Seems a perfect time to share a couple of creepy / disturbing news items. I should mention that sewing--the art of it, the skill of it, the loss of it in this country--has been on my mind. Economists routinely marginalize garment manufacturing as some outdated endeavor unworthy of our nation's efforts. And yet, last I checked, clothing remains one of our three basic necessities, along with food and shelter. In 2018, we imported approximately $92 billion in clothing. Increasingly, we purchase clothing online. Currently, Amazon.com ranks right behind Wallmart.com in its percentage of online sales of apparel. That said, here's our first news item:

DHAKA, Bangladesh—After a 2013 factory collapse killed more than 1,100 people in Bangladesh, most of the biggest U.S. apparel retailers joined safety-monitoring groups that required them to stop selling clothing from factories that violated certain safety standards.

Amazon.com Inc. didn’t join.

According to a Wall Street Journal investigation, the site today offers a steady stream of clothing from dozens of Bangladeshi factories that most leading retailers have said are too dangerous to allow into their supply chains...

Ethical lines aren’t clear-cut in the global garment-supply chain, which remains a murky network in which clothes pass from factories through traders around the world...

Morgan Stanley analysts...predicted last year that Amazon was on track to pass Walmart as No. 1...

--Amazon Sells Clothes From Factories Other Retailers Blacklist, The Wall Street Journal, October 23, 2019

The investigative piece also includes a link to an earlier interview with Rozina Beguma, a Bangladeshi garment worker and survivor of the Rana Plaza collapse. It's heartbreaking to read, but please do so if you have a few minutes. Trapped under the rubble for days as she awaited rescue, Ms. Beguma says she managed to survive "by sawing off her arm."

Unfortunately, as the WSJ points out, Amazon doesn't reveal country of origin information on its website. So if you're hoping to avoid Bangladeshi-made apparel, might be best to skip Amazon altogether.

And yes, I realize that our own country's history of apparel manufacturing is littered with horrors, but public outrage over the past hundred years or so has led to changes. Employment laws, building codes, labor unions, environmental standards have been created. Violations are prosecuted. Transparency exists. Move the garment industry to "murky" offshore factories and all bets are off. And we, as consumers, are left to wonder: How did these clothes come into being? At what human cost?

On to the second news item. Heard about the Costco children's PJ's?

The Trump Administration is blocking shipments from a Chinese company making baby pajamas sold at Costco warehouses, after the foreign manufacturer was accused of forcing ethnic minorities locked in an internment camp to sew clothes against their will....

As of last weekend, the microfleece, zippered pajamas, sold under the label Absorba, were seen by an AP reporter on some Costco shelves in packs of two, for $14.99.

--NBC News, October 8, 2019

Kind of takes the joy out of a Costco bargain, doesn't it?

In her highly readable and meticulously-researched book, Over-Dressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, author Elizabeth L. Cline reminds us that:

The demand for cheaper and cheaper garments has all but wiped-out the American garment industry; it's also made it very difficult for small designers and independent companies to find proper and affordable factory prices here, and to charge prices that generate fair profits and pay decent wages.

This "wipe-out" has left a dystopian, cavernous void in its wake. I can recall when downtown San Francisco and Los Angeles had bustling, thriving garment industries; a vibrancy you could witness on any given day. Now those two cities lead the nation in chronic homelessness. Leaders wring their hands, wonder what to do? Here's a thought: how about buying back our sewing machines, encouraging the revival of the garment industry?

The Garment Center was once a way for immigrants and those without college degrees to work their way up. The industry had a place for many more blue-collar and middle-class positions, including brokers, wholesalers, salesmen, printmakers, pattern-makers, cutters, and of course a veritable army of sewing-machine operators...

--Elizabeth L. Cline

In his engaging memoir Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work, philosopher-mechanic Matthew B. Crawford mourns the loss of shop classes. I would add the loss of home economics (where sewing was typically taught). Beginning in the 1990s these classes, deemed irrelevant, were replaced by subjects meant to prepare students for future jobs as "knowledge workers." Crawford reminds us that manual work can be satisfying, joyful. It can feed the soul; build self-reliance. It's anything but irrelevant:

This book advances a nestled set of arguments on behalf of work that is meaningful because it is useful...Both as workers and as consumers, we feel we move in channels that have been projected from afar by vast impersonal forces...Many people are trying to recover a field of vision that is basically human in scale, and extricate themselves from dependence on obscure forces of a global economy.

--Matthew B. Crawford, Shop Class as Soulcraft

So true.

In many ways sewing actually is alive and well. Not on the industrialized, mass-produced scale we once had, but maybe we don't want that anymore anyway. Thanks to Instagram and Etsy, we can find endless sources of domestically-produced / hand-sewn items.

One of my daughters recently told me about Vickery Trading Co. in Dallas, Texas. Launched a couple of years ago by Stephanie Giddens, this fast-growing apparel brand is actually a "social business" that's positively transforming the lives of refugees living in Dallas.

A few years ago Ms. Giddens (on the right above), a trained minister, prayed for guidance as to how she could help empower marginalized women in her own community. The answer? Sewing. "I would need a 'show me' skill that wouldn't require English," she recently told an audience gathered at the Dallas Theological Seminary. "Sewing was a good fit." Read more about her incredible business here. And while you're at it, check out the beautifully, happily, ethically-made clothing items.

See volunteer-Cynthia's stack of holiday flannel pants, all cut-out and ready to be sewn? Now that's a treat. Happy Halloween.

Second sign: A skeleton hanging from a neighbor's oak tree. Time waits for no one. Still, when I get home I don't write my Louisiana blog post. I scroll through Instagram and wonder how Joanna Gaines can open a bakery, develop a shopping center, open a restaurant, a cafe, a bed-and-breakfast place and a grand hotel, launch her own line of furniture, rugs, giftware and her own cable channel. How's that possible? (1) She doesn't procrastinate. Ever. (2) She lives in the USA, where anything's possible given one's talent and ambition and ability to overcome procrastination. I decide to Google procrastination quotes.

"Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone."

--Pablo Picasso

“The impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.”

--Annie Dillard

Thanks, Pablo and Annie. A bit dark in tone, but I get the message.

Third sign: So, I'm all set to write about the awesome seersucker dresses being sewn in Louisiana when I get sidetracked by the news that China's eaten the NBA's Houston Rockets. Gobbled the team up. Spit it out. The team's offense? Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey--in mainland China with his team for a game--tweeted his support for Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement:

“Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”

Less than an hour later this happened:

"Chinese sponsors pulled their money, television networks suspended their broadcasts and e-commerce platform yanked Rockets team merchandise and essentially made the team disappear."

--Wall Street Journal

Is anyone surprised by this? What did the NBA expect of a communist regime that outlaws free speech, creates a Great Firewall to censor and control the internet, tosses citizenry en masse into prison for their religious beliefs, harvests those prisoners' organs and sits down to eat the family pet for dinner?

And just when I think the image of NBA players kneeling in obedience to China's totalitarian masters can't get much worse, news trickles out that NBA security staff censored the free speech of American fans at preseason games in Philadelphia and Washington D.C., confiscating any banners that supported Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. What? In America in 2019? How can this be? How could it not? Everything we own, use, carry, need is now made in China. We are all complicit in this mess.

Except Chip and Joanna Gaines, right? Thank goodness for these two! I turn to them for reassurance. They have the power to restore my faith in capitalism; in truth, justice and the American way.

