As interest swells in the Land Institute near Salina, Wes Jackson, founder and president, has snared a spokesman with a myriad of experiences to help take the mission to another level.

Josh Svaty, a farmer from Ellsworth County, former state lawmaker and state and federal bureaucrat, joined the Land Institute’s staff Monday as a vice president.

He will work with public policy issues, promote the institute’s pursuit of natural systems agriculture and raise money.

“I’ve been following Josh’s career for several years. He’s been active and successful as a politician, as (Kansas) secretary of agriculture and working with the Environmental Protection Agency,” Jackson said. “Perhaps more important, he comes from a farm background. He owns a farm and knows the rural culture of Kansas.”

Elected to the Kansas House in 2002 to his first of four two-year terms as a representative of the 108th District — covering Ellsworth and rural Saline County, parts of south Salina and Lincoln Township in Dickinson County — Svaty, 33, has been successful on several levels of public service, Jackson said.

This “right at home boy” is well suited for spreading the word, he said.

In short, Jackson said Svaty “knows the language in the sale barn (statehouse) and even Washington.”

Most of the Land Institute’s scientists are from somewhere else, Jackson said, and Svaty is someone who can pull from a wide area of expertise.

“Josh has a good eye for problems and proposed solutions,” Jackson said.

A native of Ellsworth County, Svaty said he didn’t know that the Land Institute existed until he was elected to state office.

Svaty served three full terms in the Kansas House; he resigned during his fourth term to take the job as Kansas Secretary of Agriculture.

Over the years, Svaty said he has developed an understanding, appreciation and fascination as Jackson and his staff, now numbering 33 with seven doctorate level scientists, push to return to raising food the way nature intended.

“I get an opportunity to work with Wes Jackson. That’s an opportunity you don’t turn down,” Svaty said. “You want to do something positive with your life.”

The Land Institute, 2440 E. Water Well, is the right place to pursue that, he said.

“You spend your whole life fighting natural and unnatural forces. The Land Institute’s and Wes Jackson’s mindset is to find answers through nature rather than fighting against it,” Svaty said.

The Land Institute’s mission is to create a new sustainable agriculture that minimizes damage to soil, rivers, oceans and the atmosphere.

Scientists are developing perennial grains that are grown in a way that mimics the prairie and requires less fossil fuel, conserves soil and water and weather extremes in growing conditions brought on by climate change, according to a press release. Its budget for fiscal 2014 is $2.8 million, and total assets are $11.1 million.

The Land Institute has a hand in a number of interests, and its reputation is expanding.

* There are plans to plant 90 acres of the perennial wheat grass Kernza on a University of Minnesota research farm this fall.

* Staff scientist Shuwen Wang has sent perennial wheat hybrids to other researchers in 20 different locations in eight countries.

* The Land is supporting the development of perennial upland rice in China.

* Associations include scientists at Texas A&M; University of Illinois; Kansas University; Kansas State University; the universities of Georgia, Minnesota and Manitoba, Canada; and the Konza Prairie.

* The Land has gotten a “thumbs-up affirmation of perennials” from such institutions as the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences and the British Royal Society.

The Land Institute has a need for someone to carry the message and coordinate it, Jackson said, along with raising more money.

There also is a need for someone who can deal with the politics of this expansion.

“We find that Josh is well suited for all of this,” Jackson said.

There is some travel involved, both domestic and international, he said.

While Svaty, a Democrat, admits the challenge is daunting, he said, “I had no government experience when I became a state legislator, and would like to think I was fairly successful.”

Same goes for 2009 through 2011, when he was state agriculture secretary.

“I didn’t burn the place down,” Svaty quipped.

Since then, he has served as senior adviser to the administrator of the Region 7 office of the EPA, covering Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and nine tribal nations. Svaty said he learned a lot.

“There are natural systems in crisis,” he said. “There have to be methods to do this better, that the Land Institute has been exploring since its inception.”

The organization has an “extraordinary” following, both nationally and internationally, he said.

Started in 1976, the Land Institute is “pretty solid,” Jackson said, with 650 acres paid for, and its books are “in the black and have been every year.”

“It really is time to push this to the next level,” he said.

While the institute is still years away from having some of the perennial hybrids “farmer ready,” Jackson said the Land’s mission “is no longer considered a crazy idea.”

Programs at the Land Institute are moving toward practical application in eight to 10 years, “but the methodologies will have to be worked out with agronomists,” he said.

Svaty represents another step forward.

