Henna in the Fridge

So what's in your butter keeper in the fridge? Mine is holding Kone Henna Paste as the moment.

Why?

Because my dear friend, Jan, gave it to me and I'm supposed to keep it in the fridge until I have time to play with it.

You may recall that during the fair in September of 2006 I got a henna tattoo on my hand and tracked its demise over the next few days.

Getting the tattoo - http://www.patsyterrell.com/2006/09/henna-tattoo.html

Four Days Old 
Six Days Old
Eight Days Old
Ten Days Old

Well, Jan and I went to tea together over the time I had the tattoo and I told her I wanted to get some henna to experiment with. She manages an apartment complex and has some tenants who are from India. They were kind enough to bring some henna back from India for me. Is that not cool?

Jan has had it for awhile but we just hadn't connected when she and I and the henna were in the same place. I picked it up right before going to KY so haven't had time to play with it yet. But I will. Of course I'll take photos of my efforts to share here.

Polk's Market in Medora

Polk's Market in Medora, Kansas, is an old fashioned fruit and vegetable market. It's run by Pam and Earl, who met 44 years ago while working in the Dillon's Apple Packing Department.

Earl said Ray Dillon taught him a lot about merchandising and groomed him to work at Dillons. But, Earl couldn't stand being inside so he followed in his grandfather's footsteps. His grandfather ran "River Banks" market on 30th Street in Hutchinson for many years.

Polk's has fresh fruit and vegetables - mostly from Kansas. They also sell some nuts and candies. And... one of my favorite things... apple cider slushies.



Earl says they sell more apples in slushies than any other way these days. He said 50 years ago his grandfather would sell tons more apples than he does today - partly that's because he is competing with the big stores, but it's also because people just don't eat as much fresh produce as they once did.

This time of year, Polk's is well stocked with pumpkins and gourds, of course. And he says those sell much better than they used to. He said 25 years ago he would sell about 100 pumpkins during the season, now he sells close to 4,000.



Polk's is a great little place. Earl says they try to give you the feeling of going back in time 50 years - much like his grandfather's place was.



Occasionally you find a pumpkin that has a little something extra - a little bit of wisdom tossed in.



In case you can't make it all out, it says "Life is like a Pumpkin Patch. You never know what you'll get."

I guess that would fall into the category of life truths.

Victoria Magazine

I went to pick up my mail today that I'd had held while I was in Kentucky. It wasn't a very big stack for over a week, but it had something exciting in it. Isn't that always the best part of mail?

Deep in this stack was my copy of the new Victoria Magazine.

As soon as I found it I began planning a long bubble bath, which is one of my favorite places to read. I keep a magazine rack by the tub and read a great deal while soaking.

A new Victoria also required a cup of tea - blackberry-sage flavored.

I subscribed to Victoria from its inception until its demise. I grieved for it and have missed it ever since it went away. When I learned it was being resurrected by a different publisher, I was excited, but also holding my breath. I couldn't imagine they could really recapture the magic of the original Victoria. I feared it would be a movie sequel that doesn't quite do justice to the name.

Well, my review is positive, but with reservations.

This is NOT the old Victoria. It doesn't have the amazing, soft focus photos that draw you in. It does not have the layout and design that transports you to another world. It does not even have the high quality paper the original Victoria was printed on.

BUT, it is worthwhile in its own right. It's a new Victoria, and it has potential. I loved the piece with Alexandra Stoddard. It is a magazine I will look forward to each month.

Maybe you can't ever really recapture something that once was. It doesn't work with lost loves and it doesn't work with old magazines either. But, you can fall in love again - with men and with magazines. I think maybe I might just fall in love with this new Victoria eventually. They have my attention. And the fact that the first issue has a Christmas tree on it just adds luster to its image as far as I'm concerned.

I Can Never Be An Old Lady

Yesterday as I was walking into the Sports Arena for the lecture by Bob Woodward it was drizzling. I was watching all the little old ladies get dropped off at the front door or making their way through the parking lot under their umbrellas. All of them were messing with their hair, fearful the rain would do whatever it is that rain does to your hair when you have a style. Frankly, I can never tell the difference in how people's hair looks unless it's dripping, but I seem to be the only woman on the planet who can't discern this.

Anyway, at that moment I thought... "Wow, I can't ever be a little old lady. That just isn't going to work for me."

After the lecture Greg told me he had a photo of Woodward that had me in it. For some reason, it just struck me as hilarious that I look like Cousin It compared to everyone around me. Naturally, I'm posting it so you can chuckle as well.



Everytime I see a photo showing the back of my head I'm reminded of this funky cowlick thing I have that makes it look like the part in my hair goes halfway down my head. I'm just going to blame it on the rain.

I think the next time I need a quick Halloween costume I'm just going to add some goggley eyes to the back of my head.

Bob Woodward

Bob Woodward spoke at the Dillon Lecture Series at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas, this morning. Woodward and his colleague, Carl Bernstein, wrote a series of articles for the Washington Post about the Watergate break in that ultimately led to the resignation of President Nixon. For those of us who are journalists - past, present or future - Bob Woodward is huge. As my friend, Alan Montgomery, who introduced Woodward this morning, told me when I asked if he was having a fun day said, "If I were a minister this would be like Billy Graham being here." I understood perfectly. Perfectly.

I've never met anyone who went into journalism who didn't want to right wrongs through a "robust, free press," as Alan put it this morning. We become journalists because we want to give voice to important things in the world. We want to expose corruption and fight injustice through the media. If investigative journalism had a face, it would be Bob Woodward.


Woodward spoke about interviewing President Bush for his recent books. Bush spent more time with Woodward than any sitting president has ever spent with a reporter. Over the course of those seven hours, Woodward asked 500 questions.

At one point while talking about the war, Bush said, "I believe we have a duty to free and liberate people." Woodward related this to us today and said, "'Duty' is the biggest word in the English language for a president."


Another time Bush was talking about how he and other leaders wanted to spread freedom and said, "We have a zeal to free and liberate people." Woodward said today, "'Zeal' is the second biggest word in the English language for a president."

Woodward said he would like to hear from all the candidates what they saw as their duty and what they felt zeal for. I had to agree that those were two excellent questions. At the luncheon for patrons following the lecture, someone asked if he was going to pose those questions to candidates and he said he would like to, and that he would probably send them in advance because those were questions you wanted people to have time to ponder.

He said Bush is idealistic, without a doubt - that idealism is "at the spine of George W. Bush." But, he said, "I am sincere in my view that it accents the reluctance, the outright stubbornness, to adjust the war strategy, and that rests on him alone."

Woodward also talked about doubt. He said, "doubt is an important quality. You have to be skeptical. You have to have doubt." But he said the president told him he had no doubt going to war was the right thing to do.

Woodward asked Bush what his father said when he talked to him about going to war. Eventually, after dodging the question in multiple ways, Bush said he didn't talk to his dad about it. He also didn't ask Donald Rumsfeld or Colin Powell what they thought about the idea of going to war - not in the sense of going to them for input. He talked about this at the luncheon - how Bush didn't do what most leaders would do - ask their team for their input. To me, this speaks of an incredible arrogance, but that is only my view and not the view Woodward put forth. He was just reporting.


In the introduction at the luncheon, Richard Shank mentioned that when Ben Bradlee spoke at a Dillon Lecture a couple of years ago he said Bob Woodward was the best reporter of our time, maybe of all time. I didn't get to see Bradlee when he was here, unfortunately. Alan mentioned in his intro that Woodward is "relentless," and Woodward alluded to that as well. He said he was calling Mark Felt, "Deep Throat," all the time when they were writing the Watergate stories.

