Celebrations 2-9-2020

Thoughts and Quotes: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
                                                      Elizabeth Barrett Browning
I love you because -

You share my life by returning to read about it each time I have a new post.

You don't complain that I'm too blabby and my posts are too long.

You never tell me I talk too much about X.

You actually use my recipes (I can tell when something has been accessed).

You send me emails and leave comments sometimes.

If you're local, you offer to drive me when I have cataract surgery. And thank you to all who offered and a BIG thank you to Brother Bill who was selected. He even stayed with me after I got home until he was sure I was okay.

Time to Celebrate Love: So here's my group Valentine to everyone who's reading.

Time for More Celebrating: My niece, Brother Bill's daughter Sarah, recently became engaged. In place of a wedding shower, she wanted a Super Bowl Shower. And what a party! Her mom helps a caterer sometimes, so she arranged for all the food and made sure everything went well in that department. Sarah and Josh (the lucky groom to be) arranged everything else. She's a very clever girl, as you will see.

The party included the kids and was held at an event center at a local college. The event room is in the same building as the college basketball court and stadium. The kids could go down on the court and shoot baskets.

 or they could come up above where there was a bouncy house

a football toss game

a training course for remote control helicopters (built by Sarah and Josh)

a bean bag toss, also built by Sarah and Josh (my niece got a skill saw for her birthday - she's amazing)

there were coloring sheets and crayons in the event room

There was a giant screen at one end and a big screen behind the food table.

There was a photo op screen (which Sarah made).

With props to hold (yes, she made those as well).

No gifts, but contributions to the honeymoon fund were welcomed.

Everything fit the theme. This is the sign to direct you to the restrooms.

And oh my, the food! A nachos and taco bar with homemade flour tortillas or crispy corn tortilla shells, fajita chicken or taco ground beef.

For toppings, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, sour cream, salsas.

Plus queso

Buffalo cheese dip

refried beans

raviola kebobs

guacamole and chips, crudites and artichoke dip

plus pizza rolls for the kids

The forks were in cans decorated by (you guessed it) Sarah.

The napkins

For dessert, a half chocolate, half white cake.

Also trays of cookies, brownie cupcakes with cheesecake dip, apple slices, and strawberries.

For drinks, lemonade, iced tea, water, and a root beer keg (right before I mopped up).

I wish I could show the room filled with people; laughing, talking, eating, but you know my policy - no faces - and it just seemed too weird to show a crowd that size with headless people.

Happy Marriage, Sarah and Josh. Great Party!

Time for Another Celebration: We celebrated (belately) Mim's birthday with lunch at Relics. Sadly, maybe Margaret was right when she said, "Everything changes, and never for the better."

Before

Now - we were the only two guests.

Before - my lunch

My lunch now - notice the paper dishes and plastic forks. The cardboard soup cup had a false bottom, so very little soup, and the chicken salad sandwich used to be on a croissant with lettuce - and the price hadn't changed.

My dessert before

My dessert now - notice the size compared to the fork, which is the large size fork.

And Mim's coconut cream pie looked like the pies at Walmart in the freezer case.

 PLUS - we had to go to a table set up at the back and order from a chalk board with limited selections and pay as we ordered. When I went back for the desserts, I had to order and pay again. At least  we were served when the food was ready and didn't have to go up and get it when they called our number.

The change came at the first of the year when the minimum wage was raised. Why didn't they just leave things the same and raise the price a little?

So for all you locals, may I suggest the Market House Cafe on the square in Ozark?

Time to Celebrate New Sight: I just had the cataract removed from my right eye, and I hope you'll have cataract surgery, too. I say that because if you do, it will mean that you've lived a nice long life. I once asked how you could avoid them, and the answer is that you have to die before you're sixty. My left eye is coming up on the 18th and I recommend that you never have both eyes fixed at once. I'm not sure the doctor will even do both eyes at once anymore.

