We did a lot of different activies during leadership, including a timeline. Kris went to the trouble to illustrate it for us and it was really cool. It had that cool look of collage.




We had a number of activities involving different groups, which was nice because we got to meet a number of folks. Our first group activity was carpooling. The next thing was to come up with a way to introduce our group to the others, without just telling it.

For our group, Don wrote a poem. We made little stick figures of ourselves to illustrate his writing.

Mark came down for the last weekend of the fair. Before he had to leave on Monday we went out to The Dutch Kitchen for lunch. Greg got Mark laughing about something and Mark was what we would call "incapacitated with laughter."

I, of course, had a camera handy. My friends all love that.

This photo was taken the evening of Thursday the 21st, so, it's six days old at this point. I should state for the record that I spent a lot of time in the tub on Wednesday evening and that probably accelerated it's fading.

When we went to Arlington Kansas for tea last weekend, we drove around town a bit and spotted these unusual structures.

Justin, a local guy, told us they are monolithic domes, which are great for energy efficiency. He had tried to convince his wife to get one, but she wanted a house with real walls and all.

There were three of them in a row - two finished and one they were working on.

I guess they are fire, earthquake, tornado and hurricane resistant.

One of our tasks at Leadership was to duplicate a creation made from Legos. We got a ziplock with the same kind of Legos for our group. We could go - one at a time - to the other room and look at the creation. Then we had to plan how to make ours look just like it, but we couldn't build until we were all done with the planning.

This was the creation in question.




As soon as the project was announced, I knew I would suck at it. I am not good with spatial relationships. Fortunately, we had a construction guy on our team - Curtis - smiling in this photo.




Curtis instantly started making a diagram to plot out how to recreate the legos. Dan and Teresa were also very good at this task.




I'm a big believer in letting people who are particularly good at something do it. When we get to a word game, I'll jump right in. I decided the thing I could do the best in this task was keep someone in there looking at it everytime there was a question. It's easy to get caught up in discussing it when you can just go look and answer the question.

If it had been a task I had to do myself I would probably still be there.

I promised regular pix of the henna tattoo I had done on Friday evening the 15th. This photo was taken the evening of Tuesday, the 19th. So, it's four days old at this point.

Chicks and More

Tonight was Chicks and it was an exceptional gathering. I almost forgot because I was really busy, running around today. Thank goodness I didn't. It was a really good gathering.

Sometimes there's lots of news, and sometimes we just touch base - tonight was full of important things.

Always fascinating to gather with people.

I was thinking earlier today that one of the best parts of the leadership class is going to be getting to know these other people, people I would probably not meet just going through my days.

We need to find new ways to foster those connections in people.

I'm going to be sharing more photos and tidbits from the leadership class in the next few days and doing some general catching up on the blog. I can get a bit behind - witness that Puerto Rico hasn't been blogged and that was over a year ago!

Last night I got some podcasts in the bag. I'm making an effort to get things under control in my life.

Past Life Regression

Saturday morning I spent time doing a past life regression. Karen, pictured here, was one of the other participants. I asked if it was OK for me to use her photo.

Diana had this gentleman from Arkansas, Steven Summers, come up to the store for a session. You could book individual ones, or a group one. Since I'd never done it before, I decided to do the group experience.

There were nine of us in the group. He hypnotized us using a technique specifically for past life regression. We did two sessions, and he used two different techniques to hypnotize us.

The first thing he had us do once we were in the past life was look down at our shoes, and see what they looked like, and then our clothes. It was a curious thing to do. He also had us describe our dwelling and what was in it and the people around us. It was a really unusual thing to be doing.

Someone asked him before we started if we would recognize people who are in our lives today that were also in our past lives. He did put that suggestion into the induction, but I did not have that recognition. A couple of people did, but I didn't.

Many people believe that we come through time in "soul groups" so it would be natural for us to have some of the same people in our worlds each lifetime.

The first time I had a really pleasant experience. It was beautiful in many ways and as I wrote in the journal afterwards, "it was a good death."

Others in the group did not have such a good time with it. He said it's common that people have a variety of experiences. One woman was hesitant about doing it again because she didn't want to do that same thing again. He said he had never had that happen - that someone went back to the same life.

One of the suggestions he gave us under hypnosis was that if we were touched on the shoulder that we were to become an observer of the experience. That was to protect people if they got overly upset. But he said he thought tears were healthy and he wouldn't stop us only for that. I did cry a few times the first time but not the second time. They weren't bad tears, they were just "appropriate" tears.

The second time he put us under he used a different techinque that put me much deeper under. My experience was not unpleasant but it was not as "rich" as the first one. However, he told me that there were always messages to get from each experience and to not discount that. He said people tend to have more revelations for about 72 hours afterwards.

It was a really interesting thing to do. Frankly, I went into it not really sure if I would experience anything. But, I did, even though in one case I was fighting having that particular experience. But, the experience went right on anyway.

I will probably do it again if he comes back.

Past Life Regression

I spent the morning doing a session on past life regression. It was quite interesting. The gentleman who was doing it was very interested in the experiences we all had. It was a group of nine of us who were doing it. Some got nothing from it, and others experienced a lot.

I will share more but at the moment I'm off for a nap to see what I dream!

Journalling Class

Thursday night I taught a journalling class. I had six people, which is a good size. There were more people who registered who didn't show up. But it was a good group.

I do some chatting about types of journals and also some writing exercises in class. I also gave everyone a little bag with a lot of prompts in it they can use for writing in the future.




