Random | The Direction of Intention

Listen To The Cookie [David’s blog on Not So Flawed Wednesday]

Posted on January 10, 2024 by davidrobinsoncreative

We take our fortune cookies very seriously. I mean, it’s a fortune that arrives through a cookie! Some fortunes arrive through crystal balls, others take shape through the tarot, a roadside medium or a toss of the I Ching. Any bit of advice or prescience that comes through a cookie cannot be ignored.

This particular cookie-delivered-fortune was dubious because it had an advertisement for Jockey Underwear printed on the other side. How can I take seriously the advice to do nothing when the shadow side of the paper tempts me to buy underwear? There’s a bit of an angel/devil game going on in my fortune cookie. I suppose all of our fortunes are now, in one way or another, tied to advertisement. I, for one, understand that I will never achieve full manhood until I have a Porsche in my multi-car garage, a closet filled with Eddie Bauer and am scented by Calvin Klein. Of course, now that I am wrinkling at a rapid rate it may take anti-wrinkle cream and Just For Men hair dye to fulfill my destiny as advertised.

And what if I ignored the advertisement and decided to heed the cookie-advice to do nothing? We’ve all witnessed the power of a small decision or random choice to alter the course of a lifetime. The flip of a coin can alter a destiny. I’ve seen a single step-off-a-curb end a life. My life was forever changed by sending a single email newsletter that at the time seemed tiny.

What if I decided not to fill my day with tasks but instead to smell the roses? Feel the sun? Walk for the sake of walking. Hang out with Dogga? Hold Kerri’s hand? A single day dedicated to appreciation without the need for achievement. One day of rest without the anxiety imperative to do or to be…something.

When viewed through that lens, it’s a momentous and worthy fortune. And, It cannot be ignored because, after all, it came through a cookie.

read Kerri’s blogpost about FORTUNE COOKIES!

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*buymeacoffee is a fortune delivered through an electronic cookie to the artists you appreciate.*

Filed under: Flawed Wednesday, Random, Story | Tagged: advertisement, advice, artistry, choice, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, do nothing, fortune, i ching, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, prescience, story, studio melange, tarot, task list, the melange | Leave a comment »

Cycle Forward And Back [David’s blog on Two Artists Tuesday]

Posted on December 26, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

Last week I saw a suit in a store that was frighteningly similar to the burgundy tuxedo I wore to my junior prom. Fear not, there are photos of a youthful me in my clothing-abomination that you will never see. I refuse to blackmail myself. I generally avoid ridicule unless I’m in the mood to perform a prat-fall.

Beauty is not a fixed idea. Nor is it unique enough to be held in the single eye of any one beholder. Beauty is shared. Communal. And the community is restless. It cycles through contour and color and pattern expectation. Each year a new style born of reaction against the previous styles. When I look at photographic proof of my willing-wearing of a horrific burgundy tux, I shake my head and think, “What was I thinking?” A better question would be, “What were we thinking?” At the time, I thought my tux was cool. My pal, Oz, wore a powder blue tux and strutted his blue-ness all prom-long.

The fashion cycle always returns to itself. The fabrics are improved (less petroleum) but the style is textbook. What’s new is old and what’s old is new. I stood in the store utterly agog at a full rack of wine colored suits. Laughter-tears streamed from my eyes though I can’t be sure I wasn’t reacting to the shock of terrible print patterns on the stacks and stacks of shirts. Terrible to me; beautiful to the other festive and frantic shoppers.

I’ve spent hours staring at our tree. The fragile glass ornaments reach back into the 1940’s and 50’s. They mirror the shape of cars from the era. Appliances, too. Light fixtures. Do you remember the spaceships of Buck Rogers or the marionettes of Space Patrol? The ornaments are Shiny Brites. Massed produced but decorated by hand. They were all the rage in their time. The shapes and story inspire me. That’s how the cycle works.

This year the Shiny Brites are all the rage in our home. Beautiful in our time. What’s old is new. What’s new is old.

read Kerri’s blogpost about SHINY BRITES

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buymeacoffee is a blowback to a time when coffee was a thing that people drank from manufactured glass mugs while sharing the stories of their day.

