Man Decorates Basement with Sharpie

I used to live in Lexington, Kentucky. It is the home of Bondurant Drugs, which you have probably seen in various ads - it's a building shaped like a mortar and pestle. I used to live about four blocks from it on Village Drive. I drove by it every day and never fully appreciated the oddity of it because it was part of my "norm."

Now, this story appears in the Lexington Herald Leader about a man who decorated his entire basement with Sharpie pens. There is a 360 view of it and it's quite interesting.

I'm starting to develop a fuller appreciation of my former home community.

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Soledad O'Brien at the Dillon Lecture Series

Soledad O'Brien spoke at this morning's Dillon Lecture Series. We all know her from her work on CNN, and it was great to see her in person.



Greg took photos from one place and me from another.

She spoke about diversity issues in a different way, weaving in stories from various places and people. She told a story about a relief worker in Africa puzzling over how to educate girls. At about eight years old, the girls became very valuable to their mothers at home, so they stopped sending them to school. The solution was to feed the girls at school, as well as give them food to take home. That shifted the paradigm and made it more valuable for them to go to school.


They also realized that when they educated boys they tended to leave the area. But when they educated girls they stayed behind and worked in the community. That, of course, meant their efforts reached further.

She talked quite a bit about her work in covering Katrina. As she put it, "Katrina blew in and illuminated a host of problems that had been unknown for years."

She spoke about talking to the sheriff of St. Bernard Parish and asking him how much damage there was. His reply was, "roughly 100%." They had two buildings that were not damaged in that community of about 70,000 people. When asked about the racial issues, he said it wasn't racial, that it was socioeconomic. As he pointed out, 97% of his parish was white.

She said the moment she knew it was really, really bad was when they went to the convention center and saw a man sitting in a chair, dead from a gunshot. Three days later they were back to do another story and he was still there. She knew it was bad that no one had bothered to remove that man's body.

That sheriff told her stories of how some of the men he thought were the bravest crumbled in the crisis, whereas others who seemed to meek rose to the challenge. He told about two drug dealers they had with them the day the storm hit. These men couldn't swim, and had a long history of trouble with the law, but rescued numerous people. The sheriff hired them.

She spoke a bit about her family. Her mother is Cuban, her father Australian. They married in 1958 when interracial marriages were illegal in Maryland. So, they drove to DC to get married.

Soledad is the fifth of sixth children, and she said her mother always insisted to all of them to not ever let anyone else define who they were - racially or otherwise. She told them to, "Do what you want to do. If there are obstacles, go around them." 


She said at the luncheon that her parents had the attitude that education is something no one can ever take away from you. Soledad and her five siblings all graduated from Harvard.

She said her mother was very no nonsense and when Soledad was asked to be part of an article about what's the best advice her mother ever gave her Soledad hesitated. The editors were talking to her about it and finally Soledad told them the best advice her mother ever gave her was, "Most people are idiots." She said the editor said, "we'll get back to you" and hung up. She said her mother's attitude was always, "Dream, and do what you want to do."

At the end of the luncheon today someone asked about memorable interviews and she said they were, "interviews were people said something." She then summed up what I think everyone who has ever had the urge to be a journalist feels. "It's when you get someone to speak the truth. Their truth. What their truth is."


She was gracious enough to pose for a photo with Julie. Local hosts were taking Soledad on a tour of the Cosmosphere and the Kansas Underground Salt Museum later today. I'm glad she had an opportunity to enjoy the town a bit. She said she loves to travel.
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Home Shows

I am addicted to those television shows where they redo a home. I was an addict long before Home and Garden Television. Remember when "This Old House" and the "Woodwright's Shop" were the only shows that gave us the vicarious experience of seeing things built and remodeled, giving us a false sense of our ability to replicate it in the process? Then along came "The New Yankee Workshop." While I appreciate the incredible work that can be done with antique hand tools, I'm a "Normite" and believe in power tools. I'd love to have everything made by hand with antique tools, but that's not feasible for me. I do good to get anything done with power tools, much less without them.

The new crop of pretty boys - Carter, Ty and the lot - will never replace Norm and Bob in my heart. Not that I mind my carpenters being pretty - it's an added bonus- but I'm much more interested in what they can accomplish.

Remember Bob Vila? What is Bob doing these days? I always liked how he popped in where the guys were working on whatever project, would give his brief explanation, and then move on to the next set of guys working. Now that I own a  home, and understand the difficulty in getting people to work on my house - much less on my timetable, I'm all the more astonished at the number of people we see swarming all over these places on "This Old House."

Now, of course, we have at least two networks devoted to nothing but home improvement, and another network to show us how to cook food in those new kitchens. I can't seem to get enough of any of them. Besides, where else can you pick up pearls of wisdom like these?

* If you have a door that isn't closing properly, the problem is most likely on the side with the hinges, not the other side. However, a quick fix that works a huge amount of the time is to take a candle and rub wax on the door and see if that fixes the sticking problem. I did this on a door four years ago and it has solved the problem.

* If you're using latex caulk, smooth it out with a wet finger - just like they always suggest. However, if you're using silicone caulk, dip your finger into liquid soap to smooth it out. Water will make a gummy mess.

Of course, if Chico would just drop by to do a little wiring for me, and Carter and crew could stop by for a few days and those plumbers that Bob and Norm were always talking to could make themselves available, things would be whipped into shape in no time.

Downtown Chili Festival, free music and ice cream social

Today was the annual chili festival in Downtown Hutchinson. I'm not a big chili fan, so I didn't eat it, but Greg said much of it was really good. You paid $3 and then you could sample it at the different booths.



There were about 30 booths and there was a crowd lining up at some of them.



There was also entertainment. Greg took this photo of a sax player near the old "rooms" sign. Greg has an incredible eye.



Just as the chili cookoff was winding down, the band, The Fabulous Shirtheads started playing in Avenue A park.



The Shirtheads have given hundreds of performances throughout the Mid-West over the last 26 years. Spin magazine rated them asone of the top regional bands in the country. The group has performed with artists such as Blue Oyster Cult, Peter Frampton, Delbert McClinton, Buddy Guy and many others. In concerts for as many as 50,000, the Shirtheads have consistently been crowd pleasers.



While they were playing, people could enjoy a custom car show.



Kids were playing in the water.



And we were all enjoying ice cream. Not just any kind of ice cream - home made ice cream. Made with a twist. A gentleman in Yoder, which is an Amish community nearby, made a machine that churns the ice cream. Having "Poppin Johnnies" ice cream is a treat.



It was made just like you make it at home when you churn, except it was being turned by this motor. They added ice and salt, just like at home. When the ice cream cylinder was taken out, he just took the belt off of that wheel until he had a new cylinder with a mixture inside ready to put back in.



They did move that pole up and down by hand periodically - I'm guessing to keep the ice from becoming a big chunk. They were so busy I couldn't really ask them too many questions. I did ask if I could take photos - the Amish generally do not want photos taken as a religious consideration. But he told me it was fine to take photos of the machine.



This is what it turned out - fluffy, creamy, perfect ice cream. They had syrups to add to it, but I didn't want to sully the ice cream with those. It was amazing.



I took a lot of video for my brother, Jackie. It's rare I'm doing anything that Jackie would find even remotely interesting, but I'm betting he thinks this machine is pretty cool. I love the idea of a homemade machine to make homemade ice cream.

I was being careful to not photograph the family, so that's why you don't see their faces at all.

The first video is more of an overall, the others show the machine from different angles.

The top part of it had an open hole with water bubbling. A passerby I was talking with said that was the radiator.











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

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McCain Cancels Letterman Taping

I'm a devoted fan of David Letterman. I watch almost every night. A couple of nights ago McCain was scheduled to appear on the Letterman show and canceled, telling Dave he had to rush to Washington to work on the economy.

