#embroidery

Day 18 of 366 surrounded by crazy

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I have a migraine nerve block appointment which involves a series of injections surrounding my occipital nerve region. ( It’s located on your back left side of your skull just above where your neck connects.) So, I say to the physician’s assistant, can we go a bit lower with the injections because my neck is very inflamed . Her response was the insurance covers specific areas. I look at her and say there’s not anyone in this room but you and I, how would they know your injecting me lower than usual. Her response was she would know. GRRRR!!

So right now, my migraine is numb, but my neck is so knotted and in pain it’s undermining where I did have the injections. It’s frustrating especially when she tells me the earliest, I can have an injection to my neck is a month because of lidocaine toxicity. Doctors monitor the doses closely to prevent brain or heart issues. Which brings me back to migraines. If this toxicity is a problem, why have I had nerve blocks for 13 years monthly without anyone saying they need to be cautious?

And why has there not been other options available offered to me?

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly.” —Proverb

Looking at the other craziness of the day, we have more than 100,000,000 people on high alert as Polar Vortex grips the U.S. Since this cold snap begun 43 people have died.

Buffalo looks especially scary to me with the playoff game happening there this weekend. People at the game in Kansas City suffered frost bite from the cold weather. Will Buffalo have better conditions come game time.

A plane from American Airlines slid off the runway upon landing at an airport in New York. The aircraft exited the taxiway while in transit to the terminal due to snowy airfield conditions” and veered into the grass. Those passengers must have freaked out seeing that. I know I did when I was flying on American Airlines coming into Logan Airport back in 2003. We slid off the runway too! I was scared! And then having to depart the plane on the metal stairs and riding the bus back to the terminal. Whenever I fly, I remember that flight. I know it doesn’t make any sense, but I look at every airline’s website, check the prices before I look at American Airlines.

Out in my neck of the woods- Snow in the Rocky Mountains this week has brought some hope for another wet winter to feed the Colorado River. When that snow melts it flows down tributaries of the Colorado River, through dams along the way and eventually into Lake Powell. From there, water is released down the Grand Canyon and into Lake Mead. We need another record accumulation of snow to overcome the megadrought that began in the year 2000. which reduced the amount of water in the entire Colorado River Basin. The climate experts expect that trend to continue — despite last year’s above-average snowpack. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation projections released on Tuesday indicated an expected drop at Lake Mead for the next two years.

Unfortunately, in the Middle East, Pakistan retaliates with strikes inside Iran as tensions spill over. “Iranian state media reported that at least nine people, including three women and four children, were killed in the strikes, while Pakistani officials cited the deaths of “a number of terrorists. The Pakistani attacks, carried out with “drones, rockets, loitering munitions and standoff weapons,” were launched in response to Iranian strikes inside Pakistan on Tuesday that killed two children, according to Pakistani officials.” (1)

Violence between Iran and Pakistan and Israel and the Gaza Strip on the surface seem separate but they both targeted militant groups that primarily pose local challenges. Pakistan has maintained the Tehran has turned a blind eye to militants operating in Iran. Iran accuses Pakistan of seeking Israeli assistance. Thankfully neither country is hostile to each other yet. But if the strikes continue that will change.

Ali Harb and Brian Osgood wrote,” Netanyahu says that Israel must “maintain security control over all territory west of the Jordan River”, despite US talk of “working toward a two-state solution”. (2) Change has to happen before they destroy each other completely.

Today, I finished the F-16 Fighting Falcon. All that’s left is my doctor’s airplane and then the quilting begins. I’m excited it’s gone together so easily. I’m looking forward to giving it to my doctor. 

I’ve made four wall-hangings this past year. (Two Halloween and Two Christmas)

“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” —Anonymous

(1) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pakistan-fires-retaliatory-strikes-at-iran-raising-fears-of-new-conflict

(2) https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/18/israels-war-on-gaza-live-medicine-arrives-for-captives-palestinians

DAY 14 and 15 of 366 and the craziness keeps happening.