“We’re very excited about this appointment, this willingness by Josh to come and be a part of this,” Jackson said. “We don’t think we could have done better.”

– Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by email at tunruh@salina.com.

Among my most cherished possessions is a Salina Library Card.  Or any library card. I love books.

When I first moved here in November, it was my intention after the dust settled from moving to get my drivers’ license updated, register to vote and get a library card as soon as practicable.    I managed two out of the three about the first day, and, although I’ve been in a state of angst about it for weeks, I didn’t get the library card until today. Not only did I get my card, Todd’s good friend, and a friend of mine as well…Joe McKenzie who is the director of the library…lead me through the steps to make the facility user friendly.

I can do about everything from my computer, except carry the books home.  I love the electronics in a library and will soon get the hang of this one.  The library isn’t far from here and there is handicapped parking in front which makes it an easy access for me.  Now I can read all I want and have them save books for me.  I can check out 50 books at a time, if I like.

I brought three books home with me.  One is a short one by one of my favorite authors, Bill Bryson.  African Diary. I read most of it in the lobby after I returned to the Palace.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, also by Bryson, is a memoir of his years growing up in DesMoines.  He was born in 1951, a year before Dane, so I can relate to that. He is one of the best and funniest writers alive…laugh out loud funny.  His A Short History of Nearly Everything is one of my all-time favorite books. It’s a short history but a long book and well worth the time it takes to read it.  I’ve read it several times…and continue to gravitate back to it.

I read three of Lee Child’s books one weekend early last fall and then faltered and lost interest when they picked  Tom Cruise to play the lead roll of Jack Reacher.  They should have picked my grandson Tyler who could have portrayed him physically, even if he can’t act. Well, maybe he can, but I just don’t know.  I’ll read The Affair and add it to my Reacher novels.

I just want to know my way around the library.  The self-check out procedure is a piece of cake.  I don’t think I’ve had a library card from there since the 50s when they had framed fine art prints you could check out.  I had replicas of good art hanging on my walls back then.

Well, I can read tonight or go play Bingo.  I’ve never gone to Bingo although it’s pretty popular around here as you can win coupons for Kleenex, toilet tissue, soap and the like.  Old people will do almost anything for something free…even endure Bingo.  They said it is fun but OH…SO…Slow.  B———–4……………..

Thanks for tuning in…

A special Happy Father’s Day to Todd Britton…one of the best dads ever.

I’ll soon have more to talk about…

Josh Svaty has been the subject of my blogs since he first ran for office in 2002 for State Rep from the 108th.  He left that post  in 2009 when he was appointed Kansas Secretary of Agriculture by Mark Parkinson.  As the  secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Svaty managed a $27 million budget, an 380 employee workforce and statutory duties for 17 programs.

In Jan 2011) Josh was selected to be senior adviser to EPA Region 7 administrator Karl Brooks.  This region encompassed Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and nine Tribal Nations. Josh  has held this post until his resignation this week to join Wes Jackson and the Land Institute.  The Land Institute is a non-profit research, education, and policy organization dedicated to sustainable agriculture based in Salina.

Josh, a 5th generation farmer from Ellsworth,  lives in Topeka with his wife Kimberly and two sons, Jackson and Mariner. Kimberly is owner of Gencur Svaty Public Affairs.

More to come soon on this subject.

Thanks for tuning in…

Life around here is just humorous…it’s as simple as that. I spend a lot of time just giggling over what happened or what is about to happen.  Even riding the elevator can be humorous and enlightening.  Observing the dynamics that develop among the various parties would give a good writer ammunition for a lifetime of anecdotes. I wish I had that talent.    The most vivid imagination couldn’t create what goes on around here in the normal course of the day. It’s Hoopla Time at the Palace.

Four of us showed up for the 9 o’clock exercise class which is held in the basement/lower level where there is a large multipurpose room available for everything from baby showers to line dancing.  It’s a “high traffic” area.  On occasion, a conflict erupts when one tries to prioritize the use of this room.  Everyone thinks her “purpose” for the room has precedence over all others.

Such was the case this morning when the basement was filled with tables and chairs in preparation for a very special by-invitation-and-reservation-only Father’s Day noon  luncheon.  The exercise group “had been told” (who knows if, when or by whom) they could use the room.  Then the “set up” people for the luncheon arrived and a cloud of conflict collected in our parallel universe and the space-time continuum that existed alongside ours to stretch and bend. Territorial conquests explode out of nothing around here like THE Big Bang. Someone was going to be evicted or forced to “give up” and I eagerly awaited the eruption of the dynamics that ensued.

