Surprised by sculpture

This is a beautiful time of year in our area. After such a gentle winter, spring caught me by surprise.

Azaleas and tulips and dogwood are exploding in unexpected palettes of pink and lavender and sunny yellow. The oak trees are powdering porches with their soft green dust. Mother Nature mixes colors that might be too flamboyant if combined in our clothing or home décor. But she pulls it all off with an exquisite finesse.

Adele Elliott: Fall from grace

The news is seldom good.

In Afghanistan, an American soldier slaughtered 16 civilians for no discernible reason. That carnage included nine children. In Ohio, a 17-year-old boy went on a shooting rampage, in which he killed three of his fellow students and injured others. The victims were chosen at random. His motive remains unclear.

Adele Elliott: Small stages

Last week Columbus was so fortunate to have a spectacular cast of professional actors performing Tennessee Williams’ play, “Orpheus Descending.” It was an amazing experience, with characters coming and going from the theater’s front, back, sides and even speaking from the balcony. Sometimes it was hard to tell who were the actors and who was the audience.

Adele Elliott: A tale of two cities

I have a schizophrenic heart. Its chambers echo with beats from two cities. New Orleans jazz and Columbus blues blend in rhythms that are sometimes archaic, sometimes contemporary, always miraculous. The taunts of rival Indian tribes (Mardi Gras Indians, that is) and Big Joe Shelton’s amazing harmonica are all objects of my bipolar love.

Adele Elliott: The machine rebellion

It’s been a rough week at the Elliott-Hannon household. Murphy’s Law, (which says that if anything can go wrong, it will) was in full force. And it was all mechanically related.

Spread the love

Mid-February may be the coldest time of year, but ironically, it is associated with love and warmth, and all good feelings. We can thank Saint Valentine for that. Evidently, there were at least 14 saints with that name who were martyred in ancient Rome. One was known for marrying Christian couples. It cost him his head.

Adele Elliott: Lost and found

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Adele Elliott: Call to artists and art lovers

There are many reasons to fall in love with a town. Chris and I landed in Columbus about 4 a.m. on a horrible night in August 2005. We were running from a witch named Katrina, her winds whipping too closely at our back. We pulled off the highway into this charming downtown, and felt like Dorothy entering Oz. I remember the funky little Statue of Liberty on a Main Street median, the inviting shops, and the calm allure of a place that seemed so very far from the storm.

Adele Elliott: Superman’s stained cape

Once upon a time we were the “good guys.” That is what we were taught, and that is what we believed. This country stood for “truth, justice and the American way.” I suppose we saw ourselves as Superman, standing on a mountain top, hands on hips, chest inflated, scanning the horizon for wrongs to right.

Adele Elliott: It’s party time — again

The party’s over. Or is it? We have finished with Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. Hanukkah, Kwanza, the Winter Solstice, and even the Iowa caucus are behind us. The days are cold, and the sky is still too dark. This is the perfect time to hibernate a bit; time for a long nap.

Adele Elliott: Game plan

Football! Football! Football! For those who love that sport, this time of year is a feast. There are games on one channel or another every day of the week. College, professional and even high school matches have been at our fingertips.

Adele Elliott: The evolution of gifts

The English language is alive. It is constantly changing, adding words, shifting meanings. Like a pre-pubescent child, it can be clumsy or unexpectedly lovely.

Adele Elliott: Christmas ‘Carma’

Terrible things seem to occur in terrible weather. Monday was a night plucked from an Alfred Hitchcock film. Temperatures hovered in the mid-30s; an icy rain splattered the streets, and the too-early dark made Columbus feel like she was wearing a shroud.

Adele Elliott: Occupation

We have heard much about the “Occupy” movement. It began with “Occupy Wall Street” and spread across the country. (There is even a demonstration in Canada.) I am not going to waste my valuable soapbox space to list them all. However, this is primarily an American phenomenon.

Adele Elliott: Cha-cha-changes

I was fascinated by the news this week about the former British rugby player who claims a stroke turned him gay overnight (The Daily Mail).

Adele Elliott: Cha-cha-changes

“All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.” 

Anatole France

Adele Elliott: While I slept

It’s been a pretty tough week at the Elliott-Hannon household. We worked really hard creating a pre-Halloween event. Maybe it was just too hard for me, because, although our tour was a huge success, I spent the rest of the week in bed with all sorts of ailments.

Adele Elliott: On the road

Chris and I took a little road trip last weekend, because I was hired to write a series of travel blogs for a neighboring state.

Adele Elliott: Advice cop

It is said that the difference between women’s magazines and men’s is that magazines aimed at women are all about self-improvement, and men’s are about how great they are. I do most of my magazine reading in the checkout line at Kroger (aka K. Roger, thanks to Ms. Stone!). It appears that there is much truth to this.

Adele Elliott: October

October is my favorite month. It is in this month that Southerners expect to feel a coolness in the air, finally. It is the time when leaves turn to flames and jewels. It is the month of Halloween.