tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67301024570814753392024-03-09T11:36:57.654-06:00Hey look, something shinyKelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.comBlogger1353125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-55557512374858588182024-03-03T18:04:00.016-06:002024-03-09T11:36:25.377-06:00The 2023 Five Oscar-nomiated Short Documentaries<p><span style="color: #191c1f; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">"You do it, whatever it takes because for a young child who’s interested in playing, that one instrument could change their whole life." <i>— Duane Michaels, member of the Bodie Mountain Express and instrument repairman</i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">THANKS to <b>Facebook</b> friend, </span><span class="xv78j7m" spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Tom Gilsenan</b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, who posted a heads-up that the <b>Varsity Theate</b>r in <b>Des Moines</b> is showing the 2023 five <b>Oscar</b>-nominated short documentaries, we went to see them last night, and we're so glad we did. </span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZJz3OY3D0Ur3_zWS33lUBeBfsq5aD3tCPFG_NZTNGNNMxz7goz0Ot9Qjdx8f6RTDsnWyUzKypBnL8AkDDagODk0okuf8SoVUeYvG8fuiOQBMgFQCajz45fxefe51ypgLim0_bvFa6N0Jq-9eK9KH113T3966jmN9R5D7lmRjxcwuDXcg19QMbB7kNSw8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="998" data-original-width="2350" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZJz3OY3D0Ur3_zWS33lUBeBfsq5aD3tCPFG_NZTNGNNMxz7goz0Ot9Qjdx8f6RTDsnWyUzKypBnL8AkDDagODk0okuf8SoVUeYvG8fuiOQBMgFQCajz45fxefe51ypgLim0_bvFa6N0Jq-9eK9KH113T3966jmN9R5D7lmRjxcwuDXcg19QMbB7kNSw8=w656-h279" width="656" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />The nominated films are:</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Grandma and Grandma</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Island in Between</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>The Barber of Little Rock</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>The ABCs of Book Banning</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>The Last Repair Shop</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Grandma and Grandma</i></b> was sort of cute, but that was as far as it went for us. <b><i>Island in Between</i></b> was a meh. We found it rather purposeless and devoid of emotional connection.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Although lacking the production quality of the last two films on the list, <b><i>The Barber of Little Rock</i></b> is a powerful, sad and at the same time infuriating story that serves as a reminder of the privilege those of who fall in the "white" demographic take for granted every day. Attached by the link below, it's well worth watching. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/video/watch/the-barber-of-little-rock" target="_blank"><b><i>The Barber of Little Rock</i></b></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>The ABCs of Book Banning</i></b> is a must see. The film consists of a partial review, a mere skimming the surface actually, of books that have been banned, restricted or challenged in schools across the <b>United States</b>. One by one, a photo of the cover of the books </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">featured</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">in the film are entwined with interviews with children, and in some cases the authors of the books. Aged eight to 12, the children are wise and articulate beyond their years. The movie will leave you repeating to yourself, as more than one of the young interviewees asked, "Why? Just why?" Not about the existence of the movie; about the fear of books. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">t's available on <b>Amazon Prime</b>.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The final film of the nominated five is <b><i>The Last Repair Shop</i></b>. <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333;">It's the surprisingly moving story about the<b style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> Los Angeles Unified School District’s</b> musical instrument repair shop where expert craftspeople keep some 80,000 musical instruments in working order free of charge for the students and the schools in the district. The four instrument technicians who are featured have unexpectedly heartfelt stories to tell about how they found their way to the shop, as do the young musicians for whom playing a musical instrument has made a meaningful difference in their lives. You can watch it by clicking on the below link.</span></span></span></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xttrkgKXtZ4" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank"><b>The Last Repair Shop</b></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Paul</b> and I agree that it's a toss up as to which of these last two deserve to win the <b>Academy Award</b>. Let me know which one you think should receive the prize. </span></p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-88480450699219666722024-02-15T13:17:00.062-06:002024-03-04T09:00:26.849-06:00A Valentine Lesson<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">"It's hard to keep and open mind if you don't have an open heart." <i>— Adam M. Grant, professor of organizational psychology at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and best selling author</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I BOUGHT <b>Paul</b> the valentine you see below because I liked it's simplicity. Once home, I noticed something I hadn't picked up on in the store: this particular card was made to include blind people and the visually impaired. The message on the inside and the outside are in braille, and the type outside is raised so that it can be read either in braille or by feeling the raised letters.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8K0bTgom6SMJQWc7fI5wGKQqAZeEhSpMGvD7YSCeQvys8naKym1hN6WaBoFJO3k___phlRzG3jV-i4htwXc-0XY2fOMJJFER7SQRLULKDJwFM5XKWhzViWsNcW_2ZltDEy8kDvwITKHPAptBbvcJ63y668hReOk0G0eTldbI-KRGAnqad5FcnI-U1FTA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2421" data-original-width="2208" height="591" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8K0bTgom6SMJQWc7fI5wGKQqAZeEhSpMGvD7YSCeQvys8naKym1hN6WaBoFJO3k___phlRzG3jV-i4htwXc-0XY2fOMJJFER7SQRLULKDJwFM5XKWhzViWsNcW_2ZltDEy8kDvwITKHPAptBbvcJ63y668hReOk0G0eTldbI-KRGAnqad5FcnI-U1FTA=w537-h591" width="537" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBHYFigDTealqFNme2858apSqgvRntR6xrolZLXOzoljSCeDwtS4q0G4_IPFoK7zbL_nJzAQrbnbqaavcG2pIr8ADViE6FH_3NrAGlPlIGfw1jKCjqA1QK4NbIDWuemStlwSzgyiI0wfwiFYbxSv5zHy73Nzr0fiEr3RxrrMB1RzunDQjr_qWzdgFjzPA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2520" data-original-width="2602" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBHYFigDTealqFNme2858apSqgvRntR6xrolZLXOzoljSCeDwtS4q0G4_IPFoK7zbL_nJzAQrbnbqaavcG2pIr8ADViE6FH_3NrAGlPlIGfw1jKCjqA1QK4NbIDWuemStlwSzgyiI0wfwiFYbxSv5zHy73Nzr0fiEr3RxrrMB1RzunDQjr_qWzdgFjzPA=w539-h522" width="539" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The message inside is also in braille. (I cropped out my personal message.)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was yet another lesson revealing to me how 'blind'</span><i style="font-family: verdana;"><b> I</b></i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> can be. It had never occurred to me to wonder what visually impaired people do when they want to perform an ordinary activity that the sighted take for granted: sending a valentine, birthday or other greeting card to someone they care about.</span><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I applaud <b>American Greetings</b> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">for making this line of cards, but I'm disappointed in myself because this isn't the first time I've been unaware of those who are unrepresented.</span> </p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We've all seen anniversary and valentine cards with a soft-focus photo of a couple on the front. Personally, I never understood the appeal. Who would want a picture of somebody else on a card they give their romantic partner. In all the years I saw and didn't buy any of those fakey, couple-photo cards, I didn't notice that the pictures were always of white people. It only dawned on me that people of color had never had cards representing them when cards finally began appearing featuring people other than white </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That's just so white privilege of me! The same with commercials and movies. I became aware that casts were almost exclusively white only when people of color appeared. Only then did I get it that forever and ever, people of color weren't there.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's not often when those in the majority, by virtue of their race, religion, gender, gender identification or body functionality — notice that there are people who are consistently being left out. White, Christian, male, straight, binary, able-bodied, sighted, hearing, neurotypical, affluent . . . whatever the majority, the privileged rarely seem to question their possession of it, their right to it, or the exclusion of others.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-1291238019975924332024-02-09T11:17:00.570-06:002024-02-18T13:59:45.060-06:00Something Other Than Jazz: Part II<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">“It’s another way to give back if you believe in the value of nature and the planet." <i>— Hélène Grimaud, internationally-acclaimed concert pianist</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">BECAUSE I married into it, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I listen to lots of jazz, but I'm actually quite eclectic in my musical tastes. I've always liked bluegrass and R&B; I'm also partial to stringed instruments: violin, cello, guitar and piano — which is both stringed and percussive. In an effort to shift the imbalance a little, <b>Paul</b> purchased Feb. 6 tickets for a <b>Civic Music Association</b> concert presented by <b>French</b> pianist, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Hélène Grimaud</b>. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6n95flx0pRJTsFEJSdR8rKVZxaU4hBSOtx8jKueAM2WzySRrbuEBUMg67du2vtDzP_qJgUji0mJh-7dhd_os4NGWw2ETPqQs8iTrU13qlOd_aoLg533L02vIWY7FPFfeqPu1vnTXrZOyuy0Fsu38QwpOFr3ufp_yR0gLbSOBIOLXJomJ4EfG3xvEGzCY/s1056/Screenshot%202024-02-17%20at%2012.52.29%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="1056" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6n95flx0pRJTsFEJSdR8rKVZxaU4hBSOtx8jKueAM2WzySRrbuEBUMg67du2vtDzP_qJgUji0mJh-7dhd_os4NGWw2ETPqQs8iTrU13qlOd_aoLg533L02vIWY7FPFfeqPu1vnTXrZOyuy0Fsu38QwpOFr3ufp_yR0gLbSOBIOLXJomJ4EfG3xvEGzCY/w437-h328/Screenshot%202024-02-17%20at%2012.52.29%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="437" /></a></div><br /><div><b style="font-family: verdana;">Hélène's </b><span style="font-family: verdana;">program consisted of <b>Beethoven </b>(<b>Piano Sonata No. 30 </b>),<b> Brahms </b>(<b>Three Intermezzi</b> for piano, and <b>Fantasies</b>) <b>J.S. Bach</b> (<b>Chaconne </b>from <b>Partita No. 2</b> in D minor), all of which seem to be standards in her repertoire. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Normally, I might just describe how </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">virtuosic a performance was, if that was in fact the case, and perhaps share a picture I'd taken, but this concert presented two bonus rounds. The first: in addition to the beauty of the music, I learned something; I discovered that I really like </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Brahms</b><span style="font-family: verdana;">!</span></div><div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I knew <b>Bach</b> (1685 - 1750, occupying the late <b>Baroque</b> period), preceded <b>Beethoven </b>(1770 - 1827, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">spanning the <b>Classical</b> era into the <b>Romantic</b> period)</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">, but I didn't know where <b>Brahms</b> fell in the timeline. If asked, I might have said his ascendancy was somewhere between <b>Bach </b>and<b> Beethoven</b>. So not the case.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Although steeped in <b>Classical</b> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">traditions, </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Brahms</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1833 - 1897) was solidly in the <b>Romantic</b> era, however </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Paul</b>,<b> </b>with a music degree from the <b>University of Iowa</b>, believes that </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(40, 40, 41); color: #282829; font-size: 15px;">just as <b>Beethoven</b> bridged the gap between the <b>Classical</b> and <b>Romantic periods</b>, <b>Brahms</b> is the link between <b>German Romantic</b> music and <b>Modern</b> music.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The second part of the bonus round was learning about </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Hélène </b><span style="font-family: verdana;">a</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">s a person. As magnificent as </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">she<b> </b>is as a musician and a performer, she's even more spectacular as a human being. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not content with simply being a world-class pianist, 25 years ago she founded the </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Wolf Conservation Center</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> in </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">South Salem</b><span style="font-family: verdana;">, </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">NY</b><span style="font-family: verdana;">. Located on 28 wooded acres about 60 miles northeast of <b>New York City</b>, the center, now with a staff of 15 employees, works to advance the survival of this endangered species through education, advocacy, research and recovery</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">. <b>Hélène</b> has said that h</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">er love of wolves was sparked by a chance encounter with a wolf in northern </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Florida</b><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As further proof of her undeniable status as a polymath, </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Hélène </b><span style="font-family: verdana;">has written three books: one autobiographical, the other two are novels inspired by her life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Below are a few details about her personal life and career from <b>Wikipedia</b> and her personal website. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In a <i><b>New York Times</b></i> interview, </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Hélène </b><span style="font-family: verdana;">said </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">that her father came from a background of <b>Sephardi Jews</b> in <b>Africa</b>, and her mother's ancestors were <b>Jewish Berbers </b>from <b>Corsica</b>. Her father was adopted as a child by </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">a <b>French</b> family, and <b>Hélène</b> was born in <b>Aix-en-Provence</b>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">She began playing the piano at the age of seven. At 13 she entered the <b>Conservatoire de Paris</b>. Three years later as a 16-year-old, she won <b>1st Prize</b> at the <b>Conservatory</b> and the <b>Grand Prix du Disque </b>of the<b> Académie Charles Cros</b>. At 18<b> </b>she gave a well-received debut recital in <b>Tokyo</b>, and that same year, renowned conductor <b>Daniel Barenboim</b> invited her to perform with the <b>Orchestre de Paris</b>.</span></p><p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Hélène </b><span style="font-family: verdana;">debuted in 1995 with the <b>Berliner Philharmoniker</b> and with the <b>New York Philharmonic</b> 1999. She continues to tour extensively as a soloist and recitalist. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Interestingly, <b>Hélène</b> has said she experiences synesthesia, a phenomenon that causes one physical sense to be perceived along with another — in her case seeing music as color, which she says helps her with memorizing music scores.</span></p></div>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-69372483783597988772024-01-14T23:27:00.016-06:002024-02-17T11:16:17.016-06:00I'm Embarrassed<p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>"The fact is we can't prevent people from getting the COVID-19 </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">virus." </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><i>— Kim Reynolds, Republican Governor of Iowa</i></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">(Yeah sure, <b>Kim</b>, especially if you turn down $95 million from the federal government for COVID testing.) </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">ARE you fed up with hearing about </span><b style="font-size: 14px;">Iowa's</b><span style="font-size: 14px;"> first-in-the-nation </span><b style="font-size: 14px;">Republican</b><span style="font-size: 14px;"> caucus taking place tomorrow, January 15? </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">I am!!! It's cycling ad infinitum on virtually every media outlet. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">By the way my friends, if you’ve ever wondered whether <b>Iowa</b> deserves its pre-eminent place in deciding who becomes the presidential candidate, let me answer that question for you: the answer is no, no, no and NO! </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The state of <b>Iowa</b> is not even close to being representative of the nation as a whole, the caucus procedure is anti-democratically arcane, and only about 0.014% <b>Iowans</b> participate! How is that a measure of anything except the fervor of a very few die-hards?</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The </span><b style="font-size: 14px;">Iowa Democratic Party</b><span style="font-size: 14px;"> so botched the procedure for reporting results in </span><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span>the last presidential <b>Democratic</b> caucus held in 2020 </span></span><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span>that t</span></span><span style="font-size: 14px;">he <b>National Democratic Party</b> finally got a clue, and pulled the plug on the disproportionate and undeserved influence <b>Iowa</b> has had on presidential candidate selection.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"><b>Paul</b> and I presided over our precinct that year, and we experienced how broken the reporting procedure was as I tried over and over and over again to call in our results as instructed to the dedicated phone number </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">that </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">we were assured was foolproof. </span><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Paul</b> and I ended up having to drive to the state party headquarters in <b>Des Moines</b> late at night and stand in line with a bunch of other folks who also couldn’t get their data recorded.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">Local <b>Democratic</b> parties, especially <b>Polk County</b>, the most populace county as well as the location of <b>Des Moines </b>which is<b> </b>both </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">the largest city in the state and the state capital, had conniption fits about losing the first-in-the-nation status, decrying how much money local economies would lose without the hoards of reporters, candidates and their entourages. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Paul</b> and I both thought, “Holy cats, how parochial can you get?!” Never mind how much <b>Iowa’s</b> pre-eminent place in the process unfairly biased the outcome and distorted the future of the nation.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The <b>Republicans</b>, however, are still persisting. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Here’s a screen capture of what <b><i>The New York Times</i></b> thinks is going on in <b>Iowa Republicans’ </b>heads.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBZUVCobl45x_VTQTcClsbQap4S3TAedSkzZHq5CY9b8DVW8l84FgxrvngC3QwpYNdEKZDB2-4VOLyh05tBM3wgPHLSInBGLlP0hsIxXfwcuQ9mxQ94TSVge2poQM4Uuh_feN9Na_VuZ2toGyD_KCId8ublpLoPOAgkHOuZP1tWpsGrGPc2rWYp8eLSa0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1316" data-original-width="1990" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBZUVCobl45x_VTQTcClsbQap4S3TAedSkzZHq5CY9b8DVW8l84FgxrvngC3QwpYNdEKZDB2-4VOLyh05tBM3wgPHLSInBGLlP0hsIxXfwcuQ9mxQ94TSVge2poQM4Uuh_feN9Na_VuZ2toGyD_KCId8ublpLoPOAgkHOuZP1tWpsGrGPc2rWYp8eLSa0=w524-h347" width="524" /></a></div><br /><br /></div></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I’m willing to wager that the fear, anxiety and hopelessness, t</span><span style="font-size: 14px;">he<b style="font-style: italic;"> NYT</b></span><span style="font-size: 14px;"> tells us </span><b style="font-size: 14px;">Republican</b><span style="font-size: 14px;"> voters in</span><b style="font-size: 14px;"> Iowa</b><span style="font-size: 14px;"> are experiencing comes at least partially courtesy of </span><b style="font-size: 14px;">Iowa’s</b><span style="font-size: 14px;"> reactionary </span><b style="font-size: 14px;">Republican</b><span style="font-size: 14px;"> governor, </span><b style="font-size: 14px;">Kim Reynolds</b><span style="font-size: 14px;">. Here’s a sample of the real world ways her rejection of federal money has impacted every day <b>Iowans'</b> lives.</span></span></div><div><div style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"><span><b>Reynolds </b>and her <b>Republican</b>-led legislature just turned down $29 million in federal food aid destined for low-income f</span><span>amilies! Poor kids don't need food! Maybe if they don't eat, there will be less of them. (Click <a href="https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a46241315/kim-reynolds-ebt-hungry-kids/" target="_blank"><b>on this link</b></a> to read a just-out article in <b><i>Esquire</i></b> on <b>Reynolds'</b> coldblooded act.)</span></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"><b>Reynolds</b> declined to accept $3 million from the<b> US Environmental Protection Agency</b> for climate change planning, one of only four states to do so; money that could be used to help predict and prepare for climate-caused disasters such as floods and tornados.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">In 2021 <b>Reynolds</b> turned down $95 million for COVID-19 testing that was part of the <b>American Rescue Plan Act.</b><br /></span><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Public Sans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Reynolds</b> also swatted away federal money that provided <b>Home Energy Rebates</b> for purchasing energy-efficient appliances. Speaking personally, t</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14px;">hat meant that friends <b>Becky</b> and <b>Phil</b> who bought the exact same induction stove we purchased, received a $150 rebate simply because they live just across the bridge in <b>Illinois</b>.<b> </b>We can't be reimbursed because <b>Reynolds</b> won’t let <b>Iowans</b> have access to the rebate money. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">And then there are the anti-transgender and anti-abortion laws <b>Reynold's</b> legislature has passed. Iowa used to be solidly bipartisan state with many truly admirable inclusion firsts. Here are just a few.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>1839:</b> In the Matter of Ralph, the Iowa Territorial Supreme Court ruled a slave residing in Iowa could retain his or her freedom.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><p><b>1846:</b> By the time Iowa became a state, the territorial legislature had already allowed married women to own property due .</p><p><b>1851:</b> Iowa legalized interracial marriage, more than a century before the U.S. Supreme Court guaranteed this right for all Americans in the ruling Loving v. Virginia (1967).</p><p><b>1855:</b> The University of Iowa is the first state university in the nation to admit men and women on an equal basis.</p><p><b>1868:</b> In Clark v. Board of Directors, 86 years before Brown v. Board of Education, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled schools in Iowa could not be segregated.</p><p><b>1869:</b> Iowa was the first state in the nation to allow women to join the bar, which led to Iowan, Arabella Mansfield of Mount Pleasant, being the first female attorney in the nation.</p></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">Just now look what we've become! Below are screen shots of <b><i>NYT</i></b> photos and captions </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">of a sampling of </span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">Iowans</b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"> revealing</span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"> </b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">the reasons they support <b>Donald Trump</b>. </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">No small portion of the economic fear, anxiety and hopelessness these </span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">Trump</b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"> supporters are on about is being wrongly blamed on the current administration, whereas actually </span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">Kim Reynolds </b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">is responsible.</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVOJWijqy0OC357rdBnjPIAgBJlC60E9a-Lz0pkGlEyOIEA4-skMEk0z-smpmktiCqeVFS-SBIiMXcMGJJfc_gB0c4fTdeh1DLS5qVhVbnjXybIXvYOUS5mboArAGQUCNHC7euN2nMYxPiMZKDjQ1lZA4MRPqiB25Zush7RQKFBIz5SIz25Zv5Rm7MHk/s1566/Screenshot%202024-01-14%20at%207.11.01%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1452" data-original-width="1566" height="541" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVOJWijqy0OC357rdBnjPIAgBJlC60E9a-Lz0pkGlEyOIEA4-skMEk0z-smpmktiCqeVFS-SBIiMXcMGJJfc_gB0c4fTdeh1DLS5qVhVbnjXybIXvYOUS5mboArAGQUCNHC7euN2nMYxPiMZKDjQ1lZA4MRPqiB25Zush7RQKFBIz5SIz25Zv5Rm7MHk/w583-h541/Screenshot%202024-01-14%20at%207.11.01%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="583" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">You're joking or delusional.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4NlBQyGuoSrmUs_V8hdMrYN2B54rdrKkBwt6lwLvJ83CTUMKJWR1oCmIfcndIJEIXvo-q7gA0sZ2xhyphenhyphen3Tit6OM-cAtjGdq3gDydgnwKMue5G381uq3MoGEHy0XMSTlaf5QE1Im3O8yoeGbhI8MvJXbJ2HIvOea6OXRZ-B1plWo0s4aR8at_EgEjGciE/s2356/Screenshot%202024-01-14%20at%207.09.52%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="2356" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4NlBQyGuoSrmUs_V8hdMrYN2B54rdrKkBwt6lwLvJ83CTUMKJWR1oCmIfcndIJEIXvo-q7gA0sZ2xhyphenhyphen3Tit6OM-cAtjGdq3gDydgnwKMue5G381uq3MoGEHy0XMSTlaf5QE1Im3O8yoeGbhI8MvJXbJ2HIvOea6OXRZ-B1plWo0s4aR8at_EgEjGciE/w681-h411/Screenshot%202024-01-14%20at%207.09.52%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="681" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Proud of a lying, narcissistic, psychopath has been convicted of <br />sexual assault and wants to be a dictator??</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHutx4n4psXUCLKBvHsZzPgsmRlaqkGF_tDiWDRM0rvl2HxcsXk_D6va9viUrUtPDd-DHxymJWTnDYFj4dF_Cy7UWfx-O-AXURfZOcnfvhOpIkFSSENkblma0bBYl67Vhj6kzxw2Hh1RqUuic9ajrUfxjwwCSrOT0YnANlw7Dirg-VtOSU0v2yj8RkGGs" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1442" data-original-width="1500" height="523" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHutx4n4psXUCLKBvHsZzPgsmRlaqkGF_tDiWDRM0rvl2HxcsXk_D6va9viUrUtPDd-DHxymJWTnDYFj4dF_Cy7UWfx-O-AXURfZOcnfvhOpIkFSSENkblma0bBYl67Vhj6kzxw2Hh1RqUuic9ajrUfxjwwCSrOT0YnANlw7Dirg-VtOSU0v2yj8RkGGs=w545-h523" width="545" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You seriously don't realize that if you or a parent immigrated to the US, <br /><b>Trump</b> would have tried to keep you and your family out.</span><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXQrOTCnG3epc10AOpLT0elcmsz9x6Am_fwEIkSS7gLPLruONPPycwEhEblsgKaf0S_x949QU-Ki_p9Lm3QaHqMnS_jtaRfQtV0bx8ea6Py07RlzUWraIyDNczlgAJnGa6Cr34EUv7_NiowOlJMQfzcSHTtxq7O-OFj75IPVjuGGFx9JTOPArRGr8wQps" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1416" data-original-width="1518" height="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXQrOTCnG3epc10AOpLT0elcmsz9x6Am_fwEIkSS7gLPLruONPPycwEhEblsgKaf0S_x949QU-Ki_p9Lm3QaHqMnS_jtaRfQtV0bx8ea6Py07RlzUWraIyDNczlgAJnGa6Cr34EUv7_NiowOlJMQfzcSHTtxq7O-OFj75IPVjuGGFx9JTOPArRGr8wQps=w604-h564" width="604" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Iowans</b>, If you think the economy isn't good,<br /> Blame <b>Kim Reynolds</b> for her share in where we are.</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /><br /></span></div></div>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-46082818722219097942024-01-12T13:13:00.027-06:002024-01-13T19:16:57.673-06:00Snow Man<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">"The things we do for love are often the things that define us." <i>— Kristin Hannah, award-winning and best-selling author </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">WE woke up to six inches of snow Tuesday morning, January 9. <b>Paul</b> got up, dressed and went out to use the snowblower to clear our driveway in order to make it into work. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">When I asked Paul whether he was sure he'd be okay trying to do this, he assured me he'd be fine. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As I lay snug in bed under the covers, I was given myself atta-girls for having jumped at the chance years ago to buy a big-ass, barely-used, professional snowblower from a business associate who was moving to a warm climate. I liked knowing that <b>Paul</b> had a high-end machine at his disposal.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yeah, about that being-fine part: 1) We purchased the snowblower at least 20 years ago, probably more. 2) Our driveway is 125 feet long. 3) It was really heavy, wet snow. 4) After making a couple of passes at the end of the driveway, the drive mechanism failed which meant that it still blew snow, but no longer drove itself, and that meant that <b>Paul</b> had to push the machine up and down and up and down the driveway. 5) The machine weighs about 130 pounds.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Did I mention that <b>Paul</b> just had surgery on his foot two weeks before, still had stitches in his foot which was wrapped in bandages with his toes sticking out underneath a strap-on surgical boot?!?!?!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfEwGkBauBxnl8AIkANq0R2ZzENvSjCueqqXvv9KqcwdxpwlGTtiOx7zOsgNWQFCWbaUXJgyZ6xUW57lFdypczZdNuzfAablFsQJlMK9LDmoyKc0cKl15Sc3FautbmT6-6Azi2Qut8Ld6jgzvM_QIZgpUJu5FiK06nJShCoR_9vo21eLhlA7VtGd_ZZY/s3043/IMG_1468.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="3043" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfEwGkBauBxnl8AIkANq0R2ZzENvSjCueqqXvv9KqcwdxpwlGTtiOx7zOsgNWQFCWbaUXJgyZ6xUW57lFdypczZdNuzfAablFsQJlMK9LDmoyKc0cKl15Sc3FautbmT6-6Azi2Qut8Ld6jgzvM_QIZgpUJu5FiK06nJShCoR_9vo21eLhlA7VtGd_ZZY/w643-h442/IMG_1468.jpeg" width="643" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It continued snowing all day until we had accumulated 10 inches. Paul came home after work, disassembled the snowblower, figured out that a driveshaft shear pin had broken, drove to the parts store and purchased a replacement pin, reassembled the snowblower and cleared the driveway . . . again! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm not sure which thing to be most impressed with: that he cleared the driveway the first time pushing a heavy machine in heavy snow uphill while literally in stitches, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">bare toes semi-exposed to the elements in a surgical boot — or that he was able to disassemble the machine, figure out what was wrong and fix it!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let's face it: He's a stud.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">PS: We've now had another 10 inches of snow, making 20 inches of accumulated snow. Paul is going out now to do it again, and there's a straight-line north wind blowing, but at least as of late Wednesday, the stitches have been removed, and he's able to wear a sock to cover his toes in the surgical boot.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-51945369381701069882024-01-08T13:19:00.003-06:002024-01-08T13:19:42.269-06:00Never Have I Ever<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Be silly. Be honest. Be kind." <i>— Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century and was one of the most liberal democratic thinkers of his time</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">THIS is all <b>Don Myers'</b> fault. He shared this silly never-have-I-ever list, and obsessive/compulsive person than I am, I had to make my own list. (My husband is a very patient man!)</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Xv4CfoaMFju26UpWX4t7qz3Ei7coq4Do9drZU-IQVKVOfQ4JPyqqs9F3lAqrxWPYTkpv5cvk_hswkYa20MxexBgweOqURTk2yCpyQ-kCxIBPcGQTN7ndSYab-X3qxEr1blhkj62wc0Ik1qCBRUIVP4Ks5lbJhrSz1u8s-Kn6czAu8DoUQ0FVCeeXaF0/s1180/Screenshot%202024-01-08%20at%201.00.59%E2%80%AFPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="1180" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Xv4CfoaMFju26UpWX4t7qz3Ei7coq4Do9drZU-IQVKVOfQ4JPyqqs9F3lAqrxWPYTkpv5cvk_hswkYa20MxexBgweOqURTk2yCpyQ-kCxIBPcGQTN7ndSYab-X3qxEr1blhkj62wc0Ik1qCBRUIVP4Ks5lbJhrSz1u8s-Kn6czAu8DoUQ0FVCeeXaF0/w409-h384/Screenshot%202024-01-08%20at%201.00.59%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="409" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0IbAKPi4D9x4-P8n0xRwWFxqiT78zluWajYI-fZp0I9J2wtzTRsuWfNkD4lQDqMBGoivOcHFhlSaeVUIwoCly1CeeZu8VNk2kUKj33GhKOK_UJwWnnOUyZIsajnOXjkm2093KNwqC0Aqz6pojlxpfQWqZ1lT2ajdQr2dbFntS4WmqR5jSAoLmIpYmb7E/s1414/Screenshot%202024-01-08%20at%2012.40.29%E2%80%AFPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1414" data-original-width="908" height="766" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0IbAKPi4D9x4-P8n0xRwWFxqiT78zluWajYI-fZp0I9J2wtzTRsuWfNkD4lQDqMBGoivOcHFhlSaeVUIwoCly1CeeZu8VNk2kUKj33GhKOK_UJwWnnOUyZIsajnOXjkm2093KNwqC0Aqz6pojlxpfQWqZ1lT2ajdQr2dbFntS4WmqR5jSAoLmIpYmb7E/w491-h766/Screenshot%202024-01-08%20at%2012.40.29%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="491" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-6882765928340592502023-12-15T18:22:00.000-06:002024-02-18T18:12:41.826-06:00Shadow Cat<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">"Memory . . . is the diary that we all carry about with us." — <i>Oscar (</i></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(77, 81, 86);"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Fingal O'Flahertie Wills) Wilde, Irish poet and playwright who became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the 1880s</i></span></span></p><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">FOR YEARS <b>Paul</b> and I have put fresh water and food out every evening next to the back steps — in heated bowls in the winter — available for any critter who's hungry. We've fed numerous feral cats, several opossums, squirrels of course, and a gaze of four to five raccoons (that's what a group of raccoons is called) depending on the night. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">One of the takers each night was a feral ginger cat. He became such a regular that as an experiment, I started leaving the outside door to the back porch open and putting additional food there to see if he would come into the porch. He did. I kept repeating the ritual; I wanted him to understand that he had a safe place to come into to be sheltered from the elements.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZw13t7wEmni0raFHY7Cj2KmRUyVl58lI1O8v97Pp43eeNXVeJomvh8c8HZAJ7n_h-s9whR_xeX9O9MBgSM-LinyMFlWcKA-CQTgRgyitqdma5xvi5XCB-tMS1uoUYX9f7TJdwSrSLYJ6xkJo7f2iX4URavzdnc_byQoy1Z2VBrIneaiq6jqd-oQ5Y7sA/s2048/15895995_1220189328072862_1171116147647035961_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1227" data-original-width="2048" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZw13t7wEmni0raFHY7Cj2KmRUyVl58lI1O8v97Pp43eeNXVeJomvh8c8HZAJ7n_h-s9whR_xeX9O9MBgSM-LinyMFlWcKA-CQTgRgyitqdma5xvi5XCB-tMS1uoUYX9f7TJdwSrSLYJ6xkJo7f2iX4URavzdnc_byQoy1Z2VBrIneaiq6jqd-oQ5Y7sA/w615-h369/15895995_1220189328072862_1171116147647035961_o.jpg" width="615" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">One evening in October of 2016, I opened the kitchen door that opens onto the porch just a crack and saw that he was on the porch. Since he didn't bolt, I opened the door all way to see what would happen; he walked in. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"Now what do I do?" I thought!! </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I closed the door between the kitchen and the rest of the house to protect our other three cats, <b>Shye</b>, <b>Shiva</b> and <b>Sherman T Boy Boy</b>, put down some food and water for him and then gingerly closed the door to the porch. He didn't freak out, a<span style="font-family: inherit;">nd that's how we began his family. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He was such a mess! He had an infected wound, gunky eyes, and his mouth was in bad shape with several teeth needing to be pulled. He was also, unfortunately, FIV-positive. The vet asked us what we wanted to do with him: put him down or try to fix him up.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">We said, "Fix him up." </div></div><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(77, 81, 86);"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">We <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>only had him for a little less than two years after that; the FIV had won, but he was THE most loving cat ever. We named him Shadow because he followed us everywhere. I had previously not been a fan of ginger cats, but now I love them.</div></div>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-49309280296388509302023-12-06T20:21:00.286-06:002024-02-08T10:38:04.543-06:00Heartbreaking<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">"I suspect that you may have had to pause for a moment to remember who Sandra Bland was." — <i>Malcolm Gladwell, author of "Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know"</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">EVER SINCE a friend hipped me to the wonders of checking out audio books from the library, I've been a bit of an addict. I pop my earbuds in while I go for a walk or when I'm ironing, waiting in a doctor's or dentist's office and before bed. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I enjoy having someone read to me. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Once in awhile I check out fiction, but mostly I listen to biographies, autobiographies and other non-fiction titles. The audio books are free and easy to access online through an app called </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Libby</b><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I recently chose a book by </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Malcolm Gladwell</b><span style="font-family: verdana;">. I have listened to or read some of his other work, and I've always found it worth my time, so I downloaded his book from 2019 called "</span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Talking to Strangers:</i></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;"><b>What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know</b>.</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">" I couldn't get past the introduction . . . not because it's poorly written, not because it doesn't deserve to be read or in my case heard, but because I found it </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">devastating.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The intro is the account of three days of a woman's life with some of her personal background included in order to provide a clearer picture of who she was as a person. Those five-and-a half pages gutted me. I can't continue. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Everyone should know <b>Sandra Bland's</b> story. I checked out the online reading version of the book and screen-capped those first few pages to share them with you. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Unfortunately, in my case <b>Malcolm</b> was more than right: it's not that it took a moment for me to remember who <b>Sandra</b> was; I'd never heard of her. Below is her short, tragic story presented as screen-captures. Reading it again now as I share it makes me cry.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkNeVGNIpRxRch7eaytJNBaDR9hYemqJWZH1wH2YarS32FEBTaY-Ye5aqZOVzJ1GD9LoaUIhqckM3eBUGXVFZUB1UZxCvFXDf0uudaiQuHMjRNEPoxBoWanQt_plJkFmNnJxh35JGcwUXA8MV3pmnke1cBWL_eP7FQEOmeqR4VmJcB0XYKF-eV589sv5E" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="466" height="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkNeVGNIpRxRch7eaytJNBaDR9hYemqJWZH1wH2YarS32FEBTaY-Ye5aqZOVzJ1GD9LoaUIhqckM3eBUGXVFZUB1UZxCvFXDf0uudaiQuHMjRNEPoxBoWanQt_plJkFmNnJxh35JGcwUXA8MV3pmnke1cBWL_eP7FQEOmeqR4VmJcB0XYKF-eV589sv5E=w383-h550" width="383" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhQim4zwJ6aEyCEy9r1JvcWIR2Ft-L6YRV8eoZ7Rqv1XKHnHhXHMLnyrfgxBRruM8tCYzC1f7bpXvqee1TkooUOmSM_5QuYRVjmapZqnoIyltoY6t4aKNoYpa9U7BK88VHCP8hfy3rEL3hX6gzY2kwQyeRRD8RlwHXG-ovNvVy7dIWlbp9stxFT_9HZ0g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="1179" height="665" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhQim4zwJ6aEyCEy9r1JvcWIR2Ft-L6YRV8eoZ7Rqv1XKHnHhXHMLnyrfgxBRruM8tCYzC1f7bpXvqee1TkooUOmSM_5QuYRVjmapZqnoIyltoY6t4aKNoYpa9U7BK88VHCP8hfy3rEL3hX6gzY2kwQyeRRD8RlwHXG-ovNvVy7dIWlbp9stxFT_9HZ0g=w382-h665" width="382" /></a></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaCsgJorUZtvgm0C3cGkSGsjezvzdd00Za6NFCwmvDf0MvEwQNUs5Ex_uzRmwMBJh-PTKCMvLdSGZLx9jWePb0bYm14RZdJc5amKkrVHoiZROclnA5aRIV4n8JgU0iwvg88TV_15_GcjpWYST7oGGfs2rhPDeqCrxCyDbDBfI0x4j6dB1bclwb2-TAB4Q" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmHlp98NcvHbWKF-HBwVBWfVqrgWj3l3B67bj03xBd6MgSalpLuxhmwO5X1ii6LNzp-s8ajnkTSr0eCXDwDb5TVP2jftetswo9OaEv4yRqHCMmwD1A6k8rMZPXchzkr6PQndVf2fMfeQUY7GWjEfzphndmyyP9YCUg1_DCHJdFr6qXUZC8cUk2CGGwH4k" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="1179" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmHlp98NcvHbWKF-HBwVBWfVqrgWj3l3B67bj03xBd6MgSalpLuxhmwO5X1ii6LNzp-s8ajnkTSr0eCXDwDb5TVP2jftetswo9OaEv4yRqHCMmwD1A6k8rMZPXchzkr6PQndVf2fMfeQUY7GWjEfzphndmyyP9YCUg1_DCHJdFr6qXUZC8cUk2CGGwH4k=w357-h111" width="357" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><br /></div><br /><p></p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-63483497471796063132023-11-14T05:41:00.000-06:002024-01-08T13:43:03.177-06:00A Milestone<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">"Near and far, near and far, I am happy where you are; Likewise I have never larnt, how to be it where you aren't." <i>— From the poem, "The Tin Wedding Whistle", by American poet, (Frederic) Ogden Nash</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">AS OF <b>November</b> 13, <b>Paul</b> and I have been married 30 years, although I always point out that since we lived together for a year and a half beforehand, I reckon it at 31 and a half. <b>Paul</b> says, "She did the time; she wants the credit." He's joking of course. He knows I adore him.</span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We hope to take a grander trip in warm weather, but we wanted to mark this milestone in some way. <b>Paul</b> took Thursday, November 9 through Monday, November 14 off from work to make it a five-day weekend. We spent three days in <b>Minneapolis</b><b> </b>where<b> Paul </b>rented the perfect below-ground apartment for us with a private entrance and everything inside, floor to ceiling, new. Located in a quiet, residential neighborhood, it was an ideal mouse hole to hide away in. When we weren't out and about, we felt tucked away from the world. </span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">First on the agenda in <b>Minneapolis</b> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">was dinner</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">at </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Gai Noi,</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> a </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Laotian</b><span style="font-family: verdana;">/</span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Thai</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> restaurant that's been written up in </span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The New York Times</i></b><span style="font-family: verdana;">. </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Paul</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> said, "We're not here to skimp on experience." The amazing thing was how fast the appetizers, entrees, sides and salads appeared all at once as if by magic. So much food in mere moments!</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then it was off to the <b>Orpheum Theater</b> for a <b>Trevor Noah</b> standup comedy show. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">The theater is classic </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Beaux Arts</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> finished in 1921 and beautiful inside, but the tiers of seating are so precariously steep that it almost gave <b>Paul</b> vertigo, and since it was built more than 100 years ago, it was designed for decidedly smaller people. The distance between a seat and the seat in front of it was less than the most cramped seating you've ever been stuck in on an airplane. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Another wrinkle was that all audience members were required to hand over their cell phones to a theater worker who put each phone in an individual, small, locked bag and returned the bags to us with the phones inside. At the end of the show, workers unlocked the bags and handed us back our phones. We hadn't experienced that at any other concert or event before. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">As far as the show itself, it was a meh. (I'll mention one particular serious complaint I had with </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Noah's</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> act in subsequent </span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i>HLSS</i></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> post.)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcuxWppcTce15oWlqCGZjvJawhNOueSsUEr5INZnMfrE-LeeQZrwG9v5S8UrLMuCqYXpvw6s011Xa3jcEdcj_qIxg5bAtPdZTC17QyGPIZcxa59FBhvPdP0yHQJcx_NtKsnkAmVaQ98tAc0OIb46FoEDhFbgPo5rvrRLdBiTIyzb2B4FD84SdsBza-8MY/s1106/Screenshot%202023-12-04%20at%203.17.09%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="1106" height="461" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcuxWppcTce15oWlqCGZjvJawhNOueSsUEr5INZnMfrE-LeeQZrwG9v5S8UrLMuCqYXpvw6s011Xa3jcEdcj_qIxg5bAtPdZTC17QyGPIZcxa59FBhvPdP0yHQJcx_NtKsnkAmVaQ98tAc0OIb46FoEDhFbgPo5rvrRLdBiTIyzb2B4FD84SdsBza-8MY/w619-h461/Screenshot%202023-12-04%20at%203.17.09%20PM.png" width="619" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Orpheum Theater. Obviously, I didn't take this picture <br />since our phones were locked up.</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">We had early dinner reservations the next day at </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Owamni</b><span style="font-family: verdana;">, a </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Native American</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> restaurant which has been gushed about in multiple </span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i>NYT</i></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> reviews. The chef and owner calls himself "</span><b style="font-family: verdana;">the Sioux Chef</b><span style="font-family: verdana;">", and all the food is traditional </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Native</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> food. Just as at </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Gai Noi</b><span style="font-family: verdana;">, we wanted to try everything; our table became so covered with items, that I began to feel self-conscious! Here's a screencap of part of their website homepage. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUHqLF6NuAw7WL-CMQdInz-laqNfadN3mQrRvWpABD9ieq6gX8AdPQv4Z-IqtrAp8Mu9-KUFKi3G4tkHqn0zd8x8YlASO4jhnefgCXrt2JuAanv6Xvxfr8-3UEIYoeKo61CvDWBDzbeGUOoKOGD3pGNqD0PR5MFIS0YLtaewMNbSdQeOYR5xGHJzukM0/s1072/Screenshot%202023-12-05%20at%202.23.35%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="1072" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUHqLF6NuAw7WL-CMQdInz-laqNfadN3mQrRvWpABD9ieq6gX8AdPQv4Z-IqtrAp8Mu9-KUFKi3G4tkHqn0zd8x8YlASO4jhnefgCXrt2JuAanv6Xvxfr8-3UEIYoeKo61CvDWBDzbeGUOoKOGD3pGNqD0PR5MFIS0YLtaewMNbSdQeOYR5xGHJzukM0/w491-h337/Screenshot%202023-12-05%20at%202.23.35%20AM.png" width="491" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A screencap from Owamni's website</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg54SWdZeGiKVTL6QkohNDOLbXPUTySMWEBnxUovbWRUhm71DdUd2elEEiBIG_lZ5g7_BTtHk1MtuNqDUT94UbQijzws2iEoBcBzdVSUHCWAjTV41VAbR6SDVkvGZxmIsa7ImGwcomw7djmGSMXjAtwwE12adf7mmVq5kcnOUGulhcgO-fdYRf-Rr_VCWQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="1665" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg54SWdZeGiKVTL6QkohNDOLbXPUTySMWEBnxUovbWRUhm71DdUd2elEEiBIG_lZ5g7_BTtHk1MtuNqDUT94UbQijzws2iEoBcBzdVSUHCWAjTV41VAbR6SDVkvGZxmIsa7ImGwcomw7djmGSMXjAtwwE12adf7mmVq5kcnOUGulhcgO-fdYRf-Rr_VCWQ=w371-h268" width="371" /></a></div>We hadn't made plans for the hours before our meal, but good fortune prevailed. While we were still lounging in our nest that morning, I noticed a post a <b>Facebook</b> friend happened to share, advertising a <b>Minneapolis Institute of Art</b> special exhibition of <b>Native American</b> photography. It seemed providential that we take it in before our meal at the <b>Native American</b> restaurant. The exhibit was both triumphant and heartrending.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqgjQRHFzxaSmHOXFLtLuRnQMt2rEzvui3spkYuoiMxVj1W5Ffo9o3gBFS0f8aBeU2C9lb30VlKGDxDMbu9pJtvXyhk9-YDSgm-qmmYty4oLvQ3Gh2Qy7CEZJj67vWaQYUs7NG4H7Yf67JX0qCpEUZlaTXFFIahFhPIaR08BnPtt42zw86TX-Te7GIxpA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1758" data-original-width="1271" height="597" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqgjQRHFzxaSmHOXFLtLuRnQMt2rEzvui3spkYuoiMxVj1W5Ffo9o3gBFS0f8aBeU2C9lb30VlKGDxDMbu9pJtvXyhk9-YDSgm-qmmYty4oLvQ3Gh2Qy7CEZJj67vWaQYUs7NG4H7Yf67JX0qCpEUZlaTXFFIahFhPIaR08BnPtt42zw86TX-Te7GIxpA=w433-h597" width="433" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A photograph from the exhibition with the artist's note below.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xpVoU3ueJ3vhL5BLAzHMeFGsotahTIdIq0ie02QOIWG5SGJQDK8Co1eAr2iq5DENb7P9nbLa0bIvXOhZnGWtnhzreQGnzv4E9-_JXo_KLPy1fV6Z6FsWwhcy-GaMjV40XBRHLfYkoG4ONMjsSKWAHiYnrlPdagsTjM3TPTS0hiJhABiSmAGyaTP5M5k/s2007/IMG_1240%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1990" data-original-width="2007" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xpVoU3ueJ3vhL5BLAzHMeFGsotahTIdIq0ie02QOIWG5SGJQDK8Co1eAr2iq5DENb7P9nbLa0bIvXOhZnGWtnhzreQGnzv4E9-_JXo_KLPy1fV6Z6FsWwhcy-GaMjV40XBRHLfYkoG4ONMjsSKWAHiYnrlPdagsTjM3TPTS0hiJhABiSmAGyaTP5M5k/w444-h440/IMG_1240%202.jpeg" width="444" /></a></div></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>That night we went to <b>Jazz Central Studios</b>, which our friend <b>Tanner Taylor</b> helped found, to hear a <b>Hammond B-3</b> plus rhythm section mini-concert.