3/18/2014

Yesterday, I said Good by to my Mom, Bettye. She passed away at 86, troubled and alone. I am dealing with a wide range of emotions and thoughts about my Mom; some good, some not so good. That's all between me and her, and most of that is not the subject of this post at all.  Those are emotions I will deal with, and with the help of my daughters and wife I will get through those feelings and work them out in my mind and my heart.

Here, on this blog....I just wanted to celebrate one particular aspect of my Mom. For all the years I knew her she dabbled in various arts and crafts projects. Over the years she painted, molded, wrote, chronicled, sewed, knitted, crocheted, beaded, pasted. She played the Piano and Organ.  Her hands were busy at all times and she produced beautiful, crafty, and creative things all the days of her life.

Here is an example of one of her wall hangings.

This was hand done in yarn with either a crochet hook or a yarn needle. I don't know. But the colors and details standout, the hours of work she did alone in her little apartment permeate from every fiber.

When we visited her apartment, dozens of pillows like this adorned her craft room and she always encouraged us to partake and to share in her works.

For Holidays she made theme orientated crafts, which along with her collection of Nut Crackers filled her apartment with a sense of festive joy.

For us kids, my 6 brothers and sisters, we probably took Mom's skills and talents for granted. During all the years growing up watching her sew and mold and craft, we probably did not appreciate her gifts and hand-crafted treasures as we could have. Busy lives, growing to adult hood, raising our own families. Moving onward and upward, time and distance separating us from her.

But as sure as our gene pool and our personalities were influenced by her, undoubtedly to some degree her craft talents live on in all of us, testimony to the importance and power and influence of family upon us.

This very blog site is an example of her 'crafts' influencing me. I may not be able to sew or knit, but I can blog and I can appreciate art in all it's wonderful forms.

Mom, may you now find peace and acceptance and joy in your new eternal home. May you know that your children and grand children and great grand children all love you, miss you, and have been touched by your short time here on this Earthly home.

In my mind, I see you in some Heavenly sewing room with your hands working rapidly on some really cool wonderful project....with a bunch of young spirits gathered round you learning your techniques.

Love and Cheers, nca

There is Gold In Dem Der Hills

Seeing the medal count updates on American television always can be puzzling to me. Our national media presents daily medal count updates which seem to stress the importance of where the United States is compared to other countries of the world. The emphasis is on 'total medal count'.

There are several issues I have with this.

The obvious is, why do we as Americans put so much emphasis on nationality when it comes to the Olympics? We will sit through hours of prime time television to see how an American Ice Skater who pulls a 6th place finishes out, and miss out on excellent gold-medal performances by other international athletes simply because there is no American contender for that event. Are we Americans so enthralled by our own nationalism that we can't even appreciate the excellence of individual athletes? I actually think not, however I do think we allow our national media to dumb down Olympic coverage for us. We should probably demand more from our media.

The second issue is even more simple. Since when did silver and bronze medals really become so important to us? It is very American to say 'winning is everything', and second place is like 'kissing your sister'.  So why, when it comes to the Olympics....do we tally up 2nd and 3rd place finishes for comparison???? It seems so...un-American?  If we were to redo that chart above in gold medal order, we drop to 4th place, below Russia, Norway, and Canada.

Norway and Canada! Oh, that feels so bad! .... Not. These are the Winter Olympics, and those are all countries with Nordic climates and histories of winter excellence. It is really quite an accomplishment that the United States is even in that mix. That we had 9 Gold Medal athletes is commendable, and I am proud of each and every one of those athletes. There is pride too with the other 19 American medalists too. Heavens, I applaud every great athlete around the world for their intense training, their perseverance, their stamina, and all the other fine traits that make them able to compete athletically at the international level.

But let's not diminish the excellent work done by other athletes the world over. Norway is a country with a population of just over 5,000,000 people. That compares to Russia with 144,000,00 and the United States with 318,000,000 very favorably. 11 gold medals in Sochi 2014 for a population fractional to their bigger international opponents is quite an accomplishment. And I can't remember hearing the Norwegian National anthem once on my TV.

This is for you, Norway (and Great Job)

Cheers, nca

So look out for those beauties oh yea

Today, for the first time since my heart surgery, I was out puttering on my bike. Nothing fancy or strenuous. I had filled up the tires and I was testing it out.

I was immediately taken by the rush of wind in my hair, my calves pumping and the feelings of freedom that rolling on two wheels always symbolizes for me.

I know, my balance was absurd; rusty and uncoordinated. And my stamina was a joke. But there I was rolling on two wheels as I have done since a kid. The ticking of the derailleurs, the tilt of the turns, and the musty burn spell of applied brakes.  No, no helmet...shhh, don't tell mi esposa. But helmeted rides are just not the same. I did not have them when I was a youth....and by gosh I did not need one today!

The bicycle for me has always been an emblem of freedom and Independence. It was on our bikes that my brothers and I were able to transit hot Phoenix neighborhoods in our youth. My red Schwinn Cruiser was my trusty steed, galloping me into adventures and away from the troubles of home.

Once I hit teen age years I saved up my allowance and cash from mowing yards for my dream bike, the sleek Schwinn Ten Speed. This bike came with more liberty and opened up greater adventures. It also cemented friendships as I would ride to school with my best buddy each day. In the evenings I would cruise to work, which in turn gave me greater financial independence. With a Ten Speed and some cash in my pockets, the world was my oyster.

On my Ten Speed with my buddies we roamed the streets and suburbs of Phoenix, exploring the nooks and crannies together. We would go on long rides to South Phoenix Mountain preserves, and we would head north to the Airport at Deer Valley to hop rides with the pilots. We explored Papago Park, Old Town Scottsdale, and watched the Dodgers play Spring Training Games against the Giants. Our bikes were are tickets to freedom and our keys to high adventure exploits.

As an adult, I converted to motorized vehicles. I continued to ride bikes here and there, but then they were more for exercise or leisure. The motorcycles and jeeps and VW bugs allowed me to travel farther and faster, and to have passengers...and (goodness) date girls. Still, bikes will always be the symbols of the freedom and independence of my youth.

Hopefully, with air in my tires I will start pumping the old pedals again now. Do you think there are more adventures I can get into at 55?

Cheers, nca