The Still Raging Pawtuxet River...Much Worse Today

The Pawtuxet River crested this morning at around 9AM. When I left the Village yesterday the River was at 17', and today when it crested it was close to 21'. These pictures show just how much worse the raging river was today. I was not able to get as close as I was yesterday, because the area had been cordoned off by the police...simply too dangerous. Notice that the first couple of docks have been swept away by the fierce current. Malls are underwater, highway 95 going south is closed, driving is a nightmare, our local supermarket is underwater. This is a very bad situation. Schools are closed and the damage is extensive. Please keep the good people of Rhode Island in your prayers.

The Raging Pawtuxet River

Let me start this post by telling you that we are fine. We do not live on the river or in a flood zone. That being said, Pawtuxet Village, where we bank, frequent our local watering hole, have my cards for sale in some of the quaint shops, is watching, and hearing this landmark river RAGE! This is the end of the River which empties into the Stillhouse Cove (the photos), which empties into the bay, which empties in to ocean. The flood levels are normally 9 feet and by tomorrow morning the Pawtuxet River is getting ready to crest at 20 feet! The sound alone is deafening. I'm not sure if these photos capture how deadly this current is right now. I will go back again tomorrow to take some more shots! Everyone on the East Coast, be careful out there!

Post script: Sam Champion from Good Morning America was on ABC World News w/ Diane Sawyer, reporting on the floods from Cranston, RI...emergency news conference going on as we speak!

Arts & Crafts for a Chuppah

My dear friend, Claire, asked me to help her with something 'artsy'. Without hesitation, I jumped in with a hearty, 'yes, of course!' Her cousins daughter is getting married in May. In the Jewish tradition, the happy couple is married under a chuppah. The chuppah is a canopy which consists of four poles, which symbolizes the home Bekah and Michael will build together. Their chuppah is something which they will treasure forever and it will remind them of their commitment to each other along with the love and support of their community. They asked each family member to participate in the 'building ' of their chuppah, by decorating a leaf, with words, drawings, embroidery, collage, tie dye, puppetry, mathematical equations, energetic manifestations or other creative expressions! The individual leaves will become part of the tree of life design on the chuppah.

What a wonderful idea, and a fun project for me. As a jewelry maker, we all have lots of baubles which we just know we will put to good use one day (Ladies...am I right??). So, with some tiny faux pearls, some vintage rhinestones and a gold glitter pen, I had a lot of fun designing this leaf for my dear friend Claire's cousin's daughter (whew)! Wishing them many years of blessings and good health as they say 'I do' under this most unique chuppah!

Here's To You, Aunt Doris!!

Doris & Dan

Manny, Doris & Edward

Doris Friedman

December 7, 1922-March 20, 2010

I quote from her son, Dan, 'She went the distance in the most graceful and heroic way possible. And left on her own terms. Right on Mom.'

Doris passed away, peacefully, in her sleep on March 20. Jimmy, Edward and I will never forget your kindness and unconditional love and will hold the friendship we shared close in our hearts forever. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Dan and Sally, Irene, Becca and Dana.

Here's to YOU, Aunt Doris!

Ahhh, Signs of Spring....

Seeing the terrible damage the nor'easter caused this past week in the Northeast, I think that we are all very grateful for this stretch of stunning weather. The bonus is that Spring is very much in the air, even if it's a temporary reprieve, we'll take it. I went for a walk by the water yesterday, and took these couple of shots of the same stretch of the Pawtuxet River by the bridge. You can see the water is still furiously rushing into the Stillhouse Cove, however, it is clear that the current has become less fierce.The top photo is looking back into the Cove, where you can see the water becomes quiet. There were also some signs of Spring, little though they may be, are a real standout. I also found some great weeds, which caught my eye.

Wordless Wednesday

Bridge over Troubled Waters

Overflowing Pawtuxet River reached record highs not seen since 1982!
Pawtuxet Village, RI

The Fish and the Loaves, The Traveling Plate!!

