Monday, May 29, 2023

MEMORIAL DAY MEMORIES-GOD BLESS OUR SERVICE PEOPLE

 I wrote this for Memorial Day 

several years ago

but I post it here every year.



This means even more to me after I

volunteered at the VA Center here

before Covid hit. 





Memorial Day is here once more,

We fly the flags above our door,

We plant our flowers that mark the grave,

Of every soldier that was so brave,



They fought for freedom for everyone,

Many lives snuffed out by a sniper's gun.

We proudly march in our little bands,

As daybreak filters across our lands,



But I wonder if we can truly see,

What cost it was to make us free.



Confederate soldiers fought the Yanks,

Some brothers fought brothers in those ranks,

To free the downtrodden that were lost,

To free all men at any cost.



My father was a medic in World War One,

A war not talked about by anyone,

Some men lost limbs and some were gassed,

Some picked up by comrades,

 others  bypassed.



World War II! How tragic indeed,

People standing by watching others bleed.

Souls thrown to the winds with no remorse,

Foreign government standing on their 

own course.



Vietnam was not a war they said,

Then why did so many soldiers end up 

dead?

No heroes welcome for them in sight,

They slunk home in the dead of night.



Should I go on-with Korea & Desert Storm?

Iran? Afghanistan? Are you getting warm?

Do you feel the pain you see in their face?

Does it make you squirm in your warm, safe 

place?



I've just one more thing I'd like to say,

It's about celebrating Memorial Day,

Look around and everything you see,

Was paid out in blood so that we are free.


Put your hand on your heart,

For the blue, white and red,

Raise your eyes to the flag,

Say a prayer for the dead.


Because of a soldier I can have my say,

So ~God Bless you this Memorial Day~


A special thank you to my late nephew Scott, 

my father, my Uncle Samuel, 

my foster brother, Eugene,

my old schoolmate, Tom Babcock and

a friend I met blogging, Kurt Keys.


And To All Our Soldiers-

 

your photo name

Saturday, May 20, 2023

MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY!

 Hooray- Hooray

It's Really Is May Here!
source

I was born late 
in my father's life.
He was 53 when I was born-
his first child.
Born on a farm in
Pennsylvania with
uncles and aunts that
owned farms around,
or connected, to ours.

Because of my father's age,
that meant that I grew up 
with cousins
that were almost 
a full generation 
older than I was.

So, by the time I was six or so,
many of my older cousins 
were driving.
Some were already married
or engaged.

On the first of May,
my cousins down the lane
 would come,
along with my Aunt Bessie.
She never drove a car 
in her life so her
daughters drove.
We would drive 
a few miles to 
a lightly wooded area
where we would pick
MAY FLOWERS.

Today,I know that 
they were simply 
SWEET VIOLETS
in pretty pastel colors.

Oh- How I loved MAY DAY
They spread before us 
in the woods on leggy stems.
We would pick big bunches 
to bring home
and we would plop them 
in jelly jar vases.
source
Then, Aunt Bessie 
would give us each 
a slice of fresh baked bread
slathered with butter 
and homemade strawberry jam.
source

I would go home 
full and happy,
with my hands clutched full 
of wildflowers.
I would be smiling 
when I entered the back door 
to our farmhouse, 
 the screen door slapping shut behind me.

My brother, Charlie, who is 
smiling down from Heaven,
had a special poem
JUST FOR ME.

It went like this:

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I thought I was ugly
Until I saw you.

Yes- Oh- the fond memories 
that take me back to childhood.
I would stick my tongue out 
at him and set my
MAY FLOWERS
on the counter
to celebrate the
MAY DAY.
source
So-CELEBRATE TODAY
~ JUST CELEBRATE~
CELEBRATE TODAY IN MAY.
SHOUT IT
loud and clear
MAYDAY!  MAYDAY! MAYDAY!

Did you know that if you shout MAYDAY
three times in a row 
it is 
the international signal 
of distress?

Be careful-
Be.very.careful.

You know what THAT means, 
don't you?
You may get someone 
that looks like 
THIS coming to your rescue!
source

Just never you mind Kris, 
Junk Chic Cottage,
you have your OWN fireman!

