Bedside Meetings

I'm always suspicious of bedside meetings - you know, those times when someone is so ill that people have to gather at their bedside to get their approval, opinion, blessing, fill-in-the-blank. It's never a good idea and I'm always suspicious of the people gathering 'round the bed. They're generally trying to take advantage of someone who's too ill to think clearly.

I used to work with a woman who when her husband's aunt was dying had the attorney draw up new papers giving her and her husband the vacation home the aunt had verbally promised her.

My guess is the aunt had promised her something to get her to shut up, a technique those of us who worked with her could only dream of pressing into action. There was no such luck for us. So we had to listen to her justify having the aunt sign the papers on her death bed for the remaining six days of her life. And frankly, "justify" is a bit strong - that would imply she felt like it wasn't completely appropriate - she felt it was the only normal thing to do.

I'll just fast forward to the part of the story where the husband left her for a woman a third his age, and got possession of the vacation house at the same time. While he was no prize, he at least didn't show up at his aunt's bedside with a new will for her to sign before she died. Maybe only because he had a wife to do it for him, but for whatever reason, he didn't dirty himself that way. Which is just as well, because he was plenty nasty already. I see him around town every once in awhile, and wonder if the current wife knows her days are numbered.

She'll be gone, too, as soon as he meets someone younger who wants to enjoy the vacation home. Then he'll have an affair with her and get divorced and marry her instead. Lather, rinse, repeat. This is an opportune time for me to mention one of the obvious rules of relationships - If he cheats with you, he'll cheat on you. Write it down, ladies, it's a rule to live by. Frankly, write it down, gentleman, it's just as true for women.

Well, you may be wondering where I'm going with this meandering jaunt about bedside meetings. Well, my friend, Mark sent me an AP story this morning about yet another bedside meeting where, yet again, someone was trying to take advantage of an ill person.

And, here's another tip - when even John Ashcroft is iffy on it, don't go there - not at the bedside or anywhere else - just say "no."

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White House pushed Ashcroft on wiretaps

By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press

President Bush's warrantless wiretapping program was so questionable that a top Justice Department official refused for a time to reauthorize it, sparking a battle with top White House officials at the bedside of an ailing attorney general, a Senate panel was told Tuesday.

Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that he refused to recertify the program because Attorney General John Ashcroft had reservations about its legality just before falling ill with pancreatitis in March 2004.

Comey, the acting attorney general during Ashcroft's absence, said then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and former White House Chief of Staff Andy Card responded by trying to get Ashcroft to sign the recertification from his bed at George Washington University Hospital.

During that dramatic meeting, also attended by Comey, Ashcroft lifted his head off the pillow and appeared reluctant to sign the document, pointing out that Comey held the powers of the office.

Gonzales and Card then left the hospital room, Comey said.

"I was angry," Comey told the panel. "I thought I had just witnessed an effort to take advantage of a very sick man who did not have the powers of the attorney general."

The hospital room confrontation had been previously reported, but this was the first time Comey has spoken about it publicly.

Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press

I snapped this photo the other day when Greg and I were headed out in the country to interview someone for the Greensburg story. Obviously, they were not in town. I loved the view because there were no utility poles on either side. It's so rare to find that anymore - even in the country.

The artist in me loves the vanishing point on the horizon. The graphic designer in me wants to slap copy in the sky so the road is pointing to it. Mark Twain had it right when he said our experience colors our view.

I have spent the day working on a variety of projects. I've been multi-tasking at a rate that's unusual even for me and I am a multi-tasker extraordinaire. I also did a number of things today that I've been putting off. It's good to have them out of the way. Of course, I still have more to do. For some reason there are just things I always want to put off. I've let some pile up and have got to slog through them - some of them are pretty important things to get done.

I'm getting ready for the MHA Garden Tour and there are a ton of details to handle. I also have some freelance things to get out of the way. I've been doing MHA stuff day and night the last couple of days to get caught up. But when I do that then I'm behind on the other things so it's a vicious cycle. And there are still a long list of things I want to do that don't fall into either of those categories - work on my house, paint, sew, crochet, cook, etc. etc. etc.

And I need to plant. I bought some herbs the other day and they're still sitting in their little containers in a box lid on the front porch. I got some basil, lemon balm, chives, dill, lavendar, thyme and one tomato plant. I'm going to plant more tomatoes but that was the only one they had that looked really good. I bought three basil plants this year. Last year I had two but I discovered that basil is very popular and easy to give away so thought I'd get an extra one this year. My parsley and oregano survived from last year. I haven't ever grown dill but I'm really hoping it does well. The same with chives. I bought two lavendar plants. I'm going to put one in the front and one in the back. I've never had much luck with it so hopefully I'll find a place it likes this time.

The mint in the front flowerbed is growing like mad. I have to go pull it out periodically so it doesn't choke out other things. When I did that yesterday I discovered my calla lillies are coming up, which I'm thrilled about. I adore calla lillies. I've been running the mint down the garbage disposal to scent it when I have to discard some. Of course, I've also been using it in ice water and it's a lovely addition.

I will have to go shop for some more tomato plants. I love, love, love tomato basil soup made with fresh ingredients. Nothing like some tomato soup with pesto mixed in. mmmmm mmmmmmm good.

Google Earth images of Greensburg, Kansas

I had a comment from Mike and Kelly who pointed me to the following site where you can see before and after Google Earth images of Greensburg, Kansas. It's quite amazing to see.

Thanks, Mike and Kelly.

Working Weekend

I have worked most of the weekend. Yesterday I finished a radio piece about the Greensburg tornado and today I have been working on MHA things as well as some writing I promised would be in email at 8 a.m. Monday.

It's hard to believe this month is half over. Somehow I have missed the last couple of weeks. That usually means I'm not living as intensely as I should so I must address that.

