166 The week that was

The week that was

The house is still and quiet as the chatter of young voices is gone. The house is almost back to normal and the routine in place that was interrupted the week before.

The week the grandkids came to visit without parents is over for another year. Order has been restored, but I really don’t want it to be. I love the excitement, giggling, cajoling, and all the other trappings they bring.

We started this annual visit several years ago. At first, it was just the older grandchild who could handle being away from home. Then three years ago, the youngest made the transition and has been coming ever since.

The two from out of state join the older two who live here, and it makes for an exciting, rousing time. As the older two have entered the teenage years, they can’t spend as much time with us, but we do as much as we can.

The week is very full, and they don’t let you forget any activity that we have done in previous years that needs to be repeated, including drive-in movies, miniature golf, museums, parks, shopping, playgrounds, tree climbing, and more shopping.

They also don’t let us forget if we did not get to do one of the revered activities and insist that a promise be made that it will be done next year.



Making slime has been a highlight for the past two summers--we started out disastrously but improved over time. Hopefully, slime will go out of popularity soon!

Trips are also part of the activities including Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Last year, we took a cruise around Baltimore to learn all about the history of the area. Museums in Washington were a big highlight with possible return visits.

When we visited the George Washington Office Museum, the highlight of the trip was a lock of hair included in the exhibit. Never sure what will stick with them!

Dinosaur Land is definitely a must see but not every year. It is great for adults too.

The Family Drive-In Theatre provides a great evening of entertainment. What could be better than relaxing in the back of a pickup truck and watching a movie?

My favorite activity is when I can bring them here or take them home on the train. They give into my passion for trains when it is feasible. Free wifi is a real attraction for them as well as the café car. The trip can be a little long but usually worth the time.

We are so glad we can still keep up with them. Of course, when it is all said and done, we spend time afterward totally resting and relaxing.

For those grandparents who have never tried this, please give it a whirl if at all possible. But be prepared--it takes a tremendous amount of energy and some recuperation time after they leave.

For those who have, keep it up as long as you can. We hope to keep it up for many years. One thing for sure is having and raising children is for the young, but the old get to enjoy them in short doses and that is the way it should be.

Rest up, get your house ready, put everything else on hold, stock up on food, and have a ball!!

Frances                       

165 Brush up your quotes

Brush up your quotes

In ninth grade English, the teacher required the students in my class to maintain a notebook with our favorite quotes from the plays from Shakespeare that we were reading. 

It made quite an impression on me. I continued adding quotations after the class was finished. Those quotes come to mind so often.



What about this one when standing on a scale?

O, that this too too solid flesh would melt

Spoken by Hamlet, Hamlet Act 1, Scene 2

Sometimes the line is sullied instead of solid. That could work after eating an entire ice cream container! Or bag of chips!

Anytime I see a skull, preferably human:

Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him. Hamlet: Act 5, Scene 1

There are several I remember when I have messed up mightily:

Lord, What fools these mortals be

Puck, Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 3, Scene 2

Act I, Scene III

Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise

Fool, King Lear, Act 1, Scene 5

When I have trouble believing a tale of woe from man or woman
 (especially when I was working):

The lady protests too much, methinks.

Hamlet: Act 3, Scene 2It is usually misquoted by starting with methinks.

So perhaps you should Brush Up Your Shakespeare--you never know what situation will arise! Enjoy that great classic song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJIpp2Jj8AQ

Farewell!

Trish

164 What a week

What A Week!

Hello, there, dear readers. It’s August and some of the local schools are in session already. It’s been hot, humid, rainy, weedy, and with a touch of mildew. As you know, I am not a fan of summertime!

So this blog starts off with a big old whine! Besides following the two excellent, informative blogs from Savvy Trish and Savvy Frances, I did not feel I could write a blog of equal stature.

So this blog starts off with a big old whine! Besides following the two excellent, informative blogs from Savvy Trish and Savvy Frances, I did not feel I could write a blog of equal stature.

Sit back; roll your eyes; and laugh along with me! Just a recap of this week--so far.

• One of my car tires is low yet again. It has been checked out. Nothing is wrong. The little orange “tire low” light is off for a day or two and then on again. I think I may put duct tape over the little tire picture. Poor dear husband still cannot drive after his back surgery. Hi, Ho, Hi, Ho…off to Physical Therapy we go. 

• The driveway which crosses Abrams Creek overflowed again this week. This is the second time this summer and the second time in 25 years! 

• We had the two Schnauzers groomed. Pup Bogie with the curlier hair was so frizzed from the rain, he was matted and looked like he needed to be sheared. Aaah, that costs extra. A lot extra. Two dogs $168. 

• We had a teenager (younger brother of one of the farm employees) to weed the front and to trim a couple of low flowering trees. He asked to be paid by the hour. I was fine with that but shouldn’t have been. He did not know a weed from the ground cover and trimmed the wrong trees. DUH! I guess I am still naïve! Our twice-monthly cleaning lady has moved to Richmond. Did I say it’s only Thursday as I write this?

