Vow of silence

I have talked with people who have taken a vow of silence, some as long as a week, for religious or other reasons.

Others have fasted.

I have fasted for as long as a day, but never silence any longer than during the night, and possibly not even then.

Have you ever taken a vow of silence? How long? What were your reasons?

Have you ever fasted? How long? What were your reasons?

I think these are important rituals to practice.

Illinois Marathon in Champaign Saturday May 1

Approximately 15,000 people will be running and many more will be watching this Saturday.

If you are in or near Champaign, Illinois, come to the marathon Saturday May 1.

Air travel in the 1990s

Plane Talk
By Debra L. Karplus

Travel is my passion. I have an Incurable case of wanderlust. I love to travel by car, train, even by bus, but especially by plane. My Rand McNally Road Atlas & Travel Guide is conveniently stored in the magazine rack beside my favorite sofa in the family room. I regularly visit the AAA Travel Center and have accumulated AAA Tour Books for most of the fifty states. These guides provide comprehensive listings and descriptions of sites and lodging. I proudly keep my set of books on the shelf for easy reference the way most people display their encyclopedia, dictionary and thesaurus, or perhaps exhibit their bowling trophies. I notice that I don’t have the Tour Book for Wyoming yet; I must be sure to order that guide from the AAA in case I want to visit Jackson. I hear that the scenery around Jackson, Wyoming is exquisite. I also have the AAA road map of every state, including Hawaii, and even of some large cities that I visit often such as Boston.

Nearly anywhere in the United States is a reasonable destination for a day trip, a four-day weekend, or a week long holiday. I have two criteria for defining a true vacation. The first is that I am able to buy an item in the vacation spot that cannot be found in a shop back home. Wild rice and cranberries sold cheap in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota would be examples of such purchases. The second criterion is that the vacation spot be located in a different time zone. For those of us in Central Illinois, that means even parts of Indiana count as vacation spots, but of course that is only in the months between October and April when the Hoosiers are on a different time zone than the rest of us Midwesterners. That will soon change when Indiana embraces daylight savings time.

In the early 1990’s air travel was considerably more carefree and less regulated that it is today. US Airways ran a small commuter plane between Champaign, Illinois and Indianapolis. This was quite a popular hundred mile trip with few empty seats on most planes. If you’ve ever flown on one of these 18-seat propeller planes, you’d understand why they have been affectionately nicknamed “puddle hoppers”. Folks with claustrophobia would find it prudent to try a different means of transportation. On these quick jaunts, take-off and landing time takes far longer than the actual time in the air. These trips fly without flight attendants. There is no place for overhead luggage, carry-on bags, and in fact, barely room for a small purse. No soda and pretzels are served on these trips. There is simply no time to distribute snacks. And that’s probably sensible because there are no rest rooms on these toy planes either.

I was heading back to Champaign from Indianapolis, returning from an enjoyable family visit on the East coast. I was ready to be home. The plane from Newark , New Jersey to Indianapolis was huge with a savory meal served in generous portions, unlimited beverages, assorted magazines to read from Business Week to current issues of People Magazine, ample number of helpful flight attendants, and five seats across each of its thirty rows. At the Indianapolis International Airport, I was directed to an out-of-the-way gate where the little commuter planes arrive and depart. I was about to embark on the last leg of my journey home. I had actually flown on these planes before, so I was not surprised to see that many small planes fly out of the same gate within minutes of each other, all headed to non-major airports within 150 miles of Indianapolis. Because these are propeller planes, they are extremely noisy, especially when there are four of them parked nose-to-nose at the gate. There is no indoor jet way to the planes. Passengers descend a long flight of stairs with carry-on bags in town, and walk outdoors to the commuter planes, regardless of weather.

I lined up at the gate with approximately sixty other people, each with air ticket in hand. When finally at the front of the line, I yelled above the propeller noise, “I’m going to Champaign”, to the flight attendant as she appeared to closely scrutinize my boarding pass. I proceeded to follow the people in front of me onto the plane and quickly found a seat just behind the pilot. I had never before sat so close to the pilot, and I found it intriguing to see all the dials and controls that he had to use to fly an airplane that was not much larger than my Ford Escort station wagon, though this plane had considerably less leg room than my Escort. It made me think, though just for the moment, that I might like to fly my own plane someday.

