I would be happy to stop painting mermaids, except they keep showing up in my life.

This one came to me in the comics one Sunday last month. It's one of Chad Carpenter's Tundra Comics.

The caption reads: "If you ask me, that mermaid was a waste of money! I haven't seen her clean the tank yet!"

Too funny! For all the mermaids I've painted, I had never once thought of a real maid! DAH!

No, I haven't turned this idea into a painting, but she brought a smile to my face.

There are more reasons to paint than I can count. Certainly the joy of painting is big a enough reason for me!

PS My favorite comic of late, "Cul de Sac" by Richard Thomas recently ended. I've been saddened to be sure, but just recently learned that the comic was ended because of Richard Thomas' Parkinson's Disease has made it difficult to render his strip on a regular basis. 

No matter who we are, no matter what we do, let us all do our very best to create our dreams for as long as possible, and to support those who can no longer do so. I believe you can still  purchase Cul de Sac products on Richard's site; I encourage you to do so.

The idea of going out on a limb was never before so clear as when I saw these Palm trees growing on the lawn of a home in Honolulu.

Wow! What courage these trees portray! Can you imagine the strength it took for them to first grow parallel to the ground before deciding to turn up toward the sky?

Most palm trees start out reaching for the sun. I wonder what made these two trees grow differently (the tree in the middle is also supported because it too grew horizontally).

Yes, I anthropomorphize, but I feel a kinship to these trees and a deep sense of appreciation for the homeowners who took it upon themselves to lend support to these beauties.

There are times in all of our lives when we feel the need for support. Sometimes that means financial support, but more often than not what we crave is emotional support. We want to know our efforts are worthwhile; our lives are meaningful.

Here is a close-up of the supports for the palm tree on the left.

When we need support, it is important to ask for it, and to be clear as to what kind of support we seek.

When we see others in need of support, let's first be honest with ourselves to be certain we can be of support, and then, when we can, lend a hand to those in need. We will all benefit.

1. The arts teach children to make good judgments about qualitative relationships.

Unlike much of the curriculum in which correct answers and rules prevail, in the arts, it is judgment rather than rules that prevail.

2. The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer.

3. The arts celebrate multiple perspectives.

One of their large lessons is that there are many ways to see and interpret the world.

4. The arts teach children that in complex forms of problem solving purposes are seldom fixed, but change with circumstance and opportunity. Learning in the arts requires the ability and a willingness to surrender to the unanticipated possibilities of the work as it unfolds.

5. The arts make vivid the fact that neither words in their literal form nor numbers exhaust what we can know. The limits of our language do not define the limits of our cognition.

6. The arts teach students that small differences can have large effects.

The arts traffic in subtleties.

7. The arts teach students to think through and within a material.

All art forms employ some means through which images become real.

8. The arts help children learn to say what cannot be said.

When children are invited to disclose what a work of art helps them feel, they must reach into their poetic capacities to find the words that will do the job.

9. The arts enable us to have experience we can have from no other source

and through such experience to discover the range and variety of what we are capable of feeling.

10. The arts' position in the school curriculum symbolizes to the young

what adults believe is important.

SOURCE: Eisner, E. (2002). The Arts and the Creation of Mind, In Chapter 4, What the Arts Teach and How It Shows. (pp. 70-92). Yale University Press. Available from NAEA Publications. NAEA grants reprint permission for this excerpt from Ten Lessons with proper acknowledgment of its source and NAEA.

Please permit me to add that the Arts teach these things to ALL of us at ALL ages. We are never too old to learn new tricks.

Pineapples make a great addition to Carrot Cake, please try my favorite recipe below!

Pineapple Carrot Cake

1 C Oil (olive oil or any light oil)   2 C shredded raw Carrots

4 Eggs             1 20 oz. Can Crushed Pineapple in Juice, Drained

1 tsp Vanilla

2 C WW Flour (Unbleached or White Flour Optional Substitute)

2 C Sugar          2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda    1/2 C Chopped Nuts

2 tsp. Cinnamon

Combine the first five ingredients in one bowl. Combine the remaining dry ingredients in a larger bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just moist (do not over mix). Fill 3 9” round pans or one 13x9” pan or make cupcakes.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 min. Cool on a rack before frosting with Cream Cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream together 1/2 C butter, 6 oz. Cream Cheese, 1 tsp. Vanilla, and 1 lb. Confectioner's Sugar