Quinceanera for the Garden

The community garden is celebrating 15 years of serving members and the food pantry.

We are planning a party and want you to save the date! September 29, 2018.

Open Letter to Legislators

First of all can you please leave your political rhetoric at home when addressing the tragedy of mass shootings? Empathize just a bit with your constituents that have lost loved ones and / or are recovering from being hit themselves.

NOBODY wants to take the weapons you own away.  Unless, of course you are prone to domestic violence and have a history of mental illness.

So what I want to do now is change the slant of this topic.  Instead of looking at the symptom let’s look at the cause.

This most recent incident shows a man who was able to cross state lines and not be held accountable for his sex assault offense, he was able to cross state lines after he escaped a mental institution. Um, why did authorities stop looking for him?

Let’s understand that people who are cruel to animals and other people will continue to escalate that behavior if left unchecked.  ESPECIALLY if they own the animal and know the people they are harming.

Hello, there were articles written in the 1980’s about domestic violence.  And there’s lots of information if you Google it.

So let’s look at that problem. Let’s stop the abuse the FIRST time it is reported.  Let’s not depend on the domestic partner to file charges. Even if they do file charges, their partner will pressure them to drop them. Domestic abusers are a menace not only to their families but to society at large. They must be held accountable for their behavior at home so that it doesn’t spill out into where we go for entertainment, work and worship.

Violence against women, children and animals must be addressed and stopped.

Legislatures, can you do something about that?

 

Thoughts on DACA to the Recipients

The rules have changed.  DACA being controversial, there was a possibility that repeal would happen. I know right now is hard for you, and I’m sorry.

However, rules about a lot of things change. Most people don’t use a typewriter any longer, the steel industry isn’t as profitable and we are mostly digital rather than analog. To name a few.

Change happens, you can resist and struggle or you can face what is coming and plan what you are going to do about it.  You are not helpless.  There are choices you can make that ease the pain of this change.

You can brainstorm.  Here are some things I came up with as I thought about what I would do if I were in your position:

1. What are the steps to become a legal immigrant? Are these steps available to me?
2. If I must leave, where do I want to go? I have vacationed in Paris and London and liked them both.  Are there opportunities for me there? Also, there are countries that are looking for ESL teachers, what kind of adventure could I have if I looked into these programs? I believe Europe and Asia have programs.  What would it be like to spend time in those countries?
3. If I do I have to go to where I came, can I start making that place safer now? What kind of status will I have? Can I do better than just being dropped off at a bus stop? Are there jobs or can I create a business and meet needs that are not being filled now?
4. Can I create a peaceful DACA gang with other DACA recipients that will disrupt the violence in my country of origin? I don’t have to face this alone.  Surely there are others in the 800,000 number that come from the same place as I do.

There are many changes that a person faces as they live their lives. Many celebrated the first day of school recently. There’s also first day of job and last day of job. Maybe even marriage, children, illness, etc.  My grandmother said that throughout her marriage, retirement was the biggest adjustment they had to make.

So even though it may feel like the end of the world.  It isn’t it’s the beginning of something different.  You do have choices on what that difference will be.  Maybe even better than the plans you had. I wish you all the best.

Into and Out of the Wild

While taking care of Gpa, I felt like Gma had domesticated him and I was returning him to the wild.

About 2 weeks ago, I found a kitten in my chicken coop. She is now in Gpa’s bathroom getting care and getting used to being petted, and groomed. Adding new great memories in that bathroom.

I can now say I can acclimate others to and from domestication. Not too shabby if I say so myself.

Ertha Kitt chilling out on my lap

Gun Safety for Kids

Late last week a news article was on my FaceBook feed.  I can’t find it now or I’d post it here.  It talked about and showed clips of a place that is teaching kids gun safety.  The location looked a lot like an indoor gun range with classrooms.

My dad had guns and would go hunting.  He taught us gun safety at home. First rule is always assume the weapon is loaded and Never point it at another person.

Something in the video bothered me.  It took me til today to figure out the problem.

In the video, the target the kids are shooting at is a human silhouette, not concentric circles.

This class is not teaching gun safety, it’s teaching children to point guns at people and pull the trigger. The very opposite of the first rule I was taught.

Of course more people will be shot and killed, children are learning to shoot and kill people in gun safety class. And that saddens me.

 

A Quiet Protest at Home

Volunteer Texas Wild Hunt county tomatoes

I stand for peace.

I stand for the same rights for all people.

I stand for the children and the widows and the homeless.

I stand for differences bring not only OK but celebrated.

I stand for choices

And I do it at home.

Each time I …

play music,

work in my garden,

say hello to my neighbors,

try a new recipe

taking all this to the library and teaching people it’s OK to drop and pick it back up.  I take it to the community garden and work and say, “Here’s an easy plant to grow.” or “Here’s a native tomato. It’s little but it packs a lot of flavor. And this year the tomato plants in my back yard are all volunteers. They grew on their own.”

And like a ripple in a pond, the effects of my protest will continue to spread and change lives.