Woodward related a story about Al Gore. He said he saw Gore at a dinner and asked him how much the public knew about things of consequence that happened in the eight years he was Vice President. He asked what percentage people knew from the various articles, books, memoirs and interviews. Gore responded about 1%. Woodward then asked how much they would know if Gore wrote a tell-all book. Gore said 2%. Woodward thinks Gore was being provocative, and that we probably know 50 - 60 - 70%.

This is of concern to Woodward because he believes the number one thing to worry about is "Secret Government." He said, "Democracies die in darkness." You can tell from his passion that he probably loses sleep thinking about what we don't know.

The other thing he said we should worry about is hate. He referenced the televised meeting Nixon held with his staff the day after he resigned in which he said, "Always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself." Woodward said he saw at that moment that the teary-eyed Nixon, who had been the "hater in chief," realized that "hate was the poison that did him in."

At the luncheon he went into more detail about the Nixon resignation and what followed. He said when Ford went on TV Sunday morning and gave Nixon a full pardon that he was in a hotel room and knew nothing about it. He said the phone rang and it was Bernstein who said, "The son of a bitch pardoned the son of a bitch." Woodward said he instantly knew what had happened.


He said there was much talk at the time that a deal had been struck, that it was fishy. Many years later he asked Ford about it and Ford took out his wallet and pulled out a piece of paper that had written on it part of the supreme court statement that accepting a pardon was admitting guilt. Ford said, "that was good enough for me."

Woodward said that experience taught him that sometimes a decision may seem one way, but years later may look different. Ford said he pardoned Nixon so the country could move on. In retrospect, it seems it was the right decision, but at the time it was very unpopular. Woodward summed it up by saying, "You take snapshots." That what appears one way today may look very different 25 years later.

He said journalists need to give us more in-depth pieces about candidates, that too much of campaigning is an endurance contest. We have quick bits on cable news and what we need are details to get to know these people. As he said, "Anyone who has hair and teeth - or once did - is a mixed bag."

I was really struck by how personable Woodward was. After the luncheon I was walking out and passed by him and he said, "Are you a reporter?" I said, "No... used to be." He said, "well, you were taking lots of notes." I told him I was a blogger - that it was writing without an editor, which of course also means there's no one to keep me from making a fool of myself. It just told me he still has a great curiousity about the world around him.

They also mentioned in the luncheon introduction that he does not have an unlisted phone number because he never wants a source to be unable to reach him. I love that openness to the world that is a hallmark of any journalist.

Back in Kansas

I am back in Kansas. Jackie is doing fine except he had a temperature for a little while this afternoon. They're not sure, but think it may have just been a normal fluctuation.


There was some beautiful color in the sky this morning when I walked out of Mary Ann and Jackie's house to load the car. It was weird staying in their house by myself. I've never done that before, until this trip.

I drove all day, today. But, I did take a quick walk along the river this morning. Usually I pick up some driftwood, but today I snapped some pix and gathered these three brightly colored leaves. 
I was expecting more color in the leaves across Missouri, they are still largely green. There is some color here and there, but it's not near its peak yet.

I stopped and spent about an hour with Greg's mom in Joplin. I so enjoy her. I need to see her more often. Otherwise, I just drove all day.

It was good to be with my family, even though it was under difficult circumstances. Nonetheless it was good to be with them and to have an opportunity to help out a bit. Of course, there was nothing I could do for Jackie, and nothing he needed me to do. But, hopefully I gave an opportunity for Mary Ann to get a little rest before Jackie comes home.

I'm ready for a little rest myself.

Jackie was moved out into a regular room today and seems to be doing very well. They say he will come home on Monday or Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Jim has been asked by Hospice to be interviewed for a feature they're doing. He hasn't decided if he's going to do it or not, but I encouraged him to go ahead if it appealed to him at all.

Both my brothers are involved with Lourdes Hospital these days.

I'm at Mary Ann and Jackie's tonight. She's staying at the hospital with Jackie.

On the drive home I was thinking about mistakes everyone makes. I've certainly made more than a couple. I spend a considerable amount of energy every day trying to not repeat them but in the process others seem to find their way to the surface. Maybe this is what life is about - trying to deal with mistakes and potential mistakes.

Thanks

Thanks to everyone for the emails, comments, good thoughts and prayers. Jackie is doing well. He's still in ICU because they don't have a regular room for him, but things look good.

I know he's probably going to get very bored before he feels like doing his normal stuff, but I feel he will make a complete recovery. If you scroll down a few entries you'll see him working on my Christmas Tree stand just three weeks ago. We had no idea then he was a ticking time bomb, with a 100% and a 65% blockage in his heart. It was one of those "silver lining" things that he fell at the construction site because that's how they found those. Had the heart attack happened somewhere other than the hospital he probably wouldn't have survived.

I haven't been posting, other than to the updates on him page, because that is what I've been doing. I've been staying at the hospital at night when there wasn't a reason that Mary Ann wanted to be there. She wanted to stay the night before and immediately following surgery, of course. But, otherwise, I've stayed every night since I got here until tonight. Tonight her friend, Janice, is staying, and I'm going to rest a bit. Needless to say, the amount of good, solid sleep you get in a hospital waiting room is not great.But I've been very glad I could help out by staying some. This is one of those times when it feels good to be part of a family that pulls together. I've been coming home in the afternoon and napping a bit and going back to stay at night and I've made it fine, but I do need to rest a bit before I start the 12 hour drive home.

I am headed back to Kansas this weekend. Obviously, I have things I need to take care of there and I think things here are going well. Also, I think it will be easier for Mary Ann and Jackie if I'm not here when Jackie comes home. Having someone else in your house requires some adjustment, regardless of how "normal" it is to have them around. I think it will be easier for them to come home and get into a routine without me being part of it and then them having to readjust when I leave. But, it doesn't look like he's going to be coming home before I go back anyway - but probably soon after - so that will all work out.

Jackie Info

If you want to see what's happening with Jackie tomorrow during the surgery, you can check www.patsyterrell.com. There will be a link there for updates. Thanks for your concerns, comments, and emails.

Situation

I am in Kentucky to see Jackie. I have very little net access because I'm at the hospital or sleeping. Any posting I do will likely be from my phone, with the abbreviations and misspellings intact, so bear with me. I can't recall where I last picked up the story...

Jackie fell a week ago Wednesday when a board he was standing on at a construction site broke. He fell about 10 feet and had surgery on Friday to do a full hip replacement because it broke the ball off his left hip. The surgery went very well. But, he had a massive heart attack in recovery. He coded and they had to shock him multiple times. They weren't sure he would live through the night. But, he did and continued to improve. Until they tried to get him off the oxygen.

On Wednesday - I think - my days are confused - they discovered he has a leaky valve and will need open heart surgery. That is tentatively scheduled for Monday, depending on if the Plavix in his system is at a low enough level. They will remove the stent they put in last week for the 100% blockage and do a bypass there and also where he has the 60% blockage, in addition to fixing the leaky valve.

Amazingly, he says his hip doesn't even hurt. He has an incision about 4 inches long on the front of his hip and it's healing nicely. It's incredible they can cut us open, rearrange a major support structure of our bodies and we not be in pain five days later. But, so it is.

I came to KY late this week to be with him and help out - someone has stayed at the hospital around the clock since this happened. I've been staying at the hospital at night so Mary Ann can get rested up because I know she will want to be with him after he has the heart surgery.