Instead, McCain went to do an interview with Katie Couric, at the exact same time he would have been taping the Letterman show. We know, because at one point, Dave went to the live feed where we see McCain sitting there, getting makeup right before the interview. That's at about 6:30 in the clip on the first day.

Last night, Letterman talked about it more, pointing out that McCain actually didn't leave Washington until the following morning. Does he just not think people will see him doing something other than what he said he was going to do? Did he think he just wouldn't get caught in his lie? Why not just be honest with Letterman and say, "Hey, you know what, it just isn't appropriate for me to be on a comedy show tonight..." Instead he tells a convoluted lie and backs out of a commitment. Frankly, if he had given his views on Letterman far more people would have been likely to see it than they did on the evening news.

John McCain is someone I have respected for years. I didn't agree with his politics, but I have respected him. About 3-4 months ago - long before Sarah Palin was on the ticket - I started losing respect for him and it continues to plummet. This is just not how I expect an honorable person to act. Admittedly, a late night comedy show is not a big deal, but lying about the reason seems ridiculous. If we are to judge character and decision making ability, this isn't a good showing.

Watch the videos - they're well worth the effort.

McCain Cancels Letterman show taping, saying he has to get to Washington to work on the economy, but does Couric interview at exact time he was supposed to be on Letterman

Letterman vs. McCain - Day 2

CBS News Not Happy that Letterman used the News Feed

I'll be tuning in tonight to see what, if anything, happens on the show.
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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

Congratulations to the Diamond W Wranglers

My friend, Martha, who you've met on the blog before, (the wedding, the bridal shower, the sisterhood, the pie) is married to a very talented musician, Jim Farrell. Jim is part of a group called The Diamond W Wranglers. They play at Cowtown Museum in Wichita and are quite amazing.

People far beyond the borders of Kansas have noted this - they've been invited to play in China, have been praised for their music by many "in the know," and as of Tuesday night have won a national award.

The Academy of Western Artists presented the quartet with the Will Rogers “Western Music Album of the Year” award on Tuesday night September 23rd, for their “Deep in the Saddle” CD release.  The awards ceremony was held in Garland, Texas.


Left to right: Stu Stuart, Steve Crawford, Orin Friesen, and Jim Farrell with their award

The title song of “Deep in the Saddle” is a Diamond W original, penned by the group’s tenor, Jim Farrell, in the spirit of Western songs from the 1930’s.  “I was inspired by old cowboys I’d met that had ridden the trail for a long time,” says Farrell.  “When people hear this song, we hope they’ll stop a moment and celebrate our Western heritage.”

An enthusiastic crowd heard the Diamond W Wranglers perform two songs from the album on Tuesday.  In addition to “Deep in the Saddle”, they shared “Rainbow Sister”, a traditional Chinese song that they had arranged as a Cowboy song to help introduce America’s Cowboy Music to audiences in the People’s Republic of China during their 2006 tour.

The Diamond W Wranglers make their home at the Old Cowtown Museum, 1865 W. Museum Blvd. in Wichita, where they perform every week. They serve their audience a chuckwagon supper, followed by an evening of western music and comedy.  The Wranglers also take their concert on the road to theaters and festivals around the Midwest.  They will be performing at the Augusta Theatre this Sunday September 28^th, and at Hutchinson’s Fox Theatre on Sunday October 26^th.

Members of the group are Stu Stuart, Jim Farrell, Orin Friesen, and Steve Crawford.  The performers are so popular among their fans that many fans have come to dozens of shows, and followed the Wranglers around the world.  “Western music is beautiful music,” says lead singer Stu Stuart.  “We’ve taken a page out of the book and are writing our own page.”

The latest CD from the Diamond W Wranglers is also receiving national recognition.  “Cowtown”, with a title song in tribute to their new home, is ranked #1 this month in Rope Burns magazine, and the song “Trail Dust”, also penned by Jim Farrell, has been in the top 10 songs for the last two months. 

 Both “Deep in the Saddle” and “Cowtown” were produced at Jim Farrell Studios, now in Towanda, KS.  They are on sale at the Old Cowtown Museum and at www.diamondWchuckwagon.com. For more information, call 316-729-4825 (Wichita) or toll free 866-830-8283.


I haven't yet been to see them in their new home, but I can tell you the music is wonderful and the experience of seeing them live great. If you're in the area be sure and check them out. And if you're not in the area, make a visit. We'd love for you to come to Hutchinson - have lunch at Roy's, visit the Underground Salt Museum, and top it off with a visit to Wichita to see the Diamond W Wranglers.
O
r, shoot, just come the weekend of October 25/26, and you can do it all in Hutchinson.

Come on... You know you wanna... Email me... we'll have a blog get together at Roy's!
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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

Connecting with Others

Last night I was up until nearly 3 a.m. talking with someone I had just met. We felt a real connection to each other and the conversation was intense and meaningful and brilliant and pleasant and tearful and ended only because she had to get ready to catch a plane to go home. Home across the country to a place I would be no more likely to visit than she would be likely to find herself in Hutchinson, Kansas.

And yet we obviously had things to say to each other. So, we met by accident, in a place where neither of us resides, and we connected. We talked and shared intently, and then parted with a hug.

Was that it? Or will be connect again? Have we done all the business we had to do with each other or was that just a beginning? Will we keep in touch as we vowed last night? Or have we said all we needed to say, done all we needed to do? That is always the question, I suppose. Is there more? Sometimes we can't speculate.

I'm guessing she is home safely with her husband and children and enjoying the reunion with them. I'm tucked safely back into my little world, too. It's so easy to let go of those extraordinary experiences when we're once again mired in the daily ordinary. Yet, that ordinary has a sacredness all its own.

I've had this experience a few times in my life - where I meet someone and feel an instant kinship with them. Sometimes that develops into a long term friendship like with Sondra, sometimes it burns brightly for a short time and then fades to a comfortableness like with Jim, and sometimes it's white hot for the briefest of moments and then it's over. Whatever it is is OK. No particular way is right or wrong, it just is.

I guess I just always want the tiniest of glimpses into the future, to see what it holds.
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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

A behind the scenes look at Cero's Candies in Wichita Kansas

This afternoon I had the pleasure of a tour at Cero's Candies of Wichita, Kansas. Cero's is owned by the Mental Health Association of South Central Kansas in Wichita. The tour was part of a visit to Wichita for an MHA National Staff Institute. There were people from all over the country. It was very interesting.

Cero's has been making candy since 1885.  A Greek sailor, Pete, came to Wichita to work in 1883. He got ill and was left behind in Wichita when the railroad crew moved on. He needed to make a living so turned to candy making.

Three generations later, in 1999, Ed Cero was ready to retire and eventually sold the business to the MHA in Wichita.

The MHA here is one of the most exceptional in the entire system. Rosemary Mohr, the director, has done amazing things in the years she has been with the organization. And she's still doing them. She's a marvel.



That's Rosemary on the left and Kate Gaston from the national office on the left. I really like Kate, too. She's a jewel. Unfortunately, I wasn't introduced to the lady in the middle who was packaging Cero's candy that was emblazoned with corporate logos, so can't share her name.



Cero's can put any logo onto their exceptional candy. It's delicious and would make a great gift for customers or employees. They package it beautifully, too. They make lots of different kinds of candy.

One of the things being made today when we arrived were these little marshmallow snowmen.



There's a glass window where you can watch them work. Later, Connie was making peanut clusters and it was incredible to watch.



She picked up just a little bit of chocolate and a few peanuts and then blended them by hand.



She wasn't measuring, but seemed to instinctively know how many peanuts she needed and how much chocolate. I shot a little video because stills weren't capturing how she blended the two.



