Aliens or Inspiration?
This past week, I went to Illinois where I helped my daughter move into her new apartment. I will not lie, the drive there was miserable. I had no idea where I was going (following that GPS can be a bit scary when you have never been in the places it takes you), and it was dark during part of the drive where I had never been before. The GPS even took me along a US highway instead of the interstate somewhere in the middle of nowhere West Virginia/Ohio for over 100 miles. It was rough! Ok, ok…I will confess…it would have been fine if I had the new prescription for the glasses I so desperately need and if I was not an emotional, perimenopausal wreck. Truth be told, that alone particular combination was a recipe for disaster, but I also have another dilemma to add. The rental SUV I had did not have cruise control! I traveled 700-800 miles one way without cruise control! The vehicle wasn’t broke, and it was a nice ride. You see, Nissan has a driver assistant feature called Automatic Emergency Brake system. When I turned the vehicle back in, I learned that many people complained about this feature as the vehicle will just come to a stop. Therefore, Nissan disabled the front obstruction sensor before selling it to the rental company. Well, without the front obstruction sensor, you cannot use cruise control. Lesson learned, do not rent a new Nissan from anywhere. It was horrible to drive that distance without cruise control. Just another thing to mess with my emotional roller coaster. Alas, I did make it safe and sound (ok, maybe not of sound mind-but you understand what I mean).
The next morning was the move in day! Who knew how much you could pack in a SUV and a 4 door sedan? Before we started to unload, we went for a not-so-healthy, fast breakfast (Micky D’s) to get our bodies some empty nutrition…isn’t that what most people do when you don’t have any groceries on move in day? When pulling out of her apartment complex, this is what I saw:
One of those huge, white windmills that collects energy from the wind! After a couple of trips out of the complex, I saw that there were actually hundreds of those things! I have always thought they looked like aliens, as if they have landed and set up shop on Earth. It has always given me a bit of insecurity and reminded me how vulnerable we really are….even though I logically know what they are, they are just simply eerie. When I spoke with my parents about these things, they also used the words aliens…lol..so, I know that I am not alone in my thoughts or feelings.
The next day I started my drive home. Here we goooo!! No cruise control, no new glasses, and yes, I am still an emotional mess. One bonus, I have some familiarity in my drive. Well, except the first part, as it was really dark during the drive to Illinois, but returning home, this part was light out. All is well. Although I had to leave my daughter behind, I was in the right mind set for a great travel home. And what do my eyes see east of Normal/Bloomington? A metric ton of those windmills!!!!
Might be hard to see, but if you look back behind the field and to the left, there are hundreds!
However, this time, it gave me a soothing feeling. I was able to see the beauty. The windmills stand tall among fields of green (corn and maybe soybeans) and the blue skies filled with fluffy clouds. I don’t know if seeing those things for a couple of days was numbing me to the originally eerie feeling, or if it was just me practicing mindfulness. Either way, I found inspiration in that picture embedded in my head for another quilt.
After a couple of recuperating days home, I did a bit of research. They actually are not called windmills, but wind turbines. They are computerized and easy to maintain. They offer pollution free collection of energy through wind. When you have several turbines in an area, they call them wind farms. Illinois is actually listed as the 6th state to have the most wind turbine farms. They lease the land from farmers with payments, and sell the excess energy to power suppliers. What I found the most interesting is the history behind the windmills. According to www.illinoiswindmills.org, “Scientists and engineers in many countries had tinkered with producing electricity using windmills since the mid-1800s.” They go one to say that during the Great Depression, they brought power and sewage into the rural areas. This allowed for more jobs and agriculture “economic growth.” But, eventually the fossil fuel companies took over. There is even more history through the 40s, 60s, 70s, and 2000s. I can go on, but I do realize that it may send a lot of people into complete boredom. If you are even interested, you can read more at https://www.illinoiswindmills.org/wind-turbines.
Bottom line, this form of alternative energy works. They each stand “280 ft (80 m) tall” and have “three 120-foot-long (39 m) blades.” (Wikipedia) However, I noticed they are all white….my suggestion? Light Pink! Why light pink? It can be a calming color, it will look nice against the green fields and blue skies, and it will take away from the Aliens-have-landed feeling….oh, and I love pink! LOL
I have more to share of inspirations and thoughts I had during this trip, but I’ll leave it for another blog. It truly is time for me to get back to work. Finishing projects, writing patterns, making items for a craft show….I know, I know…sounds like a rough job. But, if someone has to do it, you can sign me up any day!
Until next time, may you continue to be inspired, productive, and joyful! And never stop making your dreams in quilting come true!
-Angel
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