It was a good group. I invite people to share if they want, but don't make it a necessity. It's always enlightening when people share because you see completely different approaches to the same thing.

I took in a number of different kind of journals, most of which were "in process" but these were some of the completed ones I took. I use a number of different kinds of journals but do have some favorites. I adore those Claire Fontaine notebooks. I'm so glad I stocked up when I was in Paris last time.

I'm going to be going to Canada soon. Maybe I can get some more there. Although I don't recall seeing them there on a previous trip. My supply is running low.

Home Again

I just returned home from an overnight retreat for a Leadership Class I'm doing. It was an interesting experience and I'll have more to say about it but this is just a quick note before I go off to teach the journaling class scheduled for tonight.

I decided to not take my laptop, and go without email and blogging for a day. So, if you are waiting on a response from me, that's the deal - it will come tonight or tomorrow.

This will be an interesting time for me. I could tell some of the people in that group were a bit annoyed that there was this woman in their midst with a henna tattoo on her hand and a ring on her toe, but I think most of them felt a little different about me at the end of a day and a half together.

I don't try to be an oddball - it just seems to happen naturally.

Creative Sisterhood

Monday night was our Creative Sisterhood group and it was interesting. We had a lengthy talk about many things, touching on religion and belief systems. For the first time in three years, I felt like I could not communicate with the group. We weren't speaking the same language, so there was no way I could explain my views. And without a lot of background they wouldn't make sense anyway.

It was a very different Creative Sisterhood experience for me. But it was good to have this insight into others. I finally just determined it wasn't important that I share. No one is really that interested in anyone else's background, and I'm not sure I could explain it anyway. I quickly figured out I didn't even want to try - and certainly not in a limited time - so I just chalked it up to a learning experience.

I should not involve myself in such conversations. My views are so very different than anyone else I have ever met that there doesn't seem to be much common ground for communication. And I'm a big believer that religion should be a private matter anyway.

My spirituality is something I've devoted many, many, many hours to over the years. I've written about it in more journals than I can count. I've pondered it on long drives. I've had a lot of a-ha moments. I've had a lot of confusion. I've found some answers and even more questions. I've come to my own conclusions, which are from multiple faith traditions, with a healthy mix of things not tied to any religion that I'm aware of. I sum up my spirituality with the phrase, "Your Life is Your Prayer."

At the last place I lived, I painted that on the wall in one of my rooms. It was interesting to hear what it meant to other people, if anything. No one ever thought of it in the same way I do, and I guess that means it would be a poor thing on which to base a religion. But, I'm not interested in starting the Church of Patsy anyway, so I don't suppose it matters.

My original topic last night was that I have no sense of the norm and it was all the more clear to me by the end of the evening. As always, it was enlightening.

Art of Gracious Living #39 - Defining Our Fears

Humans work harder to avoid what we fear than we do to seek what we desire. This means that our fears have tremendous power in our daily lives.

Eleanor Roosevelt wrote in 1960 in her book, "You Learn by Living" that, "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face." She said, "You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

Defining our fears is part of leading a gracious life.

Hear more about it by listening to the Art of Gracious Living Podcast #39.



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Hummingbird

Coming into the house at lunchtime today, I was looking at the flowers and spotted something buzzing around. It was a hummingbird!




We don't really have hummingbirds here to any degree, we're right on the cusp of their territory so I was tickled. It's not as colorful a hummingbird as the ones my sister in law Mary Ann has in Kentucky, but I'm tickled to have one nonetheless. I was able to get a couple of pix, but nothing spectacular.

Political Joke

One of my board members sent this to me and I thought it was too good to not share. I rarely share such things, and feel free to skip it if you've heard it, but it gave me a chuckle this morning...

Al Gore, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush were in an airplane that crashed; and believe it or not, initially they all end up in heaven. The three are led to meet God who's sitting in regal splendor on a great white throne.
God addresses Al first. "Al, what do you believe in?"

Gore replies, "Well, I believe I won that election, but that it was your will that I did not serve. And I've come to understand that now."

God thinks for a second and says, "OK, very good. Come and sit at my left, Al."

God then addresses Bill. "Bill, what do you believe in?"

Clinton replies, "I believe in forgiveness. I've sinned, but I've never held a grudge against my fellow man, and I hope no grudges are held against me."

God thinks for a few seconds and says, "You are forgiven, my son. Come and sit at my right, Bill."

God then addresses Bush. "George, what do you believe in?"

Bush replies, "I believe you're in my chair."

Tea in Arlington Kansas

Today I went to one of my very favorite events - the fundraiser tea at the Methodist Church in Arlington, Kansas. This is the third year I've been and it's just wonderful. These five ladies who organize it do an amazing job.

They transform their church basement by bringing in dishes, furniture, pictures, and all manner of decorations. I'm always amazed by the work they do. Everything is beautiful.







These ladies also do a great job with food. It's tasty and very pretty - just like tea food is supposed to be.




They had new tablecloths this year, and the settings were more streamlined. I have liked all the ones I've been to, including this one, it was just a little different.










The program this afternoon was about aprons. Interestingly enough, the lady giving the talk was Susie Haver. I know Susie from way back - she used to be involved with the Brown Grand Theatre in Concordia, Kansas - and I interviewed her when I was with the radio station.

Since then I've bumped into her at various times at various things. I guess we move in some of the same circles. She's also a Kansas Explorer, so that's another connection.

