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Through strategic thinking and tactical planning, Milani shapes your company's public image and name recognition. We help your company communicate effectively with all of your audiences - customers, media, analysts, employees, channels and partners. We explain your technology in ways that are clear and compelling. We show the market how your product solves a problem or fills a need. We find the value inherent in your technology and present its tangible benefits in ways the market can understand, appreciate and ultimately want.

The Milani team of professionals utilizes a full line of strategic services, engaging methods and knowledge of media tools suited to your audience in order to leverage longstanding relationships with analysts, journalists, editors and other industry influencers. Milani brings you results you can see and measure.

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Organic Milk - Stop motion photo animation (2007 by Samantha Sweeting)

Organic Milk by Samantha Sweeting
Another piece of work by Samantha Sweeting.
Description by the author :
"In this mini lactation animation, milk and nursing bra are adopted by the non-maternal body, giving them a significance displaced from motherhood, becoming both playful and sexual. The breast is revealed for the camera rather than a baby, as lactation shifts from the nipple to the mouth. Titillation and regurgitation occur side by side, with the bulimic act experienced as a sensual outpouring of bodily fluid; a shared joke between performer and viewer that simple editing has turned ingestion into expulsion."
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Thursday, April 19, 2012

New MIllsfly Partner--Recycled Waders

We here at Chucking Line and Chasing Tail couldnt be happier to bring Recycled Waders into this little outpost on the internet.  Based out of Seattle, this company is doing an amazing job of re-purposing waders that would have otherwise been sent to the dump.  Their site says they recycled over 941 pounds of defunct waders.

While we're going through and testing a few of their products, tune back in soon for a Recycled Waders giveaway to some lucky reader.  We wont even make you go on some lame scavenger hunt, I promise

Until then, check out what's going on with is company by visiting their website HERE

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Sunday, August 6, 2017

As I mentioned mum and dad enjoyed musical comedy and in particular that of Gilbert and Sullivan.  I'm not quite as enthusiastic about it as they were but they you have to remember they were both born in the 19th in 1885 and mum in 1897.

This is a real bit of nonsense from Pirates of Penzance....The Major General's song.  Fortunately the provide the lyrics as I certainly can't make out the words he sings.  I wonder what the youth of today would think of this?

I won't think less of you if you don't watch it through to the end.

  1. My parents loved G & S, but it leaves me cold. As does most opera (light or otherwise). I hope that you, Phil and Candy are doing well.

  2. Hari OM
    Golly, this takes me back to school am-dram days!!! G&S is incredible fun in its organised mayhem, but it surely does require energy!!! YAM xx

  3. I love this song. I first heard it back in the 80s when we rented a video copy of The Pirate Movie which we all loved so much we eventually bought the DVD when it was released. I've never seen the Gilbert & Sullivan play, but I have seen the Jon English and Simon Gallagher version at Her Majesty's Theatre here in Adelaide and it was hilarious.

  4. There are photos of Lola on my post today.

  5. That is quite a tongue twister. Not really a favorite of mine ...


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Monday, January 13, 2014

Review Image - IntraKera - Liter

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Saturday, January 26, 2008

Kenya - News and Perspectives from the Ground

A friend living in Kenya writes with his view on the possible causes of the unrest:

There is no single cause for the present unrest. Yes, the recent announced election result is a part of the problem, but the following also have to be considered:

  • There is a small wealthy elite, huge number of very poor, and virtually no middle class in the societal structure of Kenya
  • Kenya is one of the most corrupt nations in the world, and therefore there is an uneven distribution of assets, including International Aid and Tax revenues.
  • The country of Kenya is plagued by tribalism. The Kikuyu are the largest tribe and the present President is from that tribe. His rival, Raila Odinga is a Luo which is the second largest tribe. President Moi, the previous President is a Kalenjin.
  • When the Kikuyu, peacefully took back the reins of power five years ago, President Mwai Kibaki sacked all the Kalenjin who had been appointed by President Moi. In the early days of Independent Kenya, Tom Mboya (Luo), a rising political figure and challenger to Kenyatta, (Kikuyu, 1st President f Kenya)was assassinated in Nairobi. The Luo suspect to this day that this was a politically motivated event. And in February 1990 Robert Ouko, (Luo) then Foreign Minister was murdered. Even Raila Ondinga's father was imprisoned more than once for extended periods.Now the Lou are convinced that they have been robbed of presidential leadership in this current election. And the Luo are known to be fighters!
  • It is stated that the Kikuyu cannot accept a Luo President as the Luo’s. unlike the Kikuyu’s do not practice circumcision. The Kikuyu therefore are unwilling to accept leadership under a Luo.
  • Kenya, which is the size of Texas, has a growing population with limited arable land. The pressure on land use, especially in certain tribes has led to settlement in other areas of Kenya. Often the land was bought privately at a fair price, but sometimes,(owing to corrupt practices) Government funded settlement schemes have been occupied by others than those intended, and this has led to animosity. The ethnic clashes, and burning of farms in the Eldoret area are an example of tensions over land, coming to the surface.

Here endeth the history lesson. I just wanted to let you know that although it appears that everyday life has returned to most areas of Kenya, the present troubles are but a symptom of deep rooted mistrust and bitterness. Please pray that there will be genuine reconciliation and a political leadership in this country that will look to the welfare and betterment of the people.

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Thursday, January 17, 2008

Smile! You're on Candid Chimera!

Animal-human embryo research is approved

Scientists at King’s College London, and the University of Newcastle will inject human DNA into empty eggs from cows to create embryos known as cytoplasmic hybrids, which are 99.9 per cent human in genetic terms.
Tellingly, this line from the article indicates the abdication of the lawmakers to take their role as moral influencers seriously,
Last January the authority deferred its decision and began a consultation on the issue, which reported in September that the public was broadly supportive.
It appears, at least by this paper's account, that the go-ahead for this was prompted by public support. This article gave no indication that the lawmakers engaged in a reasoned discussion on the wisdom of sanctioning such an unprecedented action.

The BBC article makes clear what the purpose is:
Scientists want to create hybrid embryos by merging human cells with animal eggs in a bid to extract stem cells. The embryos would then be destroyed within 14 days.
I wonder what you think?

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Shabby blogs

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Okay so I FINALLY got around to making a project at home!! I am so excited to have a project done that is personal. We have been so busy making projects all day -everyday at work. So... it has been a little hard to want to come home and create. However, I am gonna get off my booty and make it happen! Hope you guys like this one :) This is a layout of my beautiful niece Lily. She is too cute and I have been so excited to create some layouts with her. I know there will be even more of her to come!!

I just LOVE that last picture! While I was taking the photos, my cat Molly just had to come over and be a part of it! She is always following us around no matter what we are doing. She is too cute!

1 comment:

  1. Well it's about time lady! Thought you'd died or something. This is absolutely precious Miranda! Must be fun to have a little girly to scrap with all that testosterone going on in your house. LOL LOVe this! xxMamaDonna


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Prairie View

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Growing Up In Church

I'm trying to dream up a story for Chris Terrill’s upcoming "book" about growing up in Partridge.  I think I'll write about incidents associated with going to church.  I will tell the truth, mind you, so it's not a dream in the sense of being outside of reality.  This is a practice run.

Actually, one of my first church memories is of having missed a service when I was two years old, in 1954.  It was the service in which my 27-year-old father, David L. Miller, was ordained as a minister.  Since the service was an all-day affair, my three-year old sister, Linda, and I were left at Uncle Edwin and Aunt Nellie's place.  I heard only recently that my mother sat where she couldn't really see the goings-on.  While she knew that her husband was designated by vote earlier in the service to be among the candidates for ordination, she could not see the process of drawing the lots.  The method used was for each of the candidates to select a song book from a small table placed in front of them.  In only one of the books was concealed a slip of paper.  The person who picked up that book was promptly ordained.  My father was that person.

Being too old to take a cookie when the plate was passed for the little ones during church was a particular disappointment for me one Sunday morning when church was held at the home of Mose and Amanda Yoder, about a half mile east of the East Eureka School location.  When my mom shook her head “no” I didn’t dare disobey, and the plate passed me by.

Lunch followed the preaching services in the homes.  The menu was basically the same each time: homemade bread, spread with peanut butter and corn syrup, and beet and cucumber pickles on the side.  The adults got coffee.  We ate in shifts, with the children first.  Some of the benches we had sat on for church were re-purposed by fitting the legs of two benches next to each other onto low saw-horse shaped wooden supports, forming a long narrow table.  More benches provided seating at the table.  My mother was apparently not averse to breaking with tradition, when she once served chicken salad for sandwiches instead of peanut butter.  She had a very practical reason for doing so.  Their flock of laying hens had just been retired and added to their food supply, and it made no sense whatsoever to ignore that ready food source and purchase peanut butter, which seemed to her like an expensive luxury item.  People visited for a while after the meal and then gradually drifted toward home or elsewhere to pay someone a visit in their home.  In the evening the young people returned for a song service.

