Thursday, January 28, 2010

An Italian Cat


What a life this kitty has. To think it may have 9 lives. I wonder if it would spend them all here in this corner of the world.


I recently finished this pendant and was happy with the way it came together. My glass fusing process is either well thought out or a mishmash of various glass pieces. I prefer not thinking about it, as it is fun to be surprised when opening the kiln. This combination of glass was thrown together without any thought. I did not like it much when it came out of the kiln. That dislike changed, once I fused on the gold cat.

It reminded me of my trip to visit my husband's family in Northern Italy. With a bit more thought, I realized it was the rich red color, the orange, the gold that reminded me of tile roofs, buildings, and the traditional venetian colors used in textiles, on walls, etc. The blues and grays are like the sky and stone. The photo above was taken in the city of Bassano del Grappa, in the veneto providence. We were on the street just east of the meandering river that runs through the city.

You can easily learn about the city's long history and beauty with just a few clicks, so I will not ramble on and on about that. You might want to click this link to see one photo taken from the landmark wooden bridge of the city. The cat in the photo above lives along that river.

I wonder if it appreciates how fortunate it is.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Welcoming the New Year...



Originally uploaded by Frums Glass Menagerie
...with legumes?

My father, now 82, was raised in New York State, to parents of Dutch/German/Swedish descent. As a child, his Mom would wake he and his sister at the stroke of midnight, to usher in the New Year by eating lentil soup. Can you imagine? While I like most legumes, in moderation, I am grateful my parents did not perpetuate this tradition.

Discussing family traditions among online friends tweaked my interest. I spent some time looking up what is found on the New Year's Day table and the origins of these foods. To name a few; legumes resemble money or coins, thus eating them brings good luck and fortune. Likewise for greens. Pigs forage for their food by moving forward, so eating pork moves one forward in the New Year. Cows stand still and birds move backward and forward, so stay away from beef and poultry.

Breaking personal traditions, I made red lentil soup for New Year's Day. I saved a few lentils to photograph my first pendant of 2010. The white sighthound is taking time to smell a flower. I'm hoping everyone enjoys a healthy and happy new year.