Carolyn's Essenhaus in Arlington Kansas

Tonight I wanted to have something different for dinner. Something fun. Something unusual. I called Greg and he was game for it, but didn't have any thoughts about what that something was.

I thought about Carolyn's Essenhaus in Arlington, Kansas - about a 25 minute drive from my house. I called and found out they were open until 8:30. So, I called Sharon to see if she wanted to go too, and the three of us headed off for dinner.

Nothing gets a holiday weekend off to such a good start as dinner somewhere cool with friends.



On Friday night they serve verenike - a German treat that generally we only have during the MCC sale.

Carolyn stopped by our booth and visited very briefly, but they were busy. Very busy. They're one of the 24 finalists for the 8 Wonders of Kansas Cuisine. I asked if they were so busy because of the holiday weekend or the content and she said probably some of both.



They served the verenike with your choice of ham or sausage, a trip to the salad bar, and a slice of their fresh baked bread. I didn't eat all the ham because then I wouldn't have had room for pie. And you gotta have pie...



Apparently you also gotta have more bread because I bought a loaf at check out. Along with a jar of sand hill plum jelly.

Guess what I'm having for breakfast.
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Third Thursday Plus

Tonight was the monthly Third Thursday art walk downtown. But, there was even more happening tonight, including a walk in the Houston Whiteside Historic District.



It was a walking tour conducted by Amy, who works for the city. That's her in the middle there, facing toward the camera. She was giving information about various homes, much of which would have been gathered by my dear, dear, friend, Pat Mitchell, who died eight years ago. I still miss her.



One of the homes is on the market and the very smart realtors had it open tonight so people on the tour could go in. This beautiful porch was enthralling to me.



This home is on Sherman, in an area where lots of the homes have been restored.



The flowers are just starting to bloom in places. This house is one of the neighbors.



Before the walking tour, we went to an event at City Hall where Steve Harmon and Steve Conard were giving a presentation about historic photos of Hutchinson.



The photos were taken by the Atchison, Topeka, Santa Fe Railway. They, also, were drawing on information that Pat gathered.

Greg pointed out that he gets continually frustrated that she doesn't get the credit she deserves. I know what he means. She, single-handedly, preserved much of Hutchinson's history through her "Hutch Files," which her son gave to the local historical museum after her untimely death. She cataloged a tremendous amount of information about people, places and events in the community.

She was the one who wrote the original walking tours, and conducted them. She was the one who did the surveys of the homes - going through city directories and figuring out the history of the various spots. Yet, I never hear anyone mention her name or give her a modicum of credit. She was working on preservation before there was a Landmark's Commission, before there was a "movement," and before anyone else saw any need for it.

I did take time to go downtown for a little bit of the usual Third Thursday events, but just ran out of time to do much. There was music and art and running into folks, which is always nice. We're so fortunate to have this monthly event happening.
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Some Kind of Love sung by Jean Redpath

Just watched Jean Redpath on Letterman. She sang, "Some Kind of Love," a haunting tune I just adore. It's so true...

I think I've had a little too much of the love that comes too soon and the love that tears your heart. But I guess it's just the way it's meant to be.

Some Kind of Love
by John Stewart from his 1975 album, Wingless Angels

Some kind of love, some kind of love
Everyone's looking for some kind of love

Some kind of love is like gold
That kind is the hardest to hold
It catches the eye of each thief passing by
Some kind of love is like gold

Some kind of love tears your heart
Because you know it was wrong from the start
But try to explain a moth to a flame
Some kind of love tears your heart

Some kind of love, some kind of love
Everyone's looking for some kind of love

Some kind of love comes too soon
But that kind of love heals your wounds
When your wounds are all healed and you're back on your wheels
You say, That kind of love came too soon

Some kind of love starts as friends
And that kind of love never ends
It comes on so slow, like the flowers through snow
Some kind of love starts as friends

Some kind of love, some kind of love
Everyone's looking for some kind of love

Then some kind of love never dies
That kind is the hardest to find
Through laughter and rage it mellows with age
Some kind of love never dies

Some kind of love, some kind of love
Everyone's looking for some kind of love
________________

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Ad Hoc Book Group Discusses The Geography of Bliss

I had folks over tonight for the "Ad Hoc Book Group" to discuss "The Geography of Bliss" by Eric Weiner. Trish, Teresa, Julie, Jan, Nancy and Martha were here. I think it's fair to say we all loved this book.

One of the things I enjoyed about it is the depth of knowledge he displays in it. He may be talking about "flow" on one page, and the "hedonic treadmill" on another. His use of language is amazing.

Of the countries he went to, I think his description of Iceland was my favorite. To tell you the truth, I imagined what it would be like to live there. This will be very odd to people who know me well, and know I'm one of those people who is always cold. So, why would I want to go to a place where it's cold all the time, and dark six months of the year?