HAPPY DAY IN MAY!
your photo name

Saturday, May 13, 2023

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I didn't have time 

to do a 

Mother's Day table post.

Life has been flying by!

I wanted to wish you all a

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.



I will be visiting my sweet grandgirl,

Alana (Lulu on my blog)

in Florida as she finishes up her

Disney College Program.



Can't wait to see her!

I hope you have a wonderful

Mother's Day.


your photo name

Saturday, April 15, 2023

SPRING WEDDING TABLE CHOICES!


THE SPRING WEDDING TABLE CHOICES

I apologize!
I thought I had posted this around
Easter time...
but...guess what!?!
It was still in my drafts.
So-here you go--
late to my own party!




#1-Aflame With Love   

Melanie, Judy/GoldCottage, Pam S, Racheld, Kathy, Sandie/Chatty, Nonnie, Patti/Pandora's, Linda C, Kay G, Rose, Ann(promises not to set table on fire), Jan/Jan'sJourney, bobbie, Brenda, Michelle D, Nancy, Kris, Sandi-(Sees a breeze blowing there-special computer, I guess) and Connie!


#2-#2-Get It?  

Theresa, Lisa, Jan/LowCarb, Missy, Polly(all about the pastels), Bonnie S, Kim, Fran, Cecilia(has 3 weddings to attend this summer so she will be practicing good manners and scrubbing paint off her dress)


#3-The Bride Wore Blue  

Carla, Laurie/Heaven's Walk, Happy-(happy to see blue & white dishes), Karen, Sally-(sitting here because Karen is here!Little clique going on here?), Tiffany & Katie Isabella (the cat--obviously can't sit at #6 because of the dog picture)


#4-Drinks Are Pink

Diane/LavenderDreamer, Unknown-joined by Unknown2-(she was swept away with the table and forgot to leave her name), Nellie, Linda/Life&Linda, Donna, Gay & Donna S


#5-Blue & White Bridal Fantasy

BeachGypsy-(bringing corsages because she was a wedding florist and also pennies for everyone's shoes...just give me dollars instead, Deb-okay?) Pam& Amy-ToodyGooShoes


#6-Sunflowers 

Tom-(he thinks it should be daffodils for spring instead of sunflowers-you bring daffys, Tom), Chrissie-(likes the brightness-no sun in England right now), Jane/WI, Unknown-(likes dogs), Pat-(loves floofs-which I am assuming are dogs and she didn't mean floozies-so as not to insult any of you gals that are sitting here), Mevely & BillieJo


#7-Sweet Spring White 

Sue, Kitty,DebbieDabble,Latane,Terri D (Terri is sitting here so her clothes won't clash with other tables-white goes with anything-at least we know she isn't showing up naked), Bless, Judy, MA, Julie, Debra/SheSeeks, bj/SweetNothings-(gonna bring Sam Elliot and get in a cat fight with Sally S. who ALSO wants to sit next to Sam)  

I am going to keep Sam to myself at the far end of the table....so there!


Well-that about wraps it up for this time. I guess I will do a Mother's Day Table if y'all promise to behave.....fat chance of that! 


If I made fun of you think of yourself as family!  I 'give it' to everyone--no one escapes!  

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

 

 

 

your photo name

Thursday, March 30, 2023

PICK YOUR FAVORITE SPRING WEDDING TABLE~

 

About time to do another one of these-
I thought I would do a wedding table
rather than a Easter table?
OK? OK!


So, I went searching for  
 WEDDING TABLES.
I was expecting some color
but I was surprised at how many
pale colors there were--
I guess weddings call for doing 
what you love, 
using the colors you love.

REMEMBER THE RULES!

Pick ONE table!

This is NOT a life or death situation, people!
If you hate your seated companions
you can always move- right?

Here we go!

#1-AFLAME WITH LOVE


#2- TABLE #2- GET IT?#2)



#3-THE BRIDE WORE BLUE



#4-DRINKS ARE PINK



#5- BLUE & WHITE BRIDAL FANTASY




#6- DOGGONE IT-I LIKE SUNFLOWERS IN SPRING


And last but not least-

#7-SWEET SPRING WHITES

So-there you have it, friends.
Think of your favorite person in the world
that you would like to see get married-
a daughter, a grandkid, even a friend--
Which table would you like to sit at
for the reception?

