This will be a short post just to update our situation which took a turn for the worse. When I turned on the news this morning they were covering a protest in Bayou La Batre, a fishing community in Mobile, by quite a lot of shrimpers. They were blocking cleanup boats from getting out into the coastal waters. One man was arrested. They were protesting the fact that even though they signed up for the Vessels of Opportunity at the start of this, they had never been called to work. The problem is that out-of-state people from all over the country, recreational boaters, and sailboats were being hired. Very few of the local fishermen and charter boats have been hired.
These local fishermen know these waters like we know the layout of our homes. They know the currents, the depth of the water at various places, and all the places that are dangerous. They are all self-employed and not eligible for unemployment (at least I don’t think they are). They don’t have a way to make a living and feed their families. BP had promised them that they would be hired. BP doesn’t have much credibility here.
Our local employment agencies have only been able to place a few people on the cleanup. An agency out of Texas is doing almost all of the hiring. There are a lot of Texas people working here on the cleanup.
Reality is this thing will not be stopped before late August and probably September, if they are lucky with the relief well and divert the oil. Other countries require that relief wells be drilled along with the main well. The United States does not require that.
In addition to that the blade being used to cut the pipe today kept getting stuck causing delays, and allowing even more oil into the ocean. Just a few miles off shore you can put a fishing net into the water and bring up oil the consistenty of cornbread batter. The tar balls are washing up on the beaches. These tar balls are sticky and can collect objects in the water such as medical waste. It just gets better and better. DRILL, BABY, DRILL.
I sure am hoping for some good news to post soon. Please pray for these people who have lost their ability to make a living. These are people who have fished these waters for generations.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Oil Spill Blues
Thank for your kinds comments about the oil spill. I have not felt like posting for while now. I worked the oil spill for a few weeks. As bad as I hate to admit it, I just could not keep up the pace. Guess that means I really am old. It is amazing how so many people from so many different organizations have come together and are working together. The hours are killers - 12 hour shifts for 7 to 14 days - and yet people are able to work with positive attitudes and consideration for others. Amazing how something like this can bring out the best in people. I met people from all over the world.
Unfortunately, it is much harder for those of us who live here to keep a positive attitude. If you look at the projected path, by Thursday it will be headed right into Mobile Bay and knocking on our door. It will be at Gulf Shores, Alabama (one of the most beautiful beaches in the world) and Pensacola Beach (equally as beautiful). Bernie said it best when she said “the beaches are like white sugar and the water was so blue”. We have been blessed that it has stayed away this long. Unfortunately Louisiana has not been that lucky. We know what we are in for. We have seen what it has done to Louisiana already. The sense of hopelessness is apparent in the eyes of people and the way they walk. We have known from the first day what this would do to our beautiful coast. Knowing the waters here we knew it was coming.
Yes, we are angry - angry because this should not have happened. Our elected officials let us down and greed is at the bottom of this. When will we learn that greed for money is truly an evil thing? We cannot let the oil companies police themselves. They only have one agenda and that is money. We have seen that they have not been honest about this from the start. Nobody can say with certainty just how bad the damage will be in the end. One thing that is certain is that innocent people’s lives are being destroyed right along with our beautiful coast and eco systems.
This entire country will feel the effects of this just as we have all suffered the effects of Wall Street and the amazing greed of those people. How can anyone justify this? Every time I listen to BP officials I remember the comment made by a top official from the safety of England. He said the amount of oil pouring into the Gulf was but a drop compared to all the water in the Gulf. I think this clearly demonstrates the fact that they don’t care what they have done. They care about how it will affect their bottom line. How is that an excuse? The damage is not a drop. It would not be a drop if it was in the middle of the ocean - it is still a killer.
I am sorry that this is neither a positive nor an uplifting post. I said in my first post that I was doing this as a way to record my feelings about things that I feel are important. I did not do it to gather hundreds of followers. I an very grateful and blessed by those that follow my post. Their comments reinforce that there are many people that share my feelings. Their comments are a positive and healing force for my soul. When I visit your blogs I am blessed to see so many beautiful pictures that talented people capture of this wonderful creation we were given to live in everyday. May God bless each of you.
At the end of the day there is only one that can fix this mess. How very angry he must be with us and with our lack of gratitude for the blessings we were given.
