Christmas Blizzard

It has never happened - at least that is what the weathermen are saying - BLIZZARD Warnings for Tulsa County. It started yesterday - rain, heavy at times with lightening and tornado warnings in the southern half of Oklahoma. Then this morning a viscous arctic blast - rain turned to freezing rain, sleet. Then about an hour ago it turned to snow. We are expected to get 4 to 8 inches. So much for Christmas Eve family get together. Even the Churches in Tulsa have all cancelled their evening  and midnight services.

For us Christmas Eve started out with cooking and mike smoking a Ham. Then as the day went along first our grandson Jason became ill, then our grandnephew Lucus turned up ill, couple that with the weather and the two matriarchs - (Debbie and Cari) decided we did not need "specific date" to celebrate Christmas and family so we cancelled the evening events and rescheduled for tomorrow. So here we are food in the fridge - but that is for tomorrow, so for tonight I am making a big batch of Chicken Enchilada Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches........

Tomorrow we will feast on lots of GREAT food and goodies, open gifts, and share the true meaning of Christmas - Christ, Love, and Family

The Alps
There are rare occasions when we need to step back and reflect on the level of our own worth and importance in this world. Basically just how significant are we? Is an ant less valuable because it is smaller? If so how do we measure up to the size of a Mt? I recently had an opportunity to stand upon a mountain– Mt Pilatus at 7,000 feet, but to also sit and view the alps from the balcony of our hotel at 6,000ft. And the definitive question and answer has to be – are the Mts. Gods gift to us to show us his beautiful work or is it to remind us of his infinite power and wisdom? I like to think a little bit of both.

As I sit here looking at this world
To see Gods great hand
I realize what a gift he gave us in a single command
Love one another

As an ant respects his world and sees the glory of Gods work in the smallest of crumbs, so should man take time to view the beauty we call Earth and see its inner value as Christ see and fills our souls with the same.

color choices

To Tent or Curtain Maker that is the question:

I used to tell people that I had my clothes made by Omar the Tent Maker, but it was not until we were on vacation in Myrtle Beach South Carolina that I realized that I had my bathing suit made by his cousin Corilita the Curtain Maker. (Mike said he was grateful that I had a sun burn otherwise he would not have been able to see me sitting at the table.) If you click on the picture you can see just how closely they match.
Enjoy your summer, love, laugh, and BE HAPPY
Lots more blogs to come of tours, trips and flowers.
d

Europe Trip 2009 Part 3

D-Day and the Chunnel

As a History teacher there is nothing more real that actually touching the ground or seeing first hand the impact some major event has had on society. It is hard to put into words the emotions I was feeling this day – that we were to cross the English Chanel. To most of the students in our groups this was just an opportunity to sleep on a train. But for me it was much more – you see I knew the date – June 6th, in historical terms “D-Day”.

WWII Multimedia Database
“On 6 June 1944 the Western Allies landed in northern France, opening the long-awaited "Second Front" against Adolf Hitler's Germany. Though they had been fighting in mainland Italy for some nine months, the Normandy invasion was in a strategically more important region, setting the stage to drive the Germans from France and ultimately destroy the National Socialist regime” DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER

What a unique honor it was to know that 65 years later I would be crossing the English Channel, certainly not in the same means, nor with the same intensity, but none the less I would be traveling the same land/water that took the lives of so many of our American and Allied soldiers in WWII. The magnitude of understanding what their sacrifice has meant to Americans and others freed around the world. To know that because of these young men, many of them not much older than the boys on tour, sacrificing their lives so that we would have the freedoms to travel, to learn, to see first hand.

I thought back to movies that I have seen, The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan. but mostly the documentaries that aired on PBS World at War series - The announcer in the background, deep voice crying out the horrors of War. Watching film clips of our young soldiers storming the beaches, clips that were shown back home in movie theaters to elicit national pride and encourage enlistment. Those to me were the real meanings behind the invasion. And here I was 65 years later, crossing under, the same waters they crossed. As we crossed under the water in the Chunnel I could not help but want to reach out to all those who died in the water to thank their souls for the sacrifices they made and to their families that will never have a gravesite to visit or honor.