Fourth sign: And so it comes to pass that I head over to my local Target to see Chip and Jo's Hearth & Hand with Magnolia collection. The NBA (and the rest of corporate America) may have its China Price, but Chip and Jo can't be bought. They're all about living local in Waco, Texas, about living their unique version of the American dream, about flipping houses, owning a ranch, raising kiddos, chicks, dogs and goats. About being authentic. They greet me at the entrance. Hi, Chip and Jo! Whew! Good to see you two!

Oh, the gorgeous stuff! Cream and black stoneware, faux wreaths, hand towels, candles...over 500 different items! Where to begin? First things first. Turning over an autumn wreath for my front door, the country of origin stares back at me:

What? No Waco? No homespun goodness? Say it ain't so, Chip and Jo! China came calling, and you agreed? Let me guess: you don't actually deal with China, you buy from a third party who deals with China. Your hands are clean, right? Sure, I get it. Good for you. Enjoy your bazillions. I leave Target without the wreath. I leave feeling out of step with the consumer world. The next morning something small but good happens.

Fifth sign: Two things, really. First, I watch the South Park episode called "Band in China." Watch it. You'll see what I mean. Chip and Jo should watch it. It'd make 'em cringe. By the way, as soon as it aired South Park was scrubbed from China. It never existed. You know, like the Tiananmen Square massacre. Never happened.

If South Park's creators--Trey Parker and Matt Stone--can stand up to China (and China-friendly Hollywood), then so can I, in my own small blogger way. But my site's out of date. Here's my convo with a random, faraway tech support person.

Me: “I need help updating my WordPress website. I haven't used it in like two years...”

Tech Support: “No problem. What’s the name?”

Me: “China Ate My Jeans.”

Tech Support: Laughter.

Me: “That’s ‘jeans’ with a ‘j'…I mean, if you weren’t sure…’”

Tech Support: “Yes, yes, I know!” More laughter. “I love that name! My sentiments exactly.”

Me: “Oh, good! Mind sharing where you’re located?”

Tech Support: “Philippines. And believe me, as I said, I truly appreciate your sentiment.”

Tech Support & Me: Shared laughter.

Not to make too big a deal out of it, but this brief interaction confirms my hunch: China's ever-increasing reach has everyone--not just me, not just Trey Parker and Matt Stone, not just the kowtowing players and managers of the NBA--more than a tad edgy. The laughter we share? Nervous. Like we're being watched. Like China hears us talking. That's okay. We just need to keep talking back.

Next up: Louisiana.

Abbey of Gethsemani Trappist monastery, Kentucky.

Hot Pockets. Pop Tarts. JIF peanut butter. Coal. Thoroughbred horses. Houseboats. Tobacco. Bourbon. Bowling balls. Tiffany engagement rings. Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil. If I seem unfocused, it's understandable. Our nation's 15th state defies description. Birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Fried Chicken, the Bluegrass State boasts over 4,000 manufacturers. Everything from playing cards to iPhone glass to Dixie Cups. And let's not forget disco balls. Wait. Disco balls? Yup.

Turns out that Omega National Products in Louisville manufactures 90 percent of the USA-made disco balls, including the one John Travolta danced under in "Saturday Night Fever." But even in a niche industry like disco ball-making, China threatens. According to nbcnews.com, four decades ago Omega "had 25 workers each churning out 25 balls a day, the Bee Gees' big hits blasting in the background as they painstakingly glued mirrored tiles to metal spheres. " Now only one worker, Yolanda Baker, remains.

Omega National Products used to have 25 employees making disco balls. Yolanda Baker is the only one assembling them now. (Source: Jake Whitman / NBC News)

In a good week Ms. Baker might fill half a dozen orders. I picture her working alone, "Stayin' Alive" pumping into her earbuds. Each Yolanda-made 12-inch ball sells for $125. I found a 12-inch China-made mirror ball on Amazon that sells for $16.95. As you can imagine, Yolanda-Baker-the-Disco-Ball-Maker isn't wild about the imported rip-offs. "They have rough edges because the glass isn't properly sanded," she says, "and sometimes they're even made from acrylic. The tiles might have sloppy gaps, and the core could be foam." The ultimate defect? "They don't give off the light like ours do. It's not a ball that's going to last." Ouch. You tell 'em, Yolanda. Who says we don't make stuff here anymore? Take that, Xi Jinping, most authoritarian leader since Mao. Take that, Made in China 2025. Show 'em how it's done, Yolanda and JT.

But wait, there's more. How about American-made cars? Kentucky ranks fourth in the nation in auto production. Toyota's Camry--the best-selling car in the USA--and Ford's F-Series--the best-selling truck in the USA--are manufactured in KY. Want an American-made baseball bat? Since its founding in 1894, Louisville Slugger's made over 100 million baseball bats. Now a division of Wilson Sporting Goods (whose parent company is Amer Sports Corporation of Finland), Louisville Slugger continues to operate its factory and museum, drawing visitors from all over the globe. Legends Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Lou Gehrig all used Louisville Sluggers. When the Houston Astros won the World Series, Louisville Slugger manufactured 2,017 baseball bats to commemorate the event (available for purchase on the company's website).

Geographically the commonwealth of Kentucky appears to be situated in the middle of the U.S. But CNBC reports that residents will "tell you proudly they're from the South." No worries, Kentuckians. Thanks to my stash of Post-it Notes, manufactured by the 3-M Company in Cynthiana, KY, I'll remember.

Contrary to what Romy and Michele would have us think, Post-it Notes were invented by Art Fry and Spencer Silver. Always a tinkerer and problem-solver, Mr. Fry, 86, was an undergrad in chemical engineering at University of Minnesota when he landed a job decades ago with 3-M in New Product Development. San Antonio-born Spencer Silver, 86, also ended up working for 3-M after earning a doctorate in Organic Chemistry from the University of Colorado. In 1968 Dr. Silver invented a “low tack” adhesive for 3-M, but he and his colleagues couldn't come up with a marketable use for the product. Then one day in 1975, Art Fry's bookmarks kept dropping out of his choir hymnal. His co-worker's low tack adhesive popped into his head. I imagine it was a religious experience.

Post-it Note co-inventor Art Fry.

In 1980, after perfecting the specifications and designing the machinery to produce the product, Post-it Notes were introduced to the world. Opened in 1984, 3-M's Cynthiana facility continues to manufacture more Post-it Notes than any other factory in the world. Every year during Cynthiana's fall arts festival, 3-M hosts a Post-it Notes Fashion Show. Creativity shines.

Jessica Harris and daughter Shelby wear beach dresses and sun hats at the Post-it Note Fashion Show in Cynthiana (July 31, 2014).

Leaving Post-it Notes and disco balls behind, let's return to the quote at the top of this post. The "whole blue valley" Thomas Merton describes is the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani. Situated on 2,000 pastoral acres, "in the middle of the silence and solitude of the Kentucky hills," the abbey provided Merton a "defense against the world." World War II had taken his younger brother; existential questions haunted him. Once inside the abbey, God's peace enfolded him "like love, like safety." For the next twenty-plus years, Merton worked in the fields alongside his fellow Trappist monks. He wrote, prayed. A revered activist for peace and social justice, he died in 1968.

After last Sunday's unspeakable violence in Texas, Merton's beloved abbey sounds like a balm for our angst-ridden American souls. Founded in 1848, the abbey still thrives, the oldest functioning monastery in the USA. The monks support themselves and maintain the ongoing needs of the abbey through Gethsemani Farms, an onsite (and online) store featuring the fruits of their labors: Kentucky Bourbon Fruitcake, Trappist Strawberry Preserves, Trappist Pomegranate Jelly, and eight flavors of fudge: Chocolate Bourbon, Butter Walnut Bourbon, Chocolate Walnut, Mint Julep Bourbon, Peanut Butter, Red Raspberry, Natural Dark Chocolate, Lemon Drop. Yum.

