Thoughts on Thursday, Vol. 13

Hey guys,

I'm sorry this is another late post, I was up late grading papers and watching Grey's Anatomy. I want to make sure that I give you some thoughts for today, however, so here they are--enjoy!

On Spring, which we hope will actually decide to come and stay a while:

"Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer." ~Geoffrey B. Charlesworth (I love that name, by the way.)

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade." ~Charles Dickens (Also known as the definition of Spring in North Carolina.)

"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!" ~Mark Twain

"I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden." ~Ruth Stout

On music:

"A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians pain their pictures on silence." ~Leopold Stokowski

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." ~Berthold Auerbach

"All deep things are song. It seems somehow the very central essence of us, song; as if all the rest were but wrappages and hulls!" ~Thomas Carlyle

"Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons. You will find it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body." ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

(I will be revisiting the topic of music--there are so many awesome quotes to be found.)

Lastly, on April Fools Day!

"April 1. This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three hundred and sixty-four." ~Mark Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson, 1894

"Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee,

And I'll forgive Thy great big one on me."

~Robert Frost, "Cluster of Faith," 1962

"If every fool wore a crown, we should all be kings." ~Welsh Proverb

"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance." ~Japanese Proverb

"The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected." ~Will Rogers

There you go! Hope you enjoyed the thoughts--as always, let me know if there are any topics you'd love to read some thoughts on and I'll be happy to do some looking.

Off to bed for me--happy Friday eve!

♥ Marlee

Writer's Corner Wednesday, Vol. 13

Hello again!

This Wednesday I'm afraid I'm borrowing from the words of others again, but I'm bringing you a short essay that I found intriguing the first time read it many years ago in senior year of high school. It's from my Norton Reader that may or may not have traveled home with me...but anyway--here it is. Enjoy!

Get a Knife, Get a Dog, But Get Rid of Guns

By Molly Ivins

Guns. Everywhere guns.

Let me start this discussion by pointing out that I am not antigun. I'm proknife. Consider the merits of the knife.

In the first place, you have to catch up with someone in order to stab him. A general substitution of knives for guns would promote physical fitness. We'd turn into a nation of great runners. Plus, knives don't ricochet. And people are seldom killed while cleaning their knives.

As a civil libertarian, I, of course, support the Second Amendment. And I believe it means exactly what it says:

A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Fourteen-year-old boys are not part of a well-regulated militia. Members of wacky religious cults are not part of a well-regulated militia. Permitting unregulated citizens to have guns is destroying the security of this free state.

I am intrigued by the argument of those who claim to follow the judicial doctrine of original intent. How do they know it was the dearest wish of Thomas Jefferson's heart that teenage drug dealers should cruise the cities of this nation perforating their fellow citizens with assault rifles? Channeling?

There is more hooey spread about the Second Amendment. It says quite clearly that guns are for those who form part of a well-regulated militia, that is, the armed forces, including the National Guard. The reasons for keeping them away from everyone else get clearer by the day.

The comparison most often used is that of the automobile, another lethal object that is regularly used to wreak great carnage. Obviously, this society is full of people who haven't enough common sense to use an automobile properly. But we haven't outlawed cars yet.

We do, however, license them and their owners, restrict their use to presumably sane and sober adults, and keep track of who sells them to whom. At a minimum, we should do the same with guns.

In truth, there is no rational argument for guns in this society. This is no longer a frontier nation in which people hunt their own food. It is a crowded, overwhelmingly urban country in which letting people have access to guns is a continuing disaster. Those who want guns--whether for target shooting, hunting, or potting rattlesnakes (get a hoe)--should be subject to the same restrictions placed on gun owners in England, a nation in which liberty has survived nicely without an armed populace.

The argument that "guns don't kill people" is patent nonsense. Anyone who has ever worked in a cop shop knows how many family arguments end in murder because there was a gun in the house. Did the gun kill someone? No. But if there had been no gun, no one would have died. At least not without a good foot race first. Guns do kill. Unlike cars, that is all they do.

Michael Crichton makes an interesting argument about technology in his thriller Jurassic Park. He points out that power without discipline is making this society into a wreckage. By the time someone who studies the martial arts becomes a master--literally able to kill with bare hands--that person has also undergone years of training and discipline. But any fool can pick up a gun and kill with it.

