Reupholstering a Chair and Stool

This is what I've been doing, off and on, for the past few weeks. Reupholstering this chair and stool. I bought this chair for $12.50 some years ago and it's one of the most comfortable chairs I've ever sat in. It, however, was not pretty.



You'll notice the right arm is a little askew. It had some "issues" shall we say. Issues I was able to address at the real site of the problem, which was not at the arm. But this chair is so comfy it's where I always go to read. In fact, it was on the blog in July last year when I was reading Harry Potter.

The stool was in better shape, if you like that 1970s bright orange look. I paid $4 for it at the same store at a different time. Sad to say, this store is no longer in business.



For those of you concerned about its original state, I just covered over it and did not remove the orange, nor put any holes in it. So, should that come back in style, I can easily remove my flowered cover. I didn't take pix of the stool reupholstery because there wasn't much to photograph - it's pretty straight forward.

But I did take photos of the chair process.

OK, here's how you're supposed to do it. You take the chair apart and keep the pieces to use as a pattern. You cut out the pieces just like the old ones and reassemble. I didn't do that. This chair had been recovered before and it wasn't the best job as far as I could tell, although it apparently was done by a professional. Frankly, I think mine looks better, even though this is the only thing I've ever recovered, except a piano bench once, which must be the easiet thing ever to do.

This wasn't "easy," but it wasn't very difficult either. I think it probably would have gone smoother if the chair had been in perfect shape to begin with and I'd had the original pattern to use. I had to do a couple of things more than once, because I was making it up as I went, but I'm happy with the final result.

First I disassembled...



And I found what I'd read about... glue. Yes! Apparently professionals use the equivalent of hot glue to make piping and attach it. I didn't use any hot glue, but apparently it's an option.

I started here, at the side on the chair, but I have no idea if that's the right place to start. It worked for me. I'd just start wherever it looks like you can remove a piece to start.

Once I had everything off, I reused the batting they had. It was amazingly clean. I did add a layer of clean quilt batting.

When you're using stripes or plaids or anything with a design, you have to figure out how it's going to be placed on the piece. I just flopped the fabric up there and figured out how I wanted it to be before I started stapling anything down.



I decided on the red stripe down the middle. Then I just worked on one side and then the other, to keep it even as I stapled. Oh, and I did invest in a $29 electric staple gun. Frankly, if you're planning to do a lot of this, get a better one. This is worth every penny.



As I said, I didn't use the old pieces for a pattern, so I was winging it. One of the mistakes I made was not thinking through the bottom part and I cut it because that's how theirs had been done - they had an extra piece over the lower wooden part of the seat. However, had I thought it through I could have just let mine wrap around and be stapled underneath. But, I didn't think about it. So, I made a little skirt for the chair instead of making it fit the wooden piece.

Oh, and that reminds me of the arm being loose. Rarely is the root of the problem obvious. It's like a door that's not closing properly. People always look at the handle. About 95% of the time, the problem is on the hinge side. Same deal here. You could see people had messed with the arm - there was glue and a broken mending plate. The actual problem was at the bottom, where the back and seat had separated. It was easily fixed, with a mending plate and four screws.



OK... the cushion. I've always heard that the cushion is what separates the men from the boys when it comes to reupholstery. I can't say that it's any trickier than anything else. Meaning it's not really very tricky. I don't know why it has this reputation.

If you're going to do cushions, you've got to do piping. That's the rope part around the edge. You buy this cotton string in the sewing department that makes the rope part. Then you cover it with fabric folded over it and sewed closely. The trick to the whole thing is a zipper foot. You MUST get a zipper foot for your machine. It's made to allow the needle to strike on the outside of the zipper foot, meaning you can sew very closely to the rope inside.

I bought mine at the local sewing center and it was $5.99. It snaps on and fits a number of different machines.

Supposedly, all the fabric for doing piping is cut on the bias - that means diagonally. I didn't do that. I just used strips cut straight with my rotary cutter.

I found that pushing the fabric covered rope slightly while I was sewing helped keep it tight. Of course, you can just go back and sew any place where you wandered again, because it will be inside the seam when you're done.





There may be some special reason for doing the bias cut, but I don't know what it is, and because this is the first piece I've done I didn't want to use that much fabric since I need it to do multiple more pieces. And my planning was about right on this chair. I had intended for it to have the floral seat, and to have enough of the plaid to make a pillow later for another piece of furniture. I've probably got enough for one regular pillow and one small one. So, my estimates were good.





One thing about a bias cut is that it would bend, but I didn't have too much trouble with that. The cushion corners weren't bad without the bias cut.
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If you want to try it, I found this site particularly helpful. I didn't have any of the specialized tools, but I can see their benefit. I will probably try to get some of the tack strips and metal jaw things before I tackle another thing. I thought this chair would be the easiest one to do.