Handmade Gethsemani Farms - Yellow Poplar - Wooden Box with 2-12oz Chocolate Bourbon Fudge with Pecan Pieces

In Thoughts in Solitude (1958) Thomas Merton writes: “Violence is not completely fatal until it ceases to disturb us.” True. But if we indulge in some Trappist-made Kentucky bourbon chocolate fudge, it might help. I say go for it.

Next up: Louisiana. Suggestions welcome...

Greetings, Dear Readers! I'm Suzanne, Tina's sister-in-law in Kansas--yes, I sew and quilt and make things. My tools are sewing machine, needles and thread; my materials are wool and cotton. It's not a hobby; it's something I need to do.

If I showed you my sewing room--you'd think you'd into stepped into an episode of Hoarders. (Oh, wait, I might need this pink and grey toile for something later on!) We just aren't going there. But, I digress ……

What's not to love about a place where the state flower is a sunflower?

Kansas Fast Facts:

Population: 2,723,507

Capital: Topeka; 122,103

Area: 82,277 square miles (213,096 square kilometers)

Per Capita Income: U.S. $28,838

Date Statehood Achieved: January 29, 1861

Cattle towns such as Abilene have long since given way to manufacturing centers. Wichita turns out 70 percent of the general-aviation aircraft produced in the U.S.; Kansas City makes automobiles. Among the top states in crude-oil production, Kansas also banks on one of the nation's largest natural gas fields. Salt deposits near Hutchinson are the remnant of a shallow sea that once submerged the Great Plains. Although no other state grows more wheat--Mennonites from Europe introduced a hardy winter variety in the 1870s--livestock earns more for Kansas.

ECONOMY

• Industry: Aircraft manufacturing, transportation equipment, construction, food processing, printing and publishing, health care

• Agriculture: Cattle, wheat, sorghum, soybeans, hogs, corn

—From National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition

WHY DID WE COME HERE?

I was a newly-married Army wife when my husband, Jim, explained he'd been selected for the US Army Command and General Staff College (a pre-requisite for his career advancement) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. "What the heck, why not?," I said. " After all, home is where the Army sends you, right? It's only for a year, right?"

US Army Command and General Staff College

That was 31 years ago. We've built a home and life here. We've lived here through Jim's countless overseas deployments (in the pre-Internet years, before e-mail, texting and Skype, when communication was limited to snail mail and once-a-week, 30-minute phone calls). We've continued to stay here through Jim's military retirement and a new career, and my retirement from federal service. That's why we came to Kansas, but now I'll tell you a few of the reasons why we stay in Kansas.

The Seasons. I grew up in Miami, Florida, where the seasons are either wet and warm, or not wet and warm. From day-one in Kansas, I experienced the seasons as if for the first time. I was hooked. Here, seasons are not subtle. In fact, nothing about the weather in Kansas is subtle.

According to Wikipedia the temperature can be minus 40 degrees in February, to 121 degrees in July. And let's not forget the torrential downpours of 4-8 inches in hours, ice storms, blizzards, lightning, hail storms, buffeting wind and, of course, the tornadoes. Living in tornado alley, you get used to the Dorothy / Wizard of Oz comments.

The unpredictable weather phenomena means we must be prepared at all times: we have emergency supplies, an action plan. We respect Mother Nature. We realize that unpleasant weather can happen any time in any given location and we accept that fact, knowing that tomorrow will be a different story.

Winter sunrise after light snow.

Spring. My peonies in bloom.

Summer. Jim has salmon on the grill!

Fall. Enjoying the leaves before we rake!

Natural Beauty. Kansas is a beautiful state. From here in Leavenworth, in the northeast corner of Kansas, we can practically SEE the Missouri River. The geography in Leavenworth--elevation 840 feet--consists of rolling hills and forests. Manhattan, in Central Kansas (elevation 1020 feet), boasts the flint hills and natural prairie grasslands. Traveling further west, the land rises in elevation toward the Rocky Mountains. Mount Sunflower, near the Colorado state line, is the Kansas' highest point (4039 feet). Kansas is NOT FLAT. Florida is flat!

Birds and Other Wildlife. Sitting on our deck on a warm evening in spring, we've counted 24 different types of colorful songbirds. We also have squirrels, raccoons and opossums, coyotes, bobcats, groundhogs (ugh), moles, beavers...more animals than we can name. Our pond is host to a pair of Canadian geese, mallard ducks, wood ducks and my personal favorite, an elegant grey heron.

Friends. I'm proud to say I have an amazing sisterhood of friends. A few months ago, seventeen of us traveled together to Illinois for a week-long quilt retreat. We don’t share the same politics, religion or economics. Some of us are retired, some still work. Some are young, and some, not so young. The one thing we have in common is the love of our craft, the need to create, and the respect of each other.

Those, dear readers, are the primary reasons I love Kansas. In keeping with "China Ate My Jeans," let me introduce a few of the products Made in Kansas that I really like:

Hudson Cream Flour I don’t bake a whole lot, except during November and December, just like everyone else. One of my best friends recommended this flour about 15 years ago. I was going to put a lot of work into baking; so I decided to use the freshest ingredients possible. I've been using this wonderful flour ever since.

Hudson Cream Flour

Hemslojd Inc. Years ago, on a weekend retreat to central Kansas, my quilting friends and I took a side trip to a wonderful little town called Lindsborg (known as "Little Sweden"). I'm not Swedish, but watching the artisan paint these signs I just had to have one! It's about 15 years old, and has been hanging outside since I brought it home...(remember my Kansas weather reference above). It still looks great!

Our apparently-weather-proof sign, made in Lindsborg, Kansas.

Jinks Traditional Fruitcakes. OK, forget all those jokes about fruitcakes traveling around the world for an eternity. Some people (like me) REALLY like fruitcake! In ambitious years, I make my own from a forgiving recipe. Friends and family receive one for Christmas. But it's a big job. Thanks to Jinks Traditional Fruitcakes, there's a DELICIOUS alternative that tastes as good as homemade. Mike and Bonnie Ingram introduced me to this wonderful fruitcake a few years ago (below are their pictures from a fruitcake run). Check out the website. They are open October through December. As you can see in the pictures, it's a small business. I called Cheryl Jinks to make sure I could reference them for this blog. Then I told her to get a glass of water and sit down as I explained my "China Ate My Jeans" guest blog gig, the idea of Quilting America back together again, and especially, the Buy American concept. She listened and laughed, delighted to share and be part of this blog post.

Bonnie and Mike Ingram at Jinks Fruitcakes.

Cheryl Jinks out front.

Vi and Jerry Jinks making fruitcakes!

In closing, everyone has reasons for living in a particular place, from proximity to family to career moves. But sometimes, it's because you really love a place and its quality of life. Each and every time we return from travels to faraway places, as we descend through the clouds in preparation to land at Kansas City International Airport, Jim and I hold hands, look at each other, and say: "There's no place like home." (Thank you, L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)

Kansas may not be for everyone--but it is exactly where we want to be.

John Kinsella: Is this heaven?

Ray Kinsella: It's Iowa.

John Kinsella: Iowa? I could have sworn this was heaven.