Once all the seats were filled, the door of the airplane slammed shut and a recorded message echoes with instructions for seat bet use, oxygen masks, and floatation devices. I wondered exactly what body of water existed between Indianapolis and Champaign that might require the use of a floatation device, except perhaps Homer Lake, a tiny man-made lake just outside of Champaign or maybe the Vermilion River, which, at its widest point is still measured in yards rather than in fractions of miles. Caution is always good, I thought, especially when you’re up in the sky.

The plane began to back away from the gate and drove along the taxi-way. I looked around and immediately noticed that I didn’t recognize any of the other passengers, which was unusual for me. In all my years of flying in and out of my home town, it seems I always recognized at least one other passenger, even on a small commuter plane. “Oh well”, I humbly reasoned, “I don’t know everyone in the Midwest!” But many of the passengers seemed to know each other and were enthusiastically engaged in conversation. I overheard one of my plane-mates mentioning Fort Wayne as they jabbered away, above the propeller’s whirling sound. As I eavesdropped a bit more, I learned that Fort Wayne had a Children’s Museum, a Museum of Art, the Allen County Courthouse with free self guided walking tours, an extensive genealogy archives collection, and the Lincoln Museum where one could view the actual inkwell that Abraham Lincoln used when he signed the Emancipation Proclamation. “Hmmmm, interesting”. I found it odd that many of these strangers had some connection to Fort Wayne, Indiana, a town about the same size as Champaign, but located about 100 miles Northeast of Indianapolis. And that triggered that bright little idea light bulb in my brain to flash as I asked my seatmate, with a bit of uneasiness, “Hey, where’s this plane going?” She continued to read Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and made no eye contact with me as she nonchalantly mumbled, “Fort Wayne”.

“YIKES”. Fort Wayne, Champaign. I guess they do sound alike, but I had no intention of ending up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, however enchanting a place my fellow passengers made Fort Wayne sound. I was glad I had sat in the front seat of the plane because I was able to tap the pilot on the shoulder and I asked him where the plane was going, and he confirmed my worst suspicion. “We’ll be landing in Fort Wayne in less than an hour”, the pilot stated firmly. “But I’m headed to CHAM-PAIGN”, I said slowly and loudly, with two very distinct syllables, as if speaking to a 90 year old man with severe haring loss. Had I really ended up on the wrong plane? Nothing good could possibly come out of this situation. “What next?” I wondered, as I evaluated this unexpected turn of events.

I felt the plane gradually slow down as we were on the taxi-way of the Indianapolis International Airport. I peeked out the small translucent window and could not even see the airport terminal. The plane stopped and the door popped open. The pilot told me I could now “deplane”, a word you never hear except on airplanes and on Fantasy Island reruns. The seventeen passengers on my plane no longer seemed quite so friendly, and showed looks of disgust and irritation on their faces, as I climbed around them in their tiny seats, exiting the plane behind its back row.

Feeling a bit sheepish, I was greeted by a robust man in a khaki colored nondescript uniform, wearing oversized black ear protectors which blended with his very dark hair, making his head look a bit like that of Mickey Mouse. He was driving one of those golf cart-like vehicles along the taxi-way. I had always wondered just what those carts were used for. Now I was about to find out. The cart screeched to a stop at the bottom of the stairs outside my plane. The driver leaped out of his cart and greeted me, and HE spoke to ME as if HE was speaking to a 90 year old man with severe hearing loss, slowly and loudly with very distinct syllables. “DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?” he asked with compassion but also some condescension. “Yes”, I sharply barked. “I’m headed to Champaign, Illinois, but this plane is going to Fort Wayne, Indiana.” I retrieved my luggage which had been stored under the plane, not an easy task when seventeen other pieces of luggage need to be rearranged to get to it. It reminded me of the time I had a flat tire on my Ford Escort station wagon while on a long driving trip and had to remove the entire contents of its large cargo area to get the spare tire our of the car’s trunk. I leaped onto the cart and was chauffeured back to the terminal. I was personally guided to a plane headed to Champaign, and, as they say, the rest is history.