Unfortunately, it is much harder for those of us who live here to keep a positive attitude. If you look at the projected path, by Thursday it will be headed right into Mobile Bay and knocking on our door. It will be at Gulf Shores, Alabama (one of the most beautiful beaches in the world) and Pensacola Beach (equally as beautiful). Bernie said it best when she said “the beaches are like white sugar and the water was so blue”. We have been blessed that it has stayed away this long. Unfortunately Louisiana has not been that lucky. We know what we are in for. We have seen what it has done to Louisiana already. The sense of hopelessness is apparent in the eyes of people and the way they walk. We have known from the first day what this would do to our beautiful coast. Knowing the waters here we knew it was coming.
Yes, we are angry - angry because this should not have happened. Our elected officials let us down and greed is at the bottom of this. When will we learn that greed for money is truly an evil thing? We cannot let the oil companies police themselves. They only have one agenda and that is money. We have seen that they have not been honest about this from the start. Nobody can say with certainty just how bad the damage will be in the end. One thing that is certain is that innocent people’s lives are being destroyed right along with our beautiful coast and eco systems.
This entire country will feel the effects of this just as we have all suffered the effects of Wall Street and the amazing greed of those people. How can anyone justify this? Every time I listen to BP officials I remember the comment made by a top official from the safety of England. He said the amount of oil pouring into the Gulf was but a drop compared to all the water in the Gulf. I think this clearly demonstrates the fact that they don’t care what they have done. They care about how it will affect their bottom line. How is that an excuse? The damage is not a drop. It would not be a drop if it was in the middle of the ocean - it is still a killer.
I am sorry that this is neither a positive nor an uplifting post. I said in my first post that I was doing this as a way to record my feelings about things that I feel are important. I did not do it to gather hundreds of followers. I an very grateful and blessed by those that follow my post. Their comments reinforce that there are many people that share my feelings. Their comments are a positive and healing force for my soul. When I visit your blogs I am blessed to see so many beautiful pictures that talented people capture of this wonderful creation we were given to live in everyday. May God bless each of you.
At the end of the day there is only one that can fix this mess. How very angry he must be with us and with our lack of gratitude for the blessings we were given.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Update On the Horror Story
Here is a portion of a news report on the effects of the oil slick on the Gulf Coast. Once again, the price is just too high.
"The Gulf Coast and its marshlands are home to hundreds of species of wildlife, including manatees, sea turtles now about to nest, dolphins, porpoises, whales, otters, pelicans and other birds. The wetlands are also a stopover for millions of migrating birds.
The Gulf is also one of the world's most fertile seafood grounds, teeming with shrimp, oysters, mussels, crabs and fish. It supports a $1.8 billion industry second only to Alaska."
"The cost to Louisiana's fishing industry could be $2.5 billion and the impact on tourism along Florida's Gulf coast could be $3 billion, estimated Neil McMahon, analyst at investment firm Bernstein."
This report originated from Louisiana and does not include the billions impacting the fishing industry and tourism in Alabama. Those will probably come close to being equal to Louisiana. Alabama is not as well known for these industries as Louisiana but they are huge here as well. The price is just too high.
"The Gulf Coast and its marshlands are home to hundreds of species of wildlife, including manatees, sea turtles now about to nest, dolphins, porpoises, whales, otters, pelicans and other birds. The wetlands are also a stopover for millions of migrating birds.
The Gulf is also one of the world's most fertile seafood grounds, teeming with shrimp, oysters, mussels, crabs and fish. It supports a $1.8 billion industry second only to Alaska."
"The cost to Louisiana's fishing industry could be $2.5 billion and the impact on tourism along Florida's Gulf coast could be $3 billion, estimated Neil McMahon, analyst at investment firm Bernstein."
