Monthly Archives: October 2010

Always Fresh at the Botanic Gardens

Posted on October 31, 2010 by jyourist

Between doing grades and preparing for tomorrow’s class on Article II of the Constitution, my husband convinced me to tear myself from the computer and go to the Botanic Gardens. It was a crisp fall day, utterly spectacular, filled with … Continue reading →

Posted in garden, nature, photography | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Bookshelf Porn

Posted on October 30, 2010 by jyourist

I was thinking about books today–how I love to hold them and turn their pages, how I love to write inside them interacting with the author, how I love to sit in that intimate space beneath the stairs and read. … Continue reading →

Posted in books, reading | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Five for Halloween

Posted on October 29, 2010 by jyourist

Twilight Zone was one of the most creative and clever television shows ever produced. Rod Serling was a genius. Its theme song has become part of our every day parlance. (My favorite shows were “In the Eye of the Beholder” … Continue reading →

Posted in acting, music, opera, television | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

A Mother’s Curse

Posted on October 26, 2010 by jyourist

My family lived in a working class neighborhood in Ohio, a neighborhood designed for the workers at the Willys Jeep plant. We were the only Jewish family for miles around, and we ended up in the midst of a Catholic … Continue reading →

Posted in cars, cats, family | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Celebrating creativity and relationship

Posted on October 24, 2010 by jyourist

It was a fabulous weekend in Michigan. My brother, sister, and I had an art show together (see Artists) in my sister’s gallery. The three of us grew up in Ohio with parents who were very supportive of the arts. … Continue reading →

Posted in art, artist, creativity, family | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Rip Van Winkle

Posted on October 21, 2010 by jyourist

This is a scratchboard drawing done by my father some 60 plus years ago. I reframed it last night and opening it from its battered frame and ghosted glass was like releasing a trapped spirit. Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle … Continue reading →

Posted in art, artist, family, story | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Opening the Books

Posted on October 18, 2010 by jyourist

We just got a new Amish built display table for our living room. This allows us to exhibit even more items from our vast tchotchke collection. Here is a picture of our first exhibit: some illustrated books from our library … Continue reading →

Posted in art, artist, books, collections | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Squeezing an Apple

Posted on October 17, 2010 by jyourist

We went to Curtis Orchards today in Champaign, IL. The weather was absolutely perfect, the cider donuts warm and divine, the grand kids cuddly and giggly. While picking our third bag of apples, JB discovered it– an apple being squeezed. … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, photography | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Conversation about “The Lottery”

Posted on October 15, 2010 by jyourist

    This morning we had a discussion on “The Lottery.” We read the story yesterday in class but class ended before we had time to unpack any of it. Many of the kids were totally weirded out. A few … Continue reading →

Posted in conversation, Teaching | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Comedy of Errors

Posted on October 14, 2010 by jyourist

We just saw Court Theater’s version of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors directed by Sean Graney. This is one of Shakespeare’s earliest, shortest, and most “slapsticky” plays. A perfectly bawdy, ribald, punny way to spend a Thursday evening rolicking in complicated … Continue reading →

Posted in acting, Shakespeare, theater | Tagged , , | 2 Comments