Monday murals and then some

 

Flowers at Art in Bloom 2025, Center for the Arts, Black Mountain NC

Some words of wisdom from Facebook.

Sunday last Helen and I went to a free art museum trip in Asheville. Zoom tickets are available to lots of venues in Asheville, through our Buncombe County libraries. This one was for an air conditioned trip, and a pass lets two people in. We also signed up for a Van Gogh movie, taken from an exhibit at another museum, complete with docents talking about the paintings. It was pricy, but after all, we'd obtained the entrance tickets for nothing.

Around noon thirty in downtown Asheville, there was a Vegan-Fest. Too hot to go strolling for me, however.

I had to enjoy this lady's body art, who checked us in at the front desk.

A wonderful mural in the lobby of the Asheville Art Museum

Layers of wood, cut into a Black America. (My son Tai Rogers would love this, as he made many white map-like sculptural forms.)

Detail of "My Big Black America"

Today's quote:

Life, what an exquisite privilege.

Katie Rubinstein

And an environmental quote from Katharine Hayhoe:

“it's OK to grieve over the things we've lost and will lose, grief isn't the same as despair. We need to be brave enough to do the right thing."

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Early coffee at Four Sisters Bakery (where we also found day-old croissants available!) with Suzanne, a dear old friend yesterday morning. Well, I got a decaf Americano, while she brought her own Chai tea. She's trying also to downsize things and finds it hard to do. We discussed briefly the need to get accurate news, and I referred her to BlueSky. She's an artist that has breast cancer, and has given away and sold a lot of her supplies...but still has a good easel for some aspiring talented person. Her interests are similar to mine in many ways. We plan to meet more Sunday mornings and sit in the cool fresh air and chat. She's interested in that Podcast about the Trickster, which I posted about on "Inner Workings" blog. And like my friend Teresa, she's enjoying doing "slow stitching."

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We spoke highly of Thom Tillis (one of NC's Senators in Washington) who'd voted against the Big Ugly Budget Bill. And then later I saw he'd announced his not running for another election.

"After Trump attacked him yesterday for not supporting the budget reconciliation bill, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) has announced he will not run for reelection next year, indicating his unwillingness to face a primary challenger backed by Trump. This puts the seat in play for a Democratic pickup.

In a statement, Tillis said: “In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species.” He wrote: “I look forward to having the pure freedom to call the balls and strikes as I see fit and representing the great people of North Carolina to the best of my ability.” 

Tonight, Tillis told the Senate: “What do I tell 663,000 people in two years or three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding’s not there anymore, guys?... [T]he effect of this bill is to break a promise.”

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office today said the tax cuts in the budget reconciliation bill the Republican senators are trying to pass will increase the national debt by $3.3 trillion over the next ten years despite the $1.2 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other programs over the same period. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) called the measure “Robin Hood in reverse…stealing from the poor in order to give to the rich, this massive transfer of wealth from the bottom to the top…. This is socialism for the rich.” 

Heather Cox Richardson 

Daylilies at Four Sisters Bakery

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My Old Photos:

4.21.48 Galveston TX, my father, George Rogers Jr, grandmother, Ada Rogers & Uncle Chauncey Rogers, myself, Barbara & little sister, Mary Beth. Mother was the photographer. We called it soapy water!

The Gatherer

 

An extraordinary ceramic sculptural tea pot...

The inspiration for this floral basket...another piece of art!

Flowers at Art in Bloom 2025, Center for the Arts, Black Mountain NC

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From the current display at the Asheville Art Museum...

Friends who added smiles to a decorated elevator. The other elevator was too chaotically decorated for a photo!

Sorry about my ghostly yellow blouse and the whole gallery intruding as reflections. It was a lovely photo but the details kind of got lost.

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Sunday morning:

Foggy out and 65 when I opened the windows at 7. Took my Fosamax with water, which requires waiting an hour before enjoying coffee. That's for the osteoporosis, which was diagnosed based upon my age, more than the actual density of these bones. However, I've only ever broken one, my coccyx, when snow sledding in the Smokies, and again landing on it from standing on a table which tipped. 

