I went to the local news site and found a pretty good picture gallery of the strength of the storm. There were reports of a funnel cloud, and there are two pretty convincing photos of what appears to be a tornado.
I’m pretty sure this is the tree that fell right at the library’s parking garage:
http://interactives.wane.com/photomojo/gallery/3335/67250/june-29-severe-weather/downtown-mess/
Pretty awesome, eh?
I was re-reading some of my old “Sew News” magazines from back in the day…
In one was an article on a super group of sewing enthusiasts who made quilts for needy babies. The group’s name is Newborns in Need, started by a lady by the name of Green (sorry, forgot to bring the mag with me to the library and can’t remember her first name) whom had read of stillborns who were being buried in paper bags. The group of ladies she was with thought it was some spoof or sensational story like those found in the tabloids. Green pursued the story, however, and tracked down the reporter. Indeed, the story was true.
She decided she would sew burial outfits for these babies, for which the mothers were grateful.
Somewhere along the line, however, she decided she’d rather sew quilts for the live babies….the “Newborns in Need” was created. She said that she didn’t know exactly how many quilts she and her circle of sewers made, but it was around 150 quilts per month. Her children also helped when they were pressed to get quilts to the babies. The article said her teenage sons would sew through the night trying to meet the need.
This article, like the magazine, was old–1997, so I wondered if the work was continuing. Green said that she had made a nonprofit corporation when she started it, but soon it became about power and money and the focus of the organization was being lost. She dissolved the corporation. So…I was wondering if it was still going…
It is. And I found that a hospital here in Fort Wayne is part of the network.
When I was really ill from the mercury, I lost the ability to sew. I used to sew my kids’ clothes and wanted to try quilting. I had seen these beautiful watercolor quilts in sewing books and wanted to try it. However, it coincided with the increase in mercury and my brain just could not wrap itself around the complexities of shades of color, patterns, and coordinating all of it. Heck, I couldn’t even sew a straight line. Seriously. My eyes were dimmed and I couldn’t focus on the line on the sewing machine to keep the material straight. Frustrating as hell, especially when I had previously sewn so many outfits. I didn’t understand or know about the mercury at the time.
As I have gotten better, the skill is coming back, but it is like re-learning it all over again. I don’t think non-sewers know or appreciate how difficult sewing is…you have to be able to cut straight (couldn’t do that when I was sick–eye/hand coordination wasn’t there), sew straight, and be able to envision what the directions are telling you and what the garment is supposed to look like when you’re done. Otherwise, it’s endless frustration with messing up over and over again.
So…I have a lot of fabric. The old joke is “she who dies with the most fabric wins”. Only a sewer in love with fabric and creativity would get that joke…:)
I think I’m going to try the quilting thing again…but I’m going to have to pace myself. I was detoxing yesterday (I’m doing epsom salt baths every other day as recommended by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, to detox, and boy is it working.)–and this seems to affect my eye-hand coordination because I was once again messing up pretty badly. I finally gave up after so many mistakes. I tried again this morning, and viola!
But, along with the music ability, it comes in spurts and long periods of no progress…I’m nervously trying to push myself a little to go out on a limb to make this quilt. I’m afraid if I get started, and then for whatever reason don’t feel up to it, that I’ll let people down. But I would like to sew these quilts for the babies in need. Sounds like a neat group.
We shall see…
(SORT OF A PERSONAL BLOG–LOCAL STUFF)
It was announced today that Bob Dylan is coming to Fort Wayne on August 21st–he’ll be playing at the downtown baseball stadium. Sounds like a nice time.
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FW has festivals coming out the wazoo–
Right now, there’s Ribfest going on, and in about a month, there’s the biggest –the Three Rivers Festival. In September, the Johnny Appleseed Festival, celebrating the folk hero who planted apple orchards. It’s kind of an “old settlers” festival. I haven’t been to any of the festivals, so I can’t really comment on them from an experience perspective.
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In the local news, I see the link “Batman needs a home”…intrigued, I clicked on it:http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120615/BLOGS22/120619763/0/FRONTPAGE
Haha…not what I was expecting. 🙂
He’s a little cutie, eh? He looks almost exactly like a kitty my son brought home one day.
The story goes like this: My son used to go jogging in the area we used to live in, and he said this kitten followed him home one day. The oldest story in the world, folks, and I fell for it….:) The truth came out later–he said that the kitten meowed at him, and he was afraid it was going to get hit, so he picked it up and brought it home. Not that I minded. The other cat we had, Sammy, did mind, however. She had an issue with sharing. Haha.
Anyway, we took Zeus in and he was apparently much older than we thought–he wasn’t taken care of and it was apparent that someone had dumped him (we lived in the country). He was such a character–full of life and such a little imp. He was the first cat that I ever allowed to go outside on a regular basis. All my previous kitties had been housecats…but Zeus–he heard the beat of a different drummer, as they say, and it would have killed his spirit to be indoors. He loved the freedom of running around outdoors. I remember once when i went outside to tend the little garden I had (organic, of course), and I played a little game of hide-and-seek with him–I “hid” behind a tree, and to his delight, would pounce when he would come running past. Heh.
