Friday, January 30, 2009

Teeny Weeny Word Counts! ~ Acrostic poems

"Poetry: the best words in the best order." ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge

"Poets utter great and wise things which they do not themselves understand" ~ Plato

"Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words" ~Robert Frost

"A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom" ~ Robert Frost


One type of poem that I do enjoy writing is the acrostic poem. They will say something down the edge of the poem as well as whatever idea or emotion the writer my be trying to convey by the poem itself. I Often acrostic poems for words that people send to me. Yesterday I had a few words to arrive hoping to be turned into acrostic poems. There was a catch this time though. They all had Itty Bitty; Teeny Weeny word count rules. Or at least I thought they had small word count rules. For instance I had the word HEN with a word count rule of Four. That means that not counting the title, I could only use four words. It sounds tough to do because it is. Another one was the word Weakness with a word count of fifteen words. I have many weaknesses including a weakness for words. But Fifteen words is really not very many when you are writing a poem. It gets down to bare bones words. Every word has to count. You have to trim away every word that isn't positively necessary. But I think I met the challenge OK.

This is a very short Post today. I decided that since the poems had teeny weeny Word counts. I would stick to that theme for todays Post as well. Y" all have a wonderful day. I hope you will Enjoy todays Poems.
Patsy


Hen ~ (acrostic -word count of four)

How Many
Eggs
Needed?

written By: Patricia sawyer
1-30-2009





Weakness
~ acrostic ~ word count of fifteen.)

Work; worry;
Everyday!
Action ~ reaction!
Kindness? Never!
Needs not met.
Eventual eruption!
Somebody WILL
suffer!

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
1- 29-2009

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Are you Puzzled?

"To me acting is like a jigsaw puzzle. The jigsaw puzzle is of the sky and all the pieces are blue. Out of this you have to create a human being and put it together." ~ Henry Winkler

"Writing is mentally stimulating; it's like a puzzle that makes you think all the time. "
~ Stephanie Zimbalist

"I just consider myself a piece of the puzzle and I'm lucky enough to be asked or invited to the party, if you will. I hope I can bring some laughs and grimaces to the fans. " ~ Adam Baldwin

"My favorite puzzle is trying to work out the parts myself, after all it is a solo effort. "
~ Adrian Belew

Today is National Puzzle day. Now anybody that Knows me well knows that I love puzzles. I love all kinds of puzzles. Crossword, and word search, riddles and Find the difference. I love the Puzzle games on-line and the Puzzles that children play with. I love fill it ins and Where's Waldo. I love the three dimensional puzzles that turn into houses and towers and though I haven't put one together yet, I saw one that would be a person when finished. I would have that Puzzle person sitting in my living room now if he hadn't cost more than a real person would! But my favorite of all time is a jigsaw Puzzle. Dave and I and other neighbors too spent many a happy hour when I first moved here, sitting in my tiny kitchen working on Beautiful jigsaw puzzles. The children swear that I would never let them eat unless they finished my puzzle that I kept on the table at all time.. I think they exaggerate a little. I would have fed them. I'm sure they all had plenty to eat every day. I did keep a puzzle on the kitchen table all the time. That much is true. But I didn't (or I don't remember ) Make them work on MY puzzle before they could eat. I will admit that I made them crawl in and under and behind everything in this house and others before; searching for a missing piece. Nothing I hate worse than a missing piece!

I have put together pictures of almost everything you can imagine. I Love the lake and beach scenes and boats as well. I like Churches, Big and middle sized and The Little Chapels in the woods. I like animals and farms and mountains and even a million gum ball machines. I have done race cars zooming around the track and Autumn leaves falling across an Amish looking farm. I have put together dolphins and zebra's and even two naked women that some one once thought to give to Dave as a gag gift. I still want that person Puzzle that I saw~ at least he had on clothes.

I used to give the puzzles to the Family children after I was done with them. I stopped that after Phoebe got nerve enough to tell me that thanks to me, every child in the family HATED puzzles. She too swears that I made them puzzle to eat. Maybe I did.. I'm claiming to be puzzled about that! I was saddened to learn that I turned them against Puzzles. I think they would all relax more and feel better if they worked on Puzzles. I even have a few I'd share with them. The bubblegum one is only missing one piece and the others as far as I know have everything. I even bought two last week. I thought Cooper might work on one when he can't sleep. He laughed at me and said.. " I'll Pass Ma!" I know I didn't make him puzzle to eat because he was too young back then. It Might have been him I sent in; under and over and around places though.. Seeking lost pieces. I guess Dave and I will put these two together when we ever find a minute. Maybe I'll ask him for a puzzle date. This time we'll frame them and hang them on the wall. I have a place for a big picture of Pretty Parrots and for the boats of Chesapeake Bay Virginia. In fact I'm thinking that since I made all my children and nieces and nephews Puzzle before I fed them that I owe each of them their own Puzzle to hang on their own wall. That should Keep Dave and I busy for at least a year. I might even leave out a piece so they will feel like they got the ones we used to do.