Also being made in the back room was peanut brittle. When I wandered back Justin was cooking the syrup, with that antique candy thermometer pictured up top sitting nearby for when it would be needed.



As you can see, they're still using a cooper pot.



He stirs with this big wooden paddle.



There's an adjustment for the heat. You can see it even better in another photo.



I love the legs on this stove, as well as the antique candy thermometer.



It's much like making peanut brittle at home - you cook to a certain temperature and then add peanuts and cook a while longer.


One you get to a certain temperature you remove it from the heat.



Justin had another stand sitting near the already greased table. He moved it off the stove and over to the stand near the table.



It had to cool for just a minute. He said he waited for it to look like baked beans.



Then, just like home, he added the baking soda.



And just like home, it got all foamy when he put the baking soda in.



Then it is poured out to cool.



Justin spread it out with a spatula.



Eventually it covered almost the whole table.



He then cut it into four pieces.



He then turned each one over to help it cool.



He worked his way around the table.



Then he went back and pressed it out flatter by hand.



Eventually, it looked like this, and was left to cool before being packaged to be sold to appreciative customers.

If you're in Wichita, be sure to make Cero's Candies one of your stops. It's fun to watch them making whatever they're up to that day. Also, consider ordering some. It's delicious, made by hand (a real rarity these days), and you'll be supporting a valuable cause to top it off.

Check out their webpage at www.ceroscandy.com. Don't worry, if you can't make it there in person, you can order online. I've loved every one of their products I've eaten. Yummy!

Autumn Arrives

"Change is a measure of time and, in the autumn, time seems speeded up.  What was is not and never again will be; what is is change."
                                                      Edwin Teale



I took these at Dillon Nature Center last week. I love sunflowers. Many of them don't bloom until late in the summer and then, before you know it, they start fading.



We'll be seeing a lot of things fade now that autumn has arrived. Today is the first official day. But I like the changing seasons. And fall is a harbringer of winter and holidays. I love the nesting one does this time of year.

I just decided some years ago to enjoy every single day of every single season. We only get so many autumn days or Christmas days or Thursdays. Best to relish every one of them, and some of that should be done in nature.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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

MHA Conference in Wichita

I'm in Wichita for a MHA national conference. We're staying at the Hotel at Old Town, which is a warehouse built in 1906 that has been converted into a hotel. It has many nice features, not the least of which is that you can raise the windows. Really. Amazing. It's not hermetically sealed, keeping inside every disgusting thing that has ever entered. I'm on the second floor and lucky enough to have a tree right outside. As I'm typing this I have a little breeze coming in. It's cold enough I've only got one window open tonight instead of the two I had open earlier.

I came over early afternoon so I could take advantage of the time before the meeting started to write. There's something about being away from home and the responsibilities there that frees up my mind to write. I did another chapter this afternoon.



Tonight our group did a timeline. I thought this fad was over, but I guess not. It seems I've been doing them in various groups for about four years now. Maybe this is a fad that isn't going to fade.



Tonight we were asked to put ourselves on the timeline of when we first became involved with mental health issues, and draw a picture of a significant event in the mental health field. We started with the 60s and worked through the 90s. I have blurred the writing to obscure anyone's personal information, but I wanted to give you a sense of how long this piece of paper was and how full it was by the time we were done.

I suppose it's a valuable process for lots of people to see things written down like that. The colors are an interesting visual for me, but I start getting antsy to be done long before anyone else in the room does. I just do not have a brain and body that likes to sit still for two hours and meander our way through the decades. It's just doesn't resonate for me. But, obviously, it does for some people and that's great. I generally just try to participate in a meaningful way without prolonging it unnecessarily.

One of the interesting things that was brought out tonight is something I've thought about many times but never heard expressed so succinctly. In the mental health field, as in many others, there's the idea of "best practice," meaning that THIS thing is the BEST way to handle a particular situation. Tonight someone said that looking at the timeline they could see that best practices have changed over the years.

I've thought about that many times. That what people are doing today - the best they have to offer - may one day be looked back on as a horrible thing. At one time putting people in shackles was the best practice. Obviously, we don't agree with that. I wonder if 100 years from now we'll consider giving people drugs that may not be effective for them will be viewed the same way. We don't yet have any way to know what will work so we just try it and see. Surely at some point we'll be able to do better, to see in advance what will work. At that point will our "best practice" today of trying drugs be seen as barbaric? Maybe so.

Ultimately, it's like the old saying, "When you know better, you do better." I can apply that to my life in so many circumstances - work and professional. The trick is to keep learning so you can know better so you can then do better.

With that in mind I suppose I'd best sleep so I will be fresh tomorrow so I can learn. All of life is a cycle it seems. 
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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Fried Green Tomato Demonstration

This afternoon I did a cooking demonstration on Fried Green Tomatoes at Apron Strings downtown. I was wishing these were a bit more complex, because people had come out to see me make them and I wanted to make it worth their time. But, fried green tomatoes are very easy.

Fried Green Tomatoes
green tomatoes
yellow corn meal
salt
pepper
oil (I used vegetable oil, but bacon grease is much better!)

Wash and core the tomatoes, and slice. Mix salt and pepper into cornmeal to taste. Dip tomato slices in cornmeal and then fry.



I made three batches today and used the same oil. This was the last batch and you can see the crumblies in the skillet. Turn them with a fork or egg turner until they're brown on each side.



Greg came to take photos for me. I swear, he's the best ex-boyfriend a girl could have.



I always put paper towels on the plate to drain the fried green tomatoes a bit before serving. Needless to say, they are greasy!



Lynette, who I've met there before, said she had been waiting for this demonstration. Her parents are both from the south so we had much to talk about after the demo. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better. I think everyone enjoyed the goodies.


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

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Excavating My Life

I've been digging through papers in my home office tonight. I swear, it's astonishing the amount of paper that comes into my life. As Teresa pointed out when I saw her earlier today, paper only comes into the house one way - you bring it in. She's right, of course, but that's a startling fact when one has had their hands on as many pieces of paper as I have tonight.

I had dinner with Teresa and did some other things before starting on this about 10 or so. I've made tremendous progress in a relatively short amount of time. However, there's still plenty to do.

I was thinking last night that I have about 30 categories of things that paper falls into. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to have 30 plus individual, distinct areas to containerize those things in a logical fashion. Part of the problem is that the room that's the logical place for my home office is the smallest bedroom in my house. So, where I spend a ton of my time when home is one of the least livable places in my house. So, the trick is going to be how to resolve that. I'd like to have another 15 feet built onto the back of my house, enlarging my office and kitchen, but that doesn't really make sense to do.

Of course, in going through things, I've run across bits of paper that remind me of specific moments in my life. I found notes from conferences I've been to, brochures from lectures I've attended, handwritten notes from one of my favorite volunteers, a Thanksgiving card from Maribeth, a lovely note from Gayla, and a letter from a man professing his love for me. All of these mark time in a specific way - reminding me of particular moments. Some bring a smile, some bring a tear. Some of them seem like they were just a couple of months ago and some seem like they were half a lifetime ago. Funny how our brains process time.

Well, it's time for me to sleep. I am doing a cooking demonstration tomorrow on Fried Green Tomatoes. I'm not sure how much there is to say about them so I don't know how I'm going to talk for 20 minutes. Hopefully, in the next 11 hours something will occur to me that's valid to share. Otherwise, it's going to be a quiet demo. I had intended to talk about southern food traditions, but haven't had a chance to devote any thought to it so I'll just wing it and let people ask questions.

I did a presentation on southern cooking some years ago, but unfortunately it was before everything was on my computer so I can't lay my hands on the info. I just didn't have the time to recreate it. So, I'll just hope for the best.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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

Chocolate Cake with Caramel Frosting

Tonight was Creative Sisterhood and I decided to try a new recipe. It seemed perfect weather for some caramel. I hunted around and found a recipe for a Chocolate Cake with Caramel Frosting.