His love of outdoors was his downfall, however. One morning, after I had taken the kids to school, he was at the back door and he didn’t look right. He was dragging his rear end lower than normal. I didn’t see anything, like blood on him, but I knew something was wrong, so I took him to the vet. The vet said he was struck by a car….which didn’t make sense because there was no dirt or blood on him or marks of any kind.
So, I took him home and watched as the poor thing got worse. I called the vet’s office and got the assistant. When I told her I thought he was worse, and that he was panting from pain, she said that there was nothing we could do for them–you couldn’t give cats anything for pain. I just had to wait for him to work through it.
The next day, he ate a little so I was optimistic that he was going to recover. However, as the day wore on, his status grew shaky. He wanted to be let out, but I refused. I would realize later that he knew he was dying and he wanted to be alone.
The next morning, just before 6:00 a.m., I heard him meow in my bedroom. I thought he was doing better–what I didn’t realize was that he was crying out before he passed. My daughter said “Mom, something’s not right with Zeus’ eyes.” The light had gone out of his eyes. We cried for the little imp that was with us only a short time and buried him in the garden that he loved.
I strongly suspect that a crotchety old neighbor hit Zeus on the back and that was what caused his death. Zeus had always been afraid to come near me when I was sweeping the back patio area. I couldn’t understand why…and the only thing that makes sense is that someone hit him with a broom. My neighbor detested me because I stood up to him on a few occasions when he was trying to bully me and he hated Zeus, too. I wouldn’t be surprised to know that he had struck Zeus. It’s just a hypothesis…I’ll never really know what happened. Rest in peace, little man.
Well, now it’s even easier for spying on and shooting innocent people. Coming to FW in October…can’t wait. (The city was on Fire Friday–three deadly shootings over night with a state police officer shooting someone dead.)
More from the NATO summit–Iraq Veterans Against the War give back their medals. Good for them. It’s not easy for them, I’m sure, as it is hard for anyone in this society to speak out against war–with the media promoting war as patriotic (all you protestors are just dirty commie hippies) and the use of media by the Defense Dept to promote it, as well.
Here’s a good clip from PRWatch on FakeNews.
And, lastly, is this. Talk about turning the technology around…
I’m driving along a two-lane highway along the country to the town my sister is in…these are the scenes along the way:
…a house standing alone surrounded by farm fields now has weeds growing up around it. It appears to have been abandoned.
…an old brick farm house with a row of trees lining the drive now has a “for sale” sign out front. It used to have fresh produce and a ‘fresh eggs’ sign out front.
…I pass by another farm house where an Amish father is walking out from the house to the barn. Following him are three young ones… lined up just like ducks following their mother.
…wide open fields with farmers plowing, dust blowing huge clouds into the skies. It’s hard to describe the serenity of the scene. No noise. Nothing but space to expand. Nothing but you and your thoughts.
…A serene lake with Canadian geese and ducks paddling along…one of the geese comes towards me as I stand out on a pier. Geese never do that, and he came just close enough to eyeball me, but no closer. I wonder if someone has been feeding them? Meanwhile, a crane flies overhead…and redwing blackbirds sing their song from nearby reeds.
…a young lady who cuts and styles the nursing home resident’s hair speaks of family who have taken in family members–grandkids, sons/daughters, and their friends because of the times we live in–she herself works four jobs. She has the full time job of cutting hair, but also manages a weekly newspaper, and works a retail job, too. I forget what the fourth one is. She has a five month old son, and an ex who doesn’t appear to be helping much. She’s a sweet person who is very caring towards the residents who should be able to stay home with her son, but doesn’t get that luxury.
…seen at an antique shop: a refrigerator magnet with “I’ll believe corporations are people when the State of Texas executes one.” Heh.
Eat Shit. Because we’re going to cut food stamps by 11 percent. Never mind that you can’t afford to buy food for an entire month on what you’re given right now–you’ll have to resort to eating shit to survive….
One of the commenters mentions the Titanic. I watched it over the weekend on the anniversary of the ship’s sinking. I couldn’t help but picture Mitt Romney as Billy Zane’s despicable character, a wealthy sociopath…
…and how much today’s economic times reflect those of that period. And people talk as if those times were permanently relegated to history….ignoring what is happening all around them.
And I don’t believe for a second all the glowing reports of a recovery. I don’t see it where I sit. And I find it a little too convenient now that we are in an election year–that suddenly we’re in an upswing of jobs? And jobs alone aren’t the total answer–GOOD PAYING jobs are the answer. Martin Luther King was promoting the idea of a guaranteed income before he was murdered…everyone would have a minimum income. Of course, he preferred that everyone have a decent-paying job.
I found this living wage calculator from Pennsylvania State. I went to Allen County, Indiana, and found their low allowance for food: $236 per month for a single adult appalling. Only if you eat unhealthy food: processed meat like bologna, hot dogs, etc., and if you stay away from organic and fresh vegetables can you afford that piddly amount. Indiana only allows $200 per month in food stamps as it is…if the republicans get their way, it will be $178.
Eagle 