TSA verses little old lady.......by Joyce Oroz

I buckled up and the plane rattled down the runway until it passed
some magical marker and suddenly lifted its belly full of passengers into the air. My mind flashed back to the cattle arrangement I had zigzagged through, the stripping of shoes and the threat of x-ray. As I stood in line with other shoeless travelers, a rickety old white woman in a wheel chair was forced to stand in front of the big “X” machine for a picture session which went on and on and on because she was unable to hold her body still. Her ruffled dress swayed as her arms stretched and flailed above her head. Mr. TSA coached and encouraged the lady as he stood ready to catch her if necessary. A gentleman standing in front of me saw the disgraceful situation and darted sideways to another line. I followed him. We passed through with no pat-down, no x-ray and no wacky wanding what-so-ever. So let’s all thank the TSA for keeping us safe from little old ladies in wheelchairs and for spending ten
times the money as previous private companies. Our tax money, actually.

Glued to her work......by Joyce Oroz

There is a woman who lives in a small, out-of-the-way Arizona
desert town. Most of the town’s residents know her as the kindly elderly woman who creates books for children out of magazine and calendar pictures. She donates the picture books to children’s hospitals all over Arizona, California and Oregon, including St. Vincent de Paul and El Zaribah Shrine. You might ask why, at age 89, she works so hard.
Five years ago Dorothy became a widow. Instead of feeling sorry
for herself, she began collaging flower pots and various items around her house to make them colorful. She had so much fun cutting, gluing and creating, she began making collage placemats. She had the placemats laminated and gave many of them to the local fire house and senior center to dress up their tables.
But Dorothy had another idea. She cut and glued magazine pictures
of puppies, kittens, ponies and all things cuddly and cute until she had created many two-sided pages. She tied the pages together with colorful ribbons, creating little picture books and sent a couple dozen off to a very grateful Schriner’s hospital. When she heard that the sick children loved the books, she stepped up production. As of April 2012, she has made and sent 1,372 books to various hospitals, spreading the smiles—hers included.
And she just happens to be my mom!

Dorothy's placemats can be purchased at the Dragonfly Gallery in Aromas.