Back to Hutchinson

I am back in Hutchinson - just in time for the impending snow storm. Yes, the "spring snow storm," as the weather people are affectionately calling it. We're supposed to get somewhere between 2 and 10 inches, depending on which news service you listen to, starting tonight and finishing at noon on Saturday. Saturday, by the way, would be the "frost free date" here - just in case you were thinking of putting out some plants.

It's dark so I can't see how my things look from the snow that fell while I was in Kentucky. I'm guessing my tender little oregano and parsley may not have liked being covered with snow. Oh well... so it goes.

Real Men Wear Pink

Since I've been in Kentucky I've been playing with fabric. I've been wanting to make some craft aprons and I found this fabric in Paducah that I thought was perfect to use. Paducah has a lot of fabric because it's "Quilt City."

Besides having access to lots of fabric, my sister in law, Mary Ann, had her sewing machine set up because she has been making quilts. Well, naturally, this was an ideal set up for me to play. So, I did.

I finished this one a couple of days ago. My brother, Jackie, thinks I'm a little crazy to go buy fabric, then cut it up into little pieces and sew it back together. But, Jackie is nothing if not a sport. So, tonight he decided to model the finished product. I think he makes it look even better.



See, real men wear pink. And so do real women.

I made another one tonight that is more subdued in coloring. And I have a couple of others in process.

I can't quilt - it requires too much focused attention for too long of a time. But this gives me all the satsifaction of choosing fabric, without having to commit to the length of time a quilt takes.



The real truth of the matter is that I'm addicted to fabric. And with this sort of project a quarter yard is plenty. So, you get to pick lots of it.




Obviously, the raw materials pale in comparison to Jackie's modelling of the finished product.



Mary Ann decided yesterday that I must belong to her instead of Mama since Mary Ann and I like to do the same sorts of things. Mama sewed when she had to make something but she would have thought this was a bit of an odd way to spend one's time. Mary Ann and I just think it's loads of fun, however.

Lunch with One of My Favorite People on the Planet

I had lunch today with BC and Cathy. BC, my great nephew, has been one of my favorite people on the planet since he arrived here almost 17 years ago. (April 25 is a  shared birthday for him and Jim.) BC has always been someone with a really pleasing personality. He's just fun to be around - he was that way when he was two and he's that way now.

I was tickled that Cathy called me for lunch with them today. It was good to hear what's going on in his life - from being the regional treasurer for FFA to his leadership classes, to his continual starring roles in hunting and fishing videos. I swear, he has a more active calendar than I do. Fortunately, he also has mom, Cathy, to act as organizer. Maybe if Cathy were organizing my life it would run more smoothly, too. Unfortunately, I think BC's schedule is all she can manage.

I visited with Mattie and Jim a bit today and otherwise just worked on MHA stuff on the computer and on my latest sewing project. I'll try to post some photos soon. It is just too tempting - Mary Ann has the dining room set up for making quilts for there's a sewing machine, rotary cutters and boards, an ironing board, etc. So, it's fun to play.

I did manage to capture a neat sunset tonight. Bobby was down and he and Jackie were working on one of Bobby's guns. I glanced out the window and saw there was a neat sunset happening so I jumped in the car to go get a photo where there were no power lines visible. There are still a few places - albeit very few - where you can get such a view.

Easter Sunday Rambling Thoughts

It has been a quiet Easter Sunday here. Jackie and Mary Ann went to sunrise services and then the normal church services this morning and evening. I slept in and then went out to see Jim and Mattie.

I then went to Paducah to get flowers to go on the graves. My mom always put flowers on the graves of my dad, his parents and grandparents, and the grave of my Aunt Eva's first husband, Jesse Pace, and their son, Donnie. She also tended to those of her parents, her sister Audrey and her husband, as well as some great aunts and uncles. Now that my mom is laid to rest beside my dad it is my place to tend the graves. I'm not sure why it's my place, but it is. And so I do, whenever I'm here.

A few years ago I started making at least an annual trip to Murray, Kentucky, where my beloved Aunt LaVerne (Marjorie LaVerne Terrell Duffany Gordon) is buried. Her children live away and her husband remarried and moved on, so she is there by herself, on a beautiful hilltop. I doubt very much it matters to her, but for some reason it matters to me. So, at least once a year I go there and put fresh flowers on her grave. I take the ones that have a bit of life left in them and put them on the gravea of her neighbors in the cemetery.

