Quote of the Day

"When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free."
— Wendell Berry

Someone posted this on Facebook the other day and if I had ever read it before I had forgotten it. I love Wendell Berry and I love this image of "still water."

I've always returned to the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers near where I grew up in Kentucky to re-center myself. When I read this, it occurred to me how that is the opposite of still water.

Poets have such an amazing grasp of the language. I've become convinced only poets can offer these turns of phrase that stay with us.

I think maybe I need to find more still water in my life.

Bzinga

This is obviously someone I should know. I think we might become friends.

I spotted this in traffic Monday afternoon on 30th street. Fortunately, I was right behind them and could take a photo.

We need some system in our society for communicating to people we don't know - "Hey, I see you love this thing... and I love this thing too... lets see if we could be friends." But, people would think you're very, very odd - and probably scary - if you did that. Pity, because most of us could use more friends.

If you're not a fan of "The Big Bang Theory" on CBS, it's funny and incredibly witty. This is a reference to what the character, Sheldon, (who I happen to have a major TV crush on, but that's another story altogether) says when he makes a joke.

I've been watching since the first episode and in case you don't know me well enough to know how little TV I make it a point to watch, it's astonishing that I know it's on Monday nights but is moving to Thursday nights in September. It's the only TV show I make it a point to arrange things around when possible. It's intelligent and very witty.

Who Expects You to Be Somebody

I'm reading the book, "Vital Friends" by Tom Rath. In the first few pages a question is posed that I'm still thinking about - "Who expects you to be somebody?"

We all know about self-fulfilling prophesy and peer-pressure. This question seems to embody both concepts.

Maybe this is a key to why some people thrive in life and some don't. Some people are expected to, and they can't imagine disappointing whoever believes they're capable of whatever is expected. That may be becoming a doctor, or getting an electrician's license or being the best baker on the block.

Years ago I was speaking with a woman who ran an agency devoted to helping homeless people. During the conversation about her work, she mentioned in an off-handed way, "Most of our people are homeless because they don't have a support system." I questioned her more about this and she said, "They don't have anyone to turn to - no family or friends - no support system - so they end up on the streets."

This was obviously common knowledge to her. It was well understood and accepted in the field, and known to be a bigger issue than the mental health problems and addictions that many people associate with homelessness. But to most of us the idea that one person who believed in them, one person who cared, one friend, could have changed that is astonishing.

Those of us who have people in our lives who expect something of us, and who we can turn to, should thank our lucky stars.

Diamond W Wranglers

Greg and I spent the day with the Diamond W Wranglers in Wichita, taking photos for them to use on an upcoming CD. We went to the show tonight, and while my number one job was to get photos of the drummer, I couldn't resist this snapshot at the end of the show of all four of them.

It was a very full, and very tiring, day - but I think we got some good stuff. I haven't even looked at the "real" photos - just my snaps I took during the show. Hopefully we got something they'll like.

It was hot, hot, hot, which wore us all out. We didn't do as much as we wanted because we just got too hot to function. So, we'll try to do it again when it's a bit cooler outside.

Surrounded by Grace

I decided to go see "Eat, Pray, Love" tonight on a whim. It started at 7:10 and I left my house at 7:01. I went in to buy my ticket and saw the person in front of me was Jocelyn. So, we sat together and then ended up standing in the parking lot talking about art for almost two hours after the movie.

I enjoyed the movie, but the book was better. Of course, much of the book is about introspection, which is pretty hard to bring to the big screen.

One thing that stayed with me from the movie was when they were talking about being "Surrounded by Grace." That's something we all experience every day, and yet take for granted. I'm going to make a conscious effort to be aware of that.

I'm feeling a little down tonight because I'm missing Kansas Dialogue. I've gone for the past few years and I love visiting with people there. When it was time to register I thought I'd need to be at the Cosmosphere this weekend for the play. But, as it turned out I didn't need to. But, by the time I knew that it was more expensive to register for Kansas Dialogue and I couldn't justify spending the extra money. So, I'm staying home this weekend. I'll just have to enjoy it vicariously.

