St. Sava



St. Sava of Serbia, icon by Sarah "Sallie" Thayer, 2011
(Feast Day January 27th in the Orthodox churches)  

Saint Sava (Serbian: Свети Сава, Sveti Sava; 1174 – 14 January 1236) was a Serbian Prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law and literature, and a diplomat. Sava was born Rastko Nemanjić (Растко Немањић). He became a monk in his youth, receiving the monastic name Sava (Sabbas), subsequently founding the monasteries of Hilandar on Mount Athos (Greece), and Žiča (Serbia). In 1219 he was recognized as the first Archbishop of Serbs, by the Patriarch of Constantinople, and in the same year he authored the oldest known constitution of Serbia, "Zakonopravilo", thus securing full independence; both religious and political.

St. Sava is widely considered as one of the most important figures of Serbian history, and is canonized and venerated by the Serbian Orthodox Church, as its founder. His feast is celebrated on January 27 (14th by the Julian calendar). 

The story of a vocation: St. Sava’s spiritual vocation is highlighted by the story that he left his father’s house at the age of seventeen years against his father’s strong wishes, who knowing that his son had gone to Athos, mobilized his retainers and wrote the governor of the district that if his son was not returned to him, he would go to war against the Greeks! Despite this, St. Sava received monastic tonsure (in 1186) and sent to his parents his worldly clothes, hair and a letter, attempting to persuade his powerful parents to accept monasticism. His father sends messengers to Athos for the return of Sava to Serbia, but in vain. Sava replies to his father: "You have accomplished all that a Christian sovereign should do; come now and join me in the true Christian life".  (Ultimately, the father, Stefan Nemanja, followed his son and entered a monastery himself, and his mother as well joined a religious order of nuns.) 

The Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade was built in his name, on the scene where the Ottoman Turks burnt his remains in the 16th century, and is currently the largest church building in the Balkans. The legacy of St. Sava lives on in the Orthodox Church traditions. He introduced the Jerusalem Typikon as the basis for Slavic Monastic Rules. The Serbian Hilandar monastery on Mt. Athos follows the Typikon of St. Sava to this day. http://orthodoxwiki.org/Typikon

As a saint, Sava was respected even among the Roman Catholics. Tomko Mrnjevic, a Bosnian bishop in the early 17th century, wrote, with great respect, the first biography of Saint Sava.

[This information was gathered and organized by my friend, Amra, a member of the Serbian Orthodox Church.  She writes:  "I know that I can always depend on St. Sava to intercede for me that I may persevere in my Faith."]

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TREES, (BIG) CATS and BIRDS

From my collection of photos...
Along with terms of venery (you know how I delight in these)...




A Grand Democracy of Trees



A Leap of Leopards



A Murder of Crows (Looks more like a Suicide of Crows to me!)



A Shimmer of Hummingbirds

These terms of venery are all taken from the book "An Exaltation of Larks" by James Lipton.

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SUKI AND SALLIE

Well, Suki is trying her best to teach me how to take "cat naps" on a regular basis, but I still have a difficult time stopping whatever I am doing just to take a nap -- even if I am feeling sleepy.  I hope to get the hang of this sooner or later.  Meanwhile, Suki is very patient.  For example, if I won't stop what I am doing and settle in for a snooze, she just goes right ahead and takes a nap herself! 

She doesn't fret about me at all.  I think that is the best way to handle things since if she kept nagging, I would probably just get my back up and refuse to sleep at all!

Seriously, if I can just teach myself to take more naps, I really think it might make a big difference in the number of times I fall or almost fall. 


You may or may not have noticed that I am posting a day early.  I have been posting every four days for a number of months and I find that it works well, giving me just enough time between posts to prepare without feeling rushed.  Today, however, I wanted to post on the feast day of St. Sava, the 27th, even though it is only three days from the previous posting. 

St. Sava, pray for us.

May the peace of God be with us all.

Gong Xi Fa Ca!



Gong Xi Fa Ca! drawing by Sarah "Sallie" Thayer (colour saturation)



Gong Xi Fa Ca! That’s the traditional Chinese New Year greeting that means “wishing you prosperity” in Mandarin. The first day of the Chinese New Year – which begins at midnight on January 23, 2012 – is the most important of Chinese holidays, celebrated by over 1.3 billion people in China and by millions of ethnic Chinese around the world. It’s a celebration that lasts for 15 days, culminating with the Lantern Festival. Each year is associated with one of twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. For 2012, it’s the Year of the Dragon.



Gong Xi Fa Ca! drawing by

Sarah "Sallie" Thayer, 2012 



The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations, such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and also in Chinatowns elsewhere (such as Toronto).



Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the lunar new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors. These include Korean, Bhutanese and Vietnamese cultures. Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decorations, material, food, and clothing -- even going into debt.



Gong Xi Fa Ca! drawing by
Sarah "Sallie" Thayer (colour inversion)



It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans their house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for incoming good luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red coloured paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity". On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes.

Gong Xi Fa Ca! drawing by
Sarah "Sallie" Thayer ("posterization")

The Chinese New Year tradition is to reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone. Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use continuously numbered years, outside China its years are often numbered from the reign of the Yellow Emperor. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various scholars, making the year beginning in AD 2012 the "Chinese Year" 4710, 4709, or 4649.

Living in Toronto with its huge Asian population, means that I have often been caught up in the celebrations of Chinese New Year during my residence here.  I have even tried the traditional Chinese treats served during the 12 or so days that the New Year is celebrated (I never knew that bean curd could be made into a delicious sweet!).

This Year of the Dragon is especially poignant for me as I was born in the Year of the Dragon all those many, many years ago.  This is the 6th Year of the Dragon of my lifetime.  The next one will be in 2024.  Will I still be here then?  All I know is that when the good God is ready, He will call me Home.  Meanwhile, I will enjoy reminding everyone that the Year of the Dragon is my year!

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Keeping to the theme of the Chinese New Year, let me show you some interesting drawings I came across recently on the Internet.  You may have already seen them, of course, but just in case you haven't...

Some artist has taken the continents and islands and used them to create the animals of the Chinese Zodiac.  While I certainly put no faith in zodiacs of any kind, I am impressed with the work it took to create these designs.  Although in retrospect, I wonder if the artist is trying to tell the rest of the world that all the property on the earth will eventually be owned by China!



Dragon




Horse



Rooster

Boar (Pig)



Dog

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Suki and Sallie Update:

I have revised my earlier decision!

I have decided that if this lady, to whom I have offered Suki (and who really seems like a great candidate), turns down my offer, I am going to give keeping Suki another try. I realized yesterday how I have allowed my fears to suddenly drive me into retreat without even making an effort to fight. This is so unlike me and I do not enjoy the way it feels. While I do realize that there are problems with keeping Suki, these are problems that quite possibly can be dealt with creatively.

I have discovered over the past few days, for example, that if I establish sleep patterns that are more like a cat’s, I seem to be able to get enough sleep to feel rested and also avoid the problem of having Suki awaken me during the night when I am trying to get my full quota of sleep -- which is when I so often fall.  Trying to get to sleep and stay asleep for at least six hours straight is being a bit unrealistic at my age, cat or no cat.  It seems to me to be much wiser to sleep when I feel sleepy, sleeping until I feel really rested, and then getting up and being active again. 
As for the litter box, I am experimenting with using various chairs and stools to help me overcome the strain of bending over and straightening up. I haven’t found the perfect fit yet, but I am working on it.

I feel as though I must make the effort. I have been a fighter and survivor all my life and this just feels too much like giving up.

Of course, should I have another bad fall in the near future, I will quite possibly go back to plan A!  As you can imagine, however, I really want to find a way to keep Suki in my life -- and if I could ask her, I think she would probably say that she really wants to continue to share my life!


May the peace of God be with us all.

St. Agnes of Rome

Icon, St. Agnes of Rome, drawing by Sarah "Sallie" Thayer, 2011
Feast day (memorial) January 21st



Christ made my soul beautiful with the jewels of grace and virtue. I belong to Him whom the angels serve. - Saint Agnes

Today is the birthday of a virgin; let us imitate her purity. It is the birthday of a martyr; let us offer ourselves in sacrifice. It is the birthday of Saint Agnes, who is said to have suffered martyrdom at the age of thirteen. There was little or no room in that small body for a wound. Yet she shows no fear of the blood-stained hands of her executioners. She offers her whole body to be put to the sword by fierce soldiers. She is too young to know of death, yet is ready to face it. Dragged against her will to the altars, she stretches out her hands to the Lord int he midst of the flames, making the triumphant sign of Christ the victor on the altars of sacrilege. She puts her neck and hands in iron chains, but no chain can hold fast her tiny limbs. In the midst of tears, she sheds no tears herself. She stood still, she prayed, she offered her neck. You could see fear in the eyes of the executioner, as if he were the one condemned. His right hand trembled, his face grew pale as he saw the girl’s peril, while she had no fear for herself. One victim, but a twin martyrdom, to modesty and religion; Agnes preserved her virginity and gained a martyr’s crown. - from an essay On Virgins by Saint Ambrose of Milan

Saint Agnes had made a promise to God never to stain her purity. Her love for the Lord was very great and she hated sin even more than death! Since she was very beautiful, many young men wished to marry Agnes, but she would always say, "Jesus Christ is my only Spouse."

