The Puerto Rico Jungle

Lately I've been thinking about beautiful places on the planet. Puerto Rico came to mind and I went to find some of the photos from my visit there in July of 2005. Thought I'd share some with you...





These were all taken at El Yunque Rain Forest. These were taken from the top of  the Yokahu Observation Tower.



The tower looks ancient, but it was built in 1962. You can climb the 96 steps and look out where you get these beautiful views of the clouds and the plants and the mixing of the two.

None of these photos really captures how beautiful it is.













It was raining the day we were there, which gave the flowers a dewy look.











It rains a lot there - or at least it did during my visit - and I loved it. I couldn't resist getting some close ups of leaves with rain drops.






One of the things I love about the jungle is how lush everything is. What you don't get a sense of from these photos is that El Yunque is not very "wild." You'd have to get off the well beaten path and it's concrete to find those places. Unfortunately, I was with a whole group and no one wanted to do that so I missed that part.

But, there are beautiful things to see from that concrete.











I'm ready for another visit!


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Question

What is the gift you were meant to bring to the world?

This is a question I'm really pondering these days. It seems like a good question to consider. If we are not being what we are meant to be, we can't fulfill our purpose.

Step one is to identify that gift, of course. Only then can we figure out how to bring it to the world.

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Tea pots on Tea towels

Tea pots embroidered on tea towels. I don't think any more words are necessary to explain how much I love this.

It's one of my finds from the MCC sale this year.

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Quote of the Day

Begin doing what you want to do now. 

We are not living in eternity. 

We have only this moment,
sparkling like a star in our hand
- and melting like a snowflake.
                     --- Marie Beyon Ray
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Digital Eye

The other night I was playing around with the blur tool on a graphics program and kind of scared myself when I saw an eye staring back at me.

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Glen Campbell Concert in Wichita - It Looked a Lot Like Love

A few weeks ago we went to see Glen Campbell in concert at the Wichita Orpheum. As you may know, he has Alzheimer's Disease, and is making his farewell concert tour. I was a bit hesitant to go because I thought it might be sad, but it wasn't.





He is traveling with three of his children, his long time musical director, and two other performers. His daughter and two sons, along with two other performers, come out first and sing a few songs as the band, "Instant People." Campbell comes out then with the musical director and does all the songs you expect.



He still plays and sings great. He uses teleprompters to help him remember the words, and paces around the stage quite a bit. I'm not sure if that's part of the agitation sometimes seen with Alzheimer's or if that's just his way. I've never seen him in concert before, but I remember watching his TV show when I was a kid.





During the performance, everyone keeps an eye on him to help him in any way he needs it. His daughter, especially, is vigilant.





While I had thought it might be sad, it wasn't. In fact, as Greg and I said afterwards, "It looked a lot like love." And indeed it did.



Love manifested before your eyes.



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Quote of the Day

Be glad for life
because it gives you the chance
to love and to work
and to look up at the stars.

             --- Henry Van Dyke

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Meanings that Remain

This is called the pineapple pattern, for the obvious reasons. It's one of my favorite patterns, not just because of its graceful curves, but because of the other meanings.

Pineapples have been a symbol of hospitality since the Victorian era. If you look closely, you'll find them decorating newel posts, carved into doors, and scattered throughout Victorian homes.

There's a good chance that when this was made, the meaning behind the pineapple had already been lost. It's amazing all the ideas like that that we hang onto, without understanding why.

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The Unnecessary But Stunning Things

I recently went to a tea and as we walked between buildings we were greeted with this beautiful marked path. I knew we were in for a treat.

While this wasn't complex, and could have been done relatively simply, it was that someone thought of it and took the time to do it. These details are what make the difference in an event.

It's always these little things. The unnecessary, but stunning, things - like frothy pink fabric rustling in a gentle breeze, welcoming you inside. These are the things we remember.

Life is always in the details.

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Quote of the Day - Dreams

All men dream, but unequally. 

Those that dream at night
in the dusty recesses of their minds
awake the next day
to find that their dreams were just vanity.