Locations for the church services rotated among the homes of members.  Occasionally the services were held in a vacant house, with a designated family serving as hosts.  I remember riding on a tractor (a Massey-Harris 55) out to the farm west of Miller Seed Farms to get that house ready for church.  The tractor was necessary because of huge mud holes from a recent rain, and we slipped and slid through the mud holes to get to the house.  My aunt Emma (Mrs. Oliver Troyer) was the tractor driver.

In 1958, a major reorganization took place, about the same time as Elreka Grade School opened with students from several surrounding smaller schools making up the student body.  One of the school buildings that emptied out was East Eureka (at the intersection of Riverton Road and Illinois Avenue), and those in our church district began to hold Sunday School there.  Every footstep was audible on the hardwood floors of the school building.  My three-year-old brother Myron, who had a habit of going much too fast and noisily whenever he got permission to move from one place to another during the service, finally got the message about the need to be slower and quieter, but that proved to be distracting too.  A titter swept over the crowd when they saw him inch his way across the floor, one foot placed in front of the other ever-so-carefully, quietly, and slowly, checking periodically to see if Mom was impressed yet.  He was totally confused when she motioned to him to hurry up.

We had Sunday School only every other Sunday.   On the Sundays in between Sunday School times, we, along with the people formerly from several other area Amish church districts, met for preaching services in the building now occupied by Ellen Nisly on the corner of W. Morgan and S. Herren Road, 1/2 mile west of Center Church.  I often sat with one of my aunts or great-aunts when it was my Dad's turn to preach.

I have several memories of evening meetings during the mid-'50s.  One meeting took place in the roundtop shed on the Jake Yoder farm, where Henry and Velma Yoder live now, on Riverton Road.  I heard the hymn "Rescue the Perishing" there for the first time ever.  I was a little scared about perishing (falling and killing myself would have been my worry-words) in the pit in center of the concrete shed floor.  Someone explained to me that it was for working on the underside of vehicles, when the vehicle was parked on top of the hole.  Even the thought of driving a vehicle so close to that hole gave me the shivers.

Coming home from church on the back of a low-sided wagon behind the 8N Ford tractor on a warm summer evening was a wonderful thing.  Stars overhead, the cooling wind, and the nearness and safety of my family around me--such a pleasure.  On one occasion, my grandparents and aunts and uncles were providing transportation for us, and had also offered Mahlon Nisly a ride home, since we were all going home past his home anyway.  The driver, however, forgot to stop to let Mahlon off, and he couldn't hear the shouted reminders over the tractor's noise, so Mahlon bailed out of the moving trailer--safely, I guess, but I knew that it would be a very bad idea for me to try that.

I also recall sitting on the basement steps of the church house and listening to the youth group practicing their singing after church in the evening for a service they held regularly one Sunday afternoon a month at "Broadacres," an area facility for the elderly.  I first learned the words to "The Love of God" and many other hymns in those listening sessions.

Our family's first vehicle was a '53  Chevy, probably purchased in about 1959.  No more going to church behind the buggy horse, Steve, or on the Mayrath (an open motorized conveyance with a bench seat mounted on a four-wheeled frame), or on a wagon behind a tractor.  I don’t remember mourning the loss, however.

After Center Church was built in 1959, we no longer met in the Sunday School house, at East Eureka School, or in homes.  Most of those who had been part of several different Old Order districts now met together regularly in the new location.  The land for Center Church was carved out of a corner of the farm where my dad had grown up.  Before long, we began to use a portion of each Sunday service for Sunday School, with a preaching service following.

When it was Dad’s turn to preach at Center, my brothers had to sit on the front bench on the men's side where my dad could keep an eye on them.  Sometimes he had to interrupt the sermon to tend to his boys.  I remember him saying once, in "Dutch," from the pulpit, “Boys, you’ll have to behave a little better.  Myron, you scoot a little farther this way, and Caleb, you scoot a little farther that way.”  In those first months or years, the preaching happened in a mixture of English, German, and Pennsylvania German (sometimes called Pennsylvania Dutch--the Swiss-German dialect used by most Amish people).  If we had visitors who understood only English, however, the preaching was entirely in English.

Downstairs, during the Sunday School hour, my Sunday School teacher drilled us on reading German in the old Fraktur script.  I learned to read and understand it passably--for a seven or eight year old, at least.  I was probably one of the youngest students to get this instruction, since the complete switch to using the English Bible in church happened shortly after this.

For about ten years, from about 1968 to 1978, our family and a number of others met on Sunday morning in a small church building near Arlington.  It had been a Mennonite church earlier.  No indoor plumbing had never been installed, so we brought a big insulated water jug from home for drinking water and used the outhouses when needed.  The building of the Cedar Crest Church relieved the crowding situation at Center, and attendance at Arlington ceased.

At Arlington, the adolescents usually sat in the “Amen” corners, at the front of the sanctuary and to either side of the pulpit, in rows of chairs at right angles to the pews in the sanctuary.  One morning my brother Lowell had put some small steel bearings in his shirt pocket before church, no doubt hoping to play with them surreptitiously during church.  To his great chagrin, those steel bearings bounced out of his pocket when we knelt for prayer, and they bounced repeatedly and loudly across that hardwood floor, and rolled away.  On the way home from church, Mom asked Lowell if he lost his marbles during church.  “No.  I lost my bearings,” he answered.

On the way home from church at Arlington, we often stopped in Partridge to pick up our Sunday paper.  Outside the post office, in a box on a post placed there for that purpose, we sorted through the stack until we found the paper with our name on it.  What a disappointment when our paper was not there. Rumor had it that at least one paper was missing nearly every Sunday.  It was a nasty trick.  Whenever we got close to Partridge, one of my brothers would usually say: “OK, half you guys duck.  Now.”  We ignored him, of course. We were packed in a lot tighter than seat belt and car seat laws in effect now would allow, and that was just fine with most of us, adolescent brothers notwithstanding.

Church was a huge part of our family’s life in my growing up years.  When a service was going on, we attended, unless illness prevented it.  In the process, we developed deep ties with others in our faith community, all the while benefiting from the solid foundation our mutual dependence on God provided.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Buying, Saling, and Trading

The Reno County Buy, Sell, Trade group on Facebook has a number of participants who apparently don't know the difference between sell and sale  as in "I have a new modem for sell . . . "  I've seen the other confusion also:  "I need to sale . . . "    I'm grinding my teeth over here.

I'm definitely hoping for a special deal for sharing this next commercial.  I and some members of my extended family are making a purchase from the offer I am just about to tell you about.  I have never bought from this place before, but the CASP cooks have purchased this product and loved it (only the pickup site was in Wichita instead of Hutchinson).  The stuff is supposed to be good for you, and the price is reasonable.  And yes, I am going on and on on purpose to tantalize you, but I suspect I may be irritating you.

The pick up site is at Grace Bible Church at 1221 East 33rd Avenue on Thursday, October 10 between 5:45 and 6:15 p. m.  It's shipped in 40 lb. boxes, and is fresh--not frozen.  It does not contain antibiotics or hormones.  It costs about $1.84 per pound before taxes.  A 40-lb. box costs $73.60 + $5.81 tax for a total of $79.41.  You can purchase it by credit card at this site:  Here are the instructions from that site:
Q – How do I place an order?
A – To order, you must be registered and already be logged in to your account. On the main "My Account" page, scroll down the list of upcoming events, find your preferred event and click on the "Click here to place an order"   For locals, the preferred event will be the Grace Bible Church event.

If you like all of the above and follow through on all of the above, you will bring home at least 40 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breast meat to repackage for your own freezer.  Tell me if you decide to buy or tell them you heard about it from me--or however this works--and I get a tiny discount on  future purchases.  I understand that this company ships all over the US, as long as orders in any given area reach a critical mass.

Added later:  I understand now that if you click on this link, your order will automatically result in a bonus on my account.  Here's the link:   Also, my email is, in case that would work.  (It didn't, for at least one person, so that's why I am giving another option.)  This option came as a link in an email from Zaycon telling me that someone listed me as having referred them.  I'm glad one person got it figured out.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Taking On Popular Culture

The conversation with my typing students about suitable topics for the classroom took more courage to initiate than I expected, and went better, in general, than I expected.

