MOTHER'S DAY BEGINS CELEBRATORY WEEK

As if we don’t have enough on our minds with the coronavirus, Murder Hornets seem now to have supplanted Killer Bees as some of the latest creatures with which we must contend.  I’ve also read that the number and variety of insects in our environment are diminishing so their demise may eventually deprive some creatures a food source.  

We humans aren’t the only ones having to adjust our lives to changes, including food availability, though we’re assured there is no shortage.   Such environmental issues impact all life on earth since we are connected.   Our world ecosystem is described by You Matter.    

Survival is the name of the game for all.   Like most of you, I care about the issues above, coupled with others with which we’re faced today, but I periodically must take a respite from thinking about the seriousness of living.  So, I racked my brain to come up with something to celebrate this week in addition to the many benefits and privileges for which I am personally thankful. 

V. E. Day – Victory in Europe, celebrated May 8^th when World War II ended with a victory over fascism, was a momentous day in my young life 75 years ago.  Great Britain though subjected to devastating bombings, other hardships and sacrifices, was determined to never surrender.   Other assaults can threaten a nation's people in addition to war's violence and destruction. 

Dame Vera Lynn, a popular singer, also morale builder of that time, still living at 103 today, reminds us “hope remains in even the most difficult of times” as she is recently quoted by the BBC.  Here she reminds us "It's A Lovely Day Tomorrow".   I still tear up when I hear “White Cliffs of Dover” from those WWII days.  Another of her favored songs has taken on new appreciation and significance now in these days of Covid-19, when we are so separated from one another –“We’ll Meet Again".

Dame Vera Lynn, known as the "Forces Sweetheart", performing at age 77 during a concert aboard the QE 2 on 6 June 1984, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the D-Day Landings.  Walter Cronkite, veteran U.S. Broadcaster introduced her.

Further thought has provided me with no unique or original celebratory ideas, so I’ve resorted to referencing the National Day Calendar which provides a multitude of celebratory choices for every day in the month, every month and year. 

Today, of course, is Mother’s Day – the second Sunday in May.

This day honoring mothers has been special all the years of my life.  I’ve paid tribute to my mother in years past on this blog.  I still miss her, always will.

According to the calendar, the day is also National Clean Up Your Room Day – seems fitting, especially to anyone who has or had children. 

I decided to arbitrarily select a celebratory listing from the calendar for each day of this coming week. 

Monday, May 11^th

National Twilight Zone Day

My favored identification to celebrate is the classic Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone television series first aired decades ago.  These stories have a unique twist with some plots eerily significant to our present lives.

There is another more bizarre connection that comes to mind for me.  This is a sense that we’re currently living in a twilight zone with the current U.S. federal government administration and coronavirus turning our lives upside down and inside out.

Tuesday, May 12^th

National Limerick Day

Limerick’s are nonsense verse, simple, sometimes silly, humorous, often risque poems.   Nature Center Mag reminded me of Ogden Nash’s version of The Purple Cow:  

I never saw a purple cow

I hope I never see one,
But I can tell you this right now:
I'd rather see than be one.

Interesting Literature offers this:  

The limerick packs laughs anatomical
Into space that is quite economical.
But the good ones I’ve seen
So seldom are clean  

And the clean ones so seldom are comical.

Then there’s William Stone, M.D. who writes medical limericks like this about the Hantavirus:    

If you plan a trip to Yosemite

There’s a virus in that vicinity

It is carried by deer mice

Their excretions aerosolized

Can infect those in their proximity

Wednesday, May 13^th   

National Apple Pie Day 

My mother made the best apple pie I ever ate.  Some of her secrets were the type apple she used, preparatory techniques and adding a teaspoon or so of brewed coffee in the center of the pie before baking.  I like to add a dollop of vanilla ice cream on a warmed slice of baked apple pie.   

Thursday, May 14^th

National Decency Day

Vocabulary definition:    

“decency. The personal quality of decency is one of honesty, good manners, and respect for other people. ... When a criminal or dictator does horrible things, people assume they have no sense of decency.”

Seems to have been a lot of decency lacking in our White House the past four years.  Fortunately, many Americans have retained their sense of decency which I celebrate.

Friday, May 15^th

National Chocolate Chip Day

This is a tasty way to celebrate, with a good old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie.  I don’t mind if macadamia or other kind of nut is added to the cookie dough. 

Saturday, May 16^th

National Do Something Nice For Your Neighbor Day

National Love A Tree Day

I decided to have a dual celebration to wrap up my celebratory week.  I value my interconnectedness with others whether next door in my immediate neighborhood, or with those in the world community – including those in this virtual community.  Cherishing all life forms to which I'm also connected, I do love trees as symbolic of our planet’s environmental forces significant to my life.   

