When College Dude and Media Girl were still young children, our home was the gathering place for extended family on the Fourth of July. A day of swimming and barbecued food was capped by a column of children marching around our yard to the music of John Phillips Sousa. Each child had a kazoo to toot, a flag to wave, and a cardboard hat of red, white, and blue. The parade ended with "legal" fireworks - cardboard tanks, smoke bombs, and sparklers.
Those days are long past with all of the nieces and nephews having moved on to their own lives, but the Fourth of July remains a day to reflect on the value of family and the gift of freedom.
Whatever stage of evolution you're family is in, I wish you a Happy Fourth of July!!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Thoughts About You
Busy day - so I'll share this brief reflection:
The next time you find yourself worrying about what someone might think about you...
Remember the only opinions that matter are those your friends have..
And if they're really your friends you don't need to worry about what they're thinking.
The next time you find yourself worrying about what someone might think about you...
Remember the only opinions that matter are those your friends have..
And if they're really your friends you don't need to worry about what they're thinking.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Telling What to Who?
I noticed a Pro-Life (anti-abortion) banner hanging on a chain link fence. The fence was at one end of a high school athletic field.
Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems to me the advertiser has mismatched the message and the audience.
Shouldn't the message to high school students be about avoiding having to make an abortion choice in the first place?
I'm thinking maybe banners for chastity belts and steel codpieces would be more appropriate.
Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems to me the advertiser has mismatched the message and the audience.
Shouldn't the message to high school students be about avoiding having to make an abortion choice in the first place?
I'm thinking maybe banners for chastity belts and steel codpieces would be more appropriate.
Monday, June 27, 2011
The Smell of Citronella
Citronella - the smell that screams summertime and sends skeeters screaming into the night - supposedly.
Of late it seems to me that those buzzing, blood sucking insects have become immune to, and perhaps even learned to savor the smell of citronella.
Or maybe it's just that my blood has fermented over the years and the bouquet now overrides the citronella barrier.
I'm told if I plant Marigolds around my patio, the smell of those flowers will deter mosquitos. As I see it, the problem then becomes I have more garden space to weed.
Perhaps if I planted Marigolds and poured hot citronella wax on the weeds...
Of late it seems to me that those buzzing, blood sucking insects have become immune to, and perhaps even learned to savor the smell of citronella.
Or maybe it's just that my blood has fermented over the years and the bouquet now overrides the citronella barrier.
I'm told if I plant Marigolds around my patio, the smell of those flowers will deter mosquitos. As I see it, the problem then becomes I have more garden space to weed.
Perhaps if I planted Marigolds and poured hot citronella wax on the weeds...
Sunday, June 26, 2011
The Next Step
As a movie progresses in the unveiling of one scene after another, so do we progress in life by stepping from one stone to the next.
College Dude and Language Lass took such a step this weekend. The energy they generated in moving to the next phase in their life was such that it drew nearly a hundred people along with them.
The newly opened door led to a grotto shaded by a tree that has witnessed the passing of some ten generations and sweetened by tumbling water that has nurtured those same generations and more. There, in that place of ages, College Dude and Language Lass became man and wife.
A score of people witnessed the exchange of personalized vows that will be heard over and over again in the splashing of the waterfall and the rustling of leaves. For the emotion filling that grotto this past Saturday evening was such that it will remain a part of the land forever.
College Dude and Language Lass took such a step this weekend. The energy they generated in moving to the next phase in their life was such that it drew nearly a hundred people along with them.
The newly opened door led to a grotto shaded by a tree that has witnessed the passing of some ten generations and sweetened by tumbling water that has nurtured those same generations and more. There, in that place of ages, College Dude and Language Lass became man and wife.
A score of people witnessed the exchange of personalized vows that will be heard over and over again in the splashing of the waterfall and the rustling of leaves. For the emotion filling that grotto this past Saturday evening was such that it will remain a part of the land forever.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Of Music and Youth
There are those times when the cosmic gods smile and everything comes into alignment.
Times when I find myself alone in the house, the lighting is dim, the sound system is turned up to 387 decibels and the music becomes - a physical thing. It is at such moments that I enter the music as though I were stepping into a room. Rather than four walls I found myself surrounded by base notes, vocals, drum beats, and guitar chords.
The everyday world is gone, driven away by the same vibrations that run through the floor, into my feet, and up through my body. It is a special and wondrous opportunity that I know will be all too fleeting.
As I look at what I have just typed (while the music pulses around me) I find myself saying: My god did I really just write that? It sounds like something that would have spilled from my mouth in my late teens.
... And I realize that music just might be the fountain of youth.
Times when I find myself alone in the house, the lighting is dim, the sound system is turned up to 387 decibels and the music becomes - a physical thing. It is at such moments that I enter the music as though I were stepping into a room. Rather than four walls I found myself surrounded by base notes, vocals, drum beats, and guitar chords.
The everyday world is gone, driven away by the same vibrations that run through the floor, into my feet, and up through my body. It is a special and wondrous opportunity that I know will be all too fleeting.
As I look at what I have just typed (while the music pulses around me) I find myself saying: My god did I really just write that? It sounds like something that would have spilled from my mouth in my late teens.
... And I realize that music just might be the fountain of youth.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Got'ta Love the Name
Rumpelstiltskin. You've got to love the name. Can you imagine learning to spell that name in the first grade? You would have to memorize half the alphabet.
Was that his last name or first I wonder? It was long enough that perhaps it counted for both. Though for some reason I can't help thinking Theodopolous came into play.
Theodopolous Rumpelstiltskin. With a name like that I'd have gone into hibernation too.
Was that his last name or first I wonder? It was long enough that perhaps it counted for both. Though for some reason I can't help thinking Theodopolous came into play.
Theodopolous Rumpelstiltskin. With a name like that I'd have gone into hibernation too.
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