This report originated from Louisiana and does not include the billions impacting the fishing industry and tourism in Alabama. Those will probably come close to being equal to Louisiana. Alabama is not as well known for these industries as Louisiana but they are huge here as well. The price is just too high.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Please Pray For Us
As most of you have probably heard there is a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The news tonight said the oil rig is leaking 5,000 barrels a day or 210,000 gallons or the equivalent of 23 tankers. If the leak cannot be stopped it can go as high as 2 million barrels a day. Our beautiful Gulf is dotted with oil rigs. Some of you probably have figured out that I live in the South. Mobile, Alabama to be exact and if you have never been to the Gulf Coast you don’t know how absolutely beautiful it is. Our beaches are pristine white and the water is crystal clear blue. We have two fishing communities that still have not recovered from Katrina and now this. Our sister states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida are in this boat with us. If this leak gets worse our entire coast lines can be a risk. Unemployment here is 11% - that will probably get better because of this but the price is just too high. But the bump in employment will be washed out by all the businesses that will go under because of this. Our animals and sea life will suffer so much. It will take years for us to regain what we have now, if we can. However, there will be things that will be lost forever. I may not see it again in my lifetime.
There are already numerous people in all 3 states battling this; however, the weather is not helping we will have thunderstorms tonight and tomorrow and the water is so rough they are having a hard time putting out – sorry I can’t remember what they called them, but they look like really long canvas bags – I will just call floats. They are supposed to prevent the oil from getting to shore. The rough water will enable the oil to jump these. People are ready to start rescuing animals. How do wash the oil off of a dolphin or a whale or the fish, oysters and shrimp? How many birds and other animals will die before they can be rescued? The Gulf Coast is going to pay a high price for all the gas that we use with no thought to the fact that it is destroying so much of our earth. We are already losing so much in the production of more oil. If we used that same effort developing affordable alternatives and living more green we would not be destroying the beautiful creation God gave us.
We roll with hurricanes. That is Mother Nature, but this is because of man’s refusal to care for the world we were given and that just makes me angry. If we are not careful out grandchildren and their children will not have the abundance and beauty that we so easily take for granted. This will affect more than just the Gulf Coast; it will affect this whole country. BP oil will get their money back at the gas pumps. It is costing them $6-7 million a day now and price is going much higher because they will have to pay for the entire cost and for the businesses that go under. Gas pumps will be how they get the money back. The price is just too high.
It is my prayer that this will get people’s attention and makes then realize that with abundance and beauty there is an inherent responsibility to protect it at all costs. It cannot be replaced. The thought of what this is going to do to my home state and the entire Gulf Coast and all the beauty that exists here makes me cry. Cry because of the loss and the frustration because this did not need to happen. We as a country are better than this. We will lose things that will be gone forever. The price is just too high. The first price was the loss of the 11 lives that were on the rig when it exploded. Those lives are lost forever. For what? So that we can once again drive our huge gas drinking SUV’s and give no thought to conserving anything. The price is just too high.
Pray for us and start with the families of the 11 lives that were the first casualty of this horror story. As you go about your life give a thought to trying to live green because we can’t get in our SUV’s and go to Wal-Mart and buy another earth.
I don’t mean for this post to sound angry, but I am angry. This did not have to happen. Yes, let’s drill in Alaska and destroy that too. There are alternatives. We put a man on the moon – we can do this. The people need to start a grass roots effort to make government officials make alternative fuels a priority and not just give it lip service to get themselves re-elected.
God bless each of you and pray for us. Thank you.
There are already numerous people in all 3 states battling this; however, the weather is not helping we will have thunderstorms tonight and tomorrow and the water is so rough they are having a hard time putting out – sorry I can’t remember what they called them, but they look like really long canvas bags – I will just call floats. They are supposed to prevent the oil from getting to shore. The rough water will enable the oil to jump these. People are ready to start rescuing animals. How do wash the oil off of a dolphin or a whale or the fish, oysters and shrimp? How many birds and other animals will die before they can be rescued? The Gulf Coast is going to pay a high price for all the gas that we use with no thought to the fact that it is destroying so much of our earth. We are already losing so much in the production of more oil. If we used that same effort developing affordable alternatives and living more green we would not be destroying the beautiful creation God gave us.
We roll with hurricanes. That is Mother Nature, but this is because of man’s refusal to care for the world we were given and that just makes me angry. If we are not careful out grandchildren and their children will not have the abundance and beauty that we so easily take for granted. This will affect more than just the Gulf Coast; it will affect this whole country. BP oil will get their money back at the gas pumps. It is costing them $6-7 million a day now and price is going much higher because they will have to pay for the entire cost and for the businesses that go under. Gas pumps will be how they get the money back. The price is just too high.