The Chunnel was to start in 1974, ran into problems and was not actually started until 1988. It was completed in May 1994 and opened to passengers in Nov 1994. It is about 31 miles long (under water). It takes only 2 hours and 15 minutes to get from London England to Paris France. There is no “fanfare” letting you know you have entered the Chunnel – it just gets eerie dark for a long long time…………. Then you emerge into the daylight and surrounding new farm land that is France.


God Bless our troops, God Bless our country, God Bless our History
*** Click on Europe Trip 2009 Part 3
at the top of the page and it will take you to a video on D-Day***

Europe Trip 2009 Part 2

Art – or

why I ended up in Marching Band

As you may note in my previous blog I had two loves in my life – created by two trauma’s – first it was the popsicle stick (architecture) and today I will talk about art, primary colors, ships and the clarinet.

I loved drawing – ok not so much drawing as coloring (yes within the lines) highlighting, shading sometimes adding my own personal touch. But no matter how hard I tried at freestyle art, it always just looked like a mush of colors. Again there was no connection created in the womb between the art that the eye sees and the hands…………. Alas……….. I was doomed to love and not touch. So how does this relate to today. Well it all started in 9th grade (when it was still part of Junior high) .. You see I decided my 9th grade year that instead of playing the clarinet (poorly) I would take art instead. After 2 weeks of introduction from the teacher he gave us free reign to draw anything we wanted. So I used the bold primary colors and drew a ship with masts and water with waves. I was proud!! Then he came over to look at it – and I will never ever forget his word- “Debra you played in the band didn’t you?? You might want to consider going back to band”. OMG how traumatic. So the next Monday mom and I went into the office, and by last period there I was sitting 3rd seat, 3rd row clarinet.
We did not see a lot of art this trip – So I will throw in a few pictures that I have loved over the years.
Stay tuned for next blog = D-Day 65 years later

Part one of this year's European Tour

Architecture
or the trauma of Popsicle sticks

As many of you have noted over the years my blogs tend to focus on art and architecture or sculpture. They are my loves in life – as with many of you our loves are also our secret inabilities.
Growing up I loved looking at buildings, the more unique the better. Always asking the “how” or “why” of the architect. These were the hidden dreams of a little girl traumatized by the popsicle stick..
I bet you all remember Vacation Bible School or Girl Scout Camp - a time of joy and sharing. I had fun, learned a little but mostly had fun – until the Popsicle Lady showed up and fear emerged in me like Mt. Vesuvius getting ready to explode. Why – because she was always “perky” and said “Now children today we are going to take these sticks and you are going to build a church” Ok…… Now I have said how much I loved architecture what I did not say was that getting a concept from my brain to my hands – well lets just say that connection was never made in the womb. So here I sat – looking at dozens of sticks, glue, and felt……. well after hours of trying the best I could do was make a very large star. Not exactly the church the teacher wanted I would go home defeated – why could other kids glue sticks and make reindeers, or houses and I could not……
But architecture remained in my eye, and even today; as you will see with my pictures; I still love to look at the lines, the design, the vision of the architect and hey – give them credit - apparently they knew what to do with the popsicle sticks.

Stay tuned for more pictures from London and tomorrows blog: Art truama and the Clarinet

Sunsets are often seen as the end of something, but what if the sunset was the beginning. The beginning of a new time, of a time of peace, tranquility, a moment frozen when we can take that one big sigh as if to say “all is well”.

There is a moment when the sky is lit with a luminance that challenges the mind to identify the colors – are they real, can they be duplicated, would they have taste? Is a sunset a commitment from God that there will be a tomorrow? Is a sunset a place in our minds that reminds us of that time in our lives when we laughed and loved and smiled. Are sunsets that passion that dances in our souls within the human body and arouses our senses? Or are sunsets just empty signs that the earth has moved?
To me………..sunsets are much more than just that random movement of the planets and weather fronts and ozone layers. A sunset reminds me that while there is so much ugliness in the world, I need not worry for the father has laid down a beautiful resting place for me that soothes, excites, will enhance my senses, and give me peace.

