REDONDOWRITER'S SACRED ORDINARY

R.I.P. J. D. Salinger

I was sad to hear today that author J.D. Salinger had passed away at age 91.  

I read the story of his death in today's Boston Herald and realized I knew very little about the man, though his reclusiveness was legendary.

It was "Catcher in the Rye" that I equated with his name--and though I was a poor kid from a small town in the L.A. suburbs, Holden Caulfield utterly fascinated me not only in high school, but all the years that have followed. I wonder why? 

I don't re-read books very often, but for some reason, I read Catcher every few years--and it seems new every time. And it evokes all kinds of new emotions in me. I read it again last year. 

So, God speed J.D. Salinger. Thanks for my favorite book. 

Local Happenings: Peninsula Library Has Gala Benefit Scheduled for Feb. 6

Though I am active with several community groups, I rarely post about events here. But, the Peninsula Friends of the Library, one of my volunteer groups, is having a super-duper benefit on Feb. 6 in Palos Verdes. In these times of budget cuts, libraries are one of several of our community services whose funding has been reduced. If you want to have a heck-of-a-good time, and unique besides, read on. Ticket prices are listed at the end of the entry. 

 

 

A Magical Evening

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2010

5:30 P.M.

You only have a week left to get your tickets for the Peninsula Friends of the Library ’s A Magical Evening,  a celebration of the 80^th anniversary of the Palos Verdes Library District. This is an event you won’t want to miss!

The roof of the Peninsula Center Library will be tented for the party of the year. It will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a social hour and silent auction on the main floor of the Peninsula Center Library followed by dinner on the library roof catered by Torrance’s Restaurant Christine.  We guarantee you will be as toasty and comfortable as you would in your own living room. There will be strolling magicians and musicians and a ‘Las Vegas style’ magic show featuring “Stoil”—truly an evening of magic and fun! L.A. County Supervisor Don Knabe will be the auctioneer for the live auction following dinner. Three different musical groups will provide the evening’s entertainment.

For more information or to buy a table ($1,250) or tickets ($125), please call 310-377-9584 ext. 300 or e-mail to friendsinfo@pvld.org.

There is still time give additional support your library in this year of substantial fiscal challenges by becoming a sponsor, placing an ad in the program booklet, or donating an auction item. Just call 310-377-9584 ext. 245 or e-mail friendsinfo@pvld.org.

Peninsula Center Library is located at 701 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates.  Parking and shuttle buses will be available at the Promenade and the Malaga Cove and Miraleste Libraries.

Please join us on February 6.

Sunset and the Buddhist Evening Gatha

Mollie and I got down to the Esplanade in Redondo Beach right after sun had set tonight, but it was still so breathtakingly beautiful. This is the staircase at the foot of Veteran's Park where dogs are not allowed to go, but they can walk on what the locals call "the high path." Just to the left is the area where the local diving companies teach their students. The high surf warning was lifted and the ocean near the Redondo Beach Pier was nearly flat tonight--but cold and windy. 

Many of you know that I keep a copy of the Buddhist Evening Gatha on my computers at home and work. Here it is again:

Let me respectfully remind you,

    life and death are of supreme importance.

Time swiftly passes by,

    and opportunity is lost.

Let us awaken,

    awaken.

Take heed,

    do not squander your life.

My copies are typed, but the Monastery Store has copies unframed and framed of this beautiful prayer, if you are interested. 

 

 

It's a Dog's Life Say Mollie and Cowgirl

Today my daughter Christy, granddaughter Whitney, Lorenzo, and almost 3-month old Cowgirl, one of the 13 pitbull puppies born to Justice, came to visit. I saw a side of Mollie I had not seen before, but took great delight in seeing her revert to a puppy herself. 

If you have read here before, of the 13 puppies, 11 lived. All of them were placed in good homes by the first of the year--except Cowgirl whose "other" name is Harley. Now remember, Spooky and Justice already live with my daughter--and now there is Cowgirl. She is a total sweetheart, but she is deaf. Lorenzo is teaching her all her commands by sign language and she is doing remarkably well. 

The two dogs literally ran themselves ragged chasing throughout the house, up and down staircases, out to the patio, and then back again to the bedroom. Mollie, though playful, quickly established her alpha dog status and did not like Cowgirl to carry around or chew her toys. She would bare her teeth and slightly growl. She did the same when Cowgirl came up on my bed, where Mollie sleeps at night. But frequently they rested together before they would begin playing again. 

Mollie and Cowgirl taking a water dish break. 

This photo is interesting as both dogs are with Whitney and you can see them again in the mirror behind them. Cowgirl kept looking at herself which Mollie used to do, too. Now she's used to herself. 

And here I am with Cowgirl and Mollie on my bed next to my current read, "The Help." It's #1 on the best seller lists right now and is an amazing book, if you haven't read it. Needless to say, Mollie has mostly slept tonight. Cowgirl wore her out, or vice versa.    

Estate Sale Find: An Antique Handbound Journal

With my January busy schedule and our unpredictable weather, I haven’t been going to garage and estate sales lately. And, there haven’t been as many anyhow because of the weather. But, this morning I had no appointments or projects so Mollie and I went to one estate sale in N. Redondo.

