It's so hard to start a post on the first day of a new year without sounding cliche! Here it is with the first day of 2011 nearly over, and I haven't made a post yet because I can't come up with an opening line that isn't corny, LOL!

This is the first New Year that the Amazing Egyptian Dude and I have spent apart. He's been in Egypt since October and won't be home until January 11th. I suppose if we were much younger it would have been horrible to have spent New Year's Eve on different continents but considering that we seldom make it past 10 o'clock anyway, it's not such a big deal.

The kids came over to spend the evening with me and Melody. We enjoyed our traditional jumbo platter of Red Lobster shrimp cocktail and various other finger foods through the evening and although we were prepared to play games and watch movies until it was time to ring in the New Year, I pooped out somewhere around 9 after having a sleepless night on Thursday. They, along with the niece, will be back in a couple of hours so that we can finish what we started yesterday and this time, I am determined to make it until at least 11!

I don't make New Year's resolutions but for those of you who do, I wish you success in fulfilling them. I pray that 2011 is a better year for all of us than 2010 has been for most of us. And for myself, I hope that I can get my blogging mojo back and post more frequently like I used to!

My list is inspired by song from the Dixie Chicks' album, Taking the Long Way.




I hope . . .

(1) . . . that the people who face the possibility of losing their homes will find the help they need in time.

(2) . . . that I will one day scale Laundry Mountain, conquering it once and for all.

(3) . . . that the fleas of a thousand camels will infest the armpits of Kanye West for his lack of civility during and after the VMAs.

(4) . . . that General Motors' new marketing plan succeeds in helping to rebuild buyers' confidence in their products so that the company doesn't go completely under.

(5) . . . that the cold I am fighting off doesn't amount to much of anything.

(6) . . . that this latest stock market rally lasts long enough for folks to recover at least a significant portion of what they lost when it collapsed several months ago.

(7) . . . that summer leaves soon so that fall can arrive!

(8) . . . that more people will start to live by the notion that wanting for your neighbor what you want for yourself is a good thing.

(9) . . . that the heatwave we're supposed to experience over the next few days isn't bad enough to trigger more fires.

(10) . . . that in our upcoming gubernatorial election, we Californians will remember that just because someone has experience on the big screen doesn't mean that he or she will know what to do in the big house in Sacramento!

(11) . . . that our latest container, which is scheduled to arrive at the port in Long Beach in the second week of October, doesn't have a long and drawn out hold up at Customs -- we need the products in it like last week!

(12) . . . that I get a chance to learn how to sync my Google calendar to my iPhone this weekend.

(13) . . . that the Muslims of the world have a wonderful Eid celebration! For those who don't know, Eid is the holiday that comes at the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting.

For anyone who doesn't already know, today marks the first day of the month of Ramadan for the Muslims of the world. For the next 29 or 30 days, depending on the lunar calendar, from the time one can distinguish a black thread from a white just before sunrise until the sun begins to dip over the horizon at sunset, Muslims on every continent around the globe will (well, at least we're supposed to) abstain from the following things:

• drinking of any kind -- yes, peeps, that includes water
• eating
• smoking
• sex
• swearing, name calling, and bad behavior in general
  
• war -- unless attacked and must act defensively

From sunrise until sunset, Muslims will engage in "sawm," which is the Arabic word for "to be at rest," but which we call fasting in English. So how did we get from "to be at rest" to fasting, which seems hardly restful at all? Let me explain . . .

Ramadan comes in the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, which is lunar. This means that over a lifetime, Muslims will fast during every season of the year -- when the days are long and hot in the summer and when they are short and cool in the winter. It begins with the sighting of the new moon that marks the beginning of a new month and ends when the lunar cycle is complete and the next new moon comes.