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Looking at the headlines: Crazy is the new norm. I know without a doubt that no matter what is happening in my life, some one has it worse.

Airlines scrap thousands of flights as wintry weather disrupts travel. More Than 3,700 Flight Delays and Cancellations Monday as Arctic Blast Lingers. Dangerously low temperatures are affecting more of the country than not. This year will definitely be a year people will discuss in the future because of the different storms and the horrendous damage that followed. (1)

I remember the heavy accumulations of the winter of 1977 vividly because I couldn’t see out the first-floor windows of my home in Maine until April. It was like living in a cave. Unfortunately, window casings aren’t designed to be buried in snow, so we had a lot of water damage as the snow melted and froze again. The crazy ice storm the winter of 1998, schools, and businesses were closed for over a week because of the power outages. Our home didn’t have power for 3 weeks. Thankfully, we kept water stocked up in case our water lines froze. They didn’t this time because of the woodstove but water pumps require electricity, and the ice broke a lot of lines. We were more fortunate than some because we emptied our freezer and refrigerator and put everything in the majority of the coolers outside. (We camped a lot over the years, so we had quite a few coolers on hand.) One we kept inside for milk, eggs and butter which we added ice chunks to from outside. We heated our home with wood, so that stove became a cooking area as well as the gas grill in the shed. We melted snow for the toilet. We improvised as much as possible to get by. I’ve never forgotten either of those winters. They were definitely survival testaments.

In Iceland, long-dormant volcano erupts, streets on fire. ”Grindavik is a town of 3,800 people about 30 miles southwest of Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital. The community was previously evacuated in November following a series of earthquakes that opened large cracks in the earth between the town and Sýlingarfell, a small mountain to the north, ” according to Marco DiMarco a reporter for USA Today. The volcano’s seismic activity has increased sharply over the past day and another eruption has occurred. There were two eruptions in December and once it was safe emergency workers begun creating defensive walls to divert the lava but time ran out before they were completed. I can’t imagine seeing the lava flow knowing there is nothing you can do to prevent it.

Attorney Joe Tacopina withdraws from Trump’s legal team. The motivation behind Tacopina’s departure remains unclear. He confirmed to The Hill he was withdrawing from Trump’s cases but declined further comment. (3) ”A former Brooklyn prosecutor, Tacopina gained a reputation for cultivating high-profile clients long before he added Trump to his list. Over the years, Tacopina has represented celebrities like Michael Jackson, A-Rod, Meek Mill and Don Imus. He is also representing A$AP Rocky as he defends against two criminal assault counts, to which the rapper pleaded not guilty earlier this month.” Do lawyers have consciences? I’m looking at the cases this man has represented and wonder if at the end of the day was the money really worth it to represent these celebrity characters. The craziness of the whole Trump situation unfortunately isn’t a 2024 event, it’s been happening since the 2016 election and the insanity just keeps escalating.

One killed, 17 injured in twin attacks in Israeli city of Raanana. Why? It’s been one of the world’s longest-continuing conflicts. Key areas of the conflict include the status of Jerusalem, Israeli settlements, borders, security and water rights, as well as Palestinian freedom of movement and the Palestinian right of return. It’s been over 100 days since Hamas launched an air, sea and land assault. According to The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 2023 was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the territory since it began keeping records in 2005.

Over the past 100 days, Israel’s relentless bombardment and ground assault of Gaza has killed nearly 24,000 – roughly one percent of the besieged strip’s population of 2.3 million. Nearly 2 million displaced, thousands of homes destroyed and — 10,000 of them children.  (23,469 Palestinian and 1,200 Israeli) It’s appalling to me that we’re keeping track of deaths. Why can’t a peaceable agreement be achieved? Why is violence the first approach? (4)

(WASHINGTON) — A fake 911 call that the White House was on fire sent emergency vehicles to the complex Monday morning, when President Biden and his family were at Camp David. There’s been so many fake reports lately, I feel bad for the police, fireman, and first responders. The insanity of 2024 has to end..

