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.

Forget-Me-Not Day

Did you know that today is Forget-Me-Not Day an unofficial holiday in the U.S.?

Don't feel left out. It's one that escaped my notice too. Maybe that's because it's really hard to find on any calendar.

As an avid letter of letters, cards and notes I didn't know about the date until a few weeks ago. I received a packet of cards from our supplemental insurance provider and the accompanying letter said that the notecards were to celebrate "Forget-Me-Not" Day. Recipients were invited to send them to others.

Curious about the origins of this "holiday" I checked online for more info. According to one site, it was created as a day to remember and get in touch with friends and family you care about and, perhaps, don't see often. Another noted that some people used it to memorialize a loved one who has passed away.

The National Day Calendar website, stated that it was created in 1921 to remind Americans about the sacrifices of returning soldiers. The date was said to have raised funds for services where there were none. (The website didn't specify more details.)

Regardless of its origins, it's an easy day to celebrate. If you're not a letter writer, email or call friends and family to let them know you're thinking of them. Of course, where possible, getting together with them is always better. 

Never underestimate the power of taking the time to let someone know that you're thinking about them. It can mean more than you think it does. 

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  Maya Angelou

Friday Funnies

Anyone have a needle?

Preferably a VERY large one.

Enjoy your weekend, Everyone.

Scrambled Message Letters

We scramble these letters to leave secret messages for one another. OK not so secret as the board is in the hall and we're the only 2 folks here. But, just go with me for this post. 

Yes, these are Scrabble™ game letters that were recycled from an extra game set. And yes, we have another set that does get occasional use.

I created this message board fairly easy using the wooden game tiles, magnetic tape, a magnetic board, and a picture frame. The tape, board and frame were all bought at a retail crafts store and are shown here.
It was pure luck that the magnetic board and the frame were the same size, 12 x 12-inches. Even better luck was finding the frame on a clearance sale!

The magnetic tape comes on a roll and can be cut to any size. It has an adhesive backing. While a bit time-consuming, it was easy to adhere to each tile. 

Curious about the game's background, I did some online searching. In 1938, a U.S. architect Alfred Mosher Butts created the game as a variation of Lexiko, an earlier word game he'd invented. Both games had the same set of letter tiles. The new game was named Criss-Cross Words. Butts added the 15x15 game board and the crossword-style game play. He manufactured a few sets himself, but no major game manufacturers were interested in marketing it.

In 1948, James Brunot, who owned one of the original Criss-Cross Words game, bought the manufacturing rights in exchange for granting Butts a royalty on every one sold. Bruno left most of the game unchanged, but rearranged the "premium" squares of the board, simplified the rules and changed its name to Scrabble, meaning "to scratch frantically."

In 1949, Brunot and his family made 2,400 sets and lost money. In 1952, Jack Straus, president of the Macy's, played it on vacation, returned home and found his store didn't carry it. He placed a large order and within a year, it was a "must-have." Brunot couldn't meet the demand and sold manufacturing rights to Selchow & Righter, which like Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley Company, had previously rejected the game. In its second year as a Selchow & Righter product, nearly four million sets were sold.

The game changed company ownership over the years. Selchow & Righter bought the trademark in 1972. In 1986, Selchow & Righter was sold to Coleco, which went bankrupt in 1989. Its primary assets were bought by Hasbro. Scrabble is now a trademark of Hasbro, Inc. in the U.S. and Canada. 

Scrabble is sold in 121 countries and is available in 29 languages. Over 150 million sets have been sold worldwide; roughly a third of U.S. and half of British homes have a Scrabble game. There are around 4,000 Scrabble clubs around the world and it's also popular in an online version. In 2004, Scrabble was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame; one of 59 toys to have that distinction.

Do you have a Scrabble game and do you play it? 

Helpful at Halloween?

Shopping around Halloween can be very interesting in some stores. 
Sometimes, there's characters to assist you .. .

Be careful as others might be brewing trouble in the aisles . . .

At times, you might find only a skeleton crew . . .