The way he described Iceland made it seem like a place where a person could be accepted for who they are and dwell in the "twilight of half belief." In Iceland, the author meets Jared, who started over in Iceland, and has a long list of things he loves about it there. I have a feeling I'd like Jared. We share some attitudes, including no matter how bleak life seems, it will always work out.

One of the themes that keeps coming up in the book is the differences in cultures that appreciate the individual - like in the US, versus those who appreciate the collective - like in Japan. At one point he makes a reference to a Japanese saying about hammering in the nail that sticks out. But, of course, in the US, the nail that sticks out would become the American Idol, which oddly enough happened tonight while we were discussing this book.

I encourage you to give this book a try. I found it enthralling, and so did Martha. I think everyone really liked it. Martha and I were amazed at how often we had both noted the exact same parts of the book. There are many gems of wisdom in these pages, I think.
________________

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Staging

I can't seem to stop watching those TV shows where they stage homes for sale. I'm amazed at all the work they do to create an illusion that you could walk right in and start living there, when in reality there would be no way you could spend any time there. There's nothing you would need for actual living.

Isn't it an interesting commentary that we have a whole industry devoted to creating this major illusion of something we should all be able to relate to - living? Do we have so little imagination we can't project what a couch would look like in  room? Are we all living lives that are so removed from the lives we want to have that we can't even dream of them?
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Fences as Metaphors

Life is full of twists and turns and ups and downs. This day has had some of all of it.

I remembered this photo from Cottonwood Falls and realized this fence is a graphic representation of life in a way. There are ups and downs, it's uneven in places, but it keeps on going. There are sharp curves and optional trees to climb. You can see them as obstacles, or a way to see further. And there are changes along the way.

But there's a solid foundation. And that is always the saving grace, I think - a solid foundation. Thank goodness I have a foundation that anchors me.

There's much going on in my life these days - work (the normal job), the other work I do on the side, and home. My personal life is taking a bit of a beating at the moment. If I owe you an email or a comment or a call or something else, I will get to it, but it may be this weekend at the earliest. I'm literally working on something every waking moment these days. Thanks for understanding.
________________

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Sunday

I'm a tired pup. Jason and I worked in the yard four hours soild today plus I did a little more later. The tomatoes are all in although I had a couple of casualties while planting. Its coming along. Slowly. But its coming. I hope I can hold up until its done. Its gonna be a close call.

Saturday

This is Dave Neff of Neff Family Farms. I met him this morning at the Farmer's Market while I was looking at the herbs he had for sale. He had red leafed basil, people! Now so do I.

Frankly, he might as well be known as my dealer from this day forward because I know I'll be buying many more things from him. He has herbs I've never heard of, but now believe myself incapable of living without. I need them, people!

He conveniently provided me with a printout of things they offer, along with a phone number and email address, and told me he and his wife could bring whatever I wanted next week. Whatever I want, people!

Sorry, I'm still a bit overly excited by the whole thing.

I was reasonable today. I only bought some red basil and a lemon verbena plant. But, I've looked over the list multiple times and starred some things I want to get. They have white sage, red ruffled basil and chocolate mint. Chocolate mint, people!

I stopped at the Farmer's Market on my way to Roy's. I started looking at the herb list while I was eating my barbecue. The following photo is just for Matthew, who is wanting some Roy's in a major way.



Fortunately, due to the miracle of Facebook, Anne popped on today to let Matthew know that Smith's Market will ship him some sauce. I was about to box up some for him but Smith's came to the rescue.

I got a lot of things done in the yard today. I planted more things and figured out where some other things are going to go. Late in the day Greg and Sharon brought over some "Holmes Tomato Master 5000" tomato cages. They stopped by Greg's house in Sharon's box truck and hauled them over to my house. I'm so thankful to have them. I'm hoping to get tomatoes in the ground tomorrow. I hope.



I'm sitting in my house with a light jacket on tonight because I'm just not going to turn the heat back on after I've switched between heat and AC at least a half dozen times already. However, I may be sleeping under the electric blanket tonight. We'll see. It's a little chilly, but certainly not freezing for plants.

All in all a productive day. I also got some writing done, some laundry done and some other household chores done. I know - my life is so darned exciting it's hard to keep track. What can I say?
________________

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Hail Unpredicted

Yesterday I planted.

Today we got hail.

From a thunderstorm that was not predicted, that blew up suddenly, and brought rain, thunder, lightning and hail.

The northern part of town got hail about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Ours was pea and occasionally marble sized. In this instance living on the wrong side of the tracks is a good thing.

Conveniently, I live in the part of town where I wanted to live. It just happens to be the older part, and south of "the tracks." Nice that where I wanted to live happened to be a part of town I could afford.

