Issue XVII April 30th 2003
Editorial.
Hi Folks,
Well, it looks like there is a hint of summer in the air! We have a couple
of good weeks here, just hope that wasn't our summer though!
In less than a week lil'chic arrives in Ireland, I wonder if the poor country
will ever be the same again! We are saving up the rain especially as we know lil
wants to try out her new raincoat and umbrella. I bet she will be ever so
pleased <S>
Now, I know I haven't reported any structural damage by the sprogs for a while but I think you might remember about fourteen months ago me reporting that they blew up my microwave and I had to buy another! Guess What??? They did it again!!! I only wish some of the microwave manufacturers would employ them as product testers, if a machine passes tests by the sprogs it will last forever!! So if any employers are reading this, please set up three interviews, job location is no problem, just send tickets!!
Well I have completed the software half of my A+ instruction and my first exam is next Tuesday. If you don't see me around much this weekend it will be because I will be cramming like crazy.
The micro wasn't the only thing that died this month. I was rushing out to a funeral and switched my cell phone on when the simm card crashed. Coincidentally it was the same day as President Bush was visiting here and there is a theory that all the high tech equipment his security uses was responsible. I don't know, but I have mailed an extremely long missive to my phone company demanding a refund of the cost of a new card. The idiot I got on the phone at their helpdesk tried to allege that it was my fault! I am still awaiting a reply and I will keep you posted. Letters of complaint are a forté of mine, so I will be surprised if I don't get satisfaction <eg>
That is it for this month folks, if we survive lil's visit I will be back next month! (Thankfully I may be a little safe as she is staying with Maggs and not me!)
This comment was received at the Editor's "Office" this month.
Do hope your feeling much better by now Lynda and must remember that hold arm
up while takeing a pill....???...does it matter which one????
Boquets to Maggs love her rendention of the Sysop /;-) make that a lovely big
boquet....
Bravo to Lizzie and why is she not being published in regular news
print....right on Lizzie girl...go get'em.....
Taffy ..aka ... firefly made being snowed in sound so good makes a body almost
envey her... almost lol...truth be she need a rest and this is the only way
short of death the good lord had to slow her down.....Tango away
little Firefly..
Ma'am sorry to hear your house on wheels is broke ...but you do need to recoup
and let the ranch see it still has a pretty lady around and about...happy trails
when you are mobile again ..... and how long is Marie
Angel going to be on leave...rat's we need her...
Thanks again Lynda for a neat paper and hope my fingers catch up with what is
rattleing around in my head so can do as you ask....later.....hugs Cappy
Lynda [Editor]
Any comments. articles, tips etc, please mail to LyndaAtCasual@Compuserve.com
Contents.
Editorial.........................................................................Lynda
U.S. one dollar bill.........................................................Becca
In memory of Michael Lewis........................................Lewis Angel
Tasty Treat from Taffy's Table.....................................Taffy
Hoping for Spring...........................................................Lizzie
US ONE DOLLAR BILL
OK
– take out a one-dollar bill before you read further.This one dollar bill was created in its present state in 1957. The paper that is used, which is actually a material, is a blend of cotton and linen, with red and blue silk fibers running through it. The ink is also a special blend that is used for the print and never dries and is water resistant. (try rubbing the dollar bill on a piece of paper
– the ink will come off)On the front of the bill you will see the United States Treasury Seal. Notice the scales at the top? This is for a
"balanced budget". In the center is a carpenter’s square, which is used for an "even cut". The key is for the US Treasury.Now turn the bill over. See the two circles? Both circles, together,
comprise the Great Seal of the United States. Benjamin Franklin and a group of
men were asked by the First Continental Congress to design a seal. After 4 years
of putting their heads together and an additional 2 years to get it approved, it
finally happened. See the Pyramid in the left-hand circle? You will see that the face is
Above the pyramid is "Annuit Coeptis" which is Latin for, "God has favored our undertaking", and hence, "In God We Trust" is used on all of our currency. Below the pyramid is, "Novus Ordo Seclorum", which in Latin means, "a new order has begun". At the base of the pyramid is the Roman Numeral for 1776, MDCCLXXVI.