There are those who just “want to get along” and those who, by damn, are “going to get to the bottom of this”.  Since Rudy was in charge of exercises this morning,and he’s such a nice guy, he  thought it best if those of us who didn’t really care whether or not we did our “bumps and grinds” would give way to those organizing the Father’s Day celebration.  Rudy was right and we “fit-as-fiddles” departed.  There might have been some hissing in the background.  Crisis averted!

Upstairs, the activity by the front entry was developing into another story.  The lone worker is still pouring concrete by the front entrance and he has wrapped yellow police-like tape EVERYWHERE warning pedestrians to stay away from the area.  You have to know that this guy has done EVERYTHING ALONE ALL BY HIMSELF.   No one has dared to violate the yellow tape cordoned off area as residents in great numbers have stood in protection of this area and “this guy”.  This guy has won the respect of everyone for his diligence and hard work.  They’ve watched as he broke all the old concrete and hauled it away.  How he set his concrete forms with perfection and leveled the area for a new pour.  Perfection.  Troweling.  Perfect.

Two of the observant residents said they had never in their life time…(combined that would approach 200 years) seen anyone work that hard.   After all, the residents have sat by the window all week and watched the concrete man perform the miracles of his trade.  He has engendered so much support that he most likely will be elevated to sainthood before sunset.

So when he tied yellow tape from pillar to post and around everything in sight except the car bumpers, the residents set up another wall of vigilance to protect his efforts.  No one could possibly miss the warning to stay away from the front entry…yet….here came a guy (a non-resident) all dressed in his finery looking for a resident and walking on the concrete…in violation of all the tape.

Now let me tell you that ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE with residents trying to tell the guy to get off the concrete and go to the back door like everyone else.  Well, yelling and arm waving didn’t work, but I think the screams could be heard throughout the tower.  All the yelling in the world doesn’t have much effect around here when everyone is deaf, or nearly so.  The flaying of arms is also a pretty common occurrence as well and not particularly attention-getting. The scene was CHAOTIC….screaming, yelling, arm waving, people fiddling with the sancrosanct yellow ribbon.  The only calm and cool guy was the concrete man.

Finally, “management”  came to the rescue and removed all the yellow tape around the door and let the yellow tape violator guy come inside.  People screamed even after he entered the building.  The tape removal was the course of least resistance.  Everyone knows you don’t go “over or under” yellow police tape so that wasn’t an option for the poor violator who had been told by the concrete man he could walk over his product to the front door.  He was doing nothing wrong, but the people inside the building couldn’t see the whole picture.  The focal point was missing. When Bill the manager arrived, it was like a huge hive of angry bees suddenly had  been showered with smoke and drugged.  Bill’s magic prevailed. Attitudes can change in a heart beat with the right leadership.

Today is Trivia day.  It’s always humorous…and even enlightening at times.  Mostly it’s a diversion from more mundane things people are subjected to.  I keep saying that a computer could open an entirely new world for some of them….but I don’t want to have to teach them how to use one.  Most are just adamantly opposed to any technology beyond a TV.  You should hear the conversations about people like me who have a computer…it’s pretty funny.

The group going to Pretty Boy Floyd’s on the 27th filled its limit almost immediately.  The bus only holds 14  including the driver.  I think there are others who’d like to go but missed the signup.  Maybe they can take another group later. I hope I can find a strong guy to help me back up the steps.  I sure needed it last time…dang legs aren’t cooperating.

Thanks for tuning in ….

Gene patent decision: In Plain English

The Supreme Court long ago ruled that an inventor who discovers a phenomenon in nature, or figures out a “law of nature,” cannot get an exclusive right to use or sell that by obtaining a patent from the federal government.  Natural phenomena are the basic tools with which every would-be inventor starts, so locking up the right to use them in a monopoly held by a specific patent owner will frustrate others who might want to look for new ways to interpret that phenomena, the Court has said.

The exclusion of natural substances from eligibility for patents was the theory on which the Court relied Thursday in its unanimous ruling that a company cannot get a patent monopoly on the use and study of human genes that it isolates in the bloodstream, and them takes them out — without changing their natural character — for research.

The case involved a Utah company’s patent for having isolated, outside the human body, two basic genes that contain natural phenomena which suggest that a woman who has them is at significantly higher risk of developing either breast cancer or ovarian cancer.   The company had claimed that the act of locating these genes in blood, and then extracting them for study, was a true invention, something that did not exist before.

