Scientist Dr. Russell Vreeland in Hutchinson

Scientist Dr. Russell Vreeland is Director of the Ancient Biomaterials Institute at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. He and colleagues discovered 250 million year old bacteria still alive inside a drop of water in a salt crystal a few years ago. It is the oldest living thing on Earth. The Kansas Underground Salt Museum has an exhibit about the discovery.

Dr. Vreeland has been in Hutchinson for a few days. On Sunday night he gave a presentation for Kansas Underground Salt Museum staff and volunteers. Monday at noon he gave a patron's only Dillon Lecture.

This field of studying ancient biomaterials is about 100 years old. Sunday night he told us the first paper about finding an organism in salt was published in 1900 about a sample from Poland. In 1960 there were three papers, one from Europe and the other two by researchers from Wichita State University, who referenced finding the organisms in a mine about an hour north - the Hutchinson mine. So, the first two organisms isolated in North America were from the Hutchinson mine. Since 1990 there have been 66 papers published, so this is a growing field.



The importance of microbes to life cannot be underestimated. On Monday he pointed out that if we all died, the microbes would experience a minor disruption, but "if microbes all died, we'd die in six months."

Microbes are everywhere - they live in rock in Antarctica and in the Gobi desert. Monday he showed a photo of a pure acid cave in California, saying that if you put your unprotected hand in it you'd have no skin or bones left in 30 seconds. But microbes live there.

To give people a sense of the size of these organisms, Dr. Vreeland gave the example that a million of them, end to end, would make a meter, which is roughly 39 inches. He joked Sunday night, "Bacteria invented us as carriers because we get them around better."

They are tiny, but a powerful reminder of how interconnected life is. Dr. Vreeland pointed out Sunday night that, "When you're underground, you're walking around in the guarantee that there will always be life on this planet." He said Monday, "Extinctions happen, but life survives."

Dr. Vreeland said Monday that, "Rocks are Earth's gene bank." It's another reason for the Microbial Ecologists Credo - "There is no life on Earth. It is the Earth that is alive."

During both presentations he discussed various instances of this science being used. In 2002, the leg bone of a T Rex was discovered - not a fossil - but a bone that contained soft tissue, blood cells, etc. They learned T Rex is related to chickens. In 2007 in Mexico a frog was found preserved in amber - the whole frog. In 2005 researchers mapped the entire genome of the Woolly Mammoth. He said Sunday night, "The woolly mammoth may be the first organism ever brought back from extinction." He said its place in the ecosystem has never been replaced, so it would not be a problem ecologically.



Using the techniques of this science, researchers now know what Neanderthals looked like, and it's not very different than how we look today. They also know they did not have black hair, but red and blonde. They spoke like us, and some even had speech impediments.

He also talked about a fossil in an Australian museum. A researcher looked into the mouth of a Devonian era fish and saw there were nerves and muscles holding the jaw in place - even after 400 million years. One of the important things about this is that it tells us we can no longer pinpoint age by degradation.

The bacterium Dr. Vreeland discovered is commonly found in the salt from that era, but he and his colleagues were the first to isolate it and prove it was still alive. He was working with a geologist, Dr. Dennis Powers, and Vreeland said Monday he felt they were guided to that spot where they selected the crystals that had the organism. He said, "This little organism taught me more about the love of God than anything else."

In a May 2008 interview when the Hutchinson exhibit opened, Dr. Vreeland said, "The feeling we had when we saw it was not pride. It was humility. We've given it its opportunity and that's all. I feel humble every time I look at it."

He continued during that interview by saying, "I don't care what your beliefs are, there's no way we can look at ourselves and thump our chests looking at that. That is the oldest living thing on earth. Here's an organism that was alive 100 million years before the dinosaurs, you've got to respect it."

They have proven that the bacteria can sense when they are in danger of the water evaporating, which would kill them. So, in salt water they will flock to an area where a crystal is forming and go to the inside edge so the crystal forms around them and they are safely encased in the water droplet inside the salt crystal. He said Sunday that when people are on tours underground, and get to pick up a piece of salt as a souvenir, that they might well have something that's alive after 270 million years.



He spoke about how the museum can instill an excitement about science in children. We now know, thanks to Robert Ballard, that children who get really excited about science at junior high age or earlier have an 80% chance to going on to a career in science. If it's high school before a kid gets excited about science there's only a 15% chance. He said Sunday, "we could make the next generation of Nobel prize winners."