Sometimes it is easy to become Puzzled by the things that we face in the world today. It is certainly very confusing sometimes. Older people can't comprehend the way the younger ones live and the younger ones think the older ones are odd creatures. I think they need to spend more time talking and visiting with each other so the generation gap doesn't grow any larger and we aren't quiet as Puzzled by each other. I hope you enjoy today's poem. If you get the chance today solve a puzzle. You will find some at the link below! Have a great day!
Patsy

http://www.puzzles.com/



Puzzled

Please don't think me demented
Until you have walked a mile
Zooming through my thoughts
Zest for life bubbling from your heart
Love for all a must
Excuse me? Were you speaking to me?
Damn; I was puzzled there for a minute!

written By: Patricia Sawyer
1-29-2009

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Sometimes It's Easier Done than Said.

"Poets are like magicians, searching for magical phrases to pull rabbits out of people's souls."
~ Glade Byron Addams

"Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold." ~ Zelda Fitzgerald

"Blessings be with them, and eternal praise, Who gave us nobler loves, and nobler cares!- The Poets, who on earth have made us heirs Of truth and pure delight by heavenly lays."
~ William Wordsworth


Some days words wake me up from a sound sleep. Bouncing around jumping up and down.. Shouting Write me Down; Write me down!! Other days they hide deep in my heart and say "NO Not today" when I ask them to come out and play. What's a poet to do? On those days when words escape me, I usually try and coax them out by taking a walk through my pine trees. Sometimes they like the smell of pine and a few will peek out at me. They might even write a whole poem for me. But thankfully those days have been few and far between for me lately. I write something almost every single day. I don't always share what I write. Sometimes it is just personal thoughts and I feel they might be way too much information for someone else. You know the kids wouldn't like it if I wrote about Me and Dave and Love. I can hear them gagging even at the thought of such a posting. Other times I have written something that came from my heart and even though I may have loved it myself; Upon reading it over I have realized that someone who still lives in this world may not like it for one reason or the other. Those thoughts will stay with me till they can't hurt the feelings of anyone living. I don't want to hurt another by my words.

I often write from presented word lists or even a title. Sometimes I am right on the mark about what a person has felt as they wrote the words to me.. Other times I fear I am off by a mile. That is because words may have a different meaning to me and someone else. For instance, I recently mentioned a bent over tree in a poem. That tree really exists. My brother and sister knew what tree I meant and where it was. Others even e-mailed me to say they also knew of a bent over tree and where was my tree?! I think they wanted to see if I had been in their woods! One man sent me a private message to inform me that a tree could not grow bent over. It would, he said perish and die. Sadly I now inform him that he is wrong. It would be easier to show him a tree that lived and thrived bent over than to argue with him. I think it lived because we as kids ran up and down it so many times filling it's heart with laughter and also tears. Even after I was grown and had children I went to that safe haven to cry a few times. I bet that tree could coax words from me on even the darkest of days!

Sometimes I might touch a person and have words pour over me from their touch. Thankfully that also is rare or I would forever keep my hands in my pockets. I don't always understand the words that I feel when this happens. Recently I had a very special Niece to be hospitalized because her baby had decided that it was time. Needless to say, neither the doctors or even us thought it was time. I along with my Best friend decided to take a trip to see her. We hoped to cheer her up. We spent a few minutes with her but could see that she was tired. I hugged her as I got ready to leave the room and I felt almost as if words would burst from me. They were electrified. The main word I felt was Blessing. I didn't dare write anything in front of either her or My best friend, Sheri. I myself could see no Blessing in her situation. I just knew they would think me crazy as a bedbug if I wrote what I was thinking. I was half afrid for my sanity myself. I promised myself I wouldn't forget the words. I would write them down as soon as I had one single second by myself.

Sheri and I left the hospital and being hungry as we always are when we get the chance for a day out, we decided to stop at Ryans and eat before heading home. As soon as I sat down at the table and she was fixing her plate I scribbled on a Napkin the words to My poem for tonight. Then before she came back to the table I folded it and hid it away to protect myself from those who would have had me comitted for thinking about blessings at a time like we were having. I Have had time to think things over since this was written and I have come to understand that His early birth truly was a blessing. For his death was coming either way. By being born early he was a gift to us all for two weeks. He gave us as a family a common interest to pray about, pulling us together in that regard. He wrapped his tiny finger around his mother's finger for a second one day. The only chance she had to hold his hand. So tiny and yet so beautiful; so perfect. Heart and soul we all Prayed and hoped. Sadly, he was not to stay in this world. We were only blessed By Aiden for two weeks. But I personally thank God for the blessing of his life! Sometimes it's easier to count your blessings when they are good things. I do know how hard it is to understand. But I believe that all things work together for the Good that God intends for us all. I once told My Grandma that sometimes I didn't understand. and she replied." Lord, Child, you will do a whole heap better if you will just accept and count it ALL as blessings. There is no Understanding sometimes till long after you have accepted." Sometimes it's easier to just accept. Sometimes that's easier said than done. Other times it's easier to accept if you don't have to do a lot of talking about it too.. Those times it's easier done than said! Please continue to pray for the parents and families of all the tiny babies who barely visit our lives.! Blessings for only a moment in time! I hope you enjoy today's poem. Be thankful for all blessings that come your way. Be careful to count them every once in a while.
Have a great day!
Patsy


Blessing


Bound By a
Love Never ending.
Every sweet breath
Something special.
So exciting; So perfect.
I am Overjoyed.
Nothing prepared me for this.
God, I thank you for this Blessing!

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
(12-?- 2008) On a Napkin~
1-23-2009 final draft



Monday, January 26, 2009

Welcome to the Year of the Ox!