Space War 2000 at Cosmosphere

I went to see Space War 2000 at the Cosmosphere tonight. My coworker, Michele, is in it. It was funny and the costumes alone are worth the price of admission. It's by the Hutchinson Theatre Guild and you can see it Friday or Saturday. Show is at 8 p.m. and tickets cost $8.

Film makers and birds and computers

It was like a scene out of a Hitchcock movie tonight when we came out of the restaurant. The irony of being with someone who makes films and looking up and seeing hundreds of birds perched on wires was not lost on me.

Steve was up again tonight for dinner. He was here last night, too, but I had creative sisterhood so didn't go out with them last night.

Creative Sisterhood was amazing last night. I had really missed being with everyone. We cancelled last month so it had been awhile since we had gotten together. The conversation left me with many things to ponder. I started taking notes early in the evening. Everyone had something to say that seemed important for me to hear.



Last night after Creative Sisterhood I realized my cable modem had died. I was tempted to just run to Walmart and get one last night but decided I'd wait and do a little shopping.

I called Office Max today to see what they had and they told me they don't sell them any more, to get one from the cable company. Greg had been at Walmart last night and told me what they had. So, after work I went to the cable company and talked to the most helpful woman there.

They're running a deal for modems for a penny for new customers. I appreciate that businesses want new customers, but I always feel put off that they're not as interested in keeping my business. It costs significantly more to gain a new customer than to keep one you already have.

I was very nice, but expressed this to the nice lady I was speaking with and she ended up giving me the modem. She pointed out I'd been a customer since 2002. Needless to say, she made me a very happy customer.

Well, I got home and set it all up and discovered the wireless box was bad, too. So, I went to Office Max to get a new one of those. They had a good one on sale and I had two $10 off coupons. She used both of them so I ended up getting a $99 modem for $59, which was great.

So, finally, everything is all set up and functioning again. I have cables running everywhere. I've never figured out how to prevent that.

In the process of moving things around and setting everything up I found another box of personal business cards. I thought I had more, but couldn't find them. Of course, just this morning I got the email that the new ones I just ordered had shipped. Naturally, it's a new design, so now these seem out of date although all the information on them is correct. I'm sure some purpose for them will present itself.

I'm feeling fun is on the horizon and it's a good feeling. I've been being so diligent about saving money to pay medical bills for more than a year that I've been denying myself. I've decided I simply have to allow myself some amount of fun. To do otherwise is not good for my mental health and as I said at Creative Sisterhood last night, I certainly can't afford that! So, I am going to look for a happy medium. I hope I can find one. "Medium" is not my best thing - I'm pretty much an all or nothing girl. But, I'm going to try and find some middle ground.

cable modem

I'm blogging from my phone because my cable modem has given up the ghost. Was working right after work. When I came in about 10 it was dead. Tried different cable. Tried reset. Think the only option is a new one. So... no major blogging tonight. Tomorrow I will address this problem.

"The Headlight" - a Singing Book from 1873

This weekend at the flea market I bought this book to tear up and use in art projects.

It's called, "The Headlight : A new and original singing book for the use of juvenile classes, public schools and seminaries including the popular operetta entitled, Grandpa's Birthday." It was published in 1873 by White, Smith & Co. of Boston.



I thought I should search it online before I ripped it up and now I'm not so sure I should. There's one online for $46 and one for $107. Of course, they're both still there, which is also telling.



One of my favorite things about it, and what prompted me to part with my $2.50 was the writing in it. I love handwriting and this is beautiful, old fashioned script.



The owner, apparently, was Miss C A Childs of Burlingame, Kansas in 1874. On the inside front cover are numerous other names and cities. Olathe, Leavenworth, Blue Rapids, ElDorado and Montanau Kansas are all mentioned.



I'm not sure what I'll end up doing with this book, but I'm thinking it was worth the $2.50 I paid for it.

Quote of the Day

Today you are You, that is truer than true.
There is no one alive that is Youer than You.
---Dr. Seuss

Introspection

Steve is in Wichita to see Baseball Around the Clock and came to Hutchinson late this afternoon to have dinner with us. It was great to see him.

Steve is one of those people I never have enough time to talk to. He's a really fascinating person. He loves to travel and most recently visited South America. He thinks in different ways and I really enjoy conversation with him.