You will notice there is
NO ALCOHOL
in any of these.
It is a BYOB!

(Can you imagine THAT happening)?
For those that DON'T KNOW-
It's bring your own Boob (husband, partner, etc.)
Ok-I might have lied about that!
Truthfully-
BYOB means- Bring Your Own Bottle....

Happy Picking!
I'll be PICKING up around my house
after being gone for a week
and leaving Pops and Junior
here alone.

Yeah-They both LOOK nice and neat...
BUT CAN YOU GUESS
which one is really leaves the biggest messes?!

Hint: It's a tie!

OK!  Stop dawdling along and
VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE TABLE!

your photo name

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

ST. PATRICK'S DAY-GROWING UP ON A PENNSYLVANIA FARM

 Sometimes life is bittersweet, isn't it

remembering the days when

people in our lives celebrated

special days with us?

Days like St. Patrick's Day!

I was always well aware of 
being Irish.
My grandmother was an Owen
and her family immigrated 
from Ireland.

She died long before I was born
so I never had the pleasure of
knowing her.

The family unit I knew as a child 
is all gone now.
A father, a mother and 
one younger brother.
We celebrated 17 years 
of Sundays  together 
before I left home. 
17 years out of a lifetime isn't much but
 0h! the memories created then.

My parents were not religious people
but they were believers.

I grew up right next to 
a Catholic church
but never attended there.
This was taken from 
the road in front of our house
before the road was paved..

I don't remember my father ever
going to a church service.
My mother took us kids 
sporadically over the years.

When I was a young teen, 
I started going on my own
with some cousins.
A little country church 
with a marvelous pastor,
Melvin Shultz.

His wife, Thelma, had 
the voice of an angel
and I loved
to sit as close to her 
as I could on a 
Sunday morning..

My father always 
pared the farm work down
to a bare minimum on all
Holidays and every Sunday,
doing only the chores
 that were necessary to 
get by for the day.

My Grandfather, 
dressed in his Sunday suit,
 would stand here by the
road on a Sunday morning 
to greet people
on their way home from 
the Catholic church
just up the hill.

He lived with us for about 5 years
until I was 6 or so.

I remember when my father planted
the elms on the left hand side
to give some shade to the front yard.
They were mere saplings then.
The big barns are long gone now.
The house burned to the ground 
15 years ago or so.
The shed that you see 
in the picture above
(that is hidden behind the trees)
is the only building that remains
of the original farm buildings.
I remember when my Father 
and two neighbors
built that shed for wood, 
storage and butchering.

Going the other way, down the hill,
the road makes a sharp curve 
then leads down
 to my Aunt Bessie's house.
She, too, is gone these many years.

 I spent a lot of time in the woods
that grew along the road..

Sweet, sweet memories this morning.
Memories of coffee percolating
on the kitchen counter-
Watching the sun rise 
and flood the East facing kitchen 
with light.
Bacon sizzling in the frying pan-
the sharp crack of eggs 
against the side of the pan-
Biscuits with home-churned butter 
and honey
from the bees from the hives
down past the little pond.

Sunday Memories-
Sharp-
Strong-
Stored Forever-


And----just so you don't think 
I have gone
all smarmy  and  sappy on you
here is what I plan to serve MyHero
for breakfast St. Patrick's Day
 morning if he
doesn't shape up.

It will go great with a side of
poisonberries boysenberries.
.
You can order your very own
SKULL EGG SHAPER here..

I guess I got sidetracked from a
St. Patrick's Day Post...
but that is what you get when you
visit me.  lol...
You never know what lane my
mind will go down.

ANYWAY~
I hope you have a wonderful
St. Patrick's Day &
upcoming weekend.

Make the day special and 
tell someone
you love them.

As for me--
I'll be looking for leprechauns
and I really need to visit
the Blarney Stone
before I die!

Who knows what I could talk
MyHero into after that!
your photo name