</span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Saturday we drove to not one, but TWO huge outlet shopping malls. The first one was in <b>Eagan</b>, and it was bearable, but the second one was <b>The Mall of America</b> — which for those of you who don't know, is the largest shopping mall in the entire <b>United States</b>, and I am quite certain is the tenth circle of hell. Never ever ever ever go there on a <b>Saturday</b>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Reformed clothes horse that I am, you might assume the mission was shopping for me. But au contraire, I bought nary a thing; we shopped exclusively for <b>Paul</b>. The only reason we braved <b>TMOA</b> is because there's a <b>Nordstrom's Rack</b>, and <b>NRs</b> are the best places I know to get fancy-brand clothes on the cheap.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">After surviving our near-death experience at <b>TMOA</b>, we sojourned on to <b>FurBall Farm Cat Sanctuary</b>. It's nationally famous, and we've long wanted to pay a visit. It was worth the time and the drive. A video the <b>FBF</b> staff took while we were there is attached <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FurballFarmCatSanctuary/videos/711412174374755"><b>with this link</b></a>. At 35 minutes, it's w-a-y too long . . . but you'll see hundreds of cats. We're at about 41 seconds in. You'll notice <b>Paul</b> walking out of the frame and me standing at the back of the room wearing <b>Paul's</b> brand new, orange <b>Columbia</b> coat we purchased earlier in the day. If you've never watched any <b>FBF</b> videos, they're fun. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Afterward, we found a <b>Mexican</b> restaurant called <b>Gran Plaza Mexican Gril</b>l in <b>Faribault</b>, <b>MN</b>, the town <b>Furball Farm </b>is near, that offers something other than rice and beans, beans and rice. It was a pleasant surprise. We drove home and spent the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">last two of our five days snuggled up at home with each other and our own little fur ball.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFZtshLwO2Llj9NQZhCXilDGDtJQiHykTyd6sGOQhDBn7o0X1WzMigw66erlJYeXibhcvLIro7jzwVU92J_WZ2DjoT3b0Ithf1GoTPE6BKSn7REa1Fjwz1J7XiZufkM7N7GmYjpZnuli9C8SPnqY42S99Yf1-lsbTsokoNb32HsgoA3zRm-0GW6j1fmo/s2972/IMG_3131.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2972" data-original-width="2482" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFZtshLwO2Llj9NQZhCXilDGDtJQiHykTyd6sGOQhDBn7o0X1WzMigw66erlJYeXibhcvLIro7jzwVU92J_WZ2DjoT3b0Ithf1GoTPE6BKSn7REa1Fjwz1J7XiZufkM7N7GmYjpZnuli9C8SPnqY42S99Yf1-lsbTsokoNb32HsgoA3zRm-0GW6j1fmo/w431-h516/IMG_3131.jpeg" width="431" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our own perfect little fur ball, sweet Shye</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><p><br /></p></div></div>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-31586806471975717122023-11-04T12:38:00.000-05:002024-01-08T13:44:16.480-06:00Something Other Than Jazz<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">"I played the cello from when I was ten, and then I bought a guitar from the father of some friends of mine and played that for a while." — <i>James Taylor, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and six-time Grammy Award winner </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">YOU WON'T be surprised to learn that I listen to a LOT of jazz. Although I didn't know much about jazz </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">before </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Paul</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> and I met in a jazz club 31+ years ago</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">, I liked it before I met him. My uncle introduced me to the music of <b>Tom Scott</b>, and a friend expanded my awareness with the <b>Crusaders</b>. I also really liked the <b>Rippingtons</b>, although many wouldn't classify it as jazz exactly. I listened more to classical music, <b>Motown</b>, pop and bluegrass. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Since <b>Paul </b>is a jazz trombonist, of course I hear lots and lots and LOTS of it at home (</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">we have about 150 jazz CDs and 200 record albums), </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">in clubs and at concerts. </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Paul </b><span style="font-family: verdana;">and I are also half of the four-person management team of </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Turner Center Jazz Orchestra</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> and the 501C3 that manages it, </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Central Iowa Jazz Association</b><span style="font-family: verdana;">. We do all the marketing for both and are a significant part of programing and hiring guest artists. I also write grants and manage the finances and payroll. I said all that to say this: I'm surrounded by jazz.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In September we attended the <a href="https://heylooksomethingshiny.blogspot.com/2023/09/herbie-hancock-live-and-in-person.html" target="_blank"><b>Herbie Hancock concert</b></a> in <b>Des Moines</b>, and October 23 it was the <b>Community Jazz Center</b> <a href="https://heylooksomethingshiny.blogspot.com/2023/10/des-moines-jazz-hall-of-fame-awards.html" target="_blank"><b>Des Moines Jazz Hall of Fame</b></a> award ceremony and concert. I suggested to <b>Paul</b> that it would be REALLY NICE (there was some emphasis on those words) if we attended a wider variety of live music events, especially ones that include my favorite instruments and genres: piano, classical guitar, violin and cello. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As fate would have it, the classical guitar quartet our next door neighbor, <b>David Crabbs</b>, leads put on a free concert October 28, and hurrah, we attended. Then our friend <b>Linda Benoit</b> let me know about a free cello/piano duo recital November 5 at <b>Simpson College</b> featuring cellist, <b>Jesse Nummelin </b>and his wife, pianist <b>Rie Tanaka</b>, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">and we attended that as well. That's three on my list of favorite instruments. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(We all know </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">James Taylor </b><span style="font-family: verdana;">plays the guitar, but who knew he played the cello as a kid?) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Photos below.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0twYdYddDndtbOr2xvYbO_HdonCUSDjEoLqjJafDCorNEnFU__irou2hnLVVMvTvWf24L2hUdi_g6-9-9d_p0bQ_afKKTHPvuYBvYUN6XSHotM5oJyp_bJH4DN27cjgxJ0MQQ3VjQU_m6QbbLZvEQpxgO-Lhw5w0t6qmeLKmq4BP3jpu2ueS7Mpbt5LA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1578" data-original-width="3826" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0twYdYddDndtbOr2xvYbO_HdonCUSDjEoLqjJafDCorNEnFU__irou2hnLVVMvTvWf24L2hUdi_g6-9-9d_p0bQ_afKKTHPvuYBvYUN6XSHotM5oJyp_bJH4DN27cjgxJ0MQQ3VjQU_m6QbbLZvEQpxgO-Lhw5w0t6qmeLKmq4BP3jpu2ueS7Mpbt5LA=w609-h251" width="609" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">David Crabbs on the left leading his classical guitar quartet.<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiH1TBmUSkBqIP2Am48Yrhu4_4zkYesDBBTWJ6imDprh8vtj1ZUo7FsWsWXhN_gB0xP4fBfHpy0V1138MNu1xiDHsSRJ02C1JeisTJiRFrcsrzUaO6byjLsgdN7wZnWxtYWxyTlROXRw3PtLag0ZFgHTt3uDGT2BDsU9D3ELMqqPBfrjdVXN0-sk0aVqs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2323" data-original-width="3322" height="429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiH1TBmUSkBqIP2Am48Yrhu4_4zkYesDBBTWJ6imDprh8vtj1ZUo7FsWsWXhN_gB0xP4fBfHpy0V1138MNu1xiDHsSRJ02C1JeisTJiRFrcsrzUaO6byjLsgdN7wZnWxtYWxyTlROXRw3PtLag0ZFgHTt3uDGT2BDsU9D3ELMqqPBfrjdVXN0-sk0aVqs=w612-h429" width="612" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-79600177607536532472023-10-23T14:35:00.251-05:002023-11-14T11:32:28.041-06:00Des Moines Jazz Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony 2023<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">"Jazz is a lot like life; it's best when you improvise." <i>— George Gershwin, American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>THE Community Jazz Center</b> in <b>Des Moines</b> held its annual <b>Des Moines Jazz Hall of Fame Award Ceremony</b> Sunday, October 23, and <b>Paul </b>and I attended. <b>Paul</b> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">has been a recipient of two awards from the <b>CJC</b> in the past and by proxy, a third, and of course w</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">e wanted to support the event and this year's honorees, five of whom are colleagues or friends.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In 2014 <b>Turner Center Jazz Orchestra </b>—<b> </b>the band for which <b>Paul</b> and I are 50% of the management team — received a <b>Special Recognition Award</b>. In 2015 <b>Paul</b> was individually awarded a <b>Special Recognition Award</b> and in 2021, he was inducted into the <b>Jazz Hall of Fame</b>, the highest recognition given. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This year our good pal <b>Chris Merz</b> was inducted as was another friend, <b>Dave Rezek</b>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Chris</b> teaches at the <b>University of Northern Iowa</b> where he has been director of <b>Jazz Studies</b> since 2002. Over the course of his tenure there, <b>Chris</b> has taken his award-winning <b>UNI Jazz Band</b> to <b>South Africa</b>, <b>Thailand</b> and <b>Cuba</b>. Besides being an outstanding saxophonist and educator, <b>Chris </b>plays in too many small and large groups to list, and he is a prolific composer. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Trumpeter </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Dave Rezek </b><span style="font-family: verdana;">is the jazz band director at </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Roosevelt High School</b><span style="font-family: verdana;">, maintains a busy </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">performing schedule and has been the leader of <b>The Des Moines Big Band</b> since 2015, the band <b>Paul </b>has played in for 31 years.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our friend, <b>John Kendeigh</b>, received a <b>Certificate of Recognition</b> as did our pal, <b>Dave Bohl</b>. <b>John</b> has been active with the <b>CJC </b>for years<b> </b>and serves as the secretary-treasurer of the local musicians' union as well as vice-president of <b>Music Under the Stars</b>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Saxophonist <b>Dave Bohl</b> plays in <b>The Des Moines Big Band</b> with <b>Paul</b>, maintains an active performance schedule, teaches private lessons, and anchors the news on <b>iHeart Radio</b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Other award winners were <b>Rob Ruben</b> who received a <b>Certificate of Recognition</b>, <b>Nate Sparks</b> who received the <b>Next Generation Award</b>, and <b>Waukee Northwest High School</b> senior, <b>Andrew Wittmer</b>, who was the recipient of the <b>Bobby Dawson Award</b>, a prize that always goes to an outstanding student musician.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Below are a couple of pix from the night.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7of5LW5ncZSZY2Sctm6sOLn1zE3Tz2zxC_wEPcIPHE3O4JfO4t1vJiycVoNAjk728cHXSrtZXzHpcBwNuxz-Sltvm95T7jHDB46oijXUS0HleVQE1qdP0AQXo1l14TnNyIj18HfDoKc2Pbwav78tDH7_XzdShdxBECsCe6JnFnF7QZxci4M9Z1eu-vGo" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2300" data-original-width="3265" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7of5LW5ncZSZY2Sctm6sOLn1zE3Tz2zxC_wEPcIPHE3O4JfO4t1vJiycVoNAjk728cHXSrtZXzHpcBwNuxz-Sltvm95T7jHDB46oijXUS0HleVQE1qdP0AQXo1l14TnNyIj18HfDoKc2Pbwav78tDH7_XzdShdxBECsCe6JnFnF7QZxci4M9Z1eu-vGo=w618-h435" width="618" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Chris Merz<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYt7LpIEOp2RwRibASkbpvLZuQSdLAAxiCqBfUqdMc5JPkioIS1kCgGbwvcRTQGNty2Nqkji3h0Q-00NIv4unHqcQ0zJoyM9phyRQi-xQDahqpcuktftP58by0GhB3oxvZNgy0pMt568BLEetJDiEeAAFpMK09l72slMiRbkLXeBiuBshxyKUMK4YlKEE" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2299" data-original-width="1556" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYt7LpIEOp2RwRibASkbpvLZuQSdLAAxiCqBfUqdMc5JPkioIS1kCgGbwvcRTQGNty2Nqkji3h0Q-00NIv4unHqcQ0zJoyM9phyRQi-xQDahqpcuktftP58by0GhB3oxvZNgy0pMt568BLEetJDiEeAAFpMK09l72slMiRbkLXeBiuBshxyKUMK4YlKEE=w425-h630" width="425" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dave Rezek</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-49168954367355833642023-10-16T16:34:00.018-05:002023-11-12T22:17:54.174-06:00Banning Books, Other Disappointments and a Glimmer of Hope<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">“No evidence before the Court indicates that minors face any harm from drag-related events or other speech and expression critical of gender norms." — <i>Brian Morris, American attorney who serves as the Chief district judge of the United States District Court for Montana</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">NO SOONER had I praised <a href="https://heylooksomethingshiny.blogspot.com/2023/08/need-dose-of-hope-heres-some-from.html"><b>Montana's</b> citizenry and judges</a> for their independent-mindedness when hardly more than a month later I read a <b><i>New York Times</i></b> analysis of reports from the <b>American Library Association</b> and <b>PEN America</b> describing the sharp rise in book-banning efforts nationwide in schools and public libraries — and unfortunately <b>Montana</b> is in there amongst them. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">According to the <b><i>NYT </i></b>article "most of the challenged books were by or about people of color or L.G.B.T.Q. people."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><b>The Times </b></i>said, "The PEN report, which counted book removals in school and classroom libraries during the 2022-2023 school year, found 3,362 cases of books being removed, a 33 percent increase over the previous school year. More than 1,550 individual titles were targeted. Many of the same books are challenged around the country, including classics by Toni Morrison and Margaret Atwood, and contemporary young adult fiction by popular authors like John Green.</span>"<span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In addition, some states have even cut ties with the <b>American Library Association</b>, including <b>Montana</b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Below is a map published by the <b>Montana State University Library</b> to coincide with <b>Banned Books Week</b> showing where books have been banned or challenged in <b>Montana</b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWoq_GBWQ4GtzbVM2LcOfV2KKD5Yk0Ts6vO9x94GtAqgT-jyqIRpBgFskDBc-wDPH7-XPqFxyH7Yq_V3CyFXE_VxOT20uT5ggi_bkv5gwIOzHOvEpZLGFQQJRgqAGe9D3Px0Uuf6HlQv-etCrfn7nFVXbuJj2MiW47XDRkXyIM22L-plIHRK07Barhvk/s1998/Screenshot%202023-11-12%20at%2011.55.41%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="1998" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWoq_GBWQ4GtzbVM2LcOfV2KKD5Yk0Ts6vO9x94GtAqgT-jyqIRpBgFskDBc-wDPH7-XPqFxyH7Yq_V3CyFXE_VxOT20uT5ggi_bkv5gwIOzHOvEpZLGFQQJRgqAGe9D3Px0Uuf6HlQv-etCrfn7nFVXbuJj2MiW47XDRkXyIM22L-plIHRK07Barhvk/w595-h344/Screenshot%202023-11-12%20at%2011.55.41%20AM.png" width="595" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(54, 54, 54); color: #363636; font-family: verdana;">In other disappointing news, May 22 <b>Republican Governor Greg Gianforte</b> signed a law into effect that the legislature had passed making <b>Montana</b> the first state to ban drag kings and queens from reading books to children in public schools or libraries. Those who are banned are defined </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(54, 54, 54); color: #363636; font-family: verdana;">as performers who adopt a "flamboyant" or "parodic" male or female persona with "glamorous" or exaggerated costumes and makeup, although the law did not define flamboyant, parodic or glamorous.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #363636;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(54, 54, 54);">The bright spot is that on July 6, </span></span>a federal lawsuit was filed in <b>Butte</b>, <b>Montana</b> arguing that the law violates the free speech and equal protection guarantees in the <b>US Constitution</b>, and <b>US District Court Judge Brian Morris</b>, is blocking enforcement because he agreed the law targets free speech and expression and that the text of the law and its legislative history “evince anti-LGBTQ+ animus.”</span></p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-8245831034253418272023-09-08T18:46:00.001-05:002023-11-13T17:31:53.644-06:00Herbie Hancock Live and in Person<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">"Music happens to be an art form that transcends language." — Herbie Hancock, </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(77, 81, 86); color: #4d5156;">American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">IT WAS a bucket list item for </span><b style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); white-space: pre-wrap;">Paul</b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, and tonight we made it happen. <b>Herbie Hancock</b> performed for a sold-out audience at <b>Hoyt Sherman Place</b>. Tickets were going for upwards of $200 each. We opted for slightly less expensive ones, but as it turned out, we completely lucked out. We ended up in the third row on the righthand-most side of the auditorium seated at an angle to the stage, which sounds like a not-so-desirable place to sit . . . but there was no one sitting in the first row of that section and only one person in the second row which made for an unobstructed view.