We Remember, Always

On this day thirteen years ago, our enemies struck at the heart of our nation.

That day, a campaign against terror began in our people with steady resolve. We began to gather together not just to mourn, but to begin to understand why. Our mistake was thinking that this was some complex act of war, when the truth was they just want us dead. A political ideology cleverly disguised as a religion decided that it cannot let those who do not believe the same ideology exist. War had been declared against Western Civilization. And so, we went to war.

We took the fight to the root, and began a long campaign on two fronts. And we were not alone. Countries who not only lost their own in the attacks but who also saw the potential danger of ignoring the seed of evil now flowering in that desert joined us in the fight. WE WERE NOT ALONE. For a time the world understood that this was an act against civilization, not just one country. And we fought overseas, and at home. We fought the rising tide of fear and distrust, as well as the inevitable slide into ignorance and complacency. And through it all, we stayed strong in the face of indifference and political expedience.

Thirteen years later, the fight that was declared “ended”, though not “won” has flared again with the help of inaction and political correctness. The fear of offending has paralyzed many to the point where they declare that these people are not terrorists. We now have to win wars by winning the heart and minds of people who have been indoctrinated to kill the infidels. This war is not over, it is not ended, and certainly it was not won. Terrorists are still declaring war on us, and killing our people, instigating a genocide and even killing those who they believe not to be muslim enough. And so I ask, when will our government learn?

They want us dead. And they won’t stop until the Western World stops them. Completely.

In Defense of the Ice Bucket

A new fad for charity has gone viral in social media. The Ice Bucket Challenge has been going on for about two months, but it has just been in the past two weeks or so that the challenge has skyrocketed. It has helped to raise money and more importantly, awareness of Lou Gehrig’s Disease, also known as ALS. Between July 31 and August 18 of 2013, the charity had raised $1.8 million dollars. In the same time period of 2014, they have raised over $42 million. The rules are simple: first, accept the challenge, and pour ice into a bucket of water; second, you pour the bucket over your head; third, you challenge others by name to do the same. You donate a certain amount if you do the challenge, but if you choose to pass on the challenge (as some have done), you must donate a larger amount. The point of this challenge is obviously to raise money for research, so both challenger and the challenged should donate. That’s the bare bones of the whole thing.

Now to my rant.

I have been following along on social media a certain trend, if you will. Some people deride the challenge as being a “waste of water”, and a “chance at 15 minutes of fame”, and even “selfie grandstanding”. Others think the challenge is stupid because it’s not “jackass” daredevil enough. I have seen friends of friends say that it is better to send bottled water to Africa than to do this challenge. I have seen friends complain about it filling their media feed. Well, my turn to say something.

WHAT THE HELL, PEOPLE??

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Every day for a month we are inundated in pink. PINK!! And I don’t mean her music, either. Every organization, from the NFL to Hollywood to airlines to grocery stores to every single thing wears or decorates in pink to “bring awareness” of cancer. Hell, you can get a Kitchen Aid® mixer in a special shade of pink just for that campaign. They wear pink to “support awareness”. What the hell does that do? Who DOESN’T support awareness?? Putting a pink ribbon on everything doesn’t mean a thing. Most people are not aware that when they buy a pink ribbon pencil or a pink ribbon apron that the money is not necessarily earmarked for a breast cancer research foundation like the Susan G. Komen Foundation™. In fact, most of it isn’t. Only certain things specifically endorsed as having its proceeds go to a foundation are earmarked. But people still do it, and charities (plural) raise MILLIONS towards research. And yet some of the same people who complain about the Ice Bucket Challenge have no problem with Pink October. Seems a bit hypocritical to me.

Look, I’m not saying you have to do the challenge. I’m not saying don’t send water to Africa. And I’m certainly not saying you shouldn’t donate to breast cancer research. What I am saying is, no harm, no foul. You don’t like it on your feed, adjust your damn settings and quit complaining. Social media doesn’t belong to you. This has done more to increase donations to a worthy cause than anything I can recall. I do think that whole “it wastes water” is a bunch of hooey, seeing as most of the water ends up on a lawn in most videos. But it makes you seem rather small when you complain about a challenge that is harmless to you and to the participant. My grandmother-in-law passed away from ALS, and a very good friend of mine has lost family members to it, and now her mother has it. Unlike breast cancer, ALS cannot be treated so research is vital. Taking the challenge is a way to show others that you aren’t afraid. If you would rather donate directly, as we do every year, go to the ALS Association website.

And enjoy the fact that you can help, and cool off at the same time 🙂

Still Here, Sorta

These past few days have been a bit more hectic than usual. Eldest is getting ready to start her new adventure as a sailor, Son is beginning his senior year in high school, and Little One is in marching band. Meanwhile, I am slowly coming to grips with the fact that my baby is leaving in less than a month, so I have been reorganizing the house.

