Several years ago a friend and I were visiting an art gallery.
Times two.
I snapped this picture of her, never noticing until I saw the shot later that she was standing in a similar pose to the piece of art hanging behind her.
Sometimes life imitates art unconsciously.
Here, here and here are a few of my favorites, so far, from this week’s challenge.
Years ago my Dad said he could tell where he was in the life cycle by the tone of the family Christmas letters we received. Back in the early days people were starting out and talked about new babies, new jobs. Then suddenly kids were graduating and getting married and starting jobs themselves. Grandchildren began arriving. Eventually his friends started retiring, traveling, dealing with health issues. News of death was beginning to appear in holiday letters the last years of his life.
I think about that a lot as I see it reflected in the Christmas cards I receive each year. People I went to school with are grandparents now. And more and more hints that life doesn’t last forever are popping up in those yearly letters.
But it’s more than the annual holiday letter that provide clues about mortality. Social media, Facebook, Twitter and all the rest keep us up to date with people we might never have stayed connected with prior to the internet. We hear about life events almost instantly. We offer congratulations and condolences and support from a keyboard. And while I appreciate the connections I feel an old fashioned responsibility to send something more, especially when condolences are required.
So I have letters to write.
Today is the funeral of a blogger friend’s dad. Early next week a friend from high school will be burying her own dad. The two men died on the same day; I learned of their deaths while on the internet. At Christmas I learned that a coworker died last year. I hadn’t known he was sick and I want to write his widow who I never met. And last week I read online that the father of kids I used to babysit has died. His widow still lives in the house down the street from my old home. Though the children are grown, probably with kids of their own, I feel a need to let them know I’m thinking of them.
Somehow it doesn’t seem enough to just say ‘sorry for your loss’ in a Facebook post. Yet I’ve done it that way too. A friend from the dog training community lost both her parents in September last year, and all my communication was in the form of emails and Facebook posts and private messaging. Is that enough? Does that provide a more immediate support? Has the world moved on from handwritten letters that arrive with a stamp?
Or do I have letters to write?
The Senate and the House versions of the Transportation Bill will be going to conference, probably this week. The Senate version allows for 33 foot double trailers to drive across the country. This policy change didn’t come from any safety studies, didn’t have any hearings, and isn’t even anything that most truck companies are requesting. It’s something that a few companies, notably FedEx and UPS, have managed to get attached to an important bill.
The Teamsters representing many drivers, law enforcement, safety advocates, environmental groups, biking organizations and pedestrian groups oppose longer double trailers. Thirty-three foot double trailers will require 22 feet longer to stop, and will require a 6 foot wider radius to make it around a corner. The back trailer won’t track the same as the front trailer when turning.
Here’s part of the email I got tonight from The Truck Safety Coalition:
“URGE SENATORS TO VOTE YES ON WICKER MOTION TO INSTRUCT CONFEREES TO REQUIRE SAFETY STUDY OF DOUBLE 33s IN TRANSPORTATION REAUTHORIZATION BILL
November 9, 2015
The House and Senate multi-year transportation reauthorization bills contain several provisions that deteriorate truck safety and many missed chances to improve safety. The process of reconciling these two bills falls to the appointees on the Conference Committee who will be meeting soon.
Prior to Conference, Senators and Representatives may offer instructions to conferees, which must be approved by a majority of the respective chamber. Senator Wicker will be offering a Motion to Instruct [Senate] Conferees to include language that would require the Department of Transportation to study the safety impacts of Double 33s before requiring most states to allow these longer trucks on their roads. It is critical that this vote passes.”
SO…Senator Wicker is going to offer a motion that the DOT study the safety of double 33 foot trailers. It has to be voted on by the Senate. Below is a list of Senators that need to be contacted and asked to vote YES on the Wicker Motion on the multi-year transportation reauthorization bill. If you see one or both of YOUR senators, could you please call them or email them tomorrow (Tuesday) and ask them to vote YES on the Wicker motion?
I’d appreciate it very much.
Here’s more of the email:
“Please take the time to call and email Senators’ offices below, and urge them to vote YES on Senator Wicker’s Motion to Instruct Senate Conferees, which would require the Department of Transportation to study the safety impacts of Double 33s before federally mandating these longer, more dangerous trucks.
*PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD OR COPY & PASTE THE CONTENTS OF THIS EMAIL, please use your own words to make the points.
TALKING POINTS:
· DOT recommended no change to truck size and weight due to insufficient data.
· Double 33s will be 10 feet longer than double 28s; they will be 91 feet in length.
· Longer trucks make merging and passing more difficult.
· Double 33s have:
o A six foot wider turning radius
o 33% increase in low-speed off-tracking
o A 22 foot longer stopping distance (nearly the length of two cars).”