“Sawm” is one of the five pillars upon which the faith of Islam is built. From puberty onward, all able-bodied Muslims are expected to fast every day, from dawn to dusk. Fasting is not meant to be a hardship, however, so there are exceptions made for

• people who must take medication on a regular schedule
• pregnant, nursing, or menstruating women
• women who are still bleeding after childbirth, even if they are not nursing
  
• children
• the ill
• travelers

While we are exempted from fasting, we are not excused from participating in the spiritual and communal aspects of Ramadan; therefore, people who cannot fast must donate the equivalent of a day’s food for each day that they do not fast or feed someone who cannot feed him or herself. This provides a sort of trickle-down effect, if you will, ensuring that everyone enjoys the spiritual aspects of Ramadan while meeting the needs of even the weakest members of society.

Every year when Ramadan rolls around, especially if it happens to fall in the hot summer months, people will ask me why Muslims torture themselves this way. They seem especially shocked to learn that we continue on with the day's business, go to work or school, and somehow manage to survive without even a drink of water for sometimes 13 to 14 hours a day. So why do we do it? Let me count the ways . . .

First, fasting is meant to provide a means by which a human being can improve his or her moral and spiritual character. It helps to develop and strengthen self-restraint, self-purification, remembrance of God, compassion, the spirit of caring and sharing, the love of humanity and the love of God. Fasting is not unique to Muslims; it is a universal custom and is advocated by all the religions of the world, with more restrictions in some than in others. For Muslims, fasting is not mere starvation or self-denial. Fasting is an act of worship and obedience to God; it is a time of thanksgiving, forgiveness, spiritual training, and self-examination.

Next, Ramadan gives us a break and provides us with a rare opportunity to think about our own selves, our future, and our families. It's a time when we can give ourselves permission to take a mental break and forget, even if only temporarily, about the gazillions of worries and stresses that plague our daily lives. This valuable time for self-reflection is a desperately needed luxury! Ramadan is a unique month when we allow ourselves the time needed to take an inventory of our moral and spiritual assets and liabilities, analyze them, and set in place a plan of action for improvement.

I haven't found anything that taught me more, or better, about patience, unselfishness, and gratitude than fasting. When you go hungry and thirsty -- remember, peeps, there's no water! -- during the months of June, July, or August in Southern California during Daylight Savings Time when the daylight hours drag on forever and ever, believe me when I tell you that you learn how to endure the pains of deprivation and hunger with patience! The upside to this experience, though, is that it has made me much quicker to sympathize with the oppressed and needy of the world and definitely more willing to respond to their needs. I experienced these feelings for only thirty days each year and cannot imagine what it must be like to endure it for a lifetime! Likewise, it has reminded me that even on my worst of days now that I am unable to fast, my life is still so much easier than the lives of millions of other people around the world.

When Ramadan ends, Muslims celebrate one of our two holidays. Eid-ul-Fitr, or the Festival of the Fast Breaking, is also called the small holiday (the big one is celebrated at the end of the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca). At the dawn prayer following the last day of fasting, the Muslims of the world will gather in mosques in huge congregations for a special prayer service. In the area where I live, this service has been held at the Anaheim Convention Center for several years because none of the local mosques are large enough to hold everyone.

So to put all of this into a neat little package, Ramadan is a month of fasting and learning. It is a time when we try to discipline our soul and moral behavior, to strengthen our sympathy for the less fortunate, and to remember to be always thankful to God for what we have no matter how little it is because there is always someone whose situation is worse.

To my Muslim readers and friends, Ramadan Kareem. To my readers and friends who are not Muslims, I hope that you now have a little bit more understanding of what this month means to us.

Today is the official birthday of the United States of America. It's a day of celebration all over the country. Barbeques, fireworks displays, patriotic music, and displays of stars and stripes in red, white, and blue will appear from sea to shining sea throughout the day. The Amazing Egyptian Dude and I wish you all a Fabulous Fourth!

I'll post the answers after Disneyland's fireworks show tonight.

1. Who signed the Declaration of Independence first?

2. Which country was America's first foreign ally?

3. Two former presidents both died on July 4, 1826. Do you know who they are?

4. This American author, fond of the color red and the first letter of the alphabet, was born on July 4, 1804. Who is he?

