Dusting the SR-71 Blackbird

Dustin is stretching to reach a spot on the SR-71 Blackbird as they dusted it this afternoon in preparation for this weekend's Apollo 13 events.

While you might not think about it, it does need to be dusted on occasion. Dante is working on it, too.



When you walk in the door at the Cosmosphere, the Blackbird is hanging overhead. It was America's first "stealth" plane, although its greatest defensive technique was its speed - literally faster than a speeding bullet.



Dante and Dustin were working on the main body and Bill was working on one side.





Bill also worked on the T-38 to get it ready for this weekend.



It's interesting to walk under these every day at work. I was thinking today that it's really nice to be in a job where I can talk about what happens at the office. When I worked in the mental health field I could never say much about my work to anyone for privacy reasons. And I was ultra conscientious about privacy issues.

Now I don't have to edit what I say about work. And cool things happen in my work day - like people dusting blackbirds - so it's fun to share it.

Making a Wine Run to Eudora, Kansas

It was a gorgeous day for a drive, and I got to take a long one today. Everything is starting to bloom, and for those of us who are not allergy sufferers, it's lovely.

I drove to Eudora, Kansas, near Kansas City, to Davenport Winery to pick up wine for the Cosmosphere's Apollo 13 event this coming weekend.



The back of the van was full of wine. It's ironic that I don't drink wine, but I volunteered for the wine-run.



This is Greg, from the winery, with some of the vines. These vines are 20 years old and being phased out.



The grapes are picked in August and September, so they're just starting to bud now.



The newer method for growing grapes is to keep them more vertical to cut down on the heat and humidity. Greg says they pick them when they're very ripe and sweet, so they couldn't travel at that point.



All in all it was a lovely day. I enjoyed meeting Greg at the winery and getting the tiniest lesson in wine making. It would be really cool to be there when they actually make the wine.

I was struck today by how many fields had been burned off. This is the season for controlled burns in Kansas. Although I've lived here a long time, I'm still not used to seeing this. It still smells burned, but amazingly enough in a short time it will be green again. The prairie is an interesting thing.





It's becoming rare to see cows grazing in fields, so I always take note when I see it. Today had the added bonus of the blooming trees.

Don't Acquire More Demons

At lunch today Greg and I were talking about anniversaries, brought on by a discussion about the Cosmosphere's Apollo 13 celebration this coming weekend. I'm devoted to marking time, always taking note of the dates of events. Greg rarely does that.

As we were discussing our different approaches, Greg said he thought if you didn't remember a date something negative happened in your life, there was no point in trying to. "Don't acquire more demons," he said.

I was struck by the wisdom of that statement. It's brilliant. Simple, but brilliant. "Don't acquire more demons"

It made me think about how often we all "acquire more demons," and that it's sometimes a conscious decision. I am certainly guilty of this myself, although I note happy occasions as well as sad ones. I'm not sure it's a part of my personality I can change, but I will certainly question if I'm acquiring more demons the next time I mark a date.

After all, who among us needs more demons?

Earlier this week I went to see Karl Casell in Wichita. KMUW brought him to town. I met him years ago at a public radio conference, and he was very funny. Now he's the score keeper on "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell me," and adds to the humor on that show.

He told a few stories, and talked a bit about the history of NPR News. I was shocked at the behavior of some in the audience. There were people who were yelling while he was talking. Not heckling, because that would be negative, but chiming in to back up what he was saying. I didn't appreciate the additions.

I had hoped to write a full report about his visit, but there isn't much to say. He didn't talk about much that isn't available on google. I'm always a bit disappointed when I go to the trouble to go see someone and don't get something unique out of the experience.



This past week was very busy at work and with after work activities, so it was unfortuante I didn't feel that was the best use of my time. The same night there was a gentleman speaking in Wichita about the Hubble. That would have been interesting I think but I couldn't be in two places at once.

That is one thing I've not yet mastered. Yet.

