Michael Broome

Tonight was the United Way kickoff and the theme was "Live United." I run an agency that gets support from United Way and all the agencies were there with information. Afterwards was a dinner with motivational speaker, Michael Broome.

I had not planned to attend the dinner. I wanted to watch the Obama speech and when we had to order tickets I didn't know the timing on that. I had hoped to get a ticket to go see Obama in person in Denver, but I wasn't able to lay my hands on one.

But, as luck would have it, Julie had bought an extra ticket and invited me to stay for dinner. I was glad I got to hear Mr. Broome.

His overall theme was that humor is key to life. I would certainly agree with that. In the process of getting his point across he noted a number of different facts. I jotted down some of the ones I found particularly interesting to share with you. I'm not going to try and blend them logically, as he did.

One thing he said, which I've heard before is that "irritation plus time equals humor." That's so true. When you're angry about something, as time passes you can tell the story and it becomes funny.

He talked about how the chemical makeup of happy tears is different than that of sad tears. That is true. He also mentioned that laughing increases red blood cells. I had not heard that, but I'm not surprised.

He spoke for a while about how you should become a master of the small, sincere things. He said to never underestimate the power of a handwritten note. I know this is a powerful thing. He used as an example Abraham Lincoln, who wrote thank you notes, notes of condolence and letters. He mentioned that other than Jesus Christ, more has been written about Lincoln than anyone else - more than 5000 biographies. Part of the reason is that he left behind so many writings.

In the arena of personal relationships, he said to learn to say two things to your loved ones: "I'm sorry" and "I love you."

He also talked about reading a book about love languages and how there are five ways to show love. Some may combine them, but that all fall into these categories:
physical
verbal
acts of service
quality time
gifts

He talked about "Amazing Grace" being the most recorded song of all time, and how it was written by a former slave trader.

All in all a nice evening.

I rushed home to not miss a moment of Obama's speech. Incredible.

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Democratic Convention

I've been watching the speeches at the Convention every night. Tonight, of course, was Bill Clinton. In my opinion they made a mistake not putting Bill in prime-time, but hey, they didn't ask me.

Bill Clinton is one of the great orators of our time, and one of the most popular figures of the party. Last night when he arrived, the crowd started cheering and one of the commentators on the channel I was watching said, "Bill Clinton just arrived and the crowd is reacting." She paused a moment and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Elvis is in the building." I thought that was a thoughtful summation.

As you might expect, Bill gave an incredible speech. Just as Hillary did last night, and Michelle the night before. I'm so glad I got to see Bill Clinton last year.

I'm still shocked to see people saying they will not vote for Obama - die-hard democrats who would never consider voting for McCain. I just don't understand that. Obama is our candidate. Support him. If you don't support him, it's possible McCain will win - is that what you want? Do you want more of what we have? War? Deficit? Poverty? To not cast a vote for Obama is the same as casting a vote for McCain.

If you feel you can't vote for Obama for some reason - whatever it is - can you at least vote against McCain? Can you do that? Surely you can. You know what's at stake. Our future. I'm not a big proponent of voting against someone, but if that's the only way you can go into the voting booth and vote for Obama, then think of it that way because the stakes are just too high not to. No one will know who you voted for/against. Just do what needs to be done to get a democrat as President. Just do your part.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Mia and Pinky Horse

This is my great-great niece, Mia, with the appropriately named, Pinky Horse. Mia has been visiting grandma and grandpa in Kentucky recently and Kim sent this photo. I haven't seen Mia in awhile, and she's now 26 months old. She looks very different than last time I saw her.

See other Mia pix:
www.patsyterrell.com/2006/10/mias-entourage.html
www.patsyterrell.com/2006/12/i-have-been-intending-to-post-some.html
www.patsyterrell.com/2006/06/welcome-to-world-mia-isabella-mia.html

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Speeches and Twitter

Wired had an article called, "Democratic Convention: Twitterers Gush Over Michelle Obama. Twitter (www.twitter.com) is a mini-blog site where people answer the question, "What are you doing?" You can "follow" people and read their "tweets" (updates) and you can post your own.

