Sunday, August 12, 2012

Summer in the Heartland


MARCIA POWELL --  Blog article (#8) – August 12, 2012

Picking up from my last blog of June 2nd  (to read earlier blog articles, go to http://messagesfrommarcia.blogspot.com/), the big (bad) news is the Midwest drought.  After watching the “What in the world are they spraying?” documentary, I realized that this drought (and the Texas drought earlier) might well be a result of “geo-engineering.”  Oy vey!  (my favorite Hebrew term meaning an exclamation of dismay).  It’s very sad seeing the crops die and the trees and bushes (all plants not being watered by humans) all crying out for water.  By watering my yard garden, I am keeping most stuff alive, but some has not come up at all. 

Funny incident last week… when my gardening consultant came by, I was about to ask him when I could expect to see a beginning cucumber when he reach beneath the foliage and came up with a 10-inch cuke!  How’s that for being a “green” gardener (play on words, ha, ha!)

I’ve been passing out flyers in the neighborhood for months, and finally now have five piano students—only 1 directly from the flyers, but hey!  Outflow = inflow.   Otherwise, musically, my cousin Beau and completed rearranging “The Joy of Creating” so that there is an SAB (Soprano Alto Baritone), as well as making the existing SATB version even better.  I’ve assigned myself the hat of helping start choirs in all the Ideal Orgs, so what is needed is music in SAB versions so as to circumvent the problem of scarcity of tenors.  I’ve purchased the Sibelius music program but have yet to learn it. 

My old friend, Lea Frechette, and her husband and son came through on their way to Indiana.  I managed to put them up for the night.  Fun to visit with L.A. friends.  You’re all invited to visit the Heartland. 

West Urbana, by the way, was recognized as one of 10 of the greatest neighborhoods in the U.S.!  http://urbanaillinois.us/posts/2012/08/west-urbana-recognized-great-neighborhood

The head of the Libertarian Party here (a colorful lady with lavender hair) is researching moving to Costa Rica.  Her reason (among others):  “I don’t do drones.”  My plan is to talk her into staying here and setting things to rights.

There was this repeated ad on NPR radio by this Rosenstein guy who made a documentary about a lady whose case went to the Supreme Court and changed the nation.  Turns out back in 1965 I met Dannel McCollum through a friend.  In 2008 he published his book entitled “The Lord Was Not on Trial” about the Supreme Court case about prayer in the schools.  It was his mother who brought the case to trial (related to his brother) and prompted Rosenstein’s documentary.  Anyway, Dannel remembered me, responded immediately to my email, and we had an hour meeting the very same day.  He was mayor of Champaign for 12 years, so definitely someone I was interested in getting to know. 

Am continuing to work with the local GOP.  Upgraded to a smart phone (finally!) so that I could download an app that allows me to walk a precinct—the program gives you the order of houses—and enter the survey data directly into the phone, and thus into the party’s databanks.  Pretty nifty!  I gotta master it so I can then instruct my volunteers how to do it.  Also, I’ve met with the Sheriff, and with the assistant to my Congressman; plus I’ve had a phone conversation with my mayor. 

Another funny political incident … Mike Bost is a Representative to the Illinois State Assembly.  A vote was coming upon a bill, and then he was told the Speaker of the House, Mike Madigan, had just sent down a revised bill—20 MINUTES BEFORE THE VOTE.  When it was Bost’s turn to speak, he had a “meltdown”—i.e. a heartfelt protest about Madigan’s shenanigans (hey, that was clever!).  It was video’d and went viral on YouTube.  He came to Champaign-Urbana to speak at a fund-raising event, so I decided to go and meet him personally (as one of my goals is to take down Madigan, as I’m getting that he is a suppressor to the State).  I showed the video to my daughter Ashley, who was visiting, and, knowing I was going to talk to him, she said, “Mom, ask him if he’s going to get mad again.”  “Get mad again.”  “Get Madigan.”  Play on words, get it?  So clever!  So I told him, and he said, “Thank you, Ashley.”  I hope he uses it. 

Ashley (28 now and a massage therapist in Portland) and her boyfriend, Ethan, came to Illinois for a visit.  His family live in the Chicago area, so they spent a few days there, then came down here for a few days.  He teaches guitar and does sound engineering.  Great guy.  We bonded when he found out I could sing most of “It Can’t Happen Here” from Frank Zappa’s “Freak Out” album (1969).  I was amazed to find a young person who was familiar with it.  

We finally had time for Ashley to tell me about her trip to Southeast Asia last fall.  Enjoyed hearing about her numerous adventures, and proud of her for confronting and dealing with various things.  Definitely a growing up experience.  Her massage therapy practice is blooming—tech plus all her positive vibes! 

The relatives from Southern Indiana came up, and we all spent a very hot day in Jane’s pond.  Checking up on my physical condition, I dove off the pier at the north end of the pond and managed to make it to the south end (about 100 yards)—not exactly challenging Michael Phelps’ record, but I was proud to make it.

If you’re not already familiar with www.ThriveMovement.com, I hope you will take a look at it.  There was no existing group in my area, so I have started one.  What I called my “Survival Club” will now be my Thrive Group. 

Hope you all are flourishing and prospering (thriving)! 
Please stay in touch.

Love to all, Marcia            (217) 607-0632  home     (818) 552-2211  cell