A Little Piece of History...

As we enjoy our families, BBQ's and a long weekend,
let us remember all those who have worked
for our freedom to do so.

In that light, I thought I would share this letter which was
sent to the WWI American Expeditionary Forces from
John J. Pershing, the Commander in Chief of the European Forces,
as they were preparing to leave Europe.
I found it folded up in a bag of my Grandfather's belongings
along with several other articles from his service during WWI.

Toasted

On May 27, 1919, Charles Strite patented the first pop-up toaster and we have been crazy about this invention ever since!  Forget about basic toast, I can put my bagel or toaster pastry in there and get it perfectly browned.  So, the question...  How many did you get as a wedding gift??

Things You See In Vegas

With a title like that, I bet you had to wonder if the blog was going to need an "R" rating - lol!!  Not that I didn't see a few things that needed to have a stronger warning than that...

Anyway, this is a ceiling that is located along the interior connection between Bally's and Paris.  Part of the fun for me in Vegas is all the themed hotels that offer something new everywhere you go.

May The Force Be With You

A long time ago (May 25, 1978)

In a galaxy far, far away (Hollywood)

The saga began (Star Wars was released)

Chia Harley?

The things you see in Vegas...

This sculpture is sitting outside the Harley Davidson Cafe on the Strip.  It reminded me of those Chia Pets that used to be advertised on TV :-)

About That Sea of Roses...

The tide is starting to come in!

What's Going Around the Internet: Helpful Hints

Another great organizational idea!  I would love to see my husband do this is the study - All those cords give me a headache just looking at them...

What's Going Around the Internet

Friendship ~ None of that Sissy Crap
(You gotta love Maxine.)

Are you tired of those sissy 'friendship' poems that always sound good, but never actually come close to reality? Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship. You will see no cute little smiley faces on this ~Just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.

When you are sad ~ I will help you get drunk and plot revenge against the sorry bastard who made you sad.

When you are blue ~ I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

When you smile ~ I will know you are thinking of something that I would probably want to be involved in.

When you are scared ~ I will rag on you about it every chance I get until you're NOT.


When you are worried~ I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining.

When you are confused ~ I will try to use only little words.

When you are sick ~Stay the hell away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.

When you fall ~ I will laugh at your clumsy ass, but I'll help you up.

This is my oath .....I pledge it to the end. 'Why?' you may ask ~ because you are my friend.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Proof that perfection isn't required
to be beautiful!

I may have planted them, but
Mother Nature and a little water did the rest.
Now, this is my kind of Yard Art :-) 

Sea of Roses... To Be

These may be a little difficult to see, but we've got, literally, hundreds of roses just about to bloom...  These hedge roses line the walkway to the house - I can't wait to see them!!

May Birthstone: Emerald

"Who first beholds the light of day
In spring's sweet, flower month of May
And wears an Emerald all her life
Shall be a loved and a loving wife."


Emeralds represent loyalty, faithfulness and friendship - all qualities in a good marriage.  It leads me to wonder why it is not used more often in engagement rings...

To All Mothers...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

Limerick Day

Limerick Day falls on May 12th to honor Edward Lear's (1812 - 1888) birthday.  Mr. Lear popularized limericks in his 1846 poetry book "A Book of Nonsense."

A limerick consists of five lines.  Lines one, two and five rhyme with each other as do lines three and four:

A limerick packs laughs anatomical
Into space that is quite economical
The good ones I've seen
So seldom are clean
And the clean ones so seldom are comical.

- Anonymous

Iris

These are just the first of many iris to start blooming in my backyard.

Iris are one of my sentimental favorites...  My grandparents had them growing along the walkway up to their house.  These are descendants of those very iris :-)

The Rain is Gone...

The rain is gone for the time being and
we are back to the stunning color of
Colorado Blue.

Now that's what I like to see! 

March Birth Month Flower: Lily of the Valley

Both my Granny and my Mom had Lily's of the Valley in their gardens when I was a child.  I love the delicacy of the tiny flowers!

The Lily of the Valley is the traditional birth month flower for May.  It represents sweetness and humility.  In the Language of Flowers, the meaning behind the Lily of the Valley is "You've made my life complete," hence, the reason they can often be found in wedding bouquets.

More Flowers :-)

I never get tired of flowers at this time of year!

I planted this Snowball Bush at least twelve years ago as a special request from Doug...  He usually doesn't take much interest in the yard or landscaping, so I was happy to comply.

It's heavy and over-flowing with flowers right now - absolutely gorgeous!

Just Three Little Words

The local paper has starting charging for reading its articles on-line.  I liked it for the high school sports and it occasionally had a local interest article worthy of reading, but not for $8 per month (yep, I'm a cheap skate).  This has given me more time for comics in the morning, and today, I'm sharing Red and Rover by Brian Basset.

Red has three words he thinks need to be preserved for posterity and I agree! I used to hear these all the time when I was young, but can't remember the last time I heard the first two...  The third one has been popular with my son for years :-)

http://www.arcamax.com/thefunnies/redandrover/

Lilacs :-)

Lilacs are my absolute favorite smell of the season!!

I've been enjoying them for a few weeks now. The traditional, old fashioned varieties bloomed about two weeks ago and their smaller, dwarf cousins started this week.

If you are in Fort Collins, the best street for sniffing is Drake, between Timberline and Lemay. Allergy sufferers will say sniffling...

Give a Man some Metal

A few weeks ago, my son texted me and said he needed a little extra cash for a wolf skull.

What!?!? Why???
For class?? Really??

After satisfying Mom's questions and locating a coyote skull instead of a wolf from a legit taxidermist, this is the outcome: a Horned Dragon.  Some of it is bronze casting and some is welded steel.

I'm probably his biggest fan, so I think anything he makes is amazing :-)

Good Housekeeping

Good Housekeeping Magazine
made it's debut on May 2, 1885
and has remained popular.
It gave women information
on how to run a home;
a variety of literary articles;
and a place to send their ideas.

Today's Good Housekeeping

continues to offer women articles

specifically aimed at their interests 

 and it's, still popular, variety of literary articles.

On top of these, the Good Housekeeping Institute

offers reviews of many products.

Happy May Day!

Remember making May Day baskets as children and delivering them to the neighbor's?  I think that's a lovely tradition we don't see much of anymore...

I put a few flower pots into my make-shift green house every fall and see what survives (I don't exactly have a green thumb).  This year three out of four pots made it with these two really looking the best - I've had them several years now.

My "green house" is located in a basement window.  Ryan used translucent corrugated plastic panels to make a removable cover.  Works great!