Work is very busy as we prepare for the Apollo 13 celebration. Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the day the mission blasted off. The 17th the anniversary of when they returned to Earth after a mid-flight explosion on their way to the Moon.

Of course, just because we're busy getting ready for an event doesn't mean everything else stops. Other things still have to get done. One part of my job I enjoy is creating gift baskets for various auctions and such. This one is going to an Air Force Base and has some goodies from us and the salt museum. Fortunately, we partner on projects, which makes so much sense for all of us.



I have spent most of the day working on my taxes. Don't worry - I won't bore you with the details. I did have a nice long lunch with Rita and dinner with Greg and Sharon. I also found time to do multiple loads of laundry and work in the yard a little bit. Amazing the things I will find to do to avoid working on taxes.

Unfortunately, when I do much physical work I feel it later and that's certainly true tonight. There are still areas that get sore if I am bending very much. Otherwise, I'm feeling great, but I'm obviously still healing in places. No doubt I'll wake up feeling normal in the morning, which is good because I need to complete the taxes and get them on their way. I will be glad to be finished with that.

Plants I Forgot

A week or so ago I planted some seeds. Then I promptly forgot about planting seeds. Today I remembered and checked on them to find the tender green shoots pushing on the plastic cover.

You're supposed to get them under lights the second they poke their little heads up. I'm guessing since these were a few inches tall when I remembered them that it's a little late for that. I put them under lights at noon today. By tonight they were already orienting themselves to stretch for the lights.

How could a person forget they planted seeds? I don't know, and I'm that person. I do know I fear for the long term health of these little plants.

A Night At Home

Tonight was my first night this week to be home and it has been very nice. I've had some alone time, some studio time, some writing time, and some thinking time.

I made this bracelet tonight. It's one of the things I'll have at the Hutchinson Art Show on May 8. I've really been enjoying taking paintings and turning them into jewelry.

Last night at Creative Sisterhood I was wearing a pendant I made recently and it was well received by the others in the group. I'm excited to send them off to new homes where they will be loved.

Breathing the Same Air

I'm thinking tonight of people who have passed through my life for one reason or another. Some were family who are gone, some were friends and loves who were in my world for a while, and some were casual acquaintances who moved on.

I believe everything has a purpose, and there was a reason for all of those interactions. It is no accident we breathed the same air for a time.

The people in my world now are the same - there is a reason. The same for events. Today included some events and some people I don't yet understand. But I can only assume there's a reason and work to learn the lesson so I don't have to walk this path again.

Trees and People and Contradictions

Trees are much like human beings and enjoy each other's company. Only a few love to be alone.
---Jens Jensen, Siftings, 1939

When I took this photo a month or so ago I was struck by how the tree stood alone. This quote seems to fit the scene perfectly.

I've come to realize I need more alone time than most people. Ironically, I really enjoy being with people and most folks would say I have a large circle of acquaintances and friends, and I'm blessed to have fabulous close friends. But I do need a lot of alone time. I need to think, write, create, decompress, contemplate, plan, and just gather my thoughts. For reasons even I don't fully understand, it's hard for me to do any of that with other people around.

We humans are infinitely interesting creatures, full of contradictions.

Ten Ways to Be Happier

It was a beautiful day on the Prairie today. I hung clothes outside for the first time this year.

Watching these hand embroidered pillowcases flap in the breeze gave me a real feeling of happiness. So much was right with that... beautiful handwork on linens, a lovely day that I could enjoy because I was off work, the feeling of accomplishment of a task completed.

Recently my friend, Mark, mentioned he keeps a list nearby I published in the fall of 2004 about ways to be happier. One of my keys to happiness is definitely to find joy in the simple things - like pillowcases flapping in a spring breeze. I'm blessed my mother taught me to be happy.

I went and looked up that piece I'd written about happiness. It's all still true. These tips are based on various happiness research. Dr. Seligman is the most famous of the researchers if you want to read more on your own.