The cake is OK, but the frosting is great. I am still looking for the perfect chocolate cake recipe. I've been hunting for years. I guess the hunt goes on.

Chocolate Cake
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Put baking soda in milk and set aside. Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs. Add milk with baking soda in it and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Add boiling water last and mix.

Pour into three pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Note: The batter is very thin - don't think you've left something out.

Caramel Frosting
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
2 pounds powdered sugar

Bring sugar and butter to a boil. Then add milk and bring to a boil again. Set aside and let cool. Then beat in powdered sugar.

Spread on cool cake. This is enough frosting to cover all the sides of the cake, and you'll probably have a bit left over. If you just want to put between the layers and on top, halve the frosting recipe.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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

These Days Go So Fast

Greg and I were on the way to dinner tonight and decided to go to Dillon Nature Center for a walk instead. It has been a perfect couple of days here and it seemed a shame to not enjoy the tail end of this one.



It's becoming more and more clear that autumn is around the corner as the light fades more quickly every day. I don't relish that. Frankly, I'd just as soon it stay daylight until about 9 p.m. every night until the week of Halloween. Then it could go from 9 p.m. to 6 p.m. in just a few days as far as I'm concerned. Mother Nature did not inquire what I would like, however, so I suppose we'd best get used to the earlier sunsets

I need to be making use of these nice days to get some things done around the house. I'm hoping the weekend is pleasant and I can do some outdoor things that need attention. I really wish my brother lived closer to me - I could use his expertise. Jackie is a genius when it comes to construction and pretty much anything related to home repair. I would so happily pay him to work on my house.



I need to replace the glass in a couple of windows, get some shelves built in the mud room, and replace a facing board on the side of the house. None of them are huge jobs and that's part of the problem. Finding someone who will do small things is difficult. And yet the small things become very big things if they're not handled. Some of them are things I could probably do myself, but considering that I haven't, I think it's time to pay someone to do them.

That also means they'll get done more quickly than if I muddle through them on my own. I somehow doubt my three hour training with a group of 15 people in a window workshop qualifies me to handle this. Of course, I have never let a lack of knowledge stop me from forging ahead. I wouldn't get anything done if I did. Everyone has to learn everything. I just want to get these things done before winter arrives. And it won't be far behind.



I do like the changing seasons. On the prairie you have to really be in tune with the changes. They can be far more subtle than a grove of trees in a blaze of autumn color.

This is one of my favorite times of the year. At work this is a "tidying up" time instead of an intensive fundraising time, which is nice. At home I love having the windows open, airing out the house, and doing some cleaning here and there and preparing to open my home during the Christmas season.

The holidays are very much on my mind these days. Of course, Halloween is little more than a month away. These days go so fast.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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Social Convention

I've lived in Kansas for a long time now. But I still don't understand social conventions here. I'm from the south where we have lots of social conventions, and I won't say they're all straightforward, but I understand them. I don't understand them here, and so far no one I've asked has been able to explain them to me. I have some recent examples.

1. Recently someone I have met a few times made it a point to say to me, "I'd like to have some time to visit with you. If you're open to that, let me know when it's a good time." I reply, "I'd really like that, too. I'll check my calendar and get back with you." I do. I email and suggest a couple of different times. They don't respond. At all.

I don't get that. Why in heaven's name would you bother to say you'd like to visit if you don't really want to? What purpose does that serve? Is the purpose to see if I'll follow through? What? I don't get it.

I have waited five days for a reply. Today when a friend asked if I wanted to go to lunch over one of the time frames I suggested I said yes. Obviously, there's no point in keeping that time open because although a week ago I was of interest to this person, that is no longer the case. Also, at this point, if you hadn't heard from me, wouldn't you follow up?

The "norm" where I'm from is to not say to people you'd like to visit if you really don't want to visit. Seems simple to me, but I've run into this over and over and over again. I can't count the number of times someone has said to me, "Lets have lunch soon." I try to arrange a time and it never happens. I still don't know what, "lets have lunch" means here. Where I'm from it means lets get together around noon some day soon and eat a meal together. That's what "lets have lunch" has always meant until I moved here. I keep asking people what it means here - because it doesn't mean lets eat the noon meal together - but I still don't know. People say it a lot. But I don't know what it means. I can deduce from years of experience that it has nothing to do with eating lunch together.

2. With a couple of notable exceptions, I'm the one that makes arrangements for a social gathering. I call for lunch. I invite people over. I arrange weekends away. Where I'm from we operate on the unwritten "rule of three," meaning if I invite you over three times and you don't come, it's up to me to figure out that you don't really want to be involved in my world and it's rude of me to keep asking. So, I stop asking and move on to other people. It's a polite, understood, social convention. No one's feelings are hurt. Everyone has an "out." Everyone goes on about their business.

By the same token, although it's not a "keeping score" situation, if I invite you over and we gather at my house, at some point you would host. That just does not happen here. I've accepted that. It doesn't bother me anymore. It used to. The first few years I lived here I was sure everyone just hated me. The first year I lived here I had to work Christmas and no one invited me over. I was shocked. I just accepted, "oh, wow, they really do hate me." Over time I realized that, by and large, they're not inviting anyone over except family. So, if you move here like I did with no family, you are just screwed. I still think about the fact that people don't invite you over, and think it's very odd, but it no longer hurts my feelings, which it used to do. I always wonder what in the world people are doing in their houses here that they are afraid of people seeing.

In the past month I've gone to four different gatherings/lunches/dinners with people I've not gotten together with before. In every case, at the end of the event, the reaction is, "oh, we must do this again!" However, no one has contacted me about doing it again. Did they mean they want to do it again five years from now? Did they mean next year? Did they have no interest in doing it again and this was just what they say at the end of such a thing? Did they mean lets have lunch that doesn't really mean eating lunch together?  I don't know.

My "norm" is that if you want to do this again, you make plans to do it again. If you don't want to do it again, you don't say you want to do it again. If it's lunch - something simple - you would try to do it again in a week or two. If it's dinner maybe within a month or so, realizing that scheduling may be difficult so you need to make plans soon. If it's an event you've attended together, you would be in contact through email or facebook saying, "oh, I heard about this event..."

A side note here - I hate it when people do invite me to lunch or something, with the pretense that they want to visit, when what they really want is use my brain, or talk about work, or some other reason beside just connecting. Pretty much, if there's a "purpose" to our gathering, I want to know it upfront. It's like the old bait and switch. You lure me into lunch with the idea of having fun and instead you really just want to use my creativity for your own project. That's just nasty.

3. A few weeks ago I was asked for a favor by someone I don't know and haven't even met. I have become the local "tea expert" and they wanted some information on how I do teas for the MHA. I freely shared information and said I'd like to purchase tickets to their tea.

Last night, realizing the date is fast approaching, I contacted them to remind them I wanted to purchase tickets. I was told that if they have any left after their members have an opportunity to buy them, then I can purchase them.

Excuse me? I'm sorry. Did I understand correctly? I do you a favor when I have absolutely no connection to you and your organization and you thank me by telling me I'm in line to get tickets if there are any left after other people get first crack at buying them.

In my "norm," the social convention would have been to say, "ordinarily, this tea is only for our members but you've been so kind I want to offer you a pair of complimentary tickets." To which I would have replied, "thank you so much. I'd love to come, but I'm happy to purchase the tickets since it's a fundraiser." At that point, depending on the price of the tickets, the person graciously accepts or declines that purchase. If they're $5 tickets, you give them to the person. If they're $45 tickets, you allow them to purchase because that would be a big dent in your profit margin. But you do not tell the person who has done you a favor that they can buy a ticket if you have any left after offering them to people who have not done you favors.

