Carolyn Henderson is the marketing manager of Steve Henderson Fine Art. In addition to her Middle Aged Plague blog, Carolyn writes a regular art column for FineArtNews, an online publication for artists and art collectors.
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I love your blog. Just thought I would let you know!
I love your blog. You seem to have a great understanding of what is going on in our culture today. My wife plays music with a group of musicians at the local “Swedish Cultural Society’s” functions. What fun music to make one smile – Polka’s anyone?
A lot of the music is from Norwegian background – no we are not Swedish or Norwegian, we just love the music, the dancing, and the people.
I will let the Norwegian Artist know! The town 30 miles south of us has a Norwegian society that makes these delectable pastries — and I thought they subsisted on dried fish dipped in beer.
How wonderful that you and your wife are involved in such a fun, happy group.
Hi,
Love the range, the tone, the vibrancy of your posts.
You make me smile.
Regards,
nmi
Thank you!
All very fine. But you must admit that the environmental load of having four children is not insignificant. My father was one of eight. My mother was one of nine. My parents had two children. Neither my sister or I have any children. This is by far the most effective way to ease the impact of human beings on the earth. An electric clothes dryer is a blip on the graph compared to the impact of one more human being. Why is serious population reduction such a third rail of public discourse?
A) This is a lighthearted look at life and the quirkiness of the environmental movement, not a serious plea for people to drop their dryers and save the earth.
B) Children change people — for the better. Societies in which the majority of adults opt out of parenthood lose something. Children make grown ups grow up, because they require leadership, guidance, safety, and vast amounts of love — giving these attributes to one’s dog just doesn’t do the trick.
C) Yes, large families eat a lot of food, but they do not take a lot of plane rides, buy boats, or replace their car with a new one every few years. They recycle clothing, live in older houses that they renovate, and yell at the kids to turn out the lights. Very few singles and couples without children live in as conservative a fashion as families with multiple kids do.
D) Serious population reduction — as in, abortion? as in, governmental regulation in people’s private lives? As in increasing taxes on the people who are raising the next generation that will be paying into Social Security and Medicare? Just as draconian could be limiting whether people could own air conditioners (BIG energy wasters — watch the meter spin sometime) or dictating the hours in which electricity will be available.
i just love you. that was so well said, you are very articulate and confident. i dont ever reply to blogs, heck i dont even read blogs, but i found yours through ‘the art of aging’ on facebook somehow, and your writing really resonates with me. i do really enjoy stopping in to see what clever things you have to say. thankyou for being willing to be so public with us. [btw, in the vein of the thread to which i have replied, my husband and i have six children, though we each came from very small families ourselves, and also were very frugal in our lifestyle. it has been most satisfying to see our adult children follow suit.]
Wow. What a wonderful way to start the day, reading your generous and kind comment. Thank you so very much.
I love writing. Now that the kids are older, I am able to address it more directly, and, quite frankly, now that the Norwegian Artist is joining the ranks of those who have received a pink slip from their day jobs (and his is the only job that has supported the family through all these years; we started the fine art painting business three years ago when we suspected where his day job was eventually heading; it’s growing fast, but there’s still a Recession going on), I am looking to find a paying venue for my work. I always ask those who enjoy my work to pass on the website information to others who might be interested in it as well, and as the readership builds up, well, it’s all like a stone rolling down the mountain, gaining momentum.
Thank you again for your wonderfully encouraging words that make me smile as I re-read them. Good for your frugality, and for your teaching your kids that life is so much more than shiny new cars and dinners out.
A lovely and loving reply. I congratulate you. While my parents only raised two, trying to be realistic about their situation for providing for us (and the fact that they were both only-children and wouldn’t be able to figure out how to handle more) it is by far most important to Love our children and raise them to leave things better than they found them.
I did not have the opportunity to have children, but I had the benefits of a Loving, caring home, that lived economically. The lack of Love is more likely to result in “negative impact” on the environment.
“Perfect Love casteth out Fear.”
I just discovered your blog through today’s article on FineArtsView. I’m so glad I did! Thank you from another boomer.
I am consistently amazed at how much good love does — it covers over the lack of many material things, which we Boomers, and the generations behind us, would realize if we truly listened to our parents’ Depression era stories. Or, for that matter, seriously watched The Waltons.