Filed under: Pattern, Random, Two Artists Tuesday | Tagged: artistry, beauty, Buck Rogers, christmas ornaments, color, contour, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, fabric, fashion, glass ornaments, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, Ornaments, pattern, retro, Shiny Brites, Space Patrol, story, studio melange, style, the melange | 1 Comment »

Add More Layers [David’s blog on KS Friday]

Posted on December 8, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

As I write this I have my feet under a blanket. I’m wearing three layers of clothes beneath my favorite Patagonia vest and I can say with all certainty, with deepest conviction, that I am not warm. It’s been trying to snow all day. I want another pair of socks on top of the pair that I’m already wearing. Fear not! This is normal winter behavior for me. I am always cold.

The silver lining in piling on layers and layers of clothing is that I look like a bigger guy. Someone with muscle and heft. Also, my perpetually cold red nose makes me look like I’ve just come from the bar. A passerby might confuse me for someone who is raucous and boisterous instead of the meek introvert that I am. In truth, beneath all of this clothing, I am only exuberant in my writing. Corner me at a party or in the lobby of a theatre and I will almost certainly convince you that I am a nincompoop or in a whisky stupor since you’ll no doubt confuse my red nose as booze-induced. I have no reputation to uphold so I’m good with your misperception either way.

Our favorite neighbor, John, rarely wears a coat. He is in shirt-sleeves even when ice is forming on my eyebrows. I envy his inner warmth though my envy is not green but ice-blue. I consider him the 8th wonder of the world since his capacity to thrive coatless in the subarctic temperatures is a pyramid-sized-wonder. His wife, Michele (also our favorite neighbor), recently texted, “I know it’s cold because John put a coat on.” I ran out to see if it was true. John dons a coat maybe once a century. It was true. He had a coat on so as a preventative measure I ran back inside and quickly added several more layers, then dove beneath a quilt.

Kerri called this photograph, “Snow Burden”. I immediately identified with it. “That’s me!” I thought, my teeth clacking. A skinny stalk bending beneath the weight of the cold, cold snow. Leaves wilted, curling and brittle in the frozen air. Afraid to move for fear of shattering. Dreaming of the sun.

This is no joke. Kerri just had the audacity to ask, “I’m-hot-you-hot?” I said nothing, incredulous that she could look at me shivering (though beefy in my many layers) and somehow miss my crimson-red nose.

“Oh, the weather outside is frightful…”

Kerri’s albums are available on iTunes and streaming on Pandora and iHeart Radio

read Kerri’s blogpost about SNOW BURDEN

share. like. support. comment. bundle up. light a fire. all good things.

buymeacoffee is a warm blanket for the artists you value who are possibly at this very moment freezing in the snow.

Filed under: KS Friday, Random | Tagged: artistry, clothing layers, cold, cold nose, cold temperatures, composer, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, inner warmth, introvert, joy - a christmas album, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, layers, misperception, Patagonia vest, snow, snow burden, socks, story, studio melange, the melange, waiting by kerri sherwood, winter | 3 Comments »

Find Out [David’s blog on Two Artists Tuesday]

Posted on November 28, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

Google “iridescent tree bark” – or any question variation – and the top hits will be Marigold Carnival Tree Bark Glass. Second place on the list will be rainbow eucalyptus. Both are interesting but neither is helpful in our pursuit. This mystery tree is in a park on the shore of Lake Michigan. The bark on the east facing side is moist and shimmers with green, blue and purple. Why?

Google can be a very strict although paradoxical schoolmarm, often requiring exact language for inquiries yet always returning ranked probabilities. Web crawling in the blink of an eye. The art of the question meets a never ending popularity contest. It works most of the time. Sometimes it produces an amazing clown car of results. Today I learned a smidge about Marigold Carnival Tree Bark Glass. And who knew a eucalyptus tree could produce such vibrant color! I’ll be more mindful the next time I’m tempted to say, “That color does not occur in nature.” It turns out that all colors occur in nature. Even puce, the hands-down-winner for worst name of a color.

I gave up the search but Kerri is a dog-with-a-bone when she has a question. After lengthy sleuthing (“lengthy” in 2023 terms. In 1980, her search would have taken weeks but in 2023 she scored a find in less than 30 minutes) she found (drumroll…): blue-green crust fungus! Amaurodon (I’m tempted to insert crack social commentary into this scintillating post about the ease of information-finding in the age of dedicated information-denying but I’ll exercise extreme restraint and stay on my subject). Now, what exactly was my point?

