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Life in Arkansas

We Made it Through The Storm

megdavisarts

Dear God, I haven’t been this scared in years…and it takes a lot to scare me. Such a horrible evening. I knew we were in deep trouble when they said Reed Timmer (a well known tornado hunter) was following the storm.

At 5:30pm I had cleaned out the downstairs closet, put Whirl in her carrier in the back when the sirens started. The weatherman said the tornado was headed straight for Maumelle after it had formed. We scrunched into the closet, Tom wrapped a rope around the door handle and then himself.
We listened as the local news kept saying it was coming our way and we are in the northwest section of Maumelle , the direct path.
Then the lights went out. I braced myself and prayed that I wouldn’t start feeling the air being sucked out of the closet.
Everything was eerily still…. And green.

The tornado turned to the northwest, away from us.
The photo below was taken by a young boy as the tornado passed about 5 miles west of us and headed for Mayflower.

As I write this it’s going on 5am here, still thundering and very humid outside. I think I can safely go to bed soon. I told Tom tonight that I couldn’t take this anymore and I’m going to install a tornado shelter… No matter what it costs.

Our son, Richard, just moved to Jackson, Mississippi this past week and started a new job at the U of M Medical Centre there. He’s getting one hell of an initiation into weather in the deep south.

I’m going to bite the head off my chocolate Easter bunny now.
Much love as always,
Meg

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First steps into Buddhist meditation

megdavisarts

Here’s a very easy explanation and instruction for Buddhist Meditation. You don’t need special robes or anything, just a peaceful space. Learning this technique can bring you a center for your day, for your life and helps you understand how to really help others.

Buddhism Now's avatarBuddhism now

Sitting in meditationAwareness is the key . But what does the word mean to you? To most people, perhaps, it denotes an acknowledgement of that which is going on around them in a general sort of way. In the context of meditation, however, it means ‘waking up’, becoming acutely sensitive, knowing, feeling, living the moment in its pristine state, sensing colours and contours, sounds, textures, smells, recognising tendencies within oneself yet resisting the pull to be controlled by them — this is meditation, to begin with at least.

Life is a bit of a game really, isn’t it? We look forward to something and when it comes we criticise it, resent it, worry about it, want to change it, want to make it better.

Why do so many beings have to endure hunger and cold, heat, disease, cruelty, physical and mental abuse and deprivation, torture, injustice, and all the rest of it? Some have…

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My Garden

Battling Birds

megdavisarts

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Thank goodness, the birds have returned ! I was so weirded out by their absence that I called around to see if there had been reports to the Arkansas Birders or Agriculture societies reporting a lack of feathered friends. I had considered the possibility that hawks had nested in the woods nearby and I did spot some nests very high up. Squirrels had all gone as had all ground creatures so there was a chance the large hawks that I’d watched in the autumn had nested within range of my yard.

I continued to put out the safflower seed in my tower feeder and, finally, the sound of finches filled the woods at the edge of my yard last week. Then, this week, the beautiful Cardinals and musical Mockingbirds arrived a plenty. Oddly though, I seem to have a large flock of Robins nesting here this year and the Mockingbirds are very unhappy about it. Both bird families have decided to nest in the same needle-holly bush and neighborly arguments are going on almost every evening. My holly bush sounds like the Cramdens have moved in.

I will probably have to change to black oil sunflower seed since safflower has become so expensive. But, if you live where safflower seed is affordable, it’s great to use because it’s too bitter and most furry creatures stay away from it. I haven’t had any problems with raccoons or squirrels since using it.

When I switch over to sunflower seed I’ll be mixing the seed with very hot chili oil. This does not bother the birds at all but rodents and furred critters can’t take it.

Here’s a tip if you have raccoons in your attic or barn :
FIRST : place radios near where they are nesting. In my case they were in my attic so I put radios in a bathroom, bedroom and kitchen up near the ceiling. Put the radios on timers, set them to “talk show” stations and have them play during dawn through daylight hours. Even though raccoons are usually nocturnal, living in the suburbs have changed their sleeping habits but babies still sleep during the day.
The idea is to disrupt their sleep by blasting them with loud and angry human talk. Rush Limbaugh talk networks work very well for this (you may like to listen to those guys but the angry tone of their voices can drive animals nuts).
MAKE SURE THE RADIOS DO NOT BOTHER YOUR NEIGHBORS

SECOND : If you can, take a week vacation away from your house. Otherwise, if you’re home make all the noise you want to during the day !…. Banging pots and pans etc. Raccoons come back in from foraging at sunrise and go out at dusk.