Tulsa, Oklahoma March 28, 2009

I know there is a famous quote out there somewhere about Oklahoma weather. That if you don't like the weather just wait 30 minutes and it will change. That is just so true about our weather. Yesterday we had tornado warnings in the eastern part of the state blizzard conditions in the western half of the state. Even here in the Tulsa area we had severe thunderstorms and 30-40 mile an hour winds. Flooding became a concern in most areas.

Over night a cold front from Colorado came through and this morning we woke to a beautiful snow storm. The snow continued from 9am to almost 6pm. Some areas got up to 9 inches of snow those of us north of Tulsa got between 5-9 inches. It is beautiful, wet and big which means that it is going to be a mess for several days. Tomorrow the weather - 60 and sunny. By the middle of the week we will be back around 70 degrees. I can't wait!!!!!!

18 million cracks

or How to teach women’s roles to young girls

There certainly has been a buzz all week about women – breaking through the glass ceiling. I was fortunate enough to hear Hillary Clinton’s message that while she did not win the nomination of her party she and 18 million others had put cracks in the proverbial male/society created glass ceiling. Then on Friday I sat in my classroom and watch as Gov. Sarah Palin continued that sentiment by saying that while Clinton cracked the ceiling, she was there to finish the job. Two women, one week, one goal………….
Some praised McCain for his choice; some said it was a disaster. Some loved that Hillary was the first to truly jump on the bandwagon to lead our nation; some said it was a disaster. So where exactly do women fit into society?


As a history teacher, in each chapter that I teach there is always the section on “the family” or the “role of the woman” and credit given to the females in my class I always have them asking “Why were women treated like that?” And I have to remind them that finding a woman’s role in society or even within the family is often a difficult task. There are barriers to what a woman can do within each race, religion, section of the world, and even among women. I remember how Hillary Clinton got slapped down when she gave that speech about “stay at home women and how they could make cookies” or something like that. Not all women want to rule the world, not all women want to stay home, not all women want to be the head of the family or leader of a nation, not all women want to be subservient – so even though we look to man and ask “why can’t we” we have to look among our sisters and ask “Who are we”?

This week I taught about the Hindu ritual of the Suttee. A ritual where when the man dies, as he is being cremated it is encouraged that the wife to throw her body onto her husband so that the family sins will be forgiven and they will all be reincarnated into a better caste the next cycle. In India, the most remote parts, they still find it acceptable for the fathers to kill baby girls because they are seen as a financial burden, and yet they accept some women in their politics. So how do we understand a society in India today that – in some regions still practice the Suttee – kill female babies and yet has voted for a female Prime Minister?

Today in China they are facing a huge problem regarding females. Because of China’s rule of one child - thousands of couples have been aborting their female fetuses because of the importance of having the male. In 2004 – you get kindergartens with 45,000 boys and no females. Now China is in the position of having to rethink the societal norms and encourage families to have the females. So how do you say in a communist country that “everyone should be treated equal” - that we are all of one nation without division and yet see their concept of the female?

I don’t even know if I want to go into the realm of religion and the role of women. In some religions women are encouraged to become preachers, ministers, advisors and in others they are to remain – not necessarily subservient, but to understand that the man is the head of the family and that the wife should be obedient to his wishes. I could write 5 blogs on the status of women and religion. But I will leave that for a later time.

So where does the modern female of the 2000’s stand? Is it beside the man, under the man, behind the man, or in front of the man?

I know where the females I know are standing – On a trampoline, jumping up and down and given enough time WE WILL break that glass ceiling My goal, however, is not to break it because of anger, or because we need to “prove” ourselves to mankind; but to break it through compassion and a desire to be better, and to improve our society for not only our daughters, but for all our children.

My favorite women whose leadership I admire the most and who I use as an example in my life:

#1. Golda Meir: First Female Prime Minister of Israel. Negotiate with the United States for additonal weapons during the Yom Kippur War (1973) while making breakfast for her family. Not a beauty but when she spoke her mind it was firm and determined.

#2. Margaret Thatcher: First Female Prime Minister of England. Extremely strong willed and able to stand up to the harshest critic of the English Government. She served England well, and was a great supporter of the United States. She was often refered to as the "Iron Ladyof England".

