Bama Quilt Gets a Tryout

I finally finished the quilt for Nicolas. Here he is lounging around on it at a wedding shower last weekend at a wedding shower in his mom’s hometown of St. Joseph, Missouri. Nic was the only guy there. His dad was at Grandpa and Grandma Hammer’s house watching Alabama’s A-Day football game on ESPN. Unlike urban protocol, Mid-America small-town protocol still allows that men don’t much care for attending wedding showers. Personally, I agree, but Nic did not seem to mind one bit I am told.

Can You Spare Stuff

I've been away from home but not the news of the terrible flooding in Missouri. This morning's mail brought a call for help for a family who lost everything. The Springfield chapter of the international organization, Freecycle, is adopting a family that basically needs well, everything.

I've written about Freecycle before because I love the idea behind exchanging or giving away stuff you no longer want to need in order to keep it out of overfilled landfills. E-mail me if you want the link to those who are helping.

Down with Doughnuts--Signs, That Is

Krispy Kreme lost a big sign, but the tornadoes that struck near Springfield, Missouri, were deadly. Two lives were lost. We had tornado warnings in the early evening but those storms mostly skirted Springfield. Then around 2:45 a.m. the wind, rain and sirens awoke us. Those of us used to tornado warnings will ignore them until we really feel threatened. Well, last night we did and we quickly headed down to the basement as we listened to fierce wind buffeting about outside. Slowly the storm moved away and we returned to bed. Daylight brought reports of downed signs, lost roofs and other damage about three miles away. Threats to our safety always seem scary in the middle of the night. This time they were only threats for our little family. I’m sorry for the families whose losses were great.


photo by Dean Curtis

Christian Marketing and Redeeming the Fallen

Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa has launched a senate probe into TV ministries. He’s asked for financial records from six major televangelists including Paula White, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Eddie Long, Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn.

The senator is questioning the ministers’ spending practices for possible abuses of their tax-exempt status. Some of those elaborate sets with the gold “thrones” seemed a bit over the top to me. Yet, the very scope of the inquiry has been attacked as too broad. Grassley has been quoted as saying that the investigation “has nothing to do with church doctrine” and that he wants to make sure the organizations are following the law.

However, I suppose the timing of the advertising insert for “Morningside, A Place of Refuge” couldn’t have been worst for one Branson, Missouri, televangelist you may recall and the Branson developer, Jerry Crawford, working with him. A four-page color advertisement for this new venture appeared in the Dec. 28, 2007, Springfield News-Leader. The AP story about Sen. Grassley’s investigation was on page 9A and the advertisement for this new planned community was tucked among ads for JC Penney after Christmas sales and DirectTV promotions.

Crawford, a supporter from Bakker’s old days of The PTL Club, had encouraged the fallen televangelist to come to Branson, and Bakker and his second wife, Lori, are building a TV ministry here. Perhaps the “Gospel of Prosperity” theology once associated with Bakker has been exchanged, and the years he served in prison for fraud have molded a new and redeemed man. But one thing hasn’t changed. Bakker hasn’t lost his love for televangelism.

Will the new venture, Morningside, evolve into something similar to Heritage USA, once the third-largest theme park in the U.S.? It’s too early to say but the ground has been broken and the development is under way in Blue Eye, Missouri.

Hold the Ice

Let it snow! But please, hold the ice. Unfortunately, it’s too late. Nature isn’t listening. She is too busy raining on southwest and central Missouri this morning. And with temperatures hovering around freezing, we have an ice storm.

When I peek out the window, the ice-laden limbs seem to sag even lower. Treacherous streets and walks mean I’ll stay inside and prepare for College Boy’s return tomorrow. He has one more final and the first semester will be a wrap. Helicopter mom has learned much and so has CB.

Photo from last January's ice storm that hit this area, downing thousands of trees and leaving people without power for days. This storm shouldn't be nearly so bad.

Christmas in Branson, Missouri

The White Flight exhibit at Branson, Missouri’s Butterfly Palace provides a rather unique twist on the meaning of white flight. Now regular dear gentle readers know that last summer we moved from Montgomery, Alabama, to Springfield, Missouri. When you mention white flight down South, it certainly doesn’t mean pretty black and white butterflies flitting around Poinsettias. I never thought I could say white flight is pretty.

City Hawks

This formerly country girl is always amazed to see city wildlife, but I’m not talking about the typical squirrels and birds you find everywhere. This morning, I looked out of my kitchen window and spotted a big hawk sitting on top of a telephone pole in the backyard.

