.....Nothing to Add.....

My little blog has had too many entries dedicated to mass shootings in America. My personal thoughts add little to the general conversation.....and goodness knows every media outlet has been addressing the latest tragedy in Parkland, Florida. So I have little to add, if anything.

But this recent horror makes me reflect on all the innocent lives lost since the victims died at the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. Every incident started the same basic chain of events......the same rhetoric...the same reactions from politicians and the powerful NRA but nothing changed.

There seems to be something different happening now.....thanks to the high school students in Florida who stood up to say “no more.....we call bullshit” and our society seems to be responding and joining them in a ground swell of rage. Highschool students across the country are walking out of class to show support. Marches are being organized and our politicians are being called to account. Their empty comments about sending thoughts and prayers are no longer welcome.

I just hope that all of the families who lost friends and loved ones at any of the other recent American shoot outs will not feel that their losses were any less heartbreaking......any less meaningful. It’s my hope that their losses were the foundation blocks that built the movement we begin to see today. Their son, daughter, granchild, niece, nephew, sister, brother, mother, father, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, friend made a difference and helped the Parkland students find the strength to do what someone had to do.

To say “enough......we call bullshit”......and to keep on saying it until we all join in.

I have nothing more to add.

The Johnson Treatment......

Dave and I visited the LBJ Library the other day...a first for us. I really had no pre-conceived ideas....but it was a wonderful place. The building itself, the way the exhibits explained the Johnson legacy. I learned so much and appreciated this President so much more when we walked back out into Austin’s sunshine.

I was in high school when Kennedy was assassinated......and then off to college where I paid zero attention to politics, with the exception of the all consuming Viet Nam story. Then we got married, graduated and went on to start our adult lives....which included trying to figure out how to raise our son.

So as we slowly moved through the museum’s hallways and rooms I began to have some understanding of just what happened during LBJ’s term in the oval office. There were quotes that made me stop....

“To deny a man his hopes because of his color or race, religion or place of his birth is not only to do injustice, it is to deny America and to dishonor the dead who gave their lives for our freedom.”

He declared “unconditional war on poverty” and he, his advisors and a bipartisan Congress passed many bills and tried lots of different ideas.

A few statistics really hit me.....when LBJ took office, 25% of the population did not have a high school education, 20% were living in poverty. Those citizens 65 years and older? 33% of this senior population was living in poverty. He signed the Medicare Bill in 1965 saying “No longer will illness crush and destroy the savings that (older Americans) have so carefully put away over a lifetime.”

And another quote “The beauty of our land is a natural resource. Its preservation is linked to the inner prosperity of the human spirit.” He signed a bill admitting immigrants from anywhere in the world based on their skills and family ties in the United States. He believed that good government could be a force for positive change and a protector of the people.

And then there was “There are no problems which we cannot solve together, and there are very few which any of us can settle by himself.”

I learned that LBJ was the consummate negotiator.....he knew how to bring people together and get things done. He could persuade people to his point of view.....by getting up close and personal. His almost irresistable power of persuasion was known as the Johnson treatment.

In 1963 he stepped into the roll of President in the midst of a tragedy......served one term on his own, but did not run for re-election. The quagmire that was Viet Nam made it impossible for him to continue to govern. At the end of the museum’s displays was the following statement: “Lyndon Johnson had faith in the political system and government. In his view, they were sometimes the last hope of the poor, the elderly, and oppressed.”

I re-read this statement several times.......and wondered about today......and the concerns facing our Nation......and the man at the helm......

Wondering Where They Will Go......

My quilt guild has an on-going service project. We make small quilts for babies who have to spend time in area hospital NICU's. It's a lovely/loving effort and perfect for when I feel like quilting but don't have a specific idea of my own. I go into the scraps and put together more baby quilts.

The quilts go home with the babies when they are discharged....but while in the NICU, the colorful blanket covers the isolet so the hospital lights won't damage the baby's eyes. Beauty with a purpose.

Our little family "grew" last month with a new addition in New Hampshire. This little guy was so anxious to see the world that he arrived a month early and just a little under-weight. So he spent a few days in the NICU before going home with his mom, dad and big brother. I was thinking of him as I made these quilts.

I don't know who will end up with any of my quilts, and it doesn't matter. I just hope it brings some comfort to the baby "hiding" below and to the must-be-concerned parents as they spend time with their little one in a hospital setting.

I know it makes me feel good......

Melting Snowman.......

One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year is:

I "found" it in my stocking on Christmas morning and have been having fun with it ever since.

I shape the white "stuff", add the hat, arms, eyes, nose, scarf and arms.....and walk away. This silly thing starts out looking like a little snowman....but within minutes gravity starts to have an effect.

And everytime I make a snowman and let it alone it turns out differently. Also fun to put it on top of something (a tin full of pencils and the cookie jar) to see what happens there.

My snowman makes me smile.....even on a gloomy day. I'm going to look for these next year and buy one for all my friends. Priceless......

Dictionary Entries......

I think there was a story in the news the other day about new words included in this year's Webster's dictionary. One was "hangry"....and I know what that is!

But this morning's Good Morning America threw a few more right in my face....words and terms that have become way too familiar. "Fake news"....."White House bombshell"......"walking it back"....."chaos in the East Wing".

I mean really......new terms associated with our "esteemed" leader, the President of OUR United States. And this week's stories revolve around the caliber of men he chooses as his advisors and helpers....and how many have been accused of some kind of abuse of women. Of course, since he himself has been accused multiple times, he's probably very comfortable with this "Club".

Does it really matter who paid Stormy Daniels??? My disgust comes from the fact that this story is connected to the White House at all.

"Clear the swamp".....yea, I think I know where he needs to start.....

More Shadow Art......

A recent visit to Milwaukee's Art Museum included a quick walk through most of the galleries. It's a lovely way to get those 10,000 steps on my FitBit while enjoying color and concept on the walls. And since the exhibits are frequently re-arranged and changed, it's always a new view.

And, once again, I was struck by pieces where shadow play becomes part of the work. I love to walk slowly past any of these three dimensional pieces to see how the shadows they cast change as I move.

I'm sure the curator knows that the shadows will become "part" of the piece.....and it just gives viewers another level to enjoy.

And I do enjoy it!

Something Quiet This Way Comes......

Port Washington finally got some real snow. Several days' worth of fluffy white stuff means we have about 6-10 inches coating the ground. It is really beautiful and the blue sky and not-too-cold temperatures make it a great time to get outside for awhile.

We strapped on our snowshoes and went for a winter-walk through "our" woods. We are so lucky that just north of our condo building we enter acres of undeveloped land....the stream is frozen over, and the trees are bare but it's a beautiful back-to-nature kind of place.

It looks so different like this - white beauty, quiet and peaceful. The only sound is the crunch of our snowshoes as we take one step after another.

Thank you Mother Nature.....for helping us to see the wonder around us.....even in the Wisconsin winter.