The Court said the company actually did not create anything at all, but simply extracted the genetic material from its location in human blood, and setting it apart for study.

The Court, however, said that the company might be eligible to get a patent when it created a synthetic form of those genes — in other words, a laboratory imitation of them.   Such imitations, according to the ruling, do not exist in nature, and so do not run counter to the rule against patenting nature.

I had a wonderful visit today with Shirley Jacques, former Saline County Clerk and Saline County Democratic Chairwoman,  and Gov. John Carlin.   John was our 40th Governor and one of the best in Kansas history….certainly we’ve not had one of his caliber since.  He always put the welfare of the people ahead of his own interests.  He and I go back a long way… we had lots of catching up to do.  Shirley and I did too.

It has been Friday to me all day.   I’ll know it’s really Friday if I’m sitting at a table at La Casita with a basket of chips and green hot sauce  in front of me (the hottest they make…which isn’t all that hot) …and my friend, Kim, enjoying it as much as I.  Of course, margaritas are involved as well.   We’re heading there tomorrow night when it will be Friday by all accounts.

They are replacing the concrete slabs in front of the front door to the Palace so foot traffic has been diverted through the first floor apartments, past all the offices and finally to the lobby with the jigsaw puzzle workers and assorted other people in transit…. if they aren’t lost by then.    John and Shirley landed in Kim’s office on the way and I showed them the way out when they left.  It can be confusing.  Some visitors think Dale and Flora Anderson’s apartment is the pass through to the parking lot and some kind of general gathering area.  The Anderson’s put their own furniture on their outdoor patio and usually find total strangers using it.  It’s very interesting and provides a little levity to an otherwise predicable existence.

I’ve been participating in the exercise classes that they offer here on a daily basis since April 1st….sittercise, yoga, tai chi, chi gung…or something like that.  The exercises that seem to be helping the most are at 9 on Monday Wednesday and Friday.  If I get through those,  I try to follow up with the 10 am class.  I have a long way to go, but I know I’m making some headway….except with my legs.  I don’t know what in the heck is wrong with them, but they’ve spaced out and aren’t cooperating.  What I want most is to be able to walk without my walker or a cane,  around the pond and see the goslings.  So far, that isn’t happening…but I keep hoping something will kick in.  I do know that anesthetic/ventilator took its toll.

Ginny called and wanted me to join her at IHOP for dinner.  I owe her one, but I have some good leftovers from yesterday I’m looking forward to….a potato from the Hickory Hut sprinkled with Kansas dust, cheese and saucy sauce…and grilled chicken…and rice…ciabatta bread…lots to eat.

Thanks for tuning in….

Here’s one young man who lives life to its fullest…loves every minute of it and makes the most of his opportunities.  Have a great day tomorrow, Drew…I couldn’t be more proud of you and your many accomplishments.

UPDATE:  Brandon and I did a walk-through of my apartment-to-be this morning so he could up-date me on the progress, or lack of it.  An independent contractor is doing all the work and that aspect of the project hadn’t been explained to me.  I thought the maintenance staff here did it, as they had time.

Everything has been ordered, he said, yet they haven’t had the carpet installer come measure for installation.  I don’t think the new appliances, ceiling fans or counter tops have been ordered.  Actually, I don’t know exactly what has been ordered.  Paint maybe?

There is still “demolition” to do….as in remove the ceiling tiles and install a new grid for 2 x 2 tiles.  They have to remove the counter top in the kitchen, the kitchen and bathroom flooring and all the carpeting. Once that is all done, they can start the renewal process.

I’ve requested additional cable and electrical outlets.  The generation of people after me who move in here is going to be far more tech savvy than the older generations.  I only know of a handful of fellow inmates who have computers and they don’t do much on them…swear at them mostly.  A new generation requiring more technical equipment is on the horizon.  Visitors to my apartment are very aware of all the electrical cables I have strung along my baseboard and surge protectors that are loaded down with plug-ins.

I think it will be a couple of weeks before I see any more action in the apartment, and a month after that before measurable progress is made and I can ponder the moving project.  It will be “all new” once it’s finished and I’ll like that.

The “girls” who live in the hood have beautifully furnished apartments with family antiques, etc.  They know how to decorate.  I’ll take what I have in this apartment and see how it looks once I move.  I know I’ll need a chair or two, the kind old people can extricate themselves out of.  Other than that, I’ll do quite well with the furniture we bought for the kids when they were kids….1950 vintage ranch oak.  My centerpiece is my park bench.  I’m the only one here with a handmade park bench!