Room, by room.

It’s not easy. I keep finding baby photos, kids’ art, love notes, hospital ID bracelets (don’t ask), and sundry items detailing every year of their lives. I also found a pair of earrings I had been missing since 2009, so I have that going for me. Still, I need to find a better way to organize all of the mementos.

(We interrupt this post in order to pick up my new ceiling fan from Lowes, so have a funny.)

Hopefully I will be back in the groove of spilling all sorts of weird crap entertaining y’all with my boring life exploits. Maybe. I am toying with the idea of moving Son to the upstairs and making his current room an office-slash-craft room. And perhaps I may get a formal dining set for the dining room, which currently holds the mouse cage and two kennels.

*sobs*

I just want my house to look normal. And don’t tell me that’s a setting on the washing machine. I watch HGTV.

So, lots on things on the horizon, mostly in the vain hope to keep from becoming too anxious over Eldest leaving home. And getting Son ready for college. And having to deal with Little One not being a baby any more. That usually calls for a box of Hostess™ Cupcakes. Thank goodness they are back because otherwise it would be a box of wine 😀

Sometimes It’s Not My Fault

I am usually the first person to admit fault in anything. Out of sweetener? My fault I forgot. Dead flowers? My bad for not checking the water. Dog had an accident? Oops…. forgot to let her out in time. I don’t mind accepting the responsibility, since most of the time it is easily rectifiable.

Except when it comes to my sister. It’s her fault everything she borrows from us gets ruined.

But there is a line that I do not cross. I won’t take the blame for something that I never did. A few evenings ago, Hubby and I were in bed watching TV, because there was a Monk marathon and that’s one of my jones. Anyway, he soon tired of it and decided to turn on his side, facing me, to go to sleep. Unfortunately, he didn’t notice that my leg was curled up facing him.

Hubby: *whimpers loudly*

Me: Are you ok??

Hubby: *gasps* That really hurt.

Me: What?

Hubby: You kneed me in the….

Me: WHAT? No I didn’t! I haven’t moved!

Hubby: Yes, you did…. *whimpers*

Me: No, I didn’t. You nutted me in the knee!!

Hubby: *stunned silence*

I would never, ever damage fruit of his loom. That’s like cutting off the heels to a pair of Louboutins because you tripped over your shadow. Makes absolutely no sense. So yes, sometimes it’s NOT my fault, and he should deal with the consequences 😉

And on This Day, We Celebrate

Let’s remember what our forefathers were fighting, against and for.

It seems that lately we are forgetting to bless what we have. We have forgotten why we fought for independence. We have forgotten to be not just a beacon but also an example to others who are struggling to be free. Instead we find ourselves wondering what the government will do for us now, and how it will take care of us.

We need to remember that WE are the stewards, not the government. WE THE PEOPLE. We need to begin taking care of ourselves again. Remember: that which gives you everything, can also take it away.

The Tree of Liberty seems to be wilting, and it may be time to water it again.

Family Reunion, Binding Since 1809

No, not since 1809. I’m pretty sure the reunions began in the 20th century. Still, Hubby’s family has hosted a reunion since well before I joined it, so it has that going for it. I think. Anyway, this past weekend was especially fun, since my sister-in-law came down for a visit and attended it as well.

It was fun, but also very bittersweet. The group was smaller, and some were older, and others gone on. Remembering them was especially hard for some of us that had not attended the reunion in the past few years, but it was also a chance to make resolutions to not let time go by and try to keep in touch with extended family. It was also a chance to learn new things.

The EPA has only 200 armed agents in its Criminal Division.

Play-Doh™ colors fade after a few months.

One is never too old for Play-Doh™.

Lemon pound cake is the equivalent of crack.

First dibs is totally legal.

Memories become sweeter with time.

But most important, Time never stops for anyone. I still live with the regret of waiting to connect with someone because “there’s always next year”. Yes, next year is sure to come, but one isn’t guaranteed the chance. Don’t wait to do tomorrow what you can do today.

Unless it’s the dishes. There’s paper plates for that 🙂

Dishing Out

Last week I was once again at the thrift store, where they know me by sight. And name. First name. Anyway, I was on the lookout for some dishes for my niece. She moved out and is in need of “matching dishes”, because she has a Jones about that sort of thing. She can’t afford much, so I offered to be on the lookout for them at my usual haunt. As always, the store did not disappoint.

I found a nice set of dishes, dinner and salad plates only, and figured that would be enough. They looked a bit opaly, but sturdy, and for $3 the set I couldn’t go wrong. Until I took them home and washed them.

VINTAGE ARCOPAL DISHES!!!!!