--Field of Dreams (1989)

***

Did you know that in Iowa--yes, heavenly, heart-of-the-corn-belt Iowa--hogs outnumber people 4 to 1? That's 12 million hogs to 3 million people, in case you’re wondering. And yet in 1978, when then-emerging Canadian author W.P. Kinsella lived and wrote in Iowa City, he didn’t wax poetic about hogs. A graduate student in the University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop, Kinsella (who passed away in 2016) crafted a story called Shoeless Joe. Set in the cornfields of Iowa, based in part on the Black Sox Scandal of the 1919 World Series, the novel explored the themes of afterlife and redemption. “It’s not so much about baseball,” a book reviewer for the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, “as dreams, magic, life and what is quintessentially American.” A few years after the book’s 1982 publication, Hollywood came calling. Shoeless Joe became the Academy Award-nominated hit film, Field of Dreams.

As an avid reader and moviegoer, I say thank goodness for the Iowa Writers' Workshop, one of the finest graduate level creative writing programs in the country (if not the world), whose faculty and graduates have written countless literary gems and received 28 Pulitzers. Thank goodness for Kinsella's fine writing, and for movie adaptations that entertain us, touch our hearts; that put us in, um, hog heaven. Thank goodness, too, for F.L. Maytag and his Iowa-made washing machines. Stay with me here.

My dad used to talk about how, in this crazy, entrepreneurial, capitalist country of ours, we are all connected. To remain a free, productive nation with a healthy middle class, employers owed loyalty to their workers. He would say these things each year as my siblings and I tried to scarf down our morning Corn Pops as prep for the dreaded Iowa Test of Basic Skills. It wasn't a good time to discuss the unintended consequences of globalization. Hearing Dad mutter "...and I'm tellin' ya kids...it ain't pretty...goddamn country's going to hell in a hand-basket..." didn't help. But now I finally get what he meant.

From what I've read, F.L. Maytag of Newton, Iowa exemplified loyalty and connectedness to workers. Parks, affordable homes. These added to his employees' quality of life and therefore mattered to him. Even in retirement, he regularly visited the enormous Maytag factory in Newton, chatted with the workers and asked: "Is everybody happy?" When he died in 1937, "an estimated 10,000 factory workers and salesmen formed a line five blocks long to observe the casket processional."

In 1941, five years after its founding, the Iowa Writers' Workshop needed financial help. Its second director, poet Paul Engle, realized the workshop had the potential to expand, to draw into its community gifted authors from all over the globe. Born and raised in Iowa, Engle reached out to local businesses and manufacturers. Maytag (and others) stepped up to the plate.

For the next 20 years the folks at Maytag in Newton (then known as “the washing machine capital of the world”) did their part to help keep the Iowa Writers’ Workshop financially stable. I wonder if Writers' Workshop participants realized--as they crafted stories and landed publishing deals and went on to lead students in writing workshops all over the country--that they shared a connection with thousands of Maytag employees working the lines, making washing machines, earning middle class wages.

But over time, Maytag floundered. First came the cheaper imports. Then the struggle to compete, followed by company missteps. A damaged reputation. Losses. At its peak, Maytag employed 4,000 workers in Newton. By October 27, 2007, everything had changed. From CBS News:

The last washers and dryers rolled off Maytag assembly lines here Thursday and the 550 workers who built them left the 2 million-square-foot factory for the last time, ending a century of appliance manufacturing in Newton under the iconic brand name.

For many workers, it was a sad parting with a company that has provided for their families over generations. Worries had mounted since May 10, 2006, the day officials at Whirlpool Corp., which bought Maytag last year, unveiled plans to close the Maytag corporate headquarters and the local factory that made washers and dryers, leaving about 1,800 local workers to find other jobs…

Factory workers develop close friendships, many co-workers become like family, said Tootie Samson, 47. "It's definitely a death of sorts. A death to a lot of people's lifestyle...How can the people that allowed this to happen live with themselves?" she said.

Many workers remaining have never worked anywhere else and a large number of them have just a high school education. Finding a job that pays $30,000 to $40,000 with good benefits will be tough…

UAW Local 997 President Ted Johnson said eliminating the Newton factory is part of a "widespread epidemic" in the United States of corporations cutting union jobs for lower paying jobs that threaten the middle-class way of life.

"It's just wrong," he said.

To this day some consumers say they would rather purchase used Newton-made Maytags on eBay than buy the new Whirlpool version of the brand that's sold today. Not a bad idea. My mother-in-law, now 96, bought her Maytag washer in 1970-something. It still works great. Her purchase back then rippled across the economy from California to Iowa, helping pay Maytag workers’ salaries, helping fund the Writers’ Workshop; helping folks purchase houses and cars; helping families save up for their kids’ college educations. On and on it went. Until it stopped.

Currently a handful of tenants rent out space in a fraction of the otherwise empty, 2 million-square-foot Maytag factory in Newton. State subsidies and a plethora of other taxpayer-funded incentives convinced Arizona-based TPI Composites to build a wind turbine factory in the former Maytag company town. Through a retraining program, some former Maytag line workers have successfully transitioned to their new jobs making 187-foot-long wind turbine blades. They don’t earn as much as they once did making washing machines for Maytag, but to borrow from W.P. Kinsella: If you build it, Iowa’s workers will come. They want to work.

Before we move on, let's not forget a different Newton-based company that, happily, will never fall into the corporate clutches of Whirlpool: Maytag Dairy Farms.

From the company's website:

"In 1919 E.H. Maytag, the son of Maytag Appliance company founder F.L. Maytag, purchased a single Holstein cow to provide fresh clean milk to his children. E.H. quickly developed a passion and determination to breed champion Holstein-Friesian cows that could supply milk to the community while also winning blue ribbon upon blue ribbon at livestock shows across the United States...Upon E.H.’s death in 1940, his sons Fred and Robert Maytag assumed leadership of the farms and Fred pursued his idea of creating a uniquely American blue cheese made from cow’s milk. Maytag Dairy Farms collaborated with Iowa State University to pioneer the first great American blue cheese that would compete with classic European cheeses such as Roquefort made from sheep’s milk. Our cheese plant and caves were completed a year later and the first wheels of Maytag Blue Cheese were formed in October of 1941...Today, 75 years after Fred made the first wheels of world famous Maytag Blue Cheese, our leadership is transitioning to his grandchildren—the great-grandchildren of E.H. Maytag."

Nice way to end this post. Say cheese, Maytag family.

Up next: Kansas.

Autumn returned like an old friend. Oh, you’re back. I’ve missed you! Evening temps dipped into the 40’s. Yellowing leaves rustled in the cottonwood trees. Apples arrived: in farmers' markets, produce sections, on teachers' desks. Don plucked a few from a 1950's-era tree in his mom’s backyard, arranged them on our kitchen windowsill. I pulled one out of the lineup on Monday morning, gave it a good scrub, bit into it: sweet and tart, crunchy and juicy. Golden delicious. Perfect name. The newsfeed on my cell phone stared up at me from the kitchen counter. "58 dead, 500 hundred injured in Las Vegas massacre." I blinked. Swallowed. Read the news again. What?

After a five-month hiatus from this blog I'd planned a breezy, how-I-spent-my-vacation reentry. I would explain that I hadn't intended to take the entire summer off, that the record-breaking heat had pulled me away to Lake Tahoe’s aqua waters and Balboa Island’s frozen bananas, to backyard BBQs with family and friends. I figured I'd yammer on about splashing in the pool with grandbabies and blowing Lawrence Welk bubbles on the lawn. Sweet white corn and grilled zucchini. Vine ripened tomatoes grown in neighbors' gardens, left on our front porch for us to enjoy. Roasted marshmallows and gooey s'mores. The sun at dusk on our shoulders. Night blooming jasmine. I stared at the keyboard. The October 1st horror reverberated. Survivor-guilt set in. What to do? Surely this wasn't the time to celebrate summer's memories, to greet autumn's arrival. Oaks raining acorns. Squirrels clutching them close, ever so pleased, glancing this way and that before scampering off into the trees. But don't mention it. It would be rude. Insensitive. We are, as a country, in mourning.

