The Garden....( Russell Lee 1940 NM)

Hope is a thing with feathers.
That perches in the soul.
And sings the tunes without the words.
And never stops at all.
(Verse from Emily Dickinson poem)

My Refuge....the Porch....there is always a porch..always....

Dear President Obama, A Letter about the Gulf Disaster..

"We are tied to the ocean and when we go back to the Sea, whether it is to sail or to watch,we are going back from whence we came."~ John F. Kennedy
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Dear Mr.President,
Millions of us worked to get you elected. We worked for you because we believed that you were the kind of man that when Trouble came Knocking you would be up to the challenge. A man of wisdom, integrity,and a Man wise enough to have the Integrity to listen to Wisdom. There is Wisdom knocking on your door, and I worry you are not listening. Millions of Americans are watching the Disaster in the Gulf unfold. Many are Scientists who are worried about the Situation because they have the Wisdom to see what is going on and what it holds in the Future.

Millions of People need answers and assurances that your Leadership is committed to them, but placing BP in charge of the Disaster the message to the People is that BP a Corporation is more important than them. For the Gulf residents that were abandoned, shunned, lied to, exploited and mistreated during and after Katrina, your Leadership is Critical at this time. Instead they have been given a BP hotline for everything for Dead Oiled Carcasses, Fume Reports and Questions about Seafood. And they have watched BP lie about the Gusher and yet they are supposed to call BP for wounded animals ? And they see that EPA is working with BP while hundreds of thousands of gallons of Toxic Dispersant are poured into their gulf. Yet has your administration reached out to the Fishermen , the Shrimpers, the Workers in the Gulf ? Have you offered them relief and Programs for this situation ? ( Again FEMA, National Guard, HLS have been sparingly sparsely committed and silently deployed) This is your moment to historically provide Aid and relief.

So far those Scientists have had no avenue to share their concerns and their skills. They have merely been tossed the BP phone number and told to leave a message. In this kind of Crisis Energy, Vision and Scientific Expertise should be harnessed and utilized. There are Scientists who have worked to protect the Gulf for years and now they would problem solve to save it or try to save what is left of it. ( Woodshole, Oceanography Programs across the Country, Engineering Programs ).Scientists who work with National Geographic and Sierra Club, NWF, NRDC etc all have people who have studied and prepared and protected Ecosystems for years they are not compromised by Greed of Oil Laden ambitions.

You have been given your first American Disaster of Epic Proportions and it was created by Corporate greed and mistakes.Yet the Company that is Responsible for the Disaster is still controlling the Crime Scene. 11 Good Men died in an Explosion and yet instead of hearing that the Justice Department is Investigating Americans are told that BP is now in charge of the Disaster. Can you see how unjust and corrupt that appears to Americans ? I have read the Justice Department is in NOLA,but you as President need to Announce that the Justice Department is investigating this Event and the Oil Slick.

Your Administration and even you should be giving Daily or bi-daily Briefings with NOAA, Coast Guard and EPA and DHHS issuing accurate Unbiased Uncompromised information regarding this Oil Slick. Hurricane Season is fast upon us, and this is your chance to help people prepare and work together to prevent panic and distress.

Mr.Gibbs has been mishandling the Pressers, mocking and dismissing Reporters concerns.Yet the Press Corps has been asking the same questions as millions of Americans have been asking. You need to acknowledge this anger, this frustration and angst. Americans watched on their TVs on May 18th when a CBS reporter was threatened with arrest for photographing Marshland Slime. The Reporter was told by a Coast Guard official that "BP is in charge". In that moment millions of Americans had their worst fear confirmed. BP not only owns the Disaster, they own the Gulf and Our Government Supports and Condones BP being in charge of this Disaster. The Message was that the Government has submitted Power to BP. And the Presser with Gibbs on the 20th and 21st confirmed this fear.

The Press needs to be able to report, interview Scientists, Fishermen, Residents and to take photos of the Dead Animals, the Damaged Gulf. This Crisis needs transparency and honesty and action. Silence will only be construed as part of the BP Coverup at this point. After numerous Coverups under the Bush Administration and 8 years of Lies, Americans are smart enough to KNOW they want Honesty and Leadership during this Disaster. We need you to do the Right Thing Now, Declare it a National Emergency.

Signed,
Just a Mom, Nurse,.....