They know the bacteria is 250 million years old because that's how old the salt surrounding the water droplet they're in is. So, because they know the salt formed around the water with the organism in it, they know the organism is the same age as the salt.

The Hutchinson Salt Member is about 270 million years old. Dr. Vreeland took samples from here last year, and more on this visit, and is just now starting to research them. He and his students have found DNA in the samples and are now incubating more than 100 crystals from Hutchinson, but it takes four months for the cultures to grow so it will be awhile before we know if there are living organisms in the salt. Other preliminary findings are exciting, but Dr. Vreeland asked not to have anything more published until it is proven, and I'm certainly going to honor that request.



He said Monday that one of the things he's excited about from the Hutchinson mine is looking at the red spots in salt crystal. He suspects the red may be a remnant of microbes. Historically there are accounts of red salt, and microbes can make the surface of water appear red. He thinks maybe the red indicates the presence of microbes, but he can't prove it yet.

He wasn't able to get a good sample from New Mexico to study that, but in Hutchinson he did. The salt layer in New Mexico was formed from water of the Pacific ocean, but the salt here was left when water from the Atlantic ocean evaporated. He said the samples from Hutchinson have some of the typical crystals in which they found the bacteria.



People often ask if there is any danger to people from these bacteria and there is not. As Dr. Vreeland said Sunday night, "We don't have enough salt for them. Neither does the ocean." Besides that, pathogens have to co-form along with the thing they harm and there were no humans around 270 million years ago. And, an organism that can harm humans is killed by salt, which is why salt is used for things like beef jerky.

Dr. Vreeland will be returning to Hutchinson for more samples at a later date.
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Love Fades

Funny how love fades.

You're with someone and every moment is filled with meaning and it's as if the two of you discovered love. You're sure no one has ever loved like you do. You feel sorry for everyone else in the world that your beloved is taken, but thrilled they're with you.

Then comes the drifting. Then the longing for it to be like it used to be. And then it's over.

Your heart breaks and you think about them every day, seemingly every moment of every day.

And then one day you realize you haven't thought about them at all. Before you know it it has been a week and they haven't crossed your mind. And you're thankful to be moving on. Until you realize that the same is happening for them.

We want to believe those we have loved will always think of us and, yet, our own experience tells us it's not true.

So, what can we do but go forth, riding on the backs of these mistakes, into another love?
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Very Full Sunday

Today was the Women's Show, moved from yesterday. They seemed to have a decent crowd, but not great. I think some people wanted to get out of the house and for others there was still too much snow. There wasn't much of a problem with people being at church because almost everyone cancelled church for today.

I went with Greg this morning to set up Mia's booth. She does really beautiful jewelry and had planned to be out for the show, but couldn't come because of the blizzard, so Greg filled in for her. Is that a good boyfriend or what?



I helped him set up the booth. It was kind of fun to help get ready for this. I cut a big piece of cloth the other day to cover the table, and then Greg used a blue backdrop he had on top of that. I took a couple of little things from home to use for additional display items. I made Mia some business cards the other night - just real quickies - but they gave out a lot of them I think. They just had her name and website and tagline on them. Mia discovered she had a website problem recently so I worked on that one night this week and got the basics back online. Overall I think the booth looked really nice. Many people complimented her work, but I think sometimes people need to think about this sort of thing.

I worked at Mia's booth for a little while, just long enough for Greg to get everything settled. Then I came home to rest a bit. Fortunately, just as I was getting ready to leave, Sharon came in, so Greg had someone else there to help. Greg loaned me his car because mine was still snowbound in the driveway.

I looked out the backdoor last night and discovered I have massive snow drifts. They're quite amazing and that was after a day of melting. Even today, after more melting, the snow was more than half way up the door of the shed.

After a little while at home I went back to work the MHA booth. After breaking down both booths it took awhile to get everything loaded into the car. Sharon brought me back to the house with her because we had Greg's car so full of stuff there was no where for me to sit.

Then I took off almost immediately for a presentation by Dr. Russell Vreeland at the Kansas Underground Salt Museum.



