I updated my post about the shooting at Perry High School. The shooter was 17 years old. He wounded five and killed one. A sixth grader, a child one year older than my youngest grandchild. I can’t imagine how the parents and grandparents are coping with this senseless act of violence. Why did a 17 year have access to a shotgun and a small caliber pistol? Another moment of silence NRA?

I Iowa, gun buyers are required to present permits or undergo background checks. The minimum age to purchase a pistol is 21 and the minimum age for a rifle or shotgun is 18. Legally, he should have no access. So the question that keeps arising with the different school violence situations, why does a child have access to a weapon? Why are the adults involved facing criminal charges for endangering their child and other children? I’m sure there are other charges that could be used. There has to be changes made so parents who want to own guns take the responsibility seriously instead of thinking my child won’t do that.

The Northeast is bracing for the first major storm of 2024. If the weatherman is correct with its predictions, there is a second storm following right behind the initial storm. I used to live in the Northeast and along the Northeast corridor, I don’t miss shoveling or icy road conditions at all. Nor do I miss having to bundle up whenever I go outside.

I do miss how fresh the air smells after a snowstorm. I miss the trees blanketed with snow sparkling as the sun hits their branches. Neither occur where I am now in Las Vegas. I do get to see white capped mountains around us which sates me for now.

It’s 51 degrees here with winds coming from the Northwest at 20mph. That will make it feel cooler than it is. I’ll be fine in a sweatshirt and jeans. The mountain chains we see are Mount Charleston and Lee Canyon and Spring Mountain. They have snow right now and are expecting more Saturday night into Sunday. It’s only 28 degrees there right now.

Mount Charleston and Lee Canyon are still recovering from all the damage Hurricane Hilary caused back in the summer. A lot of the road work isn’t completed yet, so the transportation department is discouraging visitors. There is limited access to Lee Canyon Ski Resort but it’s driver beware…. the roads are one lane in some areas, and some are dirt only.

Speaking of outside one of my poems that I wrote appeared in my Facebook memories today.

The Doe and I by Lyn Crain

She glanced timidly

left and right

never letting me

out of her sight

Her soft brown eyes

lowered each time

I tried to lock hers

with mine

I think she hoped

I’d move a long

but I was drawn to her

like a lyric in a song

She looked terrified

teetering in place

like the moon trying

to outshine the sun in space.

One of my crafting passions is embroidery. I’ve shared pictures of crocheting and quilting in the past but never embroidery. I learned at a very young age from my grandmother. When I learned it was trendy to decorate your jeans by embroidering flowers and peace symbols. These days it’s trendier to wear your jeans with slashes exposing your skin. I’ve recently completed several holiday wall-hangings.

My latest project is a lap quilt for my neuro-surgeon who repaired my lumbar stenosis and neck stenosis. Yup, I had narrowed on both ends of my spine where previous injuries had occurred. The narrowed areas were crushing nerves and causing me discomfort. I’m happy to say the discomfort has gone in my lumbar area completely. The neck is being a bit stubborner and I’m going to PT to help it along. My doctor is also a pilot and is still involved in air rescue so I’m making him a block quilt with 12 different airplanes that I’m embroidering and then making the attic window quilt to finish the project.

I’ll share pictures of my work once I remember how to insert pictures. The changed format is taking me a bit to get used to.