Clarksdale, MS water table

This is a phenomena unheard of in NE. In Clarksdale the ground water level was so high, it heaved empty swimming pools out of the ground.

Thou shalt not poke a pipe in the ground, unless there's a pre-determined, proper place for the water to go.

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CROSS ROAD, author Christopher J. West

The story was inspired by the legend of the cross-roads in Clarksdale, MS, wherein a struggling musician sells his soul to Satan in exchange for talent and fame.

As a minister, Chris says, "If a person can truly 'sell' their soul, then supply and demand takes effect A person or entity that might want to own or possess your soul, if you will, may pay a high price for it."

The main goal of his story is, "No matter what happens to you, there's always redemption."

If someone sold their soul, how would they collect on it? Wouldn't they need another body to occupy? Would they push somebody out of theirs? Drugs and alcohol alter the mind opening the aura for anybody to walk in and take over. Is that what they'd do? What do you think?

For the record: "Hear Yee. Hear Yee. My soul is not for sale; I AM the Lord's."

West will read and sign books at the Carnegie Public Library at 4 pm today.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Remembering. Memorial Day 2013

We are One Nation Under God 

indivisible 

with liberty and justice for all.

 Remembering the many who gave their all
Appreciating their sacrifice and our freedom.

 Remembering the soldiers closest to my heart
scared, brave, courageous
 night sweats, malaria bouts, nightmares, regrets, guilt,
standing for the Pledge of Allegiance with hand over heart,
deep love of the USA

 Honoring the named,
the unknown who didn't come home
the families without closure

Remembering the far away and long ago
General Patton buried with his men

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Going home, coming home

Windows down, I inhaled the familiar scent of Nebraska soil. It will always be home. The rolling hills. Less humidity. Friendly faces. Warm welcomes. Hugs and back scratches. Visiting school and spending time with my young friends and their families. Watching baby squirrels play in my sister's tall trees. Filling my trunk with books to give away. Cooking with my sister and laughing lots. She made a cream cheese cake that didn't make it to the picnic. I made Southern cheese grits with shrimp they loved. I must return often; it fuels my soul.

Old Fashioned Cream Cake

I yellow cake mix
1 large egg or 2 smaller ones
1 stick of soft butter
   Mix and pat into a 9x13 pan or dish

Mix together:
3 eggs
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond flavoring
Spread over cake mixture in the pan

Bake 350 degrees, if a metal pan, 325 if glass, 30 to 40 minutes  The top should be slightly brown.
See how fast it disappears for you.

On my return to MS, I stopped in Nebraska City at the truck stop on I29  and sat at the counter for faster service. A breakfast burrito was delivered to the man on my far right. I only noticed because he was upset about the sliced black olives on top and refused to eat any of it.  Since I do not have "olive anxiety", I offered to take them. He relaxed and ate his burrito. I enjoyed my olive topped omelet while he talked and talked. Among his other problems, he hated boiled yellow squash, too, after having to eat it three times a day at the babysitters. The poor guy is a hostage of his negative feelings.

I took a side trip to visit friends at Mt Vernon, MO. Moore, OK, had already been demolished. We were in a new tornado warning and took refuge in a friend's basement. When Joplin, MO was destroyed by a tornado, x-rays from their hospital blew more than 30 miles into this Mt. Vernon yard. Our evening was uneventful. Thank God! As they say in the South, "You must have been prayed up."

Tornado warnings continued through Tuesday keeping me in Mt. Vernon an extra day. No problem! If you like fresh ground coffee, go to Keen Bean. Enjoy their pastries, sandwiches, soups and cold drinks, too  Eighth-grader Skylar and I made the cream-cheese cake that did not make it through the day, either. He made the chocolate and oatmeal boiled cookies, monkey bread and Alfredo. His little sister, Adalyn showed us all up by winning numerous games of UNO. Tawnya Krempges is near becoming a National Sales Director for Mary Kay. Go Tawnya! I love MK"s new "TimeWise Repair Volu-Firm". My face feels firmer in just a few days. What will months do? Contact me here or on facebook if you're interested in trying it.

New routes can be interesting, challenging, or just plain dull. In pre-dawn and light fog, I discovered Arkansas has mountains on its west side with high-off-the-ground bridges connecting them. It reminded me of driving in Belgium. I hugged the left lane here, too.

Mississippi greeted me with humidity that slows my steps, proof of mice in the house and two cats doing nothing about it.  I would prefer not to use poison. If you know of a saint who drives out mice, I'd appreciate the info.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Tomato Aspic Revival

Long ago, and far away, we cooked our veggies, except for cucumbers. I "heard" older women speak of  Tomato Aspic, but I wanted no part of olives and uncooked veggies in jello.Yuk! UnAmerican! If the veggies weren't cooked, I wouldn't eat them.

Life blessed me with all the things I didn't like or was afraid of. Ever curious, I asked a dear Southern friend what a Tomato Aspic was. She smiled wide. Her eyes dilated. Annabell sighed. "I haven't had it in years. I put baby shrimp and olives in mine." It wasn't on my bucket list, but for Annabel, I would try. 

I got busy being Methodist and made Tomato Aspic with Plan B to buy a cake from Kroger.  I added chopped green and yellow bell peppers, green and black olives, Bumblebee baby shrimp, blanched asparagus tips and a finely chopped vidalia onion. The inverted dish fit perfectly on the found-in-the-closet platter. I felt confident the presentation would please the eye first, and hoped the taste would come close to what they remembered. Drum roll! It was a hit! Ladies not only enjoyed it at dinner, they took servings home. I came home with nothing more than a lick left. 

Tomato Aspic

2 envelopes Knox Gelatin                               

½ cup V-8 Juice                                                               

2 ½ cups V-8 Juice

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp sugar

2 tsp. onion juice

2 tsp. vinegar

1/8 tsp. tobasco

Dissolve gelatin in 1/2 cup V-8. 

Heat 2 ½ cups V-8.