Procop, the Governor's son, became very angry when she refused him. He had tried to win her for his wife with rich gifts and promises, but the beautiful young girl kept saying, "I am already promised to the Lord of the Universe. He is more splendid than the sun and the stars, and He has said He will never leave me!" In great anger, Procop accused her of being a Christian and brought her to his father, the Governor.

The Governor promised Saint Agnes wonderful gifts if she would only deny God, but she refused. He tried to change her mind by putting her in chains, but her lovely face shown with joy. Next he sent her to a place of sin [a brothel], but an angel protected her. At last, she was condemned to death.

Even the pagans cried to see such a young and beautiful girl going to death. Yet, Saint Agnes was as happy as a bride on her wedding day. She did not pay attention to those who begged her to save herself. "I would offend my Spouse," she said, "if I were to try to please you. He chose me first and He shall have me!" Then she prayed and bowed her head for the death-stroke of the sword.

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PENGUINS

Following are some fun facts about Penguins taken from http://www.about.com/
PENGUINS are some of the most recognizable and beloved birds in the world, and they are also some of the most unique. 
1. There are 18 species of penguin in the world. While some species are thriving, 13 of them have declining populations.
2. Penguins are found only in the Southern Hemisphere. While most people associate penguins with Antarctica, they are much more widespread and penguin populations can also be found in South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
3. The northernmost penguin species is the Galapagos penguin, which lives year-round near the equator.
4. Penguins lost the ability to fly millions of years ago, but their powerful flipper-like wings and streamlined bodies make them very accomplished swimmers. They are the fastest swimming and deepest diving species of any birds.
5. While swimming, penguins will leap above the surface of the water, a practice called porpoising. This coats their plumage with tiny bubbles that reduce friction, allowing them to swim as fast as 20 miles per hour (32 kph). 6. The light front and dark back of classic penguin plumage is called countershading and it provides superb camouflage from above and below to protect penguins in the water.
7. Penguins are carnivores that catch all their food live in the sea. Depending on the species they can eat a variety of different marine animals, including fish, squid, shrimp, krill and other crustaceans.
8. Penguins’ eyes work better underwater than they do in the air, giving them superior eyesight to spot prey while hunting, even in cloudy or murky water. 9. The emperor penguin is the largest of the penguin species and can weigh up to 90 pounds. The fairy penguin is the smallest and weighs only 2 pounds. 10. The yellow-eyed penguin is believed to be the rarest penguin species, with only approximately 5,000 birds. They can only be found along the southeastern coast of New Zealand and nearby islands.
11. Penguins are social birds that form breeding colonies numbering in the tens of thousands. They may use the same nesting grounds for thousands of years, and colonies can number in the millions. They mate for life.
12. Emperor penguins and king penguins do not make nests. Instead, a single egg for each mated pair is incubated on a parent’s feet and kept warm by a flap of skin called a brood pouch. 

13. Emperor penguin males will incubate their eggs for two months in the winter without eating while the females are at sea. During that time, they live off their fat reserves and may lose half their body weight. When the females return shortly after the chicks hatch, they switch parental duties and the females fast.
14. Depending on the species, a wild penguin can live 15-20 years. During that time, they spend up to 75 percent of their lives at sea.
15. Penguins have many natural predators depending on their habitat, including leopard seals, sea lions, orcas, snakes, sharks and foxes. Artificial threats are also a problem for penguins, including oil spills and other pollution, global warming that changes the distribution of food sources and illegal poaching and egg harvesting. By Melissa Mayntz, About.com Guide



So much in love...



First there were two; then there were three



Characters from the movie, "March of the Penguins"




Penguin day-care!

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SUKI:

Well, this is a paragraph I hoped I would never have to write; however, the time has come for me to face an issue that I can no longer deny.  I am simply unable, physically, to take proper care of Suki.  So, I am now searching for a new home for her.  Until I can find some place for her that is exactly right, I will not give her up even if I have to take extra pain medication just to do the tasks necessary for her upkeep. 

I know that there are a number of my readers who have grown very fond of Suki so I wanted you to know what is happening and why I haven't been commenting about her lately.  She continues to do cute and funny things, but it hurts me too much to have to focus on them and write them down as it makes me just too aware of how short the time is before I have to give her up.

As I am writing this, she has gone back to her favourite "perch" after spending some time earlier today lying in the sunshine and giving herself a good bath.

I will keep you informed as things develop.


