The Friday Evening Nudes

Boris Kustodiyev
La Belle 1915

Antoine Wiertz
1800's

Reclying Nude
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
1897

Francisco Zúñiga

Desnudo de Concha

1947

Odalisque
(Reclining Nude Wrapped in a Sheet)
Francesco Hayez

Sky Watch

Skywatch is being posted from The Pagan Sphinx this week. If you usually visit me at The Pagan's Eye for Sky Watch and you have never been here before, a warm welcome.

Skywatch is hosted by Sandy, Ivar, Wren, Fishing Guy and Louise

click to enlarge to good viewing size

This is my daughter's dorm on the campus of what will be her alma mater on Sunday, when she graduates from Mount Holyoke College. More photos to follow. I promise I won't bore you with post after post but it is indeed a very proud moment in our family. Many sacrifices have been made and much sleep lost all around but it's really quite an accomplishment for SG1.

Happy Birthday, Harvey Milk

Harvey Milk
(May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978)

Think Green Thursday; A New Meme

(click to enlarge)

A note about the photograph: it was taken by me after a visit to the Smith College Greenhouse in Northampton, Mass. I had to smile because I agree with virtually every sentiment depicted on the bumper sticker laden vehicle. The Happy Valley is chock-full of bumper stickers like these; lots of Obama bumper stickers, etc. But this is really over the top in terms of the number of slogans.

In case you haven't taken note, I'm fairly addicted to what bloggers call "photo memes". After many years of taking photographs in spurts, I've decided I don't want to ever miss another photo opportunity again. Whether it's my family or a place I visit; something to do while I'm waiting for something else to happen or a visual record of my every move, I've really taken to the digi-cam. I don't have a fancy camera, nor do I consider myself any type of real photographer. My interest in photography isn't to crow about how good my photo is but to experiment with images in a sort of diary-like way. I've also found that taking digital snapshots allows me to photograph a lot of signs and description cards in art museums, so I don't forget who the artist was who created the piece. I have frequently photographed street signs, addresses and storefronts, hours of operation and labels on products.

Having an outlet for using these images, photo memes are a fun way to see where other people live, what their interests and passions are and what their families and surroundings are like, who their pets are, what they do for a living. It's all interesting. Blogs that highlight great places to visit do more to attract me there than a boring travel site. I really love this virtual travel!

I've really not gotten to the point, have I? Being as addicted to these photographs blogs with their themes and challenges, I had to, of course, start my own. A few weeks ago, I thought it would a small challenge to create a weekly meme (with or without photos) that dealt with the environment in some way. Think Green Thursday is off and running. Trouble is, I'm not sure how I'm going to keep it up once summer is in full swing. I've going to have a very active summer! But I'll deal with that when the times gets closer.

One of the things I'm already liking about the first few weeks of Think Green Thursday is that it keeps me honest about my own efforts at doing my part for the environment. And the more I learn when I do my net research for it or when I read the posts that others have contributed to the meme, the more I'm aware of how I should do my part and how. One of the things I'm becoming increasingly aware of is what is called "green washing". One can see this in TV commercials for large corporations, some (most?) of whom think they can sell you their energy products and cars by painting their slogans green. This phenomenon exists in small retail shops as well. You have to be careful what you're buying. Some cute little porcelain dish in the local coop may very well be made in China, one of the world's worst polluters. While it's impossible to avoid products made in China, if I can I will and I do. It's also a reminder not to buy a lot of crap you don't really need.

Think Green Thursday has attracted the attention of several excellent bloggers who post on the environment and I'm thrilled they've agreed to participate whenever they can. I want to give a hat tip to these groovy people. The badges for TGT have been created and contributed to the effort by the people noted below. A huge thanks to you all.

Blog badge by Mary

Mary The Teach, who is a brilliant professor, writer and photographer, created the above badge for me using one of my own photos. Mary has contributed some really excellent posts to the meme. She's a veteran blogger with two really popular photo memes of her own. Sorry that I may not have time to link you to them all: Ruby Tuesday, Window Views; just to name a few.

badge by Christine Gram

This one was created by Christine Gram using her photograph. Christine's blog Strange Pilgram is new to me but what a gem I've found. Since most of my bloggie buds are women, you'll enjoy the post Going With the Flow. But men who are affected by how weird we women become during regular monthly intervals may be able to relate to it, too.


Gemma Weisman of Melbourne, Australia is the author of Greyscale Territory, a wonderful blog chock-full of original poetry, photography and magic. She created the button for my new blog you see below.

Badge by Gemma Weisman

Amanda Guthrie's Green Scene. Amanda is doing all sorts of interesting projects at Green Scene: posting all sorts of interesting sites, networking and educating like crazy! You can tell Amanda realizes that when it comes to the environment, we can't afford to waste time. I highly suggest you visit her and give her a thumbs-up on all her efforts.

Amanda created this badge for the new meme:

badge by Amanda Guthrie

My gal-pal Betmo in upstate New York has a really groovy and political blog, Got Green? that focuses on the environment, sustainability and green living. She doesn't bullshit or pull any punches, so it may not always be cute. But I guarantee you'll learn something and Bet will have you wanting to do something about it.

Thorne's Blog on Smog which contains the contributions of several other authors, is loaded with interesting articles and resources on green technology, recycling, fuel efficiency, alternative fuels, etc. It is a very professionally put-together effort with potential to reach a lot of readers. Please check out this blog as well as Thorne's World.

Last but no means least, is my dear friend Bobbie of the blog Almost There. Bobbie never fails to hold up her end of the responsibility when comes to issues that matter. The environment is no exception. Her contributions to the new meme have been excellent and informative. I really appreciate your efforts on this, Bobbie!

If you have anything you'd like to contribute to Think Green Thursday, please email me with resources for posts or create your own post and link back to me. Or just create your "green" post! Come on! You know it's important!

All the love,
Pagan Sphinx

Music for Sunday #4

Doesn't he look like he should be frolicking in the forest with the nymphs and satyr on my blog header? ;-)

The Runt: songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, singer, video artist and technical wiz. Check out his cool website, Go Ahead and Ignore Me.