20:1.20

I am happy to announce the first gratitude giveaway for January. Number twenty goes to a professor of design. The sender, Roxana, writes:

The person I wanted to thank is a former design instructor, E.. She was by far one of the most influential instructors I had while finishing up my education. I've always felt that educators aren't praised as much as students are for doing great work, and E. is definitely one of those instructors that deserves a sincere thanks for her dedication and passion in motivating her students.

Please send me an email or comment below to be considered for February's gratitude giveaway. And thank you to Roxana for taking the time to recognize someone who made a difference.

HUMAN TOOLS

This weekend I visited the magical Mercer Museum which has exhibits on over 60 early American trades like candy making, woodworking, blacksmithing, shaving, coopering (that would be making barrels, as I learned). There's also a replica of a general store and post office. I came upon this poster drafted by the museum's founder, Henry Mercer.  which I haven't been able to stop thinking about. Do you think it is possible to reorganize the primary secondary tools to reflect today's world? Or does some of this still hold?

19:1.19

Happy birthday dearest Ann. 1. Years ago, I saw these snowflakes in the window of  a closed shop and freaked out. And then I received them the next week in the mail. 2. I had surgery and Ann drove me home from the hospital in a daze. 3. She is the fastest reader I know.

18:1.18

Thank you to Katherine Boo. I return to her stories again and again, and eagerly await her next one.

NY + NS

New York City. Central post office, in the snowstorm.

GAIL'S NEW SITE

Mentor, friend and artist Gail Rieke recently unveiled her new website. Growing up, her studio was one of the most inspiring places in Santa Fe, and continues to be. Above, one wall of that remarkable studio and some of her recent work. Congrats, Gail!

17:1.17

Thank you to G., our neighborhood’s president, for diplomacy and grace under fire. Image is from Jan van Eyck’s “Saint Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata” which is best seen through a magnifying glass at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

16:1.16

Thank you to C. for her hospitality, even when she is a thousand miles away. Botanic illustrations from William Baxter’s “British Flowering Plants,” inspired by the University of Oxford Botanic Gardens.

THERE GOES MY MORNING

This exhibit, "The Diary: Three Centuries of Private Lives," and the online images and passages, derailed my morning. Can't wait to see it in person. Above, from Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne's shared diary with scribbles from their children. And Thoreau's diary with pencils from his family's company. There's also an article and slideshow about the exhibit at NYT.

15:1.15

Thank you to O., always far flung from Taiwan to Somerville, but always in my thoughts.