#3. Queen Elizabeth of England. Married to her country, gave birth to the arts rather than children. Did not back down or show fear towards an emerging King Philip II of Spain. "I may not be a lion, but I am a lion's cub, and I have a lion's heart"

#4. All the females in my life right now.

Be they teachers, wives, mothers, sisters, friends we are

the ones who control our destinies,

we are the ones who will shape the next generation,

we are the ones who will be accountable to

our granddaughters, grandnieces, and others

What will we answer when they say

“What is a glass ceiling”?

Florence Part II

There are two stories with Florence - the first is the art, the second are the churches. In my previous blog I wrote about all the beautiful art and sculptures there are in Florence, today my focus will be on the two main Churches and the Baptistery of San Giovanni(St. John).

The Duomo di Santa Maria de Fiore: “Our Lady of the Flower”
(The Flower in this case is the Christ Child)
This is probably the most recognizable dome in all the world. It has been in movies, documentaries and has come to symbolize the great achievements of artists Brunelleschi and Michelangelo. Started in 1296 it took 170 years to complete. The Nave was completed in 1418. In 1419 the famous Dome was started by Brunelleschi.
The horizontal and vertical bands of marble are from various regions of Tuscany. The white marble called “Carrara” are from the city in the province of Massa-Carrara in Tuscany. The green is called Prato and the red Siena each also from Tuscany regions.
The outside façade was first designed in 1587, then a new façade, which we see today, was constructed in 1867 -1887.

The bronze doors are dedicated to the “Mother of Christ”
Be sure to notice the cross beams in the ceiling.

The Battistero di San Giovanni (The Baptistery of St. John the Baptist)
As I have commented in several blogs the Catholic faith believed that you had to be baptized before entering the church so they built a beautiful Baptistery across from the Duomo di Santa Maria. The most important part of the building are the Bronze door which were designed around the 14th and 15th century. The first Baptistery on this space was built in early 600’s.
The much larger one we see today was built from 1059 - 1128. The doors are scenes from the life of John the Baptist, and reflect the Baptism of Christ. The doors are referred to as “The gates to Paradise”.

The Basilica di Santa Croce
Built in 1294 by Arnolfo di Cambio - it was consecrated in 1443 by pope Eugene IV. It houses the tombs of both Michelangelo and Galileo. The Neo-gothic façade was added in 1857. It has 16 chapels inside

These are the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo. The Pope wanted Michelangelo to be buried at St. Peter's Basilica but the people of Florence, as Michelangelo was a Florentine, insisted that his body be returned to Florence. If you click on his tomb the statues have taken a rather funny stance.

Sunsets

I often wonder about GOD. Is he there, does he care. What proof do we have of his existence? How do we feel his love? Is it as the Deist believed – that GOD is seen as this watchmaker who came to earth and set things in motion and then left?
I know there are a lot of people in this world today who are suffering, in all areas of their lives, emotional, mental, physical, economical, and social are they looking for the answers from man or from GOD??
For me GOD is simply a feeling of peace that comes over me when I think his name. There is that silence that comes into my heart that helps me to know that he is near – maybe not even a silence but more like calm.

For me GOD is in the sunset. I love sunsets. It is the time of day when all is done, and we can sit back in awe and know that this was a day GOD meant for us to have. What did we do with it? Did we make someone happy, did we spread a kind word, and were we the people he set out for us to be.
If sunsets could have a sound I would imagine some of them with the quiet hum of nature and others with the gentle giggle of an innocent child.

The colors of sunset can be as vibrant and exciting as an adrenaline rush, while others can be the warming gentle breeze of a hammock on a warm summer eve. Sunsets are not just for summer. Take time this year to watch the winter sunsets. They can be as beautiful and warming.
I was sitting here wondering where all this love of sunsets comes from when it hit me like a ton of bricks – my mother. I can remember ALL of the pictures she took of sunsets. She had a 35 mm camera and would stand on my front porch and snap shot after shot of sunsets.

