From Skilled Hands

photo of Dream, by Tammy Jo Fuller, by Kari Radney

My friend Kari Radney sent me some photos that she took at the Cups of Kindness opening celebration.This is a collection of photos of pieces that were donated to the benefit as well as pieces by artists we represent at our Gallery.

I asked her if she would be my guest blogger for My Town Monday. Here are her impressions of My Town, the Village of Peninsula, population 602.

Welcome to Peninsula! Come and stay a while,
the places you see are sure to make you smile.

As the train comes in (and it’s hard not to hear it)
it shakes the ground of those who are near it.

Elements Gallery is a place filled with art,
pottery and paintings and work from the heart.

Fishers Pub, is a fun place to eat,
their food is delicious and such a great treat!

The Emporium has lots of antiques
each one has a story and is very unique.

The Winking lizard is a popular spot,
every dish that they serve is fresh, tasty & hot.

Yellow Creek Trading is colorful and fun,
with cute things to buy for everyone.

Kilted Yak, the snow gear shop,
is a place that you should stop

The Towpath is where everyone hikes,
walking or running or riding on bikes.

The Art Academy is another must see,
This place is just filled with creativity.

The Peninsula Library, with tons of books,
all waiting inside, for you to come look.

Century Cycles, the local bike store,
has monthly night rides and bicycles galore.

Love and Love, by Gwen Waight, photo by Kari Radney

These pieces were donated by students and faculty of the Kent State University Ceramics Department, photo by Kari Radney

The Giving Cup, by Nicki Lanzi, photo by Kari Radney

Suncatcher, by Merrily Sprague, photo by Kari Radney

Fused Glass by David Norton, photo by Kari Radney

Fused Glass by David Norton, photo by Kari Radney

Blown Glass Calla Lily by Sue Berry, photo by Kari Radney

Looking up at Blown Glass Plant Rooters by Michael Mikula, photo by Kari Radney

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I am so grateful to many hands and hearts that have participated in our show and sale to benefit the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. If you are so inclined, please visit our website.

Friends and neighbors helping each other.

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My Town Monday, the brainchild of Travis Erwin, is a wonderful way to explore the world through other bloggers’ eyes.
Travis is taking a break for until January. Junosmom, over at Lifetime Learning, and Chris, at e-Cuniform Scratchings, are the keepers of the Marauders in his stead. Follow the links posted at their blogs and you’ll find stories of places all over this fine blue planet.

#1 daughter is a college student in New York City. She had researched her options for coming home for the Thanksgiving holiday, and had discovered that she could take a bus from NYC to State College, PA for $35.00, and a 4 hour drive. State College, PA is about 4 hours from here, as well. So it seemed like a good idea. Until Tuesday morning when the snows started to fly. A major storm was heading our way and was predicted to extend quite a distance to the East.

The drive to State College is a pretty one, through beautiful mountainous country. In good weather. During daylight. So instead of leaving for the 4 hour drive at 6:30pm, Steve left at 12:30pm. he stopped at a tourist information center, and asked the woman at the desk about the weather. She showed him the map on her computer, complete with pink and white swirls. She said that the weather was indeed a problem, but that another big issue was that it is bear season, and that bears run across the highways all the time. (Unfortunately with visibility near zero,it would be hard to see a bear.) He arrived in State College at about 5:30 pm, and went directly to the motel where he and #1 daughter would be spending the night, waiting out the storm. The bus arrived after midnight.

The next morning, the storm had passed, and they began the drive home. I had already checked with the airlines and found a flight that would get her back to NYC; the only seat left was in business class—the day before she had planned on returning—at a premium rate.

So this afternoon, I drove with my wonderful daughter to the airport. When we got there, I helped her remove her suitcase from the car, and I asked her if this was when we hugged and cried. It was.

As I drove away from the airport, back to our studio, I was so grateful for what we share. And the greatest of these is love.

Email me with your address and I’ll send your gift!

