Morning Folks 11 15 05

November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.
With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.
- Clyde Watson



No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member -
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds -
November!

- Thomas Hood, No!





A few days ago I walked along the edge of the lake and was treated
to the crunch and rustle of leaves with each step I made.
The acoustics
of this season are different and all sounds, no matter how hushed,
are as crisp as autumn air.
- Eric Sloane
















The name 'November' is believed to derive from 'novem' which is the Latin
for the number 'nine'. In the ancient Roman calendar November was the
ninth month after March. As part of the seasonal calendar November is
the time of the 'Snow Moon' according to Pagan beliefs and the period
described as the 'Moon of the Falling Leaves' by Black Elk.
- Mystical WWW





The stripped and shapely
Maple grieves
The ghosts of her
Departed leaves.



The ground is hard,
As hard as stone.
The year is old,
The birds are flown.



And yet the world,
In its distress,
Displays a certain
Loveliness---

- John Updike, A Child's Calendar


Saw the rainbow in the heaven,
In the eastern sky the rainbow,
Whispered, "What is that, Nokomis?"
And the good Nokomis answered:
"'Tis the heaven of flowers you see there;
All the wild-flowers of the forest,
All the lilies of the prairie,
When on earth they fade and perish,
Blossom in that heaven above us.

- Henry Wadsworth Longellow, Song of Hiawatha















Have a great Tuesday, even though it's November!

Love,
Suz

Morning Folks 11 14 05

I can touch my heart, when I hold my cup.
I can feel my soul, when I sip my coffee.
This moment looks like when you reflect yourself in a pond.
You cannot touch yourself; you only see your image,
but you know who you are, and where you are.
I drink my coffee alone to find myself.
[ Larissa Hernandez ]





Coffee falls into the stomach ... ideas begin to move, things remembered arrive at full gallop ... the shafts of wit start up like sharp-shooters, similies arise, the paper is covered with ink.
[ Honoré de Balzac ]






Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.

[ Anne Morrow Lindbergh ]




A cup of coffee shared with a friend
is happiness tasted and time well spent.
[ anonymous ? ]




Have a wonderful Monday.
Love,
Suz

Morning Folks 11 13 05

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. ~Victor Borge

What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul. ~Yiddish Proverb

When people are laughing, they're generally not killing each other. ~Alan Alda

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. ~Irish Proverb

A hearty laugh gives one a dry cleaning, while a good cry is a wet wash. ~Puzant Kevork Thomajan


A laugh is a smile that bursts. ~Mary H. Waldrip

I just thought I would focus on laughing today.

Certainly Steve belongs on a blog about laughter? I don't know anyone who laughs more than he does!






And Dad sends jokes to me everyday and sometimes I don't read them because I am in a rush. Other times I need them just to lighten up my day. But I know he is out there when I see Wyndebill in my e-mailbox each morning and knowing that makes me smile. Thank goodness for the computer. There is always laughter just a couple of mouseclicks away.








At work we laugh a lot, if I can get up from my computer, that is. I think we have a very funny office. We have all types of senses of humor. Some of us are funnier than others. Those really funny folks are in my blog mailing list and know who they are!
Andrea and I have almost the same sense of humor. Although Andrea is just a bit more "out there" than I am. Melinda has more homespun kind of humor but is the best audience! If I don't laugh at work I don't consider it a good day.


And then there is Ed's sense of humor. He can be very funny althouth I think the MEN around him probably think he is funnier than the women. And I think the Democrats around him probably think he is funnier than the Republicans.

But, he loves to laugh and I love laughing with him. I just can't quite see the humor in the redneck jokes yet. I think I will get used to them, though.

When we get together with family, the laughter is always the best part of it all. I remember one meal at Chuck and Monica's that I think Eric and Corinna attended, too. We decided to talk like gang members.
I think it was Eric who told us that the gang members of the Bloods who were rivals of the Crypts (sp?)would replace all Cs with Bs when they spoke and vice versa. So we spoke like Bloods while we drank our "Bups of Boffee and ate our Bake" after the meal. It was very funny.

My boys are funny, too. Really funny. I think they are in a competition to see who can be funniest and I don't know who would win. Doug has a more dry and sarcastic delivery that catches you offguard. Bill is more likely to laugh at his own jokes which usually are very funny, but even if they weren't he'd have you laughing. I think they get their senses of humor from me, don't you?






As Thanksgiving approaches we think about the first Thanksgiving and wonder...
"Was there anything to laugh about back then?"

Seriously folks, I know on Thanksgiving I will be thankful for all of you for lots of other reasons but also because you all have made me laugh over the years.
It's a gift to make others laugh and to laugh with others. I don't know which I enjoy more! Have a funny day today!





A few newsy tidbits that I wanted to mention before I forget...

