National Weather Service New Warnings

The National Weather Service is changing the language for storm warnings to include things like "hazard," and to focus on what the impact of the storm will be. Five offices in Kansas and Missouri will be the test cases.

Having lived in Kansas for a long time now, I've heard more than a couple of storm warnings. And, it's true that people don't take them seriously. But it's not because of the language of the storm warnings.

Do you remember that old tale about the "Boy Who Cried Wolf?" Well, this is a real-life version of it.

If you tell us to go to the basement 50 times and all that ever happens is some rain, we eventually think you're just talking to hear yourself. After the third or fourth time we run to the basement to take cover from what turns out to be a spring shower, it gets hard to believe you.

So, will we pay attention if you tell us town will be unrecognizeable after this storm? Absolutely. The first time. But, if you're wrong, and we all hope you are - the next time you tell us that we're going to believe you a little less. It's not that we think you are willingly leading us astray, but it's human nature to question the veracity of something that has been proven to be untrue.

All of this said, the reason so many people survived the Greensburg tornado was that they used the term "Tornado Emergency" for the first time. Thank goodness someone made that decision. They are responsible for saving many lives. Many, many lives.

I welcome the change, but there are some bigger issues here.

• You have to use these things only when it's truly the situation. If you're casual with them, we will be too.
• You have to do some "reverse PR" and make us understand your prediction ability isn't that great. We know it's not through our own experience, but you have to admit it so we're all on the same page. Maybe a little education on the "butterfly effect" is needed.
• You have to teach weather anchors and reporters to be less excited over impending bad weather. The excited tone in their voices, the obvious thrills they're getting, only make us want the same thing. It makes us go out to the porch instead of down to the basement. By the way, in case you never thought of it, showing and printing our storm photos only encourages that as well. 

All of this said, I hope I never hear any of the new terminology in a real situation, but I do think it's a great idea to change it. I just think they need to address some of the underlying issues in addition.

The Washington Post has a story that illustrates the point: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/at-a-glance-new-look-tornado-warnings-from-national-weather-service/2012/03/31/gIQAbYQnnS_story.html

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Quote of the Day

“I do not trust people who don't love themselves and yet tell me, 'I love you.' There is an African saying which is: Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt.” 

                          --- Maya Angelou

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Focus on the Positive to be Happier

"Neurons that fire together wire together," is a phrase often heard in neuroscience circles. I think it was first used in the 1940s by Donald Hebb. Recently it was repeated in the book, "Buddha's Brain."

What it means in a practical sense is that we can change the physiology of our brains. When we develop new patterns of thought, our brains respond.

When we were fighting for our lives against lions and tigers, it was a good idea to pay attention to "bad" things that caused us stress. That paranoia was a life-saver. Literally. But it leads to us having what's known as "negativity bias," which is the reason we fixate on the one negative thing mentioned in our performance review instead of the 22 positive things.

We're wired to have intense reactions to negative things. They leave stronger impressions. But in today's world, instead of avoiding a big cat intent on eating our hearts out, we're most likely to only need to fend off the gossipy woman down the hall. Times change, huh? Now, our tendency to focus on the negative could be considered hyper-sensitive.

So, we can train our brains to be more alert to good news instead of focusing on the bad news. When something positive comes along, linger on it for at least a few seconds - 10 or more. Savor it. If you do it multiple times a day, your brain will respond, and you will feel a true emotional shift - because neurons that fire together wire together.

Happiness researchers know this is one of the things happy people do naturally, but anyone can learn. Focus on the positive.

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Lessons Come in All Forms - Including Designer Handbags

In my usual rounds of the thrift stores today I ran across this little beauty. I was instantly attracted to its cool retro stripe vibe. When I picked it up I saw the "Kate Spade" tag. I own no designer anythings, but even I know Kate Spade handbags are a big deal.

So, $8 later I walked out with my great purchase. I put a photo on Facebook, to share my happiness, still loving its stripey goodness.

A few hours afterward, I carried it to dinner. And I discovered something either I had instinctively known but ignored, or that I had never known - I'm not cut out for this. I can't handle the pressure.

