New exhibit at Glencairn with my new friend Terry

Say hello to Teresita Pointer - Terry! - my new friend from the acrylics painting class. She drove over from her Glenside home and, since my car knows the way, I drove us to Glencairn.

It's the former home of Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn and their nine children. It was built during the Great Depression from 1928 to 1939.


Wiki - It houses a collection of about 8,000 mostly religious artwork from many cultures as diverse as ancient Egyptian, ancient Greek and Roman, medieval Christian, Islamic, Asian, and Native American.

The castle-like building was the former house of billionaire businessman Raymond Pitcairn (1885–1966) and his wife, Mildred Glenn (died 1979). It consists of more than 90 rooms on 10 floors, adjacent to Ralph Adams Cram's Gothic Revival Bryn Athyn Cathedral (1913–19) and his father's home Cairnwood.

The Pitcairn fortune derived from control of Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, of which his father John Pitcairn, Jr. (1841-1916), was director, 1896-1906. The name of the museum is a combined form of Raymond's last name and Mildred's maiden name.

 Terry was astonished by the beauty of the building, deep in the heart of a Philadelphia suburb.

 I once spoke to the man who fashioned many of the doors from Monel.

Where does one start taking pictures?

I suppose I visit Glencairn once every six months.

 Terry took a 'hip shot' of Chris Alp and me. Chris attends Bryn Athyn College and is a senior majoring in history. There's a job opening at Glencairn he hopes to get after graduating. Teaching kids right here at the Castle.

From Eden to Eternity, from the website.

This exhibition features textiles hand-stitched by the Cuna Indians along the Caribbean coast of Panama, esp the San Blas Islands.

Molas are reverse appliqué panels made for the front and back of blouses worn by Cuna women. Each mola in this exhibition illustrates a story from the Bible—from the Garden of Eden to the Ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven. Molas probably originated with the custom of body painting, traditionally done by Cuna women as early as the 17th century. By the 19th century this painting was replaced by textiles, perhaps because Christian missionaries insisted that the Cuna wear clothing.

Molas are made by women and female children, using only a needle, scissors and thimble. The Cuna have selectively adopted certain aspects of Western civilization, but continue to maintain their indigenous lifestyle and traditions. Many belong to thriving Christian congregations, and biblical themes are often depicted in their textiles.

The molas in this exhibition are on loan from the collection of Sandra and Bob Bowden. And what a collection it is!  

Shoot it Ruthie.... straight from the hip....

 The above embroidery is about Moses shooing away serpents. Did you ever hear of this? It's from Numbers in the Bible.

I was so excited to see nuns dressed in real habits. I MUST find out where they hail from. Dyou think Little Tongue-Tied Ruthie will have the nerve?

Ukraine. Sister Elisabeth and Sister Couldn't Catch her Name. They've been here two years and now are at a Russian Orthodox Catholic Church downtown.

The handsome gentleman who accompanied them did not wanna be photographed.

Glencairn has such loving people working there that the atmosphere was ripe to talk to perfect strangers.

 Veronica at the front desk was very helpful and put us on the Mailing List. Their next show, also from the Bowden collection, is by Marc Chagall.

I saw his work at the Maltz Museum in Cleveland. Read my fascinating blog.



 I loved the idea that Phoenix was the doorman. He was wearing a swell pair of sneaks.

Terry and I bought some nice gifts in the shoppe. Hmmm, wonder who will get postcards from me?

Terry is a nature-lover and gardens at her home in Glenside, where she lives with hubby Mohammed ("Mo") who is also an RN - he's at Jeane's Hospital, she's at Temple U - and their 10-yo son Nicholas. Nick sings in the choir at his North Penn school.

 I'd never noticed this courtyard until Terry pointed it out. This is the advantage of having two heads instead of one. As we bounded down a hill - why take the stairs when a hill awaits, Jack - Terry asked about my diabetes numbers.

Oh, I'm fine, I said. We were headed toward a new restaurant, two doors down from the excellent Allways Cafe.

 In the mail I got a coupon for a new Asian rest. which opened two months ago in Bethayres.

 Here's Yang, the Chinese owner, of Panda. 

The tea was delicious as was the Buddhist delight seafood platter. Enough for three servings. I injected 8, which was the perfect amount. I'm really good at estimating.

Just injected another 8 for our Saturday night pizza.

 We sat for a while at Panda and Terry worked w me on using my iPhone.

You simply TAP TAP TAP, she said.

I did!

Instead of going directly home, I asked Terry if she wanted a lil tour of the wonderful sights around Bryn Athyn.

