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my notes Spring is finally here, and after the winter we’ve endured, all I can say is Amen. I have an Attitude of Gratitude toward Spring.

• To be still and Appreciate each morning.

• Awaken with Hope for what each day can hold.

• Seek and give kindness to others.

• Not respond to negative comments with negative comments.

• Notice and be aware of any words following “I Am.” • Pay more attention to the things that are good and try and stop talking about what is wrong.

• Go outside my comfort zone at least once a month.

• Take time to thank others on a regular basis.

• Listen to my breath, feel my heartbeat and know my body is not replaceable and treat it with the respect it deserves.

• Open my eyes and notice something beautiful in nature on a daily basis.

• Reflect on my day and my life each night and find gratitude in something, even if its only My Breath, My Heartbeat, My Life

Cher

Wendy Junker, Marketing Director CJ, Production Manager Debra Jennings, Text Editing

Front Cover: David Mills

Bubba, Director of Goodwill

http://davidmillsart.com

P. 4, 6, 70, 90 Amber S. Wallace

https://amberswallacephotography. shutterfly.com/

P. 34, 50 Katherin Cambareri

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Already a quarter of 2014 has slipped away, without even really noticing. I did, like many others, make resolutions at the beginning of the new year. Well, not exactly make them myself. I saw them somewhere from someone and someplace that I don’t know, but they resonated with me and I try to keep committed to them going forward.

Cher Valentino, Editor

P. 52 Elise Marie Fallon P. 80 Josh Deaton http://bit.ly/1i9q1FK P. 90 Judy Schwab http://homespunwriter@windstream.net

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Reproduction in any manner, in whole or part is prohibited.

Our USA Magazine

Our Country, Our People, Our Stories

8.

Painting for America: An Artist’s Take on National Pride

12. The Fine Art of Art 16. Who the *$&% is Jackson Pollock?

20. Advice From An Artist 24. ArtPlace 30. The History of Crate Labels 36. Pay it Forward - Art Lifting 42. Under the Covers 46. There’s

Only One Note You Came To Sing

49. The Soul’s Music

54. There are Far, Far Better Things Ahead Our USA Magazine

Spring 2014

56. Finding My Soul’s Vocation 62. Earning My Wings 65. My Second Act 66. Putting My Kids’ Art in the Trash 69. Child Prodigy

72. A Pink Plastic Diary 74. Not Your Average Bear 78. Green Wisdom

82. Get the Dirt on Dirt 86. Hard Drive Not Recognized 88. My First Job 90. Why Arguments Against Gov’t.

“Buy Made in USA Are All Wrong.

92. Channeling American Style

USA Photo: Our Amber S.Magazine Wallace

W

hen it comes to understanding art, the first step may be to better understand the artist. The same is probably true in reverse. One could come to understand who an artist is and what they are about by studying their work. The frenetic web of spatters and drips displayed by Jackson Pollock’s large erratic compositions echo his inner demons and bipolar psyche. The witty illustrations of Norman Rockwell’s “Saturday Evening Post” series allude to his sense of humor and romantic sensibilities. The color and subtle eroticism of the feminine themes that underlie Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings relay her views on women and their perceived roles.

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PAINTING FOR AMERICA: An Artist’s Take on National Pride

By William Travis

Upon studying the work of Austin-based artist David Mills, one might characterize him as patriotic, nostalgic and astute. His work then might be characterized as allegorical, poignant and perhaps revolutionary. Not revolutionary in the way that would change the perception of art, or change the direction of a greater art movement. No, the narrative behind the paintings of David Mills calls the American people to action. Calling them to remember, to react, to change and to inspire others to follow suit, effectively changing the course of an America who has lost her way.

American by David Mills

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A History of Crate Labels

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By Thomas Pat Jacobsen

ince Western settlers discovered there was more wealth in oranges than in gold, the fruit-crate label has more truly represented the California dream of striking it rich than the early cries of “Eureka!”

Although the California soil may have been as rich as gold, fruit farmers needed a way to market their golden globes to East Coast buyers. To attract the eye of buyers, the fruit-crate label business was born.

In the 70 years between the 1880s and the 1950s, millions of colorful paper labels were used by America’s fruit and vegetable growers to advertise their wooden boxes of fresh produce that was shipped throughout the nation and the world.

Collectors value crate art for its colorful design and its ability to trace the social and political history of American agriculture.

Beginning primarily in the southern regions of California, labels became an industry-wide necessity to communicate the appeal of fresh produce to Eastern buyers. In the fast-paced setting of Eastern auction halls and commission markets, buyers could not see the fruit, which was individually packed in tissue paper and sealed in a wooden box. The brightly colored, attractively designed label soon became the growers’ chief advertising device, the symbolic window from which the fruit could be judged.