We now have a Doctor in our family. Heather Hall Ross, youngest daughter of Uncle Alan is now officially a doctor! She is a Dr. of Psychology, I think and works with incarcerated criminals. Very scary people, I am sure. But Congrats to Dr. Heather. I remember the day she came home from the hospital in her mother's arms. I said then, 'this girl is going to be a doctor and work with the criminally insane'. Just kidding. But as long as I have known her, I have known she is someone special. She worked long and hard for her Degree and I am proud of her as I am sure is Unc and Heather's hubby Tony.

Bill's girlfriend Kim is on the mend. The two casts, one on her wrist and one on her ankle, she tells me in a phone message last night, should be off in 5 weeks. She is not feeling too much pain now, but it is a real pain in the you-know-what to get around. So keep thinking of Kim...and Bill who I hope is waiting on her hand and foot...or wrist and ankle.

Becky's birthday was last Thursday. I hope to see her today at lunch, although we haven't firmed up plans yet. She is catching up to me since I stopped aging several years ago. Still, she is the baby and it's hard to admit if she is this age, then I am that age...Eeeeeek. Happy Birthday, Becky.

And...we are probably going to have a gathering at Christmas time that includes nephew Gabe and his wife Madeline. I haven't seen Gabe in about 10 years, I think. It will be wonderful to see him. I have missed him and am eager to get to know Madeline. I hope everyone can make it to Chuck and Monica's on the 26th of December. It should be a wonderful time for all of us.

Have a great Sunday.
Love,
Suz

Morning Folks 11 11 05

Armistice Day Becomes Veterans Day


World War I officially ended on June 28, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The actual fighting between the Allies and Germany, however, had ended seven months earlier with the armistice, which went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. Armistice Day, as November 11 became known, officially became a holiday in the United States in 1926, and a national holiday 12 years later. On June 1, 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all U.S. veterans.



In 1968, new legislation changed the national commemoration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. It soon became apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of historic significance to many Americans. Therefore, in 1978 Congress returned the observance to its traditional date.



Here is a copy of a Discharge Certificate for my Grandfather, Leslie C. Hall, who served in the Army during World War I. He enlisted in August of 1917, not quite 18 years old. He shipped out to France on November 22, 1917 and was discharged on January 22, 1919.




War is a terrible thing. And although we are proud of all of our veterans for their sacrifice on our behalf, I always think about the fact that these "tough" Soldiers and Sailors and Marines are someone's son or daughter...someone's child...someone's baby.


To put it in perspective, here is a picture of my grandfather as a toddler, probably about 2 or 3. Yes, those curls were worn by boys back then.

This is a picture of my Grandfather as a youngster, probably about 10 years old, which would be about 1909. I don't know who the other men are in this picture. Maybe Dad or Uncle Alan will know who they are.


And here is a picture of him with Gram and Uncle Alan, probably around 1947 or so.











So here's to all those sons and daughters who served our country so well over the years and generations. Today we think of them and say thank you.

What is a Vet?

He is the cop on the beat, who spent 6 months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel.

He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th Parallel.

She is the nurse, who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing nights for 2 solid years in Da Nang.

He is the POW who went away one person and came back another ~ or didn't come back AT ALL

He is the Quantico Drill Instructor, who has never seen combat ~ but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, teaching them to watch each other's backs.

She is the career Quartermaster, who watches the ribbons and medals pass her by.

He is one of the anonymous heroes in the Tomb of the Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetary must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes, whose valor died unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep.

He is the old guy, bagging groceries at the supermarket ~ palsied now and aggravatingly slow ~ who helped liberate a Nazi death camp ~ and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.

She is an ordinary and yet extraordinary human being ~ a woman who offered some of her life's most vital years in the service of her country, and who sacrificed her ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs.

He is a soldier and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation every known!


So remember .....
Each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say "THANK YOU!" That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been, or were awarded.

It is the soldier, NOT the reporter,
who has given us Freedom of the Press.
It is the soldier, NOT the poet,
who has given us Freedom of Speech.
It is the soldier, NOT the campus organizer,
who has given us the Freedom to Demonstrate.

It is the soldier,
who salutes the flag,
who serves beneath the flag,
and whose coffin is draped by the flag,
who allows the protestor to
burn the flag!

~ author unknown ~

God Bless the Veterans of
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

11 09 05 Morning Folks

Wishing Kim a Speedy Recovery



Today's Blog is dedicated to Kim, Bill's girlfriend. On Sunday, playing in her league basketball game, she broke her ankle AND her wrist. She is a second grade teacher and unable to go to work. Bill has been typing her lesson plans and e-mailing them to her substitute. She can't use crutches and is basically housebound and I bet in a lot of pain. I wanted to send her this virtual bouquet for a couple of reasons. First, because she is hurting and I want her to feel better. But second because she is now dependent on Bill to fix her meals and take care of her. It wouldn't be such a bad thing, but I think the only thing he cooks is Chili!