( mailed and posted to White House Blog May 22,2010 Day 32 of the Gulf Disaster )

Why the Gulf Matters To Me......

I have been trying to Blog and Tweet about the Gulf and the Oil Disaster, I have been trying to post Information, Science, Facts, videos and updates. I have tried to approach it clinically like a very sick patient, keeping my emotions to a minimum. Yet as it is now Day 32, my emotions are getting in the way. My Memories are getting in the way. My Longings and those memories are now haunting me and distracting me from my mission of blogging with clarity.

As a nerdish liberal child I grew up in a VERY Republican family. Yet the year I turned 11 we started spending much time in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. Partly because my grandmother was moving there due to health problems. It was partly because my parents bought a condo at a bargain price and all vacations and summers were then spent there. By the summer I was 12 I was grossly absorbed with the Watergate Break In and then the following summer it was the Watergate Hearings. I was absorbed with spending hours walking the white sands and watching tide pools and touching shells and hermit crabs and other Sea Wonders. I was spellbound by the wonders of the Gulf, the beautiful azure waters against the White Sands with the number of Birds swooping overhead and Sunsets that transformed my soul.

Going to the Gulf was my Escape , but it was also very much where I found myself as I moved from childhood to Adulthood. It was where I was allowed to have compassion and hope. I sat on the Beach watching the Birds and wrote. I participated in Turtle Counts and Bird Counts. Where silent observations was a valuable gift. The Island where were , Sanibel was devoted to the Preservation of so many animals,buildings limited in a height and a Preserve ( Ding Darling) that was beautiful. Every year the Turtles come to lay their eggs and then the eggs hatch and the Turtles would return to the Sea. As a young teen I hollowed out a hole on the beach with another Teen and with special Goggles and Binoculars we observed this Beautiful Event. And we sat and wrote our notes in the Dark of the Night. And in the Morning we touched the gentle trails left in the sand with awe.

When I was 12 my mother went out and told us to stay home and read. But the Gulf was beautiful and I had just passed my LifeSaving classes. So I did what an obstinate lonely teen would do, I went swimming . And on the 3rd Sand bar I stood up and admired the beautiful gleaming sea. When I stood up I felt the water move not far from me and realized there were "Finned Fish" moving my me. Three of them. My first thought was "Oh no, My mother will be right and I will be eaten by Sharks because she was right." I didn't have my glasses on, I am legally blind without glasses, so I really had to breath deep and calm down and try to assess the situation. I stood very still barely breathing and then I realized as one got very close that it was a Dolphin and that up close they really do look like they are smiling....And I did the Unthinkable, I reached out very slowly and very gently and tenderly touched the closest one. It was so smooth, gentle and cool to my hand. It did not back off or go away but circled around again. They circled about and dove with each other clearly playing and clearly enjoying showing off. It was the most mystical magical moment I have ever had. It took my breath away.

To this day, the memory is so clear even though I had impaired vision I can close my eyes and still see them and their dipping and diving and beautiful graceful swimming. It moved me and inspired me in way that I can not explain. Through the years up until I was married I would return to the Island when I need respite or a break from School or Nursing Life or Wretched Boyfriends. It was where I sought solace. The Island and the Gulf was magical....It was healing..Grounding. It would be where I would lifeguard, write, read too much and learn to sail. It would be where I would learn so much.

There would later be other trips to other parts of the Gulf and the Coast, And in many ways it is true that I am Home when I am by the Sea- Always. But the Gulf and Sanibel was where I wanted to take my son one day, so I could show him the Wonders. And these past few years as I lost so many skills and physical strength I have always wanted to go back, as it is the one place that remains Home, accepting and full of Light. I am mad at myself now that I did not get my son there now. I am worried about the Fishermen and all of the Creatures.....the birds ...the Turtles and the Dolphins and so many more....I have learned over these past few years that Time is a Gift. But I did not realize how fragile Something so beautiful could be...and now it may be out of Time.
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Praying for the Miners....Performance Mine Explosion

Natalie Merchant "Which Side are you on " ( Song by Miner Wife Florence Reece and she wrote this while her husband fought for the rights of the Miners to Unionize it's a poignant song ...many in the Appalacian Mts know this song....)

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Thursday April 8th AM : Rescue Crews will enter mines early this AM to search for four missing miners...