In wholesale auction yards, the more vivid, powerful and attractive the illustration, the better the produce would sell. The labels included nearly every theme, especially regional and national history and scenery. Crate art included Indians, children, the Gold Rush, the old West, politics, the romantic era, war, fierce animals, beautiful women and luscious vignettes of fruits and vegetables.

The first products shipped in this way were oranges and lemons from Southern California, grapes and raisins from the Central Valley, and apples, pears, and other tree fruits from Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia. When ships and railroads installed refrigeration, and packing techniques improved, farmers began to ship such perishable produce as melons, tomatoes, lettuce Our USA Magazine and asparagus.

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D Beach Boys—Surfin’ Safari Paradise Cove (just north of Malibu on Pacific Coast Highway) in Malibu, California.

On a chilly morning in 1962, the Beach Boys posed here on this stretch of California beach for the cover of their first album. (The site is open to the public, but there is a charge for entry.)

oes that building look familiar? Or that mountain? California has a lot of rock and roll history, from recording studios to concert sites. But a lot of album covers were shot here, too.

From our friends at Rock Cellar Magazine

Photo Credit: http://aht.seriouseats.com

Jackson Browne—Late for the Sky 215 South Lucerne Street Hollywood, California Jackson Browne’s third album, 1974’s classic Late for the Sky, had its title track featured in Martin Scorsese’s film Taxi Driver. The album also boasted other Browne standards For a Dancer and Farther On. The house featured on the cover is in the upscale Hancock Park section of Los Angeles.

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Under the Covers: California, As Seen Through Classic Album Art

Remember America’s Greatest Hits from 1975? It featured Horse With No Name, Sister Golden Hair, and Tin Man to name a few. If so, then you’ll probably recognize the Crossroads of the World center from the album cover illustration. Considered to be L.A.’s first modern shopping mall, Crossroads was built in 1936.

The centerpiece building resembles a miniature ocean liner, an Art Deco facade complete with portholes, railings, life preservers, and decks. An outdoor village of small, Europeanstyle bungalows surrounds the “ship,” and rising above it all is a central 30-foot Streamline Modern tower, topped by an 8-foot, revolving globe of the Earth. Once a retail shopping center, today the Crossroads of the World is a quiet office complex

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Our USA Magazine Cheesequake

By Katherine

Cambareri

Patriot Partners

“Bullet Blues Jeans are my favorite, not only are the jeans stylish they are made right here in the USA!�

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“

It feels bad to throw away the crayon drawings and unfinished projects. But the memories stored there can never really be lost.

But what of that past? The curled-up crayon drawing is still in my hand. I remember the day they made it. They had decided they were opening a beauty salon, and decorated the bathroom with drawings and paintings of stylish women sporting trendy haircuts. If I throw out that picture, where will that memory go?

And then, I catch a glimpse of my own image in the bathroom mirror. My face has changed dramatically since I had Saoirse ten years ago. My own youthful skin is slowly giving way to smile lines and crows’ feet, evidence of the years I’ve spent grinning, giggling and laughing with these children. And there, written plainly across my aging face, is my truest memory book. I cannot hold on to each and every slip of paper, to each and every shred of fabric, to each and every knitting project, shed tear, spill, impromptu song, music lesson, snuggle, or kiss.

All of them drift away. And I must keep physical and emotional space in my home and in my spirit to allow new ones to enter. But if I do, the lines on my face will capture all of it somehow, and when I gaze at myself and see those slowly emerging signs of age, I will know that I have lived well, and that I have enjoyed every moment.

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Shannon Hayes wrote this article for YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas with practical actions.

Child Prodigy “I was inspired to paint all the races, but to find people of color where I lived was very hard. After a lot of prayer I met two African American children whose story was so amazing that I wanted to paint it right away.

There was a taboo in their small Madagascar tribe against saving the orphans. So after their parents died, the two-year-old brother was taking care of his three-month-old sister for over two months.

When they were found, they were barely alive. I painted them older and healthier to create what their vision might have been during the three-month survival. The baby girl has noticed the help approaching and is gently caressing her exhausted brother to lift his head up.

After I invited the adoptive parents to look at the finished portrait, they were crying. Although I had painted five different backgrounds complete with deserts, animals, birds and prairies I decided to paint the waterfalls at the very end. Everybody including me was surprised at the painted waterfalls in the background, because I had not known that the orphans had been found in the only waterfall jungle in the Madagascar.”

Found by Akiane, painted at age 9

A

Akiane Kramarik

kiane Kramarik was born July 9, 1994, in Mount Morris, Illinois to a Lithuanian mother and an American father. She was homeschooled.

She is primarily a self-taught painter. She states that God spoke to her when she was three years old, encouraging her to paint and draw her visions. Her parents were atheists at the time (they later converted to Christianity on account of Akiane’s paintings and visions).

Akiane started drawing at the age of four, advancing to painting at six, and writing poetry at seven.

