A budding artist in action! Check out the ongoing cartoon stories of Slipping Through and Pretzel and the Princess.
http://apatheticartist.blogspot.com/
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Determination in quilting . . .
I'm on a mission to drastically reduce my collection of scraps in my fabric stash. I tend to fall desperately in love with some of the patterns and keep even the smallest piece 'in case it comes in handy' someday. Enough! Okay . . . Well, maybe . . .
I started a crazy quilt/scrap quilt yesterday and finished piecing the twelve squares this afternoon. I'm planning on a solid border around each wild square with a scrap border along the top and bottom edges. It did clear out half of a bag of scrap fabric and I'm not EVEN going to glance up at the big, plastic container on the shelf which harbors even more . . . fabric scraps. My husband says that even using scraps, I tend to make MORE scraps and it is a losing battle. Fortunately, I'm rather enjoying the sewing confrontation but the next quilt will come from 'new' material not the fabric scrap collection.
How secure are airport security checks?
Although I was blessed to get through the various airport security checks without mishap on my vacation, I did see people who were not so lucky. The one that really got to me was an elderly lady in a wheelchair. I had just gone through the metal detector and was home free. As I walked past the exit area, they pulled aside this woman and were giving her a pat down to end all pat downs. No, she wasn't taken to a private area. I walked by within a foot of the woman as the security probed and patted her down. I had to wonder how this woman signaled such invasive treatment.
Today, I read in the news that some guy managed to sneak on one flight with NO matching ID to go with his boarding pass . . . which was a day old. From what I understand, he wasn't held. He claimed he had found the boarding pass and decided to try and see if he could catch the flight. Later, guess what? He was found, AGAIN, trying to board a plane with mismatched identification. A more thorough search found ten, more such phony/used boarding passes in his carry-on bag. Why wasn't he checked more thoroughly when he was caught the first time?
It just seems so wrong and unnecessary to put that elderly woman to such personal invasion while letting someone with obvious mild to serious criminal intent get through at least once . . . that we know about.
Just my thankful rant for the day that I wasn't the security target on my flights!
Today, I read in the news that some guy managed to sneak on one flight with NO matching ID to go with his boarding pass . . . which was a day old. From what I understand, he wasn't held. He claimed he had found the boarding pass and decided to try and see if he could catch the flight. Later, guess what? He was found, AGAIN, trying to board a plane with mismatched identification. A more thorough search found ten, more such phony/used boarding passes in his carry-on bag. Why wasn't he checked more thoroughly when he was caught the first time?
It just seems so wrong and unnecessary to put that elderly woman to such personal invasion while letting someone with obvious mild to serious criminal intent get through at least once . . . that we know about.
Just my thankful rant for the day that I wasn't the security target on my flights!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Fourth of July - Freedom Comes With a Price
Freedom comes with a price. I wonder how many people who party this weekend, drink, and set off fireworks realize how many people have already paid this price . . . for them? I watched my son spend an hour just walking through the American cemeteries overseas and thanked God he was only passing through and not a resident under a marble cross. The world is changing and only prayer will prevent another world war . . . or worse.
Dachau Crematorium
Even after having read about this part of World War II, actually visiting Dachau was a sobering experience. Standing within inches of the crematoriums where other human bodies had been disposed of like trash . . . no words for it. The picture on the far right is my son approaching the Jewish memorial at Dachau. When you enter, it is a steep path downward ending under a beam of light coming from the high ceiling. It represents the chimneys of the ovens at Dachau - the only way out for so many innocent people.
Lots of truth in these two quotes . . .
"As an adolescent I aspired to lasting fame, I craved factual certainty, and I thirsted for a meaningful vision of human life - so I became a scientist. This is like becoming an archbishop so you can meet girls."
-- M. Cartmill
-- M. Cartmill
"Ninety-eight percent of the adults in this country are decent, hard-working, honest Americans. It's the other lousy two percent that get all the publicity. But then--we elected them."
-- Lily Tomlin
-- Lily Tomlin
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