The right-hand circle is used on every National Cemetery in the United States. It is slightly modified, but this seal is used as the seal of the President of the United States and it is in a prominent place and can be seen whenever he speaks.
The Bald Eagle was finally selected as a symbol for victory and for two reasons. One, he is not afraid of a storm plus he is strong and smart enough to soar above it. Second, he wears no material crown, representing our break from the King of England. You will also notice that the shield is unsupported, indicating that we now stand on our own. The white bar at the top of the shield represents Congress. In the Eagle’s beak you will see, "E Pluribus Unum", Latin for, "one nation from many people".
Above the Eagle are 13 stars, one for each of the original 13 colonies. You will see that the Eagle holds in his talons an olive branch and arrows. This states that our country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace. The Eagle faces the olive branch indicting he always wants peace, but his gaze turns toward the arrows in a time of war.
Most of us know that the number 13 is considered to be an unlucky number. But how about this for some food for thought; there were 13 original colonies, 13 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 13 stripes on our flag, 13 steps on the Pyramid, 13 letters in the E Pluribus Unum and Annuit Coeptis, 13 stars above the Eagle, 13 bars on the shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch, with 13 berries and 13 arrows.
Somehow, I think, the number 13 has been a lucky number for the United States of America!
Becca [Host]
In Memory Of
MICHAEL LEWIS
"God"s Angel in Blue"
From Michael's officer friends, and his comrades,
We've come from everywhere,
To pay respects and homage
To a young man - no longer here.
For he's traveled on to another place,
Not so far away,
he's now in the hands of Jesus,
We're sorry-He could not stay.
He wanted to become an officer
To fulfil his life long dream,
His hearts desire was to help others,
He wouldn't have missed it for anything.
We didn't get to say ''good- bye''
To our Special Friend, you see
But we will always remember him,
That he loved God, his Country, You and me.
So, Blessed are the Peace Makers
Who bear a badge and protect the street,
We feel Michael is now an "Angel" in blue"
And walking on heavens Beat.
The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Officers
"Angels In Blue"
Submitted by, lewis_Angel
Tasty Treat from Taffy's Table
Here's a low-fat easy-to-make recipe that will titillate your taste buds and
give you rave reviews as a gourmet cook! Serve with a salad and hot crunchy,
crusty bread straight from the oven. Prove to the world that you're not just
another glib and clever chatterer who spends too much time on thecomputer!
<Looking in mirror...hmmmmm.>
Fettuccine With Shrimp and Asparagus Parmesan
Makes 6 Servings
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup asparagus spears, diagonally sliced
18 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, cooked
1 egg white
1/4 cup low-fat yogurt
1/2 to 3/4 cup fat-free mile
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated parmesan cheese
1 pound fettuccine, cooked, warm
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons minced parsley
# Saute' mushrooms and garlic in oil in medium skillet 3 or 4 minutes; add
asparagus and saute' until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
# Add shrimp and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until warm. Cover and remove from heat.
# Mix egg white, yogurt, milk and parmesan cheese until smooth in small
saucepan; heat over medium-low heat until warm, 3 to 4 minutes. Spoon sauce
over fettuccine and toss: add shrimp mixture and toss.
# Season to taste with salt and pepper; sprinkle with parsley
Per serving: 326 calories; 7.2 grams fat (2 grams saturated); 39.9 mgs.
cholesterol; 371 mgs sodium; 20.6 grams protein; 47 grams carbohydrate.
Hugs to all,
Taffy (Wiping hands on apron, but already greased up my keyboard.)
HOPING FOR SPRING
Well, here it is again the end of April and we are all tired of winter and hoping the cold weather is behind us. Our here on the farm it is the beginning of a very busy time as the men make ready to work the fields and try to predict the best time to plant and just when to spray on the herbicide and put the nitrogen on the corn.
