Friday, July 4, 2014

Thankful for the Land that I Love and Other Stuff

Happy 238th Birthday, America! Our neighborhood puts on a wonderful patriotic 4th of July party every year, complete with flag raising, speakers, patriotic music (including a sing-along of "God Bless America"), and lots of food. Usually, it's hotter than blue blazes, but some freakish weather system brought us a delightful morning of low humidity and cooler temperatures than usual.


The flag bearer and Miss Liberty (aka my daughter)
2006


The flag bearer (second from left) and Miss Liberty
2014



We're a festive crowd.


1. I'm thankful to be an American, corny as it sounds. Our country has its problems (and whose doesn't?), but it's a pretty awesome place to live.

2. This week began with a snake in my house. I am not thankful for that. I AM thankful that there was only one and it was very small and very dead. If you didn't read about this yet, you need to fix that.



3. The other evening, everyone in the family (plus Ruby and Fletcher) was in my room, and there was no room for ME, so I took my laptop down to the living room and laid down on the couch and enjoyed the solitude. Is it bad to be thankful to be left alone in my own house for an hour or two?

4. It's no secret at our house that Pete, our 9 year old cat, hates Ruby with every fiber of his being, and he shuns me for bringing her into this life. A large reason for his shunning of me is because Ruby follows me everywhere I go. But the evening I went down to the living room by myself, she was in my room, sleeping in a chair and, due to the other commotion of kids and husband and cats and tv, she didn't realize I left the room. Pete was sleeping in a chair in the living room, and when he realized I was on the couch and Ruby was nowhere to be found, he came over, jumped up on my stomach (oof!) and laid there with me for about twenty minutes. Then Ruby realized I was missing and came down the stairs, and Pete flounced off with a hiss in her direction (and probably mine). Oh well, it was nice while it lasted....




5. Thursday, my daughter and I decided to enjoy a little girl time by going to a movie together. Despite my husband and son insisting it was going to be a stupid waste of money, she and I went to see "Tammy." (I think it's only fair to ask that I be nominated for Mom of the Year for taking my 15 year old to a raunchy, R-rated movie.) Is the movie going to win an Academy Award? Not a chance. Did we laugh all the way through it? Sure did! 

6. Not only did we enjoy seeing the movie, we (and I would like Mrs. Always Random to take note of this) didn't pay a dime for any of it, because I had a gift card that I forgot I had. Cha-ching!

7. Pretty much ever since we have lived back in Missouri, we have spent July 3 with my husband's sister and her family. We spend the day at the pool, eating, talking, and swimming, and the evening at my in-laws' house, eating dinner together, then setting off fireworks. We've gone from little ones who were excited to watch smoke bombs and sparklers to teenagers who can drive themselves to the fireworks stand (CAN, but don't, because they still want their grandad to come along and finance the operation) and set off all the fireworks themselves. My sister in law's family lives in Tulsa, which is only 2 hours away, but with the busy lives we all lead, we don't get to spend much time together. Our 3rd of July tradition is pretty sacred to us.

8. Spray sunscreen fail at our family outing, and I now have a sunburned strip on my right boob. I tried to take a tasteful picture of it, but that was pretty much a fail, too. The thankful here is that, thanks to my reconstruction-induced numb boobies, I can't feel a thing. First pain-free sunburn of my life!

9. My dad shot off a flare gun just after we watched a huge fireworks display put on just across the lake from my parents' house, and he didn't hit the boat that was sitting in the middle of the lake. If the police don't come knocking on the door and arrest him, then this will be TWO things of thankful.

10. Last weekend, my friend Zoe at Rewritten wrote about her chickens, many of whom have names. I told her my great aunt Daisy had a pet chicken (back in the early 1900s). Due to an unfortunate raccoon incident, Zoe found herself down four chickens (that means the raccoon ate them). A friend offered her four chicks to replace the ones who became popcorn chicken, and (THIS IS SO FREAKING COOL) she named one of them Daisy Dillon! Let me tell you, my great aunt would have been tickled pink to have a chicken named after her, as I am now. Well, part of the pink is my sunburned boobie, but believe me, I'M TICKLED!


Meet Daisy Dillon. Hopefully,
she won't become a snack wrap
for the raccoons.

Daisy Jefferson with her pet chicken
ca. 1912


In closing, may I say that if the police show up at my parents' door to arrest my dad for shooting that flare that landed less than 10 feet away from a boat, probably causing the occupants of said boat to crap their pants, I WAS RIGHT HERE THE WHOLE TIME, TYPING THIS POST, AND I KNOW NOTHING.

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41 comments:

  1. The flag bearer and Miss Liberty are beautiful.
    And I am saying hello to Daisy Dillon.

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    1. Thank you, Romi! Daisy Dillon is going to have quite a fan club!