"A well-regulated militia" surely implies both long training and long discipline. That is the least, the very least, that should be required of those who are permitted to have gun, because a gun is literally the power to kill. For years I used to enjoy taunting my gun-nut friends about their psychosexual hang-ups--always in a spirit of good cheer, you understand. But letting the noisy minority in the NRA force us to allow this carnage to continue is just plain insane.

I do think gun nuts have a power hang-up. I don't know what is missing in their psyches that they need to feel they have the power to kill. But no sane society would allow this to continue.

Ban the damn things. Ban them all.

You want protection? Get a dog.

So, what do you think? Note, please, that I'm in no way endorsing Ms. Ivins perspective, nor am I arguing against it. I'm simply sharing what I found to be a well-written essay. Hope you enjoyed it! Sound off in the comments below.

I'll see you kiddos back here tomorrow for Thoughts on Thursday! Have a great night.

♥ Marlee

Tasty Tuesday, Vol. 13

Howdy!

Today I was thinking about how our food tastes tend to change as we move from colder seasons into warmer ones. I thought I'd do a little research on some easy crock pot dishes that are a little more spring/summery than all of the stews and chilis and roasts we make during the colder part of the year.

Here are some of my findings. Click the recipe title for more info!

Sweet and Sour Crockpot Ribs

These super easy ribs cook in the crockpot so all you have to do is fill it and let the machine do the rest of the work. It's really wonderful to come home to the aroma of ribs cooking in a fabulous sauce!

BBQ Beef Crockpot Sandwiches

This three ingredient recipe tastes like so much more than the sum of its parts. If you'd like, you could add some creamy salad dressing to the uncooked coleslaw mix before you make sandwiches with the tender beef mixture and the crusty rolls.

Crockpot Artichoke Spinach Dip

This classic dip is made easier in the crockpot. It's rich and cheesy and altogether delicious, perfect for special spring meals.

Sweet and Spicy Kielbasa

Linda Larsen

Griling usd to be my favorite way to cook kielbasa until this recipe. I love the sweet and salty flavor of the sausage with the mustard and brown sugar. You can serve it in grilled buns instead of hot dogs for a fabulous casual recipe.

Pesto Chicken Crockpot Pitas

Linda Larsen

A rich chicken filling of chicken, onions, red bell peppers, and garlic is made in the crockpot, then combined with a mayonnaise and pesto mixture and stuffed into whole wheat pita breads with baby spinach. Yum!

Don't they sound yummy? What are some of your favorites to cook during warmer months? I, for one, would love to cook up some spinach and artichoke dip...because any form of spinach and/or artichoke dip is always amazing. Am I right, or am I right? :)

Give me some of your favorites, too! (Not just crock pot favorites, but spring and summer recipe favorites!)

I'll see you folks tomorrow for our next Writer's Corner Wednesday. Have a great night!

♥ Marlee

Monday Music Moment, Vol. 13

Hey folks,

I apologize for the late, and short, post. I started to feel a little under the weather yesterday, and today I'm taking meds, but still feeling not quite at 100%. It's my hope that you'll be understanding, but I do bring you your music moment, as promised.

Now, those of you who mock my appreciation (read: obsession) for Glee--yes, Shannon, I'm looking at you--may not appreciate today's moment. This actually comes from the last new episode of the show, which aired a couple of weeks ago. It was entitled "Original Song," and featured--you guessed it--original songs from our favorite glee club at McKinley High.

I particularly love this song, "Loser Like Me," because of the anthem that it is. It's for the underdog. It's for that kid who's going to be the next Bill Gates. It's for all of the kids who get picked on, as their way of saying, "Just you wait and see..." I love it. I hope you'll appreciate it, too.

I will see you guys back here tomorrow for our next Tasty Tuesday. Have a great night--stay warm!

♥, Marlee

Friday Funnies, Vol. 12

Happy Friday, friends!!!

Today, I thought I would resurrect my venture in funny signs and bring you a new batch! That post was really popular, so I've decided to share some more with you today. Check these out and comment on your favorites!

Note: As I started my search, I came across a site that had a collection of pictures of signs that had other people's ...um...edits on them. Enjoy these!