I keep trying to "get it" when it comes to social convention here, but it escapes me. I'm lost. And my gut reaction to things is often that people are being really rude. And that hurts my feelings. And that's just an ugly circle. So, I keep trying to "get it" so I can avoid the rude/hurt/ugly part. However, no one will explain it to me so I seem destined to not be able to break out of that cycle. I can't believe anyone is intentionally trying to be rude, but it's hard for me to classify it as anything but rude when it is so contrary to what I believe basic politeness would indicate.

Am I the one who's clueless? Do I come from an area where we do things differently than everyone else in the world? I'm hoping, hoping, hoping, that someone who reads here will be able to explain it to me. If I just had the midwest social convention rule book I could learn the rules and break this cycle.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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

Fun

I was having a conversation with a friend recently about fun. The gist of the conversation was that he needs to have more.

In the course of our conversation we identified some different kinds of fun. I asked him what gave him an endorphin rush. He replied that it happened at work when something just fell together perfectly. I then asked for another example and he cited a recent vacation experience of being on a mountain. So, we had a job satisfaction event and a vacation event. I then asked when the last was he got an endorphin rush within the four walls of his home, something in his daily life. He couldn't remember.

All of this caused me to start thinking about fun. Who has it? Who doesn't? Why? How do you get it? Why do you want it?

We want fun because its... well... fun. Having fun releases all sorts of wonderful chemicals that cause us to feel better and reduce stress, which literally kills us.

Who has it and who doesn't? I'm not sure about that for everyone. I can only use my own experience as an example. I have a lot of fun. That's not to say every day is perfect - it's not, by a long shot. But, I still find fun and humor in most situations. Why? Because I feel better when I do. How? By years of training myself to do it. It's not that it's always the most natural thing. But, like anything, once you get started, it's easy to keep going. The physics of inertia applies whether you're laughing and then laughing more, or being sullen and then more sullen. So, over the years I've tried to make myself see humor in situations and compound that instead of the opposite.

What makes that easier? The people around you. I'm blessed to be surrounded by people who, by and large, see the bright side. Did that just happen by accident? Absolutely not. These are the people I have sought out, built relationships with, cultivated as friends. And that is not a dirty word. We are all cultivating relationships all the time. All relationships take time and energy and you've got to be willing to give some of both.

By the same token, I eschew all drama queens, negative Nellies, crazymakers and what I call the vortexes. Those are the people who want to draw you into the vortexes of their lives and suck you dry of energy. They somehow seem to think that you will bring them fun, without them having to do anything. Obviously, people have a right to be however they want to be. I'm just saying I can't have people in my world who fall into any of these categories because they are the antithesis of fun. They are not having much fun, and they don't want you to have any either.

Not to be overlooked is that I also put a lot of energy into having fun. If you read this blog, you may have the impression that my life is one fun thing after another. Obviously, part of that is that I don't write about running the dishwasher and doing the laundry. Rest assured, mine has to be done just like yours. The other part of that, which may not be so obvious, is that I continually put myself into situations where fun is likely to occur. I go to events, I attend lectures, I go to lunch with friends, I have conversation, I host gatherings, I visit art exhibits, I create events. My point is that I'm not just sitting at home waiting for fun to knock on my door. I'm actively seeking it out. Going away with friends this spring for a creative weekend was fun - but I planned it, found the place, invited the people, organized the financial part, etc. - it didn't just happen. I wanted to do that event because of a 7 a.m. lecture I had attended where an author talked about her visioning book.

Another part of the equation is that I find fun in the small bits of daily life. Running out to Dillon Nature Center when Greg called to tell me about the odd rain was fun. Going outside early one morning when Trish called about the unusual light was fun. That fell more into the "wonder" category, but it is still part of the overall fun equation. Notice how those people play into the fun equation. I also seek fun when on my own. Painting in my studio, writing on the novel, taking a drive to Quivira, going out to eat with only an interesting book for company - all of these are fun of one sort or another.

Does fun require money? Some kinds of fun does. Some does not. In Hutchinson there are tons of free arts events to attend. The lecture about Hopi textiles I wrote about recently was completely free. Obviously, you have to have money to buy gas to get there, unless you're close enough to walk. But, it would take less than a $1 worth of gas to drive there and back from almost anywhere in Hutchinson in any kind of vehicle. Your mileage may vary - literally and figuratively. I'm just using that as an example. Besides, some people can have fun without any outlay of cash at all.

When I did an exercise a couple of years ago to identify core values, and my core value was fun. This didn't really surprise me, but it was a bit of a shock to everyone else. Having fun - enjoying life - is a driving force for me. I truly see no point in living if there's no fun. Why would I want to do that? I, honestly, cannot wrap my mind around it. That's not to say I expect every moment to be fun, but I expect life to have many fun bits.

This has all made me think about how others view fun. Is it important to you? How do you have fun? Do you have fun every day? Once a week? What is fun to you?
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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

Nip in the Air

There's a little nip in the air tonight, as there has been a few times this past week. Fall is making its arrival known. Of course, in just a few weeks it will be Halloween, one of my favorite times of the year. I'm generally already in Christmas mode by then. Just not enough time to enjoy it all fully with the holidays coming so close together.

I have the urge to bake pumpkin bread tonight - something I seem to always want to do when the weather gets chilly. Not sure why, but that is the thing I start wanting to bake. It has become a staple at the teas, and has been a family favorite for many years. I guess there's something about the pumpkin connection with fall. But I'm not going to bake tonight. I do not need baked goods lying about.

I will miss the garden when it's gone. I enjoy having fresh tomatoes and herbs all summer. It seems this summer I haven't gotten to fully enjoy them. I'm not sure why, but it seems I haven't had nearly as many fresh dishes as usual.

Regardless of my thoughts or wishes, the seasons will march right on.

I have some things I need to do on the house before it gets cold. I suppose I'd best get going on those. Before I know it, it will be too cold. It seems there was a whole long list of things I intended to do this spring that still aren't done. Then it was too hot, so I was going to do them this fall. The time is now, I suppose.

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

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

Fair Coming to a Close

The fair ends on Sunday, but Saturday we spent the whole afternoon and evening out there. I hadn't had a chance to do all the things I wanted to do so took time to do that.



I looked at quilts in the domestic arts building...



I visited the "Little Man" at the Women's Christian Temperance Union booth. He turns his head, rings the bell, and points to the pages as they turn.



Hypnotist Ron Diamond suggested to this young lady that if she spun her hair around she could take off like a helicopter. Trust me, she gave it her all. She did not, however, take flight.

Tonight was the Joe Nichols and Jason Michael Carroll concert I won tickets to at the United Way event. I'm just not used to trying to take my own photos at such an event. I needed Greg.



Jason Michael Carroll was up first...



He reminds me of a rocker gone country, as do many folks these days. I don't mind that at all - he was fun.

There was quite a long delay inbetween while they reset the stage for Joe Nichols.



He does that song, "Tequila Makes her Clothes Fall Off." When he sang it at the end, someone threw a black bra up on the stage. Eventually he picked it up and hung it on the mic stand. I knew women flashed a lot at concerts these days. I didn't know anyone still threw their under-garments on stage. I thought that had ended in about 1981, but apparently I was incorrect.



If you're planning to see him in person and really want a good seat, he seems to like to sit on the edge of the stage on his right hand side. I don't know if that was just tonight, or if that's a pattern. He tends to crouch down on both sides a lot while he sings.

I was surprised at how many songs he did that were not his own. Well over half the concert I would guess. The most surprising to me was Nickelback's "I wanna be a rock star." He did it fine, but I love the original version. However, anyone who can play Merle Haggard and Nickelback in the same concert and keep the audience attention gets credit.



