Speaking out

I don't write letters to the editor very often, but when I do I get published about one-third of the time (including one happy day when I actually made it into the New York Times).

So, Monday there was a Politifact article in the Austin American Statesman about how Project Veritas (a conservative organization known for selectively editing videos to make liberal causes look bad), had accused Beto O'Rourke's campaign of using funds to support the migrant caravan.

You can read the full article here:

https://www.statesman.com/news/20181111/fact-check-did-orourkes-campaign-assist-migrant-caravan

And the letter I fired off prompted this response ...

Sadly, I didn't make the cut and it did not get published yesterday. 

But good things come to those who wait. Today's Letters to the Editor began thusly:

I really need to do this more often.

P.S. Don noted that the letter following mine was an interesting counter-point. It is best read with this righteous Arlo Guthrie rendition of Which side are you on? playing in the background
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krYyyD-zux4

 

Last, but not least. Here's where you can get the new Indivisible Guide ...

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PpG87rpuh6eUCEKp3eQsjESnFvO6OfWzCe-Ha3C-PJo

Metta

This just wanted to be ...

I needed to take small stitches ...

And when I wondered what to do with the spaces between the words, I found inspiration at Penny Berens' blog 

http://tanglewoodthreads.blogspot.com/2018/11/stitched-in-faded-greens-of-fall.html

Drew carefree lines ...

and let myself go ...

even reaching back in time to Jude's Considering Weave, a firm foundation ...

Then found this on the New York Times 

https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000006143052/while-i-yet-live.html

...

and took in the sheer beauty of it. 

May we all be happy ...

Reverie

When I stitch, I ponder. And wanting to be present to the fire dangers faced by those in California, I wanted to stitch metta ...

I learned about metta from Grace, but hadn't (yet?) made it a personal practice. So I looked online to learn more. And found variations, which freed me to put words together in different ways. 

Recently gifted with two hand-dyed linen cloths (more about that someday soon), I decided to use both. One a soft coral madder, the other a flinty logwood. They brought to mind sunrise and ash clouds. 

Deb Lacativa's threads evoked both sun-tinged clouds and fire-rimmed hills ... the browns and greens of tall trees ... the quenching gift of water ...

And as often happens, the back became as important to me as the front. 

I don't know where I'm headed with this. It may be just the making of it is all that it needs to be. So I will continue to stitch and hope for the safety of all on Grace's hill ... for the health and happiness of those who surround it ... and ease for us all on this day that commemorates peace.

For Grace

The dawn of a new day

Beto may not have made it to the Senate this time, but hope springs eternal.

Meantime, the Dems have a majority in the House, there are many diverse new members, and I have an appointment for what turned out to be a moderate-bordering-on-severe ruptured (or was it heriniated?) disc.

I feel good about the future!

Won't get fooled again?

We donated to the cause.

We put out a yard sign.

We voted last week.

And now we wait and hope.

Meantime, my sciatic nerve pain has worsened. So today an MRI. More waiting and hoping.

Enchanted

We love New Mexico. So it's not surprising that Don was inspired to make a memory montage of our last journey ...

A bit of rusted license plate served as a (partial) title ..

while the Zia sun symbol found a home in the first nook of this one-time screen door frame ...

A bit of scrap wood and some wood burning recall the petroglyphs we saw in Santa Fe ...

While this bit of broken pottery from a recent kitchen misadventure morphed into an imagined sherd ...

Don's been playing with acrylic painting, this being his rendition of the New Mexican tradition of ordering both red and green chile sauces by requesting "Christmas" ...

We were both gobsmacked by the work of Robert Rivera displayed at the Torres Gallery, which inspired this gourd and turkey feather homage  ...

And while we didn't spend any time under a full moon, Don's imagining feels true ...

I did get to contribute a bit more than broken pottery as Don contrived a cunning 2" x 3" loom upon which I wove ...

And in the final nook, a tiny canvas purchased at Taos Pueblo ...

A bit of iron hinge on one end ...

and a rusted bit of we-know-not-what on the other ...

completed and hung over a door in the dining room ...

Perfect!

Back to it ...

The past two weeks have been all about physical therapy and working on Moon Myth ...

Happily, both have been going well and a final draft of the book (sans front cover), can be read here:
http://imgoingtotexas.blogspot.com/p/moon-myth-final-draft.html
with special thanks to Don for commenting on the (countless) iterations, and to Nancy at Pomegranate Trail for her input.

Honestly

We are back, but long story short, I'm dealing with sciatic nerve pain that is distracting me from stitching and blogging. Today I will begin the process of physical therapy to remedy that.

For those of you who have left word in comments and emails, please know that the peace project will proceed once I can give it proper attention.

Let your peace flag fly

Please note: we are playing with our grandkids for the next week, so I won’t be responding to comments and/or email for now. The new project will re-commence next week, but you are welcome to comment any time!

Today is the International Day of Peace, a fitting time to start a new take on last year's Peace Pin Project.

This time around, I'm sending shreds of repurposed linen clothing stitched with words of peace ...

miniature peace pin/flags inspired by Fiona Dempster's Daily words ...

which you can find in her shop. My goal is to send all of her words out into the world paired with peace.

If you wish to receive one of Fiona's words and a miniature peace pin/flag, please leave a few words of peace in a comment at the end of this post. 

And then, please send your current mailing address to lizackert@gmail.com (even if you think I already have your address, it is ever so much easier if you send it to me in an email as I'm somewhat scattered).

There is no catch and no charge. It is my humble way of spreading a little bit of peace in a world that very much needs it. That said, if you wish to send me an email or link with a picture of where you hang your peace pin/flag once it arrives, I will happily post it in the Works in Progress page, found in the sidebar to the right.

Addendum:

And here, as a perfect example, is Marti's peace pin from last year ...

Earth Prayer
made of cloth hand-dyed with plants gathered from her land in New Mexico

May it soon be joined by new images of this year's peace pin/flags.