Happy Mother's Day

As if on cue, my white rose bush has put forth some buds in honor of Mother's Day. In the south, you wear white roses in your Mother's Day corsage if your mother is dead and red roses if your mother is living.

I always ordered my mom a corsage with three roses because she had three children. I don't know if people still do that sort of thing, but I certainly hope so. Mother's Day was always a day when the church was full, with children visiting from near and far.

We buried my mother six years ago today. It was a beautiful spring day, just like she loved. She had just turned 82 a few weeks earlier.

This photo was taken the day we celebrated her 80th birthday with a community wide celebration. It was May 8, 1999 - the Saturday of Mother's Day weekend, held at the Barlow house, a historic home in Barlow, Ky. We had not been able to do it near her birthday on April 24 because the house was unavailable. We made that decision early on and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because she broke her hip at the end of January that year and had just gotten rid of the walker the day before her birthday party. That, of course, did not deter her from wearing her usual high heels with her dress.



I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day. 

May 11

Today is the six year anniversary of my mother's death. Each of the previous five years I have made it a point to commemorate the day in some way and to be doing something I love. One of the greatest gifts my mother gave me was teaching me to be happy, so on the day of her death it seemed important to honor that by doing something that made me happy.

The first year after her death I was in Paris. I went to Notre Dame that morning and at 11:32 - the exact moment of her death given the time change - I was staring at stained glass in Notre Dame and saying a prayer. I spent more than an hour there, crying, praying and healing. Afterwards I went to Angelina's and had my favorite chicken curry salad for lunch and finished off with their famous hot chocolate. I then walked down to Catherine's, my favorite perfume store in Paris, and shopped. It was a lovely way to commemorate the day.

In other years I went to Quivira, Amarillo and Santa Fe/Taos.  Last year I was at the artist's retreat in Ohio. Each of these has been a different kind of spiritual experience. I have always believed in what I call "geographic therapy" and it does well by me.

Last year I decided that it would be my last year to commemorate in exactly that way - that five years was enough - that I must learn to cope without travel. After making that decision I realized that this year the days of the week would fall the same way - she died on Friday, May 11 and we buried her on Sunday, May 13 - Mother's Day. The days and dates are the same this year. So, it seemed like a starting over in a way, a good time to take a fresh approach.

I also realized that this day is of importance only to me. Even the first year when I was traveling with someone, I went to Notre Dame alone, I went to lunch alone, I wrote alone. Grief is private for me, but not because I don't want to share, but because others don't treat it respectfully. To be involved with a person's passing from this world is an honor, and should be treated as such. I refuse to share that with anyone who doesn't give that the respect it's due.

The morning my mother died I drove to the hospital where my brother, Jim, had been with my mom. He called my other brother's house, where I was staying, telling us the end was near. We had known the end was close and I was just getting ready to go out the door when the phone rang. I had wanted to go early that day because we thought it might be the last one. So, we drove the 30 minutes to the hospital.

Greg asked if I wanted him to drive and I said, "no, I would make it or not - whatever was meant to be." When we arrived Jim was waiting in the parking lot for us and no words needed to be spoken - I knew she was gone. Jim and I embraced and cried while Greg looked on. He told me later it was the most genuine emotion he'd ever seen from people.

All three of us were blessed to adore our mother, and at the end of her life we all filled different roles. None of us cared which of us was with her when she died, but we wanted someone to be there. We took shifts and someone stayed with her around the clock the last few days. I've often thought Jim was the perfect one to be with her at the end. He was strong enough to tell her it was OK to let go, something that needed to be done. I hope I would have been strong enough to do it, but I don't know that I would have been. Things work out the way they are supposed to and Jim was with her when she passed and she went very peacefully after he told her she didn't need to hold on for us. I've been so very thankful he was there to do that. We all just wanted her to be comfortable and peaceful. What more can you hope for?

I was hoping to share a photo of my white roses in honor of Mother's Day, but with the late frost I don't have any blooms yet. So, I snapped a couple of pix of my mini pink roses today. I thought this one the perfect one to share since it has three roses, each in a different stage - just like life.

If you are fortunate enough to still have a mother here, take this opportunity to tell her you love her.

Related Posts:


Remembering Mama

I am No One's Daughter

Real Life (scroll down - second post on page)

Greensburg Kansas Tornado Pictures

I have spent the last couple of days working in Greensburg, Kansas for Landline Now on XM Satellite Radio. They hired me to produce some radio reports for them about the tornado and its effect on truckers and their business. I was fortunate I could take a couple of days vacation in order to do this freelance work. One piece ran today and there are more to come. I snapped some photos and will share more here in the coming days.

Frankly, the devastation of the town cannot truly be captured in words, pictures or video. It is mind boggling. The intersection of Main Street and Highway 54 has a huge pile of rubble, more than a story high, with a piece of farm equipment perched on top of it upside down.



Official estimates are that 95% of the town is gone. I don't know where the other 5% is that's supposedly OK. We were all over town, and I saw nothing that was undamaged. There are structures that are upright, but I saw nothing that wasn't damaged in some way.




A couple of blocks from that intersection, across from the grain bin, which is standing although it has damage, was a sight that became commonplace - a light pole snapped off. This pole was not much taller than I am and showed the distinctive look all of the ones I saw had - the splintered top, splayed outward.



Utility crews were working at a frantic pace and I'm amazed at all they've accomplished. The mayor said yesterday that Greensburg is going to have a whole new town and it's not hard to believe when you see all the new poles and cable going in, as well as other signs of hope. The bank was open yesterday - under a tent in front of the damaged building. Everywhere people are sifting through their belongings, looking for anything worthwhile or precious. Some businesses are starting to show signs of life as well, even without roofs.