I was on Twitter the other night during the speech. It's one way I can share an experience with people on my terms, without having to put up with the person in a group who's talking over the TV, or making comments, or getting up to go to the bathroom and walking in front of the screen when I'm watching.

It was interesting to see people's comments, although not everyone was "gushing" as Wired put it - at least not on the list of people I follow. Of course, you can search for tweets on a particular topic and I would assume that's what they did.

Something about the whole article bugs me. I'm not sure exactly what. I think that they're dropping into our little twitter world and making sweeping judgments and moving on. Is that irrational? Of course it is. Twitter is completely open - anyone can search it and see what people are talking about. But being treated like bugs under a microscope is creepy, as if those of us on twitter are engaged in some secret society worthy of observation.

Perhaps I'm only projecting, as I'm so want to do, because I've taken more than a little bit of ribbing among friends for my affection for twitter. I say this when I can go for days without logging on. Maybe it's just that I seem to often find myself in the position of being "examined" and I was hoping that something like Wired would be above acting as if the fact that people are sharing their thoughts on news via twitter - as we've been doing for a long time - is worthy of an article.

It's old news. Just as much "news" is very old these days by the time we hear/see/read it. For example, I learned about the earthquake a few weeks ago from people on twitter who felt it before I heard it on the news. Why must we continue to pretend that this is surprising enough that it is worthy of an article in what is supposedly a publication devoted to the cutting edge technology?

________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Tomato Basil Soup

One of my favorite summer treats is tomato basil soup. I love dinner taking less than an hour from garden to table.

I have a variety of tomatoes growing, and I like the flavor of mixing them together. But, of course, you can do it however you wish. I scald them first to make them easy to peel, but you can skip that if you don't mind the peelings. I generally put the water on to boil before I go out to pick and by the time I'm back and the tomatoes are washed, the water is ready.



I just dump the peeled tomatoes in a pot, and I go ahead and put the basil in early. Chefs say the flavor isn't as intense if you do that, and I don't disagree, but I like having the milder flavor throughout the soup. And I use a generous amount.

You can see there are some yellow tomatoes, large red ones, and smaller roma ones in this mix, as well as the basil. The only other thing I add is a pinch of salt.

I don't add any water as the tomatoes are juicy enough on their own. I let them cook down until their water is cooked out and then I puree the tomatoes and basil. I put them back into the pot and add some cream to taste.



The final thing I do is sprinkle a little sugar on top. It will turn a darker color, and I then swirl that around just to make it look pretty. You can also garnish with fresh basil if you want.

The sugar cuts the acid of the tomatoes, and helps blend the flavors together.

Voila! Tomato Basil Soup! Yummy!
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my soon-to-be-finished novel. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

SuperTam Ice Cream sells Superman Ice Cream on Route 66 in Carterville Missouri

This is the interior of SuperTam Ice Cream in Carterville, Missouri. As you might guess, Larry, the owner is a Superman collector. He also sells Superman Ice Cream, which is a blue, yellow and red concocotion that tastes like bubble gum.

Every square inch of the place is painted in the Superman colors or covered in Superman memorbilia.





Greg, of course, was in one of his natural habitats - surrounded by collectibles.




SuperTam on 66 Ice Cream, purveyors of Superman Ice Cream, is open Friday from 5-9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 3-9 p.m.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art and more.

Weaselhead The Cat

This is Weaselhead the Cat. Her main human is Miss Joy, Greg's mom.

You might wonder how a cute kitty could get a name like "Weaselhead." Well... let me illustrate...



That would be my purse with the cat weaseling her head into it.

Unsatisfied with that approach, she gave it another go from the other side...



She was able to get her entire upper body into the purse that way, where she was disappointed to find nothing exciting to kitties.

I've been in Joplin this weekend, where cat play is the number one form of entertainment. Any given moment might find two or more humans playing with cat toys while Weaselhead looks on, deciding if she will deign to join them.

Her favorite toy of late is my camera strap.



Her second favorite is what used to be my hair ribbon, and is now firmly attached the new cat toys which were completely ignored until said ribbon morphed from hair adornment to cat toy. Now, however, it's fascinating.