She had a number of aprons as examples of various sorts, but this was one of my favorites - one that the lady on it was wearing a little skirt that you could lift and see her pantaloons.




Teresa (yellow shirt), Susan (black) and Jan (beige) and I went today. Peggy was supposed to go but couldn't at the last minute. I asked for a take away plate for her and took it over to her and Gary tonight. We chatted for awhile and it was an interesting talk.

Henna

I did something last night I've never done before... got a henna tattoo. I'm not sure exactly why I wanted to do it, but I did. I went by a tent at the fair where this lady was doing them and thought about getting one. I decided to go ahead and do it and I've already had fun with it.




I picked out a design in a book and she did it by freehand on my palm. She embellished it a bit and changed it, making it even better than the one in the book.

It was a paste and very 3-D on my hand. The trick was that it had to dry for 15-30 minutes. I didn't really think about that - but I was basically incapacitated for awhile.




The wind was blowing about 900 miles an hour and I couldn't even pull my hair up because that took two hands.




She said it would start falling off by itself and it did. The instructions said that in two hours I could scrape off the dried paste.




It was interesting when some it was off and some was still on - you could start to see what it was going to look like.




Today it is a bit darker it seems to me. It's supposed to last for 2-3 weeks. I'll keep you posted on that. It's on my right hand, and I'm right handed, and an obsessive hand washer. So, we'll see how that goes. I hope I have some left in a few days.

A Full Day at the Fair

I took today off because I wanted to work at the Sebelius booth with Trish. I went out a bit before 11 this morning and just got in a little bit ago.

I worked the booth until 3 and then wandered around visiting with people I knew for awhile. Greg came and got me and we went and had lunch/dinner. We left the fairgrounds. Frankly, there's not much food there I want to eat - it's just not very good overall.

I decided to go back to the fairgrounds to go to the hypnotist show at 5 p.m. It's the first time I've been when they didn't have more people waiting to be in the show than there was room for. But, he invited others who wanted to come up to do so and there was a full roster.

Ron Diamond is the hypnotist. He generally travels on the east coast, but this is his third year here. He's a blast. I hope the fair has him back.

Tonight there was a young man who was just hilarious. He suggested that he was a spy and when he cued him this guy would hear his phone ring and it would be his shoe but there wouldn't be an answer. This guy did that and kept going to the edge of the stage to get better signal. Then - the capper - he pulled the string taut, as if he were extending the antenna. It was hilarious. Diamond even broke down laughing and said he'd never seen that happen in all the years he's been doing this.

This young man was in the 5 and the 7:30 show today. We talked to him briefly afterwards. He was really a neat kid.

I had numerous other fair experiences, but I think I'll have to blog those tomorrow as I'm weary tonight. It's time for beddy-bye.

The Governor and More

This morning I went to the chamber breakfast to hear Governor Kathleen Sebelius speak. I always enjoy her. She has been a fabulous governor for us and I'm looking forward to another four years of her leadership. She is exceptional

I don't know if she has any desire for a career on the national level, but if you ever get a chance to vote for her, do.

Diana just joined the chamber and this was her first breakfast so we sat together. Jan Pauls was there, as was Mark Treaster. It's neat we have two democrats from our area in this very Republican state.



Bornholdt Plantland got an award this morning for being the small business spotlight. It was presented by Dick Westphal who I just adore. He is on my board and a really great guy. He's Diana's next door neighbor in downtown now, and across the street from me.

Bornholdt Plantland is a fourth generation business - Gary's grandfather started it and now his sons are involved in it. Interestingly enough, Diana's husband's business - Johnson Sheet Metal - is also a fourth generation business.

I also got to chat with Martha and Molly briefly, as well as Pat Potucek and Trish. Trish is Sebelius's local campaign person and I'm taking part of tomorrow off so I can work the governor's booth with her.

I had thought I might get back to the fair later today but I didn't. There just isn't enough time for me to get everything done I want to get done in life.

I still haven't been to the birthing booth, seen the chainsaw artist, or ridden the train. I can do without all of those with the possible exception of the train. I need to ride the train every year. Don't know why, I just do.

Tonight Teresa, Julie, Martha, Diana and I met at Diana's new store to clear the space and bless it. It was good to see everyone and also a good experience.

We have Creative Sisterhood Monday night so this was a preview. I'm looking forward to tea in Arlington on Sunday. Mark may be here this weekend. It will be good to see him.

Well, I'm overdue for some sleep. Never seems to be enough time for that either.

quote

One has to live a life that creates a writer. ---Erno Paasilinna

Yoder Kansas Charter School and The Kansas State Fair

It has been a full day. I started at 8 this morning with a tour of Yoder Charter School. I was impressed and horrified, all at the same time.

Yoder is a small community a few miles from Hutchinson, and it is largely Amish. About ten years ago, many of the Amish pulled their children from the public school to a private school to avoid their children being exposed to various "influences" - like science.

The school administrator at the time came up with the idea to seek charter status to keep the school open. Basically, it boils down to three things - they do not teach evolution, they do not teach sex ed, and they have no DARE program. Other than that, it's pretty much the norm, although it's certainly interesting to see little boys in the traditional Amish clothing complete with suspenders.

However, the children are tested over all the standard things. But, the school leaves it up to the parents to teach what they want their children to know about sex, drugs and rock and roll. Wait... sex, drugs and science.
The school focuses on traditional values and subjects - they do the three R's.