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">During the performance I noticed three empty seats in the front row </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">and two empty seats in the second row </span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">of the central section just across the aisle from us, so just before the encore, I scooted out and over and asked the couple I would be sitting in front of if they minded if I sat there. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wanted to get some pictures and a video if possible for <b>Paul</b>, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">and those very, very nice people said, "Go for it!" </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here are some photos from the night and below that, the video.</span></p><p><span style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhldAR8vlhccOlPdsp5Z7K770n-7HGspJc6TeKYtXtn8lcLiJjjY3bDbsTBJYl5c1tOAxZL6RFaX4OEIX78lJ5XuvpRKBuPSqfvrqRV1-fBoaqn64bXjhlknit-QQ1qz12iiHf9kCdRnC7S3f_ussujKa_blJElSfx6bRo5YftYqFovyX9UEAFf6Zp1x78" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1731" data-original-width="2048" height="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhldAR8vlhccOlPdsp5Z7K770n-7HGspJc6TeKYtXtn8lcLiJjjY3bDbsTBJYl5c1tOAxZL6RFaX4OEIX78lJ5XuvpRKBuPSqfvrqRV1-fBoaqn64bXjhlknit-QQ1qz12iiHf9kCdRnC7S3f_ussujKa_blJElSfx6bRo5YftYqFovyX9UEAFf6Zp1x78=w688-h582" width="688" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Left to right: <b>Herbie</b> on keyboard, <b>Lionel Loueke</b> on guitar,<br /><b>Terrence Blanchard</b> on trumpet, <b>James Genu</b>s on bass and <b>Jaylen Petinaud</b> on drums</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana;"></span></div><span style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span><p><span style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjELSOOWkNaOgCYSyW0jQ3BjbMsZHva1bdjfTzGLfdEo-EIyRrM6jiTCJyP4q7QQekvgQtmTw1uTD3z08gDgEtDAGMjcNsW3ygKZCd-FauRmlAOKNDeljyOF40jZtnoGj2nJ8qgAnrKSHZAh11K2OaAiHXz5CeeNqsYInMiffG42hNuVJeRdWtGK3HWUIM" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjELSOOWkNaOgCYSyW0jQ3BjbMsZHva1bdjfTzGLfdEo-EIyRrM6jiTCJyP4q7QQekvgQtmTw1uTD3z08gDgEtDAGMjcNsW3ygKZCd-FauRmlAOKNDeljyOF40jZtnoGj2nJ8qgAnrKSHZAh11K2OaAiHXz5CeeNqsYInMiffG42hNuVJeRdWtGK3HWUIM=w670-h446" width="670" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Left to right: <b>Lionel Loueke</b> one guitar, <b>Herbie</b> on keyboard and <b>James Genus</b> <br />on bass.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><b style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;"></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqBvMyIF38qGnVM9ErTh7Uv6MMIJEEBTPfUKnm_Alu6b5j67rbzPmibrqj1m4ajkrObmbW4IMeCuG3x4dQ9lLr5ofvNeqy67GclFgiD3OCZmA_J_pyts7zPulE6uzNr5yWzJPLKQRN3s6IxwaLqRb0dU_ntcZi8vr16xXX8A791Clrp1u3tkUM5pLiMME" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1142" data-original-width="792" height="668" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqBvMyIF38qGnVM9ErTh7Uv6MMIJEEBTPfUKnm_Alu6b5j67rbzPmibrqj1m4ajkrObmbW4IMeCuG3x4dQ9lLr5ofvNeqy67GclFgiD3OCZmA_J_pyts7zPulE6uzNr5yWzJPLKQRN3s6IxwaLqRb0dU_ntcZi8vr16xXX8A791Clrp1u3tkUM5pLiMME=w462-h668" width="462" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Terrance Blanchard</b> on trumpet<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNvjqyr42B60-wp-MaVmeXkHM_cHQEIIf347lJv65ZLVrVH6JcQsdQdLbehMpxwLdPQcJJ6gl8O-4SpddNoovNJnr3tzQzlZf_usAkVA0qauvD_CCcgbgLBK4CD4lbHpUoebO5XLiiuzbFeBKfkkivVxYTmlq-vFhm00MRRne1DOE5uc_BlgsrYMhm3r0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1459" data-original-width="983" height="687" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNvjqyr42B60-wp-MaVmeXkHM_cHQEIIf347lJv65ZLVrVH6JcQsdQdLbehMpxwLdPQcJJ6gl8O-4SpddNoovNJnr3tzQzlZf_usAkVA0qauvD_CCcgbgLBK4CD4lbHpUoebO5XLiiuzbFeBKfkkivVxYTmlq-vFhm00MRRne1DOE5uc_BlgsrYMhm3r0=w464-h687" width="464" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>James Genus</b> on bass</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLVM8eiAcBoDuPij54TGhyiNuwDlG-ZW9mTmp6Sa5WOrrfKFreMHfBBgVnwJCAulq7KEX7-uq9JnffPztGTrPU2b9CPoqda0dSYCRSmMgXwxfEh4OEYdnCMCHui-9zU62iSl3a1hh0ntPeWe4UoBraXZq2TIEM857kFmbY02a1cWRxidaynT4wBcJBTxc" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1503" data-original-width="2048" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLVM8eiAcBoDuPij54TGhyiNuwDlG-ZW9mTmp6Sa5WOrrfKFreMHfBBgVnwJCAulq7KEX7-uq9JnffPztGTrPU2b9CPoqda0dSYCRSmMgXwxfEh4OEYdnCMCHui-9zU62iSl3a1hh0ntPeWe4UoBraXZq2TIEM857kFmbY02a1cWRxidaynT4wBcJBTxc=w662-h486" width="662" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Left to right: <b>Herbie</b>, <b>Lionel</b> and <b>James</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOCXCNs8_h8jQlmayQ0OPCwB63BR-xvHorSUJynHrfso35f4uKBkzMiPZUjN_lbGlmfepkWnF6fSRo3U1_6bZh-If5i5gALdksasCBnwCkpIsG0W89snF7sqwg2ufy3hvB9F_XxRB8B2IeggfqyYL8BicBoLT8nRnQLnX70n0ujj-OqBmPMwqL1hWuKCU" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1532" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOCXCNs8_h8jQlmayQ0OPCwB63BR-xvHorSUJynHrfso35f4uKBkzMiPZUjN_lbGlmfepkWnF6fSRo3U1_6bZh-If5i5gALdksasCBnwCkpIsG0W89snF7sqwg2ufy3hvB9F_XxRB8B2IeggfqyYL8BicBoLT8nRnQLnX70n0ujj-OqBmPMwqL1hWuKCU=w663-h469" width="663" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Left to right: <b>Lionel</b>, <b>Terrance </b>and <b>James</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vxnjLDGhT3E" width="320" youtube-src-id="vxnjLDGhT3E"></iframe></div><br /><br /><p></p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-70765451334223203242023-09-06T13:51:00.005-05:002023-09-07T15:17:26.320-05:00There's a Problem in Women's Sports — and It's Not the Players or the Fans<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">“Women need a seat at the table, they need an invitation to be seated there, and in some cases, where this is not available, they need to create their own table." <i>— Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, former actress and American member of the British royal family</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">AUGUST 20 <b>Spain</b> defeated <b>England</b> in the women's soccer <b>World Cup</b> final. I was disappointed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>England’s</b> national team is coached by <b>Sarina Wiegman</b>. <b>Spain</b> was coached by <b>Jorge Vilda</b> who was booed twice by the crowd at the <b>World Cup</b> finals match, first when the starting coaches' names were announced and again when he was awarded the winning coach’s medal.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">He wasn’t only unpopular with the crowd, though, he was unpopular with his team. In <b>September</b> of 2022, 15 players sent emails asking not to be called up until certain changes were made. The players’ alleged that <b>Vilda</b> fostered an environment that significantly negatively impacted their physical and mental health. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZGgtHSXG5QY0nq10uYbJN2KFvD27wzJFZz7_tDvE51p1_F3nFQsvdpY-4rCxHsFVAdr6ZT_sEvPM-qcUJiouOWzMG0MZE7zabZpNr2DlwgQjS7-Z1AXuUuJEGj42e3rGHyyFtjWTsr4NSrIWxlkvEMg86oOqbiFIL45MHAtpvgj27g3zTre8rTNSBIU/s1826/Screenshot%202023-09-06%20at%2011.49.21%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1826" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZGgtHSXG5QY0nq10uYbJN2KFvD27wzJFZz7_tDvE51p1_F3nFQsvdpY-4rCxHsFVAdr6ZT_sEvPM-qcUJiouOWzMG0MZE7zabZpNr2DlwgQjS7-Z1AXuUuJEGj42e3rGHyyFtjWTsr4NSrIWxlkvEMg86oOqbiFIL45MHAtpvgj27g3zTre8rTNSBIU/w579-h381/Screenshot%202023-09-06%20at%2011.49.21%20AM.png" width="579" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To add insult to injury, at the <b>World Cup</b> medal ceremony, <b>Royal Spanish Football Federation</b> (<b>RSFF</b>) president, <b>Luis Rubiales</b>, grabbed <b>Spanish</b> star forward <b>Jennifer Hermoso’s</b> head and kissed her fully on the lips, carried <b>Athenea del Castillo</b> around over his shoulder like a trophy, grabbed his crotch and pointed at <b>Vilda</b> and said ‘ole your balls’. <b>Hermoso</b> has joined 80 other <b>Spanish</b> women players who say they won’t play for <b>Spain</b> until there are leadership changes. As of yesterday, he has finally been removed as the women's team coach.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Even if coach </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Vilda</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> were beloved by his team, and </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Rubiales</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> not despicably offensive, I wouldn’t have rooted for <b>Spain</b>. Neither did I cheer for the <b>US</b> or any of the other 20 teams coached by men. My teams were the dozen being coached by women.The disparity in coaching opportunities for women in athletics has long been of consequence to me. Thirty years ago at the <b>Iowa Girl’s’ State Tournament</b> finals in <b>Des Moines</b>, I noticed something that concerned me.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Between the final games of school size divisions, there has traditionally been a ceremony in the which individual girls and team winners from all <b>Iowa</b> high schools file onto the court led by their coaches to be recognized for their achievements. As I viewed the procession, something struck me as odd: most of the coaches were men. I turned to my tournament program to check out the coaches for the tournament teams. All men.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">OK, OK," I thought. "Probably most of the girls’ basketball coaches here in Iowa are actually women, but by coincidence the teams going to <b>State</b> this year happen to be men."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I contacted the <b>Iowa High School Athletic Association</b> to ask and learned that only about 22.5% of high school girls’ basketball teams at the time had women coaches. That seemed inexplicable to me. <b>Iowa</b> has one of the oldest and most participated in traditions of girls' basketball in the country. Each year the state graduates hundreds of exemplary players. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then I thought that perhaps women don't want to coach, but that didn’t square with the data. There were 725 women who held <b>State of Iowa</b> endorsed coaching credentials that year, yet only 99 girl’s basketball teams were coached by women. By contrast, 320 men were coaching girls’ basketball, a statistic that doesn’t even take into account the number of men who were coaching track and field and other sports girls are allowed to participate in.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The word "allowed" is significant. Up until 1993 many <b>Iowa</b> schools didn’t permit girls to play five-on-five, full court basketball. Girls weren’t considered physically strong enough to run an entire court. Instead they played six-on-six, half-court basketball in which three girls from team A played offense on one half of the court against three girls on defense from team B and vice versa. That meant that at any given time, six girls were standing and watching on one side of the court or the other. The rules also only allowed girls two dribbles before they were required to pass the ball. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">When the first women’s <b>World Cup</b> debuted in 1991, the women’s matches were only allowed to run 80 minutes instead of 90 minutes that the men played. "They were afraid our ovaries were going to fall out," then US team captain, <b>April Heinrichs</b>, remarked. Nevertheless, the organizers of that first <b>World Cup</b> jammed the women’s games into an every-other-day schedule, allowing the women only half the rest usually afforded the men. It was a double-edged sword. Women weren’t tough enough to play a full 90 minutes, and they didn’t matter enough to be given as much rest as the men.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A lot of girls' basketball has been played since I discovered that only 22.5% of the teams were coached by women. I had hoped that over the course of the intervening years the percentage of women coaching girls’ basketball teams in <b>Iowa</b> had increased. Instead, by 2019 the number of women basketball coaches had decreased to less than 13% while the number of men coaching women's basketball had increased to more than 87%.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It wasn’t always this way. Before <b>Title IX</b>, 90% of college women’s teams were coached by women. But <b>Title IX</b> mandated equal treatment for both genders in sports which was a boon to the players, but it had the opposite effect for women coaches. Any school receiving federal money was forced to increase pay for coaching women’s teams, and all of sudden men were interested — and they were hired.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Reminds me of a line from <b><i>Winnie the Pooh</i></b>. "Well," said <b>Rabbit</b>, stroking his whiskers, "Now you're asking me.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Girls’s basketball and <b>Iowa</b> high schools are not unique in this. Across all women’s sports, women coaches lag far behind men. A report by <b>The Institute for Diversity and Ethics and Sport</b> revealed that men have been placed overwhelmingly in the key positions of college sport at the university and college level, but the lack of women coaches cut across all levels of play. As of 2019 only 27% of youth sports coaches were women. It sends a harmful message to all the little girls who are watching — that women can provide labor, but not leadership. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I’m proud of the <b>US</b> women who fought the <b>US Soccer Federation</b> for and won equal pay for women, however if the US women’s team had performed well at the <b>World Cup</b>, it’s unlikely their coach, <b>Vlatko Andonovski</b>, would have since resigned and <b>Twila Kilgore</b> hired as interim coach. A woman! Hurrah!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But inequities are still manifold (pun not exactly intended). Even though according to the <b>Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport</b>, tickets sales for women’s soccer in the <b>US</b> have surpassed ticket sales for the men’s — an <b>August </b>volleyball match in <b>Nebraska</b> just drew a crowd of 92,003 — and female athletes account for 40% of all sports participants, women’s sports receive only 4% of all sports media coverage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It’s wearing to call out the frequent dismissive, blatantly inequitable and injurious attitudes and behavior women encounter, but it’s necessary. Otherwise women and girls will continue to be hobbled, and we may again only be allowed to play on half the court.</span></p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-7998300018129404442023-08-14T22:14:00.243-05:002023-11-12T16:33:39.673-06:00Need a Dose of Hope? Here's Some from Montana<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">“This is a huge win for Montana, for youth, for democracy, and for our climate” <i>— Julia Olson, founder of Our Children’s Trust</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">DECADES ago I lived in <b>Montana</b> for a year and a half; I still have a fondness for the state. Although I'm dismayed by <b>Republican</b> <b>Governor Greg</b> <b>Gianforte </b>and the state legislature's </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">a</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">nti-woman and anti-environment agenda, I'm proud of the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">independent-mindedness of <b>Montana's </b>citizenry and courts. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">On May 3, 2023, <b>Gianforte</b> signed a slate of bills restricting access to abortion. <span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">One of the new laws established a</span><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.4px;"> "right of conscience" that allows health care providers or institutions to refuse to perform abortions if it violates their “ethical, moral, or religious beliefs or principles.”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">But on May 12 in a decision that <span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: verdana; letter-spacing: normal;">solidified access to </span><span style="font-family: verdana; letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">abortion services within the state</span></span>, the <b>Montana Supreme Court</b> ruled that </span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">advanced practice nurse practitioners are allowed to provide abortion services, overturning a 2005 law that made it illegal for them to do so, </span></p><p></p><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">All seven supreme court justices agreed that the previous law unconstitutionally interfered with <b>Montanan’s</b> right to privacy.