Monday, June 30, 2008

Musical Monday-Patriotic


Of course, this is a big week in America! Independence day is Friday and I'm sure there are already folks partying in various cities in the US. While I love that our national holiday gets us a day off, I am saddened to see that a very large section of our society has reduced it to a day of drunken carousing. There is so much more to America than fireworks and beer. This week I will be relating some wonderful information about our country and the people in it. Some of my information will be taken from an article in the Reader's Digest; "Why We're Happy. Turns out, happiness has a lot to do with values-and it's key to our prosperity as a nation." Other posts will be from our constitution and some from general headlines.

So here's to America, her citizens and her zest for the pursuit of happiness!


Musical Monday-Patriotic
The Creation of the National Anthem!
Before the Battle
The War of 1812 had been a particularly nasty conflict with the British. They had burned down the Capitol and White House in Washington, and were set on taking the port of Baltimore, which was protected in part by Fort McHenry. After an initial land attack had been thwarted, 16 ships of the British fleet positioned themselves for a massive attack on the fort.

Before the fleet came within canon range, two Americans, Colonel John Skinner and a lawyer and part-time poet by the name of Francis Scott Key, had gone out to one of the British ships. They had come to negotiate the release of Dr William Beanes, a friend of Key who had been seized following the attack on Washington. The British agreed, but all three had learned too much about the forthcoming attack and were detained by the British on board the frigate Surprise until it was over.

The Defense of Fort McHenry
The attack started on September 12th, 1814, and continued for the next two days. Skinner, Beane and Key watched much of the bombardment from the deck and, through the nights of the 12th and 13th they caught glimpses of the star-shaped fort with its huge flag - 42ft long, with 8 red stripes, 7 white stripes and 15 white stars, it had been specially commissioned to be big enough that the British could not possibly fail to see it from a distance.

In the dark of the night of the 13th, the shelling suddenly stopped - through the darkness they couldn't tell whether the British forces had been defeated, or the fort had fallen.

As the sun began to rise, Key peered through the lifting darkness anxious to see if the flag they had seen the night before was still flying. And so it was that he scribbled on the back of an envelope the first lines of a poem he called Defense of Fort M'Henry:

"O, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming"

As the mist started to clear he was aware that there was a flag flying - but was it the British flag? It was difficult to tell:

"What is that which the breeze o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?"

But finally the sun rose, and with intense relief and pride he saw that the fort had withstood the onslaught ...

"'Tis the star-spangled banner - O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."


The poem becomes a hymn and anthem
On the way back to shore, and later in his hotel room, he completed all four verses of the poem, and the following morning he took it to his brother-in-law, a local judge, who thought it so good that he arranged to have it printed as a handbill.

It is very likely that Key only ever intended this as a poem. However, there was a very popular tune of the time which had the same form and metre, and there can be no doubt that Key was heavily influenced by it - ironically, this was the tune of a British drinking song!

When the handbills were printed, they bore the name of this tune to which the poem should be sung - Anacreon in Heaven. Nobody is sure whether this was Key's idea, or whether his brother-in-law had made the connection, but to this day the American National Anthem is sung to the tune of a British drinking song.
(gbjann.com)

Thursday, June 26, 2008

The Mark You Leave Behind


I was shuffling a great deal of papers today and at the end of my task my fingers had that funny numb feeling that comes from consistent, low friction. I was reminded of a time I went to be fingerprinted for our school district in order to substitute teach. The woman who procured my prints informed me that she had no finger prints. That she in fact had "worn them away after years of shuffling papers." I had no idea this could happen. She also informed me that as we age, our fingerprints naturally get harder and harder to detect, eventually distorting completely. I was amazed to find, after some Internet research on my own, that this is true.
I find this an interesting metaphor on age in our society. How often do the elderly in America become invisible, without identity that can be recalled? I know that grandmas and grandpas are cherished by most families but is it true that as we get older, our individuality wears away only to be undetectable to those too young to remember?
I know that at each of my grandparents funerals I was amazed to hear of the lives they lived long before I was born. I did not know them for who they really were and worst of all, I did not appreciate them.
I think it is time in our country, and in my life, to take a closer look at the evidence of the lives of the elderly people I know. I would think that the greatest tribute I could offer would be to take notice of the uniqueness of the fingerprints they left on this world.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Break A Leg!