The old time farmer never made too many decisions without first consulting the calendar to see just what sign we were under. Hogs were cut under the right sign or they would bleed to death, babies were weaned in the right sign or they would be fussy and you only put fence posts in the ground in the dark of the moon or they would pop right back out again. I have personally witnessed the fence posts being put in in the wrong sign and sure enough they popped back up. Everyone knows you plant things that grow above the ground in the light of the moon and things that grow under the ground in the dark of the moon. Nowadays, the young farmer next door fills his tank with nitrogen and starts working the field, when he runs out he fills again and goes back to the same precise spot where he stopped by using a little dingfod on his tractor called GPS (global positioning satellite). I swear, these new fangled things are almost magical. The old time farmer had to mark his spot or use his powers of observation to strike a line to where he stopped. I still think of farming as the biggest gamble there is around. Farm ground just keeps dis-appearing as more and more little matchbox and cookie cutter houses keep going up and the developer walks away counting his money.
This little conversation started out with the word hope and I kind of think of that as a very strong word. We hope for an early spring, and hope it will not be too dry or too wet. We hope the seed we put in the ground will grow, and we hope it will be enough for all the purposes for which it is needed. We hope to have rain when needed and not when we don’t but mostly we hope we will be here to see it spring to life and become food for the people of our world and others. We hope to see those fields of golden grain around the 4th of July and hope to have a good crop of hay to feed the animals over the winter and to feed those animals before they go to market so they make it to your dinner table. We hope to produce enough to have extra to send to those poor people all over the world we see on the tv with those starving babies with bloated bellies.
We hope all our young people will come home from overseas and will be allowed to slip back into their former lives after going and doing what they were asked to do by their government. We hope they will be given the respect and freedom to go back to their families after having done their duty, whether we approved of it or not. We hope they can forget the trauma and death they faced and remember the happy faces of a people who had lost all hope. We hope they will appreciate even more the wonderful system of government we live under, where at least, we can criticise those in power without fearing for our lives or our families lives. Where the women are allowed to walk the streets of their nation and enjoy the same freedoms as the men and their children can be educated no matter whether male or female.
It is starting to rain here, and my garden we made last week is growing, and the green onions and radishes are popping through the ground. I wish all of you could stop by and enjoy the fragrant lilacs that are in full bloom. Every home should have a lilac bush, not only are they beautiful, but my Mama used to send me out to pull off a switch when I got out of hand and misbehaved. My, my, I learned to dance young, trying to outrun that little switch. But you know what, my Mother was just practicing hope. She hoped that by sending me out to get my own switch I would have time to ponder what I did wrong, and by calling my mistake to my attention with that little switch on bare legs, she hoped I would turn out to be the kind of child she hoped I would and I hoped I would not catch her attention again too soon. You know what? I don’t think I disappointed her one little iota. We certainly respected our parents and we respected other people, particularly the elderly of the neighborhood and older relatives. Of course, these same individuals also reported us to our parents if we misbehaved in their absence and even though we hoped they would not tell on us, they always did, but my Mother "hoped" we did not do some of the things reported and would defend us to the death, but she sure hoped we would not embarrass her again in the neighborhood. Gee, I miss those times, because we always knew exactly where we stood. We always knew exactly where we stood with the neighbors too. I "hope" you all enjoyed this little conversation and perhaps we can resume it at some future time. Oh well, as usual, it’s just Lizzie
copywrited
Thats it for another month Folks! I hope you enjoyed this exciting issue! Be safe and keep well, until next month! Ma'am's little bits will be back next month when she has recovered from her recent road trip <S>.
Come on Everyone! Get those pens busy for next month. Lets have a bumper May edition! Mail all your contributions to me at LyndaAtCasual@Compuserve.com
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Please remember, this is a fun/interesting/informative addition to the many features on offer at Casual Chat, critique is welcome but nothing that attacks members, personalities or other fora will be.
Lynda [Editor]