The sign up list for the trip to Ellsworth the 27th for dinner at Pretty Boy Floyd’s looks almost full.  I think we could use a school bus for the trip.

Thanks for tuning in…

COME ONE, COME ALL….
COME TO THE ANNUAL MEETING….

The Peterson Brothers from Assaria will be the entertainment/keynote speakers at the Smoky Hill Development Corporation’s annual meeting Wednesday June 26th at the Ellsworth Performing Arts Center. Come watch them perform and listen to the message about our rural lifestyle these three brothers have brought to the national stage.

6:00 social hour; 7:00 dinner.  RSVP is not required, but appreciated, to 785.472.4136.

Ellsworth Cowtown Day is in full planning mode! Saturday, August 17th 2013 is the day of our event. Lots of things to do including: Live music, food, art vendors, kids activities, parard, 5k run and much much more! If you have any ideas or would like to be a part of our event, message me on facebook. Hope to see you there!  Shannon

photo by Ally
Joan Baez still retains the voice of  her younger years.  She sang to a spell-bound full house last night at the Stiefel, a perfect venue to display her talents.  I love that place.  Ally and I enjoyed every song to its fullest.  She sang for 1 1/2 hours without a break and ended with three encores, the last being Ally’s favorite of all songs ever…”Imagine” by the Beatles.  I agree…one of the best songs ever written.

Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today…

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man

You know you must be old when you remember well the people for whom a building was named….like the “Stiefel Theater”….once the Fox Watson.

I had occasion before and after the concert to visit with Don and Nikki Svaty, Sherri Hart and Mike and Val McGhee.   I haven’t see Sherri since she was a young thing and she grew up to be just what I imagined…beautiful, engaging, smart, outgoing.  Hutchinson is very fortunate to have her a part of their school system administrative staff.  She reminded me of the time when her family lived next to the Presbyterian Church and I came by to give her a ride in Todd’s dune buggy. I’d forgotten that but she reminded me it was about 45 years ago.  Todd would remember.

I read in the Journal that Dana Hudkins Crawford is going to be a consultant on the Salina River Project.  She’s an amazing woman and has done spectacular things during her lifetime.  She and I grew up together on Highland Ave. where she and my sister were best friends.  They kept in close contact over the years until the time of my sister’s death in ‘97.

We had 3/4″ of rain here last night…according to sources in my early morning exercise group.  It appears to be working up to another rain shower. The numerous flower gardens around the Palace are resplendent with blooms.

My friend, Lynn, came by yesterday with a computer table she no longer wanted.  She and Ally wrestled it to my apartment where it was immediately transformed into a meds table.  Gone is Effie’s ancient card table.  I love my new table.  The three of us had a delightful lunch of sandwiches and salad from Gourmet to Go and sat in the 4th floor lobby to enjoy it.  The view was wonderful…conversation nice…food delicious.

It’s time to go explore the mysteries of the dining room.  Some times you just don’t want to know ahead of time.

Thanks for tuning in…

Upcoming Events - June
June 1 - The Old Iron, Classics and Custom Car Show - will begin at 5 pm with Casino Night and Auction at the Ellsworth Recreational Facility (old Armory)

June 2 - The Old Iron, Classics and Custom Car Show - will continue at 7 am with a free-will breakfast till 9:30 am. Registration will run from 7 till 9 am. Car Show will begin at 8 am and go till 5 pm. At 5 pm there will be a Burnout Competition on Evans street. A $500 drop will be made at the intersection of First Street and N. Douglas following the Burnout Competition. All proceeds benefit the Ellsworth Ministerial Alliance Christmas Store.

June 2 - 14th Annual Run for the Soul Motorcycle Run - will begin with a free will donation breakfast from 7 - 9:30 am. The blessing of the bikes and prayer will be at 10:45 am. The bikes will leave at 11 am to parade downtown then to the ride around the outside of the Ellsworth Correctional Facility then take old 40 Hwy to Junction City with stops in Salina. Bikes will return by 4 pm and finish with an auction at 4:30 pm. All proceeds benefit the Spiritual Life Center.

June 2 - Calling Kids of Summer - All area ball players and their families are invited to attend a Hot Dog Feed sponsored by Ellsworth Rec and the Independent Reporter. All teams will have their photos taken to be featured in the newspaper.

June 3 - 7 - Community VBS - The Ellsworth Community Bible School will begin at 8:45 am on Monday, June 3. Children ages 4 by Aug. 31st to students that have finished 6th grade are welcome. Hours are 8:45 am to Noon at the Ellsworth Junior/Senior High School.