Others have BIG smiles because it's Halloween 🎃 today !

As most of you have figured out, none of these characters were helpful at all. 
In fact, they were just hanging around the local Home Depot store in recent weeks.

Scared of Crows?

Whoops that title wasn't correct, but was just meant as a play on the word "scarecrow."

Scarecrow is typically described as a figure of a person in old clothes, set up to frighten crows or other birds away from crops. But, these figures along downtown Main Street in Nashua, NH are part of a downtown competition. 

Some are quite colorful and elaborate in their costumes. My personal favorites are shown in this collage, especially the center one.

Many downtown merchants designed the scarecrows to represent their businesses. 

Other costumes were much less elaborate.

This was the 2nd annual Downtown Scarecrow competition with over 30 entries this year. Over 1,000 folks voted for their favorites over the past three weeks.These  scarecrows will greet visitors on Main Street through Halloween.

More Fall Walking

A previous post showed fall colors seen on our walk through Mine Falls Park, which has entrances within walking distance of our mill apartment. Since that time, we've been out walking several more times.

Few words can describe the natural beauty of fall foliage, especially now in New England. 
I hope you enjoy these colorful images as much as we did seeing them.

Cajun Shrimp in Foil

This recipe is not only super easy (my favorite kind) but also delicious and healthy as well. It's from a public broadcasting show (PBS) program featuring nutritionist Ellie Krieger. Her show, Ellie's Real Good Food, is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

The recipe shown below is to serve 8. You can adjust the ingredients, as necessary, when serving fewer folks. According to Ms. Krieger, you can also prepare the recipe, then refrigerate or freeze for later use.

Cajun Shrimp in Foil

• 2 TBSP salt-free Cajun or Creole seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2-1/4 lb cleaned large shrimp
• 2 fully cooked Andouille sausage links (6 ounces total), very thinly sliced
• 2 medium zucchini (8 ounces each), sliced into [1/4]-inch thick rounds
• 2 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips
• 3 C corn kernels (one 1-pound bag frozen corn)
• 1/2 C chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 C chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 C dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
• 1/3 C olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper in medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.
3. Place eight large (10 x 18-inch) pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil on a flat surface.
4. Divide sausage, zucchini, bell peppers, and corn among foil pieces, placing  vegetables in center of each. Top each with shrimp (about 5 or 6), sprinkle each packet with 1 tablespoon of parsley and 1 tablespoon of basil. Drizzle each with 2 tablespoons of wine and about 2 teaspoons of oil. Fold each piece of foil to form a packet, sealing tightly and leaving a little room inside for air to circulate in the packet. 
5. Arrange packets on baking sheet. Cook about 13 minutes until shrimp is cooked through and vegetables are crisp-tender. Open packets slowly, being careful of hot steam. Transfer shrimp, vegetables, and sauce to individual bowls. (Makes 8 servings, of 1 packet each.)

My choice was to serve with a rice accompaniment and the remaining white wine. Grenville rated this recipe as a "keeper" with two forks.

View from the 5th

We are fortunate not only live on the top floor of a former mill building in Nashua, NH, but also to have windows with views of the Nashua River and downtown.

This photo is SOOCP (straight out of cell phone). It was taken last week and wasn't tweaked in any photo program. What you see here is what was there.

A day later in late afternoon, the sky was less colorful with the threat of rain. But the muted fall colors were no less beautiful. (This is also a SOOCP shot with no after-effects.)

Over the past week we have been treated to some stunning displays of fall foliage in Nashua, NH. The best part is that some of it has been visible without leaving our apartment.

Are you also enjoying fall temperatures and colors?

Friday Funnies

Every time we travel on highways, which we do quite a lot, there's always something to amaze me. (In truth, a lot of things do, as you all well know by now).

There's always folks who seem to need a BIGGER vehicle for all their "stuff."

And, if the car breaks down, the bicycles could come in handy 🙂

Enjoy your weekend, Everyone.

Get outdoors, especially if there's colorful foliage in your part of the world.