I'm horrified that we're not teaching children science, but I'm impressed that the administrator came up with a way to save the school. And, did he ever. Children who live in that area are, of course, automatically admitted. But, aside from that, the school has a waiting list for people who want to put their kids in this school because of its values.

It also happens to have small classes. The K-2 are individual classes and then 3-4 grades are together, 5-6 and 7-8. They teach social studies for third grade one year, and for fourth grade the next. I guess that system works unless you happen to leave the school between years and you're now a 5th grader, but you only had 3rd grade studies, not 4th grade. I don't know. I guess it all works out.

After the tour I went over to Carriage Crossing for breakfast. When I left I couldn't help but notice there were multiple tractors parked in back of the building. I don't know if they were customers or employees.




Just as I turned back to the steering wheel, I glanced out the window the other direction and spotted an Amish buggy in the distance. The Amish don't want to have their photos taken, but it's OK to take pix of the buggies I believe.




Tonight I went out to the fair. I went to see Ron Diamond's hypnotist show. He's always entertaining. This is the second time I've seen it this year.

Otherwise I just wandered around a bit. Things are a bit calmer during the week generally. I went to see if there was anyone at the democratic booth I knew, but there wasn't. I'm taking part of Friday off to work in the Governor's booth.

I also stopped by to see the spider bite mannequin guy again. He's getting more and more tags illustrating where people have been bitten by brown recluse spiders. I hope to never add one to it.




I thought I'd just share some fair scenes with you tonight... including Greg getting some taffy.

Art of Gracious Living #38 - Being "Bigger"

My friend, Trish, recently returned from a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon with her son, Nick. It was a life-changing experience for them, and a time for real bonding between mom and 20-something son.

When she was telling me about it later, she remarked how it took some initiative on her part to make the trip happen and how she felt more herself as a result. That is the essence of gracious living.

Leading a gracious life requires effort on our part, but the rewards are great.

We must always be conscious of our role in creating situations that help us live fully.

Hear more about it by listening to the Art of Gracious Living Podcast #38.



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A Sheep in Sheep's Clothing

Tonight I was leaving the fair a little after 10 and noticed a sheep was being sheared. Greg had gone to shoot some other things, but I called him on the cell and said, "Hey, there's sheep shearing going on." He trotted right over. Why? Well, because neither of us know anything about sheep or shearing them. So, obviously, we needed to learn.




For the next hour to ninety minutes, we questioned this very nice lady, Carolyn, who was working to get the sheep ready for judging in the morning. Carolyn lives near Newton, so didn't have too far of a drive tonight, but it was after 11:30 when we left and she wasn't done cleaning up yet so I'm sure it was a late night for her.

Technically, the sheep belongs to her son, Aaron, but he's in college so mom is helping out. And it takes awhile to complete this process.

First is the shearing with a clipper that has 20 teeth, so you're less likely to cut the sheep. Professionals use ones that have 9 teeth and are flared, so they are quicker to use.




After shearing they "card" the sheep, which is somewhat like brushing out the hair that's left on it. The sheep really likes this. He was vocalizing his displeasure at the shearing, but when Carolyn and Larry, a neighbor farmer from Oklahoma who was helping out, were carding the sheep he was standing still and enjoying it.




After that, they did what's called "blocking," which meant they were doing a lot of hand trimming with these large scissors. The sheep's left side is where they stand when holding the sheep and the right side is what they consider the "show side" so they are paying very close attention to it.




This is a Dorset sheep, named for the place in England where they come from. This is a common domestic breed. When they are judged, they look for a variety of physical characteristics about the sheep.

And, lets just say that "all" the parts get sheared.




I was commenting that I knew some knitters who would love to have this wool. But, don't despair. I'm told this particular wool wouldn't be of any use because it's too short.




Last, he got his face groomed - sheared, carded and trimmed.




He was then covered, as were many of the other sheep already in the pens. While the irony that jumps to mind is that we're shearing their wool, and then giving them new "clothes," the reality is that it's just to keep them clean for the judging tomorrow. Because before the shearing, the sheep has to be bathed. And just like with a kid, you want it to last a little while.




In many of the livestock barns, people camp out to be with the animals. Some are more elaborate than others.

Spotted in Traffic

This begins a new, occasional, irregular series on the blog - things "Spotted in Traffic." Now, bear in mind, I live in a small city of 50,000 where "rush hour" means it takes about 12 minutes instead of 10 to go from one end of town to the other. And it's a very conservative red state. So, it's not going to be often I'll spot something in traffic worth sharing, but here's the first entry.

I was behind this driver on 11th street, waiting to turn onto K-61. It was all the more interesting because I'm slated to visit a school on Wednesday.

9-11

Tomorrow is the five year anniversary of 9/11 and the "remembrances" just won't stop. I use "remembrances" as a kind adjective because it often feels more like "celebrations" to me when I see FDNY shirts and hats as fashion statements. However, I'm sure those who have a personal connection with the tragedy do not feel it's a celebration at all. Regardless, I've had all I can take and we're not even to the day yet.

It was a horrible thing, but far more people have died in the wars we've started since then than died that day. Why don't we grieve for those civilians? Oh yeah, they're not Americans, so their lives don't matter. I keep forgetting that.

I don't dispute that 9-11 was a terrible thing and changed how we view the world, but lets move past it. Some of the widows are remarried and have children with their new husbands, which means they've been remarried for awhile now. In five years they have grieved, dated, married and had a baby. They've moved on. People should be allowed to move on. Please, let them move on. Let us all move on.