I did cut some cardboard and used it anywhere edges were needed to keep them straight, like on the bottom skirt. That tack strip stuff would be very helpful for this sort of thing. But then when you fold the fabric back down you have a nice straight edge.



Remember you have to get the design you want in the middle of your cushion or the footstool. I put the fabric over the footstool, with the design where I wanted it, and drew on the edge of it with chalk, using the original piping as a guide, so I marked the size of the top of it. Then that's where I sewed the piping on my new fabric.

The stool took about an hour to do. The chair I have spread out over so long a time frame that I don't know how long it took. I just had it in my downstairs sunporch and would close the door when I wasn't working on it. I'm guessing if I had just done it from start to finish it might have been 5-6 hours, and includes the time I spent redoing a couple of things. Overall, it's not nearly as difficult as people would have you believe. I bought my fabric a year or so ago when it was half off so I have well under $100 invested in both pieces.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the final product. It's not perfect, but I'm content with it.



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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more.

Full Weekend

I've spent some time this weekend journaling about my collage. This is an important part of the process and has been very enlightening for me.

I decided not to go to the poetry event yesterday because I wanted to work on this project. I also didn't want to spend all day outside when it was in the 50s and windy. I get cold. I'm always cold compared to everyone around me - I always have been. I consider the electric blanket to be an under-appreciated marvel of engineering.

Collages have many layers of meaning once you start really looking at them and considering the juxtapositions you didn't notice when you were putting things down. It's also helpful to have other people look at them with you. That's a central part of the visioning process as described in the book. I was very fortunate to have a group to do that with during the weekend. Plus, Teresa and I have talked about them twice since then. She always spots things that might otherwise slip notice.

I do as well, when I take time to look and contemplate. Then it takes me awhile to process it all.

So, that's what I've been doing this weekend, as well as other things. Of course, a Saturday when I'm in town means Roy's generally. I also finished a project I've been working on at home. Pictures will be coming soon of my little project, but I've been working on it off and on for some weeks so I have to assemble the pix from various places on the harddrive.

Then last night I got to have dinner with Tara, who I met on the Food Coma Caravan. (Of course, that's yet another thing I never got around to blogging - seems to happen a lot - and this trip was when Flat Wayne first made an appearance.) She and her husband were in town to visit his family and while he was out with his uncle, she and I went to dinner at Dutch Kitchen. I instantly liked both of them as soon as I met them. Todd worked with Carl, and Carl invited them to join us on the FCC. I was so thrilled they did.

I've been thinking lately that I wanted to add some new friends into my life. In that wonderful way the universe provides, Jade literally walked right into my world - and I'm so thankful. And, then I get an email from Tara that they're going to be in town, which was lovely. She tells me they have a guest room in KC just waiting for me to visit. I always stay with Mark when I go to KC but it might be nice to have a weekend when Tara and I could just talk for a couple of days - and Mark might enjoy not having to play host for a change.

Anyway, when I woke up this morning at 4:08 - way too early for a person who went to bed at midnight - I was thinking how great it is to wake up on a Sunday morning and feel like you've already had a very full, fun and productive weekend - and you still have a full day ahead of you. I tried to go back to sleep for about an hour and finally just gave up and got up.

I'm still running around in a robe, hoping I feel the urge to go back to sleep. I left the aforementioned electric blanket on because one of life's great pleasures is crawling under it when your legs are a little chilly. I know. It's simple. I'm often thrilled by simple things. I think it's one of my secrets to happiness.

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MCC Sale

When did you last buy a jar of apple butter that was still warm? I'll give you a minute to think.

Exactly. Me neither.

But Friday night at the MCC sale I was able to buy a pint jar that was still warm from the kettle. It was $6, and that seems like a bargain to me.

This is Grandpa Kauffman's recipe and it has been offered at the MCC sale in Hutchinson for about 20 years. But there has been a five year gap, and this is their first year back. Supplies were limited, so I wanted to make sure I put my hands on some. They made two kettles, starting at about 5:30 Friday morning. By 11 a.m. they had finished the cooking and were ready to pack it. Two kettles made 512 pints. Although I didn't go back to the sale today, I'm sure they probably sold out.



I try to never miss the MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) Sale. It raises money for hunger relief around the world. These events happen around the country and this is a large one.

It's almost like travelling into another country. It's certainly another culture. I know "Mennonite" in some places is kind of a scary thing, but that's not the case here. The Mennonite congregations are full of wonderful people as far as I can tell.

I was so glad they had good weather - as opposed to last year when there was snow.



One of the big events is the quilt auction. They have tons and tons of quilts of all sorts. They're all on display for people to look at before the auction.