There's this scene in the World War II film Mrs. Miniver (1942): It's after dark in the English countryside. The Luftwaffe's air assault on the tiny village of Belham has begun. The Miniver family seems safe and warm inside its homemade shelter. Stacked sandbags line the corrugated metal walls. Gas masks hang from ceiling hooks. Kerosene lamps light the space. An open vent provides ventilation. Mrs. Miniver--ever calm and nurturing--reads a bedtime story to her two young children. Her husband Clem--listening to his wife's voice, to the cadence of her words--presses tobacco into his unlit pipe. Explosions sound, the shelter rocks. Dust seeps in. The children have fallen asleep; their pet cat purrs. Mrs. Miniver comes to the final phrase in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland:

"Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood: and how she would gather about her other little children, and make their eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale, perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago: and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows, and find a pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days."

Closing the book, Mrs. Miniver reaches for a thermos, pours hot tea into cups for herself and Clem. She pulls cookies out of a canister. Staring off, Clem nibbles his biscuit. He repeats the phrase happy summer days. He and his wife smile at one another, as if to say we've had happy summer days before. Surely we'll have them again.

Simple joys--and the memories they create--help us carry on, even in the worst of times. Put the tea kettle on. Bake some oatmeal cookies. Celebrate this moment, this beautiful fall day.

Next up: Iowa.

A Great Labor of Thought and Consideration: Theroux on His Hawaii

1. "Hawaii...is not one place but many, an archipelago sitting in the ocean, 2,300 miles from the nearest land mass. We have no neighbors and are subject to minimal influences. We are a cluster of high volcanic islands, some of them dramatic and uninhabited, many with towns or villages, a few heavily urbanized, some of them disfigured and tormented by developers."

2. "Many races live harmoniously here, the murder rate is low, and we have the best weather on earth."

3. "Locals always say what a relief it is to arrive home in the islands, from anywhere. 'Lucky we live in Hawaii' is a mantra. I agree."

4. "At heart, Hawaii retains the oldfangled attitudes of its plantation history, with the predictable divisions and grievances. But the spirit of 'aloha'--an island agreement to be civil--is a unifying factor."

5. "I love [Hawaii] for its easygoing folks, the house I built in the middle of nowhere, its marine sunshine, its beaches, its informality, and its isolation."

6. "Hawaii’s remoteness has produced its own ways of behaving, oddities of culture, language, and food. Consider the floppy aloha shirt and its eye-blinding colors..."

7. "Hawaii had a monarchy, so plenty of people claim to have titles, but the real royalty are the princes and princesses of surfing and hula."

8. "The social unit of Hawaii is the 'ohana'--the family..."

9. "...the family luau is a popular event, a baby luau (held when a child turns 1) is a significant milestone, and many concerts and festivals are held outside. The outdoor party is greatly valued for its freedom of movement."

10. "After traveling the world, and being a resident for years in a number of countries, I came to Hawaii and fell in love...my love affair with Hawaii has had its ups and downs over the past 27 years, always reminding me of Marcel Proust’s dictum in Time Regained: 'The only true paradise is a paradise we have lost.'”

That's how it's done, people. Not with banana pancake babble but a modernist mix of sun, cynicism and deep thoughts: floppy aloha shirts, urbanized, disfigured villages and yes, Proust. Onward to crass consumerism, to the stuff that American dreams are made of. ( Maltese Falcon? Carly Simon? Have you learned nothing?) Without any further ado, let's chat about notable products from our country's 50th state. Blue Horse Kona Coffee: The Kona coffee belt stretches for 20 miles, with only 2 miles width through the districts of North and South Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Kona Coffee Belt (Source: Blue Horse Kona Coffee)

Blue Horse Kona Coffee Logo

"Ideal coffee growing conditions produce a very unique, highly aromatic, mellow, yet limited annual crop of the famous ‘kona typica’ beans," say the folks at Blue Horse Kona Coffee. "Small family farms line the two roads winding along the fertile slopes of the active volcanoes Hualalai and Mauna Kea." More than 630 Kona coffee farms, most of them fewer than 5 acres in size, thrive in the region. Due to its unique climate and harvesting requirements (cherries must be handpicked), genuine Kona coffee commands some of the highest-prices in the world. But buyer beware. Real Kona coffee should be labeled single origin, single estate. "When the deal sounds too good to be true or it tastes like generic coffee," warns Blue Horse, "it most likely means that those beans haven’t seen Hawaii at all." Purchase Blue Horse Kona Coffee (with free shipping) on its website. Also available on Amazon.com.

Craig Bowden and Lisa Yamaguchi Bowden (left, center) and Tom Menezes, Co-Founders, Hawaiian Crown Pineapples

Sweet Gold Pineapple Minis 4-Pack (Source: Hawaiian Crown) Hawaiian Crown Pineapples: In the 1960's Hawaii was a global leader in pineapple production, supplying 80 percent of the world's canned pineapple. Although the pineapple industry has grown over 400 percent since then, Hawaii is not even among the top 10 producers internationally. In addition, as outsourcing and mass farming methods have taken over the industry, the quality of the fruit has diminished. Enter Craig and Lisa Bowden, co-owners (along with Craig's lifelong friend, Tom Menezes) of Hawaiian Crown Sweet Gold Pineapples. The only remaining family-owned and operated commercial pineapple farm in Hawaii, this small company has succeeded in the aloha state where produce giants have failed. "We started collecting, selecting, and breeding over 20 years ago and, in recent years, came up with an excellent line of proprietary low-acid, super-sweet pineapple," the founders explain on the company's website. "Our goal is to allow consumers to experience the true flavor of field ripe pineapple, the way pineapple is supposed to taste.” The brand also produces its own dried fruits, coffee, macadamia nuts and chocolates, all using Hawaiian ingredients. If you're in Waikiki, be sure to visit the cafe and store. Many products, including fresh pineapple gift packs, are available for purchase online.

Sig Zane /Founder /Sig Zane Designs

Buttondown Aloha Shirt

(Source: Sig Zane Designs)

Sig Zane Designs: A self-taught artist, Sig (short for Sigmund) Zane is truly a treasure. "Child of Hawaii," says his website, "from the earliest years, the ocean has been his playground. Living in the rhythms of tide and wave, sun and moon, nature has defined Sig from the beginning. Surfer, fisherman, hula dancer, artist, cultural exponent - reflections of his life are found in each design..." An immersion in strict traditional teaching of dance and ritual, the understanding of the relationship with plant and culture is the foundation to his work on cloth, in writing, and in daily practices. The approach is always with honor and respect for the generations that came before and to build the platform for the future. Sig Zane and wife, Nalani Kanakaole, opened the doors to Sig Zane Designs in 1985. Their mission was to educate and share what they knew about their culture. Today their stories continue with every product and performance. Their son Kūhaʻo carries the torch further into the next generation.

“'The energy from Hawaii feeds my spirit. The elements of nature shape my character. The archaic chants of our elders guide the traditions and practices. The rhythm of the universe dictates the flow of time. The honoring and respect of the ancestors that stand at the back of me directs the action. I am a steward of their knowledge. My art is a tangible visual form of their story.'” Sig Zane Design's shirts are made in Hawaii. They can be purchased at Sig Zane's brick and mortar stores (in Hilo and Honolulu) and online.