The hail was an unpleasant end to a day that was not going all that smoothly up till then. However, I'm just hoping that today will be seen as a blessing in disguise in a very short amount of time.

Time for a good night's sleep so I can get up and spend the rest of the weekend working on things that get passed over during the work week. I'm hoping to plant more. Like the old adage about don't let the bastards get you down, you have to have that attitude about the weather when it dumps frozen water out of the sky on your delicate little plants. You can't let it get you down. You have to just assume tomorrow will be a brighter, sunnier day and act accordingly.
________________

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Travel and Tourism Week - What to see in Hutchinson Kansas

May 9-17 is National Travel and Tourism Week. If you've traveled in Kansas this week you may have spotted these bright shirts commemorating the occasion. This is Britany, who was my server at the Grand Central Hotel and Grill in Cottonwood Falls on Monday.

If you think tourism doesn't matter to you, you might want to reconsider that. In Kansas alone, the economic impact of travel and tourism is 5 billion dollars. That's billion - with a B. I'm sure the figures for your state/country are significant too.

In honor of this week, I thought I'd give you a suggested itinerary of what you could do in Hutchinson, Kansas for a weekend visit. These are some of my top "cool things" in town, and things you might not find unless you have a local direct you.

Friday night at the Anchor
Arrive Friday night in time to go to the Anchor Inn for dinner. Friday night at the Anchor is a local institution. They're at B and Main Street and have been around since the 70s. They make their own tortillas. Their guacamole is fabulous. I recommend the buffet, which has piles of good stuff - my fave is cheese enchiladas and guacamole. The one thing you can't get on the buffet that's really wonderful is a basket of their chips, made on site and worth the cholesterol.

Hotel suggestions:
The nicest hotel in town is the Hampton Inn. If you want the "best" as far as new and maintained, that's the choice to go with. If you're traveling with kids who want to play in the water, the Grand Prairie is the best choice. If you want a B and B, then Prairie Moon on Main Street is the way to go - all the rooms there are nicely decorated so any choice you make will be good. There are a number of other standard hotels to choose from.

Saturday morning Breakfast at The Dutch Kitchen
Sleep in for goodness sake - it's Saturday! Or, get up and be industrious, but make your way to the Dutch Kitchen for breakfast. They open very early, so if you're not a late sleeper, they can accommodate you. It's about five miles outside of town and worth the drive. They make cinnamon rolls that cover your whole saucer. Their coffee cake is also wonderful. The oatmeal is real oatmeal, as opposed to instant. They're famous for their homemade pie, but I think the cinnamon roll is way under appreciated. The pie's good too, don't get me wrong, but you can't get a huge homemade cinnamon roll for under a dollar just anywhere. Yes, it's eighty cents.

You might want to make a quick stop at Glenn's Bulk Foods as you head back into town. They have some unusual things.

Saturday morning at the zoo
After breakfast, head to Carey Park. You can walk the Martinez Trail if you feel the need to work off that cinnamon roll, and then head to the zoo. We have a terrific zoo that features native animals.

In addition to seeing the critters, you can ride the train, too. The zoo is free. The optional train ride costs $1.50 per person.

My favorite animals are the river otters, Kyra and Willie, who are so darned cute they redefine cute.



Saturday lunch at Roy's Barbecue
This will be your only opportunity to have Roy's this weekend. They're closed Sunday and Monday. Roy's is a local institution and amazing stuff. It's on west 5th street. You'll think you're headed out of town, but go over a little bridge and you'll see a yellow building on the right. You've arrived.

Prepare for some of the best, melt in your mouth, barbecue you've ever tasted. You choose beef, pork, turkey, ham, links or ribs, and then you help yourself to the beans and salad bar. Tell Anne and Ryan you read about it here and they'll treat you extra nice. Okay, really, they'll treat you nice regardless so that's not really necessary. I just wanted to say it.

They open at 11, and close when they run out of food, which is never past 2. On a Saturday things can be getting sparse by 1. Don't miss it.

Take some time downtown
We've got some really cool antique stores downtown you don't want to miss. Also, if you like thrift shopping, don't miss the Et Cetera shop on Main. We also have an amazing kitchen store called Apron Strings and on the same block is Smith's Market - one of my favorite places in town. Pop in there and pick up some treats to take with you. Edit 9/19/2011: Check out The Toy Depot, in the next block north. It's chock full of vintage toys and you'll find something from your childhood - whenever that was. Let the kids blow off some steam at Avenue A Park, at the other end of that block.

Saturday afternoon at the Salt Museum
Head to the Salt Museum where you'll ride an elevator 650 feet underground for a tour in the caverns of salt that are left after mining.