They also have the "sit and sew" area where people can sit and quilt, and the rest of us who don't know how to do it can watch and learn.



These ladies were visiting while they sewed.



I, of course, had already stopped by my very favorite display, "Quilter's Corner," where they sell donated items - from vintage fabric to quilt tops to doilies. I will try to take some photos of the huge stack of goodies I bought, but you can get a sense of them by this photo of Greg and Cleta. Greg had to hold my box while I went to take photos of the quilts.



The sack on top is his stuff, but you can see my doilies peeking out of the corner of the box. I ran into Cleta and her husband, Tom, when I was headed to take pix. When I came back they were visiting with Greg.

There are also other interesting little bits at the MCC sale, and lots of food. We ate at the German buffet, of course, and then started sight seeing.

Right next to the apple butter was the pysanky egg display. I must refer you to Greg's piece from last year for more details about the process. As usual, I leave the details to him.





The young lady showed me these two eggs. The one on the right is a wooden one. Her mom, Janet Regier, copied the design onto a real egg. The darker color on the wooden one is because of how it's done. The main color is applied and then the other things are done on top of it, giving them all a muddy look. The egg done by Regier has just one color on each space on the egg, so the colors are all more distinct.






The MCC sale is one of my favorite events in Hutchinson. I am always surprised more people don't go and enjoy it, but I rarely run into anyone I know there.

Last night I did see Jay and Lois Huber and it was great to say hello to them. I worked with Jay for many years, we even shared an office for a while, and always really liked him. So, it was good to bump into them.

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more.

Meeting David Wilson

I've been watching "Meeting David Wilson," a documentary about race, which I recommend. It points out to me again what Beverly Morgan Welch said, that "Slavery is an X-rated conversation."

We are still an incredibly racist nation, and you don't see it in this documentary as much as you see it in the commercials supporting it. They are all geared toward African Americans. I think it's fabulous to have commercials featuring faces that are not lily white. Please, lets have more of them. But, what I find troubling about this is that the commercial selection is indicating that corporate America thinks no white people will be interested enough in race to watch this documentary. Sad.

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Generations of Stafford Poetry

Poet William Stafford was a native of Hutchinson, Kansas, and his work is revered here, with good reason. He was the Poet Laureate of the United States in 1970, before the position had that title, and won a National Book Award. His portrait is part of our mural downtown. He's holding a page that says, "Any star is enough if you know what star it is." He wrote more than 20,000 poems through his daily practice of quiet time spent writing. For those of us who are dedicated journalers, I feel compelled to mention he also kept a daily journal for 50 years.

I appreciate the use of the language in poetry. It requires so much from the writer, and has a lyrical quality unlike any other kind of writing. Poets write and speak with a beauty unique to the form.

Tonight I went to a poetry reading by Kim Stafford, one of the four children of William, who is an exceptional writer in his own right. He read some of his work, and some of his father's. He also sang some songs he had written. It was a fabulous evening.

Of course, it's difficult to "report" on an evening of poetry, but there were some incredibly poignant moments.

One of those was when he was relating the last conversation he had with his father, when they were talking about events that had occurred in his father's youth. His father told him those stories were ones he hadn't told, that he was, "waiting for someone to ask." That struck Kim - that his father, who wrote every day for 50 years, had stories he hadn't told, for which he had been waiting to be asked.

He was also funny. He talked about being in New Orleans and going to the famous Cafe du Monde and the waitress coming over and saying, "You want anything mo' baby?" He said, "Just to hear that every day the rest of my life." Needless to say, that got a big laugh.

He said after leaving there, walking down Decatur street about 2 in the morning, they came upon upon a woman who was a sanitation worker, crying at a shrine of candles, coins and flowers. He asked her what was wrong and she told him her hairdresser, Robin, had died because he'd been generous and given his key to the wrong person. She said Robin also told her, "You're more than the sanitation." She told Kim that Robin was like that with everyone.

Kim went back to his hotel room and wrote a song about it. Unbeknownst to him, it was recorded when he played it the next day, and ended up being used at Robin's memorial service. When he later got an email from Robin's family, Kim said he realized that that was the absolute best circle of creation. First, "you hear something that must be told." Then you shape it with whatever tools you have available to you and "you give it back." The song was beautiful and included the line, "You be you, like no other, Robin said to me."

He said he was reminded of a quote about how the deepest poetry will be spoken by ordinary people in times of great trouble. That seems true in so many cases.

I cannot lay claim to any poetry. I fear I do not have the necessary command of the language to write poetry, but I do believe in times of trouble we share our souls in words - written and spoken - that are meaningful like no other. For me it has been things like Remembering Mama and writing down my core beliefs, where the language works for me seemingly effortlessly. The work shows through in the daily writing. Maybe the lesson is to spend time in deeper contemplation on an emotional level more often.