My purses come from Target or Kohl's, cost less than $30 - preferably much less - and can withstand some abuse. I carry everything from magazines to cans of pop in my purse. Ink pens rattle around with notebooks. Rechargeable batteries and coins make the purses heavier than they need to be. 

One can't toss around a Kate Spade handbag. It's just wrong. It's not that I have much money invested in it, but it's that someone, some where, would love to have it and it's wrong for me to ruin it with my less-than-sophisticated ways.

I want to be the sort of woman who carries designer bags. That would imply a sense of style. Unfortunately, I am not that sort of woman. And my "style" is a gaudy costume jewelry pin on a $20 blouse with some jeans. I'm not exactly the designer handbag type. 

So, while I am still pleased with my purchase, and I still love its stripey goodness, it's most likely bound for ebay. It should be owned by someone who will not only appreciate its stripey goodness, but who will also give it the extra love and care it deserves. 

And I'd best do it quickly before I let an ink pen explode in it, spill hand lotion on it, or splatter it with barbecue sauce at Roy's.

Update: My friend, Deb, loves Kate Spade and will be the recipient of the bag. When I offered it to her, she mentioned she even has some extra Kate Spade dust bags. The fact that I don't even know what that is further illustrates that the bag belongs with her instead of with me. If it were a puppy, PETA would have wrested it from me long before now!

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Cathedral of the Plains in Victoria, Kansas

I stopped in Victoria, Kansas, the other day and visited the Cathedral of the Plains. I almost always stop there when I'm traveling through. There are some places you know are holy ground, and this is one of them.





I loved the way the light was falling across these pews. This church has some amazing stained glass. Stained glass has been used for centuries to help religious leaders tell the stories of the Bible.





Like most Catholic Churches, this one also has some beautiful statuary. If you're anywhere near Victoria, it's well worth a stop.















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Quote of the Day

“Let us so live

that when we come to die

even the undertaker will be sorry.” 

                                             Mark Twain

Each of us will meet our end at some point. When I visit a cemetery, I realize that all of those people, from all of those decades before me, went through their lives with that understanding.

However, like most of us, they probably didn't internalize it. It was just a fact, but not something they believed at their cores. Most of them probably didn't wake up on the day chiseled in that stone knowing it was their last one. They met their fates through accidents and illnesses, not seeing them coming, or believing there would be a recuperation.

I've always been hyper-aware of the fragility of life. So much to do in this lifetime...

Until I pulled these photos up tonight, to choose one for this post, I hadn't noticed the bluebird on top of the headstone. I took a series of these photos in Kentucky at an old cemetery - more for the daffodils than anything else. Tonight I noticed the bluebird and couldn't resist using this photo.

Bluebirds are considered a good omen, indicating contentment, hope and - of course - the bluebird of happiness. Maybe he's telling me I'll get time to do all the things I want to do in this lifetime.

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Highway 183, projects and sleep

I have been on the road for a couple of days. I went to Phillipsburg, Kansas, to teach social media to a great group of folks. I drove out on Friday, and spent Saturday with them. I enjoy doing these sorts of things, so always love it when the opportunity presents itself.

There's a magic to me in the open road. On a trip of sufficient length I can disengage my brain a little bit and let it float free. That's when I come up with interesting projects, and coalesce ideas from various sources into something new.

This trip wasn't quite long enough, and had too many stops along the way to get into that zone. I feel the urge for one of those longer trips soon. It's not just my imagination, science tells us that, indeed, activities like driving allow us to access parts of the brain that are less readily available to us. There are other ways to get them engaged, too, and I think I need to be more diligent about doing that. I feel a bit scattered.



It seems I keep making one list after another and crossing things off, only to replace them with other things. Yet, projects around my house remain in limbo. I'm not sure how to find more hours in the day. I need more time for reading, writing, painting and other creative pursuits. I also need to spend some time just getting my house in order and fully organized.

Plus, I keep thinking of creative projects I'd like to accomplish. It seems the list grows and grows.

I have a little car issue I'm hoping to get taken care of tomorrow. This on the heels of what could have been a very major car issue last weekend. Lets just say that the fact that I'm still here on the planet is a testament to the fact that I lead a charmed existence!