St. Agnes pray for us, asking that the peace of God may be with us all.

Anthurium andraeanum

Anthurium andraeanum drawing by Sarah "Sallie" Thayer, 2011
For previous posts related to Anthurium, see Nov. 01, 2009;
Jan. 03, 2011; May 13, 2011

The proper name of this striking plant is Anthurium andraeanum (Family, Araceae – Arum family). The common names include: Anthurium, Flamingo-lily, Flamingo Flower, Oilcloth-flower and Tail Flower.

This popular ornamental garden plant is native to Colombia and Ecuador. The colours range from yellow to red and even multicoloured. In the wild, they flower all year round and can grow up to 3 feet tall.

Now for your botany lesson for today!  The flowers (see gold coloured area above) are actually the tiny blossoms on the slender, finger-like or tail-like spadix [a fleshy club like spike bearing minute flowers, usually enclosed within a sheath like spathe, characteristic of such plants as anthuriums] above a very shiny, waxy, colourful, crinkled, heart-shaped spathe [a leaf like bract that encloses a flower cluster or spadix, as in the jack-in-the-pulpit and the calla lily]. The flowers are sometimes followed by small, fleshy berries (none of these are shown in my drawing). The leaves are large, glossy dark green or even black in some varieties, leathery, alternate, and oblong-heart-shaped to arrow-shaped. The plants are epiphytes [a plant, such as a tropical orchid or a staghorn fern, that grows on another plant upon which it depends for mechanical support but not for nutrients. Also called aerophyte or air plant] but can be grown in loose rock, bark, and fibre soil mixtures as well.

While the plants can appear quite striking in an outdoor garden, gardeners should be aware that Anthurium andraeanum are poisonous and contain calcium oxalate crystals, which can cause severe mouth irritation and swelling if ingested.  Should you have one of these plants in your home, please make certain to keep it where your pets or young children can't reach it!

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Now for one more drawing of my favourite flower.  This one also contains both spadix and spathe (see definitions above).  Yes, it is another effort on my part to capture the curving beauty of Calla Lilies.  I don't think I will ever get tired of drawing them!  If you are tired of looking at my efforts, feel free to skip to the next section.


"Calla Lily Still-Life", drawing by Sarah "Sallie" Thayer, 2012


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Now for something truly beautiful...

On the weekend I made a marvellous discovery. I was introduced (online) to an iconographer who writes some of the most beautiful icons I have ever seen. His name is Marek Czarnecki http://www.seraphicrestorations.com/
I wrote to him right away and, delightfully, heard back from him right away! I asked if I might share a few of his icons with my viewers and he very kindly said "yes". So, following are four of the many wonderful works he has been inspired to write. See if you don't agree with me as you view the delicate details found throughout.

Sadly, it does not appear that individuals can purchase a copy of his work since each work is uniquely commissioned by a church, organization, person, etc. Thankfully, he does maintain a gallery online which means that we are able to go and look at the icons and even find out where they are located in case we are going to be travelling to that area. Anyway, for the moment, just enjoy!

The traditional Sacred Heart image has been written as a true icon.
The border legend reads: "Learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart."



St. John the Baptist portrayed with an inner beauty, visible even
with his external "wildness" shown with detail. Note the wonderful beard.



This is the iconographer's icon. Here St. Luke, considered to be the first
to write icons, is being shown how to draw Our Lady and the Child.
There are several icons which vie for the spot of being one of St. Luke's
icons, for example, Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

This is such a beautiful expression of that incredible moment when
St. Juan Diego opened his tilma filled with roses in front of the Bishop
and his companions. Can you imagine what it was like to suddenly see,
on this peasant's "cloak", an image of Our Lady in glowing colours
of turquoise and gold?

Please go and take a look at the rest of Marek's work.  It is well worth the effort.  I know I will be going back for frequent visits!

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Something even more beautiful than an icon... 

My friend's little boy at the age of 21 months (taken Nov. 4, 2011)
While religious icons are "windows looking into Heaven", the eyes
of our children, in their innocence and clarity, can give us an even
deeper view into our eternal Homeland -- if we just have the eyes to see.

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As for Suki and myself, both of us are doing reasonably well at the moment -- kind of in a holding pattern, you might say!  Suki's orbit is the circumference of her padded, "crow's-nest" bed while mine is the area between the computer, my reclining "bed" and the two Catholic TV channels!  Fortunately our orbits intersect very nicely and so peace reigns.

More details on our lives when I post again at the end of the week. 

For now, I need to return to my place of rest as the rib injured in my last fall is beginning to complain!