I started by asking the students how they would define "pop culture." No one seemed to know, till I told them that one proper use of the term is simply as an abbreviation for popular culture.  I said it's what most of the people in a given culture think well of, like, admire, cultivate, etc.  Then I asked what they think of as being popular in American culture.  One perceptive student answered, "Sports, actors and actresses, musicians."  Exactly.

I hadn't actually planned to include musicians in the discussions and prohibitions, but I went on to talk about brain space and what we choose to fill our brain space with.  I urged the students to think about whether what they are preoccupied with is something that will move them closer to where they wish to be in life.  I also asked if there is value in being familiar with popular culture.

One person said, in effect, that when a person issues a prohibition, she/he  (I'm being coy here.) wants to know that the "prohibitor" knows what he/she is talking about.  In other words, if people are ignorant of something, they shouldn't presume to tell others how to act regarding that thing.  There is some validity to this, of course, but to illustrate another side of the issue, I told about the time our exchange student wanted to buy Eminem recordings and we took him to a book/music store where such things were sold.

None of us were very knowledgeable about this particular musician, although we were pretty sure he wasn't our kind.  Hiromi and I both walked over to the display of his music and began to peruse the lyrics.  Horrors.

Hiromi promptly told our "son" that the lyrics are really bad, and he doesn't think he should fill his mind with that.  The student answered by saying that he doesn't listen to the lyrics.  In his case, that may have been true, given his lack of familiarity with the English language.  In class I went on to say that some things are so bad that we all know very well that they're far on the other side of a line we should never cross, and we need never apologize for knowing little or nothing about them.  Students gave assent to this.

Other things, however, are less clear.  Yet, we all know that a line exists somewhere, and staying on the right side of that line is important.  Leaving a wide margin as we approach that line is probably prudent. I said also that I don't believe that every mention of popular culture is automatically bad, but whatever is discussed in that line will have to happen somewhere other than typing class if it happens at all.   I promised not to cut off anyone's head if they happened to forget, but I hoped they would remind each other as needed.  The students were a fairly sober bunch after that.

The reminders indeed began to happen the very next class period.  Then someone asked if they could discuss musicians.  "Figure out for yourself if they fit in the popular culture category," I suggested, "and then ask if there is value in their musical contribution for some reason other than the fact that they're popular.  Be prepared to explain how their contribution is valuable if you want to talk about them."  Not my exact words, but the general idea.

Today we talked about how it is that non-Christians can come up with contributions of great value--because all were made in the image of God and possess many abilities worth celebrating.  The reality of sin as a corruption of that God-image (especially in terms of creative ability) must be recognized also, so it's important to be discerning about what is created by people who do not live a Godly life.   I used the care of the earth as an example of something that is similar in terms of seeing a lot of good being accomplished by people who make no profession of faith.   Yet we must part company with such people on some level--when they devalue humans, for example, and see them only as part of the problems on earth, or when they elevate animals to the level of humans.  I didn't actually get much of the last sentence conveyed in class.

I'm not sure that students are very happy about the turn things have taken, but I'll give them credit for trying to cooperate.  I'm praying that they'll find a wealth of worthwhile things to share in class.  If that happens, they'll probably wonder some day why they ever thought certain elements of popular culture were so fascinating.

The Facebook exchange below is not directly related to the above content.  I believe, however, that it is peripherally related in this regard:  parental interest, initiative, and responsibility can be the beginning of many good things in a young person's life.  Their absence can wreak more havoc than is often understood.  Thanks to Big Josh for the initial post.

"We are the only civilization in history to have created a whole category of people (adolescents) for whom we have no real use. In times not long gone by, fourteen-year-olds helped on the farm. They assisted with the animals, cared for younger siblings, and helped get the crops in before the frost. If they lived in the city, they got into the shops and found jobs as apprentices, helpers, stock clerks, or custodians. They had a role in society – and they understood that hard work and responsible behavior were the keys to future success. They were in partnership with adult members.

Now, however, we have “protected” them out of jobs, and relegated young adolescents to the roles of pizza consumer and videotape junkie… Children this age need to be needed, but we have institutionalized our rebuff to their pleas to be of service. "
- read this on a blog, dont know who wrote it, but i agree.
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  • You, Susie BeilerHolli NissleyJoe Kuepfer and 18 others like this.
  • Miriam Iwashige Preach it brother! To extrapolate--And then we confine them inside brick walls for most of their waking hours, and make it nearly impossible for them to exert any control over their activities and surroundings, assign them many tasks that seem meaningless, and expect them to emerge at the end of that time with initiative and optimism intact, and with a desire to serve others and live unselfishly. Sometimes I can't believe that we who claim to live life purposefully and thoughtfully have so thoroughly bought into this absurdity.
  • Miriam Iwashige While this rant is on a roll--Maybe we shouldn't be surprised when people who "have no real use" seek ever more time-consuming, expensive, and novel ways of being entertained, and when they seem to feel that these activities are unassailable rights.
  • Josh Yoder Miriam, you would probably enjoy this guy's blog. Though not written from a christian perspective, he's got a lot of good ideas. (I got the quote from him)
  • Miriam Iwashige Thanks Josh. I'll check it out.
  • Edwin Mast sounds like a quote from the book Do Hard Things by Alexx and Brett Harris
  • Bryce Miller I don't suppose minimum wage laws are helping any.
  • Jadon Nisly And they were dying in factory fires and farm accidents...exploited and due to their brain chemistry bad at judging risk. just saying... labor laws have done a lot of good
  • Josh Yoder Thats very true jadon. Labor laws have saved them from exploitation, now the parents need to make sure they have constructive and educational hobbies and chores
  • Miriam Iwashige My thoughts exactly, Josh. The onus really is on parents. Probably not everyone would allow their young adolescent boys to launch their own woodcutting business as we did, but then not everyone has a "safety freak" of a dad, who worked with them initially and taught them very specifically how to work safely. Their worst injuries were pokes and scratches from hedge (Osage Orange) thorns. Parents are far more likely to care about their children's safety (among other things) than anyone else will.
  • Bryce Miller Wait, how is it exploiting an adolescent to let him get a job? Do the rest of us work in sweatshops? How about a grocery store for $6/hr? It's better than $0/hr and boredom.

The blogger whom Josh quoted (who was in turn quoting someone else) is an unschooler, I learned when I visited the blog.  He is yet another example of someone who has his head on straight about any number of things--allowing his children to do real work, for example, rather than isolating them from it. Unschooling, however, as an educational approach (or non-approach) feels to me to be inordinately child-centered and unfocused.  Yet I wholeheartedly embrace the idea that if what we do educationally is all about convenience for parents rather than what is good for children, we are missing the mark.

Maybe someday  my typing students will take on the task of discussing what a good education looks like and how all of us can work together to make it happen.  If it happens, the impetus will surely have to come from somewhere other than popular culture.  I'll be all ears.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Changing the Subject

Typists are usually reasonably good at multitasking, so in my typing class I generally let the conversation ebb and flow in whatever ways happen naturally.  I think that's about to change a little bit.  For the first time in my memory, I plan to declare two subjects off-limits during typing class.

It's not that these subjects have come up for the first time this year.  They've always been present to some degree.  It's just that I see enough evidence of excesses to be concerned, and, while I can't do much to change values elsewhere, in our little space together, the focus of the conversation is going to shift--or maybe we'll all see how we like silence as an alternative.

I feel no need to know the following:

Which sports teams played last night--or last week.

Who won those games.

Which players played well.

Which players played badly.

What should have happened differently.

The names of players on teams from our state.

Which teams will play soon.

Which announcers are bad.

Which announcers act outrageous.

Whether students came by their "sports craziness" (direct quote) courtesy of family influence or personal "initiative."

That eating pizza and watching an online game is preferable to eating pizza at the table in the company of family members, with good conversation going on.

Verbatim quotes from movies.

Verbatim quotes from movies, recited in unison.

Verbatim quotes from movies, recited in the voice of the movie character.

There's a wide world beyond sports and movies, much of which can be enjoyed directly rather than vicariously.  If we talk about other good things during typing class, maybe hearts will follow, and minds and spirits will expand to include a focus on what is truly admirable and worthy of emulating.  If that happens, I doubt that I'll ever again need to enforce a "change the subject" request.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Alfalfa and Accidental Death

Hiromi and I keep an eagle eye on the alfalfa field just 25 yards away from the double patio doors on the east side of our house.  That field was struggling when we moved here in June.  The first time Doug Harner's son Colby pulled into it with his swather (with his dad on board for the first round or two), he left behind pathetic windrows.  The cut-hay rows inched along--thin, flat ribbons even before drying had shrunken them further.  Raking two rows into one several days later bulked up the rows only slightly, and baling resulted in only a bale wagon or so full of bales--from 40 acres of alfalfa. The only good thing about that hay crop was that it didn't get rained on.  Or maybe that really was the bad thing about that hay crop.  It had too long a history of no rain.