I watched him for several minutes as his head turned this way and that, surveying his territory for any movement that would indicate small prey. I think this was the hawk who had visited once before when I noticed him high atop a scraggly tree, which was a casualty of last winter’s ice storm.

Then, I recalled that even in New York City on no less than Fifth Avenue, hawks have graced city-dwellers with their presence. A few years ago, two hawks, Pale Male and Lola, set up housekeeping atop a ritzy co-op apartment building and caused an uproar when their nest was torn down.

My hawk, who remains unnamed, allowed me to watch him, and then rather hastily, he took off with a great flourish of his wings. I suppose it was breakfast time.

A Good Thing

A newcomer has to get the lay of the land. I’m still in the neophyte stage here in Springfield, but I was struck by the wisdom of two local legislators.

The Springfield News-Leader, our local Gannett-owned paper, had a Sunday front-page story about what gifts lobbyists had given to state legislators, their staffs or family. Now first off, I will say this. None of the gifts was extravagant or expensive. Most were food or tickets.

Several legislators felt the need to defend accepting the gifts. The gifts “don’t influence” votes and, “I’m going to vote my conscience, period,” said one. Another remarked that the lobbyists “can be useful sources of information about issues facing the legislature.”And according to the paper, the same legislator pointed out that group dinners are a good way for the lobbyists to have their say. I suppose that’s kind of like killing two birds with one stone (not that I’m advocating killing birds).

However, out of 13 legislators, two repaid all the freebies. The paper quotes one as saying, “If I’m going to be voting on something, I’d just as soon buy my own dinner and pay my own bills. That way, I don’t have to worry about where the line’s drawn.” The other fellow said, “I’m a big boy, and I can pay for my own meals.” Neither of these two, however, was critical of those legislators who did accept gifts and one defended lobbyists by saying, “They have a purpose, as long as you understand that purpose . . .”

Rep. Jay Wasson and Rep. Mick Cunningham deserve a pat on the back for their personal stance. But what do you suppose would happen if all of our state and federal representatives chose to turn away the free lunch? Perhaps, with apologies to Martha Stewart, it would be a good thing.

What the Fork

A few short minutes from Springfield’s main tourist spot, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, is the giant fork. I decided it was visit worthy, especially since husband and I were going that way to see a movie at the cheap theater anyhow.

Now this mega utensil is off the well-trodden path for sure. Hidden behind Noble, the advertising firm that owns it, the fork is barely visible from the main street in Chesterfield Village, a planned residential and shopping district. Since we had arrived early for the movie, I yelled to my driver, “Turn around. It’s behind that building.”

And that dear gentle reader explains the photo of Springfield, Missouri’s giant fork. Husband’s photo looked prettier than mine. He’s awfully indulgent of me, isn’t he?

As if this wasn’t enough about the fork, I will tell you that apparently the fork was once located at a nearby restaurant, and I guess Noble bought it when the restaurant went belly (couldn’t help it) up. They have a lot of clients in the food industry. Makes sense.

Well, anyway, tweren’t a sole around except us. Saturday afternoon in Springfield, Missouri. Not bad.

Oddly Named and a Question or Two

The Overcoming Faith Church in nearby Ozark, Missouri, has such an odd name—at least this Unitarian thinks it’s strange.

Then, I noticed the local newspaper’s Faith Directory had the Cornerstone Church with the tagline: “Your Home Improvement Center.” I wonder what their services are like. Think they could show me how to fix my rattling air conditioner?

We even have Quakers in Springfield. They have a silent worship at 11:30 a.m., but you have to call to find out where. They are low-keyed. We have several kinds of Baptists—missionary, freewill, Southern and some called ABC-CBF. I’m not sure what they are, but it appears the Baptists outnumber even the Assembly of God, which has its national headquarters here. I went to a country Baptist church until I was a teenager whose mother could no longer drag out her of bed on Sunday mornings. That’s probably the most trouble I ever gave my mother. She never did understand why I chose to be a Unitarian, questioning often, “Have you ever thought about going to church?”

All in all, Springfield is a “Godly” town. We have Episcopal, Presbyterian, Catholic, Church of Christ, Lutheran (both Missouri and Wisconsin varieties), Seventh Day Adventist, Unity, Bah’i Faith, Anglican, Christian Disciples, Orthodox, Salvation Army and Vineyard. I may have overlooked a kind or two. But I always wondered why God needed so many denominations.

