the message urges you to quit smoking what showed was another message altogether. It's everywhere and rather than becoming better now we have the Internet to consider as streams of poorly designed ads, hucksters and who knows what else seems to be coming out of every place we inhabit.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4SZHWLJ2eZkB5rANEtqCaqbE0PmMGbuftERac1WhLPu7BUdwG9pdY-7hA14CUH_ig95Rd6KU2qQpeQXuXh0cyotVwVfCQaMXWtPQhFQX6dNJkHeY361TnAXnDIx0Zh__ZLn3BfzKKPqn/s1600/Toys+Trash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4SZHWLJ2eZkB5rANEtqCaqbE0PmMGbuftERac1WhLPu7BUdwG9pdY-7hA14CUH_ig95Rd6KU2qQpeQXuXh0cyotVwVfCQaMXWtPQhFQX6dNJkHeY361TnAXnDIx0Zh__ZLn3BfzKKPqn/s320/Toys+Trash.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Bad design has a dark side too. As more and more trash covers the globe we seem to think no one will notice how things are packaged. I am sure you have purchased something like these toys only to find there is more than twice the packaging debris than there was toy. And it's just not toys either. Once you start to consider and look at the things around you, you too will notice the often disconnect in this world.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As I noted earlier ethnography is derived from the studies of anthropology studying how societies lived. It was a small step to document how people reacted, especially like Xerox, who had a product that no one was able to use. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Our lives today are filled with poor design ... computer operating systems that say "start" when you want to stop, toilet paper rolls too big for the holder, software that is difficult to use, phones that only a 13 year old could use, medicine bottles a senior can't open but their 3 year grandchild can, election ballot wording that gets you to vote yes when you really want to vote no, holding on the phone because "you are so important to us" and are forced to wait forever. The list goes on and on. And YES, sadly these things ARE designed to operate this way.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Design is probably the chief element in our lives ... from the government be it federal, state, county, city. Our work days are ruled by the hours of our work be it running a home, school or a job. All of these factors literally rule our day, our lives. When designs are effective things run smoothly but when they don't, as they so often do, lives can be miserable and in some cases lost. </div>
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The surest way to get things changed of course is to not buy it, subscribe to it and the ultimate, disobey it. Reward those that produce not only good enough products but those that offer exceptional products, a true value for their money. These might be fighting words but to maintain some kind of control over our lives we need to follow it rather than letting others control us.</div>
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Here in a nutshell is a description of the study of humans:</div>
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<span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 28px;">eth·nog·ra·phy</span><div class="WI9k4c" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; display: table; font-family: arial, sans-serif; word-break: break-word;">
<div class="S23sjd" style="color: #70757a; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;">
<span class="XpoqFe">/eTHˈnäɡrəfē/</span></div>
<div aria-hidden="true" class="K6GhFd" data-is-bilingual="false" jsaction="BtuVOb:V46pce" jscontroller="AImii" style="max-height: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; transition: max-height 0.3s, opacity 0.3s;">
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<a href="https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ACYBGNRJMIY_1pOA70Bdfyts7cOxFDtGgw:1575612015128&q=how+to+pronounce+ethnography&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOMIfcRoyy3w8sc9YSmTSWtOXmPU4-INKMrPK81LzkwsyczPExLnYglJLcoV4pfi5eJOLcnIy08vSizIqLRiUWJKzeNZxCqTkV-uUJKvUADUlg_Ul6qApAoAEn65emEAAAA&pron_lang=en&pron_country=us&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUrdyTrKDmAhXDFjQIHbc8DRAQ3eEDMAB6BAgBEAg&sxsrf=ACYBGNRJMIY_1pOA70Bdfyts7cOxFDtGgw:1575612015128" style="color: #660099; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><div class="S5TwIf" style="border-bottom-left-radius: 6px; border-bottom-right-radius: 6px; border-top-left-radius: 6px; border-top-right-radius: 6px; box-shadow: rgb(223, 225, 229) 0px 0px 0px 1px inset; display: inline-block; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 12px; vertical-align: top;">
<g-img class="FamOtd" style="display: inline-block; vertical-align: middle;"><img alt="" class="rISBZc M4dUYb" data-atf="1" height="32" id="dimg_4" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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" style="border: 0px; display: block; position: relative;" width="32" /></g-img><span class="fe69if" style="color: #3c4043; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-left: 10px; vertical-align: middle;">Learn to pronounce</span></div>
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<div class="pgRvse vdBwhd" style="min-height: 20px; padding-top: 10px;">
<i>noun</i></div>
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<div data-dobid="dfn" style="display: inline;">
the scientific description of the customs of individual peoples and cultures.</div>
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<div class="QIclbb XpoqFe" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-left: -20px;">
<div data-dobid="dfn" style="display: inline;">
<span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">The word derives from the Greek </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">ethnos </i><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">(folk, people, nation) and </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">grapho </i><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">(I write). Commonly, then, ethnography is a written account of cultural life, but one can also present ethnography in other media (e.g. an ethnographic film). Anthropologists commonly distinguish between two different kinds of meanings of the word: 1) an ethnographic account (text, film, sound), and 2) an ethnographic approach (a method that aims at documenting lived life).</span></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed! </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!</i></span></div>
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<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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Krugs Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03957727323007582607noreply@blogger.com0