Island Slipper: Made in Hawaii

Island Slipper Pearl City Factory, 1955

Island Slipper Factory in Oahu, 2017 (Source: Island Slipper)

Island Slipper: In Hawaii, "flip-flops" are called "slippers." Since 1946, Island Slippers has made its signature product by hand on Oahu. Due to supply shortages during WWII, the slippers' soles were originally made from old tires. Although materials are now sourced from around the world, every step of the slipper-making process happens in Island Slipper's Oahu factory in Oahu. All footwear is handmade to order "to create the most comfortable and durable slippers money can buy," says the company's website. "We also strive to use materials and production techniques that are greener and healthier. Because we care about our health, our islands, and our Earth." Purchase these Hawaiian originals online at Island Slipper and Amazon. But Wait, What About...Alas, too little time, so much more to say...about Hawaiian Host (chocolate covered macadamia nuts), founded in 1960 by Mamoru and Aiko Takitani; a company that to this day continues to provide scholarships to nearly every school in Hawaii...and about Big Island Candies, founded in 1977 by Allan Ikawa and his wife Irma...and oh, Keith and Janet Sung's Honolulu Cookie Company, founded in 1998, featuring delicious pineapple-shaped shortbread cookies...the pineapple represents Hawaiian hospitality, but you all know that, right? What have I forgotten? Please share your Hawaiian favorites. A heartfelt mahalo to our 50th state's amazing entrepreneurs--and Paul Theroux, too--and to all you for taking the time to read about them! Next up: Idaho...I know...I'm a couple of states behind. But I shall take a deep breath, embrace the spirit of aloha; smell the pink and white roses beginning to bloom on the arbor over our back gate. Hope all of you are well, enjoying the longer, sunnier days.

***

Last Sunday--as magnolias bloomed and the smell of spring in the south filled the air--the Masters tournament wrapped up at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. Congratulations to Sergio Garcia of Spain. I know zip about golf but (in the name of Georgian research) did watch for a few minutes. Anyone else see Matt Kuchar shoot a hole-in-one? How'd he do that? "If only golf could be this exciting all the time," I told Don. An avid golfer, he'd been listening to the commentary through the open back patio door as he gardened. The roar of the Augusta crowd drew him inside, his hands covered in potting soil. "So, what does the winner get?" I asked. He answered without looking away from the TV. "Couple million bucks...and the green jacket." The green jacket. Of course. Augusta National's official green jacket. The grass-green jacket with the gold buttons and trademark flag-through-Georgia patch sewn onto its front pocket. Apparently there are three ways to obtain one of the highly-coveted, closely-guarded green jackets: (1) become a member of the private, invitation-only Augusta National Golf Club (2) win the Masters Tournament or (3) spot a vintage, 1950s-era jacket in a Goodwill store in Toronto, as happened to an unnamed Canadian journalist back in 1994.

Thrift Store Green Jacket

Source: Golf Digest A few months later Dominic Pedler--Masters enthusiast, writer for British Golf International--somehow tracked down the anonymous Canadian purchaser and negotiated a deal. For the next 23 years, Pedler kept the jacket tucked away, dusting it off once a year to wear while watching the Masters and eating his wife's peach cobbler. Then last Saturday--yes, the day before the championship round--Dominic Pedler sold his beloved Thrift Store Green Jacket at auction. It fetched a handsome $139,349. A few years earlier, in 2013, another vintage green jacket (circa 1949) belonging to Horton Smith--the first-ever winner of the Masters--sold at auction for a whopping $682,229.45. But what's the rest of the story (nod to Paul Harvey) behind those jackets? For folks living in central Georgia's Laurens County, in a town called Dublin, those vintage green jackets represent a special time in their history; a time when textile manufacturing thrived in their community and provided middle-class jobs. Although the green jackets have always been assembled or "made" in Ohio, the fabric for those jackets--at least from 1949 through 2007--was produced in the woolen mills of Dublin. In his blog Pieces of...Our Past, Dublin attorney Scott B. Thompson Sr. brings history to life: "...in 1947, bulldozers began clearing the site for the location of one of the most modern woolen mills in America. For six decades, the men and women of J.P. Stevens and Co. and later Forstmann and Co. went to work...these folks, our folks, produced the finest textile material in the world...By 1960, the Dublin Woolen Mills were ranked as the third most productive mills in the textile industry...The champions of the Master Golf Tournament donned green jackets made from Stevens' green cloth. Major league baseball players played in hats made in the mill...It was more than just a mill. It was a family..." Searching online I came across the 2007 story of Geraldine Johnson, who began working in the mill in 1984 and rose through the ranks. Her job as a final inspector helped her put all five of her children through school and some through college, she told the Courier Herald as news broke that the mill would be shut down. "This company has been a blessing to all of us," she said. Ms. Johnson and the other laid-off employees apparently understood: NAFTA happened. China happened. "With free trade and all the apparel business moving to Asia and China," Yves Coderre, chief operating officer of the mill told the Herald, "...the employees did their best but it comes to a point where it's not working and you've gotta move on." The mill stood vacant for many years, a ghostly reminder of better times. I called the Laurens County Library, spoke with someone named Terry in research. What ultimately happened to the woolen mill, I wondered. Did someone buy it? "Ma'am, they have torn it down." I asked if there were any other mills in Dublin. "No, ma'am, I don't believe so. They have all gone overseas." We shared a moment; a sad beat. "I'm so sorry," I said. "Well, thank you, ma'am," Terry said. "You have a beautiful day." Librarian Terry was right about the demise of textile manufacturing in Dublin. By 2011, according to the Northwest Georgia News, the region within a 45-mile radius of Dublin had lost 7,500 textile jobs within a seven-year span. "Once-Busy Georgia Industrial Town, Now A Dead Zone," says the story headline. The total number of available workers in Laurens County and the surrounding counties was estimated to be 80,000. Textile mills matter... Two thriving companies have successfully bucked the manufacturing odds in Georgia. Let's cheer them on: Okabashi Flip-Flops and Oka-B Oka-B recyclable footwear made in Buford, Georgia A reader alerted me to Okabashi flip-flops a few years ago. Oka-what? I'd never heard of them. I bought a pair at my local Walgreen's and never looked back. Okabashi flip-flops are affordable (under $20), comfy and have nice arch support. Okabashi's sister company, Oka-B (see photo above) makes slightly higher-priced shoes ($45 and under) in a variety of fun styles and colors. Made of a proprietary technology called Microplast, Okabashi and Oka-B shoes have a therapeutic, ergonomic footbed enhanced with massage beads. They're also 100% recyclable (simply pop them in the mail and return to the company). Founded by Bahman Irvani--a Cambridge-educated businessman who, with his family, immigrated to the USA in the 1980s--Okabashi Brands Inc. remains committed to manufacturing in Buford, Georgia. The company's been manufacturing there for the past 33 years. Diamond Gusset Jeans Diamond Gusset Jeans If you look carefully at the photo above, you'll notice a diamond pattern sewn into the crotch of this guy's jeans. David Hall, founder of Diamond Gusset Jeans, says he came up with the unique design idea after noticing a similar feature in martial arts uniforms that allows for more comfort and freedom of movement. After working at Levi-Strauss and Lee in a corporate capacity Hall decided to strike out on his own, launching his company in 1987. His goal? Keep his brand 100 percent USA-made. To that end he recently opened a new 27,000 square foot manufacturing plant in Blue Ridge, Georgia. "While most companies have gone offshore, merged, or have been totally eliminated," he recently wrote, "we've managed to grow." Hall's philosophy couldn't be clearer: "What's the point in running a company if you can't be proud of how you operate? It's a great feeling to walk into our production facility and see all the happy smiles and feel a sense of purpose knowing we are part of the solution..." Diamond Gusset Jeans are available online (and in Bon Aqua, TN). Up next: Hawaii!