I still love to travel, perhaps more now than ever. I have learned to pay much closer attention when I travel, especially when I am following people. Lately, I have been seriously thinking about taking a trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana, since I have never actually been there. I would need to make the trip in the months between October and April, when Indiana is on a different time zone from Illinois, for this to feel like a true vacation. US Airways has stopped flying out of Champaign and I’ve not yet learned to pilot my own small plane. I’d probably want the leg room anyway, so this would likely be a driving trip. According to my AAA Indiana Tour Book, I think I could drive the speed limit and arrive in Fort Wayne within four hours. My AAA Indiana map shows that I would be taking Interstate 74 through Indianapolis, and then would angle Northeast on Interstate 69 to Fort Wayne. It looks like it would be a scenic ride, especially near the many state forests I see notated in green on the map. The Tour Book makes Fort Wayne sound like a fascinating vacation spot, a city that is “an important center of trade”, according to the book’s introduction. That Abraham Lincoln inkwell sounds like an attraction I definitely wouldn’t want to overlook. The Tour Book also shows that there is a Greater Fort Wayne Aviation Museum. I would need a reservation to go there, according to the Tour Book, but I think it would be well worth the trouble. At the Aviation Museum, I would probably learn many useful facts about flying and perhaps that would help me become a savvier traveler.

Song Sung Blue - a film to see!!!

We were so fortunate to be able to see at the Evertfest today the film
entitled Song Sung Blue which chronicles the ups and downs of Lightning and Thunder, a singing duo from Milwaukee.

This 2008 documentary film is one you will definitely NOT want to miss. I cried, I laughed.

Check it out!

Changing course

The Balloon Garden: A Fantasy for Young and Old
By Debra L. Karplus

It was June and the flowers were in full bloom. Jupiter Grade School was closed for the summer. The children had gone home and would not return until September. The principal’s office was lifeless. The hallways were silent. All the classrooms were dark and empty. The bulletin boards were barren. The chalkboards were a dull green with no evidence of homework assignments. The desks were arranged in tidy straight rows and were free of textbooks and papers and pencils. No Little Mermaid backpacks or Star Wars lunch boxes could be found in the cloak room. No school buses could be seen anywhere near Jupiter Grade School. The teachers from Jupiter Grade School complained that they were bored and had nothing to do.

Then, Mrs. Path, the science teacher, burst out with an idea. “Perhaps all the teachers from Jupiter Grade School should go on a field trip?” she suggested.

Mrs. Tripp, who loved teaching social studies seemed to relish the idea but questioned, “Where shall we go?”

Mr. Hite, who taught math, summated “I think we should all go visit the moon. None of us has ever been there.”

“Could we go there is a space ship?” chimed in Mr. Ayres, the music teacher.

“That’s a superb idea”, interjected Mrs. Path.

Mr. Widget, the school custodian, constructed the space ship from supplies in the janitor’s closet. Miss Frame, the art teacher created parts of the space ship with paper mache, pipe cleaners, and crepe paper. She painted it with bright yellow acrylics, and decorated the back with fancy black racing stripes. Mr. Steer, the school bus driver, agreed to pilot the space ship.

So, the teachers from Jupiter Grade School prepared for their field trip. They packed all the clothes they would need. They also collected some of their books. Mrs. Tripp’s navy canvas briefcase contained an assortment of necessary maps so that they would not make any wrong turns. Mrs. Path carried her laminated chart of the solar system so that they could find their way. Mr. Hite stored a scientific calculator in his powder blue colored shirt pocket, so that they could measure the number of miles they had traveled. And, Mr. Ayres packed a boom box and gathered some of his favorite CDs to share while they traveled, including Frank Sinatra singing “Fly Me to the Moon”, Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”, and the Beatles “Ticket to Ride”. Miss Rice, the lunchroom lady, made ready sloppy Joes on whole wheat sesame seed buns and potato chips and small cups of chocolate pudding with tiny flat wooden spoon-like utensils so that the teachers on the space ship would feel nourished.

The teachers met on the playground at Jupiter Grade School. The students from Jupiter Grade School gathered nearby and waved good-bye to their teachers, as the students happily frolicked on the swings and slides. The teachers stood tall and proud as they promenaded onto the space ship.

Mrs. Stay, the second grade teacher, could not participate in the field trip because she had forgotten to bring her signed permission slip. Mr. Ride, Jupiter Grade School’s well-respected principal, took attendance to make sure all the other teacher’s were aboard the space ship and were properly wearing their seat belts.

The space ship carrying the teachers from Jupiter Grade School shut its doors and departed from the school. As the space ship left the earth, the teachers peered out its tiny windows in awe. Mrs. Path pulled out a spiral notebook from her khaki backpack and began to take notes as the space ship sped through layers of clouds and traveled far beyond the planets and the stars.

