Priority Alzheimer's

I've been involved with the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative since it was founded by Ami Simms whose Mom was afflicted by this terrible disease. Their main fundraiser is the sale of Priority Alzheimer's Little Quilts -- quilts that fit into a priority mailing envelope. Their goal was to bring 1500 little quilts to International Quilt Festival in Houston, and THEY DID IT! All sales go directly to fund research for Alzheimer's Disease, which also afflicts my mom, who now lives in an Alzheimer's facility.
This is one of the quilts that I donated to the 2011 Priority Alzheimer's Project. This "Tiny Trees" will be for sale in their booth on Row T of the main exhibit hall at International Quilt Festival, Houston.

Here's a link to another of the projects undertaken by AAQI, "Alzheimer's: From Heartbreak to Hope" Each of the purple rectangles bears the name of a loved one who was afflicted by the disease. The strips were taken around the country and people lined up in droves to add the name of their loved one. Each of the strips was quilted and bound to make this amazing exhibit.

A Bear of a Year

Emaciated black bear cub at The Wildlife Center, Espanola, NM

I don't know if you knew that I also post bird and nature blogs at New Mexico Birds. I usually post a couple of articles each month, mostly about birds. But, my most recent installment is about Black Bears and the high number that are being found starving and injured during this record drought year. Wildlife and nature are a major part of my life, and I'd like to begin including links to those posts here too.