"If you were plowing a field, which would you rather use? Two strong oxen or 1024 chickens? "
~ Seymoure Cray

"An ant on the move does more than a dozing ox." ~ Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher


"You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain."~ Bible: Hebrew, Deuteronomy 25:4.


"You call him a Dumb Ox; I tell you that the Dumb Ox will bellow so loud that his bellowing will fill the world." -- St. Albert the Great in reference to celebrated Christian theologian, Thomas Aquinas


Today is Chinese New Year. I welcome you to 2009~ The Year of the Ox.
If you are anything like me, you have probably noticed the Horoscopes on the Place mat in your local Chinese restaurant and checked to see what animal you are.Their Calendar is nothing like ours. We count each year as an individual year, an individual cycle. Their Calendar is based on a cylinder of repeating cycles. Each Cycle lasting twelve years. It is of course much more complicated than I make it sound. The Chinese associate each year of a 12-year cycle with an animal, and they refer to the years as "the year of the dragon," "the year of the ox," and so on, I myself was born in the year of the Pig. The 12 animals and the years associated with them are often represented on a circular chart, and that is why they are known as animals of the zodiac.
They then figure in the binary Yin Yang cycle. Even years are yang, odd years are yin. Then the elements (wood, fire, earth, water,and Metal.) and even Seasons, days and years,..... See I told you it could get complicated.....

In China, oxen are considered sacred, but in our American society they are loved for another reason; they are high on our food chain. They tend to find their way into America's favorite food, a beef burger.

"Ox" are those of you who were born in the following years: 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, and 1997.

Those born under the influence of the "Ox" are said to be Calm, dependable, honest, caring, honorable, intelligent, industrious, modest, patient, practical, responsible. Those are their good points. As you might have guessed they also have a few negative traits. They can be Petty, inflexible, possessive, dogmatic, gullible, stubborn, critical, intolerant, materialistic. And don't think an Ox will forget the dollar he loaned you last year. He would have repaid you by now and it irks him that you haven't repaid him already. Though they may seem to enjoy plodding along from day to day without griping or complaining, they are actually constantly planning ahead.

Famous people born under the year of the Ox include actors Charlie Chaplin, Bill Cosby, Anthony Hopkins, Sissy Spacek, Jane Fonda, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson, and Meryl Streep. Former President Gerald R. Ford was an "Ox", as was the maker of children's magic, Walt Disney. Our New President Barack Obama is also an "Ox".

The Origin of Chinese New Year

According to Chinese myth and folk tales , the origin of Chinese New Year celebrations was to scare away a man-eating monster called Nian. Nian lived in a cave high on the top of a mountain. It came down once a year and attacked villagers at midnight on the eve of a new year Eating his fill of those who did not escape. Villagers were terrified and didn't know what to do. Finally, a villager discovered that Nian was afraid of the color red, fire, and loud banging noises. He advised his fellow villagers to wear red, set fires, and make lots of noise to frighten away Nian. Even though the other villagers doubted him, they had nothing left to loose so they decided to give the advice a try.

As the clocks hands slowly crept past midnight, a new year arrived and, as always, Nian roared from his mountain and charged toward the village at full force. Suddenly, the dark landscape lit up - villagers came out of their homes wearing red outfits, carrying torches, and setting off firecrackers or banging on any object with which they could make noise. was startled, and it fled back to the mountain cave as fast as its feet could carry it. From that point on, Chinese people always celebrate their New Year by wearing red, decorating their houses in red, and lighting firecrackers so that Nian doesn't ever come back. In fact, Guo Nian means not only the wellcome to the passing of an old year but also the celebration of the survival of the anual Attack of Nian

The Chinese New Year is the most important festival in the Chinese calendar. They believe that the first fifteen days of the New Year are the Year's most important days. These days signify the first waxing cycle of the Moon, and set forth the direction for the way the year will go.

Preparations for the New Year include the purchase of new clothes and shoes. Old energy must be cleansed and this means everything! Cabinets and closets and all rooms are scrubbed and cleaned. All furniture is moved so that not a speck of the last years grime will be missed. Any items that are no longer needed or wanted or donated to others.All stale energy has to be gotten rid of before new decorations are put into place.

Another big part of the Chinese New year celebration is to stock up on sweet foods especially "Lian Gao" or a sweet sticky cake. This cake is said to bring Happiness and power to a family. They will also stock up on Mandarin oranges as they believe them to represent gold. One ritual of the day is too have a dancing Lion roll crates of oranges into the homes and businesses on New Years day. Business men will also give Red envelopes with small amount of "luck" Money in them as gifts today to ensure a happy and prosperous new Year for himself as well as his workers. It also considered unlucky to carry any outstanding debt into the New Year.

The last day of the old year is the time to pay respects to one's ancestors. In homes where there are ancestral altars, this is a time when ancestors are invited to join in the reunion celebrations with all members of the family, many of whom would have journeyed back to the ancestral home to eat a special meal together. Traditionally, all the sons of the family return to their parents' home and it is said to be unlucky to eat out on the night of the reunion dinner. All the foods served must have special meanings. At the dinner, all family members should be properly dressed. The women should wear their jewelery as well as their finest clothes in red, as this signifies a continuity of good fortune. No one in the family should wear old worn out clothes to the supper table. No One should look unhappy. Smiling faces bring good luck. The reunion dinner takes place just before midnight. Every child must greet their parents with special greetings. The main door and if possible all other doors should be opened wide. The whole house should be lit signifying a burst of Yang energy.