My embroidery project is down to the last two sixteen inch squares. I’ve completed two sixteen inch squares with these planes: Kittyhawk, Spirit of St. Louis, Curtis Jenny, Fokker DR-1, P-51 Mustang, B-17, B-29, and the F-14 Tomcat. The square I’m working on presently has the 117-Nighthawk, Bell UH-1, Bell-X1 and the F-16 Falcon. Each of the planes is 7 inches by 7 inches inside the square. The final square only has a 10 inch images of this plane The Sikorsky S-42. I am looking at some other images to add to the final square so I have a balanced presentation. The Nighthawk is the first plane that the military require to be completely black in color. It was also called the Stealth fighter.

Each of the squares will be cut into smaller blocks and then surrounded with borders of navy, gray and black in the attic window design.

I asked my doctor which he prefers surgery or flying. I chuckled because he said both. Surgery pays for his love of flying.

 “Any idiot can get an airplane off the ground, but an aviator earns his keep by bringing it back anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances that man and God can dream up.” Walter Cunningham, 

(1) https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/over-11-000-us-flights-were-affected-monday-by-severe-winter-storms

(2) https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/really-nothing-else-we-can-do-new-volcano-eruption-in-iceland-sends-lava-flowing-toward-homes

(3) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-lawyer-joe-tacopina-withdraws-from-ex-president-s-cases/

(4) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/one-killed-17-injured-in-twin-attacks-in-israeli-city-of-raanana

(5) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fake-911-report-of-fire-at-the-white-house-triggers-emergency-response

Day 10 of 366 Craziness and Political Grand storming, so fed up with our government

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I’ll begin with the weather for a moment with 49 states with weather alerts for Finn. And now it looks like Gerri will be following suit in areas that haven’t recovered from the predecessor. My question is how many times does history have to repeat itself before we create methods to reduce the flooding and tornado damage. I know many low-income families reside in mobile homes but why aren’t the manufacturers required to make them safer during tornadoes. The construction trade has to change and stop cutting corners to reduce cost. If a tornado came thru Las Vegas, these houses would be destroyed because they are not built with plywood walls, they are stryofoam covered with stucco.

Stucco is a cement-type mixture made of Portland cement, lime, sand and water. It is a thin finish coat that goes on the outermost layer of residential and commercial constructions. Modern stucco has polymers and other agents for increased flexibility that improves its resilience but is it enough to withstand tornado or hurricane force winds. I’m not convinced because I’ve hit the wall on our house by accident trying to hang Christmas lights and it broke into pieces exposing the styrofoam underneath.

Let’s talk about the political grandstanding with the Biden impeachment hearings. The Republicans wanted to cite Hunter Biden for contempt because he declined to do behind closed door interrogations. Apparently, the democratic party wanted to know why the Republicans refused to do it publicly. I want to know also why these discussions have to be behind closed doors. Are the people involved afraid to let their constituents see them in action?

Every one of these congressmen and congresswomen and representatives are public employees but they seem to forget that fact. Why are we paying their salaries to behave like buffoons. Tit for tat? Seriously, they all need reality checks.

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene seems to be leading the witch hunt on President Biden.

“Hunter Biden was and is a private citizen. Despite this, Republicans have sought to use him as a surrogate to attack his father,” Lowell said.

Lowell accused Republicans of caring “little about the truth” and trying to “hold someone in contempt who has offered to publicly answer all their proper questions.”

“I am here to testify at a public hearing, today, to answer any of the committees’ legitimate questions,” Hunter Biden said. “Republicans do not want an open process where Americans can see their tactics, expose their baseless inquiry, or hear what I have to say. What are they afraid of? I am here.” (1)

I’m so over our tax money being wasted for this tit for tat behavior. We unfortunately allowed a reality star idiot to become president and now we’re the reality show to the world. If they have grounds to indite Biden show it now as Jared Moskowitz insisted, they do so. Chairman James Comer said, “We think, we do.” Again, they volleyed back and forth wasting valuable time and resources, that comes out of the American people’s wallet.