The resilience of people is astonishing. People's homes have been turned inside out - literally - and they're going through their lives in plain view of everyone - and yet you hear laughter. Yes, laughter. People are laughing with their neighbors. They're hugging. They're gathering on street corners to share their survival stories. And they're celebrating. Yes, celebrating. They're alive. Their children are alive. Their neighbors are alive. Of course, lives were lost, and you also hear people acknowledging that.

Throughout town are flags - draped over rubble and flying high. They're bright punches of color in a landscape that has been stripped of much of its color. Grass is covered with rubble, flowers have disappeared, and trees have been denuded of bark and leaves.



Trees all over town are sheared off at the top. The bark has been pulled from them and deposited somewhere. Everyone is struck by different things in a disaster, but one of the most disturbing things I saw were places where a house was gone - literally - just taken away with very little left behind other than the foundation. Those folks can't even go through what's left of their homes - the entire home has disappeared.

On one corner, there's a tree that has been stripped of its bark on one side but not the other. The house on the corner is completely missing - a few boards and a foundation, but nothing else. It's the only one in sight where this is the case although all the others are damaged.



It's so poignant it's heartbreaking, because for the residents of Greensburg this is now just daily life - at least for now - the sorting through of their lives. And they are rising to the occasion, as are the National Guard, firefighters, EMS workers, and volunteers of every imaginable kind.



There are signs of optimism everywhere - and humor. Signs proclaim properties are "For Sale" or "Newly Remodeled, Skylights Installed."  Teddy bears are perched on what's left of stairs and Santa is overlooking Main Street from his second story vantage point.



Across the street from Santa is what's left of Hunter Drug, which featured a beautiful old soda fountain. The spigots are still visible in the rubble. I had an email the other day from someone who told me their grandfather started Hunter Drug. I have asked them to share some stories of him and the early years of Hunter Drug here on the blog. I hope they will do so.



Mother Nature's power is not to be minimized. We humans can build our worlds very carefully and she can destroy them in a few minutes. One of the gentlemen I spoke with said it lasted 20 minutes and then it was over. It took years to build and minutes to destroy a town. The Greensburg Tornado left its mark.



I cannot truly capture what it was like to walk around there - it felt like Holy Ground. What you're seeing seems impossible to believe. The brain does not want to process it. It doesn't fit anything you know about how a town is supposed to look.



It was an honor to be among these people working to reclaim their lives. I'm thankful for those who allowed me to share their stories, I am humbled by them.

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

Busy Day

I have spent most of the day on the phone. Not being able to talk for a week leaves one with a lot of phone calls to catch up on. Unfortunately, my voice is showing signs of wear and tear and I don't sound as good tonight as I did earlier in the day. I'm hopeful after a night's sleep it will be better.

The weather was quiet today - a nice change of pace. Although Cow Creek, which goes through Hutchinson, is starting to flood. It's a result of all the water flooding Rice County to the north flowing this way. Hopefully it will not be at all serious.

Honest to goodness, I will talk about something other than the weather eventually. Who knew there was this much to say about it, anyway?

AQS 2007 Miniature Quilt George Sicilano

At the 2007 AQS Quilt Show in Paducah, George Sicilano of Lebanon, Penn., won third place in the miniature quilt division sponsored by Benartex. I met him on Saturday, April 28 and had a chance to ask about his quilt, "Small Medium at Large."



The name comes from the story of a psychic who was jailed on a charge of attempting to blow up a barge. Less than five feet in height, he escaped jail one night. The headlines the next day said, "Small Medium at Large."

The quilt measures 7 3/4 inches square and was foundation pieced and machine quilted.



See a larger photo of the quilt by clicking here.

Sicilano tells me he keeps 245 bolts, each a different color, in his studio at all times. He used about 40 of them in this piece, to get the subtle gradations of color. However, there are about 2,050 pieces of fabric in this one quilt.

He has been making quilts for about 10 years and he only does miniatures. He told me he starts his design on the computer. He won an honorable mention at the Paducah show in 1999 and things have progressed from there.

I asked how long it took to make this particular piece and he said he knew exactly how long it took. He said, "I finished my competition piece for this year and wasn't happy with it." So, he designed this one and started working on it with a very tight deadline. He worked for three and a half weeks, every day, from 5:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. the next morning.

It was really impossible to get good photos of the miniature quilts. They had them displayed in glass cases and the light reflection was horrible.



The Benartex Best of Show was won by Sally Collins of Walnut Creek, Calif. She made this quilt with no foundation. It is hand and machine quilted.

(Sorry - Photo removed at request of AQS)

The First Place winner was by Judy Spiers of Foxworth, Miss. Her quilt is called "Carnivale" and has bright colors and intricate hand and machine piecing in the original design. It is made from 4,640 individual pieces and is machine quilted.





(Sorry - Photo removed at request of AQS)

The Second Place winner was Pat Holly of Muskegon, Mich. Called "Tapestree," it was inspired by antique embroideries. It is embellished with decorative stitches and store-bought trims. It is machine stitched raw-edged applique and machine quilted.



(Sorry - Photo removed at request of AQS)

The Honorable mention winner was Connie Chun of Webster Groves, Mo. Called "Mary's Harvest," the original design was made in the medallion style with hand and reverse applique, machine paper piecing, and finished with hand quilting.



(Sorry - Photo removed at request of AQS)

Greensburg Tornado Update

The Pallasite Meteorite has been found in the rubble near the museum. The Big Well's website says it's half iron and half stone. It was on display at the museum at the Big Well. It was found on the Ellis Peck farm east of Greensburg by Mr. H.O. Stockwell of Hutchinson, using a device similar to a mine detector.

People were allowed back in today, but the NE quadrant has been evacuated again due to a leak of anhydrous ammonia.

