Odd Things on the 4th

Today, July 4, is Independence Day, a U.S. federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Ironically, though the holiday is referred to as "The Fourth of July” this date has NO historic significance. 

WHY? because Congress approved a declaration of independence on July 2, 1776. Founding Father, and later second President, John Adams had anticipated this would be the most important date in U.S. history

After the official Declaration was approved, the first printed copies were displayed on broadsheets (newspapers printed on large sheets of paper) put up in cities throughout the nation that read: “In Congress, July 4, 1776” and that date stuck.

However, Adams didn't recognize July 4 as Independence Day. His belief was that it should be celebrated on July 2, when the resolution for independence was passed by the Continental Congress.

Thomas Jefferson & John Adams

Years later, another twist of fate became connected with July 4. when it became the same date that three U.S. Presidents, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe died on — two in the same year. 

Not only did Jefferson (83) and Adams (90) die in 1825 on July 4, but this date also marked the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Now, that was really a very odd coincidence.

At their deaths, they were described as "frenemies" — friends early on, then in 1800, differing views led them to not speak to one other for over a decade. In 1812, the two started writing and eventually sent over 185 letters to each other. At best, the renewed friendship remained tense.

While both men had been ill. Adams was thought to be in better health until a few months before. Whereas, Jefferson had been ill for several months. He's also said to have refused a dose of laudanum (a painkiller of opium and high-proof alcohol) the night before he died. Jefferson died shortly after noon in Monticello, VA. Several hours later Adams died in Quincy, MA. The nation’s second and third presidents were friends; however news did not travel fast back then, so they were unaware of each other’s passing.

Over the years, whether the deaths of Jefferson and Adams was coincidence or divine intervention has been the subject of scholarly debate. Scholars have tried to pinpoint the odds of a statistically unlikely event happening. Jefferson and Adams didn’t only die on the same day, with an already low probability of 1 in 365. but on the same significant date and historic anniversary. 

Among the explanations is one that proposes that proposed both men purposely hung on for the 50th anniversary, which isn't such an unusual phenomenon. It's been documented that people have been kept themselves alive until they’ve said final goodbyes to loved ones or experienced a significant event. So, it's not impossible that Adams and Jefferson’s "will to live" kept them alive before July 4th, then gave out afterwards.

James Monroe & Calvin Coolidge

Five years after Jefferson and Adams died, the fifth U.S. President James Monroe died at age 73 on July 4, 1831 from tuberculosis. 

Although three U.S. Presidents died on July 4, only one was born on this date. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President was born on July 4, 1872 in VT.

Other presidents born in the month of July, besides Coolidge, included John Quincy Adams, Gerald R. Ford and George W. Bush. (Adams, the eldest son of former President John Adams, served as the sixth U.S. President, 1825 to 1829.)

Nashua, NH,  fireworks

We're staying home on the holiday and will be walking downtown to City Hall for a veterans flag-raising event. In years past, we joined other mill apartment residents in gathering at the pocket park along the Nashua River to watch a fireworks display from Holman Stadium, the local ball field. That won't happen this year because of ongoing construction at the park.

We won't miss a fireworks display and instead we'll watch the Washington, DC, display on PBS.

On Saturday, we'll attend a performance, "America the Beautiful," by the Soldiers Chorus of the United States Army Field Band at the Nashua Center for the Arts in downtown Nashua, NH. Since being formed in March 1946, this military touring musical organization has performed over 400 concerts annually, including performances in all 50 states and in over 30 countries on 4 continents. 

Soldiers Chorus of the United States Army Field Band (Internet source)

In previous years, we've attended similar performances by other military bands, including The President's Own United States Marine Band, United States Navy Band and the United States Air Force Band. In addition to these concerts being performed by skilled musicians and vocalists, they are always NO Charge to the public. This is a must-see event that's highly recommended if you ever have the opportunity to attend one of these performances. 

Celebrating Family

While posts showing our younger family members are not frequent, the good news is that everyone is doing well. There's been a graduation, a birthday and an engagement, we unfortunately missed being there for these events, but family members sent these pics. 

We hope to visit these grands in the coming months. Grenville and granddaughter celebrate July birthdays.

Both oldest grands spent several days visiting NYC with their father. They posed for these photos with a new "friend" who they left behind in the city.

Daughter No. 1 and boyfriend became engaged on vacation. Coincidentally, it was on the same date as the 25th anniversary of our first date.

At the end of May, youngest granddaughter graduated pre-school and will enter full-day kindergarten in Sept. Yes, how fast the years have gone by.

After a family vacation, she was home and helping with a home renovation project. 

The youngest family member, our great nephew, celebrated his 1st birthday earlier this month. He's quite the charmer according to his mom who sent these pics.