4. Only one American president was born on July 4. Do you know which one?

5. Which state has the oldest continuous July 4th celebration?

See what I get for encouraging my dad to start blogging? He's one-upped me with his most recent post for the Fourth because what took me 13 entries to accomplish, he did with a paragraph and an awesome video! Please check it out, and be sure to watch the video -- I hadn't ever heard it until just a few minutes ago.

• Please Turn Back the Years
  

Way to go, Dad!

The tapestry of American patriotic music is as rich and varied as her people. Hymns, marches, national songs, poetry, military themes, and music from the theater, television, and radio combine to reflect the pride and hope embodied in the American Experience. With the celebration of our independence just two days away, my list is about American Patriotic Music. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it.

1. America the Beautiful
Katharine Lee Bates wrote the lyrics for "America the Beautiful" while on a lecture trip to Colorado in 1893 after being inspired by a trek up Pike's Peak in a prairie wagon. Originally sung to any tune that fit the lyrics -- "Auld Lang Syne" was the most popular, "America the Beautiful" didn't have its own melody until 1882 when Samuel Augustus Ward, a New Jersey church organist, composed one for it. Thereafter, the song has been sung the way we recognize it now.


2. My Country 'Tis of Thee
While we know that Reverend Samuel Francis Smith wrote the lyrics for this song in 1831, the mystery surrounding the composition of its melody remains unsolved. The tune's first appearance in a verifiable form is in the 1744 tune book, Thesaurus Musicus, printed in England. It has been used mostly for songs honoring kings and became the national anthem in 6 countries before making its way across the ocean to America.


3. Battle Hymn of the Republic
Julia Ward Howe, a staunch abolitionist, rewrote the lyrics to a very popular song among the Union troops during the Civil War. The soldiers called the song "John Brown's Body" in honor of John Brown, the abolitionist killed at Harpers Ferry. But after visiting Washington, D.C. with her husband in 1861 and hearing Union soldiers marching to the tune, Julia determined to write lyrics that better suited the majesty of the music. The end result is the song that we now know and love.


4. When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again
The story of one of the most popular songs of the American Civil War is also the story of the Irish immigrant who wrote it. John Philip Sousa considered Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore, an 1848 Irish immigrant and author of the song, "The Father of the American Band." In 1861, Gilmore's band was attached to the 24th Massachusetts Infantry where they served as both musicians and stretcher bearers in some of the most significant Civil War battles including Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Richmond. In 1863, when he was posted to occupied New Orleans, Louisiana, Gilmore composed "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." The song became popular with northerners and southerners alike.


5. You're a Grand Old Flag
I love the story of this song! Written for his stage musical, George Washington, Jr. in 1906, George M. Cohan's inspiration came from a random meeting he had had with a Civil War veteran who, like my great-great grandfather, had fought at Gettysburg. Cohan noticed that the old man was holding a carefully folded but ragged old flag and when the old man saw Cohan looking at it, he said, "She's a grand old rag." That old man's comment about a cherished battle-worn flag became the original title of the song; however, when people objected to the flag being called a "rag," he changed the word to "flag." Maybe if Cohan had explained why he titled the song the way he did, people would have reacted more positively to it because its meaning with the original title and lyric is much more powerful!


6. Hail to the Chief
Did you know that this song, which plays with every formal entrance made by an American president, actually has its origins in a poem written by a Scotsman? Sir Walter Scott's poem, "The Lady of the Lake," tells the story of a Highlands Scottish clan that loses its heritage and land to an imperalist invader (the Brits): "Hail to the Chief who in triumph advances!" The song first came to be associated with presidents when, on February 22, 1815, it was played honor both the deceased George Washington and the end of the War of 1812.


7. Marine's Hymn
The tune for this song actually came from Jacques Offenbach's comic opera Genevieve de Brabant, first staged in 1859. Nobody knows who added the lyrics or when, but at least one verse has been traced to Colonel Henry C. Davis who wrote it during the early part of the twentieth century.


8. Stars and Stripes Forever (check out the video for this one!)
John Philip Sousa was the greatest musical star of his era, combining the charisma and popularity of Leonard Bernstein and The Beatles. He wrote "Stars and Stripes Forever" in 1896, while grieving over the death of his manager. For 25 years, Sousa's band played this song at the end of every concert. "The Stars and Stripes Forever" was declared the National March of the United States in 1987.


