Backyard Fun Memorial Day Weekend!

We got the pool filled with water and the hot tub too in time for Saturday's cookout on Memorial Day Weekend.  DH and Son #1 (aka Matthew or Matt) opened the pool and the hot tub.  Opi enjoyed the time just relaxing on the outdoor furniture.  Here's a hint that may help you save money.  In our community, we can checkout  a meter that measures the amount of water we use outdoors.  This is water that doesn't go in the sewer and that way we don't have to pay for sewer costs on the water that goes through the meter!  With a pool, pond, hot tub and garden we use more than a few bucketfuls outside.  At the end of summer, we will return the meter to the water company and they will do a reading on it and we'll get a credit on our water/sewer bill.  Pretty nifty huh?

Memorial Day--Honoring Our Military Heroes

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.  It was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May [passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays], though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.  Go to the Memorial Day History page to see the source of this information and read more about this holiday.  Below is a Universal Newsreel that contains one segment about the celebration of Memorial Day in 1945.

Monday's Link for Free Crochet Pattern

It's that time of the year for cookouts and lots of fun outdoors.  Here's a pattern for your own crochet cookout.  It's a cute little hotdog that you can use for decoration or a child's toy.  Have fun!

It's The Big 5 Oh!

Happy birthday baby brother!!!

Unwanted Phone Calls Trying to Scam!!!

I keep getting phone calls from a company called Credit Card Services.  At least that's what they call themselves.  My caller ID says "unknown caller" and no telephone number is displayed.  The offer of reducing interest rates on credit cards to less than 7% sounded good but I wasn't born yesterday and know better than to give financial information out over the phone when I did not initiate the call!  I am on the Do Not Call List but I don't have a number for the jerks to report them!  Anyone have any ideas of what to do about these jerks?  Once again, I told the person to take my name off his list.  He said I was on his call list because I agreed to take phone calls about offers from 3rd parties....NOT!  Anyway, the little bit of sleuthing I've done on the Internet shows that other folks are fed up with getting phone calls from them too.  Check out what some people have to say here.  Just venting here.  My home time is private time and not time for idiots like these.  I promise to be nicer next time I blog.  Sharon
PS  I get calls from these people every week or 2 for more than a year.  I'm fed up with them!


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On This Day 27 May in 1883, Oscar Wilde Imprisioned

On May 27th, 1883 Oscar Wilde was sent to prison and ordered to perform hard labor after being found guilty of sodomy (homosexuality) two days before.  This was such an embarrassment to his wife Constance that she moved with their two children to Switzerland and changed their last name to Holland.

Here is one poem written by Wilde:

Poem: Easter Day

The silver trumpets rang across the Dome:

The people knelt upon the ground with awe:
And borne upon the necks of men I saw,
Like some great God, the Holy Lord of Rome.
Priest-like, he wore a robe more white than foam,
And, king-like, swathed himself in royal red,
Three crowns of gold rose high upon his head:
In splendour and in light the Pope passed home.
My heart stole back across wide wastes of years
To One who wandered by a lonely sea,
And sought in vain for any place of rest:
‘Foxes have holes, and every bird its nest.
I, only I, must wander wearily,
And bruise my feet, and drink wine salt with tears.’


To learn more about Wilde you may visit these sites

• The Long Conversion of Oscar Wilde
• The Official Web Site of Oscar Wilde

To read more poetry by Wilde you may visit this page on Project Gutenberg and scroll down to Wilde's name.

Monday's Link for Free Crochet Pattern

Here's a link for a free pattern to crochet a cute dog toilet paper cover.  I know many folks don't care for these but for those who do this is a cute one and it may look nice in a kids' bathroom.  So, here it is!  Enjoy...

Snipes Lament

What is a snipe in the navy?  WikiAnswers defines it as--"Snipe" in the Navy is an enlisted person in an engineering rating, specifically those rates that work below the waterline in Engineering Main Propulsion spaces. They include Machinist's Mates, Boiler Techs and Electrician's Mate. Here is a poem composed by an Anonymous author about snipes:


"Snipes Lament"

Now each of us from time to time, has gazed upon the sea,
and watched the warships pulling out, to keep this country free.
And most of us have read a book, or heard a rusty tale,
about the men who sail these ships, through lightning wind and hail.

But there's a place within each ship, that legend fails to tell.
It's down below the waterline, it takes a living toll---
a hot metal living hell, that sailors call the “Hole.”

It houses engines run by steam, that makes the shafts go round,
a place of fire and noise and heat, that beats your spirits down.
Where boilers are a hellish heart, with blood of angry steam;
these molded gods without remorse, like nightmares in a dream.