He was giving a talk for volunteers and staff about the exhibit there. I had RSVP'd to the event before all the snow, and when the women's show was going to be yesterday. I was tired, but wanted to go, and didn't want to be a no-show. Tomorrow he's giving a patron only Dillon Lecture. I'm looking forward to that. I took copious notes tonight and will be doing the same tomorrow, so I'll be writing more about it

When I was leaving to go to this, Sharon was shoveling out my sidewalk.



Is that an amazing friend? She's so kind. Sharon will just jump in and do whatever needs to be done. Obviously, shoveling snow is not on my list of approved post-operative activities. I can still feel it when I'm doing things like pulling the suitcase full of MHA stuff today, much less anything really strenuous. It gets better all the time, though.

Sharon and Greg dug out my car and sidewalks, which means I can be productive tomorrow. I appreciate it so much.
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A Snow Day

I spent part of the day playing in the studio. It's so fun to be back in there after two months of not going upstairs. And it was a day for being indoors.



This was my front yard, all pristine, with no foot prints in it yet today.

I didn't go any further than a couple of steps onto the porch all day. I stuck the yardstick in the snow and I had 16 inches. They're reporting 18 in places in town. Anything over a foot is a whole bunch of snow. In fact, I think this may be the most snow I've seen as an adult - maybe more when I was a kid, but I don't recall.

Last night about 6:30 I checked and we had about 6 1/2 inches so it had snowed about an inch an hour up to that point. It snowed for about 24 hours pretty solid.

Of course, my neighbor Bob was out shoveling. I always tease him that he makes me look bad - his yard looks great in the summer and he always clears his drive and sidewalk in the winter. Even today. He said he was bored and wanted something to do. I think this explains why they call him part of the greatest generation. He's shoveling 16 inches of snow. I'm blogging about him shoveling 16 inches of snow. He and Ruth are such great neighbors. Greg always jokes that I hit the "neighbor lottery," which is true.



At one point we watched a snow plow go by on Severance. They were working on the roads all day and they got progressively better as the day went on. The trick is getting out of your driveway onto the streets.



The streets cleared off as the day progressed - except for the huge pile in the middle of the street. But I still can't get out of my driveway. Sharon and Greg worked on it this afternoon and cleared a good portion of it. I'm hoping the sun takes care of more of it tomorrow. It is spring after all.



Greg took this photo of my car earlier today. Oh, and that bush in the foreground would be my rose bush, that had delicate green leaves all over it. I think past tense is best in this case.



Today was supposed to be the Women's Show, but they moved it to tomorrow from 12-5. I took today as a snow day, and played - just inside the house. I messed around in the studio and, while I was in there, couldn't help but notice the wrapping paper I got for Christmas this year. With everything going on, I didn't get to wrap some presents to see what the paper will look like as soon as I got back from Kentucky like I usually do. So, today I did that.



I like it a lot, but I'm not sure what kind of ribbon to use on it yet. We'll see what I find that speaks to me. I'm thinking some cream on the solid gold, and two tone gold paper would look wonderful, but finding that could be a struggle. I'd love to have some deep, rich, brown for all of it but I haven't ever been able to find that. Maybe a deep burgundy or purple. Something will come along I'm sure.
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Blizzard

We're having an honest to goodness blizzard. This is the sidewalk in front of my house. You just can't tell because no one had walked in the snow that had accumulated for the four hours it had been snowing.



This is the tree Bob and Ruth planted for me a few years ago. It is already green - what with it being spring and all.



These are their lions in front of their house. As you can see, the snow is intense. It started about noon. I took these photos about four. It's now six and still coming down fast.



This is my front door... come on in... I'm about to fix a pot of tea and settle in for the evening. I'm so fortunate to have a warm, dry place to be.
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All text and photos on this website are copyright Patsy Terrell, unless otherwise noted. None are to be used without permission. Thank you.

Nancy Pickard author of The Virgin of Small Plains

Monday evening Nancy Pickard gave a presentation at the library about her book, "The Virgin of Small Plains," which is the Kansas Reads book this year. This is her seventeenth novel and the first one set completely in Kansas.

Hutchinson is the 35th library she has visited in conjunction with her book being chosen for the statewide reading program. She said the smallest was in Richmond, which has a two room library.

She said she loved visiting the small communities in Kansas and saw hope in rural Kansas. She said, "You can see in many places the town is struggling. But it is alive in the library." She said each library had a great spirit and, "I want to believe that because there is such hope for these libraries, there is hope for these towns."



