20 posts tagged “iowa”

We had a wild time Sunday evening and I feel very fortunate to have gotten through it unscathed and very thankful.

Severe thunderstorms were forecast and we were warned of the threat of tornadoes.  I kept the weather radio on most of the afternoon just in case something bad came our way.  Right around the time we were sitting down to dinner, the radio was broadcasting Tornado warnings for several counties near us.  I jokingly said that we needed to hurry through our steaks, which we rarely get, because I didn't want to waste a good meal. 

Just at that moment our town's tornado siren went off and the alert was issued for Delaware County.  Mark and I ran to the door to look outside and it was literally dark as night.  I was ready, though!  I threw the two cats into a carrier, put a leash on the dog while Katie grabbed her mice.  Mark hustled the tv downstairs so we could watch the news stations.  I ran back upstairs to grab medication, a phone book and my wedding album...amazing what you think of in an emergency! 

We huddled together under the stairs with a mattress and box spring to throw over ourselves if we got hit and watched the tv while the weather radio blasted upstairs..  It was so eerie to hear the sirens go off several more times.  We were horrified to hear that tornadoes had been spotted just outside of town and in other places within a few miles.  Luckily, we were spared and were able to go back upstairs with about 45 minutes.

The horror we saw on tv later that evening was heartbreaking.  The town of Parkersburg (pop. about 2000), just 60 miles to the west was all but destroyed.  They lost 250 homes, their only grocery store and gas station, and the high school.  4 people died there, all older folks who probably weren't able to find shelter in time.  Another town near there lost 2 people.

Our downtown was flooded when the river swelled from 6 inches of rain.  All the creeks and streams went way over their banks and flooded other small towns as well as the corn and bean fields.  Much of the newly planted corn was washed away.  The crops had been planted very late this year because of the cool and very wet spring that we've had.

Please pray and send good thoughts  out to the people of New Hartford and Parkersburg.  They have so much.

Manchester Flooding May 26 2007 010

Manchester Flooding May 26 2007 026

Manchester Flooding May 26 2007 006

Raid

I went to Postville today to help prepare and serve meals to the people seeking sanctuary.  There is so much going on that isn't in the news and I can't help but wonder why.  The situation is heartbreaking.  The church is full of women and children who are, justifiably, afraid to go to their homes.  Although the Feds have said they would not go door to door, helicopters have been seen over the town and the church is being watched.  

For the most part, the men are being held at a fairgrounds in Waterloo while the women and children remain behind in Postville.  Some children went as long as 72 hours before a family could be located to take them in.  The women who are here illegally will be deported with their husbands, but most of the children are US citizens.  The parents can't take their children across the border without jumping through a million bureaucratic hoops.  Talk about a Catch 22.

The mood at the church was very somber...sad.  For the most part, the people in town have no animosity towards the workers and see them as friends and neighbors.  The reports of gang and drug problems were laughed at by the people I talked to as they told me there had been no such problems.  

I wish I could go into all the details about what I heard and saw today.  There really is a very human aspect that is being overlooked, one that needs to be factored into the debate on what to do about undocumented workers.  The town of Postville is being hit hard financially. The schools stand to lose half of their pupils, which will most likely mean closing next year.  The retail district is like a ghost town, with so many shops forced to lock their doors.  The economic impact will be devastating.  These people were not taking jobs from American workers.  No one else wants to work in the plant, regardless of the pay.  It's hazardous, disgusting work.  What exactly has been accomplished by this raid other than for the almighty government to say "Look, we did something".

I think we over simplify this issue.  Tell me how, logistically, we're going to round up 12 million people and ship them back to God knows where.  What will be the impact on our economy? I don't know what the answer is, but I know that what happened is wrong. 

Postville, Iowa, located about 80 miles northwest of my town, is an interesting place.  It's a town of about 2500 people of a huge variety of ethnic backgrounds.  Many of these people came here to work for Agriprocessors, the largest Kosher meat packing plant in the country.  They supply kosher meat to stores and restaurants all over the world.

It's never been a secret that Agriprocessors hires undocumented workers and has helped them get fake documentation such as social security numbers.  Whatever your opinion on illegal immigration, the fact of the matter is that this company and the town of Postville have become dependent on  the workers to keep their businesses profitable.  Agriprocessors and other companies who blatantly hire illegal workers simply get a slap on the wrist, a fine, and are free to go back to business as usual.

Just this week the INS raided Agriprocessors and arrested almost 400 people and shipped them off to a fairgrounds 75 miles away to face various criminal charges stemming from their immigration status.  This has had a ripple effect through the town, affecting business and families.  At last report, many businesses have closed and may not re-open.  One man who owns several rental properties say that they have all been abandoned and he has no hope of finding new tenants.  The saddest story I read was that the high school valedictorian, who was due to graduate in a few weeks, is the child of illegal immigrants and has been forced to go into hiding.  He will most likely have to forfeit several scholarship offers and go back to living in poverty in Guatamala.