Ingredient options: artichoke hearts; asparagus; green or black olives; green and other peppers; celery; shrimp; or whatever you like.                                                                            

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate in a ring mold, muffin tins, 8 x 8 dish, or your choice. If you plan to invert it, grease the container first.

Cottage Cheese Topping

12 oz. cottage cheese

3 spring (green) onions chopped

¼ cup mayonnaise

1/8 tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. salt

Mix together

If you used a ring mold, place the topping in the center. If not, put it on the side or in a separate bowl. 

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

River banks are imaginary boundaries

Water boundaries. Wait a minute. Oh, we've diverted it for our use. Hmmm. Maybe that wasn't a good idea. If we let it "go home," so to speak, the MS Delta would be flooded from Cape Girardeau to the Gulf of Mexico. It already has 35', or more, of topsoil. Nebraska got here before I did.

The Missouri River begins in Montana and is the eastern boundary of Nebraska. Record rainfall created the worst flooding in North Dakota in 130 years in 2011. I don't know what this year's record is. Record snows in the Rockies have not yet melted. High water will continue moving southward for some time.

There is no place on this planet where there isn't "weather". We are all in this together. It is wise to help each other. We never know when we're going to need it.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Pinocchio

A Mexican woven decoration to the left. My handmade one to the right.

I bought Pinocchio in Italy where the author of Pinocchio, Carlo Collodi was inspired in 1880.

His first movie was 1940. Easily led astray by con-men, Pinocchio has a problem with right and wrong. Jiminy Cricket is his "official" conscience. He must be brave . Only when he proves himself deserving of the Blue Fairy's trust, and his father's love, will he become a real boy.

Mediterranean Chiavari Hotel so quiet Dali & I called it the "Dead Zone". We later learned Archaeologists were meeting there.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Memory Malfunction: the elephant and I

photo by Leroy & Alice Patocka-Fortner in Zimbabwe, Africa.

The elephant leaving the pool must have forgotten something. Me too. I published this picture and a short piece 10/27/09. Over the weekend I came across more information.

The community watering hole attracts sable, impala, bush buck and giraffe. Other visitors needing a sip, slurp or splash are oribi (small tan-colored antelope), zebra, leopard, hyena, eland and blue wildebeest. Wild hogs, baboons, monkeys, warthogs and guinea fowl join the fray. And there are probably other species as well.

Not only do they all come to drink, they bathe, pee and poop in the water. Natives come to wash their clothes and hang them on bushes to dry. Alice and Leroy's laundry was washed in well water, dried and ironed to kill the crud. Here at the pool vehicles are washed, and natives take water home for drinking and cooking. That about covers it.

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2009 Red Convertible Travel Series

Civil War History

I don't know much about it. Nebraska didn't become a state until 1867. Gone With The Wind sticks in my mind as a story of people's resiliency and ingenuity, and a whole lot Rhett romance, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." And poor Scarlet, helpless as a rattlesnake.

In this week's Today in Mississippi, Walt Grayson addresses Mississippi's historical anniversaries. "...the 150th anniversary of the Vicksburg Campaign of the Civil war. Gen. U. S. Grant and 17,000 Union troops crossed over the MS River from Hard Times Landing, LA to Bruinsburg, MS."

"It's also the 200th anniversary of Andrew Jackson's march down the Natchez Trace with his TN Volunteers, hoping to get to the British at New Orleans. And he was following Rachel Robards, a Nashville divorcee, to Springfield Plantation, west of Fayette, where she was staying with family and friends. If you know your history, you know they eventually married and he was elected President. (I just learned that.) The plantation is still standing and will be open for tours occasionally during some of the Natchez pilgrimages."

We had cheese grits and shrimp at noon, and now I'm hungry for MS history.

Walt Grayson is the host of "Mississippi Roads" on MS Public Broadcasting TV, and the author of two "Looking Around Mississippi" books and "Oh! That Reminds Me: More Mississippi Homegrown Stories.     Contact him at walt@waltgrayson.com

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Winter in May

The air is charged with anxiety. May is not warming, it's more wet winter. Will it flood? When will it quit raining? Is the snow ever going to stop?

We're grateful we live about 20' higher than the creek to the north of our house. Behind the Levee is another matter. Camps are evacuated. Houses that were raised 17' after 2011 hope they are high enough. Excessive snow melt and rain flow into the MS River could produce flooding for months to come. Farmers aren't able to get into their fields. The mettle of us all is being tested. It's a knee-bender. I am reminded no problem is bigger than God. And being the all powerful, all knowing, everywhere at once Creator, it makes sense to me to align with it rather than do it my own.

I overheard two ladies talking about the "end times" being near. When I was a child, I heard on the radio that people were taking refuge in US mountain caves anticipating "the end".  It raised concerns in my young heart. How come we weren't told? What are we supposed to do? I took note of how many months until "it" was supposed to happen. It didn't. The earth didn't turn inside out. I wondered if the cave-hiders were surprised or embarrassed. That's not to say it couldn't happen some day. Nebraska has been a desert. Large animal bones similar to African species have been found in north central Nebraska. And Nebraska has been part of a large inland lake.

When I hiked the Grand Canyon, I studied nature's cupboard of resting fossils. Saltwater seashells, fresh water fish skeletons, flowers and petrified wood are evidence earth's axis shift.

Whatever does or doesn't happen, I find it beneficial to my peace of mind to ask the Lord to take care of everything and put me where He needs me. In the South they say "You better hope you're prayed up!" I don't know where the water line is on that, but only God knows which prayer tips the scale.

Wishing you warm, sunny days, an unemployed snow scoop, rivers confined to their banks, and farmland  easily growing this year's crops.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

MS River on the move

Is winter finally coming to an end in Minnesota? When my sister lived in St. Paul, she said they had two seasons: shovel and swat.

Here in Clarksdale this past Wed, we had low temps, wind, rain and heavy cloud cover making everything seem winter dark .It reminded me of Scotland.  I compared it to November here and thought about Christmas shopping.