I came home to shower today and sleep a bit and I'm headed back to the hospital (about 30 minutes away). He's in CCU, so we can only visit for brief times throughout the day, two at a time.

I was hoping to have wireless access in the waiting room, since a lot of what we do is wait, but no such luck. So, I have no real computer time. However, I may post from my phone with updates.

I was planning to be here Friday-Monday anyway because their 50th anniversary is on Monday and we had a party planned for Sunday afternoon. Now they'll be doing surgery on Monday instead of celebrating their anniversary.

If you're someone in my real life world, please refer people to the blog for updates or have people call my cell. I do not have everyone's emails with me and just don't have the energy to do a lot of texting. I'll try to update here whenever possible.

Your good thoughts and prayers are appreciated.

Alcohol Consumption

Recently I was at a gathering where by the time I arrived, one person was already feeling the alcohol they had consumed and was no longer very articulate, and another one had a head start down that path.

I'm not sure why adults don't understand that they're not at their best when they're a little tipsy. I see why 20 year olds don't get it - they don't have the life experience - but for those of us over, say, 25, it seems we should understand it.

One tipsy person in a group starts to overwhelm the whole dynamic, much less two - it's just not worth the effort to me. People were not drunk - just tipsy - but getting less able to communicate well with each passing moment.

Generally people just get more boisterous and less intelligent with each ounce that's consumed. It becomes more and more of a struggle to have interesting conversation, and it's just not worth the effort to me. I have a large group of friends who never drink, but in this sort of a group, I'm usually one of only one or two not drinking. As a result, I'm one of the few who grasps how much the general level of conversation has deteriorated - and it's significant - quickly.

Trish and I have talked about this before when we're around a group that's having some "drinks," that the level goes down quickly. It's quite obvious in most people after the first glass and a half of wine that they're no longer at their best. They think they are, but they're not. I know because I see them at their best and I see them after a couple of drinks and the difference is far more startling than they realize.

This is not to say that people can't "handle" it - they can in the sense that they're still functional. But, their level of interesting conversation diminishes pretty quickly. You can quickly get a whole group that is suddenly fascinated with rather meaningless prattle and it's just not interesting for those of us who are not impaired. For those who are drinking, it works fine, it even seems fun. For the rest of us, the level of interesting conversation and people has just gone downhill. Back in my partying days a friend used to say alcohol was a way to make boring people fun. I think the truth is more that it made him less able to distinguish boring and fun.

Of course, there are exceptions. There are some people I'm around who drink regularly that I have never seen the least bit impaired. But, they're rare.

There's a group I gather with regularly where the wine flows freely and sometimes I just cannot wait to extricate myself because the level of conversation has really gone downhill and no one but me realizes it. They're all laughing at nothing and I'm bored silly. So, I find a way to leave so I can go do something interesting. It's a shame because they're cool people, but they don't even realize how uncool they get with just a couple of glasses. They're not obnoxious - well, a couple of them can border on it - but they're just not as interesting. They can't think about complex things. They can't engage in meaningful conversation.

I went through my partying days in college. I was done with it long before I was 25. I found alcohol quite dull - never liked my brain not firing on all cylinders and can't understand why anyone would want that. People always say it relaxes them - well, so does meditation or deep breathing or a dozen other things. People say it releases their inhibitions - well, maybe you should actually address those instead of just masking them. We have inhibitions for a reason - they keep us from doing things like jump off cliffs. If your inhibitions don't make sense deal with that.

I like to have a drink now and then of something that tastes good - Andrea served something fabulous at a dinner she had recently. I drank a little bit - maybe an ounce total - it tasted great, but I didn't want to feel the effects of the alcohol. I want to have all my wits about me. And that was a prime example of how it can be fine. Everyone was having drinks - everyone else a "normal" amount - but no one was impaired at all. It's possible, but it's rare.

The lure of getting tipsy is a mystery to me, like so many things... But it's one of the reasons I don't serve alcohol at events at my house. I want everyone to fully participate and in a group of 10 people, there will be at least one who gets a little too loud and a little too dense in no time at all. And then everyone has to lower their expectations. So, I just avoid the whole thing.

Christmas Preparations and More

Last night I brought the Christmas tree stand parts in and set them up in the corner where the tree goes. This may be the earliest I've ever started putting the tree up, although nothing is done but this. I've started other decorating before, but I don't think I've ever started on the tree this early.

It seemed ridiculous to put this away only to get it out in a few weeks. This year I'm going to wire it to the wall before I start assembling it instead of trying to do it afterwards. Greg suggested this placement since this is the direction it wants to lean - into the room - because I put more stuff on the sides that are visible. I'm excited to try out the new stand Jackie built.

And speaking of Jackie - he is doing well. Their 50th Anniversary notice was in the paper so people have been bringing it in to him. Obviously, we've had to postpone the party that was set for Sunday, but we've got a whole year to work it in, so we've got plenty of time.

I have spent today running from one thing to another. There always seem to be more projects than there is energy and time to do them. I want to change that dynamic.

Tonight Andrea hosted the gathering for our committee locally that put on dialogue. I went for a little bit and it was nice. But I had to come home to work on a couple of projects. I had a freelance graphics project to complete tonight and a number of other things so I couldn't stay very long. It was good to see everyone, but conversation was getting very intense about what to do in the future and I just didn't have the brain cells for that. I needed to save my brain cells for other things tonight.

______________

Share my daily life by reading along at Patsy's Ponderings.

Mike Armstrong Remembered

I went to the memorial service today for Mike Armstrong of Roy's Barbecue. I went hunting tonight for the photos of Mike I'd put on the blog. It made me chuckle that they're basically the same photo taken at different times, because Mike was always hard at work, and always smiling. I'm certain Mike would like the fact that he gave me a chuckle, even on the day of his memorial service.


This one is from June 25, 2006, which included this excerpt, "We did go to lunch at Roy's. When I was outside the door I could hear Mike chopping inside and it occurred to me that that is one of the "sounds of Roy's." I'm always into sound - I guess it comes from all those years in radio."


This one is from November of 2005, when we stopped by after the Christmas parade, with Clarence the dino still on top of the van. It included this excerpt, "After the parade, we drove to Roy's for some lunch. Anne came out to see what was pulling up in their driveway. I pulled her over to have her photo taken with the dino. She wasn't too eager so I didn't push my luck and put the Santa hat on her. Christmas is not her favorite time of year. I'm working on her. Slowly.Of course, someone still has to be working to keep the barbecue flowing. Mike was doing just that."


This one is from September of 2005, when we were taking some friends out to one of our favorite spots, which inluded this excerpt, "I snapped a pic of Mike working hard at Roy's. They have the best barbecue I've ever eaten, and I've eaten some barbecue."

I only knew Mike from Roy's, but people become a part of your lives when you are a regular customer - especially in that kind of a circumstance where it's a small, intimate place. I think that's especially true when it's a place you're eating, too. Food is so primal - the very sustenance of life - and Mike prepared it so well. Son, Ryan, has been cooking and chopping for awhile now, and he's doing a great job. I'm glad Mike had some time to do things he enjoyed the last few months.

When I went to the service today I wasn't sure if it was really appropriate for me to be there. I was not a close friend of Mike's, but when a friend called to tell me the notice was in the paper, I had a desire to pay my respects. There were a few other regular customers there today, but not as many as I expected. I'm not sure what is appropriate in this circumstance - you don't want to feel you're intruding on a private occasion for family and close friends - but you don't want the family to feel you don't care either.

