by Barbara Smith | Feb 10, 2022 | Painting & Writing, Understanding the Times
Finally, I finished The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, learning dimensions of WWI history that Upstairs Downstairs and Downton Abbey left out. Given, what J.M. Barrie reported about what led up to the Great Influenza, and all that... 
by Barbara Smith | Oct 11, 2021 | Painting & Writing
So, the other day I had a casual conversation with a younger woman who likes writing, but is reluctant to wade into words, arranging them in such a way that satisfies herself and communicates her thoughts. My analysis — not her’s. Writing is . . . tricky. Being... 
by Barbara Smith | Sep 3, 2021 | Personal Pigeonholes, Understanding the Times
Dodging a bullet is a loaded description nowadays. We dodged a weather bullet generated during the aftermath of Ida, a destructive deadly storm that stretched from New Orleans to New England. Many did not; as of now forty-five people lost their lives, and many more... 
by Barbara Smith | Aug 25, 2021 | Painting & Writing, Understanding the Times
Looking back to this time last year, in my journal, I have some impressions, given the times that are today. This time last year I was way more productive; listening to several books, and completing several paintings — I rarely left the sunporch. Productive as I was,... 
by Barbara Smith | Jun 5, 2021 | Personal Pigeonholes, Understanding the Times
Gardening and reading — or listening to good books — occupy my imagination and keep me steady. Heaven knows they are better topics to engage than most today! As Mother’s Day passed, when I knew I might safely plant, I stuck some seeds and and bulbs in the freshly...