Kim gave us some "homework assignments," one of which was related to his father's poem, "Why I am happy." He suggested we all write about why we are happy. I have so much to be happy about, thankful about, that it could be a very long piece.

Another of his father's poems he mentioned was, "Vocation." The last line of it is, "Your job is to find what the world wants to be." Kim said he may use that line above the doorway when they build the William Stafford Institute for Peace.

Kim is the executor of his father's body of work, and said at one point he asked his mother if she thought he had done enough for his father's work. She responded with a question - what do you think he would say. It occurred to Kim while he was sheetrocking, that if he asked that question of his father that his father would probably answer him by writing using Kim's hand. As soon as he posed the question in his head, the answer came to him. He then asked how to know when he should focus on his own work or his father's work and the answer came, "Do what is most alive."

I love that concept. "Do what is most alive." It's how I live daily life, as much as possible, to do what is most alive (intense, different, daring, possible). I've never thought of it that way, so this gives me something to think about. It seems important to explore this further.

Kim read a couple of poems about his Aunt in Nickerson who he's staying with. The last one he read was a perfect illustration of why poetry can express something with such a beautiful turn of phrase. He planted the image of a phone there that can reach anyone they've lost because she remembers the good in them. He wrote that "she has been keeping house for everyone," a phrase I just loved. It speaks of home and all it means. Just lovely.

He also wrote a poem for the director of the art center, about his exhibit that is on display. What an honor to have a Kim Stafford poem about your work. Amazing.

A number of us went to dinner with Kim before the event, and I had the opportunity to chat with him a bit. He's a very personable gentleman. He will also be at the poetry event on Saturday that I promoted a few weeks ago. I'm guessing you might still be able to secure a spot if you're a reader who's in the area and interested in attending.

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more.

Author Max McCoy speaking in Hutchinson

See more about Max McCoy in the entry about the
Tallgrass Writing Workshop.

The Hutchinson/Reno Arts and Humanities Council in cooperation with the English Dept. at HCC and the Hutchinson Public Library will sponsor an evening with award winning Kansas author Max McCoy on Monday, April 14^th at 7: 00 pm in the Auditorium of the Hutchinson Public Library. McCoy will read from his forthcoming novel I, Quantrill, and his nonfiction work in progress, Strangely Heavy: A True Story of Passion and Rivalry in the Meteorite Fields of Kansas.

A native Kansan, McCoy was born in Baxter Springs and has lived in Kansas all his life. Kansas and Missouri tend to figure heavily in his novels.. A graduate of Pittsburg State University he earned his M. A. in English from Emporia State University and is currently a professor of English at Emporia State University.

Max McCoy is an award winning novelist, investigative reporter, screenwriter, and independent filmmaker. The topics addressed in his journalistic work are wide ranging and include serial killers, atomic bomb survivors, and white supremacists. His fiction is varied as well, embracing westerns, historical novels, and thrillers such as the Indiana Jones Series.

This program is free and open to the Public. For more information contact the Hutchinson/Reno Arts and humanities Council, 620-662-1280. hrah@cox.net.

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Friends

Teresa and I had a wonderful dinner tonight. We spent it dissecting our collages and the layers of meaning in them. We love this sort of thing. And we can't understand why everyone doesn't want to do this. But, alas, we know that is not the case.

Maybe our shared affection for such things is part of the reason we have been friends for so long. I haven't done the math, but I'm sure it's more than 15 years now, maybe closer to 20. The time does fly, doesn't it?

Teresa is someone who's very spontaneous - always ready to do whatever - I love that about her. When I was planning the weekend in Ramona I just assumed Teresa would want to go. She likes the same sort of things I do, and she's always willing to try something new. She's someone I can call last minute for lunch or dinner and if she's not busy she'll generally go. I like it when people will just DO instead of contemplating it for forever.

She is a talented artist, as you can see in her collage, which has a balance of color, pattern and form.



I looked back through my photos and found this one where she was doing the first "rough draft" layout.



Teresa is someone I know I can rely on for the truth - told in a very kind, compassionate way. She is an incredibly generous friend and I'm grateful to have her in my life.

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more.

Ramona Retreat for Vision Collages

This weekend some friends and I rented this guest house in Ramona, Kansas to have a retreat. We spent our time working on the process described in "Visioning" by Lucia Capacchione.

Teresa, Peggy and I heard her speak at a "Food for Thought" event four years ago this month, and have wanted to do this since. It's hard to believe it took four years. There's a lesson in that, alone.



There were six of us. Starting in the back, that's Andrea, me, Cynthia and Susan. In front are Peggy and Teresa.