If anyone wants to send her a card, her address is Kim Sylva, 23 Marlboro Street, Waltham, MA 02452. I don't have her e-mail address, but you can get a message to her by adding a comment here or "reply all" to my blog e-mail or by writing to her through Bill at nailspetersen@hotmail.com.

So, my good thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery go out to Kim this morning and every morning until she is back on her feet and preparing her own meals!

Love,
Suz

Morning Folks 11 08 05

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

-- Walt Disney



I just felt a little whimsical this morning and who better than Walt and Mickey to represent whimsy?

Ed arrived on Saturday morning and we had a nice lunch and visit with Bill and Kim. I saw their apartment for the first time. It is in Waltham on Marlboro Street. It is really nice and they are settled in comfortably. This is the first time I have been invited to one of Bill's apartments--mostly because he is finally lucky to have a roommate who is neat! Kim, on the other hand, isn't that lucky.

Then we went to see Doug's new place in West Newton on Waltham Street, just a few miles from Bill's place. Doug's place is very nice but has a set of winding stairs that stopped his box spring and couch short before the first turn. So, he is waiting delivery of a new sectional and will switch box springs with Bill, who has a split one that he doesn't need. It is nice to have relatives!

Sunday, Ed and I went to the Cape to see Kathy and George. We also had a nice visit with Linda and Frank, friends from Sudbury who have a very nice home in Dennis. Frank served a lovely Pinot Grigio from South Africa. A little oaky, but all in all quite nice. We also visited with Ed's foster mother, Mary, whom I love. Kathy posted a picture of the 3 of us on her blog yesterday. To see it go to www.nutsaboutquilting.blogspot.com.

Yesterday I had to work so Ed went back to the Cape to do some Christmas shopping with Kathy before heading to Foxboro with Steve for the Pats and Colts game. So right now he is sound asleep having returned home about 2:30AM. I am trying to get into my files at work via WiFi and not having much luck. Hence, the blog!

Today, Ed and I are having one day to ourselves before he goes back to Chattanooga early tomorrow morning. So, for today, the impossible will be to FORGET my job, concentrate on Ed and have fun. Not too easy with budget hearings looming tomorrow and me unable to get into the files I need. But, I am determined to do the impossible and have fun in spite of that.



Have a wonderful Wednesday and do something impossible. Walt says it's fun! I think I will try it!

Love,
Suz

Morning Folks 11 04 05

"Go out into the world today and love the people you meet. Let
your presence light new light in the hearts of people."

-- Mother Teresa

I don't get what is so special about Mona Lisa's smile. There are smiles that I like much better than hers.



I hope you see some of those smile today that make you smile right back. Better yet, you give them first! Send me some of your pictures of your favorite smiles: Kids, grandkids friends, family or just smiles. And I will post them in a smile blog. I know there are pictures of human babies out there that will make us smile!

TGIF

Love,
Suz

Morning Folks 11 03 05

Is sloppiness in speech caused by ignorance or apathy? I don't know and I don't care.
William Safire






If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur.
Doug Larson















Works of imagination should be written in very plain language; the more purely imaginative they are the more necessary it is to be plain.
Samuel Taylor ColeridgeEnglish critic & poet (1772 - 1834)





No one has a finer command of language than the person who keeps his mouth shut.
Sam RayburnUS politician (1882 - 1961)









Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands and goes to work.
Carl Sandburg, New York Times Feb. 13, 1959US biographer & poet (1878 - 1967)







I want the language I use to be a massage for your mind, not a work-out. Suzanne L. Petersen (American Blogger 1951-)


Have a great day!

Love,
Suz

Morning Folks 11 02 05

"I'm back. I'm a player. I'm a member of the team." — Tedy Bruschi, on his return to the Patriots.





.
GO PATS!











"If football taught me anything about business, it is that you
win the game one play at a time."

-- Fran Tarkenton, Football Player, Author and Businessman


Great advice about business and about life...even if it did come from a football player.

Ed arrives on Saturday for a quick visit. Steve is taking him to the Pats game on Monday night. It's televised so watch for them!

Have a great Wednesday.
Love,
Suz

Morning Folks 11 01 05 Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit!!!!

Things are so crazy at work and I haven't even got the time to do a blog today. Well, not one that I can say I put much effort into. I don't think I have ever been so swamped and it is beginning to get to me. But, I know I can only do what I can do. I keep repeating that over and over. And I repeat my favorite mantra "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." The fact that Dame Julia, whoever she may be, said this in the 13th century tells me two things. One: Even women 800 years ago had stress and two: somehow they survived!

I find that somewhat comforting.


For those of you who don't know the reason for that little expression Rabbit Rabbit (Rabbit) you can click on the far right of this screen, way down at the bottom on the Archives for August. I explained it all on the August 1st blog. If you haven't already seen it or if you want a refresher be my guest. And with any luck, we will be back at first run blogs some time soon.

Love,
Suz