4th of July

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.

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!

I hope you will show your support by sending this to as many people as you can, please. 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.

Ever Wonder?

Have you ever wondered who first uttered the phrase 'You Gotta Be Shittin' Me''?

Well, it just so happens to have originated through the Father of Our Country, way back when George Washington was crossing the Delaware River with his troops.

There were 33 (remember this number) in Washington's boat. It was extremely dark and storming furiously and the water was tossing them about.

Finally, Washington grabbed Corporal Peters (remember this name) and stationed him at the front of the boat with a lantern. He ordered him to keep swinging it, so they could see where they were heading.

Corporal Peters, through driving rain and cold, continued swinging the lantern back and forth, back and forth.

Then a big gust of wind and a wave hit and threw Corporal Peters and his lantern into theDelaware. Washington and his troops searched for nearly an hour trying to find Corporal Peters, but to no avail. All of them felt terrible, for the Corporal had been one of their favorites.

Sometime later, Washington and his troops landed on the other side, wet and totally exhausted. He rallied the troops and told them that they must go on.

Another hour later, one of his men said, 'General, I see lights ahead.' They trudged toward the lights and came upon a huge house.

What they didn't know was that this was a house of ill repute, hidden in the Forest to serve all who came.

General Washington pounded on the door, his men crowding around him. The door swung open, and much to his surprise stood a beautiful woman. A huge smile came across her face, to see so many men standing there.

Washington was the first to speak, 'Madam, I am General George Washington and these are my men. We are tired, wet, exhausted, and desperately need warmth and comfort.'

Again, the Madam looked at all the men standing there, and with a broad smile on her face, said, 'Well, General, you have come to the right place. We can surely give you warmth and comfort.. How many men do you have?'

Washington replied, 'Well, Madam, there are 32 of us without Peters.'

And the Madam said, 'You gotta be shittin me.'

How Did Tom Know?

Sometimes stuff comes across my desk that just needs to be shared...hope you feel the same as you read the following quotes from one of our favorite Presidents:

When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe. Thomas Jefferson

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. Thomas Jefferson

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world. Thomas Jefferson

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. Thomas Jefferson

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government. Thomas Jefferson

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. Thomas Jefferson

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government. Thomas Jefferson

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. Thomas Jefferson

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical. Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:'I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered...'

'If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.'-Mark Twain

Back in the 1500's

They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & sold to the tannery.......if you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor" - But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldnt even afford to buy a pot....they "didn't have a pot to piss in" & were the lowest of the low


Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June... However, since they were starting to smell . .. . brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all, the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water!"

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt.. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, "Dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a "thresh hold".

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire.. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme: "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old".

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat".

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the "upper crust".

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a "wake".

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus,someone could be, "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer"....

And that's the truth...Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! !

So . . . get out there and educate someone! ~~~ Share these facts with a friend like I just did

Happy Paddy’s Day

Oh sure you got green on and you’ll hunt about for a place to pig out on corned beef and cabbage and if you are truly lucky, a wee drab of green beer shall gently pass over your lips – ya, this a lovely day and if you should see the little people, you’ll have Irish luck all flippin year!

Now allow me to tell ya little bit about St. Patrick – oh what the hell, you got that much to do you can’t read a little? That’s what I thought, so read and learn…or, if nothing else, smile at least.

Patrick was born at Banna Venta Berniae. Calpornius, his father was a deacon, his grandfather Potitus a priest. When he was about sixteen, he was captured and carried off as a slave to Ireland. Patrick worked as a herdsman, remaining a captive for six years. He writes that his faith grew in captivity, and that he prayed daily. After six years he heard a voice telling him that he would soon go home, and then that his ship was ready. Fleeing his master, he travelled to a port, two hundred miles away he says, where he found a ship and, after various adventures, returned home to his family, now in his early twenties.

It was after this that he became a priest and eventually returned to Ireland and the rest, as they say is history. He was quite a character and through the decades he has become not only a saint but the patron of good humor. Have you ever heard of bad humor? Of course you have and probably at some point in your life you even dispensed a bit of bad humor on some poor unsuspecting person. Whatever, Paddy was a jolly good fella and he loved to laugh and had a great roar in his laughter which was infectious and enjoy by all. Damn, sounds like some of our current comedians doesn’t it?

So one day a year many folks will claim to be Irish and don green and just have a good time today. Hey, tell me another heritage where folks strive to claim this as part of their make-up? In truth we all have parts of so many heritages its unreal but somewhere along the time, we claim one stronger and that is the one we claim as our lineage. I am German, Italian, Greek, and so on. Some even wrap a few together to make them sound worldlier “I am German-Greek.” Ya, that works for me too.

Have you ever used maple syrup on our oatmeal? I did this morning and I gotta tell ya, I love maple syrup but on oatmeal, give me my brown sugar! Leave the syrup for pancakes and baking but not on my cereal, holy sheet! After this all settles (or leaves) I shall don my tennis shoes (did you read that correctly, tennis shoe, hooo-rah) and head out for my walk. I’m thinking today I may want to tackle the thigh-burner aka Norwood Hill. I dislike walking on Route 56 but hey, keep alert and stay way over on the side and I should be fine. Even I am guilty of passing on the right as someone waits to make a left turn and that is dangerous for pedestrians.