I saw a Colonel on CBS Sunday morning who was at the Pentagon and almost died that day. He was saying he is not going to any of the events tomorrow that he just wants to move forward. Surely he is speaking what many of us are thinking. Please, let us move on. We have plenty of reminders every time we try to fly anywhere and they want to take our toothpaste away from us.

My biggest beef with airport "security" is that it's reactionary and all happenstance. No one cared about my toothpaste until a terrorist decided that would be a good way to make a bomb on board. No one cared about my shoes until someone tried to use their shoe to take a weapon on board. Is this a smart, well thought out plan? No, it's completely reactionary and that means it's useless. Either check everyone for everything or don't bother. And put a little thought into what people might do, as opposed to just reacting to the last thing someone did.

It gives the impression that terrorists are far smarter than the people who are supposed to be protecting us from them. We have thousands of people who are supposed to be protecting us and they don't come up with these ideas like putting a weapon in a shoe heel?

We are fast approaching the same number of American soldiers killed in the Iraqi war as were killed on 9-11. And that's not counting soldiers of other nations and civilians. Does that make it "right," somehow? That 2600 plus men and women, many of them very young, who signed up to serve their country were shipped out in a doomed war? Is it somehow good that those deaths in the attacks have been doubled by our choice? And, it was a choice. A choice made by the government. And the government was a choice made by the people. Not a choice I ever supported, but a choice nonetheless.

Don't email me and tell me how it's not your fault because you didn't vote. If you didn't vote, you voted for the winner - whoever that was. So, you voted for Bush. You voted for war. You voted for death - death of soldiers, death of civilians, death of people in flooded New Orleans streets - death. This is what you created with your vote, whether you went to the voting booth to cast it or not. This is what you get when you vote for someone who has no compassion - sending other people's children to die in war, Katrina victims dying on their rooftops while the President is on vacation, and constant lies to justify it all - from "we didn't know people were at the Convention Center" to "there are weapons of mass destruction."

To Bush's credit, he never lied about being a compassionate person. You wanted him anyway. Please, remember, this is what you get when you put someone without compassion into office - lots of people dying - many of them 19 year olds who signed on for the military to do something good, believing they were invincible as most 19 year olds do. I've heard the word "victim" way too many times in the last five years while we've been busy creating another generation of potential terrorists who hate Americans.

Just Friday, the Senate intelligence committee, Republican controlled by the way, reported that there was never a connection between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda. We're all acting like this is a big news flash when it was obvious that was the case from the get go. Bush wanted to go to war with Iraq and just did. He knew he couldn't get congress to agree to it on his personal vendetta agenda so he lied.

Why is it that lying about having sex with an intern where no one died is grounds for impeachment, but lying about weapons of mass destruction and killing thousands of people in the process is acceptable? I will take responsiblity for my votes - I voted for Clinton twice and I wish I could vote for him again. So, it's my fault that our president was getting head in the oval office. But, I wash my hands of the war and destruction the Bush administration has wrought on the world. I had no part of that. I don't hold anyone in congress responsible for voting to go to war, since they were lied to as well. But, those who blindly support the Bush administration's policies - they need to go.

Lets not be selective in who we remember that died as a result of 9-11. Lets not forget the first casualty in the Iraqi war - a woman and her child, who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Blair Leaving

Experts say it won't be nearly a year before Tony Blair steps down. I cannot wait for this to happen. I'm betting he's trying to hold on until after the US elections, because when he leaves, Bush will have NO world support for his wars.

Americans seem to be slowly awakening from their deep oblivion, but anything that can hasten that is good in my book.

I've been enjoying seeing clips on the news of the British ditty sung to the tune of that little song we all sang as children. Only this time the words include "Bush and Blair, sitting in a tree, K-i-l-l-i-n-g." Isn't that the truth?

These allies will be split up when Blair doesn't have the power he has now. What a glorious day that will be.

Saturdays are for Fairs

Saturdays are for the Kansas State Fair in early September. But Saturdays are also for painting, which I did some of today. Finally. I've been ignoring the library, and today I got up there and did some work on it. There's still plenty to do but it has just been sitting there forever, with me doing nothing on it. But, I did get a little bit done in there today and hopefully I'll get more done tomorrow.

I'm doing a complicated painting technique in there - why, I'm not sure, since I'm going to put up shelves and cover it all up. But, there you go. Even I don't understand myself.

I had to stop and run out for more of the little bottles of metallic paint I'm sponging on in there. I think I overbought - at least I hope I don't need as much as I purchased. I'll take it back if I don't need it but with Hobby Lobby closed tomorrow my options were limited.

When I got home I was torn between working more in the studio and going back out to the fair. Guess which won out? That jar of pickles was not from my library.

What really prompted me to head out to the fair was using Greg's pass since he wasn't using it today, and seeing Ron Diamond, the hypnotist. His show is always funny. There was a guy in it tonight that I think did it last year too. Anyway, it was fun.

After the hypnotist I went over to domestic arts to look around. There were less than a half dozen entries in the Governor's cookie jar contest and considerably fewer canned goods. But I think the number of needlework entries has gone up. I could be wrong, but it seems like there's more of that.

The cooking things continue to decline and I hate to see that. There are a few contests sponsored by companies where there's actual money to be won and those seem to be generating a significant amount of entries.

