{"id":1672,"date":"2009-05-10T00:16:36","date_gmt":"2009-05-10T06:16:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=1672"},"modified":"2009-05-10T00:16:46","modified_gmt":"2009-05-10T06:16:46","slug":"7-imps-7-kicks-114-featuring-mothers-day-photography-and-a-wee-bit-of-daniel-baxters-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=1672","title":{"rendered":"7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #114: Featuring Mother’s Day Photography and a Wee Bit of Daniel Baxter’s Art"},"content":{"rendered":"


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“Walking to the honey house, I concentrated on my feet touching down on the hard-caked dirt in the driveway, the exposed tree roots, fresh-watered grass, how the earth felt beneath me, solid, alive, ancient, right there every time my foot came down. There and there and there, always there. The things a mother should be.”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

Jules:<\/strong><\/font> Welcome to 7-Imp’s 7 Kicks on this Mother’s Day 2009! In honor of the special day, we’ve got some Mother’s Day photography and a bit of art. (That quote above comes from Sue Monk Kidd’s<\/strong><\/a> The Secret Life of Bees<\/strong><\/a><\/em>, and I just wanted to share it. It’s my favorite thought-on-mamahood ever<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

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<\/a>Pictured above is a Siberian mother and child, as photographed by Maria Stenzel<\/strong><\/a>. This comes from National Geographic’s<\/strong><\/a> Mothers & Children<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, released in March of this year, a collection of both black-and-white and color photographs, celebrating the bond between mothers and children all over the world and through different time periods in history — and celebrating them all in “Real Life,” showing those “unscripted, unrehearsed moments between mother and child…” I’ve got a copy of the book—which features an introduction by Lynne Perri<\/strong><\/a>, journalist-in-residence at American University<\/strong><\/a>, and thoughts from Craig Wilson, who has been a feature writer at USA Today\u2019s<\/em> “The Final Word”<\/strong><\/a> for the past twelve years. And it’s a beautiful book, showing women—from the North, the South, the East, and the West—at home, at work, and at play with their children. <\/p>\n

You know how I am a fan of letting illustrators send me as much art as they want for 7-Imp interviews, since I think their art speaks volumes? Well, I think the photographs in this book capture well the mother-and-child bond, perhaps even better than words could, and that the photographs say all that need to be said. <\/p>\n


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Rostock, Germany<\/em> (photo by Gordon Gahan<\/strong><\/a>)<\/center><\/p>\n


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Rajasthan, India<\/em> (photo by Jodi Cobb<\/strong><\/a>)<\/center><\/p>\n


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Valemount, British Columbia<\/em> (photo by Chris Johns<\/strong><\/a>)<\/center><\/p>\n

<\/a>I’ve also got a wee bit of art from Mama’s Kiss<\/em><\/strong><\/a> by Jane Yolen<\/strong><\/a> and with illustrations by Daniel Baxter<\/strong><\/a>. This was released last October by Handprint Books, but when I saw it just recently, I went begging at Chronicle’s door to see if I could share a bit of art from it on Mother’s Day. When I try to post the spread in its entirety, it’s a bit too small to see, so this is a cutting from it. But click on the image itself to see the entire spread enlarged. This title’s all about a kiss from Mama (“Mama smiles and throws me kisses \/ Most land right, but one kiss misses”) that sails and flies and spins (and smacks the cat) and bumps about ’til it gets stuck in some honey. Bear gets some on his paw, transfers it to his missus, the baby bear grabs it, and…well, then we get to this spread:<\/p>\n

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This one’s a fun one for the preschool crowd, and check out more of Daniel’s art here<\/strong><\/a>. You can see that his colorful, light-as-air art was a perfect fit for this title about LURV, sweet LURV from Mama, and blowing kisses, which—if you’ve been around children lately—you know they find hysterical and very fun. <\/p>\n

Happy Mother’s Day—and Happy Sunday—to all . . . <\/p>\n

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As a reminder, our 7 Kicks posts are our weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. So, let’s kick it up. Absolutely anyone is welcome to list kicks — even if, or especially<\/em> if, you’ve never done so before.<\/p>\n