It is my prayer that this will get people’s attention and makes then realize that with abundance and beauty there is an inherent responsibility to protect it at all costs. It cannot be replaced. The thought of what this is going to do to my home state and the entire Gulf Coast and all the beauty that exists here makes me cry. Cry because of the loss and the frustration because this did not need to happen. We as a country are better than this. We will lose things that will be gone forever. The price is just too high. The first price was the loss of the 11 lives that were on the rig when it exploded. Those lives are lost forever. For what? So that we can once again drive our huge gas drinking SUV’s and give no thought to conserving anything. The price is just too high.
Pray for us and start with the families of the 11 lives that were the first casualty of this horror story. As you go about your life give a thought to trying to live green because we can’t get in our SUV’s and go to Wal-Mart and buy another earth.
I don’t mean for this post to sound angry, but I am angry. This did not have to happen. Yes, let’s drill in Alaska and destroy that too. There are alternatives. We put a man on the moon – we can do this. The people need to start a grass roots effort to make government officials make alternative fuels a priority and not just give it lip service to get themselves re-elected.
God bless each of you and pray for us. Thank you.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Earth Day and AHA Moments
I had a major AHA moment a couple of weeks ago that I have been wanting to write about, but I will get to that one later. I want to talk about the big one from today. I was watching Oprah. She does an Earth Day show every year and I really enjoy them. Today she had the people on that won the Oscar for the movie The COVE. I am glad she did. They showed a portion of the movie and I know I can never watch it....I am too much of an animal lover. The Cove is about....in case there are other that don't know....the slaughter of dauphins in a cove in Japan. They slaughter 20,000 a year. The showed enough that the water turned bright red from the blood. How can anyone kill a dauphin? The meat has so much mercury in it from polution that is not really safe to eat anyway. There is a petition on their facebook page you can sign that will be taken to President Obama and the top man in Japan asking that this slaughter be stopped. I hope that all my blogger friends will sign and help get the word out so this can be stopped. I am including a link to their page where you can just click at the top of the page where it says sign.
http://www.savejapandolphins.org/
One of the men that has been on a mission to save dauphins for I think 20 years is the man that caught and trained FLIPPER. He said that Flipper changed his attitude about dauphins. She died in his arms. He said she killed herself. It seems that dauphins do not automatically breathe - they have to do it consicoulsy. He said she had been depressed and took a breath and looked him in the eyes and did not breath again. Now I know some of you will say "yea, right". But we already know how very closely dauphins resemble humans and I have always known that animals are far more intellegent that most people think they are. There have been so many true stories of dauphins saving humans. I think we owe them.
Since this is a long post I will save my other AHA moment for my next post. I have not been posting a lot lately, but I have been try to keep up with you guys. Have a great evening. Let me know what you think of the two heartbeats that live with me.
http://www.savejapandolphins.org/
One of the men that has been on a mission to save dauphins for I think 20 years is the man that caught and trained FLIPPER. He said that Flipper changed his attitude about dauphins. She died in his arms. He said she killed herself. It seems that dauphins do not automatically breathe - they have to do it consicoulsy. He said she had been depressed and took a breath and looked him in the eyes and did not breath again. Now I know some of you will say "yea, right". But we already know how very closely dauphins resemble humans and I have always known that animals are far more intellegent that most people think they are. There have been so many true stories of dauphins saving humans. I think we owe them.
Since this is a long post I will save my other AHA moment for my next post. I have not been posting a lot lately, but I have been try to keep up with you guys. Have a great evening. Let me know what you think of the two heartbeats that live with me.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Reconnecting With Dear Friends
This has been a beautiful and blessed weekend for me. I was able to re-connect with a very dear friend. The last communication I had from him was over a year ago. I kept his e-mail in my in-box for over a year. At that time I did not have internet at home. Everday I would see it and say I am going to reply today, but as usual I would get busy and another day would go by. I found his e-mail address at home. Now that I have internet at home I decided to try and see if he still had the same e-mail address. He did and we have been swapping e-mails and catching up.