Here's the problem as I see it.  While it's illegal to come into this country without going through the legal process, the people who are here are not criminals.  They are desperately trying to support their families and I have no doubt that I would act as they have if it meant the difference between living in  poverty or giving my family a better life.  These are human beings with worth, with spouses, with children.  I see this issue as a human rights issue that doesn't have easy solutions.  Many times these workers are underpaid and work in very dangerous jobs.  I don't believe that they're taking jobs away from US citizens.  Representatives from several employment agencies were interviewed and they said that they can't find people to work in processing plants, in spite of the fact that the pay is $11 an hour.  It's one of the most hazardous jobs and the risks are too high. The illegal workers aren't covered by workers compensation and are simply tossed to the curb of they can't work.

We have to look at the humanity involved and try to find a  compassionate answer.   "Ship them back"  isn't a feasible solution. Tearing families apart is inhumane.  I don't know what the answer is, but I know in my heart that what we are doing now isn't right.

I felt I had to do something to help. Sitting here, 80 miles away and feeling bad isn't helping.  Maybe prayer will help, but I need to do more. St. Bridget's, the church that is offering sanctuary to many of the people affected, is overwhelmed with providing for their needs - food, shelter, counseling.  I called the church this morning and offered to help.  I'll be going up there on Saturday to do what I can to aide the other volunteers and do my part to ease the burden of some of God's children.  It's the least I can do. 

Some pretty wild weather here the past week or so.  Spring arrived with a fury - after a couple of gorgeous 70 degree days,the rains came and  we had almost 5inches.  Downtown Manchester flooded and a few streets were closed. My neighborhood has had to deal with water seepage into basements and the sump pumps can't keep up.  We use the shop vac every night and probably will have to continue for the rest of the week.

On theup side - my plants are coming up!!!  

Geranium

I've been gone for awhile, severely neglecting my blog.  I do that sometimes, just check out and disappear.  I get depressed when I'm stressed and in emotional overload. I think I'm emerging from that, but who knows for sure.

I'm still working for the Obama Iowa campaign, although things have slowed down. We had our County Convention a few weeks ago and did really well.  We ended up with 7 delegates to send to the District and State Conventions. Iowa's final tally of national delegates will be decided at that point.  I'm looking forward to the conventions, sort of as a way to have seen this campaign to  through from beginning to end.  It's been an interesting journey and I've learned a lot about the political process.  I was also elected to a 2 year term as Secretary of our County Democratic Central Committee. Ah, the life  of a politics junkie!

My son has been very ill for the past couple of months.   His bipolar disorder has developed some psychotic overtones, both visual and delusional and this has caused his anxiety and panic attacks to escalate.  We had to have him hospitalized for 11 days, which was really hard on us all, and he came home on Monday.  Things weren't much better.

Fortunately, his case worker was able to find a small apartment designed for mentally ill adults where he can live and get some help.He's independent in that he can come and go as he pleases, bu he's required to follow a treatment plan that includes learning independent living skills and learning how to live with a chronic mental illness.

Another major stressor has been helping my mother deal with my father's recently diagnosed Alzheimer's diagnoses.   We're separated by 1000 miles  but there isn't any other family to help out.  I do what I can, such as researching support groups and preparing the various powers of attorneys. l know I'll eventually have to fly back to Virginia to tackle the hard stuff when Mom can't handle things on her own any longer.  I have a feeling I'll be there in the summer.

Now my focus has to be on finding a job, since I've been unemployed since the beginning of  October.  That's where living  in a  rural  location  is a disadvantage. Unless I  want to work on a farm, in a manufacturer plant or as a housekeeper at the nursing home, I'm out of luck.  Office jobs that I'm qualified for (manager, admin. assistant and the like) are non-existent.  The ones that exist are taken by women who'll retire from them.  No one leaves! I'm trying to think of something I can do from home.

And winter just may be over, but I may have jinxed it by saying that!  I can finally see my wet, soggy lawn and a few plants are coming up.  My vegetable garden is planned and should be able to plant by the end of May.  I'm going to attempt a technique called "square foot gardening" which is supposed to increase the yield in a much smaller area.   I'll probably end up selling my bounty at the local farmer's market...but this unemployed person could use the income.

Depressing things to write about, but isn't what life is like?  I'm a natural pessimist anyway and I like Ben Franklin's outlook. To paraphrase. I'm a pessimist so that when things go good, I'm pleasantly surprised.

Katie at the Waverly Horse Auction
My cat friends, Chloe and Willie
Snow - I won't miss this!
This is what it took to get rid of the 8" of ice in our driveway.

And what I'm looking forward to....

Garden

Mark was out there yesterday ...shoveling through 3 inches of ice in our driveway.  First I laughed, then I thought of the following

The Myth of Sysiphus - The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight. They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor. 

Snow

Garden

I spent Saturday at a wonderful Winter Gardening Fair which was a respite from our long, cold winter.  Really, I managed last year to find ways to live with lots of snow and cold, but this year's winter has been almost oppressive.  The snow has been constant, the cold has been bone-chilling, and there have been way to many gray and foggy days.  Even turning on the lights and reading gardening books and catalogs has been of little solace.

