Community Art Projects

Back in 2014, St. Louis celebrated the 250th anniversary of its founding. Over 250 decorated fiberglass cakes were displayed throughout the metropolitan area celebrating our diversity and history. In 2019, St. Charles celebrated their 250th anniversary by having 25 decorated dog statues sprinkled throughout their area. The dog statues were in honor of Seaman, the Newfoundland that accompanied Lewis and Clark on their trek west. 

Starting this weekend, the American Cancer Society will be celebrating the opening of a new Hope House for people being treated for cancer here in St. Louis. The new Hope House will have 42 suites and to raise awareness of this endeavor, artists have decorated 42 doors in honor of cancer patients and survivors and their families. These doors will be displayed in various places throughout the region.

Just like the St. Louis cakes and the Seaman dogs, I will be making the journey to capture as many of these doors as I can. However, unlike the previous two projects, this one will be personal. Many people in my life have succumbed to cancer, including my father. I'm dedicating my journey to them.

Now, I wish to change the direction of this blog. Let's talk about the broader purpose of community art projects and, more specifically, how we can better represent all the great things about our own North County region. Our area is rich in history and diversity. And since we are all still sheltering in place, we have time to think about this and toss around ideas.

Bridgeton, Hazelwood and Florissant were started in the late 18th century as frontier outposts.  Ferguson was a train stop in the mid-1800's. Most of the area we call home now really didn't come into existence until the 20th century. 

While town incorporation anniversary dates vary, it is hard to pick a specific date as an anniversary. However, we can still pick a milestone of some sort. Or a theme. Here are a few ideas:

• St. Charles Rock Road - the first highway that led settlers from St. Louis to St. Charles. Picture wagon trains, horses, cattle, wagon wheels, pioneers.
• Farming communities - North County was largely agrarian until World War II. Woodson Road was a dirt road for a long time. Picture plows, cabins, horses, cattle.
• Aviation - Lambert started out as a race track, then a balloon launch field, then grew into a major airport hub. Remember when McDonnell Douglas was a major employer here? You couldn't turn a corner without bumping into a Mac employee. Picture bi-planes and jets. 
• Since St. Louis was a major jumping off point for people heading west, and we were a major transportation hub, how about a compass?
• We need to celebrate our diversity. Flags representing our heritage and where we all come from. Or incorporate it in with the compass idea.

Let's all reach out to one another and our community leaders and see what we can do. An art project such as what we have seen could bring us together as a community and dispel the myth that permeates our area as a thugs and drugs district. We have a lot of creative minds. I believe we can do this.

Hope to hear your ideas soon!

A Letter to My Friends

Dearest Friends:

The quarantine and furlough have been rough. I'm tired and while I've held up pretty well for two and a half months, I'm starting to crumble a bit. And it's not for lack of things to do - I have plenty to keep me busy until Fall. I miss seeing you. I miss hearing your voices. I miss your diverse personalities - even the irritating ones. I miss your unique perspectives on various issues. I learn a lot from you.

Now, once again, we have a situation of police brutality against an African American man in Minneapolis. I don't understand how this is still happening in our country. Have we learned nothing from the past? My heart breaks over this. I'm not saying this to be politically correct. Hopefully, you know me better than that. I think, what if this man were your husband, brother, father, son, boyfriend? You know I would be there for you, arms wrapped around you as tight as you will let me (social distancing be damned). I would cry with you and pray with you and beg God to ease your pain. It would be personal for me, because you are my friends.

I would hope you would do the same for me. However, we all know that may never happen because I'm white. I'm sorry about my privilege. If I could share it with you, I would in a heartbeat. In truth, there shouldn't be a thing called white privilege. We Americans are all covered by the same Constitution; yet, the administration of our guaranteed rights is subject to the color of our skin. This is wrong.

The current administration is doing nothing to comfort our nation that is grieving in so many ways. The healing and repairs needed will have to come from the people. All of us. This means we must all stand together against unjust practices, root out corruption, and, most importantly, vote in every election. Every election -  from the local school board to the Presidency. Keeping up with all this can be tedious. I agree. I'm busy, too. However, I fear that our "busyness" is how we got to where we are today.

My dear friends, I want you to know that I care about you, love and miss you dearly, and hope to see all of you soon, if life ever returns to "normal." Like you, I just want to live my life in peace, earn a descent living, and be surrounded by a loving family and friends. I value each and every one of you.

Prayers and Blessings,

Elizabeth

Our New Normal?