This is a multi-stage process. The heart of it is journaling and collaging.

You start with a "focus statement" that is the guiding part of your collage - what you want. Then you hunt for pictures from magazines...








We organized them and glued them...





Then we journalled about our finished projects...



Central to this process is the focus statement on which you base your collage. Each of our finished projects were distinctly different. I asked the group and everyone agreed that I could share them with you.

Susan's focus was, "Leading a life with more energy."





Cynthia's was, "Living a passionate life."





Andrea's was, "What financial security looks like?"





Patsy's focus was, "Freedom and inspiration to create and appreciate beauty."





Peggy's focus was, "Experiences I'd like to have" and morphed into "Seek knowledge"





Teresa's focus was, "Live life in movement and quiet contemplation."



It was an inspirational weekend. We brought food to share and just munched as we worked. Saturday evening some were done before the others and so they cooked our spaghetti dinner. It worked out perfectly.

This was a great spot for it. The house has five bedrooms, one with two beds in it, so we were able to spread out a bit and then come together to work on our projects. The kitchen has everything you need - from a microwave to a full sized fridge and stove.



I definitely recommend Cousin's Corner, the guest house. It's run by two sisters from California, who have roots in Ramona, and ended up coming to Kansas through a visioning process of their own.

It was a great way to spend time with friends. I can't wait to do something like this again. Not sure what we should do next, but I know there's something just waiting to be discovered.

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Hail in Hutchinson

Just the other day I was thinking, "Geez, I've still got to deal with the roof." I had hail damage last year and after dealing with all the insurance stuff it was too late in the year to get it done. Then I thought, "Hmmm... I think I'll just wait until after hail season this year before I get it repaired." Tonight that seems like a good decision.

This is my front walkway, early on. I've rarely seen hail completely cover the ground, but I have tonight. My neighbor's driveway was white.



However, I don't think this probably did much damage. I didn't see anything larger than pea sized, but there was a lot of it. A Street looked like it had snow on it.

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Tampa Kansas Church

I took this in Tampa, Kansas this weekend. I love the shadow of the cross.

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more.

Surrounded by Friends

Tonight I'm tucked into flannel sheets while the wind whips around the house I'm staying at in Ramona Kansas. I'm also warmed by the presence of five friends. We've shared a day of intensive vision collaging and will leave in the morning different than how we arrived.

Mama's Scissors

A couple of weeks ago I got out Mama's sewing scissors. I have looked at them a few times since her death, but haven't used them.

She was very particular with her sewing scissors. She kept them in the box they came in and they were only used for fabric. Mama was the type of person who always "made do" with things, not necessarily buying the best things for herself, although she would get quality for me. When she did splurge on something for herself she took exquisite care of it.

I brought the scissors down and have used them a couple of times in a sewing project I've got going, but I'm being very careful with them. It feels good to be using them.

The love she put into sewing projects was palpable. She sewed for me. She sewed for my nephews when we were younger. She sewed for almost everyone in the family at one time or another - maybe some simple mending, or maybe chair cushions when she reupholstered furniture, or maybe a dress. Whatever she made, she used these scissors, then stored them carefully away in their box.

It feels good to have my hands around something Mama wrapped her hands around so many times. And I think her magic touch is with me because the project I'm working on is going more smoothly than I expected.

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Sewing Machine Life Lessons

I recently brought a sewing machine downstairs to work on a project. It's the Singer Stylist 534, the machine my mom got me one Christmas when I was in high school. She had a Singer Featherweight, which I now have, that I absolutely love. But, my home ec teacher insisted we be able to do zig-zag stitches, which were all the rage at the time, and the Featherweight didn't have that capability. So, I got this machine for Christmas.

When I left home I took the Featherweight for basic repairs and Mama kept this machine because she still did a lot of sewing, including many clothes for me. She sewed for me until the last few years of her life - everything from work clothes to costumes to prom dresses. She was a gifted seamstress.

After she died, I brought this machine to my house, but I haven't used it in the subsequent nearly seven years. I generally use the Featherweight, but this project involves heavier fabric and I didn't want to tax that machine.

The other night when I lifted the cover off the machine, there was a spool of green thread sitting where she had taken it off the top and moved it underneath the dials without unthreading it so the lid would fit on. I don't know what the last thing was she sewed on the machine, but I'm certain when she put that spool of green thread on the little ledge she didn't expect it would be the last time she sewed with that machine. I'm sure she expected to make or mend something else at some point in the future.

That's always true for all of us - we never know when something will be the last time. We go through life expecting tomorrow will come. We never know when we sew something, or kiss someone, or come home, if it's the last time we'll do that thing. There's something terrifying about that and at the same time I find it comforting.