I did this and, after 2 weeks on vacation, I came home to a raccoon free attic. I fixed the attic fans where the fat devils had pried their way in and enjoyed a raccoon free home ever after.

Next post : I’ll be planting new seeds directly in the garden this year. Let’s see what I’ll grow !
AND It’s Peeps Season. If you make any Peep Art please share it 🙂

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Japanese Goodies, Life in Arkansas, Tea

Mt. Fuji Japanese Shop, Little Rock

megdavisarts

I love the little Japanese grocery situated under the Mt. Fuji Sushi Restaurant in Little Rock. It’s very much like walking into a corner store, shelves packed with all kinds of supplies and goodies. It helps if you can read some Japanese but the people there are more than happy to tell you what something is if you’re not sure. There are bath & beauty supplies, sushi making gear & ingredients, gifts, a small selection of popular manga books, decorations for the home, plates & dishes, tea sets, sake’ sets and the best price on 7″ Daruma dolls I’ve found so far.

The store is only open when the restaurant is open. In other words, you can’t get in when the restaurant is shut down between lunch and dinner. Access is either from the store level sidewalk or from a stairway inside the restaurant.

Since I moved to Little Rock in 2000 the Mt. Fuji Restaurant has remained my favorite place for a truly Japanese experience. It is owned and operated by a lovely Japanese family, the sushi is always great with (what I think) is the freshest fish supply in town, a very large menu and good selection of sake’ types and brands.

The proof that this Japanese restaurant and shop has a comfortable and welcoming environment is that I see parents coming in with their kids : well behaved, respectful, inquisitive & quiet kids. This is a great way for the youth to learn about other cultures, to widen their food experiences and to teach them how to behave in a quiet, cultured atmosphere. My choice of restaurants must be based not only on the food but also on the peacefulness of the environment, low volume/relaxing music and no noise or crowding.
Mt. Fuji fulfills all of these needs and, after a lovely dinner, I can stop in the shop downstairs and pick up more wasabi, sushi rice and Japanese toys.

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Swallowing dangers

megdavisarts

Swallowing problems can affect some patients with MS as it progresses. I have been dealing with MS since 1989 but changes in eating & swallowing only started to become a scary problem last year. My eye specialist also suspects that I have Sjogren’s Syndrome which means severly reduced saliva and this adds to the swallowing problem.

My MS specialist says that there are quite a few changes you need to make when this symptom occurs and it may help to leave yourself notes, using post-it notes, to remind yourself of what to do. For instance, after spending your whole life eating (without thinking about the process) you now have to think about not breathing while you swallow and being prepared to swallow twice as foods get stuck or are slow to start to go down. My most worrisome problems are caused by tiny bits of food going down my airway, coughing ensues along with up to 30 minutes of getting that food bit back up out of my windpipe.

Foods that I have to be very careful with now are : toast, bread, hamburger, certain soups, some fruits and anything that has a drying affect like Pink Lady apples Or crackers.

The dangers of getting food down your windpipe, aside from going red in the face and spluttering to the point where people wonder if they need to do the Heimlich on you, is the potential to develop pneumonia. 

There are therapy techniques and help available from speech therapists if ordered by your doctor. I haven’t had any therapy at this point because it’s hard for me to get transportation to the therapy center, but I’ll report back as this situation continues and what my MS dude has to say after my next visit in March.

if you have any tricks or tips to share with myself and others with swallowing problems please post it here !

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Meg’s Lavender Garden – Central Arkansas Zone 7

megdavisarts

Meg's Lavender Garden - Central Arkansas Zone 7

It’s already time to start planting in central Arkansas with new lavender plants going into raised bed. Lavender loves sandy drainage, hot & dry surroundings. I’m in gardening zone 7 & the Farmer’s Almanac has hot weather starting early and getting really vicious in July and August.
The lavenders that have done best for me here : Provence & Grosso. These are very large plants but give a huge harvest of lavender buds for home use and sharing.
I use my dried lavender in tea cozies, sleep pillows, drawer sachets and to repeal spiders & fleas.
If you want to use lavenders in food, choose those varieties that do not have a “camphor” element to their scent. English lavenders seem to be best for this.

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It’s A New Year, Ya’ll

megdavisarts

2014…. Ok, first thing tomorrow when you can think straight…. Grab your checkbook, you still have one right ?… Ok, sit down with a pen and fill in the year date for the first 5 or 10 checks as “2014”. Trust me, you’ll thank me a few days or weeks from now. Then you can start sippin’ on a fine Decaf Sumatra (lowest acid of the coffees and you need to drop the caffeine, especially if you’re female). Stay in your jim-jams, curl up on the couch with your favorite read and watch some football or just nap.