Going to meet an old friend for coffee by the lake in a few hours. I'm back on the antibiotic (at half the dose), so will take the anti-vertigo pill as well, and avoid being in sun, as well as use my walking stick and wear my walking shoes which are like having duck feet, wide, light weight, stable, ugly!

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Today's quote:

One will rarely err if extreme actions be ascribed to vanity, ordinary actions to habit, and mean actions to fear. -Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900)

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Now a new feature for a while (who knows how long!) My very  old photos - just one from whenever, and if I know who and when and where, I'll add such info too. If not, they can remain just old photos.

My grandfather, George Elmore Rogers Sr., with his first son Elmore, and his mother Bette Bass Rogers, 1906.  Poppy built their house in Galveston, 1209 Broadway. Elmore lived only until he was 12 and drowned, when his little brother, my father, was just 2 years old.  And looking at the dates, my father's sister was born Oct. 9, 1916, when Elmore died Oct. 23, 1916. 

But I love this photo because of the dapper outfit my grandfather was wearing, as well as it being the only photo of my great great grandmother.

Saturday interests

 

Why the one white rock?

Detail of the painting.

Flowers at Art in Bloom 2025, Center for the Arts, Black Mountain NC

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While I did see some nice critters to share today, I also spent about an hour last Saturday at the Tailgate Market.

First let me introduce Roberta the Basset. 

Isn't she a sweetheart?

I live across the courtyard from Roscoe the Basset...another tan and white. I may have a photo of him somewhere.

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Saturday around 10, before the heat, but still humid as can be!

Here's another critter who was leaving as I was arriving.

Nope, I don't have any idea who she is, but she was just willing to stand there while I shot a few pics. OK, let's give her a name...maybe Aunt Grace.

A very nice band, where people were sitting on picnic table benches and one woman held her flower bouquet for me to include here. Sorry, i didn't get the name of the band.

Yes the farms are producing pretty well by late June!

My challenge was keeping my balance on the uneven ground. I've become quite acclimated to pavement.

I was glad to walk all through the market, mainly in the shady places. Talked to a couple of old friends. And then was out of breath when I finally returned to my car. 

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Sharing with Saturday's critters.

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Thanks CNN showing me why I am being so careful about this dizziness that comes from medications. Vertigo and blood pressure changes with bending over, sitting or standing up are hard enough as it is!

41,000+

That’s how many retirement-age Americans died from falls in 2023. More than half of those deaths were people 85 and older, the CDC reported ———————————- Joy Tanner is a potter near Burnsville, NC. Here's her blog. ------------------------------ My blog with Sepia Saturday today. -----------------

Today's quote:

to be nobody but myself -- in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting. 

-E.E. Cummings, poet (1894-1962)

From wonderful art and flowers, to more art

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And the Asheville Art Museum's permanent collection offers this:

 Oops, you can't be expected to read that sign.  But I did like the fabric art hanging by it.

A bit of enlargement.

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Two new Kalanchoe plants to brighten my front porch view. I've never seen (let alone had) any with these super blossoms, and just look at those huge leaves! Someone gave them a good shot of fertilizer.

Sharing with Floral Friday Fotos

Today's quote:

Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now!

Lin-Manuel Miranda

(Notes on health: pm -THanks for the comments about my dizziness yesterday. It improved about by half...just can move slowly and hold head upright as much as possible. Grab the wall or furniture if I try to do otherwise!

 Pulmonologist finally called (after my nap) to say to quit the antibiotic for a few days, see if that helps. If so, then take half the dose they started me with. OK by me.  

Morning Friday. I can get out of bed, walk around (oh I feel like I'm walking my acres of land to just stroll from one window to another opening them to the cool air!) No head problems, I'm so much lighter feeling and no dizziness (for now!) Yes I meditated and am deeply grateful for return to normal. And I was really touched by my blog friends' support yesterday when I had to just sit here most of the day...not moving my head if possible!