Oh, before I forget, I managed to get the statue of St. Joseph repaired.  It will never be the same, but somehow, I like it even more now than before it was broken!  My dear friend, Amra, wrote to me after hearing that the statue was broken and said:  "I hope your dear statue will be fixed soon and that you will embrace that "small imperfection" of St. Joseph."  Yes, Amra, I will.


May the peace of God be with us all.

St. Catherine the Great, Alexandria



Icon, St. Catherine the Great, Martyr, drawing by Sarah "Sallie" Thayer, 2011

 I am well aware that most scholars consider the story of St. Catherine of Alexandria to be nothing but a pious legend.  I disagree.  She was always there to intercede for me during my years of preparing for and working in the library world, and while there may be just a touch of exaggeration in the account of her martyrdom, she was, indeed, a convert in the early Church, she was martyred and she is now in Heaven with her Divine Spouse forever.  You can take my word for it!  She is the saint of attorneys, educators, librarians, mechanics, philosophers, preachers and libraries.

Since not all of your may know the wonderful story of St. Catherine of Alexandria (Egypt), let me tell you a few of the highlights. Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine was born c. 282 and died c. 305.

According to the traditional narrative, Catherine was the beautiful daughter of the pagan King Costus and Queen Sabinella, who governed Alexandria. Though raised a pagan, she became an ardent Christian in her teenage years, having received a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, in which the Blessed Virgin gave Catherine to Jesus in mystical marriage.

As a young adult, she visited her contemporary, the Roman Emperor Maxentius, and attempted to convince him of the moral error in persecuting Christians for not worshipping idols. The emperor arranged for a plethora of the best pagan philosophers and orators to dispute with her, hoping that they would refute her pro-Christian arguments, but Catherine won the debate and succeeded in converting all of them to Christianity, for which the philosophers and orators were executed by an enraged Maxentius.

Catherine was then scourged and put in prison, during which time over two hundred people came to see her, including Maxentius' wife the empress, all of whom converted to Christianity and were therefore martyred.



Wheel for torture which came
to be known as Catherine's Wheel

 Upon the failure of Maxentius to make Catherine yield by way of torture, he tried to win the beautiful and wise princess over by proposing marriage to her, at which point in time the Saint declared that her spouse was Jesus Christ, to whom she had consecrated her virginity. The furious emperor condemned Catherine to death on the spiked breaking wheel, an instrument of torture. The wheel was miraculously destroyed, however, in answer to St. Catherine's prayer, and so Maxentius had to settle for beheading her.

According to a Christian tradition dating to about 800, angels carried her body to Mount Sinai, where, in the 6th century, the Eastern Emperor Justinian had established what is now known as Saint Catherine's Monastery at Mount Sinai.

Over 1,100 years following her martyrdom, St. Joan of Arc identified Catherine as one of the Saints who appeared to her and counseled her. The Orthodox Church venerates her as a Great Martyr, and celebrates her feast day on 25 November.  In the Catholic Church, after some years of being ignored, St. Catherine is now listed as an optional memorial for the 25th of November.

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The Deep of Winter

I understand from our ever-dependable weather forecaster that we are supposed to be getting our first real snowstorm of 2012 soon.  Thus, I felt it appropriate to share with you some of my collection of winter photos.  These are not my photos, but ones I have collected over time because they appealed to me for one reason or another.  I hope they have some appeal for you as well. 


Just the faintest bit of sunlight




Some strange light source shows at the top of the photo




Light from a full moon

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sallie and suki

Both Suki and I are doing reasonably well.  At the moment, she is sleeping (surprise) while I work away on this posting.  I am thinking seriously about stopping this soon and going for my morning coffee at which time I would expect Suki to suddenly arise from sleep, give a big yawn accompanied by a great stretch leading to a rather plaintive "meow" (translation:  "is it time to eat?")




My brother-in-law holding the
Christmas gift I prepared for
him, Christmas 2011

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Here is a photo of my brother-in-law, Tom, taken sometime after the opening of Christmas gifts, 2011.  Tom is holding the icon of St. Michael I made for him, using a similar icon from an online company.  Tom is the one, you may recall, who has been a volunteer firefighter since he was in high school.  Wherever he and my sister have lived, Tom has always been helping out the local fire station in one capacity or another.  And, as you also may recall, St. Michael is the patron saint of firemen, police, etc.





