I have always wanted a roll-top desk. Not just any roll-top desk. A big one like the old post office desks with lots of small cubbies or drawers. Now I have one. When we set up our small office two years ago my desk was shoe-horned into the 50 inches between the side of the closet in the wall, and Ron spread out on the opposite wall. I chose that area because of the window. The small desk, which is the one Ron and his brother shared when they were children, fit nicely under the window and a tall bookcase filled the narrow space on the left, keeping my writing books, copies of my published articles, my creative journals and other important items nearby. I didn't care that there was barely enough room for my laptop, let alone a keyboard conducive to continuous writing on large projects. I could look over my laptop and out the window to my woodsy back yard, which is always food for the soul. That lasted a while, but I began to feel like a sardine every time I wanted to work. It was easier to remove myself to another space. That is when my in-laws ran across a small roll-top desk without the cover. Two drawers on one side and a pencil drawer were its only features beyond getting … [Read more...]
Gun control, or not?
I have been sitting back watching the debate about tightening the gun control laws following the shootings in Newtown and wondering where people's heads are. Let me preface this blog by saying I have never liked guns. When my children were young, the only guns I would allow them to play with squirted water. They were told not to use their hands as pretend guns, and that guns were never to be pointed at people. Then we moved out to rural Minnesota and there were guns in every household. Nearly everyone hunted, so rifles were the most common. I understand using guns to bring home food, and told my childre that when they were old enough, if they were interested in guns, I would send them to gun safety classes so they would at least gain some respect for the tool. I felt they would be safer knowing how to use them rather then stumbling upon guns and someone getting hurt. Fast forward to today and my attitude has changed a little. I don't know if I have been "desensitized" or what, but there are times when I would like to be trained to use a gun. I believe I have that right and I don't want to see it taken away. Has gun control ever stopped criminals from getting guns? I … [Read more...]
What does our future hold for health care?
Now that we are in 2013 and many of the Affordable Health Care Act provisions and welfare reform are in place what do you think? Do you think the new laws are making it easier for people to get health care or more difficult? So far, my experience is things are going to be more difficult for a large portion of people. On the surface, it sounds great: Easier access to health care for those with pre-existing conditions, lower out-of-pocket costs for preventative visits, the opportunity for small businesses and those without insurance to participate in health insurance "exchanges" to get lower premiums and better coverage, the elimination of spending caps, etc. Those things are great, but they don't necessarily make health care "more affordable". For instance: Do you think insurance companies, which are for-profit companies, are going to take a hit on preventative visits? If the client pays less for the visit, will premiums increase? Or will there be more micro managing? This year our health insurance company changed because my husband's employer selected a different company to cover its group. We were told there would be no changes to the coverage, but there have been … [Read more...]
The Compass
By Tammy Kling and John Spencer Ellis The main character of The Compass could be any of us. Though his name is Jonathan, and his situation may be different, we all experience loss at some time in our lives, often to the point of making us unable to function in our current reality. This book is Jonathan's journey from crippling emotional agony to a better understanding of himself and what truly matters. The story begins with Jonathan wandering in the wilderness where he is found by Marilyn, a dying woman who chose to camp in the desert and photograph its beauty. Through their conversations, the reason for Jonathan's pain is identified. His daughter was killed in a car accident in which he also lost his wife. Marilyn imparts wisdom with comments like: "... It doesn't matter what you seek or what you find. What matters is that you allow your compass to guide you, and let your gifts and knowledge rise to the surface so you can live out your life's purpose." As Jonathan moves on through his journey into a mountain retreat and on to several stops in Europe, he meets incredible people who impart wisdom along the way. They help him on his healing journey that lands him back in … [Read more...]
Holiday traditions
Thanksgiving rolled on through, like a freight train through a sleeping city. The day was pleasantly spent with family, sharing traditional food and catching up on all the mundane things that happen between family gatherings. There also was planning for the future, watching grandchildren play and a general atmosphere of comraderie. Though it sounds a bit droll, it really wasn't. I love the holiday season and the time spent with family. It's nice to take a day and stop the business of everyday life to relax with people I really care about. But it rolls through too fast. If I blink, it's gone and the business of living continues. With Christmas coming, I hope to be able to slow things down enough to enjoy the full season. I love the Christmas decorations, the giving, the colors and lights, the music and most of all, the reason for the season. When I was growing up, we always put up the tree and decorations over Thanksgiving weekend, sometimes after dinner on Thanksgiving. We had one of those artificial trees where you pegged each bough into a hole in the wooden trunk, starting at the top and building down. The eclectic decorations were a diary of family milestones, many made … [Read more...]