How to be Happier
We are all born with a "set point" of happiness, but we now know that it is also a learned behavior and just because someone isn't born that way, they can be that way if they chose to be. Genetics determines about 50%.

Important in learning to be happy:
1. Meditation
2. Journaling (esp. gratitude)
3. Fake it till you make it. Faking happiness causes the same chemical reactions as BEING happy and eventually will create the happiness. Actions matter - act happy.
4. Surrounding yourself with friends and family is a huge factor in increasing happiness.
5. Having your own sense of self and no interest in keeping up with the Joneses is helpful.
6. Doing activities that put you in the "flow" where you lose sense of time and enjoy it, increases overall happiness. The more of those you have, the better off you are. Doing what you're best at.
7. Must have a capacity to love and be loved.
8. Altruism
9. Spirituality
10. Creativity


Damaging to happiness:
1. not forgiving - huge - the biggest stumbling block - the single biggest determining factor in someone's happiness level
2. materialism


Surprises:
1. Major health problems, such as loss of mobility, have no long term effect on people's general happiness. After about 90-180 days they return to their pre-incident level of daily happiness.
2. People are very bad at predicting what will make them happy. Better to trust human resilence than human prediction.
3. More choices you have the more likely you are to be unhappy. People feel with so many choices, there's no excuse for failure. Choices also make people question every decision.
4. Happiness comes mostly in daily little bits. People get thrills out of finding a quarter or getting an unexpected gift. The emotion actually makes them more generous, friendlier, flexible, creative and better at solving problems. Small bursts of this feeling caused radiologists to make more accurate diagnoses in one study.

It was good for me to be reminded of that piece. And I'm flattered that Mark keeps it nearby and has shared it with friends.

Well, time for me to get some rest. I was up until nearly 6 a.m. this morning, working on things all night long. I slept about four hours and got up and started again. I wanted to make good use of the day off today. I finished reupholstering a stool, and got some other things organized for the art show next month. The one thing I'm not finding much time to do is create, although I did spend a little time in the studio this morning.

I realized today how much I'm going to miss being able to work from home this spring. It was awfully nice to be able to have the washer running during the day and pop out to hang up clothes.

Well, it's half past midnight now and time for me to get some rest before my shortened work week starts. If only I didn't need sleep I could get even more done. But, alas, my body demands some rest. And it's going to be a busy couple of weeks as we prepare for the Apollo 13 anniversary events at the Cosmosphere. Hard to believe that was 40 years ago. Time does go by quickly.

Friends, Bunnies and Art

This is one of my latest creations - a painting made into a necklace. I took the painting and secured it into the finding, then coated it with a concoction I made to glaze over it. I added some vintage ribbon made in England to finish it off. I wore it Saturday and got multiple compliments on it.

Saturday afternoon I had a long lunch with Kristine and we covered many topics. It was great to connect with her. It had been awhile since we'd had the opportunity to talk.



I must have been being good lately, because the Easter Bunny visited me. Actually, does the Easter Bunny leave treats based on your behavior or is that only Santa? I lose track. Lets just say I've been being good anyway, okay? Regardless, I was happy to find The Bunny's goodies and indulge in them.

I had lunch at Sharon's today. She is temporarily hosting this automated bunny Greg recently bought. For reasons I don't fully understand, I let myself be photographed without makeup yet again. I guess the bunny's presence, or the chocolate I had consumed, made me take leave of my senses. That's me next to the bunny, Greg and Sharon.



Sharon had me decorate her tree for Easter while she was fixing a scrumptious lunch. I've never done an Easter Egg Tree, but was able to apply my Christmas decorating skills to this holiday.



I have tomorrow off from the Cosmosphere and I'm so glad to have an extra day to work around the house. I'm spending most of my free time creating these days, preparing for the Hutchinson Art Show on May 8.