There's word that President Bush may come to Greensburg later this week but it's not confirmed.

In other news, much of the state is flooded - especially hard hit are Topeka and Rice County.

Update: Bush will be in Greensburg on Wednesday.

Quote of the Day

"Everyone needs beauty ... places to play in and pray in where nature may heal & cheer & give strength to the body & soul alike." ~John Muir

I cannot recommend strongly enough a trip to Muir Woods north of San Francisco. Go early and you can enter before they officially open. I was fortunate enough to be alone there for some hours a couple of years ago when I visited. Talk about spiritual experiences - wandering around alone in Muir Woods is one of them.

Blog Advertising - Full Disclosure

I believe in full disclosure so want to state for the record that Patsy's Ponderings is not for sale to people who want me to promote their product, service, etc. and pretend it's content. When I talk about something on here that I like, or an experience I've had, it's all true - not because I'm being paid to say it.

The only paid advertising on Patsy's Ponderings are the google ad bars that are labeled quite clearly as advertising. If you see something of interest, help yourself by clicking- if you don't, ignore them. I am impressed that google matches the ads to content so well, but I am not a "blog-whore." I don't mind advertising, but I don't like advertising that's made to look like content. That's just wrong and such things will be the undoing of the whole "citizen journalist" concept blogs have grown into. There's a reason advertising in magazines and newspapers designed to look like content is labeled as advertising. Look closely and you'll see the little word "advertisement" there.

Now, all that said, if someone wants to buy ad space on my blog - I'm open to it - and I may well blog about my good fortune, giving you more publicity. But it will have to look like advertising. I'm not going put advertising into my blog that is masquerading as content. What I write here is just what I'm writing about and I try to be very honest about it if someone gives me a perk, like when Greg and I rode Union Pacific's Steam Engine 844 and I explained how we came to be on that train or when I did a review of Ten Zen Seconds and told you why I did that.

This blog is opinion, not reporting, in general, but I maintain basic journalistic standards. To not do so would be a dishonor to the journalism degree I worked for - and I did work for it with a lot of effort, lost sleep and doing things like wading through chemical spills "paying my dues" as a young reporter.

I was reminded this past weekend just how many holes there are in our massive media web when my coverage of the Greensburg tornado, which I was just getting from local media, was picked up by national media companies.  I give the average reader credit that if my blog were just one advertising thing after another they would ignore it as tripe. Patsy's Ponderings is just about Patsy's life - if someone wants to pay me to live my life and write about it here, please contact me - I dream of making a living being me - and we'll find a way to make it work. But I'm worth more than a penny for every 1000 words.

I hope I don't break my ankle getting down off my soapbox...

Happy News

It is time for some happy news on this blog. This weekend was to be a delightful time with friends visitng, the annual art fair, tea, and other such happy surprises. Those things still happened, but all of Kansas is grieving with the people of Greensburg, knowing that it could be any other town at any time.

But, I decided to post some happy news nonetheless.

Saturday was the annual art fair in Hutchinson, They are in their 43rd year. I got to see a number of friends who were exhibiting - Jocelyn, Jeanette and Pat were all there. Greg's girlfriend, Mia, came from Joplin to do the show. I also ran into a number of people I know who were shopping. However, I didn't go until the afternoon - after Mark and I made a run to Roy's - and officials closed it down because they expected bad weather.

Mia was selling her jewelry - she does beautiful pieces and this is one of her latest. I am honored to have a bracelet she made for me and I get compliements on it every time I wear it. This blue slag glass is something Diana and I picked up in Arkansas and this looks so pretty on it that I loaned it to Mia for future shows.



This afternoon Mia and I went to tea. It was supposed to be us and Greg, but unbeknowst to us it was for "women and girls" and they were serious about it. I found out about it from a very nice lady who goes to the teas I do for the MHA. She graciously got tickets for us. It was so very kind of her.

Kim Setty, the Channel 12 noon anchor, spoke and did a wonderful presentation. Considering she had been called into work about 1:30 a.m. on Saturday because of the storms, and had worked until midnight, she was looking and sounding very good.

It was more of a "program" than it was a "tea," but it was pleasant and I greatly appreciated Juanita getting tickets for us although I felt bad Greg didn't get to stay. That was just a communication difficulty.

They had some girls from the church do a maypole and that was fun.



And, finally, in other good news... I've mentioned my great nephew, BC, on the blog before. Saturday night was his junior prom. Mary Ann sent me some photos today and I thought I'd share. His girlfriend, Kaitlyn, is a real sweetheart. They go to different high schools and next weekend is her prom so they get to get all dressed up again. Maybe I'll get more photos to share.

A Family Story From Greensburg

This evening I had an email from Stan Lewis of Marion, Indiana. He was hunting for information about family that was in the Greensburg, Kansas, tornado and found my blog.

I asked his permission to share his email here and he graciously agreed and even sent along a photo. I think it makes the story personal, and gives a different perspective than what traditional media is providing.

Stan says, The photo is of me and my wife, Carolyn, Dad and his wife, Forrest Lee. We were celebrating dad's 99th birthday the weekend of Feburary 25, 2007 in the Best Western J Hawk motel in Greensburg which is rubble now. Forrest Lee is a classy lady and few people think dad looks to be in his 100th year.
*************
Hi Patsy, I came across your blog when I was searching for my dad and step mom who were in the Carriage House in Greensburg. Please forgive me that this is so long, but I thought there might be some interest. I and/or my family have a lot of history in Greensburg, Mullinville, Minneola, and Hutchinson.

I was born July 19, 1939 in Mullinville. My parents were Quakers, so I was a birth rite Quaker. When a year old my family moved to Minneola. There was no Friends church so we attended the Methodist church. My dad was a farmer and we fed steers during the winter.  I attended Southwestern College for a year after I graduated from Minneola H.S. in 1957, 50 years ago May 17. I went to Asbury College for the rest of my college years and to Asbury Seminary both in Wilmore, KY. I married a Hoosier, who attended Taylor University.