It has been a really nice weekend.

We went to Cafe on the Route in Baxter Springs, Kansas.


It's along Route 66 and has been featured on the Food Network. It's good stuff. Go there. What more needs be said?

This is how happy people are when they leave...



That's LV and Miss Joy. See those smiles?

It was really nice to be in Joplin. I needed to just have some fun and relax a bit.

Writing the Novel

I'm writing quite a bit this weekend on the novel and it feels good. I really enjoy cranking out more of the book when I get in the zone.

If I can just get in "novel mode" and focus on writing, I  seem to be able to crank out about 1000 words in a couple of sittings in a day. And they're decent words. Not saying they can't benefit from some rewriting, but they're decent.

The problem is in getting to focus and then actually write. Fortunately, I'm on a roll, so I'm going to get back to it intead of blogging!

How Many Houses Do You Own?

I haven't let loose on a political tirade in awhile. That just means it's overdue. So, if you hate them, this is the time to scroll past to the next thing. If you love them it's your lucky day.

McCain was asked how many houses he and his wife own. He didn't know. What!?!?!

I can understand not knowing how many pair of jeans you own. But houses? For most of us this is a pretty big ticket item. I know how many houses I own. One. Everyone I know knows how many houses they own. Most own one, a couple own two. But everyone knows.

The bigger question is why in heaven's name would ANYONE who knows how many houses they own vote for someone who doesn't? If a person doesn't know how many houses they own doesn't that tell you they are out of touch with the common man? Even the wealthy man. I know some folks who own two houses and multiple cars and have more money than they need, but they still know how many houses they own. How can you be unusure about that?

I know he's tired. I know Obama is tired. I know everyone involved in this never-ending campaign in any way is tired. Still... to not know how many houses you own is a pretty significant indication you're out of touch with people who are just trying to hold on to the one house they own.

I mean, come on, it's not like a house is an impulse buy. Well, at least not for most of us. It was a pretty huge decision for me. And let me tell you, at this point, with the housing market the way it is, I'm mighty glad I listened to my gut and ignored the banker, who wanted me to buy a far more expensive house than I did.

Voting for someone who can't tell you how many houses they own off the top of their head is voting for someone who is going to create an economy that favors the rich even more and has no sympathy - and certainly no empathy - for the average guy.

How can anyone think this is a good idea? Unless they're rich, which by McCain's definition is over $5 million a year, they have nothing to gain and everything to lose. Perhaps including their house. Their one house.

Osage Nation Traditional Textiles, ribbon and yarn work, blankets and more

Jerry Shaw of the Osage Nation spoke at the Hutchinson Public Library tonight as part of the "Native Threads" exhibit of quilts created by Native American quilt makers in Kansas. It's on display on the mezzanine of the Hutchinson Public Library.

Shaw is an instructor in the Department of Ethnic Studies at Wichita State University and spoke on “Understanding Native Identity.” He covered a wide range of topics - everything from gaming to the appropriate terminology to refer to Native Americans. He says "American Indian" or "Native American" is appropriate, as well as "Indigenous People."

His wife, Beth Shaw, a former school librarian and longtime student of Native textiles came with him. They brought some of the items in her and her husband’s collection, and it was fascinating to see them.


Jerry modeled this while Beth told us that the mustard and burgundy beads are not really seen anymore, unless someone had them saved back.
Notice the selvage edge running in a stripe down the back. That tells you it's a man's blanket. A woman's blanket has the selvage around the top.
This belonged to Jerry's grandfather who died in 1921.

The Osage are known for their ribbon and yarn work instead of beading. This is a great example of the ribbon work. She said this is done by laying down all three colors, then snipping and turning and stitching with a hidden stitch to make the design. His mother did the work on this piece.

The belt on this really significant because it's unusual.

There were items made for the War Mother's Society that featured flags and Palamino horses.



Jerry's aunt had these made for her and her husband.



Note the selvedge differences - around the top on the one she's wearing and down the back on his.

Women also wore blankets as skirts. They are folded over, with the design over the left leg in the Osage tradition, then the excess is folded on the right side and the whole thing secured with a belt.



