Above: What we were driving in 1908.

A very interesting fact sheet reflecting life in 1908 made its way onto the women’s bathroom wall at local Vita Cafe on SE Alberta Street in Portland the other night and I happened to take a hard look. We’ve come a long way in a hundred years. I can only imagine what humans will be saying about the next century.

In 1908:

The average life expectancy was 47 years.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!

The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.

The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year .

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .

Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as ’substandard. ‘

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo. read the rest of this entry »

In Feng Shui, the bathroom is a sanctuary where you nurture yourself.

Does your bathroom rejuvenate you in the morning and help you relax and unwind in the evening, or does it create chaos, increase stress and promote tension in your life?

Consider the following aspects of your bathroom and implement some of the following suggestions to create a spa-like experience that uplifts your energy and helps to renew your spirit.

Colors

The best colors for a bathroom include lighter shades of green, yellow, blue, silver sage and lavender. The bathroom already has an enormous amount of water energy represented with the sink, tub, shower and toilet. Colors that incorporate the “wood” element, such as light blues and greens, feed the water element and create a sense of balance.

Avoid colors such as red, purple, emerald, navy, brown and black; they make the room feel smaller. Additionally, red, purple and black represent the fire (red and purple) or water (black) element, which can make the water element in the room undesirably strong.

I recently worked with a client who had a small bathroom decorated entirely in red. The room felt tight and constricting. I felt my body tense as soon as I entered. I suggested that she paint over the red with a lighter cream or white and introduce green accents in the form of a shower curtain, rug and towels. Her bathroom now feels like a lush, personal oasis that she loves. read the rest of this entry »

Cityscope is the name of the above art installation in Cologne, Germany, and was created by German designer Marco Hemmerling. The piece was designed for the architectural festival Plan08, and reflects fragments of the surrounding buildings. Very clever.

A close-up view and a child gazing into the colorful reflections change from one part to the next.

At night the reflective, color-distorting film on its surface becomes transparent and the structure is lit from within.  This reminds me of an art-piece that might be seen at the Burning Man Festival.

The designer refers to the piece as an “urban kaleidoscope” and explains,

The installation ‘Cityscope’ deals with the fragmented perception of urban spaces. The beveling structure can be seen as an urban kaleidoscope, that reflects fragmented views on the city and composes at the same time a three-dimensional image of the surrounding facades.

For more on the artist and the art installation, visit the website: www.marcohemmerling.com.

In honor of Thanksgiving, I offer you a beautiful image of a fawn and her mother in a sweet, loving moment. This came across my desktop via cousin Ellen. (Thank-you cousin). Her friend (who remains anonymous) recently came across this scene and captured it beautifully on camera.

Thank-you to all my loyal readers and advertisers for your continued support of Planet Pink n’ Green. With your contributions, we work hard to provide you with fun, fabulous and passionate stories about human beings (just like you and I) that truly make a difference.

I am grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cheryl

Recently I attended a SoulCollage® class taught by Suzie Wolfer where we created collage cards.  The process, a rather magical one, connected deeply with my intuition.

What is a Soul Collage?

SoulCollage® created by Seena Frost recognizes that we each possess separate energies and voices that have something to say about our life journey.  It’s an inward exploration seeking personal wisdom.  While some go to church seeking this wisdom and some go to nature, this morning I went to my studio and dived into the process of SoulCollage.

Starting a Soul Collage

You can start the process by asking yourself a question seeking direction, wisdom, or insight. For example, I asked, “Who is the one within myself that creates a daily life and routine that I love, feel vital in, and grateful for?”  As an artist you often create your own structures, your own routines, and your own deadlines.  No institution, boss, or schedule necessarily carves out your daily routines.  It’s a question which continues to beg an answer in my life.

For the next hour or so I created this collage; cutting, fitting, and layering together images while listening to some deeper self.  After the collage was finished, I journaled responding to my question.

Here are its ponderings:

I am the one who smiles at the simple beauties and the one who finds marvelous curves in the calla lily folds.  I am the one who loves the riches of burnt crimson and the intricately woven Japanese tapestries.  I am also the one who recognizes that the slow, methodical, and steady pace of the tortoise is wise and the one who accomplishes the race.  I am the one who remembers to peer out the window gazing at the falling orange leaves and who cups her hands in a graceful gesture to accept the world’s many and abundant gifts.  I am the one who has deep and abiding wisdom and whose eyes are piercing.

Now clearly my answer was not a set schedule or a list of “to dos.”  The life of an artist must find time to journey to the right brain to find is magic and originality.  My intuition reminded me of this.  I am entranced with SoulCollage which seems to tap into a marvelous, magical inner world.

For more information about SoulCollage go to: www.soulcollage.com and www.counseling-portlandoregon.com