SuperTam Ice Cream sells Superman Ice Cream on Route 66 in Carterville Missouri

This is the interior of SuperTam Ice Cream in Carterville, Missouri. As you might guess, Larry, the owner is a Superman collector. He also sells Superman Ice Cream, which is a blue, yellow and red concocotion that tastes like bubble gum.

Every square inch of the place is painted in the Superman colors or covered in Superman memorbilia.





Greg, of course, was in one of his natural habitats - surrounded by collectibles.




SuperTam on 66 Ice Cream, purveyors of Superman Ice Cream, is open Friday from 5-9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 3-9 p.m.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art and more.

Weaselhead The Cat

This is Weaselhead the Cat. Her main human is Miss Joy, Greg's mom.

You might wonder how a cute kitty could get a name like "Weaselhead." Well... let me illustrate...



That would be my purse with the cat weaseling her head into it.

Unsatisfied with that approach, she gave it another go from the other side...



She was able to get her entire upper body into the purse that way, where she was disappointed to find nothing exciting to kitties.

I've been in Joplin this weekend, where cat play is the number one form of entertainment. Any given moment might find two or more humans playing with cat toys while Weaselhead looks on, deciding if she will deign to join them.

Her favorite toy of late is my camera strap.



Her second favorite is what used to be my hair ribbon, and is now firmly attached the new cat toys which were completely ignored until said ribbon morphed from hair adornment to cat toy. Now, however, it's fascinating.

It has been a really nice weekend.

We went to Cafe on the Route in Baxter Springs, Kansas.


It's along Route 66 and has been featured on the Food Network. It's good stuff. Go there. What more needs be said?

This is how happy people are when they leave...



That's LV and Miss Joy. See those smiles?

It was really nice to be in Joplin. I needed to just have some fun and relax a bit.

Writing the Novel

I'm writing quite a bit this weekend on the novel and it feels good. I really enjoy cranking out more of the book when I get in the zone.

If I can just get in "novel mode" and focus on writing, I  seem to be able to crank out about 1000 words in a couple of sittings in a day. And they're decent words. Not saying they can't benefit from some rewriting, but they're decent.

The problem is in getting to focus and then actually write. Fortunately, I'm on a roll, so I'm going to get back to it intead of blogging!

How Many Houses Do You Own?

I haven't let loose on a political tirade in awhile. That just means it's overdue. So, if you hate them, this is the time to scroll past to the next thing. If you love them it's your lucky day.

McCain was asked how many houses he and his wife own. He didn't know. What!?!?!

I can understand not knowing how many pair of jeans you own. But houses? For most of us this is a pretty big ticket item. I know how many houses I own. One. Everyone I know knows how many houses they own. Most own one, a couple own two. But everyone knows.

The bigger question is why in heaven's name would ANYONE who knows how many houses they own vote for someone who doesn't? If a person doesn't know how many houses they own doesn't that tell you they are out of touch with the common man? Even the wealthy man. I know some folks who own two houses and multiple cars and have more money than they need, but they still know how many houses they own. How can you be unusure about that?

I know he's tired. I know Obama is tired. I know everyone involved in this never-ending campaign in any way is tired. Still... to not know how many houses you own is a pretty significant indication you're out of touch with people who are just trying to hold on to the one house they own.

I mean, come on, it's not like a house is an impulse buy. Well, at least not for most of us. It was a pretty huge decision for me. And let me tell you, at this point, with the housing market the way it is, I'm mighty glad I listened to my gut and ignored the banker, who wanted me to buy a far more expensive house than I did.

Voting for someone who can't tell you how many houses they own off the top of their head is voting for someone who is going to create an economy that favors the rich even more and has no sympathy - and certainly no empathy - for the average guy.

How can anyone think this is a good idea? Unless they're rich, which by McCain's definition is over $5 million a year, they have nothing to gain and everything to lose. Perhaps including their house. Their one house.

Osage Nation Traditional Textiles, ribbon and yarn work, blankets and more

Jerry Shaw of the Osage Nation spoke at the Hutchinson Public Library tonight as part of the "Native Threads" exhibit of quilts created by Native American quilt makers in Kansas. It's on display on the mezzanine of the Hutchinson Public Library.