This belt was made for another member of their family who is six feet tall, so it was a bit long on Beth. Traditionally, the ends would be even with the skirt at the floor.



If you look closely, you can see it's tied at the top of it and the other bits would be hanging free. She was just holding them up to keep them off the floor.

This belt is a great example of the Osage yarn work.



It was quite a striking ensemble. Note the selvedge on the edge that is folded over. That's what makes the stripe in the middle of the skirt. It would be important that all the designs lined up when finished.



This pink belt is modern, not vintage.


This purple, yellow and green belt  is about 90 years old. It's made of Germantown yarn, which was not available after 1918 due to WW1 blockades. Most of the things they showed us were pre-1932, but there's very little fading.



This is a blanket shawl made to Pendleton. Jerry's grandfather bought it for his wife on June 13, 1913, the day she gave birth to Jerry's mother. These are still manufactured and you can date them by the stripes. This is called "plain stripe" because it's the same on both sides.

The red fringe has been redone, so they don't know what it looked like originally.



This lavender is made on the reverse - each side is different.



These are made of wool, but they call it broadcloth. She said it's sometimes called "Trade cloth" too. This purple with the blue binding above was traded with the Navajo.



This blue with the purple binding is one Jerry has sat on during ceremonies, but he has never worn.



The blue one he has sat on during ceremonies and this lavender one were made in Europe, specifically for trade with the Osage Nation. Because they had some land with oil on it, the Osage Nation had money and were an important enough trade partner that some companies made products specifically for them.



This one is made in reverse. The blue on this side is purple on the other. It was made in Europe, too, as was the one below with the fringe.





This is made of a lighter weight, as you would think from looking at it. At a previous speech they did, an exchange student from Czechoslovakia said those were made in his village. Unfortunately, they never got to garner more information from him.



This cream colored with the embroidery is Spanish silk.



This one was once black, but is fading to a green color. It had very long, extravagant fringe on it with beads.



These beads are faceted Czech cut and the more they move, the more they sparkle. The fabric is wool gaberdine.



These silver buttons were ones Jerry's mother had as a child. Beth sewed them on when they replaced the fabric on this. They didn't want to lose the fringe, of course, so cut it as closely as possible and put new fabric on.



This red coat is a wedding outfit. It is the military garb worn by Napoleon's army. He asked for representatives of the Osage nation to come to France. They did, and when they left, he offered them a gift, and they chose this. This particular one belonged to Jerry's Aunt Nora who died in 1815.



These plumes were secured upright in a hatband as part of the costume.



She also showed some leggings. The Osage never had traditional trousers, their pants were three pieces.



She pointed out how the beading stitches do not show. She said this is an indication of age because these were brain-tanned, which you can't do today. The way tanning is done today you can't bead with a hidden stitch.

They both talked about the fringe, and how it goes back to the creation story that God sent an eagle ahead of them. Because of that, the feather is one of the most important symbols and the fringe is symbolic of the tarsal feathers of the eagle.

A feather in the headdress indicates a boy is now a man. The last thing they do with their dead is put a feather in their hand.



She showed this little vest, and I was struck by all the hand stitches inside it.



It was a fascinating evening with topics that jumped from one to another in the question session.

He said he thought "Dances with Wolves" is the most authentic film made about Native Americans.

He talked about the different qualifications for various groups. The Ute of Utah require 5/8 blood. The Osage and Cherokee accept anyone with any amount of blood. He said DNA may soon be used to determine such things. I was always told my great, great, grandmother was Cherokee. The place is right, the timing is right, and she certainly looks like a Native American in the one photo I have, but I have no actual proof. We have always accepted it as truth because we have no reason not to, but it would be wonderful to claim such a proud heritage with no doubt.

One of the most interesting things he mentioned was that in 2004, of 16,000 people in the Osage Nation, only five of them spoke the language. FIVE. So, they started language schools and now there are 1200 people who have studied. In 2004 they started with 25 students. It's amazing to think about how close they came to losing their language. That would have been a tragedy.

