Anisette Studio

Good morning! Coffee at the right! I am all set for the day! Did another big push yesterday here at Muddy Brook. My grandson took all of my books down from the closet in the bedroom. I sorted these according to where I wanted them to go. Books on writing and poetry can go to my writing. There are two shelves each side. Maybe on side can be where I put the reference books for writing the manual. I have a good-sized pile to take to my granddaughter when I go to camp. Some are books for gardening. Some of these I will put back in a way I can read the titles. Today I can do the other half of the shell. All big art books will come out to the bookshelf in the studio.

The results of my efforts will be a cozy cottage. The bedroom is almost mastered. I have some more paintings to hang up and then I think I am good! I work better when things are tidy, so that its simple pick up, the rooms are indeed cozy and lived in. Not boxes from moving. Claiming the cottage as mine.

Today will be a day of reading and note taking about color theory for the manual.

Joyce Hifler, Thoughts for the day

Love the way each chapter beings in the book, To Everything There Is A Season. (With poetic verse.)

Chapter 7, “A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together___.

“I stood out under the stars last night___ and wondered how each small light___ could shine upon this earth so dark___ could swell and blaze, glitter and spark___ just showing man the way to go___ They pattern the sky that he might know___ the order and rhythm of nature’s way___ that man might join with man one someday___ and make a light with in his mind___ a tenderness for all mankind___ an inner joy that shall cast out___ the meanest things that make men doubt!”

Here is another thought that comes to mind. I did a little research to make sure of what I recall being told about writing and being gender neutral. Wanting not to offend. I recall reading this book (and other books) as a teen and wondering about the exclusiveness of Joyce’s writing using the words man, men and mankind. I wondered about the word women or woman as a reference. This felt confusing especially in the 70’s. But it helped to learn that the word man was originally gender neutral, meaning more or less the same as the modern-day word person. This was true for the 70’s-time frame when Joyce wrote her books. I did not lose my curiosity about the use of this or meaning of other words, meaning or definitions are important to a writer. More recently I learned that it was about a thousand years ago that the word man started to refer to a male and so now this is the meaning we apply. Now, until that point the word “wer” referred to man and “wif” to woman, or the word “wifman” meaning female human. This is interesting as now we run across the term wer in reference to words like werewolf, or the term wer itself for a vampire. Wif became wife. Now the word men held the meaning of to think or have a cognitive mind, this was gender neutral and connected man to being a thinker. The result was than the term man referred to all humans at one point in time. This is what I had been told when I inquired about it. A teacher had seen the struggle in my writing and had corrected me.

I don’t want the meaning of Hilfers words to not have the impact they should. My mind went “there” and I wondered if someone else would. This is why I write this train of thought too. That and I strongly feel that living life is about being who we are as individuals. Women and men are different. It does not have to be the issue it is at certain times. I believe being male or female should be embraced. We can talk about what it is to be male and female. We can believe, trust, respect one another. It takes time to build on all types of relationships. Taking sides helps nothing if we are to understand one another. It is something we believe that holds us back, going with assumptions. Anytime you guess about someone else’ feelings or beliefs, male or female, there you are!

When I was a little girl I was just another kid, and there was no difference it seemed. When I got older and my body began to take on its new shape. Things changed for me. All of a sudden, I was to do “girl things” and those boys I played football with? Well, things changed there too. They did not want to tackle a girl with breast it seemed. It gets hot and you have to take off a sweatshirt sometimes.

This blog became a different train of thought! Life, and people evolve, and even evolve back into old ideas.

Best wishes! Pejj