Carl Sagan

"The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence.  Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides." - Carl Sagan

THE UNIVERSE NEIL DE GRASSE TYSON

What is the most astounding fact you
can share with us about the Universe?
The most astounding fact...
The most astounding fact is the knowledge
that the atoms that comprise life on Earth
the atoms that make up the human body
are traceable to the crucibles that cooked
light elements into heavy elements in their core
under extreme temperatures and pressures.
These stars, the high mass ones among them
went unstable in their later years
they collapsed and then exploded scattering
their enriched guts across the galaxy
guts made of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen
and all the fundamental ingredients of life itself.
These ingredients become part of gas cloud
that condense, collapse, form...
the next generation of solar systems
stars with orbiting planets, and those planets now have
the ingredients for life itself.
So that when I look up at the night sky
and I know that yes, we are part of this universe,
we are in this universe, but perhaps more important
than both of those facts is that the Universe is in us.
When I reflect on that fact, I look up
-- many people feel small 'cause they're small
and the Universe is big -- but I feel big,
because my atoms came from those stars.
There's a level of connectivity.
That's really what you want in life,
you want to feel connected,
you want to feel relevant
you want to feel like... a participant in the goings on
of activities and events around you.
That's precisely what we are,
just by being alive...

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FAVORITE POEM

The Chambered Nautilus

Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)

“This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign…”

This
is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,
Sail the unshadowed main,–
The venturous bark that flings
On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings
In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings,
And coral reefs lie bare,
Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.
Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;
Wrecked is the ship of pearl!
And every chambered cell,
Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell,
As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,
Before thee lies revealed,–
Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!
Year after year beheld the silent toil
That spread his lustrous coil;
Still, as the spiral grew,
He left the past year’s dwelling for the new,
Stole with soft step its shining archway through,
Built up its idle door,
Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.
Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,
Child of the wandering sea,
Cast from her lap, forlorn!
From thy dead lips a clearer note is born
Than ever Triton blew from wreathed horn;
While on mine ear it rings,
Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings:–
Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting sea!

MEDITATION

humming chorus Madama Butterfly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rV0y4syKvQ

PROCESSIONAL

From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round

It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life

It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life

RECESSIONAL

Candide - Voltaire

Let dreamers dream what worlds they please;
Those Edens can't be found.
The sweetest flowers, the fairest trees
Are grown in solid ground.

We're neither pure nor wise nor good;
We'll do the best we know;
We'll build our house, and chop our wood,
And make our garden grow.
And make our garden grow.

MY BIRTHDAY JULY 16 2000

My Birthday 2000

I’m a day late with my birthday essay, but you’ll see what’s kept me busy in a moment.  First lets set the stage.  For years I’ve tried to write a reflection on my birthday.  You’ll never find all 58 of them for several reasons.  First, I could not write until I was at least five or six years old.  Second, computers didn’t come into widespread use until about ten years ago.  I know that has nothing to do with writing, but still, one is more inclined to write when one can “save, spell check and edit with ease”.

Someday when a descendant is going through my things they will find some birthday essays.  Hope someone thinks they are fun.  Now to the birthday at hand.  This is the big one – the year 2000.  When I was young my father would remind me from time to time that I would be alive for the Millennium and “how wonderful that will be”.  Well, yes I am and it was and you’ll find that described in another piece I wrote and stashed.  However, when my father would tell me the “alive and wonderful” part I would always flinch and think, “yes, but I’ll be an ancient 58 years old”. 

From the lofty vantage point of 2000 and 58 I’m here to say, “It ain’t so bad”. 

My children are grown and married to folks who love them and care for them – no longer do I worry if they will come home late from a date.  (Now I just worry if their plane will make it across the Atlantic Ocean.)  My mind thinks I’m 39 years old.

Now, let me tell you about my 58^th birthday present.  Several months ago I idly turned on the TV and watched a sewing show in which a wonderful machine was demonstrated.  Not only would it sew, but also embroider as well.  I was smitten and rushed to my three closest sewing machine dealers for a demonstration coming home laden with enthusiasm and brochures.  SBW did his typical SBW thing which was to declare that considering the cost of the machine I could buy an awful lot of clothes etc. etc.

I pouted for a day or two then resolved to campaign some ore after we returned from our trip to Detroit scheduled for late June.  The moment I got back I dug out my brochures and decided it was time to start the battle from a new front, but first I had a few other life details to attend so the process was delayed until the third week in July.

Saturday July 15^th we awoke with the sound of lightening and thunder that resembled the show when Baghdad was bombed in the early 90’s.  Florida a state that had not seen rain in months and was parched beyond recognition was about to get its whole rainfall deficit wiped out in one day.  It rained longer and harder on July 15^th than many people could remember.