June 8 - Community Garage Sale - Ellsworth and Kanopolis will be holding their community garage sales. Maps will be available in the Independent Reporter on June 5.

June 8 - Benefit Hot dog and Hamburger Feed - Starting at 5 pm at the Kanopolis Community Center there will be a hamburger and hot dog feed to benefit Randy Schneider.

June 9 - Drovers Cottage Bridal Show - Come see some beautiful vintage and new wedding gowns. Show starts at 2 pm at Drovers Cottage. Refreshments will be served.

June 14 - Chamber June Luncheon - The Ellsworth-Kanopolis Area Chamber of Commerce will hold their monthly luncheon at the Ellsworth Golf Course Meeting Room at Noon. RSVP Carol at 472-4071 or email.

June 14 - 15 - Painting with Pastels Class - The Ellsworth Area Art Council will sponsor a Painting with Pastels Class beginning at 6:30 pm on Friday and continuing at 9 am on Saturday. Cost of class is $80. Call 472-5658 to register.

June 15 - Ellsworth Cancer Fund Triathlon - The Ellsworth Cancer Fund will hold their annual Triathlon at Pep Shanelec Stadium. Teams will compete in Hamburger Making, Walking and other fun games. If you bake you are asked to donate a baked item for the bake sale. For more information call Season Wacker at 472-3900.

June 18 - Mosaic Discover the Possibilities -  Discover all the great things that Mosaic does for your community and how you can be a part of this great work. Two session are available - Noon to 1 pm and 5:30 to 6:30 pm Call Lindsey Decker at 472-4081 to RSVP.

June 20 - Last day to register for the Star Spangled Idol Competition

June 24 - Chamber June Meeting - The Ellsworth-Kanopolis Area Chamber of Commerce will hold their June meeting at 6 pm at the chamber office. All are welcome to attend.

June 28 - Star Spangled Idol Competition - This event will start with a FREE Barbecue at 5 pm till 7 pm. Singers will register from 5 - 6 pm with performances starting at 6 pm. This is your chance to vote for your favorite singer.

June 29 - Star Spangled Idol Finals - The singers you chose will be back to perform for the ultimate prize. Singers register from 5 - 6 pm with singing starting at 6 pm.

June 29 - Star Spangled Spectacular Fireworks Extravaganza - Come begin you 4th of July celebration early with good food, fun games and great music. Fireworks will begin after the Idol competition.

I’ve been busy as a one-armed cranberry merchant at Christmas time.

This week I hit all the exercise classes …some days I went to all three classes…. yoga, Tai Chai, sittercise (advanced and otherwise).  It was exhausicating!  I know all that stretching and bending are helping my breathing  and flexibility, but I have a long way to go to be able to bend over and touch the floor.  I slept well most nights.

My friend Cindy came by yesterday during a break from shopping, had lunch with me and a couple of my friends, saw my new apartment and met some of the girls from the “hood”.  That was a very pleasant surprise and fun.

Last night a friend and I headed off to La Casita (as we are wont to do at every available opportunity), one of our favorite Friday night haunts, for margaritas and Mexican food. What’s not to like about that and having a Braum’s ice cream cone to top it off?  Todd and Karen stopped by later to deliver a plate of Karen’s delicious cookies.  They’d just eaten at La  Casita, too.

They’ve started to put some fresh fruit on the salad bar….enough to make a meal sometimes.  Today there was an ample supply of cantaloupe and honey dew.  Other times we’ve had watermelon and sliced oranges.  I was ecstatic to see  sliced kiwi one day, but they hadn’t let it ripen and it was hard as a rock, and sour.  I ate it anyway.

Today they had the best beets since I’ve been here. Usually they aren’t fit to eat.  These may have been right out of a can, but they didn’t spoil them by engulfing them in sugar.  They had good apple cider vinegar on them and were well seasoned.  That was surprising as they seem to have a penchant for using distilled vinegar that has no flavor and is best used for scrubbing floors.  We had Philly Cheese sandwiches that were also good.  Hazel shared her plentiful amount of peppermint ice cream.  They do serve good ice cream here, and I try to avoid it as it’s habit-forming.

