Sunday Musings

On November 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia passed a resolution stating that "two Battalions of Marines be raised" for service as landing forces with the fleet. This resolution established the Continental Marines and marked the birth date of the U.S. Marine Corps.

There is no doubt that if you've been following my blog from the beginning, you know that I was raised by a Marine, not just any Marine but this guy...

I always tell people that I was raised in khaki diapers, being a child of a Marine meant you were part of that culture.

You stopped and stood when reveille was played at the flag was raised. Driving to work at the bank, I would pass the headquarters building, and at least once a week was going by when the flag was being raised for the day, yep, stop your car and get out. When retreat was played at the end of the day, even as a kid if you heard it, you stopped and faced the direction of the flag.

You said, "yes ma'am and no sir" ... never ever did you say "yep" to an adult, it just didn't happen.

You knew when you walked out the door, you represented your family, your name was theirs, and your decisions were based on how it would reflect on them.

We watched our mothers run a house and raise the kids while the fathers were off fighting for our country, 1 year or longer at a time, but always with the "wait till your father got home" and that still could put the fear of God in you to not do what you were doing that you weren't supposed to be doing.

The sound of my father's voice could bring tears to my eyes when he was mad or disappointed in me, and it could bring a smile to my face when he called me. I'm not sure if he actually ever said, "stop crying, or I'll give you something to cry about," but I'm sure he could have, yelling at me was enough to bring on the waterworks. You see, I never wanted to disappoint my father, I'm sure most of my friends raised by Marine fathers would say the same thing.

You see, I was raised by a Marine, discipline was key, respect of others, knock on doors before entering, never go into other people's personal space. You didn't go into your mother's purse or father's wallet, didn't snoop in drawers or medicine cabinets, that was rude, and we were raised to not be rude. Manners mattered, all the time!

You see...I was raised by a Marine...and by a mother that was married to a Marine...and the saying is true...Once a Marine - Always a Marine.

So Happy Birthday to all the Marine's out there! SEMPER FI

Until Next Time
Be Kind

Saturday Morning

Fall finally arrived this morning with a crisp, chilly morning and bright sunshine. Here in Virginia we never thought it would come, I was pretty sure we were going from summer directly into winter.

The leaves are still green on the trees or brown from our lack of rain...nothing like this tree from 2014

October 2014

This tree is across the street from our driveway, and in the early mornings when the sun is hitting it just right it appears as if it's on fire, today it's just green, we shall see how long it takes to show it's true colors.

We have a pup guest for the next week...Belle is visiting while her parents are road-tripping. Belle is the leader of our pack right now, the cats give her no mind, but both Bodhi and Symon listen to what she says, and she doesn't put up with any of their foolishness, it's fun to watch them all sort it out.

We're waiting for a bit of a warm-up so we can hit Lowes for stacking stones for my new flower bed that I need to spend the fall/winter prepping for next spring. 

Until Next Time

Be Kind

Sunday Morning on the Back Porch

I was enjoying my first cup of coffee this morning on the back porch, the pups were playing tug on a chew, the kitties exploring, birds chirping when suddenly it sounded like a small car was in my backyard. I was thinking what the heck, even Bodhi was thinking, what the heck.

After figuring out where the noise was coming from, the sky, Bodhi and I looked upward, and it was a low flying moped with a canopy...okay maybe it was an ultra-light plane, but it sounded like a moped in the sky.

Ultralight image courtesy Pixabay

I really shattered the morning quietness. My friend, Janet, formally of the Empty Nest in Old Town Warrenton and now Janet Metzger, Artist often talked about them flying around her property and pretty much said the same thing, they are loud and obnoxious. 

I can still hear him in the distance, but I can now also hear the crows cawing, the bluejays squawking, the chirp of the cardinals and the swish/buzzing of the hummingbirds...and yes the crickets and cicadas are still having a loud party. 

I think it's almost time for breakfast...how about some fresh bacon and tomatoes on a bagel?

Until Next Time

Be Kind

Happy Gotcha Day Symon

Someone is very sleepy today...and here is the reason why.

Symon Sez

We welcomed Symon into our home yesterday, and sleep is a little challenged for a few of us. We are kennel training, so that is one adjustment, he doesn't have his pack around him, another adjustment, and now he is the little guy in a house with a big boy, aka Bodhi Good Boy, and two kitties.

His early morning adventures included meeting Jack the Cat with a hiss and run, finding the spring door stop, learning where the a/c vents in the house are. This little boy does not like the heat, his Aunt Leslee and Uncle Scott brought him a fan for his welcome home gift, this will come in handy on the porch. 

I see a nap in my future and remember what I wrote early this week...Naps are healthy and good for you.

Until Next Time

Be Kind

Sleepy Musings

Let me get this out of the way and say that I LOVE sleep...there is nothing better than waking up without an alarm clock so you can imagine how excited I was when I closed the shop and knew that I didn't have to get up and get going early in the morning.

Well...after welcoming Jack the Cat and Harper Lee into the house my sleeping in was not to be had. Jack really is the culprit here, he starts pawing me between 4 and 5 am...and by pawing I mean with this claws out. I've tried gently taking him off the bed, telling him, NO, moving him away from my face, nothing works till I get frustrated and give him a shove off the bed...this works for about 45 minutes till he comes back. I'm still working on training the kitties with the word NO, everyone says squirting them with water but when one of you kitties likes to lay in a sink and doesn't mind if you turn on the water, not sure that will work. So if you have any ideas, bring them on.

Anyway, back to me and my love of sleep. We'll be welcoming Symon Sez home in a few days, so I know that will throw off my sleeping in, and I'll be okay with that because yesterday a news story was released that said: "napping was good for your health" and then I found this on WebMD.

Napping isn’t just for babies. Studies show that an afternoon nap is great for adults, too. There’s no need to feel lazy for indulging in daytime sleep. A short nap in the mid-afternoon can boost memory, improve job performance, lift your mood, make you more alert, and ease stress. Cozy up to these nap benefits.

Maybe I just need to change my mindset and get up early and take naps in the afternoon, what do ya think?

Until Next Time
Be Kind

Saturday Morning on the Back Porch

The leaves are tinged with a little orange, and the sun is streaming through the trees...
there is a nip in the early morning air
the deer nibble as they walk through the yard
the birds are chirping
a breeze rustles the leaves on the trees
fall is coming

Until Next Time
Be Kind

Friday Night Musings

It's Friday Night on the Back Porch...

It's how we do Friday's around here... Washington Nationals baseball and puppy dog snuggles...fingers crossed next Friday we'll be adding another puppy dog to the snuggle time.

Until Next Time
Be Kind