It was one of those kinds where the owners were extreme collectors of all kinds of “stuff”. The house was in a modest tract and it looked like it had been continuously added to over its 50 or 60 year span. It had an enormous overgrown backyard and every space in the house, yard and garage was piled with musty boxes filled with stuff. The genuine antiques were priced high, but because I’m always on the lookout for funky art and craft supplies, I found plenty of half-used acrylics and other paints, papers, rubber stamps, ephemera, etc. As is common, tomorrow the wheeling and dealing will start for the serious buyers.

My incredible $2 find of the morning, however, was a large hand-bound journal stacked beneath a pile of junk. The rain had soaked many of the books and items in the room it was in, but the journal was intact. Synchronicity as far as I'm concerned. Its worn fabric cover and the fabric inside covers need restoration and all the binding paste on the inside spine had long ago decayed. How I wish I could show it to Kelly Kilmer—and I’ll probably find a way.

This is the front and back cover.

This is its inside covers. Look at the pinking shears edges.

In my work I have long used a local bookbinder, but two years ago he went belly-up; I’ll probably get a referral from Kelly to someone in L.A. that she trusts. Or maybe I'll give it a go on my own.

I thought the journal, whose pages are a very heavy watercolor stock, was empty. Imagine my utter delight this afternoon when I saw that six of the front pages had art and words—and even tissue between the pages. Someone had lovingly made this journal long ago.

Does that name look like Georgia Gear to you? I Googled the name but only got the shop at the U. of Georgia. I'm thinking this book may be from the early 1900s.

There is another name on the bottom of this poem. Betty something.

This is the third page.

Following are the fourth and fifth pages.

I am totally enchanted with my find today--and I'm delighted it has energized me so. Though never diagnosed, I think I have a touch of seasonal affective disorder and this dark week was a hard one to get through--droopy and largely uncreative. I just sat in the beautiful sun today and soaked it up. Thanks Georgia and/or Betty. I'll take very good care of your journal.

 

 

Art Journal Page: Mandala I

Since the 1970s I have been fascinated by mandalas. The only ones I ever made myself, as I didn't think I was capable of doing one "right", were actually in mandala color books. 

Because I am very slowly reading Jung's Red Book, Liber Novus, I've been re-introduced to the mandala as a tool for meditation or accessing the inner self. Out of a clear blue sky, a few nights ago in the midst of yet another of our rain storms, I drew this mandala in my art journal using Prismacolor pencils. I had set an intention of finding a clue to my soul self. 

I think the writing on the page itself kind of explains what consequently happened as I ragged on myself for my imperfection. 

 My friend Ray Whiting introduced me to the work of Judith Cornell several years ago when I admired the mandalas he was creating at that time. Now I need to pull those books out. I also just bookmarked a website called The Mandala Project. Do you have favorite mandala sources? 

In L.A., When it Rains, it Pours--and then some

As you have undoubtedly heard, L.A. has been sucker-punched with rain storms this week--four in a row. Even at the ocean, where I live, we had squalls, thunder, lightning, hail, wind and very high surf. The following two pictures were taken by my friends Kathy and Allen on Wed. as they walked in Hermosa Beach. 

This photo is of the Hermosa Beach Pier. 

 This is the breakwater separating Hermosa Beach from Redondo Beach.

This photo of the Manhattan Beach pier was taken from the Manhattan Beach website.   

For those of you who read here regularly, I LOVE where I live. All my life I dreamed of living by the ocean as I was born in Inglewood, raised in Sunland-Tujunga, and lived in Torrance until my divorce 22 years ago. Sunland was in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains and a trip to the beach as a kid was a rare occurrence. How blessed I am to be able to live where I do. 

Mollie and Rufus Have a Playdate

On Monday Mollie had her second play date: with Rufus, the whippet, whose mama is my friend Mother Cat. Cat had to pick up a friend at the airport and she asked if she could drop him off as later, when Mollie settles in, Rufus might be able to stay here when Cat travels--and vice versa. (Embiggen the photo by double-clicking.) 

It did not go well, but it wasn't a disaster either. Rufus is about nine and Mollie is probably 18 months or thereabouts. They have met each other before but now it was on Mollie's turf. Rufus ran like the wind through the whole townhouse checking out every room and finding a few of Mollie's toys. Mollie would then chase him trying to get the toy back and the two of them sounded like a herd of elephants slipping and sliding on the hardwood floors. They did not fight, but Rufus would growl when Mollie bugged him. He finally staked out the futon in my office as his bed and at least for a brief time, they shared it, as you can see. 

Rufus was clearly the alpha dog; he also went into the patio yard and peed and pooped. To my amazement, Mollie then pooped right next to his "gift" and she hasn't had an accident in the house since. 

I would feel uncomfortable leaving the two of them alone in the house, although I suspect they would work it out. Rufus would tell her in no uncertain terms, I suppose, that he did not want to be endlessly chased. 