She said in Hugoton, a town of about 500 people, as she was driving into town she saw a pyramid sign in the road and stopped to see what it was about. It was promoting her appearance that evening. She said she watched for awhile as cowboys stopped to see what the sign was for. She was just a tiny bit disappointed that none of them came to her presentation that evening.

Pickard said she wanted to write a book set in Kansas because she thinks it's beautiful and she wanted a book written by someone who thought that. She said she was concerned about the reaction she might get from her editor, but she was positive.
She said she realized that, "There are people who think our state is exotic." She explained saying that "The Virgin of Small Plains" was a finalist in the Mystery Writers of America contest. About 500 books were submitted from all over the world. There were six finalists; two from Italy, one from Eastern Europe, two from the UK, and then her book. She was the only author living in the US. That's when she realized her book set in Kansas was a novelty to some people, and that something unusual often stands out.

Pickard discussed that Kansas is the setting for two of the most famous books of the last century - "The Wizard of Oz" and "In Cold Blood." She said they are both structurally the same, both are about ordinary people's every day lives and something violent drops in and destroys that. She said she realized her book is much the same and joked, "Funny what you don't know about books when you write them."
She said she fell in love with Kansas when her then husband, a rancher, took her to the Flint Hills for the first time. "To this day I remember the instant the landscape changed," she said, remarking on when the hills became noticeable. "I fell in love with it and that has never changed."

She said it never occurred to her that not everyone would feel the same. But, she took a friend from New York on a tour one day. It was a gorgeous day with wildflowers blooming, cows dotting the landscape, and warm enough to have the window down. Eventually, her visitor asked if they could raise the windows in the vehicle because she was afraid something would get them. Pickard says it's different for her. "I could drive on these isolated Kansas roads for years and feel serene."
Pickard says she likes the idea of the apparent serenity of the pastoral landscape contrasted against the emotions surging underneath. She said some people feel comfortable here and some don't. Her next book is set in Gove County with the chalk monuments. She said that is scary to some people because it's more isolated and a more dramatic landscape.

Always looking for ideas, Pickard says she loves to visit small town cafes, which is where you hear the best stories. She also shared listening to a panel of law enforcement officers speaking once and remembering one of them saying, "If you want to commit a murder do it in an underpopulated county because they can't afford more than one major crime a year. A big trial will break the county." She said he went on to say they often railroaded the likely suspect because they need a suspect.
She summed up her experience traveling through Kansas by saying it was "the most amazing journey."

She spoke briefly about the writing process and said, "The greatest joy of writing is when mysterious things happen." She was speaking of a situation where one of her characters took over the writing and when Pickard saw a photo through her character's eyes she knew the motive for the murder that was central to the book.
Pickard ended her speech by saying, "It's a very strange thing I do for a living. But I think I like it. I've been doing it for a long time."

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New Day

I snapped this photo the other morning when I got up a little after 4. I went out to do some errands as the sun was rising. It wasn't a gorgeous sunrise, but I can never seem to resist a sunrise or sunset photo.

Today was a blur of activity. It seems I was running from one thing to another all day. When I went to my office, for the third time in the last month the street was barricaded. There was a fire across the street overnight. A few days ago it was the wind. And about a month ago it was the hostage situation downstairs in my building.

Fortunately, last night no one was seriously hurt. A couple of firefighters sustained injuries, but nothing life threatening. It's very sad for the folks who had just moved into that loft apartment. And, the law office that was in the same building I am had moved into that building in the meantime. I think the fire was pretty contained but otherwise it was smoke and water damage.

Virginia hosted us for Creative Sisterhood tonight and it was good to see everyone. Our January date was my surgery day so I had to cancel it, and I haven't felt up to hosting. A couple of weeks ago Virginia offered to have us out to her place, which was kind of her.

I'll be able to host the April one again. As of today there is no hospital bed in my dining room, so things will start to get a bit more normal. Tonight I'll climb the stairs to my bedroom for the first time in eight weeks. It will seem odd in some ways. Last night felt a little weird, being the last night I was sleeping downstairs. But, at some point I have to get back to normal.

Saturday is the Women's Show and fortunately some of my board members are working our booth for me so I won't have to be there all day. I don't think I could hold up all day. I'll probably go out early and look around and then go back and work the last hour of the day and break down. We can do setup on Friday afternoon, so that's convenient.