This uncertainty is the great equalizer. It doesn't matter how much money you have, how smart you are, or what kind of house you buy, it may end at any moment. This drives me to experience as much as I can every day.

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Sign of the Times

My favorite deli in Hutchinson has closed. Daisy's Deli was always very busy at lunchtime. I didn't go there often, but I went regularly. However, I know for some people it was a daily stop. We drove by last night and saw paper on the windows and this sign: "Closed. Overwhelming cost of groceries, fuel surcharges and fuel costs have caused us ot make hard choices. Thank You Daisy's Customers for all your past support. Linda Birney."

Daisy's has been in business for quite a few years, so this isn't a case of a new restaurant just not making it. I'm sure sorry it's gone and I'm especially sorry that the horrible economy has taken down a local business. The chains will survive, of course. It will be the local places that can't make it.

One of my favorite spots in town recently raised their prices. I notice because I know how much my ticket always is because I get the same thing everytime. A few years ago when prices went up the owner was stressing over telling me and I assured her there was no reason to be concerned - I understand. That was probably five years ago. This time she told me a week or two before because I usually have my check made out. I was happy to see she wasn't worried about telling me this time. I understand an increase. Of course, at some point you're worried you'll run your customers away and they won't pay it. And, with customers having to deal with fuel cost increases as well, it can get tight. (Gas is $3.19 a gallon here at the moment. I paid $3.24 a few days ago when I filled up.)

I wish Daisy's Deli had just raised their prices, but I'm sure they did the math and decided people simply wouldn't pay what they needed to make it work. They made these big, thick sandwiches and served a variety of soups every day. Greg brought me one of their BLTs for lunch the day of the potato bar.

I will miss them. And, I am concerned what the loss of this business says about the economy in general - and I don't just mean in Hutchinson. I'm afraid this story is playing out over and over again in the country.

Todd McCracken, president of the National Small Business Association trade group, said in a February USA Today article that small businesses — 26 million in the USA alone — often lead the economy out of recessions. "That's difficult to do if they can't get the credit and capital they need to grow," he says.

A US News and World Report article on March 10, 2008 says, "A weaker economy is making things a little bit tighter. High gas prices act, in effect, as a major tax on small businesses. 'To the extent that energy prices go up, they feel the pinch,' says Steve Preston, head of the Small Business Administration."

NPR did a great story just this morning about how China is becoming more expensive and so American companies that are relying on them for cheap sources are going to have raise prices because as they put it, "there's not another China." Of course, this sticker shock isn't going to hit until next year.

And, by the way, this is not just "cyclical" change in the economy. This is the result of poor management on the part of the US, massive debt, and a host of other factors - many of which could have been addressed in the last five years if we had chosen to do so. Instead, we've focused our efforts on creating more debt. Our national debt increases an average of $1.71 billion dollars a day. Yes... billon... each day.

Fred Kaplan summed up the economy beautifully when he was here when he said, and I'm paraphrasing, "we buy China's cheap goods with the money they loan us." It's hard to believe it wasn't even eight years ago that we were a solvent nation, with a surplus in the budget, and now we owe more than 9 trillion dollars.

The thing that none of these stories and statistics and quotes bring to life is the real story of a real business with real people who are now without income. I don't care if economists call is an official "recession," I just know people can't keep up at this pace. I got a 2.5% increase in salary this year. Gas prices alone have increased more than 20% here in the last year. You don't need to be a math genius to see that that can't continue for very long.

If you had increased your debt level more than 1.5 trillion dollars a year in the last six years would you still be able to borrow? Yeah, me neither. Sure, the government has some holdings - all federal buildings and such - but I'm not sure they're worth 9 trillion dollars combined.

I'm reminded of James Carville's sign posted in Clinton's campaign headquarters during the 1992 campaign, when Bush senior was viewed as unbeatable, that has been morphed into, "It's the economy, stupid."

By the way, that sign also other things on it - accounts vary, but it seems to have said:
Change vs. more of the same
The economy, stupid
Don't forget health care
Those all seem pertinent today as well. And, this is a great example of how a central message is critical to anything you want to market.

Greg and Photos

Greg is a professional photographer. He takes wonderful pix, as you might expect. He, also, will suffer for pix. He will lay down on a sidewalk in the summer, or in a snow bank in the winter. He got this hyacinth photo by laying in the dirt in his backyard.

Later in the day yesterday we stopped by the post office because he had spotted this flowering tree earlier and wanted a picture.

Greg got out and spent a few minutes looking for the perfect shot. I stayed in the car and snapped a photo of him taking a photo.



This is the sort of photo you get by staying in the car. Below is the kind of photo you get by actually get out of the car, framing a shot, and knowing what you're doing.