Congratulations to my oldest son who won the part of "the Prince" in our local children's theater presentation of "Beauty and the Beast". I'm so proud of you!

It's Complicated


It never ceases to amaze me how we as a species can greatly complicate our lives in the name of change. So often we (I) will make a choice simply because we want something different than what we have. How many choices do we make now that limit possible choices in the future? What a tricky little thing life is!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Last week, in our area, a woman left her five month old son in a car on a 90+ degree day. He was in the car for about two hours and when the mother went to get him, he was unresponsive. He was rushed to the hospital where, a while later he passed away. It was estimated that the interior of the car reached 130 degrees. The mother, who was devastated by all accounts, said she forgot she had her son with her thus leaving him in the car for that length of time.

The authorities are weighing the decision to press charges or not and there has been a very loud outcry calling for her to be punished. Many are asking; "How could she forget her child for two hours?" My husband even surprised me by saying she ought to be thrown in jail.

We have lived in areas before where something like this has happened in one form or another. Children of various ages forgotten or locked in by accident who more often than not die.

I have mixed feelings about what to do in a situation like this. I realize that in all cases, there is negligence. But are all cases equally negligent? Is every mother or father who does this deliberately choosing to "forget" their infant? Or so grossly unqualified to take care of a child they make this kind of mistake? I have a hard time believing that all of these parents are complete zeros who's inability to care for a child leads to the untimely death of their offspring. While I may be in the minority here, I think that we need to proceed with caution when it comes to dealing with these people. I can't imagine what's it would be like having to face jail time while dealing with the death of a child that I caused. I hope that while the authorities look deeply into the circumstances around the event they do so with a measure of compassion.

Monday, June 23, 2008

A Rose by Any Other Name


In honor of my roses I thought for musical Monday I would play songs with the word "rose" in the title. Here are a few rose growing tips to read while you listen;

Roses need to be dead-headed (cutting off the dead blooms) frequently

Use systemic (pesticides that are taken into the plant through the roots) rose treatments before you see aphids, it will save you a headache later on

Lady bugs are the natural enemy to aphids, you can buy them at many nurseries and it's a nice alternative to pesticides. (you have to get a lot though if you have an aphid infestation)

If you have a fisherman in the family, have him/her save the fish guts and bury portions at the base of the plants. Roses LOVE fish gut fertilizer! (don't do this if you have dogs or cats as they will dig up the fish)

Rose colors change in the heat. Often times, the hotter the temperature, the lighter the bloom.

When displaying blooms indoors, strip the stems of their thorns by gently holding the rose just under the bloom and with the other hand (wearing a thick glove), grip the stem and run your hand downwards. This will break the thorn points off and most often break the thorn completely off. It's easier to place the roses in a vase and will give your display a more professional look.

Roses don't need tons of water. Their roots like to bake out, in other words, they like the ground around their base to get dry before the next watering.

Enjoy your roses! If you don't have any, plant one in a sunny spot in your yard.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

I Give it Five Stars


I was enjoying my backyard last night on a wonderful evening. As my husband and I were talking I had this thought: my life is like a really nice hotel. You know, the kind you love to stay at because the atmosphere is so wonderful. Like most of us, I love to stay at really nice hotels but no matter how great the beds are or the size of the tub in the bathroom, ultimately I know that none of it is really mine. When I am at a beautiful hotel, I'm often on my best behavior. I want to show respect to the proprietor of the property by treating it kindly and gently. I hope that I can show respect and gratitude to Heavenly Father for the beautiful "hotel" he has given me by treating it with respect and inviting others to come, and sit for awhile.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Bloomin' Yard



I've been working in the yard the last couple of days and thought I would show it off. It's short and sweet but I wish you could smell the roses. I have over 70 rose plants and with our mild spring the blooms are the most beautiful I've ever seen. Now, what to do about the dead spots in the lawn!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

