Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Quilts and Ruffled Feathers at TMC

Actual promo tonight for a local newscast, said slowly and seriously:

"A chicken terrorizes a local parking garage, at ten."

Here's my question on this important news item: how did they know what the chicken was planning to do at 10 PM?

I promised Sarah that I would watch the news story about the alleged terrorist chicken and report back. It turns out that a chicken wandered into the parking garage at Tucson Medical Center today. One women, who has had a poultry phobia since some minor childhood trauma at her grandfather's farm, was frightened. An animal expert from the University of Arizona rescued and removed the bird, and that was that. Apparently the chicken did not issue a manifesto, take any hostages, or make any demands.


As I mentioned briefly in last night's entry, I was at TMC on Tuesday afternoon, paying the unexpectedly large deductible/co-payment on the stress test I had earlier this year. (Yes, I'm fine.) The admissions people near the West Entrance sent me down the length of the labyrinthine, one-story, block-long building to the business office near the Southeast entrance. For nearly all of that ten minute walk, I was going down white corridors lined with an amazing variety of quilts - hundreds of them.

Some of them had Arizona motifs, like the one above. Others were more traditional.

Some looked like old time samplers. Others, like the one above, were very modern. I think this black one was my favorite.

I actually don't like quilts very much as an art form. I went to a textile museum once in Williamsburg with my dad, stepmother and stepsisters, and was bored to tears. My stepmother Ruth is a quilter, but it just isn't my kind of thing. Still, because of Ruth I paid attention, and took some pictures. In many cases, I actually liked what I saw.



Here's another one I liked a lot. It was near the business office. Title: "Eat Your Vegetables."


As you may have guessed, the quilts are for a charity auction. Quilt for a Cause, Inc. is putting it on, a silent auction for about 400 quilts, and a live auction on Saturday, October 14th for the cream of the crop. Check the link for details. And you'll like this, Carly and Julie and Linda. Half the money goes to the University of Arizona Foundation for breast and gynecologic cancer research at the Division of Women's Cancers at the Arizona Cancer Center. The other half goes to TMC Foundation for Dr. Joel Childers’ Teaching Series, for scholarships for nurses, and for breast Health Services "to provide mammograms, additional screening, diagnostics for uninsured and underinsured women." Bottom line: it's to fight various cancers in women. The symbol of the auction is a ribbon in two colors, pink and teal. In the papers attached to the quilts, many of the artists said they made and donated theirs in honor of friends and relatives who were cancer survivors.

I know I haven't made the rounds properly on the Round Robin yet, and it may be several days before I get to everyone. That's on top of being weeks behind on my regular blog jogging. Can't be helped, folks. I'm going to be very busy for the next several days, so my online time will be limited. But I'll get to you eventually. I promise!

Karen


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5 comments:

Carly said...

Hi Karen :)

Lovely idea to raise funds for cancer research! My aunt Amanda just sent me a quilt last Christmas, and my parents-in-law have been quilting up a storm in their retirement. Country crafts has really caught on in recent years. Neat entry.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting the quilt pictures. I happen to be a bit of a quilter and really enjoy the good art quilts. Mine aren't as good as any of those in the pictures! Hope to make the RR rounds myself today.

Call me Paul said...

And the more important question: how does one tell if a parking garage is feeling terror or not?

Anonymous said...

Hi Karen -

Lovely quilt entry and great event for CA!

(I will try to make RRC travels)
Thank you for visits!

http://journals.aol.com/rrveh1/WAIT-NOTYET-/

Becky said...

Interesting! I love quilts. Always have. Don't make 'em. Just appreciate the time it takes to produce a good one and the artistry. I have half a dozen of them, or so. I like the really intricate ones that are girly and flowery, but not TOO over the top. Classic, I guess. I have one that is the shape of a butterfly that I love especially. And one with loads of purple (for my bedroom, of course). LOL I'll have to check out the auction (if I haven't already missed it). Good hand-made quilts can cost a mint.