My beloved California is home to an embarrassment of riches. Beautiful climate, abundant agriculture and, of course, legions of bright, inventive, entrepreneurial souls who create the products that make our lives easier, fashionable; more entertaining. Apple iPhones, iPads and laptops, Gap clothing, Hollywood movies: all have deep California roots.

California's coastal cities include some of the wealthiest per-capita areas in the United States. In 2010, there were more than 663,000 millionaires in the state, more than in any other state in the nation. And yet--here riches and embarrassment again intertwine--the Golden State also has extreme poverty. The Central Valley, for example, has been characterized as one of the most economically depressed regions in the United States, on par with the region of Appalachia. According to Forbes, California has 12 percent of the country's population and one-third of its welfare recipients. Why? This shouldn't be.

Gap, Inc. employs at least a million garment workers in China and elsewhere, but none here in California (or in the USA). Founded in San Francisco, Gap, Inc.'s corporate offices remain there. While the brand's labels boast "Designed in California," everything's actually made anywhere-but-here. In 2014 the company began manufacturing in Myanmar, where apparel workers earn $3 per day. Workers pleaded with factory owners for a raise, to $3.25 a day. They were turned down.

And so I'm California dreamin' if I think Gap, a publicly-traded company, would consider manufacturing in the good ol' expensive USA. But still, let's imagine that Gap, Inc.--and another former S.F. manufacturer, Levi Strauss & Co.--decided to build at least a couple of factories here, hiring workers in the most impoverished areas of California. Yes, there would likely be more automation and therefore fewer actual garment workers compared to those employed in third-world countries by these corporations now. But some jobs are better than none. And why not build the bots here and train workers to repair them? Learn to thrive in this automated world. Ditto for Apple, Inc. (headquartered in Burlingame, CA) which slaps "Designed in California" on its products but employs 1.6 million workers in China and recently committed to more investment in that country.

Okay, I'll stop. For now.

CAMJ'S Top 5 California-Made Products:

#5) GRGICH HILLS ESTATE CHARDONNAY

Napa Valley's Miljenko "Mike"Grgich is legendary in the wine world. The "King of Chardonnay" won the prestigious Judgment of Paris 40 years ago with his 1973 Chateau Montelena. To this day, Grgich Hills Estate Chardonnay is consistently delicious. The Grgich family continues to own and operate the winery. Through the years Mike Grgich has resisted pressures to grow the winery, preferring to concentrate on making the best wine possible. Last year, at age 93, the King of Chardonnay wrote his memoir, A Glass Full of Miracles.

"This book is full of incredible stories about the Croatian-born Grgich, the youngest of 11 children," writes Mary Orlin in The Mercury News. "By age 3, he was helping his family make wine. Grgich survived ordeals during World War II and communist rule, eventually making his way to what his college wine professor called 'paradise' in California, to fulfill his winemaking dreams."

Immigrant stories behind California-made products draw me in and keep me humble. I'm pouring a glass of Grgich Hills Estate Chardonnay tonight. Cheers, Mike.

#4) BLUE DIAMOND GROWERS

On the other hand, California's Blue Diamond Almond Growers like expansion. I say good for them (especially now that the drought has eased up). From SLATE: High-value commodities like almonds are a crucial part of America's ability to continue growing its agricultural exports. California now produces close to 80 percent of the world's almonds, around 70 percent of which it exports. It's the state's largest food-crop export by a wide margin, surpassing not only other tree nuts like walnuts and pistachios, but also heavy hitters like dairy products and wine. In the last decade alone, crop yields in California have more than doubled, going from 700 million pounds in 2000 to 1.7 billion pounds last year. The growth of disposable income in emerging markets offers the best potential for increasing the world's ranks of almond consumers. While the global GDP is expected to grow 3.3 percent by 2019, China and India are projected to have growth rates of 8 percent and 7.5 percent, respectively. Not coincidentally, these represent two of the most heavily targeted and fastest-growing markets for almonds.

Nice to know we can export, too. Almonds and Grgich Chardonnay. Nice combo.

#3) KAREN KANE

Based in Southern California's industrial town of Vernon, Karen Kane makes beautiful, reasonably priced women's apparel. The brand's philosophy, as stated on its website, is "clothing that lasts longer than a single season and can far outlive any trend it represents." In 2011, I interviewed founder Karen Kane's son, Michael, marketing director and an integral part of his family's company. At the time, the company had decided to return a percentage of its manufacturing to Vernon from China. Since then, the company has stuck with its with USA-made commitment. I applaud them. Some of the items are 100 percent USA-made, others are USA-made using imported fabrics. But all of Karen Kane's USA-made collection is cut, sewn and finished under California's exemplary working and environmental conditions.

#2) GREEN TOYS

"Millennial parents buy toys like they buy food," Green Toys founder Robert von Goeben, 52, said in a Reuters interview. "They want to know what’s in it, the country of origin. That’s a sea change from day when I bought a toy because it was wacky and fun."

Made from California's recycled plastic milk and yogurt cartons, Green Toys are imaginative, colorful, sturdy and every bit as fun as the toys of von Goeben's youth. In 2011, when I first wrote about Green Toys, its products were somewhat scarce other than online. Happy to report they now seem to be everywhere: online, at specialty toy stores, and at Pottery Barn and Whole Foods Market. Best of all, these reasonably-priced toys are made in San Leandro, California, in compliance with our state's strict environmental regulations. Kids, parents and grandparents love them.

Green Toys

“When a product is designed as well as manufactured here," von Goeben enthusiastically explained during our chat six years ago, "the results have a ripple economic effect. For every one manufacturing job created, five to six ancillary jobs are also created. Everything from lab testing to packaging to the drivers needed to get the product out.” Couldn't have said it better myself.

#1) HOLLYWOOD MOVIES

Saved the best for last. If not for the Hollywood film industry my grandfather, Sol Polito, wouldn't have found his life's passion. In 1912, as a young Sicilian immigrant operating a nickelodeon projector in New York, he caught the movie-making bug. He was 20, with little education. "I wanted to create the pictures, rather than just run them," he once told an interviewer. "So I began to cast around to find a way to get into the production end of the business..." He would eventually work as a director of photography for Warner Bros. Studios, making over 150 feature films, receiving three Academy Award nominations for Outstanding Cinematography.

Sol Polito with Olivia de Havilland, "The Adventures of Robin Hood" 1937-38

When my dad told his father that he, too, wanted to be a cinematographer, he was encouraged to choose a more stable profession. Hollywood's a tough, fickle business. Become an aeronautics engineer, Dad was advised. And so he did. But within a few years he wanted out. He longed for an environment where his engineering know-how and his innate creativity could find expression. Working his way up the industry ladder he eventually earned the director of photography designation, filming numerous highly acclaimed television series and feature films, receiving an Emmy nomination (for My Sweet Charlie), and later teaching at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts.

Gene Polito with Director / Author Michael Crichton, "Westworld," 1973

I mention Dad and Pop (as we called my grandfather) and their unique accomplishments not to boast (well, maybe a little) but to stress the importance of holding onto our country's most precious industries. In addition to keeping countless actors and film crews gainfully employed, Hollywood's film industry provides thousands upon thousands of ancillary jobs throughout southern California and beyond.