We don't know what kind of tree it is, but it's pretty.


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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more.

Greg

Greg and I went to Skaets tonight. We were looking at pix we had taken earlier and I snapped some of Greg sitting in the restaurant. This is an environmental portrait of Greg - in a diner, with some pop, and his camera nearby.

Greg is one of my favorite people on the planet. I can't imagine my life without him in it. We've known each other for more than twenty years now. He's one of the people I know I can always depend on. Those sorts of people are hard to come by and I'm thankful that for most of my adult life I've had Greg in it.

As you might guess from the fact that I was at Skaets, I'm feeling better. I'm almost afraid to say it, because I don't want to jinx it, but I think I'm getting well. I felt pretty normal yesterday and today. I even went to the office today for quite awhile. I'm so very thankful to be feeling better and hoping it continues.

I have another ten days of antibiotics and I will be taking them all - just like the doctor ordered. I always do. And so should you. Otherwise you just kill the weak germs and the strong ones grow again, a little stronger than they were before. That's how we get things like MRSA.

Well, it's time for my little pills and then off to bed for me. I still seem to need a lot of rest, but I figure that's good for me. Although I can't sleep sometimes after I wake up in the morning, I do stay in bed and rest until a reasonable time to get up.

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more.

Trish in Action

At the Women's Show yesterday, Trish gave a speech about what the city council is doing. She had a pretty nice little group gathered to hear her talk. She was explaining all kinds of things the council is looking at and some upcoming votes we'll be doing.

She also had a booth for the first time. She was doing free legal checkups and talking to people. Every time I looked down her way she was busy, so I think it was a good experience for her.

We happened to be on the same aisle with Trish and with the Volunteer Center and the Zoo. It was a nice location. I was gone last year when they did the show, and other people set it up for me. They tell me this was our spot last year, too. It's a good location.

I didn't even take a photo of my own booth yesterday. It's one of those things that never looks as good in the photo as you expect it to. People do really elaborate booths, but I keep mine pretty simple. I like to be able to set it up and take it down pretty quickly - otherwise you're just overwhelmed with it after a long day.

This show runs from 9-4. They tell the non profits to not pack up before then and that you'll lose your spot if you do. On our aisle Leah and I were the only ones that waited until 4. Some booths were already completely clear by the time we started.

Trish had a nice banner done. That's something I've got to get is a new banner for the MHA. It's always one of those things I'm going to get around to but now that we have the new logo I need to actually get it done.



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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more.

Pity Party Freak Out

I had to work an all day event yesterday for the MHA. I was really tired by the end of the day, but I made it OK. We had made plans to go to the movie last night and although I had to force myself to go I figured I could leave if I started feeling worse. But, I was OK. I was very tired last night but was sure the new drugs were working great.

Today, again, I'm back in bed. I'm just exhausted. I've felt worse the last 10 days than I have the whole time except when I first got sick in Kentucky. It seems I'm getting a little better, then worse again.

Lying here thinking, I'm starting to really, really, really freak out that I've been sick enough long enough that my doctor is looking at things like lung cancer and emphysema as reasons. I have never smoked a single cigarette in my life - never even tried it - so it would seem unlikely. But, of course, when you can't breathe well there's generally some reason. And after more than two months of care it pays to check for other causes. Thank goodness he didn't find anything serious, and I'm glad he's a doctor who will say "I might be missing something... lets do an xray to be sure." But, nonetheless, I'm freaked that I've been sick so long such things are a concern.

It has been less than four  months since my cousin died from what seemed to be nothing more than a cold/infection. I'm mindful that one has to take such things seriously.I've been very serious about it but it's still with me. Other than a couple of friends, no one has seemed too concerned about me - other than me - but I know how unusual it is for me to be in bed during the day. It's practically unheard of. The last time I was sick enough to be in bed for more than a day was 5 1/2 years ago - that was 2 1/2 days.As Leah said yesterday, "you're never sick." This has been almost two weeks. I'm starting to freak out a bit. I'm eager to be well.

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As I was getting ready to post this Greg's mom called to check on me. Isn't that nice?!?!?

La Vie en Rose

Teresa, Kathie, Greg and I went to see La Vie en Rose at the Fox tonight. This is the movie about Edith Piaf's life. I had a little trouble keeping up with the multiple jumps from one decade to another and one continent to another. But, it left an impression on me. I may never consume another drop of alcohol. I'm not a big drinker anyway, but I may never touch it again.

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more.

Impromptu Introduction

I had the most wonderful experience this afternoon. I met a lovely young woman named Jade, while I was setting up for the Women's Show that's tomorrow. Jade came over and said she had read a bio on www.wecouldliveanywhere.com and wondered if that was me. It was, of course.