It’s a mere 26 degrees so a warm coat is still need and for a little while, gloves will be necessary too. My problem is I shall wear a hat and then wish to hell I had grabbed my baseball cap instead. Oh well, soon baseball caps will be the norm and a welcomed relief from those winter caps!

So enjoy the day, go have some corned beef and cabbage, wear green to save yourself getting pinched and for just one day, be Irish and be happy!

FYI: Regardless of what you have heard or think, blood pudding is damn good, so thar!

IDES OF MARCH

Here we go again and again, we remind folks that “ides” is merely another word for 15 and this 15 happens in every month, not just March – got it? Good!

Also, there are those who view the Ides of March as doom but in Roman times this was a festive day dedicated to the god of Mars and usually a military parade was held. In modern times, the term Ides of March is best known as the date that Julius Caesar was assassinated.

It’s too bad we can’t just celebrate and remain festive instead of rehashing this assassination. Oh well, we need to remember our past to insure a future or some such nonsense.

More and more folks are sharing with me that crocus are popping up, they are seeing more birds, even robins and with the snow nearly gone and ice melting and rivers rushing, they are wildly excited and proclaiming spring is close at hand. Hey, some are so damn sick of being cooped up, they have already grabbed rakes and began raking the yards and definitely picking up the twigs and branches that have snapped or been blown into their yards. As for me, I got a pile of grass and dirt that the village plows have created in my front yard and I wonder, “will they come back and fix this or is this my job?”

I don’t usually do workout stuff on Sunday; a day of rest is good and needed for the body, soul and mind, right? However I was damn lazy yesterday and figure a nice walk today is needed – gotta keep those juices flowing or some such crap!

Did my walk, felt good but I gotta tell ya, I am feeling some blisters and that amazes me. I have been walking, snowshoeing and even cross country skiing, and I have been wearing boots and crampons, it’s not like this is my first day of “real” walking. So I am amazed that blisters are forming, what in hell is up with this sheet?

So you all have a lovely Sunday and if possible, get outside, it’s gonna be a fantastic day. Ya, any day we’re above ground is fantastic, right? Sorry, you submariners, I didn’t mean to slight ya, let’s just say any day we’re still breathing is a great day, okay?

~~~~~~~

Two nuns are riding their bicycles down the back streets of Rome .

One leans over to the other and says, "I've never come this way before."

The other Nun whispers, "It's the cobblestones."

IRISH HISTORY

I'm gonna prepare ye for St. Patrick's Day by offering a bit of Irish History now and then.

Oh sure, ye shall enjoy it and it'll bring a smile or two on your wee face - make that mug!

Here's the first installment:

A Greek and an Irishman were sitting in a Starbuck's cafe one day discussing who had the superior culture.

Over triple lattes the Greek guy says, 'Well, we Greeks built the Parthenon,' arching his eyebrows.

The Irishman then replies, 'Well.. It was the Irish that discovered the Summer and Winter Solstices.'

The Greek retorts, 'We Greeks gave birth to advanced mathematics.'

The Irishman, nodding in agreement, says, 'The Irish were the ones who built the first time pieces and calendars.'

And so on until the Greek comes up with what he thinks will end the discussion. With a flourish of finality he says, 'The Greeks were the ones who invented sex!'

The Irishman replies, 'Indeed, that is true, but it was we Irish who introduced it to women.'

Hello MARCH

Ya don't the clips on the left look lovely and has you wondering, "what damn state is this fool in because it ain't NY!"

Just FYI I still have that tricky squirrel who is determined to eat from the bird feeders. He's truly an amazing little sucker and does not give up easily. I recently switched locations of the sunflower hearts (his fave) feeder and now, he's slightly ticked as to how he can reach it. It's rather fun watching him figure this out as he continues to snack on the other feeder trays. I'm gonna have an obese squirrel in no time!

Okay now for some March 1st FACTS: Ready? Tough, you're gonna seen them regardless:

1790: The U.S. Congress authorized the first census.

1803: Ohio became the 17th state in the United States.

1864: Rebecca Lee was the first black woman awarded a medical degree.

1867: Nebraska became the 37th state in the United States.

1872: Yellowstone became the world's first National Park.

1932: The 20-month-old son of Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped.

1961: President John F. Kennedy signed a signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps.

1981: IRA member Bobby Sands began a hunger strike in Maze Prison; he would die 65 days later.

%^*(&*^%

And we cannot forget our brain exercise tip or mind expander -- hell, make stuff up,who cares:

Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.

Yes, March is here and if you even thought it was gonna bring warm weather you are having an out of body experience. March has been known to give us some of the harshest winter weather and dump a boat load of white stuff just to piss us off royally. It is also the month to mess with the maple syrup crowd too. March can be a mean sucker but she can also fool ya and be one of the nicest months of the year. I'm pushing for nice this year -- February was the pits, Mama was going through menopause or something so March should see her happy, cheerful and ready to let some warmth back into our lives.