Then came lavish rains.  The alfalfa leaped up in glad surprise.  Weed seeds sprouted too and raced ahead of the alfalfa.  "It'll be a wonderful cutting this time," I told Hiromi.

"Except for the weeds," he said.

"No problem," I asserted confidently.  "Cows love Amaranth.  It'll just get baled up right along with the alfalfa and help feed the cows."

But that's not what happened.  A few days before the swather returned to wrestle the growth into plump windrows, a Coop sprayer swept up and down and across the field, anointing everything with a fog of something.  Hiromi was outside and got a little worried, so he called the farm's headquarters.  "It's Roundup," he was told, and, as expected, that tall Amaranth bowed its head and died.

"I can't figure it out," I fretted.  "It's obviously Roundup-ready alfalfa, since it didn't die when it was sprayed, but if it's GMO alfalfa, they can't harvest a seed crop because of infringing on patent laws.  I can't think of any other reason for spraying that field now, so near to when it's tall enough to cut."  But cut it they did, dead Amaranth and all.

I inquired surreptitiously of one of my students about the plan for the alfalfa.  He sought some inside information and soon reported back.  The spraying had caused accidental death.  It had been ordered long before, but the steady rains had made it impossible to do the job because the field was muddy.  When it finally dried off enough to do the spraying, the field was also dry enough to cut the alfalfa, so both happened in rapid succession--only the spraying order would have been canceled if the farmer had thought soon enough of how this timing was working out all wrong.  Too bad.  Wasted money and effort.  I was already skeptical of the GMO alfalfa.  Even more so with its spray load.  The green field looked a trifle jaded now.

Nevertheless, we hovered anxiously over that field while the hay dried ever-so-slowly because the windrows were so incredibly heavy.  "Was that you that pulled into the field this morning?" I asked Joe at the Labor Day picnic.  It was.  He couldn't bale yet though because it still wasn't dry enough.

The next morning, however, many tight, fat, side-perched green-jellyroll rounds of hay rested serenely on the smooth green carpet, dark green everywhere except for the pale green lines where the windrows had bleached the growth underneath. Before Hiromi got up, I went to the patio and  counted all the bales I could see from there, and, by extrapolating from my count, calculated how many there might be in the whole field.  Later, Hiromi one-upped me and actually walked around the edge of our property till he could see the whole field and get a count of all the bales.  Seventy-five"," he announced at breakfast.  Getting that hay to this point had been a heavy responsibility, but we felt a wonderful sense of accomplishment for having done so.

Before long someone showed up with a tractor and began to pluck the bales off the field and line them up along our east property line.  I went off to school and Hiromi went off to work in town, and when we got home, lo, a tidy row of bales edged almost all of our east property line.  The jellyroll had been reassembled, and, lined up like that, those bales formed a formidable wall.  I sat on my patio and stared and was not the slightest bit amused.  I had rejoiced over that hay, but now it was cutting me off from the expansive view I exulted in every time I looked out from my kitchen window or my patio doors.  The alfalfa beyond the wall would have to grow without my oversight.  That much was certain.

Tristan couldn't even see the trains now when he heard them at our house and ran to the patio doors to look.  They would be visible only a car or two at a time when they crossed near the end of the driveway.  If I had wanted a six-foot tall fence, I could have found a way to get one without this.  Or maybe not.  I could never afford it.  And this hay fence will probably stay for a long time, till the hay price is high during the winter.  Then, if I was lucky, I'd get my view back.

What to do?  Pout? Protest? Plead?  Pray?  I didn't have any trouble remembering to pray, silently of course, when I was on the patio.  Those bales were in my face.  I did all the other things too, mostly silently.  Then, about a week ago, I came home from school, and the hay was gone.  GONE.  Disappeared without a trace.  Such relief!  Should I call up the farmer and thank him?

No.  That would never do.  If I did that, he'd know for sure how peeved I'd been earlier.  I did really like the farmer and his family, and didn't want to make them feel bad.  So I limited my audible thanks to Hiromi's hearing only.  And I thanked God silently.

A day later I arrived home from school, stunned and wiping tears.  The farmer's daughter had been killed in an accident.  I'd take those bales back in a heartbeat and they could stay till March--if it could bring her back.  It was a pathetic short-lived bargaining effort.

Seventy-five bales along the property line.   Such a nothing.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Ponderous Subjects

Every Friday at our school, we spend the final 30  minutes of school on an activity that is a departure from normal studies.  This past Friday, our principal, Wesley S. talked to the students about death.  It was not a macabre or dark--or Pollyannaish--lecture, but very informative and helpful.  As you know if you've been following recent events in our community, the death of Anja Miller (18) on Monday has affected us all deeply.

When I talked to him about it later, Wesley said he thinks Ervin Hershberger was the one whose teaching put things together in his mind regarding a historical perspective of death.  I realize that there is some controversy about some of these things, but perhaps seeing a historical picture will provide some insight even for those who have interpretations that vary from the one Ervin H. presented.  I'll convey Wesley's teaching from notes I took while he talked, and from reading some of the relevant Bible passages myself since then, and checking on some details.

Before he got into the historical talk, Wesley recommended the poetry of Emily Dickinson and that of Alfred Lloyd Tennyson.  He also recommended two books:  Sweeping Up the Heart by Paul W. Nisly, and A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken.  I can personally recommend all of those sources also.  It's been a long time since I read the books, and some of the poetry, but I know they're good.  Paul Nisly is a former member of our church and still visits here regularly.  He was Anja's great uncle.  He read the obituary and spoke briefly at her funeral.  Several decades ago, his only daughter was also instantly killed in a traffic accident when she was about 20.  The book was written in the aftermath of her death.

Also, outside of  the historical section, Wesley shared his two favorite Bible verses on death--both from the Psalms.  Psalm 116:5:  "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints."  Juxtaposed with this view of death is the Grim Reaper view, which exists because of sin's curse.  Dread accompanies this view, and it was the prevailing Old Testament view of death.  After Jesus' death and resurrection, the sting of it was removed, and death can be viewed now as a wonderful gateway to better things.  Certainly a short life is not correlated with being cursed in any way different from the general curse under which the whole earth groans.

The other favorite verse is from Psalm 23:  "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with  me."  For the believer, death need never be faced alone, because God will be there.  Jesus will welcome saints with a smile on his face.  Memories of horrible accidents or prolonged illness are completely gone in that realm, and only delight in each other's presence remains.

In the time between Adam and Eve's sin and the death of Christ, the souls of all who died went to Sheol (Hebrew word), also called Hades (Greek word).  The story of the rich man and Lazarus tells us something about this place, namely, that saints and sinners could converse together, and that sinners experienced torment and saints experienced comfort.  Abraham, who had died many centuries earlier, was visible to the rich man also.  No one could cross over from one realm to the other and no one could leave the place by their own choice.

At the death of Jesus, the second chapter in the historical timeline began.  This was a time of great transition because it was then that Jesus "descended . . . into the lower parts of the earth" and "led captivity captive . . . " (Eph. 4)  Also at this time, graves were opened and the souls of many of the saints were temporarily reunited with their bodies.  These living people were seen by many in Jerusalem.  (Matt. 27:50-54).  Not much is told in Scripture about these people, but their presence no doubt spoke loudly to all who witnessed it.

On the cross, Jesus told the criminal crucified with him that "today thou shalt be with me in Paradise."  Paradise was the destination of all those captives who were led by Jesus out of Hades to a new place.  Paradise is still the destination of all saints who die.  Those who came back to life temporarily around the time of Jesus' death went there when they departed once more out of the earthly realm.

The final chapter in this death timeline will unfold when Jesus comes back again.  At that time, the graves will open and all the bodies of the saints will be reunited with their souls in the air.  Then all those saints who are alive  will be gathered up to join them, and all will be taken to heaven.

On dealing with the uncertainty of the duration of our own life, Wesley said, "If God calls you to live today, embrace life."  Furthermore, he talked about his own goals in relation to life and death.  Even if death comes slowly and painfully, he'd like for people to be able to observe and say of him, "That's the way to die."  On the other hand, as long as he lives, he'd like for people to be able to say of him during life, "That's the way to live."

I can't imagine a better way for our students to spend a Friday afternoon than to consider important matters such as life and death, and thanks to Wesley, and compelled by events beyond anyone's control, they had such an opportunity last week.

