Donna’s Day: Have Fun Hammering Junior Whirl

KIDS &FAMILY

Donna’s Day: Creative Family Fun Have Fun Hammering — Make Pounded Pansy Pouches

By Donna Erickson

Signal Contributing Writer

Idon’t know a young child who doesn’t love a hammer. Watch when kids grab one tightly in both small hands, lift it high and pound. Thud! They see it do something. It might only be a nick on a board, or, if lucky, they’ll hit a nail square on. Throughout the action, it’s a thrilling feeling of control and an introduction to the adult world.

Hammers can be the perfect tool for kids to make imprints of fragile flowers, too. When they tap, tap, tap a wax-paper-covered flower on fabric, they magically see the bloom’s natural colors and shapes appear right before their eyes.

No wonder families recently filled the benches at a craft booth at our local weekend farmer’s market. Pounding natural designs of violet pansies onto fabric was the first step. Then the children learned to hand-sew pouches with simple stitches after the pounding. Even some preschoolers could sew handily with adult assistance.

Remember to keep your library card handy this summer. A mother places her son’s crafty pansy pounch around his neck. Here’s how: 1. Cut two pieces of plain white cotton or muslin fabric 2 3/4 inch wide by 3 inches long with pinking shears. 2. Put one of the fabric pieces on a cutting board or a flat piece of wood. Carefully set a fresh pansy bloom in the middle of the fabric — front side down and stem side up. Cover it with a sheet of wax paper and hammer over the wax-paper-covered flower until its color has been absorbed into the fabric. Remove the wax paper and pansy to reveal the natural, colorful floral design. 3. It’s time to sew the two fabric pieces together to form the neck pouch. Thread a large needle with a 30-inch length of embroidery floss. Stack the fabric pieces with the floral print on top and, beginning at the top right corner, sew the sides and bottom together with a running stitch. Guide your child’s hands when needed. When complete, remove the needle and knot the end of the floss to the starting corner of the pouch.

Place the pouch around your child’s neck and put a coin or some treasure inside.

For more ideas about crafting with natural materials, visit www.heartfelt online.com.

Donna Erickson’s award-winning series “Donna’s Day” is airing on public television nationwide. To find more of her creative family recipes and activities, visit www.donnasday.com and link to the Donna’s Day Facebook fan page. Her latest book is “Donna Erickson’s Fabulous Funstuff for Families.”  © 2022 Donna Erickson

Distributed by King Features Synd.

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JULY 24, 2022 CROSSWORD TIME PUZZLES

SOLUTIONS

Opinion Unless otherwise stated, the views and opinions expressed are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of The Signal.

READER LETTERS Invasion of America

Recently Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas led the way for other states to condemn the Joe Biden Administration for not protecting Americans from foreign invasion. An invasion is an unwelcome intrusion into another’s territory — most Americans agree this intrusion is indeed unwelcome. He cited the U.S. Constitution, Article IV, Section 4 (the U.S. shall guarantee protection for every state against invasion — paraphrased) by emphasizing that it shows the responsibility of the federal government to assure this guarantee. He noted similar protection in the Texas Constitution. He indicated an immediate plan to use Texas resources to stop illegal immigration at his state’s southern border. Hopefully, other states will adopt his proactive posture to address this invasion menace of millions of illegal immigrants at their borders.

All states’ sovereignty has been violated by Biden’s secret transporting of illegal immigrants to cities across America. They are being invaded whether their borders are adjacent to Mexico or not. Sadly, California’s governor shows no interest in taking a similar posture to protect California citizens from invasion.

We are fortunate in District 27 to have Rep. Mike Garcia confront supporters of this disastrous invasion and many other issues. On May 12, he addressed Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leftist colleagues. Speech highlights include the following quotes: • “Some matters go beyond simple coincidences, and some things are simply inexplicable and inexcusable. The blizzard of crises our nation has endured since January of 2021 cannot be attributed to a simple string of bad luck.The reality is that these were intentionally induced crises by our elected officials in the White House and in this body.” • “Why does your party care more about the borders of other nations than our own? ... A party that has become hijacked by (Black Lives Matter) and special interests. Hijacked by fear, rather than a devotion to our beautiful Constitution.”(THE authority for protecting our nation from invasion!)