Each day for 14 Days after Chinese New Years is for something different. One for daughters returning to visit her family and another for friends and relatives to visit. The plans are elaborate and follow thousands of years of traditions. They embrace certain colors and avoid others. There are foods that they will eat and others that they will not touch during this time.

The 15th day, called The Lantern Festival, is a very important day as it is the day of the first Full Moon of the Year. It is always a day of merrymaking and celebration. This is the night when for those not yet married, especially young maidens, to invoke the blessings of the Moon Goddess, so that they may find their one true love.

During the fifteen days, many will go to a temple to make offerings and prayers for good health and happiness. They have many superstions of things that they do and don't do during these days. One that My Daddy always told us not to do on our New Years day as well was not to get a spanking. A spanking or having to be fussed at by your parents sets a tone of discord for the whole year.

In China, the New Year is a time of family reunion. Family members gather at each other's homes for visits and meals, most significantly a feast on New Year's Eve. In the United States, however, many early Chinese immigrants arrived without their families, and found a sense of community through neighborhood associations instead. Today, many Chinese-American neighborhood associations host banquets and other New Year events.

The lantern festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Some of the lanterns may be works of art, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang glowing lanterns in temples, and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon.

In many areas the highlight of the lantern festival is the dragon dance. The dragon—which might stretch a hundred feet long—is typically made of silk, paper, and bamboo. Traditionally the dragon is held aloft by young men who dance as they guide the colorful beast through the streets. In the United States, where the New Year is celebrated with a shortened schedule, the dragon dance always takes place on a weekend. In addition, many Chinese-American communities have added American parade elements such as marching bands and floats.

What ever your culture, I still wish for you to have a Happy New Year. I hope this year; 2009; the year of the Ox; will be a great Year for us all. Have a wonderful Day!

Patsy


Friday, January 23, 2009

Measure Your Feet Day?!?

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go ."

~ Dr. Seuss


"Only a fool tests the dept of the water with Both feet." ~ African proverb


“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” ~ Abraham Lincoln



Today is the wild and wacky holiday of Measure your feet day. I spent most of the morning after getting my holiday notification wondering and pondering why a person would want to measure their feet. I can't think of any reason other than if you were buying shoes. Then you could just try the shoes on. It was then that I thought about how My Daddy measured our feet when we were little children.

I guess there were too many of us to carry to the shoe store every time we needed to go. There were certain times of the year that we each got to go and pick out our own shoes. Those two times were Easter and the beginning of each school year. Easter I got patent leather , Sunday school, and any dress occasion shoes. One pair. I better take care of them. That wasn't a problem for me. I hated shoes and only wore them when I was either outside or at school. That meant the dress shoes would last me forever. Somewhere out there, My patent leather shoes are still waiting to be worn. Lost in the closet of a cousin or family friend they were passed on to. For school we got a pair of penny loafers. I liked them alright but still only wore them for school. I wish I could find me a good pair of loafers now. I think the closest you can find are dock-siders.

But when Daddy had to buy shoes and us kids weren't going along. He would come in with his notebook and have every one of us; one at the time; step on a piece of paper. He would take his pencil and draw all around our feet. then mark each paper foot with our names. He never measured the thickness of our foot and yet he would always bring home shoes that fit us. I tried that only once with my children. I had a mess. Anthony's shoes wouldn't go on his foot because his foot was too thick. They would have fit me except that they were three inches to long for my foot. Cooper's shoes wouldn't fit anyone who lived here and Even though Emily's shoes would have fit Cooper he said he wasn't wearing pink cowgirl boots. I even offered to polish them black for him and still he refused.. Can you believe it? So I tossed the paper aside and carried all of them with me to get their shoes.

I could never figure out how it worked for Daddy and Mama but never worked for me. It wasn't that Daddy knew our feet so well because even when they would get brand new foster children and they came in the middle of the night barefooted. Daddy would come stoop shouldered into The Reids store in the middle of the night with his notebook and be trying tennis shoes on the paper feet he had drawn there. They would always fit. The children would wake up the next morning with bright and colorful new tennis shoes. Maybe it was that Daddy had bought so many pairs of shoes that way that he had learned to gauge the thickness of a foot by his own drawings. I don't know how it worked for him. I just know it was not an option for me.

When my children went to the shoe store; they had a rug thing to stand them on and measure their foot, Even that was no good. Cooper would curl his toes up Making it look like he wore a size smaller than he did. Or he would try to make his foot appear to fit the shoes he wanted even if they were way to small or way to large. Once he even stuffed all those half stocking things into the toe of a pair that were big enough for me. They were snakeskin boots for a man and he swore they fit. Emily would want four or five pair at the time and throw herself on the floor crying if she couldn't have them. I finally had to threaten her with the notebook shoes if she couldn't choose just one pair. All Anthony wanted to do was get a pair of some kind and get out of the store. He said the rest of us were hoodlums.


Fun Foot Facts:

1:)
There are approximately 250,000 sweat glands in a pair of feet, and they excrete as much as half a pint of moisture each day.

2:)
The foot is an intricate structure containing 26 bones. Thirty-three joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles, and tendons hold the structure together and allow it to move in a variety of ways.

