The 366-day photography project: week 31

It's time for an update to the 366-day photography project. It was a busy week for me and interesting to document. On Sunday, February 28th, Father Earle was surprised with a gift: enough money to buy special vestments befitting an honorary canon, a great title that does not come with extra income. An honorary canon wears red socks. It just happened that Father Earle was properly attired in red socks.

If you are a canon, you must fire a cannon to celebrate your canonhood. Here, Austin and Trenton present Father Earle a cannon, which is on loan from another island organization. It was later taken outside and fired, much to Father Earle's glee.

Winter is not ready to give up yet, but spring is attempting to crowd it out. These little shoots grew through snow and freezing cold temperature.

Little and big, these shoots are signs of joyful life and hope for color returning to this small part of the world.

This is what Pope Francis says about our precious earth.

I was asked on Monday to take pictures of Gretchen and her friends. Her birthday was Monday, February 29th. It was her 20th birthday. All of the ladies were wearing blue shirts with the number 20 on them. They were doing their usual Monday routine: meeting for breakfast and then going to exercise.

These are the birthday brownies.

Gretchen and her friends enjoy celebrating a birthday that comes along only once every four years.

Gretchen's friends let her know that she is still not old enough to drink alcohol. "I know," Gretchen said. "That's why I drink coffee."

Later at home, I take a picture of the snow humans and the painted bottles.

After Zumba on Tuesday, I went to the library to pick up the book that I will read for the next book club meeting. The book is East of Eden, by John Steinbeck. I had plenty of time to walk to my hairdressing appointment, so I stopped off at the Chinese restaurant for some wonton eggdrop soup. Delicious! I carried the book home with me. As of today (Saturday, March 5th), I've read 135 of 601 pages. It is a beautifully written story, and the characters truly come to life. I am a happy reader.

On Wednesday, everything was covered with a layer of ice. School was canceled because the schoolbuses were covered with a very thick layer of ice, which could not be broken up in time for the start of the school day.

Icicles hang from everything.

The snow is beautiful but it covers the dangerous ice.

Inside Trinity United Methodist Church, all is bright and colorful. The folks from Saint Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church host the luncheon. They serve chef salad, fruit salad, sloppy joes, chips, and pastry.

Colorful and delicious pastries.

These are the oatmeal cookies that I baked for the Lenten luncheon. They are flavored with craisins and white chocolate chips.

Here are some of the goods that are sold at the SERVV store at Trinity. All of the money that people pay for these lovely crafts goes to the artisans who created these item.

Pretty pastels, the colors of a springtime yet to come.

The Rev. Canon Earle King discusses fear of death in the series titled "Be Not Afraid." I wrote about it in this blog yesterday. Here is the link: Be Not Afraid, part three.

On Wednesday evening, a group from Saint Martin in the Fields and Saint Timothy Lutheran Church go to visit Temple Beth El in Niagara Falls. The cornerstone is dated 1914. It is now the only Jewish congregation in Niagara County.

The building was designed to be a reform synagogue.

The artwork at Temple Beth El is very detailed. It shows pictures of prophets important in the Jewish faith.

Rabbi Ellen Franke, Adam, and Mary told us about Judaism and about the history and architecture of Temple Beth El. My next blog post will be about Temple Beth El so stay tuned!

This is a very affectionate and loving service dog, called an "emotional support dog." 

On Thursday, March 3rd, I went to Stella Niagara to paint. It had been a month since the last painting class. Unfortunately, the instructor contracted the flu, and she was ill for about two weeks. She is better now. She's resilient, like the plants that are growing through the snow.

The theme of our class session was Easter lilies. I painted the background first and then painted the plants. I used green and red/yellow for the background colors. 

The early plants are very hardy, even surviving a coating of ice.

Thursday evening was the meeting of the Grand Island Historical Society. It was fun to go back to River Lea. The mannequins have been given new fashion statements.

This mannequin is super skinny! She's got a wasp waist! Of course, back when ladies were wearing this fashion statement, they were also wearing corsets, which helped them squeeze into these outfits. The corsets, however, could potentially be dangerous. Tight lacing became the fashion in the late nineteenth century. The ladies were tied so tightly into their corsets that they had trouble breathing. They also had difficulty with their digestive system. These ladies were called "slaves to fashion."

The guest speaker, Greg Kinal, gave a presentation about Amelia Earhart. Stay tuned in the next few days for a blog post about this presentation.

The well at River Lea at night.

The program for this year's World Day of Prayer, held on Friday, March Fo(u)rth (the only day of the year that moves and is a command, was designed by the women of Cuba. This year, Island Presbyterian Church acted as host church for Grand Island's World Day of Prayer.

This is Eloise. She is a member of Island Presbyterian Church. Her family is from the West Indies. She was one of a group of people to act as leaders during the program.

This is Raida. She was one of two individuals who spoke at the World Day of Prayer. She talked about life in her native country, Cuba.

This is Santiago. He talked about his store, El Buen Amigo, where he sells clothing and crafts from Latin America. Everything is sold on a fair trade basis. The artisans get 100 percent of the sales price.

After the service, we had an opportunity to sample delicious Cuban foods.

Friday evening was the Huth Road PTA's big event, the Huth Road Bazaar. The theme for the bazaar was the 1960s. Everything was very colorful and, um, groovy.

One of the activities was a cakewalk. The kids walked around the music room to the sound of '60s music. When the music stopped, so did the kids. Each kid stood on top of a number. A wheel of fortune type wheel was spun and the number called was the winner. That kid got to select a cake to take home.