Marguerite Bourgeoys (1620-1700)
foundress of the Sisters of the
Congregation of Notre-Dame

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Sometimes Scripture truly strikes you with such an impact that it almost leaves you breathless.  This is what happened to me this morning when I was reading the "alternate Sanctoral Readings".  These are the special readings that the Church provides for solemnities, feasts, or memorials and particularly when there are proper texts for such celebrations.  The Memorial of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys is celebrated on this date in Canada and so there are alternate readings provided for those parishes wishing to use them.  One of these alternate readings is from the Book of Sirach where the inspired author says:  "Accept whatever befalls you, and in times of humiliation be patient.  For gold is tested in the fire, and those found acceptable, in the furnace of humiliation.  Trust in Him and He will help you; make your ways straight and hope in Him." (Sirach 2:2ff).  This passage was the means by which God spoke to me powerfully today and I am so grateful.






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Meanwhile, I just want you to know that I misjudged Suki.  I did, indeed, get up to make myself a cup of coffee.  Suki did, indeed, stretch, yawn and meow; however, her meow said "I am going back to sleep" instead of the usual "feed me".  At this point she has gone back to sleep in her "crow's nest" and seems to be sleeping soundly.  We should never think that we have cats figured out -- they will always prove us wrong!

Now, may the peace of God be with us all and may St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Marguerite Bourgeoys pray for us in the days ahead.

Two Different Orchids



Orchid "Oncidium", drawing by Sarah-Sallie Thayer, 2011

I really don't know why I am trying to draw Orchids again.  I have never been very successful as Orchids really need to be painted and not drawn in order to show something of their intricate beauty.  The way I have to draw and colour on the computer is just too heavy handed, I find, to create the complex loveliness of Orchids.  Yet, for some reason, I keep trying.  Oh, well, it is a challenge and it is difficult for me to resist a challenge!

          

Orchid "Oncidium", drawing by Sarah-Sallie

Thayer, 2011, special effects created by using

colour inversion software

This is the result of my playing with the colour inversion software.  Here the image looks more like a woodcut than ever which I find very interesting.  In fact, now I am thinking about going back and trying the software selection for "sepia" to see if it really does look like a real woodcut.  That might be more attractive than the original drawing.  In fact, if I have time, I may do that before I publish this posting just in case the results are interesting enough to show you.



++++++

 Here is some sort of Orchid.  I couldn't find the proper name.  I came across a photograph of this Orchid in a pps someone sent me.  All it had underneath the photo was "Orchid -- Orange/Red".  So that is my working title.  If you have any idea what type of Orchid this is, please do let me know so I can go back and add it to this posting.  Thanks. 



Strange type of Orchid, proper name unknown, drawing by
Sarah-Sallie Thayer, 2012

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INTERESTING NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS:

You may have seen these already on the Internet, but just in case you missed them, here are four for your fancy!



You really have to wonder sometimes about the quality of our educational system!




It really makes a person feel good that the State of Colorado is being
run by people with such a profound understanding of statistical analysis




I am really not sure that a public apology would be sufficient
in such a case.  My question is:  How could "failure to stop
at a railroad crossing" be confused with "prostitution"?

I know I really shouldn't make fun of Wal-Mart,
but they did come into Ontario and cause some of
my favourite "cheap" stores to have to close!

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SUKI AND SALLIE
Well, the story I have to relate today makes Suki look good and me not so

Suki behind statue of
St. Joseph and the child, Jesus

 good!

It has to do with my prized statue of St. Joseph and the Child, Jesus.  This statue was given to me as a birthday gift back in 1998 by a group of friends here in my co-op building.  The friend chiefly responsible was named Jackie.  Sadly, Jackie dies a few years later from lung cancer which had metastasized before she or anyone else even knew she was sick. 

As a consequence, I have always valued the statue plus the fact that I am very fond of St. Joseph and ask for his prayers on my behalf and the behalf of other very frequently.  And, of course, the Boy, Jesus, is the Lord of my life!
I never worried about the statue with my previous cats as they were never much interested in it.  However, from the time Suki moved into my life and heart, she has loved to spend time looking out the window in the "shade" of the statue.  As a consequence, I have fretted and moaned to her about being careful; threatening all manner of horrible things should she knock the statue over and break it.

Well, the statue is now broken.  Poor St. Joseph had his head broken off right at the neck.  And guess what?... I did it, not Suki.  I mean, Suki was close by when it happened, but she had absolutely nothing to do with the accident.

I had just closed the vertical blinds that go across my living room window.  One of the blinds was not straight so I leaned forward, across the statue to straighten it.  As I straightened myself up to turn and go, I suddenly found that I was off balance -- not an unusual problem for me these days.  Feeling as though I might fall, I quickly reached out towards the window to brace myself.  As I did so, my hand just brushed against the statue -- just enough of a glancing blow to knock the statue off balance.  As I watched, everything seemed to happen in slow motion.  I saw the statue hit the floor, the head break off and bounce once as I fruitlessly tried to reach out and stop it.  Suddenly time snapped back into place and I heard myself crying out "oh, no!".