You'll take a tram through "the dark ride" and your guide will explain what you're seeing. Then you'll have the opportunity to see exhibits on the mining process, the oldest living thing on Earth (250 million years old) and Underground Vaults and Storage, famous for storing many Hollywood films. Don't miss the newspaper printed right after Lincoln's death. You'll have a chance to pick up some salt as a souvenir of your visit. The last tour starts at 4. Make reservations earlier in the day so you're assured of a spot.

Dinner at The Airport Steakhouse
The attraction at the Airport isn't just steak, it's getting to watch planes come in and take off. The wall facing the air strip is all glass you you have a clear view. I'm not really a steak person, but people tell me this is great steak. I'll have to take their word for it. It is cool to watch the planes come in and take off, but you never know when that will be happening. It's fun for the novelty factor, especially if you're an aviation fan.

Ice Cream at Dairy Queen on Third
If you have room for some dessert, I'd suggest ice cream at the Dairy Queen on Third Street. It's an old-fashioned, walk up Dairy Queen, with benches beside it where you can sit and enjoy your treat.

Sunday brunch at Skaets
Skaets is our local diner where you can get breakfast anytime. They have all the traditional breakfast things. I'm not an egg person, so breakfast is often lost on me. But, what isn't on the menu, is that they'll cook you a burger on the grill at any time of day. (After 5 p.m. you can get it charcoaled, which is my favorite.) So, head there for Sunday brunch - those who want breakfast can get it. Those who want to prepare for the afternoon ahead at the Cosmosphere can get a Moon Burger. The Moon Burger was created in 1969 in honor of the moon landing. In other parts it's known as a bacon cheeseburger, but at Skaets it's just "the moon." I like mine extra well done with grilled onions and extra pickles but they'll fix yours anyway you want it. I go often enough that they just write "Patsy" on the ticket and the cook knows just how I want it.

Sunday Afternoon at the Cosmosphere



The Cosmosphere is a world-class museum, right here on the prairie. It's at 11th and Plum, but you'll know you're getting close when you see the rockets jutting into the sky. They have some amazing exhibits that trace the history of space flight, with artifacts from NASA, as well as a huge collection of material from the Russian space program. You'll want to see Dr. Goddard's lab show, and spend some time in the gift shop where you'll find unique items.

That's a wrap up of what I think is cool to see in just a weekend. If you've got a little longer, come in on a Third Thursday night when downtown is hopping with live music and artists in lots of the stores.



For more outdoor time, walk the trails at Dillon Nature Center or Sandhills State Park. Both are great.

I also love Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, which is about a 35 minute drive from Hutchinson. I've never been there when the sunset isn't amazing. Maxwell Game Reserve is about 40 minutes north and also worth a visit.

More than 125,000 jobs in Kansas are created by travel & tourism activity. That's nearly 10% of total employment in the state. National Travel & Tourism Week is a collective effort to promote the power of travel. If you have a blog, take a few minutes and tell folks what to see in your town - the things that are must-sees and the things that the average tourist isn't likely to find.
 
See a local calendar of events online and contact me if you have questions about visiting here. Find more things to see and do in Kansas at www.travelks.com.
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Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Cottonwood Falls Kansas

The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Emporia, Kansas, contains most of the 4% of the remaining tallgrass prairie left in the United States. Tallgrass once covered 140 million acres in this country, but it's almost all gone now.

Perception can be skewed when we don't have as many landmarks as we're used to. For example, in the photo above, the trees on the horizon are about 18 miles away. It's amazing to see wide open spaces with no phone poles or light wires.



I visited on May 11, and the wild flowers were just starting to come up. Apparently May and June are the times for wildflowers. If you want to see tallgrass, the time for that is September and October.

One of the things you often see in Kansas are fields burning off. It's quite striking to see when you're driving at night. The burning serves to get rid of the dried thatch and all. You can see the difference on either side of the road in the photo below.

 

What is green was burned. The brown side was not. However, our guide told us within a few weeks they'll look much the same as the new growth will overwhelm the dried old growth.



This area of Kansas is called the Flint Hills. I had never heard that designation until I moved here. I hadn't known the origin of the phrase until the other day. It comes from Zebulon Pike who wrote in 1806 about "hills of flint" and the idea stuck.

Flint is distinctive in that it flakes off in a rounded fashion, a conchoidal fracture, leaving behind something that looks like a thumbprint. You can see that effect beside my thumb in the photo below. It also leaves a sharp edge.



Your tour at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is divided into different segments. First stop is the visitor's center in the three story, limestone barn built into a hillside. The outside walls are 20 inches thick.



The National Park Service has provided a number of photo tours on their website.



The barn was built in 1880 and much of the original structure is still there.



I loved the rafters and the floors.



The open doors provide great air circulation and you can look out to see the cattle that now graze on the land.