I have been doing this for some years now, long before my mother died almost six years ago. For some time I did it without anyone knowing. I'm not sure why, but I just did.

Once I went to put flowers on her grave and there were bright, new, fresh flowers on it. I had no idea where they had come from. I inquired at the office and they had no idea. They were not flowers like a florist would send, but ones like an individual would bring. It was a mystery.

I went back to the  local store where I'd just gotten flowers, and bought some plastic bags and put my business card inside the bag, along with a note, explaining who I was and how I was related to her, and asked to be contacted by whoever was putting flowers on her grave. I put it inside the metal vase, so if the flowers were changed out the note would be seen. Each time I went I would write the date on the paper and put it back into the baggie and back inside the vase.

Then one time I went and the note was gone and there were new flowers. The baggie was still there, but the note had been taken. I was sure I would get a phone call or letter, but it never came.

So I started over again, with another piece of paper and another note - this time with work and personal numbers and an email address. Now, a few years later, I've had to start yet another note because the paper was full. Still, no idea of who else puts flowers on her grave. It hasn't happened in a few years now. Has that person moved on? Died? Lost interest?

I still leave a note in a baggie inside the vase each time I put flowers on her grave. Maybe one day the mystery will be solved. Maybe it never will. I do wonder who else loved my Aunt LaVerne enough in life that they remember her in death. Did she have a secret life? Or is it a much simpler explanation?

I often wish Aunt LaVerne were buried in Barlow, along with her parents and grandparents. When she died they lived near Murray, and I suppose it made sense to her to be buried there. Her second husband was from near there. But I don't like it that she's there without any "context." Here there would be context - people would say, "Oh, that was Luther's youngest - she went out to California - then moved back to somewhere around Murray later on..." But, these are things I think about that maybe no one else does. I think about them because of the geneaology research I've been doing off and on for many years. (www.myatt.org)

When your family has largely been in one place for generations, it's easy to accumulate some history - most of it in the graveyard eventually. Our family story is played out there in row after row of the Barlow, Kentucky cemetery - some in the "old cemetery" and some across the road in the "new." In some ways it's quite comforting. There's a continuity in it - somehow everyone lives on because the memories are still alive.

I never met my great grandmother, Randy (short for Maranda Rose Spears Campbell Myatt), but I go visit her grave in Oscar, Kentucky because I know her through the stories of others. I wish she and Henderson, her husband, were in Barlow, too, but they're just a few miles away. It makes one appreciate the idea of family cemeteries when you think about such things, but people still move around and end up other places. If family cemeteries really worked, we'd all be buried in the Myatt one in North Carolina, so there you go.

I'm a person who has never felt "settled." I thought when I purchased a home that I would feel like I had a place where I belonged. But, I feel no more settled now than I did before that. Life for me is always about the possibilities and the now. But the past is what anchors me and gives me a foundation from which to explore. Without the love of my family, here and departed, I could never be comfortable enough to seek out the newness I constantly desire. That love is the rock - the foundation - on which one builds a life that may include constant seeking, and being unsettled. The only place I am certain I "belong" is in the Barlow, Kentucky cemetery when I depart this world. I know that.

Otherwise, where one lives seems pretty inconsequential, as long as those you care about are accessible. By and large people work and play and live, and they do it the same way regardless of where they live.

Sometimes I'll be driving around here and I have this overwhelming urge to live in Ballard County again. I have this fantasy of having a house here and making a home here. And then I remember that I have a whole life going elsewhere. There are people I depend on, who depend on me - there are responsibilities and joys and traumas - just as there are for everyone. And I remember that I've thought about this before.

I left home when I was 17 to go to college and other than about four weeks the following summer, I never lived at home again, although I visited regularly. I have lived in Kansas longer than I lived in Kentucky but I never think of Kansas as home. It's too alien to me. Still. The people, the culture, the places, the landscape - it's all alien to me.

I have learned to appreciate the prairie. There is a beauty in a prairie that's blooming, just as there is beauty in a road covered with trees. And there is a sound that only the prairie makes, just as there is a sound only the confluence of the rivers makes. You have to listen with a discerning ear to hear either of them.