You’ve earned it !

(((hugs))) to you all,

🙂 M

oh and P.S…. i really am going to record a new album this year. Yep, uh-huh. What finally did it ? Hearing Susan Boyle sing “Auld Lang Syne” tonight. She’s Scottish for heaven’s sake and she didn’t even sing it in the language of Burns ( Lowland Scots). She didn’t roll an R or put any umph into it all. So, if that’s what’s passing as great singing these days then I can’t sit back anymore.

There’s room for me out there, don’t ya think ? 

Holidays, What Do You Think ?

Let’s still share some Christmas enthusiasm

megdavisarts

While diving in and out of bookstores, tea shops, chili parlors and ice cream palaces during Christmas week I noticed an unusual social pattern that was new and a bit disturbing. In and around Cincinnati people were very nice, lots of smiles but also more frowns and rushing about franticly than before. What surprised me was the lack of ” Merry Christmas” greetings both aimed at me and merrily tossed to strangers passing on the streets.

It wasn’t that people were acting like Scrooges, they were just so intent on getting from points A to B that they were not enjoying the people and scenes around them. I definitely got the sense that people were being reserved with their greetings, in a way that was opposite to how they had been in the past. Folks in my part of town were cheerful and many were spreading good cheer, the happiest and most forthcoming with their “Merry Christmas” sentiments were all the busy workers (mind you, they were serving up Skyline Chili, Graeter’s and Aglamesis brothers ice cream so who wouldn’t be happy doing that). But otherwise, it’s as if people had bought into the latest media propaganda of being afraid to say any holiday hellos.. much like the media has folks afraid to say what their political affiliations are.

Oddly, not too many miles into our return trip after we’d crossed south over the Ohio River, almost everyone we met wished us a Merry Christmas or Happy New Year and the exuberance increased as we got down through cave country into Bowling Green, Kentucky. We’ve still got a long drive ahead of us but I expect more cheer as we go.

I join in the merry making by greeting total strangers with Merry Christmas, especially older folk or people who look like they could use a kind word. Forget the media, the online hype or the latest gossip about it not being “socially proper” to say “Merry Christmas” because the person you’re saying it to might be of another religion. I was raised in a western religion, I now adhere to an Eastern religion but Christmas has become much bigger than it’ beginnings and I am happy to brighten someone’s day with an “MC and HNY”. It belongs to everyone and should be shared, spread about, shouted from the rooftops !

Come on, people, what do you say ? The season’s not over yet. Make sure your elderly neighbors get a heart felt “MC” from you and, if you have friends anywhere who are alone, give them a call and wish them good tidings of the season…. really CALL THEM IF YOU CAN. The human voice still has greater powers than email. I know you’ve got it in you, even if you just cheer up one person you’ll have done a great thing

The tree’s still up, the champagne’s on ice and the haggis is being prepared for the New Year’s parties.
Get out there and do me proud.

Oh and…A Very Merry Christmas to you all !
😉 Meg

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Making Christmas

megdavisarts

I was sick with a nasty cold all of November so I lost a lot of time that I would have spent making gifts. I’m not used to buying presents and my family is always disappointed if I don’t make at least one crazy gift. Now, I have to root around my studio and see what might be lurking somewhere…. An old knit project… Some weird spinning fiber… A dash of fabric and I’ll have a nutsy tea cozy in no time.

Anyone else making gifts ?
What would you like from St. Nicholas this year… Aside from World Peace ? I asked for a toy, a game and some marzipan. It’s just not Christmas for me without Marzipan.

😉 M

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Cool weather has arrived

megdavisarts

Finally, last Saturday night, the wind came to blow away the dry, dusty heat of summer.  Now we have had rain and chilly nights so the leaves are starting to change. Living just outside Little Rock, we won’t get Autumn colors until November so perhaps a drive through the Ouachita  or Ozark forests is due.

I begin to wonder what candies the kids want most this year. Happily, Reece Cups and Kit Kat bars still seem to be a hit so we should have plenty of treats for ourselves. The one thing I find myself doing when I’m out shopping is stopping people from feeding kids “sugar free” candies. They mean well but don’t understand how bad the side affects can be when someone chows down on products sweetened with Splenda, Equal and sugar alcohol sweeteners like malitol. The only people who should eat “sugar free” candies are folks like me who are watching their blood sugar levels and diabetics.

So, please…. As you’re out shopping and if you overhear anyone thinking of feeding Trick-or-Treaters any “sugar free” candies, step up and try to helpfully inform them before they give some unsuspecting children terrible abdominal pains and headaches on Hallowe’en.