There is an alchemy in sorrow. It can be transmuted into wisdom, which, if it does not bring joy, can yet bring happiness.
Monday, July 4, 2011
A new vocation?
I think I should open up a barbecue help-line for our neighborhood next year. People should be told that gasoline isn't a good idea for starting the charcoal. Even if they are careful, it smells really bad and will add that bad smell/taste to their meat. If they are smart enough to have starter fluid on hand, one does not need to use a whole bottle of the stuff to cook a dozen hamburgers. It smells really bad and will add that bad smell/taste t their meat.
Since the departure of our neighbors from . . . Oh, well, it seemed like they originated from a bad place, we haven't had it quite so bad re. the barbecue lighting. The first time the former neighbors started their grill, I spent an hour looking for a gas leak in and around my house. Their grill was on the opposite side of their yard but their generousitly with the starter fluid filled our home with the smell of gas. I'm sure their food must have been very tasty.
The neighbor behind us like to start his barbecue around nine in the morning but they don't eat until evening. I always wonder where they keep the cooked meat for those four or five hours? He is also the number-one building code violator in the neighborhood so I don't imagine he would be too concerned with his barbecue offerings.
Yet another neighbor (we have an interesting neighborhood) sets up his smoker and barbecue right behind the gas valve on his parked car. We wonder every year if this is the year the car explodes. It will take out his whole family as they have their plastic lawn chairs circling the cooking food.
Besides the trip to Walmart, my husband and I celebrated with a stop by a new frozen yogurt shop for a cold treat. I'm grilling our chicken on an in-door grill - no starter fluid need apply. I like quiet, boring Fourth of Julys!
Since the departure of our neighbors from . . . Oh, well, it seemed like they originated from a bad place, we haven't had it quite so bad re. the barbecue lighting. The first time the former neighbors started their grill, I spent an hour looking for a gas leak in and around my house. Their grill was on the opposite side of their yard but their generousitly with the starter fluid filled our home with the smell of gas. I'm sure their food must have been very tasty.
The neighbor behind us like to start his barbecue around nine in the morning but they don't eat until evening. I always wonder where they keep the cooked meat for those four or five hours? He is also the number-one building code violator in the neighborhood so I don't imagine he would be too concerned with his barbecue offerings.
Yet another neighbor (we have an interesting neighborhood) sets up his smoker and barbecue right behind the gas valve on his parked car. We wonder every year if this is the year the car explodes. It will take out his whole family as they have their plastic lawn chairs circling the cooking food.
Besides the trip to Walmart, my husband and I celebrated with a stop by a new frozen yogurt shop for a cold treat. I'm grilling our chicken on an in-door grill - no starter fluid need apply. I like quiet, boring Fourth of Julys!
Did I miss a gift-giving holiday . . . ?
My husband and I went to Walmart this morning to return an item. We figured that it would be an easy deal because how many people return stuff on Fourth of July. We walked in the door of Walmart and the return line is 15 people long! We decided we could wait on our return.
When we checked out, we asked the cashier why there was such a long line for the return cashier today. She said that no one had any idea but that this morning, they actually had to open up four extra cash registers just to accommodate the people pouring in for the return section. She said Walmart was just as bemused as we were about why so many and why today.
My husband said this sort of thing usually happens after Christmas when people return unwanted gifts. I said the last holiday before the Fourth of July was Memorial Day . . . so, were we supposed to give out gifts on Memorial Day? :-)
We took a few peeks to see what the people were in line to return and there wasn't any common ground to give us a hint. I suppose a lot of people woke up this morning, started the holiday barbecue and suddenly exclaimed, "Let's go return stuff to Walmart!" And they did.
When we checked out, we asked the cashier why there was such a long line for the return cashier today. She said that no one had any idea but that this morning, they actually had to open up four extra cash registers just to accommodate the people pouring in for the return section. She said Walmart was just as bemused as we were about why so many and why today.
My husband said this sort of thing usually happens after Christmas when people return unwanted gifts. I said the last holiday before the Fourth of July was Memorial Day . . . so, were we supposed to give out gifts on Memorial Day? :-)
We took a few peeks to see what the people were in line to return and there wasn't any common ground to give us a hint. I suppose a lot of people woke up this morning, started the holiday barbecue and suddenly exclaimed, "Let's go return stuff to Walmart!" And they did.
A Fitting Tribute to the Fourth of July - Our Nation's Birthday
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives.
His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year, he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.
Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.
Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more.
Standing talk straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government!
Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't.
So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July Holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid. Remember: Freedom is never free!
It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.
. . . Author Unknown
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives.
His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year, he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.
Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.
Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more.
Standing talk straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government!
Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't.
So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July Holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid. Remember: Freedom is never free!
It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.
. . . Author Unknown
Happy Fourth of July!
As much as one (as in me!) complains about the summer heat, you can't beat the blooms and scent of the roses at this time of the year. I like to putter around the garden early in the morning before the heat is unbearable and see what the plants and flowers are doing. The roses always smell best with the beginning of the summer day.
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