Well, I suppose I should get some sleep. It's after 1 a.m. Ironically, I'm listening to a recorded TV show about sleep deprivation. Frankly, I'm tired of hearing about how we're supposed to be unconscious for a third of our lives. I can't even get everything done now that I want to do. How can I possibly do it if I spend more hours not doing anything every day?

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Optical Illusions

Am I the only one who sees giant lips puckered up in the clouds, about to kiss the grain bin? Humor me, okay?

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Vintage Hankie

A pretty little hankie with one of my favorite flowers and one of my favorite languages.

How can you not love that?

A dollar, in case you were wondering... worth every penny.

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Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer

"Imagine: How Creativity Works" by Jonah Lehrer is on my "must read" list for the near future.

It was mentioned tonight by a friend. Right after that, I logged onto Twitter and saw a tweet from "The Economist" about it. Obviously, it is a book I need to read.

My friend heard him speak at a conference and shared some of the ideas with us.

One is that brainstorming is incredibly ineffective as a way to generate creative thought. What does work is challenging the idea during brainstorming so people have to clarify it.

Another thing that helps is being exposed to people outside your area of expertise. That's why Steve Jobs put the bathrooms in a central location so people from different departments had to interact.

As is always the case, persistence and hardwork often lead to the breakthrough moments.


Some of the ideas include:

• People's creative problem solving is improved by:
• Being in a blue room 
• Being sleepy
• Watching a comedy video before trying
• Being told the puzzle they're working on is from somewhere else
• By having lived in another culture

I'll have more to say once I've actually read the book, I'm sure!

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Clean Linens

This morning I woke up with the urge to wash some of the linens I've picked up in the last couple of months. I had an especially good day at the flea market last month, so I had a good bunch of them. I will buy things that are discolored and hope I can get them back to normal. If not, I just love them anyway. Those things add some character.

Sometimes it's just dirt. Or yellowing from cigarette smoke. However, sometimes it's just a stain that won't come out regardless of what you use.

Today I did a few soakings and washings, with various additions to help the cleaning along.



This is my little arsenal of products on a shelf above the washing machine. I just can't stand ugly plastic bottles sitting around, but fortunately, my local thrift stores have provided me with an assortment of prettier bottles to use.

The decanters both hold liquid detergent. The bottle in the front on the tray is bleach. I buy those bottles - originally meant to mix your own oil and vinegar dressing - whenever I find them. They always hold bleach - at the laundry, kitchen sink, bathrooms, etc.

Behind that is borax. I'm not sure what is in borax, but I can't run a household without it. It has magical powers.

Also magical is the fels naptha soap in the metallic creamer in the front. Again, I have no idea what is in it. I just know it gets out stains better than almost anything else I've ever tried. And it costs 97 cents a bar at Wal-Mart. I haven't seen it anywhere else, but all of their stores seem to carry it.

The tall green jar is to hold change that might be in my pockets. Yes, I know, I should be organized enough to take it out of my pockets before they get to the laundry, but I'm not. That's why there's a container there.

Behind it, in the large jar, is powdered oxy-clean. It's another product I like, especially for these sorts of things. I do use it other times, but mostly it's for linens.

I think part of the reason I love these things is seeing how they come out in the wash. Literally. I feel somewhat like a chemist, mixing and adding various things to see how they work. I continue to experiment.

But, sometimes, I'm rewarded with something that looks a 1000 times better when it's clean. Today it's this doily, which I loved when I spotted it under a table at the flea market. I paid $2 for it. It's all one piece, although it's made to look like two. Essentially, the two outer pieces with the pink in them share the same inner circle.

Anyway, it is so much brighter than when I started this morning. It was incredibly dingy. I knew it had the potential to be bright, but even I am a bit surprised by the difference in it. I love, love, love this bright green and pink. It's a different take on one of my favorite patterns - the pineapple.



All in all, a productive day.
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Clean Desk

Every once in awhile, my desk is clean - at least a small corner of it. I like to secure photographic evidence of this whenever it might occur. Rarity should be captured.

See it?

Unfortunately, this was taken a month ago, and it no longer bears any resemblance to this photo. Hence the reason I felt the need to look at it again.