I met Julie at the concert and we had a good time. Afterwards, I went and met Greg and Mark and watched the speed painter for awhile.

I finished off the night with a Pronto Pup - not something I eat every year. Lets see how many antacids I need tonight to top it off.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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

Alice Cooper Concert

Greg went to see Alice Cooper in Oklahoma recently. He and Mark had tickets to see him at the State Fair tonight. Greg tried to convince me to go. I resisted. Then Trish mentioned she wanted to see a concert. I pushed her into seeing Alice. The Mayor would never choose such a thing on her own, of course. So, that's how the four of us found ourselves at the Alice Cooper Concert at the Kansas State Fair tonight.

Trish and I were able to get tickets across the aisle from Greg and Mark. They had the end seats on one row. We had the beginning seats on the row across from them. As soon as Alice's shadow appeared behind this curtain everyone was on their feet so Greg and I were standing in the aisle all night.



Alice was... well... all you expect Alice to be. There were no snakes, I'm happy to say, but there was plenty to keep one's attention.



There was classic Alice... just like you saw on the Midnight Special.





How can you not love the theatre?



This is theatre... just a different kind than Shakespeare.



School's Out was a sing along. "Sing along" is not a phrase I expected to use in relation to Alice Cooper.



Alice's daughter, Calico, performs with him.



The family that... uh... well... uh... performs... uh... yeah, performs... the family that performs together stays together.

I was waiting for "I Wanna Be Elected," since I was with an elected official. An elected official who only went to an Alice Cooper concert to make me happy, of course. I'm sure she would never have gone to such a thing left to her own devices. Of course not. But, being the great friend she is, she went to make me happy. And then, since she was already there, decided she might as well try to enjoy herself. That's just the kind of person she is - always making the best of a situation.

Alice didn't do the song during the regular set, but ended his three-song encore with it. He dressed the part.



He has his own take on campaign slogans... not something Trish can use I don't think.



I couldn't resist a quick snapshot of Trish during the song.



See what a trooper she is?

In all seriousness, we all had a good time. I've never seen Alice in concert and let me tell you there is no down time at all. For a 60 year old man he's quite nimble. He may be downing handfuls of ibuprofen after the show, but during the show he's giving it his all.

Naturally Greg took these photos, except the one of Trish during the last song. After the concert, we were honored to have our photo taken with Ace Jackalope.



One of the things I love about my life is that it's full of fun surprises. It has been a whole lot of years since I went to a concert like this... a whole lot of years... I guess things come full circle.

However, the humor of watching "I Wanna Be Elected" performed live, while in the company of an elected official, is particularly fun. (Even if she did only go because I begged... BEGGED I tell you.)

It was a good night.



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

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

Governor Sebelius Speaks at Kansas State Fair

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius spoke during a chamber breakfast Wednesday morning at the Kansas State Fair. Each year Wednesday is Governor's Day and she kicks it off at the chamber breakfast.

This is her 14th consecutive fair. She attended eight as Insurance Commissioner and this is her 6th as Governor. She said some of the highlights for her were the year she was part of "A Prairie Home Companion" with Garrison Keillor, and launching the Kansas State Quarter.

She spoke about the aviation industry and her visit to a big air show in England. She said 50% of the general aviation plants flown in the world right now have a Kansas connection. Wichita is the center of that industry in the state.

Energy was a topic for her too. She said, "We need a comprehensive energy plan nationally," and encouraged people to call their representatives and encourage them to help renew the production tax credit for wind energy.

Wind energy is growing here by leaps and bounds, which is logical since Kansas is the third windiest state in the nation. There was a goal to have 10% wind energy by 2010. We're already at that. Two years ago we were at 3%. Sebelius said there has not been a transmission project in Kansas in 30 years, which was part of the problem of getting the power to where it could be used. Currently there are five, private, competing projects. Kansas is part of the corridor known as the "Saudi Arabia of wind."



Sebelius said that "food based ethanol is a bridge. We do not want food/energy competition." She said it's best to move to cellulosic ethanol such as from switchgrass. "We've grown the food. There's no reason we can't grow the fuel," she said. She said this has "huge potential for the future."

She touched on education, and how important that is to the state. "Education remains our single most important economic development tool we have," Sebelius said. She spoke about how most of us have multiple careers and that sometimes requires retraining.

Health care remains one of her concerns. She wants insurance for everyone because 46 cents of every dollar we pay for health insurance goes to non-insured. Eleven cents goes to direct costs - like going to the ER instead of to a primary care physician. People tend to only go to the ER when they're much sicker. The other 33 cents goes to overhead costs - we're not buying anything related to health with that money. That 33 cents of every dollar you and I spend on health insurance is going to extra billing, redundant forms, etc. - basically, paperwork. We spend more for health care and get less for it than almost any developed nation.

She said 80% of the Kansas state budget is invested in health care or education.

After the speech she was going to tour around the fairgrounds. I went to work a shift at the democrat's booth. I left a little after 11 but she hadn't been in that building yet.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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

Autumn Arriving Soon

For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together.
For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad.
                                                             - Edwin Teale

Autumn seems to have arrived here, even if the calendar says otherwise. We generally have our first cold snap during the fair, but this year it has been rather cool all week, with Monday being downright chilly.

I really appreciate the changing seasons. I like that marking of time as the seasons come and go.

Today when I pulled into the driveway I was looking at these flowers on the side of my sun porch. I can't take any credit for them, the birds planted those lovely white flowers. I did put in some morning glories, and a few pop up every year, which I love.

I realized today that it won't be long before these plants are gone. One night it will get too cold for them to survive and they'll be done with. It seems they've only been blooming a few days - at least in profusion. I could do with a bit of an extended blooming season. But, alas, Mother Nature did not seek my counsel. So, best to enjoy them while I can.

Earn Free Books for Your State

"What Book Got You Hooked?" is a campaign offered by the First Book National Book Bank. It asks individuals to vote for the book that got them "hooked" on reading as a child.

50,000 FREE, NEW CHILDREN'S BOOKS will be sent to the state casting the most votes during the campaign, which ends September  15.

Log on at: http://www2.firstbook.org/whatbook/

Indicate  your favorite book and cast a vote. You may vote as often as you wish. You don't have to give your name or email address, but can if you wish.

After you vote, you'll see a list of state rankings. At the moment, my home state of Kentucky is number one, and my adopted state of Kansas is number five.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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

Fair with Kris, John and Tom

Tonight I went to the fair with Kris, John and Tom. We had a blast. Well, I did. Perhaps I shouldn't speak for them. I had them pose for a photo... that's John on the left, his wife, Kris, and Tom.



It was a little chilly tonight, and this is John saying without words, "hey guys... I don't have a jacket... it's cold... lets go..."



We walked around the fair, ate fair food, saw Andrea's prize winning knitted piece, saw the hypnotist show, walked down the midway and did some people watching. It was a good night.

Tom asked at one point if I liked to ride rides. I pointed to first one thing and then another and said, "no, not that - it spins..." "no, not that - it could be scary..." "no that spinning would make me sick..." "no, that might scare me..." What I figured out is that I don't want to be spinning or sick or scared, and the percentage of things on the midway that fall into one or more of those categories must hover near 99% - at least of the things they'll let adults ride. I could do a kiddie carousel. Really, I could do that. I'm such a wimp.

Actually, I do like the water thing where you go down the big slide in a little log thing, whatever that's called. But, it was way too cold for that. And, frankly, truth be told, when confronted with the idea I can't help mentally calculating how nasty that water must be by day 3 or 4 or 7. But, it doesn't spin me, make me sick, or scare me.

Of course, Kris and I took another "cute girl pic." Fortunately, we met up with Greg briefly and he graciously agreed to snap the photo for us. We did it near the Lindsborg booth, including their holiday Dala Horse.



