Labor Day

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday
The holiday originated in Canada out of labor disputes ("Nine-Hour Movement") printers' strike led to an annual celebration in Canada. In 1882, American labor leader Peter J. McGuire witnessed one of these labor festivals in Toronto. Inspired from Canadian events in Toronto, he returned to New York and organized the first American "labor day"

The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City.[1] In the aftermath of the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the US military and US Marshals during the 1894 Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with Labor as a top political priority. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.


OKAY ............All of the Above is very interesting....YAWNnnnnn !!! LOL

WHAT is Labor Day Weekend, to ME Growing up?

well

last weekend we would most likely go to the Beach TO SWIM

Saturday and sunday meant We were hangin out with dads family fishing,Sakonnet point,New Bedford etc.... AND roasting those delish fishies at my Aunts house in Fall river.

Jerry Lewis Telethon
La Salette festival in Attleboro
Clam/lobstahhh boil at my moms house for family On Monday

Last day i could stay up late Because school starts on Wednesday

Labor day has changed over the years and States we have lived in ......

this year It Was much different from My childhood holiday memories.

Friday night was a Late night of ice water Full moon and lots of LIFE conversation with my Hubster

Saturday was a lil bit of cleaning and then A whole lot of FUN, Kids took their first lite rail ride,WE tasted Colorado LOL , heard awesome local music, hung out with lots of cool hippie friends to hear some cool Percusion.



drank lemonaide and walked through Denver downtown ...and at least 5 Dogs were pet and talked to by Izzy and Dillon AND myself.bought Carol some postcards OFF to England they Go, and Aunty Christina's to Scandinavia.........talked to nice people from South Carolina who are considering a move here..........and back home and time for bed.........







Sunday was out 1st Sunday at our New Church.....the kids loved the Piano,Dad loved the New construction, I got emotional at the very loud spirited rendition of God Bless America, and people holding hands over a stressful week of politics that made some people NOT so christian in their words to one another, And everyone all came togther to realize that Belief in GOD and your family should be enough for your worries whether they are legit or not. and it doesent hurt to pray for your President, I did for BUSH and most people know thats a big deal for me LOL LOL.

After church the building came Church the forest .........where I believe He is most of the time when He is not useing his Mac book to check on US and read our emails of wants and needs.




the air was clean the path was damp and soon became WET, and so were we, BUT the birds were happy and the muskrats were swimming and the pine trees were as magestic as the know how to be. My children become like Peter Pan, running and jumping touching everything as if they Never had eyesite till they were let out of the truck
that day......our dog Jesse goes into all biz mode as if he is bionic ...SNIFF-LIFT-PEE Repeat ON Every small tree or flower he come to. after a half hour it becomes
SNIFF- LIFT.................ahhh the joys of being a dog........ My husband becomes a little diffrent as well taking turns beween drill sargent and Dali Lama...One minute One arm hugging me and happily inhaling the air



"its just perfect out isn't it?" (one minute to: "WALK CLOSER TO THE PATH.....IZZy You are too FARrrrrr Dillon NO NO NO!! Izzy NOOOOOooooo Dillon slow downnnnnn Dillon NOoooooo!!!" ...."awww look at the water falls arent they...........Izzyyyyy ? IZZZ? IZaBEllllllllllll YOu're too Far...come closer In YOU WILL FALL OFF the CLIFF!! and you can Just forget about ICE CREAM if you do IZZY .......