Steve reads this blog regularly, which flatters me. He tells me I make him think, which I take as a huge compliment.

He mentioned to me tonight that I'm the most introspective person he knows. Earlier in the day Martha emailed, referencing the same sort of thing.

Of course I only have access to my own thought process so cannot compare it to how other people think. On some level I guess I am pretty much always in an introspective mood. As I take in new information I contemplate it in the context of things I already know or think, and come up with new thoughts.

I spare blog readers from all of that most of the time. But, obviously it slips in more than occasionally.

Blessed

May your day be blessed by friends who encourage you when you need it.

Thank you, Martha.

Books from 1961, hand crocheted linens and recipe files

Last weekend I ran across this book, "Mike Mars, Astronaut," at a yard sale. It was published in 1961 and had some cool illustrations in it. I bought it, along with some others, with the idea of using them in artwork.

But, before I started ripping that one up I thought I should see if it was something the museum would like. I had to go to the Cosmosphere last Saturday anyway because a newspaper crew was coming in, so I just took the book straight to the office. Monday I looked it up and found out it's the first in a series, and is worth a few dollars. When I say, "few," I mean five or six - not exactly the proverbial goldmine.

I ran into Meredith from collections on Saturday and mentioned it. Monday I sent her the info I'd found on it online. She told me they'd definitely like to have it, so I donated it to the museum.

It's kind of cool that I've had any part in putting something in a museum, but it's not like it was my long loved, dearly appreciated book from childhood. Regardless, it's fun.

This has been a frantically busy week. Monday night I made calls for Trish, Tuesday night I was at the courthouse for the returns. Wednesday evening I went to the library for a scheduled meeting but no one else was there so it was obviously cancelled and I had missed that information. Thursday was hectic all day at work and then we had the Social Media Club gathering after work. Today I worked until 7 tonight and didn't even take a lunch break. Now the weekend is here and there are a ton of things I need to get done here. Tuesday night is Creative Sisterhood so I have to clean up enough everyone has a place to sit! They don't expect much more than that from me.

It's quite odd, really, because I'm drawn to photos and the idea of having a house that's a delight to be in all the time. But my own house is cluttered here and there with projects and books and dishes and other things I collect. Of course I could get rid of all those things, but I like them. There's the rub - finding a way to live with the things I love. I just can't imagine a time when I'm going to pass up a stack of hand crocheted doilies and such. I am most likely going to buy them to bring them home and love them if they're affordable.

I realize that none of these things are valuable to other people, and when I'm gone they'll be in the yard with 25 cents written on them, but in the meantime I enjoy them and love them. Maybe I just have extra love for those sorts of things.

This weekend is the flea market. I was thinking it has been awhile since I've run across a recipe card file box for sale. I love those things, filled with recipes deemed important for that life, and that family. Maybe I'll find one this weekend. Who knows what I'll find, but something wonderful I'm betting.

Interesting Things

I've not been writing as much here lately because I'm writing more by hand. I'm turning a lot of things over in my mind and trying to figure some things out.

I wrote last night about being blessed to have friends who are doing interesting things. This leads to the natural question of what am I doing that's interesting. I'm puzzling over that. Trying to answer that honestly. I fear I'm not too pleased with the answer so far.

Eventually, when I've figured it out a bit more, I'll share here. But at the moment all of these thoughts are in the pen and paper stage.

Newness

I have a real need for newness in my life. Not new things, but new ideas, new concepts.

I realized the other night that art is one way I satisfy this urge. I can experiment with materials and techniques and create something new to me.

I love texture and lately I've been playing with ways to emphasize it like in this piece where I've layered color from different sources.

This weekend I bought a book printed in 1935. The yellowing on it is really distinctive and it will make a nice addition to artwork.

All of it add to my sense of new things coming into my life.

I was thinking last night that I'm fortunate to have friends who do interesting things - from Trish who runs for political office to Greg who contributes to the scientific data on cicadas. I know people who make films and make music and write books. I feel rather dull by comparison, but certainly I'm thankful to have interesting people in my world. I'm blessed.

Judge Trish Rose

My dear, dear friend, Trish Rose, won her bid tonight for District Judge. It has been a battle. Greg took most of these photos, including this one that captured the moment when the celebrating began.