All those little bits of life are what I appreciate. In some ways I'm such a simple person and in some ways so complex. I get tremendous joy from talking with Jim and Mattie or joking with Mary Ann and Jackie.At the same time, I'd like to pack up and move abroad - maybe to Egypt or Paris or other parts as yet unknown. How can these things coexist in one person? I don't understand it and I am that person.

I was mulling all this over tonight as I drove home, treated to a reddening sky. There is something magical about a sunset where there are no silhouettes of buildings on the horizon.

Pineapple Souffle

Every family has their inside jokes. In my family, one is that Kim can't cook. Now, of course, this isn't true. But, all the other women in the family are good cooks and we've been doing it for a long time and we don't get too excited about it. Kim wants to know all the details when she starts to cook something, and this has been the cause of much mirth in the family.

One time she wrote down a recipe at Cathy's house and, because she was talking while doing it and went off and forgot the recipe card, which was to be discovered by Bob. Now, we all adore Bob, but he is the ultimate jokester. He could barely wait to call Kim and ask if he could come watch her when she made the pecan pie because he wanted to see how she used the 1 1/2 eggs she had written on the card.

At another family gathering, the subject of mashed potatoes came up. Kim peels one per person. There are three in their family - she peels three potatoes. Cathy and I kind of looked at each other with incredulity, and Cathy said she peels five pounds when it's the three in her family eating. I agreed, that I made a bunch when I made mashed potatoes. When Kim regained her composure, and got somewhat over her shock, she questioned us more throughly, certain she had misunderstood. This has been the subject of much laughter - especially since Kim, ever a good sport, tried peeling more only to have to throw some out.

Well, I think I've painted the picture sufficiently. Kim is very good natured, and invites the cooking jokes at her expense, and the rest of us never disappoint.

Yesterday at Mattie and Jim's, Kim made a Pineapple Souffle. Well, it was quite the hit. One of the gentleman there wanted to know who had made it. Mary Ann answered that it was her daughter-in-law, Kim, at which point this elderly gentleman promptly announced that he would marry the woman that made that.

Today, after he and Leah went home, Johnny called Mary Ann to get Kim's phone number because Leah wanted to get the recipe. I joked with my brother, Jackie, that I hoped Kim called Bob to tell him that she was getting requests for her recipe.

Well, she did, and Bob enjoyed that, too.

I decided I should call and ask for the recipe to share here. I was person number three who had requested it.

When I talked to Kim she recited the ingredients and then said, "is that five?" I said yes, and she said, "OK, that's it then. I don't make anything that's got more than five ingredients." I had forgotten Kim's five-ingredient-rule.

This prompted me to go back and look through the photos from yesterday, to see if I had any pix of the now-famous dish. Fortunately, I did. And in two seperate photos, people are dipping into that very thing.



I particularly enjoyed the fact that Bob is visible in the background here as Joyce dips into the Pineapple Souffle.

Although the photos don't do justice to this now highly sought after item, I did try to crop in on it in the various photos where it was visible. It should be noted this was a double recipe - just so there's no confusion.



And look at it just a few photos later...


We didn't know then what a treasure we had in our midst! I didn't eat any and I'm starting to feel like I really missed out. I guess I'll have to make some myself.

And... just in case you want to do the same... Kim, like all good cooks, generously shared the recipe.

Kim's Famous Pineapple Souffle
that generate marriage proposals and numerous recipe requests
all the while keeping within the five-ingredient-rule

1 8 ounce can crushed pineapple (not lite)
1 stick melted butter
4 slices bread, diced
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar

Mix all ingredients and bake at 350 degrees in a 2 quart casserole for about 45 minutes.

Then the Fence was Gone

Well, yesterday I said I'd get a photo of Johnny today since he escaped my camera lens during the big family gathering. Fortunately, when I arrived at Mattie and Jim's today, Johnny and Wayne were busy tearing out a fence in the backyard.

Of course, this required much discussion...

And ripping out posts...

And then replacing posts for tomato cages. But no need to hammer those into the ground by hand when you can use a tractor to push them in. I'm not sure this is one of the recommended uses of a tractor, but it did work.

However, Leah was sure it was a little off...

It didn't seem to me that her help was appreciated.

Wayne did take a little time to play with Sam, who liked to fetch the discarded chunks of wood and then chomp on them for awhile. Not sure what was so fun about that, but he was having a great time at it, so you can't argue with success.

