Dyeing Fabric

The Battlefield Quilters guild met a week ago for a retreat of fabric and fun sewing. The highlight of the two days was dyeing fabric, you can see my team partner was a few years younger than myself, but this craft knows no age. I worked side by side with both my grandmothers as a young girl, it is really cool to share with any age person.

Big Spring Park

Big Spring Park

As I walk near the stream running through Big Spring Park I look into a hollow of trees hanging silently over the water. Nearby are ducks swimming and scratching themselves as little children with moms, and grandmas are spreading picnic blankets and breaking out some lunch as they sit along the brooks edge. Flowers are in bloom, marigolds and petunias of fucia are arranged in special flower beds as you walk near the area where you can look at the giant sized goldfish swimming in the sectioned off pond. Journey further into the park and you hear the sound of children swimming in the pool and playing on swings and slides, yes it is summer in Neosho MO, what a great place to take a break from the office.

Social Workers Feeling Like Rock Stars

Well in these times of serious economic down turn social workers come to work with lines down the street waiting for the social service office to open. Today was the first day of the summer energy crisis program and one of my new co-workers from Joplin sent me an instant message saying, she is scared, there are lines down the street with anticipating clients at 7:30 a.m. I told her that it will be this way until we spend the money. The people trying to get help are either currently disconnected or are in shut off status. We let people who call in crisis know that we have limited staff and can only see those who get out of bed and show up early. The catch on this is that disconnected clients are addressed first so we must wade through that group first at which point those with disconnect notices will also be getting disconnected. The other catch is that if there bill exceeds $300. they must pay the difference before they can recieve help. What a mess! On a personal note I like to fatasize of being home quilting or hugging my grandbabies. Yesterday baby Jeffery recieved his father's blessing, it was beautiful and Paul did not let his son down. We had a wonderful time afterwards where we had a special Sunday Brunch in his honor.