UPDATE: Apparently that website didn't like me to borrow their images. Sorry that you missed them, they were pretty awesome. Enjoy the signs below, anyway! :)

I can only imagine the looks on people's faces when they come to this sign.

This should be hanging in every restaurant/public place. Seriously.

Awesome.

Sure, why not?

Hope you enjoyed this! I had lots of fun finding them for you!

Have a great weekend, friends! See you on Monday!

♥ Marlee

Thoughts on Thursday, Vol. 12

Well, as you're reading this, my dad and I are making our way toward Washington, DC for my Uncle Kelly's big retirement party tomorrow. I'm super excited--mostly to get to see my family, but also to get to be in DC again! I really want to work it out sometime in the future to actually take a vacation there so I can explore DC the right way. Just a dream for now, though...

Anyway, today is our day for some great and profound thoughts, so let's get rolling.

In the spirit of this weekend, I'd like to post some quotes on various patriotic themes today. Let's start with freedom.

"Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die." ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

"Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide." ~Napoleon Bonaparte

"Here is my advice as we begin the century that will lead to 2081. First, guard the freedom of ideas at all costs. Be alert that dictators have always played on the natural human tendency to blame others and to oversimplify. And don't regard yourself as a guardian of freedom unless you respect and preserve the rights of people you disagree with to free, public, unhampered expression." ~Gerard K. O'Neill, 2081

"There are two freedoms - the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; the true, where he is free to do what he ought." ~Charles Kingsley

"Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have." ~Harry Emerson Fosdick

These are some thoughts from a topic heading "Memorial Day," but I love these because in my mind they're really just quotes about honoring those who have fought and died for our freedom.

"They fell, but o'er their glorious grave

Floats free the banner of the cause they died to save."

~Francis Marion Crawford

"The brave die never, though they sleep in dust:

Their courage nerves a thousand living men."

~Minot J. Savage

"Better than honor and glory, and History's iron pen,

Was the thought of duty done and the love of his fellow-men."

~Richard Watson Gilder

(I know these are tending to be poetry, but I'm finding those to be the most profound.)

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." ~Joseph Campbell

"Life hangs as nothing in the scale against dear Liberty!" ~Lucy Larcom

And in closing, some thoughts on gratitude.

"God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say 'thank you'? ~William A. Ward

"The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you." ~John E. Southard

"If you have lived, take thankfully the past." ~John Dryden

"You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink." ~G.K. Chesteron

"If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful what he's going to get." ~Frank A. Clark

There you have it, folks! Take time to say a prayer for all those folks serving our great country at home and abroad, and be appreciative of what their sacrifice means for us!

See you tomorrow for Friday Funnies!

♥ Marlee

Writer's Corner Wednesday, Vol. 12

Hey there! You've made it to the halfway point! :)

For today's Writer's Corner Wednesday, I thought I'd write a little bit for my uncle, Kelly. He's retiring from the Air Force after many, many years of service, and I've always been really proud of his super important job that I don't know that much about. (But so it goes in the dealings of military intelligence, eh?)

So anyway, this is for you, Uncle Kelly.

Patriot.

Composed, resolved.

Trusted, strong, leader.

Elmer Davis said, "This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave."

You are the brave.

You are the protectors; you are the far-too-often unsung heroes.

You've sacrificed and given your life over--not for yourself,

but for the freedom and safety of others.

How many others do that just in their day to day life?

You've set foot on foreign soil with the goal of protecting the freedom of our great country.

And after so many years of service,

you deserve to retire with honors and gratitude.

You have witnessed tragedy and war firsthand.

And still you fought.

And for that, as Shakespeare says:

"I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks."

I love you Uncle Kelly! I'm so proud of you and I can't wait to see you in just 2 short days!

Just as an update to yesterday's post:

The crock pot recipe I made up was an absolute success! I came home today to pork chops that were literally falling apart in this delicious gravy of potato soup and garlic pepper and mushrooms...I wound up just breaking apart the chops and spooning the delicious concoction over brown rice. Deeeelicious!

I'm keeping this brief, and I also want to let you know that I've already written and scheduled my posts for Thursday and Friday. I'll be traveling Thursday and busy in DC on Friday, so I wanted to let you know now that both posts will be up at 4:00 on their respective days. Come back and check it out! :)

Have a great evening!

♥ Marlee