On a related subject, my dear friend Marian is now beyond any viable medical options for treatment of her cancer.  She is under hospice care.

I am committed to walking with her during the rest of her journey, but I'm not sure what all that will mean--maybe staying away when having extra people around is stressful.  Fortunately, her family and other friends stand ready to stay near and help.


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out of the shadows

This week I checked out one of our new books: Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows, Richard Cahan and Michael Williams; I knew nothing of Maier (pronounced "Meyer,") other than that she was a photographer. I didn't know that Maier took over 100,000 negatives during her lifetime, most of which she never developed, due perhaps to her financial situation. Unable to pay the rent on her storage unit, her items were auctioned off, and eventually someone began developing her film/examining her prints and discovered the genius of her photography. Maier died in 2009, leaving behind reminders of days gone by (photos in this book cover 1940s-1970s NYC, Chicago, Florida, France/the Alps) and a certain mystery around herself...even those who knew her best, didn't seem to know much.

The book itself is simple in it's presentation, giving just enough back-story to inform, without taking away from the true purpose--to share these AMAZING black and white photos. I can't tell you enough how much I love the photos in this book...I was left yearning to see the world that my grandparents and parents saw in their younger days! Well, see for yourself...

Self portrait, she did many

I LOVE this photo, so so much

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Monday, September 03, 2007

Coasters, Coasters Everywhere!

Happy Labor Day people--now I want you all to relax and no laboring at all today--only FUN stuff! HEY! I'm watching you...I said no laboring, and I mean it!

I recently finished up making a big 'ol bunch of my little bird coasters--wanna see?

Aren't they cute--a big flock of little sweety birds!

Now, here's what I've been thinking of....offering these as a gift set. I think they would make nice little gifts, you know, for all those people you just want to give a "little something" to--teachers, babysitter, neighbor, co-worker (ooh, they would be great for a co-worker!), etc. I did one up this morning to show you what I mean. I would pack up the coaster and a little matching clip that has a magnetic backing (so it can be stuck to the fridge or a filing cabinet if you want) into a little plastic bag with a matching header across the top. I have several different stamps that I could stamp across the top with the bird--I did the "for a special friend" on this one, but I also have "merry christmas", "I love you", "thanks", "thank you"---get the idea?!! I'd be able to offer them for about $10.

Sooo.....what do you think? I would really appreciate the expert opinions from all you blog buddies out there--and be honest! Price?? Do I need to do something different for the packaging??

Addendum--thanks so much for the helpful and thoughtful feedback so far-- Junie, Kristi and Rachel! I do appreciate it very much. Kristi--I love the tag lines! Very clevah! lol

I wanted to add this little bit to explain why I made the set with a clip--I guess I was thinking along the lines of a "desk set"--maybe for a teacher, office worker, computer desk, etc. with the coaster for your desk and a clip that matches to keep your papers in order or maybe clip together all those orders from your Etsy shop (yeah!!). That said--I LOVE the idea of a book mark!!! me something to think about!! Thanks, you gals are sweet!

Junie Moon said...

They're lovely and a great idea. In terms of whether to stamp them or not--my tendency is to keep them just as they are, sweet and simple.

Sunny Kristi said...

That is an adorable idea. I was just a little hesitant about the clip. While it's cute, what does it have to do with a coaster? I guess it would be an ok combo for a gift, but thought something that goes more with a drink might be more sellable. What about a bookmark? You know, reading while drinking coffee or tea. Then you can curl up with your drink and book and have your cute little coaster and matching bookmark. Sound really cozy to me. Take the same idea with the yo-yo and put it on a bookmark. Just an idea!

Not sure about customizing the packaging. Some people may like it. I think I'd prefer something generic. Maybe a personal one like "for a special friend" that you have and one for someone who is not such a special friend (lol), like "just for you" or something like that. You know for a co-worker or a boss that you haven't really gotten personal with or even a teacher. Ooo, I bet a teacher would love one of those!

Sunny Kristi said...

"Prettys to keep your cup and your page." "Save your table and your page." LOL!

Rachel said...

I think these are so cute! I love the packaging! I think the magnet is cute but tend to agree with sunny that maybe a bookmark might be better.

Tara said...

I dig 'em...those would be awesome teacher gifts (you know I have one on my desk at school!) and secret santa gifts. They'd also make good stocking stuffers.

She'sSewPretty said...

Those are so cute and I think it is a great idea as a little gift. You're so clever, Karen. Mean it!

Dinah said...

I think it's a wonderful idea to make these gift sets! And I like the idea about the bookmark too. I also love the packaging. Great ideas Karen and pretty pretty items!

Jenn Maruska said...

Hi Karen -

At first I didn't "get" the clip idea either... but now that I think about it, I think that could be a clever space saver in a work situation. You put the magnetic clip on your file cabinet or some such thing, and hang your coaster from it. Oh - this would also be brilliant for when your coaster gets soggy - the clip would hang it out to dry!

Thanks so much for your iron wisdom over on my blog.

I did do some laboring on Labor Day - but also managed to find time for a little nap. : )

Mrs.Kwitty said...

Hi Tara!! Thanks for stopping by!! (I'm glad you like your coasters :-))

Aww thanks Betty--you're a sweety--and I mean THAT!

Thanks Dinah :-)

Jenn! That is a really good point! I'm going to have to stick that in the details page--thanks so much. I'm a little disappointed that you labored on Labor Day--but that nap cancels it out, so you're good. ;-P

MrsDragon said...

I like the idea of a bookmark as well. I think if you go with the clip (or do some with clips and some with bookmarks), that you might want to include a short list of possible uses in the package (behind the coaster?) to help people figure out what they would use it for. : )

PS. I've tagged you over at my blog. Feel free to participate if you like.

Joni said...

My gosh what a great idea! I love the packaging!

Heidijayhawk said...

i think that sounds like an amazing idea. i would totally buy a whole set. we entertain a lot and a single coaster does me little good! and the birds are super!!!

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Monday, November 23, 2009

Holiday Wish List Giveaway

Ran across this giveaway on my travels this morning and just had to get my name in the hat!!  Wow!  Be sure to check it out for yourself!

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
to have Paul with us at Christmas, struts for my car (exciting, I know! lol) , spiral binder machine(for making books), book on digital collage, the movie "UP"

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
a beautiful quilt from my Mom

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
an embellished scrapbook/photoalbum

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
a sewing machine when I was 12

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?
iPod, Ugg boots, PS3 game, Denfeld (school)  hoodie, new comforter

6. What is your favorite holiday food?
mashed potatoes with ham gravy

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
gift tags, ornaments, comforters, day planners

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
It's a Wonderful Life

9. Favorite holiday song?
Silent Night

10. Favorite holiday pastime?
time with family, baking

Friday, November 13, 2009

Getting in the Spirit

So, how's everyone coming along with their Holiday crafting???  I'm still not quite up to par with things, but I can do a little each day, and that makes me happy!  Here's a little peek at what I've done this week.

Postcards from the Past~  I found these darling vintage-style Christmas postage stamps and decided to make some gift tags that loosely resemble old fashioned postcards!

Touches of Toile Bird Tag set ~  I think these look so cute on a package!

Love Bird Drawstring Bag ~ It's been a while since I made a bag...they are fun to make and, of course, I had to include one of my little feathered friends :o)

Toile Stocking Ornament ~  I decoupaged some of that lovely toile paper onto a little wooden stocking and gussied it all up with some vintage elements.  Great as a gift topper too--it's like 2 gifts in 1!

Well, that's it for me for today--I'd love to see what you are making...leave me a link and I'll check it out ♥♥

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

I do offer items in my shop that come from a smoke-free studio.............

But I can't guarantee that you won't find the occasional kitty hair in there!  LOL  This is where Daisy likes to sit when I sew ( my little pal )!

(of course, I check my products over very strictly for pet hair...just having a little fun!)

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Over & Done --Thank you

Well, the benefit for my brother Paul is was quite an experience, and it turned out wonderfully, and I'm so glad it's over!  LOL  I was overwhelmed by the sweetness, generosity, and willingness to "pitch in" that we ran across while planning for and having the benefit, it really gives you a renewed sense that there are really a lot of really wonderful people in this world! ....REALLY!  (sorry, just having a little fun with words ;oP)

I'd like to thank my beautiful cousins Vicki, Becky, Michelle, and Linda for all that they did.  I could never thank them enough for what they did, it was a thing of beauty and love and I love them forever for it.

