Happy Six Years of Us

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6 years, anniversary, candy, Cara Reynolds, iron, Jah Cure, Maria Emilia Borja, Mushpa + Mensa, Never Find, our next house

That’s right.

– Mushpa

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We’re Off Again

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African, Alice Merton, and a Children's Universe tent, Appalachian, art, Art Market, artisan market, artisans, artist, arts, Arts & Live Music, arts and crafts, Awesome Event, Blue Ridge Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway, bluegrass, Cajun, Cara Reynolds, Children's Universe tent, clay beads, clothes, compost, craft market, crafts, dance workshops, eco fi felt, eco-friendly, face painting, fashion, felt, Floyd, Floyd Festival, FloydFest, folk, freedom, Games and Activities, handcraft vendors, handmade, Happiness, healthy living products, homemade, jewlery, kids activities, lesbian, local, local arts and crafts, local craftsmen, love, Maria Emilia Borja, morning yoga lessons, Mushpa + Mensa, Mushpa Y Mensa, music festival, No Roots, North Carolina, or Zydeco, organic, organic cotton, peace, plush animals, poetry readings, queer, reggae, rock, screen printing, soaps, story telling, t shirt designs, t-shirts, upcycled pillows, Virginia, woodworking, world music, Yiddish, Yoga, Zydeco

Our home has never been on the ground.

We are off to the next adventure tomorrow.

We’ve got no roots!

– Mushpa

Viva Menstruation!

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blood, connection, female, Feminism, God, Goddess, magic, menstruation, moon cycles, new moon, period, spirituality, taboo, teal swan, women

Cheers to those 3,500 days of our lives that we bleed!

 

In honor of the upcoming new moon on Thursday, here is a little love from Teal Swan.

And in honor of all the women that have this magic energy inside us.

We have it, so let’s tap it and lets make miracles with our blood!

Much love,

Mensa

 

The Peaceful Atom is a Bomb

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atomic bombs, bumper stickers, Cara Reynolds, Communists, Flatbush, hydrogen bombs, make love not war, Mushpa + Mensa, nuclear bombs, outrider.org, peace, The Peaceful Atom is a Bomb, VW Bus, What would happen if a nuclear bomb went off here?

Flatbush!!!!

“The Peaceful Atom is a Bomb”, was a bumper stick on the VW Bus parked across the street from me growing up. I thought they were the coolest. It was the late 80’s and most hippies had joined the corporate 9-5 jobs by then. Nuclear bombs equaled world domination, which was in. People wanted more bombs as the Communists were just around the corner.

Now people know nuclear bombs aren’t cool, but don’t really think about how they are out there, quietly ready to annihilate. The reality is we are barely skirting our own destruction with this Tr*mp and J*ng debacle,

Here is a visual tool to remind us that this is serious business. We are the guardians of our world.

What would happen if a nuclear bomb went off here?

After you test out where you live, your parents live, and your ex that broke your heart, then go here to see what you can do to put and end to this global threat!

Make love not war!

– Mushpa

Pa’lante My Friends

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Alynda Segarra, Alyse Young, bass, Bob Boilen, Bronson Arcuri, Bronx, Cara Reynolds, cello, Charlie Ferguson, Claire Harbage, congas, Cubana, Electric Guitar, Hurray For the Riff Raff, Jordan Hyde, Josh Rogosin, Juan-Carlos Chaurand, keyboards, Maia Stern, Morgan Noelle Smith, Mushpa, Mushpa + Mensa, New York City, Nothing's Gonna Change That Girl, NPR, NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, NYC, Pa'lante, Patricia Santos, Puerto Rican, Puerto Rico, Rican Beach, rums, Salvatore Maicki, Sarah Goldstone Claudia Chopek, The Bronx, violin

Before you loved me like that.

The three faces of Eve… She is amazing.

I gave up TV and fell deep into the music and books y’all. Not gonna go on and on about it, but life, I must admit, is improving and it wasn’t so bad to begin with.

Edify us Girl.

– Mushpa

Tr*mp + Sinclair Broadcast Group = Extreme Danger to Our Democracy.

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ABC, apocalypse, armageddon, CBS, deadspin, end times, false news, Fox News, NBC, news propaganda, propaganda, Sinclair Broadcast Group, THX-1138, Tribune Media, Trump war on meadia, Trump's war on media

Click Picture To Watch Video First

Tr*mp + Sinclair Broadcast Group (the country’s largest broadcaster, which owns or operates 193 television stations. The company is seeking a $3.9 billion deal to buy Tribune Media, a move that’s being held up by regulators over antitrust concerns.) =  Extreme Danger to Our Democracy.

To quote Peter, whom I got this Deadspin video from (click on the link to read more about “How America’s Largest Local TV Owner Turned Its News Anchors Into Soldiers In Trump’s War On The Media“),

It’s not just national media like Fox “News”, it’s more and more of our local stations, across different brands…NBC, ABC, and CBS are all part of it. The local anchors we’ve trusted for so long (more than national ones) are part of propaganda system most of us didn’t even know actually existed or thought it was happening elsewhere or on channels we don’t watch. Only ONE television news brand source isn’t part of it: PBS.

I just got a little scared watching this video and I rarely get scared. I am always prepared, so I am not scared of what’s going to come, now I am scared that it is here.

Unplug the TV. Don’t watch/read the mainstream news. Read a book. Go outside. Play. Love. Change the world for the better.