His older sister is our great niece who is 2-1/2 years old. Their mom shared that these youngsters are great playmates and have a lot of fun together. 

Although, we see family members as often as possible during road trips, the youngest ones always seem to be growing up so fast. At the same time, we don't feel we're getting older.

How about you? — Is it the same in your family too; the older we get, the younger as well?

Several folks asked if we enjoyed a donut on Friday, June 3, National Donut Day in the U.S. We did not. But, will celebrate National Ice Cream Day on the third Sunday in July, and it falls on July 17 this year. Readers of this blog already know, we don't need a holiday to enjoy ice cream. Does anyone?

April Celebrations

Today is Easter Sunday, a Christian holiday and this year by unusual coincidence, a major holiday of Judaism and Islam will be observed on or around the same time. The last time this happened was over 30 years ago (1991).

Our best wishes to those celebrating: Happy Easter, Happy Passover or Blessed Ramadan

The Holy Week began with Palm Sunday on April 10 through to Maundy Thursday on April 14 and Good Friday on April 15. The same day the Jewish observance of Passover (Pesach) started at sundown and will end a week later at sundown, April 23. Passover commemorates the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and the end of their slavery.

While Passover and Easter usually occur close together in early spring, they're not always celebrated the same date. This year, both major religious celebrations occur during Islam's Holy Month of Ramadan. 

Muslims celebrate the month of Ramadan (Eid al-Fitr) which begin the evening of April 1 and will end the evening of May 1. Ramadan is one of the five main pillars of the Islam faith which commemorates the first revelation of Islam's founder and main prophet, Muhammad. 

This year's overlap of all three religious holidays is unusual since each faith follows a different calendar. The Christian calendar is set by the course of the sun and widely used in the Western world. The Islamic calendar is aligned with the moon and the lunar year. Twelve months in a solar year is 365 days, but only 354 days in the lunar year.

Grenville and I will celebrate at home in NH without family visits or egg coloring this year. Instead, phone calls will be made to wish family & friends a happy celebration. We'll attend a service, watch the 1948 film Easter Parade, and enjoy a home-cooked meal just we two. 

Comments are off. We hope your day will be a good one, no matter how/where it's spent.

Dressed for Halloween

Unfortunately, we didn't see any of the family who celebrated Halloween in 3 different states. We did get photos which are included here. The oldest grandchildren designed their own costumes; grandson made walking stilts for his, both arms and legs.

Youngest granddaughter dressed donned several outfits for Halloween festivities at her daycare in PA and trick or treating with her parents in their neighborhood.

Great niece with mom was a scarecrow for a her daycare party. Her cousin (another great niece) wasn't in costume when her photo was taken.

Both great nieces were together in NJ this Halloween and posed with their grandmother.

The younger family members seemed to enjoy the celebrations. 

Birthday 🎂 Celebrations

Last week our family celebrated two birthdays, here in Nashua, NH, and in Providence, RI. Sadly, we didn't get together for either celebration, but socially distanced both occasions.

My husband, Patrick (Grenville) celebrated his 🎂 last Wednesday. He read and appreciated all your well wishes — but doesn't share his treats (especially ice cream) can't you tell?

His day started with a walk downtown to a local coffee shop. Later in the day, we visited a local ice cream stand for hot dogs and a hot fudge sundae — his birthday food choices.

On Sunday, oldest granddaughter celebrated her 9th birthday with girlfriends at her RI home. We visited online earlier her as she opened our gifts. She liked the cookbook, baking utensils and the iTunes gift card.

As necessary, this year's celebration was very low-key without family members as in past years. Despite this, she had a good time with candle-blowing and gift opening.

Last year, her mom, and brother visited NH to celebrate. We're hoping that next year we can be together to celebrate her 10th and her grandfather's 72nd.

When Family Gathers . . .

It can be for many reasons. The best ones for most are celebrations of happy holiday times together. That's how part of our family spent the recent Thanksgiving holiday. 

This post has a lot of smiling faces for which we are very thankful. Several years ago, the holidays were not happy times. There was a lot of family tension and discord due to my mom's failing health. Thanksgiving was the last holiday we celebrated with her.

We traveled to Lancaster, PA, to meet up with members of my family who traveled there from NJ. My brother, Tony, his wife Anita, their daughter Julie and husband Michael and their daughter Autumn Rose. She's the first of our two great nieces born in October.

At just over 6 weeks of age, this holiday was Autumn's second celebration after Halloween although she didn't trick or treat this year.

There were quite a few a lot of family photos taken with her. She napped through many of these, including some with her parents.

While she also napped with her grandfather, Autumn posed with her grandmother. Yes, she has a full head of dark hair just like both of her parents.

Great Uncle Pat (Grenville) must have shared a funny turkey story because she really gave him the most big smiles.

Maybe, he was telling her about how her family members took photos wearing the silly holiday hats and headbands provided by her grandmother (middle photo above).