There was much jubilation when she won. You may not be able to tell, but we're all literally jumping up and down.



We alternately went from jumping up and down to double checking the results on the screen.





Trish filed for the position in February, and because she filed so early no Republicans filed against her. Then, at the last minute, another democrat filed against her. So, the position was actually decided tonight in the primary. It's an unusual situation, and certainly in this republican stronghold.



We gathered at the courthouse tonight to watch the returns come in. Periodically we would go downstairs to see how many precincts were yet to be counted. Finally, they told us there was only one precinct left and she had 55% of the vote.



Trish and I have been friends for at least a couple of decades now. She is one of the best human beings on the planet and I'm so thankful the voters recognized that. She's kind and fair - two qualities a person needs to be a good judge.

The newspaper endorsed her opponent saying he was more experienced. I did not agree with that at all. Thank goodness the voters ignored the endorsement, depite her opponent playing it up - as anyone would do.

He's a nice guy, but I wasn't impressed with how he filed at the last minute. Of course, that's perfectly legal and is certainly a strategic move. Nonetheless, I didn't find it very classy - particularly not from someone in the same party that has a pretty small group of involved folks. I suppose if he had been my good friend for 20 years I'd feel differently. And I guess that's how things always shake out.

He was very gracious in congratulating her once it was apparent she had won, and made a quick exit to let us celebrate. I do feel for him and his supporters tonight. It's never easy to lose.



My hat is off to democrats and independents in Reno County who looked beyond the newspaper's endorsement and the letters in the newspaper filled with untruths, and voted for Trish, the person they thought would do the best job.

Tonight we all went upstairs to see the courtroom she will be in. It's a beautiful place.



Her husband, Jim, who has worked very hard on the campaign was relieved too.



Alice, who was working in there trying to clean, but let us barge in and celebrate, was gracious enough to take a photo of all of us.



I've always been honored to call Trish my friend. And I'm thrilled for her that she won this election she has worked so hard for.

Judge Trish Rose. It has a nice ring to it.

This is her new office.

First Generation of Women to Vote

Tuesday, August 3, is the primary election. Please get out and vote.

I'm the first generation of women in my family born with the right to vote. Yes, the first.

I was born late in my parents' lives, and my mother would be 90 now if she were alive. She was born the year before women got the right to vote. Yes, do the math on that - women have not had the right to vote for even a century yet.

My mother, my grandmother and all the women who came before us had no say in the political process. Obviously, it's incumbent on me to take voting seriously, and I do.

We've come so far in one generation. One of my best friends, Trish Rose, is running for District Judge. I will certainly be voting for her and I hope if you're in Reno County you'll consider a vote for her, too.

The polls are open rom 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow. Exercise your right to vote. People around the world are dying for the chance to have a say in their governments. Don't be so frivilous with something people give their lives for. Vote.

Weekend Ending

Had a little time in the studio this morning. I wish I could spend many more hours in there every day. It's one of the things that makes me really happy.

The weekend is ending and, yet again, I didn't have time to do everything I wanted to do while I was off work. I need to squeeze an extra 4-5 hours into every day it seems, and somehow still get some sleep. Or, I need to find a job that pays me a lot more money for fewer hours so I would have more non-work hours during the week.

I think I've come up with a new business card design I like. I want to leave it overnight and look at it with fresh eyes in the morning.

I had three things on my list for this weekend and I finished one, almost finished one and made some progress on the final one. Unfortunately, I didn't get any of the other things I had hoped might get done even started. I'm not sure how to find more hours in the days. I work on something pretty much every waking moment and I still can't get it all done.

And somewhere along the way I'd like to have a social life, too. I know, I've always wanted it all, what can I say? But I like my friends. I'd like to see them occasionally.

New Business Cards

I've been working off and on today on new business cards. I thought I had another box of cards, but apparently I don't, so I need to get some quickly. I've had personal cards for years, and apparently I go through them quicker than I realized.

So, I essentially have a blank canvas. I can do anything I want to do. This makes decisions difficult. I've been looking at pictures, deciding if I want to use something like that on the card.