Me.....??? well I am at my finest, my best, My daughter says MOMMA IS A Nature Girl isn't she daddy?? to which Daddy grins and "says YESss yes she is Izzy"

the Rain began again this time it meant business...and we huddled under the pines and waited...giggling and twitchy...

it never lasts long and off on the trail we go again BUT as Parents of pokey puppy children we know that we must turn back Pushing them is not a good idea and having them walk on their own accord is much easier than having to hike with an extra small body to carry like a duffle bag filled with sand.

we turn back at the right time, still enough energy to get back to the car the way back is always More spastic one runs ahead to pick wildflowers on lags behind pulling long grass to stick in his teeth "Wike a Cah boy momma,Yeee Awwwww"!!

dad looks backwards and forwards keeping all in check and I make sure my Cah Boy is with me as he steps over large pine roots....at last we're all in the truck and the air in said truck is like someone just pulled a giant NBA sweat sock over your Head and made you inhale. wet dog, wet muddy children,and the smell of my pefume and hair gel thrown in the mix....BUT happily we make it back to the bottom of the Hill where Evergreen baskin Robbins awaits and their outdoor tables facing the stream and Cactus Jacks Bar with outdoor music stage is hopping with a classic Rock band.
waffle cones in hand and its sit or stand watching the ducks in the stream and listening to a cover of Tom Petty. its 15 minutes to home and its a lifetime of memories burned in our minds.



LAbor day is here and after yard work, cooking ribs,and sitting at the computer listening to the spongebob movie beyond me and my husbands Mac book sending off a New Slew of WEB links to OUR new web page to AS many program directors and heads of programming he can find ....its almost done ...almost time for bed..again...school for Izzy and our Big Brownie meeting tomorrow afternoon.


so here is where I stop............................

I have a feeling Next Year they Will be EVEN more different Still.

BUT thats what life is all about Old Memories ...And creating New Ones as well.

Hope everyones Labor day Was a memorable one.

Uma Casa Portuguesa! a song and a night at Ana's house

There are times when words are not needed, when tears can not be stopped from falling, when a the first notes of a song grips your heart and makes your nose sting as you feel as if your stomach was pushed in ....Those times are memories being recalled so quickly you can not grasp the emotions and are instantly a victim of them all at once.

for me its a song from my childhood sang in parents native tongue played many times on a record player up stairs in my mothers home AND always On Saturday which was PORTUGUESE Housecleaning day !! ohhh it might be a house cleaning day for others BUT in my lifetime so far NOTHING like the steps that are taken on that day have I seen ANYWHERE else ......

opening of every window, collecting of sheets, frozen foods taken out for that night and THE BIG Sunday dinner, the dusting, the hanging of the area rugs to be beat, the dust mops, the endust,the dust mops again,the vac, the scrubbing of the bathrooms,

the scrubbing of the floors and set up of ingrediants for supper and the set up of early morning sunday soup starter and whatever meal will be served after church.

ALL IN THIS ORDER.......


I am a lunitic about clean floors BUT even my manic weirdness is NOTHING compared to my family ON both sides.....well there was about 2 exceptions ....and they went as far in teh OTHER direction as could be LOL extremists I guess.

Now about the song...........Uma Casa Portuguesa ( A Portuguese House) sung by one of Portugals most Loved Fado singers Amalia Rodrigues, a simple country folk song about a ...Portuguese house ....makes me weepy everytime....teh lyrics are simple and are things as a Portuguese person you instantly relate to .


At a Portuguese home it is well
bread and wine on the table.
When at the door humbly beats someone,
people are seated to the table as well with us
It is well this weakness, is well,
that the people never contradict it.
The joy of the poverty
it is in this great wealth
of giving, and being glad

Four whitewashed walls,
a the smell of rosemary,
a bunch of gilded grapes,
two roses in a garden,
a Saint José of ceramic tile
under a spring sun,
a promise of kisses
two arms to my wait...
It is a Portuguese house, certainly!
It is, certainly, a Portuguese house

In the comfort very modest of my home,
there is abundance of fondness.
The curtain of the window and the moonlight,
more the sun that likes her...
It is enough little, little bit is enough to cheer up
a simple existance...
It is an alone love, bread and wine
and a potato and cabbage broth, green
smoking in the Bowl .
---------------------------------------------------

Simple yes BUt soooo true to everyone We know.

