Remembering

It appears that for the last 4 years I have managed to write a Memorial Day post.  And so I shall again.

@Patricia Scarborough 2013   Cemetery Road  12 x 12 oil

This old road leads to two cemeteries just a couple of miles apart, far out from town. It is home to veterans  who served in many wars around the world. 

Before you dash out to your first picnic, ball game or fishing hole, take a moment to consider how it has come to be that you have the ability – freedom if you will – to do just that.

The original Memorial Day was created to commemorate those men and women who died in our Civil War. It has since come to be a day to honor all who have died in military service.

Regardless of your political stripes, you’ve got to admit it takes tremendous fortitude to put on a uniform and serve a government with whom you may or may not agree. A bullet whizzing past your ear sounds the same whether you are Democrat or Republican, or anything in between.

You may pass a cemetery on your way to the lake, family picnic or ball tournament. As you do, consider whispering a quiet ‘thank you’ to those buried there – or anywhere, who died in the line of duty. Include their families in that gratitude, who shared their loved ones with us. For us.

Shades of Grey

Spring is close, but has not actually made an appearance yet. 

One day it is tantalizingly warm, the next our daffodils are layered in ice and snow.

As hard as it is for human beings to manage these temperature ups and downs, trees and grasses manage the changeover in sublime ways.

Stone cold grey trees merge delicately into silver, then to warming pinks at their twig-tips. Scrubby bushes spike their gnarly branches with clouds of pale flowers. Oceans of sallow grass warm to gold, then green, then a great splatter of wildflowers.

Those few days of uncertain season are my favorites.

©2013Patricia Scarborough 12 x 12 oil  Day Trips Series

 

I'm working on a series of paintings called Day Trips for my July exhibit at The Burkholder Project in Lincoln, Ne.. The point is to focus on the scenes we see near by, within a few miles of home. I used to drive by these old sheds twenty times a week before they were torn down to make way for new construction.  Interestingly, the new spiffy version of this acreage is not nearly as interesting as the old one.

 

As spring makes her full return I'll keep looking for these delightful areas where nature decorates  according to her own palette.