Quite and peacefully.

 

Shooting Your Mouth Off

I know that some people think those with special needs shouldn’t be in public places.  I disagree.  I took Gpa out lots of times. In only one case was I confronted.  Another time a waitress came into the bathroom but didn’t say anything when she saw that Gpa was in a wheel chair.  He had been yelling ‘ugly guy’ because he saw himself in the mirror.

The time I was confronted wasn’t because of Gpa’s special needs.  The woman thought my yelling at Gpa was me being mean to him.  My tone probably wasn’t the best.  I was exhausted and Gpa couldn’t hear well or respond without help sometimes.

So I’m yelling at him to put his foot in the car.  No, the other one. I get him in the car and I see this woman at the door of the place we had been and she shakes her head and asks me if I have to be so mean.

I just replied that he can’t hear as I’m slinging his wheel chair into the trunk.  She shook her head again. I just got in the car. I teared up, I thought it would be a treat to take Gpa for coffee and a cookie and got reprimanded. Gpa looks over at me and even in his demented state, he says, ‘Thank you.”

And his opinion is the only one that mattered.

So over the Memorial Day weekend. It’s reported that a gun got pulled out at a park. Looks like it was because the adults didn’t know how to teach the kids how to get along at the park.

A 5 year old hit another kid. Kids do that, they are learning how to interact.  That’s when we as adults step in and say ‘it’s not nice to hit other people’ That’s not when the adult should start calling the kid names. What will the kids learn?

But names got called, and the situation quickly got physical. Which isn’t good either. UM, what are you teaching your children about conflict resolution?

AND then a gun gets pulled out.  In the picture, there are at least 10 other people visible that had nothing to do with the situation. Each of them were put into risk when the gun came out.

So even though the police told the man and everyone else that he was within his rights – He was defending himself and he had a permit… but what about his verbal abuse that started the escalation?

Why don’t we address that if he had said something different to the children in the first place he wouldn’t have had to defend himself? What made him think that name calling is acceptable behavior at any age?

And now he has made so many other people feel unsafe in the park.

 

 

Touching History

Sunday, I met Dolores Huerta. I took my grand-daughter to a screening of ‘Dolores’, a documentary about the work Dolores did for the Farm workers union. Not only for, but in creating it.

She made history even if she never makes it in the history books. My grand-daughter and I were able to say hello, thank you and take a picture.

And I’d like to think we picked up the baton in away.  Not to say that what we have done to this point isn’t relevant. Sunday was a moment in time for reflection and intention. We, too, are a part of history, even if we never make it to the history books.

Yesterday, I had lunch with someone who, until we sat down, I did not know she is helping organize a march.  I told her if she needed help with phone calls, I could do that.

And stand in prayer

• For the leaders
• For the people
• for the now
• for the future

And with Dolores say, “Si, Se Puede!”

What history will you be making?

Dolores Huerta

Our First On-line Fundraiser – for St. Baldrick’s cure for childhood cancers

Edye Melton has signed up to shave her head for St. Baldrick’s search for a cure for childhood cancers! She is a cancer survivor and knows what it’s like to be bald from treatment.  It’s hard fighting cancer as an adult, even more so for children.  Edye is doing something about it.  And would like you to help her.

She only needs $150 on the site to reach her goal.  Go here to make a direct contribution
Edye Melton wants to shave her head for St. Baldrick’s

And she has agreed to have a Pampered Chef fund raiser as well.  So if you’ve been wanting some Pampered Chef and haven’t made a purchase, you can go to this link and up to 30% of the sale will be donated to St. Baldrick’s Pampered Chef fundraiser!

Why am I doing this?  I miss my Gpa and I still have a lot of love to give.  I care about what you care about.  I found out about Edye’s event through her niece McKensi who had a regular pampered chef party.  That did nothing! So when McKensi posted about Edye and St. Baldrick.  I suggested we convert her party to  a fundraiser.  Especially since I’m doing a special through May 1st by giving my commission to the fundraiser on top of what Pampered Chef gives.  Pampered Chef gives up to 15% directly to the cause.  And I’m going to give another 15%.  That’s 30% of sales to see Edye shave her head! Plus there’s bonus money for parties booked.

Give me a shout out to let me know if you want to have a party and keep the giving going. You can book a regular party, a fundraiser or even a wedding shower party!

And every time you use your pampered chef products, remember that you did something for the cure for childhood cancer and helped Edye shave her head!

McKensi is so awesome! Thank you McKensi!

Edye is so awesome!  Thank you Edye!

First Fundraiser February

Even though I don’t have ‘a’ valentine, I still want to spread the love this month.

I care about what you care about. I’ve started selling Pampered Chef and have learned that they are set up to also be a way for organizations to raise funds.

For anyone who contacts me this month to have a fundraiser and schedules it by May 1st, I will donate any commissions I earn for that event back to the organization.

This is my Valentine to you.

I’ve already had a couple of people reach out to me for their organizations.  You can, too! I’d love to see how much love we can spread between now and May!

fundraiser