Biden may or may not have been involved in his son’s business dealings. Nine other Presidents have also faced misconduct charges and not removed from office. “Republicans say their inquiry is ultimately focused on the president, they have taken particular interest in Hunter Biden and his overseas business dealings, questioning whether the president profited from that work. We didn’t bat an eye about Cheney’s involvement with Haliburton, did we?

Nor do we seem to want to convict the buffoon reality star, who has numerous charges pending but still is actively campaigning for presidency which he has blatantly said, he will be the dictator because the laws and the constitution do not apply to him. Lawyers for Trump made the legal argument Tuesday — in a real courtroom, before actual US judges — that a president could order the military to assassinate his political rival and not be prosecuted for it as long as Congress was cool with it. (2)

If you looked into the Bureau of Prisons, the largest stockholders in the prison system are senators. They make profits on the supplies needed to run the prisons in addition to other secret dealings. I would love to see every single financial dealing as public record before anything goes forward with this finger pointing at Biden. Especially since, it recently became public record how much Trump’s businesses profited from foreign countries while in office.

Let’s get real, we’ve lowered ourselves into being witch hunters.

Remember, “John 8:7-11 King James Version (KJV)So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again, he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.”

Although in our present-day situations, we don’t practice actual stone-throwing in our courts of law, the image still resonates. “Because lobbing anything in judgment of another is happening all the time. It’s a painful visual, even today, to hurl your anger at someone with an object intended to harm. And that object can be insults, lies, accusations, or any number of hard options, “says Lia Martin (3)

Today’s embroidery block for the quilt is the P 51- Mustang. It was among the best and most known Army fighters uses during WWII. The only plane I was familiar with was the Marines Vought F4U that the Flying Tigers used to score aerial victories. There used to be a series, I loved about the Flying Tigers specifically the Black Sheep Squadron led by “Pappy” Gregory Boyington. The show was based on Boyington’s autobiography Baa Baa Black Sheep. That show and his biography spiked my interest in military history which has evolved over time to also include the Civil War and WWI.

Boyington is best known for his exploits in the Vought F4U Corsair. .Boyington died of cancer on January 11th, 1988 at hospice in Fresno, California. He was laid to rest in Arlington with full military honors. (5)

There was a study done to determine which plane was more effective. U.S. Army Force pilots who flew the P51 Mustang said it was the best performing fighter of World War Two. Many might agree. Many, but not all the branches of the military agreed., Navy and Marine Corps aviators who flew the Vought F4U would argue that the Corsair, hands down, holds the title as best fighter of the Second World War.

(1) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/hunter-biden-makes-surprise-appearance-at-contempt-of-congress-hearing/ar-AA1mKarV

(2) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/a-law-professor-grades-the-legal-argument-trump-s-lawyer-just-made-about-presidential-immunity-

(3) https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/what-jesus-meant-when-he-said-let-he-who-is-without-sin-cast-the-first-stone.html

(4) https://militaryhistorynow.com/2021/10/03/mustang-vs-corsair-inside-the-u-s-navys-1944-match-up-between-the-two-fighters/

(5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pappy_Boyington#:~:text=Boyington%20is%20best%20known%20for,F4U%20Corsair%20in%20VMF%2D214.

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Day 9 of 366 Oh no, not more craziness Mother Nature

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My heart goes out for the Japanese families facing yet another earthquake just eight days after the one on New Year’s Day. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake has rocked central Japan, the country’s Meteorological Agency announced. The earthquake struck off the Sea of Japan coast, rattling the same part of the country where a huge tremor on New Year’s Day and its aftershocks caused widespread destruction. Unfortunately, the death toll for the first earthquake is at 200 and still rising because rescuers are trying to provide sorely needed aid to almost 3,500 people still stuck in isolated communities. Many people are still unaccounted.

