Honor and Duty... and so much more

Memorial Day.

A day to relax by the pool, put your feet up and enjoy time spent with family and friends.

That's what it has become.
That's not REALLY what it's for... although don't get me wrong, I do as much of that as the next gal!

Memorial Day... Memory Day... A day to Remember the WHOs and WHATs and WHEREs that made us, as a nation, able to spend time pursuing the joys of our family and friends.

Those men who stood up and fought for US-- as in us, the citizens of the United States, and US as in Uncle Sam... those who stormed the beaches of Normandy in June 1944, who fought in the jungles on Viet Nam in the early 60's, and those who fought in the corn fields, valleys and forests of this nation during the American Revolution, the Civil War... and all the periods of civil unrest through out our nation's short, but poignant history.

Saturday ManBoy, BratChild and SIX walked in a local Memorial Day Parade as representatives of Freemasonry, Order of Rainbow for Girls, and DeMolay.

SIX, my 11 1/2 year old youngest son and our 6th child, took turns carrying the DeMolay banner with another young DeMolay over the course of the 1 mile parade route.
At the onset of the parade, well, at the staging area actually, the boys saw several men in full military uniform and wearing baseball caps with their ship or service on them. I explained that they were Veterans of WW II, Korea, Viet Nam, Desert Storm and those currently serving in the military.

During the parade I saw that each boy, when not carrying the banner, would go up to men along the parade route and shake hands with the men in uniform and wearing the hats I had pointed out earlier.

Six and CC were thanking the soldiers for their service with a smile and a firm handshake. One older gentleman wearing a WWII cap burst into tears when SIX asked to shake his hand. Six was taken aback. He thought he had done something wrong, when in reality, he had done exactly the right thing for this lone man sitting in his wheelchair on his front lawn watching his hometown parade, just as he has probably done for 40 years or longer.

I saw a young Marine, in full dress uniform salute one of the Masons marching with ManBoy as he passed. In my mind's eye I saw MW, ManBoy's childhood friend, who is himself a Marine who has done service in Iraq. Pride filled my heart as the tears filled my eyes.

As we passed the Grand Marshall our groups were announced and met with much applause and approval. And SIX and CC were astounded to hear the man I had seen saluted being thanked for his service on D-Day on Omaha Beach.

When we returned to the lodge after the parade for lunch, CC approached this man and asked if it was true.
"No", the man replied. "He got it wrong. I wasn't at Omaha, I had an easy time of it. I hit land at Utah Beach."

CC and SIX shook his hand and told him thank you.

And they meant it.

And I was so very proud of an 11 and a 13 year old boy, who showed in that one short morning of community duty, the men they are becoming.

My heart swelled with pride and my eyes filled with tears and I thought...

Charlie and Kurt would be so very proud of them, their little brothers.

I know I am.

PS- I read a post at Blue Cotton Memory yesterday... it's full of wonderful quotes by George Washington, Ronald Reagan, GW Bush, and my all-time favorite, Dwight Eisenhower.

Friday Foto Feature...better late than never!

Photography by BratChild

A girl's best friend?


Reflections...


A Girl's Best Friend... Really!



Please take the time to check out the link below to To Write Love On Her Arms... an organization both BratChild and I whole-heartedly support!

It's THE right thing to do!

To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.


The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that each year approximately one million people die from suicide, which represents a global mortality rate of 16 people per 100,000 or one death every 40 seconds. It is predicted that by 2020 the rate of death will increase to one every 20 seconds.

Stop the Instantlies! It makes sense, really, it does!

Instant Gratification.

Instant Coffee. Instant Savings. Instant Tea. Instant Downloads. Instant Meals.
Instant Everything!

Like the 5 minutes it takes to brew a pot of joe, or download some iTunes is too long to wait?

There is an entire generation of people who expect everything to come to them Instantly.

Success. Money. Fame. Fortune.

Work ethic is nearly extinct from all the Instants floating around.

As those Polar Bears can tell you... things aren't getting any better.

Educations are barely minimum, motivation is sorely lacking. Just add a struggling world economy, an oil spill or 2, a few natural disasters and stir...

Instant Collapse of Civilzation as we know it.

A little less instant and more long-haul seems to be in order..

Time to dig in our heels and roll up our sleeves...

To stop expecting to find what you want just because you want it...

Not because it is deserved, or even earned..

Time to stop the Instants...


I think I'll start with my coffee... freshly brewed...


*** the above photo and corresponding article can be found at:
sealifearoundtheworld.blogspot.com

Sometimes she makes me so proud.... and others???

BratChild turned 13 last week.
For her birthday she received cold, hard cash.
And with that cash she wanted, no NEEDED, to go shopping for shorts and jeans.

So, to that end I took BratChild and her friend, KK, to THE MALL yesterday.
We spent hours walking leisurely along the aisles, dodging the vendors with stands in the middle...

The dental floss eye brow plucking lady... did you KNOW they actually hold the tension by PUTTING IT IN THEIR TEETH when they groom your brow line?
I find the sanitary-ness highly suspect... do NOT want used dental floss on my eyebrows!

The miracle hand & nail cream, buffer, cuticle remover from the DEAD SEA... no thank you... I already have it.
And YES I LOVE IT... but please DO NOT follow me around with the bottle of lotion after I say NO!

The sterling jewelry lady whose own rings have turned her fingers green... ummm, yeah. Nah!

Really, tooth whitening in a chair in the middle of THE MALL? Rinse and spit out in public? Have strangers watching them scrape then use the black light in your mouth so you now look like you have been irradiated and will die from radiation poisoning?
Not likely!

