70th ANNIVERSARY

Wednesday, December 7, 2011 is the 70th anniversary of a tragic day in American history.
It is the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese.

I confess I don't recall it as I wasn't born yet.
Often, in later years I've thought about, but never asked, how my parents must have felt on that day.

They were about to welcome their first child two months later. I'm sure they were uneasy, not knowing what would happen in the coming months or years.

It became a time of cohesiveness. Americans stood shoulder to shoulder to fight an enemy that would dare to harm the homeland.

Young men by the thousands, enlisted in the military. Women went to work in factories to build the ships and supplies needed to fight two theaters of war. Brave women pilots took to the air to ferry supplies

Many items were rationed. There were blackouts in the neighborhoods.
America stood as one nation, and yes, under God, for in those times people turned to God. They knew not what would happen and trusted Him, that His will would prevail.

America lost thousands of her young men and women in World War II. The prime of her population gone, yet she went forth and persevered.

Many years later, I had the privilege of visiting the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It was a solemn experience. As I looked over the railing I saw small bubbles of oil spurting through the water.

What an eerie feeling, that 46 years later oil still seeped from the graves of our brave warriors. No doubt it continues today.

One has to wonder what this country learned from that "day in infamy", as President Roosevelt called it.
Have we learned to be prepared? For there is always an enemy lurking about ready to pounce at any time.

September 11, 2001 is a grim reminder of it. Again, the nation came together, and filled the churches once more. However, it didn't last long and it is becoming a distant memory to many.

We must never forget what so many sacrificed and continue to do until this day, to protect our homeland and our rights and way of life.
But yet, so many are willing to throw away the many rights we have taken for granted.

If you don't believe it, look around and see how God has been taken out of our lives, especially at this time of year when we celebrate Jesus' birth.

Tomorrow, stop, take a moment and say a prayer, thanking God for those who willing went forward and said, "I will go, I will stand shoulder to shoulder with my brother to fight the enemy that wants to destroy my country, whether it be from within her borders or outside."

The next time you see someone in the military, thank them for their service and watch the humble smile that appears on their face. Especially, thank a WW II vet. Sadly we are losing many of them everyday.

May God continue to bless America.

                        HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Are you ready for some turkey?

Can you smell the tantalizing aromas coming from the kitchen?

Turkey roasting, pumpkin pie baking. Fluffy, white mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and don't forget my favorite, candied sweet potatoes. Add the cranberry sauce, perhaps green beans almondine and potato rolls.

What are your family's favorite Thanksgiving dishes?

Good food, families gathering, football games or afternoon naps, all have their place on Thanksgiving. Don't forget to take a moment and gives thanks to God for all your bounty.

 Perhaps you think you don't have anything to be thankful for, or are feeling down.
No matter the depth of your despair, remember God loves you, and for that, be truly thankful.

What ever your situation, try to have a Happy Thanksgiving.

P.S. Don't eat too much, the leftovers the next day are good too.

                                  HALLOWEEN TRICK

What's wrong with this picture?
Shouldn't it be a Christmas tree with snow on it?

The continuing saga of weird phenomena in the Northeast.

First an earthquake, then a hurricane, followed by a tropical storm that caused severe wide spread flooding, and now a rare, historic, Autumn Nor'easter snowstorm.

Is it too cold for locusts?

Maybe it's just a nightmare caused by what my dear, late aunt used to say, "It must've been somethin I et".

Guess I'll make the best of it and break out the hot chocolate and settle down with hubby to watch "THE POLAR EXPRESS".

HAPPY HALLOWEEN
BAH HUMBUG!

  

THE COLORS OF OCTOBER

Orange, rust, gold, crimson, yellow, and brown, are the beautiful colors of the fall foliage we usually see in October.

Not this year though. There is little of it and what there is appears dull and drab.

A large maple tree in my backyard is usually brilliant with color, but this year as it started to turn the leaves fell before reaching their peak hues.

I don't know the reason for the lackluster show. It could be all the rain we experienced this season. Who knows the cause, all I can say is I miss the spectacular array.

October is the month for pumpkins, corn maize tours, hay rides, cider, hot chocolate, crisp apples, World Series, football, and Halloween.

 The weather is cool in the morning and evening, sunny, warm afternoons. The sky is azure blue with white cotton candy clouds.

October is also the month when we get the news about our health care premiums for the next year. It seems I've heard that the Healthcare Act (also known as Obamacare) was supposed to reduce costs. I'm not sure exactly what they meant by that statement. I don't know whose costs they referenced or what country. All I know is our premiums as well as Medicare premiums are rising, both of which we pay out of pocket.

On a happy note, all the rain made for a great pumpkin and squash harvest. So find a pick-your-own pumpkin patch and let the kids loose to select their prize pumpkin. Mom can pick a pumpkin to make a pie...if she feels so inclined.

That will be a joyful experience.

                   OCTOBER
I can't believe the first week of October is history.
Wasn't it just summer?

As the saying goes, "time flies when you're having fun".

I hope your days are fun-filled.

Here in Northeast PA many people aren't having fun. They are trying to re-coup their homes and lives.

Our area was hit hard with flooding from Tropical Storm Lee, and that was just a week or so after being hit with Hurricane Irene.

One good thing happened, and that was the levee system protecting Kingston and Wilkes Barre held after heroic efforts by many.

My husband and I were on vacation in Florida when Lee hit here at home.
Our two sons were evacuated from their homes in Kingston, along with a friend who lives in Swoyersville.

They all stayed at our home high and dry in the Back Mountain.
After a few days they were allowed back in their homes, because the levee did what it was supposed to.

I was very happy with the gift of modern technology. While we were in Florida I was able to watch live broadcasting via the Internet from our local TV stations WNEP and WBRE's web-pages. Many thanks to them for doing that.

Now we are back home. I sometimes wonder if it pays to go away.
It takes a lot to get ready to go and a lot more to do when you come back home.

Yeah, it is worth it. Anytime I can get to spend a few weeks in Florida is A-OK with me.
Even though while we were there, my husband's back went out on him, and I had food poisoning. We survived and enjoyed the rest of the trip.

We finally got caught up on outside chores, like grass cutting and more grass cutting.
Tomorrow we'll clean out the bluebird houses, so the bluebirds will have nice apartments to build nests for their new broods in the spring.

Then it's time to batten down the hatches for winter. Now that is something I'm not looking forward to.

I sure do hope we don't get the same amount of snow that we had in rain this summer.I don't even want to think about how many feet of snow is equal to the many inches that fell.

Whatever comes our way, we will deal with, since we come from hearty stock here in Northeast PA.