I’ve heard rumors that they have finished working on one of the townhouses and are getting ready to start on my apartment…#218.  Yesterday Cindy and I visited Margie and Hazel and saw their apartments which are in the “hood” and next to (and very similar to) mine.  They are roomy,  beautiful and well-appointed with family antiques and treasures.  The centerpiece of mine will be my park bench that Ally gave me for Christmas.  I’ll need to round up a couple of chairs since I gave mine away.  They will renovate my bathroom with a new shower stall and grab bars, new medicine cabinet, all new baseboard and carpeting, new oak doors on all the closets and door openings, new paint job, ceiling improvement….the works.  It will all fall into place in time. I’m going to love the ample elbow room.
Ally and  I are going to hear Joan Baez on Tuesday.  We’re looking forward to that.

One of the really nice things about living here is that my kids can leave town, go wherever they want for however long they like without even mentioning it to me.  They don’t do things that way, but they could as they know I’m “covered” when they are gone.  And, they don’t need to worry about mowing my yard, checking on the room temperature and water leaks, putting the trash outside for pick up, or generally “looking after things”.  They know I’ll be taken care of if something happens.  Mostly what happens is…I’m having fun!

Eddie is in town from Silverton and on his way heeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrreeeeeeeee….
Thanks for tuning in…

Cousins Heeran and Mack Maier and Tyler Britton had a short, chance encounter this morning at the Palace.  Heeran and Mack were on their way to Denver from various points in Korea, India, Japan, Thailand, (and other moutain climbing destinations) where they have spent the past 4 or 5 years.  Tyler was returning to Cincinnati where he teaches at the University of Cincinnati Trauma Hospital.  They all spent a little time visiting with my 104 year old friend, Doris Wyatt. Mack is my sister’s grandson; Tyler is my grandson.

This is this is what Mack does to have fun…as does his wife.  Great photo of Mack, but it gives me the willies just thinking where I’d find my next foothold.  I’ll swear he’s wearing flipflops…

Tune in for more exciting family adventures…

In the 1970s, Irish women could not own their own home or even go to a pub. They could not sit on a jury or refuse to have sex with their husbands. We learned all this in Irish Central’s charming post, “How things have changed – ten things that Irish women could not do in 1970s.” And that made us wonder, what were things like for women in America before the ’70s?

So while we still have a long way to go to secure total equality for women, let’s take a moment to celebrate how far we’ve come. Before the 1970s, an American woman could not:

1. Keep her job if she was pregnant.

Until the Pregnancy Discrimination Act in 1978, women could be fired from their workplace for being pregnant.

2. Report cases of sexual harassment in the workplace.

The first time that a court recognized sexual harassment in the workplace was in 1977 and it wasn’t until 1980 that sexual harassment was officially defined by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

3. Be acknowledged in the Boston Marathon.

Women could not don their running shoes until 1972!

4. Get a credit card.

Until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act in 1974, women were not able to apply for credit. In 1975, the first women’s bank was opened.

5. Refuse to have sex with her husband.

The mid 70s saw most states recognize marital rape and in 1993 it became criminalized in all 50 states. Nevertheless, marital rape is still often treated differently to other forms of rape in some states even today.

6. Compete as a boxer in the Olympics.

It wasn’t until the 2012 London Olympics that women could compete in boxing in the Olympics. This was marked with the amazing victory by Britain’s Nicola Adams.

7. Get a divorce with some degree of ease.

Before the No Fault Divorce law in 1969, spouses had to show the faults of the other party, such as adultery, and could easily be overturned by recrimination.

8. Celebrate International Women’s Day.

In 1980 President Carter declared one week in March to be National Women’s History Week, including International Women’s Day on March 8th.

9. Have a legal abortion in most states.

The Roe v. Wade case in 1973 protected a woman’s right to abortion until viability.

10. Read Ms. Magazine!

My computer bit the dust last Wednesday and left me fearful it was something really serious that would take ages to repair.   I called the Geeks who came Thursday to retrieve it.  They took it to their geek workshop, called Dell and had a new motherboard installed on Friday.  They were unable to deliver it Friday so I suffered the usual withdrawals over the weekend.  To distract myself, I read Dan Brown’s new book that was lingering on my end table demanding attention.  I absorbed enough Masonic symbology to last a lifetime.  I think that includes Dan Brown unless he finds another subject matter to offer readers.  So, I’m back in the real world again, one that no one else in this complex understands or enjoys.  I’m surrounded by loveable luddites.