It was a beautiful service. I was impressed with it. Anne and I spoke just briefly and she told me she planned it. It was lovely - personal and moving, with moments of humor as well. The recessional was "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," because Mike was a big Yankees fan and even played college baseball at Pittsburg State. After the service, there was a balloon launch in front of the church, to release Mike's spirit. Blue and white balloons were handed out to each of us and after a brief reading, we all let them go. I wanted to take a photo because it was such a beautiful sight, but that didn't seem appropriate so I didn't.

I just know I'm glad I went. It was an honor to be witness to the memory of such a fun-loving man. My heartfelt sympathies to Anne, their children, and the rest of the family. I know Mike will be missed by all who had the good fortune to cross his path in this lifetime.

__________________________

Tonight I was looking for a particular blog entry I had written about Roy's and in the process, discovered that in the last two and a half years on the blog I've mentioned Roy's more than 80 times.

The entry I was looking for was from live journal, which, unfortunately, isn't as searchable, so I'm going to repost it here.

This was written June 12, 2004............................

I consider myself somewhat of a barbecue aficionado. It's one of the things I check out whenever I travel. Stephenson's in North Carolina - spectacular. Corky's in Memphis and Nashville - good stuff. Shemwells in Cairo, Illinois - not to be missed. Starnes in Paducah, Kentucky - tasty. Voodoo in New Orleans - yum. Bryant's in Kansas City - an experience. Shorty Small's in Little Rock - mmm, mmm good. Well, I could go on and on about BBQ, but this is about one of the best of the best.

I'm lucky to live in the same town - Hutchinson, Kansas - as one of the absolute best BBQ joints in the country. Roy's. It's wonderful. A rich, sweet, smoky sauce that permeates the meat to perfection. I always eat the beef at Roy's, although I can also vouch for the turkey and ham, which I've partaken of when the beef is gone by the time I get there. The meat itself is wonderful - it's really smoked - not psuedo-smoked out of a bottle.

Mike gets there very early every morning. He makes a certain amount. When it's gone, it's gone. So, go early or accept you may not be able to get your favorite meat. If you wait too long, you won't be able to get anything. This is good stuff - made fresh - smoked with hickory - like BBQ is supposed to be. You serve up the coleslaw, potato salad, beans and other goodies yourself off the salad bar.

Anne and Mike are the proprietors at Roy's. They've been in business 23 years so they know what they're doing. It's a small building, with one large round table in the front, and then an annex with other tables. If it's your first time, don't miss the communal experience of sitting at the round table.

You may notice the painted window pictured above says 11-4 or until the food is gone. Heads up here - they're always closed by 2 - so don't dally. They're open Tuesday through Saturday. I know... hours are limited... doesn't matter - plan your trip around it - you won't be disappointed.

Going to Roy's means heading down Hutchinson's main street, turning onto 5th, toward Nickerson to the west. Continue on 5th - you'll think you're out of town. Keep going. And then you'll see the cars parked all around a yellow building on the right, and sometimes in the grass across the highway. You're there. Even if the line is out the door, as it often is - wait - things move along at a good clip.

Settle in and get ready for a treat. Meat is always perfect. Anne and Mike are always friendly. Experience is always ideal. If you become a regular they'll know your name and your favorite in no time.

Even if you're just passing through, you'll be treated kindly. They're used to out of towners because they're listed in some of those books about great BBQ places. You'll be happy to leave a few well-spent tourist dollars here. It's also a bargain - in case I didn't mention that. I eat a half sandwich, and it's less than $6, including the all-you-can-eat fixin's.

There are some other BBQ places in Hutchinson, including one that continues to buy a billboard near Roy's - somehow thinking we'll be fooled by marketing. Don't bother with them. They may win contests with ballot box stuffing and such, but locals know for the real stuff you gotta head to Roy's. Do you want BBQ or do you want meat with some liquid smoke poured over it?

Roy's is one of the places people can't wait to return to if they move out of town and come back for a visit. As I tell Anne occasionally, "If I can't have Roy's, I'll do without." You'll feel the same once you've had it.

You can see more pix and get more info on the official site at http://www.roysbbq.com. You can even see the menu or order some sauce. The sauce is adored - a staple in Hutchinson kitchens. I even took some as a "thank you" gift to some folks I was staying with in Cairo, Egypt. They were thrilled and you will be too.

Jackie Doing Well

Jackie is doing well.

He has the clicker to watch TV. He wants to go home. He ordered everyone else to go home and stop staying at the hospital. It seems he's getting back to normal.

He will be moved out to a regular room tomorrow.

Thank you for your good thoughts!

More Good News

My brother, Jackie, has continued to improve. I'm so thankful he's doing well. He is still in CCU, but he is improving. Obviously, it's all I've been able to think about the last couple of days. He has had a lot of visitors today and recognizes everyone. He's had some soft foods and they have him sitting up in bed a bit. They're reducing his sedation and he's no longer restrained. So, things are moving in the right direction.

Jackie Update

Thank you to everyone who has commented on the blogs and also emailed. I genuinely appreciate knowing people are thinking about my brother and our family at this time.

Here's the update...

Short version - it's good news so far.

Long version:
They have him on some medication to make his heart contract and they are weaning him off that and his heart is contracting on its own.
Neither the heart pump nor the temp pacemaker have had to kick in - his heart has been working on its won.
He responds to verbal commands - move leg, twitch toe, etc.
This afternoon he wrote a note to communicate. This really made me feel good - his brain was working well enough to form thoughts and he could write - that all seemed like great news to me.
He had a tube down his throat so couldn't talk. They've had him restrained because he kept trying to take it out whenever he would rouse from the sedation at all. They planned to take it out tomorrow. Tonight about 7:30 one of his hands was free by accident and he pulled the tube out. His blood oxygen level has been good so they haven't put it back down. Hopefully that will continue.
The nurse said she wasn't sure about it yesterday - if he would make it through the night - but that today he is on track for how people recovery from a stent surgery.
He has a little bit of pneumonia in one lung but that's not abnormal in such a circumstance and they're giving him some antibiotics for that.
He recognizes all the family and has talked to them, as much as he can. Obviously, his throat is very sore from the tube being down it.

I felt better about things this morning when Jim (my other brother) went to see him and told me that Jackie didn't look too bad. Jim has had a heart attack and knows what people look like in such a circumstance, so I found that comforting.

Cathy has done a great job calling me everytime they've heard even a little bit of news. I am so thankful for that. I was planning to go to KY this coming weekend for Mary Ann and Jackie's 50th Anniversary Party - obviously, we're going to postpone that for a little bit. Now I'm not sure when I'm going. There are lots of people there at the moment so I can probably be more useful later during the recovery phase. We'll see. I'm just so relieved things are going as well as they are.

Overall, things seem to be going pretty well at the moment. The 48 hour mark will pass early tomorrow afternoon. We are all eager to get past that milestone.

Thank you, again, for all your good thoughts and prayers for Jackie and my family. Please continue to remember us. I will update things here. Thank you.

Your Prayers and Good Energy Requested

I'm asking for your good thoughts and prayers for my brother, Jackie.

Jackie fell the other day when he was working on a construction job and broke his leg. He fell about 10 feet when a board he was standing on broke. It broke the ball off his hip and he had surgery this morning.

They did a full hip replacement and it went very smoothly.

But, while he was in recovery he had a heart attack. They took him into surgery and had to shock him 8-10 times to restart his heart. The next 24-48 hours are critical,  but his vitals are good. My big worry is about how long he was without oxygen. Obviously, we're all very concerned.

So, your good energy would be appreciated. Thanks.