This newest and smallest family member made everyone's holiday even more special. We'll see her again and other another new family member during the Christmas holidays. 

That's because we will be meeting our second great niece and Autumn's cousin, Savannah Marie. She and her parents Jamie and Mike spent the holiday with family in NJ. 

Grenville and myself (Pat and Dorothy) hope that your celebrations included special time spent with family and friends. Our family is relatively small as parents, grandparents and several aunts and uncles have passed. We remember them as we celebrate and make new family memories. That is what matters most to us. 

Nashua, NH Celebrated Veterans Day

Last Saturday was Veterans Day and the City of Nashua, NH held its annual Veterans Day parade which, although sparsely attended, was a wonderful tribute. Various school marching bands and civic organizations participated in the parade on Main St.

This date is an official U.S. public holiday, observed annually on November 11, that honors those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

In 1918, the hostilities of WW I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. The U.S. previously observed this date as Armistice Day. In 1954, it was renamed to Veterans Day.

It coincides with holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, which are celebrated in other countries to mark the anniversary of the end of WW I.

Memorial Day celebrated in May honors those who died while in military service. Armed Forces Day, also occurs in May, and honors those currently serving in the U.S. military. Every parade we've attended has always ended with emergency response vehicles.

Although the weather last weekend was windy and cold, we proudly celebrated. Grenville is a U.S. Navy veteran.

Where there observances/celebrations in your city/town as well?

First Time Dad

Son-in-law celebrates his first Fathers Day today since the birth of nearly six-month old granddaughter.

Sending him our best wishes for the first of many more dad's day celebrations to come. Here's granddaughter with her best friend, Lola.

And, with two other (larger than her) "friends." We named the gray and pink "Ollie" and gave it to her for a Christmas gift after her December birth.

Happy Fathers Day to Everyone who has been a father, stepfather, grandfather, foster dad and more. If, like ourselves, your fathers are no longer with us, take a moment to celebrate them too.

Celebrate and Remember

2016 Memorial Day parade, Nashua, NH

Memorial Day, a solemn reminder that freedom is never free, honors men and women who have served and died in military service.

This U.S. federal holiday is observed annually on the last day in May (today). The 3-day holiday weekend is regarded as the "unofficial" start of summer. Many will attend parades, BBQs and picnics or go shopping for sales.   

The holiday was originally called Decoration Day and was started to honor soldiers who died in the Civil War. It was officially proclaimed in General Order No. 11 by General John Logan in May 1868. (Several southern states set aside an added separate day for honoring Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 28 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi, and June 3 in Louisiana and Tennessee.) 

The best-known poem now associated with this day, In Flanders Fields, resulted in the remembrance poppy, an artificial flower used since 1921 to commemorate military members who have died in war. It's associated with U.S. Memorial Day as the American Legion symbol. Funds raised through selling remembrance poppies help support disabled veterans.

The poem was written in May 1915 during WWI by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae after presiding over the funeral of a friend and fellow soldier. 

In Flanders Fields (Lt. Col. John McCrae, 1872-1918)

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row, 
That mark our place, and in the sky, 
The larks, still bravely singing, fly, 
Scarce heard amid the guns below. 

We are the dead; short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, 
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields. 

Take up our quarrel with the foe! 
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high! 
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

The “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution, passed in 2000, asks all Americans at 3 p.m. local time: “To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to ‘Taps.”

(Comments are off. Celebrate the holiday and remember.)

Happy Hearts Day 2017

Today is Valentine's Day and we hope that wherever and however you spend the day, that's it's a lovely one (pun intended. 

As I was unsure as to whether or not it was strictly a U.S. celebrated day, I checked online and learned that Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia. And that it was celebrated in Sweden under the name of "Alla hjärtans dag" but don't know the English translation. Additionally China, Japan Korea Formosa, Turkey and the Philippines observe a similar day to express love. 

"Beatrice" and "Grenville" are represented in the figures in this post and are displayed in our apt. These are also the aliases we used when we first created this blog. Now, we use them interchangeably with our actual names, Dorothy and Patrick.

Beatrice and Grenville are part of Boyds Bears. While I searched online  to learn why these names (and others) are selected, there was no information available. Maybe they are chosen from family or friends surnames or perhaps, more likely, selected at random.

Years ago we bought the Beatrice and Grenville "True Love" shown above. It was our first joint purchase and we had displayed it on our wedding table. Afterward, we came across the other two: "Best Friends Weather Any Storm" and "Best Friends." 

All three pieces were purchased in our native NJ and have "lived" with us in NJ, VA and now NH. They just seem to fit how we regard our love and relationship. each piece has a quote on the bottom.