Do you have a favorite day celebration you would choose from my list above, or a special celebration of your own for this week?

HOLIDAY GREETINGS !

Greetings and best wishes to everyone during this holiday season.

New Year's Day I'll be seated in the bleachers at the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California accompanied by two family members and a couple who are our friends. I'll wave to you if I'm aware the television cameras are panning us.

I'm seeing an increasingly extravagant number of outdoor light and animation displays this year. Subdued light decorations have been my choice especially ever since the energy crisis was announced many years ago. We were encouraged that year to cut back on outdoor light displays. Nothing has changed as far as energy issues are concerned to the best of my knowledge, but that particular energy conservation seems to have become more minimal with the public each succeeding year.

I've enjoyed the colorful lights through the years as have my children, so I defer to the varying attitudes we each have about this matter.

I have chosen to continue a minimalist attitude toward what sort of holiday light display I prefer. I simply place artificial candles in one window that faces the house's front. This year I began by lighting just one candle beginning Sun., Dec. 21st, the night some of my family arrived. I've added a candle each night since and will continue to do so in honor of the various celebratory occasions this time of year.

I just learned last night a couple more family members will arrive for a few days after Christmas, so am looking forward to a lot more unexpected joy and laughter.

Hope everyone has a wonderfully happy holiday!

Our Nation At Risk

Two Hundred and Thirty-One Years

Our nation's birthday, our 231st, July 4, 2007, is past. Our citizens have celebrated this year, each in our own way, across this country. Many small communities from coast to coast sponsor patriotic parades, generally composed of local residents. This has been true wherever I've lived, in the east and now here in the west. In addition to the parade of the military representatives from all branches of the service, and those still living from the various wars fought for our freedoms, we generally see city officials riding by, the local high school bands marching proudly, antique autos being driven by their owners accompanied by festively dressed family and friends.

Often there are red, white and blue streamers colorfully decorating bicycles ridden by young people of the community wheeling down the parade route. Some older bikers may be pulling equally colorful wagons filled with smaller children. Special novelty groups often band together and march, such as the precision team brief case brigade, business and professional men and women with their brief cases in hand engaging in various maneuvers. Residents of all ages line the streets, conversing and laughing with loved ones, often waving miniature American flags, applauding or calling to those recognized marchers. Each community probably creates and gives some unique quality to their parade.

Some 4th of July celebrations this year may even be postponed by a few citizens until this coming weekend, since this day fell on a Wednesday, exactly in the middle of the week. Actually, I'm having such a delayed celebration myself, with dear friends whose family will be coming from far and wide as is their annual tradition. I have considered our family, and now that there's just myself, quite fortunate over these years to have been so generously included in some of their annual celebration of various holidays.

For most in our country our Independence Day celebration occurs on the fourth, however. Often when the parade has passed, some watchers adjourn to nearby parks or recreation areas for picnics featuring the special fare each individual group prefers. Others may return home for outdoor barbecues with invited groups of friends and family. Those with access to a swimming pool will cool themselves in those waters. The children and young adults will engage in seemingly exhausting pool play consisting of games, diving, just generally splashing around in the water. Some adults may soon tire of water game participation, retiring to sun themselves or recline in available shade. Young lovers may separate from the group seeking privacy.

Later in the afternoon certain groups may travel to nearby designated stadium areas where special entertainment has been planned. Musical groups may appear, then as the skies darken, the entertainers show concludes, the real show that everyone came to see begins. Fireworks slowly explode into grander and more spectacular displays in that golden moon and star sprinkled sky that mesmerizes those watching.

The times have changed from the days of my childhood, even from those of my children when we often had some small select firecrackers we could light ourselves. I recall especially the sparklers, and snakes. Fireworks can no longer be purchased or set off for private individual use in our community, or that of surrounding cities. This is especially critical this year due to the dryness so early in the season that has our area a high fire risk. I can't help thinking that fire is not the only risk, that not just our community faces, but our whole country.

As our nation begins another year, the very foundation of our belief system, that was the basis for the founding of this country, is under duress. The strong values and moral beliefs the founders of our country endorsed, wrote into our Constitution and described in our Declaration of Independence have been under assault from within. We have seen this in many ways during the governance of our current administration including, but not limited to, their stating deliberate blatant falsehoods, disregarding human rights, engaging in practices above the law.

If you were busy celebrating our nation's Independence Day, as many were, maybe you missed at least two special blog posts, there are others. I would highly recommend you read these July 4th posts now. They pertain to our Declaration of Independence, why our founders sought independence in the first place, and the significance of those issues for each of us today.

You may click on these links to access these July 4th posts at:

"Time Goes By" - "The Fourth of July 2007" by Ronni Bennett

"Nobody Asked" - "Whither Liberty" by Winston Rand