Talk about entering Medieval Europe, which is the style of Cairnwood and the Bryn Athyn Cathedral, which we drove through. Here's another denomination of The Lord's New Church.

Drive through the cobblestone road and you'll get to a food commune. There also used to be NA meetings here.

Off on the road of life.

Dave himself came out to fix the fridge - Ed Quinn came out for paint selection - While I watched n slept thru a movie rental dans le living

I asked one of the Albanians - Zack - to take my photo. I always find new clothes when I look thru my closet. Bought this years ago at The Sweater Mill in Hatboro.

Here's Dave Foster, owner of Dave's Appliances in Horsham, PA, 19044. My credit union is there and I got a donation for the Compass - thank you MARCY!!! - so I addressed an envelope and chased after Mailman Ken.

Did you ever get the feeling, I asked him, that you were being stalked?

He smiled. I make him happy. I'm probably the only nut on his route.

Am drinking strong delicious coffee out of my new Starbux mug from my sister Donna. She advised me to come over tonite bc she's moving in THREE WEEKS.

She urged me to take whatever I wanted from 1 Drummers Way, Hatboro PA 19040.

We ate popcorn in her bedroom and I drank delicious strong coffee she made me in a chipped cup. The youngsters she lives with break everything.

That's why I use Corelle.

  Dave and "Blake" another Albanian were here a few hours. They fixed the fridge and also the icemaker.

Dave wants me to call him tomro for a report. At age 50, he's got a lucrative biz and was named Best Appliance Repair by Philadelphia Magazine. 

At age 14, he went to the Vo-tek School around the corner on Terwood Road and studied appliance repair.


New name is Eastern Center for the Arts and Technology.

He began getting clients while he was still in school. He has five children and lots of grandchildren. A granddaughter, Layla, was just born last nite at AMH. He was there and didn't get much sleep. He lives in Horsham.
 

Great Performances on PBS. Just finished. Marvelously exciting.

From the Times:  Since its premiere in 1988, Mark Morris’s full-length dance staging of Handel’s oratorio “L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato” has provoked two widespread reactions. One: How blessed we are to live in an age in which such miraculous beauty is made! Two: When will this be filmed and made available to a wider public?

That question now finds its answer in a new television film directed by Vincent Bataillon. Recorded last year at Madrid’s Teatro Real, it will be broadcast on Friday on PBS as part of “Great Performances,” with an introduction by Mikhail Baryshnikov and interviews with Mr. Morris, some members of the Mark Morris Dance Group and his music director, Colin Fowler.

Ed Quinn and his friend John were here for several hours taking stock of what they'll need to do to paint my BR and the hall, where the wallpaper is peeling off. 

 This is a funny little closet high off the bedroom floor. Nothing important is in there but it's packed. Give a person space, and they will fill it, right Cindy?

 This painting hides big gouges in the wall. Can't remember how they occurred.

John and Ed.

John retired as a fire fighter 8 yrs ago. At "the Department," as they called it, everyone did every job there was.

EMT

Driver of the Ladder Truck

Scott Pack Man - goes into the burning building, suited up



Oxygen lasted for half an hour. Today it's 45 minutes. Get out fast. The roof could fall on you. Yes, you're scared but you're running on adreniline. You can't see. You feel your way inside. John has seen some sad sights in burning buildings. He also arrived just in time when occupants were standing on the roof of a burning bldg and his team was able to lower them down before they jumped!

Look at what happened to my former home at Village Green Apartments in Hatboro. 



 John also rode the Tillerman truck. It's pronounced TILLerman



Ed, who studied interior design at Temple, brought his color cards with him. For my BR, to go with my lavender rug, I chose....

Charcoal gray .... as soon as I saw it.... I went wild!!!

For my hallway, the above dramatic Burgundy. I am psyched!!! But it won't happen for another month.

Donna encouraged me to take whatever I wanted. Here's a darling cup she made with three coffee spoons in it. She's a gifted potter.

Had she had the motivation - and she's really talented - she could've been another Bill Daley, who I interviewed for Art Matters.

 Steady your eyes, Dear Reader, and I'll tell you what this is. In the freezer of my dead refrigerator is this fish that Bernie Samuels gave me - bronzini or European Sea Bass - and told me how to make.

The head is on the Right.

It was filled with bones. At one point a bone got caught in my throat but I kucked it up. You'll have to figger out what that means.

Here's the mostly filleted fish.

Incredibly delicious! I picked on it throughout the day.

