My Democrats have disappointed me, backing off the timeline for troop withdrawal from Iraq. Bush will have to approve the minimum wage hike to get his funding, but I'm not enjoying that small consolation at the moment. I really hoped they could do more. Benji sent a petition to sign supporting a bill to outlaw gasoline price gouging. I did, and I hope everybody I know does, but that's enough politics for today.

Have I mentioned that one of my favorite inspirational websites is here? The artist that most recently intrigues me is Natasha Wescoat. Put her name in search, and you will see the kind of art I'm currently imitating. She calls this one "Calico Fancy." I painted a similar one last night that is yet unnamed. I don't try to copy her work, just use it as a guide for my own renditions. One of my artist friends from church says she doesn't post her work on the internet because she doesn't want copies of it being made. I can appreciate that, but as a mostly self-taught artist, I can attest to the helpfulness of having others' work to inspire and guide me. Didn't some wise person say, "Imitation is the most sincere flattery?" Check out her work; it has an innocent, child-like, playful quality that I admire.

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I found out I'm not the only person who enjoys hearing train whistles in the night. Skip's email yesterday described the sounds he heard when growing up in New Orleans: "You are not the only one who loves the sound of a train, especially in the night. In New Orleans we had trains that ran near the levee about 10 blocks away, the sound of streetcars on St. Charles Ave, two blocks away, and on foggy nights the sound of fog horns on the river. It was a haunting sound, that brought feelings of dreamy, far away places into my bedroom."

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Ricky sent an interesting story about former tennis champion Andrea Jaeger, who is now an Episcopal nun, caring for sick, abused, and at-risk children. He also found the source of a quote I've saved for years:

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A hundred years from now it will not matter the sort of house I lived in, what my bank account was, or the kind of car I drove, but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.

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It is attributed to Forest E. Witcraft on a site I have bookmarked. Thanks, Rick! Great resource! The Jaeger story reminded me of this quote.

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Rick, Benji, and Skip, three of my favorite guys, all sent e-mails yesterday. Unusual, but that's a GOOD DAY in my book!