They're saying we may get snow starting tomorrow and going through Saturday. The first time I heard it we were getting a trace to 2 inches. The last estimate I heard was maybe up to 8. I'm guessing it will be nothing or somewhere between those. I just know I thought I was done with long underwear for the season. Fortunately, I hadn't put them away yet. I'm really not sure how my delicate little flowers that are blooming are going to react to snow.
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Eight Weeks

It was eight weeks ago today (Tuesday) that I had surgery. In some ways it seems like it was a year ago and in others it still seems very fresh. I feel great considering what my body has been through but every once in awhile I feel a little twinge of pain here or there and am reminded quite readily.

Tomorrow afternoon they're coming to pick up the hospital bed and for the first time in eight weeks I will sleep in my own bed. Upstairs. I haven't been upstairs in my house this whole time. Not only is my bed up there, but also my art studio and my library. Needless to say, I want to play. I had to fight with myself on Saturday to not go upstairs but I resisted until the eight week mark was passed.

They told me I could climb steps right away as long as I did it very carefully, and putting both feet on one step, then the next, etc. But, when I first came home I could feel every step I took when I went up and down them at my porch and decided I didn't need to do any more steps than necessary. At six weeks they told me I could start doing more steps, but still the same careful way, but they'd prefer I gave myself eight weeks to heal. I figured I'd gone that long, I could go two more weeks.

Well, magically, in just the last couple of days, I've noticed there is no twinge when I go up or down steps. Isn't it interesting how they can speculate how long it will take you to heal to that degree? Apparently I really did need eight weeks for this particular thing. Tomorrow night I will put that to the test. I hope it goes well since I'll have no bed to sleep in if it doesn't.

It will feel odd to be going upstairs at night. I have gotten used to sleeping in the dining room, but I think I can adjust. That's part of what all of this is about - adjusting.

Soon, I need to take a couple of days off and go away somewhere and fall apart. I haven't done that - in fact, I've cried very little considering the situation. But, I must fall apart and then put myself back together again, incorporating this into my idea of who I am. I'm now a person who has actually made a living will and given someone durable power of attorney because I thought I might die, not a person who just knows it would be a good idea to get it done "in case" but never does. But, I'm also a person who has been so blessed with such great news. And I'm so thankful.

But that doesn't diminish the fact that I need to reassemble myself as a person who has gone through this process. And in order to put the pieces back together, first comes the falling apart. It's such a messy process. But it must be done. With plenty of journaling and thinking included. Without putting those pieces back together you always feel like something is wrong and you can't put your finger on it. I know what needs to be done. I just don't want to do it. But, do it I must. Soon.
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Two Cool Things Coming Up

Regular readers of the blog are always asking how I know about things that are coming up. I get that info from any number of sources, none of them the traditional ways I don't think. Regardless, here are two upcoming things you can do - one for only $15 that includes lunch and one free.

April 14 - NPR's Jackie Lyden will be in Hutchinson at 11:30. Your $15 ticket includes lunch at the Town Club, as well as her speech. This is part of Prairie View's Food for Thought series, which is always worth going to. For more info, go to their website. She will be in Newton that evening. (Thanks, Teresa, for clearing that up!)

April 22 - NPR's Cokie Roberts is speaking in Wichita. It's free but you need tickets. Go to this website to request tickets. (Thanks, Kris, for letting me know about that!)

Also... far into the future, but you do NOT want to miss it... Daniel Pink at the Dillon Lecture on October 23. I am reading his book, "A Whole New Mind," and it is mind-blowing. Very interesting.
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Wind Storm

One of the things I do every morning is check the weather forecast on my phone. Two days ago I saw a phrase I'm not used to seeing - "howling wind." I'm not sure when that became a technical weather term. It wasn't too bad then, but today made up for it. "Howling" was an appropriate description.

When I tried to go to my office after lunch time I found the streets all blocked. In fact, Main Street was closed to all traffic except official vehicles, which was very odd.



Barricades were up at every intersection on Main and on each block either side. Well... at least the barricades the wind hadn't blown over.



The problem was the Wiley Building was losing some of its sheet metal covering and it was being propelled through the streets by 40-55 mph winds. You can see the spot on the side of the building at the top.



A local roofing company came and attached a ladder up there to try and keep more of it from peeling off.



I could relate to the difficulty because when I went outside at one point today I found one of the shutters from the upper floor of my house in the front yard.