Christmas Cards

I got started on my Christmas cards tonight. Well, I've already been thinking about the letter, but tonight I signed the cards, so they'll be ready to insert.

OK, close your gaping mouth and stop pretending like I'm off my rocker for doing this in October. I'm a little late for my tastes. Do you think of the Christmas season as starting the day after Thanksgiving? Well, lots of folks do. And... news flash... Thanksgiving is SEVEN WEEKS FROM TODAY.

Yes, Thanksgiving is seven weeks from today. That's seven Saturdays, four of which are already committed to other things in my little world. So, it's time for me to be preparing for Christmas.

I don't like rushing around during the holiday season. I like to just enjoy the holidays. I don't want to be trying to get the decorating, shopping, cards, entertaining, cooking, cleaning and calling all done in December. So, I start early. Last year I did a lot of shopping in December and it was kind of fun to be in the rush - and I may do some of that this year, too - but I don't want to be doing everything last minute.

And we have the Christmas homes tour this year, so I'll be doing that the first weekend, and my open house will be the second weekend. Then there will just be one more until right before Christmas. It zips by quickly.

I am on a mission to move Thanksgiving to the end of September, which is really harvest anyway. Then we'd have Thanksgiving in September, Halloween in October and we'd start the Christmas season on November 1. I think it has great potential. And lots of people I mention it to like the idea. Of course, not everyone. Some people hate the holiday season, regardless of how long it it, and want nothing to do with extending it.

In other news today, I had lunch with Dorothy and it was a great talk. I agreed to be on the committee to consider developing wind energy here. And we had some fascinating conversation. I'm still mulling it over, but I will share more here soon.

Well, I'd best start going through the blog to amass the dreaded Christmas letter. Not sure there's much point these days when people could just read the blog, but I guess I'm in a transition phase.

Accidents and Nature

My brother, Jackie, recently featured here building an industrial strength Christmas tree stand for me, is in the hospital. He was helping with a construction job today and walked out on a board that broke, and he fell about 10 feet. The ball of his hip broke completely off, but he's expected to make a full recovery, with no loss of mobility. They will do surgery on Friday and on Saturday he will be walking. Wow.

Obviously, we'll all concerned about him, but thankful it wasn't worse and glad they can do something for him and that he will make a full recovery. Of course, in the meantime, he needs some serious pain killers and has to lay on one side in the bed.

Everyone has done a great job of keeping me informed. Cathy, Jim and Mary Ann all called me at various times today for updates, which I appreciated.

Before I knew all of this today, I took a few minutes for a nice walk at Dillon Nature Center. It was a lovely day, although it was NOT fall-like, as I mentioned I was looking forward to after yesterday's weather forecast. Weather people lie constantly. I swear, they must devote training to that.

It was supposed to be autumnal today. It was not. I know, because people were wearing shorts, no sweaters were in evidence, and I took a long walk outdoors in sandals. Not autumn.

On the upside, there were tons of bees and butterflies on these flowers they tell me are a kind of aster. They also tell me they multiply easily - that they planted about three of them. I think I need some. I like hardy plants.

Autumn and Honor

There is a harmony
In autumn, and a lustre in its sky,
Which through the summer is not heard or seen,
As if it could not be, as if it had not been!
                    Percy Bysshe Shelley



I snapped this photo of a spider web with leaves stuck in it at Quivira. I spotted two different webs built like this - rather hammock-like - in the crook of trees.

I picked an autumn quote because the weather people tell us that tomorrow is going to be a truly fall-like day. It's about darned time. I opened the windows a few days ago and decided now that it's officially fall surely I didn't need the AC anymore. There have been a couple of times I've almost broken down and turned it back on. It's time for fall now. I'm ready. I'm not a summer person. I want some autumn. Especially now that it IS autumn.

Global warming is starting to mess with my four distinct seasons and that ticks me off even more than future generations not having a planet left. OK, I'm exaggerating. A little. But I want my four seasons. Dammit.

But, they say tomorrow will be autumnal, before heat the rest of the week. Of course, these are the same weather people who predicted "brief showers in the morning, seventy degrees by noon" on the day I spent in pouring rain for 11 hours at Hillsboro when the temperature didn't get above 48. So, the fact that I believe them indicates incredible optimism or stupidity on my part.

I had lunch with Leah today and it was really, really nice to connect with her. She just lost her dad recently and we had not had a chance to talk, other than briefly. Some of Mark's friends have a morbid joke that I understand about "the club" and the club is made up of people who've lost a parent. It's called a coping mechanism. And, it highlights an important consideration - those who haven't been through it can't relate. They can try. But they can't.

I'm not sure, but I don't think anyone Leah works directly with has lost a parent. I know I've heard at least two of them refer to their parents so I don't think she has anyone in her direct world that can really empathize. And people who haven't been through it expect you to bounce back and get on with things very quickly.

Hello? Wake up call. It doesn't work like that. It was about five years after my mother's death that I came "out of the fog." I was functioning, and doing so very well by many standards, but internally I was a mess. No one knew that - not even me, really. God knows no one asked. People never want to ask. You might tell them and they don't want to hear. And it's largely a waste of your breath, anyway, because people cannot listen - it's too horrific for them.

So, today, Leah and I talked about those things that people not in the club don't/can't talk about. It was good for me. I hope it was good for her.

I've known that it's an honor to attend the dying. I'm not very good at that, and I'm thankful some people are. I'm blessed that my brother, Jim, was with our mom when she died, and he did all the things that needed to be done in those moments.

Today I realized it's also an honor to be with those on the other side of that process, who are experiencing the loss. I'm a little better at this part. A little better.

Quote of the Day

"Go where love has not yet arrived." Father Gregory Boyle

Father Boyle runs Home Boy Industries, which was created to hire people who are trying to get out of the gang lifestyle. It's controversial. And it's working.

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge is one of my favorite places around here. It was established in 1955 and now has more than 22,000 acres.

There are 21 canals and other structures that divert water to 34 different wetlands - ranging in size from 10 to 1500 acres each - making  a total of more than 6000 acres of marshland, some of which I examined  on a previous trip. 

It's a big bird area. I've heard estimates that as many as 90% of migratory birds go through here over the course of a year. The bird pictured here is a very common one you see there.

Apparently, you can even see Whooping Cranes at Quivira - about 75% of the sighting in Kansas have been at Quivira or at Cheyenne Bottoms - as they migrate. Whooping cranes are endangered and the penalties are severe for killing one - a fine of up to $100,000 and up to one year in jail. There have been only five killed in hunting accidents since 1950.

However, considering how rare they are, five is substantial. Experts think that at one time there may have been as many 10,000 whopping cranes but in the winter of 1941-42 they were at an all time low of only 15-16. In 2005 they were up to 215. I think this year I'm going to try to see one. I've never been bird watching in my life, so I guess I might as well start with an endangered species there are fewer than 300 of.

Some things are plentiful - like ducks and geese...



There's plenty of other wildlife too. The other day I saw two different kinds of turtles - red eared sliders and this guy, which I don't recognize. I also saw snakes two different times from the car, a squirrel, deer, grouse and wild turkeys.

I like the opportunity to be surrounded by a different environment than what's right around Hutchinson, where I live. Quivira is only about a 30-40 minute drive away so it's easy to get to. I go down there a few times a year just to look around.

With all the wetlands, it's very different than right here.



I also walked the "Migrant Mile" trail I'd walked before, which is where I snapped this photo.