I don't know what to think about our society. We obviously love to watch people cook, otherwise the Food Network wouldn't be on. But, apparently, few of us can actually cook. Maybe I've been approaching the tea all wrong. I should sell tickets for people to watch me cook instead of to eat the food.

But, there was lots of needlework from crochet to cross stitch to knitting. And, of course, the quilts.

As I was looking at knitting I wondered if Andrea had submitted anything and then I spotted it, complete with ribbon on it. Congratulations, Andrea!




They have a whole section just for people like me - a Christmas area. You gotta love it. There were some beautiful pieces. Leah should enter some of her cross stitch stuff. I am so honored to have some pieces she made for me, including some Christmas ornaments and an incredible stocking she did.

I really treasure those things that people make for me. I'm already thinking about how fun it will be unpack all the Christmas things and enjoy the memories of them. A month from now I'll be getting serious about getting going on that.

Tomorrow I'm not going to the fair. I hope I'm motivated enough to get more done in the library. Goodness knows there is plenty in my world to do. As always.

Where Has Patsy Been

This is a fun little toy. There are a few states I'm not sure if I've visited or not, so I left them off the map. I'll be able to update it soon as I'll be traveling to Washington and Oregon next month. At the moment it says I've been to 35 states. I think I've also been to West Virginia, but I'm just not sure. Obviously, I need to go. And to Wisconsin, which I think I would really love. Just hasn't worked out yet. One of these days...



create your own visited states map

Politicians, Pumpkins and Pillsbury

The Kansas State Fair opened in Hutchinson today. I went out for a couple of hours tonight, just to look around a bit. I enjoy the fair, and it's especially fun during an election year.

I ran into a ton of people I knew, including Robert and Marcella from Ellinwood. That was an unexpected treat. I was chatting with John Doll, who's running for congress, and who I wrote about on the blog previously, when I ran into them.

I went over to John's booth later, and got to meet his wife, who is just delightful.




Jan Pauls was working the democrat's booth. It was good to see her. I visited with her a little bit but there were a lot of people stopping by so I didn't want to monopolize her time.

I also visited with Sue Darby who was working the HCC booth. It was really good to talk with her.

I also stopped by the Governor's booth to see what her schedule is for the fair. I know she's going to be there tomorrow for a debate, but don't know if she will be sticking around much after that - hopefully so.

Of course, there was the usual assortment of fun stuff at the fair - including a giant pumpkin weighing 680.5 pounds.

I just love the fair where you see everything agricultural thing you can imagine. That's something I love about the Kansas State Fair - it still honors its roots. Those that do are few and far between now.

But, you can look at sorghum varieties, champion tomatoes and rye seed. It's all a bit of Americana and I love it all. Just in case you weren't able to visit tonight, I thought I'd share some pix so you can enjoy it nonetheless.



















There are also scarecrows of various sorts - some of them quite inventive. I'm not sure where the Pillsbury Doughboy fits in, but when you see a giant Pillsbury Doughboy you have to take his photo. It's a rule.













And, there's something new this year - a big cut out where they are tracking brown recluse spider bites of people who stop by the booth and talk about having been bitten. I'll have to tell Diana to go get her spot logged. My hope is to take some photos every time I'm out to see how his tag collection grows. This is the tally of just this one day, although they are putting the ones from the back of the body on the front of the model as well. What I've learned is that your legs are in great danger.

Praying in Restaurants

OK, I'm about to tick some people off - well, so, what's new - get your own blog and you can blather on about what an idiot I am. Or in this case, what a heathen.

Topic of the day - I'm sick of people praying aloud in restaurants.

I grew up in the south, where we went to church three times a week, said grace before meals, and feared God. I never, ever prayed aloud in a restaurant. Nor did I ever witness such a thing until the last few years. I'm officially sick of it. It's rude. Yes, that's right, rude.

The other day at Roy's these two twenty-something guys came in and sat down at a table with some other folks (not unusual, there) and proceeded to bow their heads and pray aloud so that everyone at that table, at our table next to them and at the table next to us felt they had to stop their conversation until they were finished. And, this man was relishing in having an audience because he went on for some time - longer than an elder deacon at dinner on the grounds in a southern Baptist Church.

I'm fed up with this "I'm holier than you are and I'm going to demonstrate it right now in front of God and everyone, so maybe you will get a clue and turn from your horrible ways" attitude. God will accept a silent thank you for the bounty before you. You need not engage the entire restaurant in what should be your private relationship with the Almighty.

If you want to demonstrate your Christian attitude, why not do it by not drawing attention to yourself and interrupting the conversation of everyone else in a room? Aren't Christians supposed to be kind to those around us?

I'm all about tolerance, and that includes for those who are fundamentalist Christians. But you are infringing on others rights when you pray aloud, overtaking an entire group's conversation in a restaurant.

You can pray silently, not making a spectacle of yourself - he's God, he'll hear you. There is no need to be as public as possible so everyone knows you're a Christian - or so you would have us believe, anyway. Frankly, I'm always suspicious of people who have to be so adamant about how they are religious or are not gay or are telling the truth or fill in the blank. It almost always means exactly the opposite.

So what am I going to do the next time this happens, as it inevitably will? Well, I want to say that I'm going to keep on talking while the public demonstration of what is to be private piety continues in my midst. In reality, out of reverence, I will no doubt stop my conversation yet again and then be annoyed at the whole situation all over again. It doesn't make me feel reverent.

Democrats Have the Advantage

The news is filled with stories about how the democrats have the advantage on pretty much every issue. The war in Iraq continues to lose popularity. The president's approval rating is low.