#2 daughter and I just watched Iron Jawed Angels, an amazing movie about a critical time in our history. The film depicts the fight of the suffragists who fought for the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which secured women’s voting rights. I am grateful to these courageous women, who stood for their rights, and those of their sisters and daughters, in the face of criticism, violence and injustice. It is an important story these days, one I am honored to share with my daughter, who, due to the courage and fortitude of these women, will one day join me in casting her ballot.

We all really do live in the same town; it is called Planet Earth. We share the same air, drink the same water and look at the same blue sky. All of us gaze up at the same stars and are amazed by the same full moon.

We the people can solve problems that governments have caused; we the people can share our resources with our friends and neighbors—even those whom we do not know. We the people.

In this time where CHANGE is the buzzword of the day, we the people live it and do it. We are the change we wish to see in the world. Quietly, without the acrimony of politics. In our everyday life. One cup at a time.

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My Town Monday is the product of Amarillo’s own Travis Erwin’s fine mind. Take a trip over to his site and check out the links to the other bloggers who live in our town.

Hunger does not discriminate; it affects people without regard to background or social status. In our land of plenty, people are hungry every day; they have to decide between paying rent or eating, between medication or food, between staying warm and buying groceries. Of this I am certain: having enough to eat is a right rather than a privilege.

The mission of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank is simple: Ending Hunger.

We believe that no one should have to go hungry in our “land of plenty.” Children shouldn’t have to go to bed hungry; families shouldn’t have to decide between buying food and paying rent; and seniors shouldn’t have to choose between paying for medication and having a warm meal to eat.

Ending hunger is more than just our mission; it’s something we strive to do everyday. It’s a pledge we have made to our community to end hunger in Summit, Stark, Portage, Medina, Wayne, Holmes, Tuscarawas and Carroll counties. In 1982, based on a commitment by community leaders to help the increasing number of families requesting food assistance, the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank was formed. In 2007, the Foodbank distributed over 12 million pounds of food and provided meals for over 163,000 people in need in Northeast Ohio.

The Foodbank uses its resources well: each dollar that is donated purchases 7 nutritious meals. Meals that provide sustenance to people who are already stressed. No questions asked. When I recently toured the facility, I was amazed by the quantity of food that was ready to distribute to agencies large and small. The facility was immaculate; the people, both volunteers and paid staff, passionate about their purpose.

We are reaching out to others by giving hope. There is, I think, joy and intrinsic satisfaction in helping people who will never know who we are. As members of a world community, we have a moral and ethical responsibility to share our resources and to preserve dignity.

Cups of Kindness has been on my mind for a long time. This year, we are pleased to join with the Peninsula Art Academy, the Peninsula Area Chamber of Commerce, local. regional and national artists and a group of dedicated volunteers to support the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

This show and sale of small scale art will showcase artists’ interpretations of a Cup of Kindness, and will include both 2 and 3 dimensional artwork. All proceeds from the show will benefit the Foodbank. For information about this event, please go to http://www.cupsofkindness.net. If you would like to donate directly to the Akron- Canton Regional Foodbank, please click here.

This week we’ll revisit a couple of things in my town.The beauty of this late summer’s afternoon has been calling my name. The infinite azure sky that September brings to Northeast Ohio, warm temperatures and gentle breezes are welcome. We are still cleaning up from the storm that Ike brought us last week. Our beautiful old maple, as old as this old house, succumbed. More on that in another post.

The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway is a wonderful way to explore this beautiful Valley. Join me as we take a ride:

I’ve talked about the special place that is my town, and the feeling that is unlike that in any other place I’ve been. It manifests in many ways, and the Peninsula Python Festival was one.

Post a guess who this PPP member is in the comment section and I’ll enter your name in a high tech drawing (where I draw a name from a hat). You could be the latest member of the PPP. You could win cool stuff and join the other intrepid Posse members, Terrie Farley Moran, Sam, Travis, Barrie, and Eryl.
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The versatile Travis Erwin, is the originator of My Town Monday. Wander on over to his site and see what others have to say about their towns this day.