More than 1,200 aftershocks have blighted central Japan since the New Year’s Day quake. Thankfully, no tsunami warning has yet been issued. Let’s keep the Japanese people in our prayers.

The weather isn’t playing nice here in the states either. Panama City and Marianne Florida have significant tornado damage. The National Weather Service received 11 tornado reports since Monday night: seven in the Florida Panhandle, two in South Georgia and two in southern Alabama, where one death was confirmed. Heavy snow and blizzard conditions swept across parts of the Plains and the Midwest on Monday into Tuesday morning, closing roads and making travel difficult to impossible.

Yes, it is winter, and storms do happen but not ever have there been weather alerts for hazardous winds, snow, flooding and thunderstorms in effect for 49 of the 50 states, the lone exception being North Dakota. How crazy is that?

Finn is being followed by Gerry, the same track across the United States with snow and rain depending on where you’re located. Yup three storms in a row Ember, Finn and Gerry, the beginning of new this year.

Mt. Hood in Oregon has done the unplausible. The decision was made to shut the mountain down not for lack of snow, but precisely the opposite: because of it. Officials at Mt. Hood decided, with a “ferocious blizzard” forecasted for Oregon today that with great storms come great responsibility. We have made the decision to suspend operations tomorrow, January 9.” (1) The storm prediction is for 20 inches of snow and 50 mph sustained winds. Brrrr… Sounds like a good day to be inside with a cup of cocoa to me.

The Las Vegas area had crazy winds Sunday through this morning when it finally calmed down, but with Gerry on Thursday we will once again have high wind conditions into Friday night. It could be a lot worse; I know. Sadly, though Las Vegas has a high number of homeless people struggling to survive in these miserable conditions Like other major cities in the U.S. there isn’t enough shelters to provide for the homeless. Reality check: we’re a third world country. People exist in horrific conditions in every one of our fifty states. It’s not just the major cities.

If all the crazy weather conditions aren’t enough, a study from PNA Nexus (2) noted on January 2nd that the previous study stating the New York City Metro area is sinking 0.06 inches yearly is inaccurate. The new data says 0.08 inches is now. (3) The coastline is sinking faster than expected. It isn’t just NYC affected, “there are other hotspots from the study include Virginia Beach, where 451,000 people and 177,000 properties are at risk, and Baltimore, Maryland, where 826,000 people and 335,000 properties are at risk.” With the sea level rising 10 to 14 inches in the next three decades along the East Coast, this makes for what seems to be an inescapable situation.

My husband and I both have witnessed in Norfolk, Virginia how many streets are flooded whenever there is a rainstorm. I’m talking about a rainy day not a hurricane there’s simply no place for the water to go but on the streets which causes a lot of road damage because they are already below sea level.

Unfortunately, this study isn’t being taken serious enough, nor have previous studies. How many times have you heard climate change doesn’t exist. Ot climate change is just political grandstanding. The truth is It affects you and I and everyone. It may be gradual, but the impacts are real.

My embroidery project is coming along nicely. Today, I’m sewing the Fokker Dr. 1. Truthfully, I didn’t recognize this plane by its full name. In German, the Dreiddecker Triplane was better known as the Fokker DR. 1. It was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker Flugzeugwerke. Manfred Albrecht Freiherr better known to us as The Red Baron was a fighter pilot for the German Air Force. He is considered the ace of the aces in WWI. He was officially credited 80 combat victories.

As I sewed, I listened to the Story of Snoopy versus the Red Baron song by the Royal Guardsman.

(1) https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/oregon-s-mt-hood-meadows-temporarily-suspends-operations

(2) https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article

(3) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-impacts-are-real-new-satellite-images-show-east-coast-sinking-faster-than-we-though

Day 6 of 366 The Crazy isn’t over yet.