I want to tell you about it so you won't be anxious when your time comes. I had to have a driver (mentioned above), and I had to start an eye drop three times a day, three days before surgery (antibiotics). The only suffering was my loss of dignity, because you have to shower with antibacterial soap the night before and the morning of surgery and wash your hair, then no makeup, no hair products, no lotions, not even deodorant. No food or liquid eight hours before surgery, but you can brush your teeth if you avoid swallowing the water. If you take medications in the morning, just a sip of water to get it down.

First you get prepped: No clothing removal, not even shoes. They cover you, put a cover over your hair, and footies over your shoes. You're on a rolling bed. The IV is started, pulse, blood pressure, and temperature taken. Lots of drops in your eye. You're asked at every stage: name, birthdate, which eye. They even put a Sharpie pen mark over the eye - no mistakes here. The doctor comes in and talks to you to see if you have any questions. A temporary bracelet with your name, etc. and another with any allergies are fastened on your arm. Bill was with me during this stage. After a bit, you're rolled to surgery, and Bill was sent to the waiting room with my purse, sweater, etc. 

Here you're transferred to a reclinging chair (like at the dentist). Instruments to monitor pulse and blood pressure are attached, as well as the little pronged thing for oxygen which has a hose which goes around your head. I guess the mild antisthetic is administered through the IV. It's called Twilight Sleep. Then they put a blanket over you and another blanket with a window in it over your head. This is probably why you need oxygen. Lots more drops in your eye to deaden it. Then the doctor goes to work and you see lights, sort of like a kaleidoscope at times, and you don't feel a thing except a feeling of something cold in your eye. You're never asleep; I wasn't even dizzy; I remember the entire thing from beginning to end; I was talking to the doctor during surgery; and the surgery part took only minutes.

Then back to the rolling bed, and off to recovery where they taped a clear hard plastic patch over my eye. I could see through it and it had holes for air. They brought me coffee and water, and I could have had juice, cookies, crackers, etc., just like when you give blood.

I met my brother, put on my sweater, went down in the elevator. Bill went to get the car because it had started raining and he was wearing a rain jacket. Otherwise, I could have walked to the car. I could see fairly well, but it was like looking through a heavy fog, but of course, I could see with my other eye.

We went to lunch (another blow to my dignity because I had added an eyepatch to my uncurled, unsprayed hair and no makeup face), and then to the other eye location where I had my check up. I had to be there two hours after surgery. My eye pressure was tested with a little gun that clicked but didn't touch me. I tried reading the charts, just like when you go for an eye exam. I was out in minutes, the rain had stopped, and I walked clear across the parking lot with no trouble.

I have to continue the eyedrop three times a day for three weeks; no heaving lifting (like 30 lbs) or bending the first day. Just take it easy for a couple of days. Shower as usual, but only a wet cloth lightly over the eyelid. No eye makeup for two weeks. Try to avoid falls and wear the eyepatch at night for a week. Oh, and no scuba diving or contact sports for a month. Drat! I'll miss that.

Everything was cloudy that day, but started clearing around the edges the next day. When the nurse called to check on me, she said that it's caused by the swelling and would improve as the swelling went down. It did. 

I've been cussing those new light bulbs, but it was my cataracts instead. If you can imagine the difference between sepia tone photos and black and white, but with color, that's how it seems. It was if I had a light beige filter over my eye, and I guess I did. So much more light now.

Next Tuesday, a week after surgery, I go back for a checkup, and then the next Tuesday, my left eye and repeat, except that the second checkup is back to my regular opthamologist because I might need reading glasses now. 

And I told my daughter that by the time she needs the surgery, they'll probably have it so advanced that they'll send her some eyedrops in the mail with instructions to use them for two weeks and the cataracts will dissolve. Think of the advances in the medical profession. Not too long ago, people just lived with the cataracts, some even going blind.

So kudos to Dr. Seagrave and the staff at  Mercy Eye Clinic. See you soon.

