Never Forget September 11, 2001

So as the song says, "Where were you . . .?", I was at work. My boss was out of town because her father was dying. We were talking on the phone and in the background I could hear the TV in the hospital room on Good Morning America. In the middle of her sentence she got distracted and said, "A plane just flew into a building in New York!" I was in front of my computer so went to CNN.com and pulled it up while we were still on the phone. We hung up to pay attention to what we were watching and I told my co-worker. We sat stunned and watched it unfold. I knew my kids were two hours behind us so I called them to make sure they knew what was happening. My co-worker called her family. Since two members of my family were in the military I knew this was going to impact our family. I went home and got a small TV and brought it back so we could watch while we worked. That was when I felt the strange sensation of realizing there was no air traffic. The other part of it was the roads were practically empty. I guess everyone was glued to TV's and computer's like we were.

I watched in horror as we learn about the Pentagon being hit and the plane in Pennsylvania. My co-worker was upset because she had family in Pennsylvania and I have lots of family in Washington, DC. It turns out that one of my cousins was at work in the Pentagon. Facebook would have come in handy during that time. Now when I see posts from folks who are in the path of a hurricane or in the areas that are flooding or earthquakes shaking up the world I think about how easy it is to get the news out that we are safe. Facebook has a definite upside in this respect. We wanted to get in touch with everyone we loved just to see how they were being affected on those days after our sense of security was shattered. As in the song, I wanted to hold my family close. I couldn't do that since they were far away. It was so frustrating to me.

One last note on this whole experience. Pride for America. I remember what it was like before the attacks. I was a kid when men and woman fighting in Vietnam came home expecting to be accepted for doing their duty to our country. This was a time of military drafts and many didn't have a choice of whether they fought in the military. Yet when they came home they were subjected to being jeered at, spit on and treated as if they had done something wrong. Idiots were burning flags in protest. Most people didn't even own a flag much less flew it outside their home or business.

That changed quickly. This attack woke us up to the complacency of our nation. Songs like Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" played on the radio immediately after the attack. Then Alan Jackson's song "Where were you?" and Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" came out and they were played on all kinds of stations, not just country stations. Flags were flown outside homes, on windows, on cars and practically every store you went into had a sign that said they were proud to be an American. I think that we tend to forget things like that when it's not in our face every day and that is sad. It shouldn't take a disaster to appreciate the blessings we have for living in this country.

We see attacks in other countries and shake our heads. But that is far away and of course, it could never happen here". Oklahoma City being bombed was horrifying but that was"one crazy person, right"? Suuuurrrreeee . . . still it couldn't happen again. NYC had a bombing at the World Trade Center in 1993. Once again most thought this was an anomaly. We are safe from the attacks like they have in the Middle East, right? WRONG! We live in a time where countries full of people are being taught that Americans are evil and the enemy.

So yes, never forget September 11, 2001. Not just because so many people died or because so many people were heroes that day and in the months afterward. We don't need to be afraid each and every day. BUT we do need to be aware this is the day and age we live in now. Be diligent and aware, not afraid. Count your blessings and know that family is precious. Life is precious. Remember to tell your family and friends you love them and cherish them. Safeguard them, watch over them. Be proud of the land you live in and the freedoms we enjoy. I know that those freedoms we enjoy makes it easier for lunatics to do stupid things but I don't want our freedoms taken away because of them. Remember, prepare and be aware. Then love and live.

NOTE: After I posted this I found a video and song that I liked. Maybe you will too. At youtube.com search for "I Remember" by HopeWeChange.

Spring 2011

One of the advantages of working 3^rd shift is that I get to come home at dawn. I’ve been able to see some really cool sunrises. I also have been able to watch the seasons change in the early morning light. I’m not sure why it makes a difference but it seems to for me.

This particular spring has been fabulous. It may be because I may be moving to a different climate (HOUSE, SELL YOURSELF!!!) It may be because if I do move I will probably never see my NC again. It may be that it was an exceptional spring. Who knows? One thing is for sure – the colors were outstanding. The white dogwoods were full and luscious. The pink dogwoods put on a show that I can’t remember seeing lately. I watched the leaves as they started coming out and I’m pretty sure I saw every shade of green. The “popcorn” trees popped, the red maples were vivid and the azaleas were lush. The spring flowers like daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and so forth exploded from the earth.

I must say that if this was my last spring in NC – it was GREAT!

Amsterdam

In the post about Paris I said I'd post a story about the Netherlands part of the Europe trip. I'd better do that before I forget!

Amsterdam was the first city in Europe that we went to on that trip. Our flight had been long and I was TIRED. (WHY did that flight attendant keep giving that woman food every few minutes when all she did was throw it back up? That was my flight over to Europe. UGH!) We rode a bus from the airport to our hotel outside of Amsterdam. It was at a little town called Monnikendam. The tour guide took anyone who want to go back to Amsterdam to walk around. I'm reasonably sure I'm the only one who didn't go. I felt a little bad about that but I was sooooo tired. I took a bath and rested for about thirty minutes and felt a lot better.

One of the places we were going the next day was nearby. It was a little "wooden shoe / cheese factory" and store. (Read tourist trap;-) I walked over to that and looked around for a few minutes and then decided to go into the little village. BINGO! Now that was more my style. And it wasn't on our tour so it was icing on my cake.

Monnikendam is a quaint little fishing village. According to Wikipedia it first became a city in 1355. The streets are cobblestone, the buildings old and history just seeped into my skin. It was fabulous. I walked along the docks, looked at the fishing boats and their crews and had a blast.
Do I regret not going with the group that afternoon? Nope, I found my own little bit of happiness walking among folks in a historic fishing village.