The MS river is rising about a foot a day. Locals are relocating whatever is movable from behind the Levee. We watch the Helena, AR gauge. At 4 pm today, it was at 37.74'. Next Wed. it is expected to hit 40': Take Action Stage. I did not see mention of 40' as the crest. With all the snow and rain up north, west and east, it could be an eventful summer. We've done what we can. Now we watch and wait.

2/21/1937 the river reached an all time high of 60.2' The all time low of -4.20' was 7/11/1988.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Chiropractic care

At a young age, I  became acquainted with the local "bone crusher".  The hogs had wrestled me for their five gallon bucket of food and knocked me down one too many times. Give me cattle care any day. I don't remember much about the treatment, but it opened my eyes to the idea there are a variety of ways to get things done.

Fast forward to the mid-eighties.  I stopped at a yellow light and the guy behind me didn't giving me a whiplash. I drove straight to my chiropractor in Wahoo. He determined the jolt had lifted my head off my axis and set it down crooked. He said it was his job to put my head on straight. Let's don't push it. I like me just the way I am.

Residue from the accident stayed with me for decades. I didn't like the cracking method of adjustment, but it was all there was. I'd ask if he had a to-go box in the event my head did snap off.

Fast forward to  2011. Lifting and moving and a slip on the ice left me walking with a cane. Dr. Alia McCoy of Delta Chiropractic, Clarksdale, MS, is a pediatric specialist, just what I needed, since I AM a big baby about adjustments. I am more than pleased with her treatments. She gives the kindest, gentlest adjustments I have ever had.  I no longer need to ask about a to-go box. I can go for long walks again. When I turn my head, my neck no longer sounds like I'm crunching potato chips. She adjusts my extremities. I haven't been in this good of shape for decades. If you are in the Clarksdale area and need help, call 662-627-7640 for an appointment with Dr. Alia or Dr. Patty and tell them Maeann sent you.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Geraldine Holly Collins Obit

Where I'm from, an obit might not make it to my blog. Ms. Geraldine's is a unique piece of Deep South history worth sharing. She passed on January 19, 2013. "She was born June 23, 1933 on The Logan Place in Coahoma, MS. She lived and worked on the P. F. Williams Plantation and later moved to Friars Point, MS, where she became the 'EPITOME' of a great wife, mother, and caregiver. She was a woman who was loved throughout the community. She was preceded in death by two sons and two daughters. She is survived by 8 sons and 9 daughters, 111 grandchildren, 155 great-grandchildren and 6 great-great-grandchildren."

The stories she could have told. I wish I could have visited with her.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Clarksdale, MS coming events

There is no end to celebrations in Clarksdale. About 20,000 people came from all over the world for the Juke Joint Festival. The weekend was a huge success. The sales tax alone is a huge boost to the city.

If you're looking for something to do, take notice, and call the Clarksdale Chamber of Commerce for more information: 662-627-7337

May 2013: Clarksdale Caravan Music Fest 
                    (Their link didn't work. Call above #0)

               
June 2013: Delta Jubilee  clarksdale-ms.com

August 2013: Sunflower River Blues Fest  sunflowerfest.org

October: Tennessee Williams Festival  coahomacc.edu/twilliams
                 I love the porch plays.

October: Pinetop Perkins Homecoming  hopsonplantation.com

October Hambone Festival  hambonefestival.com 

Should you be in a literary mood, there will undoubtedly be someone doing a book signing.
Jane Bennett Gaddy came last week with her latest Civil War book.

Make your reservations early, Clarksdale is a happening place. If I hadn't answered my door 14 years ago, I wouldn't be here to tell you about it. See you there!

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Love the Great Healer

In the January/February issue of Angels on Earth, editor, Colleen Hughes, commented about the joy of receiving a hand written letter. I love to send and receive them. They aren't limited to Valentine's Day, they're good for all occasions. Check out their link angelsonearth.org/valentine  Someone you know might like a love note from you today.

Love is mightier than fear.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

The Anti-Christ

I don't think it is a person. I think t's fear and the belief we are separate from God and each other.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Boston Marathon bombing

I long for the order and simplicity of Andy Griffith and Mayberry, USA; Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and cowboys in white hats.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Clarksdale,MS Juke Joint Festival

It's Juke Joint Festival Clarksdale, MS time. Google it. People are here from around the world to stay at Hopson's Shackup Inn shackupinn.com, mingle in the streets, listen to a one man band or a group, eat crawfish, barbecue, catfish, chiliburgers and more. We ate crawfish at Delta Amusement (Google it) and visited with a couple from Alabama. Meeting people is half the fun. I shucked out the leftover crawfish and took them home. This morning I made cheese grits with sauteed onion and green pepper, Ro*Tel and tails. Scrumptious!

Vendors are a source of inspiration. I commend other's creativity. Bryan Weems carves on Cypress knees. He and I agreed we see personalities in them where they grow in the water. He said, "When I pick up a piece of wood, it talks to me." Like Michael Angelo, he carves to let the woods spirit's image out. Three grown together knees stand shoulder to shoulder. Carved, they look like brothers. I'd love to have them in a garden. One carving about 30" tall had two tops. One is the face of Christ in fervent prayer. The other is his praying hands. Nice work. Bryan doesn't have a website yet. If you're interested, leave your contact information and I will pass it on to him.

Artist and Educator, Rosalind Wilcox (Google her) has a studio of original art in many styles and gorgeous handmade jewelry.

Sugar Coated is the new Hands and Feet Beauty Bar on Delta where 225 used to be. It has a soothing, classy feel. I wish them well. No website yet. 

For a listing of events, Google Clarksdale Chamber of Commerce. Maybe we'll see you next year.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Cemetery Walk

This week we've had mist to drizzle to down pour. April is living up to her "showers" reputation - tears after March's bi-polar rant. This morning was foggy as the Blue Ridge Parkway. Fog lights lit the roadsides and driving was treacherous when last we traveled it.