This is Larry Austin, editor of the Island Dispatch, on duty.

The school's art club painted trees on the windows at the school. Each tree (or set of trees) represented a season. This is the winter tree.

This little one is a future Huth Road Elementary School student.

These three teachers are in charge of the bake sale.

The goodies at the bake sale are very bright and colorful.

This is one of the more unusual cakes to be delivered to the cakewalk. It came as the activity was underway. It is a very unique-looking turkey... um... cake...

The bazaar is a very fun event.

This is Kelly and Bob. They are part of an organization called "Grand Island Junior Vikings." It is football and cheerleading for kids, aged six through thirteen. Kelly said that football was good for her son. "He gained so much confidence." She added that kids enjoy themselves and make friends. Bob said that football is a friendship building tool and that he is still friends with his former teammate from the kids' football team. The kids learn athleticism and discipline. Most of the football players are boys, but girls have been part of the team, too.

The Huth Road Service Club is working with the Grand Island Rotary Club to raise money for polio vaccines in third world countries. "Polio is still a problem in third world countries," said Mrs. Taylor, one of the club's two teacher advisors. When people get their polio vaccines, their pinkie is dyed purple so that they don't accidentally get a second vaccine. 

Diana and her mother, Julie, enjoy the Huth Road bazaar.

Next week: Another Lenten luncheon, another house of worship to visit, a trip to Buffalo... and... much more!

Be Not Afraid, part three

The change of seasons is a beautiful aspect about life. Each season has its joys and its difficulties. We are nearing the end of winter, a season that is beautiful, but cruel. The snow sparkles and glitters beneath the sun, but it also bites with coldness. The ice coats trees with a transparent layer, but it is dangerous. Between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, ice formed on the trees and the houses and the cars and the schoolbuses. Schools closed and many people stayed inside, afraid of the dangers of the ice on the driveways and the roads.

Venturing out became more difficult for many, especially the elderly, who fear risking injury in a fall. It was also difficult to remove the hardened layer of ice from car windows and mirrors. Fortunately, the sun shone and melted much of the ice. Because of that, I was able to go to the third Lenten luncheon with my friend, Betty, who will soon celebrate her 93rd birthday.

The inside of Trinity United Methodist Church was warm and inviting. The host for this week's Lenten luncheon was Saint Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church. They provided chef salad, sloppy joes, chips, and pastries. A group of people brought the pastries so that people at every table had a variety of goodies on a large platter. My contribution was oatmeal cookies, flavored with craisins and white chocolate chips, which I baked on Wednesday morning.

Inside, we had what we do not yet have outside: the soft pastels of springtime. We grow weary of winter and of darkness and of coldness. 

Soon our corner of the earth will come back to life. We'll see the early flowers pop through the snow. They represent the resiliency of life, despite the fear of death.

Before long, the buds on the trees will swell until they can swell no more and will burst open to reveal baby leaves, soft and translucent, more like flowers than leaves.

Humans, too, add color and brightness to their world. This is a necklace being sold in the SERVV store at Trinity United Methodist Church. The jewelry and other items are all fair trade crafts. The craftspeople get 100 percent of the money that was spent on the products.

The beauty of spring and of the creations of human hands reminds us of the joys of life. Unfortunately, for people, as for all living creatures, life does not last forever.

The Rev. Canon Earle King addressed the issue of fearing death. He told the story of Jesus' disciples,who were terrified as they traveled in a boat during a storm. The boat filled with water, and the disciples feared that it would sink. They woke up Jesus, who was napping, and told him, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Jesus told the wind and the raging water to calm down, and he asked his disciples, "Where is your faith?" 

Father Earle said that people feel fear in the face of death. There is a concept that people cannot look upon God and live, which causes people to be even more afraid. Under such circumstances, faith becomes challenging. "Christians should not fear death," Father Earle said.

"We are afraid to consider our own death."

Father Earle shared some helpful pointers for people to prepare for their own death. 

• Get a will or let New York State decide how your goods are to be distributed. Make sure that the will is kept updated and make sure that is not kept in a lockbox, which is sealed when you pass away. If you'd like to leave money to a church, talk to the pastor of that church about making a bequest.
• Look into a power of attorney. Keep your beneficiaries up to date. "Your loved ones who survive you will be thrilled," Father Earle said.
• Get a health care proxy. This designates someone to be your agent.
• Look into MOLST. That stands for Medical Orders for Life-sustaining treatments. You will need to discuss this with your doctor. It applies if you are seriously ill and are likely to pass away within a year. This must be signed by a doctor.
• Look into a living will. A living will is a document that lets people state their wishes for end-of-life care, in the event that they become unable to communicate their decisions. 
• Tell your family that you want to be an organ donor. This is more important than just signing your driver's license. In addition, you can donate your body to the medical school at the State University of New York at Buffalo, through the school's anatomical gift program. After you pass away, your body goes to the university. Six weeks later, your body will be cremated, and your ashes will be given to your family.
• Make decisions on what will happen after you pass away. You could make decisions about burial, cremation, and the funeral service. Having a cemetery plot before you pass away "is a hedge against inflation." For survivors, knowing their family member's preferences is a big help. " Planning in advance means that "you can consider all options without the stress of grief and urgency."
• Make sure that your digital information is available to family members in the event of your death. This would include passwords to the computer and email accounts.

Next week: Saint Timothy Lutheran Church will sponsor the Lenten luncheon.