We felt God wanted us to be missionaries, but after I got my seminary degree we moved to Hutchinson, Kansas to have pastoral experience. I graduated from seminary, was ordained, and married all within eleven days in late May and early June 1964.

I was assigned to the Hadley Memorial Methodist Church in the south part of Hutchinson. It was literally a church across the tracks. We were there two years. The church closed a few years later. It is on F street as I recall. I usually go by when I go through Hutchinson which isn't very often.

I loved Hutchinson, the friendly people, the kind people. Elmo and Alma Pierson were in our church. He's been gone a long time. We stopped to see her on our last visit. They were always kind to us. I was interested in Christian literature so worked for the Wesleyan Publishing House here in Marion, Indiana until the end of 1968.

We than went to Burundi, Africa as missionaries in August 1968 with World Gospel Mission, headquartered here in Marion, Indiana. We served in Africa for 13 years and for 24 years I worked in the home office of the mission here in Marion. In January 2005 I retired from World Gospel Mission.

Just two years ago, 5-05-05 (May 5, 2005) I was asked to return to the mission and work part time. It was what I had done my last two years before retirement. I work about 20 hours a week. I love it, can set my own schedule and the missionaries appreciate what I do. It was October 1981 we returned to the states to live. 

My mother got a brain tumor and was in Wesley Hospital in Wichita. The doctors told dad they opened her up but the tumor was too big and too far inside, they just sewed her up. A few days later I rode with mom in the back of the ambulance to Dodge City which was just 20 miles from Minneola where Dad lived. She couldn't communicate. She died in September 1983 several weeks later, just a month shy of their 50th wedding anniversary. Instead of celebrating 50 wedded years in her new dress she'd bought she was buried in it to celebrate forever in heaven with Jesus Himself.

Dad knew Forrest Lee Einsel and got to know her better. She lived in a big farm house just southwest of the town of Greensburg. It is separated from the town maybe by one half mile or so.

In July 1985, I was honored when I married my dad to Forrest Lee (she goes by both names) in that big house.

Regarding Forrest Lee, was married to Charlie Einsel before she married dad. Charlie was 63 and she was 23 when they married. That's like getting married to your granddaughter. After being married for 30 years he was up on a roof and fell off as I recall and died. What was a 93 year old doing up there? Several years later she met and married dad. He's 15 years older and they have been married almost 22 years. She really does like older men. :)

A year or so after Dad and Forrest Lee married, Dad had a farm sale in Minneola. I have two brothers and we all helped him with it. Dad always loved the farm and wide open spaces. He loved Greensburg and was active in the Methodist church in Greensburg and some community efforts until his health prevented it and his age. Eventually Forrest Lee moved to the Carriage House in Greensburg. She wanted Dad to go too. But he couldn't live in a small room. He liked the wide open spaces.

Greensburg is almost like a second home to me. For longer than I can remember we had family reunions at the world’s largest hand dug well. And I’ve had different relatives who have lived there during the last 50 or more years. It was  very  interesting  to me when my dad moved to Greensburg with his new bride in July 1985. His sister and her family had lived in Greensburg, my aunt had lived there and my grandma and great grandma.

As you wrote about in your blog. Greensburg is now multiple piles of rubble.  I was glued to the TV all day Saturday with unbelief in seeing what I was seeing.

The end of February my two brothers and some of their families and my wife and I were in Greensburg at the motel that was on the west side and north side of Greensburg, across from the John Deere place as I recall. We were celebrating Dad's 99th birthday.

Two weeks ago dad  finally moved to the Carriage House nursing home in Greensburg . Last Friday night as the tornado did its damage in just a few minutes hardly anyone in the nursing home knew anything had happened.

Dad and another man did not go to the basement. They stayed on the main floor in their rooms I guess. Dad is hard of hearing, never knew what happened when it did. Forrest Lee was in the basement, the people there didn't hear either.

The Carriage House is only one of a few places that  still stands after the storm with only a missing roof and some broken windows.   As you know, the schools, the churches, the city hall, the bank, the John Deere dealer, the motels, they  are gone. But still all of the residents needed to be evacuated to a safer place.  

Originally dad and Forrest Lee were going to Mullinville to stay with her niece. But when she came to get them the authorities wouldn't let her in to get them (Isn't this interesting, they were being evacuated but she couldn't get them maybe she didn't look official enough).  

Searching the internet and making calls, finally last evening (Saturday) I found that dad and mom had been moved to Augusta, Kansas  to the Lake Point Carriage House. Five others from Greensburg are also there. They don't have phones in their rooms, but the workers go find them so we can talk. Isn't this great? So early this afternoon I talked to Dad and  we  had a friend from Wichita who went out to visit them this morning. They had left Greensburg with the minimum of things needed. He was able to get some things for them.

Physically they appear great, Praise the Lord. Emotionally it has been a traumatic event.  It's interesting they only have a bed in their rooms, not even a chair. They each have a room. Forrest Lee didn't even have a change of clothes. My friend went and got her two sets of clothes. He is a great friend and is going to see them again tomorrow and plans to go to Greensburg to get their clothes and personal things if he can get permission. 

They have no idea what the future holds, but as we’ve often heard or said, we know who holds the future. I know they would appreciate your prayers on their behalf. It is not easy for a 99 year old and an 84 year old couple whose lives have been so turned upside down in just moments of time and they are moved into a new community where they know almost no one.

I am so glad we can share our burdens as well as our joys with a great family of fellow believers.

