Author: boomingbanter

After our afternoon fun at the pool yesterday we came home and had a nap.

We were preparing for the fireworks that were set to start at 10:00. More fun!

At 6:45 Aaron had no sooner fixed with his girlfriend that we’d pick her up at 8:30 than his phone rang.

It was the manager of the hotel where he works. The night shift lead had called off sick and they needed Aaron to come in.

What to do? She was in a difficult position so he said yes. He went and spent a few hours with his girlfriend and then came home and got ready for work.

Of course this is bitter sweet because he missed out on the fireworks but it’s good too that he has developed a good work ethic.

His Dad and I both think this is very important but we want to balance this by underlining that work isn’t everything.

It is quite a tight rope to walk.

How do you do this?

Earlier in the week I’d cut some wild flowers growing along the side of the road. They are truly beautiful. The colors just seem to be made for each other. They grew without any help from any person.

Makes you think of the message of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke.

What do you make of this?

I gotta think Jesus would be happy to see Aaron out for the count after his breakfast clothed in the blanket of a good nights work!

Blessing# 386 – Work & Play

Today we had a lovely celebration at the pool. After a very misty start to Independence Day the sun came out in all its glory just in time for the party.

There were games for the kids and a big bouncy castle and of course there was food, food and more food.

All the usual fare you’d expect for the Fourth of July was offered. Beef burgers, hotdogs, potato salad, chicken tenders, brownies, cookies, salad and seasonal fresh fruit.

There were new vegan options too and these were delicious.

The black bean burger was spicy and juicy and Dad and I tucked into it with relish. Aaron hesitated because it was spicy! He didn’t hesitate on anything else!!!

The Black Bean Burger was top class it was grilled great and was true to its origin clearly BEANs not something pretending to be beef.

Just goes to show how things have changed. There are more and more people who are vegan or who eat vegan once or twice a week. The tipping point has been reached so now this means vegan dishes are widely available even at a good old American cook out!

Who knows what’s next Home Home on the Range maybe a dressing that isn’t called Ranch!

Blessing # 385 – Tasty Options

Ireland is made up of four provinces Ulster, Munster , Leinster and Connacht.

Ulster is divided into nine counties three of which are in the Republic of Ireland and six make up the entirety of Northern Ireland.

So Ulster is a complex little spot.

Originally like the rest of Ireland it was ruled by the Gaelic Chieftans notably the O’Neils and Maguires who resisted the English protestant claim to Ireland. This resulted in war and eventually the « Earls » as they were known were forced to flee their homeland.

To stabilize the province the English monarchy sent Protestant from Scotland to Ulster. They provided these migrants with incentives to move. This was known as the Plantation of Ireland and many of us from Ulster have ancestors who came from Scotland.

These same people eventually became victims of their religion. Many were Presbyterian. Following the example of John Knox They resisted the hierarchy and pomp of the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church that derived from it. Eventually they were forced to move again. This time to American the new land of opportunity.

These Ulster Scots had a very significant impact on the future of the new land. They fought for freedom and no less than seventeen of the Presidents of the nation can claim Ulster Scots heritage.

The Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh in County Tyrone chronicles the stories of many of these Presidential families and is well worth a visit. It’s a place that we love to go to and there is always something new to learn.

The ancestry of the Presidents is well covered and many of you may already know all of the above but have you heard of Charles Thompson? He was born in Ulster near the city of Londonderry. As a ten year he took the boat to the new land. On the way his father died.

Can you imagine the trauma of that? Well the same Charles went on to great things including being the person in whose hand the original Declaration of Independence was written!

He would have been busy then this time 243 years ago!

Blessing # 384 – Roots

Today at the pool there was a young lady beside me who was slathering on the suntan lotion.

It was that delicious coconut smelling Hawaiian Tropic. What memories that smell evokes.

The first time I encountered it was July 1976 in Rimini Italy. I’d gone there for two weeks on a charter holiday with my bestie Carol. We met another girl there called Alison who quickly became another dear friend. Alison had this special lotion while Carol and I had the standard Ambre Solaire.

Carol being very fair had to stay out of the sun most of the day as she gets prickly heat and burns. Alison and I however were coating ourselves in oil to get as crispy as possible.

Those lovely smells of coconut and vanilla are now captured in scented candles along with other dreamy odors that take you to the tropics like mango and pineapple.

There are some other tanning memorabilia that didn’t smell quite so sweet. Who remembers the original instant tanning lotions? Man they were so stinky.

I remember so well when I was about fourteen thinking I’d give one a go over a weekend. Always ready to jump in with both feet and never one to stick to instructions I rubbed in a whole tube.

Trust me the resulting color closely resembled that of an orangutan. At school on Monday I was the laughing stock of the class even one of our strictest and most stern teachers cracked up laughing. Worst of all it look as though I’d use a ruler to apply it as it ran in a perfect straight line down my arm!

Times change but fortunately for now while tans fade memories still remain.

Blessing # 383 – Going Golden

You know the saying « Putting the cart before the horse » well that’s just what I did yesterday.

Earlier in the month the owner of the Antique Mall had offered the option of upgrading to any of three bigger spaces on July first.

So after some hesitation yesterday Krishna and paid yet another visit to the Mall and decided we’d plunge for one of the spaces.

We also saw some nice shelving for sale by another dealer and decided we’d get that for the bigger space. So we bought that before confirming the big booths were still available.

YES! You got it they had all been snapped up. Well that’s good news because it means the mall is popular but now we have two big cases and only a little space.

All night I pondered the permutations of how we could fit these in. Something had to give but what would it be?

