Portrait of a Lady, Lina Bilitis, by Giovanni Boldini

When I told her that March was Women's History Month Lina looked right at me and said, matter-of-factly, "Women make history every minute of every hour of every day all year long." Since she was armed with two Pekinese I opted not to argue. But of course I knew she was right. . . as usual. Portrait of a Lady, Lina Bilitis, 1913, by Giovanni Boldini.

 

Over My Dead Body by Ramon Casas

Once again she called out: "Who's there?" And again, no answer. It had been like this for years now. Her standing in the doorway to an empty apartment, calling out for someone, anyone, but always NO ANSWER. Over My Dead Body, 1893, by Ramon Casas (thanks Jennifer McD for pointing me to his work!)

 

La Toilette by Louise Catherine Breslau

I no sooner walked into the room than she said: "And what are you looking at?" The answer was obvious, or so I thought. La Toilette by Louise Catherine Breslau.

 

The Shepherdess by William Adolphe Bouguereau

"I've gotten both doses, yes. Why do you ask?" The Shepherdess by William Adolphe Bouguereau.

 

Gabrielle Cot by William Adolphe Bouguereau

Gabrielle Cot looked at me and asked "Do you really think I'm pretty?" I wanted to say "Seriously? You have to ask?" but thought it unwise to answer a question with another question so I replied "Good lord, yes!" 1890 by William Adolphe Bouguereau

 

The Sorceress by John William Waterhouse

The Sorceress asked herself "Let's see, what should I turn the next man into. . . ?" 1911 by John William Waterhouse.

 

The Two Sisters by Théodore Chassériau

Adèle (left) was 33 and Aline (right) was 21 when they were painted in 1843 by their brother Théodore Chassériau. 

What were they thinking? Perhaps they were wondering who would ever look at them scrawled on a piece of canvas?

Oh, and if you want to see the original you'll have to visit the Louvre. But not just yet , of course. . .

 

Young girl in Green by Tamara Lempicka

"If there is no edge to the universe, does that mean I'll always return to where I began?" the Young Girl in Green asked of no one in particular. . . By Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980)

 

Update from Grand Rapids 21 March

While the number of people being vaccinated here in Michigan is on the rise, unfortunately so are the number of people testing positive for Covid and those being hospitalized with the virus. 

In our tiny portion of the world, we are both in good health and looking forward to receiving our 2nd dose of the Pfizer version in a handful of days. 

Although still in strict lockdown in her care home, Susan's mom is now fully vaccinated and seems to be doing very well, thank you. We continue with our porch visits through glass windows but hope to get her out for a meal at our home next month.

Otherwise life continues its familiar rhythms centered on the home. But spring is here and we look forward to more outside time to be sure and may even kick off the season of sitting outside with the neighbors for a glass of wine this weekend since the temperatures are rising into the 60s.

As for eating out, we have no plans as of yet -- one of our favorite haunts closed permanently last year -- and right now we're simply enjoying eating at home. After all, Susie's homemade ice cream, not to mention her incredible pastries, have no equal anywhere near here so we've been fortunate indeed. And frankly, I love the food I prepare for us. And my wife seems to enjoy it as well, an important consideration.

Travel plans are at best vague at the moment. We are hoping for a driving trip out east to see family and friends perhaps in early May. But travel overseas is so uncertain right now. . . . We long to return to Italy and want to experience  more of southern France that we're thinking of an extended stay next winter. So much depends on who can go where, when, and how.

As for entertainment, we read and puzzle. And there's Netflix (Call My Agent, The Woods, Atypical and Never Have I Ever) as well as Amazon Prime (Seinfeld and the occasional movie) as well as HBO (Old Adventures of New Christine, Big Bang Theory) to keep us smiling. And God knows we need to get a few chuckles in before bedtime.  

So that's pretty much it from here. I hope you're staying safe, happy and at peace.

I'll leave you with a couple of images we received last May from Susan's aunt Cathy who passed away earlier this month. She was funny, witty, self-effacing and just plain great to be around. 

The Elder Sister by William Adolphe Bouguereau

Henriette, The Elder Sister, looked up and said straight out: "Paul is my brother and always will be." Daughter and son of painter William Adolphe Bouguereau.

The Elder Sister, 1869