Shaw is an instructor in the Department of Ethnic Studies at Wichita State University and spoke on “Understanding Native Identity.” He covered a wide range of topics - everything from gaming to the appropriate terminology to refer to Native Americans. He says "American Indian" or "Native American" is appropriate, as well as "Indigenous People."

His wife, Beth Shaw, a former school librarian and longtime student of Native textiles came with him. They brought some of the items in her and her husband’s collection, and it was fascinating to see them.


Jerry modeled this while Beth told us that the mustard and burgundy beads are not really seen anymore, unless someone had them saved back.
Notice the selvage edge running in a stripe down the back. That tells you it's a man's blanket. A woman's blanket has the selvage around the top.
This belonged to Jerry's grandfather who died in 1921.

The Osage are known for their ribbon and yarn work instead of beading. This is a great example of the ribbon work. She said this is done by laying down all three colors, then snipping and turning and stitching with a hidden stitch to make the design. His mother did the work on this piece.

The belt on this really significant because it's unusual.

There were items made for the War Mother's Society that featured flags and Palamino horses.



Jerry's aunt had these made for her and her husband.



Note the selvedge differences - around the top on the one she's wearing and down the back on his.

Women also wore blankets as skirts. They are folded over, with the design over the left leg in the Osage tradition, then the excess is folded on the right side and the whole thing secured with a belt.



This belt was made for another member of their family who is six feet tall, so it was a bit long on Beth. Traditionally, the ends would be even with the skirt at the floor.



If you look closely, you can see it's tied at the top of it and the other bits would be hanging free. She was just holding them up to keep them off the floor.

This belt is a great example of the Osage yarn work.



It was quite a striking ensemble. Note the selvedge on the edge that is folded over. That's what makes the stripe in the middle of the skirt. It would be important that all the designs lined up when finished.



This pink belt is modern, not vintage.


This purple, yellow and green belt  is about 90 years old. It's made of Germantown yarn, which was not available after 1918 due to WW1 blockades. Most of the things they showed us were pre-1932, but there's very little fading.



This is a blanket shawl made to Pendleton. Jerry's grandfather bought it for his wife on June 13, 1913, the day she gave birth to Jerry's mother. These are still manufactured and you can date them by the stripes. This is called "plain stripe" because it's the same on both sides.

The red fringe has been redone, so they don't know what it looked like originally.



This lavender is made on the reverse - each side is different.



These are made of wool, but they call it broadcloth. She said it's sometimes called "Trade cloth" too. This purple with the blue binding above was traded with the Navajo.



This blue with the purple binding is one Jerry has sat on during ceremonies, but he has never worn.



The blue one he has sat on during ceremonies and this lavender one were made in Europe, specifically for trade with the Osage Nation. Because they had some land with oil on it, the Osage Nation had money and were an important enough trade partner that some companies made products specifically for them.



This one is made in reverse. The blue on this side is purple on the other. It was made in Europe, too, as was the one below with the fringe.





This is made of a lighter weight, as you would think from looking at it. At a previous speech they did, an exchange student from Czechoslovakia said those were made in his village. Unfortunately, they never got to garner more information from him.



This cream colored with the embroidery is Spanish silk.



This one was once black, but is fading to a green color. It had very long, extravagant fringe on it with beads.



These beads are faceted Czech cut and the more they move, the more they sparkle. The fabric is wool gaberdine.



These silver buttons were ones Jerry's mother had as a child. Beth sewed them on when they replaced the fabric on this. They didn't want to lose the fringe, of course, so cut it as closely as possible and put new fabric on.



This red coat is a wedding outfit. It is the military garb worn by Napoleon's army. He asked for representatives of the Osage nation to come to France. They did, and when they left, he offered them a gift, and they chose this. This particular one belonged to Jerry's Aunt Nora who died in 1815.



These plumes were secured upright in a hatband as part of the costume.



She also showed some leggings. The Osage never had traditional trousers, their pants were three pieces.



She pointed out how the beading stitches do not show. She said this is an indication of age because these were brain-tanned, which you can't do today. The way tanning is done today you can't bead with a hidden stitch.