Here’s the list of Senators that need to be contacted:
Remember: Urge Senators to Vote YES on Wicker Motion to Instruct Senate Conferees to Require Safety Study of Double 33s in Multi-Year Highway Bill THIS IS THE LAST CHANCE TO DEFEAT DOUBLE 33s!
CONTACT FOR SENATE OFFICES:
Mark Kirk (IL)
· 202-224-2854
· Jeannette_Windon@Kirk.Senate.gov
Ron Johnson (WI)
· 202-224-5323
· Lydia_Westlake@ronjohnson.senate.gov
Pat Toomey (PA)
· 202-224-4254
· Daniel_Brandt@toomey.senate.gov
Kelly Ayotte (NH)
· 202-224-3324
· Adam_Hechavarria@ayotte.senate.gov
Lisa Murkowski (AK)
· 202-224-6665
· Kate_Williams@murkowski.senate.gov
Rob Portman (OH)
· 202-224-3353
· Pam_Thiessen@portman.senate.gov
Thad Cochran (MS)
· 202-224-5054
· Adam_Telle@cochran.senate.gov
Richard Burr (NC)
· 202-224-3154
· Natasha_Hickman@burr.senate.gov
David Perdue (GA)
· 202-224-3521
· Pj_Waldrop@perdue.senate.gov
Bill Cassidy (LA)
· 202-224-5824
· Chris_Gillott@cassidy.senate.gov
Dan Coats (IN)
· 202-224-5623
· Viraj_Mirani@coats.senate.gov
Joni Ernst (IA)
· 202-224-3254
· Ryan_Berger@ernst.senate.gov
Deb Fischer (NE)
· 202-224-6551
· Stephen_Higgins@fischer.senate.gov
Jeff Flake (AZ)
· 202-224-4521
· Chandler_Morse@flake.senate.gov
Johnny Isakson (GA)
· 202-224-3643
· Jay_Sulzmann@isakson.senate.gov
John McCain (AZ)
· 202-224-2235
· Joe_Donoghue@mccain.senate.gov
Tom Tillis (NC)
· 202-224-6342
· Ray_Starling@tillis.senate.gov
Michael Bennet (CO)
· 202-224-5852
· Riki_Parikh@bennet.senate.gov
Maria Cantwell (WA)
· 202-224-3441
· Pete_Modaff@cantwell.senate.gov
Amy Klobuchar (MN)
· 202-224-3244
· Travis_Talvitie@klobuchar.senate.gov
Gary Peters (MI)
· 202-224-6221
· David_Weinberg@peters.senate.gov
Bernie Sanders (VT)
· 202-224-5141
· Michaeleen_Crowell@sanders.senate.gov
Debbie Stabenow (MI)
· 202-224-4822
· Matt_Vankuiken@stabenow.senate.gov
Martin Heinrich (NM)
· 202-224-5521
· Jude_Mccartin@heinrich.senate.gov
Angus King (ME)
· 202-224-5344
· Chad_Metzler@king.senate.gov
Joe Donnelly (IN)
· 202-224-4814
· Andrew_Lattanner@donnelly.senate.gov
Heidi Heitkamp (ND)
· 202-224-2043
· Tracee_Sutton@heitkamp.senate.gov
Tim Kaine (VA)
· 202-224-4024
· Mary_Naylor@kaine.senate.gov
Mark Warner (VA)
· 202-224-2023
· David_Hallock@warner.senate.gov
This is what a double 33 looks like.
A double 33 parked in DC.
Think about it on the road with your family. Then call you Senator. If your Senator is NOT on the above list, it’s OK for you to call them anyway. They need to know this is important, and that the majority of the American public doesn’t want longer, heavier trucks on our roads.
Help me keep these trailers off our roads.
I appreciate all your efforts. I can’t begin to tell you how much.
Carol challenged me to post a quote for three days, and each day nominate someone else to carry the challenge forward. As you know if you’ve read the last two days I opted out of nominating someone. But it’s kind of fun looking for a quote to post about, so all of you readers out there should consider chiming in!
This is day 3, the last day for me…last quote for awhile. I enjoyed doing this, and it was a short enough challenge that I could deal with being organized enough to complete it. So here you go, quote #3:
“We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.” – Martin Luther King
As you know I volunteer for The Truck Safety Coalition. We’ve been fighting a very tough fight; we’ve had plenty of disappointment and I’m sure we’ll face more going forward. But we never give up hope, we never give up the fight. And we never will.
Because people’s lives depend on us making a noise big enough to be heard.
Miss you Dad
Peep and me meeting this morning at the park.
Peep and I had so much fun! We especially liked foiling all our mamas’ attempts to get cute pictures of the two of us together. We talked about it before we set out on the trail and decided one or the other of us would always turn away when either of them pointed a camera at us.