On the wildlife scenic drive, I spotted this tree, which I thought so perfectly illustrated the power of the Kansas wind for those of you who haven't experienced it. I've grown used to the look of trees that are growing bent because they've been bombarded by the wind from a young age. If you look closely, you'll see the horizon is straight - the tree really is that bent and it wasn't that windy of a day.



I saw this mix of plants on the hike over the migrant mile trail. I don't know what the puffy red stuff is and I couldn't get close enough to touch it. After getting bitten by a snake a couple of years ago, I don't wander out into such areas.



If you missed the snake bite saga of March 2005, go to http://patsyterrell.livejournal.com/2005/03/04/ and scroll down to the fence posts, then to http://patsyterrell.livejournal.com/2005/03/05/ to read all about it. Suffice it to say, I still have a little scar on my right ankle where fang marks once were.

So, I tend to stay on the trails now - you know, like all the signs tell you to do in the first place. And I watch where I walk much more carefully. I was very lucky in 2005 to have nothing more than some swelling, fever and tenderness at the location, and I think one snakebite gimme is probably all anyone is entitled to in a lifetime and I've already had mine.



I've talked before about the sound of the prairie. I took some video at Quivira the other day. I haven't had a chance to look at it yet, but when I do I may post some at you tube so everyone can hear the sound of the prairie. We'll see if it worked.

SNL Ahmadinejad Video Short

Last night on SNL I saw one of the funniest things I've seen in awhile - a video short starring Andy Samberg and Adam Levine from Maroon 5. It was a take off on the song, I Ran so Far Away. In it, Samberg is singing to the faux Ahmadinejad about their gay love affair. It's well worth watching. It's on the NBC site at the link below. I've watched it so many times I'd had to watch the commercial more than once. It's witty.

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/#mea=161985

Some of the lyrics:
You can deny the holocaust all you want
but you can't deny there's something between us
You say there are no gays in Iran
but you're in New York now baby.

Words on a page don't do it justice - go watch the video.

Apparently I'm not the only one who has deemed Ahmadinejad "Nutburger of the Week."

Nutburgers in the News - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Well, you knew it couldn't last - me being quiet about what's going on in the news. I try. I swear, I really try. But, the world keeps presenting me with nutburgers I can't resist talking about.

Nutburger of the Week is... drumroll, please...  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

There are no gays in Iran? Well, of course not. The ones who could afford to have already left, and you've killed the rest or shamed them into being hidden. It's amazing how ignorant a person can be and still be running a whole country. And, no, I'm not going to make a George Bush joke here - there's "I didn't really excel at my ivy league school and I'm not too smart" and there's "I'm a bigot who's too stupid to even know I'm a bigot." Very different kinds of ignorant.

The debate has raged about Columbia University giving him a platform. Maybe I'm just a complete idiot myself, but I'm glad he spoke there. I think far more people heard what he has to say than they would have if he had only spoken at the UN. Would he have said there are no gays in Iran at the UN? No. Well, I don't think so, anyway. But, of course, I can't imagine anyone would say something so ignorant anywhere. But, I digress. OK... back to the topic at hand. I think the fact that he spoke at Columbia brought his message to a larger audience so more people can see what a fool he is.

I've heard the argument that apparently Columbia would have hosted Hitler. Well, you know what, if they had he probably wouldn't have gone unchecked for so long. And speaking of Hitler, how many people got upset when Ahma-nutburger-jad denied the holocaust a couple of years ago? Admittedly, there was "international outrage," but it was talked about less than this has been and I think the reason is that Columbia offered a way for more people to hear what he has to say. It's easier to just blow nutburgers off  in "official" contexts than when they're doing it just because it's who they are.

Oh yeah, and lets not forget that part of our identity as a country is free speech. So, you'd think the president of another country would be extended the opportunity to speak. If he happens to be a nutburger and doesn't bother to hide that fact - as they never do because they see themselves as completely reasonable - it clues the rest of the world in. And someone we really need to be hearing are nutburgers in positions of power - like presidents of countries with nuclear power who think other countries should be "relocated," for example.

OK, I know... he speaks lots of places. Well, I don't know about you, but I've seen far more of him and his general nutburger-y-ness from the Columbia speech than any other. I think it's good for people to see that and I don't think they're likely to catch the latest C-Span installment from the UN. OK, I don't even know if C-Span does the UN or only congress, but it sounds good as a comparison.

So, there you go... Nutburger of the week is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Bill O'Reilly and his fumbling buffonery about Sylvia's restaurant and its patrons is spared being the Nutburger of the Week. At least this week.

(And yes, Nutburger is my word. I don't know where it came from. It just popped into my brain and out my mouth and I've been using it ever since to describe people who are so far removed from anything resembling reality that they can't even get a grasp on it.)

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

Saturday is for Scones

I went downtown for the Chili Cookoff today. There was a great turnout - even at 1 p.m. when I arrived to help with clean up for the HRAH (Hutchinson Reno County Arts and Humanities) booth. There were people everywhere.



I guess multiple times the HRAH booth had a very long line of people waiting for their chili samples. People pay $2 and can get samples from each of the booths. I think there were about 25 this year. Then they get to vote on what the best chili is.

Mark, the director of HRAH, pinpointed the only real problem. It seems as if people are more interested in just filling up on chili for $2 than actually enjoying a community event. He mentioned this just about three minutes after I had said to another board member that I hadn't seen anyone I knew. But, I guess people were enjoying it in ways we couldn't see.

But, this was echoed when I pulled up to get the three pumpkins Mark had told me to take home. We had left them sitting there while I pulled my car around. Another board member had come along and his kids wanted one. I told them to take them all. While we were discussing it, some older gentleman none of us knew walked up and took one. Who takes something like that - obviously a decoration that had been used by one of the participants - just because it's not nailed down? This guy I guess. He didn't ask anyone, including the two of us who were wearing logo hats and discussing them. He just took it. We didn't do anything except watch. Frankly, I was a little too surprised to say much. It's not that I need the pumpkin - I'm blessed that I can afford to buy as many pumpkins as I want to go on my porch - but it was just the idea someone would help themselves to something that obviously didn't belong to them, that they had no right to. I would rather the other board member's kids had all three of the pumpkins. I guess I live in a sheltered world, what can I say?

I did see something funny, which I wish I had gotten a photo of - a black lab with his own arm band, meaning he got to sample the chili too. He trotted right over to me to be petted so it's my own fault I didn't get his photo. But, suffice it to say, it was cute  that his three guys got him his own armband.

While working on a number of different computer projects this afternoon I took a break to read some blogs. When I checked Jan Lemen's I saw the most scrumptious photo of a biscuit with jelly on it. This made me long for a scone. I don't know why, but it did.

So, I dug in my computer recipe files and found the scone recipe shared by tea enthusiast Eve Hill on a tea list some years ago. Teresa has a good scone recipe, too, but I didn't have it in the computer. Most of them are pretty similar - but I like a scone that is flaky and crumbly. I don't care so much about the shape - round or triangular - but the texture is important to me. I like them to be rather biscuit-like only a little sweeter.

Anyway, I whipped up some scones, and ate one with real butter and blackberry jelly. Yum. I, of course, had it with some blackberry and sage tea. Susan gave me this tea at Christmas last year and I have loved it. I've been parceling it out and this was the perfect time for some.

I also finished up the invitations for Mary Ann and Jackie's 50th Anniversary Party in a few weeks. Cathy and Kim have been kind enough to let me be involved in the planning. My other big task is the centerpieces. I've got some ideas I need to experiment with. I want to make sure everything looks nice.