9. Yankee Doodle
This is one of America's oldest, and most enduring, marching songs. It was written several years before the American Revolution, but like so many songs of old, its origins aren't clear. What we do know about it is that the song isn't really as patriotic as it seems: it is a British parody of the early American militiamen. "Yankee" comes from "Nankey," a word from a well-known not-so-nice song about Oliver Cromwell that later became the name for American colonists; "Doodle" means a fool or simpleton; "Dandy" is a word used to describe a gentleman of artificial manners, dress, and hairstyle -- in other words, a fake. Put these three words together, Yankee Doodle Dandy, and you have a foolish American colonist who puts on airs. At the battles of Lexington and Concord, the British troops sang the song to make fun of the rag-tag American militiamen.


10. This Land Is Your Land
Woody Guthrie, America's most influential folk musician, wrote "This Land Is Your Land" in 1940 after becoming annoyed with Irving Berlin's song, "God Bless America," which Guthrie thought glossed over the lop-sided distribution of land and wealth that he was observing during the Great Depression and had experienced as a child growing up in Oklahoma. Guthrie's observations accurately reflected the fact that, even in the depths of the Depression, nearly 20 percent of the nation's wealth rested with one percent of its population. Guthrie's personal and musical styles were deeply influenced by his childhood in rural Oklahoma during the Great Depression years, which led him to a hobo life-style, a powerful dislike of greed, and a deep appreciation for the diversity of America's everyday folk.


11. God Bless America
Shortly after becoming an American citizen in 1918, Irving Berlin, already a highly successful popular lyricist and composer, was inducted and stationed at Camp Upton in Yaphank, Long Island, New York. While stationed there, Berlin convinced his commanding officers to allow him to write a musical comedy that could be used to raise both funds and troop morale, and the original version of this song was part of this production. But after he heard the song, Berlin decided that it was too serious for a comedy and tucked it away for 25 years. On November 10, 1938, contralto Kate Smith introduced the song to America on her CBS radio show that was broadcast from the New York World's Fair. Timing is everything; the song became an instant hit. Berlin generously signed over his royalty money from the song to charity, and the revenues went to the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts of America.


12. God Bless the U.S.A.
Lee Greenwood, a country music artist, wrote "God Bless the USA" in 1983 as a patriotic song about his country. When it was originally released, it didn't top the charts; however, it quickly became Greenwood's signature song. When the Amazing Egyptian Dude was sworn in as a U.S. Citizen, this is the song that played in accompaniment to a video showing scenes of what it means to an American. We already knew the song because we have been fans of Greenwood's music for quite some time, so the AED was thrilled when the song blared out from the loudspeakers at the Los Angeles Convention Center on the day that he officially became an American in 1986. If you've never been lucky enough to witness the swearing in of a new American citizen, check out this video; the song & video we saw is at 8:05. I guarantee goosebumps!


13. The Star Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key put new words to an old song when he wrote what would become the national anthem of the United States of America. In the mid-1760s, a London society of amateur musicians, the Anacreontic Society, commissioned a young church musician, John Stafford Smith, to compose music for material that its president, Ralph Tomlinson, had written. The result was a song called "Anacreon in Heav'n." Its metric difficulty was meant to be the vehicle through which the group's best bariton singer could display his virtuosity and vocal range. Its musical complexity has been compared to the famous "Toreador Song" in Bizet's opera Carmen. The tune appeared in North America before the end of the 18th century where the lyrics were rewritten to include references to Jefferson, Adams, and Liberty. Francis Scott Key was fascinated by the song's unique metrical structure, not found in any other song of the period. That explains why it's so difficult for the average person to sing!

So, how did it become our national anthem? While detained aboard a British ship during the bombardment of Ft. McHenry on September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key witnessed at dawn the failure of the British attempt to take Baltimore. He used this experience to write a poem that asked the question "Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave?" or in modern American English, "Hey, Dude, is that flag still flying?"