Well, hallelujah, finally, some sense...

But what I really want is for people to get the big picture - not just vote for a change because it's a change. Vote for the best person, not just someone different. Admittedly, at the moment we just have to vote for change - obviously. But in the long term, try to remember what a huge mess we're in and how we got here.

We got here by putting people into office who have no compassion and never pretended to have compassion. People who don't have compassion tell lies to send other people's children into war. People who don't have compassion do nothing to raise the minimum wage to help the ordinary guy put gas in his car. People who have no compassion let people die in the flooded streets. Remember that when you're voting. Vote for people who are compassionate so we can have a country that has compassion. If you want to vote for Christian candidates, let compassion be your guide. Isn't that the mark of a true Christian - how they treat people?

Stealing Trash

I went out tonight to take out some trash because tomorrow is trash day. I opened my dumpster to put something in and realized that someone has been going through my dumpster. That explains why there was trash around the it. It creeps me out.

This caused me to think all kinds of things - particularly why do I care - it's trash. Because it's creepy, that's why.

I suddenly know what celebrities mean when they talk about people going through their trash being a violation of their privacy. It's creepy.

Of course, I can't imagine why anyone would want to go through my trash. I'm not a celebrity. And I don't throw away anything interesting. However, they took about one whole bag full of trash with them. Creepy. Very creepy.

Lesbians and Goat Farming

Regular readers of this blog know one of my favorite things is bits of Overheard Conversation. Well, tonight was a freaking goldmine at dinner. This man, with three friends in the booth with him, was talking loud enough that everyone could have heard, but I really had the best seat in the house because my back was to him and he was talking in my direction.

Man: "Jamie has been the best of my girlfriends and wives."
Friend: "Which one is she?"
Man: "She's the lesbian."

---------

Man: "The kids are a little confused."
Friend: "Why?"
Man: "Well, Daddy and Mommy aren't living together but there's this other woman there."
Other Friend: "Who's that?"
Man: "That's her lover."
Other Friend: "I thought you were still living there."
Man: "Yeah, I lived there for about a month after we broke up. But it was... awkward."

---------

Man: "I want to get married again. You know what I miss?"
Friend: "Sex?"
Man: "No... well... kinda... but I didn't have a lot of that to begin with.I miss coming home to my wife and kids. I want to get married again."

---------

Through more self control than I thought I possessed I was able to not jump up and say, "well, duh, she was a lesbian - of course she didn't want to have sex with you." I actually couldn't imagine too many straight women wanting to have sex with this guy, but I'm guessing the attraction for a lesbian would be somewhat less. However, apparently she was attracted enough to him to have three children. So, what do I know?

Ah, but there was more wisdom to come... true wisdom... southern wisdom...

---------

Smart Friend: "You know what I think you ought to do?"
Man: "No. What?"
Smart Friend: "I think you oughta move to the south."
Man: "Why's that?"
Smart Friend: "There, when a man decides he's going to have a goat farm, he either has some goats or some land. Only yankees come up with these stupid ideas about goat-farming without having goats or land."

Fun Weekend

This weekend Greg's girlfriend, Mia, came to visit so we were all hanging out. It was nice to have people around over the weekend. I was cleaning things around the house and just piddling around and it's nice to have people around when you're doing that.

I've done so much laundry it's amazing. But, all those tablecloths and napkins from the tea had to be washed, not to mention all the dishcloths and towels I mess up when I cook.

I bought a new chair for my home office and Greg put it together for me, which was nice. I think I'll take the old one up to the studio. Tonight I bought another one for the office - I'm way overdue for one there - something ugly happened to that one in one of the many office moves. It's $100 off of a $149 chair, so it's a good deal.

Jesse called yesterday afternoon and wanted to know if we wanted to get something to eat. Mia had to leave to get back to Joplin, but Greg and I went out with Jesse to Applebees last night. It was good to see him. I always enjoy Jesse. He's a real thinker and that's always interesting.

All in all it was a productive weekend, but also a fun one. Sometimes when it's a holiday weekend what I really need is for the rest of the world to stop and not bring anything new into my world. That was certainly the case this time.

I've been working on clearing out some things in my home office. I'm not sure how it gets so incredibly piled, but it does. I'm about to give in and accept that I just need to put shelves up on every available wall surface. It's the only way I can seem to effectively organize anything.

I told Teresa years ago that I needed a house that was full of shelves and tables, because everything I like to do requires table space, and misc. stuff that needs to be stores. It seems that was prophetic.

Oh... I have another photo I wanted to share with you of Greg at Diana's store the other day. I love this - you can see Diana in the mirror.

the divineMAGgees

I'm not a huge music person, but when I find something I like, I really like it. At the moment it's the divineMAGgees singing "Trouble." http://www.divinemaggees.com/ - and it's pronounced the divine maggies. Hear the tune at http://www.myspace.com/divinemaggees. It's worth a listen.

Some of the lyrics:
I gotta get out of here
I can't take it anymore
I'm gonna leave it all behind
I don't want this trouble

I think we've all felt that way at some time in our lives. Maybe more than one time.

Altrusan of the Year and more

I have been so behind on blogging that I haven't gotten a chance to say congratulations to Shanna, who was named Altrusan of the Year on Aug. 22. Shanna is someone I've known for a long time - we both worked at Hutchinson Community College at the same time years ago. She's also on my board of directors.