God created our world from the smallest creation to the grandest of all messages –
“I am here…. I am with you….. I love you”.
Look to the sunset the next time you feel alone and see the life that is there, the quiet that is there and the knowledge that with the sunset, comes the morning.

I am proud to be an American

Today is a special day for me – the celebration of a ragtag group of Americans, under the rule of King George III, who took it upon themselves (the arrogance of them) to say “We wish to make the following declarations”. If you really look at the Declaration of Independence, beyond the preamble, you will find that it is a basic statement of complaints. We find that the king did this, or that England did that – 27 of the 32 paragraphs deal with complaints. But what were we really trying to say. Basically = we are old enough to be on our own. Scary thought given the climate of the late 1700’s. But they were willing to sacrifice everything they had = to obtain the simple concept that when decisions are made then everyone should have representation in that decision. The Revolution came on the heels of the Enlightenment period in Europe and, believe me I teach how terrified each of the monarchs was because of what was going on in “those Colonies”.
Think about it – those 13 colonies flatly said to one of the most powerful nations in the world at that time “we don’t need no stinking king”. Granted the English did not take it all that well, I mean after all they did send ships, and soldiers to “put us in our place”. But sometimes you can destroy the strongest ship by simply removing the smallest pieces.

I have taught American Government for the past 18 years. The past few years I have had the pleasure of teaching Advanced Placement United States Government which allows me the ability to really spend time on “What is America”. But for each class my daily statement is “Popular Sovereignty”. What is it and why is it important in your life?

There are 2 things that people in the United States do not always remember.

First Popular Sovereignty: means that the power of the government lies in the hands of the people. The Government literally can not do anything without the people’s permission. Let’s say that Congress writes a law requiring all of us to shave our heads on Tuesdays. WE THE PEOPLE contact our president and have him veto the bill. But lets say he doesn’t – WE THE PEOPLE still have another option – take the bill to the Supreme Court and say it violates our basic principles of freedom of choice to shave or not. Or lets say we want something – all we have to do is contact our representatives and, with a little pressure, we can usually get it done. If not; we always have the power of the vote………… ah…. The power of the vote.

Second – VOTE!!!!! America you do not realize how powerful that simple act of punching a button, pulling a cord, or yes Florida even punching a hole, has on the life we live today. I preach and preach to my students how important voting it. It is the act of choosing your representative on the local, state and federal level. It is also the ONLY TRUE RIGHT TO PRIVACY you have as Americans. The government can find out 99.9% of what you do with your life, and they can control about 75% of your life through federal regulations BUT…….. they can not regulate, or find out how you voted! Think about the last time you went to vote – you sign it (but it doesn’t say how you voted), you get a ballot (but there is no record of which ballot is yours), and you go into a secluded voting both or slot to mark your ballot. I have never understood people who then walk out and tell the news media how they voted. Why would you discount your one true right to privacy??? No where in the Constitution does it say you have a right to privacy, but you have to believe in your heart that the ACT of VOTING is the one right to privacy that the founding fathers gave you without having to tie it down with regulation and bylaws, and all the government double speak. It is a simple, pure right. VOTE!!!!!

Lord, we have a number of problems in our nation today. Left, right, straight, gay, 1st amendment advocate, anti everything, civil rights civil liberties, the rights of the one outweighing the rights of the many. I think we have lost who and what we are. It’s like we need a NATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBERING who, what and why we are. What was it that made us great, that keeps us great, that offers the next generation hope. There are days when I want to go into class and say “Students I can not find one thing I like about our country today”……but then I remember – It was because of men like Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Richard Henry Lee with 52 other brave men that I HAVE a classroom to teach in – THAT I HAVE the right to wake up and say “I Love the United States, but today I may not like it”. THAT I HAVE the right to redress my government without the fear that someone will break down my door and throw me in prison.

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA~~~~~

May GOD and the people of this nation

take a moment to look around and smile……

to say – thank you forefathers – ya done good.

Here’s to the neighborhood parade, hamburgers,

hot dogs, potato salad and watermelon.

GOD BLESS and Keep the Faith America!!!!!

Remember to take time to pray for our men and women overseas. May they stay safe and return to us soon.