The teachers from Jupiter Grade School were so animated and were feeling joyful. They agreed that they had stowed all the necessary articles for their long awaited field trip to the moon. Mrs. Tripp’s maps were extremely helpful to prevent them from making any wrong turns. Mrs. Path’s laminated chart of the solar system was also very useful for aiding the teachers to find their way. Mr. Hite’s scientific calculator was beneficial, too, for measuring the miles they had traveled. And Mr. Ayres certainly kept his promise of providing appropriate entertainment for the journey with his eclectic assortment of CDs.

The teachers from Jupiter Grade School were finding great pleasure in the music from the CDs as they soared through the skies at great speed in their space ship. They began to harmonize to the music. They clapped and they danced. It seemed they were no longer even paying attention to the maps that Mrs. Tripp had carried onto the space ship. They were no longer studying Mrs. Path’s laminated chart of the solar system. And, they were no longer making use of the figures on Mr. Hite’s scientific calculator. Much time had passed. Many miles had already been traveled.

And then, rather spontaneously, the teachers made the deduction that they had, in fact, made a turn in the wrong place and had veered off in the wrong direction. As they looked out the tiny space ship windows they now noticed that nothing looked familiar. It seems they were no longer headed toward the moon. This realization caused a hush amongst the teachers from Jupiter Grade School as they pondered, with an unexpected seriousness, what they should do.

They decided to hold an assembly to make some decisions about what to do. Mrs. Path, the science teacher, thought they should experiment by continuing in a new direction. Mrs. Tripp, who loved teaching social studies, suggested they go back to where they started and get back on their intended route. Mr. Hite, who taught math, thought they should travel along the hypotenuse since it would be shorter than the sum total of the routes.

Then, Mr. Ayres, the music teacher, had a look of astonishment appear on his wrinkled brow as he peered out the tiny space ship window. In the distance he spotted something. Initially, he was unable to determine what he was looking at. First, he noticed shapes. Then, he spotted colors.

As they traveled further he could see that there were miles and miles of many bright colors. It seemed to be a huge bountiful garden of many colors, but then he concluded that what he saw were not flowers at all.

And they were moving. Not really moving, but bouncing. No, not really bouncing, but bobbing. “What could all those colors be?” asked Mr. Ayres to Miss Frame in wonderment.

The space ship continued to soar beyond the planets and the stars. As the space ship approached the garden-like colors, Mrs. Tripp made the discovery of what they were all really looking at. “A balloon garden. That’s what this is, a balloon garden. Those colors we see are balloons. Millions of balloons! They are all the balloons that boys and girls from all over the world have lost.” Mrs. Tripp wisely acknowledged. “From birthday parties. From carnivals. From Afghanistan. From Monticello. From Anywhere. From Everywhere. All the lost balloons must end up here!” she remarked with strong conviction. Some of the balloons were red. Some of the balloons were purple. Some of the balloons were yellow. Some of the balloons were twisted into funny animal shapes. Some of the balloons looked like flags from faraway countries. One of the orange balloons had “Go Illini” printed on it in large blues letters and was shaped like a football.

Some of the balloons were attached to long white strings. Some of the balloons were attached to colorful curly ribbons. And some of the balloons strings were attached to each other in a loose knot.

The space ship neared the place where all the colorful balloons were floating. The space ship gradually slowed down and then finally came to a halt and became silent. The teachers from Jupiter Grade School felt a bit wobbly as they marched off the space ship with curiosity.

As the teachers from Jupiter Grade School approached the millions of balloons, they reached out. And then they carefully transported each and every balloon one by one onto their space ship. Much time had passed before they had gathered all the balloons.

And then, the teachers of Jupiter Grade School embarked onto their space ship. And this time they actually used the maps that Mrs. Tripp, the social studies teacher, had brought. And, they actually used the laminated chart of the solar system that Mrs. Path, the science teacher had brought. And, they actually used the scientific calculator that Mr. Hite, the math teacher had brought. And, they joyfully listened to the CDs in the boom box that belonged to Mr. Ayres, the music teacher. And, they successfully navigated their way back to earth.

And, when the teachers of Jupiter Grade School returned to earth, they distributed each and every balloon one by one to the boys and girls all over the world who had lost balloons.

