it's about time...

this speaks to me...

This addresses my concept of retirement pretty well. This as well as this next one:

I like this too. And we don't have to even call it *art* just creative exercises... letting our minds and hands play.

Here are a few of the little critters my hands sculpt in my free time between projects. Remember - they are what I call *rough sculpted* meaning I just find a picture of some critter that I like and see how fast I can do a rough sculpt of it.... sometimes changing a few things here and there as I see fit and not smoothing things out or making them more realistic. These have been under-glazed, but have not yet had a first firing. 

taken with my iPhone and on shelf at home drying

Fun!!
(I have more, but the others are still just clay, not under-glazed yet)

What do you do for fun?

There's joy in creating... and it seems to be found in the process (not necessarily in the end product). Probably everyone's idea of re-creation is different - but for me it's either getting lost in the process (whether it be in a story being written or read, an idea being sketched,  a recipe being put together, or a piece of clay being worked) or losing myself to nature (on a quiet empty beach or a deserted tree-lined path). This (IMO) is the true meaning of re-creation - a place or state of being where a person's soul is *restored*. I find that during this process the passage of time is not noticed. And at the end of that time, one feels almost reluctant to return to the real world, yet in some ways more able to deal with it.

I watched Linda's video of ballet, an art that is indeed a creative endeavor. And it brings me back to a question that has always meandered through my head... *What makes people lean towards these different interests or ways of expressing themselves?*  I know from Joanne's blog that her interest in weaving comes from her Aunt Laura. But what if there's no particular person or event that one knows about... ? From where did that inherit need arise? Is there some unknown genetic tie or is it a infinite combination of traits and environment that came together to form this affinity? It's probably not even of interest to anyone else, but I've always wondered... (why one person loves math and another hates it, etc.)

(and another one: why anyone in their right mind would ever want to go into politics? The only 2 reasons I can think of... the altruistic one - to right the wrongs of the world... and the one that seems to ring true - Power!) And  IMO more power to anyone who chooses to jump into that snake pit...  (Ignore this tangent. I do seem to go off track on occasion)

It's Valentine's Day tomorrow so I want to wish all of you a Happy Valentine's!  DH and I don't really celebrate this holiday, but we did buy ourselves some dark chocolate macaroons at the Godiva shop and a small New York strip steak that was marinated in espresso chocolate at Central Market for the occasion (actually we would have bought both those things anyway... Valentine's just gives us an excuse).

Here's an old Valentine pic of Jack and Tux...