The next day included the Anne Frank Museum, a boat ride through the canals looking at the neat city of Amsterdam, an art museum and something about diamonds. (A store/museum maybe?) I didn't have the patience to wait in the lines at the art museum so didn't do much of that. I could have stayed at the Anne Frank museum for a few more hours. It had a lot of displays and videos about the holocaust as well as Anne's story. The boat ride was a little cold but looking at the city by boat was the way to go. You probably know this but they ride bikes in Amsterdam - a lot of bikes. That was neat to see more bikes than cars.

When we were leaving for the next leg of the trip we saw a lot more of the windmills and tulips I had been expecting as well as the canals. We had seen some between our hotel and Amsterdam but many more on our way out of the city. Overall a great way to start the trip.

Where's Waldo (Peter)?

I've been watching all 10 seasons of Stargate SG-1 on Hulu. Not long ago for some reason I was looking up information on Peter Deluise who directs a lot of the shows. That's when I found out that when he directs one of the shows he normally has a tiny guest spot in that show. Normally as an extra. So I've been looking for him just like in all the Where's Waldo books. And I keep seeing him! I can't believe how many times I've watched these shows and never known that little fact! It's almost as much fun watching for him as it is to follow the story.

Yes, I'm strange. Tell me you didn't know that already. HA!

Four Out of Ten

There is an article on yahoo about the 10 places every kid should see. I'm not a kid by a long shot but I want to see these places too!!!!

1 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - I kinda saw this. I didn't go to the famous places but I was in the area. I was driving from Utah to Oklahoma and then on to NC. I was close and saw lots of cool stuff so I think I'll be satisfied with what I saw.

2- The National Mall (DC) - Oh, yeah. Been there and done that. Numerous times.

3 - Redwood National Park (California) - never been to CA.

4 - Ellis Island (New York) - How have I missed this one? I did go to New York for a short visit but this wasn't even on my list. With all my years of doing genealogy I really should have been to this one.

5 - Niagara Falls (New York) - Ah, yes. Loved it both times I went.

6 - Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana and Idaho) - Yes, please? May I go there next?

7- Colonial Williamsburg (Virginia) - I've been there several times and could be happy going again. History, history, history!

8 - Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve (Idaho) - Now this one I don't think I've ever heard of before. It is considered "the only officially weird park" in the country. Ok, sounds like my kinda place.

9 - Independence Hall (Pennsylvania) - I never made it to Philadelphia. I'd like to see this one.

10 - Alcatraz Island (California) - Ok, if you paid attention to #3 you will know I've never been to CA. I'm not sure Alcatraz would be big on my list but San Francisco most definitely is on the list.

So, where would YOU recommend everybody should go -little kid, big kid or somewhere in between?

Paris and I don't mean Paris,Texas

I think there is always a place you want to visit more than anywhere else. For me it has always been Greece. I love history and would love to be in that beautiful land. To be among all those old things. Not to mention all the beauty. But I digress - this is about a place I have visited and never thought I would want to be there. Oops - turns out it is a magical place and one I would love to go back to see. This time for a longer period of time. Paris.

Yeah, I know it's a cliche. Everybody want to go to Paris. I never really had it high on my list. Most things you hear about Paris deals with spending money. Shopping, fashion shows, expensive restaurants and so forth. Not my thing. I have no problem eating good food but the stuff that seems to be "in style" is strange and not much of it. I like to taste good food and then be full afterwards. Not look at a quarter sized entree that cost a fortune and go away hungry. Not for me, ok?

Eons ago I was lucky enough to have a chance to go on a five country tour with a school group. Amsterdam, Netherlands (another story), Germany, Belgium, France and England. While there were parts of the other countries that I liked they did not speak to me like Paris and Versailles.

It turns out that the two world wars took a big toll on all the ancient stuff in Europe. Of course I knew this before going over there which may be why Europe hasn't been higher on my list of cool places to go. I got to Paris and while all the stuff I expected was there I was thrilled to find lots of history that hadn't been destroyed. I could walk in places and know that history was surrounding me. It turns out the officer that was supposed to destroy Paris as the Germans left thought it was a bad idea. He disobeyed the order that Hitler had issued. GO DUDE!! When we got to London I was saddened to see that most of London is from after WWII. There is still a lot in Great Britain that is part of history but so much was bombed by the Germans. That nasty little man was responsible for the deaths of so many people, he destroyed homes and families and buildings that could still be there had he not been such a mean little man.

So would I go back to Paris? In a heartbeat. Belgium and Germany? Not so much. Not because of nasty little man but because it just didn't impress me like Paris. I'd go to England again and I would love to go to Ireland and Scotland. Italy, yes. But put me on a plane to Greece and I'd gladly give up the rest. Since none of this is ever going to happen it doesn't make any difference. But at least I wrote something on the blog for the one or two that look here occasionally. Love you guys.

For a list of towns with Paris in the name in the US go to:
http://hubpages.com/hub/UnitedStatesParis

Winter and Germs

It is so hard to stay well and really hard to get well in winter. Everywhere you go someone is sneezing and coughing. I have to go to work and most of the people I work with are sick. I haven't been too sick this year but it may just be that I'm comparing myself to how sick everyone else is! Germs are everywhere and there is no escape!!! The most pitiful sound ever heard is Colby trying really hard to scream LOUD and the only noise coming out is a squeak. I wanted to scream for him.