We spent the day doing such necessary tasks as cleaning computer files and catching up on unread back issues of magazines and being very grateful that we lived here all the time and were not visitors to the beach who had paid $150 for a waterside room that was about to be flooded. 

In the middle of the afternoon during a break in the rains I suggested to SBW that he dash out and rent “The Talented Mr. Ripley” for our evening entertainment.  As usual SBW said he would then refused to budge.  I said, “if you are going to go, then go NOW while its not raining”.  Still he sat.  I returned to my computer and soon the sky darkened and the wind started to blow.  I heard him pick up the car keys and I yelled, “NOT NOW – ITS TOO LATE”  to which he responded, “Its not raining” and left. 

True, it was not raining at exactly that moment, but before he could descend six floors and get to the car the heavens dumped buckets and sheets of water on South Pinellas County.  I started to pace and mumble things about “how dumb can one get” etc.  Right in the midst of the pacing and ranting there was a feeble little tap tap tap on the door.  Reluctantly I opened the door half expecting to find a neighbor there to announce that Steve had had an accident in the rain.  (Who else would be out in this kind of almost hurricane weather?)

Instead I found myself nose to nose with a woman who handed me an envelope and introduced herself as the “birthday bunny”.  It was the closest I’ll ever get to having the Publisher’s clearing House Prize Patrol on my doorstep.  Behind the birthday bunny was a man with a huge moving dolly who pushed right past and rolled into my foyer then quickly went back to retrieve two big beautifully wrapped boxes.  Mind you the wind was blowing, the rain was falling in giant amounts and here stood these apparitions with their gifts.  Both the gifts and the apparitions were dry and unruffled.  All I could say was, “Where’s Steve?” 

No one seemed to know and I couldn’t figure out how these people got in, and for a long time I thought they had the wrong place.  Gradually I realized they were delivering not only my sewing machine, but my sewing table as well.  I thanked and hugged them, closed the door and thought, “Where’s Steve”.

Forty five minutes passed as I worried that he had an accident and was on his way to the hospital.  Finally, he bustled in carrying the DVD for our movie.  He had been watching movies at Blockbuster waiting for the storm to pass and had entirely missed the wonderful surprise of his birthday gift delivery!

My new sewing machine is wonderful and soon everyone I know will have everything they own embroidered with lovely designs.  I spent the whole day of July 16^th learning to thread my new machine, and even think that in my lifetime I can master the whole process – sure glad I’m only 58 years old!

Once again SBW pulled a surprise on me!  (Remind me someday to tell the story of the Mother’s Day mirror he decided to hang at 2:00AM and woke the whole building with banging.)

Its been a lovely birthday week.  Page and Mark called from the plane as they left for Belgium, we followed their flight all night on the computer, within 24 hours of their departure we started getting lovely messages via e-mail, Steve and I had a wonderful dinner at Chateau France on July 14^th in honor of Bastille Day, we cleaned out all our computer files on a rainy Saturday, saw a great movie – Talented Mr. Ripley, and then to top it off I had a visit from the birthday bunny.  What fun!  I’m so glad I lived to be 58! 

Its now 8:00 AM on Monday the 17^th of July.  I just have time to spell check this and send it off to Page before my sewing show comes on TV at 8:30. 

THE MILLENIUM WOODROUGH STYLE

THE END OF THE 20^TH CENTURY – WOODROUGH STYLE

The Woodrough family celebrated the end of the 20^th century in grand style  The party started with Thanksgiving and continued to the end of January, and was a time of looking forward as well as backward.

Thanksgiving day was spent at 503 Poinsettia Belleair Florida, the home of Margaret and Richard Fuselier.  It is a special place since it was once owned by Annette Kaplan then by her daughter Margaret Woodrough who renovated it and then sold it to the Fuseliers.  Dinner was like a family reunion since both Annette and Margot were invited along with dear friends and next door neighbors, Owen and Lyn Schlaug .  Just the week before Thanksgiving Margot and Steve traveled to Washington D.C. and while there made the rounds visiting all of the homes they owned in Northern Virginia before the move to Atlanta in 1973.  It was quite a trip and great fun to see how the homes had survived the thirty years. 

In addition Margot and Steve spent one spectacular Sunday exploring Georgetown, Margot’s father’s home.  First they attended Mass at Trinity Church where the Ogle and Vollmer family worshiped for many years.  Since it was a picture perfect fall day Margot and Steve “scuffed through the newly fallen bight leaves of Georgetown’s bumpy sidewalks and then to add the perfect touch they spent several hours in Dumbarton Oak’s gardens.  The weather was very mild for late November, the sun was brilliant and the gardens nicely uncrowned.  Since Dumbarton Oaks is one of Margot most favorite places, this was truly a special event. 

