Thank you

In 1918, on the eleventh hour in the eleventh day in the eleventh month, the world rejoiced and celebrated. After four years of bitter war, an armistice was signed and "the war to end all wars" was over.

The Original Poem handwritten by the author

This is a picture taken during the battle in Flanders during WWI

November 11, 1919: President Woodrow Wilson proclaims the first Armistice Day, proclaiming: "To us in America, the reflections of armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…" The original concept for the celebration was for the suspension of business for a two minute period beginning at 11 A.M., with the day also marked by parades and public meetings.

To all veterans, especially the WWII Veterans like my father, who is 85 and now in a nursing home.  They were "The Greatest Generation"

THANK YOU for keeping our country free.

Flashback Wednesday

Flashback #1:  "there's something in the fog!!!!!!!!!" 

Sheesh was it foggy this morning! I felt just like Adreinne Barbeau freaking out because I could not see a damn thing driving into work.  The fog lasted for about 60 of the 86 miles to work.  I fully expected some ghost pirates to jump out at me.  Only to discover that when I hit them it would be a deer instead.  Fortunately, that didn't happen. 

Flashback #2 - "does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours..." 

35 years ago the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior during a storm that most consider worse than any atlantic hurricane.  God rest the souls of the 29 crewmen aboard. 

Flashback #3 - "I want my maypo"  - 

mainly because I love it.  And i wanted it for breakfast.  The jelly beans were a good alternative though. (yeah yeah yeah, diabetic, blah blah blah.  I needed sugar) 

The weird stuff always happens to me

Note to self: the next time ycou get a brilliant idea to carve pumpkins and hang them from a tree, DON'T!!

Although it looked VERY COOL, and the neighbors and kids loved it, the pumpkins WILL NOT appreciate being strung up and will attack you when you and your neighbors cut them down.

So, as I'm picking up a pumpkin from the ground near the tree, one of my neighbors is standing on the ICY ROCKS around the tree cutting down one of the pumpkins.  Flash to feet slipping on rocks and pumpkin hurtling to the ground.  Except that I am in between said pumpkin and the ground.  As the pumpkin is hurtling towards sure death and dismemberment, it decides to get it's final revenge on me by stabbing me in the back of the hand with it's sharp stem.  Immediately my hand went numb and I could not feel anything or move it.  Blood gushes everywhere and I run inside to get a towel to stop it and throw a bag of frozen peas on it to keep the swelling down.  Oh, and thank you dear insane neighbors for your fits of laughter, I appreciate it.  Thankfully the x-rays showed no fracture.  The numbness went away in about 3 hours, the bruise is massive and my fingers look like sausages.

I swear when I went back outside in the darkness to finish cleaning up, I heard the laughter of demented pumpkins.

Well played pumpkin, well played.