More than once the glistening color has stopped our walks. We stand close and squint our eyes. We stand back and ponder. We take photographs and discuss outrageous possibilities for the surprising color shimmering on the lake side of the tree. We hold hands and I thank the stars for walking through life with someone who entertains as many unanswered questions as I do. I believe it is why we feel young even though our joints sometimes ache. Unbridled curiosity. Delight at running our fingers through paint. The utterance of a common phrase: I don’t know but let’s find out.

In case you’re wondering: I value the clown car of results almost as much as I do an instant-on-the-spot Google return. “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in [my] philosophy” (Hamlet. Act 1, scene 5). It invites the second-most-common-curiosity-utterance in our household: now what the heck is this?

read Kerri’s blog post about AMAURODON

share if you dare. like if you like. support if you support. comment if you have something to add.

buymeacoffee is an alien life form attempting to hypnotize you into the outrageous assertion that artists have an insatiable thirst for coffee and it is your life mission to quench their thirst.

Filed under: Language, Random, Two Artists Tuesday | Tagged: amaurodon, artistry, blue green crust fungus, color, color in nature, crawling, curiosity, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, delight, finger paint, Google, Hamlet, inquiry, iridescent tree bark, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, Marigold Carnival Tree Bark Glass, possibilities, puce, questions, rainbow eucalyptus tree, story, studio melange, the melange, tree bark, web crawl | 1 Comment »

Bring On The Comfort [David’s blog on Merely A Thought Monday]

Posted on October 30, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

Last Tuesday evening we sat on the deck until late. We were in short sleeved shirts. Kerri wore summer shorts. It was an anomaly for late October in Wisconsin. The warm breezes set the chime symphony in motion. It was an evening of low talk and high peace. The Dogga slept on the deck. Hope-the-frog meditated by the pond.

Since then the temperatures have headed south. We are wearing layers, warm socks, and replacing the cotton sheets on the bed for flannel. The quilt has made an appearance. Slippers and Uggs stand at the ready.

And, just like that, it’s soup weather. The return of comfort food. In our cupboard, patiently waiting for this day, is a humungous can of peeled tomatoes. We’ll launch the good boat Comfort with a vat of Joan’s tomato soup. It’s simple and delicious. We’ll bake bread for dipping or to tear and toss like croutons into the soup. It never fails: once the soup is ladled into the bowls, all coherent conversation stops. This soup is that good.

No worries, 20 will help us eat it. With a vat this big, there will be plenty of leftovers (for days).

Comfort: 1) physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint. 2) easing or alleviation of a person’s feelings of grief or distress.

This is some seriously powerful soup. Bring on the comfort!

read Kerri’s blogpost about SOUP!

like. share. support. comment. eat comfort food. live well.

buymeacoffee is a “tip-jar” where you can provide comfort soup and croutons in support of the continued creativity of the artists you appreciate.

Filed under: Merely A Thought Monday, Random | Tagged: alleviation, artistry, autumn, changing seasons, comfort, comfort food, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, ease, fall, friends, friendship, good food, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, peace, soup, stew, story, studio melange, the melange, tomato soup, warm bread | Leave a comment »

Have Second Thoughts [David’s blog on DR Thursday]

Posted on October 5, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

A comment on how my brain works: I saw this photo and thought, “This is a record of a life path.” What? Where did that come from?

Note: I didn’t think “My life path.” My random reflection was in no way personal. Though, to be perfectly honest, I am only familiar with one life path and it is mine. This jumble of hose, running this way and that, lines running over and under, does vaguely resemble my movement in the world. Or a freeway interchange as seen from the air.

Note on the note: No life path is straight. Circumstance has a way of making lines into loops. Growth has a way of revealing side paths that surprisingly become main roads. Yes, I’m making the assertion that a straight life path indicates a boring-no-growth existence. It would be an excessively mean assertion except, to reiterate, no life path is straight. Loops and surprises. Forces beyond control, leading to the wild eye-and-heart-opening recognition that very little is under our control. Fantasies fall revealing a life that shimmers in its day-to-day-ness as it spirals uncontrollably through the universe.

My second thought: “This reminds me of a Jackson Pollock painting.”

Another comment on how my brain works like most other brains: Second thoughts usually make more sense than first thoughts. That’s the key to sense-making: second thoughts respond (or recoil) from the nonsense of first thoughts.

A note on first and second thoughts: It’s best not to give voice to first thoughts. Wait for the second, more sensical thought for show-and-tell. Editors are involved. You’ll have more friends that way. Also, the authorities won’t need to lock you up. So, forget what I said about life paths and selectively remember my second thought about Jackson Pollock.