Almost immediately Key's poem was published and set to the tune of the "Anacreontic Song." The Secretary of the Navy, on July 26, 1889, designated "The Star Spangled Banner" as the official tune to be played whenever the flag was raised, and Woodrow Wilson chose the song to be played whenever a national anthem was appropriate because we didn't have one yet. It wasn't until March 3, 1931, that the song was made our official anthem by President Herbert Hoover.

A couple of days ago, I got a phone call from my dad. He and my stepmom were out of town but would be coming home on Saturday, and he wanted to know if I they could stop by on their way because he had bought me a "little gift." When The Brain takes over, keeping track of the days of the week often becomes a challenge for me so when my dad called me yesterday to see where I was, I was surprised. The Brain had recorded the day that they would stop by as Friday and when they didn't, I just figured that they were too tired. No problem, though, they just came over to the business where I was.


When they walked in, my dad had a shopping bag in his hand and when he passed it off to me, he said, "Happy Father's Day, Carleen!" Confused and thinking that I was obviously not the only one in the family who had difficulty keeping days straight, I laughed and took the bag.

I've written before about my childhood doll, the one I'm holding in the photo above, and how I tease / harass my dad for throwing it away because it started looking really ratty. Yesterday, my dad made good:


The "little gift" and the reason for him wishing me a Happy Father's Day was this adorable red-headed doll. Even I have to admit that she looks much better than the original and besides, this one is wearing her clothes and sings "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"! She will have a special spot in the spare bedroom, where I know for sure she'll be safe.

Dad, you're a great guy. Now it's my turn:



Daddy's Girl
When you were young, pony-tailed,
face full of playful freckles,
were you a daddy's girl?
I was. I still am.
Did you look to him for your security,
for love and attention,
for the understanding, and the patience you lacked
as a child?
My daddy was the center of my small world,
the focus of my affections,
the star that lit my life, shining bright.
Shining still in my heart.
The years have led me here,
weathered with maturity and responsibilities,
and I see more clearly now.
The hardships, burdens of love,
and all the small sacrifices he made for me,
for our family.
He created stability, a place to call home.
All the photographs I browse through
of a child long forgotten, scarcely remembered
smiling, so happy and so loved.
The mere thought of becoming that role model
is enough to send me cowering, afraid...
looking for guidance.
Turning to my father and my more for support,
advice, wise counsel, and for approval.
Grown up, I see differently now...
A new perspective of a man I have always known.
My heart is full, my emotions overpowering
just in the certainty of that bond.
He's been there for me through all the conflicts
helping me over the rough, ragged stones of growing up.
My respect for him is unending,
faith is unbound, and love is unquestioning.
Even in the midst of all my imperfections, he is lenient,
ignoring the pitfalls, the downfalls, the shortcomings,
he just accepted me as I was, as I am.
The sheer purity of it leaves me awe-struck
and it lifts me up, it holds my head a little higher,
it keeps me in balance,
harmonizing with the world around me
beautifully, like an inspired masterpiece from the soul
of an honest man.
I am honored to know him, to love him, to be of him.
He's my hero, and I am his daughter, his little girl.

June 14th is the day set aside to honor the flag of the United States of America and all that it represents. I thought it would be fun to share some facts and trivia about the U.S. flag today.



Did you know. . .

• that the story about Betsy Ross sewing the first official American flag is mostly myth?
• that Robert Peary cut a flag into pieces and scattered them around the North Pole?
• that the only time it is appropriate to fly the flag upside down is to signal an emergency?
• that an expert in the history of flags is called a vexillologist?
• that the phrase, "one nation under God," was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954?
• that the original Pledge of Allegiance, written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister and Christian Socialist, read like this: "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all"? Believing that equality, liberty, and justice were the cornerstones of America, Bellamy wanted to add "equality" to his pledge; however, the first official ceremony in which his pledge would be used was a public school program for the quadricentennial celebration of Columbus Day, and since Bellamy knew that the state superintendents of education were against equality for women and African Americans, he left the word out of the pledge.
• that the United States did not even have a standardized flag until 1912?
• that it takes 64 pieces of fabric to make an American flag, more than any other flag in the world?
• that the American flag has changed designs more than any other flag in the world? To date, there have been 27 different versions!
• that in 1912, President William H. Taft (who happens to be one of my ancestors, by the way!) standardized the arrangement of the stars into rows?
  
