Still Life: Fern Green Tower by Dale Chihuly, me, and a stranger at the Corning Museum of Glass

Fern Green Tower by Dale Chihuly. Photo by Margaret Almon at the Corning Museum of Glass

My 1000th blog post: seeing the world through new glasses while hanging out with rosemary

Stratoz
sporting a new pair of glasses and one glove (?)
 and a most amazing rosemary bush

1000 posts on Stratoz, an enterprise started in 2007. I think a few were deleted, but most remain to help me reach a thousand ramblings shared on ~> God and Jazz. Glass and Science. Teaching and Gardening. Lansdale and Mosaic Woman. Food and Art. Probably some need some fixing up, but I am OK with an imperfect blog.

My posts are shorter these days but I think I still have the same focus. Celebrate the things I dig. Maybe it is a bit too diverse to get a rabid following from the masses, but I do have a fan base and for that I am grateful.  

I got new glasses on Saturday, much to the amusement of a friend at church. And considering the long week she had, I have no problem with bringing some joyful entertainment into her life.

This post does not show the 30 perennials I planted in the last few weeks, but it does show some Hostas that came with the house and may not be here when the next owner moves in. 

Violet and Green
Stratoz decided he needed some color

Wordless, but drumming

Wordless Wednesday: standing inside a tree

Wordless Wednesday: O is for Oregon 1992

Wordless Wednesday

7 for the weekend--- on being sick

1. photo not from this weekend, but one of the symptoms: deep desire to be tucked in under my grandma's quilt.

2. hat's off to my immune system: been over a year since a virus got by it.

3. college basketball: back in the day I was a huge sports fan, so I have been watching the games this weekend. Too bad Villanova and Temple went out early. But the one Dave is a big fan of NC so I will support them later, least I can do after refusing to pull for the Steelers in the Super Bowl.

4. appetite: been able to eat, no fever, and have touched few tissues, but the coughing, the aches, and the chills have been rather amazing.

5. ooops. wish I had gotten my grades posted last week when I was feeling better, but hey when it comes to paper work I am a last minute kind of dude. Feeling better today, so maybe tomorrow I will be at work. Speaking of work, I have a real strong urge to do no lesson plans, but am aiming towards lame ones.

6. love of a good woman: so far she has stayed healthy and has been kind to this miserable dude.

7. my plans were to write about drumming this weekend, but my head hurts and I did not feel up for it, but let me say this: Yesterday I picked up my drum and the first time in a while prayed for myself.

Wordless Wednesday: The Orange and The Black

Fridays in PA---- Tiffany Lamps Come to Reading Public Museum

10 weeks ago I was displaying my stained glass, while also being on my annual Walking with God Retreat, when I was told about an exhibit I may want to see. The Reading Public Museum had a display of Tiffany lamps. Soon a letter came in the mail from my new friend. It contained info on the museum and two discount passes. Then craft show delirium hit home.

With my winter break from teaching dwindling and the show ending date (1/234/10) approaching, Mosaic Woman and I took a day trip yesterday to check out the lamps. The museum put on a wonderful display and I was curious if it would spur me to finally design a Stratoz lamp. Maybe? To do it right it needs to be complicated and that means costly. The Tiffany Lamps sold for 1/4 to 1/2 of the average US salary back in the day. Can you imagine? Don't think I would charge that much.

I also was looking for a facebook profile photo shoot opportunity. The last two had been standing behind and peering through sculptures, so as I walked the museum I kept my eyes open for the location of my next profile photo. Mosaic Woman took the photo of me peering through a ceremonial table from the Philippines. The museum had much to look at other than the lamps and I got to say some glass caught my eye: A stained glass tribute to Irvin F. Impink, who donated land for the museum, which greets you as you climb the stairs.




Happy New Years!

I have been asked these questions about myself

It is likely that I am going to be a featured crafter on a blog in a few weeks, since I had to type up some answers, I will try a few of them out here:

1) Please tell us a bit about yourself – where you live, the name of your business. (and how you chose your shop name), what you sell, etc.

I live in Lansdale in a one bedroom two studio row home. My wife and business partner, Margaret Almon, came up with our name, Nutmeg Designs. Nutmeg has nothing to do with our craft, but all to do with an old nickname. Design is what we love to do. I primarily sell stained glass suncatchers and small panels. I collaborate with Margaret on mosaic signs. I design the lettering and numbers and cut out the pieces. Then I hand them to Margaret, who glues them down and does the background creating the mosaic.

3) Of all your creations, what is your favorite? And why?

My favorite design is now known as the Dr. Ed Mandala. It is named in memory of a good friend who died of pancreatic cancer. The last time I saw him in public was at a craft show and he bought a mandala. Soon after he died, I named it after him and have donated 30% of all sales to pancreatic cancer research.

4) What is your favorite possession, and why do you cherish it?

Got to go with two and they both came from my grandmothers. Mamie was a quilter and I own a few of them. She was the first crafter I knew. The Log Cabin quilt in blues, which she made for Margaret and I, is the one we use. From Mom Mom I got years of strudel and the lesson on how to make it. She taught me shortly before she had a stroke and that day spent in her kitchen is seen as a blessing for sure. I am the one who now makes it for our family.

5) Is there something special you collect? (If so, photos are very welcome!)

Back in the day it was baseball cards then books. Now it is craft with a special love of Scherenschnitte and art ceramic tiles. Some say I have a good jazz collection.

7) Where do you hope to be, personally and in your artistic endeavors, in say 10 years time?

Seeing my teaching career coming to an end and seeing my crafting career soaring. I want to do special projects where someone tells me of a concern for a loved one and I take that into my studio and create a moment of hope out of glass.

What do you want to know?