I went into the studio as soon as I got up this morning. I couldn't resist a photo of my hand at one point. I'm a bit messy, which is why I needed a studio space when I bought my house.



As you might guess from my hand, my studio gets messy when I work in there. I took this a few days ago. I have since tidied up just a little bit. But, it's a cycle and it's already getting messy again.



One of these days I'll get a real system for drying things, but for the moment these shelves have to suffice.



I'm still working on the same sort of pieces I've been doing for the last few months. I will try to get some more photos soon. I realize I have neglected to share very many photos of the finished products here, but I will try to rectify that.



Well, it's almost 4 a.m. and I should get some rest. I have a very full day tomorrow and will need to get a relatively early start to it. There just never seems to be enough time to sleep. Before I go back to work on Tuesday I want to have my taxes done and a magazine article I committed to finished. I'm also trying to figure out my display items for the art show and doing a little plotting for the novel while I'm working.

Some friends and I are going away for a retreat weekend in May and I think it's going to be a great time for me to refocus my energies. I seem to be scattered in many different directions all the time, but I like to have my fingers in lots of pies.

Oh... gosh... now I want to bake a pie...


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If you've landed here as a result of the Hutchinson Public Library's 2010 project, Welcome! So glad to have you along. You can read anything from the last few years by clicking the archive list of months to the left. Below is a list of a few of my popular posts. Welcome!

This I Believe

Person of rivers

Quivira

Bits and Pieces of Life

Old Friends

Mama

I am No One's Daughter

Poking at old lives

The Last Time

Ramona Retreat

Letters from 1982

Easter Sunday Thoughts

Friendship

Not Natural to Be Happy

Journal Writing


Dr. Robert Putnam

Rusty Rierson at The W in Hutchinson

Rusty Rierson played at The W in Hutchinson Friday night.



He has won some contests and is starting to make a name for himself in music circles.



He was also very pleasant - a skill that can carry you far in life regardless of your chosen path.



I've been enjoying concert photography lately and he was a fun subject.



We're really fortunate to have this venue in town, bringing great entertainment.



Rusty was opening there tonight for country star, Doug Stone. I'm sure it's a great show. Last night was certainly fun.

Possibility

You never know what's going to happen in a day - who you'll meet, the conversation you'll have, what you'll witness - that could change your life. Every day is full of possiblity.

Topeka and Google

If you didn't happen to log onto Google today - is that even possible - you missed being greeted with "Topeka" instead of the usual Google logo.

Google, of course, is known for changing its logo to honor people, occasions or holidays. They're also known for their April 1 jokes. This was a fine one - an homage to Topeka changing its name to Google. Google repaid the favor.

I hope the people of Topeka understand just what a huge bonus they got today. Not only did the explanation talk about the city, but they are in the news all over the world. I googled late in the day - or would that be topeka'd late in the day - and found numerous references.

My hat is off to the mayor, or whoever had the foresight to change the name briefly. The "stunt," which I'm sure some in town looked down on, paid off in a way they could never have forseen. If they had paid for the exposure they got today it would have no doubt taken the city's yearly budget for decades into the future. I hope they're sending some Topeka treats - whatever that may be - to Google's corporate headquarters.

Work Spaces and Art Spaces

When I got up to go to lunch today and realized I needed to get my phone I was struck by all the various projects spread out over my desk. Everyone one of those little pink pieces of paper has a task written on it that needs my attention. I wish I could report that by the end of the day those were all dispensed with, but, alas, that is not the case. In fact, I think I added a few more as the day went on.



Tonight I've been working in the studio and could only chuckle when I looked at the work space there. I keep letting things migrate toward the area I'm working in until there's barely enough room for me to work. Then I tidy everything up and start the process over again. I guess the phone is the one consistent thing.

I did two new pieces tonight and finished off a couple of others that needed to be varnished.

This is one I did the other day. Don't you love that photo? It's out of an old magazine ad.