Driving down A Street today, toward downtown, it was like fog from all the dust and dirt in the air. It was accentuated by flying debris - "debris" defined as lawn furniture, paper, sacks, five gallon buckets, kids pools and toys - hurtling through the air in front of you at windshield level as if being flung by a giant off to the side of the road. It made for some adventure driving.

I do live in Kansas - it's known for being windy - but this is extreme even for us. I don't feel the need for anymore. Thank you, anyway.
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Optimism

As I do almost every year, I've started plants from seeds. Unlike other years, it seems to be going well this year.

Don't you think this speaks volumes of optimism from a woman who can barely bend for any amount of time?
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Writer's Workshop with Author Nancy Pickard

Author Nancy Pickard gave a writer's workshop today at the library. She will be speaking about "Mysterious Kansas" Monday evening at 7 at a free presentation. Pickard is the author of "The Virgin of Small Plains," the Kansas Reads selection. Kansas Reads is a statewide project to encourage adults to read and discuss the same book. She said this is the 35th library she has visited since her book was chosen.

But, this afternoon was geared to writers and it was very useful. She spoke about the important of not just conflict and action, which we always hear about, but also about other elements like using all the senses.



I had taken the first few pages of my novel and one of the things I learned through the various exercises was that I'm very good at using surprise in my writing. I'm not very subtle about it, but at least I'm doing it. I'm just going to take that as a positive.

One of the things I've been struggling with is the beginning of my novel. I like it, but I know it needs to be stronger. I just haven't figured out how to make it that way. Yet. But, one of the things Pickard did today was read the first sentence of a few books to illustrate how to start strong. I'm still mulling it all over, but I know that was meant for me.

I really enjoyed Pickard's workshop. I recommend it heartily if she's doing a presentation in your area. I'm going to buy her book, "Seven Steps on the Writer’s Path," because I'm sure it will have great advice. In addition to that book, she has published 17 novels. She writes mysteries, but the advice she gave today is applicable to any genre.

At the end of the presentation today I asked if anyone was interested in a writing group and passed around a sheet for people to sign up if they were. There were about 20 people there and six indicated interest in a writer's group. One person is part of a writer's group that already exists, which I had no idea about. But I think there's virtue in more than one group.

I don't know anything about that group except they meet on a regular schedule and they have a president. I think that will really speak to a lot of folks, but I'm not interested in anything that formal. So, maybe this group will go and there will be something for everyone.

I'm interested in sharing writing and also about connecting with other people who understand the process. However, I'm not interested in using the group as a way to pretend I'm writing when I'm really not. That's the great danger of such things, and an easy trap for me to fall into. Groups sometimes give the illusion you're working on your project when you're really just talking about it. But, I'm willing to give it a go, with the understanding I need to guard against that.

All in all a great afternoon. This was a free workshop. We're so fortunate the library offers events like this.
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Underground

Look at my new pretty blue hat! Okay, so a hard hat might not be the pinnacle of fashion, but this one is special.

I acquired this yesterday when I did my first shift as a volunteer at the Kansas Underground Salt Museum. Visitors travel 650 feet underground to the museum, housed in the rooms left after salt is mined from them. I've been underground a few times and it's an ultra cool experience. I did training a few months ago to volunteer. For reasons I cannot understand, from the first time I saw the little trolleys that people ride on through the mine section I have been itching to drive them. Why? I have no idea.

I realize most people would not be that excited over driving something that is essentially a golf cart with a top speed of 6 mph. But, hey, I find many things to be happy about in the average day and this is one of them. (I recommend it as a way to be happier in daily life - be happy about small things!)

At training we got to drive very briefly, but I've been a little nervous about driving the whole route. What if I didn't do it right? What if I went too slow or fast and got the timing off? What if, what if, what if? Good grief.

This past week when Tonya asked for volunteers I decided it was time to do it. I haven't done anything in awhile that made me a little nervous and I think that can be good for us. It gets the blood circulating. This was an opportunity to do something new and different, and that makes different parts of the brain work, and that's got to be good.

Unfortunately, this week they've had record crowds so I did my practice run with full groups. I was paired with Kerry who is a veteran. The first tour he drove and gave the tour, the second one he let me drive the last little bit, after we stopped so people could pick up salt. And the last tour I drove on my own, with his direction and advice. He was very helpful.