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William Bernhardt Speaks about the Power of Books at the Kansas Writer's Association Scene Conference

I spent part of Friday and all day Saturday at the KWA Writer's Conference in Wichita. It was wonderful to be with other writers and to pick up some tips on structure.

Saturday evening's ending presentation was one of the most beautiful speeches I've ever heard about books. It was by William Bernhardt who is funny, as well as apparently brilliant. (I met him for the first time this weekend, so I'm not really qualified to make that determination, but all indicators would say "brilliant" is accurate.)

I can't possibly do it justice. He is obviously far better-read than I am, and I was so swept away listening to him that I didn't take any notes. Trust me, this does not happen often.

One story I do remember is him talking about Harriett Beecher Stowe's book, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and its impact on the civil war. He told the story of Lincoln meeting her in 1862 and saying, "So, this is the little lady that started the big war." Bernhardt pointed out that the power of those words had such an impact on the world that we elected an African-American president less than 150 years later. As he said, whether you voted for Obama or not, you cannot deny that is an amazing change in attitude.

Speaking to a room full of writers, he encouraged us all to go write, because the words we put on the page do matter.

Many people encouraged him to print his speech, and I will be one of the first people buying it if he does. I wish I could share more of it with you, but I was so caught up in the experience I didn't capture the details sufficiently. In fact, I know I'm only giving you the scarcest hint at how magnificent it was.

Just trust me when I say it was incredible. And go read something!
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Sometimes You're Just Done

When I was in Kentucky recently, I had one of those moments of a switch flipping, and my attitude about something changing in an instant. It has happened before, but I wish I could figure out what causes it. If I could, it would be mighty convenient to speed things along.

This situation was one that has been lingering in my life for the last few years. Not demanding a tremendous amount of attention, but a miniscule, low-level amount every week. It was just always "there" - the "what ifs," the "coulda, woulda, shoulda," the wondering, the trying to let go and never being able to completely do it.

Then, week before last, I was having a conversation with my great-nephew BC, about nothing in particular, and it was like a tumbler in my brain fell into place and it was different. I recognized the change - I instantly knew I was done. I no longer had any feelings toward this old situation - good or bad - it was just the past. That happened intellectually a long time ago, and 99% of every other way, but there was still a tiny fraction of emotional attention being paid to it. Until that day. When all at once, it was done with. Gone. Finished. Complete. Over. Done.

If only I could figure out how to make that happen on my own time table. It would simplify so many things in life. But, regardless, I'm thankful for the change on this situation. It's always good to be done.
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Book Club - Swamplandia

My book club recently discussed the book, "Swamplandia," by Karen Russell. I really enjoyed this book. It's about a family who runs an alligator/swamp tourist attraction and their trials and tribulations after the mother's death.

I could relate to some of it from my own childhood - being somewhat isolated from the world at large - because I grew up in a very rural area. They were separated because they were surrounded by water on all sides.

Although the reader's guide didn't mention it, the water seemed another character in the novel to me. So many of the central themes of the book related to water in one way or another.

Regardless, I recommend the book. I found it to be a quick read that really kept my interest.

This was our second book. The first was, "The Crimson Petal and the White."

I also just finished, "Man Seeks God," which was fabulous. I'm also currently reading, "Unorthodox" and "Of Bees and Mist."

This book club is great for multiple reasons:
1. I didn't start it - someone else did and invited me. A wonderful change of pace!
2. The other women in it are better read than I am and smarter. I love being around smart people!
3. It's causing me to discover and read books I might not otherwise have found.

It has been a long time since I've been a in a book club, and I'm hoping I can keep up. I have a tendency to not read the book on occasion, for one reason or another. But, so far, I'm ahead this time. Our next book is "Man Seeks God," which is my favorite of the ones we've read so far.


I am going to try and keep a list of the books on the blog, so I'll have it for reference. A few years ago I started a book club with a friend and we read a number of books over the time we met. I am sure I have that list somewhere in a computer file. Maybe I'll run across it one day and can share it, too.

But, while this is fresh, I need to start the list:

The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber - 2/2012
Swamplandia by Karen Russell - 3/2012
Man Seeks God by Eric Weiner - 4/2012
Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan - 5/2012

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Red Cardinal in Gray Landscape Gone for This Year

I snapped this photo a couple of weeks ago. At the time it seemed very winter-like to me with the grayness of everything except the bird. But it seems we've quickly moved from winter - or what passed for it this year - into spring.