But that was just a brief break. They got the fence out and all but a couple of the holes filled. They had a list of things they wanted to accomplish this weekend and most got done. Painting the porch didn't happen, though, because it was just too chilly to be doing that. It seems Easter Sunday will be a little nippy tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Jim shocked his granddaughter, Leslie, today when she walked in and saw him on the computer. He has only gotten interested in the computer in the last few months. I'm proud to say he's a regular reader of this blog. Well, at least that's what he tells me. I guess your brother has to say such a thing.

Leslie took a picture herself. I decided it was a good idea to do the same. Of course, maybe it's easier to get people to read when they're reading about themselves. That's a good trick for me to remember for the future...

Family

Today has been a big family gathering. I've seen people I haven't seen in more than a decade, and even met some folks I didn't know before. My brother, Jim, wanted to have everyone to their house today and so we all showed up. And when I say, "all," I mean all - including his granddaughter and my great niece, Leslie, who I hadn't seen in many, many years. She lives in Mississippi.

I affectionately refer to both Jackie and Jim as "big brother," because to me they both are my older brothers. But there's less than two year's difference between them, so I'm the only one who can call Jim "Big Brother." For some reason that occurred to me as I was driving to Kentucky.

It was a day filled with lots of laughter and lots of stories. Wayne is a big story teller, as are Jackie and Bobby, my brother Jackie's son's. I seem quiet by comparison, if you can imagine. That's Wayne in the photo above with his mother, Mattie.

To the right here is Angie, Wayne's oldest daughter and Mattie and Jim's oldest grandchild. She was there with her husband who I'd not met before and their kids.

Angie's son, Alex, turned six this week. His new sister, Hannah, is nine. They were less than excited about all of these people they didn't really know. Remember when your parents made you go to some boring function with lots of people you didn't know and there wasn't anyone fun to play with? Exactly.

Frankly, they did very well, playing for a long time. I think maybe the Easter Bunny had made an early visit.

Some of Mattie's brothers and one of her sisters were there today. I hadn't seen any of them in ages, so it was cool to see them. She also had some cousins visiting I'd never met before.

Kenneth, on the left here, lives in Wisconsin, so we don't get to see him very often. He was catching up with Bobby and Jackie. Kenneth is the baby in Mattie's family.

Bobby and Cathy (above) and Jackie and Kim (below) all live here so I get to see them whenever I come in. They're all great fun to be around.

I am thrilled that Mattie and Jim are living here, now, too. That means that I get to see them much more often, as well as their sons, Wayne and Johnny.

Somehow my nephew, Johnny, escaped my camera lens today. I'll have to make up for that tomorrow. I had not met his girlfriend, Leah, until today. She is very sweet. I got the feeling she didn't care too much for having her photo taken.

That's Leah on the right, and Joyce on the left. Joyce is Wayne's significant other.

I love having both my brothers in one place. That's Mary Ann and Jackie in the photo below.

I was struck by technology today, more than once. Not only were there a couple of us taking digital pix, but whenever a phone would ring, it meant a dozen people had to check to see if it was their phone. Also, phones were the digital photo conveyance of choice.

To show pictures of kids...

and pictures of horses... (it IS Kentucky, after all)

I'm really blessed to have family I enjoy. I thought I'd try to share photos since I talk about everyone occasionally. As I said, Johnny escaped me today but I'll try to correct that tomorrow.

And this is an opportune time to suggest that you make plans now for a summertime family reunion. You may discover there are people you're related to that you like on multiple levels.

Chinese Garden on PortlandMany

I have a bad habit that I can't seem to break. I go somewhere and see or do something really cool - I take lots of pictures and gather tons of information - and I fully intend to blog it - in great detail. And a year later, or two years later, the photos are languishing in my harddrive, the information is scattered here and there, and life has moved on offering yet new cool things to blog.

Well, I'm trying to rectify this on even a tiny scale by sharing some photos from last fall's trip to the northwest.

One of my favorite stops was a visit to the Chinese garden in Portland. It was on my "maybe" list, and could have easily been missed. Thank goodess I got there. It was an amazing place.

It covers a relatively small area, but it seems much larger. And it's right downtown. I can't recommend it heartily enough. If I lived in Portland I would definitely have a membership so I could go all the time.