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  2. Holy wow am I first over here today???
    This is a great post - snakes and all. The third of July tradition is fabulous - I love our little tradition here, too. Those are the things that make great memories - even (or maybe because of) stories like the flare landing near that boat and making people crap themselves!
    That is the cutest Miss Liberty on the planet - precious!
    Solitude in one's own home is definitely a thing of thankful. Guilt-free.

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    1. You were SO CLOSE, Lisa! Romi beat you by a few minutes.
      Nothing to be thankful for when it comes to that snake, except that it was dead.
      I love our 3rd of July tradition! The kids were preschoolers when we started. They are 19, 18, 15, 15, and 11 now.
      Wasn't she a darling Miss Liberty? She was very excited because we bought her an outfit at Old Navy just to be Miss Liberty.
      I don't know how I managed to hide out in my own home for two hours with everyone home, but I did it!

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  3. I just went back and looked at those 4th celebration pics again - are you people all really wearing red, white, and blue??? That is AWESOME!
    And we are enjoying that freakish weather system here, too - divine!

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    1. YES, EVERYONE WEARS RED, WHITE AND BLUE! It's like an ugly Christmas sweater party, only the patriotic version. And the older people who have been coming to this party for 50 years (seriously, it's been going on 50 years) have been wearing the same stuff for years. And they aren't kidding about it!

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  4. Oh my word, I love that photo of Aunt Daisy! How fun to have a chick named after her!
    When you started telling the story of the sunburn, my first thought was, "I wonder if she even fells it?" Glad to hear you don't, but don't do that again!
    Also glad that you got to spend a little one on one time with old cranky cat.
    It was great to see that precious photo of your daughter pop up on Facebook. Every time someone commented, it moved to the top of my feed. It made me smile whenever I saw it.

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    1. I never knew that photo existed, then my brother posted it on my facebook status.
      Can't feel a thing! Best sunburn EVAH! I had to use the spray kind because my kids left the bottle of sunscreen (the normal kind) in the dining room, where they stood to put it on before they left.
      Wasn't she just presh in that picture? So serious!

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  5. great thankful list - we do live an amazing country - troubles and all there's no place like it.So you celebrate the Eve LOL -awesome. We were rained out yesterday but the best part the festivities continue today and tomorrow - next time use the sunscreen - i should talk I rarely put it on. but then again I don't get out much. have a lovely weekend :)

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    1. We started celebrating the evening before, because our town has a big celebration the day and night of the 4th, and we can see the fireworks from our house. In fact, they set them off from a hill about 1/4 mile from our house.
      The sunscreen fiasco was because my kids took the sunscreen out of the bag and used it at home, then left it there. I was stuck with the spray on kind, which I consider only good for reapplications.
      Enjoy your weekend! Happy 4th!

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  6. Oh you do always make me larf! I hope that #8 turned into two things and the police weren't called!

    So sweet that Pete came to snuggle with you again once the coast was clear. I hope he gradually unclenches about this!

    Your traditions for the 3rd and 4th sound absolutely divine - I've enjoyed seeing your pictures all over the place, too, and how lovely to have such longstanding things that you do, with your community, to celebrate together. THAT'S how it should be :) I love the progressive pictures of the kids there :)

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    1. We are so far, so good on #8. In my dad's defense, the boat did not have any lights turned on, and they are required to. Doesn't help that my dad's vision is crap.
      Poor old Pete! Really wish he'd get over it.We have such a nice time together when he's not snarling and hissing!
      I wish you could be here for our neighborhood's 4th celebration! It is so stinkin' patriotic!
      One of the boys in the picture was acting like he didn't want his picture taken (mostly joking, the one with the mop of curly hair). I told him I had changed his diaper and he'd do what I told him to do!

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  7. So tired... maybe when I am not tired, I will have something more coherent to say.
    today was very, very tiring, consisting mostly of picking and processing gooseberries at my in-laws 1hr45mins away and watching fireworks on the reservation and getting home at midnight.

    Gonna take some time to process all the photos and videos Cimmy and Princess (our daughter) took. Your 4th looks awesome. I am SO behind on TToT, I think. Again, I am tired.

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    1. I am not a fan of gooseberries, but my mother sure is! Feel free to send me enough for a pie for her :)
      Hope you've gotten some rest and enjoyed your holiday!

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  8. Sunscreen "misses" are the worst, I am glad this one was pain-free at least.

    Love that the cat decided to come around when he could have you to himself. :-)

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    1. This burn is a beaut! So glad I can't feel it. Who says there are no silver linings with breast cancer? :)
      Pete was my big, fat baby until Ruby came along. He's 26 pounds of snarl and hiss right now.

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  9. I have taken note and I am UBER impressed :) Nicely done, my friend!

    And I LOVE the picture of your aunt Daisy with her pet chicken...awesome! :)

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    1. Very exciting to find a $50 unused gift card! Wheeee!
      Isn't that an awesome picture? I can only guess that she was about 12.

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  10. Your kids are adorable. The Fourth is always fun. But isn't it the dream of every mom/woman to have alone time in their own homes? I can certainly relate.