Later, as I cleaned up the tiny shards of plaster, I investigated the head carefully.  It appears to me that it could be glued back into place with very little evidence that it was ever broken, but it would take someone who really knows how to work with plaster.  There is such a person living in my building.  I called her last night and left her a message so when she gets back home tonight, I will see what she thinks.  I am hoping and praying that it can be fixed.  I mean, I know it is just a thing and that in another 25 years it will turn to dust, but it is special to me and has given me a great deal of pleasure over these past years. 

Before I end this posting, I want to show you a lovely photo of an owl in winter.  There is something so special, almost mystical, about the silent way an owl will sit in a tree just before dusk.  Then, if you startle it, the owl will spread those enormous wings and fly slowly off into the darkening trees.
May the peace of the Lord be with us all as the Christmas Season comes to an end.  Tuesday we return to Ordinary Time.

David, King and Prophet



Icon, David, King and Prophet, drawing by Sarah "Sallie" Thayer, 2011 (portion of Psalm 100 shown)

Who is King David?  Almost any person who has been brought up in the Christian community can answer that question even if all they can say is "he wrote all the Psalms". 

So many of us have just finished celebrating Christmas (other Christians are just getting ready to celebrate Christmas) and if we attended Mass or church services during that time, we heard the name of David in the Scripture readings for this holy season.  In St. Matthew's Gospel we read that the angel of God spoke to Joseph in a dream and said:  "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife..." [Matt. 1:20].  The angel is referring here to King David, not Joseph's natural father.  Then in Luke's Gospel, we read so many references to King David such as these:  "All went to their own towns to be registered.  Joseph also went ... to the City of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David." [Luke 2:4-5] and "... and the angel said 'to you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.'"  [Luke 2:11].

We are told that both Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, and Mary, his mother, were of the house and family of David.  Why was this so important?  Because of the prophecies found in the Old Testament which indicate that the coming Messiah would be of the house and lineage of David.  To this very day, our Jewish brothers and sisters pray daily for the coming of the "Messiah, son of David." For while we Christians accept Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah, they are still waiting for the Messiah to come. In both cases, however, the Messiah is to be a descendant of the house of David.

We really know so very little about David except what we find in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament. The Books of Samuel, 1 Kings, and 1 Chronicles are the only sources of information on David, although the Tel Dan stele records the existence in the mid-9th century of a Judean royal dynasty called the "House of David". The Tel Dan Stele is a stele (inscribed stone) discovered in 1993/94 during excavations at Tel Dan in northern Israel. Its author was a king of Damascus, Hazael or one of his sons, and it contains an Aramaic inscription commemorating victories over local ancient peoples including "Israel" and the "House of David." His life is conventionally dated to c. 1040–970 BC, his reign over Judah c. 1010–1003 BC, and his reign over the United Kingdom of Israel c. 1003–970 BC.

Then, of course, there are the Psalms.  These are beautiful songs of praise, worship, questioning, struggling and pleas for mercy.  There are 150 Psalms all of which are said to have been composed by King David who was also a musician.  Whether David actually composed all of them is questionable, perhaps, but it is quite possible that he was the one who brought them all together in one "book".  Probably the best known of these songs is Psalm 23.  This shepherd's song could easily have been written by David who grew up tending his father, Jesse's, sheep.  Then there is Psalm 51 -- the prayer for forgiveness and is thought to have been written by David as he finally faced the truth about the terrible sin he had committed because of his lust for another man's wife.  I would also mention Psalm 139 -- if you have never read it, please do so and let the truth of these words sink deeply into your soul.

Since the earliest days of the Church, priests and laity alike have prayed all 150 Psalms over and over throughout the year.  This is still done by every priest and religious (plus many lay people) to this very day.  In fact, in the early Church, since there was as yet no New Testament, the Psalms were the source of much of the teaching ministry.  Jesus quoted numerous times from the Psalms in his teaching and preaching as did St. Paul and the other apostles. 

King David, pray for us that we, too, may always be able to say:  "The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want."


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I haven't left myself much room for anything else but there is one thing I do want to tell you about. 

Some weeks ago, I heard from a member of the Knights of Columbus in Downers Grove, Illinois.  He wrote: "We are currently running an article on St. Maximillian Kolbe, and I was wondering if we might use the image you created for St. Maximillian Parish in West Chester, PA. The image would appear once in our newsletter with the article. We would give you credit, of course. The newsletter is distributed free of charge to our membership of about 90 Knights." I, of course, said "yes" and recently I received a copy of the e-bulletin published by this group of Knights. I thought you might be interested in seeing how the image was used. 

