Obama Family

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

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

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

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

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







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



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

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

The Prairie Close Up

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

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



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

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

\

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

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

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

Dinner with Friends at Reba's in Newton Kansas

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



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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Conservatives Murphy and Noonan discuss Palin Off the Record

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

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

Anyway, you can judge for yourself.

TRANSCRIPT:

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

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

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

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

Noonan: I saw Kay this morning.

Murphy: They're all bummed out.

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

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

Murphy: I totally agree.

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

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

Todd: And as you called it, gimmicky.
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.
I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Life Bits

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

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

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

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

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

What's Appropriate in a Campaign

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Conservatives Say about Sarah Palin

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

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