TONIGHT here in my home, I am reminded of a Doctors meeting with my famly about my fathers quickly failing health next week it will mark 25 years He left us all and my life as I knew it Changed forever. it is a deep painful hurt that HAS NOT and I suspect will never heal Till I to leave this world and in my Belief see him again.

his 12 string...his 6 string....quiet....

So with tradition in Hand in remembering those that have gone . tonights Dinner will have all the makings of my Childhood


vinho verde
Shrimp Mozembique
Meat sauted in sauce ( carne Guisada a portuguesa)
and sweet rice for dessert.


and a prayer of thanks to GOD for my family near and far.




SHRIMP MOZEMBIQUE
------------------
Ingredients
1 lb. medium shrimp (cleaned and
shelled)
3/4 - 1 stick butter
6 cloves garlic - minced
1/4 can beer (cook gets to drink the rest!)
2 pkgs Goya Seasoning Con azafron (for
fish and seafood)
Fresh parsley
2 tsp. lemon juice
Hot sauce - to taste

Directions
Melt butter and sauté garlic for two minutes. Add Goya, shrimp, beer and parsley. Turn up heat to boil, then turn to low and cook approximately 8-10 minutes until shrimp is pink. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Serve over rice with Portuguese or Italian rolls to soak up the juice.
Number Of Servings: 4-6

very good with white rice.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carne guisada (stewed Portuguese style beef)

1/3 cup of olive oil
1 med yellow onion
2 tblsp paprika
2 cloves garlic
one small can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
2 pounds stew meat
1 cup of white wine


water about roughly 1 cup
1 1/2 cups of green peas
2 peeled chopped in slices carrots
2 large peeled cut in cubed potatoes

in large stew Pot heat oil about 2 min add above 1st 7 ingrediants in order waiting 2 minutes in between each addition, add meat salt and pep to taste if you like heat (pepper) add hot sauce as you like. saute till meat is browned, add wine and water and vege COVER cook on low heat about an hour .

you must must have crusty bread with it !!!

Choose Your Words

September 3, 2009
Choose Your Words
Failure
The word failure puts forward a very simplistic way of thinking that allows for only two possibilities: failure or success. Few things in the universe are black and white, yet much of our language reads as if they are. The word failure signifies a paradigm in which all subtlety is lost. When we regard something we have done, or ourselves, as a failure, we lose our ability to see the truth, which is no doubt considerably more complex. In addition, we hurt ourselves. All you have to do is speak or read the word failure and see how it makes you feel.

At some point, the word may not have been so loaded with the weight of negativity, and it simply referred to something that did not go according to plan. Unfortunately, in our culture it is often used very negatively, such as when a person is labeled a failure, even though it is impossible for something as vast and subtle as a human being to be reduced in such a way. It also acts as a deterrent, scaring us from taking risks for fear of failure. It has somehow come to represent the worst possible outcome. Failure is a word so burdened with fearful and unconscious energy that we can all benefit from consciously examining our use of it, because the language we use influences the way we think and feel.

Next time you feel like a failure or fear failure, know that you are under the influence of an outmoded way of perceiving the world. When the world failure comes up, it’s a call for us to apply a more enlightened consciousness to the matter at hand. When you are consciously aware of the word and its baggage you will not fall victim to its darkness. In your own use of language, you may choose to stop using the word failure altogether. This might encourage you to articulate more clearly the truth of the situation, opening your mind to subtleties and possibilities the word failure would never have allowed.

Wonton's made of crab? BUT what else can I do!!! hmmmm

SO what to do with yummy Wonton wrappers!!

I was planning on making crab as I usually do, BIG favorite here at our house.
BUT as I looked at them frying away I realized little pockets stuffed with yummy crabby creammy chessy goodness can be done in so many yummy creamy gooey good treats




SO I looked in the fride and PRESTO ....I had a half eatin pint of Blueberries!! YES LITTLE FRIED WONTON BLUEBERRY PIES!!!!!!

so in a bowl I put the blueberries with some sugar and let them do there thing for about 40 seconds in the Ole Microwave !

ahhhh the yummy gooey sweet blueberries were perfect!!

