Morning Folks 09 16 07

Today on a Sunday morning news show they had a story about the little town of Hendersonville, NC pledging to raise the money to send all their WWII veterans to the WWII memorial in Washington DC. An organization called Honor Flights helped get them all there on various flights. http://www.honorflights.org/.

They said in the news story that many communities throughout the nation have followed their example and are also in the process of providing a way for their vets to visit the site. That story really moved me, having seen that memorial myself last fall with Ed. Of course I thought of my Dad the entire time we were there and with every picture we took. I don't think I ever shared these on the blog before, but even if I have, I think they are worth repeating.

As we approached the memorial, this was the view.

Each Branch of Service is honored near the entrance.

Americans Came to Liberate

and to End Tyranny

Situated on the Mall between the Washington monument

and the Lincoln Memorial...

...it is a large memorial with a pool and fountains in the center...

...flanked by two arches, one at each end.
The Atlantic Theater Arch on one end

and The Pacific Arch on the other;

Circling the pool are 56 pillars, one for each of the 48 states and each territory, as well as Washington DC.,

Massachusetts pillar third from left, where my Dad lived when he went into the Navy.

New York's pillar; where Dad was born and lived until he moved to Sudbury in 1942.

Dad was stationed in the Phillipines during the war.

Overview of memorial that I found on the web. On either end are the Atlantic and Pacific Arches. Directly in center at top of picture is the Freedom Wall.
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A little comic relief in the midst of it all.

There are tributes and plaques throughout the memorial marking the various events in history.

Pearl Harbor-Roosevelt

D-Day

General Dwight D. Eisenhower

President Truman

The Wars End

General Douglas MacArthur

The Freedom Wall
"Here We Mark The price of Freedom"

A gold star for every fallen hero...4,048 stars...1 for every 100 lost. More than 400,000 lives.

It is a beautiful memorial, certainly a fitting tribute for these veterans to whom we owe our freedom. Thank you.

Have a great day.

Love,

Suz

Morning Folks 09 14 07 - Sisters

Bless you, my darling, and remember you are always in the heart - oh tucked so close there is no chance of escape - of your sister. ~Katherine Mansfield

If sisters were free to express how they really feel, parents would hear this: "Give me all the attention and all the toys and send Rebecca to live with Grandma." ~Linda Sunshine

How do people make it through life without a sister? ~Sara Corpening

Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet. ~Vietnamese Proverb

If you don't understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child. ~Linda Sunshine

Our siblings push buttons that cast us in roles we felt sure we had let go of long ago - the baby, the peacekeeper, the caretaker, the avoider.... It doesn't seem to matter how much time has elapsed or how far we've traveled. ~Jane Mersky Leder

Sibling relationships - and 80 percent of Americans have at least one - outlast marriages, survive the death of parents, resurface after quarrels that would sink any friendship. They flourish in a thousand incarnations of closeness and distance, warmth, loyalty and distrust. ~Erica E. Goode, "The Secret World of Siblings," U.S. News & World Report, 10 January 1994

She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child. ~Barbara Alpert

Sisters Cindy and Becky

I have two sisters. One of them is very sick right now. She is on the mend, but still we are worried. My middle sister Cindy is in the hospital. But as of last night, and if all goes well, she will be out of intensive care today and she can go home on Saturday. A bout with pneumonia can't keep her down for long, I know that.

Cindy and Hubby Steve

My youngest sister Becky is on her way to be with her this weekend, bearing chicken soup and laundry. That could be another sister quote, don't you think? "A sister is the only one who brings you chicken soup and her laundry when you are sick." And Becky is just what the doctor ordered for Cindy. Being so far away, it is a comfort for me to know that they have each other.

We have a brother, Chuck, too, as most of you know. But there is something special about sisters that anyone who has one knows only too well.

Please send your good thoughts and prayers to my sister Cindy today. And I will be praying for her recovery and with gratitude that we have each other. Feel better soon, Cindy.

Love,

Suz

Morning Folks 09 13 07

For age is opportunity no less

Than youth itself, though in another dress,

And as the evening twilight fades away

The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

With birthdays and other events of the summer, I have been thinking a lot about aging, my own mortality and the cycle of life in general. I liked this poem and thought it brought some things into perspective for me. I am a little partial to Longfellow, so it was an easy choice. And not to mix my Brownings with my Longellows, but how nice to be reminded that "the best is yet to be".