Voting Day
The photo is of celebrating 4th of July. I know there are a lot of messages today circulating about voting, but I am going to add one more. GET OUT AND VOTE! I plan to. Some people say this presidential election is one of the most important elections in history. I'm not sure I agree with that because our country has gone through many things, both good and bad. But our current economic situation, along with our country's foreign relations, does make this election an important one. Next to those two issues is our health care climate. I was not happy with the passing of the current administration's "Affordable Health Bill", but I hope people are not naive enough to believe it can be undone quickly. I know people who are voting for Romney because they think his administration can undo the bill before all of it is in place in 2014. That gives the administration only one year. Even if it begins the process of change, something has to replace it and creating a new program to implement in a year is something I cannot fathom. Another thing I'm not sure people are really taking into account is the cost. We talk about the current deficit and want the budget to be cut, yet changing … [Read more...]
Third-person narrative
I have an interesting writing exercise for you. It is one I use to stimulate creative word use. Take an everyday happening and describe it in a third-person narrative. The length does not matter. It can be one sentence to 250 words. Have fun! I look forward to seeing your stories. For example, the following is a writing exercise I did while in Malaysia: Though she missed the opportunity to spend a few more minutes with her husband, keeping him company down the elevator ride from the 24th floor to ground level and following him through the hallway, up two short flights of stairs and through the large parking garage to the front of the complex where he catches his ride to Kulim, she chose to take a morning walk anyway. Usually, she sits on the stone chairs around the concrete table on the front patio, reading the free paper provided to the residents and talking with her husband until his driver arrives, and from there embarks on her morning adventure. This morning is different. It has taken longer for her to get cleaned up and dressed than she anticipated. Shortly after he leaves, armed with her camera, bus pass and a few ringgits she follows the … [Read more...]
Fuzing glass
Have you ever fuzed glass? I hadn't, but I recently took a class and found out how easy it is. Actually, getting out of South Minneapolis was harder than the class. Artistic creativity, which is a big deal to me, has been sneaking in through the cracks of my busy life. In the last couple of months, I took a painting class and a glass pendant class, both through the blessing of Groupon discounts. I had a hard time finding the host of the pendant class, Glass Endeavors, in South Minneapolis. It is on 31st Street in an unfamiliar area. I arrived on time, though I took a couple of wrong turns and guessed my direction. My guess work was pretty good coming in, but when I left, I took a tour through various neighborhoods as I meandered in a direction that I was hoping was west. Anyway, the fascinating part of creating the pendant is the clear coat of glass is actually under the design. The grade of glass we used melts together in the kiln and the design slips underneath the clear glass. You build the pendant in layers, with the bottom being the background color, and the clear sandwiched between that and the design. Spaghetti noodles of different colors create the straight … [Read more...]
Walking With the Great Apes
By Sy Montgomery (Published 1991) The first time I read "Walking With the Great Apes" was on my way to Malaysia. I was fascinated with the relationships between Dian Fossey and the gorillas she studied, which was depicted in the movie "Gorillas in the Mist". My quest was to learn about the?relationships between the women and the primates they studied. The stories are what stuck with me. The book is a triple biography of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey and Birute Galdikas, protegees of the Anglo-African archeologist Louis Leakey. Each woman was selected by Leakey to study the primates most closely related to man Goodall, chimpanzees; Fossey, mountain gorillas; and Galdikas, orangutans. Spending years in the field, they invented a revolutionary way to conduct the science of primate ethology. They dedicated their lives to a single species and lived as close to the earth and the trees as the great apes themselves. This time I read it, I was looking for something more, searching for the whole ? the journey from idea, to dedicating their lives to protect a single species, to relationships with both the primates and the new human cultures, to the establishment of the research centers. … [Read more...]
They Thought For themselves
By Sid Roth I don't know how this book came into my hands. It was mailed directly to me by Sid Roth with a letter intimating that I am Jewish, though I am not. My heritage comes from a variety of places, with none being Jewish that I am aware of. That being said, I read this book about "Ten Amazing Jews" who, instead of following tradition for tradition's sake, thought through religious tradition and came to the realization that Jesus, or Yeshua, is the son of God. The New Testament is a Jewish book. The back of the book states that Roth "was instructed in a dream to find and interview people who had broken through the mold of their previous experiences to achieve their destiny." He found people from a variety of backgrounds including an atheist, a couple of Holocaust survivors, a concert pianist, a media executive and a Ph.D. Their stories are ones of growth and forgiveness. The individual's stories are interesting, and the strength it took for Holocaust survivors to forgive the atrocities done to them or get past their children believing in Jesus is amazing. But I did not really enjoy reading the book. I don't know if that is because it did not mesh with where I am in … [Read more...]