Here at home I took my umbrella and went for a walk without boots and raincoat. Even though the day reminded me of Scotland, I was confident our drizzle would not turn to straight-line rain. There hasn't been a recent hurricane in the Gulf.

My destination was Oakhurst Cemetery. The drive curves around old, old oak trees. The recent graves were my priority. I wanted to see (with my mind's eye) who was dead and didn't know it. (Only the body dies. The soul doesn't skip a beat.) I touched each heart so they knew they were acknowledged and not alone. Heart to heart we conversed. Those who were ready to go "home", I took to the tall, wood carved double doors that open into the afterlife. The right door opened a sliver for them to enter. I did not. I have more work to do here.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Where the Love Is

A surprise from my 2nd grade friend, McKenzie

I love beets. Beets surprised me by creating a heart of their own from a drop of juice.

Found in my bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats this morning

Love is all around

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Bangkok 8 & behind the beautiful forevers

The first paragraph was recommended for study of its "hook". It works well. I won't tell you what it is, just that I stayed to the last page.

I will tell you "Bangkok 8" is a marriage of Scorpio and Aquarius. Written by John Burdett, I learned more about the culture of Thailand than I needed. If you know Scorpio, you know it's the battle ground of the soul: High minded or deep in sex.  Aquarius gathers information to pour out later. Burdett does both signs proud.  If you want to be entertained and shocked, check it out.

I am currently working my way through Katherine Boo's Pulitzer Prize winning "behind the beautiful forevers" life, death, and hope in a Mumbai undercity. There is a lot of poverty in Mississippi, but I don't think there's any place in this country with the poverty of Mumbai. It's a huge stretch to comprehend the way they live.

I told our local librarian I need two more months of winter just to read. Yard work takes. Mother Nature is doing her best to make the days dark and gloomy, rainy here and snowy up north, perfect for inside reading.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Stories

Willa Cather's Selected Letters

April 16th "Willa Cather's Selected Letters" hit the stands. I look forward to her thoughts and feelings.
I found the book listed in Amazon. I'm sure B&N will have it, too.

She is from an earlier period of Nebraska history. See my post 10/03/09 for more on her life and work..

An artist and an author see life through their unique perspective. It's a bold artist and or author who shares it with the rest of us. I love the study of differences.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Easter 2013

There's more to it than Easter eggs and candy.

Ever since the stone was rolled away, Christians have celebrated Christ's resurrection. He is a man for all seasons, races, ages, beliefs. He showed us how to live and how to die and is still with us. I know including Him in my life makes it work better.

 I look at Christ's way and contemplate my contribution to the whole. Perhaps the best thing I can do is live through my heart. Live love, forgiveness, compassion, patience, and service. Be slow to anger. Listen. Allow others their own beliefs without judgement. Yes, live without judgement. I don't walk in anyone else's shoes. I do not know every experience they have lived that shaped them to this moment.

My life is longer and more complicated than what has happened since I was born. From years of digging, I KNOW I have lived in other times and places. Where love lives, hearts are forever connected. Love at first sight is picking up where we left off.  Past life unresolved issues returned to be resolved. At least now I'm aware and take pains to resolve them. I'd rather recycle paper and cans than discordant thoughts and feelings.

Life is fascinating. I am determined to complete mine in peace and harmony and maybe graduate as Christ taught us. To you and yours, Blessings this Easter, whether you celebrate or not.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

The MS Marlboro Man

We had been to Sargent, Nebraska to visit my childhood friend, Connie, and her family. Driving through the treeless Sand Hills the only change of scenery is the occasional windmill and another herd of cattle. The kids soon tired at my, "Look, there's a new calf!"

It was tempting to drive at top speed to get to "civilization." But... where the roads are built up between the hills, cross winds are dangerous. And cattle have no regard for fences. The grass is greener on the other side, even if it means crossing the road at cow-speed. Whole cows do not make good hood ornaments.

It was a drizzly morning. In the distance, but close to the road, a lone rider worked to organize the herd. We stopped to watch. He wore a black ten-gallon hat low over his eyes. His dark full-length slicker kept him and the palomino's rump dry. Gloved hands held the reins with authority. Straight-backed, he radiated confidence, ability, power, strong-mindedness, and Clint Eastwood no-nonsense ruggedness. I longed to look in his eyes. The Marlboro man, that's who he looked like. I wondered if he could dance. Sigh. I only know two men who can dance. One lives far away; the other doesn't ask.

Years later and twelve days into our Egyptian tour, Minnie and I longed for familiar food: popcorn and potato chips. We ordered tomato soup, potato chips and ice cream on the patio of our hotel. Served in individual courses, the plate and the potato chips were heated. None of it tasted like home. But the movie caught our eyes. "Minnie, which cowboy movie is that?"

She replied, "That's not a movie. It's our Marlboro Man commercials strung together."
We're not the only ones fascinated with the American cowboy. In my imagination, mine can dance.

Last Monday I had lunch at The Ranch on old #61 in Clarksdale, MS. The walls are lined with pictures of visitors, dignitaries and locals. I looked at the picture of hunk, football star Charlie Conerly and learned he played for Clarksdale High School, Old Miss and the New York Giants. When he moved back to Clarksdale, he owned Conerly Shoe Store. He is also remembered for being the original Marlboro man in the commercials.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Clarksdale, MS Blues Visitors

I had no clue people come from around the world to Clarksdale, MS to see where the Blues were born. One Sunday morning 31 people got off a bus at McDonald's. I commented to a woman on her colorful scarf. She didn't reply. I tried again. The bus driver came over and said they were all from Norway and didn't speak much English. They'd flown into Nashville and were working their way to New Orleans.

We met four young men from Wisconsin at the Juke Joint Festival in April. Nick had worked installing the security system in Wahoo's new jail. He was within walking distance of my home. Ryan, an Aries warrior, defends sturgeons. The are poached for their eggs/caviar. When they are mating, they are vulnerable.

At one of the Friday music-in-the-Park nights, we met a young couple from Manchester, England. They'd flown to New Orleans and were working their way to Nashville. It was a min-vacation to talk with them and remember my trips to England.