Maybe black type on a white card would be the way to go - simplicity at its finest. It would be simpler, but I'm better that's not what I end up doing.

A New Take on the Political Process

Driving around going to yard sales today I ran across this sign. It says, "Re-elect No One." It's a different take on the political process I guess.

Full Day

My day started with an opportunity to touch something that flew on the Space Shuttle. How cool is that?



The museum just got a flag that flew on the final mission of Atlantis in May. It's still sealed in the fire retardant bag. And, the funniest part of it all to me - the bag is pink. You've got to love that.

At lunchtime today I did a social media training at the Chamber of Commerce. We had a full room, which was great.



The Social Media Club we've started offered this free training to the community. The Chamber's small business group was interested in it, so we partnered with them to make it happen. It was great to have it in the chamber board room - such a nice comfortable place.

I was so pleased that everyone who had registered for it came. We offered it for free, and one of the difficulties with that is that people sometimes don't take things seriously when they haven't paid for them. But everyone came.



Overall the evaluations were very positive. One person was negative - wanting more step by step instruction - but our goal was to give an overview of the tools and what you can do with them. That step by step process is just not possible without being in a training lab and being totally focused on that to the exclusion of anything else. And you can't do it with this large of a group. Fortunately, I've learned the library is offering just such a class in a couple of weeks, so people can get that there.

But, hopefully, most folks got something valuable out of it. It was a great opportunity for the Social Media Club and for the community.

It's rare for me to donate my time for these trainings since it's one of the consulting jobs I do on the side, but I made an exception because I thought it was just too perfect a chance for all concerned. Maybe when all my medical bills are paid I can do these sorts of donations more often.

The Days Zip By

The days are zipping by quickly. I'm working on projects as fast as I can but I can't seem to get everything done. So many interesting things to do and just not enough time to do them all.

I've giving a social media presentation tomorrow. This one is focused specifically on Facebook so it will be more straight-forward. I hope people get something valuable out of it.

I'm reminded of what Rebecca Ryan said last night about ideas are easy, it's making something happen that matters. I agree. But, things do have to start with an idea - a workable idea.

Ideas are a Dime a Dozen

After work today I attended an event at the Fox Theatre. The Growth Coalition asked Rebecca Ryan to skype with the community this afternoon. She made some comments and then there was a discussion about the seven index areas she lays out in her book.

The most insightful thing I heard all night was from Rebecca Ryan. "Ideas are a dime a dozen. It's execution that matters."

All I can say is, "Amen, Sister."

Acceptance, Enjoyment, Enthusiasm

"If you are not in the state of either acceptance, enjoyment, or enthusiasm, look closely and you will find that you are creating suffering for yourself and others."
--- Eckhart Tolle

When it seemed the whole world was reading "A New Earth," I, too, bought the book. Unlike many people who found it life-changing, I found it rather repetitive. I felt like he made his point with the flower story very early in the book and then just repeated himself for the next couple of hundred pages.

I put the book aside, and then picked it up again months later to discover I had stopped reading just as I was getting to the best part - the last few pages.

This quote is near the end of the book and it is something I felt worthy of highlighting and flagging. Tonight I picked up the book to look at the things I had marked and noticed this again. It still rings of truth to me.

When I think about times when I've been upset, often over petty things, I can't think of any circumstance where I was in one of those three states. The idea that you're causing pain to yourself or others when not in one of those states is sobering.

I've written these three words on an index card and put them near my computer so I'll be reminded of the concept every day. I'll be thinking more about this.

Home

The sky treated us to a magnificent cloud display tonight. As usual my photo doesn't do it justice.

I came home from having dinner with Greg and was standing in the front yard taking photos of the interesting clouds when he called to tell me there was a really cool cloud bank in the south west part of the sky. I decided to drive outside of town, where I could get a better look. A few miles and more than an hour later I returned home with 164 photos.

I was thinking as I was driving around in the country, keeping an eye on the sky, and stopping in the road to take photos regularly, that this is something I like about living here. I like being able look up at an interesting sky and jump in the car and be far enough out of town to get some nice photos while it's still happening.

It's things like this that are so easily taken for granted, and overlooked, when one is contemplating life changes. I'm not sure what it is about our brains that they seem built to accept our "norm" as something that's available to everyone all of the time, even though we know it's not true.

