Sally in The MIX

Friday, May 29, 2015

My Two Thunder Chickens. . .er. . .Dogs

Storms. Rain. What else is there to talk about? Even my dogs have a lot to say about our weather lately.

I have two dogs. One little one – Penny. One big one – Reba. Penny lives inside. Reba lives outside, sorta. Penny and Reba have one thing in common. They are terrified of lightning storms.

I know why Penny is terrified. Several years ago, when I was not at home, lightning struck the house, and Penny got traumatized, big time. Who could blame her? I would have been traumatized too. And ever since, if the slightest bit of thunder can be heard, perhaps even as far away as Oklahoma City, Penny freaks. Her first avenue of retreat is my lap. If the thunder continues, she jumps off my lap (apparently I am not sufficient protection against thunder), and hides under the end table. If thunder continues, Penny just whines. And whines. And whines. It’s maddening. But if I’m up and moving about, as I was Thursday morning getting ready to proceed into the real world, Penny follows me, everywhere. She follows so close, she sometimes trips me up. Or I kick her across the room, unintentionally of course. It doesn’t matter. If I am upright and on my feet, and thunder sounds, Penny wants between my feet. The dog logic behind this is, and will most likely remain, a mystery.

Consequently, on Thursday morning as thunder rumbled, and I tried to leave house, Penny was close behind seeking solace between my feet. I tried to fend her off, and convince her to stay in the house, with the umbrella. This must have resembled me having a sword fight with my little bitty dog. If you can imagine tiny Penny darting and dodging at my feet while I tried to get door open, purse in one hand and umbrella in other, and at the same time waving umbrella at tiny dog and yelling “No,” you get the picture. It wasn’t pretty. I wasn’t really trying to skewer my dog. It was for her own good, to keep her safe in the house. It was a relief finally to get that door slammed in my poor dog’s face. I wish I could convince her she will be fine without my feet.

Reba is another matter. Reba is an old, old dog, who was rescued by Darling Daughter. Darling Daughter rescues everything. She’s forbidden to bring rescues to me, but for some reason Reba and I bonded, and nobody better mess with my Reba now. Not even the thunder. It became clear not long after Reba arrived that she too had thunder issues. We could tell by the way she tore the screen door off the porch trying to gain house entry during a thunder storm. Reba is the outside dog. She gets outdoor privileges. But outdoors is not where Reba wants to be when thunder sounds in the distance. She wants her family room privileges then.

Consequently, when I walked out to my pickup truck on Thursday morning, just after fending off Penny, I was accompanied the whole way by Reba, who remained right by my side. I opened truck door and prepared to enter, but now having to fend off Reba. She seemed to think she should get in truck and go with me. What? “No,” I told her. Then she gave me that great-big, brown-eyed, sad-dog look. Oh dear. I am such a sucker.

“That means you are scared of the thunder and want to go in the house, right?” I inquired. I swear she nodded. I climbed back out of truck and headed back to the house. The old, old Reba nearly beat me there. The elderly Reba does not run often. She ran this time, and beat me to the back door. She barely paused while I got the door to the family room open so that she could enter, and, somehow or other, be safe from the thunder. Reba and Penny should talk. Inside the house may not be as safe as Reba might think. Penny could tell her all about it.

Or, come to think of it, maybe I shouldn’t let them talk. I may not survive a thunder conspiracy between my two dogs. And two dogs between my feet is two too many.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

How Much Do We Know About this Holiday?

Memorial Day Trivia

1. What was the first state, which officially celebrated Memorial Day?

2. Originally, Memorial Day was first known as what, the hint is the day begins with the letter d.

3. Why do we celebrate Memorial Day?

4. Who is General John Alexander Logan and what role does his memory play in our Memorial Day celebrations?

5. On this special day of remembrance, should the American Flag be half raised all-day or fly in all her glory at full mast?

6. What is the nationally recognized flower of Memorial Day?

7. What day of the week is Memorial Day held on?

Memorial Day Facts

Memorial Day was declared a federal holiday in 1971, and was designated to be held on the last Monday in May. We now designate this day to remember loved ones who have passed on, as well as remembering our service men and women who died while in service. Flowers and flags are placed on graves in remembrance of them. Parades and dedications of memorials usually are part of the day's activities. The day is sometimes known as Decoration Day.  The U.S. National Park Service attributes the beginning of Memorial Day to the ladies of Columbus, Ga., who honored Confederates soldiers killed in battle

Waterloo, N.Y., is considered the birthplace of the holiday because the people of Waterloo were the first people to proclaim a day on May 5, 1866, to honor the soldiers who died in the Civil War. They closed their businesses and placed flowers and flags on the graves of their soldiers. Flags were flown at half-mast.