I have written about one of my own true loves, the Little Blue Santa, and how he has touched so many people. I have written about making him, and how he has changed our lives.

We continue to hear from people whose lives have been blessed by the Little Blue Guy. Relationships that have been rekindled, family histories that have been recalled. Memories, the tapestries of family history; the delicious, sweet fabric of our lives have been made richer.

Our little business, located in the Village of Peninsula, Ohio, population 602, has been touched by the lovely and gentle Blue Santa. He has enabled us to share the process with others whose skills and natures have enriched our lives.

Making Santa Molds

These skilled hands are still making Little Blue Santas, and we are working on a glaze for a Little Green Santa.

Santas Waiting to be Glazed

Little Blue Santas in the Kiln

****We will be giving away a Little Blue Santa. To be entered into our high tech drawing (in which I draw a number from a hat), post a comment.

My life has changed immeasurably during the past year. One year ago today, my Dad had a massive stroke. My life changed forever with that phone call.

The rawness of the time has softened; the need to speak for my Dad when he was unable to speak for himself has passed. The juxtaposition between the richness of the moment and the pain of it has been replaced with pensiveness, bittersweet replays and oh-so-sweet memories.

I have learned a lot: stuff happens; most things are inconveniences rather than tragedies; the Universe continues; love is.

We spend a lot of time in our lives collecting things; what truly matters is what we have inside: the values and love we share. As I continue to wade through papers, I discover little things about my Dad; things that are the warp and weft of the tapestry of his rich, long life. Photos and notes he saved; the deed for the first house they purchased for $14,000, drawings and cards my sister and I had made when we were children; loving notes he and my Mom had shared 60 years ago. I am grateful for these snapshots into his life.

My Dad was sweet and strong; sensitive and unconditional in his support of us. There is a special place in my heart that just gets fuller and fuller each time I think of him. And it is truly ok.

I had stopped at the Cleveland Food Coop on Saturday to pick up a few things. As I walked toward the building, I was approached by a smiling woman. She spoke little English; and started to talk to me in what I figured was Russian. I know one Russian phrase: lubov nyick o toschka. (When my father was courting my mother, he asked my grandfather for his daughter’s hand in marriage. My grandfather, ever the practical man, asked, “How will you support her” My dad, ever the romantic, responded, “I love her.” My grandfather’s question,: ” Yes, but how will you support her?”
“But I love her,” my dad repeated. “Lubov nyick o toschka—love is not a potato.” Evidently my grandfather and my dad worked it out.)

I used my one Russian phrase, and the woman laughed heartily and responded with a litany of Russian (none of which I understood). After a while, I figured out that she was looking for cucumber plants, and that she had walked about 6 miles to get them. The Coop didn’t have any cukes left, but the garden shop just up the road did. The woman walked away and I proceeded to pick up the items I needed.

Driving over to the garden shop, I saw the woman carrying a flat of plants. I asked her if she would like a ride home.
During our ride up the hill, I learned that the woman has a son and daughter here, and that she like being in the US. She lives in an apartment building that houses many immigrants, as well as senior citizens, and she gardens in a community garden across from her building. We walked to the garden and she showed me her plot. Tomatoes, dill, beets, potatoes, mints (“the tea will help you sleep”), and a plant I didn’t recognize were flourishing. The cucumbers would go in the pace that had been prepared for them.
We embraced as I walked toward my car. “You will come back to see me?” she asked, knowing that I will.

I thought about this woman who walked 6 miles for cucumber plants, and asked a stranger for help in a language she barely knew. I thought about the courage it takes to leave a place where you have always lived to travel to a new land, a new home. I thought about my own grandparents, who, like this woman, left their homes, for the promise of a better life.

The next time I am in Cleveland, I will go to the community garden and see if my new friend is there. I will bring her flowers, for she has given me more than she knows.