Remember: I warned you. This is how my brain works.

[I wish you could see Kerri’s eye-roll as I read to her this post:-) ]

read Kerri’s blog post about THE HOSE

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buymeacoffee is an online “tip jar” where you can support the continued work of the artists you appreciate.

Filed under: DR Thursday, Metaphor, Random | Tagged: artistry, control, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, Jackson Pollock, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, nonsense, painter, Random, sense making, story, studio melange, the melange | 1 Comment »

Deduce To Nowhere [David’s blog on Merely A Thought Monday]

Posted on August 28, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

In a morning of surprises we learned that the water epoch, (common era 2020 – 2022) is not yet over. Another chapter is being written even as I type. The orange cones appeared as if by magic in front of our house and the neighbors on both sides. Kerri opened the shades and said, “You’ve got to be kidding.” The “no parking signs”, by order of the water utility, lined the street. Inspecting the signs, hands on my hips, with wrinkled brow, in typically brilliant fashion, I managed to utter, “Well hmmmmm.” I hope the neighborhood was watching. Truly, a display of deductive genius.

Not-a-clue. Even after the crew came, sawed through the asphalt, carted away the offending pavement and left small swimming pool sized holes, the mystery remains. For us, this is the third excavation. The first two had a defined (known) purpose.

I was cavalier during the recent deluge. It sent us scrambling to channel the water in the basement to the drains, and I gloated-to-no-one-listening, “Well, at least the perpetual water weirdness is over!” A few days later the cones appeared. I put the water-cart before the water-horse. I should have kept my water thoughts to myself. If Kerri knew I’d jinxed the dryness, she’d punch me in the arm.

Perhaps this is a neighborhood improvement initiative! In “the olden days,” before the invention of air conditioners, folks used to sit on their porches at night and chat with their neighbors as they strolled by. Maybe these pool-sized holes are, in fact, pools! On hot nights we’ll walk with naked legs across the grass (yes – we have grass!) and sit in the cool water. We’ll chat as others on the block gingerly tip-toe across their lawns to take a dip in their personal city pool.

I know what you’re thinking of my genius hypothesis! “Well, hmmmmm.”

We’ll keep you posted. Water epoch (current era 2020 – date unknown)

read Kerri’s more coherent post about NO PARKING

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Filed under: Merely A Thought Monday, Random | Tagged: artistry, city improvement, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, deduction, excavation, foolishness, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, mystery spud, nonsense, story, studio melange, the melange, utter silliness, water, water utility | 3 Comments »

Feed The Ammals [on KS Friday]

Posted on July 28, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

Cris wrote that a bunny comes to their back door each day and Brenda feeds it by hand. “I want to feed a bunny by hand!” Kerri pouts and looks at me with the look, which means I am supposed to do something about it. My head fills with images of unsuccessful bunny wrangling, ridiculous bunny coercion techniques, failed bunny temptation – and then I race to write down my mad imaginings since they’d make fine smack-dab cartoons.

This is the year of the bunny in our backyard. We’ve never had rabbits-in-residence until this summer. As we wrote earlier in the year, we discovered a bunny nest in the tall grasses beneath Breck-the-aspen-tree. Dogga has been on constant sniff-patrol and is consistently outsmarted by the bunnies. My favorite was the day he stared intently at the last-known-bunny-location while the bunny circled around and sat behind him, watching Dogga watch.

The bird feeder is an attraction for all kinds of ammals (animals in Jaxon-speak). Chipmunks and squirrels are regular raiders. The wrens and finches and cardinals toss seed to the ground so there’s plenty for everyone. The bunnies are regulars, too. It’s a well-ordered united nations under the feeder. I am of the opinion that diplomats could learn a thing or two from this happy gathering of critters. The pie is not limited in the ammal-kingdom (I know, I know. Idealist…)

We have a suspicion that the mother bunny – or another mother bunny – is rebuilding the nest. Kerri quietly checks the tall grasses a few times every day. “Maybe you should sit there with snacks at the ready,” I suggest. “If you’re the first thing the baby bunnies see in the world they might take snacks out of your hand.” She wrinkles her brow, completely rejecting my bright idea. “Just a thought,” I say. “Hey, I’d bring you wine. And a blanket!” Her eyes narrow, a sign of imminent peril if I persist.

