Our Christmas Day celebration was memorable with a great blend of good company, good food, and—as usual when we gather with family and friends—loads of laughs, some of which erupted from a series of hilarious selfies. Our family tends to goof it up when posing for pictures, and when you can see the results instantly it’s all the more fun!
The only thing missing here in Southern Wisconsin was snow. Instead we had something which has not happened very often in recent weeks: a day of welcome sunshine. But we love a beautiful snowfall, and in Wisconsin we think “Christmas and snow”.
Lately I was especially thinking snow, due to a photo in a holiday greeting from a friend, professional artist, and fellow poet Diana Randolph, who lives way up where we natives call “Up North”*. The individuals in the photo are set in that incredibly pristine landscape of Up North snow.
So for days I went around remembering Joe’s and my eight years of living full time, UP NORTH. I kept seeing our Northern home in my mind’s eye**. There is a kind of light Up North even on overcast snowy days, until night—and then one frequently sees what appear be a million stars. My mind’s eye was visualizing that light in the process of the above painting in watercolor and gouache.
So thank you, Diana, for your inspiring photo and Christmas greeting—and for your encouragement as well! You can meet Diana and view her beautiful art on her website. Just GOOGLE Diana Randolph, Northern Wisconsin Artist.
Margaret L. Been, December 2014
*Roughly speaking, in Wisconsin we consider “Up North” to be most anywhere north of Highway 10. But for me the term has also become symbolic of a contented way of living and the quality of experiencing a “whole” life wherever we live. Some day I may develop this theme on my everyday life blog: Northern Reflections.
**Like so many commonly used expressions, “the mind’s eye” comes from The Old Bard—this phrase via Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act 1, Scene 2. Shakespeare is indeed immortal, with countless figures of speech and phrases enduring through the centuries—along with wisdom, wit, and insight concerning the human heart and mind. 🙂
The Messy Palette . . . 