Whose threat that from the fires roar, is like a living doubt,
that any minute without scorn, could escape and crush you out.
Where turbines scream like tortured souls, alone and lost in hell,
as ordered from above somewhere, they answer every bell.

The men who keep the fires lit, and make the engines run,
are strangers to the world of light, and rarely see the sun.
They have no time for man or god, no tolerance for fear.
Their aspect pays no living thing, the tribute of a tear.

There's not much that men can do, that these men have not done.
Beneath the decks, deep in the hole, to make the engines run.
And every hour of every day, they keep their watch in hell,
for if the fires ever fail, their ships a useless shell.

When ships converge to have a war, upon an angry sea,
the men below just grimly smile at what their fate might be.
They're locked below like men 'fore doomed, who hear no battle cry,
it's well assumed that if they're hit, the men below will die.

For ever day's a war down there, when the gages all read red,
six hundred pounds of heated steam, can kill you mighty dead.
So if you ever write their sons, or try to tell their tale,
the very words should make you hear a fired furnace wail.

And people as a general rule, don't hear of these men of steel,
So little is heard about this place, that sailors call “the hole”.
But I can sing about this place and try to make you see,
the hardened life of men down there, 'cause one of them is me.

I've seen these sweat soaked heros fight, in superheated air
to keep their ship alive and right, though no one knows they're there
And thus they'll fight for ages on, 'til steamships sail no more,
amid the boiler's mighty heat, and turbine's hellish roar.

So when you see a ship pull out, to meet a warlike foe,
Remember faintly, if you can, “The men who sail below”
-Author Unknown


The Boiler Technician rating has been dissolved and the Boiler Techs have been absorbed into the Machinist Mate rating.  Times they are a changing (sigh).

Monday's Link for Free Crochet Pattern

With Memorial Day coming up, I thought you might like to do something patriotic in memory of our service members.  Anyway, here is a pattern for a patriotic wreath.

A Couple More Links for Round Afghans.

I have posted a couple new links for round afghans.  You may find a list of all the links here.  And here are the new links!

• 7-Point Star
• Woodland Circle Afghan

Have fun!

I Have a Mutated Rose Bush!

I have this climbing rose bush that has gorgeous orange roses. Well, it's supposed to have orange roses.  Last year, the early blooms were RED and subsequent blooms were orange.  This year, the first blooms were a  mixture of big orange and little red.  Hmmmm, the bush is crazy like the rest of us here lol!.  Anyway, here's a picture to check it out.

My garden with the exception of some garlic is planted.  The blue jays think I put out a buffet dinner for them.  I have to send the "babies"--Nellie Belle and Opi out to guard the veggies.  Right now, it's a challenge to see who will get the benefit of the vegetables--the birds or us.


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SNL: Their Take on the 2010 Census

Recently Betty White appeared on Saturday Night Live.  She was in this hilarious skit on the census.  This struck home for me.  I recently finished classes to work in another phase of the 2010 Census.  I'll be going door-to-door starting Monday and I'm looking forward to seeing if any of the households I visit are like this one!  Enjoy!
You may go to the column on your right hand side and mute the blog's music player to better here the videos audio.

A Tribute to US Military Troops!

A friend sent me a link to this video and I really thought it worthwhile to post it.  So many of our troops are mere youngsters--some are still in their teens.  They're the ones who protect us selflessly.  Let's remember them in our prayers.  Hugs to all....

You may want to mute the blog's music player.  Scroll down the column on your right to the player and mute the sound to better hear this video's audio.






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Monday's Link for Free Crochet Pattern

Summer is right around the corner and it's time to break out the old tennis racket and hit the courts! Today's free pattern link is for a cover to keep that racket covered and clean. Have fun with this one!

Do Any of You Remember the Lawrence Welk Show???

I've been watching the show Major Dad on hulu and I noticed this clip for a Saturday Night Live salute to Mothers Day with Betty White.  I cracked up as I watched it! Below is the clip.  Enjoy! You may want to go to the column on your right to mute the blog's music player before watching the videos.



If you're not old enough to remember the Lawrence Welk Show, here is a clip from one of the original shows.


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Mother's Day...

It will be Mothers Day in less than an hour.  I'd like to wish all the mothers out there a relaxing, joyous day.

My mom's been gone for many years.  She passed away a week and a half before Christmas when I was 12.  Even though I'm in my 50s now, I still miss her.  I especially missed her during all the landmarks in my life--graduations, getting married and having children. However, I do have this happy fantasy about her.  I imagine her sitting in heaven with all our other deceased relatives sipping on a cup of coffee and looking down at me cheering me on when times are tough, smiling when times are good and looking after my sons now that they're grown and on their own.  Happy Mothers Day Mom!