A young woman from AZ told me her mother bought her a baby, lime green iguana when she was born. It  slept with her until she was eight-years old and five-feet long.

Just look at all I would have missed, if I'd stayed in Wahoo. Who will I meet next?

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Seasick Deep-Sea Fishing

One winter in West Palm Beach, Florida, JB asked, "Do you want to go deep sea fishing?"
My adventurous spirit said, "Sure. Sign me up." I've never been to sea. Nebraska is land-locked.

The chartered fishing boat rocked a little when we boarded. What I didn't count on was rough water twenty-five miles out to sea. Once we passed the curvature of the earth, I couldn't see the shoreline. I became disoriented, as if flying upside down. It makes me queasy just thinking about it. I marveled how the men's torsos stayed vertical and their knees bent to accommodate the rock and roll.

Within the first hour of our all day excursion, the Captain noticed I was getting peaked and suggested I come inside. Warm, still, smoky air further stirred my breakfast. All I'd had was a handful of fresh parsley to erase the garlic taste from the night before, and it wouldn't stay down. I decorated the boat green on all sides from both decks. We'd paid $750 for the four of us to fish all day. I didn't think it was fair for the guys to go back. I found a corner in the fresh air, let them fish and get their money's worth. I concentrated on the affirmation:  My system is at ease with the rise and fall of the sea. I am calm at sea.

My lifelong dream is to take a several years tour of the world. I'll email family and friends of my whereabouts, along with invitations to visit. Many months will be spent at sea, and I WILL overcome seasickness. Oh. Oh. Excuse me. I need to run to the bathroom.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

The Exchange that completed two Circles

This is an original work by George Watson Hall III, "Robin," for short. He is the artist who cleaned the murals in the Saunders County Court House in Wahoo, NE. I received this work in an odd exchange. His wife gave me a Christmas gift at work. In the package I found a pair of turquoise earrings. No one else had anything extra in their gift. She wasn't there to ask.

A couple of days later, Robin called. "The earrings were a gift to my wife from her mother and were accidentally placed in your box. If you would return them, I'll give you one of my works."

"Of course I will, and you don't owe me a thing!" But he did give me this work anyway. And I love it!!!

His wife had another surprise. Many years earlier, she'd found a dainty pinky ring on the streets of Boston. She said it didn't feel like it belonged to her, but she held onto it. Many years before, I'd lost a cherished ring my Aunt Bobbe gave me. I accepted hers. It has a center opal surrounded by amethysts, my birthstone. We were both joyfully satisfied.

Art: George Watson Hall III
Copy: ©2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Nature Creates

 A drop of ice water made a bear climbing the grain in our table.

 Love is everywhere.

A drop of coffee made a heart.

These pictures were NOT altered. I caught love and creativity in the act.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Our Animal Kingdom: Madchen, Schatzie & Buckshot

Madchen (long A) and Schatzie paired for life.

Although not related, both are rescue cats from different years. 

They groom each other and snuggle to sleep.
At night, they take turns going out.

Buckshot

the unwanted addition
third wheel
different species

All he wants to do is play with them.

They want no part of it.

He says, "With my blanket in tow, I could go anywhere."

He gets excited when neighbor dogs

show up in our yard

and he doesn't like to have to "sit"

to be hooked to his long leash

 

He liked his blanky so much,

he nibbled it all gone

We found his "colon sweep"
 recycled in the yard.
He's just fine.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Koala on a Nickel

Both second grade classes I read to are fascinated with nature. From the Wildlife Education, Ltd. series of Zoo Books, we talked about koalas this week. The students already knew they have a big black nose and fuzzy ears, and that they cling to trees.  Nocturnal was a new word.  "If you get to see them in a zoo or game park, it would be in the daytime and they wouldn't be wide awake. That's why people think they're lazy, but they can move real fast to find food. And they will climb up a tree 150'."

Marsupial was another new word. Not one to use everyday, unless you're studying Australian animals with over 170 pouched varieties. We might not get further than Australia this semester.

What most surprised us is that a newborn koala fits on a nickel. The gestation period is only 30 days. The baby is born blind, hairless and ear-less.  Using it's front legs, it crawls into its mother's pouch and attaches to her teat, or it dies. Her pouch is entered from the bottom, where a kangaroo pouch is entered from the top.

The book compared the koala with a human baby. Both look like a shrimp in the early stages. The koala stays in the pouch for about six months to finish growing. Mother opens and closes it to keep her baby from falling out. When baby gets too big, it rides on her back.  

Their front leg hands have pinky, ring, and tall man. The index finger is a thumb that lays parallel to the other thumb. Their back leg hands have pinky and ring, with tall man and index growing together, and a thumb that has a small ball on its end. And their fingernails are very long and sharp. "If you ever get a chance to hold a koala, put one hand high on its back and the other under its bottom, or it will sink its claws in your shoulder."

Koalas eat very specific eucalyptus leaves that are poisonous to other animals, which makes their life difficult outside of Australia.

There are big cats, snakes, elephants and other creatures in the series. I'm looking forward to them, too.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Gand Canyon orange

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Giraffe Family Portrait

Mom Giraffe wants a simple family portrait for the grandparents. "Line up."

"But Mom, he's touching me."

"Stop it! Line up. All of you. Stand still a neck-length apart!"

In a whisper, "Mom, there are two-footeds watching us."

"There are no such things. Say tall trees."

Click.

photo by Leroy & Alice Pataocka Fortner in South Africa

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Mouse House

This morning we had flurries and sunshine with an abundance of wind: March has arrived.

Yesterday we took Buckshot to the woods to run and check on our motorhome.  We want to keep him in shape.  He recently outran a pit bull.