I think by now everyone is tired of hearing anything related to the global pandemic, the COVID-19, aka the Coronavirus. As we all know, most of the world is shut down because of this deadly pandemic, and for good reason. People have died from this invisible thing. I am among the many who are taking the extra steps to washing my hands longer, using hand sanitizer a bit more, and watching my own health so that I don't bring germs home to my husband who has compromised immunity.

Macy's has closed shop for two weeks, which means I'm on an unplanned vacation with minimal pay. I'm grateful for something, so I guess I shouldn't complain. I'm using this time to catch up on housework, my craft projects, writing, and reading. Cooking will increase and new recipes will be tried. Already I discovered Irish soda bread and it is really good. I don't know if this is a new thing, but if not, I wonder if my Irish ancestors ever made it.

Jack is watching all his favorite shows, which are not all my favorite shows. When I read that a movie that I hadn't seen since I was a girl was on Amazon Prime, I powered up my laptop and settled in for Rogers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella." This is the one with Leslie Ann Warren and was made in 1965. I remember sitting in front of our black & white television and watching, absolutely glued, to the show and the music. I also remember fleeing to my mother's lap in tears when the step-mother and step-sisters were so mean to Cinderella. I remember dreaming of dancing a waltz with my Prince Charming; this dream stayed with me well into adulthood. Yes, I found my Prince Charming, but he can't waltz if his life depended on it. Oh well, he has many other wonderful qualities.

While the world is grinding to a halt, or seems to be, I want to share some thoughts that bring hope for a brighter future.

• Trucks are still delivering goods to market (I saw quite a few on the highway yesterday)
• Babies are still being born (Gotta love those baby smiles and giggles)
• Parents and teachers will truly work together to educate children
• We are more cognizant of how we impact the vulnerable among us
• You really don't know how strong you are until being strong is the only thing you have

Dear readers, we will weather this just as we have gotten through rough times in our past. We have survived tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, severe recessions, and gas shortages. We will get through this. Better and stronger.

Macy's. You're Killing Me

Just shy of a year ago, I was promoted to a new position that was supposed to enhance sales within Macy's. This was a corporate sponsored position, which means that select stores across the country would have dedicated personnel to provide more personalized customer service. I and three other women (whom I've known for years) were chosen for this role at our store. While I had my doubts about my level of patience required for this position, I accepted it as a challenge. Over the course of the following months, I purchased better quality clothing and shoes to reflect my new role. I wanted this position to succeed and dressing the part was an important ingredient.

Yeah.

Right off the bat, all four of us were tasked with running racks of clothing back to where they belonged, cleaning and folding merchandise, covering lunch breaks and department shortages. Pretty much everything EXCEPT one-on-one sales. The business cards we were supposed to get never materialized. My better wardrobe was a risk of being ruined, so I stopped wearing them and dressed down. I addressed my concerns with our store vice president at the time. He assured me that once staffing was at optimal levels, we would be freed up to do our new jobs. News update: he retired a few months later. And staffing never increased. Meanwhile, we heard rumors that other people in our position at other locations were allowed to perform their job duties. The new store vice president only lasted four months before she quit. She was nice, but politely ignored us. The next new store vice president promised to meet with us after inventory was over.

Inventory just finished. So were our jobs.

For now, I'm still employed at Macy's.  Kind of a "Girl Friday" way. Pretty much as I have been for the past year. Come Spring, they will roll out a "new" recovery team for the whole store. We've had a recovery team in the past and it didn't last long. So, it looks like I may have another year with Macy's before they decide to lay me off. I could have accepted the severance package that was also offered to me, but I want to leave on my terms, not Macy's.

Here's what is getting at me. The previous position was never given a chance to work. We never had management buy-in. We were never truly permitted to do our jobs as they were described to us. I can't enhance sales if I'm running go-backs all day. I can't escort a hapless customer to the right department if I'm tethered to a cash register. I had a few ideas of how to make these positions more productive and customer-centric. I had a couple of success stories I wanted to share.

Gone.

I've seen this with some of the other positions the management team dreamed up. Brand/Department specialists - no longer around. Shop Captains - never had any teeth to the position. Bridal consultants - gone. It seems that someone dreams up these things but no one has any investment in the idea. I feel my time (not to mention my money) has been wasted.

The easy answer here is to find another job. Well, things are more complicated than that in our household. Due to my husband's increasing health issues, now I'm on intermittent family leave. This is so I can be available to help my husband when he needs me and not lose my job. While I'm on FMLA, I am not allowed to look for another job, nor can I be self-employed. So, my hands are tied for the foreseeable future.

All I can do is take one day at a time. I have to trust God on this and leave it in His hands.

But, I'm still mad.