Sunday, September 11, 2011

JOHN E. MOORE SHARES 9-11-2001 MEMORIES

Our local newspaper, THE SAN ANGELO STANDARD TIMES, invited readers to share their 9-11-2001 memories in 250 words or less.  The following is the recall by my husband JOHN E. MOORE:


On September 11, 2001, I was teaching Air Force personnel at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida.  The students, from bases throughout the world, had come to learn Air Staff approved policies and techniques.  One student was from Goodfellow and the course proctor represented the Air Education and Training Command, Randolph AFB.  During mid-morning break, some of the students saw on TV that a plane had hit the World Trade Center; therefore, most of the class was gathered around the TV when the second tower was hit.  Security at NAS Jacksonville was immediately raised.  Non-essential personnel were asked to leave the base.  Many of the students were housed in a local hotel so the Academy arranged to have the remaining classes presented there. 


Looking back on that morning I can think of no place I would rather have been than with professionals dedicated to providing outstanding support to the military and their families.  I had worked in housing at bases throughout the country as a Command Specialist at AF Material Command before coming to Goodfellow for the last 5 of my 26 civilian service years.  Retired from civil service in August, 2000, I was offered a job as course developer and instructor for the National Center for Housing Management.  I spent the next 4 years teaching courses in Hawaii, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and Jacksonville.  No class stands out as clearly in my memory as the class that was moved off base because Muslim Jihadists had attacked our country.    

Thursday, September 1, 2011

COLORS

Colors make me feel happy inside. Unless you know the sensation, there seems no way I can explain it to you. It is just there.

Years ago we lived near a mill where yarn was manufactured. One of my greatest joys was being able to go to their factory outlet to buy yarn by the pound. Seeing those colors through the clear plastic bags brought my imagination to life as I envisioned a crocheted yellow cape for our daughter from one and a multi-striped full-sized afghan for my husband from another. When I came out of the store carrying the purchases, my husband’s imagination could see the possibility of the cape; however, of the afghan he wasn’t so sure. Once we got home and he saw me pulling the many pieces and lengths of colors from the bag, looking more like a mother hen plucking resistant worms from the ground than a sensible woman getting ready to crochet a large afghan, he really began to question the outcome.

As I sat on the couch, pulling free first a length of cardinal red yarn, then making a ball from a Kelly green one, I explained, “Colors make me happy.” John sat across the room from me in his recliner, shaking his head, wondering aloud how I was ever going to get that tangled mess undone, let alone make anything resembling an afghan from it. That kind of comment was exactly enough to make me more determined than ever to show him just what I could do!

After an evening of separating and balling yarns, leaving my inner eyelids resembling the colorful fabric of the costumes of clowns, I was sleepy enough to call it a day. Oh, but I was feeling happy because I knew I was ready to start the promised afghan after a restful night.

For a few weeks, once the work of the day was completed, I had many colorful evenings keeping my hands busy. My lap grew warmer with each passing night. Hubby sitting across the living room marveled as Johnny’s Cover of Many Colors continued to grow larger and the clear plastic bag of many colored yarn balls grew smaller.

Eventually the day came when I was able to present Mr. John, my husband, with the afghan that he has since used for about thirty years to “cover his button” (referring to his tummy) as he naps in his recliner.
We live a long way from the yarn factory now, but with yarn that lasts that long, I don’t have to crochet anymore. Now I can turn to computer-generated greeting cards and digital photos for my color fix.

Did I tell you colors make me happy?

© Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 9-1-2011