Major General John A. Logan declared May 30, 1868, as a special day for honoring Union soldiers killed in battle. He was Commander in Chief of an organization of Union Civil War Veterans called the Grand Army of the Republic. They took charge of Memorial Day celebrations in the Northern States. The American Legion took over these duties after World War I.

The Southern States of Alabama and Mississippi observe the last Monday in April as Confederate Memorial Day. Georgia observes April 26, North and South Carolina observe May 10, Virginia observes the last day of May. Louisiana and Tennessee observe June 3 and Texas celebrates Confederate Heroes Day, January 19th.

The poppy emblem was chosen because of the poppies that bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their red color an appropriate symbol for the bloodshed of trench warfare.

“The patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree.”

Thomas Campbell

Friday, May 15, 2015

Vacation Summation on New Destination

Vacations are wonderful things. You get to get away and think about nothing except what great restaurant to eat out at, or what fabulous and expensive site or activity you are going to undertake on that particular day.

To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect at this new vacation destination we were invited to by son and daughter-in-law. It was to be 10 days at a condo on the South Carolina shore at Myrtle Beach. “A condo?,” I asked. “Does that mean I have to cook?” I don’t cook on vacations. Darling Daughter promised to do the cooking, the driving, and everything else. So off we went.

Our usual vacation destination for the past 22 years has been The Mouse House and other theme parks in Orlando, Fla., a vacation I am particularly fond of, which others may guess at since we’ve done it for 22 years! But I will now confess I fell in love with North Myrtle Beach. I fell in love with the Atlantic Ocean. I fell in love with that condo, and no, I didn’t cook, thank goodness. Darling Daughter did. And she cooked really well.

There were a few drawbacks. I do not like sitting in a rental vehicle for 22 hours just trying to get to and from my vacation. I much prefer an aircraft. But we had so many going on the trip, the expense was prohibitive. So we looked at that long trip as an adventure, and it was. On one leg of that long trip out we stopped at a wide spot in the road labeled Saluda, N.C., where I found Atkins Orchard. If you are ever near there, stop, shop, buy and eat. Atkins Orchard offered me every kind of soft cider (notice soft, not hard) imaginable. I didn’t know there were such things. I bought a quart of peach cider, and drank every drop myself. And I bought strawberries and strawberry poppy seed salad dressing, and would have bought more if there had been room in our vehicle. But we were packed to the gills. (Four women, give me a break!) I’ve got to go back to North Carolina just for Atkins Orchard. And then there were the Appalachian arts and crafts, and Smokey Mountains, and homemade food diners. Wow!

And then there was the Atlantic Ocean. Darling Daughter and I both decided what we wanted was to lay on the beach all day and do nothing. We tried really hard to do that. I tried to just lay there and get a tan but I couldn’t take my eyes off the ocean and the waves. They mesmerized me. I was enchanted. I want to live there.

But here came what Carolinians called a subtropical storm. Then they took the sub off. Then they decided that another increase in the storm’s wind speed would designate it as a baby hurricane. It’s really hard to lay on the beach for a tan during a storm or baby hurricane. Oh we didn’t mind getting wet. It was the wind-blown sea spray and sand that ran us off.

Then, here came Oklahoma’s weather in the news. It’s a bit disconcerting when The Weather Channel has a split screen, one side showing where you live and plan to return to, and one side showing where you are living at the moment. Tornado? Baby hurricane? Take your choice. We watched The Weather Channel a lot. But hey, this was my vacation! I had a good book, a lovely balcony and comfortable chairs where I could sit, read, and take notice, or not, of whatever storm was going on at the moment. Even in the wind and rain, it was relaxing. And if I got bored, there was an outlet mall just down the street for mega shopping. It was wonderful!

It was so wonderful, I was back on the internet just this a.m. trying to figure out how to get back to Myrtle Beach. Oh yes, I would most certainly go back. The hustle and bustle of the Orlando theme parks are fun, and can generate excitement and laughter. But I found lying on the beach with absolutely nothing to do but watch ocean waves is great too. I will confess I did have to put my camera away at one point, telling myself it is nearly impossible to take a photo of every wave in the Atlantic Ocean. But I did get up close and personal with a sea gull who seemed to think I should feed him. Next time I’ll take him a few leftovers, and I may fly in myself. But then, if I did, I would miss the Atkins Orchard, and that may not be something I want to do on . . .for sure, the next time.