Soon they will have bison there instead of cattle. Bison are what would have naturally been there and are more suited for the ecosystem. Cattle like to graze on flowers, but the wildflowers and putting a tremendous amount of nitrogen into the soil, which later provides nutrients for the tallgrass. The bison prefer to graze on the grass. It's a prime example of how little things can make a difference.

Right outside the barn, you can board a bus for a ride into the prairie.



The tour takes about 90 minutes and includes a couple of stops along the way. At our first one we had a visitor.



I guess, technically, we were visiting him. Collared lizards are amazingly nimble. This little guy was quite interesting for the whole group, particularly a young lady named Lily, visiting Kansas from Indianapolis with her dad. They had been to a number of places already - Quivira, Cheyenne Bottoms, The Kansas Underground Salt Museum and others - and were having a great time in Kansas.

Throughout your tour, the driver/guide tells you about the prairie and its unique place in the ecosystem. You can find over 500 species of plants and nearly 150 species of birds, including the prairie chicken, which was brought back from near extinction.

You can also tour the home built by the James family in 1881.



They lived in it only five years before moving to Kansas City.

It has some distinctive features, including this newel post.



This skylight with different colored glass, maybe from bottles.



Mr. James was a business man who even had a phone in the house.

They brought cool water from the spring into the spring house where they would cool the milk and other perishables in the trough of cool water.



There are also trails you can walk at the Preserve. The nearly 11,000 acre Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve was established in 1996 and is the only part of the National park system dedicated to the tallgrass prairie. It's a unique private/public partnership between the National Park Service (the primary land manager), The Nature Conservancy (the primary landowner), and the Kansas Park Trust (cooperating bookstore and promotion).

There are many wonderful vistas to be had on the Prairie. At the moment, this is all free.
 


________________

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Advertising on Patsy's Ponderings

Lately I've been getting a lot of interest in advertising on Patsy's Ponderings. I'm negotiating with a couple of people, but want to be clear with readers.

What you read here is MY content. No one has anything to say about what I write about, or what I say, except me. I like it that way. And it will stay that way.  If I talk about a product, book or place here it's because I liked it, hated it or wanted it. It's not because someone paid me to write about it. Period. No exceptions. Ever.

When I get some sort of special treatment or special access, like during the blogger fam tour, I am specific about that in the post so you know.

I'm open to advertising, but it's no trouble to tell that's what it is. I have google ads, and will sell advertising to other entities, as long as they're in keeping with the spirit of the site. I'm thankful to those advertisers - they pay for the costs associated with maintaining this website. And hopefully readers find something of value in their offerings and click over to read more about them - the ultimate win-win. I also give free space to organizations I believe in, like Kiva.

I will never accept any advertising that is designed to look like content. I was recently approached by Linkstar for advertising on another website I own. I was very clear in my initial contact that I would not allow anything that looked like content. They agreed and then reneged on that, insisting their paid paragraph be inserted at the bottom of a page of content. I refused.

So, rest assured that if you see me talking about how cool something is, it's because I think it's really cool - not because someone paid me to say that.
________________

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Myth of Immortality

I've been rereading "Care of the Soul" by Thomas Moore. To be more accurate, I've been rereading the parts I had highlighted that I thought I'd want to go back to. The book is marked with post-it flags and there's pink on nearly every page.

Lately I've been mulling over the following passage:

"The soul, for example, needs an articulated world view, a carefully worked out scheme of values, and a sense of relatedness to the whole. It needs a myth of immortality and an attitude toward death."

It's an interesting mental exercise to see if you have all those covered. I know I have a carefully worked out scheme of values (Patsy's Rules for Living) and an attitude toward death. The others I'm still thinking about.

These questions of the soul are major ones, are they not?
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May 11

For the last seven years, May 11 has been a day to honor Mama.

She died on May 11, 2001 and every year since then on this day I do something that makes me happy. One of my mother's greatest gifts to me was that she taught me to do the things that make me happy. It's such a simple concept, but an incredibly powerful one. How many of us actually do the things that make us happy?

I do those things often. But, on May 11, I take the day off and devote it to such endeavors.

Today I went to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Chase County Kansas. I'll have a full report on my visit soon, but suffice it to say it's well worth a visit.
________________

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My Title of Domestic Goddess is in Serious Jeopardy

My title of "Domestic Goddess" is in serious jeopardy.

Truth be told, I'm not sure anyone has ever referred to me as a domestic goddess, but I've always hoped someone would. Frankly, I would have been a wonderful 1950s housewife in so many ways.

I've always wanted to be the perfect combination of Alexandra Stoddard, Martha Stewart, and Bree Hodges. The only problem  is that one of them is fictional, one is well-staffed and other is married to a man who made it unnecessary for her to make a living when she got started, and I have none of those things working in my favor.