As we go through life we meet so many people. Some will just be an acquaintance, some will become friends and a precious few will become very dear friends. The kind that you can open up to and that will support you during good times and bad times. Marion is that kind of friend. We have been friends for about 20 years and I never tire of talking with him. He has supported me through some of the high points of my life and the low points. He is a very rich person - rich in friends - even though I doubt he realizes just how many friends he really has. He is a kind and compasionate man who is very humble. He always has time to listen and somehow can always say the right thing at the right time.
I am posting this blog in gratitude for the blessing of having him as a very dear friend and re-connecting with him again.. I won't let him get away again. Friendship survives time and distance when it is a true friendship. Another blessing we sometimes forget to be grateful for. To all the good friends in all our lives - you are valued and loved.
As we go through life we meet so many people. Some will just be an acquaintance, some will become friends and a precious few will become very dear friends. The kind that you can open up to and that will support you during good times and bad times. Marion is that kind of friend. We have been friends for about 20 years and I never tire of talking with him. He has supported me through some of the high points of my life and the low points. He is a very rich person - rich in friends - even though I doubt he realizes just how many friends he really has. He is a kind and compasionate man who is very humble. He always has time to listen and somehow can always say the right thing at the right time.
I am posting this blog in gratitude for the blessing of having him as a very dear friend and re-connecting with him again.. I won't let him get away again. Friendship survives time and distance when it is a true friendship. Another blessing we sometimes forget to be grateful for. To all the good friends in all our lives - you are valued and loved.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
This Blog is Not Working!!!!!
When I started this I thought this would be a great way to express thoughts, frustrations, and pain that has accompanied living life. I thought it would be a way to do it and nobody would know who I am. Screw that - what I have learned is that from reading your blogs and your comments on my blog and other blogs that I feel you do know me and that we are friends. When you think about it, it is amazing that you can feel that you are friends with people you have never met and probably never will meet. I find myself wanting to make sure that each of you are ok and nothing bad is happening.
Speaking of bad, I received one of those phone calls. You know that kind that comes at 3:00 a.m. and you know it can't be good. This lovely lady that I feel blessed to call a friend had three children. She lost her only daughter to lung cancer about two years ago. Last week she had called to tell me that her oldest son was in the hospital. He lives out of town. She went to see him. I had a bad feeling about it but wanted so much to believe that he would be okay. That 3:00 a.m. phone call was her telling me she had lost him. She has been on my heart this whole time. It is such a helpless feeling when you want so very much to "make it all better" for those we care about and can't. All I can do is listen when she needs to talk and keep her in my prayers.
Just once before I die I want someone to call me at 3:00 a.m. and tell me something truly wonderful has happened to them. But maybe truly wonderful things don't happen late at night. I just know it has to be possible. Anything is possible isn't it?
Speaking of bad, I received one of those phone calls. You know that kind that comes at 3:00 a.m. and you know it can't be good. This lovely lady that I feel blessed to call a friend had three children. She lost her only daughter to lung cancer about two years ago. Last week she had called to tell me that her oldest son was in the hospital. He lives out of town. She went to see him. I had a bad feeling about it but wanted so much to believe that he would be okay. That 3:00 a.m. phone call was her telling me she had lost him. She has been on my heart this whole time. It is such a helpless feeling when you want so very much to "make it all better" for those we care about and can't. All I can do is listen when she needs to talk and keep her in my prayers.
Just once before I die I want someone to call me at 3:00 a.m. and tell me something truly wonderful has happened to them. But maybe truly wonderful things don't happen late at night. I just know it has to be possible. Anything is possible isn't it?
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Feeling sorry for myself.
Today is one of those rare days when I am feeling sorry for myself. I usually don't do that, but right now I do have a lot on me and I am not sure I will make it this time. So, for today I am going to allow myself to feel sorry for me.
We all make choices during our life. Ironically you can compare two people who made the same choices and their lives turned out very differently. So much for telling people just live your life in a good way and everything will be OK. That is not always true.
Today I just need to keep reminding myself that I have put my burdens in God's hands and that he has always taken care of me. Believe me taking care of me has been no small task. Like I said in my first blog, all I have to do is get out of bed in the morning for things to happen. Since I am someone who has always taken care of me and the people I love, it is very difficult for me to just wait for things to happen. Maybe that is what God is still trying to teach me.
