The Art of John Lennon in Vineyard Haven

A benefit for the Island Food Pantry will be exhibiting the art work of John Lennon this weekend at the Mansion House in Vineyard Haven. From the MV Gazette:

...“What many people don’t know about John was that he was an artist before he was a rocker,” his widow and artistic collaborator Yoko Ono told the Gazette...Working primarily with pencil (and later, after meeting Ms. Ono and travelling to Japan, Asian brushes), Mr. Lennon produced art throughout his life. His drawings are whimsical, immediate and human.

The show, entitled Come Together, runs from noon to 7 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

A Meaningful Life Experience

An anthropology teacher from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Tara Deubel, entertained our luncheon table at the Culinary Institute yesterday.   Tara spent two years with the Peace Corps in West Africa.  She taught English to middle school-age children in a small village of Burkina Faso.  There were approximately eighty children in her class, each of whom believed that being a student was a privilege.   They were always well behaved and respectful.  In fact, as a teacher, Tara was revered in the community.  She relished the simplicity of life in this community.  Tara's perceived hardships were hers alone.  This community had no knowledge of, or comparison to a different lifestyle.  Tara presented a riveting illustration of life in West Africa, which left me with many comic and heartwarming visuals.  The children's fascination with an empty raisin box, retrieved from Tara's garbage, or the gratitude and intrigue from a simple pen, has me yearning to learn more and behold a meaningful adventure in goodwill.

Morristown Soup Kitchen Needs Cold Casseroles

The soup kitchen is serving approximately 190 people each summer day.  With lots of volunteers on vacation, a request for help came my way this morning.  I'm happy to participate, but... a cold casserole?  A new culinary challenge.