Shanna is one of the reasons I stay in Altrusa. There are some wonderful ladies in that group and she is one of them. She does a ton of stuff behind the scenes for Altrusa and for many other groups.

Debbie had also arranged for January Jackson to perform for us that evening. She has a beautiful voice and was very generous to share her talent with us. She had performed for the Volunteer Center's annual dinner.
Debbie's beautiful sunflowers that we used for the decorations really perked up the room. I'm always amazed at what bright colors can do for a room. It's amazing the transformation that occurs.

Debbie did the presentation that night and did a great job. We had six nominees for Altrusan of the Year and any one of them was deserving.




Before heading out to Altrusa that night, I went to Skaets to see Steve. He stopped through Wichita on his way back to Iowa to see some baseball. He drove up to Hutch to visit with Greg a bit. I couldn't eat dinner with them but I wanted to see him. Of course, Ace Jackalope was in attendance.

On the way I was witness to an accident at Third and Severance, the same intersection where I was hit by a drunk driver a year or two ago. I know a number of people who have had accidents there, so it's obviously a dangerous intersection. I was stopped at the light, just like when I was hit, the first car in line. Thank goodness, I'm a person who always stops far behind the line because the car that was hit came to rest inches from my front bumper. If I were one of those people who pulled halfway through the intersection when I stopped I would have been involved in it. I was so thankful to avoid it.

I gave my card to both the drivers in case they needed testimony but I haven't heard from them. I don't know where the woman came from that hit this guy, but he was completely in the right. He was going through the intersection and she banged into him. Not sure if she ran a red light or turned into him. But, of course, we've all done stupid things in the car. I was just thankful to avoid the accident.

Becky!

Saturday Greg and I went to Roy's for Barbecue. I think I could eat Roy's every day.

I told him I wanted to stop by Diana's store on the way home, just to see how things looked now that they were all set up. Diana moved The Dancing Grouse to 125 N. Main this past week and I went in to help some on Tuesday, but she had her reopening on Wednesday and I hadn't had a chance to see it since she was all set up. This is great space and the street scape has been finished in this block, which is a bonus.




When we popped into Diana's, I was surprised to see Becky there. It was great to see her. She moved to St. Louis last year and I've really missed her.

She and Rob had decided about four o'clock Friday afternoon to come to Hutch for the weekend. So, it was just a bonus that I happened to pop in while she was there.

To top it off, Teresa was in, so I got to see her too. She had brought in freshly made scones. Oh my gosh, they were amazing.

Greg snapped some pix of all of us together. L-R is Diana, Becky, me and Teresa.




It was so neat to see everyone. Nancy came in just as Greg and I were getting ready to leave so I got to visit with her just briefly. I also saw Austin and Amy for just a couple of minutes.

I was showing Becky, Diana and Teresa the cutest little lipstick holder I'd gotten at Target the night before in the dollar section. It's metallic pink and looks like a tiny little purse. Greg was making fun of how excited women get about such things. But, hey, I recommend you get to your local Target and pick one up as soon as possible.

Coming up

One of the things I've been doing recently - besides digging out from the tea - is preparing for the next month. I've got a lot of things on the agenda for September - some fun and some work.

Although it hasn't been announced officially yet, I'm going to be part of the Reno County Leadership class this fall. This is the first time they've done a fall one and it is better for my schedule. We have an overnight retreat so I'm making plans for that.

I'm also teaching a journalling class later this month. Although that's largely straightforward, it does require some preparation. I'm wondering what, exactly, I want to do for the class. It's hard to know what to focus on, but obviously I have to do some planning for it.

Also, Greg and I are going on a trip to Seattle and Portland next month so I need to plan for that a bit too. We haven't traveled together for awhile and I'm really looking forward to going. It will be interesting to see if we still travel well together. Neither of us has been to that area of the country, so it will be good. With just some preliminary reading I know I'm going to want more time there.

The State Fair starts on Friday and runs for 10 days. I haven't committed yet, but I will probably help work out there a bit. Other than that, we will just be out there a lot enjoying the fair.

And the last weekend of the fair is the Arlington tea. I enjoy that tea so very much. It will be so nice to have tea instead of creating tea.

Catching Up

I have been so occupied that I've not been blogging much lately. However, on my list of things to do this weekend is get caught up a bit. We'll see if I manage.

But in the interest of getting started on that...

A couple of nights ago Greg and I went out to the Dutch Kitchen. It seems whenever we travel that direction we are blessed with an interesting sunset and Friday night was no different.





Dinner at the Dutch Kitchen was good, and they're famous for their pie. We both had some pecan pie to top off the meal. I realized after the tea that I never even sampled any of the tea goodies, other than while I was cooking.

I'm still cleaning up from the tea - there are a dozen tablecloths to wash and tons of napkins, not to mention re-integrating all my dishes back into my stash. I'm amazed at how women will just wipe their lipstick onto a cloth napkin. I used almost a whole bottle of stain remover on the napkins. I've had them soaking all day in a borax wash, so hopefully tonight I'll be able to finish them. I wonder what has happened to our society that we think this is appropriate behavior.

Art of Gracious Living Podcast #37

I recently visited the Cathedral of the Plains at Victoria, Kansas. The Art of Gracious Living Podcast this week is about how we all need sacred spaces in our lives. You can listen using the player below.

What is a sacred space varies from one person to another but we must have those safe havens to turn to in times of need. They restore us and help us find our way in the world once again.

I encourage you to find your own sacred spaces.



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