At any rate I will just wallow today and hopefully I will be back to myself tomorrow and can write something positive. Everyone have a great and blessed weekend.
We all make choices during our life. Ironically you can compare two people who made the same choices and their lives turned out very differently. So much for telling people just live your life in a good way and everything will be OK. That is not always true.
Today I just need to keep reminding myself that I have put my burdens in God's hands and that he has always taken care of me. Believe me taking care of me has been no small task. Like I said in my first blog, all I have to do is get out of bed in the morning for things to happen. Since I am someone who has always taken care of me and the people I love, it is very difficult for me to just wait for things to happen. Maybe that is what God is still trying to teach me.
At any rate I will just wallow today and hopefully I will be back to myself tomorrow and can write something positive. Everyone have a great and blessed weekend.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Forgotten Memories
March 11, 2010
This can become addictive. (Gracie get your paws off the keyboard. I am using the computer now.) Gracie the cat likes to sit on the keyboard and hit the keys. If this blogs becomes more entertaining it may be her at the keyboard and not me. Smokey just watches he doesn't get on the computer.
I feed a stray cat in the apartment complex (don't tell anyone or I will get in trouble). I have a flower pot on my patio that does not have a plant in it, just dirt. Stray cat likes to curl up and sleep in that flower pot. I put a rug on the patio but she prefers the flower pot with the dirt.
I have been reading some of the blogs and I am delighted to learn that a lot of our young women are into sewing. That makes me so happy. I don't remember when I learned to sew because I was so young. I learned on an old Singer pedal machine. My mother loaned that to my sister-in-law. After she had had the machine for a long time I called her for no particular reason and asked if she was still using the machine. Always listen to the little voices that tell you to do things. She said no and that she had taken the machine to the dump that day. I immediately rushed out the door to the dump where she had taken the machine - it was already gone. Obviously there was someone at the dump that was smarter than my sister-in-law. This machine was in pristine condition with all attachments. I made it a point to never loan her anything again.
Back to what I was saying about sewing. When you sew you get a real sense of accomplishment and pride from creating something. I think it makes us closer to our pioneer relatives who sewed for themselves and their families. They sewed at night by candle light and the light from an oil lamp. They sewed by hand and later by machine. They usually did this after working a full day of real labor. They never tossed away a piece of fabric. They saved the little pieces for quilts. You would not believe the little pieces of fabric I have saved - never made a quilt in my life. I started several but never finished one, but one day if I decide to I have the little pieces of fabric.
My mother made quilts. When she was trying a new pattern and she could not get it to go together correctly she would go to my father. Imagine walking in and here is this big man sitting in the middle of the floor with quilt pieces trying each until he figured out how they went together. Oh, and my father had no patience as a general rule but with the quilt pieces he had the patience of Job.
It took me 3 years of begging to get my mother to agree to make a wedding ring quilt for my queen size bed. Of course I wanted it to be the size of a bedspread not a normal quilt. That is how I got my navy blue and peach wedding ring quilt - a lot of begging. After she had finished putting the pieces together I went out to help her do the actual quilting. She had put the quilting frame up in the living room because the quilt was so big. It took several weeks of working on the quilting to get it finished. While working on it one day she told me that a lady had knocked on the door asking for directions. When she saw what my mother was working on the lady offered to buy it from her. She told my mother to name her price. Thank goodness my mother said "No, this quilt is for my daughter." I still have it and it is beautiful.
This can become addictive. (Gracie get your paws off the keyboard. I am using the computer now.) Gracie the cat likes to sit on the keyboard and hit the keys. If this blogs becomes more entertaining it may be her at the keyboard and not me. Smokey just watches he doesn't get on the computer.
I feed a stray cat in the apartment complex (don't tell anyone or I will get in trouble). I have a flower pot on my patio that does not have a plant in it, just dirt. Stray cat likes to curl up and sleep in that flower pot. I put a rug on the patio but she prefers the flower pot with the dirt.
I have been reading some of the blogs and I am delighted to learn that a lot of our young women are into sewing. That makes me so happy. I don't remember when I learned to sew because I was so young. I learned on an old Singer pedal machine. My mother loaned that to my sister-in-law. After she had had the machine for a long time I called her for no particular reason and asked if she was still using the machine. Always listen to the little voices that tell you to do things. She said no and that she had taken the machine to the dump that day. I immediately rushed out the door to the dump where she had taken the machine - it was already gone. Obviously there was someone at the dump that was smarter than my sister-in-law. This machine was in pristine condition with all attachments. I made it a point to never loan her anything again.