3:)
When you try on shoes, try them on both feet; many people have one foot larger than the other, and it's best to fit the larger one.

4:)
The 52 bones in your feet account for one quarter of all the bones in the body.

5:) If you place the heel of your foot in the inside crease of your elbow Joint, the toes of your foot will reach to your wrist.

And a bonus foot fact that My Mom taught me.. When shopping for socks if the sock will wrap around your balled up fist.. It will fit your foot. I have tried this and know it works.


I do wish everyone a Happy measure your foot day.. Even though I can't imagine why you would need to. I know they measured Coopers before putting a cast on it. I know Daddy sorta measured ours with his notebook to buy us shoes. I have tried the heel in the elbow crease many times and my foot still is a perfect fit there. I think when Dave comes home I'll measure his and mine and even Cooper's feet. Who knows when we may need to know that information!? Have a great Day!
Patsy



Feet

Big Feet
Little Feet
Nasty; stinky; scaly feet

Dancing feet
Pacing feet
Her feet; his feet; yours and My feet

Stomping feet
Running feet
Hopping ; skipping; Bare feet.

Feet! Feet! Feet!

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
1-23-2009

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Today is Inauguration Day!

"Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the forms of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question."
- Thomas Jefferson, Inaugural address, 4 March 1801

"The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
- Abraham Lincoln, Inaugural address, 4 March 1861

"Much has been given us, and much will rightfully be expected from us. We have duties to others and duties to ourselves; and we can shirk neither. We have become a great nation, forced by the fact of its greatness into relations with other nations of the earth, and we must behave as beseems a people with such responsibilities."
- Theodore Roosevelt, Inaugural address, 4 March 1905

"Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself; nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Inaugural address, 4 March 1933

"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, Inaugural address, 20 January 1953

"Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce."
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Inaugural address, 20 January 1961

"Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin again the work of remaking America,"
~ Barack Obama, Inaugural address, January 20-2009

Fifty five times a man has stood up to be sworn in to serve as President of the United States. Today for the very first time , that man has African heritage. The grounds at the Capitol Building were filled today with over two million spectators who stood in long lines and went through many security checks to listen to his first Presidential Speech. Tears flowed from the eyes of People of all races and all ages as they listened to his Promise of Change. In other countries The television and the Internet showed the people dancing in the streets as they watched him become President.

Beginning the day in an early morning Church service The Obamas will likely be very late returning home to the White House tonight. There are many elaborate balls going on tonight where they will be expected to show up and at least dance one dance at each. Some one told me there were ten. I might add that I wasn't invited to any of them.

The morning worship service was followed by coffee with the Bush family before the processional to the capitol. Where first the Vice- President and then the President were sworn in. Listening to the Inaugural Address today I myself was charmed by Barack's charisma; His promises of change for a better world are the hopes and dreams of Almost every living person. There are so many areas where we need change. I found myself wondering ~ Where will he begin? Does he have enough time in office? Can it even be done?~ I know he believes he can. I truly hope he can!

After the departure of the Outgoing President. The New First Family Joined the Members of both the senate and the house for the Inaugural Luncheon. In 1953, the JCCIC began its current tradition of hosting a luncheon for the President, Vice President and their spouses, Senate leaders, the JCCIC members, and other invited guests. Since then, the JCCIC has organized a luncheon celebration at eight Presidential Inaugurations. Often featuring cuisine reflecting the home states of the new President and Vice President, as well as the theme of the Inauguration, the luncheon program includes speeches, gift presentations from the JCCIC, and toasts to the new administration.

~Today's Lunch was marred only by the sudden illness of Senator Edward Kennedy who was taken from the luncheon to the hospital where he is said to be in good spirits tonight. Itching to get back to work.

After the elaborate lunch it was on to the inaugural parade Where the Obama's surprised the crowds lining the route by getting out of their heavily armored limo to walk first hand in hand and then with their arms around each other for a few blocks waving to the shouting crowds. I'm thinking by the looks on some of the security people's faces that they weren't much in favor of this plan. I think it made him appear to be a President who can be reached by all men. Not one who is just for the rich and powerful. We know that for security reasons he will not be able to just be called up like our cousin Ralph. But at least he appears to be a president for all people. We will see how that turns out in the next few weeks and months.

‘A New Birth of Freedom’~ That was the theme for today's celebrations. I truly hope that today is a new beginning not only for our country but also for the world. Change does have to begin small. I would like to see more green space and less highways. More food growing and less landfills. More helping hands and less waste. I would also like for us to have better medical care for those who don't have either insurance or money. Better programs need to be developed for the training of those with no jobs. This country has a lot that needs to be done.. Could those things become jobs for the unemployed? I try to do my part. I recycle everything I can. I grow a potion of what we eat. I fight Dave tooth and Nail to keep every tree standing on this land! I know my little bit sounds small but I'm thinking if everyone did a little then it would all add up to a lot!

Please join me today in prayer for this Country and for our world. Rather we voted for Barack Obama or rather we didn't doesn't matter tonight as he steps into what has to be the most extreme job any one could ever have. I would never ask for the worries he will face tomorrow morning as he begins his new job. This country has many many problems that have been raging footloose for years and years. Let us ask for patience before we belittle or attack him in his first months as Commander and Chief. And let us all agree with him that WE CAN CHANGE OUR WORLD! Have a great day!
Patsy


Inauguration Fun Facts!