I reached from the side and carefully opened the door of the motorhome.  Nothing came racing out.  The house was quiet.  For the first time in years, Asian beetles, ladybug look alikes, were nowhere to be seen.  I kind of missed their football huddles in the corners of the ceiling.  Sniff! Sniff!  Nothing dead, even though traps were sprung and bait was missing.  The drapes were still closed across the windshield.  Four-footed attempts to take the house for a joy-ride were abandoned.  They probably couldn't get it started.  It is tricky.  The rest of the windows were still covered with their heavy, fabric over slatted blinds, and the bed wasn't lumpy.

The aftermath of their activity reminded me of a NASCAR campground the day after the race.  Crap everywhere!  Anything paper was shredded: paper towels I forgot to store in an overhead, inaccessible cupboard; a single kleenex; the cardboard back of a small tablet, and the motor vehicle title in the glove box. In the glove box!  Do they think we won't sell it, if we can't transfer the title?  Oh, oh, I get it.  This is their play house.  Babies learned to shuck sunflower seeds left in their sleeve on the dryer.  Twenty-foot races were run from the dash to the back wall of the kitchen.  I'll bet they got a kick out of watching their size increase the closer they got to the full-length mirror.

We're bringing the house to town for cleanup soon.  I'm hoping the shake, rattle and roll will pop all creatures out into the woods rather than our in town yard.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

The Power of "Thanks"

This past week, I asked the second grade class I read to if they gave away one of the Valentine stickers I gave them. Nods and smiles filled the room. Satisfied the majority had followed through, I moved on to a Robert Sabuda pop-up book. robertsabuda.com  Table by table, I walked among the students and opened a page of Winter's Tale.  Eyes popped. Some gasped. It's magic! It's a miracle! were exclaimed again and again.

While I still had their attention, I gave each child a blank card and envelope. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," were Snoopy's words on the front. I added, "This is what bucket-fillers do. Sign it and give it to someone who's done something nice for you. Pay close attention to their face when they read it, so you can tell us about it next week." Linda Lou asked if she could write hers in Chinese. Sure. She and her family moved here last year from China and didn't speak any English, just Mandarin. I admire their courage to start anew.

The Power of "Thanks" by best selling thriller author Brad Meltzer bradmeltzer.com  was featured in the January 27, 2013 Parade Magazine Views. Go to parade.com and search for his full story.
Briefly: He wrote, "Shortly after 9/11, I got an email from a sailor stationed on a submarine.  He had found one of my novels and was writing to say thank you for entertaining him.
"If a novel could help take a service member's mind off things, I wanted to send many more books."  I made some calls and publishers delivered 40,000 books to overseas troops anonymously.
"Fast forward 11 years: I was on a USO tour with other authors . . . visiting eight bases in 10 days. In a briefing room, a dark-haired captain from Albuquerque turned to me and said, 'I want to thank you for donating all those books.'"
"I had traveled there to 'repay' the thanks from the sailor on the submarine. But here was this captain thanking me."
When Meltzer got home, he tracked down the sailor. When he expressed how his note touched him, the sailor was quiet. He asked if he was okay. . . The sailor said he'd lost his mother to breast cancer a few days earlier. Meltzer said, "My mother passed from breast cancer, too. I think I'm supposed to give you a message. 'Our mother's never leave us. Ever.'"
Meltzer closes with, "Sometimes we feel alone in the universe. But sometimes it is clear that we are profoundly connected."

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Valentines & Elephants

Pickled beets left a Valentine on my plate.  I promise I did not alter their drop of juice.

If I had the memory of an elephant, I would never forget to send Valentines. I would remember everybody's name, their birthday, anniversary, get well or encouragement card.  I would always know where my car keys are and my car.  I can only wish and keep trying.

I read Carol McCloud's Fill A Bucket to a second grade class.  When a person does something nice for someone, it fills that person's bucket and the giver's.  Each child smiled remembering something they had done that put a smile on someone's face.  Bullies are bucket dippers.  Not only do they take out of the other person's bucket, they take out of their own.  It's a "nobody feels good" moment.  I gave each student two Valentine stickers with the instructions to keep one and give the other away.

One of my favorite cards is from leanin'tree.com   In the kid quips section, 7 year-old Harris Weinstein's card says: If I had TEN thumbs * I'd put them ALL UP for YOU.

Nobody ever died from too much praise.   A local doctor paid the tuition for several nursing students.  I've never met him, but he deserved my hand written thank you note.  Appreciation goes a long ways.  Next Wednesday I'm giving each student a blank thank you card to fill out and give to someone they appreciate.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

BIRTHDAY MUFFINS

Today's my birthday, but I won't add pounds if I only dream about Bacon Muffins.

If you make them, tell me if you like them. 

BACON MUFFINS

Makes 12 muffins

1 egg

¼ cup cooking oil

1 cup milk

2 cups flour

¼ cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Fry 15 or more slices of bacon until crisp, then crumble.

Grease muffin cups. I add about a teaspoon of bacon dripping to each cup.

Mix batter. Set aside some bacon crumbles. Add rest to batter, mix and place in papers in a muffin tin. Sprinkle extra crumbles on top. 

Bake 400° 20-25 minutes

From Grandma’s Favorite Muffins, Osakis, Minnesota. You can get the details from their site: just-like-grandmas.com

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Super Bowl 47 2013

Good for morale. Good for the economy.

Who do you think's going to win?  I think SF will, but what do I know?  I haven't been in the stands to watch either of them.  Whoever wins, it will be hashed and rehashed a long time.  Right now my concern is making spinach balls and hot mustard sauce to take to a party.

I wish I was in New Orleans today for the game and the food.  I'm in Mississippi, but ours is different.  When I googled Super Bowl food, I found huffingtonpost.com/carolyn-scott/healthy-and-vegan-super-bowl-food_b_2585699.html.  She also has a book I'm ordering. The Healthy Voyager's Global Kitchen-150 Plant Based Recipes From Around The World. 

Miss Carolyn has a great blog post on healthy and vegan eating in The Big Easy, Chocolate City, New Orleans.
   Briefly: Try the TheGumboShop.com for great Cajun cooking.
   For great coffee and veggie sandwiches, it's royalblendcoffee.com
   If you're interested in Latin veggie and vegan, try lamacarena.com
   For African vegan, go to bennachinrestaurant.com
   And for veggies and gluten free, it's cafecarmo.com

Here's to a great game and great food!