Back to what I was saying about sewing. When you sew you get a real sense of accomplishment and pride from creating something. I think it makes us closer to our pioneer relatives who sewed for themselves and their families. They sewed at night by candle light and the light from an oil lamp. They sewed by hand and later by machine. They usually did this after working a full day of real labor. They never tossed away a piece of fabric. They saved the little pieces for quilts. You would not believe the little pieces of fabric I have saved - never made a quilt in my life. I started several but never finished one, but one day if I decide to I have the little pieces of fabric.
My mother made quilts. When she was trying a new pattern and she could not get it to go together correctly she would go to my father. Imagine walking in and here is this big man sitting in the middle of the floor with quilt pieces trying each until he figured out how they went together. Oh, and my father had no patience as a general rule but with the quilt pieces he had the patience of Job.
It took me 3 years of begging to get my mother to agree to make a wedding ring quilt for my queen size bed. Of course I wanted it to be the size of a bedspread not a normal quilt. That is how I got my navy blue and peach wedding ring quilt - a lot of begging. After she had finished putting the pieces together I went out to help her do the actual quilting. She had put the quilting frame up in the living room because the quilt was so big. It took several weeks of working on the quilting to get it finished. While working on it one day she told me that a lady had knocked on the door asking for directions. When she saw what my mother was working on the lady offered to buy it from her. She told my mother to name her price. Thank goodness my mother said "No, this quilt is for my daughter." I still have it and it is beautiful.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
It is late afternoon here and it is dreary outside. It is the kind of day that you just want to cuddle up with a good book and a cup of hot tea. Now that I have finally sat down to post something my mind has gone blank. I had so many thoughts I wanted to put down and now they seem to have disappeared. They were really important thoughts - probably would have changed the entire world. Maybe they will return another day. In the mean time I will do the best I can.
I want to thank Eva for being my first follower and I must warn you it may be a bumpy ride. I have definite opinions and it seems that I think all the time - never take a coffee break.
However, I am OK with that because it seems there are too many people that never have a unique thought of their own. There is nothing more exciting than the free exchange of ideas and opinions between people that actually use that brain that the good Lord gave us.
I do want to say that my heart goes out to the family and loved ones of the people who passed away this past year that were not honored during the Oscars. If it was a time issue I think most people would have been willing to give up some of Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin's time to honor these people. They entertained us and were a part of our lives and I think they earned that honor.
It is unusual for me to be able to work at the computer and not have one of my two rescue cats up here helping me - they like to sit on the keyboard and watch the screen. It would be wonderful if they could actually type their thoughts. I know they have them. You can tell the level of intelligence when you look into the eyes. They amaze me at times because they know how to get me to do what they want. Like I said I serve at their pleasure. But that is OK the joy I get from them is totally worth making sure they are happy. I was always a dog lover but when I lost my last little bundle of job I decided to stick with cats - you don't need to walk them. My one concession to getting older.
I feel my blog will get better. There are so many things that I want to put out there. It will take me a little time because I am such a private person. The anonymity will in time allow me to get things out that I have kept inside for a very long time and perhaps those things will actually help someone else.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
It's Saturday evening and I am wondering if I really have anything worth saying. After 60 years of living surely I do. My life has been interesting to say the least. All I need to do is get up in the morning for things to happen - some very good and some very bad. I guess everyone feels that way but I know that my life really has been different from most of the people I know.
I can only describe myself one way - I am a survivor. The fact that I am still here is proof of that.
When we are young we have our lives all mapped out in our head. We just know how it will go and what will happen. Then life kicks us and we find out that we don't have quite as much control as we think we have. However, it is the ups and especially the downs that mold and shape us into the people we become. That person is a work in progress that is never finished. I know that I am still changing every day. That is both scary and exciting.
I now know that I am so much the same person I was at 30 - old is just the outside. Mentally I still feel the same as when I was 30. What has changed are priorities, discovering what is really important in life - that really changes as we get older and wiser.
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