Political Activism

Today I attended a town hall with Senator Joni Ernst.  This one was held at Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University.  I am far from a political activist, but I am trying to be a good citizen.  I am trying to be well informed, to research and verify stories, and to stand up and be counted.  That all sounds pretty good when I think about doing these things a week or two before the event, but I often want to forget the whole thing when the actual time comes.  This time I went!

I am very grateful for the people who stood up to ask questions.  Almost all were well thought out, and well spoken.  Most speakers used data and research to support their questions and positions.  Almost all were about important issues that are on most people's minds these days.  Some used humor to lighten the mood.  All, but one were respectful.  Unfortunately, Senator Ernst sidestepped most of these questions, and was vague about others.

I was grateful to see how many people came out to this event held during spring break on a mostly empty college campus, at 5:00 on a Friday, which also happened to be St. Patrick's Day.  It was a full house.  The auditorium was full of people of a variety of ages and varied experiences.

I went because I wanted to hear how Senator Ernst responded to the issues.  Mostly I went because I want our representatives to know that whatever they do, they are accountable to their constituents.

Along with occasionally attending events like this, I am disciplining myself to express my views and concerns to my representatives.  I discovered a website/app called Countable that is helping me to do that.  It lets me know what issues are up for votes during the week.  It also lets me know how my representatives voted.  The thing I like best is that you can put in your zip code to find out who your representatives are.  Then you can write an email that goes to all those representatives, two senators and congressman.  At first I was skeptical, but I have received responses from all three of my representatives.  I am looking at what I can and actually WILL DO to make  myself heard.  If you are interested, I suggest you check out Countable to see if it works for you.  https://www.countable.us/

This week I wrote to my representatives about my concerns about the American Health Care Act and I attended this town hall meeting.  I am pretty darned proud of myself!  This is what democracy is all about!

Garden Spinner

Growing things is fun, but sometimes it can be frustrating.  Plants don't sprout, they whither and die, or the bunnies and bugs eat them.  If the plants don't grow, I always have my garden art to add color and interest.  I have a turtle collection in the flower beds, solar lights, steel flowers, and garden spinners.  This is my newest garden spinner.  I love the colorful jewels, and it has a color changing light.  It was easy to assemble.  The only problem I had was pushing the stake into the frozen ground. I guess it's too early to plant anything.

Amana Colonies

It is spring break and many people are traveling this week. I know people who are as far away as Hawaii, Mexico, Florida and Texas.  My friend, Kathy, and I decided to take a day trip to the Amana Colonies, which is less than a hundred miles away.  I am very grateful that we scheduled it for today instead of yesterday. It was chilly, there was snow on the ground, but the sun was shining, and it ended up being a beautiful day.

Not everything was open this early in the season, but we had a wonderful time exploring the shops and galleries.  I especially liked the woolen mill and the broom maker.  There are seven Amana Colonies which were settled about 150 years ago.  You can learn more about the colonies by visiting their website:  http://www.amanacolonies.com/.

This is one of the looms from the Amana Mills.  In the woolen mill and the furniture factory, you have an opportunity to watch the craftsman working.  We were able to not only watch, but also to talk with the broom maker, who explained how the straw is processed before being made into brooms.

You will also find a little humor here and there, including this giant rocking chair.

And this sign outside one of the businesses.

It was a wonderful day, and a good reminder that there are beautiful and interesting places to explore all around us.  You just need to take the time to notice them.  The thing I am most grateful for is the opportunity to explore all of this with a very good friend. It was definitely a wonderful spring break trip.

Garden Dreams

It is spring break!  We had temperatures in the sixties and seventies during February and early March.  Naively, I had imagined working in the garden sometime this week.  I have been reading about raised bed gardening, and have been collecting five hole brick to build my first bed.  It is piled by the backyard fence, just waiting.  The ground is covered with snow, so it won't be this week.

I had expected to have tomato and pepper seeds started by now.  I usually get them going by this time of year.  Other years I have just picked up seeds at Lowe's or Menards.  This year, however, I decided to order seeds from Henry Fields.  I placed the order on February 2nd.  I have contacted them twice, and still no seeds.