    Val

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    1. Thanks! I think the 4th and Thanksgiving are such wonderful American holidays!
      I got to spend a few days alone in a hotel in NYC for the only time since I've been married and had kids (meaning 21 years) and it was awesome! Didn't have to think about getting up and cleaning something and could just enjoy the solitude!

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  11. That photo of your aunt is wonderful! I bet she never imagined that she would be remembered 100 years later by having a chicken named after her!

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  12. A happy 4th, Dyanne, and I"m giving a cluck to Daisy Dillon too!!

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    1. Thanks, Michelle! I'm sure Daisy Dillon is going to give you a peep peep back!

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  13. I love, love, love that photo of your aunt Daisy. Love. So glad you had a happy holiday!

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  14. Spray lotion...oh my son got a vicious rash from it! I can see how you don't get much coverage.
    Happy fourth. Your neighborhood sounds wicked awesome! My childhood neighborhood was the same. Made for great memories that's for sure. I'm glad that you respect the holiday for what it is supposed to mean...flag raising...now that is bad ass.
    My husband is a half breed...mom is 'Murican. We don't celebrate it though...true Canuck July 1st up in here. But we do have fireworks...that we buy in the US...so it's kind of the same-ish.

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    1. I think spray sunscreen is fine for reapplications, but I always make everyone lather up with the real lotion before we start out. Which is fine unless your kids leave the real lotion at home where they were putting it on before they left the house.
      They've been doing this flag raising for 50 years, and it is a fantastic tradition. Usually they find a cub scout to help with the flag raising, like in the picture of my daughter and my friend's son from 2006.
      I knew it was Canada Day on July 1, but didn't know you got fireworks out of it, too. They don't sell fireworks in Canada? And you don't have trouble taking them over the border from the US?

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  15. I read the snake blog the other night and never got back to comment...only have my phone some times and it sucks at comments... but anyhow... laughed so loud a nurse asked what was up and I let her read your post... she howled at Ruby photos ... and said she was gonna make the breadsticks for a picnic she had to bring something to on the fourth... ha! Love the Aunt Daisy photo...now I wanna go try to set one up that looks like that although I dont know where I will find the outfit! I will get a new photo of ms. dillon up soon... she is getting big and has little black spots all over her feathers... adorable!

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    1. See, I always wanted to help someone with my blog, and now your nurse had breadsticks to take to her picnic.
      I would really like to see you dressed like my great aunt Daisy and holding a chicken. My mom said my great aunt said the chicken used to roost at night on the back of a dining room chair, and they spread paper under her to catch her poo.

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  16. ok… I think I can see the resemblance … oh, sorry, this is a totally un-related animal being named after, which makes you sort of Spirit Human Fairy Human… or something. I enjoyed the snake story…cats can be funny (Ola did something similar with a rabbit, not so much played with it, as present it to us as dinner. Such a considerate dog she was).

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    1. Well, Daisy was short and a little broad, so there's a similarity there.
      The snake story is horrific at best.

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  17. Love that bitty snake. I love them when they are bitty. As adults not so much. But I would love to have a huge harmless black snake living under our house to keep the rodents at bay. And ditto the comments about Aunt Mary and the chicken. Awesome photo.

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    1. My husband keeps trying to tell me the snake was hardly more than a big worm, but I'm not buying it. We have 3 cats to keep the rodents at bay; NO NEED FOR YOU SNAKES, SO GO AWAY.

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  18. I'm also thankful to be an American. Not in a patriotic way (cause I'm not really) but you're right, it's a lovely place to live. Happy 4th!

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  19. Your local community celebrations for July 4 look wonderful - and I love the comparison from 2006 to 2014. I can very much tell they are the same flag bearer and Miss Liberty.

    Yay for painless sunburns! And the chicken story is awesome. Hi Daisy Dillon! - Louise

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    1. Can't believe those two babies from 2006 are going to be sophomores in high school this fall!

      I have discovered that, while I cannot feel pain, I can feel itch. Starting to itch.

      I am so excited about Daisy Dillon! I hope she proves to be a good chicken, laying eggs and all, and smart enough to evade the coons.

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  20. Were you a Hogan's Heroes fan??? I hear Sgt. Schultz. ;)

    Miss Liberty was/is stinking cute!!!

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  21. I love those impromptu "star parent" moments. They are so fleeting and so wonderful to capture in a TToT post to be immortalized on the WWW. Maybe I'll be able to find the "proof" and show it to my kids when I'm a grandma. LOL What a cute namesake chick. I have a mental disconnect between having a garden and working a garden, and having chickens and "keeping chickens." One day, I might take the dirty plunge. Glad the firework didn't do too much damage. Blessings~

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  22. Wow, what an All-American 4th of July. The crowd is perfectly dressed for it. Miss Liberty is a real American Beauty. There were boats, fireworks, at least one person who was inadequately supervised for the fire power he was wielding, and chicken (granted normally the chicken is fried, but still!)
    Happy 4th~May

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