They have these amazing rocks that were brought from China that has these holes in them. They're a specific formation and incredibly cool.

There were tons of water lillies and fishies, of course.

And a ton of amazing vistas...

all with great walkways...

Many, many, many of the pathways were these intricate designs of rocks. They had a dozen different combinations and everyone was incredible cool. One of these days I'll get more of the pictures done and post them.

As you may know from reading here I am a rock lover, so this was paradise on many levels to me.

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

Travel

I've been thinking a lot lately about travel. I think it is time for me to visit Morroco. I've wanted to go for a long time, and it's not a place I've been able to interest anyone else in going, so I think I just need to make plans and go on my own.

I really enjoy travelling with a companion - it's fun to share discoveries with someone and splitting expenses is another bonus. But, alas, my taste in travel seems a bit out of step with everyone I know.

It's also hard to find a hotel arrangement that fits everyone's tastes. I'm content with something basic, but with some niceties. I like to have a private bathroom. I don't *have* to have it, but I like to - and that's what I consider a nicety. Others can't imagine staying somewhere that doesn't provide a hairdryer and coffee maker. I don't use a hairdryer or drink coffee, so I don't care. It's hard to find something that can satify all those wants and still be what I consider a good deal.

I like things to be relatively clean, but the decor is not a huge issue for me. I stayed in a place in San Francisco that had cotton candy pink flowers on the wallpaper, highlighted with gold, a red bedspread and powder blue tile in the bathroom. Others might have been horrified. I just paid my $42 and settled into the clean, but unattractive room, and prided myself on the deal I'd found - a block down from a conference hotel where the cost was four times that for a night. I know people who would have been terrified to stay there because it wasn't perfectly pretty. I know others who would consider it far more than you need - a hostel would do. I want something inbetween.

Of course, I'm delighted to stay in a very upscale place, but I don't want to spend all my travel budget on where I lay my head. I want something decently cheap and decently clean. Whatever perks I can have - elevator, private bath, fluffy towels, etc. - are great, but there's a limit to what I want to pay for them.

All of this rambling to say that I don't think I'm going to find anyone who wants to go to Morroco anytime soon. So, I think I need to start making plans - doing some studying, some research and start looking for some deals. I'm sure there are some to be had if I just pay attention over a long time frame.

It has been too long since I've been abroad. I start to long for it. And I try to satisfy the urge with other kinds of travel but it always falls short. There's nothing quite like negotiating in a language you don't speak in a culture you don't understand. Exhilerating.

My friend, Trish, the city council person

Well, I just knew it was going to happen and it did! Trish won her bid for the Hutchinson City Council today.

Congratulations Trish!
I have been going around for weeks saying I was looking forward to saying, "my friend, Trish, who's on the city council."

Trish was so excited and it was great to see her that way. She was talking to her sons on the phone and I couldn't resist a photo.

She has worked really, really, really hard on this election, as has her husband, Jim (in the red sweater, below). They have had coffees to talk to people, had gatherings in people's homes, put out yard signs all over town and done door to door campaigning.

The best part of it all is that Trish will do a fabulous job. She got elected not just because she campaigned, but because she has a long history of working hard in this community, giving of her time and talent, and proving herself a great leader. I was thrilled that she also got the endorsement of the local newspaper.

She had a very worthy opponent who has also been involved in the community in a variety of ways. It was a good race, with real choices in many offices.

I was joking with Trish that she has constituents now. There were lots of people at the Anchor for the victory party.
I went down about 8:30, figuring it would be another hour or so before there were significant results and they already knew she had won. So, I missed the big announcement because I was doing laundry.

But I saw Jim as soon as I arrived and he told me the news. I couldn't wait to give Trish a big hug.



Teresa was excited for her, too.







I'm so very proud of Trish for the way she has run her campaign. Jim has been an exceptional campaign manager. And their hard work paid off tonight.

Now we get the privilege of having Trish represent all of Hutchinson on the city council.

She will do a great job, listening to everyone, and doing her best for the city. It feels good that we have someone in office who will be devoted to the good of everyone, regardless of their address, their past, or their political affiliation.

Congratulations, Trish!!!



And now I think it might be nice to be walking around saying, "My friend, Trish, the mayor..." We'll see what happens!

For the moment I want her to just relish in this and enjoy every moment of it.