Have a wonderful day and a starry night.

Love,

Suz

Morning Folks September 12, 2007

I looked back and couldn't believe my last posting was July 18. Lots of time has ticked by since then. My mother got very sick around that time and we drove to Florida to see her. Although we didn't spend a long time there, I am glad that we went. As most of you know, she passed away less than a month later while we were on the Cape.

So we spent some time in Sudbury where we had a small private service and we were reunited with some of the Waters clan. It was real nice to see them again. Lifelong friends, the Petersen family joined us there. They are family, too.
Uncle Lee, Cousins Dianne and Danny and me.
Aunt Kath and Gloria Petersen.

Robin and Gordie Petersen and Robin's husband Peter.

So, that was tough and we are still dealing with some of the business end of things, but that will fall into place, I am sure.

I was lucky enough to spend a whole month on the Cape this summer. Ed and I have a trailer just a mile from the beach. Ed was there with me for a couple of weeks, but had to leave to go back to work. Poor guy. Someone has to earn a paycheck so we can pay for my vacations!

The Cape is a sacred space to me. So much beauty. So many wonderful memories throughout my life.

Cotuit on an August morning.

Our old cottage as it looks today on Uncle Rolf Rd., Dennisport, where Ed and I first met 40+ years ago. We danced to Elvis on that patio behind those pillars on the left.
Here is our new deck by our trailer in Bass River, South Yarmouth. Ed and his friend built the deck in two days this summer. A great spot for cookouts.

The summer was winding down when I left. Sunny days, chilly nights. The neighbor's hydrangae colors, once vivid, are now muted. Impatience appear brighter. Perhaps they know their days are numbered.

A windy afternoon in early September on West Dennis Beach. The gulls are grounded waiting for the winds to die down before continuing their endless flight.

I had a chance to see family and friends that I have been missing.
Doug and Bill came down for the day to help me celebrate my birthday...39...again.

I was able to go in to work for a couple of days at my old office in Sudbury. I actually remembered some of what I used to do, now almost a year since last I worked there...like riding a bike. My friends Melinda and George put me up in their guest room. I have stayed there so many times they now call it Sue's room.

We went to Ed's brother-in-law's retirement party on the Cape and saw lots of Ed's family. Ed's sister Kathy lives nearby and owns the trailer park where we have our trailer. She hosted the event. Ed's brother and sister-in-law flew in from Louisville. Ed's sister-in-law Susan and brother Bob; Me, Ed, niece Joanna, Kathy, Nieces Erin and Allison, George, retiree Yarmouth FD.

Then. as we started out on our drive home to TN we stopped along the way for my sister Cindy's surprise 50th in Sturbridge. It was great fun for everyone...except Cindy. She was really sick and had to go home early. Poor kid.

Steve and Cindy at the moment of surprise. She always closes her eyes!!!

But we kept the party going after Angie drove her home and had a great time with all the family gathered there. I spent time with my kids again and even got to visit with Dad and Inez, who flew up for the occasion.

Will, Cindy's grandson, her daughter Angie and hubby Steve. Steve and Angie planned everything for the party at the Publick House. It was a blast.

Ed and niece Steffala.

Inez and Becky Chuck and Monica
Chuck's oldest daughter, Corina, Chuck, Dad, Skylar and Eric, Corina's husband.

Chuck's grandson Skylar and daughter Lizzie.

The 3 Williams: Will, Cindy's grandson, Billy and Dad.

So, yes, it has been a busy couple of months. But I am home now and back at my desk here in TN. It is good to be home and great to be back in this space here with you all.

Glendon Road Beach, Dennisport

Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.

Joseph Campbell

Have a wonderful day, everyone.
Love,

Suz

Morning Folks 07 18 07

Morning one and all. Just sitting here on my deck looking out at my backyard. Here is a live picture of the view I have.

Yesterday I saw a hummingbird perched on a branch. I have never seen that before. I have seen them in the past but in flight hovering around the honeysuckle or the hanging fuschia on my porch.

He was only a silhouette so I couldn't see what type he was. But I will be watching for him to return.

It is really pretty here this morning. A little overcast, about 77 degrees and the only sounds are the cicadas and crickets and lots of birdsongs. An occasional distant bark from a dog can be heard once in a while. Our neighbor dogs are quiet and probably napping.