Of course, there have been plenty of tragedies visited upon plenty of indigenous peoples in plenty of places. I hope that one has been avoided. It would be a loss to the world to lose a language that has been spoken for centuries.

An amazing evening. I was trying to take photos and notes, and they were going really quickly, but it was fascinating.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

Creative Sisterhood

All six of us were here for Creative Sisterhood, which was nice. It has been rare we've all been able to make it in the last year or so. Seems like people are headed in so many different directions these days.

Teresa, Julie and I talked until about 1 a.m. It was really good to connect with them. We covered a lot of topics we didn't get to during our time as a full group. It used to be common that some of us would stay quite late, but we hadn't done that in awhile. It is always good to be with this group.

Generally, I make some sort of baked goodie, but tonight I just popped a bunch of popcorn and made lemonade. It was nice for a change.

Dorothy and I had lunch at Roy's today. That makes two days in a row for me. I may well make it three days in a row. You can never have too much Roy's - at least that's what I tell myself.

It was good to talk to Dorothy. We're always trying to figure out how to make this a more welcoming community. We go back and forth. I keep thinking if I just ask the RIGHT question I'll figure it all out. It always feels like I'm just one question away. For some reason this has become my mission, to figure out the reasons people here don't connect in the same way as they do where I come from. It's as if this is the lab and I'm trying to figure out the answer to the question. No luck, so far. Dorothy is a trooper, though - she answers questions and I think and then we switch places. Maybe one day... one day... one day the answer will magically appear. If so, I'll be blogging about it ad infinitum.

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Caught in Our Own Webs

It seems I, and some of the folks I know, are caught in our own webs these days. We're stuck in the sameness of everyday life. I can't get the image of a fly stuck in a spider web out of my mind. No matter how much he struggles, he's still stuck. That's how I feel.

I need more energy to break free. I know it's possible, but it seems an overwhelming task to free myself of the things holding me back. It will take some magic as well as some mastery.

I suppose this is just one more thing to conquer. Breaking Free. Freedom. What I desperately desire.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

Summer

This little vase in front with the Cinnamon Basil is one of my recent thrift store purchases. I don't recall, but the one in back probably came from another trip.

Summer seems to be waning here, even though it's only mid-August. In just a few weeks it will be State Fair time, which heralds the beginning of fall for me. It seems this season has gone so fast.

Frankly, it seems like life is going fast. I'm trying to get as much from every day as possible, but feel I'm failing.

In no time at all I'll be putting up the Christmas tree and preparing for the season. Things will be moving in high gear. Why does it seem things are always in high gear?

I long to have time to write and paint and think, without worry about work and money and time.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

Kansas Dialogue

Kansas Dialogue was in Kansas City, Kansas this year. Our hosts arranged for our opening evening to be at the Strawberry Hill Museum, which afforded this view of downtown Kansas City. I'm sorry we didn't get there in time to see the museum.

I'm so glad I went to Dialogue. The theme was about neighborhoods, and some wonderful discussions ensued.

I was asked to present about "new" neighborhoods and barely scratched the surface. I don't think I even mentioned myspace or LinkedIn if that tells you how much I scratched the surface. I was amused at the irony that the night before I was at the desk in the hotel, arranging my thoughts about these new technological neighborhoods by the old fashioned note card method.



There's something about being able to rearrange thoughts physically that I like. Not sure what that's about, but there it is. I'm also very fond of using post-it-notes in much the same fashion. I did, however, make notes for my speech on the computer the next morning. Fortunately, the Hilton Garden Inn where we were staying had free printing in their business center. A nice perk.

Kris and I didn't get around to taking our "cute girl pic" until this morning. I don't look my best the day after a full day of sessions and very little sleep. But, there you go. You'd think at some point I'd catch on to the idea that I could just not put the photos up. So far, that seems to have escaped me. This little photo tradition got started a couple of years ago I think.

Kansas Dialogue is an off-the-record conversation so I'm very careful to only talk about my own thoughts, and would not reveal anyone who was attending without their permission. Obviously, Kris is cool with it, and the website shares that the topic was neighborhoods, so that's not speaking out of turn. It was a really interesting weekend and it reminded me of a number of things I've written about here in the past.