They both talked about the fringe, and how it goes back to the creation story that God sent an eagle ahead of them. Because of that, the feather is one of the most important symbols and the fringe is symbolic of the tarsal feathers of the eagle.

A feather in the headdress indicates a boy is now a man. The last thing they do with their dead is put a feather in their hand.



She showed this little vest, and I was struck by all the hand stitches inside it.



It was a fascinating evening with topics that jumped from one to another in the question session.

He said he thought "Dances with Wolves" is the most authentic film made about Native Americans.

He talked about the different qualifications for various groups. The Ute of Utah require 5/8 blood. The Osage and Cherokee accept anyone with any amount of blood. He said DNA may soon be used to determine such things. I was always told my great, great, grandmother was Cherokee. The place is right, the timing is right, and she certainly looks like a Native American in the one photo I have, but I have no actual proof. We have always accepted it as truth because we have no reason not to, but it would be wonderful to claim such a proud heritage with no doubt.

One of the most interesting things he mentioned was that in 2004, of 16,000 people in the Osage Nation, only five of them spoke the language. FIVE. So, they started language schools and now there are 1200 people who have studied. In 2004 they started with 25 students. It's amazing to think about how close they came to losing their language. That would have been a tragedy.

Of course, there have been plenty of tragedies visited upon plenty of indigenous peoples in plenty of places. I hope that one has been avoided. It would be a loss to the world to lose a language that has been spoken for centuries.

An amazing evening. I was trying to take photos and notes, and they were going really quickly, but it was fascinating.
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Creative Sisterhood

All six of us were here for Creative Sisterhood, which was nice. It has been rare we've all been able to make it in the last year or so. Seems like people are headed in so many different directions these days.

Teresa, Julie and I talked until about 1 a.m. It was really good to connect with them. We covered a lot of topics we didn't get to during our time as a full group. It used to be common that some of us would stay quite late, but we hadn't done that in awhile. It is always good to be with this group.

Generally, I make some sort of baked goodie, but tonight I just popped a bunch of popcorn and made lemonade. It was nice for a change.

Dorothy and I had lunch at Roy's today. That makes two days in a row for me. I may well make it three days in a row. You can never have too much Roy's - at least that's what I tell myself.

It was good to talk to Dorothy. We're always trying to figure out how to make this a more welcoming community. We go back and forth. I keep thinking if I just ask the RIGHT question I'll figure it all out. It always feels like I'm just one question away. For some reason this has become my mission, to figure out the reasons people here don't connect in the same way as they do where I come from. It's as if this is the lab and I'm trying to figure out the answer to the question. No luck, so far. Dorothy is a trooper, though - she answers questions and I think and then we switch places. Maybe one day... one day... one day the answer will magically appear. If so, I'll be blogging about it ad infinitum.

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Caught in Our Own Webs

It seems I, and some of the folks I know, are caught in our own webs these days. We're stuck in the sameness of everyday life. I can't get the image of a fly stuck in a spider web out of my mind. No matter how much he struggles, he's still stuck. That's how I feel.

I need more energy to break free. I know it's possible, but it seems an overwhelming task to free myself of the things holding me back. It will take some magic as well as some mastery.

I suppose this is just one more thing to conquer. Breaking Free. Freedom. What I desperately desire.
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Summer

This little vase in front with the Cinnamon Basil is one of my recent thrift store purchases. I don't recall, but the one in back probably came from another trip.

Summer seems to be waning here, even though it's only mid-August. In just a few weeks it will be State Fair time, which heralds the beginning of fall for me. It seems this season has gone so fast.

Frankly, it seems like life is going fast. I'm trying to get as much from every day as possible, but feel I'm failing.

In no time at all I'll be putting up the Christmas tree and preparing for the season. Things will be moving in high gear. Why does it seem things are always in high gear?

I long to have time to write and paint and think, without worry about work and money and time.
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Kansas Dialogue

Kansas Dialogue was in Kansas City, Kansas this year. Our hosts arranged for our opening evening to be at the Strawberry Hill Museum, which afforded this view of downtown Kansas City. I'm sorry we didn't get there in time to see the museum.