I returned after a visit to Kentucky to see family and discovered things blooming in my yard. The gray landscape setting off this guy's bright red plumage has already passed by for this year.

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Pi and Pie Day

It's almost 3/14. Or written another way, that's 3.14, which is much like the number Pi, which is approximately 3.142.

(If you're trying to pull the definition out of your brain, it's the circumference of any circle divided by its diameter. I know that might have slipped the mind of anyone who's not a math geek, and doesn't happen to be in a high school geometry class right now. I recognize this is most of the world. I also accept my own geekiness in all its many forms - math being only one of them.)

In honor of pie day, I thought I'd post a photo of a pie I baked recently - the blackberry cobbler up top. But, just in case cobbler is not something that qualifies at pie in your book, here's another photo of a coconut pie meringe I made recently.
 

 I just made another pie Monday. It seems to be pie-baking-season in my world.

 Happy Pi/Pie Day!
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Flea Market Find - Another Costume Jewelry Pin

I found this beauty at a flea market a few weeks ago. It's really unusual. The gold/cooper bits are rolled into these shapes so there are no rough edges. I've never seen one exactly like it before. I was looking at it, thinking I would not be willing to pay whatever they were asking. Mentally I was working on what my top price was when the dealer said, "I'll take three for it."

Although I hadn't yet mentally decided my top price, I knew $3 was below it, so I said, "I'll take it." I stopped talking then so I didn't say something stupid like, "I can't believe you only want three dollars for it."

So, now it's mine. And I love it. And you're likely to see it on my person sometime soon. Then you will be able to appreciate how pretty it is. My poor photography here doesn't do it justice.

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Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas

We spent the day at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. It was a really beautiful place. The architecture alone is stunning, much less the artwork contained inside. And, it's free to visit, on top of that.

Surrounding it are beautiful trails to walk, but it was too rainy today.



It's a series of connected buildings, built around a pool. I loved the setting.



We did feel a little bit like we were at Star Fleet Command. Fortunately, none of us were wearing a red shirt.




 The rain just added to the day. I took this photo of one of the rails as we were walking out.



I am not as familiar with American art as I am with impressionism, so I need to educate myself a bit and then return. I was introduced to some new artists today and reminded of others that I appreciate, but don't often think about.

Beauty abounds.

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Fantasy Fudge First

I just finished making my first ever batch of marshmallow creme fudge, otherwise known as "Fantasy Fudge." Am I the only person on the planet who hasn't made this before?

I've made other kinds of fudge, just not the marshmallow creme kind. This seemed far more laborious than the old-fashioned way to do it. And, frankly, the verdict is still out on if mine worked.

Before I started I looked up a youtube video to see if there were any tricks and there was a girl about 11 years old making it. So, I really hope this worked. Otherwise, my cooking priviledges could be revoked.

Apparently, Kraft has changed the original recipe from using chocolate chips to squares of chocolate. I went the old way with chocolate chips. Who wants to do all that chocolate chopping? Not this girl.

Anyway, just in case there's one or two other people who haven't made it before, I found the recipe here: http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe191.fantasy-fudge.html
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A New... cough cough cough... Collection

You and I both know what it is, but I have been hesitant to actually use the "c" word. Collection. It sounds so... well... bulky. And insistent. Like a person has to devote energy to finding these items. However, I have a feeling these will find me.

Besides, these are just delicate little bits, designed to be tucked away inside a pocketbook. How bulky can they be, afterall?

Admittedly, I've been buying them for awhile here and there. I can't say these are the first hankies I've purchased. No, no, no, that would be a lie. I'm sure at some point or other I've even put photographic evidence to the contrary here on the blog.

I'm like that. Never smart enough to keep my shameful secrets to myself. I don't know why, but I have always been inclined to air my dirty laundry - on in this case my pretty hankies.

It was a natural progression for me to start gathering these in earnest, given my penchant for linens. And what are they but another kind of linen?

