I had one of those weekends spent at home organizing and cooking. They sometimes feel rare and far between but they sure make for a good week!

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When I say “yarn painting,” what do you envision?

Photo by Pixelverve.com via Wikimedia Commons

Yarn strands dipped in paint and swirled on canvas?

Nice idea, popular with the kiddos, but that’s not quite what I meant.

Painting skeins of yarn?

Gorgeous …

Photos courtesy of Poppy Gall Design Studio

But, I’m thinking along a different thread.

Yarn painting doesn’t actually have anything to do with paint, per say, but the end result could be confused with a painting,

Photo of traditional Huichol string art by Jebulon via Wikipedia

until you look at it up close …

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Tree Dreams.

I love the idea of it. But what does it mean?

Photo by Steve Swayne via Wikimedia Commons

When I saw the site called Tree-Dreams.org, I had to know—what is it?

Well, it turns out to be a lovely project launched by author (and avid tree hugger) Kristin Kaye. Inspired by our silently branching neighbors, Kristin wants to encourage the scattering of “tree dreams” around the globe.

“I get this rush of wisdom,” she says of her time with trees, “and want to lie down like a lazy cat and hear their stories.”

When she isn’t listening, Kristin is beckoning others to share stories and ideas with the world by way of Tree Tags.

“A stealthy and merry band of Tree Taggers is already at work spreading the ideas that sustain us all, like love, kindness, generosity, giving, and interconnectedness … anyone can be a Tree Tagger.”

How?

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Usually, it’s an “X” that marks the spot …

So what would you think if you ran across one of these big ol’ arrows?

Courtesy of Craig; AAIR, Aviation Archaeological Investigation and Research;
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com

Perhaps a large-scale geocaching symbol?

Wacky art piece?

Landing beacon for aliens?

Or a treasure hunt for the giants of Jack and the Beanstalk …

Actually, the last one isn’t far off.

These arrows were, in fact, a treasure map of sorts.

Though ixnay on the giants-ay … think aeronautics instead.

The treasure?

U.S. mail.

Prior to 1924, mail could take upwards of a month to arrive at its destination. The Pony Express, which solely delivered mail, was disbanded in 1861 as the Transcontinental Railroad took up the yoke and continued to improve the speed of mail delivery.

The railroad was completed from sea to shining sea in 1869, and until 1903, was the main means of mail delivery. That is, until the Wright Brothers completed their first successful flight and initiated the age of air travel.

U.S. Post Office Department map of the First Transcontinental Air Mail Route involving both day and night flying over the entire route opened July 1, 1924. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; PD-USGOV.

The Transcontinental Air Mail Route was 2,629-miles long, stretching between San Francisco, California, to New York, New York.

Needing no roads, train tracks, or animals, the advancement of air travel had just one hurdle to overcome: night.

Without high-tech navigation systems, a pilot could only fly during the day.

The solution?

Like breadcrumbs for a pilot, a series of beacons was built and lit—one every 10 miles.

Here is one of those “breadcrumbs,” a 51-foot steel tower.

Revolving light beacon towner being built, Omaha, 1920s. Courtesy of Postal Museum.http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/museum/1d_Airmail_Beacon.html

Below is a drawing of the structure. Each was lit by a million-candlepower rotating beacon. As long as pilots could see the concrete “yellow brick road,” they could fly by night.

Airway beacon. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; U.S. DOT FAA

This allowed mail to cross the country in 30 hours or so, depending on conditions.

As fast as technology grows, the beacons were rendered obsolete by the ’40s. Most of the towers were torn down and the steel was used for the war effort, but hundreds of the yellow arrows remain.

The Western New Mexico Aviation Heritage Museum is in the process of restoring an airway beacon tower and its electric generator for visitors. More on that here.

Ace brought in a little treat last week to the Design Studio. One of my favorites that I ate for breakfast a few months back—with glee! The Pastor’s Wife’s Pie, as we call it, is a custard with a graham-cracker crust using my ChillOver Powder.

Easy, delicious, and something other than a typical cake. (This Pistachio Melon Cake is also another great option—especially if you’re gluten-free.) Both are a great contribution to a potluck or for a special occasion. (Just keep the custard on ice, or refrigerated until serving.)

The one Ace made substituted blackberries for blueberries in the recipe. Thanks, Ace!

Feelin’ a little stressed lately? It’s Labor Day so I hope you’re taking some time to relax. A little on the history of Labor Day here.

Enjoy this mantra (and any other desserts you consume) for the rest of the week …

What’s going on with this little guy’s muzzle, er, trunk?

Schnoz … sniffer … honker?

You may have recognized his protruding proboscis before you knew his name …

Or maybe his little springy piece of hair?

Meet Kilroy.

“Kilroy was here” graphic. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; KovacsUr

Anyone born between 1913 and 1955 (who didn’t live under a rock) would be aptly familiar with our long-nosed friend. (Though if you did live under a rock, you probably had to come out sometime, and Kilroy may have been there first.)

During church service as a young girl, my dad and I were known to draw a Kilroy or two to get through the length of service. But his origins remained a bit of a mystery until 1946.

The American Transit Association sponsored a contest that year, “The Real Kilroy,” which was announced on the radio program “Speak to America.”

The person who could prove they were the real Kilroy would win a real trolley car.

About 40 men laid claim to the infamous drawing, but only one stood atop the rest. That was James Kilroy from Halifax, Massachusetts.

Here’s how his story went:

Mr. Kilroy was a 46-year-old shipyard worker who counted rivets during the war. As he counted, he would place a check mark on each so as not to count twice. Riveters were paid for each completed rivet.