I'm so glad I went to Dialogue. The theme was about neighborhoods, and some wonderful discussions ensued.

I was asked to present about "new" neighborhoods and barely scratched the surface. I don't think I even mentioned myspace or LinkedIn if that tells you how much I scratched the surface. I was amused at the irony that the night before I was at the desk in the hotel, arranging my thoughts about these new technological neighborhoods by the old fashioned note card method.



There's something about being able to rearrange thoughts physically that I like. Not sure what that's about, but there it is. I'm also very fond of using post-it-notes in much the same fashion. I did, however, make notes for my speech on the computer the next morning. Fortunately, the Hilton Garden Inn where we were staying had free printing in their business center. A nice perk.

Kris and I didn't get around to taking our "cute girl pic" until this morning. I don't look my best the day after a full day of sessions and very little sleep. But, there you go. You'd think at some point I'd catch on to the idea that I could just not put the photos up. So far, that seems to have escaped me. This little photo tradition got started a couple of years ago I think.

Kansas Dialogue is an off-the-record conversation so I'm very careful to only talk about my own thoughts, and would not reveal anyone who was attending without their permission. Obviously, Kris is cool with it, and the website shares that the topic was neighborhoods, so that's not speaking out of turn. It was a really interesting weekend and it reminded me of a number of things I've written about here in the past.

This I Believe
Dr. Robert Putnam's Lecture about "Bowling Alone"
Beverly Morgan Welch of the African American Museum

One of the best things about dialogue is reconnecting with folks from across the state. There are some folks involved I would love to see more often. This time we had quite a few new people that were wonderful additions to the event. I'm hoping they want to return. I'm eager to do it again.
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Kansas Dialogue Weekend

This is Kansas Dialogue Weekend and it has been my favorite so far of the six I've been to. Kansas Dialogue is an opportunity to gather with people from around the state and have an off-the-record conversation about issues affecting us. The theme this year is "Neighborhoods."

I spoke this morning about "new neighborhoods," referring to online ways of making community. I just glossed over a lot of things, and didn't get nearly as in-depth as I would have liked, but overall it went well I think. There's so much to that topic once you start thinking about it.

I haven't had a chance to really visit with some of the folks I generally see at Kansas Dialogue every  year. It's funny how those things work out - some years you just go in different directions I guess. There are some new folks this time - fascinating people. And our hosts are doing an exceptional job of having everything run smoothly.

There are some people here I don't see any other time of year and I wish I did. I find more than a couple of the people here to be folks I could visit with for many hours and never tire of talking with them.

It would be so cool to have a meetup/conversation with blog readers, but I think it would be a difficult thing to organize. Folks are pretty spread out. But it sure would be fun...

The Journey by Mary Oliver

I was reading some poetry recently and ran across this by Mary Oliver. I haven't read anything by her I haven't liked.

I don't write poetry, and don't even read a lot of poetry, but I've learned to appreciate the turn of phrase that only a master of the language can produce.

I love the last few lines of this poem. They really resonate with me on multiple levels.

The Journey
by Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice--
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do--
determined to save
the only life you could save.

Photos are a Window to the Past

This photo is of my mom, Mary Lea Myatt Terrell, on the right, and my dad's sister Margorie LaVerne Terrell Duffany Gordon on the left. I'm guessing it was taken in about 1937 because during the flooding that year my mom's family moved out of the Barlow Kentucky river bottoms to higher ground and happened to move to land owned by my dad's family. My dad was working as a mechanic in Paducah, Kentucky at the time and when the water came over the flood gates there, he moved the thirty miles south, home to Ballard County, and that's when my mom and dad met. They were married in January of 1938.

Aunt LaVerne lived in California by the time I came along twenty plus years later, but moved back to Kentucky in my early teen years. Her son, Tim, was just a year or so older than me and I loved going up to Stella, Kentucky, where they lived.

You may wonder why the Kentucky Historical Society banner is on it. It's because some years ago they did a project called "An Ohio River Portrait," which is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. They traveled along the river and copied photos people brought in all along the way. I made a trip back to Kentucky just for that, and even produced some oral history interviews for them, as well as was interviewed myself. They also interviewed Mama.