 But those who dream during the day
with their eyes wide open are dangerous men;

they act out their dreams to make them reality.

                   -Thomas Edward Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia)

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Summer Butterflies

I love this hand-embroidered piece. It says "summer" to me. I've not seen another one like it. Something to be loved.

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Chocolate Meringue Cookies

I made these chocolate meringue cookies for the first time a few weeks ago. If you want to give them a go, use some parchment paper and a piping bag - otherwise you'll have a gooey mess all over everything.

You can use a plastic baggie with the end cut off if you don't have a piping bag. You could drop these by spoonfuls, but squirting them onto the parchment will be far easier.


Chocolate Meringue Cookies

2 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1/4 cup chocolate chips, chopped

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, adding cream of tartar as they're beating. Add sugar slowly, continuing to beat.

Fold in cocoa and chocolate.

Put into piping bag and drop onto parchment covered cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

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Hand Crocheted Pot Holders

I love these potholders. I've been buying them for a few years - sometimes for a dime or quarter.

Aside from their beauty and all the hand work involved, I love to think about the kitchens they've adorned before they found their way into mine. They may have been crafted by a young woman about to get married, or given as a wedding gift. Maybe they were made by hands that were caring for young children. Maybe they were made by a doting mother or grandmother.

However they came into being, they're bits of beauty from a time gone by, and I love them.
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White Roses For Mother's Day

On Mother's Day in 2001, we laid my mother to rest. She was buried with a corsage of white roses on her jewel-toned blouse. In the south on Mother's Day we wear a red rose if your mother is living, and a white one if your mother has passed. Mother's Day was on the 13th that year, just like today.

I haven't worn a Mother's Day rose since the year before when, through pure happenstance, I was with her. I wore a red rose on my dress to the services at Ohio Valley Church that morning. Little did I know it would be my last chance to wear a red rose.


When I bought my first house a few months after her death, I planted a rose bush in front - a white rose bush.


I will never have reason to wear another Mother's Day rose. My mother is gone, and I am not a mother. But, I'm so glad Mama had one last Mother's Day corsage.

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The dead have moved on. So should we.

This time of year, when I'm thinking of my mom so much, I'm reminded of this poem, "Finding a Box of Family Letters" by Dana Gioia. It has a line I love:

The dead have moved on. So should we.

Read the entire poem here:  http://www.davidgagne.net/2012/05/03/finding-a-box-of-family-letters/

Of course, this is easier said than done. Mama always said, "Life is for the living." So I try to make sure I'm living every single day.

Greg took this photo of Mama at her 80th birthday party, a little over two years before she died. I'm so glad to have it.



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Blackberries, Signs, Decisions and Mysteries

At 4:32 a.m. on May 11, 2001, my mother passed from this world into the next. It was a Friday that year, too. There has not been a day since that I have not missed her. I am fortunate to be surrounded by some of her things, and I'm grateful to have her lingering energy in my presence.

Yesterday I was in my backyard and found one single ripe blackberry - weeks before it should be ripe. Mama always made a point of picking blackberries for me when I would visit in the summer, because she knew how much I loved them. I picked it by stepping over the wild violets that sprang up in my backyard the first year I lived here and have flourished - wild violets like my mother loved, and transplanted underneath the big maple tree in her yard.

Later in the day I went to a local market and for the first time happened to notice they carry the coconut candy my mother enjoyed. Mama loved coconut - coconut candy, coconut pie, coconut bon bons Sears sold from glass cases when I was young, and fresh coconut when she could get it. Maybe at this time of year in particular I'm just more aware of these reminders, or maybe at this time of year they're just more plentiful. Regardless, I'm thankful for them. I think of her every day without any reminders, but they're nice nonetheless.

Mama did her best to raise me well, but it was not a task she sought. I was one of those accidental pregnancies, more than two decades after her other children were born. She already had grandchildren when she found out she was pregnant with me - not a situation many people seek. I was incredibly lucky to have the benefit of her wisdom that had been gained with age.