It's going to be warm today. Shorts seemed to be the way to go in the wardrobe department. I put on a pair of navy blue shorts and a white shirt. Whenever I wear that combination it brings me right back to my Camp Kiwanee days. That was what we had to wear everyday and I remember the packing list: 5 white blouses and 5 pairs of navy blue shorts, two bathing suits, towel etc. Everything labeled with sewn in labels bearing my name written in permanent ink.

Camp Kiwanee was a Campfire Girl Camp in Hanson MA. I googled it and find that it is still there, almost 50 years after I first went there. It was opened in 1923 but sold to the Town of Hanson in 1974. Available to the public for private functions, they invite you to go for a tour of the whole facility. I might do that someday, just for fun.

In its time it was an overnight camp with all the things one would expect to find. There was a place called the Bluebird Lodge where the littlest girls stayed. That was a large old wood building set up like a dormitory. I stayed there when I was 7. I was homesick the entire time. The older girls stayed in cabins that housed about 8 girls. I stayed there when I was about 11. I remember that during that stay the big news story that broke was that first lady Jackie Kennedy had lost her 3rd baby named Patrick. That gives you a perspective on the era.

During my stay as an eleven year old, we did the typical camp crafts like making things out of gimp. But I also made this really cool silver bracelet that I wish I could find today. And I remember doing bead work on a loom. The gimp we wove into long useless ropes, but it was fun to do. I also learned how to make chains from folded gum wrappers there from a fellow camper. We had archery, which I loved because I was good at it. And swimming lessons and open swim were memorable. One day we were required to jump off the high dive. That was terrifying. Why do you suppose the swimming lessons were always first thing in the morning in the coldest lake water I have ever been in? I think the swim staff were all masochists.

We had campfire singalongs most nights which I really loved and remember many of the songs, still. The Camp Kiwanee song was to the tune of Wonderful Copenhagen. It went "Wonderful, wonderful Camp Kiwanee, Campfire is always the key"... Dorky, but I still remember it. We also sang rounds like White Coral Bells and "Why Couldn't my Goose Sing as well as Thy goose when I paid for my goose twice as much as thou". And Oh, How Lovely is the Evening. That was a favorite. I still have the songbook somewhere. We prayed the Lord's Prayer and had Sunday Service there, too. We couldn't start our day without the Pledge of Allegiance as we gathered in the clearing to raise the flag each morning before breakfast. The evening ritual is less memorable for me, but I am sure it involved lowering the "colors" and taps.

The dining hall is still vivid in my memory with its long tables and benches covered in red oil cloth. We sat at the same table for every meal with our cabinmates. We had rotating assignments. One girl set the table, one person filled the breadbaskets and set them on the table. Two got the drinks and two more cleaned up afterwards. They had really good cornbread sometimes. The food was good, especially on spagetti nights. And we always said grace before we ate.

I remember going to the general store and getting mail and being so excited when there was a letter there for me. Dad and Mom had deposited the recommended spending money, probably $10, into my camp account. We didn't actually ever see the money. It paid for stamps and the occasional ice cream sandwich and of course packs of gum, primarily for the wrappers. I think I was there for 2 weeks but in that short period of time I remember that almost every day there was letter for me. I sent post cards and letters home every day, too. We did a lot of writing back then, and on into my college years. We didn't mind the delayed gratification from snail mail like we do now. The anticipation just added to the excitement of it all. I still have some of those letters sent to me at Camp Kiwanee. Messages from my younger sisters inserted in the envelope were really sweet. It's fun to look at them now and then.

I don't know where this nostalgia came from. Oh yeah, my blue and white outfit. There is something else about my Campfire Experience I remember well. The first thing we had to memorize as Bluebirds at the age of 7 was the Bluebird Wish. Here it is:

To have fun.
To learn to make beautiful things.
To remember to finish what I begin.
To want to keep my temper in.
And to go to every interesting place.
To learn about the beautiful trees, the flowers, the birds and things like these.
And make friends.

That is a pretty realistic wish for anyone's life, don't you think? And the Campfire Law, memorized at age 9, picks up where that left off.

Worship God

Seek Beauty

Give Service

Pursue Knowledge

Be Trustworthy

Hold on to Health

Glorify Work

Be Happy.

These are still great guidelines, I think. My Grandmother was one of the original Campfire Girls in 1910.

She exemplified these laws better than anyone I have known. As a grown woman I don't always follow them, but thinking about it now, I think it would be a good idea to start. Don't you agree?

Have a great day everyone! WoHeLo.
Love,
Suz