WORK ON YOUR FEBRUARY LIST

MAKE A WISH ON THE FULL SNOW MOON TONIGHT

START PLANNING YOUR GARDEN

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE

Computer Purge 2-2-2020

Thoughts and Quotes: China tea, the secent of hyacinths, wood fires and bowls of violets - that is my mental picture of an agreeable February afternoon.

                                                            Constance Spry

"And who," you ask, "is Constance Spry?" Yeah, I wanted to know too. Well, she was a busy lady, and I can see why she talks of hyacinths and violets; she was a floral designer and wrote books about it (and cooking, along with lots of other activities). She arranged the flowers for the Duke of Windsor and Mrs. Simpson's wedding. Check her out HERE. And she has a rose named for her, and a beautiful rose it is. Click HERE. 

Amazon has some of her books for sale, but very expensive. Sue Shephard wrote about her, The Surprising Life of Constance Spry: From Social Reformer to Society Florist. The Kindle version is $9.99, but a used copy can be had for about $8. I'd like to know more about the writing of the author before buying the book, so I ordered in Pickled, potted and canned: how the art and science of food preserving changed the world from my library consortium.

Gee, kind of sorry I chose that quote. I promised myself I'd read my own books from now on so I can clear out my shelves.

Time Flies for Sure: What happened to January? I spent a lot of time making cards and going through all the rigmarole of getting ready for cataract surgery this month. Now I'm ready to roll. Let's work on a Bucket List for February. I even fixed it with a place to check off each item. See how many you can finish.

FEBRUARY BUCKET LIST

___ Celebrate Mardi gras

___ Read a non-fiction book

___ Go for a winter walk

___ Try a new restaurant

___ Mail some valentines

___ Watch a romantic movie

___ Buy yourself some flowers for Valentine’s Day if you’re
       single

___ Then buy some for a single friend

___ Make a cherry pie on George Washington’s birthday

___ Organize your spring wardrobe

___ Try a new recipe (maybe soup or carrot cake – see below)

___ Get a jump on spring cleaning

___ Have friends over for board games

___ Plan your first vacation of the year

And if you have time, you can also celebrate the national days:

Monday: Carrot Cake Day

Tuesday: Homemade Soup Day

Wednesday: Nutella Day

Thursday: Frozen Yogurt Day

Friday: Wear Red Day

Saturday: Iowa Day - Congrats, Y'all

Sunday: Pizza Day

Time to Get Organized: I apologize for my lack of photos, but I've been clearing out and reorganizing instead of doing fun things. I completely reorganized my rubber stamps, my cutting dies, my hall closet and have a good start on my costume jewelry. Than I started cleaning up my computer and found all these great things I want to share - like Chinese New Year.

It's not over until February 8th. There's a wonderful website which is lots of fun, as well as being informative. Click HERE.

I also found some great information about fresh produce. For instance, if the code  number has four digits, it has been treated with pesticides. If it has five digits and the first digit is 8, the produce has been genetically modified. If the five-digit code begins with 9, the produce was organically grown.

Here's the Dirty Dozen list from last year (most pesticides): Strawberries, spinach, kale, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes.

And the Clean Fifteen List (fewest pesticides): Avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, cabbages, onions, sweet peas (frozen), papayas, asparagus, mangoes, eggplants, honeydew melon, kiwi, cantaloupes, cauliflower, broccoli.

If you're headed to Disneyland, Disneyworld, or Disney Cruises, click HERE. A great website for tips on transporation, accommodations, restaurants, menus, recipes, the rides, etc.  A fun place to explore. It's a blogger website. For the official Disney website, click HERE, but it's not nearly so much fun.



Now for some advice for the second half of your life - a list of four-letter words to guide you.  A little late for mine, but I'll work harder. Click HERE.

And now for a 25-minute tour of England's beautiful Lake District. Click HERE.

Another tour, but this time it's the Space Station (also 25 minutes). Click HERE.