I've Got to be Number One Somehow

I have one of those nifty little stat trackers on my page. I like to check it out every once in a while to see where people are coming from and what pages people read. Out of curiosity I checked to see what Google search term folks were using to find my page. (Hold on, I'm laughing really hard right now...) Okay, so, the 27 percent of the folks who find me from Google type in the search term...wait for it.... "German Insults"! Yes, that's right! I am on page two of the Google results about half way down. So here is my challenge to you all- I want to see if I can be the number one "German Insults" result on Google. If you have a minute, conduct a Google search with that phrase and select my blog. I figure it's good for a laugh. Oh and, Haben Sie ein guten tag!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

I Love a Parade!


So those of you who know me know that I head up the Grand Parade for my community. Right now I'm in full parade swing as the big event is only a month away. I love doing parade! It's one of the most exciting things I do and I look forward to parade day each year. This year I've got a pretty good line up although I'm looking for one more band and a couple of floats. They'll come. Here are some of the entries I've got lines up thus far:

11 city floats!
4 marching bands (one of which is a pipe band)
3 stilt walkers
3 balloon artists
3 clowns
4 horse-drawn carriages
1 trolley
1 Pirate ship
Dora the Explorer
Spongebob
Cinderella

I've arranged for a fly over of 6 WWII airplanes and a DJ to begin the parade! I also have a wild west shoot out pre-parade show!

I'm really excited for the big day. Our total entries at this point are 73 and I plan to get to 85 by July 19th! Woo hoo!

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Decisions, Decisions


It seems lately that I have been keenly aware of the parenting choices I have to make each day. Every day comes with so many chances to screw things up or make things great. The smallest situations seem to have endless consequences. For example, when my son leaves peanut butter all over the counter and the bread out after he's made a sandwich I can choose to clean it up myself or walk outside, holler down the street, make him come home and deal with the grumbling that comes with it just so I can teach him it's important to clean up his mess. Because really, I'm trying to avoid having a 30 year old son who leaves the peanut butter on the counter and the bread bag open. It seems to follow that if he can't learn to put those things away, how will he learn to follow through with tasks in his profession? What employer will want to hire someone who always needs to be cleaned up after? What woman wants to marry a man who is more like a child? My greatest reward will be if my daughters-in-law can say that their husbands clean up after themselves and support their families. I have to remind myself that I am raising a man not a boy.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Kung Fu Panda


Took the kids to see Kung Fu Panda this afternoon and had a great time. You will be hearing "skadoosh" around my house for a long time to come. We give it 4 out of 5 stars!

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Life's a Beach




What the Beach Test Says About You



You tend to be a very social person. You live for your friends and family. You can get social burnout occasionally though. You aren't a total extrovert.



You fall in love with ease and confidence. Even if you've had bad experiences in the past, each new love is a reason to start completely over.



You are deeply passionate about several things in your life. You're not passionate about much... and the few passions you have are truly obsessions.



Your sense of humor is intellectual and obscure. Only really well educated people get your jokes.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

My Funky Van



So my kids and I got ready for swim lessons this morning (lessons start at 8:00 bells!) and they beat me out to the car. I was a couple of minutes behind them and by the time I opened my door, I was greeted by the children saying; "it stinks in here." As I got into the driver's seat I came to find they were correct. The scent was a cross between wet, moldy smelling kitchen rags and a wet diaper.
Because we were in a hurry I simply rolled the windows down and vowed to take care of it later.
As promised, I took the car into the car wash and told them I had a funk in my car, could they please find the source and rid my car of the smell.
When they returned my vehicle to me they didn't mention that they'd found anything but when I got into the car it still had a little smell to it. I'm hoping it's just remnant smell and all will be well with the world tomorrow. If it still is funky town in my car tomorrow I'm afraid I'll have to go to great measures to find out what my dear, sweet children have left to rot under one of the seats.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Musical Monday-Summertime!


It's the first official day of Summer Break! We're gonna make the most of the sun and free time this season! Here's a little background music for a great Summer Vacation!

Feel free to peruse the blog while you listen.

What are your plans?