The Washington monument was still shrouded in the delightful scaffolding designed by Michael Graves, and at night it looked for all the world like a glowing Japanese lantern.

The Washington weekend was particularly special as Margot was able to spend two afternoons in the Library of Congress and while there found a publication written by Laurie J. Blakely which she copied.  Since family stories have always declared that Laurie Blakely’s works were lost in a fire at a publishing house, this was a particularly exciting find.  Naturally, she copied the entire book for her file.

After Thanksgiving a trip to Atlanta gave us time to help Steve and Elena decorate their Christmas tree then it was back to Florida for the beginning of a very busy holiday season.  On December 20^th Annette, Jane, Laura , Steve and Margot took Jane Blakely to dinner to celebrate her 90^th birthday.  Page and Mark arrived on Christmas Eve in time for dinner at Laura Glass’s home.  The whole family spent Christmas Day at 4801 Osprey Dr reading their letters to their grand children and exchanging gifts.  Two days after Christmas Steve and Margot had a party for the neighbors at their home, and just when that dust settled the McDermott family arrived from Iowa.

The Millennium celebration centered around St. Petersburg Florida’s “First Night” event.  Margot and Steve took their boat, “Motion Granted” to a marina within walking distance of St. Petersburg.  Mick and Joan McDermott, Matt and Mike McDermott joined Page, Mark, Steve and Margot for the evenings celebration that started with dinner at the “Ovo Café”.  The fireworks over the Vinoy Basin were spectacular and the evening was mild. 

All of the out of town guest left by January 4, and Steve took off for Missouri leaving Margot to “rest” for a week.  Then it started all over again.  Steve and Elena made their Christmas visit in January and it included a trip to Walt Disney’s Animal Kingdom where Margot and Steve purchased their wonderful water buffalo carving.  One day after Steve and Elena left Margot and Steve took off for San Juan Puerto Rica for two days before joining a cruise ship for a weeks tour of the eastern Caribbean.

The cruise was very special since Larry West (Steve’s roommate from law school) and his wife Susan were along.  The trip included Barbados, Antigua, Martinique, St. Lucia and St. Thomas.  We liked Barbados and Antigua best.  The trip home from San Juan through Atlanta was an adventure for the town was in the middle of an ice storm on the eve of the Super Bowl.  Margot and Steve might have been very lucky to have been one of the last planes in and out that night before the airport was virtually closed down for weather. 

How lovely it is to be home at Dolphin Cay that certainly resembles a cruise ship that never leaves port.  We have decided that St. Petersburg Florida is the best Caribbean Island there is, and we are certainly looking forward to a lovely boring February.  Steve and Elena are moving to Chicago and Page and Mark to Germany, but that is their problem not ours thank goodness.  Already we are planning an extended trip to Chicago in July and to Germany next summer.

SWEETCAKES

Recently I developed a new craft.  I find beautiful yarn and cut into pieces and make a new mix by tying various pieces together.  I created a blog for my yarn.  Here is the location:http://sweetcakesyarn.blogspot.com/

MY BOOKS AT LULU

Over the years I've published some family history at Lulu.com  Here are some of the covers. My goodness I forgot how many until this moment.

Dresses through the years

It's hard to believe that I've sewed for the kidlets for almost eleven years.  Here are some samples. These were reversible front to back and inside out.  Fun to see they wore a couple to China.

MEMORY DOLLS

These dolls have been a secret till this very moment. Only two of my best friends, Margaret Fuselier and husband Steve have seen them. They are carefully tucked away as gifts for the "kidlets" when they are older. Each doll is dressed in something special from the past and each wears jewelry from ancestors. I've assigned one to each of the girls and they come complete with a full description. I must design something for Stephen.

You will note that there are seven female "kidlets" and yet you only see six dolls. This project was completed before Anna Margaret was born - but once we knew she was on the way, I scrambled to do a doll for her, but that was after the photo session.

Read me first - IN THE BEGINNING

Let's start at the beginning... My very first attempt at blog was an effort to keep the family connected. It never took off flying.

Then two years ago I developed a blog as a place to put interesting information on Sarah Palin. When things began to heat up and weird things started happening like fires, airplane crashes, blackmail and intimidation I became nervous and deleted "Chihuahuas for Change".

During the past year I helped Don Floyd with his book "The Captain and Thomasine" and encouraged him to start a blog. In order to help him I needed to refresh my mind and "bingo" "Chihuahuas For Change" was back in action, but this time with a focus of those things I hold dear. Perhaps someday the "kidlets" will find this and be amused.