Got our plan down. Onward!
It worked great.
They hardly got any good pictures of us together while we went on our long walk. After awhile they just gave up. Score one for the dogs!
What’s over there?
We got to walk through the beautiful woods on a very pretty day. And it was cooler too, only in the 50s (10s in Celsius) which I like a whole lot better than the hot summer days when my coat is just so hot!
Want to come to the park with me next time?
Most of the time I got to be off leash, though when we got near a road my mama put my leash back on cause you know I like to chase cars. There wasn’t anyone else out there though, it was wonderful. The whole place was just for us!
This is my good friend Peep!
Peep and I decided that once we got back to the beach we’d let the moms take pictures of us sitting together, as long as they didn’t make us sit too close.
We did this for the moms.
We like each other and all, but we still like our own personal space, you know?
So then after we posed for them my mama was talking to Peep’s mom about calling us so she could get pictures of us running to her, and I heard her say ‘call’ and figured that was good enough, so I took off for her, leaving poor Peep in the dust.
Coming mama!
Peep says the only reason I got ahead of her was because I cheated. I think it’s my due as a princess.
Either way we had a wonderful time out there in the park for a couple of hours. When we got home mama had to comb out my furs to get all the bits of leaves and stickers out of me. I was sort of a mess. But I’m a good girl and stood quietly on my table till she was done cleaning out my armpits.
Then I took a nap. Cause that’s what a princess does after a big day. I heard mama and Peep’s mom talking about when we can go again before hunting season. I’m pretty sure we’re going to get one more long walk together soon.
Wait up!
I hope so. Cause Peep and I are champion walkers in the woods kind of dogs. Plus we look good doing it.
Don’t you agree?
Yep. Will pose for food.
Peaceful
Her talk was excellent and I can’t wait to read the new book. I opened it at random in three places last night and laughed out loud each time. She can write! Even while you’re learning about things you may never have thought about you’re enjoying the adventure of it all in her books.
Sunset glow
I love Northport, the little town at the tip of Michigan’s pinky finger. I can’t think of a place more lovely, more welcoming, more serene. Lucky for me I have a friend or two there, so I was able to camp on a lawn near Lake Michigan on Tuesday night after Loreen’s talk at the local library. The sunset that night was spectacular.
Beautiful water.
I didn’t take a lot of photos this trip, other than the sunset, at least there on the lake. Instead I enjoyed swimming in the cool clear water of Lake Michigan, listening to a bit of jazz at a local restaurant, conversation with friends, and sleeping out under the stars.
OK. So I didn’t really notice the stars much. I slept better out there on the front lawn than I’ve slept in a good long while and I don’t think I woke at all until morning. Must have been the lake air.
It’s cherry harvesting time in Northport and I stopped on my way out of town to get a photo.
Looks like a good year for cherries.
Don’t they look good? In my family we love tart cherries even more than the sweet versions. I wanted to grab a bucket and pick a few pounds, but I guess that would be stealing. So I bought a quart at a stand and ate them on the way home.
Have I mention I really love this place?
Sand clings to my memories.
Tuesday evening I was lucky enough to be in northern Michigan watching the sun set. This is a closeup of the water as the sun sank below the horizon.
I couldn’t resist showing it to you.
Stormy times
The voting was straight down party lines.
I don’t understand. If you’re elected by the majority of people in your state, but you’re only going to vote the party line without listening or even considering another opinion, what’s the point of discussing anything at all? If you can’t listen to the safety concerns of many of your constituents, if you can’t let the overwhelming evidence sway you even the slightest toward safety, if you are more concerned about your campaign contributors than the safety of regular citizens, well, then there is no hope for the future.
I’ll be honest. It has been a difficult few months. It’s hard to look forward and figure out what the next move is. Obviously the next move is to call Senators when S1732 gets to the floor of the full Senate. But sill, it’s been so discouraging. It would be easy to just let it go. I’m beginning to wonder if we’re wrong. Maybe this is what the population wants…larger trucks, younger drivers, longer driving hours, the public shouldering the expenses when a crash occurs…if so, so be it.
I was driving this morning, looking for a photo challenge shot. Out in the cornfields of rural America I had all sorts of negative thoughts bouncing around my brain. But as I drove the dirt roads, past farms and small towns, other voices started to push their way into my brain. Voices of the families. The sons and daughters, wives and husbands, siblings, grandparents, and parents of those we’ve lost. I remember saying years ago that if we saved one life my family would be even, and my sister responding emphatically that no we wouldn’t. We’ll never be even, never be whole, no matter how hard we work.