She has also seen me at Wal-mart, where she works. In fact, she had seen me just a little bit earlier because I'd been to get another prescription. (Antibiotic round FIVE for those of you keeping track!)

I'm so glad she introduced herself. We had a nice conversation. I know she's someone I'd like to know better. She's working with a city program to encourage recycling. Interestingly enough, I had just bought a reuseable bag at Wal-Mart. I recycle at home, but I know I can cut down on the amount of bags I'm putting back into the environment. I may not always have one of them with me, but every one I avoid taking out of the store is a benefit. So, I'll make an effort. I just have to get a system going where I've always got some in the car and remember to take them in with me.

I like living somewhere where people will introduce themselves to you. I felt bad that I didn't shake her hand, but I explained I'm trying to keep anyone from getting anything I've got. Peggy's mom has been in the hospital for a week and I had intended to go see her but I haven't felt like going anywhere and I certainly didn't want to expose anyone to what I've got - especially not someone who's not at their optimum to begin with.

On that front, I went to the doctor again today - third time in the last few weeks. Three doctor visits are usually spread over three years for me. Today he sent me for a chest xray to make sure he wasn't missing something, but it was fine - no tumors or anything like that. He just wanted to be sure and I appreciated that considering how rare it is for me to be this sick for this long. I have felt pretty rough for quite a while. I thought I was much better the last couple of days and woke up worse today. So many people are ending up hospitalized with this gunk and it's Friday and I just didn't want to chance it. So, at least I know it's just typical stuff and nothing serious.

I've felt bad enough today I've had to remind myself... "Patsy... you have a cold... keep some perspective... people have real health problems... you have a cold... buck up..." But inbetween that I was nearly in tears because I've just not been "normal" in so long. Hopefully that's just around the corner. Maybe a couple of pills of this heavier duty bug-killing-drug will have me on the mend. And maybe I can stop whining. Geez, I hope so... because I'm sick of my whining... I can't get away from me...

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more.

Food Photography

Just recently I was talking with Greg and how I needed to improve my food photography. He mentioned that we both tend to just do "grab shots" instead of treating it as a real subject. I know food stylists use other things to stand in for food, although I guess in ads you have to use the real thing. But, just like a glamour shot for a person, you can make the food prettier.

Today someone sent me this link to a site where someone took 100 pictures of food out of the package, compared to the package photo. Some are ver striking to me like this or this.  However, it's interesting to look at all of them. It's in German, but you don't need to speak the language to know that what you're getting inside isn't the same as what you're told you're getting.

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more.

Quote of the Day

Believe nothing because it is written in books.
Believe nothing because wise men say it is so.
Believe nothing because it is religious doctrine.
Believe it only because you yourself know it to be true.
              -----Buddha

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more.

Perkier Soon

I've actually been up all day, for the first day in quite awhile. I don't feel normal by any means, but at least I've spent far fewer hours in bed today, which is encouraging. I had a noontime speech that went a little long, and Teresa and I had dinner. Other than that I've pretty much been at the computer.

Tomorrow I have to go set up for the Women's Show on Saturday. I'm not sure how I'm going to get through a full day Saturday, but I'll just have to. Maybe I'll feel much perkier by then.

I've been thinking about our retreat weekend. I need to do some planning for it and just haven't felt like devoting any brain cells to it. But, this weekend I will get that done.

Sometime soon I need to get my taxes done... something that's not fun to think about... but must be done nonetheless...

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more.

Book Group Successful

Tonight was the first ever "Ad Hoc Book Group Gathering." There were six of us - Teresa, Diana, Cleta, Kathie, Julie and me - and it was a good experience. We all agreed we enjoyed, "Eat, Pray, Love."

It's good to hear other people's perspectives. People pointed out things I had missed or forgotten.

This is one of the ways I think we can create a new way of social connection. When Dr. Robert Putnam spoke here he challenged us to come up with new approaches, and I think the relaxed scheduling is appealing to people. I know it's appealing to me. I just can't add one more thing to my schedule that is "every fourth Tuesday..." or whatever. It's just too much.

I'm not sure when or if we'll do another book. I don't have anything on my list right now that I think would be good for discussion. Julie suggested "Middlesex," which she just finished. I'm just not interested in discussing that - it's too dense for me. I read it a year or so ago and remember very little about it as far as details. It does have one of the best opening lines of any book I've ever read.

I'm sure something else will come along that seems like a good book for discussion. I'd like something similar to "Eat, Pray, Love," but there's a reason it's so extraordinary. There aren't piles of books like it out there, waiting for us to pick up.

If you have suggestions, I'd love to hear them. I'm always on the hunt for good books. Thoughtful books.

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more.