Mollie has also proven to me in our sporadic walks in all our rain that she is very gregarious, with people and dogs. Can you believe we've been together for a month already? A small adventure occurred in the rain in front of our home while we were walking at night. She kept standing up against one of the palm trees which was being whipped by the wind. Fronds were all over the place. A ficus tree is actually growing in the palm tree at the bottom and Cookie leaped in and caught a rat in her mouth. Boy, she didn't want to give the rat up either, but I finally got it out of her mouth. It was dead but its' body was gone in the morning when we walked again. A cat? Now Mollie always pauses at the place of the kill. What is she thinking, I wonder? 

There is not a day goes by that I don't think of Cookie in spite of how much I have grown to love Mollie. Cookie was a high maintenance dog in comparison to Mollie; her personality was complex and she was fiercely protective of me. She loved to be petted, but she was not a cuddler. Mollie can't get enough attention. Mollie is virtually a pup still and our walks are not easy going. I no longer run but if Mollie had her way, we'd both be running at a fast clip. In that respect I feel badly for her as a younger owner would probably be better for her. But, I think I appreciate her more than any younger person could. 

When Rain Comes to Los Angeles

Thunder, lightning, pouring down rain. The main lawn of the school is beginning to form small lakes. The rain drain in the library is gushing water, and the canyon below is barely visible through the sheets of water on the windows. Boom, boom, boom! The perimeter road is running like a small muddy river. 

 

And then, the rain lightens and the canyon is clear behind an off-white netting of rain drops. Next, a cloud cover rolls in and the canyon is no longer even visible. Southern Californians are not accustomed to rain of this magnitude, especially when there will be neven bigger storms as the week progresses. How are my brothers and sisters in the Station Fire burn areas of La Canada Flintridge, Sunland and Tujunga doing? I was raised in Sunland and I remember some pretty floods as a kid. 

And here comes the sun. Out my window I can now see the oil fields in Wilmington and the steel gray clouds mingled with wisps of white still hiding my glimpse of Long Beach. Can a rainbow be far behind? 

This paragraph is written three hours later from the original. The sky is blue, the wind is blowing, and the city is alive with life below me. The clouds cover the mountains, however, but they are covered with snow I cannot yet see. Several tree limbs are down on campus and several buildings sprung leaks, including the library I work in. I can hear the maintenance staff on the roof as I type. And this isn't even the big stuff predicted the next three days. 

So, here's hoping Villa Redondo sprung no leaks in my absence today. I bet that thunder scared my little Mollie! 

Carl Gustav Jung's Liber Novus, the Red Book

Last fall I read an article in the New York Times about Dr. Carl Gustav Jung’s Red Book, Liber Novus, which the family had finally allowed to be published. Most people who have studied Jung know of the Red Book and I personally use red covered-journals myself to record dreams and visualizations. 

The Wild Hunt said on Sept. 20, 2009, “In 1913 Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology, experienced a prolonged “confrontation with the unconscious” where he daily wrestled with visions, heard inner voices, and explored his own vast dream-scape for six years. Beginning just before World War I, and ending shortly after its close, his inner turmoil echoed the chaos erupting all around him. During this time Jung didn’t merely experience these events, he rose to meet and catalog them, and created a legendary never-printed (and never-finished) chronicle of his underworld journey called “Liber Novus” (“New Book”) in the process. “Liber Novus”, or “The Red Book” as its become known due to the work being done in a large red notebook, became legendary amongst Jungians, described alternately as holding “infinite wisdom” and being “psychotic” by the few who ever got a glimpse of it. Now, after many years, the heirs of Carl Jung have agreed to allow this lost text to see print for the first time." 

I was immediately on the hunt to find the best price on this book and was put off by its $130 cost, frugal person that I am. Instead, I popped it up on my Amazon wish list and hoped for the best. Darned if a gigantic package didn’t appear beneath my son Tony’s Christmas tree for his mom. I had no idea Liber Novus was large (16” high x 11 1/2” wide, 10 lbs.) so I was astounded when I opened it.

Here is a photo of Mollie and the book on my bed as she lays nearby patiently now as I read a few pages per night.

Having long taught and used Dr. Ira Progoff’s National Intensive Journal, who was a follower of Dr. Jung, I could immediately find a lot of influence on Ira that probably came from Liber Novus and previously published Jung works.

When I first opened my present, I was stunned as I knew Amazon had run out of them long before Christmas. Besides, it couldn't be a book--too big and heavy. Tony got it from another bookseller and surprised me. I began thumbing through it and I obviously had not done my homework because I gasped, “You ordered the German version and I don’t read German.” In actuality, the original Liber Novus comprises the first half of the book—in color as Jung wrote it, along with his paintings and drawings of his dreams and his unconscious images. It is in English in the second half of the book.

I am awe struck with this book but just started really delving into it this weekend. It will probably take me a year to finish it but my art journaling and journal keeping in general has been affirmed by having access to this incredible book. Instead of forcing myself to read, I am reading thoughtfully and slowly, taking time to gaze into space and think. Ultimately I imagine my own journal will begin to reflect what I am learning about Jung and his ground-breaking psychological work. 

What I need to do, I think, is put out word that I would like to start a study group locally because I get so much more out of a text when it is read and discussed communally. Do any of you have Liber Novus or belong to study groups?