But that’s no excuse for giving up. It’s no excuse for abandoning those who can no longer speak, no excuse not to expose the horrors and the grief, no excuse not to push for change.
By the time I made my way back home I had taken a deep breath and begun thinking about what’s next. There is more than one way to approach safety. If we can’t get it done through Congress maybe we can get something done through the DOT. And if the DOT can’t get anything done then maybe we go straight to the big trucking companies. We’ve already done that with one, that company realizes that safe can be profitable. Maybe we just have to spread that word. Meanwhile we still provide support and advice and love to the families who have been forever changed by truck crashes, one family at a time.
We lost big time this month. But we won’t give up and we won’t go away. There’s only one way to move and that’s forward.
Did I get the photo I was looking for? You’ll have to wait and see.
Clouds around every corner.
Thinking about stuff
I’ve never been a great debater. I don’t even like watching debates because I can see both sides of most arguments, and I don’t like to see anyone lose. But these days with politics continually running on 24/7 news stations there’s lots of fodder for posts. And people take sides loudly and regularly. Sometimes it’s made me uncomfortable…and a few times I’ve thought about unfriending folks who have vastly different opinions about religion and politics than my own.
But I’ve never unfriended anyone. Because if I unfriend someone because they think different than me how will I get to hear the other side of the argument? How can there be any expansion of my mind, any reconsideration of other points of view if I don’t even see their comments?
I thought about all of this yesterday during a morning walk. I was having a Facebook debate about a truck safety issue with a friend. We don’t agree on some things because we come from different life experiences. We base our opinions on the things we know. That’s what everyone does. Some things we will have to agree to disagree about. Other things will be resolved on common ground.
In the end what I came to realize on my walk is that friends don’t have to like the same things, think the same things, support the same things. Friends just have to be open to new ideas, respectful of different points of view. Debate, as uncomfortable as it is, is how change happens.
And change can be good, even when it’s hard.
Katie here.
I’ve been bugging and bugging mama. Every single day I ask her if I can tell all of you about my adventure visiting my friends Ricky and his sister Callie, but mama said I had to wait my turn. Obviously she has forgotten that I am a princess. Though I don’t know how cause I remind her daily.
Anyway, mama and I were taking Callie my teeter and some weave poles cause Callie is an awesome agility dog and I don’t really like to play on the teeter, so we took daddy’s truck. That meant mama couldn’t put me in my crate in the back of the car. So guess what? I got to sit up front with her!
This is my daddy’s truck!
My boyfriend Reilly sent my mama a seat belt and she got me a harness and I was her copilot! I’m not so good at reading maps, so she used Garmin to find our way, but it was awesome being up front. Mama says, though, that when we’re in the car I’m still going to be in the back seat cause it’s safer back there. Whatever mama.
I was a good girl and didn’t bother my mama at all except when I wanted to get out and do my business. Then I just stood up and stared at her. She’s pretty good at reading my mind so we’d stop at the next rest stop and I’d get to sniff around a bit before we moved on our way.
Resting at a rest stop.
After a long time (OK, 5 hours) we got to Ricky and Callie’s house! Ricky and I are old friends so we weren’t that excited to see each other, but Callie was very excited to see me! I guess she’s never seen a real life princess before.
Beautiful Callie
I tried to be very regal, but it was totally hot that day. Mostly I sniffed around the yard and hung out in the shade with my mom and Ricky and Callie’s mom. I wasn’t interested in playing on the teeter or running weaves but it was fun to watch them do that!
Tandem teeter!
And guess what else? I figured I’d have to come clean and show my mama that I can do stairs after all. Outside I had no problem going up and down the deck stairs, but inside I would only go down the stairs, and only if my mama was going down. Then I’d race down so as not to be left behind, which startled mama the first time.
Handsome Ricky!
The next day we went for a walk in the park. It was still so HOT that I was pretty slow, always lagging behind. My mama decided we better not go too far so we cut the walk short. We’ve decided we will visit again sometime when the weather is cooler!
Going to the park!
I had a really good time. I think if I was around other shelties every day I’d learn to play with them. Poor Callie really wanted me to play but I just wanted to sit near my mama. She even offered me one of her favorite toys and I wasn’t interested. Ricky says he understands and we just hung out together.
Me and Ricky near the pool.
Mama and I left that afternoon, heading home to daddy. It was a long drive home because weather wasn’t very good and we stopped a lot along the way. I pretty much rested my eyes the whole way, no sleeping, but a lot of head nodding. Toward the end I put my head down and with a big sigh fell asleep. My mama laughed at me, but I think a princess is allowed a little nap, don’t you?
I really want to thank Ricky and Callie and their mom and dad for letting me and my mama visit them! We had a lot of fun and we’re looking forward to another visit sometime!
Posing for the camera.
Change Is Hard 