  • George Washington's inauguration was held in New York City on April 30, 1789.

  • Inauguration Day was changed to January 20, from March 4, in 1933 by the passage of the Twentieth Amendment to the US Constitution.

  • Bill Clinton's, January 20, 1997, inauguration was the first inauguration to be broadcast live over Internet.

  • George Washington gave the shortest inaugural address in history. (135 words)

  • In 1865, Abraham Lincoln was the first president to include African-Americans in his inaugural parade.

  • In 1917, Woodrow Wilson was the first president to include women in his inaugural parade.

  • When January 20 is on a Sunday, the president-elect usually takes the oath of office privately and then repeats the ceremony in public on Monday.
  • Monday, January 19, 2009

    Happy Birthday General!

    "There is a terrible war coming, and these young men who have never seen war cannot wait for it to happen, but I tell you, I wish that I owned every slave in the South, for I would free them all to avoid this war."

    "It is history that teaches us to hope."

    "Never do a wrong thing to make a friend or to keep one."

    "We must expect reverses, even defeats. They are sent to teach us wisdom and prudence, to call forth greater energies, and to prevent our falling into greater disasters."

    "There is no more dangerous experiment than that of undertaking to be one thing before a man's face and another behind his back."

    "I like whiskey. I always did, and that is why I never drink it."
    ~ All from Robert Edward Lee, 1807 - 1870


    Robert Edward Lee was born at Stratford, Virginia on this day~ January 19th~ in 1807. He was the son of Revolutionary War hero Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee and Mary Curtis Lee. He graduated second in his class from West Point in 1829. He was the only cadet ever to graduate without a single demerit. Lee entered the Army Corps of Engineers after graduation and served in peacetime on various civil projects including building fortifications in St. Louis and New York harbors. He served with distinction in the Mexican American war, and his commander noted that "success in Mexico was largely due to the skill, valor, and undaunted courage of Robert E. Lee."

    It was when he was, by chance, at Washington City he was sent to arrest John Brown at Harper's Ferry, W.Va., after Brown had taken over the U.S. arsenal there.

    Lee was anything but eager to see the United States split. He believed in a unified country and didn't want to counteract the work of George Washington, a personal hero. Furthermore, he didn't believe in slavery. Noting that it had a detrimental effect on masters as well as slaves, he freed all the slaves he inherited.

    When Lincoln offered him command of the Union Army, Lee resigned rather than lead troops against his home state of Virginia. Early in the Civil War, Lee commanded Virginia's army and naval forces, then served as a military aide to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. In July 1862, Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia. During the next three years Lee's leadership of this army made him famous as a general. Despite being greatly outnumbered, his army was able to win some battles, fight to stalemates in others and attack into Northern territory several times.

    His men respected him as a stern taskmaster and disciplinarian. Lee was never known to smoke, drink alcohol or curse.

    On April 9, 1865, General Lee Surrendered at Appomattox Court House, leading to the end of the Civil War

    Lee became president of Washington College in Lexington, Va. (now Washington & Lee University). He urged Southerners to work to restore the peace and unite the country. Lee died Oct. 12, 1870, five-and-a-half years after the war ended. His courage, honor, and character made him respected even in the north. His request for amnesty was however rejected and his citizenship was not restored until 1975, when it was restored
    posthumously by an act of the U.S. Congress.

    Wednesday, January 14, 2009

    Truce?!

    “Our bugles sang truce - for the night-cloud had lowered, / And the sentinel stars set their watch in the sky.” ~ Thomas Cambell

    "There can be no truce between science and religion.
    "~ John B. S. Haldane

    "When envoys are sent with compliments in their mouths, it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce." ~ Sun Tza



    Truce

    A suspension of arms by agreement of the commanders of opposing forces; a temporary cessation of hostilities, for negotiation or other purpose; an armistice.

    Hence, intermission of action, pain, or contest; temporary cessation; short quiet.


    Truce Translations
    ~

    truce in French is treve
    truce in German is Waffenruhe
    truce in Latin is indutiae, pax pacis
    truce in Spanish is tregua
    truce in Swedish is vapenvila

    Every once in a while someone will send me a word that I am at a loss as to what to do with. Today someone sent me the word TRUCE. I know a little about calling for a truce. Jimmy would yell truce if ever ( it was very rare!) you were getting the best of him in a battle be it a foot race, arm wrestle or even a battle of words. I also know that truces don't always work like they should. In our case Jimmy would get well away then turn and the battle would begin again with him having a brief rest and he would have figured a way to turn things to his own advantage by the time he stuck again. We have often been known to yell uncle when we saw him headed our way just to avoid the battle. I guess I make Jim sound bad. He wasn't really. He was just Jimmy. He is still Jimmy but I think we have all long ago waved the white flag and declared truce among the eight of us. No longer children we all have to behave as adults. Reuben and I are grateful for the Truce because we are both too old to run from Jimmy's lasso now. I did write something for my word today it is a poem that I named Truce! If you have battles raging in your own life you can try waving the white flag. It might work for you better than it has for me!
    I hope you enjoy today's poem.
    Have a wonderful day!
    Patsy


    Truce

    Today we fought and spat to see
    who would be King of the Hill.

    Now as our prayers are heard
    we must declare a truce.

    For even the bravest Knight can't climb
    the hill of terror in the nights darkness.