I race to the notebook to record another fantastic-true-to-life-smack-dab idea.

Kerri’s albums are available on iTunes and streaming on Pandora and iHeart Radio

read Kerri’s blogpost about BUNNIES

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Filed under: KS Friday, Random, smack-dab | Tagged: and goodnight, artistry, bird feeder, bunnies, bunny, cartoon ideas, composer, cooperation, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, diplomats, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, lullaby album, musician, nature, rabbit, smack-dab, story, studio melange, the melange | 3 Comments »

Spread Da Butter [on Not So Flawed Wednesday]

Posted on July 5, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

“It’s a corn butter spreader,” she said. 20 and I looked incredulous.

“A what?” We squinted, as if squeezing our eyes might produce a sharper image. As if recognition was produced by wrinkling our faces.

“She’s pulling our leg,” 20 suggested. I nodded. She is well-known for too-easily pulling-the-wool-over-our eyes. 20 and I are gullible and easy marks for her shenanigans. I appreciated 20’s suggestion that between us he and I had only one leg to pull. Unintentional admission of our shared wit-less-ness.

“Noooo!” she protested. “Haven’t you ever seen one of these?” We shook our heads. Wary. Smelling a trap. “It’s a corn butter spreader!” She insisted. 20 and I stood our ground of solid disbelief.

“Look,” she huffed, scooping butter into the contraption, lowering the press arm, she ran the device over a hot cob of corn. Like an indignant Vanna White, she finished her demonstration and thrust the gadget toward us proclaiming, “Corn-Butter-Spreader!”

20 whispered, “She might be telling the truth.”

“This time,” I mumbled. Now, she was squinting at me though I doubt her squint was intended to sharpen my image.

“Use it!” she glared at 20 who promptly obeyed, deftly spreading butter on his corn.

“Hey!” he smiled. “Who knew! This thing works. There’s a tool for everything!” he double buttered his corn. “Do you want to try it?” he asked.

“I’m a purest,” I said. “I like mine without butter.”

“Too bad,” he said, triple buttering his corn. “This is fun.” He turned to Kerri asking, “When were you going to tell us about this?” He looked at me, puzzled, “Why does she always keep things from us?”

read Kerri’s blog post about CORN BUTTER SPREADERS

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Filed under: Language, Random, Story | Tagged: artistry, barbeque, cook out, corn butter spreader, corn on the cob, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, friendship, gadgets, gullible, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, story, studio melange, teasing, the melange, witless | 1 Comment »

Giggle Across The Threshold [on Not So Flawed Wednesday]

Posted on June 28, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

This one acted like a threshold guardian. Usually, when we come upon snakes on the trail, they want nothing to do with us and quickly slither away. This one, stretched across the trail, soaking up the sun, sensed our presence, and rather than escape, coiled into a defensive posture. “You shall not pass!” I almost expected it to hiss a riddle in our general direction. Ready to eat us if we failed to answer correctly.

It was a garter snake. Much smaller than this picture portrays. Not poisonous. All bark and no bite. Like a little chihuahua that imagines itself alpha to a german shepherd, this snake had much more attitude than body. It was serious.

I imagine there are few things more humiliating for a threshold guardian than for a sock-and-sandaled tourist to completely miss its ominous threat and enthusiastically take a picture of it. ‘Lookit!” Kerri smiled, knelt and began snapping photos. The snake flexed its machismo and Kerri giggled, “Why do you think he’s doing that?” The snake doubled-down. Kerri’s delight escalated.

It was like watching a Monty Python movie. Threshold humiliation. I imagined The Sphinx encountering a couple of Wisconsin tourists clad in khaki cargo shorts who guffaw at her scary posture, her incomprehensible riddle. They put their arms around her, ask her to pose for a nice selfie. “Smile!” they chime, two thumbs up to the camera. They invite her to a hot-dish dinner.

The Sphinx lets them pass and hopes no one was watching.

And so it was with the snake and Kerri. The more threatening it became, the more laughter it invoked in her. The more photos she took.

We moved on. Thrilled, she showed me her snake series. I couldn’t bear to look back and watch the mortified snake slither into the grass, deflated.

[I stop here. It is too tempting to suggest this an effective strategy for dealing with all the puffed up political snakes and slithering pundits on our trail. So I won’t do it. I won’t suggest it. I’ll keep it to myself. Really.]

read Kerri’s blogpost about THE SNAKE