Each of the above quoted concerns by Rep. Garcia demonstrate his passion and capability to help lead America out of the disastrous policies of Joe Biden’s administration. Likewise, each of his statements to the House and its speaker provide ample evidence of Biden’s failure to protect America’s sovereignty and her citizens from this “blizzard of crises,” especially this ongoing invasion. This failure merits impeachment of the president!

The following closing statement by Garcia in the House of Representatives shows his commitment to America and our district. Help assure returning America to her greatness and stopping this invasion by voting for Rep. Mike Garcia on Nov. 8.

“I have spent my life defending this beautiful country. Since the age of 18, as a Naval officer, I have been willing to give my life for this nation, and if I’m willing to die for it, I’m willing to work for it. And if I’m willing to work for it, I’m willing to do what’s right for it.”

Larry Bustetter Valencia

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ETHICALLY SPEAKING

Elitism, Populism, Baggage

When I was in high school my career goal was to go into the legal field. But the courtroom wasn’t my final destination. I wanted to enter the political realm. Like so many others down through history, I wanted to make the world a better place, and I thought those who made the laws were in the best place to do that.

Obviously, law wasn’t in my future but my interest in the political realm never slackened. But, as a pastor/theologian, I see things through a different lens. I have always put truth above everything else. Truth must be the foundation of life, and must form our ethics. What we believe must drive how we perceive the world around us and how we live in it.

We are now knee-deep in the political season as local, state and national races have the candidates engaged in their campaigns. We are about to be deluged with flyers, ads, yard signs and political shout-outs masquerading as TV commercials. But here’s the deal: Few of these do what you and I really need, and that is to understand what the candidates actually believe, what their beliefs will motivate them to do and how they will go about doing it.

So, beginning this week, I’m offering you some conversation starters as you plow through the mass of mailings, dirt-slinging sound bites and office gossip. My hope is we all can really start fact-finding, and then think deeply about the choices before us, and finally, vote for those candidates whose pronouncements most closely align with our values.

Let’s start with two very important ways to govern a democracy.

First is the “elitist form of government.” Those who espouse this view believe a few educated, capable people should make the important decisions. Plato made the case for this in his Republic. In order to have a well-ordered society, those with the most intelligence and experience should be put in charge.

This view has much to commend it. We certainly don’t want the uneducated and daft to be running things. Yet, history has demonstrated that this can easily deteriorate into the few making the big decisions for the rest of us and asking us to trust them and obey.

On the other hand is what we know as “populism.” In populism, the people are given the most power. But, there are dangers here, too. Alexander Fraser Tytler said it best: “A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.” Since both “elitism” and “populism” come with unwanted baggage, the framers of the U.S. Constitution put a system of checks and balances in place to guard against both extremes. And yet, as we all know, those checks and balances only work when those responsible to honor and submit to them are people of untarnished integrity.

It is crucial to understand that our governmental structure will only work if those holding office are honest, truth-loving and truth-speaking people. If they are, then even as elitist, educated and intelligent people they will listen to, honor and represent the people. Conversely, if a “populist” has integrity, he or she will stand for what is right even when the majority demands they get their way.

So, there you have it. Job No. 1 as we move toward election day is to recognize the integrity quotient of candidates you are thinking of supporting. Have they stayed true to their promises? Have they courageously voted their principles rather than party at times? Have they been transparent in letting you know where they stand on controversial issues? Most of all, have they refused to compromise their principles even if it meant losing?

As for me, I’d rather have an honest person of intelligence and impeccable integrity representing me than someone who was a professional politician was dedicated to using their political office for greater advancement and an upscale lifestyle.

Bottom line: Get invested in educating yourself as to the issues that matter to you, and then vote for those you can trust. After all, your vote is a treasure inherited from our forefathers. It is more powerful than currency. Don’t let it be bought cheaply. Instead, do what you can to spend it wisely.

Local resident David Hegg is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church. “Ethically Speaking”

appears Sundays. 