So now I am in a huge quandary. I love, LOVE, LOVE vintage stuff. I have vintage Pyrex™ and Anchor Hocking™ and Hazel Atlas™ and Fire King™ and just can’t bring myself to give these up. But neither can I justify yet another set of dishes into the kitchen. Seriously, I am at full capacity. Everywhere you look I have a set of dishes: Polish pottery, Brasserie™, Longaberger™, Gorham™, Lenox™, Wedgwood™, Franciscan™….. Oh, and my mom is bringing me my grandmother’s bakelite from Puerto Rico.

CRAP!!!!

Something’s gotta give, and I get the feeling it will be the Franciscan, since none of the kids like the flower pattern. As for my niece, I bet she would prefer a new set of dishes anyway. That is what I will tell myself to lessen the guilt 😉

It Seems to Be One of “Those” Days

We all have them. The day when nothing goes right, when everything you try to do seems to fail, when nothing you do is “good enough”. I and a few of my friends are having a rough day, feeling a bit down due to circumstances beyond apparent control. It’s on days like these that I bring out the heavy artillery.

Some of us are feeling the pain of loss, others are feeling ineffective, and perhaps some feel like they have failed in some way. Today is a bit rough for me, recalling the loss of people from long ago and from just this week. But memories always help to ease my heart. Even bad memories have their silver linings. I know that we can get bogged down on the bad. For me, the trick is to make fun of the bad, even if I just flip my finger and just say FIDO! Seems childish, but it works for me, very well and often!

Never forget, my friends: things can always be worse. And always remember, I’m just a social site and a few streets away 🙂

Raginess Cranked Up to Eleven

Ever have one of those days when you are driving to a certain locale, having left with time to spare, only to find yourself driving behind someone doing ten miles below the speed limit, weaving in his lane because they are consulting their smartphone, then find themselves slowing down further because they are no longer watching the road but instead seem to be dialing said smartphone, and while dialing, the driver hits the curb and over-corrects into the oncoming traffic lane, over-correcting again, and then stopping on the train tracks and panicking because here comes a train and he needs to reverse his vehicle because the caution arm was coming down any second, so I had to swerve into the left turn only lane so he would have more room to avoid becoming a statistic, thus forcing me to turn in the opposite direction of where I wanted to go, making me do a legal U-turn a few streets down, and finally catching up to the same driver, who was still talking on his phone, and who screeched to a halt in the middle of an intersection because he just noticed that was his turn?

Anyone have one of those days?

I can’t be the only one.

Normally I am a very patient person. I don’t care if someone has more than ten items in the express check-out. I don’t care if someone is taking their time adjusting their seat while I await their parking space. I don’t care if someone blocks an entrance because they stopped to answer a text.

But acting irresponsibly while operating a vehicle? You have now crossed the Rubicon, jackass. I did what any worried mother would have done: applied copious pressure on the horn, followed him as he turned right, sidled next to him, rolled down my window and yelled, “HEY, YOU MAY WANT TO PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DRIVING, AND PERHAPS THE TRAIN’S DRIVING WHILE YOU’RE AT IT!!”

The look he gave me was worth it. He was so stunned he missed his turn at the light. After that my rage began to subside and I became my normal, happy self again. I managed to run my errands in time and get home in time to begin making dinner.

And no one questioned me when I had a second glass of wine 😀

On Muster

Today is the 178th anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto, marking the birth of the Republic of Texas. Normally my post on this day is all about that. But this anniversary has a special meaning today. It is also the day of Aggie Muster. On this day, we come together to celebrate those Aggies who have passed away during the year.

Tonight, we shall be honoring my brother-in-law, known to the blog as LC Draco. We will get together and remember our times at Aggieland, and toast his memory as Aggies do. And during the Roll Call of the Absent, we shall answer, “HERE!!”

Roll Call for the Absent

In many lands and climes this April day
Proud sons of Texas A&M unite.
Our loyalty to country, school, we pray,
and seal our pact with bond of common might.

We live again those happy days of yore
on campus, field, in classroom, dorm, at drill
Fond memory brings a sigh — but nothing more;
Now we are men and life’s a greater thrill,

On Corregidor 72 years ago today
A band of gallant Aggies, led by Moore,
Held simple rites which led to us doth all to say:
The spirit shall prevail through cannon roar.

Before we part and go upon our way,
We pause to honor those we knew so well;
The old familiar faces we miss so much today
Left cherished recollections that time cannot dispel.

Softly call the Muster,
Let comrade answer, “Here!”
Their spirits hover ‘round us
As if to bring us cheer!

Mark them ‘present’ in our hearts.
We’ll meet some other day
There is no death, but life etern
For our old friends such as they!

Until then, Draco! WHOOP!!