Now a sweet and short video which will leave you smiling. Click HERE.

And lessons for life in 45 short sentences.

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio .

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short – enjoy it.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye, but don't worry, God never blinks.

16.. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19.. It's never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive

29. What other people think of you is none of your business

30 Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative of dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved

39 Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have, not what you need

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

And now for 15 Reasons Why You Should Never Move to Missouri. Too late for me; I'm already here. Click HERE.

We need a little elegance, so take another look at this delightful Edwardian afternoon tea. Click HERE.

Last of all, appropriately, it's the history of and the words to TAPS. 

Day is done,

Gone the sun,

From the hills,

From the lake,

From the skies.

All is well,

Safely rest,

God is nigh

Go to sleep,

Peaceful sleep,

May the soldier

Or sailor,

God keep.

On the land

Or the deep,

Safe in sleep.

Love, good night,

Must thou go,

When the day,

And the night

Need thee so?

All is well.

Speedeth all

To their rest.

Fades the light;

And afar

Goeth day,

And the stars

Shineth bright,

Fare thee well,

Day has gone,

Night is on.

Thanks and praise,

For our days.

'Neath the sun,

'Neath the stars,

'Neath the sky,

As we go,

This we know,

God is nigh. 

‘Taps’ was composed in July 1862 at Harrison’s Landing in Virginia, but aside from that basic fact, the fanciful piece quoted above in no way reflects the reality of that melody’s origins.

There was no dead son, Confederate or otherwise; no lone bugler sounding out the dead boy’s last composition. How the call came into being was never anything more than one influential soldier’s deciding his unit could use a bugle call for particular occasions and setting about to come up with one.

If anyone can be said to have composed ‘Taps,’ it was Brig. Gen. Daniel Butterfield, Commander of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, V Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, during the American Civil War. Dissatisfied with the customary firing of three rifle volleys at the conclusion of burials during battle and also wanting a less harsh bugle call for ceremonially signaling the end of a soldier’s day, he likely altered an older piece known as “Tattoo,” a French bugle call used to signal “lights out,” into the call we now know as ‘Taps.’

Summoning his brigade’s bugler, Private Oliver Willcox Norton, to his tent one evening in July 1862, Butterfield (whether he wrote ‘Taps’ straight from the cuff or improvised something new by rearranging an older work) worked with the bugler to transform the melody into its present form. As Private Norton later wrote of that occasion:

General Daniel Butterfield … showing me some notes on a staff written in pencil on the back of an envelope, asked me to sound them on my bugle. I did this several times, playing the music as written. He changed it somewhat, lengthening some notes and shortening others, but retaining the melody as he first gave it to me. After getting it to his satisfaction, he directed me to sound that call for ‘Taps’ thereafter in place of the regulation call. The music was beautiful on that still summer night, and was heard far beyond the limits of our brigade. The next day I was visited by several buglers from neighboring brigades, asking for copies of the music, which I gladly furnished. I think no general order was issued from army headquarters authorizing the substitution of this for the regulation call, but as each brigade commander exercised his own discretion in such minor matters, the call was gradually taken up through the Army of the Potomac.

‘Taps’ was quickly taken up by both sides of the conflict, and within months was being sounded by buglers in both Union and Confederate forces.

Then as now, ‘Taps’ serves as a vital component in ceremonies honoring military dead. It is also understood by American servicemen as an end-of-day ‘lights out’ signal.

When “Taps” is played at a military funeral, it is customary to salute if in uniform, or place your hand over your heart if not.

That's it. I wanted to get this to you in case you're not into football; something to read while everyone else is watching the Super Bowl.

Until next time -

BE GOOD TO YOURSELF

AND OTHERS

REMEMBER THAT IT'S LOVE MONTH

MAKE YOUR HONEY A ROMANTIC DINNER ON VALENTINE'S DAY

AND GO OUT TO DINNER THE NEXT WEEK

IT'S LOVE MONTH ALL MONTH LONG

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE

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