Well, time for bed for me. I'm hoping that tomorrow I wake with an uncontrollable urge to tidy up my house.

Out of Sorts

I have been feeling "out of sorts" for the last few months. I'm not depressed. I'm not upset. I'm not bored. I'm not unhappy. But I'm not normal. I'm a little "flat."

Part of it is the need for newness in my life, but that's not all of it. It is deeper than that and I need to figure it out and address it.

I have been trying to put my finger on it and just can't quite get a handle on what the problem is. After some soul searching time late today I have reached some conclusions.

1. My "overstretched arch" has prevented me from getting the normal amount of movement in each day. I'm not saying I exercise regularly, but, in the course of the average day when I wear my little pedometer I walk about 2000-3000 steps. For the past four months it has been so painful that I have walked no more than necessary, which is far less than that. Maybe it's true what they say about needing some exercise/movement to keep various chemicals that affect our moods flowing in the body.

Late today I walked a little nature trail that's about a mile long and although my foot is slightly sore tonight, it's not bad. And I walked a couple of little trails near Mammoth Cave last week, too. So, hopefully it will continue to improve and I can move more.



2.  I have spent too much time and energy this year on things that drain me and too little on things that restore me. It seems there is a constant increase in things that require my attention that I don't wish to do. But, they must be done. So, what is one to do? We all have responsibilities to fulfill. All I can do is try to limit future obligations.

3. I have been journalling less than usual. I've had other kinds of writing to do, including blogging, and have spent less time with pen and paper and I must change that. Journalling is something that we know makes people happier so I must get back in the habit of doing it nearly daily. I go in cycles, but have been keeping a journal since I was in grade school, so this is obviously just a blip. But, regardless, I need to be aware of this.

4. I need opportunities to be with people in meaningful ways that result in learning, creativity, or emotional bonding. For example, leadership last fall provided a great chance to get to know 29 people from different areas. The artist's retreat last year was a great example of a bonding experience. A group of us used to gather and go to see the energy healer, or attend related conferences and such. We haven't done that in a long time and no one in my circle seems interested in doing it anymore. I long for the connection one can only get from a concentrated time frame with others. I have tried to create opportunities for that a couple of times with friends and met with little or no interest.

So, I think I must create something and issue an open invitation, instead of limiting it to people I already know. Obviously, I'll be posting info here when I consider what that will be. It would be fun to get a group of women together from some meaningful interaction.

Managing Life and Changing Times

I've been doing some personal excavating tonight. My desk at home is always covered with piles of stuff. Piles. The fact that my hands haven't been crushed by those piles careening onto the keyboard qualifies as a small miracle.

So, I've been going through piles - filing, tossing, shredding, and wondering. It's that last one that is the reason piles accumulate, I think. I'm not sure what to do with something so I just put it aside. Then, eventually, that grows into an infamous pile, which I continue to add to. When I finally do get around to going through things, many of the pieces of paper I couldn't bear to part with initially because I might want to do something with them are no longer important - a date has passed or for some other reason they're immaterial now.

But, this doesn't stop me from making new piles. I know all those rules about how you should only handle a piece of paper once, have a certain time each day to return phone calls, etc. etc. etc. Who does that? Who lives a life that works like that? Not me and not anyone I know.

Stuff comes into my world at a far greater rate than I could ever process on a daily basis. So, I wait until the things that aren't urgent are outdated and then it takes no brain power to process them. I've recognized this problem of too much stuff coming into my life for some time, but cannot figure out how to deal with it. I had my mail held while I was in Kentucky and after just five days, the stack was about eight inches tall when I picked it up. And that's just the mail - my personal mail - it doesn't take into account email or phone calls or anything work related, where stuff also arrives at a pace I can't maintain. Email floods in from the national office, with complex details and issues. Meanwhile I'm working to keep the daily stuff going.

So much of what arrives at my inboxes, my mailboxes and my doors is so overwhelming - in quantity and topic - that I end up ignoring it unless it's urgent. I don't like feeling like I'm never caught up - never on top of things. I don't know how to manage it all.

I used to say I wanted the world to stop for a few days so I could catch up. Then it was a month I wanted it to stop. Then it was about six months. Now I think I probably need about 10 months of nothing coming into my world to just deal with the stuff already in it.

Of course, people could rightly point out that I could give up the time I spend writing, painting, blogging, doing Christmas, going to events, working on my house, seeing friends, etc. But those things restore me. The other things take from me. I cannot give up the things that nourish my soul or I will have nothing left to give to the other parts of my life. So many of the things I must do seem designed to try and suck the very life out of me.

I always seem to need more hours in the day to do everything I need and want to do. It's certainly not a matter of me not working. I don't think anyone who knows me would ever use the word "lazy" to describe me. I rarely stop, even for a few minutes, from the time I get up until I go to bed. I don't lay down on the couch when I get home. I come in the door and keep going. I haven't actually watched television without doing something else in at least 15 years, except when ill enough to be bedridden. If I'm at the computer I'm working on something - work or personal. I never waste time waiting for appointments - I always have something with me to work on. I even spend very few hours resting every day - rarely more than six - so I'm not sleeping my life away either.

One of the things I found tonight while excavating was my ticket to a performance series here. I haven't ever attended one of their events, but I buy the ticket every year to support it. There are a couple of things this year I might actually go to. Regardless, they send with the ticket a set of stickers for you to put on your calendar, to remind you of the dates. Honestly, I looked at them for a few seconds before I figured out what I was supposed to do with them. I haven't kept a paper calendar for the last 2-3 years. So, the stickers went in the trash - what would I do with them.

It's much like when I have to pay a bill by actually writing a check and putting it in the mail. It's so archaic. Frankly, I'm ticked off that I have to spend time doing either thing. So, I simply don't do business with anyone who requires that of me anymore. If automatic payment isn't available I'll use someone else's service. I want it to just happen seamlessly every month without me having to be involved. I still have to do it for the MHA and it seems so bizarre to me. Fortunately, we don't have a lot of monthly bills.

When I took this job about 5 years ago I was shocked to see two typewriters in the office. I actually turned to one of my board members who was with me and said, honestly, "Whatever will I do with a typewriter?" Type, of course, is the answer. But I never, ever opened either of them. Finally, a few months ago I found another non profit that wanted them. What do you do with a typewriter these days other than use it to create cool, actually typed paper for art projects? I recently put an actual typed envelope into one of my bits and pieces books. I haven't gotten one in years - many years - so I kept it. It's definitely a last gasp of a bygone era. Like so many things from bygone eras, it's charming in it's own way, but I don't want to go back.

The world changes very quickly these days. It's a struggle to keep up. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to go check out my new SpiralFrog membership. Always something new...

Moon Rise

Moon rise tonight was beautiful. I was on my way to Goodwill and pulled over in the Aldi's parking lot to take a photo.

One thing I've learned from Greg is that when you see something cool like that, you've got a very limited time frame in which to capture it. Unless you're very close to an interesting foreground, you better just shoot it with whatever is nearby because it's fleeting. In this case, Lowes was what I had for a foreground. However, I used the trees to block that.

As you can tell, clouds were moving across the moon, which is what gives it that striped look. I was quite infatuated with it.

Walking Through My Dreams

Driving through parts of Kentucky I hadn't been in in a long time, or ever, has given me vivid dreams of people I had practically forgotten who walked through my life at one time or another and now are walking through my dreams. It's almost like guest appearances.

I drove by a sign pointing to Cerulean, Kentucky. I've never been there, but I remember a boy named Bob I met at Murray State University my one year there. Bob was a sweet boy. We lost touch very quickly after I left Murray, but a few years later my Lexington phone rang and it was Bob. He was visiting some friends in the area and had seen me on the news because I was working as a TV reporter then.