This I Believe
Dr. Robert Putnam's Lecture about "Bowling Alone"
Beverly Morgan Welch of the African American Museum

One of the best things about dialogue is reconnecting with folks from across the state. There are some folks involved I would love to see more often. This time we had quite a few new people that were wonderful additions to the event. I'm hoping they want to return. I'm eager to do it again.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

Kansas Dialogue Weekend

This is Kansas Dialogue Weekend and it has been my favorite so far of the six I've been to. Kansas Dialogue is an opportunity to gather with people from around the state and have an off-the-record conversation about issues affecting us. The theme this year is "Neighborhoods."

I spoke this morning about "new neighborhoods," referring to online ways of making community. I just glossed over a lot of things, and didn't get nearly as in-depth as I would have liked, but overall it went well I think. There's so much to that topic once you start thinking about it.

I haven't had a chance to really visit with some of the folks I generally see at Kansas Dialogue every  year. It's funny how those things work out - some years you just go in different directions I guess. There are some new folks this time - fascinating people. And our hosts are doing an exceptional job of having everything run smoothly.

There are some people here I don't see any other time of year and I wish I did. I find more than a couple of the people here to be folks I could visit with for many hours and never tire of talking with them.

It would be so cool to have a meetup/conversation with blog readers, but I think it would be a difficult thing to organize. Folks are pretty spread out. But it sure would be fun...

The Journey by Mary Oliver

I was reading some poetry recently and ran across this by Mary Oliver. I haven't read anything by her I haven't liked.

I don't write poetry, and don't even read a lot of poetry, but I've learned to appreciate the turn of phrase that only a master of the language can produce.

I love the last few lines of this poem. They really resonate with me on multiple levels.

The Journey
by Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice--
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do--
determined to save
the only life you could save.

Photos are a Window to the Past

This photo is of my mom, Mary Lea Myatt Terrell, on the right, and my dad's sister Margorie LaVerne Terrell Duffany Gordon on the left. I'm guessing it was taken in about 1937 because during the flooding that year my mom's family moved out of the Barlow Kentucky river bottoms to higher ground and happened to move to land owned by my dad's family. My dad was working as a mechanic in Paducah, Kentucky at the time and when the water came over the flood gates there, he moved the thirty miles south, home to Ballard County, and that's when my mom and dad met. They were married in January of 1938.

Aunt LaVerne lived in California by the time I came along twenty plus years later, but moved back to Kentucky in my early teen years. Her son, Tim, was just a year or so older than me and I loved going up to Stella, Kentucky, where they lived.

You may wonder why the Kentucky Historical Society banner is on it. It's because some years ago they did a project called "An Ohio River Portrait," which is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. They traveled along the river and copied photos people brought in all along the way. I made a trip back to Kentucky just for that, and even produced some oral history interviews for them, as well as was interviewed myself. They also interviewed Mama.

I ran across this photo by accident when I was googling myself. I may share some more here in the coming months. Of course, I still have the photos, but they're locked away in a safety deposit box and not easily accessible. Conveniently, The Kentucky Historical Society has made them easy to access. And they've retouched them so they're clearer, too.

I'm so thankful to have photos that offer a little glimpse into other lives.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

Goodwill Find of a Porcelain Box Made in Japan

I've been frequenting Goodwill lately and have found some real treasures. Well, at least I think they're treasures. Occasionally I do remind myself - "Hey, you're buying things other people have discarded." But, I find things there I really enjoy.

I always head straight to the dishes and knick-knacks. Today I found this little box. Isn't it sweet? It says Japan on the bottom of it and had a little gold tag that said Thames, as best I could tell. It came off because they put tape over it to hold the lid on.

I assume it was made to hold rings or something, and I don't know that I'll ever use it for anything in particular, but I was really drawn to the shape of it, as well as the design. It definitely has that Japan look with the gold lines drawn on in a very clean style.

It's just a little something I'll enjoy having around, that will make me smile when I see it.

Shouldn't we all take every opportunity to surround ourselves with things that make us smile? I think so.

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