I always felt my presence was a burden to her. Who knows how her life might have been different if I hadn't been born. Life offers so many twists and turns. We can't possibly foresee how things will turn out, and how they might have been different but for one small choice.

During the second world war, when my brothers were small, my parents moved to Detroit. Although they lived there only a few years, when Mama spoke of it I could tell it was a good time in her life. What prompted them to go in the first place? Or leave? I don't have all those answers. Their lives would have certainly been different if they'd continued living there. I might not be here. We just never know those things.

We all make a million decisions - large and small - in our lives, that have far-reaching effects. And we are all mysteries, even to those who love us.

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Augusta Historical Society Tea

The Augusta Historical Society has a tea each year. Last weekend was the 17th annual. I've only been able to go once before, but this year my friend, Jan, and I went. It was a perfectly lovely way to spend an afternoon.



This is one of the simpler teas I've been to, but I really like it. They have the food set up in part of the museum, and the tables are in their log cabin. So, you go in a buffet line, but you get the benefit of being able to choose the food you prefer.



They also have place cards so you don't have the hassle of figuring out where you're going to sit, which is a nice touch.



Each table is decorated differently.






Our favors were the log cabin cookies, which were adorable. And perfect, considering the setting.



I love to go to tea and I need to find some more folks who like to go. There used to be a small number of us who would go to any we could find, but it seems it has become Jan and me. She is amazingly wonderful company, but we'd both like to have more folks so if one of us can't go we have others who want to share the experience. Fortunately, it all worked out this time because we ended up going to tea in Augusta one day and to another tea the following day.



I love the whole tea experience!

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God Loves All People - Gay, Black and Unbelieving - And the Christians Who Ignore the Bible

Source: thingstoknowaboutlife.blogspot.com via Patsy on Pinterest

People sometimes use God to justify their personal dislike of one person or another. The God I believe in loves all people. He does not pick and choose like a high school clique gone wrong. He loves black people. He loves gay people. He loves unbelieving people.

I will not accept a Biblical argument or explanation for anything unless that person is living by ALL of the Bible. I've always wondered how the flag-waving, constitution-thumping, conservative Christians reconcile that some of what the Bible teaches is unconstitutional. Personally, I'm anti-slavery, so this isn't an issue for me.

I'm also intelligent enough to understand that the Bible has been translated multiple times, and was written by mere men, and should not be taken literally. But, if you want to use it literally for argument's sake, you must live by all of it, not just the parts you happen to like. If that's not the case, you are being dishonest. I think there are a few words about that in the Bible, too.

The Bible has some wonderful teachings in it. What could possibly be wrong with the Golden Rule? "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" shows up in most cultures and religions in one form or another. It's a basic truth - something we all know inherently - but something we all have trouble doing.

But the Bible teaches much, much more that isn't so clear cut. Only people who are living by ALL of it can use it as a yardstick by which to measure others. It seems like there's something about not judging people, too, but I digress.

If you are a woman who braids your hair and adorns yourself with gold or pearls - or if you lay with such a woman - you have no right to make any argument based on scripture. You are blatantly ignoring it. How dare you presume to use some other part of the Bible to justify your own hatred. Do your own dirty work and leave God out of it.

I am no one's idea of what a "good Christian" should be. But I do know the Bible tells us to be wise. I think it wise to not align myself with any person or group who hides behind God as a way to spread hatred.

That said, I know God loves all his children - even those who have lost their ways. I have certainly been blessed by forgiveness. My own foibles are too numerous to list. I would hope those who are quick to say something is right or wrong based on the Bible will take a moment to consider if they are truly living by all of the Bible before they use some part of it to justify judging another.

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Houses in Our Times

I've been doing a little research today - on a house my parents lived in during the 40s, when my brothers were small. It's a house I never lived in, in a city I never lived in, and yet I'm curious about it. I remember my mother talking about a bakery being nearby and smelling the bread cooking, and about my brothers walking down the street to get ice cream.