So this morning we all set of to move the shelves and squeeze them in. Thankfully Aaron is on night shift so we had a bit of muscle to help.

We wiggled and squiggled and tried one way and another. Finally with the help of the dealer beside we were able to squeeze those big boys in. Everyone is so helpful it really is a lovely community.

Talk about making it by the skin of your teeth well we did it!

The lads cleaned and set up the shelves and then at my request headed home so I could have fun arranging and rearranging each item my way.

It took a while but in the end all looked good and some recent new purchases found their place in the space. Hopefully they won’t stay too long.

I even had a visit from a few friends which was cool so too was my next stop. An hour in the water

Blessing # 382 – Cool Pool

 

This morning at Church, being the Sunday closest to July 4th, we sang America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee) and my absolute favorite the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

The Star Spangled Banner while written in 1814 during the Battle of Fort Sumpter only officially became the National Anthem in 1931. It was preceded by other hymns including America for most of the 19th century

It always amuses me that the music of America is the same as the National Anthem of the UK God Save The Queen. Wouldn’t it have been better for the new Republic to sing a different tune.

Perhaps the reason for the choice lies in the final line.

Times have changed a lot on both sides of the Atlantic since independence was won and the Republic was created.

In the UK we no longer are the empire we were in the days of George III. However we have had the blessing of  stability over the past 67 years in a monarch who is truly gracious in every way and whose successors seem just as caring. Our Queen has done her upmost to bring Nations together and foster Commonwealth.

The Republic of the United States of America is now the superpower. A nation of great opportunity. The desired home of many seeking freedom and the American Dream of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

May that same light always shine just as bright for today’s pilgrims as it did for those so long ago!

Blessing #381 – United Nations

We use questions ever hour of every day. They are the back bone of most conversations and communications.

How can I help? Are you well? Is it hot? Where are you going tonight? Who is Susie dating now? And of course the inevitable what do you want for dinner?

Questions are used to solve problems. In science and technology we use a technique called Five Whys and How. Try it if you haven’t used it. By the time you get to the forth why many problems are solved or you have lost a friend!

Whats your BIGGEST question? Is there something that comes to your mind now and again that you just cannot shake.

Mine is ARE WE ALONE? You may say it doesn’t matter but it does for me. I’m pretty sure we are not.

When you think of the scale of the universe and relate this to something earthy like the gut micro flora it is reassuring to see similar trillion numbers.

Share your BIG Questions

Blessing # 381 – Unending?

P is also for POOL and pool season means lots of reading under the rays.

As always trying to include a few classics and the first this year is Oscar Wilde’s PICTURE of DORIAN GRAY.

Many people know the plot. A Picture of a beautiful young man ages in the attic while the subject remains as youthful as the day it was painted but falls into spiritual and moral decline.

Today with the apps we have on our phones we too can modify our pictures. We can smooth out wrinkles and make ourselves look years younger if we choose too.

We can even take it a step further and chemically or physically erase the passage of time.

We can be superficially kind and gentle and virtuous.

To what end though if we are not?

As Dorian discovered happiness is not found in a fountain of youth or in even the greatest self indulgence. It is the ability to love that makes the difference.

The book came with a copy of the Ballad of Reading Gaol another Wilde work I’d never read.

In it dear Oscar shows his capacity for love in his empathy for the man who was hanged in the prison beside him. Unconditional!

Blessing # 380 – Love First

We live beside a beautiful river called the Olentangy that today gives its name to our school district too.

The river supplies us with water that thankfully is purified before it runs from our taps. If we were keen and skilled there is no doubt it could also be a source of food and was for sure in the past.

The river curves it’s way south to Columbus where it joins the main Scioto River that in turn still further south joins the great Ohio River and finally the mighty Mississippi.

”Our” river has quite a quirky name but that is nothing in comparison to its original KEENHONGSHECONSHEPUNG !

Of course as you all will know, in the language of the native Delaware Indians this means “sharp tool river”. I just love this because it is such a give away for what the river was valued for in addition to the obvious.

The Delaware came to Ohio from the North East and give our county and the county seat their names. They had a few challengers for the territory most notably the Wyandotte Indians from Quebec who had migrated south.

Early European settlers decided the name of the river was just a teeny bit complex. None of them must have come from Wales! So they called our river the Whetstone. Not quite as explicit as the Delaware’s choice but still the link to pebbles.

Some time later the decision was taken to revert to an Indian name and Olentangy was chosen.

This name again gives clues to more of the assets in the river as it means Red Face Paint Stones. I’ll know where to go then if I’m ever in need of a little rouge!

Thank goodness no one found gems or gold or we’d not be here today!

Blessing # 379 – History Rocks

Today we hit that magic number that leaves no doubt we have a summer. The thermometer passed 90F for the first time this year!

Wonderful!

In the UK we rarely reach these dizzy heights but we have a delight known as a 99 that is the essence of summer itself.

It’s a soft serve ice cream with a Cadbury’s chocolate flake stuck in it. On a day like today the ice-cream runs down your arm as you made your way through the flake.

How it got the name 99 is debatable. Perhaps linked to the address of the ice cream parlor where it was invented or alternatively the number of guards who served the king of Italy. Or maybe just because if you get a big enough one it kills any fever!

It’s a respectable and noble use though of the number 99.

This is so often not the case. Why on earth do retailers use the number so often? Is it a psychological trick?

Who among us is taken in by an item labeled 9.99! Or worse still 99.99!

What do you think and what on earth do you do with all those pennies?

Blessing # 378 – Sweet and Sour