Whenever you make your home, there are some unique qualities and unusual challenges. "Home" is a concept I seem destined to wrestle with constantly. Kentucky is where I was born and where I spent more than the first couple of decades of my life and more "home" to me than anywhere else. I've lived in Kansas longer than that, and although it's where I own a home, I don't think of it as "home" in the same way.

"Home" is about the people, not the place, for me. I'm at home with my family in Kentucky and always will be. I'm at home surrounded by people who care about me in Kansas. That has nothing to do with geography.

When I get right down to it, it seems I don't have a geographic place where I feel at home, and that makes it easy for me to entertain moving. But, I haven't done it. Maybe if I discovered some place that seemed like I was destined to live there I would feel compelled to move and finally feel "at home" on that level, too. But I wouldn't give up people for geography.

Only once have I travelled anywhere and had the feeling of coming home to a place I had never been. Despite all the reasons it made no sense, the night I arrived in Paris I stood looking across the Seine, feeling my feet firmly planted on home territory. But, of course, I could not stay then, or on subsequent trips. And Paris would certainly not allow me to be outside the city, taking photos of a cloud scape, in just a few minutes. But it would offer its own spectacular moments that couldn't be matched elsewhere.

That's true of wherever you call home. It, no doubt, has some extraordinary attractions or you wouldn't be there. It probably has some things you're not completely in love with too. But, for whatever reason, it is home for the moment. Maybe for some "home" can only be one location. I'm not sure if I'm fortunate or unfortunate to feel differently.

Life in a Day

I've been taking video of various things all day long to provide to the "Life in a Day" project by Google and YouTube. It's a global experiment to provide a portrait of this one day on Earth. I capture a lot of moments. Don't know if anything will make it into the final product or not, but it was an interesting thing to do.

First thing this morning I took a video tour of the studio.

Life in a Day Global Experiment

Tomorrow I'll be participating in a global experiment, and you can too. "Life In A Day" is a user-generated feature film - a documentary, shot in a single day, by individuals around the world.

On 24 July, you have 24 hours to capture a glimpse of your life on camera. The most compelling and distinctive footage will be edited into an experimental documentary film, produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Kevin Macdonald.

Twenty-three hours and nineteen minutes left to participate as I write this. Go!

Small Towns and Forward Thinking

I love inventive ideas. You probably know that about me if you've read here for any amount of time.

This is an idea that has really impressed me. Garnett, Kansas, a town of about 3,400 people, put together a weekend getaway package with a $5,000 value. That, in and of itself, is amazing. They're auctioning it off as a fundraiser for the Kansas Sampler Foundation, which works to sustain rural culture.

I'm very impressed with what they pulled together. It's incredible what this small town was able to gather - a great place to stay, catered food, live entertainment and even an aerial tour.

Check out details at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230498788118. Scroll down and read what they organized. If that doesn't prove the ingeunity of small towns I don't know what does.

Brain Storming

I spent the whole day in a brain-storming meeting today. I was a bit nervous about the process for a variety of reasons, but it turned out well.

It was a very full day. I left home well before 7 a.m. and didn't get home until about 6 p.m., but the time was worth it.

Generally I love to brainstorm, but this was not a situation where I could let my brain roam totally free. But I think some good ideas came out of it.

I'm so grateful to Kevin Honeycutt, who gave us a day of his time, and led the discussion. It was inspiring. I'm excited by the possibilities.

Daily Writing

I've been writing almost every day since I was in grade school. I've never quite understood the desire, but cannot ignore it.

My friend, Martha, believes the act of writing every day helps a person define their thoughts and that's part of the reason I'm definitive about most things. I have to admit that often when I'm writing a train of thought occurs to me that I've never considered before. It sometimes leads to insights I don't think I would have had any other way.

At times I drift away from a practice of sitting down with pen and paper and writing something every day, and rely on keyboards and snippets of scrawled notes here and there. It's not the same as sitting down, paper and pen at hand, with the intention of writing your own thoughts down.

Lately I've been serious about doing this and it has given me a new approach to a couple of situations. I seem to need to be reminded of this occasionally.

Duly noted.