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Los Angeles Times | April 8, 2010 | 12:45 a.m.
Rescue crews going back into mine.Rescue crews are expected to enter the Upper Big Branch mine early Thursday to search for four miners who are unaccounted for following the devastating explosion that killed 25 miners on Monday, federal mine safety officials announced.Four teams of eight men each will wear breathing devices and ride and walk up to five miles underground. They will attempt to reach two air-tight safety chambers, about 2,500 feet apart, where officials hope the miners were able to reach if they survived the explosion.It could take the teams two to three hours to reach the chambers, depending on the amount of debris they encounter, officials said.

((Enigma note: it took 5 Drilled Boring holes to let the gases out...and to reach safe levels for Search&rescue crews re-enter the mines. Sadly today the MSM will all be focused in the Tiger Golf match, I hope instead they will cover the Miners, especially as these brave Rescuers re-enter the mines. It is still a very dangerous mission to search for the four and also plan the recovery of the bodies of the other 25. The Families of this community need their loved ones brought out.))
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Coal Miner Daughter.....Dorthea Lange

For many years I have posted this photo...it has always been one of my favorites...the girl is young and aged all at once and her face holds prayers and worries....that only the Mines can give a face.

Keith Olbermann's Dad Died...please click Post linked to Title, it is Keith's Tribute

Honoring Women this month...Dorthea Lange

Do click the title and you can read a full history of her striking photos....

Winter Blues.....

I am fighting winter blues...or trying to.....I have been trying to write everyday....listen to music and am teaching myself French....hopefully that will get me through about 6 more weeks of Winter...hopefully...
I love this video....a little music...a little dancing....and we can pretend we are in Paris.....

Hazy Shade of Winter.....

Art That Heals....

Over Christmas I decided to try a totally new craft...I have plenty of broken dishes that need a new purpose in life....I was inspired by a wonderful woman named Rebecca York, she makes the most amazing Glass Mosaics, her website and her creations and her story are linked to the title, she has an amazing story of how her beautiful art came to be....it will inspire you....move you and her mosaics are so beautiful.....

( the photo is my mosaic that I made over Christmas, I put it in my bedroom window...and it is so much better to have some color against the snow...)
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Another little nesting project....new Coffee Table for the TV room...Old Sunflower lamp (thrown out in 2007-acquired and was originally a Bird Bath in back garden....but now I have brought it inside so it won't freeze and put an old garden stepping stone on it- and touched up the paints....Just the right size to sit a cuppa something warm...

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(Music has been important these past few weeks too...Breathe Hands to heaven is one such song.....)
And maybe a little Duran Duran,Save a Prayer ....
Spice Girls... a sentimental favorite...dedicated to the two girls we fostered long ago....
More ...
Just Breathe...another version...
And some Toto with Micheal McDonald ...

My Favorite Market that I still even dream about...and Other Beach Dreams

Back in 2004 for 18 months my son and I lived in Pacific Grove California, and it was an amazing experience. In Many ways it was the hardest time of my life and in other ways it was the greatest adventure.We lived in a dilapitated old Victorian Rooming House and we shared a room. I had a window over the little Corner Kitchen Sink. I could stand in the mornings and make Tea and smell the Ocean and taste the breeze.At nigh the Deer would come munch on the bushes and shrubs at the bottom of the stairs, and my basset Abby would look at them softly with her big brown eyes. (Abby had spent her early years on a farm,so we thought that maybe she viewed them as goats.) And at night the seals would bark down at the Beach mere blocks away -So Abby would yodel back to them. My son and I boogied boarded and got wet suits and explored the Tide Pools and located Sandwich shops. And we figured out whenever the Power went out due to Storms, which was often, that many little shops halfpriced their goods.

And we found the Pacific Grove Market, that was full of Wonders, British Teas and cookies, and fresh fruits and vegetables.And we became "Fun Doo" Experts dipping vegis and fruit and bagels in the warm gooey crockpot of cheese. And we made Noodles with all kinds of vegetables.And we read many books and newspapers blissfully. And the Library turned out to be a wonderful find,walking there to treasure hunt.....it is those Memories I wrap around me late at night when it is cold and snowing....It is why I still wear my Flip Flops in the house....all year...It is why I dream about the Market at night....
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Someone made a great Sunset video....

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Have dreamt about PG many times over the past month...I have no idea why....maybe I am homesick...anyways..all good memories...