 Left to Right:  Karen, Vicki, Linda, Michelle, Becky

I also received so many gifts and donations from my online family was amazed by how many "strangers" helped out (of course, I know that online friends are NOT really strangers, they are just friends that you haven't seen yet!)  lol  I would like to thank all of you who helped by sending something and/or shared your stories and prayers with us.  It warms my heart REALLY!  I'd like to send special thanks to the EtsyTwitter team, there was a lot of love that came from the gals in that group and I REALLY appreciate it!

Oh, and a HUGE thank you to Brenda Fisher and The GATINAS!!!!

Here are some of the people who helped out--please go and visit their shops and give them some love, they are wonderful people who make wonderful things!!
Cedar Junction
Pieceful Bits
Handmade by Sandi
Cape Cod Jewelry
Firebird House
Foxy G Knits
Blue Cole
Holly So Lightly
High Desert Rose
Casual Cottage
Beans Things
Shes Sew Pretty
Threepeats Jewelry
Rick Rack Queen
Books Around the Clock
Starbaby Online
Bertrams Bowdoir
ReBop Shop

I hope I didn't forget anyone!  If I accidently left you off the list, please contact me so I can get you on here!

Heartfelt thanks to all who helped or prayed or were one of the over 300 people who came to enjoy and support!  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts ♥♥♥
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Thursday, October 26, 2006

Quiz me up to the max

Apologies for the quite appalling lack of blogging of late. I am absolutely run off my feet at the moment, and when I get in from work I am more inclined to pass out on the sofa in front of the TV than try to write witty things on here.

Anyway, tonight I managed to escape work at a relatively decent hour in order to mug up for tonight’s pub quiz at the Nobody Inn. We used to go to The George or The Rosemary but the quizzes there were scarily preoccupied with questions about History which is easily our worst subject between us.

Pleasingly, the one at the Nobody Inn has no truck with such subjects, preferring to focus on current affairs and showbiz, which is much better suited to us lot. It is also an absurdly generous place in terms of prizes. KT and I went there a few weeks ago and ended up doing the quiz while completely hammered. We came rock bottom, yet were still invited to choose a prize (we had a choice of a family sized bar of Dairy Milk or four cans of Carling. God knows what the winners got, considering this generosity. Gold bullion?)

So, Heat magazine read and the names of family-abandoning Tory politicans memorised, we’re ready to rock. All we have to do now is choose our team name. I am hanging out for ‘Heather Mills-McCartney is a total ho’, but I fear that while this is factually correct, it is not quite witty enough in comparison to our fellow Hackney quizzers.

Wish us luck!

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"when i was 5 years old, my mom always told me that happiness was the key to life. when i went to school, they asked me what i wanted to be when i grew up. i wrote down "happy". they told me i didn't understand the assignment and i told them they didn't understand life."
28.5.10 19:37

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Saturday, September 13, 2008

Folly of our two-party system

The fatal flaws of our two-party system are obvious. We always end up voting for the lesser of two evils. On top of this neither candidate is willing to address the real issues facing our country right now. Inflation is running rampant. Our national debt is at record levels, we are...News with an attitude that makes sense

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Rebates in Commercial Gas Energy Efficiency Programs

National Grid’s Commercial Energy Efficiency Program provides support services and incentives to commercial customers who install energy efficient natural gas related features. All firm commercial and firm transportation rate customers are eligible. Prescriptive rebates are available for common energy efficiency measures installed after the completion of an energy audit, including: programmable thermostats, boiler reset controls, steam trap replacements, pipe/duct insulation, building shell insulation and windows. Custom rebates are available for projects that demonstrate the use of natural gas more efficiently than industry practices, and more efficiently than the minimum building code requirements. Incentives are available covering up to a maximum of 50% of project costs, capped at $100,000 per site and/or per project. The Commercial High Efficiency Heating Program offers rebates ranging from $100 to $6,000 for various types of energy efficient space and water heating equipment. Rebates depend on equipment type and efficiency. Contact: National Grid Energy Efficiency; 800-292-2032;

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We've made it!

We've made it!
Posted on 12/23/2015
MLK ArtWe have successfully transitioned into our new space! We are all still getting to know the building and working out some logistical issues, but overall it has been an exciting and happy time. Not only for the King community but for the upper school as well. As I write this, I am listening to the excited voices of middle school students who are touring the building for the first time. The outside spaces are still under construction. However, by spring it will all be beautiful and ready for wonderful outdoor community events and celebrations.

We would like to thank the parents and families for their understanding and patience as
we continue to settle in and learn new routines.

Parents who are interested in touring the space will have an opportunity to do so on the evening of January 15th. Tours will be from 5 - 5:30PM and 6:30 - 7:30PM.


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Tuesday, September 11, 2007

How Many Black Players Are Optimal?

After recently reading this article, and thinking back to some of the interviews given by Torii Hunter this season, I did some quick googling.

The 2000 Census lists African-Americans as 12.9% of the total population. A press release from MLB lists the percentage of foreign born players in MLB at 29.0%. That would mean we'd expect 9.1% of Major League players to be African-American? The aforementioned article mentions that African-Americans constitute 8.5% of all Major League players. As the difference between 9.1% and 8.5% in a pool of 842 is only 5 players, aren't things proportional? Is the issue that there is no longer a disproportionate number of African-American players as in years past?

Criticism of the development money spent by Major League teams in Latin America when compared to the money spent in America's inner cities seems misguided to me as it is the result of the Rule 6 Draft excluding Latin American prospects (save for those in Puerto Rico if memory serves). Development academies in Latin America are run by individual teams, and those teams are much more likely to sign the prospectus produced by their own academies.

It has been suggested that Major League Baseball, as a collective, fund development academies in America's inner cities so the costs would be shared among all 30 teams, which would get rid of any problems with players from such academies entering the Rule 6 Draft. But if the slice of African-American players is very nearly the same size as the slice of African Americans in the general population, does major league baseball really need to?

There is speculation that the influx of talent from Asia will end the Rule 6 Draft anyway. With higher priced players falling in the draft due to "signability" concerns and teams not able to trade draft picks, the draft doesn't create much parity as it stands now anyway. This could be good for baseball on a global scale as it would potentially allow an exchange of talent between America and Asia and Latin America so that professional leagues in other countries could field a level of play equal to the Major Leagues.

Different time zones and the logistics of teams flying all over the world make the idea of, say, a MLB franchise in Tokyo, Seoul or Caracas seem unlikely even in the distant future. But some sort of configuration of competitive national leagues and a huge emphasis placed on the World Baseball Classic seems sort of plausible.

I'm not sure how to wrap this rambling post up. I guess it looks like the world is starting to push MLB to an equilibrium of sorts, and it will be interesting to see how the world's premiere league responds.

John said...

Wow. I can't believe we've spent this much time talking about this and this is the first time I've ever heard the numbers put in the context of the general population. Nice job Kyle.

Vikes Geek said...

It would be interesting to see the numbers for "white" players in MLB versus the general population. Based on the logic of forming inner-city camps to attract inner-city kids (I think that's actually code for a more specific sub-set of kids), maybe there's an even stronger argument for setting up baseball camps in the rural heartland.

John Sharkey, Esq. said...

Are there any good numbers out there comparing economic class to representation in baseball (or other sports)? If, traditionally, more high-level talent comes from the low end of society (because athletics are often the only means of escape from poverty, while upper-class kids go to Harvard instead), it'd be interesting to see whether or not that holds today.


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Giovanni DeChiaro is John DeChiaro to Mobile International Festival, who has performed now for the festival for seven years. He has a loyal following of fans who listen to him play musical pieces from Pachelbel to Schubert or Bach or Rachmaninoff or Tarrega to Scott Joplin and many more. He is a versatile virtuoso!

John debuted in 1978 in a Carnegie Recital Hall performance which brought a rave notice from the New York Times. He has performed in many parts of the world including for the late Pope John Paul II in the Vatican, Rome, and former President Bill Clinton at a special Christmas function at the White House. In 1989, NASA commissioned him to compose an original classical guitar number for the Shuttle Space Program. He also recorded two nationally televised special programs for the PBS Network. His recordings of Scott Joplin can be heard nationally over the National Public Radio’s syndicated program, “Performance Today.”

John is also a teacher. He taught at the College of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station, NJ, while pursuing his own graduate studies at New York University. He was on the music faculty of University of Southern Mississippi. Right now he teaches at the Louisiana State University. He is the music director of St. Martin Catholic Church, Mary Mother of Jesus Catholic Church in Central, Louisiana and of the Carlow Choir, a vocal ensemble composed of 155 people who will be singing for Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in Rome in October 2008.

In addition to his teaching and performing schedule, John arranges and transcribes for the guitar. He has published a five volume set of teaching materials and numerous transcriptions with the Willis Music Company of Cincinnati, OH. Mel Bay Publications of Pacific, MO, has released his transcriptions of several Spanish Classics in an anthology entitled, “Treasures of the Spanish Guitar”.