After the fair we stopped by Andrea's apartment where she had hot tea and fresh ginger cookies for us. Plus, there are kitties there to play with - one of whom found my shoes that had tromped all over the fairgrounds to hold fascinating smells.

It was a wonderful way to end a fun night
.
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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

A Look at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson

What's a State Fair without a giant pumpkin? This one is 652.7 pounds, and grown by Douglas Heathman, who also won in 2005 and 2006. There were only three entries this year. I'm not sure if that means it was a bad year for giant pumpkins or if people have given up because the same people win year after year.



Other, normal sized pumpkins and gourds were decorated in various ways. I wonder if Michael Phelps has ever seen himself rendered in gourd?



There were fictional characters like the tin man.



And penguins and pink flamingos and other things.

These are all in the Pride of Kansas building, which houses many agricultural goodies



There's something I just love about seeing blue and purple ribbons on grain and corn and soybeans. I'm not the only one who enjoys it either.



I'm guessing this gentleman may have interest beyond the ribbons that hold my fascination.

Pride of Kansas also has multiple tourism booths, and one of those is for the Kansas Underground Salt Museum (KUSM) in Hutchinson.



Linda, the director, was there talking to lots of people about this great attraction.



The KUSM is one of the coolest things you'll ever find. You can go 650 feet underground to a salt mine and get to see everything about such an operation and even a peek at the famous Underground Vaults and Storage that is where many movies and TV shows are stored for safe keeping.

They even let you take home a little chunk of salt as a souvenir at the end of your tour.



KUSM was recently named one of the 8 wonders of Kansas. A well-deserved honor.



I haven't covered nearly all of the fair yet, but I wanted to go to the Domestic Arts Building tonight. I heard through the grapevine that my friend, Andrea, won in a knitting category. I wanted to see for myself. Sure enough, there it was.



Andrea is a knitter extraordinaire and says this beaded lace cowl is the "Ice Queen" pattern from knitty.com. I'm a person who can only knit scarves, and doesn't do those particularly well, so this is all pretty much above me but I can certainly appreciate this kind of work, even if I can't do it myself.



I  love looking at the jars of jams and jellies and veggies. It's very homey and one of the things I love about the Kansas State Fair. I'm very spoiled because it happens a few blocks away so I can go and enjoy it for a few hours here and there and not have to do one of those 9-9 full days of wandering the fair grounds.

A regular stop for me is going to see Ron Diamond, the hypnotist, do his show, too. He does three a day generally and I've never been to one that wasn't great. Today he suggested to the guys on stage that were hypnotized that they were in a body building competition.



The fair has something for everyone.

There are jams and giant pumpkins. Honestly, does anyone really need anything else to have a good time?
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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I Kissed a Girl Parody

Katy Perry's hit song, "I Kissed a Girl" has been parodied with, "I picked a girl" referring to McCain and Palin. This isn't my favorite parody ever, but it's funny in places. I particularly like the chorus - when you can work in a line about "mesmorize you with my up-do" you have to give credit.

Anyway... for your amusement...

Obama Family

Isn't this a nice looking family? I worked the Democrat booth at the Kansas State Fair this afternoon and they stopped by to get something Obama-related. Due to our Obama stuff going to places unknown, the only thing we had was this poster. They quickly took one and secured it on the stroller, proclaiming their allegiance as they wandered the aisles. I asked if I could take their photo. I'll just say the baby was very content demonstrating support of Obama.

It was interesting to work and talk to people. People were very adamant about telling you if they didn't agree with you. Although one guy was really funny and walked up and said, "Is this where I get my Sarah Palin buttons?" I just said, "Oh, yeah, do you want me to draw you one?" We both enjoyed a good laugh. Another guy asked me as I was leaving if Obama was "left or right?" I told him "both, as in he's left and that's correct." He chuckled and said, "I just knew you'd have an answer." Again, we both had a good laugh. I love being able to enjoy some laughs with people, even if we don't agree on politics. I had a couple of people I know stop in and say, "Patsy, wrong party," to which I replied while pointing to my Obama button, "No, no, this is the guy, this is the man we want." It was all good natured.

Of course, you always have some people who just shake their heads like they can't believe you're so stupid that you would support someone other than McCain-Palin. I work the demo booth every year, but this year it's interesting - people are much more rabid - either way. It's a phenomenon I don't quite understand. Generally, people just wander on by, without looking and maybe you'll get a sneer every 2-3 days. This year people are coming up and engaging us - which is fine - to basically tell us we're wrong. I'm not sure what to make of that. We're just polite and listen and offer information if people ask for it. I wonder if the Republican booth is experiencing the same thing. If so, I'm guessing it's just that emotions are running very high.

I also had the chance to visit with some people I hadn't seen in awhile. Kip and his wife stopped by, as well as the Baker family. Ken and I had a lively discussion, needless to say. Ken and I used to work in the same place and I miss talking with him. His brain works differently than anyone else I've ever met and it's great to talk to him.

All in all it was a good day. In fact, it started quite wonderfully. I was still upstairs at 7 this morning when Trish called to tell me the "light outside is really unusual." She goes running every morning and knows I often don't even peek outside until after a few hours on the computer and phone in a room with the curtains drawn. I thanked her for calling, practically hung up on her in my haste, and literally ran down the stairs. She was right. It was really interesting. I didn't capture it, but the clouds were cool and the light was a very golden haze, for lack of a better term.







I was soooooo glad Trish called. I love having friends who will call me about rainbows and unusual rain storms and interesting light. I am blessed.



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

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

The Prairie Close Up

Yesterday I got to Newton about 5:30. My thought was to hit the thrift store and some antique stores but nothing was open. So, I went to neighboring North Newton and walked at the Kauffman Museum. It, too, was closed, but they have some natural prairie in front of the museum, with trails mowed in them.

I was completely taken with this seed pod. I don't know what it is, but I just really love the look of it. When I was taking the photos in the rain, with an overcast sky as it was approaching 6 p.m., with a slight wind blowing, I didn't even notice the actual seeds. I just knew the shape of it was really cool.



This one is just starting to split open, as you can see.

It took me a long time to appreciate the beauty of the prairie. It can be very colorful like the thistle I showed a few days ago, or the wonderful sunflowers we expect to find everywhere in Kansas.

\

I am headed upstairs soon. I think I need a little extra rest. Hopefully I'll wake up in the morning my usual cheery self.

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

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

Dinner with Friends at Reba's in Newton Kansas

Wednesday night I drove to Newton, about 30 minutes away, to meet Marci, WenDee and Sue for dinner. It was an invigorating evening during which we discussed the need to build social capital between diverse groups of people.



I met Sue at Kansas Dialogue this year, and knew she was someone I wanted to get to know better. So, I emailed asking if she wanted to have dinner one night. She suggested Marci and WenDee might want to join us and - it's a miracle - but the first date we tried was tonight and everyone was available. Getting four busy people together usually takes far more attempts.



I have known Marci (on the left) for a few years, but have never had the opportunity to connect with her as much as I'd like. She is the director of the Kansas Sampler Foundation, which operates a number of programs devoted to preserving rural culture. She has created her own job, and is making a living being her - something to which I aspire. It's really astonishing what she has been able to accomplish - all as a one person staff until WenDee (on the right) came on board two years ago.

You may recognize Marci from the blog entry when her book, The Kansas Guidebook, was published. I'm sorry to say, if you didn't buy a copy before, it's now officially out of print. And while I might share mine with you, I won't give it up. If you hunt around, you might find one still on the shelves somewhere, but I can't tell you where.*

I met WenDee at Kansas Dialogue a couple of years ago in Colby. She was already a blog reader, which was a fun discovery. WenDee is one of those people who is always fun and upbeat. How can you not love that in a person? She used to live in Garden City, which is a very diverse community in Kansas. Here in the central part of the state, near Hutchinson, it's much less diverse.

