Posts tagged: fourth

It's So Beautiful 7/6/26

It's So Beautiful 7/6/26

Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesty, above the fruited P*L*A*I*NNNN ...

America America God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea


How was your fourth?   It's unlike me to not lean heavily into any holiday, let alone our wonderful nation's 250th.  I can barely type the words to America the Beautiful* without shedding a tear.  Those words have always turned on the faucet for me, even before we sung it at my father's memorial service.   And I've already decided that we'll be singing it at mine some day too.

Yet over the last few weeks, I've been so busy running from place to place, I've barely had time to noodle over how to wear the stars and stripes and favorite ways to serve hot dogs and watermelon - which are secretly two of my favorite foods.  (If you're craving a deeper dive into what the Fourth of July means to me, you'll find it here).

My fourth was actually a different kind of red white & blue -  I returned in the wee hours of July 3rd from Brittany.  READ MORE

Read more

Shell yeah

Shell yeah
How was your weekend?  Full of fresh watermelon and blueberries, I hope.  With the Fourth now fully in our rear view mirror, we are officially in the throes of summer.   Shell yeah (in this use, "yeah" is pronounced with a minimum of two syllables).   Remember last January, when we were DREAMING about sultry summer days like this? 

Last Thursday, July 4th, I had the unique privilege of bearing witness to 74 individuals as they turned THEIR DREAMS into reality.   On the West Lawn of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, these 74 men and women from 36 countries took the oath of citizenship to become our newest fellow Americans.   READ MORE

Read more

Americana Pie 6/24/24

Americana Pie 6/24/24

We know that we live in a much divided country.  But maybe it's our right to be divided that should unite us.  Today's note is about standing together to wave our grand old flag.    Rooting for the underdog.  Reaching for the stars.  And with the Fourth of July fast upon us, how about remembering those long ago words,

"That we mutually pledge to each other, 
Our Lives, Our Fortunes,
Our Sacred Honor."

READ MORE

Read more

Simple Pleasures 7/3/23

Simple Pleasures 7/3/23
Porch swings
Stopping at lemonade stands 
Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

This was going to be a short note about simple summer pleasures.  Tomatoes.  Old friends.  Making a new friend.  Reading aloud to a child.  Fireflies.   Someone told me they have a rule:  always stop at lemonade stands.   READ MORE

Read more

Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue 6/19/23

Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue 6/19/23
Everyone in my husband's family loves chocolate.  Me, not such a fan.   I like strawberries.  And blueberries.  And with downcast eyes,  l do hereby humbly confess, I like white chocolate sometimes too.  I know, it does taste like soap and it's not even chocolate.  I also am a big fan of the red, white and blue.     READ MORE

Read more