Just a wisp of beauty, glimpsed fleetingly while doing their work. They're oh so lovely... Bits of lace and embroidery... So sweet... So feminine...

What is not to love, after all?

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Daffodils are Reminders of Springs Long Past

Goodness knows there are many things to love about daffodils. They are harbingers of spring, although this winter has been the eternal spring for all practical purposes. Regardless, their bright pops of yellow dotting lawns and roadsides are welcome.

But one of the things I love most about them is that they are place markers for times gone by. I love to see them growing along a roadside, or where a house once stood, and know that at some point, someone took the time to plant and nurture them. Perhaps a young wife making her first home, or a harried mom with only a few moments to spare, or an elder still creating beauty.

Regardless of how they were started, they cling to life amidst grass and weeds, clearly stating their own right to exist. In the process they boldly mark a place that in another time hosted other lives. Although no one ever talks about it, daffodils are one of the things people leave behind when they go.
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Alone Time - Solitude - Self

I have written here in recent months about my seemingly never-ending need for alone time. I have always been a person who needs time to think, be still, be quiet, be alone. I very, very rarely feel lonely, although people assume I might. Maybe because my mind is always churning away, there's never a dull moment.

Being raised as an only child because my brothers were so much older, I learned early how to be alone and enjoy it. I was raised largely around adults in my early formative years, having little interaction with other children. I learned to amuse myself and, frankly, this is a wonderful skill.

Ironically, I'm very much a people person. I enjoy seeing people, having conversation and making connection. It's just that I still need alone time to process, think, write, whatever. Although most people would naturally consider me an extrovert, I'm about half and half on the Myers-Brigg scale (6/4 - E/I).

Today I ran across this quote that so beautifully sums it up. I should memorize this, but I suppose there's no need - that's one reason I have the blog - it's my online memory bank/memory sorting place that I let the world look in on.

"Solitude does not mean living apart from others;
it means never living apart from one's self."                 
                  -Parker Palmer

I think this is it, really. If I don't have some alone time I'm not myself. Maybe at times when I'm trying to reconfigure myself, as I have been the last couple of years, alone time is even more important.

Something else for me to think about during my alone time...
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Greg, House and Daffodils

My best friend, Greg, at my house today.

As you can tell, daffodils are blooming.

As you can also tell, I never cleaned out the dead junk in the flower bed last year. (I'm a slouch when it comes to yard work, what can I say? The only part of gardening I really like is having pretty flowers and yummy stuff inside.)

What is perhaps most evident is that my friend, Greg, is incredibly talented. He not only framed this interesting photograph, he shot his own portrait.

He is pretty much the best friend a girl could have!
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Random Wisdom of the Day

"I include the embracing of silence as one of my top ten secrets for inner peace and success, primarily because it's the only vehicle I know of for making conscious contact with God."
                        ----- Dr. Wayne Dyer

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A Mess to You, Productive to Me

To the uninitiated eye, it might just look like a mess. But, trust me, in this pile are a few dozen projects I'm working on. My methods may be unorthodox, but I get a lot done. I just don't do it like other people do it. Sometimes I think the "normal" way would be better, but I have to spend a lot of energy doing things the normal way. The Patsy way I can get much, much more done. Weird? Maybe. But it works for me.

Periodically, I tidy it all up and start fresh. It resembles how my brain works in a way. Maybe that's why it works for me.

At more than one workplace, people have been annoyed with me because it seemed like I wasn't doing anything, yet my projects always got done. I think people just see this sort of thing and think nothing can possibly be getting accomplished. But, I've written five columns, one newsletter, six blog entries and dozens of tweets from this pile in the last few days. So, it can't be all bad.

I've also got plans for a new project... Actually three new projects... If I stopped creating projects, I could be "caught up," but I know not of this mythical state of being.

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Quote of the Day

Life does not accommodate you;
it shatters you.
Every seed destroys its container,
or else there would be no fruition.                


– Florida Scott-Maxwell, The Measure of My Days




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Quote of the Day in Overheard Conversation

The Quote of the Day is from my sister in law, Mary Ann Terrell:

"She has too many irons in the fire,
and none of them are getting hot."

She was NOT talking about me, but it occurs to me she might have been. There's a reason I was meant to overhear this today.

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