I ran across this photo by accident when I was googling myself. I may share some more here in the coming months. Of course, I still have the photos, but they're locked away in a safety deposit box and not easily accessible. Conveniently, The Kentucky Historical Society has made them easy to access. And they've retouched them so they're clearer, too.

I'm so thankful to have photos that offer a little glimpse into other lives.
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Goodwill Find of a Porcelain Box Made in Japan

I've been frequenting Goodwill lately and have found some real treasures. Well, at least I think they're treasures. Occasionally I do remind myself - "Hey, you're buying things other people have discarded." But, I find things there I really enjoy.

I always head straight to the dishes and knick-knacks. Today I found this little box. Isn't it sweet? It says Japan on the bottom of it and had a little gold tag that said Thames, as best I could tell. It came off because they put tape over it to hold the lid on.

I assume it was made to hold rings or something, and I don't know that I'll ever use it for anything in particular, but I was really drawn to the shape of it, as well as the design. It definitely has that Japan look with the gold lines drawn on in a very clean style.

It's just a little something I'll enjoy having around, that will make me smile when I see it.

Shouldn't we all take every opportunity to surround ourselves with things that make us smile? I think so.

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MHA Victorian Tea in Hutchinson Kansas

I have tons of wonderful photos of people enjoying the MHA (Mental Health America of Reno County) Victorian Tea this past Saturday. This is one of our major fundraisers each year. Greg took photos for me and captured so many great moments.

When people come in the door, they stop and register for a drawing and find out where they're seated. Phyllis, who's closest to the camera behind the table, has worked almost every tea with me. She has become quite the expert.



Our mission is to encourage positive mental health and it's not difficult to see that is definitely happening during the tea. People have a good time.





My friends, Teresa and Susan, were having fun.



Susan drove down from Valley Falls, and brought our friend, Cynthia from Horton with her. I'm guessing they would get the prize for most distance traveled.



It worked out that I had an extra place at the MHA's table, and so Teresa got to sit with Susan and Cynthia, which was great. We've all been to tea together in Hiawatha.

Precisely at 3 p.m. we open the doors so people can look at the tables before tea starts. They are all decorated by different businesses, organizations and individuals. I'm going to show each one. The variety is amazing.

I'll start with the MHA table I did. My theme was Lavendar and Lace.







All That Jazz did a table again this year. They are creative gals. Their theme was daisies.







Carrie Lynn's Flowers did a really elaborate table with a Tea Party on the Beach theme.





Altrusa did a table again this year. Their colors are blue and white...



Shanna Soukup, a former board member, did a table with a butterfly theme.



Absolutely Flowers did a table with help from Andrea Ewert.





Andrea also did the Thanksgiving Table for the Hutchinson High Counseling Center.





The Hutchinson Recreation Commission Elmdale 50+ program did a beautiful table titled, "Gather Me The Rose."







Nancy Murry did a table for Friendship Force that was a 12 Days of Christmas theme.





The Kansas Underground Salt Museum did a table with - appropriately enough - a salt theme.



We are very fortunate to be able to hold our tea at Grace Episcopal Church in Hutchinson. They have been so incredibly gracious in letting us use their facility for the past three years. It is a wonderful setup and they're very generous to host us. I'd like to say a public thank you to the staff and congregation there for their kindness.

Our menu is different each year, although there are some standards I always have. This year it was:


Tea Menu

Sandwiches and Savories
Cucumber Sandwich
Tuna on multi-grain Bread
Egg Salad on Wheat
Carrot Chip
Calla Lily design with herb mix
Pimento Cheese on Rye
Tomato Boat

Bread Course
Scones with Clotted Cream
(from Metropolitan Coffee)
Pumpkin Bread

Sweets
Sugar Cookie
Ginger Cookie
Orange Cake
Lemon Curd Tart
Mini-Eclair
Chocolate Cupcake





We plate the food in the kitchen on clear plastic plates, then we sit those on top of people's china. That way we never have to touch the china people use to decorate the tables. I don't want to take a chance on breaking anything as it's often people's family heirlooms.