I was having dinner at the DC Coast restaurant, in Washington D.C., last Monday night, with some dear friends I had not seen in many years. While catching up a bit, we began talking about Israel and how they were thinking about going next year. I shared with them this story (among others) about our traveling plate. This is from the archives, but, certainly bears repeating!

This plate of the Fish and the Loaves was given to us by our friend, Iddo in 1995. Iddo was our tour guide when we went to Israel in 1990. Edward was an infant at the time and Iddo helped make our visit so special and forever memorable. We connected with him, not just for the 10 days we traveled together, but now, 19 years later, we still have a story to tell. This plate, the miracle of the Fish and the Loaves, represents feeding the multitudes. Jesus blessed the two fish and fives loaves, and miracle of miracles, 'there were about 5000 men who ate aside from the women and children.' (Mat.14:21). Iddo and his beautiful wife, Irit, gave us the plate to bless our household, and it did. But then, a few years later, his household needed a blessing, with tourism in Israel at an all time low, he needed some help. I thought, let's make a deal. We'll send him the plate for 7 years and then wherever we are in the world each of us would share the plate for 7 years at a time. Well, his time was up, (and then some), but, yet again, miracle of miracles, Iddo was coming to the States, New York City, to be specific. Lo and behold, my husband had to be in New York City at the same time! Jimmy and Iddo met in mid-town Manhattan and had a wonderful reunion over coffee @ Starbucks, catching up like two old friends who had known one another forever! Our household has had many blessings now that we have our plate back, and we are certainly always expectant! Iddo's business of tourism and lecturing is thriving. He loves telling the story about the traveling plate! We all realize that the plate is just a plate, but, it has great meaning to us and it's ours until 2015!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Sculpture of Nymphs on Horses, in front of the Library of Congress

Washington, DC, March, 2010

Mrs. Lilley Goes to Washington!

Insulin Pump

Many of you know by now, that my son, Edward, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 8 years ago when he was 12. In these short, but life changing 8 years, tremendous strides have been made for Type 1 diabetics. Edward, and thousands like him have profited by the research in physical, tangible ways. The pump alone has changed the lives of so many with it's high tech ability to infuse micro drips of insulin all day and night. This gives Edward extremely tight control, which helps ward off complications further down the road. Research continues to be the key in our quest to find a cure. Research dollars have to be gi-normous to continue to see such great progress. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation was started by Mom's, just like me, in 1970. Here is a quick overview of what JDRF is:

'JDRF is the leading charitable funder and advocate of type 1 (juvenile) diabetes research worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Type 1 diabetes is a disease that strikes children suddenly and requires multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications that may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation. Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.16 billion to diabetes research.'

I became involved with the Rhode Island Branch of JDRF and quickly fell in love with Jenny, Mary Ellen and Nazira. Little by little, I was feeling my way to see 'where I fit best' within the organization. For the past year, I have taken on the role of JDRF Advocacy Leader. I work as a liaison with the JDRF office in Washington, D.C., representing the State of Rhode Island. I set
up meetings with our congressmen and senators to talk about the serious issues involved with the daily health care of a Type 1 diabetic. The D.C. office hosts an annual event they call 'Government Day'. It's more like, 'Government Few Days'. They fly the delegates in from all over the country and the action begins! We will be meeting not only one another for support, but the excellent staff from the D.C. office, top scientists, doctors, PhD.'s, and Alan J. Lewis, the CEO of JDRF! They will be turning us loose on the Hill and in the halls of the Senate to meet with our respective congressmen and senators. I'm leaving on a jet plane tomorrow, thankfully, no snow anywhere in the forecast!!

I am blessed and honored to be included in this dynamic community. As a whole, we continue to pray for a cure as the research continues. I will be away from the computer for a couple of days, although I will certainly have access. I'll keep you posted...

Life is interesting...yes?

Wordless Wednesday

Girl Whirl finds the best places to nuzzle in...yes, people, it's a stuffed animal of a black kitty she's plopped herself on...any symbolism there...(ie, Big Kitty)?