Diversity was an ongoing topic. We were referencing some books, including "Bowling Alone" by Dr. Robert Putnam. That remains the best book on the subject as far as I know. I'm so glad I got to see him speak a couple of years ago. It's time for me to reread that book, I think.

I realized during our conversation that all of the time I've spent in Kansas I've been trying to build social capital. It has been a struggle for me. Marci and WenDee were shocked when I said I feel isolated a lot.

Over the years, I've tried various things to make those connections and build that social web. I've learned a couple of things. One is that to have an "agenda" is the antithesis of building social capital. That's just a meeting, then, where you're likely to go away with a to-do list. Two is that - so far - I've not found a way to build social capital in any sort of "institutional" way. The only way I've been able to do it is through personal interaction - often very personal.

It's an interesting topic. I'm sure I'll be thinking more about it in the coming days and weeks.

*EDIT: Jami tells me the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum gift shop has seven copies of the Kansas Guidebook on their shelves. (Isn't technology grand!?!?!)

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

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

Conservatives Murphy and Noonan discuss Palin Off the Record

John McCain's former campaign chief Mike Murphy and former Reagan speech-writer Peggy Noonan were caught on tape after an NBC interview Wednesday. They shared their real thoughts on McCain's judgment in selecting Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.

Are these people really this stupid? Or is this a set up? If it's a set up, what is the purpose? I find it hard to believe people involved in national politics don't understand the chant every broadcasting student learns on Day 1 - "If you're around a mic, assume it's live." Do they really make these kinds of foolish mistakes? I'm doubtful. But, it's hard to figure out what the purpose of this would be.

Anyway, you can judge for yourself.

TRANSCRIPT:

Mike Murphy, former McCain advisor: You know, because I come out of the blue swing state governor work. Engler, Whitman, Thompson, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush. And these guys, this is all like how you want to (inaudible) this race. You know, just run it up. And it's not gonna work.

Peggy Noonan, former Reagan speechwriter: It's over.

Murphy: Still, McCain can give a version of the Lieberman speech to do himself some good.

NBC's Chuck Todd: Don't you think the Palin pick was insulting to Kay Bailey Hutchinson, too (inaudible)

Noonan: I saw Kay this morning.

Murphy: They're all bummed out.

Todd: I mean, is she really the most qualified woman they could have turned to?

Noonan: The most qualified? No. I think they went for this, excuse me, political [B.S.] about narratives and (inaudible) the picture.

Murphy: I totally agree.

Noonan: Every time the Republicans do that because that's not where they live and it's not what they're good at and they blow it.

Murphy: You know what's really the worst thing about it? The greatness of McCain is no cynicism and this is cynical.

Todd: And as you called it, gimmicky.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.
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Life Bits

For the past week or so I've been trying to take care of my health checkups. This has been such a busy year for the MHA that I've gotten behind on life stuff. Fortunately, I have a few weeks now where things are a bit calmer so I'm taking advantage of those to catch up on life.

I went today for a mammogram, last week for blood work and next week for a physical. I know my blood work was all great, so that's good news. My cholesterol numbers are good. My sugar numbers are good. My thyroid is normal. I don't know what else they know about me after sucking my blood, other than that. I was supposed to go the doctor today but they called to reschedule it for next week. I expect everything to be normal, but I always like hearing that all is normal anyway.

I also want to take some time to work on things in my house. I haven't done anything for a couple of years, other than the essentials, because my focus has been elsewhere. There are some little projects I'd like to get completed. I have a couple of windows to replace before winter, too. The one in my home office is broken. I'm not sure what happened to it, but I discovered it when it was freezing cold and I couldn't get my office warm. No wonder - big hole in the glass! I patched it up because it was way too cold at the time to have a big hole in my house while it was replaced, not to mention the materials wouldn't have worked in the cold. Then it went to being so hot I didn't want to do it. So, the season is here. I need to get it dealt with. The question is do I want to try and do it myself, given my two hour window workshop during the preservation conference, or should I just hire someone to do it. Of course, hiring anyone to do anything is quite the trick. Well, it's no trick to hire them. It is, however, a struggle to get them to actually show up and do the work.

I keep trying to simplify my life and yet when I look at my calendar through the end of the year it's hard to find a couple of days next to a weekend when I can go to Kentucky. I haven't been since Jim's funeral in January. That's the longest I've ever gone without visiting and I'm really missing everyone. I just really felt like I owed my employer some extra hours this year. I was so thankful I could be with my family last year when I wanted to be. But, I've gone a bit overboard the other way this year and am really feeling exhausted mentally at the moment. But, a little time and getting my life in order will make me feel better I'm sure. I just need my life to be more organized than it is now. It's never completely tidy. I just need it better. Much better.

Well, it's time for some sleep. If I could figure out how to not need any sleep at all that would give me more time to get these things done.

What's Appropriate in a Campaign

The news today is about Sarah Palin's seventeen-year-old daughter who is five months pregnant and planning to marry her boyfriend. I'm puzzled why they're not already married if they want to do that - if she's five months along they've had time. Is she more in love with the baby's daddy because her mama is now a VP pick? Are her parents more in love with him for the same reason? Of course, I have no idea.

Now, I'm the first to say that candidate's children should be off limits. BUT, when you trot your kids out on the campaign trail, you're inviting trouble. You don't get it both ways - you can maintain their privacy or you can have them standing behind you while you speak. Whichever way you go, the die has been cast. You don't get it both ways. There's a reason we rarely saw Amy Carter - her parents chose to keep her out of the public eye. Obviously, Palin is not the only one who has introduced her children to the world. But, as far as I know, she's the only one who did it knowing there was a huge issue that was going to be difficult for her child.

If you know your seventeen-year-old daughter is pregnant out of wedlock and you've been a big proponent of family values and abstinence education, which fails - as you can plainly see across the dinner table - why, why, why, why, why would you introduce the whole family on national television? With her holding your baby on top of everything else? It's unfortunate for her daughter that she is the pawn in this whole thing for her mother's political gain. Wouldn't it have been better for her daughter and the rest of the family if Palin had declined the invitation to become VP. Why would a mother thrust her family into the public eye at a time like this, for a party that eschews this very sort of thing?

When you make "family values" and "abstinence" and other such things part of your platform as a politician, and then it's obvious your own house isn't in order, it makes me very suspicious about what else is amiss in your life - public or private. I know parents can't control everything their children do, but when part of your approach to politics is telling others that they're not doing it the right way - they should do it your way, without any sex education - then we're entitled to look at how well that's working for you. If it's not even working in your house - at the source, as it were - how can you possibly think it will work for anyone else?

I have nothing but compassion for her daughter. It's a difficult situation. I've known more than a couple of people who found themselves exactly where she is. They, fortunately, did not have parents holding them up to an unrealistic ideal while building a whole career on that fantasy. The daughter is caught in a web of her mother's making and she has no way out except a none-too-quick marriage.

So many questions have been raised about McCain's judgment in picking Palin, and Palin's judgment with regard to the office. Frankly, my biggest question about her judgment is what kind of mother does this to her child? What kind of mother puts her seventeen-year-old unmarried pregnant daughter in a national spotlight for a political party that supposedly despises pre-marital sex? Is that the most loving way Sarah Palin could think of to handle her daughter's pregnancy? Is she punishing her for her sins? I hope someone digs beyond the surface to figure out the personality of a mother who thinks this is the best thing she can do for her family. That's something I want to know about a potential president.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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

What Conservatives Say about Sarah Palin

A friend sent this link today. It's interesting to hear what conservatives say about Sarah Palin as VP.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

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