-Mushpa

 

Mushpa + Mensa’s Book Nook

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Annie Spence, books, Cara Reynolds, Dear Fahrenheit 451, Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks: A Librarian's Love Letters and Breakup Notes to the Books in Her Life, Happiness, librarian, library, Mushpa, Mushpa + Mensa, Mushpa + Mensa Book Nook, Nook, public library, reading, reading is fundamental

Dear Fahrenheit 451, by Annie Spence

Welcome All to the Mushpa + Mensa Book Nook! The definition of a nook is a corner or recess, especially one offering seclusion or security. I think a book can be defined the same way. For example, when I read a good book my mind finds itself in a secure corner, alone, where the external world no longer exists. I compare it to dreaming while awake, a dream written by someone else and you’re in the dream, but you’re different. This is what I mean by book nook. The book is the nook!!!

Now that we have the meaning of the name Mushpa + Mensa’s Book Nook, I can tell you what it is about. Here’s the long story, we, have been reading a lot more lately. This is due to giving up watching “TV” (We don’t have a TV but we do have Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc and huge computer monitor to watch said “TV” on, in my book it’s the same.) on February 19th. All those series to binge watch was taking over the little free time we did have and honestly, the payout was never worth the time. We find good movies to watch on the weekends now, but that’s it for the boob tube. I had been reading non-fiction somewhat, but I really wanted to get back into reading. Not reality reading, but that “take you somewhere else then come back with a better understanding of the world around you” type of reading. I wasn’t sure where to start, but being someone who loves free and community I headed over to my local public library. Ah, the library, how I love you; what a treasure to have in this country. I would pay more taxes so librarians could take the amazingness they create with what money they have now and truly go hard, but I digress. I went to the recommended section and found this book, Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks: A Librarian’s Love Letters and Breakup Notes to the Books in Her Life, by Annie Spence. This is a book about a librarian Annie, who is also happens to be the author of the book, very post modern. :] The book is letters she writes to different books, be it love letters, break-up letters, super fan letters, reminiscing about the good old days letters, never liked you letters, Dear John letters, etc. Annie writes from her “personal” self, her “librarian” self and sometimes the “two merged into one” self.

Near the end of Dear Fahrenheit 451 she gives book recommendations in a super witty way, which is how I found the book I am reading now in the “Falling Down the Rabbit Hole: Books that Lead to More Books” section. I am halfway done and will say it has not disappointed. I have 200 and some pages left. I’ll let you know all about it in my next M+M Book Nook post.

Until then, do yourself a favor and go find an amazing book.

– Mushpa

Lean Into It

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art, artist, Cara Reynolds, death, Meshpa y Mensa, Mushpa + Mensa, ocean, Painter, Robin Clonts, water

What’s positive about today and humans? Robin Clonts is. This entry, I dedicate to Mensa and all other beautiful artist humans out there.

Let’s go out there and take a risk, all day every day.

– Mushpa

Textures From Spain: Inspiration For Your Art

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arabic, artist, azulejo, badajoz, carvings, inspiration, madrid, Mushpa + Mensa, Mushpa+Mensa, patterns, portugal, salamanca, segovia, sevilla, spain, textures, tiles, unique tiles, valladolid

Over Christmas break, we went to Spain to visit Cara’s family. We traveled to Valladolid, Salamanca, Segovia, Badajoz, Sevilla and Madrid, as well as a bit of Portugal.

One of the things that impressed me the most about the architecture was the visible textures and patterns that covered the walls of churches, courtyards and buildings. I became obsessed with capturing these textures and would yell out every time I saw a pattern I loved “Texture texture!” and we would have to stop, and take out the camera so I could capture it. Here I have gathered samples of these textures.

I hope that you may find inspiration for a mural, a background for your paintings, a pattern for your next pottery project or whatever other inspiration these may bring you.

Enjoy!

Here are some delicious off white and cream textures….I love this set.

Some colors were often repeated. Blues, Mustard Golds, and Sea Foam Greens. Many many many patterns in southern Spain are also a reflection of the interconnection between the Arabic and Spanish history.

While the architectural details in every corner were made of marble and metal, to plaster and wood carvings.

Even the floors with tiny stones decorated in patterns and shapes.

Traditionally called Azulejos, pictured here are some of the traditional Spanish and Portuguese ceramic and painted tiles. A collection of  my favorite textures in Blues.

Hope these give you a little inspiration for your design work!

-Mensa

 

Music – Make Me Feel Alive Again

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A Change Is Gonna Come, AHI, Alive Again, Bob Boilen, Cara Reynolds, Closer (From a Distance, DIY Musicians Conference, Frank Carter Rische, Maria Emilia Borja, Mushpa + Mensa, Mushpa Y Mensa, music, music video, Nashville, NPR, Ol' Sweet Day, Ontario, Robbie Crowell, Sam Cooke, Shawn Killaly, Tiny Desk Concert, true love, We Made It Through The Wreckage

I said in Mushpa + Mensa’s 2018 goals meeting that for our blog entries this year no more posting just music videos as an entry. Saying it more for myself than anyone, being the only person that does it. :] I went on to say, we need the entries to have sustenance, depth, words, links pictures, etc. It has to be a REAL blog entry. The last few days I have been thinking about what I should write about and nothing raised my interest. Cut to this morning when I went to check my e-mails and found this…

I was mesmerized, enraptured really. Move in an undefinable way that music gifts you. It connects you to the place of magic, which these days is not always easy to find. Music, when good, allows your vision to clear and your strength to return.

AHI’s (pronounce eye) music brings good things to the table. It creates hope in humanity’s light and confirms the existence of beautiful humans. That in itself is worth writing about.

So down with the rules, first blog entry of 2018 is a music video my friends. Forgive me my love!

We bring light to the table.

– Mushpa