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Sister Buys a Neck

Swedes grow skinny like trees or round like bushes. Little sister was a bush.

For a long time she desired to be svelte like a tree and thought,

I'll buy me a neck

and collar bones to go with it

and elbows

a discernible waist

shapely hips

and daylight between my knees-a first

to go with my oval  face

flawless complexion

dainty nose - slightly crooked

cascading tresses

tacked up tits-Goodbye Army issue bra.

lopped off belly

dainty feet

and soft manicured hands

so I can shop at Victoria's Secret

wear chiffon and boar

that red silk bat-winged dress I always wanted

and dancing slippers

so I can play with Mr. Right

And she did, proof a bush can become a tree.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

At Knit's End

Long ago I taught myself to knit a baby blanket for my first child.  I finished it when I brought the second daughter home from the hospital.  It was a  soft green and a little misshapen, but I finished it.  My knitting was tight.  Corrie's was fluffy as marshmallows.  She was an accomplished pianist.  Nimble fingers make a difference.  I have not knit since.  I did crochet a drawer full of hot pads.

At a book sale, I came across At Knit's End MEDITATIONS for WOMEN who KNIT TOO MUCH by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.  It's just right for a quick read and laugh.  I love her sense of humor.
Checkout her website: www.yarnharlot.com

 Each page starts with a quote.

p.82
I have long been of the opinion that if work 
were such a splendid thing the rich would have
kept more of it for themselves.
                 Bruce Grocott

p.234
Opinion is that exercise of the human
will which helps us to make a decision
without information.
                  John Erskine

p.318
Mi taku oyasin. (We are related.)
                   Lakota Saying

I'm of the opinion that if post-menopausal women were the soldiers, there would be no more war.  They'd be too busy sharing knitting techniques and recipes.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Green Eggs

Where's the ham?

These eggs were pale  green when we got them  from Uncle Ben.  The filter I used to photo them turned the plate a light green, also.  Green food reminds me of peppermint, parsley and peas. These tasted just like eggs. 

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Sweet Potatoes #2

Wouldn't it be great if we could be bookends?

2013 Red Convertible Travel Stories

Sweet Potato Humor #1

Nobody will eat me, if I look like a dead bug.

Come to Mama, Sweet Patootie.

Wait for me!

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series 

Nature Entertains

Family tree. At least they're paying attention.

What is it? Two for one? Seal pup or just a pup?

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

The Truth Is In You

There was a time I needed tools to discern truth, but sensing what was my input and what was truth was troublesome.  The pendulum and Tarot cards can work if a person puts their thoughts and feeling aside, but I didn't like relying on something outside myself.  What if I was in the shower and needed information instantly?

My heart soared when I learned we each have a built-in truth detector: our intuition.  It is beyond believing.  It knows, and it is a distinctive feeling.

To discern how truth feels, start by saying your name.  I am Maeann feels right from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet and fingertip to fingertip.  When I say my name is Lucille Ball, I laugh.  The name has no depth in me.

Discernment is your birthright.  Learn how truth feels in you.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Puppy Pics

A few of Elizabeth's first litter.

I want that boot!

Buckshot mines the yard. 

Buckshot marks the yard with recycled fleece.

      

 2012 Red Convertible Travel Series

Back Door Doggie Diner

Buckshot, has many friends. He's our Feists/Terrier mix. Across the street, puppy Haze, sits at her front door watching for him. He sits at our low living room window looking for her. For a while they came and went through her bendable gate. Now there's a cement block against it. We tried penning the two in her backyard, but Buckshot slipped out, and we can't figure out where.

Lucky, the short-legged, round-bodied dog down the street, wants to play, too, but he's leashed and loudly protests it. Boo, the black, long-haired Chihuahua lives next door and can't wait to get to our yard and make his mini-markings after Buckshot. He is so short and fast, he appears to be skimming the grass not running in it. And then there's mini-Callie, the black Dachshund. Her coat is shiny and soft. She came for a play date in the house and barked too loud and moved too fast for Buckshot. Guess what he did? Sat on her.

And then there's Elizabeth, Buckshot's first love. She deserves her own paragraph. Outweighing him by at least fifteen pounds, they learned their first lessons of love last spring. He had been fixed, but the desire was still there. When she went into estrus, he wanted to "do" something for her, but he couldn't figure out where. He was all around her until he figured out under the tail was where the action was. Try as he might, he wasn't tall enough, even when he stood on one leg on his tiptoes. She gave birth to sixteen puppies. None were his, of course. When he finally got to see her, he had eyes for her only. One of the puppies sunk her teeth into his leash and held him. He couldn't figure out why he couldn't move. Not long ago, Elizabeth's keeper took her to be spade. It was too late. Another litter's on the way.

What do all these dogs have in common? Wholesome Holistic Treats For Dogs. I bought them at  Walmart and share them at our backdoor. They are healthy dog biscuits fortified with vitamins and minerals  free of animal by-product meals, artificial color and preservatives. Made with chicken, wheat, peas, cranberries, carrots and apples, they are shaped into drumsticks, carrots, and apples about two inches long. They smell delicious. In an emergency . . . Callie gets the tip of the tip of a carrot shape. Boo gets the whole tip. Buckshot has to have the drumstick and carrot shapes snapped in two and the apple quartered, but only one treat at a time. Haze is taller than he, but shorter than Elizabeth. These two leap for the whole piece, and Elizabeth asks for second and thirds.

I took an eight cup Ziplock box of deer neck stew out of the freezer last week. There wasn't room in the refrigerator for it, so I set it on top of the shelves outside the backdoor and went about my day. I heard a clatter that was too late for reindeer, looked out and saw Elizabeth hauling it off. I wasn't about to come between a dog and her food.  She consumed the contents in record time. I couldn't be mad at her. New mom's have to keep up their strength.