Tornado in Hutchinson Kansas

I am now officially tried of blog posts that include the word "tornado" in the title. But, today was our turn. We had a tornado touch down today in Hutchinson, Kansas, where I live.You know it's not good news when the weather channel has a note up about "Reno County Kansas" and it's where you live.

Let me start by saying that I am fine - and everyone I know is fine - and our houses are all fine. The tornado touched down at Centennial and Fourth Street, which is on the extreme western side of town.

We've had weather coverage on most of the day because there have been tons of storms all around the area. This afternoon we were watching the TV when the sirens started going off. Now, sirens generally mean you should take cover. But we were watching TV and they were telling us that the tornado was to the west of Hutchinson.

I looked over and realized how absurd the scene was - Mark was enjoying a cup of tea and we were chatting normally, while the tornado sirens went off in the background. Let me say, for the record, that I do take these things seriously, but as we all know, forecasters are a bit overzealous on a regular basis.

I now call it the Katrina Effect - if you tell people repeatedly that this is going to be the "storm of the century" but the last 87 times they left their homes nothing happened except they had everything stolen, they start to ignore you.

It's why the weather service has now come up with a "Tornado Emergency" designation, which is what they issued the other night when the Greensburg tornado happened. Today was a prime example - the sirens were going off although there was not a tornado. People become desensitized. I'm not even a Kansan and I've become desensitized in the years I've lived here. All of my neighbors were out on their porches, just like we were.

This is what Kansans do until they have some inkling that it's serious...



I keep bottled water and a few basic supplies in the basement, as well as some tennis shoes, and a radio/flashlight you can crank for power, but that's about it. However, when there is a threat of bad weather, I make a pile by the basement door to take downstairs with me if it becomes necessary - my purse with phone and car keys, the laptop and external hard drive.



Of course there are other things that are precious to me, but you can't haul your whole life to the basement. I've lived in Kansas for 22 years and I've gone to the basement less than a half dozen times. Statistically, there's a far greater chance to being hurt driving a car than in a tornado. Of course, situations like Greensburg are horrific, and they do happen, but they are rare.

Today, with sirens going, we went outside to see if anything was visible. It was just a stormy sky to the west, where the tornado eventually did touch down.



Just a few minutes later it looked like this...



You could see the swirling in the clouds - not from rotation as you find in a tornado, but just because they were moving quickly.



Shortly afterward came the rain... lots of rain...



In only a few minutes - maybe 10 minutes - there was street flooding and the rain was over.



It's raining again now, and we've had a little bit of hail, but Hutchinson has fared better than many towns today. There is serious flooding in many areas of the state.

Mia headed back to Joplin and Mark headed back to Kansas City. Hopefully neither of them have run in to too much bad weather on their way home.

I called my friend, Leah, tonight, because she has family in Osborne, Kansas, where a tornado hit yesterday. I wanted to make sure everyone was OK and she told me a story about her 81 year old grandmother that summed up the average Kansan attitude.

This is the basic conversation between Leah's mom, Jennifer, and Leah's grandmother:

Jennifer: Are you OK?

Gran: Oh yeah... I just took my cheesecake downstairs and sat on the steps and ate it while the sirens were going off.

Jennifer: What else did you take besides the pan of cheesecake?

Gran: Nothing.

Jennifer: Mom, didn't you want to take pictures of your children or grandchildren?

Gran: Oh no, I've already seen them. I just made that cheesecake yesterday.

Hutchinson Tornado

Hutchinson, Kansas, where I live, (Reno County) had a tornado today. I appreciate the phone calls from people wanting to know if I'm OK - I am, and so is everyone I know. It was minor. I will post more info but wanted to let everyone know I'm fine, my house is fine, everyone I know is fine. I will post more later.

Greensburg Kansas Tornado Part 5

Requests for information on the Greensburg Kansas tornado have slowed down, but are continuing. I will share what else I've learned since my last post. I am just trying to summarize what I'm learning from media outlets.

The tornado that hit Greensburg last night was more than a mile wide at times. It covered 26 miles, from south of Greensburg to Holyrood. (That's pronounced "holly-rude" - like the Christmas plant and people who are not nice.) Nine are confirmed dead and dozens injured. Most injuries reported by the Pratt hospital where the majority of the injured were taken were mostly lacerations, bruises and things of that nature - ranging from mild to severe.

Search and rescue was called off for the night late this afternoon. Officials have made multiple searches to look for people, but simply have to rest. Many of the people there arrived in the wee hours of the morning when the tornado hit and have been onsite for many hours. News reporters are saying there are still rescue vehicles with search lights heading into Greensburg, so obviously some work is continuing, although search will officially resume at 8 a.m.

Greensburg was evacuated last night and one of the problems has been that many people are staying with family or friends and there's no record of where they are. Officials are trying to account for everyone. Some residents have written "OK" on the side of their houses to let people know they're safe.

Power is still off and will remain off for the near future. The water tower is down, so in order to live there again some serious changes will have to be made. Town officials are concerned about the future of the town, given the extent of the damage. But historically, towns rebuild after such things. It's just a bit overwhelming initially.

I've heard estimates as high as 95% but the National Guard is saying 90% of the town is gone. Still standing are a grain elevator and the courthouse. The building near The Big Well, Greensburg's tourist attraction, was destroyed. Because the well itself is mostly underground I'm assuming it is fine.

There is a curfew of 8-8 in effect. Officials are worried about looting and will arrest anyone in Greensburg when the curfew is in effect. The media was given an opportunity to tour the damage late this afternoon and were told that would be their last chance for the day.

Many survivors are at the Red Cross Shelter in Haviland, about 10 miles away from Greensburg. One survivor there said in an interview, "Our souls are broke, but we are still here, we're alive, and I thank God for that."