• that the first states to require, by law, schools to fly the flag daily were North Dakota and New Jersey in 1890?
• that the first official Flag Day was celebrated in Philadelphia in 1893?
• that President Harry Truman declared June 14 as Flag Day in 1949?
• that 10-year-old Billy Gobitas' 1935 letter to the school board of Minersville, Pennsylvania, in which he wrote, "I do not salute the flag because I promised to do the will of God," sparked one of several constitutional battles over the states' right to demand a specific type of respect for national symbols when doing so violated an individual's freedom of religion. Billy Gorbitas was a Jehovah's Witness. In 1943, the Supreme Court held that the federal government has no right to compel citizens to salute the flag or recite the pledge of allegiance.
  

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service to our country. Although celebrated in several places before it became official, the first military celebration of Memorial Day was on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington Cemetary.

Did you know that Memorial Day actually began as a military edict meant to honor specifically the Civil War dead? New York was the first state to officially recognize the holiday in 1873, and by 1890, all of the Northern states were on board. The Southern states wanted no part of a day honoring all the Civil War dead and opted to honor only the Confederate dead. The Southern states had no unifying date for this memorial, though, so for many years they remembered on various days from one state to another. After World War I, when Memorial Day became a time to honor all fallen soldiers and not just those from the Civil War, the Southern states acquiesced and once again joined the Union. Finally, in 1971, Memorial Day became a national holiday celebrated on the last Monday in May.

Sadly, not many Americans know the significance of Memorial Day, its rich history, or the traditions associated with it. What the average person knows is that Memorial Day is a 3-day weekend, a time for barbeques, camping, heading off to the beach, picnics, and general fun to kick off the summer. Instead of cleaning, maintaining, and placing flowers on the graves of America's fallen soldiers, the ones for whom this day was intended, we've turned a day of remembrance into the penultimate of selfish holidays.

Today, I want to honor the service of my family members. We've been really lucky in that, to the best of my knowledge, although plenty of the men have served, we haven't suffered a war casualty that I know of.


My parents met because my dad was in the Navy and stationed in California, where my mom's family had recently moved from New York. In fact, my dad and both of his brothers were all in the Navy at the same time but because of the law passed after the attack on Pearl Harbor, they were not allowed to serve on the same ship at the same time. The photo on the left shows the Willett boys in their uniforms. They are, from left to right and youngest to oldest, my dad, Bill, Uncle Jerry, and Uncle Ronnie (he's the uncle I wrote about on Blogging Against Disablism Day). I think my dad was 18 at the time. There are probably lots of other family members on my dad's side who served in the military and perhaps now that I am retired, I can start investigating that side of my family to see what long-lost information I can uncover.


My mom's family came to America in 1621. They settled in New York and Pennsylvania. I know more about the miliary service of this side of my family because of my fascination with the Civil War, thanks to my maternal Grandfather. Papa took a great deal of pride in the knowledge that his great grandfather's name is on the Pennsylvania monument in Gettysburg and nearly every time we went back East on vacation, he would take me there. The plaque with his name, William R. Van Cise, is on the right. If you click here, you can see the full plaque and my g-g-grandfather's name listed under Company D. As if this weren't cool enough, William and his 8 brothers earned a special honor, called the Most Notable Record, from the government because all 8 of them served simultaneously in the Union army. How cool is that? If I wanted to, I could be a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution based on my maternal grandfather's ancestry:

John Cornelius Vancise was born in Holland, 1756. When about 8 years of age, his parents being dead, he and a brother were brought to America by friends. His early life was spent in the vicinity of Schoharie. Upon the breaking out of the Revolutionary war, he immediately joined the American army and served seven years in the struggle for Independence. He fought at Bunker Hill, Trenton, Princeton, Monmouth, crossed the Delaware with Washington and was present at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. At the battle of Monmouth he was badly wounded in the right leg below the knee. In his old age he enjoyed recounting his war experiences, always speaking of Washington with the greatest reverence. Mr. Vancise was a weaver by occupation, skilled in the art and wove many fancy articles. He married Deborah Murray, an Irish woman, and removed to Masonville, N.Y. They had six children, John, Simon, Samuel, Abraham, Peggy and Nancy. John and Simon were soldiers in the War of 1812. Samuel and Abraham settled in Sheshequin, where the father came also and spent his last days. As the result of his wounds, he lost nearly all use of his legs and went about on crutches. The government gave him a pension of $96 per year. He died Oct. 30, 1849, aged 93 years and his remains rest in the Sheshequin cemetery. In the Civil War, nine sons of Abraham and three sons of Samuel served the Union--the former being the most notable record in the county. (Source)

Next Memorial Day, instead of making it about picnics and potato salad, do some research and learn what we ought to be doing on this day. Volunteer to clean up the gravesite of a soldier in your town, or place some flowers on the grave of a soldier. Remember what they have done for you and your family.

P.S. I'm sorry if this post seems more disjointed than usual. It's been one of those days when The Brain has decided to let me know who's really in charge, and staying focused on anything has been challenging at best.

For those who celebrate it, I wish you a joyous Christmas day filled with plenty of memory-making moments!

Sometimes I think that if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. Where's Rodney Dangerfield when you really need him?

I was supposed to have surgery last Tuesday morning to remove the right half of my thyroid because it has a growth on it. But over the weekend, the Chiari decided to give me some serious grief and sent me to Urgent Care for a check-up. Last Monday morning, my surgeon called to ask if I had an infection anywhere because my white blood count (WBC) was elevated from the 8-9,000 norm to 16,000. I felt fine and had no clue where an infection could be.

Add insult to injury here. While my WBC is elevated, the Pheonytin (Dilantin) level, which is always lower than it should be anyway, is at 1.2 instead of the lowly 14 that it normally is. Of course that means a greater risk for seizures. Dr. Oz asked if I would be okay with having the surgery performed under a local instead of a general anesthesia, and I said that I would. Makes no difference to me to be honest. With that settled, I was instructed to show up at the hospital between 6:30 and 7:00 in the morning, prepared to get my blood drawn and tested again. Sounded fair to me, so I agreed.

Not two hours after speaking with the surgeon, I got a call from the surgery scheduling staff who told me that although I was scheduled for the morning, I may not have surgery at all if the WBC is still elevated. Not wanting to hang around the hospital all day only to be told that I still had an infection, I asked to do the blood work right away. After all, how much could change between late afternoon on Monday and early morning Tuesday? Turns out that was a smart move on my part -- the second blood test showed that the WBC was still elevated to a level with which the surgeon was uncomfortable. So no surgery for me until we can figure out where the infection is.

On Thursday morning, as I am doing the Thanksgiving cooking, I start to feel the signs of a cold. By the afternoon, it was obvious that a cold was what had elevated the WBC. I felt terrible and ended up not eating or enjoying the Thanksgiving dinner I had cooked. Totally sucks!

Colds and Chiari simply don't get along well together. Sneezing and coughing trigger some of the nastiest headaches a person could ever get and because all the gunk was tightly packed in my chest, I was coughing like mad with no results. Add to this a seriously stuffy and running nose that led to sneezing, and I was doomed to live in the land of the headaches for a while. To make matters worse, colds are caused by viruses and do not respond to antibiotics. This means that I had to fight it on my own.

It wasn't until Monday afternoon that I realized nothing was improving and that I should probably seek medical attention. Four prescriptions and a handful of diagnoses later, none of which mentioned a cold, I am left dealing with the residuals of the dreaded Chiari Cough.

I'm not one to sit on the pity pot over Chiari, but this past week has really tested my patience and ability to deal with it effectively. I think I need some toilet paper because this pot is becoming quite comfortable.