I was surprised about 20 miles from home by a ferocious snowstorm that completely covered with road with slushy, slippery snow.  I was about equal distance from home and the fair and made the choice to forge on.  It was a white knuckles trip and I did a good deal of sliding even though I was trying to be cautious.  Two miles from the event site, the driver's side windshield wiper came off and I drove to a parking lot to fix the thing while leaning to look out the other side of the windshield.  I was a little stressed out by the time I finally arrived!

I really enjoyed the seminars yesterday and learned a lot about cold climate gardening.  The four sessions I attended were on prairie gardens, design, perennials and gardens for birds and butterflies.  While listening to the speakers I sketched out plans for my front yard garden space.

I also had fun meeting Genie, a fellow blogger. She's also a transplant from the DC area and I enjoy reading her tales of adapting to life in Iowa and her adventures with gardening.  I highly recommend you check it out her blog, The Inadvertent Gardener, at  www.inadvertentgardener.wordpress.com

I have a huge expanse of grass and more grass in my front and large side yard that I'd like to fill with garden beds.  My two major projects this year will be a fairly big vegetable garden in my south facing side yard and a butterfly garden in the front yard that will run from the street to the house.  I have high (and possible unrealistic) dreams of vine ripened tomatoes and fresh green beans and cucumbers that I'll can.  Oh yes, I plan to reserve at least one or two tomato plants for my favorite fried green tomatoes!

The soil in my yard is perfectly rich and loamy and completely rock free.  Even with my arthritic hands I can dig up the sod with little effort.  I'm anxious for the snow to melt so I can start the work.

It's down to the wire in Iowa with just under 3 weeks before the caucuses.  The candidates are descending on small towns across the state, from the Mississippi to the Missouri Rivers, trying to win the votes of every valuable Iowan.

Our little town was campaign central on Friday, Dec. 14, with back-to-back visits from John Edwards and Barack Obama.  Edwards held his event at a local steakhouse, drawing a crowd of about 150.  Obama drew a much larger crowd of 300 and the Delaware County Fairgrounds Community Center.  Both meetings' turnouts were impressive considering they were held on a dreary, icy cold weekday afternoon.  But we Iowans like the political process and come out in droves to be persuaded to give up our precious support.

Katie, Dan, Kaitlin (his girlfriend) and I did our part to make the event a success.  Katie and Kaitlin helped greet and register attendees, as well as distributed supporter cards.  Dan and I, along with a couple of other friends (Seth and Eric), acted as ushers.  What seemed like a simple task got a little harried when it became apparent that the crowd needed twice as many chairs as had been set out.  We eventually packed the building to standing room only.  Seth, eric and I were asked to handle microphones during the Q&A session, which was a lot of fun.

I enjoyed being behind the scenes this time.  While I missed most of Obama's talk, I was able to mingle with some of the national press corps and see first hand how these things are put together.  The Obama "advance" man, Ethan, is like a hummingbird, running from one end of the building to the other and directing each volunteer with precision.  I've been observing his work at all of the Obama events I've attended since May and have been amazed at how he makes everything work.  It was nice to finally meet him.

Eric and I spoke to Obama's Northeast Iowa Field Director, Brent Welder, about what would happen to our group of volunteers once the caucus is over.  We were encouraged to continue to meet on a monthly basis and to be prepared to take an active role in the Democratic general election race this summer.  Of course, our hope is that Obama will be the nominee and that we can take the lead in ensuring his election to the White House in November '08.

So, the countdown clock is ticking and we're all prepared to put in many hours of work between now and January 3.  Our excitement (and anxiety) is growing as we hope and pray for an Obama victory.

Here's a few pictures from Dec. 14 -

1) Obama speaking to the crowd, 2) my friend Betty introducing obama, 3) our Field Organizer, Gen, 4) Dan and Katie, 5) attendees at the Community Center, 6) a news crew, 70 Katie in front of John Edwards' bus

Snowsuit

It's here.  Snow.  More snow.  A little ice.  Cold, biting wind.  Daytime "high" temperature of 10 degrees.  Did I say cold, biting wind?  Ahhhh, Iowa winters. 

I read a piece online about Minnesota winters that really could also describe winter in Iowa.

One day in winter, he said, you'll wake up and it will be snowing. You'll go to work, come home, go to bed, and it will be snowing. You'll get up the next day, go to work, come home, go to bed, and it will be snowing. Day three, you'll get up, go to work, come home, and, maybe around dinnertime, the snow will finally stop. That's what Minnesota is like, he said. It snows. For days.

Snowy-japan-1

Am I complaining?  Well, maybe just a little, but that's because I still have enough Virginia in me to half expect to have a 60 degree day smack in the middle of January.  Ain't happen' here, folks.  I doubt I'll even see a patch of dirt in my yard until the April thaw.  But there's one good thing about winter here in the heartland - it's dry.  No slushy, icy, slippery snow.  It's mostly dry and powdery and just no darn good for making snowballs. 

Now, I think I'll go make a steaming mug of hot chocolate.  With marshmallows.