Shelters include:
Barclay College
Mullinville High School
Haviland High School

Lakewood Senior Center in Wichita has 22 beds available for people who have been displaced by the Greensburg tornado. Call 316-722-6916 for more information on that.

Greensburg was the most severely hit, but there was other damage last night including two houses destroyed in Macksville and some trees down in Ellinwood.

President Bush has declared Kiowa county (where Greensburg is) a disaster area. FEMA is scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning. Governor Sebelius will tour the area tomorrow. Rep. Moran, Sen. Tiahart and Sen. Roberts were all there today.

The Greensburg tornado is being compared to the May 25, 1955 tornado that hit Udall, Kansas and killed 87 while destroying the town, much as this one destroyed Greensburg. The death toll in Udall amounted to about 20% of the population - about half the families lost one or more members. Fortunately, Greensburg had 30 minutes to prepare whereas Udall had no warning. That warning makes all the difference in the death toll. The Udall tornado inspired some changes in how people are warned of impending weather.

I've heard conflicting reports all day long of the population in Greensburg. So, I looked up the census data. In 2000, the population was 1,574, with 887 housing units. Of course, that doesn't tell us the current population, but I've heard everything from 1400 to 1800.

Today 11 counties in Kansas have had tornadoes, including some of the same areas that were affected last night. Storms are continuing as I write this.

Greensburg Kansas Tornado Part 4

One of the buildings lost in the Greensburg Kansas tornado was Hunter Drug, which included an old fashioned soda fountain. My friend, Greg Holmes, visited there a few months ago and took some wonderful photos of the soda fountain. He has allowed me to share them here. This one was his last look as he left on that February day.



For more photos, check http://www.thelope.com. He will be adding photos to his post Remembering Greensburg. He is an exceptional photographer and I can guarantee you it will be an amazing look at what once was - just 24 hours ago.

Greensburg Kansas Tornado Part 3

I've had more emails from people who found this blog and are wanting more information about the Greensburg Kansas tornado. I will continue to provide updates here for those who are having a hard time getting information from other sources. I'm not sure why the media outlets are not offering info online but I will try to summarize what I'm learning from local/state media for those of you who don't have access to that information. These posts are being written very stream of consciousness as I learn information so forgive any typos and poor grammar.

News outlets are reporting that 95% of Greensburg, Kansas has been destroyed. However, injury and death reports have not risen significantly today. Officials are searching the city grid by grid again, looking for anyone who might be trapped. They have done it twice already, but are doing it again, just to make sure. As you might imagine, the amount of debris is significant and they do not want to miss anyone. Once they complete this, they are pulling back to rest because more storms are on the horizon.

Nine deaths are now confirmed from this tornado, and one more has been reported in Hopewell but that has not been confirmed - the report is that a man was killed while taking shelter with his wife. His wife was injured.

The storms that are currently happening - right now - have NOT produced any tornadoes as of yet. The threat is there, but frankly the threat is often present in Kansas this time of year. It appears the current storm is going to miss Greensburg, although it will come close. There is hail, but nothing more serious than that yet.

Five patients from Greensburg have been taken to Wichita hospitals, others are in Pratt. The people who were in the Greensburg hospital last night were all evacuated and none were injured in the tornado.

I've had questions about the World's Largest Hand Dug well and am just now seeing the first video of it. The water tower there, as well as the shed covering it that you go down has been destroyed. Of course the well is not harmed.

A little girl - I'd guess about 5 - in Greensburg - is being interviewed now saying, "our house is in little pieces." She's part of a family that was interviewed. She said, "My mommy pulled me out of the clouds."

Death Tolls:
1 in Stafford County
8 in Kiowa County (where Greensburg is located)
1 possible in Hopewell

There is a curfew in Greensburg - 8 to 8.

If you're trying to reach family, understand there is no power of any sort. Electricity has been shut down because if you turn it back on you generally have fires to deal with. Officials are keeping it off. ATT is working to get landlines working at the command center, but there are no landlines and no cell towers left. I posted a phone number in the post below you can call about loved ones. Media are saying most people have left Greensburg now.

Also, check the comments section in the following post to find maps Walt created that show the direction and give perspective.

I will provide more updates as I have more.

Greensburg Tornado Continued - Number to call for Loved Ones

Today local news is reporting about 90 percent of the small Kansas town of Greensburg of 1800 people is gone. For those of us who are familiar with it, this is very sad. It is a little piece of Americana and much of what made it distinctive is now in rubble. There was an old fashioned drug store, a small cafe, and a small-town tourist attraction - the world's largest hand dug well - that has been welcoming visitors since the thirties. The well is on the west side of town, so we're assuming it has suffered some damage to the building above ground, but I haven't heard yet.

Seven are reported dead and more than 50 injured thus far, but I anticipate that number may grow. There are lots of even smaller towns around this small town and we don't have reports from all of them yet.

I'm about 80 miles away and the old reporter in me wants to jump in the car and go down there. But, I won't. The last thing rescue workers need is people wandering around the scene. In fact, you probably can't wander around the scene - generally towns are secured at their borders when a tornado hits.

Years ago when the Hesston Tornado hit I was doing news and was there just hours after it hit. The aftermath of a tornado is a horrific thing to see. It's mind-boggling the power of nature, but heart-breaking when you consider how that affects real humans and their lives.

The weather forecast for today is calling for a strong potential for developing storms over a large part of the state, including the area that was hard hit last night. They reported thunderstorms are developing now from Dodge City north to Norton - if you are in that area, please pay attention to the weather.

I have some comments and emails from people saying they found this blog through CNN today, so I thought I'd share with you that if you're looking for local coverage, you can find it at www.kwch.com, www.kake.com and www.ksn.com. I will continue to put occasional updates here as well.