I plopped a dot on teh wontons and sealed them with water and into the oil they went ! quickly browning and looking crispy and delish ! I let them drain on paper towels and then PIECE de Resistance' powdered sugar! can you say
HOLY COW THATS GOOD!!!!!!! I knew you could !

Our annual Block Party was this weekend ! and again it was so much fun! the kids and adults had a super time , great food and wonderful friends make this little neck of the Ranch a great place to live.



"A good neighbor is a fellow who smiles at you over the back fence, but doesn't climb over it."






"We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next door neighbor."
-- Gilbert K. Chesterton



"Nothing makes you more tolerant of a neighbor's noisy party than being there."
-- Franklin P. Jones



"A neighborhood is where, when you go out of it, you get beat up."
-- Murray Kempton




"No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change."
-- Barbara De Angelis

Consulting Heart and Mind

August 19, 2009
Consulting Heart and Mind
Making Choices from a Place of Balance
Each of the myriad decisions we make every day has the potential to have a deep impact on our lives. Some choices touch us to our very cores, awakening poignant feelings within us. Others seem at first to be simple but prove to be confusingly complex. We make the best decisions when we approach the decision-making process from a balanced emotional and intellectual foundation. When we have achieved equilibrium in our hearts and in our minds, we can clearly see both sides of an issue or alternative. Likewise, we can accept compromise as a natural fact of life. Instead of relying solely on our feelings or our rationality, we utilize both in equal measure, empowering ourselves to come to a life-affirming and balanced conclusion.

Balance within and balance without go hand in hand. When you are called upon to choose between two or more options, whether they are attractive or distasteful, you should understand all you can about the choice ahead of you before moving forward. If you do not come to the decision from a place of balance, you risk making choices that are irrational and overly emotional or are wholly logical and don’t take your feelings into account. In bringing your thoughts and emotions together during the decision-making process, you ensure that you are taking everything possible into account before moving forward. Nothing is left up to chance, and you have ample opportunity to determine which options are in accordance with your values.

Though some major decisions may oblige you to act and react quickly, most will allow you an abundance of time in which to mull over your choices. If you doubt your ability to approach your options in a balanced fashion, take an extended time-out before responding to the decision. This will give you the interlude you need to make certain that your thoughts and feelings are in equilibrium. As you practice achieving balance, you will ultimately reach a state of mind in which you can easily make decisions that honor every aspect of the self.

Honoring Life Changes

August 18, 2009
Honoring Life Changes
The Wisdom of Fear
Anything worth doing will always have some fear attached to it. For example, having a baby, getting married, changing careers—all of these life changes can bring up deep fears. It helps to remember that this type of fear is good. It is your way of questioning whether you really want the new life these changes will bring. It is also a potent reminder that releasing and grieving the past is a necessary part of moving into the new.

Fear has a way of throwing us off balance, making us feel uncertain and insecure, but it is not meant to discourage us. Its purpose is to notify us that we are at the edge of our comfort zone, poised in between the old life and a new one. Whenever we face our fear, we overcome an inner obstacle and move into new and life-enhancing territory, both inside and out. The more we learn to respect and even welcome fear, the more we will be able to hear its wisdom, wisdom that will let us know that the time has come to move forward, or not. While comfort with fear is a contradiction in terms, we can learn to honor our fear, recognizing its arrival, listening to its intelligence, and respecting it as a harbinger of transformation. Indeed, it informs us that the change we are contemplating is significant, enabling us to approach it with the proper reverence.

You might wish to converse with your fear, plumbing its depths for a greater understanding of the change you are making. You could do this by sitting quietly in meditation and listening or by journaling. Writing down whatever comes up—your worries, your sadness, your excitement, your hopes—is a great way to learn about yourself through the vehicle of fear and to remember that fear almost always comes alongside anything worth doing in your life.