Photography studio... in the middle of THE MALL? Why yes, there is. Complete with costumes to change into, behind the curtain from 'The Wizard of OZ'. The one that didn't hide the Wizard either.
Thanks but I'll flash my flesh in private, thank you very much!

So- after much traversing the convoluted halls of THE MALL to avoid these charlatans, we found ourselves in PacSun with BratChild trying on shorts. Well, yes they were shorts, but really should be called TooShorts since that is what they are.

Is a 5-inch inseam too much to ask for, really?
I didn't think so, but after 4 hours of trying to find shorts that would not require a 13 year old to have a Brazilian Wax we left with nary a pair of shorts in the bags BratChild was laden down with.

She did get a bathing suit- yes it is a 2 piece, but it covers more than most and she wears t-shirts over them anyway (thank God since HeMan Hubby swears she is only 9 and would have a heart attack if he saw her looking like a young lady!).

She also stopped in Zumiez and bought some GLAMOUR KILLS "I heart boobies" bracelets. One for me, one for KK and a couple for herself.

In Hot Topic she found a selection of TWLOHA shirts to rival the sites online. She got herself one, the one she wanted but I couldn't find BEFORE her birthday.
She also bought one for KK- the one KK really liked online but could only order in PLUS sizes at the website. Not so great for a size 5 girl...

I was not thrilled to spend a Sunday at THE MALL, but was very happy with the charitable nature of BratChild by purchasing gifts for her friend, and me, with her money.

Sometimes she makes me SO PROUD...

and others...

Not so much...

But for now, I will be letting her live to her next birthday...
I did say, FOR NOW!

Friday Foto Feature.... thru the eyes of a girl who sees things in her own way

Everyday sights take on a new perpsective thru the lens of BratChild

Stairs to a tree-top lair



A simple boundary line fence









Things we see everyday, but never really notice
Become something magical, wonderful, when seen thru the eyes of someone who looks at the world just a little differently than the rest of us!



Please take time out of your busy day to check out TWLOHA-
BratChild's favorite Charity supporting IM ALIVE- The first LIVE Peer to Peer Suicide Prevention Service...


To Write Love On Her Arms- this YouTube video may be distressing, but the message NEEDS to be SEEN

Maybe I'll change MY name.... Just call me Lady D!

I wonder about really odd things sometimes.

Like basketball.
Well, not really basketball, but the team names.

The other night the Boston Celtics were playing the Orlando Magic.
The whole time I all I could think of was that if they are really from BOSTON...

Hello? Irish people unite...

They would be called the Celtics- with a K sound, not the Celtics with an S sound.
I mean, seriously, have you ever heard anyone talk about the Selts and the Picts and the Druids of Ireland?

Of course you haven't!

That then got me thinking about the names of other sports teams... or rather the new names of teams.

Like the Bullets had to change to the the Wizards because Wizards are not deadly?
Has NO ONE seen HARRY POTTER?

I mean that Voldemort guy kills people just by THINKING A WORD!
Really, Wizards are pretty scary if you think about it!

Then there are the Anaheim Ducks.
Oooo, just the thought of going up against a flock of Ducks strikes fear into the hearts of men... yeah, right.

And what's with the stadium and arena names changing too?

The Capital Center is now The Verizon Center. NO Verizons play there!
And Ravens Stadium is the M&T Bank Stadium. What is up with that?

Just like all the championship and bowl games seem to be called by the sponsoring products... The Bud Light Classic? The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl? The Kemper Open(these are not insurance agents playing a friendly round!) The Winston Cup... does the winner's cup come filled with cigarettes?

Why not call a thing a thing; or in this case name an event for someone great in that sport or for the team whose home field it is?

And why worry about the negative connotation of names like the Bullets, Redskins, Oilers, Braves...

I mean if you're going to go crazy about a bad name...

For crying out loud, do something about those Gamecocks!

We interrupt this broadcast...

Today's blog entry has been pre-empted to bring you this heartfelt and soul-wrenching post about what a HERO is...

For those who are used to my sometimes witty, and often satirical, view of the world, and myself, please indulge me.

HERO is such a small word, but it's meaning is greater than any can imagine, unless they have had the privilege to know a TRUE HERO.

I have been lucky enough to know TWO.

As I write this, a funeral is taking place, in a church, outside a small town in Maryland.

I can not be there in person, but am there in my heart, and know that the church is now over flowing with people showing their respect, and yes thanks, for the sacrifice made by a young man of 21, barely old enough to bUy a beer, but plenty old enough to shoulder the responsibility of leading a unit, of caring for his men, and willing to make the supreme sacrifice in their stead.


Marine Cpl. Kurt Shea is being laid to rest today. His family will say their last good-byes, his friends will say "See you later", knowing that when their times come, they will. He will be there waiting with a ready smile, his head tilted slightly, and a smart remark to make them feel at home.

How he died is not the reason he is a Hero, but the result.
His ideals, his convictions, and his allegiance to living a life true to them is what makes him a Hero.

Love of God, Love of Country, Love of Family... these are the truths he lived everyday.

As I was standing, waiting for the Memorial Service his DeMolay brothers were about to begin, I learned some distressing, but not surprising, information.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church were planning to demonstrate outside his funeral service today. This gave me pause. How can God-loving, self-described Christians, so negate the life of a man of honor and dignity?

Anger and sorrow filled me with contempt for these people.
Until I looked at the slide show of Kurt, detailing his short, but love filled life.

And I realized what he knew all along; saw him for the TRUE HERO he IS.

He fully understood, and took on the responsibility, of being one of THE ONES who make those people able to do what they do, say what they say.

And if not for the very ones they cry out against...

Where would they be?

This is for Kurt and his DeMolay Brother, Marine Sgt.Charles Cartwright, TWO HEROs I will remember and THANK GOD for...

Always.