You may remember, too, that I really enjoy Google trends pages, analytics pages, and, in general, some plain old “if it pops into my mind, let’s see what Google says.” Here is what I found for the upcoming week. It can be a week of celebrations if you would like it to be!

• August 12 is Middle Child’s Day – if you are a middle, remind family and friends to celebrate you! You are the family peacemaker. And middle siblings may be extinct in the generations to come as family size decline. 

• August 13 is Left Hander’s Day--IT’S MY DAY--along with Obama, di Vinci, Whoopi, Oprah, and Bill Gates! Only 10% of the population is left-handed. Remember: Lefties have rights, too. (HA!)

• August 14 is National Creamsicle Day. Now only the orange covered vanilla ice cream on the stick seems to be available, but once there were a variety of flavors--grape, raspberry, lime, and cherry. 

• August 15 is Relaxation Day. DO NOTHING – or if that doesn’t fit your schedule, postpone anything that can cause stress. A good day to golf or binge-watch tv!

• August 16 is Tell a Joke Day. Bad jokes, silly jokes, corny jokes. Here’s one: A guy walks into a bar with a large piece of asphalt under his arm. The bartender says: “What’ll you have?” The guy responds: “two beers--one for me and one for the road.” (badda boom!)

• August 17 is National Thrift Shop Day. According to the Yellow Pages, there are 42 thrift shops or second-hand shops in our area. 

• August 18 is Honey Bee Awareness Day. There too many articles to begin to list about the Honey Bee – but I think it is most important to remember that they are the only insect that makes food for humans (utahcountybeekeepers.org)

• August 19 is National Potato Day. Yeah! Hmmm? Fries, chips, mashed, baked? One of the largest vegetable crops in the world, potatoes are thought to have been cultivated in Peru about 6000 B.C. 

This celebration list comes from a children’s website called www.holidayinsights.com. Check your birthday and see what’s celebrated besides you on that day. Fun to do! Outrageously, my May 20 birthday is Millionaire’s Day. Yea, right!

Stay cool, stay dry. 

Not so Savvy Glenne 

163 Hidden memorial

A hidden memorial

We have lived in Winchester for 50 years and forty-some of those years have been around the Handley High School campus. We have worked there, jogged around there, attended countless events there, and explored the entire campus.

We have admired the trees and plants, savored the view from our front porch, and appreciated the green space. We have even come to the realization that schools are good neighbors especially when 

the campus covers about 40 acres.

We even protested when some of our beloved trees were destined to be chopped down--the powers that be ruled that they were dead. This was not true, but we did manage to track down some of the wood and a kitchen table was created. We can enjoy it every day but we do miss those trees!

Thus, what a shock and surprise it was to read that a WWI memorial had been part of the campus since the 1920s. A neighbor found evidence of the memorial--a plaque dedicated to a Winchester soldier was found along the sidewalk in 2015. Evidently, that part of Handley Boulevard had been designated Memorial Avenue in honor of the soldiers.

That started a quest by history buff and local resident Gene Schultz to delve and dig into the details of this memorial. Not only were bronze plaques placed to honor 49 local veterans, but also trees were planted to remember these heroes.

It has taken several years and a great deal of research to figure out the puzzle surrounding these plaques. As publicity spread in the local newspaper and by word of mouth, more neighbors came forth with other plaques they had found; more stories were uncovered through reference works and newspaper accounts, as well as family records.

For the rest of the story, there is a detailed account in the latest journal of the Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society plus an exhibit in the society’s office building where some of the plaques are on display.

Both sources give compelling and visual evidence of these amazing stories of local men. Some died in the war, some died from disease, some died from injuries and disease suffered in war, and others died from natural causes.

The project to find out more is ongoing with any leads and new information pursued thoroughly. My point as I read the journal, viewed the exhibit, and attended two lectures Gene presented on the memorial is how did those of us who have lived here all these years not know about it or find remnants of it.

I suppose wear and tear and time kept the memorial hidden in the crevices of the campus and the surrounding streets. The names of the soldiers were engraved on the plaques so I am sure many residents knew them.

Some of the trees remain but one of them was chopped down recently on the corner of Washington Street and Handley Boulevard (Memorial Avenue). We had no idea what it stood for all those years. A countless number of cars and pedestrians passed it each day on the way to everyday tasks with no idea of what it once meant. Many events such as the Great Depression and the onslaught of WWII probably contributed to the neglect of this monument, but what a shame.

A special thanks to Gene and the historical society for pursuing information about this avenue so important in Winchester history. And an apology to those men and their families that we did not keep the memorial intact and ongoing.

Maybe the plaques that have been retrieved and are presently on display could find a permanent home where the community could honor them once again. I wish we had known so we could have visited these memorials all the years we explored and walked the campus land. 

Sad savvy Frances