Fun Spontaneous Birthday
- Joy Krauthammer
- Joy Krauthammer
What a fun birthday I had today, and not midnight yet in Los Angeles, so still my birthday.
The morning began with gratefully reading my birthday e-mails and also happily saw that one of my poems had been republished in Kol ALEPH*, after being published in Creative Soul**, along with my silk art heart. Happy that now so many more Renewal artists can read about the new Chabad art site, and vice-versa.
Friends celebrated me. I had had NO plans but to take myself to a movie or two.
(Friend Edith called my day, "unintentional celebration".)
(Friend Edith called my day, "unintentional celebration".)
The day ended late, now, returning home from Laemmle movies. Whoever called me today with birthday blesSing-- I invited them to join me at the movies. Saw Israeli movie "Fill The Void", with friend Barbara, who treated me to ticket on my birthday. Lots of former Heschel Day School teachers all speaking Hebrew were in the row next to us, so Barbara loved that. They all wished me Yom Huledet Sameach.
We had one minute between movies and friends luckily had picked up the tickets in time, otherwise I would have missed the 'sold-out' preview show. The 2nd movie Plimpton was shared with my friends since 1968 college days, Suzanne and Alan.
They had a big chocolate brownie for me with lots of candles. I had in my car a bundt lemon cake freshly made by friend Janelle (Edith's daughter-in-law). (I delivered the other Edith and family hand-made jam and juice 'from the garden' gifts to the house before I left for theatre celebration.) I brought plates and a knife, and my friends had the candles. After moving to a less breezy location in the outdoor-theatre patio about 10pm, we ate birthday cake after I blew out candles. (We also called Ariel, daughter of my friends because it was her birthday on the East Coast.) How perfect. You'd see a photo of brownie also, but I ate it all in the dark theatre.
We had one minute between movies and friends luckily had picked up the tickets in time, otherwise I would have missed the 'sold-out' preview show. The 2nd movie Plimpton was shared with my friends since 1968 college days, Suzanne and Alan.
They had a big chocolate brownie for me with lots of candles. I had in my car a bundt lemon cake freshly made by friend Janelle (Edith's daughter-in-law). (I delivered the other Edith and family hand-made jam and juice 'from the garden' gifts to the house before I left for theatre celebration.) I brought plates and a knife, and my friends had the candles. After moving to a less breezy location in the outdoor-theatre patio about 10pm, we ate birthday cake after I blew out candles. (We also called Ariel, daughter of my friends because it was her birthday on the East Coast.) How perfect. You'd see a photo of brownie also, but I ate it all in the dark theatre.
Other friends I ran into at the movie couldn't join us for the birthday cake, but they shared my warm popcorn. Movie manager was really kind at the end of the night, and gave me BIRTHDAY POPCORN :) and I had the security guard take our photos, also with friends, Carol and Betty.
Crazy thing is that I had told Suzanne I'd invite Carol, and with both phones ringing all day, and reading birthday e-messages, and mazal tovs also on the publishing today of poem, I forgot to call and invite Carol. Serendipity that she was at theatre so we could celebrate together.
During my birthday I did something I have not done. In Adobe Photoshop CS5, which I own and which scares me, so barely use it-- I painted over a photo with brushes and happy colors and brush stamps and had a great time being loose, and not so restricted with digital tools. Even figured out how to delete gross paint errors. Yay. I did it. (I'd watched an Apple trainer a couple weeks ago paint on a photo.) I even signed my work* * *, not with a digital font tool which I know how to use, but with a thin digital brush, and that wasn't too easy; First time! Oops, I do recall that once I had hesitatingly painted a yellow line on a trolley track photo I shot at the Getty museum.
My most recent digital art works for Mother's and Father's Day (I'd learned how to create them with fastidious hours on the computer.) -- appeared so perfect and attractive that they looked like Hallmark cards, and that disturbed me. They looked boring to me after I'd created them. Why spend hours creating from scratch, beautiful and balanced art with created blended 'gradient' colors, if it looks like a perfect Hallmark card, and not handmade by artist Joy? A dear friend understood me, and stated during our discussion over my concern, that the cards lacked quality of "Joyness", and she was right! Nice to know I have a style!
Good! For my birthday, I over painted a dark rich green Costa Rica forest photo*** (I'd shot last year), in purple (what else?), fuchsia, bright red, blue and a bit of orange (outrageous colors for a forest) and then painted in a baby blue stream with rocks, that I'm calling the River of Light, that comes from Gan Eden. In Costa Rica was a thin stream gurgling over rocks in that real forest that I could see from high up on the long metal hanging suspension bridges, but it doesn't look like my crazy flat blue stream that vanishes into the forest mountain. Mission accomplished! I have "Joyness." Hours ago I have already made collages and greeting cards out of the single painted photo. I should post it on a blog so that you can see it! Done! Look below.
Thanks everyone for the snail-mail, and by hand cards, e-cards, and phone calls and FaceBook e-messages, and and and. Oh, little Maya even sent me my first Bubbie Joy birthday card!!! :)
Machatenister called, and kids, and siblings and cousins, and friend Yda even called from Hawaii.
One friend Judy thought birthday was the other day and called then, but I couldn't accept her invite out to celebrate.
I spoke to old NY friend Shiny for first time since maybe 1968 when she left for graduate school, got married and left the neighborhood. I reminded her how we together had traveled from NY to Bird-In-Hand, PA, and explored Amish and Mennonite country. That was good because she couldn't remember how she got there. Shiny had fun Googling me and said I "look the same"! Nice birthday news.
Friend Shira surprised me with flowers at shul, Lev Eisha, last Shabbat, as she does each year always miraculously knowing where to find me! and I had an aliyah at Torah for my birthday. I even received a shul certificate for being appreciated. :)
I am grateful for wishes (and gift) from 92 year old mother-in-law Thea, Aviva & Brett, Shelley, Faye & Jim, Arielle, Miriam Pat, Aunt Perle, cousins Bruce, and Merle & Mike, and Yda & Irwin, 90 year old life guard Edith, Janelle, Annie, Amy, Gloria, Sandi, Suzanne & Alan, Barbara, Hare, Shirley, Marty, Lawrence, Zena, Judy, neighbor Jean, stockbroker, and lots of other friends who sent loving messages when I let them know what today is! My birthday! I am blessed.
Bought myself a synagogue birthday gift; A gemstone embellished crocheted kipa with a bow, and you know what color. 'After hours', the shopkeeper (whom I didn't know) re-opened the large gift shop just for me, and believe me, we had issues getting the key from Security who first struggled to get into a main office, but with caring and patience, persistence and hope/faith, WE DID IT! For my birthday six years ago I purchased talleisim / prayer shawls, and I really wanted a new lightweight sheer tallit. I bought a purple kipa.
Not having birthday plans is so much fun.
Enjoy birthday photos
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Painted Path
© Joy Krauthammer
© Joy Krauthammer
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