Yet today La La Land's film industry sits on the precipice of frightening change as, step by step, China takes over. Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin--former soldier in the People's Liberation Army--has made no secret of his plans to control the Big Six Hollywood studios. "My goal is to buy Hollywood companies," he told Reuters in Beijing just last summer, "and bring their technology and capability to China."

Thus far Wang's Dalian Wanda Group has snapped up AMC Theatres, Legendary Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions. Wang has courted Hollywood's major filmmakers, flying in Chinese acrobats and magicians to entertain them; promising them unprecedented incentives if they'll make movies at his massive Qingdao Movie Metropolis in eastern China. Meanwhile, a few years ago (while we were sleeping) Dreamworks Animation entered into a partnership with China Media Capital. Oriental DreamWorks now fully produces animation films in China. Nice.

Writing last year in the Los Angeles Times, Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States at the Wilson Center in Washington, warned: "...China’s film industry is run by the Chinese Communist Party...American filmmakers have already made common cause with Chinese censors in pursuit of profit. Writing scripts to satisfy the rulers of the People’s Republic doesn’t simply weaken the films the U.S. exports to China, it limits what plays at the multiplex on American soil, and it diminishes our understanding of the greatest geostrategic challenge America will face over the coming decades: the rise of China."

I don't know about you, but the thought of China buying up Hollywood and Hollywood--normally a staunch defender of free speech and human rights--bowing to China's censors makes me feel like this:

Yul Brenner "Westworld," 1973

Looking forward to tonight's Oscars. Will some brave A-lister go out on a limb and condemn China's Hollywood strategy? Will anyone speak up for California's film industry, for an uncensored Hollywood, for America's freedom of expression? I wonder.

Enjoy your weekend! Next up: Colorado.

It’s disorienting, this state-to-state relocation, this alphabetically-determined switching of mental gears from the sultry south’s Alabama--birthplace of Harper Lee, heart of the civil rights movement, home to Sock Queen Gina Locklear and Quilting Queen Mary Lee Bendolph--to subarctic Alaska. I’m like a confused tourist, overly-ambitious itinerary in hand, traveling from one virtual reality time zone to another. The title of an old 60's movie comes to mind. If it’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium. Where the heck am I now? And it’s only week two?

My plan had been to publish this Alaska post sooner. No time to lose, I told myself. Gotta ignore 24/7 news--real, fake, whatever--gotta push aside Trump's tweets and Iran's missiles. Never mind that experts say those missiles might soon be capable of reaching the west coast. Did this mean I should live for the moment, abandon healthy eating; bake a buttery batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies?

AP Photo/Hadi Yazdani

With any luck Don and I could scarf them down and squeeze in one more episode of The Crown before the nukes hit. But no, gotta keep going. Gotta stick to low carbs and my China Ate My Jeans / 50 in 50 plan. Cheerleader of the domestic economy to the end, right? Go north, blogger-woman, to Alaska.

And so last week, as I tucked my Gee’s Bend notecards into a drawer and began an online-search for Alaskan-made products, I had to admit that, once again, I’m at a slight disadvantage. Not only is my attention diverted by thoughts of global instability and cookie-binges, but I’ve never been to Alaska, never snapped pics of the Aleutian Islands from the deck of a cruise ship. Don, usually my reliable source of encouragement and information, had zero to say about Alaska except this: “In winter they only get six hours of light. I’d go crazy there.” I pictured a Don-approved tagline for the Alaskan tourism industry: Alaska. It’ll drive you nuts.

Winter solstice in Anchorage, Alaska

Thankfully my brother-in-law Craig, an avid fisherman, pushed the Alaska-reset button for me. “It’s a sportsman’s paradise. And oh, the colors. They’re so bright and different.” His deep, normally steady voice halted a bit as he tried to convey the awe-provoking images in his mind. Over the years he’s traveled in spring or summer from southern California to Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. “The water is this turquoise color from the melting glaciers…it’s truly God’s country.” He tried to explain the seasonality of Alaskan fishing--which time of year to catch halibut, trout, cod. “And then from June on," he said, "you have your salmon, your reds--your king, your Chinook, your sockeye…”

Salmon. Of course. The perfect product to feature this week (and no, this will not lead to a discussion of Alaskan quilts...). When it’s in season, Don and I have fresh wild salmon two or three times a week. It’s easy to grill, delicious, loaded with protein and the omega-3 fatty acids that help reduce heart disease and lower cholesterol. To be honest, until Craig gave me a tutorial, I hadn't been sure exactly where our salmon originated, other than some mysterious place called the Copper River. Where was that? Oregon? Happily for this week's blog post, the Copper River runs through south-central Alaska. Here’s a more complete explanation from the experts at copperriversalmon.org:

Dropping an average of 12 feet per mile and draining 24,000 square miles, the Copper River is the tenth largest river in the United States and is the birthplace of some of the world’s most renowned wild Alaskan salmon. Every year from May through September, Copper River king, sockeye and Coho return to the river to make the arduous 300-mile journey up the icy glacial fed waters to spawn in their birthplace. This is no easy task and as a result Copper River salmon are inherently rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, a critical component that fuels their journey and simultaneously creates the naturally rich salmon so coveted by chefs, restaurateurs and seafood lovers around the world.

Copper River salmon--and all Alaskan seafood--is carefully monitored by Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game, as specified in the state’s constitution. The goal is sustainability; the continued health of the sea life thriving in Alaska’s vast waters (including the Gulf of Alaska, numerous rivers and more than three million lakes and 34,000 miles of tidal shoreline). The Alaskan seafood industry is--as you-know-who might put it--huge, providing over 78,000 jobs and $5.8 billion in revenue each year.

Copper River's 540 commercial fishermen (and women; also called fishermen) and their families live in the remote town of Cordova (population 2,000), accessible only by plane or ferry.

Each fisherman is an independent small business owner. In a YouTube video, several Copper River fishermen discuss their uniquely challenging and rewarding work. Some fish alone, but for many it’s a family affair. All express a joy and passion, a gratitude for having the good fortune to live and work as fishers of salmon. There’s a reverence about what they do. It’s not a job, it's a vocation. “This is good work,” one fisherman said. “You’re making food. How much more honorable a job can you have? You’re feeding people. And it’s good food. Really, really good food.”

Many millennial-aged fishermen grew up in Cordova, went off to college--some in Anchorage, others as far away as the east coast--then returned, bringing with them savvy marketing skills and a renewed enthusiasm for work that protects the environment and provides superb food for their country's population and for people around the world. Some--like husband and wife team Nelly and Michael Hand and siblings Emma and Claire Laukitis, also known as the Salmon Sisters--own their salmon fishing vessels and have their own branded line of salmon-related products, all available online.

Nelly and Michael Hand

The Salmon Sisters

Hard to believe, but there was a time when Copper River salmon wasn’t available in the lower forty-eight states. As recently as the 1980's, according to The Atlantic, “virtually all the Copper River catch was being exported to Japan at prices so low that fishermen were pulling their boats out of the water and hanging up their nets.” Read more about that here. Just makes you think, doesn't it, about how we had this treasure-trove of healthful food right here--in our largest state--and, for years, didn't really quite see it.

If anyone's willing, I'd love to hear how you prepare Copper River salmon. On her website, Nelly Hand posted her recipe for Coconut Sockeye Salmon Chowder. Yum. Pass the chowder. Then, on to chocolate chip cookies...

Nelly Hand's Coconut Sockeye Salmon Chowder

Next up: Arizona. Suggestions welcome!