    But with the morning sun
    the white flag will be tossed aside.

    I will race you to see who can eat grits and eggs
    faster and pull on clothes quicker.

    We will run in the sunshine, racing to the
    bent over tree and on to the tracks.

    There will be no "baby, baby" truce!
    I will be Queen of the hill!

    Written By: Patricia Sawyer
    1-14-2009










    Monday, January 12, 2009

    Time to Write!

    "It's not plausible or desirable to try to get the world to go away for hours at a time, but it's entirely possible to make it all shut up for 20 minutes." ~ Cory Doctorow

    "I make time to write."~ Stanley Tucci

    "The bottom line is: don't spend too much time thinking about writing, write!" ~ Mui Tsun

    Some days it is nearly impossible for me to find time to write. Some one comes over or I need to leave home for some reason. It can be important like a doctor's appointment or a business meeting. It could be fishing with Dave or chatting with either of my dozen or so best friends. It can be that there are more weeds than garden in my Garden too. But some days writing has to take a back seat to other things. It's not that I don't have anything to say. I always have something to say. I can only remember twice in my life that I was really speechless and one of those times I just felt that the situation was too silly for me to comment on. I love to write. Even when I'm not holding a pen or sitting in front of a key board I am writing. I think up elaborate stories and sometimes I even remember them long enough to get them on paper.
    I find myself gazing a a bird and counting syllables in my mind as I watch him take wing and fly away. I have finally convinced myself that a pad of paper and a good pen should be stashed every place I might have a halfway good thought. I now have them stashed by the bed and in the bathroom as well as in the car and under a basket on the kitchen table. I have always had one in my purse. I hope I never lay one down somewhere and forget it. I can just imagine some person reading over broken sentences and half formed thoughts and thinking they have discovered the weird diary of a madly insane woman.

    Today I have found plenty of time to write. I have written four poems and a whole bunch of phrases for poems that I will use later. I have thought about a wrote down some titles for both poems and stories that I will finish writing at another time. Today nineteen years ago I quit writing for a long long time. Today is my youngest daughter's birthday. Emily is nineteen today. I remember so well her strawberry red curls twining around my finger as I attempted to sooth her cries. Born tiny and sick, she along with her two brothers took all of my time. I was writing all along. I was just writing for myself. The notebooks from those days and years are rather dreary at times. I was even advised to just burn them. I will keep them to remind myself to find time to write! To remind myself of the wonderful years I spent being just a mom and step-mom and wife. I would do it all again for my children. But I hope that whatever the future holds, I will always have time to write!
    I hope you enjoy today's poems. Have a wonderful day!
    Patsy




    Emily's Curls

    Oh Little one
    please don't cry.
    Your tiny head rests
    on my shoulder.
    My heart fills
    with gladness
    at your being.
    My world filled with awe
    as my finger becomes entwined
    with the tawny strawberry blond
    of Emily's beautiful curls.

    Written By: Patricia Sawyer
    1-12-2009






    Winter Willows

    winter willows weep
    along pond's edge~
    otters Play

    written by:
    Patricia Sawyer
    1-11-2009


    Starlit Night
    he crooned a tune
    in the starlit night~
    my toes danced

    Written By: Patricia Sawyer
    1-12-2009


    Rain

    cold
    droplets
    softly fall
    soaking summer's
    parched, thirsty earth
    caressing, carefully
    planted pots of pink posies
    slowly seeping into dry soil
    filling sloppy puddles with wet fun
    and muddy footprint reminders of rain.


    Written By: Patricia Sawyer
    1-12-2009

    Friday, January 9, 2009

    STAY BROKE!

    "A broken bone can heal, but the wound a word opens can fester forever "
    ~ Jessamyn West

    “I've been through broken bones and hurts, but you have to just tape it up and go.”
    ~ Dylan Godfrey

    "With the toe bone connected to the foot bone, and the foot bone connected to the ankle bone, and the ankle bone connected to the leg bone. Oh mercy how they scare!"
    ~"Dry Bones" children's song.

    Our New year started with a snap. The snapping of a leg bone in fact. My youngest son, Cooper is a skater. Now don't misunderstand me, he doesn't skate on ice and in fancy costumes. He doesn't get roses from the watchers filling the stands in the arena. No, Cooper is a skate boarder. He is actually very graceful and talented in his sport. The love of his life. His personal extreme sport. Skateboarding. His fancy costume is blue jeans with a thousand holes over a pair of wore out and tattered flannel sleep pants. The shirt of course is decorated with the logo of some skate board company. He gets " DUDE! that was bitchin!" and " Man I thought you was a goner!" instead of rose bouquets.

    With Skating all but illegal in our town, the skaters all travel great distances to skate. Most week-ends find Cooper with a car full headed either to Beaufort, S.C. or to Augusta, G.A. He even has a series of ramps and jumps and pipes for grinding set up here in our yard. He loves to skate. It keeps him balanced. It helps him release energy. He well knows the danger. But still he skates.
    Saturday had been a long day. I was all out of sorts from the holidays and the days were beginning to all feel like Sunday to me. Dave was home and playing his new Guitar video game in the living room and I had just settled down to read a while when Cooper came hopping into my bedroom and said he was going to take a shower. I asked him didn't he think twenty was to old to hop through the house. " Yea maybe " he said " But I twisted my foot." I looked at his foot and asked if he wanted us to take him to the hospital.. He said not right then because he thought it was just a sprain. He wrapped it up in an ace wrap after his shower and lay down in his room with his foot jacked up on pillows and an Ice pack cooling his toes. An hour later we were loaded in the Jeep and slowly making our way through pea soup fog to the hospital in Aiken. His rainbow colored foot had swollen twice it's size and it had become obvious to all of us that he had more than a sprained ankle.