After he clocked off for the day, the riveters would wipe off the check marks. As the shipyard inspector went on duty, he would count the unchecked rivets a second time. This resulted in double pay for the riveters.

Kilroy’s boss, noticing the increase in the riveters’ wages, asked Kilroy to investigate. When the scandal was discovered, a solution was devised.

Trying to use a more permanent solution, such as paint, would have proven tricky, considering the tight spaces. So Kilroy stuck with his waxy chalk, but added “KILROY WAS HERE” next to each check mark. Then, he eventually added the sketch of the long-nosed fellow peering over the fence.

Kilroy was here, seen in Kansas City, MO. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; Marshall Astor

Once it was discovered they had been caught, the riveters quit wiping away his marks. Maybe the guilt of Kilroy “watching” stopped them in their tracks?

Normally, the chalk marks and rivets would have been covered up with paint. With the war on, however, there wasn’t any time to paint over them as they left the shipyard at an increasing speed.

Therefore, Kilroy’s inspection trademark was seen by thousands of servicemen.

Kilroy. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; Ron Hann

Kilroy made a lasting impression with the troops and was mimicked everywhere—from Berlin to Tokyo. It became a challenge to see how far, high, or low Kilroy could go.

Photograph of a Kilroy was here-style snowman; Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; Florian Kilzer

Kilroy is rumored to be atop Mount Everest, the Statue of Liberty, and on the underside of the Arc de Triomphe. Some say he is even scrawled in the dust on the moon.

The moon? Well, who knows, but he is on the back of the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.—forever immortalized.

Kilroy was here engraving at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; Matt H. Wade

Wherever Kilroy is, and however he came about (there’s some debate about a similar character named “Foo” who was created by the Australians during World War I), he gave a little piece of charm and distraction from the war to troops everywhere.

Oh, and James Kilroy won the trolley car.

Ready for a dose of sweet, sweet heartache?

Of course you are.

This is the kind of story that makes it feel like Valentine’s Day in August.

Image by L. Prang & Co. via Wikimedia Commons

After 96-year-old Fred Stobaugh lost his wife of 75 years, he did something he’d only done once before:

He wrote a song.

Inspired by loneliness and love, he sat alone in his Peoria, Illinois, home and penned “Oh, Sweet Lorraine.”

Oh, Sweet Lorraine

I wish we could do

The good times

All over again

Shortly after putting his love to lyrics, Fred spotted an ad in the local paper announcing a contest for singer-songwriters sponsored by Green Shoe Studio.

He didn’t suppose he fit either bill, but he just happened to have one song up his sleeve …

Oh, sweet Lorraine

Life only goes around

Once

But never again

“I’ll just send a letter,” Fred remembers thinking, even though contestants were asked to send newfangled YouTube videos of their musical performances.

With old fashioned resolve, he sent his song on paper. He wrote on the envelope, “‘I don’t sing, I would scare people, haha!”

Fred assumed he wouldn’t hear back from young, hip Green Shoe Studio.

But you know he did.

This is just that kind of story.

Contest director Jacob Colgan contacted Fred to tell him that he would like to professionally record “Oh, Sweet Lorraine.”

“Why would you do this for me?” Fred asked.

The answer was plain, Jacob explained, “Your song touched us.”

My memories will always

Linger on

Oh, sweet Lorraine

Listen to the song in the video above, wipe your tears, then go and pick up your own copy of Fred’s song on iTunes. so that you can listen,

again and again and

think about how sweet life can be

if we just will, sweet Lorraine.

Looky at the surprise left on my doorstep. My grandgirls were here last night to harvest veggies for their household and thought to pick a bowl for me along with leaving me a sweet handwritten note. How about that heirloom tomato? It’s our best year ever for heirloom tomatoes—big, fat, sweet, red, gorgeous, and drippy-juicy, yummy good.

Like O-M-G.

What’s up with G-M-Os?

(Genetically Modified Organisms, if ya didn’t know.)

Let’s focus on one thing today—corn.

Did you know that 85% (some studies show up to 99%) of non-organic corn grown today in the U.S. is genetically modified? It’s a Monsanto product called “Bt Corn,” and its genes have been modified so an insecticide, called Bacillus thuringiensis, is produced by the plant.

That’s right, it produces its own pesticide, that when eaten by certain insects, breaks open their stomachs.

Bt-toxin, from soil bacteria, has been used as a natural pesticide for years. The difference?

The GM version is built inside the plant—the toxin doesn’t wash off, you can’t avoid eating it, and it’s thousands of times more concentrated than the spray. It even failed the World Health Organization’s allergen screening tests.

This means, no matter how hard you scrub, you’re consuming high levels of this toxin. A recent study tested pregnant and non-pregnant Canadian females. It was accepted for publication in the journal Reproductive Toxicology, peer-reviewed, and proves the toxin isn’t breaking down in our gut like Monsanto claims, it’s showing up in the blood of those who eat it.

“Doctors at Sherbrooke University Hospital in Quebec found the corn’s Bt-toxin in the blood of pregnant women and their babies, as well as in non-pregnant women. (Specifically, the toxin was identified in 93% of 30 pregnant women, 80% of umbilical blood in their babies, and 67% of 39 non-pregnant women.)” Source: mercola.com 

Oh, and if you eat meat, remember that almost all cows and livestock in the U.S. are fed GMO corn (except my dairy cows, of course, who eat only local, non-GMO grass hay along with certified organic alfalfa pellets—sadly even alfalfa can be GMO now). More on how this affects these animals, and subsequently, you. Did I mention that GMOs are NEVER allowed in organic food production? ‘Nuff said?

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