Despite these obstacles, I have persistent fantasies of welcoming people into my spotlessly clean, well-appointed, completely renovated Victorian home where the fresh citrus scent of my homemade cleaning products lingers in the air. (Of course I'm wearing pearls in this vignette.)

I'll serve freshly baked scones with berries from the garden and my homemade lemon curd. The linen napkins will be pressed crisply, smelling of sunshine and just a hint of the vanilla rinse I put them through. People will ooh and ah, and I will bask in all this appreciation for my domestic prowess. After a lovely gathering during which we'll gather around the piano in the music room for a couple of songs, I will retire to the sitting room off my boudoir with a nice cup of tea. I'll lie down and rest with a good book or do some delicate handwork.

In reality, of course, I'm working all of these hours. And, if you drop by you're likely to find a paint can lying about because my renovation now stretches into years, and nothing in my house is spotless. Not even close. "Sanitary" is the most I hope for. While I love handwork, I find it more expedient to buy pieces at sales than to spend the time making it myself. And my piano is so out of tune I wouldn't even let a child bang on it for fear of ruining their budding musical talent.

Today is an example of the startling difference between my real life and my fantasy life.

I've been working all weekend to eradicate the ants who insist on taking up residence in my kitchen cabinets. No matter what poisons I use, and how much silicone caulk I smear over tiny cracks here and there, they persist. So, the dining room table is covered with the dishes that have already been through the dishwasher, and both sinks and the counters are full of things waiting to be washed. Alas, it is not the scene of someone who has been testing which tomato variety makes the best marinara sauce.

Between running the dishwasher, I've been cleaning in my home office. My home office is such a disaster area that I close the door when company is coming, and yet it's where I spend most of my time. It's a wonder my fingers have not been crushed by an avalanche of things careening onto the keyboard. And the top of the desk is one of the better areas.

Today I sat in the floor and started sorting through the piles. While doing so I found a fuzzy piece of Cracklin' Oat Bran cereal. I don't even recall when I last ate that for a snack, which means this has been there for some undetermined, but lengthy, amount of time. Although one might think you could gauge timing by the amount of dust, much like rings on a tree, I declined. Instead I decided to use the archeology method and take note of what was near it. It was nestled between a green and white speckled breath mint, the remains of a roll of Wintergreen Lifesavers, and a French Franc that is no longer legal tender. None of that was helpful.

I don't think domestic goddess types have grungy cereal underfoot. Cereal they don't even know about. And I cannot blame children or pets, as I have neither. The responsible party would be me. The shame of it all. This is not how practitioners of the domestic arts conduct themselves.

Of course, I have a full time job that pays for the house which is the stage for my domestic goddess-ness. Unfortunately, it takes the time I could spend whipping up chocolate mousse for dessert to top off the gourmet dinner I would throw together in between planting the herbs, polishing the silver, and planning my next dinner party complete with engraved invitations and matching place cards. (I also own no silver - mainly because it requires polishing - which would take time I don't have.)

Don't get me wrong, I can hold my own with the average, every day, domestic goddess wannabe. I can write a thank you note with the best of them, and my handwriting is more than passable. My homemade lemonade is made with freshly squeezed lemons, a simple syrup and some fresh lavender from the garden. I own a considerable amount of china and can set a lovely table for almost any occasion, complete with fresh flowers in a glass flower frog.

But, I believe on the domestic goddess tally sheet that cereal of unknown origins lying about on the floor undiscovered for some extended period of time, negates a nice thank you note. If only I had a scone to fortify me. But who can cook while waging war with ants?
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Constant Motion

I've been in constant motion since 7:40 this morning. Isn't that how everyone's Saturday goes. I woke up an hour earlier, but stayed in bed thinking surely I would go back to sleep.

At 8 we bought tickets for some State Fair shows we wanted to see. We ended up with decent seats.

Then I started my day of working around the house. I discovered ants were in my kitchen cabinet. So, I've been trying to figure out where they're getting in and caulking their little entry ways. And, of course, washing every single dish in the cabinet. I've been taking them dishes of the dishwasher and stacking them on the dining room table until I make sure I've gotten rid of the ants and disinfected the cabinets.

I have this odd mix of cleaning habits. My house is almost always cluttered and "lived in." The linens I bought at the MCC sale three weeks ago are still piled in a chair by the door if that gives you any idea. But, germs are another matter. I can't handle the idea that anything food related might be germy. So, the cabinet will have to be washed down and then redone with a bleach solution to kill anything that might linger there before the dishes can go back in.

I understand the ants are bad - probably because they're being flooded out. I wish I knew ant-speak to put up a sign that said, "Danger - No Buddhists Live Here." But, I don't know ant-speak.

Jason came over this afternoon and worked diligently for three hours. He got down a lot of the landscape cloth, although there's more I want to get put down. But he got the majority of it. I worked a little bit more in the yard late in the day but not much - it's just not comfortable for me to bend over for extended periods of time.