* * * eisha’s kicks * * *<\/strong><\/font><\/center><\/p>\n

Hey! I have one kick, but it’s big. My mother-in-law is here! After a 7-hour delay in Detroit, she finally made it for her first ever visit to our current home. We’ve got all kinds of fun stuff planned for the next few days. And the apartment is cleaner than it has been in the past two years, which makes me want to have a party or something once she goes home.<\/p>\n

Happy Mother’s Day, everybody!<\/p>\n

* * * Jules’ kicks * * *<\/strong><\/font><\/center><\/p>\n

Well, first I want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to everyone. I am such a SERIOUS sap on Mother’s Day, because I see motherhood—as corny as this sounds—as the most complex and sublime challenge thus far of my life, and I try so hard to get it right. I want so very<\/font> badly to get it right. I’m such<\/em> a sap that my five-year-old handed me a piece of art she made at her Parents’ Day Out program that had this typed-up poem glued to it about us being “hand in hand, forever together,” and I started getting teary-eyed right in front of her teacher. Anyway, Happy Mother’s Day to all mamas out there, and I hope each of you can think of your own mother with fondness today and, if so, that she’s still around for you to hug. Oh, and check this link<\/strong><\/a> out. <\/p>\n

My kicks from this week:<\/p>\n

1). Well, Eisha’s sweet birthday post to me<\/strong><\/a>. And all the nice comments from everyone, which continued to make me happy way longer than just my day o’ birth. And still<\/em> make me feel all bubbly inside. The best part about Eisha’s post, other than Barry serenading me, was when I went quickly into our blog’s admin page the night before to grab something, and I saw the draft of Eisha’s post, temporarily entitled something like, “Seriously, Jules, don’t even look at this post or I WILL CUT YOU.”<\/p>\n

2). The chocolate birthday cake with raspberry cream cheese frosting my husband baked. He always asks me to pick what I want every year, and this year I wanted raspberry. He did good. Real good. <\/p>\n

3). Reading Helen Oxenbury’s illustrated version of Alice<\/em><\/strong><\/a> to my girls. <\/p>\n

4). My friend, Jill, who’s been coming and kickin’ with us lately, sent me lots of great music for my birthday. We met and bonded over our adoration for Sam P.’s<\/strong><\/a> music, so she sent some rare Sam stuff I didn’t have, but she also sent the best mixed CD I’ve heard in a while: LOUIS PRIMA (whose music always makes me very happy)! Nina Simone, who just wants some sugar in her bowl<\/strong><\/a> and she ain’t foolin’. Andrew Bird<\/strong><\/a> (who Eisha has raved about before, and now I’ve finally heard him). Benny Goodman! Cab Calloway! John Lennon! Shivaree<\/strong><\/a>! I could go on. The Louis Prima even had me up and dancing PRE-COFFEE one morning this week, people. <\/p>\n

5). A very, very generous gift\/assistance to our family from my mother-in-law. <\/p>\n

6). Hearing “Hey Jack Kerouac”<\/strong><\/a> while waiting in line at a coffee shop. I had<\/em> to just very subtly dance right there on the spot, while also trying not to look like a freak. 10,000 Maniac’s “In My Tribe”<\/strong><\/a> probably most<\/em> takes me back to high school. (Maybe right after the Cowboy Junkies’ “Trinity Session.”<\/strong><\/a>) I’ve also been listening to a-ha’s<\/strong><\/a> “Hunting High and Low.”<\/strong><\/a> Ah, the late ’80s. <\/p>\n

7). Watching Planet Earth<\/strong><\/em><\/a> with my girls. My five-year-old has wanted to watch repeatedly the part about ocean life, since she’s obsessed with Steve Jenkins’ Down Down Down<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Budding marine biologist perhaps? <\/p>\n

7\u00bd). Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,”<\/strong><\/a> which is worth seeing for the Barcelona setting alone and all the Spanish classical guitar. <\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/center> <\/p>\n

Some announcements:<\/p>\n