The teachers had big smiles across their faces. Their summer field trip had never taken them to the moon as they had planned. But they were able to bring happiness to all the boys and girls from all over the world who had lost balloons.

And so, to all students of life, your homework from the teachers of Jupiter Grade School is to remember that even if you are not on the path that you had intended to travel, life often takes you to a much better destination.

Autism Awareness

About Autism

April is National Autism Awareness Month. This disability is more common than one might imagine.

That child who appears smart, yet socially different and sometimes has language deficits, may be someone with Autism.

If you suspect Autism in a young child, ask your pediatrician or some other professional who understands Autism.

Petals & Paintings exhibit at Krannert Art Museum

The Krannert Art Museum featured an exhibit, Petals & Painting, where floral designers created pieces to match paintings of different styles and eras. Very cool!

National Volunteer Week

This is National Volunteer Week. I have been very busy this week attending events that recognize and honor those of us who help with events.

The most recent article I had published was in Dollar Stretcher, Benefits of Volunteering.

But, it didn't really impact me, until I started reorganizing my T-shirt drawer, or should I say, drawers. (There are now TWO of them!)

I am not sure what to do with all those T-shirts. Most carry with them, many fine memories of volunteering experiences.

Ebertfest in Champaign

The annual movie festival of favorite overlooked films of Roger Ebert is this week and the town is buzzing.

Follow the fest on twitter and on the Ebertfest website.

Be careful on the Internet!

I love Dick's Sporting Goods here in Champaign. They have many useful items at good prices. That's the reason I attempted to use their web site.

But, by mistake, I failed to type in the entire store name, only the first word.

Oh my goodness. Wrong site!

Be careful!

Earth Day

This week is Earth Day and, in many states, Arbor Day.

What are some ways that you can help the planet?

Strawberry plants need straw

As the garden evolves this spring, I am adding to it daily.

Yesterday, I found a large bag of straw that a neighbor was giving away. It's perfect for my new strawberry plants that I put in a few weeks ago. They really seem to be thriving.

Shircago

We enjoyed hearing Shircago, an a capella quartet from Chicago, in concert last night.

Do you enjoy a capella singing?

Grow soybeans in your garden

I'd love to grow soybeans in my backyard garden.

Has anyone done this successfully?

I need some advice.

Champaign Mayor Jerry

Wow, Jerry. Nearly 5000 hits on YouTube.com in one day! You are making Champaign a famous place.

Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4LBdSnhkE

My Favorite Mile - Los Angeles Marathon

I have much respect for people who can run marathons. The Los Angeles Marathon was last month and has an intriguing web site, www.myfavoritemile.com, My Favorite Mile.

Check it out!

How to Grow Garlic

Well, thanks to Uncle Larry's good advice, I now have garlic growing in the yard.

I bought some garlic at the grocery, and put the separate cloves into the soil. Three weeks later, I have plants about a foot tall. Amazing!!!

Grapevine support

Being a scavenger and quite frugal, I was determined to build something free and functional and reasonably attractive, to support my grapevine.

Voila! At the News-Gazette, where I frequently pick up free pallets (skids). Saturday, they had some really fancy pallets, so I put a bunch in the back seat of the Honda Civic, brought them to my garden and erected the perfect grapevine trellis. I am quite pleased with the results. Before long, I will be opening a winery. (Grin.)

Notice some of the extremely tidy firewood pile in the background and the tomato fences awaiting the May 1 tomato planting.

Pajama Game - musical at Champaign Centennial High School this weekend

WOW!!! I was lucky enough to get to see the previews of The Pajama Game, a musical production, and boy, is it ever gpod!!!!

Local folks, be sure to get tickets.

Remembering Mable Thomas of Champaign

How surprising and sad that we have lost Mable Thomas. The Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette has the details about Mable. She was a hard worker and a good person. She will be missed.

Grape trelliss

I need ideas to support the grapevine that I planted in my garden. This is its second season and the plant looks robust.

Anyone?

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Most kids movies are difficullt for grownups to sit through,but Diary of a Wimpy Kid was extremely well done. I recommend it!

Read Diary of a Wimpy Kid and compare it to the movie.

Earthquake in Baja Mexico

Folks in Los Angeles just felt this 6.9 earthquake.

Did you feel it?

How far away were the quakes felt?

Republican versus Democrat

When a seven year old asks, how do you explain the difference between Republicans and Democrats? The question really took me by surprise from such a young person!