St. Maximilian: a true hero   Often times in Catholicism, we hear the words, “We are all called to be saints.” What does that mean? Does it mean we do charity or good works? Most of the time it means we have to suffer. If you look at the lives of the saints, any of them, you will see that they have suffered, a lot. They suffer for a higher purpose than even they, or anyone, else can imagine. So, what kind of a person takes on this suffering, to put God‟s will ahead of one‟s self, ahead of one‟s own dreams and ambitions? What kind of person would suffer death so that another might live? Who would put Christ ahead of everything else?


Original art work by Sarah “Sallie” Thayer. Published with
permission of the artist.  See salliesart.blogspot.com

 One such person was Saint Maximilian Kolbe, a Catholic priest. St. Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish Conventual Franciscan Friar who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the Nazi Concentration Camp of Auschwitz, located in German-occupied Poland during World War II. He died on August 14, 1941. After three prisoners escaped, ten men were selected to die of starvation as a punishing example to deter more escape attempts. One of the men, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out, when selected, “My poor wife, my poor children, what will they do?” So moved was St. Maximilian that he immediately volunteered to take his place in an isolated, underground bunker. For the next few weeks he quietly led the men in Mass and prayers until they all died of starvation, except for St. Maximilian himself. Since the guards wanted the bunker emptied, they gave him a lethal injection of carbolic acid. Some who were present at his death said that he raised his left arm and calmly waited for the injection. The man whose life he saved, Franciszek Gajowniczek, lived until March 13, 1995. He continued to spread the word of the sacrifice of St. Maximilian throughout his life so that all would know of the faith and charity of this great saint.

St. Maximilian 's life was strongly influenced by a childhood vision of the Virgin Mary which he later described: “That night, I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity, and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both.” Early on he was inspired to organize the Militia Immaculata, or the Army of Mary, to aid in the conversion of sinners and to resist enemies of the Catholic Church. Before he was incarcerated in Auschwitz, he sheltered many Polish refugees from Nazi persecution in his friary, including 2,000 Jews. St. Maximilian Kolbe was canonized a martyr by Pope John Paul II on October 10, 1982, with Franciszek Gajowniczek in attendance. St. Maximilian is a much loved saint of our family: Marikay and I have called upon him to intercede for our needs often. I hope you read more about this brave man of faith and ask him to intercede for your needs also.
Vivat Jesus, Norris Freedman
* Historical info was taken from Wikipedia; Catholic.org/saints  [From the Grand Knight: VOLUME 3, ISSUE 4]

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SUKI AND SALLIE



Have you ever seen a sleepier cat?

Well, a picture is worth a thousand words.  Poor Suki was frequently disturbed today as there was much coming and going from my apartment during the morning and early afternoon.  She was not able to get her accustomed 16 hours of uninterrupted sleep (well, maybe not that many hours).  Anyway, by the time 3 p.m. rolled around, Suki was in her bed at the top of her cat tree sleeping away.  Here she is shown as she awakens briefly and unhappily because I made a noise that disturbed her!  Pardon me, your royal highness!

At any rate, she did not stay awake for long and is now happily sleeping once again.  When she sleeps this deeply it is funny to see that her tail becomes very active at times.  I know she is dreaming and I wonder what she is seeing in her dreams, especially when her tail is really twitching back and forth rapidly.  She is probably dreaming that she has caught one of those pigeons who torment her so just outside the window sill!

Sallie, on the other hand, took a major nap this afternoon.  I don't know what was going on with me but suddenly I was just totally overcome by tiredness.  Thanks be to God, I had the good sense just to go to bed.  I slept 3 1/2 hours and might have even slept longer had the phone not started ringing.  Oh, well, I do feel much better and thankful that for once I had the good sense to follow my body's needs instead of my own desires to stay up and work on a new drawing.

But now it is already time to get ready to go back to sleep again and I am looking forward to it!  Maybe I am catching the sleep bug from my cat! 

Otherwise, I am doing well.  All my X-rays, by the way, showed nothing serious.  I just got a big bump on my head with bruising on my face and it will take another 6 to 8 weeks for everything to get back to as close to normal as possible!  Now, we must all pray that Sallie does not fall anymore.  That is my New Year's resolution as I told you in the previous posting.  I have also told my guardian angel:  anymore falls and I am going to politely request that this guardian angel goes back for some re-training and that meanwhile I get a young and enthusiastic replacement!  Well, OK, I didn't really say that, but I thought it.

Now, may God bless us and protect us and may the peace of God surround us all.