In the past I have filled my flower boxes with pine cones in the winter. This year I decided to plant some cheery pansies. The sunny yellow color has been a bright spot in the dreary winter mornings.
Anybody else have suggestions for curing the winter blahs?
Sunday's brief snowfall made me want to craft something that could stay around a little longer. This design is by Dennis Walker. A great tutorial by Sara Adams can be found here.
I used tracing paper to create a few small flakes and parchment paper to make a larger one. The parchment paper worked very well!
The two feet tall tree was a last minute find at a roadside stand. It fits in the office next to the kennels perfectly, and I haven't heard any complaints barks about it.
While collecting water samples for a bacteria study I noticed an unusually high number of cannonball jellyfish washing ashore. These jellies are typically strong swimmers, but they were competing with unusually high winds and strong currents coming from offshore.
According to the SCDNR, this species is one of the “least venomous” jellyfish common to our area. Cannonball jellyfish feed on zooplankton in near shore waters. In turn, they serve as a primary food source for endangered leatherback sea turtles.
Photo taken by Matt Silfer for the Sun News
On Thursday, November 18, I had the opportunity to participate in a unique experience known as Chanty Town, a makeshift shanty town of Chanticleers. The Coastal Carolina University sponsored event was designed to raise local awareness of National Hunger and Homelessness Week. From 6 PM to 6 AM, participants were invited to spend the night outside living like a homeless person and sleeping in a cardboard box on the university’s Prince Lawn.
The crowd was first addressed by Joy Hanner, executive director of Street Reach in Myrtle Beach. Hanner recounted her experience with the homeless population she helps, many who struggle with alcohol and drug dependency, mental illness, and physical or sexual abuse. Hanner’s hope was that participants would begin to understand a fraction of what homeless people struggle with every day. She hoped that everyone would “take away a heart for the homeless."
Dinner consisted of water and vegetable soup. The meal was supposed to mimic the typical diet a homeless person receives at a soup kitchen.
Shelter was a cardboard box, much better than some actual homeless people who may have nothing at all. The cardboard was available to purchase for a small donation. Proceeds benefited Habitat for Humanity.
The building process was quick. I picked a refrigerator box. The back side was taped shut with duct tape. The front was covered with clear plastic, taped to the box on two sides. It helped shield the wind considerably.
Most of my time was spent reading by flashlight and socializing with my neighbors in nearby boxes. Restrooms were available in the Prince building and were our only opportunity to escape the 35 degree temperatures.
I had a sleeping bag to snuggle in, unlike most homeless who simply have a blanket. I also wasn’t worried about my safety, with the CCU police on nearby patrol. And, in the morning I knew it would all be over.
My goal was to experience what it might be like to live as a homeless person. Truthfully, it was nothing at all like what a homeless person experiences--- still it was borderline intolerable for me. The bitter weather and hard ground made sleeping difficult, allowing me to average only about three hours.
As unbearable as it might have been, I’m thankful I did it. Now my heart is even more sympathetic to those without a place to call home.
I did a little shopping for a great charity that delivers shoeboxes full of goodies to underprivileged children at Christmas. www.help4kidssc.org
Eternal optimist. Avid organizer. Late night eater.