</span><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The court wrote, "</span></span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Under Montana’s Constitution, the right of individual privacy—that is, the right of personal autonomy or the right to be let alone—is fundamental." "It is, perhaps, one of the most important rights guaranteed to the citizens of this State, and its separate textual protection in our Constitution reflects Montanans’ historical abhorrence and distrust of excessive governmental interference in their personal lives.”</span><div><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UGYhCpq672RKX5Zpbq1L3NdBKxiQOkYPLCIZ_0XX6X5IMVpvR-sQENOFLb2vAUh7x0PoxLxQKzKd2DbSfgZYoCtoUZ-_tu8K4Eajt19FlnXIu4ivF7UwDjACLiNwxFdfZG8AKtqDTONdXLYErKxP1iWCwM7R6aj1m-h8Iwwto4PBAIzYzwpYBE3KUhg/s962/Screenshot%202023-09-16%20at%2010.16.04%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="962" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UGYhCpq672RKX5Zpbq1L3NdBKxiQOkYPLCIZ_0XX6X5IMVpvR-sQENOFLb2vAUh7x0PoxLxQKzKd2DbSfgZYoCtoUZ-_tu8K4Eajt19FlnXIu4ivF7UwDjACLiNwxFdfZG8AKtqDTONdXLYErKxP1iWCwM7R6aj1m-h8Iwwto4PBAIzYzwpYBE3KUhg/w355-h355/Screenshot%202023-09-16%20at%2010.16.04%20PM.png" width="355" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Photo from <b><i>The New York Times</i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then there's this win on behalf of the environment and the health and life of the people of </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Montana</b><span style="font-family: verdana;">. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">On August 14, a <b>Montana</b> state trial court ruled in favor of a group of young people who sued the state for prohibiting</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> state agencies from considering the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change in their environmental reviews. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><b>Julia Olson</b>,<b> </b></span>founder of <b>Our Children's Trust</b>, filed the suit in 2020 on behalf of 16 young people who were then between two and 18 years old. Their challenge was brought under a provision of the <b>Montana Constitution</b> enacted in 1972 which protects “the right to a clean and healthful environment.” </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Montana</b><span style="font-family: verdana;">, it should be noted, is one of only a handful of state constitutions to have such a provision.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(54, 54, 54); color: #363636; font-family: verdana;">The ruling means that <b>Montana</b>, which gets one-third of its energy from burning coal, must now consider climate change when deciding whether to approve or renew fossil fuel projects. Since the state is a major oil and gas producer, of course the ruling is being appealed by </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(54, 54, 54); color: #363636; font-family: verdana;">deep-pocketed, vested interests. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCF8mZMI4_5RofRp0h2MgNiFWx7uFTDj_-HPx468FIPxj3rfognvZt9XTdnYtN5kcGfLpx_BnFrEY_l02_oBTGLxEV7eFuc8M7VQwj4rG3JLt9Op3v5uE0CrCRzvVlBY8zoTpqcKUaTRdwv1oKExfIpu0JjGs4DtrRSb0gBTWxvM0OHFYn44b0npfXaY/s652/Screenshot%202023-09-16%20at%2011.58.16%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="652" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCF8mZMI4_5RofRp0h2MgNiFWx7uFTDj_-HPx468FIPxj3rfognvZt9XTdnYtN5kcGfLpx_BnFrEY_l02_oBTGLxEV7eFuc8M7VQwj4rG3JLt9Op3v5uE0CrCRzvVlBY8zoTpqcKUaTRdwv1oKExfIpu0JjGs4DtrRSb0gBTWxvM0OHFYn44b0npfXaY/s320/Screenshot%202023-09-16%20at%2011.58.16%20PM.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">And one last little progressive, inclusive item to </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Montana's</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> credit: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #202124;">As of <b>December</b> 2017, <b>Montana</b> issues a new birth certificate with an updated name and gender upon receipt of an affidavit from the individual. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: verdana;">No court order or medical documentation is required. A government-issued ID showing the correct gender is also accepted. </span><p></p><p></p></div></div><div><span style="color: #202124; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36);"><b>Montana</b>, you're looking more appealing all the time.</span></span></div>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-79830671544648630662023-08-05T13:33:00.001-05:002023-11-12T14:05:50.450-06:00Another 146 Pairs of New Pajamas Delivered<div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">"Thank you for your incredible donation of lots and lots of pajamas. Most survivors arrive at our shelter arrive with just the clothes on their backs. Your donation will have a positive on survivors in Siouxland. Thank you for being part of this movement to provide safety and end domestic violence." <i>— Stephanie Pickenpaugh, Executive Director of Safe Place </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">JULY 29th<b> Paul's</b> cousin <b>Forde</b> <b>Fairchild</b> and his wife <b>Katie</b> met us in <b>Coon Rapids</b>, <b>IA</b> for a handoff of 146 pairs of new pajamas that they delivered to the domestic violence shelter in <b>Sioux City</b>. Completely by accident, that made a total of EXACTLY 500 pairs that have been split among five shelters: <b>Council Bluffs</b>, <b>Davenport</b>, <b>Des Moines</b>, <b>Sioux City</b> and <b>Waterloo</b> between January and July. Lots and lots of people pitched in to make that happen. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Since then I've been working on packing up what will be a very large delivery to <b>Des Moines</b>. It's a big shelter, and they go through a lot of pajamas in a hurry. I have enough mediums and larges to cover at least one more shelter after <b>Des Moines</b>, but I'm short on kids PJs and adult women's small, 1X, 2X and 3X. If you feel like helping out just go to <a href="https://www.helenspajamaparty.org">https://www.helenspajamaparty.org</a> and click on the gold donate button. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeICgur3YhG4iZitTxvGkxmoXb58rsPHXTGkM5XwVksJywPRklGWozU38MNL-tz5tm_9Z8zJlkVHEYeRxkY6VUK8ixUbSHJ2oaZ5ZazQUPz7Uv3zR2aihYF9X01LYEXoqn1bl8BczaXMZfwDPvOyV1P14SsBuPibdTyK2LEteheLzGJTEBf8N4aU9dAyg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1608" data-original-width="2048" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeICgur3YhG4iZitTxvGkxmoXb58rsPHXTGkM5XwVksJywPRklGWozU38MNL-tz5tm_9Z8zJlkVHEYeRxkY6VUK8ixUbSHJ2oaZ5ZazQUPz7Uv3zR2aihYF9X01LYEXoqn1bl8BczaXMZfwDPvOyV1P14SsBuPibdTyK2LEteheLzGJTEBf8N4aU9dAyg=w656-h514" width="656" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Forde abd Katie Fairchild</span></div>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-81435288376522893882023-07-22T14:07:00.074-05:002023-09-11T15:04:17.218-05:00Go Women's Teams Coached by Women!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any. <i>— Alice Walker, an </i></span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(77, 81, 86); color: #4d5156; font-size: 14.000001px;"><i>American novelist, short story writer, poet, and social activist and the first Afrо-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.</i></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #4d5156;">THE WOMEN'S soccer <b>World Cup</b> is on! Like the <b>Olympics</b>, the <b>World Cup</b> is only held every four years. I'm rooting for the teams coached by women, and against those coached by men. </span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #4d5156;">Thirty years ago I wrote a piece for the <b><i>Des Moines Register</i></b> about the dismally small number of women coaching girls' basketball. At the time only 2</span></span><span style="background-color: #fafafa; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; text-align: justify;">2.5% of high school girls’ basketball teams were coached by women, compared to 77.5% coached by men. I had hoped in the </span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">intervening 30 years that ratio had improved, but in fact it's even more lopsided now that it was then. </span></span><span style="background-color: #fafafa; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333;">By 2019 the number of women basketball coaches had decreased to less than 13% while the number of men coaching women's basketball had increased to more than 87%. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">I got curious about the ratio of male coaches versus female coaches at the <b>World Cup</b>. The answer is 20 teams coached by men compared to just 12 coached by women. Here's a little guide so you'll know which teams (Hint: the ones coached by women) to root for.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9QPzPZFufARVKVNSEtbxAeMn_yiqKD34v7acdFlN0heaUCmmJJszVvQl4h6lmi-5zEm-T27AFqjdp4yRahqWpov4kNi6fDpFG1l4tkAhBOsI6NrboqwyJ-bzj6YgXXfHJavDu7gdznUxZ3yRYiJlx-wDofLhyGIgYl1X4gi5c-lRhyMIQfDWKOT2kGk/s4096/FIFAsoccer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="2731" height="863" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9QPzPZFufARVKVNSEtbxAeMn_yiqKD34v7acdFlN0heaUCmmJJszVvQl4h6lmi-5zEm-T27AFqjdp4yRahqWpov4kNi6fDpFG1l4tkAhBOsI6NrboqwyJ-bzj6YgXXfHJavDu7gdznUxZ3yRYiJlx-wDofLhyGIgYl1X4gi5c-lRhyMIQfDWKOT2kGk/w575-h863/FIFAsoccer.jpg" width="575" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><br /><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-21602912322965204602023-07-20T15:14:00.527-05:002023-08-16T10:51:15.335-05:00Get Rid of Your Gas Stove<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">“Benzene is the stuff nightmares are made of.” <i>— Dr. Janice L. Kirsch, oncologist </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>PAUL</b> bought a new gas stove to replace our ancient one; six months later I made him to get rid of it. Here's how that went down: At the end of <b>May</b>, I read a <b><i>New York Times</i></b> article a</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">bout research conducted by </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Stanford University</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> proving the detrimental effects of the pollutants gas stoves emit. </span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The Times</i></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> ran a second article on the topic June 17. The following day we bought an induction range. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I would have settled for a regular smooth-top electric, but we found an induction range that wasn't that much more expensive than a smooth-top electric. As a side benefit, it turned out than an induction range has other unanticipated advantages. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'll mention what those plusses are at the end of this post, but they're just an asterisk. What really matters is that gas stoves are hazardous to your health. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here's a VERY brief summary from the two </span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i>New York Times</i></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> articles:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Scientists from <b>Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability</b> have lugged sophisticated sensors into homes and apartments in three <b>US</b> cities to measure and track the pollution from gas stoves as it drifts from room to room. They will continue testing in seven more cities, but the results were too striking . . . and scary . . . for them to wait until the entire 10-city survey was completed to release the data.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimfSCxQurG3ViNQfAZ_Qx00V1wi_vk5EvlfeHCHtmvPe56Qn5tf0kiq6NAST_8N5ulQ6XFm9IReKIs5uNwaZT-lUqJXkwB0loCTGDV0VYO3OzXzmYGPoKXihi5lgTsmxwPwNXCCILcOTrFm2pAlPHJhjcDRfGASkOr0n-rqjlAtW_B6ITTxze0OxnST8E" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2302" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimfSCxQurG3ViNQfAZ_Qx00V1wi_vk5EvlfeHCHtmvPe56Qn5tf0kiq6NAST_8N5ulQ6XFm9IReKIs5uNwaZT-lUqJXkwB0loCTGDV0VYO3OzXzmYGPoKXihi5lgTsmxwPwNXCCILcOTrFm2pAlPHJhjcDRfGASkOr0n-rqjlAtW_B6ITTxze0OxnST8E=w626-h313" width="626" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Their peer-reviewed study found that using a single gas-stove burner on high or an oven set to 350 degrees for 45 minutes often raised indoor concentrations of the carcinogen benzene to above that found in secondhand tobacco smoke.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">"A mounting body of research has documented significant indoor air pollution and negative health effects from gas stoves. Gas stoves emit other harmful pollutants (in addition to benzene) such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde and can also leak methane, a potent greenhouse gas, even when they are turned off. A study published in December estimated that 12.7 percent of childhood asthma in the United States was linked to gas-burning stoves."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">When a woman who lives in a three-bedroom apartment in <b>New York City </b>turned on a single small burner on high</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">, the monitoring equipment "quickly detected the change: a rise in concentrations of nitrogen dioxide — which, among other negative health effects, can irritate the respiratory system, aggravate symptoms of respiratory diseases and contribute to asthma. Concentrations climbed to 500 parts per billion, five times the safety benchmark for one-hour exposures set by the Environmental Protection Agency. <b>Concentrations of benzene</b>, a human carcinogen that is present in cigarette smoke and car emissions, also<b> tripled</b>." (Emphasis mine.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">On the surface (pun intended) induction cooktops look pretty much the same as standard glass-top electric cooktops, but there are significant differences. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rather than relying on indirect radiation, convection or thermal conduction, induction stovetops have copper coils beneath the surface of the of each heat circle which </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">generate electromagnetic energy </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">when in contact with a steel or cast iron pan</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">, essentially making the pan the heat source.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The only downside that I know of is that you have to use the right kinds of pots and pans: steel or cast iron. We were lucky in that we already owned a full set induction-compatible stainless steel and cast iron. Here are some of the benefits of an induction range.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>They're more energy efficient</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">According to <i style="font-weight: bold;">Consumer Reports</i>, "An induction stove is 5 to 10 percent more energy-efficient than conventional electric stoves and about three times more efficient than gas stoves. They also have a built-in safety feature; if you turn on an induction burner with no pot on it by mistake, it won't get hot."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>They're fast</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The electromagnetism method allows for precise control and a rapid rise or drop in temperature. Induction cooking surfaces are known to boil water 50 percent faster compared to their gas and electric counterparts. Ours has a fast-heat setting that boils water in about a minute. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>They keep your kitchen cooler</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Because it's the pan that gets hot, the rest of the stovetop remains cool to the touch which not only provides an additional usable work surface, but keeps the kitchen from getting too hot.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>They're easy to clean</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Because the stovetop is perfectly smooth and remains cool everywhere except where the pan was, cleanup is fast and easy. Just wipe it off. Compare that to trying to keep a gas stovetop and burners clean.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The oven bakes the same </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The oven in an induction stove uses a regular electric stove heating element, and like all stoves, it has a broil setting. Ours also has an air-fryer element and fan built into it, so we can bake, broil or air-fry. I asked <b>Paul</b> if it's just a regular electric oven, why the oven heats up SO fast. He thinks that when we set it to fast-preheat, all three elements come on until the desired temperature is reached at which time the broil and air-fry turn off.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Footnote</b>: A couple of pals from my virtual village noticed a recent <b>Facebook</b> post of mine that included a picture of a meal made using our induction stove and oven, and emailed to ask for more information about the dangers of gas stove and details about the unit we purchased. There's a monthly limit on how many <b><i>New York Times</i></b> articles I can share with my subscription, but it you're serious about ditching your gas stove, not just induction-curious, I'll gift them to you as well until I run out.