Precisely at 3:30 we start tea and begin bringing out the food and the tea. Board members and volunteers help make it all happen. Here Andrea and Sheila are preparing. Also helping Saturday were Hazel, Nancy and Gary - as well as bunches of volunteers.



We had wonderful entertainment this year. Sheila Lisman, a local writer, read some of her work. She had everyone laughing hysterically more than once.



She did one piece about hats, which was very appropriate because we had the Red Hot Lady Bugs joining us for tea.They were incredibly gracious ladies.



My friend, Sondra, came for tea...



and brought her neighbor, Kay.





I'm so fortunate to have great board members who help with the tea in multiple ways from finding people who want to do tables, to pouring tea and cleaning up, and everything in between. Gary Hughes even frosted the sugar cookies that morning and then came back to pour tea.








Sheila poured tea, too.





I love this photo of Joyce Nelson. She was seated at a table with Daisies as the theme, and look at the band on her hat. I had no idea what she was wearing when I made the table assignments, of course. To top it off, she won the prize at her table, which included some dishes with daisies on them.



Mary Hildebrand is the queen of her red hat group. You can tell by the little crown nestled into her hat.



Nancy Murry made the scones and also helped pour tea.





Sonja came with Juanita Bacon. I really like both these ladies.









My friend, Jan, was able to come, too...





Andrea and Linda were having fun... even before things got underway. Love that!





Marcella and Scarlett came for tea.



All in all, people had a good time. At least they seemed to.




I really enjoy that we create a memorable experience for people, but it does wear me out. I cook all the food except the scones. And, this time I bought the mini-eclair. It's a lot of work to cook that much food for 60 people - 62 this time - but I do love the look of it all on the plate. I'm still in love with those mini pumpkin bread loaves.



And, all those little touches that make the event work take time and energy. But, if you don't take care of the little details it's not a well done event. I think I mentioned these little vignettes a few days ago. It's those little things that become significant in their whole.



If I could figure out how to make it so I'm not the only one working on those little details it would be much easier. But, oh my goodness, I have so much help. The Volunteer Center gets a lot of volunteers for me. Amy came and helped on Saturday, and board members jump right in. Not to mention Greg taking photos.

We also had help this year from Zoomdweebies Tea Bar in Wichita, Kansas. They donated the tea, and it was wonderful. We had many comments from folks about it.

They're also offering a 15% discount to MHA folks through the end of the month for orders through the website. Just put in MHA as the discount code. It was delicious and I really appreciated their donation. We serve a large quantity of tea. We have served as many as 400 cups of tea. I'm adamant about keeping the cups full.

I brewed it this year using a concentrate formula so the water was freshly boiling when it was served. Here's the recipe I use:

Tea Concentrate
for 100 Servings:
1 gallon of boiling water
2 cups loose tea

Make the tea and let cool to room temperature, strain at least twice and then pour into sealed containers and store in refrigerator. Use 2 tablespoons of tea concentrate for each cup of tea, filling the remainder of the cup with hot water. So, if you're using a six cup teapot, that is 3/4 cups of concentrate into the pot, then fill it the rest of the way with hot water.

I implore you, please, learn how long to brew the particular tea you are using so you can do it properly. Don't over-brew or it will be bitter. And strain multiple times with a tea strainer, not a kitchen strainer.

If you're using multiple teapots, you'll need to figure out how many cups each one holds so you'll know how much concentrate to use. This is where that algebra will come in handy!

I was really fortunate I had a couple of volunteers who took this job to heart and did it perfectly this time.

Some of the volunteers were talking about me before we opened the doors - not in a bad way. I, who am not a detail person at all, turn into a stickler for every little detail at tea. It's everything - from how the plates are put together (all identical), to how they're placed on the table (cucumber sandwich at the guest's belly button), to how we have to be very quiet in the kitchen so we don't disturb people at the tables near there, to every teacup handle being at 4 o'clock, and every chair being an equal distance from the tables.

I'm convinced all of those little details are what create a memorable event. We gave people an opportunity for relaxation and bonding - two things that are definitely good for mental wellness.

________________
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