I had no idea what the address was, but then I remembered a telegram my mother saved from when she lived there. It was a telegram from her sister, Eva, about her son's death. It said, "Donnie is dead. Body will arrive Monday. Funeral Tuesday." Today I went and looked, and sure enough there was an address on the top of the Western Union Telegram.

So, I found the street on Google maps, and zoomed down the street, looking for the correct address. Before I found it, I spotted a bakery. And there, right across the street, are two houses, one of which has the address from the telegram on the front of it.

There's no telling how many people have lived in that house since July 1, 1944, when that telegram arrived. It's a duplex. I wonder which door received that knock. And how many knocks since.

I believe we always leave behind some energy, wherever we may go. So, although there's probably no one in the neighborhood who remembers a young couple with young children who lived there in 1944, something of them lingers.

Maybe that's why it holds a fascination for me although I have no first hand knowledge of it.

These are amazing times in which we live. I can sit in my office in Hutchinson, Kansas and zoom down a street a few states north, to take a look at the house my parents called home, the neighborhood my brothers played in, and the bakery that is still putting out the smell of fresh bread.

Amazing times, indeed.

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Use Me

This admonition to "Use Me" can be read multiple ways. Stitched on a tea towel, I assume it was designed to be a clever kitchen adornment. But, I think it has far deeper meaning. It says, "Use Me," in bright multi-colored thread, and yet the only stains on it are from storage, not use. Why do we deny ourselves the pleasure of enjoying things like this?

We save china until it gets chipped in storage, set back stationery until it yellows with age, and miss the chance to use things like this to brighten our daily lives. At the flea market yesterday I saw a tablecloth and napkins with the tag still on them - never used, but ruined simply by long term storage.

This tea towel represents creativity and hard work. Someone went to the trouble to conceive of it, design it and stitch it. Then folded it carefully and stored it away, without ever using it.

I bought it at the MCC Sale a few weeks ago. It has been washed and now it will be used. I'm not certain if I'll use it in the kitchen or elsewhere, but it will be used.

To not use things deprives them of their purpose. I'm sure that is not the right order of the universe. It also limits us. We don't enjoy them, then discover that while we've been saving them, they've been ruined.

Fortunately, this still has some life in it. And I will enjoy living with it.

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Questions, questions, questions

Today I had reason to write down some of the questions floating around in my mind. These are geared toward Kansans, about pretty general topics. But I thought it might be interesting for people to see a little peek at a few of the things rattling around in my brain at any given moment. Answers to any of them are most welcome, of course!

These are just the first ones that came to mind this morning. They are not in any particular order - more stream of consciousness. I could have gone on for a few more pages, but I had to get to other things. Is there a job where one can just pose questions all day? Oh yeah... journalist... already been there and done that. 

I do love a good question/discussion topic!

• How can we create systems that encourage creativity instead of squelching it? Can creativity exist within a system?
• Is it really a "back to basics" movement if the internet is included?
• How could Kansas demonstrate it's not homophobic to the rest of the world? Or is it?
• What do you know for sure? 
• What motto do you live by?
• Do you have Rules for Living?
• The energy we create with words.
• The energy we create with intention.
• Is life formed by intention, hard work or just luck?
• Do you create your life or just roll with what comes your way?
• We often hear people talk about the value of "hard work" and how that equates to money. Is that really how it works?
• How are jobs really created? Can we find a new model for that?
• Why do we not value main street the same way we value a big corporation moving in, who's statistically likely to leave in a very few years?
• Would Kansas be different if we had 10 minutes of quiet time every morning - at school, work, home - for prayer, meditation, thought or whatever people preferred? A time we all engaged in stillness - however that manifested for the individual?
• Are there any lessons to be learned from Fred Phelps' group? It's quite extraordinary that a pretty small group is known around the world, has been the catalyst for considerable legislation, and has mobilized other groups. How did they do that? Are there lessons to learn from that?
• What do travelers expect when they come to Kansas? What do we give them? Are they coming "to" or "through?"
• Why do we pay less to people who care for our children and our elderly (teachers, CNAs, etc.) than we do to those who entertain us?
• Why do poets struggle while pop stars flourish? Why do we not value true creativity?
• How did we create a world where pro-football players make far more than businesses on main street who form the structure of a community? Is that the way we want it? If not, how can we do it differently?
• What role do events play as a way for people to gather?
• Social Media Clubs - why would such a thing exist - aren't these people who are already talking to each other?
• What will retail look like in 20 years? Will we still shop or will we order online and have it shipped? If we have things shipped, why do we need the middle man - the shipper who moves products to the stores, or the FedEx guy who brings it to us? Why not just buy direct from the manufacturer?
• What businesses will exist in 20 years? Will there be eyeglass stores? Clothing stores?
• What things cannot be automated or outsourced?
• How much of creativity is inspiration and how much is just hard work?
• Can we create a world where everyone has enough? Do we want to?
• What things of today, or the past, are worth preserving?

