Tornado Watch today....here in Stuart, FL

Wow...I looked at the weather map and it's a BIG one. The wind is blowing like crazy.

A Letter From Sendai

A letter from a friends friend:

Hello My Lovely Family and Friends,

First I want to thank you so very much for your concern for me. I am very touched. I also wish to apologize for a generic message to you all. But it seems the best way at the moment to get my message to you.

Things here in Sendai have been rather surreal. But I am very blessed to have wonderful friends who are helping me a lot. Since my shack is even more worthy of that name, I am now staying at a friend's home. We share supplies like water, food and a kerosene heater. We sleep lined up in one room, eat by candlelight, share stories. It is warm, friendly, and beautiful.

During the day we help each other clean up the mess in our homes. People sit in their cars, looking at news on their navigation screens, or line up to get drinking water when a source is open. If someone has water running in their home, they put out sign so people can come to fill up their jugs and buckets.

Utterly amazingly where I am there has been no looting, no pushing in lines. People leave their front door open, as it is safer when an earthquake strikes. People keep saying, "Oh, this is how it used to be in the old days when everyone helped one another."

Quakes keep coming. Last night they struck about every 15 minutes. Sirens are constant and helicopters pass overhead often.

We got water for a few hours in our homes last night, and now it is for half a day. Electricity came on this afternoon. Gas has not yet come on.

But all of this is by area. Some people have these things, others do not. No one has washed for several days. We feel grubby, but there are so much more important concerns than that for us now. I love this peeling away of non-essentials. Living fully on the level of instinct, of intuition, of caring, of what is needed for survival, not just of me, but of the entire group.

There are strange parallel universes happening. Houses a mess in some places, yet then a house with futons or laundry out drying in the sun.

People lining up for water and food, and yet a few people out walking their dogs. All happening at the same time.

Other unexpected touches of beauty are first, the silence at night. No cars. No one out on the streets. And the heavens at night are scattered with stars. I usually can see about two, but now the whole sky is filled.

The mountains are Sendai are solid and with the crisp air we can see them silhouetted against the sky magnificently.

And the Japanese themselves are so wonderful. I come back to my shack to check on it each day, now to send this e-mail since the electricity is on, and I find food and water left in my entranceway. I have no idea from whom, but it is there. Old men in green hats go from door to door checking to see if everyone is OK. People talk to complete strangers asking if they need help. I see no signs of fear. Resignation, yes, but fear or panic, no.

They tell us we can expect aftershocks, and even other major quakes, for another month or more. And we are getting constant tremors, rolls, shaking, rumbling. I am blessed in that I live in a part of Sendai that is a bit elevated, a bit more solid than other parts. So, so far this area is better off than others. Last night my friend's husband came in from the country, bringing food and water. Blessed again.

Somehow at this time I realize from direct experience that there is indeed an enormous Cosmic evolutionary step that is occurring all over the world right at this moment. And somehow as I experience the events happening now in Japan, I can feel my heart opening very wide. My brother asked me if I felt so small because of all that is happening. I don't. Rather, I feel as part of something happening that much larger than myself. This wave of birthing (worldwide) is hard, and yet magnificent.

Thank you again for your care and Love of me,

With Love in return, to you all,

Heather Forman demos for the Art Associates of Martin County

Heather Forman gave a great demo for the AAMC. This is one of her surface design textiles. It was held at the Women's Club building and the setup with the mirror above the artist was great.

Please join the AAMC...they have great events and they serve a delicious punch and cake!

These ladies (below) are all fabulous artists and members of the AAMC. Lois Looby and her friends.

Hier Katze, Katze

My cousin is living in Germany and met a cat that lives in the neighborhood. She called out, "Here Kitty, Kitty" and the cat ignored her. So she spoke to the cat in German, "Hier Katze, Katze" and the cat came right over.

Wishing the people of Japan hope, love, and strength....

Sakura (Cherry Blossom)

In the Japanese culture, the cherry blossom represents the cycle of life and how our lives blossom and fall. The blossoms represent the beautiful but transient nature of life.

Leslie Peacock...3rd Place WINNER in the Mid Atlantic Quilt & Wearable Art Show 2011

This jacket is named the "Jacobean Garden" and created by Leslie Peacock in Arizona and her email is carousel01@earthlink.net if you have any questions or wish to buy her jacket pattern. This is a quote from her:

 “Jacobean Garden” began with the floral batik fabric and was the challenge fabric for the 2010 Innovations Quilt Show.  The floral fabric reminded me of some Jacobean designs I had purchased through Embroidery Library and soothe jacket design was born.   I love to embroider designs on my garments and I combined various designs and decorative stitches to create the designs on this garment. I used quilting techniques including Seminole piecing to complete the design.  Decorative stitching was used for the “quilting” and the batting is Hobbs Silk Batting. The pattern is from my “I’m Wearing My Quilt” Pattern Collection, #1007.  I used Hemingworth embroidery thread for the embroidery designs as well as the decorative stitching