    We sat the three of us together in the crowded lobby all night. Dave trying to do a crossword puzzle and Myself crocheting dish cloths. Cooper mainly just kept saying "oh my god my foot hurts!" and picking up and putting down magazines. They had taken down all of his information rather quickly. Changing to a bright red pen when they noted that he had NO INSURANCE. He was in so much pain that he never noticed.. But I did. I knew right then that we had problems.

    Finally they called him to x-ray asking us to come along and putting Dave and I into a room to await the news. They eventually did bring him back and told us that he had a broken leg just above the ankle in the Big bone along the back of his leg. They gave him pain medicine and a prescription for more of the same pills. The nurse finally came in and said they would splint it for the week-end but that we should contact their Doctor for a real casting no later than Monday. We believed we were all set. Little did we know!

    We had just began a whirl wind ride with the hospital and the Doctor who does NOT accept people unless they have insurance or enough cash to pay for their treatment up front.
    The hospital who is required by law to treat everyone regardless of their financial situation,
    swears they don't do any casting at all. The second Doctor there told Cooper.. " My advice to you is to go back to work and save up your money and have your leg fixed!" I asked him if a person with no money broke something were they expected to let it stay broken? His reply was that even without a proper cast Cooper's leg would heal.. Then he added with a laugh " he won't walk straight but his bone won't be broken!" Lucky for him Cooper knows me well and grabbed my arm as I was drawing back to hit that smart mouthed Doctor. I left there that day wondering about the world we live in where money is more important than health. Where Doctors who take an oath to help people can refuse anyone they want to and where some can even find it funny that many people will have broken bones to heal crooked because they had neither Insurance nor a lot of ready cash. I also was on the search for someone who could set my son's leg before he because of no insurance would become one of those poor souls who walked crooked.

    Almost everyone had an idea. People gave us lots of advice.
    "Call the doctor at home"~ his number is un-listed.
    "Call his office manager and bargain with Her"- I tried that and was informed that the Doctor had decided many years ago that he was never treating any person for nothing. I explained that we didn't expect to be treated for nothing. They finally told us that for two hundred dollars down and for one hundred dollars a week they would see him provided that the Doctor agreed to those terms. She said she would call me back after the "wonderful" doctor looked at his x-rays. I am yet to hear back from them. I know they got the x-rays because I had trouble getting a copy of them myself because they had already released one copy to doctor "Wonderful".
    "Take him to another hospital." We thought about that but with already two bills from the first hospital we decided that we would only do that as a last resort.
    The best advice we got was the phone Number of a new Doctor miles away on the other side of Hampton S.C.

    I called and the very first thing I told them was that he had no insurance. "Well, that won't matter." she answered. "He will not have a lot of money till he goes back to work" I told her.
    (I didn't want him to get there and be talked to badly again.) "We will work that out!" she said.
    "We need the x-ray disk and him here tomorrow at 2:45."
    "Thank You Lord." I said as I hung up the phone and got ready to go back one more time to the hospital to fight for an x-ray disk.

    Cooper finally has his cast and the promise of a few medical bills for the New Year... he has also found the truly wonderful new medical center. Coastal Plains! He and I were both amazed at how nice everyone was. Every single member of the staff was great and they all were smiling and appeared genuinely happy to be working there and helping people. They accepted his meager payment and told us that he should pay it the best he can. They gave him an appointment to come back next week for more x-rays still with a smile even though he had no insurance. I am still thanking the Lord for this place and the people who work there.

    We did have one thing that was funny that day. When we were told of the new place we were told it was in Bamberg and so of course we were sitting in Bamberg lost looking for a new building in the hospital parking lot. Calling the doctors office and asking for directions we could hear them rolling around with laughter. They were quiet a few miles away in Hampton county. Finally the lady told us to come on even though we would be a "little " late. She said they weren't going anywhere before they saw him. I then drove across country flying so as not to be too awful late getting there. I'm sure Cooper didn't enjoy the wild ride. The wind was blowing limbs down all along the road and the whole way there I was thinking how the entire day reminded me of a horror film I had once seen. I guess compared to having to ride with his mama driving eighty through a windstorm, his broken leg didn't seem at all scary.

    I would like to add that having heard of our situation from My Mom that the Doctor who treated Coop when he was a small child did offer to put a cast on his leg for us. He agreed with us that the leg did need a cast. I give great Thanks for his concern to Dr. Richard Boyles. I also give great Thanks to My Mom for continuing to fight for her child and grandchild even though I am long ago grown.

    You will also notice that I haven't called any other Doctor by name. I have a reason for that too. I am aware that with doctors now having managers for this and that area of their practice that it is possible and in many cases even likely that the Doctor himself has no idea who or how many people are turned away. I like to think that given a choice most Doctors would treat those who need them. I have been told otherwise by many office managers and a few billing managers over the last few years but I still have hope in the nature of what it takes to become a Doctor.

    Have a great day!

    Patsy