Grandson Tyler has been in and out to visit.  Wednesday night the family went to the Swedish Crown in Lindsborg for dinner and I can report from all fronts that the food was excellent and the dirty martinis and lingonberry margaritas  were top rung.  I think the five of us tried everything on the menu and were very happy with all of it.  Todd ordered the chicken breast, Ally and Karen had shrimp linguini, Tyler opted for a steak and I had Swedish Pancakes.  We sampled all the appetizers and desserts.  It was a very pleasant evening overall and I highly recommend their food.  The only thing about Kansas restaurants is that you better go early on as they seem to descend into oblivion in short order.  It was wonderful to enjoy a rare evening with everyone although we missed Drew, Mackenzie and Ty.  It’s not easy to get all their feet under the same table at the same time.

Friday, my two “third cousins” from Lawrence wheeled to the Palace, gathered me up and off we went to Orozco’s in Kanopolis to meet Ally for lunch.  That was a special treat.  We always enjoy visiting with Boonie and John as they are sharp, funny and very smart.  We giggle all the time we are together and that’s a good thing.  Collectively we had very funny relatives.

Following a plate of very good Mexican food, I went to stay with Ally and visit Ringo until it was time to join friends for dinner.  Ringo is a case.  He’s leaner and looks very healthy.  He’s better off at the farm with Ally and her three dogs, and you can tell how much he loves being there.  Last night Ally said her dogs were in bed with her during the storm, but Ringo opted for the dark closet.  Ally had to remove all her shoes from the closet to make room for Ringo.  He’s a closet dog during storms.  That was the only place in my house to offer shelter from lightning flashing through all those windows.  I wonder if August also sleeps in the closet some nights.  It’s pretty comfy for a little guy.

Friday night my friend Lynn from here called to see if Ally and I would like to join her, her mom and Jane for dinner at Pretty Boy Floyd’s.  I’ve shied away from there since my surgery as I have been almost as certain as one can be that I couldn’t get back up the stairs on my own…and I was right.  Greg joined us for dinner and provided a strong arm for me to hang on to mount the stairs.  It was a challenge, but it all turned out well.  The food was excellent as always, and the company was delightful. If you haven’t yet eaten there, you are in for a real treat when you do.  I talked with Karen Larsen, the activities director here, and she said she’s offering a trip for Palace residents to Pretty Boy’s on June 23rd.  That will be a good excuse for me to go, too.

They are working on the concrete apron around the entrance of the Palace.  While my friends who live on the “west side” (where I’m going to be living eventually) weren’t at all aware of jack hammers at work this morning, I was in the shower, with all my windows shut and the ACs on  and I heard the first crack of concrete.  I even felt the reverberations from it.  My hearing is pretty darn good and that is a rarity in this place.  I do need to move to the quiet side of the beyond.

My niece’s son and wife may pop in during the night and crash on my floor.  I hope so.  He’s experiencing car trouble right now and is running late.  He and Heeran have been in India to study yoga and mountain climbing from the masters.  They are very experienced at both.  Maybe they’ll talk in their sleep so I won’t miss anything.  There is also a chance they might be back in July.

Tomorrow we are having Dillon’s fried chicken for lunch.  I guess it’s sort of a big deal.  I’d rather they’d pick almost anything other than chicken to bring in from the outside as the cooks here do a pretty darn good job on frying chicken.  The kind they “sauce” up is so tough sometimes you can hardly eat it, but they can…and have …turned out some very good fried chicken.  I don’t know.  Maybe the cook left who prepared the fried chicken.

I wrote a blog the day my computer crashed on the crisis situation here (not really!) when you have 100 old people on Lasix (C12H11ClN2O5S, used as a diuretic) and they shut the water off.  I had an appointment with Linda Lawrence that day so my eyes saved the day.  Others still have homes here which they visited.  They are still working on water issues, which is a good thing, and most of us know to store water in the refrig until service is restored.  Maybe when they fix everything, they will start working on my apartment …218.  They will renovate it from wall to wall…new shower, new carpeting and flooring, new closet doors and trim, new carpeting, paint…the works.  I guess they know I’m staying until the bitter end.

Andy from maintenance  just wandered through to see if my living room heat pump was leaking.  Nope.  Seems water is coming from someplace and dripping down on the floor below me.

Tyler should be through here tomorrow on his way back to Cincinnati.  Back to work, and back to Afghanistan. He’s been in Boulder where he and Drew ran the Boulder Boulder 10K yesterday.  I heard that Drew finished in an hour and seven minutes, which was his first attempt at 10K,  and Tyler finished just a few minutes later. Tyler had an altitude adjustment to make. Even in my best days, I could not have done that.

It’s so good to have my computer back.

Thanks for tuning in…

Todd, Tyler, Karen and Drew Britton…at the Culinary Institue in KC