My Mom:  JoAnn (nee Jungles) French

A Few Thoughts on Blogging...

I've been thinking about how I blog and post comments to other peoples blogs.  I use a lot of exclamation points  for one thing.  Why do I do that?  I think that I want to people to know that I want to be a little humorous, excited or impressed and not sarcastic or a smartypants.  That's the same reason I type lol or  some version of :).  All these little things seem to be rather "goofy" for lack of a better word coming to mind.

Another thing I often do is go back and edit my posts if I see a misspelled word or lack of an apostrophe to show the possessive version of a word.  I don't care to have folks around the globe think I'm illiterate!!! :) lol!!!

What do you think--is this goofy?!!!

Look at My Son's Latest WIP

My son is building cabinetry for one of my neighbors office/den in a basement. It is still a work in progress. Some of these will have doors on them and he needs to put a finish on everything. Everything has been built from scratch. He did not go to school to learn this. He worked with my uncle rehabbing houses when we lived in Illinois. He's always been artistic and it has carried over to working with wood.  He renovated my walk in closet for me and I LOVE it!  There isn't sound with this one so you don't have to mute the blog's music player if you don't want to. Anyway, here it is:

New Facebook Group

Hey, I just started a new group on facebook for the former crew, family and friends of the USS Harold E. Holt. If you happen to have an association with this group stop on by and visit!  The name of the group is

U.S.S. Harold E. Holt FF-1074 Former Crew, Family and Friends

So far I am the only member lol!  I have talked with a couple former crew members and they expressed interest in a group when I mentioned that I was thinking of starting one.  I hope they join because I'm kind of lonely as the only member. ;)

Parenting Advice from Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt

One of my favorite ladies in history is Eleanor Roosevelt. Behind the great man Franklin D. Roosevelt was the greater woman--Eleanor Roosevelt. Not only did she do the political campaign bit for him she was also his legs and ears out in the field where and whenever he was unable to go because of his paralysis. On a more personal level, she was a loving mother to her children. In 1931 she wrote an editorial for The Parent's Magazine that is as relevant today as it was then.  "As parents, we must realize that modern life tends to make us soft, and we must let our children meet their own difficulties, find their own solutions to knotty problems and gain experience for themselves.  It may seem hard but what a sense of satisfaction there is when one feels sure of the ability in one’s self to meet a difficulty."   Go here and you  may read the entire editorial.
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Bloom Time!

I'm sharing more of my springtime blooms with you.  I hope you enjoy...

Azalea in front yard

Flowering bush in front (don't know what kind)

EDIT:  After sleuthing around google, I believe this bush is called firethorne.  It has these flowers in the spring and orange berries in the fall.  It also has lots of thorns.

"Changeling rose" former carpet roses but now they climb!

Irises in front

Lambs' ears in front

Miniature rose I bought myself because I deserve it!  :)

Pansy in chair planter.  I "rescued" the planter from a burned out house.

The rose bush was a rose tree but it broke in a storm.  Looks like a bush is growing from it but it doesn't have any buds.  We'll have to wait a bit to see if it gets flowers.  The pot in front of it has lilies and I'll plant another flower in with it

Snowball bush.  The "snowballs" are rather flat this year!

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Happy Birthday Pete Seeger!

On this day, May 3rd, in 1919, Pete Seeger was born. That means today is his 91st birthday! Pete Seeger is a musician, singer, songwriter, folklorist, labor activist, environmentalist, and peace advocate. He was born in Patterson, New York. A couple of his songs that you may remember are Where Have All The Flowers Gone and Turn, Turn, Turn.  Here is a video of Mr. Seeger singing one of his compositions.  You may want to go to the column on your right side and mute the blog's music player before playing these videos.




The rock band Byrds, made Turn, Turn, Turn famous.  Here's a video of the Byrds singing it:



Go here to learn more about Pete Seeger.


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Monday's Link for Free Crochet Pattern

Sorry I didn't have this posted first thing this morning; I almost forgot (I'm getting old so forgetfulness is to be expected lol!).
Here's a link for a Christmasy afghan.  It is made of squares and is very festive.  Squares can be a pain to sew together but on the other hand an afghan made of squares is a great summer project.  Make the squares in the warm weather and sew together in the fall to have a special afghan ready for the winter holidays! Go to Bonnie's Poinsettia Afghan to see this cute pattern.

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