With John’s accomplishment and love for teaching, it is no wonder that he enjoys being part of Mobile International Festival where he can share his classical guitar music with everyone. He will be playing at the Lobby Stage and Storytelling Room where he can talk about his techniques.

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03 Mar 2017

Wild and rugged West Coast - New Plymouth to Auckland

Wild and rugged West Coast - New Plymouth to Auckland

We woke to the final day of our North Island adventure. First stop: Joe’s Garage for a tasty, filling breakfast. New Plymouth has lots of options for dining, with a range of affordability, but we wanted something filling and Joe’s is a favourite of ours. Over breakfast, we planned the route home. The Three Sisters and Elephant Rock, along the coast north of New Plymouth, has interesting geology, so we decided we would stop there early on the journey home.

Arriving at the carpark for the rocks, we noticed the tide was up a little. We walked around the coast until we could almost see the geological forms of the Three Sisters - three large rock formations left behind after the erosion of the cliff by the sea. We were able to take some photographs, but the tide had already come in too far, preventing us from getting right around to see the Elephant Rock. It was a bit frustrating, but what we could see what amazing nonetheless. If I was to return, I’d make sure to get the tide timing right so as to walk all the way around the rocks. On our return to the vans, we had to tread carefully as the rocks were very slippery: Akhil took a fall and ended up covered in mud and sand! Cleaned up and with our gear back in the vans, we hit the road again.

We decided to make one last stop at Raglan before taking the motorway back into Auckland city. We arrived at the surfing town, and parked up next to the beach. Raglan has great vibes - very surfy and laid back, with kids running around barefoot, and dreadlocked surfers carrying boards to and from the beach. The popular shops are the dairies selling ice cream and hot chips. We got a typically kiwi meal of a pie each and a takeaway coffee, and relaxed by the beach.

We eventually made our way back to Auckland, following the motorway (after an accidental detour down another unsealed road!), driving into the Big Smoke just ahead of the rush hour traffic.

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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Little Herb Garden, Petit jardin

On the side yard we have a little herb garden.
A petite little space. Un petit amour.
Growing madly in the light Spring air.
If gnomes were to come around they'd make a cabin amongst the chard.
Or perhaps on the edge of a forest of radishes.
But SCAT! The forest cat wards those gnomes away.
No pesky garden gnomes here.
Delight overwhelms me.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Toms Wedges? Anyone?

Wedges seem like the perfect balance between casual and dressy. Lately I have been thinking about getting a pair of these Toms Wedges. I have to be sure I really want them though, because they aren't cheap - $68 or so. I'm thinking you could wear them with skinny jeans, or a dress, or even shorts. These are my favorite colorways on the Nordstrom website, which is where I would get them.

I have boots and vans and some sandals. But nothing really with a heel. And I hardly ever dress up because I A. work around the clock, and B. don't have money to spend on going out. If I'm not working I am pretty causal.

I don't know, what do you think?

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Easter 2012 - 4th Annual Adult Easter Egg Hunt!

A tradition through the ages. Yes, old ages.
Ok, here we go for the 4th Annual Adult Easter Egg Hunt:
Participants :: 4 Adults (me, my brother Cole, sister Deanna, and my husband Billy)
Age Range :: 20-31
Number of Eggs :: Approx 120
WINNER :: 1st Place goes to Cole with 38 eggs.
RUNNER UP :: 2nd Place goes to Deanna with 32 eggs.
LOSER :: Coming in last place is my very own Billy with 24 eggs. Boo.

You may ask, who hides the eggs? Answer: Our parents! It's all so silly :)

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Champagne Cocktail

So for just about any special occasion we make champagne cocktail. It is something Billy's family makes regularly and my sister Deanna and I have adopted it as a celebratory habit for just about anything. Champagne (or sparkling wine as many are technically called) is by far my favorite booze drink, and the champagne cocktail rivals none. People usually have no idea what I'm talking about when I mention the champagne cocktail and I'm a bit sad for all who don't know what they're missing! So here is how to make it...
1. Start with some Champagne or sparkling wine. My favorite for the last few years has been Montcadi "Cava" sparkling wine from Spain. I buy it at the Fresh & Easy for $4.99. It is a jewel, let me tell you. Ok, so you have your champagne.
2. Next you will need some champagne glasses. My parents don't have them so when we make it at their house we have to improvise with wine glasses - lame. Alas, however, a glass is a glass.
3. Drop a sugar cube at the bottom of each glass.
4. Liberally sprinkle "Angostura bitters" over your sugar cube. You can find these inexpensive bitters at most grocery stores.
5. Peel a couple lemon zest strips and place in each glass.
Now it's time to pour the champagne! Don't be scared, it wont spray everywhere. Here's a tip that works for me every time when opening the bottle - hold on the the cork with one hand and the bottle with the other, and twist the bottle not the cork.
Ooooo, that's money.
Cheers to you sis!
A tasty sip indeed!

I hope you'll give this a try!

Monday, April 9, 2012

Happy Easter

We had an amazing Easter. It started with a sunrise service at 6:30am at the flower fields, a wonderful Sunday nap, an Easter egg hunt, champagne of course, and a fantastic dinner. The weather was quite summer-like which made for a relaxing time out on the patio (with champagne. Always champagne!).

What did you do? Hope your day was delightful!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Cake Topper Pouches

While recently trying to think of a sweet and special way to package my heart cake toppers I came up with an idea that is cheap, easy and most importantly - cute! I wanted to send these toppers in something reusable, something that could be pretty and something that would lend itself to the idea of being "keepsake." These little bags were my perfect solution. They are cute, can be made out of all kinds of fabric remnants and evocate the charm and personal touch I am going for. I can sew and trim them in just a couple of minutes per bag too. Hopefully people will love them!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Easter Eggs

My sister and I can't possibly have an Easter without dyed eggs. In my last post I mentioned we were going to try Martha's egg dye technique of just food coloring, vinegar and hot water. It totally worked! The longer the eggs sat in the color, the richer the color was. The results were beautiful and we will definitely do it this way again.
Dye Ingredients:
<< 20 drops food coloring
<< 1 tsp. white vinegar
<< 1 cup hot water

This method made some lovely Easter pastels as well as some really rich hues. And we had everything we needed on hand already which made this a practically free homemade project. Hope you're doing some eggs this year too. Happy decorating <3


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Sites We Love

We’ve been obsessed with Lisa, a writer and artist, since we discovered her blog, A Bloomsbury Life, and are so excited to get to know her better here. She lives with her husband Piero and their 11 year old son Luca in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Give us a little background on yourself/what you do/how you came to it.

I’m a former NYC advertising writer who reinvented herself five years ago by starting a blog that explores how you can live a modern life through an Old World lens. I call it “A Bloomsbury Life” in homage to the Bloomsbury Group, a posse of BFF artists and writers in the 1920’s who moved to the English countryside to devote their lives to art, literature, friendship, travel and pleasure. I started off with two readers — my husband and my mother — and now I have followers in over 140 countries, and a book coming out on Random House in 2014 about how to discover your design style through classic literature.

Tell us about your embroidery work–how that came about–what was the inspiration?

I’m also an embroidery artist who cross-stitches modern poems onto huge burlap samplers. The samplers are part of my obsession with taking an old-school craft like cross-stitch and using it as a vehicle for modern social commentary. Instead of traditional biblical verses or quaint homilies, my samplers tackle subjects like plastic surgery, the recession and It Bags.

Do you work in a home office, and if you do, how do you deal with working from home?

I have an office upstairs and I try very hard to do the bulk of my work between the time I drop my son off at school and pick him up. Of course, it doesn’t always work out like this, so I’m usually sitting at my computer in my pajamas when my husband and son are asleep.

What would you say is your “mom uniform”?

For the past few months, it’s literally been a version of the same thing every day since I’ve been racing to finish my book and I have zero time to think about my wardrobe.  I wear a short kilt over skinny jeans, black t-shirt and fitted leather jacket. Sometimes a long patterned scarf tossed on at the last minute. Oh, and my Skullcandy aviator headphones with built-in mic which make me look like an air traffic controller. As my husband says when I’m talking on the phone, “Don’t forget to tell Delta they can descend to 17,000 feet.”

Do you cook much–if you don’t, what are your ways around not cooking, and if you do, what are your go-tos–both for yourself, and for your son?