Besides, I was occupied in the house - not just with the kitchen, but in my office. I've made a big mess so far. About all I've accomplished is to drag some of the piles out of the office and into the dining room. Ultimately, the furniture I have in here isn't working well. What I really need is a room about three times the size of this one, but since I don't have that I need to make better use of what I do have. My office, where I spend a huge amount of time, is one of the smallest rooms of my house, but it's the logical place for the office to be. Fewer piles would definitely help things. But, there's not much in this room that doesn't belong in here. It's just that there isn't enough room for it all.

But, my time is getting precious enough that I need to make sure all my freelance and consulting things are run as efficiently as possible. Getting the office in tip-top shape will help that.
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Hail and plants and newsprint

Last night we had rain. And hail. Hail on my baby plants I grew from seed that I just put outside in the last few days. I haven't even had the courage to go to the backyard yet. One of my petunias in the front shows the result of large hail, unfortunately.

Tomorrow is supposed to be nice. Jason is coming over to help with some things in the back yard, and I'll be so glad to get that all done. I bought more tomato plants tonight - hopefully we can make room tomorrow for them to grow.

I also discovered with a phone call today that I could buy the end of the rolls of newsprint for a few dollars. So, I have paper on rolls and that will be much easier to put under the landscape cloth. Newspaper laid down kills the grass. I've used it for years. But, I knew I wasn't going to have enough to do all the area I want in the back yard. This should work great.

Although it's practically unheard of for me, I'm headed upstairs to bed soon. This week has been a stressful one and I need some rest. I hope your weekend is off to a good start.
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Star Trek Movie is Great

No Spoilers!

The Star Trek movie is really great. Go see it if you're at all a Trek fan. Greg, Sharon and I went to a preview tonight and all really enjoyed it. We could all think of tiny little things to nit pick, but they are really tiny. It's a cool story, the casting is great, and you'll walk away feeling like you got your money's worth, plus some. ________________

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The Days Are Full

I have been spending the days doing busy work, but necessary busy work. This time of year requires much paperwork in my job. At times there seems no end to it. But, I'm starting to make headway. It all has to be done, and there's no way to get it done except to just sit at the computer and/or desk and do it.

Unfortunately, it's not very creative work. But, I suppose not everything can fall into that category.

After work I went to Avenue A park and did Qi gong with Terry. I really like that, and it certainly stretches you in ways you don't realize until you later feel the little pull here or there. Wednesday is our evening for that.

When I got back I planted more flowers. I really overdid the seed starting this year and have so many things that still need to go in the ground. I stopped tonight when it got too dark to see, and I left two flats of plants outside. It's supposed to be really nice on Saturday so hopefully I'll get most of it done then.

I want everything to look lush and "overflowing" like this little segment in my front flowerbed. Unfortunately, that happened completely by accident so it's not like I understand how to make it happen again. I just stick things in the ground, and hope for the best.

There are a bazillion things going on in my life at the moment but by the time I sit down to blog I'm too tired to detail them. Maybe by the weekend I will have made it through the "must do" list and will have time to write more.
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Economic Development Costs and Questions about Manufacturing

It was announced today that a company is locating a plant here that will build the nacelles for wind turbines. They will create 400 jobs. Of course, this is fabulous news. What town wouldn't like to have hundreds of new jobs? And these are going to be $16 an hour jobs.

Of course, we don't yet know what we've paid for these jobs because the incentive package details haven't been announced. Cities, counties and states bend over backwards to recruit plants to their locales. Businesses expect piles of incentives and tax abatements, and why wouldn't they - they are in the business of making as much money as they can. Let me be clear that I have no idea what, if anything, this company asked for. I'm just basing this on past deals.

Generally, the manufacturer arrives, and if they ever reach their stated number of jobs, which is rare, they begin to dwindle almost immediately due to automation. Is this the fault of the plant? No. They're in the business of making a profit and it makes no sense to pay 10 people to do a job that can be done with 1 person and a machine. Machines don't demand health insurance. Until we address that huge elephant in the room in this country we're never going to be competitive, but that's another rant.

So, what happens over time with automation is that those 400 jobs become 350 jobs to 200 jobs to 50 jobs. That is the nature of the manufacturing business. No one is doing anything wrong, it's just the way the business works. Google "manufacturing jobs lost to automation" and you'll find plenty of support for that statement.

People always talk about manufacturing jobs being lost to China. In reality, China is losing manufacturing jobs too - to automation. But, automation makes things more productive, and you can't argue with that if your goal is to make more widgets with less money. Or more nacelles.

I'm thrilled we've got 400 new jobs coming to town. That's wonderful. I'm glad we'll have another great corporate entity in town. More positive news there. I'm tickled we're getting involved in an alternative energy business. Yet more good news.