True Love:  “The great secret of successful marriage is to treat all disasters as incidents and none of the incidents as disasters.” – Harold Nicholson

Best Friends: "There is only one happiness in live, to love and be loved." George Sand

Best Friends Weather Any Storm: "Love comforteth like sunshine after rain." Shakespeare

In case you didn't know (and why would you?) Boyds Bears is named after the Maryland town where the business was started. Company founders Gary M. Lowenthal and his wife, Justina Unger, left merchandising positions in NYC to relocate to Boyds, Maryland in 1979. They opened an antique store out of their partially restored Victorian home, but found the business to be costly and unprofitable and switched to resin figurines and later stuffed toy bears. The first bear was named "Matthew" after their newborn son, later a "Bailey" bear was named for their daughter. The stuffed toy bears, rabbits, moose and others as well as resin figurines (Boyds Bearstones, Folkstones, Wee Folkstones, Nature's Woodland Fairies, Dollstones) were widely popular for years and are still collected by many. However, the collectibles market is not the way to make one's fortune (think Beanie Babies).  Enesco acquired the company in 2008 and in 2014 discontinued the Boyds Bears product line stating in an email to retailers that . . . "a decision has been made to place Boyds into hibernation."

We will continue to enjoy our small B & G collection which also includes this card.

Perfect for Today & Always

Veterans Day & USMC Birthday

Veterans Day is celebrated here today to honor the service of all U.S. military veterans. Many towns, including our current home, Nashua, NH will host a parade and other commemorative events. Many restaurants and service facilities nationwide are providing food and other discounts to current and retired military personnel.

But, more importantly, on this day, and always, we  say Thanks to those who have served in all branches of service, including Pat/Grenville who was in the U.S. Navy. 

We keep those military men and women serving in the U.S. and in foreign lands in our thoughts and prayers. These are dangerous times worldwide for everyone.

And, we also extend belated Happy Birthday wishes to the U.S. Marine Corp (USMC) which celebrated its 241th birthday yesterday, November 10. 

The USMC was established in 1775 when the Second Continental Congress established the Continental Marines.
Since 1925, the USMC birthday has been celebrated with a traditional ball and cake-cutting ceremony.

(Comments are off.)

Enjoy your weekend, Everyone

Take time to thank a military veteran for his/her service. 

They will appreciate it.

Two Islands and Paris in 3 Days

Yes, you read that correct.

Last weekend we did visit two islands and Paris — in a single weekend. We never left New England — and visited ALL these places in one state.

Confused?
Here's HOW we did it. We went to Westport Island, Birch Island, and Paris in Maine. 

Maybe not quite the exotic destinations you might have expected?
But then these trips did cost less and take less time.

Our travels started with a visit to Westport Island, located about 50 miles northeast of Portland, Maine. It's separated from the mainland by two coastal salt-water rivers (Sheepscot River and Back River) and is connected to the mainland by one bridge, built in 1972. The island has year-round residences, many rental cottages and a single bed & breakfast accommodation, The Squire Tarbox Inn, where we stayed.

Longtime NJ friends, Sara and David have rented a summer vacation cottage on the island for the past 10 years. Since we hadn't seen them in nearly 2 years, we planned our anniversary trip to include a get together. This is a long-standing friendship as Sara and I attended high school some xx years ago.

We had a day full of activities, including a visit to the annual North Noble Fair, Booth Bay Harbor (great ice cream sundaes at the Ice Cream Factory) and we climbed Pemaquid Point Lighthouse (more on this in a future post). We capped the day off with dinner at the inn celebrating: David's birthday, our anniversary, and especially our friendship.

Later, we took time for an after-dinner group selfie thanks to Grenville's long reach.

Next travel stop was Paris, ME to visit friends, Chris and Pam, who also live in Nashua, NH and spend long weekends at the home that Chris grew up in. This house dates to 1789 and is in a scenic historic district, known as Paris Hill. 

After Paris, we went to Norway (the lake that is). Captain Chris provided a boat tour of Norway Lake, which is really Lake Pennesseewassee, can you see why it's been renamed after the town it's nearest ?

Our next destination was Birch Island, which houses a small cabin owned by Chris and Pam. It's very basic with no electricity and only accessible by boat or when the lake freezes over and can be driven on. You read that right. They told us that the lake freezes to 3 feet of solid ice and can support a large pickup truck, needed to get supplies there.

Last weekend was a fun-filled pre-celebration trip to visit friends and tour more of New England. While the destinations were not as far-away as the post title might have implied, did I mention that they cost less, were FUN and, most important, very special.

Today is our 17th wedding anniversary — 08-21-2016

Coincidentally, we share our anniversary date with a couple from England, Kath and Andrew. We met them several years ago when they were visiting the U.S. and only later learned that we were married on the same date just in different years. The card shown above was received from them this week. Happy Anniversary, Kath & Andrew.