I am glad that you discovered me, and, if you have not already, invite you to join the e-mail notification list to receive new blogs as soon as my fingers have tapped them out. I’ve also just launched a Facebook page, Middle Aged Plague. It’s looking a little lonely right now with its seven stalwart followers, but we all keep singing Kumbaya together in a loud and happy fashion, embracing new friends as they walk through the door.
Hi There,
I wanted to write a quick comment to let you know that as I was commenting on the blog that was featured on the front page of WordPress, I believe it was titled, “My Boy With The Crooked Smile”, I saw your comment. I find that my brother, sister and I are all very much like the children you described and I found your comment warm, hopeful and encouraging. I just wanted you to know.
Thank you…
I just found your blog today, and I love it. I look forward to reading more in the future, and discovering your archives as well. I’d like to invite you to my blog home as well. I love having friends over.
Here in Canada, senior discounts don’t start until you’re 65, which I guess makes me at 55 feel a little less senior, but on the other hand it would be a perk to get some discounts. Definitely at 55, we females are unnoticed, not to mention unappreciated. So, on a whim I entered a nationwide modeling contest which actually had categories: 20+, 30+, 40+ and 50+ and low and behold I won the 50+ category…chalk one up for us old gals (who still give a dam about how we look, even though the workouts are harder and the wrinkles are deeper).
Well, congratulations on winning! And you are right, the workouts are harder and the wrinkles are deeper. My mother is always fond of repeating Oscar Wilde’s statement: “Youth is wasted on youth.” So very, very true.
Hi there Carolyn,
Just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed your blog, found you through the newsletter/fine arts and also enjoyed the article if it something sounds wrong it usually is” . I write a humerus blog myself and thought you may like to have a look. Here is a link 28. “SOMETIMES IT’S JUST ABOUT THE NOISES YOU HEAR” New blog today 10.7.10 Lesson for today; if you hear a little noise, do not just ignore it! http://www.mariejonssonharrison.com.au/new/?p=879
Love Marie xxx
Thank you, Marie — I will check you out. I always enjoy reading a fellow writer!
Carolyn,
This may seem like a strange question, but… How have and your husband been able to take care of the medical needs of your family? Have you used traditional insurance, or paid out of pocket and prayed that no one has a major illness or injury? My husband and I are investing (again) healthcare options. Perhaps you, or one of your readers has a creative solution. If you don’t mind, please e-mail me your response: baptistefamily6@yahoo.com
Enjoying your blog.
alecia
Thank you for your kind comment on my blog, I love your blog, it’s amazing! Very inspirational!
Thank you, Jennie. There is much around us to inspire — and I am grateful for artists like you and my Norwegian Artist who see what they see, and translate it for the rest of us!
Thank you, Carolyn. The green-thing gets to be too much to bear…all these leftie libs drinking the KookAid of hypocrisy. I especially love Meg Ryan’s green rantings as she boarded her private jet in Maui. I suspect if their accountants didn’t find brilliant loop holes & off shore holdings, these “movie stars” wouldn’t like their taxes raised either. I for one–big on Christian charity–don’t want the government to tell me where & how to give…especially since they seem to be leaning towards the cradle-to-grave entitlement platform. I don’t think that worked too well across the pond either.
And finally,…I had my only child at 40 yrs of age and while he is a teenager with requisite mood swings, I wouldn’t have done it any other way. My have I grown up, become less selfish & been enormously blessed.
Melissa: I have read that many movie stars are actually clueless about money and their daily finances, like many other aspects of their lives, are taken care of by others.
While I would love to have to perks that the money they possess buys, I think they all come at too great of a cost.
I agree with you about charity, and it is a joy, and an obligation, of all of us to fulfill in the lives of others.
I’ve been thinning blogs out of my email to try to downsize the torrent flooding my email and swamping my attention, yet I had to subscribe to yours. I found a few of your articles on the FASO site and followed over here. I love your observations, wit, and gentle Christian touch. Thank you for sharing all those attributes.
Thank you, Dave — I am honored and grateful. I try very hard to ensure that what I say is worth taking the time to read.