But I think we always need to be honest with ourselves and look at the facts. I can't yet do that in this case because the facts haven't been made public. Maybe it's worth every single cent in tax abatements and other incentives I'm assuming were involved. I've got no big problem with either of those. But I know that since the mid 90s, 60-80% of net new jobs created were by small businesses. I'm not sure we're offering many incentives to those folks.

I'm not in economic development, and I don't know squat about the intricacies involved in these things, but the facts tell me that manufacturing jobs go down in number while small business jobs go up in number. I'm no math genius, but long term  it would make more sense to invest in the thing that increases its number of employees instead of decreases its number of employees. Wouldn't it?

Maybe the sheer force of 400 new jobs in your town at one time is so incredible that it outweighs everything else. And, of course, if folks are employed there for 10 years or 20 years or even 5 years, that's a large amount of money in the economy, as opposed to growing it slowly with small businesses. Maybe it's the "lifetime value" of those jobs as long as they last. But we do need to be honest about the costs associated with them - upfront and in the future.

I don't have the answers, but I certainly have questions. I really do need someone to explain to me why it's beneficial to keep recruiting manufacturing jobs that we can only assume will dwindle in number. But for the moment, I'm just going to celebrate 400 new jobs coming to our community.
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Red Winged Blackbird

A few weeks ago, I was up really early one morning and went out for a drive. It was still dark when I left home. I needed some air, to be out, to breathe some freshness into my body.

At the time I was just starting to fully grasp how my life had changed with a surgeon's knife. I have expected this to be a more emotional journey than it has been so far, but I am so grateful for healing that it seems ridiculous to find anything but joy in daily life.

That morning I went down to Carey Park and near the lake were tons of Red-winged blackbirds. I taped one of them singing. Tonight I was reminded of this video and this poem, which seemed a perfect match.

Words do hold the fire of meaning for me, although lately I've not felt as though I'm expressing myself well. Maybe with more sleep and less stress I'll do better.

Red-Winged Blackbird
by Pasquale Verdicchio

Wind. Wind
and wings of birds.
A red-winged blackbird
sparks against the sky
and green shrubs;
comes to rest in the safety
of calls that break
against our words,
clear and intelligible words,
and light the evening
with the fire of meaning.



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Kansas Sampler Festival Photos

Saturday Mark and I spent the afternoon at the Kansas Sampler Festival in Concordia. I promised more photos.

First of all... there were men in kilts...



I don't know why there were men in kilts. I didn't get a chance to ask because they were busy with Monty's Smoked Jerky of Bird City, Kansas. I'm not sure if this is Monty or not. It is a man in a kilt, however. That I know.



The Kansas Scenic Byways program was there. This is a very cool program that points you toward particular drives in Kansas that are especially beautiful. I see from looking at their maps that I've missed some of them so I need to rectify that very soon. My favorite so far is the Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway near Medicine Lodge, Kansas. It's absolutely gorgeous - hilly, rocky and red.



There were ladies wearing watermelon hats...



And they had a giant Christmas tree decorated with watermelon slices to promote the Clyde Watermelon Festival on Labor Day Weekend. You knew I couldn't pass up anything involving a Christmas tree, right?

The Eisenhower Center in Abilene has some activities planned to commemorate the 65th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion.



One of the things I'm excited about is they're having a tea in September. It's part of a series of events to recreate Ike's Abilene. That celebration is going on for months so there's something for everyone.



Jo Schwartz was working on her art where you could watch. She does pyrography.



There were young men demonstrating roping. It was certainly entertaining, although they were so good they were a bit intimidating.

We wrapped up the day listening to the Diamond W Wranglers.



Wow. They're so good. Every time I see them I'm amazed at the sound four guys can create. They attracted a large crowd, even though it was the end of the day.



The Diamond W Wranglers play at Cowtown in Wichita, complete with a Chuckwagon Supper.



It was great to visit with Martha while I was listening. That's Jim, her husband, there with the guitar. I recorded them doing a classic tune, along with Stu's story about his family's connection to the song.



If you have a chance, go see the Diamond W Wranglers. They're really good. As I told Martha after being at a three hour concert they did at the Fox some time ago, "I didn't get bored at all!" Martha exclaimed, "Oh! Wonderful! That's high praise from you." She understood it was, indeed, very high praise. The highest from me, really. At many musical events I'm looking at the program and counting the number of songs until I can get up and walk around. But, not at their performances - I'm completely lost in the music. And I wouldn't say I'm a particular fan of western/cowboy music - they're just really good.

All in all, it was a fun afternoon. We ended with dinner at the Renaissance Cafe in Assaria, which I also heartily recommend.
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All text and photos on this website are copyright Patsy Terrell, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. None are to be used without permission. Thank you.