Sustainable Explained

At its simplest, sustainability means taking as little as possible from resources that cannot be renewed. A movement without real leaders, it seems to have the greatest resonance on college campuses, always a home for new thinking. Student groups and sessions dedicated to sustainability are flourishing. While some produce little but conversational--and political--gas, others are preaching practical solutions. At Drury University in Missouri, a campus conference on using natural resources ended with a posting of “10 simple ways to support sustainable living in the Ozarks.” Among the suggestions: Shop at local food producers. From “The Greening of America’s Campuses,” New York Times, Jan. 9, 2006

I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.
Theodore Roosevelt


I’m still getting my feet wet trying to understand just what all the “sustainability” or green movement involves and I’ll bet I’m not alone. However, with all the attention Drury University’s first Habitat for Humanity sustainable house project is getting, I’m educating myself. That’s why I included the excerpt from the Times, which seemed a simple enough explanation of “sustainability” even for me.

Drury’s 1,280 sq. ft., four bedroom, two-story Habitat house will have carpet made from 100% recyclable material, a ground-source heat pump (I had to look that one up and as I understand it, that’s geothermal energy), energy-saving windows and radiant heat in the floors.

I don’t care if you think global warming is real, natural or humankind induced or not. Going “green” and using building practices with sustainable materials makes sense in the long run. Of course, cost is a factor and must be balanced, but we can begin to make changes that will prove we can be wise stewards of God’s Green Earth. And even this morning, I found in my inbox a link to a new survey by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, “The True Costs of Green Building,” which “found that the costs of ‘green’ building are frequently overestimated – often by as much as 300%. The report notes that such misjudgment of the costs of ‘green’ construction creates barriers to more energy efficiency in the building sector.”

What can we do? Something as simple as an old-fashioned clothesline is an energy-saving device. How about recycling rainwater? Ceiling fans? And buy local. I have lost my love affair with China and her cheap products. Maybe it’s time to rethink what we put into our shopping carts and the energy it took to bring the items all the way from the Far East. But the most important thing to me is to encourage our young people to continue along this path of fresh and innovative thinking.

Sustainable and Affordable Housing

“I see life as both a gift and a responsibility. My responsibility is to use what God has given me to help his people in need.”—Millard Fuller

Anyone who has read the Sink for any length of time knows I’m about connections. As a recently transplanted Alabamian, I found that Habitat for Humanity, the wonderful organization started by an alumnus of my Alma Mater (The University of Alabama School of Law), has a chapter here in Springfield, Missouri, at Drury University. However, Drury’s chapter among others is taking Habitat and community service homebuilding to a new level. Drury’s school of architecture students designed a sustainable or “green” house. No, this isn’t a greenhouse for plants. It’s the kind of wise design for the future I wish more home builders would engage in themselves.

On Monday, during a morning of heavy rain, the Drury community took the first construction step, building prefab walls, inside an old warehouse. Despite rotten weather, some 300 strong, the volunteers included students, faculty and staff.

I think Millard and Habitat co-founder Linda Fuller would be proud. That dream of helping families in their quest for decent, affordable homes, which started back in 1976 after a trial run in Africa, is taking a new direction with forward-thinking efforts like Drury’s Habitat chapter. Follow along with me to see the "House that Drury" builds.


Note: Can any reader impress me and tell me the name of the other famous or infamous University of Alabama School of Law grad Fuller made his millions with?

Photo used with permission and courtesy of Drury University.

Yes, You Can Go Home Again. Sort Of.

Interstate highways mostly obscure historic Route 66 these days although you can pick up sections of the old road as you travel from Chicago westward. One particularly delightful stop along the way is in St. Louis, Missouri. We hadn’t been to Ted Drewes in several years and despite the rampant overgrowth of the town, I navigated the family Camry right there to our Mecca on Chippewa just as if time had stopped. Surprisingly, I was the one so intent on stopping. The guys were anxious to get home to television and a soft sofa to rest on after a long day in the car.

Maybe Ted Drewes is foreign to you. If so, I must implore you to seek out Ted Drewes if you are ever in the vicinity of St. Louis. And what dear gentle and curious readers is this Ted Drewes I speak so highly of? Some of the best frozen custard--a. k. a. ice cream--my friends. Okay, time has robbed my memory of what sundae I used to routinely get once a week. But I think Cardinal Sin with gooey hot fudge and tart cherries was awfully close.

And while time had moved on like a drop of Mississippi River water, Ted Drewes’ frozen custard was as good as I remembered.