I am very lucky in that my husband’s parents were restaurateurs, so cooking in his genes and he loves it. He handles the weekends, but I make Luca dinner on weeknights – usually some variation of pasta with veggies, turkey burgers, chicken quesadillas, etc. I aim for easy and healthy. And Trader Joe’s spinach pizza makes it onto every grocery list – it is seriously amazing.

What’s your weeknight family dinner routine?

Piero doesn’t get home until around 7pm, so Luca and I eat together on school nights. Once a week, we’ve started having “Dinner and a Book Night” where we are both allowed to read at the table. I will do anything to get him to be as passionate about reading as I am. Food fills your stomach, but books fill your soul.

How do you celebrate Luca’s birthday?

We’ve done it all – the Chuck-e-Cheese party, the sword-fighting party, the three friends at a fancy restaurant with an over-the-top dessert menu. This year my son asked my husband and me if we could all hike to the top of Mount Hollywood and then play board games and make popcorn. We did and it was the best day ever.

Best kid purchase/bang for your buck?

The monogrammed school satchel he gets to pick out every September from Lands End. It’s got great zips and pockets and is completely indestructible. He uses it for vacations, sleepovers, soccer games, you name it.

Any rules about TV/screens?

I have a ship’s sand timer hanging right next to our television so that he knows when 30 minutes is up, but generally the rule is homework first and no more than an hour or so a day of TV or computer. His Nintendo DS is only allowed on the plane because he literally cannot put it down, but this means that a 12-hour flight is his dream come true.

What websites inspire you and for which parts of your life? Preferred social media is….?

Momfilter, of course! Garance Doré for fashion and because she’s just so darn cute. Brain Pickings and Arts and Letters Daily for multiplying my gray cells. Remodelista for great design. The Persephone Books blog for a dose of Englishness. My friend David Netto’s website for sheer coolness. In terms of social media, mostly Instagram and Facebook. I need to get better at Twitter.

What’s the thing that always stays on your to-do list and never gets crossed off and nags at you? (Photo albums? Organizing your kids art projects? Planning a family trip?)

Ay-yi-yi, you’re killing me with that question! Photo albums! I have thousands of photos on my computer that I have been meaning to print out and put in books for YEARS now. I’ve printed a few Blurb books from specific vacations which are great, but I still think my son should have some physical photos – otherwise, he’ll have nothing to put into frames when he’s grown up, right?  Also, I need to organize all the artwork I’ve saved of his.

Do you have a fail-safe beauty product or routine?

Yes, I call it “My Faithful Five.” Cetaphil cleanser and a washcloth, Estee Lauder Soft Clean Silky Hydrating Lotion (I’ve been using it forever and it smells so good), any moisturizer with SPF 30, Stila Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 and a quick sweep of Laura Mercier Candlelight Illuminating Powder. Three minutes and I’m done.

Best family trip?

Two that spring to mind are the stately manor in Scotland that we rent with two other families through the Landmark Trust (it’s like time travelling back to the 19th century) and a recent trip to Marrakesh which was incredible because we had the most wonderful adventures: wandering through the souks, hiking in the Atlas Mountains, driving through the desert to a little village on the coast.

Any personal/parenting “a-ha” tips?

Not letting your mood determine your manners. A friendly greeting in the morning to everyone in the house is non-negotiable.

You feel your best when?

I’m sharing a simple candlelit meal with my husband. I’m singing in the car on a roadtrip with a girlfriend. I’m tickling my son until he’s laughing so hard he can’t breathe. I’m curled up on the couch with a book I can’t put down—and no one’s interrupting me. It’s the small moments.

Guiltiest pleasure?

Those rolls of marzipan you find in the baking section of the grocery store. I buy them for recipes but end up eating it straight from the tube so there’s never enough to cook with.

Proudest moment in parenting?

I was having a conversation with my son about dying and how important it was to live every moment to its fullest, and he told me that if a lightning bolt struck him right that second, he would still have had the best life because he had been happy every day.

Best parenting advice you ever got?

“If you can’t balance the meal, balance the day.” In other words, the red velvet donut for breakfast will even itself out with the chicken salad at lunch and the veggie pasta at dinner.

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Comments (19)

  1. Posted by: Katie

    LOVE Lisa! I’m a devoted fan of A Bloomsbury Life and really enjoyed the interview. Thanks!

  2. Absolutely delightful! Love Lisa’s blog and what fun to learn even more about her. Thank you.

  3. Posted by: carol

    A great interview with Lisa – Bloomsbury Life is a blog that I never tire of. I’ve also made the error of coming here for the first time and am now sorely tempted to sit here for a while. A great site.

  4. Posted by: pve

    I think I had a dream I was having tea at her marvelous home….she is a dream. love her and I honestly have never met her but whenI read her blog, I feel like I know her and she knows me.

  5. I love Lisa’s blog and have been her follower for four years or so. Like your readers, I feel like I know her, but have not met her yet. It is always a beautiful thought that our paths shall cross one day.

    Thank you for interviewing Lisa and I look forward to knowing Momfilter

  6. Posted by: Emily

    Lisa inspires me so much! She is the most unique and gifted person I have ever met (okay, virtually). She is a treasure, and I am glad you interviewed her.

  7. Posted by: Dee

    Her blog is one of the most interesting one I’ve come across. She is a unique person, I love spending time with her virtually:) Thank you for the interview and for always having the best stuff on Momfilter!

  8. Posted by: kelly

    Oh I love Lisa & Bloomsbury as well…it was great to “get to know her” a bit better this morning. Thank you & I am now going to check out momfilter. As a mom of two girls I think I will enjoy it as well.

  9. Posted by: kelly

    Oh I love Lisa & Bloomsbury as well…it was great to “get to know her” a bit better this morning. Thank you & I am now going to check out momfilter. As a mom of two girls I think I will enjoy it as well.

  10. I have been reading “A Bllomsbury Life” for awhie now, and really enjoy Lisa’s photographs and comments! I love the report of her conversation on death and the lightning strike with her son… and the colors and patterns of her life are really fun to think about.

  11. This is my first visit here as I just discovered Lisa’s site a few weeks ago. Very nice interview. I always love skirts over skinny jeans but wondered if people thought i was weird. So, thanks for being my skinny jean/skirt sister. I look forward to reading your blog, Yolanda.

  12. I forgot to say that Embroidery work is fabulous! What a great idea and to make it so big makes such a statement. Love it.

  13. Posted by: Lisa Borgnes Giramonti

    Thank you so much, ABL readers, for your lovely lovely comments! They mean a lot to me. And just so you know — I feel like I know all of you as well. :) xxx

  14. Posted by: Jessica

    Lisa and Bloomsbury are always so inspiring, and this interview opened up even more avenues of inspiration…thank you!
    Such a sweet, talented, and genuine spirit…
    xo J~

  15. Posted by: Anne

    Regarding 12-hour flights, any more tips for getting through them yourself and with a kid? I’m doing a Japan flight with an 11 year old soon…. Anne

  16. Lisa and A Bloomsbury LIfe is one of the reasons I have come to believe blogging can be an art form. I stumbled on her site several years ago and have continued to drop in
    always finding something to make me think or something to make agree we are all in this together– despite our different life stages. My children are considerably older than hers but I wish I had instituted book night dinners. Today both my girls and I like to read the same book or galleys passing it from one of us tothe next and on again. This is a connection that makes me appreciate the value of both family and literature. I look forward to her book.

  17. Posted by: Rachael

    I’ve been thinking about those headphones ever since I read this interview. Love how extreme they are.

  18. Posted by: Lindsey

    I love that about balancing the day. My sweet tooth was so intense while pregnant, I would balance the week… 😉 xo

  19. Absolutely love both her parenting Ah-ha and her list of when she feels the best. I agree wholeheartedly on those bests! And, thanks for turning me on tho the Landmark Trust… sounds fun!

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Sunday, October 5, 2014

Love and Trust

  I love the story of Tobias, his wife, son and in laws and their trusting relationship with the archangel Rafael. They remain faithful to God throughout several frightening, life threatening events. They risk their lives to obey God. How beautiful is the example of the father as spiritual leader of his family, instructing his child in both word and example. How powerful is this father's example of courage as he performs acts of mercy. The family remains united in faith, not swayed by blindness or death. They obediently trust in the angel sent to them by God. They accept His will, even when there is every mortal probability of sorrow. They pray faithfully, hearts filled with loving thanksgiving, even though they have not yet experienced a favorable outcome. Finally, they rejoice in God's mercy upon them.
      As Catholics, we are greatly blessed by the Deuterocanonical accounts of courage, obedience and faith. The prayers of these trusting followers of God merit recitation in our own lives. We may benefit from these writings in a viety of translations of the Bible. It is a privilege to share these accounts with persons of every faith.

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