Swimming Record Set 29 July 1940

On this day, 29 July 1940: John Sigmund of St. Louis, MO, completed a 292-mile swim down the Mississippi River. The swim from St. Louis to Caruthersville, MO, took him 89 hours and 48 minutes. In 1955, Antonio Abertondo, tried and failed to break this record. Here is a newspaper article that tells the story of Mr. Abertondo's attempt. The only information I was able to find on Mr. Sigmund was listed on sites that contain "this day in history" information. I usually prefer to give my readers something more substantial to read. Hugs to all...

The Draft in Vietnam July 1965

28 July 1965: US orders 50,000 troops to Vietnam

President Johnson committed a further 50,000 US troops to the conflict in Vietnam.

Monthly draft calls were scheduled to increase from 17,000 to 35,000 - the highest level since the Korean War, when between 50,000 and 80,000 men were called up each month.

"I do not find it easy to send the flower of our youth...into battle." President Johnson

Go here to read more about the draft in the Vietnam War. To read more about the history of the Vietnam War go to this website.

Books on Vietnam War

Movies on Vietnam War

Oldest Ship in US Navy

On July 23, 1954 - A law is passed that states that "The Secretary of the Navy is authorized to repair, equip, and restore the United States Ship Constitution, as far as may be practicable, to her original appearance, but not for active service, and thereafter to maintain the United States Ship Constitution at Boston, Massachusetts." Nicknamed Old Ironsides, the USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned ship in the US Navy. To read a brief history of this ship you can visit this Naval Historical Center page.

Our Town Has a LYS

I keep meaning to post this information about the lys here that is also a used bookstore. They're very friendly people there. The owner is more than willing to order what you need if they don't have it in stock. If you're wondering what a lys is it is a "local yarn store" and normally is not a chain store. If you're in the area check this one out.

Round Ripple Afghan of Sport Weight Yarn

Here's my last finished projected. It's another round ripple afghan made from the crochet pattern by AggieMay of crochetville. It is made out of 2 shades of blue and one of a light green. It's about 54" from point to point. The yarn is by Red Heart and it is called Designer Sport. I did have a 4th color I was going to use but I couldn't find the yarn until I started the last row. Oh well, I'll probably use it to made some baby things. If you like to made round afghans, I have compiled a list of free patterns you may want to check out. I'm off to weave in the last few ends, wash this and put it in my extra bedroom not-so-affectionately known as the yarn warehouse. I hope you have enjoyed the pictures and come again for a visit. Drop me a note and tell me what you think. Hugs to my readers...
Red Heart Designer Sport Yarn

Golden Birthday!

Today it is my cute little gd's golden birthday! She's ll on the llth of July! Happy birthday Sweetie.

I Started Canning

Yesterday, I started canning my green beans. I had enough beans to can 9 pints. I got a pressure canner this year. The USDA recommends that you can with a pressure canner because it is the only way to get temperatures high enough to kill bacteria spores. I have some packs of veggies left from last year and I plan to divide them up among my 2 sons so they don't go to waste. Last year, I froze vegetables. After having a 5+ day power outage last winter I started thinking how lucky I was that the freezer was in the garage and that the outage was in the winter and not the summer. Concerns over a summer-time power outage was the deciding factor in purchasing a pressure canner. Here's a picture of my jars of beans.

Watch Out for Karma!

A comedy show I've been enjoying lately is My Name is Earl. When I first heard about this show I thought, hmmm, that's one cheesy, low-class show. However, after I watched it I fell in love with the show and the wisdom that karma will get you if you do wrong to someone. Yes, I believe in karma. Here's a story to illustrate that.
In the 1960s, a couple worked very hard to buy and payoff a new home to raise their 3 children in. The husband worked many over-time hours at a factory and the wife worked as a secretary at a car dealership. The kids were put into public schools instead of attending Catholic elementary school as they had previously attended in the old neighborhood. After living in the new house for maybe 14 months, the woman died. She had a CVA, in other words a stroke. She hung on for a few days until the husband was forced to make the hard decision to disconnect her from life-support. At the age of 33 she passed away 11 days before Christmas and the entire family was devastated. Three children were left motherless--a 12 yo, a 9 yo and a 6 yo. A friend of the deceased woman's cousin started setting her snare for the man by taking the kids to museums, buying them clothes flirting with the man at the funeral home and sleeping with him about 5 months later. She was sporting a 1/2 carat solitaire diamond engagement ring before the modest marker was put on the 1st wife's grave. Less than 10 months after the children's mother died, the man and the woman married. Before they were married, she insisted that her name be put on the deed for the house. Did I mention before that said house was paid for? He complied with her wishes. After the marriage, he worked the 3-to-11 shift and rarely saw his children and turned over all their care to the woman. He never spent time with them without the woman. She liberally used corporal punishment and verbal abuse ("your mother wasn't as perfect as you think", "you're never going to amount to anything", and "you're getting out of here when you're 18" and similar comments). She even used wood cutting boards to beat the kids with even when they were 18 years old! Why? This punishment was given for putting the toilet paper up wrong and it unwound from the back instead of the front or maybe for putting the towels in the linen closet and the wrong edges were facing out. The youngest child was easy for her to mold and now doesn't even remember the REAL mother. Still to this day, the woman has alienated and slandered the 2 older children and they are most likely disinherited. She has created fantastical stories about the older children to turn the father against them. Guess I'm going into too many details and straying from karma so let me get back on task. Fast forward to the present. The man and woman have been trying to sell this property for over a year. The property has been used as collateral to support their fancy life-style--boats including a ski boat and 32 footer, RVs, and 2nd homes in Florida. Unfortunately for them, the housing market has soured. The house isn't selling! She had to ensure that she got the house and the children from his first wife lost their home and now she CAN'T GET RID OF IT! I guess you can take a lesson from Earl and say, karma got her!
I believe that if you live your life with a little Christian charity you will experience good karma. I have tried to learn from this example and others. So, that's my story for today. Hope you are not too bored. Hugs to all...