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FAA orders temporary grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 9 after a flight from Oregon to California had to make an emergency landing because a chunk of the wall detached midair. I drove school bus 31 years and we had to do circle checks every day on our bus before our departure. Obviously, the precheck on the plane differs but it should have been noticeable before takeoff.

“First, there was a pop. And then a big bang.

Air whooshed out of the side of the airplane, which was flying at 16,000 feet with an emergency exit-size gash. A cellphone, a giant teddy bear and a passenger’s shirt were sucked out the hole in the cabin. Oxygen masks dropped from overhead compartments. Passengers on Alaska Airlines flight 1282—which on Friday afternoon was en route to Ontario, Calif., from Portland International Airport—were fearful for their lives. The flight, however, landed back at the Portland airport less than 30 minutes after takeoff, with 171 passengers and six crew members aboard, all of them alive. “~ MSN

I can’t help wondering how often the outside structure is checked. I wonder if after this, it will be done on a regular basis.

All of Central Florida is under a tornado watch Saturday through 10 p.m.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch that stretches from Tampa and the Gulf Coast through Orlando to Daytona Beach and the Treasure Coast on the Atlantic. Florida has seen a lot of severe weather this week.  Hail pummeled West Melbourne and Palm Bay in Brevard County. A weak tornado touched down in Boynton Beach Friday night.

Trump says,” The Civil War could have been negotiated.” Historians are shaking their heads wondering where he comes up with these outlandish thoughts. “The declarations of secession explicitly state that the seceding states were leaving the Union to maintain that system. … This could not be ‘negotiated, says James Grossman (Director of the Historical Association)

There’s a fascinating series on Netflix I recommend watching called “You Are What You Eat, the Twin Experiment. https://www.netflix.com/title/81133260 Identical twins change their diets and lifestyles for eight weeks in a unique scientific experiment designed to explore how certain foods impact the body. It will definitely make you think twice about the American diet and our meat consumption. 

A 90-year old woman was rescued five days after the 7.6 magnitude hit Japan. She was trapped 124 hours under her house. Sadly, more than 200 people are still unaccounted-for, although the number varies.

I’ve discussed my enjoyment with embroidery and the project I’m doing for my doctor who loves airplanes. I’ve completed the Kittyhawk and the Curtiss Jenny. What I learned when I looked up what colors to use when I stitched them. The Kittyhawk built by the Wright’s in 1903. They used spruce for straight members of the airframe (such as wing spars) and ash wood for curved components (wing ribs). The wings were designed with a 1-in-20 camber. The wing fabric used was a 100% cotton muslin called “Pride of the West“, commonly used for women’s underwear. It had a warp of 107 threads per inch and a weft of 102 from a total thread count of 209. The muslin fabric was on the lower left wing panel of the Wright Flyer on December 17, 1903, when the airplane made its historic first flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Muslin squares are what I’m embroidering the planes to put in the quilt. I love the durability of muslin when used in quilts but there are disadvantages too. Pulls can be expected and occasionally there are slight color and intensity variances. What I love is it is lightweight and breathable because it is a loose plain weave. Muslin dates back to Ancient India.

The Curtiss JN “Jenny” was a series of biplanes built by the Glenn Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. The Jenny is made from  a combination of steel and aluminum tubing with some wooden parts and a doped aircraft fabric. Its 27.50 ft (8.4 m) span wing has a wing area of 175.0 sq ft (16.26 m2) and the cockpit width is 24 in (61 cm). Aircraft dope is a plasticized lacquer that is applied to fabric covered aircraft.  It tightens and stiffens fabric stretched over airframes, which renders them airtight and weatherproof, increasing their durability and lifespan. The technique has been commonly applied to both full-size and flying models of aircraft.

What I learned that the Kittyhawk and Curtiss Jenny both benefitted from the doping techniques. These techniques have been employed in aircraft construction since the dawn of heavier-than-air flight. Without the application of dope, the fabric coverings lacked durability and were highly flammable. Both factors rendered them far less viable.