It was a fun experience. I can't wait to do it again. I want to learn the little spiel so I can do the talking part, too. All I had to do yesterday was go with people in the elevator so I had 90 seconds to fill, which was pretty easy. That radio background comes in handy at the strangest times.

Oh... and the blue hat is for volunteers. Employees wear silver ones and visitors wear white ones. Now, when you visit you'll know who is who. Just don't ask me anything too complex yet.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on facebook.com. Follow me at twitter.com. All text and photos on this website are copyright Patsy Terrell, unless otherwise noted. None are to be used without permission. Thank you.

Hyacinths

If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one, and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.
                               - Muslih al-Din Sa'di



Hyacinths are one of my very favorite flowers. They remind me of my mother and home and summer.



Spring arrived on the Kansas plains this week, bringing blooms with it. The smell of hyacinths is so intense, it fills any room where they're put.



There are never enough of them. That's how I felt about them when I was a kid, and I still do. I'm not sure how many I would need to plant in order to pick as many as I'd like to have inside. The same is true of some of my other favorites - Lily of the Valley, Honeysuckle, Daffodils, Calla Lilies - well, this list could go on and on.



The purple is my favorite hyacinth, just because it's what I remember from childhood. But I also love the pink and white, too. Maybe this year I will plant some of the other colors, and more of these, too.



This little vase is one of my favorites. I bought it for $1 at a sale and I have treasured it. It's missing the neck of the lute, but I love it just as much as I would if it were perfect. 



In fact, it is perfect as far as I'm concerned.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on facebook.com. Follow me at twitter.com.

All text and photos on this website are copyright Patsy Terrell, unless otherwise noted. None are to be used without permission. Thank you.

Writing a Synopsis. Not.

I need to write a one page synopsis of my novel. It needs to be sent somewhere and postmarked by Monday. I'm trying to have a good attitude about it. I'm failing. I read that editors hate surprises. I'm not sure I can even hit the highpoints of 85,000 words in one page. But, I suppose I will. In some fashion. By Sunday night. So it can be postmarked by Monday.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on facebook.com. Follow me at twitter.com. All text and photos on this website are copyright Patsy Terrell, unless otherwise noted. None are to be used without permission. Thank you.

Third Thursday

This was one of my favorite pieces in the art show tonight during Third Thursday. Can you guess why it's one of my favorites? Yes... it's about me! :)

Diana made this for me. She found the flash card with "Patsy" on it first and then built the other stuff around it - handwritten because I journal and write letters and love the handwritten word. Tea and Christmas are obvious. The center picture is of cookies and of course I love to bake. The butterfly is to symbolize new beginnings after surgery. It's so sweet and I get to bring it home when the show is over. I just love having talented friends!

Tonight's Third Thursday offering at Gallery 7 included work by the "Paper Ladies," a group devoted to altered art. I believe Debbie (hiding in the back on the right) started the group and the other ladies, including Jennifer (left) and Diana, (middle in the brown) joined in. They had some interesting things on display.



I have to confess I sneaked taking this photo after Greg went to the trouble to get everyone organized for it.



Everyone was impressed with the work... except maybe the Gallery 7 cats...



But... you know how hard it is to impress cats, so you can't judge by that.

I loved this chair, which was covered with rice paper.







It was fun to run into folks, including some people I hadn't seen since surgery. One of those was Jon, and I happened to get a photo of his surprise at seeing me.



There were lots of other folks there I got to visit with, but I didn't get photos of very many people, unfortunately.





Jennifer (on the left) is the owner of Gallery 7 and organizer of Third Thursday.



Sharon and Greg were having dinner at Brooks and I said I'd stop in and visit a bit since I parked near there anyway. I left Gallery 7 and then saw Jocelyn go in so had to go back in and visit with her and her cousin. Eventually I did make my way to Apron Strings where John and Katherine were playing and singing.



Anne, the owner, was doing good business, which I was happy to see. As I crossed the street to walk down to Brooks I happened to see the carriage going by.



As you can see, it was dark by then.

I didn't go downtown until about 7. I wasn't feeling great, but wanted to go tonight since I have missed it the last few months. It's such a cool event.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on facebook.com. Follow me at twitter.com.

All text and photos on this website are copyright Patsy Terrell, unless otherwise noted. None are to be used without permission. Thank you.