Then I put it in the compost heap for the feral cats.

  This is a difficult film to watch. Am halfway through. Award-winning by HBO. Made in 2001, it has an international cast including a very young-looking Stanley Tucci playing Colonel Eichmann.

Broken refrigerator - Dave's Appliance comes out - Poem: The Night Refridgerator

My fridge short-circuited yesterday so Dave's Appliance is here right now. Teddy and Zack.

Two other trucks are on the street, one with some cable wire.

"Daniel?" I call. "C'mon down and look at all these trucks."

He's busy playing with his Legos, but he comes dashing down the stairs and we go outside to see what's going on.



Oh no! I forgot he's all growed up!

Hey! Just got a "Hi, how ya doin'" email from


Stalin Campos, MD, one of my kidney transplant doctors.

This morning, took myself to the TNT Diner and had a great breakfast.... mushroom omelet with cheddar cheese.... applesauce instead of the diabetes-killers of toast and taters



Teddy and Zack don't know that my kidney anti-rejection meds gave me insulin-dependent diabetes.

Zack is from Albania... his real name is Ylli.... say OOley... he lives in Northern Liberties.

Let's give him a BIG WELCOME to the  U S  of   A.

Zack aka Ylli.

Teddy, on the right, has a 3.5 year old son.

"Changed my life for the better," he said.

 He quickly diagnosed my refrigerator.

"Here's the good and the bad news," he said.

Gulp.

"It CAN be fixed, but it'll be expensive."

"A new compressor?" I asked.

Scott had alerted me to that strong possibility.

"It's like getting a new heart," said Teddy. "The refrigerator should run for a long time after that."

He ordered a new compressor







and it should come in tomorrow for the transplant.

Of course I told them about my kidney transplant. BTW saw my nephrologist Dr Ghantous yesterday and got a great report. Creatinin level 0.8.

Thank you, Sarah Lynn!




Their truck is pulling out of the driveway now.

Nearly one thousand dollars for the compressor.

When, I wondered, will I schlepp the Compass over to Abington Memorial Hospital.

TODAY!

I could barely find the elevators since they were smothered with ADS!

I always stop into the Harbison Chapel to see the needlepoint by Sam Maitin. I wrote an article about him when I worked for Art Matters.

My glamorous friend Ava


is in the psych unit, so I met with her. We sat at a table with other people and had lunch.

The new psych unit in the Buerger Building is really beautiful. Ava highly recommends it.

The food is delicious, she and her tablemates said.

"Are you gonna eat your salad," I asked.

"No!" she said. "Please take it."

Not particularly hungry, but knowing I can't go into my fridge to make a salad, I ate it all up.

A lovely blond woman from the Main Line was eating fresh cantaloupe with cottage cheese.

         One of my all-time favorites.

My friend David Kime just called to say, "The Compass is awesome!"

He asked how I pay for it.

I told him I sent 200 emails out to people who subscribe to the New Directions emails, asking for donations.

"How many donations dyou think I've gotten, David?"

"Thirty."

"Wrong. NONE."

Should I send out another announcement? What dyou think, Dear Reader?

David publishes two zines and people, such as myself, send in donations.

"It just about pays for itself," he said.

My kids bought me my fridge for my birthday. Here's a poem I wrote about it

THE NIGHT REFRIGERATOR

by Ruth Deming

(Dedicated to my children, Sarah and Daniel, who bought me my new refrigerator on the occasion of my 59th birthday, December 25, 2004.)


Shhhh.
All is still and dark
and I have awoken
from dreamless sleep
and come to the dark kitchen
for water.

The refrigerator is new
brought in on a red dolly
by a man who turned corners
carefully and wheeled
it in like a newborn
in a carriage.

Alone in the night
in the dark kitchen
I hear the sounds of the night.
Is that a moon outside
casting its brightness
onto my table to make it shine?

And I
the recipient of brightness
in my dark kitchen
find by careful fingering
a glass
sparkling streakless squeaky
from the dishwasher,
we are modern people,
and no longer go to the well,
but in the dark,
place my glass just so,
pushing the rubber udder
of the water dispenser
on the outside,
and listen
for the fullness of the
glass,                              
Then, turning round,
listen for the sounds
of the night
no birds, no winds,
no squirrels scurrying on the branch

the hum of the refrigerator is all I hear,
and heat pumping up from the basement,
we no longer live by campfire
or hear wolves howling in the distant hills,
these are the sounds of a quiet home,
more windows than wood,

gulping:
the first thing we do,
and the last.

Feb. 22, 2005