If you're trying to reach family, realize that there is no power, gas, etc.- and very little cell phone signal - in Greensburg and other areas that were hit. The injured were mostly taken to Pratt Hospital about 50 miles away, including the 19 people who were in the Greensburg hospital last night.

If you had loved ones at the Carriage House Nursing Home in Greensburg, there were no injuries reported there but residents were evacuated to Augusta, Rose Hill, and Wichita

If you are hunting for family, register at disastersafe.redcross.org. If you want to call about loved ones, try 620-672-3651.

Tornado in Kansas

Greensburg, Kansas has been hit very hard tonight by a tornado. Greensburg is about 80 miles from where I live and famous for the world's largest hand dug well, 109 feet deep and 32 feet in diameter, that served as the city's water supply until 1932. You can walk 105 steps down to the bottom and it's worth the trip.

What we hear at this point is that large parts of the town are simply gone, including everything on the west side of the main street. This includes a nice old drug store.

Houses, the hospital, the school, the grocery store, the Coastal Mart, the Pizza Hut - everything is gone. Patients are being taken to Pratt, where they have only 69 beds. They just reported they now have 50 patients from Greensburg - ranging in condition from good to critical.

Greg, Mia and I have watched storm coverage since about 9 p.m. and it's almost 3 a.m. now, but we're only getting to see photos and videos in the last few minutes. I'm sure there will be much more to show. It's fascinating to watch as an observer, but you can't stop thinking about how people's lives have been dramatically changed in the blink of an eye.

In Hutchinson, where I live, we've just been having wind. It has been nice to have fresh air going through the house, but you hate the reason for it.

I took this photo in my downstairs sunporch of the curtain blowing in the breeze.


Unfortunately, they say conditions are right for more severe weather tomorrow, including a possible tornado.

Tea in Augusta Kansas

Today I got to have tea at the Historical Society's  C.N. James Trading Post in Augusta, Kansas.

The trading post was used as a general store and post office, and upstairs two different churches met and school was held. It was truly a community building.

It was built in 1868 and is wonderfully preserved by the Historical Society of Augusta, Kansas.

The tea is a fundraiser for them and it's worth every penny. In fact, it was a tremendous bargain.

Greg, Mia and I went. She is out for the Hutchinson Art Fair tomorrow.

I have to say that Greg is quite the sport when it comes to such things. He was the only man having tea. There were some other guys there helping out with the tea, but Greg was very pleasant about the whole thing.

A few years ago I was in Savannah with another friend of mine, Jim, and we decided we wanted to go get a little something to drink. I said, "Well, there's a tea room near here but I'm sure you don't want to go there." He said, "Why not?" I said, "Well, it's kind of a girl thing." He said, "So, why would I not want to be surrounded by women?"

We went to tea. The ladies who ran the shop fawned over him constantly since he was the only man there who was there willingly. We got a fabulous seat by the window. They kept bringing him more goodies and more tea. I was somewhat invisible to them as far as I could tell. But, hey, I can play the game. I just had Jim ask for whatever I wanted. It was a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours on a May afternoon in Savannah.

This afternoon in Augusta, we shared the room with a number of other tea goers. They seat about 40 at a time and it's a wonderful, cozy, intimate setting.





One of the great things about this space is there lots of windows. We were seated right by one, which gave us great light on our table and centerpiece.



That's a 1943 recipe for Dill Pickles, in case you're wondering. I love the fact that it was written on a piece of paper that had a postmark - waste not, want not.



If you'd like to make this recipe, you can click here for a larger version so you can read it.

One of the cool things about going to tea is meeting other tea-goers. Today was no exception - we met Carol Bates, who was perfectly lovely. There were two other places set at our table but those folks didn't show up. They really missed out.

Carol was delightful. We really enjoyed getting to meet her. She was teasing us, just like we were teasing each other.

She was infatuated with yet another recipe that was part of the centerpiece. It was rather interesting that no matter where you were seated, you had a pretty view of something. Greg and I were opposite each other and both taking photos so we got some different views. I didn't even realize until I looked at the pictures tonight that the pot in the centerpiece had a decoration on it from Greg's viewpoint.





Mia and I had wonderful seats, right by the window.



And outside the window was a lovely view, too.



They ask your name when you make reservations and have wonderful little name tags at each place so your seat is assigned. I couldn't have been happier with my spot. The tags are held in perfect little teapot shaped place card holdesr and done by hand by the director, Diana.



These little dolls hold a teabag and are fitted with a magnet so you can put them on your fridge as a little reminder of the day.



Greg, of course, could not resist having some fun with the little doll...



He was amusing his girlfriend, Mia...



and Carol...



I was busy taking photos, of course.

After tea, I couldn't resist snapping this photo of Greg's shirt pocket with the favors we got to take away poking up out of his pocket.

This is a lovely, lovely place for a tea. It's rustic and charming and cozy and intimate.

If you happen to live anywhere nearby, mark your calendars for next year. It's held the first Friday and Saturday in May each year, two seatings each day. They do a great job and I assure you you will not go away hungry.

They do a buffet style, which, as you know, is not my favorite way to do tea. However, because there are fewer people at each seating than at any other tea I've been to, the line moves quickly.

I always prefer tea to be served in one fashion or another, but this is a minor inconvenience. And, on the plus side, there was far more than you would want to eat. My usual pattern is "one of everything" and that was a heaping plate today and I could not possibly eat it all. They then brought around trays with extra goodies on them so I got to have three cucumber sandwiches. And I enjoyed each one, let me tell you!



Kudos to Diana, the director, and the volunteers who helped make this possible. It was fabulous.



You'll have some time before and after tea to look around the museum and there are some fun things there, too.

One last photo of the day - I loved this portrait of Greg in one of his "normal" poses. He often holds his camera this way and I loved capturing this moment. You gotta love a guy who happily goes to tea.