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-82628679665139612772023-06-20T16:11:00.004-05:002023-06-25T14:39:50.829-05:00The Echinacea Are Blooming<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br />“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly our whole life would change.” <i>— Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">THE <b>Echinacea </b>we planted last year are blooming and thriving. A <b>North American</b> genus in the daisy family, <b>Echinacea</b> produces big, bright flowers from late <b>June</b> until frost. It has ten species, which are commonly called <b>coneflowers</b>. They thrive in average soils, withstand hot, dry conditions, and shrug off cold. Blooms last well cut or dried, and the seeds in the large cone at the heart of the flower head provide nourishment for birds. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Echinacea</b> was widely used by the <b>North American Indigenous</b> peoples as folk medicine dating back to the 18th century. Traditional use included external application for insect bites, burns, wounds, chewing of roots for throat and tooth infections and internal use for cough, pain, snake bites, stomach cramps.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAIb3wbtak4y-7pIxtDj2MbBTQkH_VToIqhKLCTM_C99Sm3xBmLGj2INYDy_VKTnKLmzrz4zsUlrZ7zNePv_pTyNCc_fWVGwz0Rpqn1h26jekqPMYE9d6b6AeKdgFkL8JKtuERLjEQDxGV89DWTk6qYjRyAkHkiIahCnD2mGtyiUPj7tw3WkVBAiEvv7M" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2153" data-original-width="3562" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAIb3wbtak4y-7pIxtDj2MbBTQkH_VToIqhKLCTM_C99Sm3xBmLGj2INYDy_VKTnKLmzrz4zsUlrZ7zNePv_pTyNCc_fWVGwz0Rpqn1h26jekqPMYE9d6b6AeKdgFkL8JKtuERLjEQDxGV89DWTk6qYjRyAkHkiIahCnD2mGtyiUPj7tw3WkVBAiEvv7M=w641-h387" width="641" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7TFRpQFxuAvVScbesM0PPJfX__HJXwHDFsRQiIdJokEdG8bVU9807hsu-ESqPXDn-sza-mtzJLuITv-rIN2mqurTBBUMV9j0BptALTgqCIoRuTIOAcwlptttO3iSgliyNrTj13ssx85Wrwb79A6Thju65nmywL3LZgRM4KcM4wjNXfUwOGSuYw5njYNw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3318" data-original-width="2761" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7TFRpQFxuAvVScbesM0PPJfX__HJXwHDFsRQiIdJokEdG8bVU9807hsu-ESqPXDn-sza-mtzJLuITv-rIN2mqurTBBUMV9j0BptALTgqCIoRuTIOAcwlptttO3iSgliyNrTj13ssx85Wrwb79A6Thju65nmywL3LZgRM4KcM4wjNXfUwOGSuYw5njYNw=w396-h475" width="396" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkx8OfJLupLs5tKEDsqUPI8ZdIfgVqqwKIte5Np_TUO6R_88fIEbxqn2wU6CRmcxClhux_RoaPYriUJLYSbrTAMZHtg9Zf2BLKoBEZISsf66IzcsduSGAHzFUvOky8Vr4Nf-xqR6SE3FonkWyogcfvHQ455Tm6vLqELtA4AI7kRWKCp0zgvFjbqKnYnO4" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjk34wbNSci5RCJ2sOTOaL8jDH9ZRloMOzvADHABlk0uHydFiqdSxc185lUDHFmRBc7UcpvBh_bhLrtRepSmnY4kNa89dZyB8lfM6_6nwTJwuqw_vMVjX38hEFZTldxHXAm0XSfPEWh4tiWk7AgvbV6myGjADuoVMRa2b8dP1zVj9ZWW1t6B1qeELpgdpc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjk34wbNSci5RCJ2sOTOaL8jDH9ZRloMOzvADHABlk0uHydFiqdSxc185lUDHFmRBc7UcpvBh_bhLrtRepSmnY4kNa89dZyB8lfM6_6nwTJwuqw_vMVjX38hEFZTldxHXAm0XSfPEWh4tiWk7AgvbV6myGjADuoVMRa2b8dP1zVj9ZWW1t6B1qeELpgdpc=w639-h479" width="639" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjo5RXZv_C-Rx43iI5CqLMuIl-mqt7UVUwkLMqBPobb39HeVJyW9YovGqBYdDLizLvIV5rglMI-Ky1mWkrASBqZj0AKBD-85jpV0gVyhN5kP4yhItvjD-NVph5T5N4Gq9LATd9klMk3dt1AF1KsWqimzTXlZ2PDuWO7IqKcoI637wCoUiNtJYSLQK59yc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2888" data-original-width="3968" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjo5RXZv_C-Rx43iI5CqLMuIl-mqt7UVUwkLMqBPobb39HeVJyW9YovGqBYdDLizLvIV5rglMI-Ky1mWkrASBqZj0AKBD-85jpV0gVyhN5kP4yhItvjD-NVph5T5N4Gq9LATd9klMk3dt1AF1KsWqimzTXlZ2PDuWO7IqKcoI637wCoUiNtJYSLQK59yc=w640-h466" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><p></p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-22285146051412757532023-06-17T22:27:00.000-05:002023-06-17T22:27:08.894-05:00The Reactionary Hellhole Iowa Has Become<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">“There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women." <i>— Madeleine Albright, American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States Secretary of State </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In 2018 <b>Republican Governor</b> of <b>Iowa</b>, <b>Kim Reynolds</b>, signed the so-called <b>‘heartbeat’</b> bill which the <b>Republican</b>-controlled state legislature had passed banning abortions in most cases after six weeks. At the time, it was one of the most restrictive laws of its kind in the <b>US</b>. </span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was blocked by a 2019 district court ruling, and abortion remained legal until roughly 20 weeks of pregnancy.</span><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnDfiTqMLdhm7kBtAACls7CdZLBdqC4UW1dWCKH1IzfC4z_E-UXSn7rOk6BORTITuUw5cGFwpBnJUmM2dNX3reMulwdn4gUtahQ6OzO1vsIMb-BXUJPULbu8fGPBpOE49xACuSRKYJVLE7Lenbqw1Cz9gl6JyoVxGY4WTMf6jSkW_J4Tp5BABXlR0E" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="715" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnDfiTqMLdhm7kBtAACls7CdZLBdqC4UW1dWCKH1IzfC4z_E-UXSn7rOk6BORTITuUw5cGFwpBnJUmM2dNX3reMulwdn4gUtahQ6OzO1vsIMb-BXUJPULbu8fGPBpOE49xACuSRKYJVLE7Lenbqw1Cz9gl6JyoVxGY4WTMf6jSkW_J4Tp5BABXlR0E=w446-h389" width="446" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Last year <b>Reynolds</b> asked the <b>Iowa Supreme Court</b> to reinstate the 2018 law. With a 3-3 deadlocked decision, the lower-court ruling that the state’s “fetal heartbeat law” is unconstitutional remains in effect.<br /><br />Representative counsel for <b>Reynolds</b> said, “Iowans will surely be disappointed by today’s result, and rightly so. It’s time for the Legislature to act — once again — to protect life.” <br /><br />His statement on behalf of <b>Reynolds</b> is categorically untrue. In a statewide poll in March of 2023, 61% of <b>Iowa</b> adults said abortion should be legal in all or most cases.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I agree with <b>Madeleine</b>. </span></div>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-13700334845107008472023-06-06T13:22:00.036-05:002023-06-20T14:15:45.313-05:00132 Pairs of Pajamas for the DV Shelter in Davenport<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Often </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer;" tabindex="-1"></a></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">individuals come to us with just the clothes on their backs."<i> — </i></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> Jennifer Lohse, Family Resources Donation Center Specialist, Davenport, Iowa</i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">AFTER work on Monday, <b>Paul</b> dropped of 132 pairs of new pajamas to Jerilyn Scott Kobberdahl in Des Moines who delivered them on Tuesday to the DV shelter in Davenport on her way to visit family. Thanks Jerilyn! Below is the letter of thanks I received from the shelter. For all of you who have donated to the cause, this letter is for you, too. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEickvQ25kCWUmGXHxvcbNum0iQL6T4zDFZ6rVnJaxwUGHkRe38PGhMDj5rHxtPJZHtvLqeQRL_1Wzu9k48XBfauuTQ_ffeeo2NnAf_jc1LAH49JJ-dEx3fOZbEdC2NumGlGSnnPt7pwsC5bSIqOCNSnIkraHj_FTh9c8z73XSt6yyu_8IUGfg1SflcwJNA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1748" height="561" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEickvQ25kCWUmGXHxvcbNum0iQL6T4zDFZ6rVnJaxwUGHkRe38PGhMDj5rHxtPJZHtvLqeQRL_1Wzu9k48XBfauuTQ_ffeeo2NnAf_jc1LAH49JJ-dEx3fOZbEdC2NumGlGSnnPt7pwsC5bSIqOCNSnIkraHj_FTh9c8z73XSt6yyu_8IUGfg1SflcwJNA=w479-h561" width="479" /></a></div><p></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Dear Kelly Sargent and to all involved, </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you so much for the generous donation of pajamas! It is truly appreciated. Often <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>individuals come to us with just the clothes on their backs. Thank you for making their road to success brighter! And thank you for keeping the pajamas so organized by size and labeling the boxes. Our clients are going through a lot, and they love receiving comfort clothing. This helps out so much!</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts for your support and investment in our work. It is because of your commitment and belief in our mission that we can continue to make a real difference! You have made a difference!</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Sincerely,</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jennifer Lohse (Donation Center Specialist)</span></div></div>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-2346023188851017362023-05-31T15:20:00.017-05:002023-07-10T11:52:45.579-05:00Happy Birthday, Paul!<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">“Flowers are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty out values all the utilities in the world.” <i>— Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my amazing <b>Paul</b>! TODAY'S <b><i>Hey Look Something Shiny</i></b> post is an album of the May flowers in our yard. <br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW54oRORD02Gml0Kcjim3T379ux9fFvuHCGEwUIJKR3riKesq-cRuoVdNnoA3gCu5kXXsiVAlZEb89D63C3RCLn7I42bYSwD9JkRurm1qFbJsBgUvTRas5bA4OLopcd8-fKpqwt7rYV3yQWgkxEwt31kvMLUfFyPQaAOD1pi988ejOlCiE86Rc7xAIizg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1284" data-original-width="1080" height="601" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW54oRORD02Gml0Kcjim3T379ux9fFvuHCGEwUIJKR3riKesq-cRuoVdNnoA3gCu5kXXsiVAlZEb89D63C3RCLn7I42bYSwD9JkRurm1qFbJsBgUvTRas5bA4OLopcd8-fKpqwt7rYV3yQWgkxEwt31kvMLUfFyPQaAOD1pi988ejOlCiE86Rc7xAIizg=w506-h601" width="506" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8BimzD5-UrH-v4Bf7a1H8zjrtGlPgveEydkP-8tOGmb1MY1AXuPbnYAAepjzxXWBIeHcnYgWGjYbwL01tFqxsJk73a9Vx9Dt14vFRyO8_WoRnKWhQV5eHFPPVakK0uOJm-kP4VKUyiirqOAsWea9LXd_tky-6fV5CpDB-Rt-9CpNn-QyGofb13UjLpsk" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="1080" height="553" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8BimzD5-UrH-v4Bf7a1H8zjrtGlPgveEydkP-8tOGmb1MY1AXuPbnYAAepjzxXWBIeHcnYgWGjYbwL01tFqxsJk73a9Vx9Dt14vFRyO8_WoRnKWhQV5eHFPPVakK0uOJm-kP4VKUyiirqOAsWea9LXd_tky-6fV5CpDB-Rt-9CpNn-QyGofb13UjLpsk=w575-h553" width="575" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Bridalwreath or spirea (Spiraea prunifolia)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglMWht49ppFQvbQVosFfJ-OsbRxTDyCIyhLSn20d_2VHp3eDhUcDNpkTWgbATsJEglFYmbDlldIacMg6YXW7mx4-hyauIZXEuoIV5mTfarG0P9L9YPzsMPbpsyXaAdTjI7BUtujZDpMc_dyJVEMZhoz0ceW0LZAbswZh_3--EXIJtcRjysXTyAjH22MyE" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1549" data-original-width="2048" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglMWht49ppFQvbQVosFfJ-OsbRxTDyCIyhLSn20d_2VHp3eDhUcDNpkTWgbATsJEglFYmbDlldIacMg6YXW7mx4-hyauIZXEuoIV5mTfarG0P9L9YPzsMPbpsyXaAdTjI7BUtujZDpMc_dyJVEMZhoz0ceW0LZAbswZh_3--EXIJtcRjysXTyAjH22MyE=w574-h435" width="574" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Violets</span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9mwmyf2vVvdhlvsGoC99YM_VvkrzJ_NnaYH5ldCVStNoyGm7_WCfomRDgBjdC2jkzNSnkVa9zfPFSEHvhSKezQ4u2w7obB6senGu9vQcmCULPlWnYpz6QNpIGxa4CJ4jkUV2YFu7xYdovhMVxQfeNhLp7G9ejVYJQQGhUO75QnhE2eXWOaP9IRvs-KwE" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="2048" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9mwmyf2vVvdhlvsGoC99YM_VvkrzJ_NnaYH5ldCVStNoyGm7_WCfomRDgBjdC2jkzNSnkVa9zfPFSEHvhSKezQ4u2w7obB6senGu9vQcmCULPlWnYpz6QNpIGxa4CJ4jkUV2YFu7xYdovhMVxQfeNhLp7G9ejVYJQQGhUO75QnhE2eXWOaP9IRvs-KwE=w490-h301" width="490" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">More violets</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2zAQZOtMgpaaLbMmGkQ8Q_lDwCV4xmXu_M2rn_omFxI-b6MA1xSupZ_XKdTKQR-rZqXQVVhXbpgZNDk-l43URPCFc9jBXQhbdkuZyrlk-LzNv2LLhAnlVGrcbroJAqNWQyxPtZ4IyzdjCYgoiBSamm8rnLNnpnJjqz4De5i7LtD6jTkUJCtHWGyPmtoA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1453" data-original-width="2048" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2zAQZOtMgpaaLbMmGkQ8Q_lDwCV4xmXu_M2rn_omFxI-b6MA1xSupZ_XKdTKQR-rZqXQVVhXbpgZNDk-l43URPCFc9jBXQhbdkuZyrlk-LzNv2LLhAnlVGrcbroJAqNWQyxPtZ4IyzdjCYgoiBSamm8rnLNnpnJjqz4De5i7LtD6jTkUJCtHWGyPmtoA=w649-h460" width="649" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What can I say. I was enamored by the white tulips</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMkfMNI1BvarhmOFuBW8Kr-3uGZal3XfORCdXI7Z9kkp9ShJ_WC7BKrEGuQAV6R3KnYUl7Lk22e4Eh31sttJSndw9aXt6rwhZA-ngIiMEvmAg9Bu-A_hRWY6oIwIlcVXj-xl3ixQh2Mqhhs7JZMNdq7JaPSmwJU-BOajI7lbWFk71U7fQNB2vdPSZbdVE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1208" data-original-width="2048" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMkfMNI1BvarhmOFuBW8Kr-3uGZal3XfORCdXI7Z9kkp9ShJ_WC7BKrEGuQAV6R3KnYUl7Lk22e4Eh31sttJSndw9aXt6rwhZA-ngIiMEvmAg9Bu-A_hRWY6oIwIlcVXj-xl3ixQh2Mqhhs7JZMNdq7JaPSmwJU-BOajI7lbWFk71U7fQNB2vdPSZbdVE=w659-h389" width="659" /></a></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoz2olCf4h950Gsc-OUCVYkBp9ktU18RZZmtFcADYe3KqqZEBdQ4kF8PkfhE3iofU6px2Y818F6SEDc4xNtgzMqb0-dvAtMyedeE-f3uMMW5fmvU1XfNvPr-9hwvDooZZdK6aNQJbP3ibnaW1fckgWQY5rH5THwX0RJHg4Uaj74RMWZaYoIuTwymp8x8k" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1619" data-original-width="2048" height="515" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoz2olCf4h950Gsc-OUCVYkBp9ktU18RZZmtFcADYe3KqqZEBdQ4kF8PkfhE3iofU6px2Y818F6SEDc4xNtgzMqb0-dvAtMyedeE-f3uMMW5fmvU1XfNvPr-9hwvDooZZdK6aNQJbP3ibnaW1fckgWQY5rH5THwX0RJHg4Uaj74RMWZaYoIuTwymp8x8k=w652-h515" width="652" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHNqY0jpGk4bZmeHnkztFEW0KruaAQrjgMtqLB5LL_WTagUFfoUbfvtCnw3zLNWl30KeCtqN6uYYREBLKD4wWnX40V23yGuWtoiVLDK8LxPDJCNP6IQkt9Wt05gus5gRsgtPrxxNO1VZqM1iXijhm9X4y7hC-Pqlz_4EaqKwszAtMM4QvnKejE1JzMuQ8" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3518" data-original-width="3024" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHNqY0jpGk4bZmeHnkztFEW0KruaAQrjgMtqLB5LL_WTagUFfoUbfvtCnw3zLNWl30KeCtqN6uYYREBLKD4wWnX40V23yGuWtoiVLDK8LxPDJCNP6IQkt9Wt05gus5gRsgtPrxxNO1VZqM1iXijhm9X4y7hC-Pqlz_4EaqKwszAtMM4QvnKejE1JzMuQ8=w456-h530" width="456" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Then different varieties of iris started blooming</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfKTYDUfS0dYyncuL7x31PZbiHux3fR2e8xXM1UhVtT7AJxnja_ZObubkJlh9z7SZU_6hEJ7BR24M0Mh_elTIBzdIlBm3-BVwLI_w8dsjRwwIXhocC2vXLs-QQ5mi017dwht8-yOpmZAyskL3rhAfhLLHt8BDv8ZROaLsIBHt5JVyF0WoxJCS8x-AlKTc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3042" data-original-width="2867" height="545" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfKTYDUfS0dYyncuL7x31PZbiHux3fR2e8xXM1UhVtT7AJxnja_ZObubkJlh9z7SZU_6hEJ7BR24M0Mh_elTIBzdIlBm3-BVwLI_w8dsjRwwIXhocC2vXLs-QQ5mi017dwht8-yOpmZAyskL3rhAfhLLHt8BDv8ZROaLsIBHt5JVyF0WoxJCS8x-AlKTc=w513-h545" width="513" /></a></div></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_UBSYZiUe7-Fp6lLfCsC4lmMsqcw7THq2uFKQukMe5bSdO2wlG0W6glVS9zR5Nw2I7WaTTX7cNtFNBMeRKXqHkoSw64ix5VXukpFxZX9TWVYjtHskTkHZNLUCpyMza7yuXK7bx4ZjlAuPj7IZSAbzAfq3IL1AQ6VQ4t7ZNcYkEtG_hmdVm2df3uDb6N4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1398" data-original-width="2048" height="445" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_UBSYZiUe7-Fp6lLfCsC4lmMsqcw7THq2uFKQukMe5bSdO2wlG0W6glVS9zR5Nw2I7WaTTX7cNtFNBMeRKXqHkoSw64ix5VXukpFxZX9TWVYjtHskTkHZNLUCpyMza7yuXK7bx4ZjlAuPj7IZSAbzAfq3IL1AQ6VQ4t7ZNcYkEtG_hmdVm2df3uDb6N4=w653-h445" width="653" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg276qQ7CubtElNYJT8l3n0ObM6IjUoAnC8RSPOyputuaTZPBd4LUnHUu6yI0S1yIjDgPVVQ6H09VfYhVlwOyCrONU18EsMmfjmZUgwT90doCWre0xFdib06u_YQTW9Kij9TjiP65rg3K1hrw9KWl63u5cLHLxhmWI86C8A9Vd6GeX3PYNGFq4zZeFm5Js" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1589" data-original-width="2048" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg276qQ7CubtElNYJT8l3n0ObM6IjUoAnC8RSPOyputuaTZPBd4LUnHUu6yI0S1yIjDgPVVQ6H09VfYhVlwOyCrONU18EsMmfjmZUgwT90doCWre0xFdib06u_YQTW9Kij9TjiP65rg3K1hrw9KWl63u5cLHLxhmWI86C8A9Vd6GeX3PYNGFq4zZeFm5Js=w656-h510" width="656" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I became equally enamored with the poppies</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsqq2yQkDu-dmGcxZxrTyVuxT-fI20-arpNtGhoocUujAOHe1vg9elC7im4LQ7rNEe4nouqagBR0Ccfk-gebiqwq4UaGNKE68mRrEH3w_C6_aTm2t5toPQCItqgT36iKFF9Wx7055GE2AuJ9OjDEQw_rslo2mS-y0oGQWOOZjkp-okrd20-UEqGLaLxIA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1710" height="574" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsqq2yQkDu-dmGcxZxrTyVuxT-fI20-arpNtGhoocUujAOHe1vg9elC7im4LQ7rNEe4nouqagBR0Ccfk-gebiqwq4UaGNKE68mRrEH3w_C6_aTm2t5toPQCItqgT36iKFF9Wx7055GE2AuJ9OjDEQw_rslo2mS-y0oGQWOOZjkp-okrd20-UEqGLaLxIA=w479-h574" width="479" /></a></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfAW8dfk1a0VifgiCUgnhQuuRk0rgjHT_OlZgZsTpJebuJGLFifVya9zFdA8nBN0sztQsFel7weSPHAQqzih09JlQSsWFTmxJV_kU_m9Gwiv5-nawOyFDXzzZp9unqjG4OzSnt47nHRxLuc6NsWv2jrZbsF3Vh-5lP6ndRmvPinxekkhLsJUa56xchfx0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1006" data-original-width="1080" height="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfAW8dfk1a0VifgiCUgnhQuuRk0rgjHT_OlZgZsTpJebuJGLFifVya9zFdA8nBN0sztQsFel7weSPHAQqzih09JlQSsWFTmxJV_kU_m9Gwiv5-nawOyFDXzzZp9unqjG4OzSnt47nHRxLuc6NsWv2jrZbsF3Vh-5lP6ndRmvPinxekkhLsJUa56xchfx0=w591-h550" width="591" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">White peonies are my favorite; coupled with this different kind of poppy, <br />the combination knocked me out</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-8845935956054340802023-05-14T19:25:00.070-05:002023-07-08T21:23:34.620-05:00Happy Mother's Day<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">"We must protect families, we must protect children, who have inalienable rights and should be loved, should be taken care of physically and mentally, and should not be brought into the world only to suffer." <i>— Indira Gandhi, Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the third prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984 </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ABOUT 12 years ago I started a charitable non-profit called <b>Helen's Pajama Party</b> which provides new pajamas for women and children in domestic violence shelters. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yesterday <b>Paul</b> delivered 97 pairs of pajamas ranging from children's sizes to small, medium, large, 1-X, 2-X and 3-X. to the shelter in <b>Council Bluffs</b>, <b>IA</b>. The <b>Council Bluffs</b> director was thrilled. She said the shelter was almost totally out of pajamas, and that the Helen's donation is the most significant one they get. Altogether in the last three months, we have delivered 222 pairs of pajamas divided between <b>Des Moines</b>, <b>Waterloo</b> and <b>Council Bluffs</b>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pajamas make more of a difference than you might imagine. Most women arrive at a shelter with nothing but the clothes on their backs. If they've grabbed anything at all, it's their kids, so on a practical level, they need something to sleep in.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">There's deeper significance. Abused women have had their autonomy, sense of self-worth and the ability to make choices systematically stripped away from them. Even routine acts of everyday life such as being able to shop for things they need or want have often been denied them. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some haven't had access to a bank account or car in years. Having the liberty to make this small initial decision of picking out something new and nice for themselves can be the first step toward reclaiming dignity and self-determination. and knowing that people in the community care — even ones they’ve never met — helps give victims a sense of belonging and support that aids in recovering and rebuilding their lives.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpNwlZ9VVJXYiNSH0gWRISl-_eo76I5X07CRZ7LJegtGFGAMdAMTkIT_mi_my8GEt9zB9Ja3Uo6PPa0R48SIyQxG3U1hXEhvYJt54MACNtgI4HGdUKect3kmhkKWjmkadw2AqTd9q8fLkFxNPImNC5z9vyTYlL-qr7Mt53h0AP-lLMu5yK4a2qlOi-3-s" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpNwlZ9VVJXYiNSH0gWRISl-_eo76I5X07CRZ7LJegtGFGAMdAMTkIT_mi_my8GEt9zB9Ja3Uo6PPa0R48SIyQxG3U1hXEhvYJt54MACNtgI4HGdUKect3kmhkKWjmkadw2AqTd9q8fLkFxNPImNC5z9vyTYlL-qr7Mt53h0AP-lLMu5yK4a2qlOi-3-s=w302-h403" width="302" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">I used to have pajama parties and collection sites where people could donate pajamas, but the problem was that I would end up with a predominance of certain sizes and a lack of others, and often I would get many partial sets: pajama bottoms without a top or vice versa. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That's why financial donations are far more helpful. It allows me to buy the specific missing sizes I need and the specific-in-size-and-color missing bottoms or tops.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Each pair of pajamas comes with a <b>Helen's Pajama Party</b> tag which a place for the giver's name. Perhaps you would consider donating in the name of your mother. Click on this link and message me the name you want on the tag. Go to <a href="https://www.helenspajamaparty.org">https://www.helenspajamaparty.org</a> and click on the donate button.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you to <b>Peg</b> and <b>Karl</b>, <b>Kit</b>, <b>Bill</b>, <b>Nancy</b>, <b>Becky</b> and <b>Phil</b> who've already donated money and helped make delivering 222 pairs of pajamas possible.</span></p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-316634501475095062023-04-26T13:21:00.030-05:002024-01-11T13:46:23.861-06:00Paul Is My Hero . . . Again<p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness. — Confucious, </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;">Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period, who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ONE day last week </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Paul</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> stopped at </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">WalMart</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> on his way home from work to pick up some fresh organic vegetables: carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, sweet peppers and cauliflower. (Believe it or not, the </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">WalMart</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> in </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Ankeny</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> stocks the organic produce I mentioned plus organic sweet potatoes, avocados, lettuce, bananas, apples and sometimes grapes and strawberries. They always also have organic frozen blueberries, cherries and strawberries.) </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Paul</b> was in line waiting for self-checkout when he noticed a woman standing off to the side dressed in the usual head-covering, flowing garb of her native country. He later learned that she is an immigrant from <b>Afghanistan</b>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">She looked to be 25 or so years old, and was visibly upset, crying silently as she stood. <b>Paul</b> asked her if she was okay. Although she demurred, it was apparent that something very distressing had happened, and so he pressed her further. She reluctantly tried to tell him something about the government and a card in the very little <b>English</b> she spoke. <b>Paul</b> figured out that the card she was attempting to use to pay for food wasn't working.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img alt="" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="876" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEig-7CIrQYX4wm9gzhGJgrlFkuZr9tkaNG5Jfrwv0v04Tg8LEMhdPpC0jT4wgkkPVsO4Psh-ngcbjVT1X2bSVhrLEsIHXqodN9jvuDdTvWW0Ocz15oR8bYGc4YVUw97YeyMasvzAno-rEVC4qRKXf5Zyw0f-ef7Z-geD5KWuIZk3AKM9OzFBdCTLpUH=w302-h331" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="302" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thanks to Paul, she did not have to go home empty-handed.</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">When he looked in her cart, he saw that it held staples such as flour, rice, milk and baby formula. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As it happened, I had just written a <b>HLSS</b> post containing the sad and infuriating information that the <b>Republican</b>-majority<b> Iowa </b>legislature had just passed a bill that would spend $7.5 million in state funds in order to give up over $40 million in federal funds currently used to feed and insure Iowans. The bill will cost <b>Iowa</b> about four times what it spends annually to administer <b>SNAP</b> (<b>Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program</b>) benefits. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Feel free to be as shocked as I am that the <b>Republican</b> legislature wants to spend millions of dollars more <i>not</i> to feed people than it costs <i>to</i> feed them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of course </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Paul</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> read my post and having done so, he felt the planets were aligning to provide an opportunity for him to step up. He didn't want her to have to go home and not be able to feed her baby.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">He told the young woman to wait where she was while he finished shopping, and he would rejoin her in a few moments to pay for her food.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Paul</b> didn't want to call attention to her plight or make her feel embarrassed, so when he came back, he told her to go to the closest self-checkout, and when she scanned her last item, he would push his cart over and use his credit card on her behalf. It turned out to be $96. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>P</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana;">aul</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> said what made him sad and mad, though, is that our culture is so materialist and selfish that afterwards he was questioning his generosity!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Why should acts of kindness result in internal debate? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I understand, though. When I've done things such as noticing an elderly man in a motorized cart at <b>WalMart</b> having trouble getting the items he wanted off the shelves and then walking around the store with him to get everything on his list in his cart. Or spotting an older man having difficulty standing as he was trying to get in a long line at the post office. I announced to the line that he needed to be first and helped him walk there. Or driving a lost older man around <b>HyVee</b> parking lot to find his car, or attending to a man with a dislocated ankle lying against a street curb that others were walking past . . . I've thought, "Why am I the one doing these things?" </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Paul</b> did the right thing. I'm proud of him for it. I should perhaps be proud of myself when it's me doing the right thing, but instead I wonder how is it so many others can walk past and not notice.</span></p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730102457081475339.post-17488893735668990242023-04-20T16:15:00.018-05:002023-04-22T20:28:53.889-05:00Just Some of the Really Awful Things Republicans Are Doing to Iowa<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">“In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.” <i>— Confucius, Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period, who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">IOWA is no longer a state I believe in, nor is it a place I want to live. Below are just a few examples of what has brought me to this point.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Example #1:</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">N JANUARY of this year, <b>Iowa House Republicans</b> proposed a bill that would put strict limitations on what food items <b>Iowa SNAP</b> recipients can purchase using their benefits. They wouldn’t be able to buy things such as white bread, non-whole grains, sliced cheese, fresh meat, spices, oil, canned fruits or vegetables and other kitchen staples.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>SNAP</b>,<b> </b>the <b>Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program</b>, is the most important federal program helping low-income <b>Americans</b> pay for food through set monthly budgets they can redeem at grocery stores.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">From <b><i>Time Magazine</i></b>: "The bill, which 39 (Iowa) Republicans co-sponsored, would require SNAP recipients to have a more restrictive list of food items they can buy, mirroring the foods approved for the state’s current Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC). It would also require a more stringent asset limit on SNAP participants, and Medicare recipients would need to work at least 20 hours a week to receive benefits.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">'If you’re living in poverty and using a program — and there’s already so much stigma around SNAP — to then be told, "we’re going to police the food that you can get,” is incredibly damaging to people’s mental health,' according to <span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.95)" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.95); letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Luke Elzinga, chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for equitable food policy." </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">He says the restrictions don’t take into account food allergies, medical conditions that require a specific diet, religious limitations or cultural preferences.</span></p><p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Example #2</b><b style="font-family: verdana;">:</b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">On March 22 <b>Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds</b> signed two bills into law: one was a ban on gender-affirming care for minors; the other bathroom restrictions for transgender kids at school.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Details from the (<b>Cedar Rapids</b>) <b style="font-style: italic;">Gazette</b>: "The newly-signed law prohibits Iowa doctors from prescribing puberty blockers or hormone therapy to transgender children under the age of 18. It also prohibits any surgeries on minors intended to affirm a gender that does not match up with their sex at birth.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Doctors who violate the bill would be subject to discipline from a state licensing board, and individuals could bring lawsuits against doctors who perform gender-affirming care. Minors who are receiving medical treatment now would have 180 days to discontinue that care.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The governor also signed Senate File 482 that prohibits transgender people from using school bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identity. The legislation requires public schools to maintain separate bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, dressing areas and overnight accommodations for biological boys and biological girls."</span></p><p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Example #3</b><b style="font-family: verdana;">:</b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">April 9 of this year <b>Iowa Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird</b> "paused" paying for <b>Plan B</b> and abortion for victims of sexual assault. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Iowa's </b>longtime policy has been to pay many of the expenses for sexual assault victims such as the cost of forensic exams and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. Under the previous <b>Democrat</b> attorney general, <b>Iowa's Victim Compensation Fund </b>—<b> </b>which is financed by fines and penalties paid by convicted criminals — also paid for <b>Plan B </b>(also known as the morning after pill) and abortion in rare cases for rape victims, as well as other treatments to prevent pregnancy. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">According to a 2021 <b>Iowa's Victim Assistance</b> report, juveniles accounted for the majority of sexual abuse victim whose costs were paid for with victim compensation funds. A study published in 2018 by the <b><i>American Journal of Preventative Medicine</i></b>, reported that nearly 2.9 million women across the US experienced rape-related pregnancy during their lifetime. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5Zx4E95uwV7XcVC4Ly9OTK4joORqobi6zxf9xwXkv42iF_Jevq19NATO86yRYjjJiC7JrPs86INkNhcfgE86nx1_NXaTx_BqxlQ1VIYjxl-o9RwfaCLxSgLjWrHUBCZsiS8BTrkpQgW3-EVbBNiAVXxavMGHUpWZXkL4hn3oVP4yBsbgnhKq0MQlY" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1454" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5Zx4E95uwV7XcVC4Ly9OTK4joORqobi6zxf9xwXkv42iF_Jevq19NATO86yRYjjJiC7JrPs86INkNhcfgE86nx1_NXaTx_BqxlQ1VIYjxl-o9RwfaCLxSgLjWrHUBCZsiS8BTrkpQgW3-EVbBNiAVXxavMGHUpWZXkL4hn3oVP4yBsbgnhKq0MQlY=w497-h262" width="497" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Words can not adequately describe how much I revile Kim Reynolds, governor of Iowa and first-class suck-up to DeSantis and Trump. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Example #4: </b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">On April 13, <b>Iowa House Republicans</b> advanced the bill to cut food and health-care benefits for thousands of <b>Iowans</b>. The bill would spend $7.5 million in state funds in order to accomplish the forfeiture of over $40 million in federal funds currently used to feed and insure <b>Iowans</b>. Yes, you read that correctly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">According to the nonpartisan <b>Iowa Legislative Services Agency</b> (<b>LSA</b>), the $7.5 million it will cost over two years to implement the bill is about four times what it cost annually (roughly $2 million) to currently administer <b>SNAP</b> benefits. Yes, you read all of this correctly. The state wants to spend millions of dollars more to not feed people than it costs to feed them. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The bill would also require the <b>Iowa Department of Health and Human Services</b> to hire 219 full-time employees by 2026 to administer the changes under the law.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://iowastartingline.com/2023/04/13/bill-to-cut-food-and-medicaid-benefits-goes-to-reynolds-desk/">Here's a link to the entire Iowa Starting Line article on Example #4.</a> </span></p>Kelly Sargenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09553993238309637115noreply@blogger.com0