If JB hadn't insisted Buckshot come home with us a year ago, we wouldn't have a community dog yard with treats. And I would be short of dog stories to share.

2012 Red Convertible Travel Series

Christmas 2012 No End-of-the-World to report

Perry Como is singing "That Christmas Feeling" in our living room.. Madchen, with her sticking-out-every-direction orange hair and huge white ruff, naps her ample body on my three-ring binder on the desk. She's holding down my excitement. The draft of my Young Adult novel Up and Out will be ready for queries after the first of the year. My editor wrote, "You have written a novel. Congratulations! Enjoy the moment and then get back to work. There are no published writers, only published re-writers."  I'm up to the challenge.

There's been an uneasiness about 12/21/12. I admit, I was a little concerned until I felt led to go about business as usual and make plans for next year. Only God knows what's what, when, where, why and how. If this world comes to an end, maybe there's a better one taking its place: A knowing among all life that we are all connected. All life living together in peace and harmony. Each person recognizing, acknowledging and working cooperatively with their God-Self. Earth is treated with respect and appreciation for giving us a place to live, food and water.

Whatever happens, our lives go on uninterrupted, whether we wear skin or not. Only the body dies. I can witness to this. For over thirty years, I've worked with the deceased. Their body died, but their life didn't skip a beat. I help those who are stuck go on to the Light.

12/21/12 came and went. Life goes on. Merry Christmas and best wishes for the best New Year ever!

2012 Red Convertible Travel Series

Newtown, CT and Clarksdale, MS commonality

Who would have thought the two would stand in the same sentence?  Newtown is an Andy Griffith type community. Homey. Comfortable. Safe. Clarksdale is Deep South America. Mannerly men and soft-spoken women. Old homes with expansive porches and pillars. Visitors come from around the world to see and experience where "The Blues" began.

When the school children and staff were killed, the shots were heard around the world. When a local 80 year old woman's home was broken into in Clarksdale, she was robbed, beaten to death and set on fire. And the suspect stole her car. It all makes us sick. All life is connected. When one hurts, we all hurt. Patrick Marshall, Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Wahoo, NE, says, "Make your concern active: Do something to comfort the living." They are creating a banner for locals to sign. Cards and letter, money, toys and other items are headed their way and from many other communities, too.

I found this article comforting. If you can't access it as is, copy and paste.
http://lightworkers.org/channeling/173312/message-matthew-december-15-2012

Grace, Love and Peace to all.

2012 Red Convertible Travel Series

The X in Christmas

I was accused of being lazy when I used Xmas for Christmas. Patrick Marshall, our Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Wahoo, NE, wrote about its history in the December newsletter.

"Centuries ago, when Christianity first started taking root and growing, the dominant language of our faith was Greek (the whole New Testament was written in Greek). In Greek, the word for Christ is Christo. The Greek alphabet doesn't have a C in it. So when you want to say Christo, you had to use the Greek letter X, which was pronounced Chi (not ch like chair, but more like the ch in how we say Christ). In Greek then, the word Christ looked like this: Xpistou.

"When it became illegal to be a Christian and the Roman Empire started persecuting, arresting, and killing Christians, they had to be a little more discreet about the fact that they were talking about Jesus. So instead of spelling out his name, they would simply abbreviate it with an X, the first letter in Chirst. When the Roman Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal in 313 A.D., he did so, in part, becuase he had a vision before a major battle of a shield in the sky with Greek letters XP on it (chi and rho, the first two letters of Christ).

"So for over 1700 years, the letter X has been used by Christians as an abbreviation for Christ. The word Xmas, then, is not an attempt to take Christ out of Christmas. Christ is right there in it. You have to look for him.

". . . Christmas (and Christianity) isn't about finding Christ in the obvious places. We have to search for him in this world and in our lives. Because then and now, God always shows up where we least expect him: in a manger; a conversation with a friend, or in something as simple as a letter. Merry Christmas."

Merry Xmas and Best Wishes for the New Year.
Grace, Peace and Plenty to you and yours now and always.

Love,
Maeann

2012 Red Convertible Travel Series

McCarty's Pottery & Gallery Restaurant

If you have people on your Christmas list who like pottery, check out mccartyspottery.com/faq.html
Last October Jani and I visited their shop at Merigold, MS, in what was originally a mule barn. Shoppers were shoulder to shoulder, and they were buying.

Should you be on the premises, be sure to visit the gardens. Decades of work have gone into them.

If you want an elegant lunch, their Gallery Restaurant is worth it. We were served without a reservation, but there were other's present who had made them. www.mccartyspottery.com/gallery.html

The bunny is McCartys, too.

The dark stripe on the cup represents the MS River.

Vegetable soup. Tasty.

We chose the shrimp enchilada with creamed spinach and Merigold tomatoes.

For dessert we shared a footed pottery goblet of Chocolate Cobbler with ice cream. It was a large serving and awesome. It served our chocolate fix for the day.

Mississippi has lots of treasures. Happy shopping! And Happy Holidays!

Peace and Grace to all.

2012 Red Convertible Travel Series

Deep Soth Williamson and Simmons graves Sardis, MS

Our maternal grandfather was RoyWilliamson. As a small child, he and his family left Ohio and homesteaded in Saunders County, Nebraska in the late 1800's. When we asked him where they came prior to Ohio, he said they waved at Columbus.  His wife, our grandmother, was Mae Simmons. As a child, her family also traveled from Ohio to homestead at Lynn, Kansas. They were married 56 years. Grandma was a wife, mother and homemaker. She passed in the 1970's.

Jani and I randomly visit cemeteries. At Sardis, MS, we were shocked to find Williamson's and Simmons.

Oh, if these stones could just talk.

                              

                                              
Masonic carving on Rose Hill Williamson stone. Grandpa was a 50 year Mason in Nebraska.

And Jani and I found Williamson's at the cemetery in Muthill, Scotland. I think this is a job for Ancestry.com.

2012 Red Convertible Travel Series