According to Akiane her art is inspired by her visions of heaven, and her personal connection with God. Akiane’s art depicts life, landscape, and people.

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Photo Credit: Amber S. Wallace 18

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CHANNELING STYLE

In China, Japan and other overseas consumer markets, there’s a booming demand for the authenticity, style and quality produced by tried-and-true American heritage brands.

By Adam Minter/Photograph By Michael Henrickson

*American

Red Wing Shoe photo by Michael Hendrickson 20

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This article first appeared in DeltaSkyMagazine, September 2013

A

sign hanging over a basement-level escalator at Shanghai’s Grand Gateway Mall points visitors upward to “International Brands.” Sure enough, the first floor is occupied by the kinds of flashy luxury brands that one would expect in a highend mall: Gucci, Armani, Rolex and Tiffany, among others. But ride the escalator to floor two and the atmosphere becomes a bit more low-key—so much so that it would be easy to miss the demure, low-key outlet for Allen Edmonds, the iconic, 91-yearold, made-in-the-U.S.A. men’s shoe brand.

For those concerned about the future of American-made goods and their prospects overseas, that Allen Edmonds store—its first in China, as of November 2012—with its American flag-draped window displays, should not be missed. It is, in one sense, the vanguard of a made-in-the-U.S.A. consumer trend that picked up momentum in the United States around the time of the Great Recession and has since expanded rapidly in international markets. Wellheeled consumers increasingly seek quality, an elusive sense of authenticity and—above all—a sense that their fashion choices differentiate them from their peers. As a result, and perhaps unexpectedly, some of America’s oldest and most revered apparel and footwear brands—from Allen Edmonds to Red Wing Shoes, Pendleton Woolen Mills and Woolrich—are becoming highly sought-after, identity-defining style icons overseas.

Allen Edmonds at Grand Gateway Mall in Shanghai. Photo by Chad Ingraham.

The reason for the boom differs by continent, country and culture.

In the United States, the interest in vintage, high-quality American brands emerged from a nostalgic desire to reconnect with a disappearing manufacturing base—and the lifestyles it made possible.

Needless to say, that’s hardly the reason that heritage brands work in, say, South Korea. Rather, outside of the United States, and especially in the Asia-Pacific, where they thrive best, these brands appeal to well-heeled consumers in search of unique, finely crafted goods that connect to America’s vintage past.

Consider, for example, what happens when a Chinese customer who may never have heard of Allen Edmonds wanders into its Grand Gateway store. His first impression will be of a large screen showing American movie scenes that happen to feature Allen Edmonds shoes.

Next, that consumer—most likely “a well-heeled gentleman,” says Sheryl Chen, Allen Edmonds’ public relations and marketing manager in China—might notice photos of recent presidents wearing Allen Edmonds shoes. More likely than not, a store clerk will approach to explain that every president from Reagan to the second Bush was inaugurated in the Allen Edmonds Park Avenue model, and he/she then will carefully guide the potential customer to a display that demonstrates the hundreds of steps involved in producing an American-made, handcrafted Allen Edmonds shoe. This last point is key: “Everyone knows labor is expensive in America, so the quality must be high,” Chen explains in the store’s fitting area. “It is new to wear shoes handmade in America. That makes a gentleman different from his colleagues.”

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Green

Wisdom

American Gothic by Grant Wood

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By Heather Gunther from Mother Nature Network

ur grandparents (or great-grandparents) — children of the Great Depression — could teach us a thing or two about going green on a budget. “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without,” recalled one elderly woman when asked about what she learned as a child during the Great Depression.

Their carbon footprint was uber-small — they used less water, less fuel, created less waste and imported fewer goods than we do. They took these actions out of necessity as opposed to our modern-day desire to help the planet, but the ecological impact is just as powerful.

Here are seven lessons we can borrow from our elders that are easy on the wallet, and have significant environmental impact. Perhaps more importantly, they are easy to implement and relevant to our modern lifestyles — no extolling the virtues of riding a horse to work!

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Kick the Bottle “Why in the world would I pay money for water in a bottle when there is perfectly good water coming out of my kitchen tap ... for free?” I can just hear my late grandfather, whose frugality was legendary in my family, asking that question with confused sincerity. For some eye-opening stats on the waste created by the bottled water industry, visit the American Museum of Natural History. (Editor’s note: or view “The Story of Bottled Water.”)

Photo:wabisabi2015/Flickr

Photo:Professor Bop/Flickr

Let it All Hang Out Before the clothes dryer became a standard appliance in every American household, your grandmother simply took advantage of a sunny day, some rope or cord, clothespins, and voila!

No cost, no maintenance, no carbon footprint. Clothes dryers have come a long way in energy efficiency over recent years, but the average home clothes dryer has a carbon footprint of about 4.4 lbs. of carbon dioxide per load of laundry. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, “the biggest way to cut the environmental impact of cleaning clothes is to stop using a clothes dryer.”

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