In that way that early twenty somethings will do, and I suppose others as well, Bob called me to impress his friends that he knew someone on TV. I'm not sure how much it's worth to know someone who's working the weekend news as a lowly reporter in the 76th market in the country, but it was worth a long distance call to him at the time.

I had no ill will toward Bob, and I was genuinely happy to hear from him. We wrote a couple of letters after that and promptly drifted apart again because there wasn't anything to bond us together.

It was one of my first experiences with someone making an effort to "be in my world" in some small way because of what I was doing for a living. I'm sorry to say it has happened many, many, many times since. I can't imagine what it's like to be a real celebrity, because even on this teeny-tiny, itty-bitty, little scale you're always wondering if people are really interested in you or just your job and what you can do for them with it. Now that I don't work in the media anymore it's no longer an issue. And, there are people who quickly drifted out of my life when I didn't do that for a living anymore.

However, there are others who entered by life because I suddenly had an "important" title. There are a couple of people in town who, literally, did not speak to me prior to me taking this job. But, now that I have some title they deem worthy of note they also consider me worth noting. Can you guess how much respect I have for that? I'll bet you can.

Bob was the first time I had that experience, although I didn't recognize it for what it was then. We have to learn everything in life. And, he got the payoff, his friends were very impressed he knew someone on the news. Twenty year olds are easy to impress, what can I say? But, I talked with them, they were happy, and Bob was too. I wasn't happy, but I wasn't unhappy. I guess I was indifferent that would move to indignant as the days progressed.

Seeing the sign for Cerulean, Kentucky made me think of Bob and that night he walked through my dreams - making a cameo for the first time in many, many years.

I woke up remembering something more pleasant about Bob - bumping into him on a very rainy Thursday afternoon on the Murray State campus - and him driving me back to my dorm a few blocks away. I know it was a Thursday because I had just finished my voice lesson and it was on Thursdays. I was relieved it was over and looked out to see Bob, who was not a music major, walking up the steps with an umbrella. It didn't strike me as odd at the time that he would be a in building a business major would have no reason to ever set foot in. Obviously, it was not happenstance that he was there to rescue me from a rainy walk back to my dorm.

He drove the mile or so and pulled up in front of my dorm. We talked for a few minutes in the dry warmth of his car before he leaned over and kissed me for the first and last time. That one kiss sealed for both of us that we would never have that kind of relationship. It had never crossed my mind until that moment, and it was fleeting, but I guess it had crossed his.

It was nice to have him make a guest appearance in my dreams after seeing the sign for Cerulean. At the 20 plus year schedule my subconscious seems to be on, it will be a long time before I see him again.

Wigwam Motel, Mammoth Cave and Big Moose's BBQ

When Greg, Mark and I stayed in the Wigwam in Holbrook, Arizona on a trip across Route 66 two summers ago, the following morning I proclaimed, "When you CAN sleep in a Wigwam, you SHOULD sleep in a Wigwam." Well, I stand by that, and the phrase has even become famous as The Lope has used it in a book now. OK, famous might be a stretch, but it's in a book.

Wigwams were once a small chain, but there are now only three left - Holbrook, Arizona; Rialto, California and Cave City, Kentucky. We stayed in the Arizona and California ones on that trip, but I had not been to the one in my home state of Kentucky until this past weekend. Finally, my Wigwam Triology is complete.

In a burst of energy or stupidity, depending on your point of view, a group of us came from Kansas, Missouri and Ohio to meet in Kentucky for a Wigwam experience.


From Left to Right, that's Greg, Barb, Natalie and Ace, Mia, Will and Richard, me, and Mark.



Wigwams are way cool. I had number 4 this time. There are 15 of them in Cave City - some with one bed and some with two. Greg and Mia had number 3, Mark had number 5 and Barb and Richard and their family had number 6. Each is basically the same with its own little bathroom and cool furniture. You even have your own little parking spot beside your Wigwam.



And the view from inside the Wigwam has this cool profile. You can even see the sign in the distance from my front door.



There's a bigger Wigwam that is the office and gift shop, and two smaller ones that are restrooms beside it.



They're built in a big circle, with a drive that goes behind them.



Friday night, Barb and Richard built a fire in the little fire pit in the middle. We roasted hotdogs and marshmallows. It was very cool.



Cave City and Holbrook both have some original furniture still left. Very, very, very cool.









Wigwams also have the cutest little bathrooms with the oddest little angles. The mirror angles down at you over the sink and the shower has more corners than you can imagine. I love the tile in these.




Cave City tells us they may have to give up the tile because it's getting worn. They have a lady in Bowling Green that re-canes their furniture for them. It's way cool. Did I mention it's cool?

And, Cave City isn't called Cave City for no reason - Mammoth Cave is nearby, which we also visited.

At various times we all took the Frozen Niagra tour. It's only a little over an hour long and has about 80% of the pretty formations in the cave.

Mammoth is the longest cave in the world. I've been on a longer tour before, but was content to take this nice, easy, pretty tour this time.

Previously I did a tour that involved a lot of hiking. With my "overstretched arch" in my right foot, lots of hiking was not on the agenda for me this time. The foot continues to improve, but a multi hour hike would not have done it much good.

I have to say that the rangers at Mammoth Cave are the nicest ones I've ever run across - not that park rangers aren't always pleasant, but the ones at Mammoth Cave seem to be particularly fond of their jobs and genuinely happy to be interacting with the public.

This tour had an optional part of it - 49 steps down to see another part of the formation. As the guide put it - there are 49 optional steps down and 49 mandatory ones back up.

If you took the steps down, you saw this "drapery" overhead.



And this large stalagmite.




This tour had a lot of pretty formations to see...



You could peer down into Crystal Lake...



Our guide, Jeff, told us there was about 10 feet of water in it now. It has been very dry there lately.

In fact, the park has two ferries, which were closed until late August. I took one of the ferries the following day when I did some sight seeing around the park and took in some walking trails and some scenery. It's a beautiful area.



I did hike down to the famous sand cave where Floyd Collins met his demise in the mid 1920s. Floyd was looking for a new cave - a new tourist attraction - and got caught in a collapse. Newspaper accounts of him being trapped brought about 10,000 people there to witness the rescue operation. Unfortunately, Floyd was found dead about two weeks after the initial collapse.



I also visited some historic churches and soaked up the atmosphere.

To top off the trip, we discovered a fabulous restaurant in nearby Glasgow, Kentucky - Big Moose's BBQ. Mark and I went there one night before everyone else arrived. When we mentioned we hadn't been there before they gave us a sampler platter of all their side dishes, all of which are delicious by the way. That's not because we were special, although we do like to think so at times - they give a sampler platter to anyone who's new so they can pick their favorites. How's that for some Southern Hospitality? The young lady at the front counter was as pleasant as could possibly be on top of that.

We loved it so much we encouraged everyone else to go there so they did the next night. I cannot speak highly enough of the sweet potato crunch. Lets just say in the south we like our brown sugar and pecans and we know that to do with them and we're not afraid to use them. When Greg tasted it he said, "I want this in my mouth all the time." That sentiment was shared by everyone.

I also heartily recommend the Indian Stew and the hashbrown casserole.We all loved it there. So, should you find yourself in the area, don't miss Big Moose's BBQ. It's well worth the short drive from Cave City to Glasgow. When you leave be sure and ring the bell - that lets them know you liked the food.

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