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Happy Cinco de Mayo

Hutchinson, where I live, has a big Cinco de Mayo celebration. Part of today's celebration included a contest of chihuahuas in costumes. I have no idea what this has to do with Cinco de Mayo, but since this holiday is largely an American creation, I'll just roll with it. It's fun, so that's enough.

Amazingly enough, this doggie dressed as a fairy - please note the pink toenails - did not win. I didn't even get photos of the winners. There was such a crowd I couldn't get close enough for photos.



Another thing I learned today, "Lil' bit" is apparently a common name for this breed of dog. The above doggie, as well as another one in the contest, shared that name. Of course, this is completely unscientific, but in this sample of fewer than 20 dogs, two of them had that name. Statistically this seems significant.



I've decided it is enough fun to have dogs dressed up that this should be the norm. Of course, I'm not a dog owner, and therefore wouldn't have to purchase and maintain a doggie wardrobe. Nonetheless, it seems it would add a fun element to daily life.

Think of the themes... holiday clothing, everyday clothing, Sunday best... the possibilities are nearly endless.

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Five Years Later - Greensburg's Lessons

It's the five year anniversary of the Greensburg tornado. I was in Greensburg a few days after it hit to do some stories for a radio show, and saw the destruction first hand. At the time I couldn't imagine anything like it ever happening again. Then the Joplin tornado hit last year.

Prior to Greensburg, I had seen tornado damage, but nothing on that scale. I guess there hadn't been anything on that scale, so there's no way I could have seen it. As I watched people sift through the remains of their material lives, I was reminded of just how tenuous things are for all of us.

People often say, "Things don't matter." And, compared to people we love, of course that's right. But, you and I both know, things do matter. The things we can't replace, the gifts from people we love, the items once held and used by loved ones now gone, the things that hold some of our memory energy. Those things do matter.

In Greensburg, and then in Joplin, I watched people sort through the flotsam and jetsam of life - the brightly colored plastic toys that can easily be replaced and such; but also through the things that do matter - like photos of children playing with those toys. My heart broke for them. I could not put myself in their shoes. I understand it's a choice you don't have when faced with the situation. You simply do what you need to do. And people rise, in ways you can't imagine, to face the challenge.

But I realized something more than that - something that shocked me about myself. I couldn't even put myself in the place of the volunteers. People came from all over the country to help people sort through the remains of their materials lives, to salvage what was possible, to remove what wasn't, to offer comfort. I couldn't put myself there mentally.

I understand this does not make me look like a caring person. But, it is true nonetheless. The strength those volunteers have, much less those affected, is something that doesn't live in me. I admire it in others. I pray I never have to search for it in myself.

I'm so thankful others arrived in Greensburg, Joplin and other cities when needed. They astonish me with their ability to stare down the destruction, to help people start to rebuild lives. People who willingly walk into that pain, and gently lessen it, are gifted with abilities I don't have. Such crises demonstrate the best of our human natures. At least for many people. For some of us, our natures are lacking. We marvel at what others can do as we stand on the sidelines, trying to hold tightly to things we know can slip through our hands at any moment.

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