The best I can do is my Aerogarden.  I started two pods of cherry tomatoes a few weeks ago, and there are some little baby tomatoes on there.  In the meantime, I guess I will just keep reading gardening books, and dreaming of the time of year when I can get the garden going.  Those garden dreams are part of the fun of gardening.

If you are interested in reading about raised bed gardening, I recommend Raised Bed Revolution by Tara Nolan.  You can find it here.

Get Organized!

When I came down the stairs this morning, I was surprised to see the ground covered with snow.  A lot of it has melted now.  My only outing for the day was to walk to the end of the driveway to get the mail.  Instead of going out, I worked on some jobs here at home.

Jobs that involve decluttering and getting organized are on just about every "to do" list that I make.  While I make progress, I tend to get side tracked.  I often find a new project that I want to do, which involves, yarn, art supplies, or home improvement materials, which ultimately add to the clutter.  Today however was a victory!  Yesterday I went to Sam's Club to pick up some bins for organizing drawers. It turned out that they were on sale for half price, so I picked up some bins for the refrigerator as well.

It's amazing what you find pushed to the back of the refrigerator.  Some of it is unrecognizable. There are other items that you can't even identify how long they have been there.  I cleaned out the fridge, and organized everything into the new bins.  Any bets on how long I will be able to keep it that way?

I also cleaned out and organized drawers in the upstairs bathroom and my bedside table.  As well as sorting and shelving books in my office.  No pictures of that yet.  I have lots more to do up there.

During breaks I finished knitting this hat.  The pattern is called The Favorite Knit Slouchy.  The yarn is Malabrigo Rios.  The color is Solis.  I love, love, love knitting with Malabrigo.  The colors are fantastic, and the yarn feels so good.  I still need to block the hat, which will make the yarn even softer.

All in all, a really wonderful day at home.  I am grateful to have a warm and comfortable home, and today it is just a bit better organized.  For not having left the house, I am feeling pretty accomplished.

Good Neighbors

I received this beautiful bracelet from my neighbors, Holly and Ken.  They gave it to me to thank me for watching their dogs.  I love it, but I am even more grateful for having such good neighbors.

We have lived across the street from each other for about fourteen years.  Four years ago when I was laid up with a fractured foot and ankle, they watched out for me.  I had surgery to put a pin in my foot, and for four weeks I was confined to the house.  I couldn't put any weight on my foot, and was restricted to using a knee cycle.  They brought me my mail, and Ken kept my driveway clear.  It was February and we had a lot more snow that year than we have had this year.  I will be forever grateful for their help and support.

While we have always been friendly toward one another, I am an introvert, and it is just this past year that we have really gotten to know each other.  As a result, they took care of Winnie and Chloe when I went to Spain.  The hardest part of traveling has always been having to leave my dogs.  This made such a world of difference.  To reassure me, Holly sent me pictures throughout the week, so I knew the dogs were happy and safe.  It was wonderful!  I am grateful that I was able to do the same for them during this past week.

I love my home, and I love my neighborhood.  These wonderful neighbors have made it ten times better than ever.  They also have two adorable little dogs who I definitely fell in love with during this past week.

Neighborhood Watch

Ever vigilant, these dogs are keeping our neighborhood safe!  Always on guard, they announce the arrival of every intruder on the street.  Well actually they aren't exactly intruders.  Some are just innocent people walking down the sidewalk, or standing in their own yards, but they have been warned!  These brave dogs are always on Neighborhood Watch, except when they are napping.  All that barking takes a lot out of a dog.

You will notice that the dog population in our house has doubled this week.  Our neighbor dogs, Frankie and Fannie have been visiting with us, while their human parents have been out of town.  My wonderful neighbors, Holly and Ken, took care of Chloe and Winnie when I went to Spain.  I am so grateful to have such good neighbors, and I have been especially grateful for the opportunity to get to know these two wonderful little dogs.  I have definitely fallen in love with them.