Thoughts on Presidents Day

Some of you know I enjoy reading history and memoirs. Since it's President's Day, I thought I'd share a little information. As much as I've admired George Washington for this famous picture above, my current read, American Creation, supports what I've read before. Washington kneeling in snow seeking Divine guidance at Valley Forge is a fabrication. It didn't happen. In reality, Valley Forge was a disaster for the Continental Army. (not yet the United States in 1777) It was winter quarters for an array of volunteer armies supplied by 13 colonies, all with their own ideas on military protocol, rank, uniforms, etc. No real leadership, desertion was rampant. Luckily, it was during a time in history that considered war wasn't fought during winter. Valley Forge was "a kind of Gethsemane for America." The British Army was housed in the warm, well supplied city of Philadelphia, about 20 miles away, with thousands of more and better disciplined troops. They were professional soldiers. Had they attacked Valley Forge, we may all be speaking with an English accent today. It must have been a grim scene. (It gets really, really cold in Pennsylvania in the winter.) Out of 12,000 soldiers, only 3-4,000 were fit for duty. About 2,500 soldiers were unavailable for lack of shoes or clothes, 3,500 were confined to their huts too weak to fight, some just waiting to die, 2,000 were in make shift hospitals. It was a breeding ground for dysentery, small pox and typhus. Medicines were in short supply. (record keeping was not a priority then - numbers are vague)

In support of George Washington, he was a religious man as well as intelligent. He recognized that time and space was on his side and the way to lose the war was to try to win it. He knew we didn't need to be the aggressor, we only needed to survive as one Army. He reorganized troop logistics, instituted training and military strategy of the war. During the many years of the War of Independence, many events occurred and lessons were learned, but ultimately, this book anyway, states that Valley Forge became a decisive factor in both the war and the very meaning of the American Revolution. Because of one man; George Washington.

Let's hope our current and future presidents have Washington's insights in guiding us! (my least favorite president(s) have been Carter and Clinton - both Democrats, what I am.) hmmmm.

Friday the 13th?

I'm not really superstitious so don't believe this day holds any spells on our destiny, (But then again, it's not over yet as I post this - sitting in So Utah, overcast and 40 degrees outside - don't think I'll bike ride today, not because it being Friday the 13th, but because it's too cold. ) But for those who are and who may really care, you need to be concerned, there are two more Friday the 13th's this year; March and November. Interestingly, or not, last year we only had one Friday the 13th to endure all year, in June, and next year there will be only one, in August. So plan your trips accordingly :-) Hmmm, the more I think about it ~ I think I'll stay inside today and enjoy the book I'm currently reading, American Creation, history of the key events in the founding of our country. I'll let you know if any infamous calamities occurred on a Friday the 13th. (Come to think of it we started with 13 colonies which became 13 states. This can't be an unlucky number and there's 13 in my immediate family - counting the pets.)

Random musings

Why does flammable and inflammable mean the same thing? Do we really need all the routine maintenance our cars' manufacturers recommend & why do I keep getting pre-recorded second-notice-reminder calls about my car's warranty when it's long past? Who decided cuss words are cuss words and why are some acceptable and some not? What will supplant blogs in our computer world? When can I retire again? Why do some cats purr while others don't? Blonds have more fun than who? Why is a pregnant goldfish called a twit? Why is nutmeg extremely poisonous if injected intravenously. Does everyone over 55 get by on 6 1/2 hrs sleep? Why am I allergic to penicillin? Is pasta-on-a-stick feasible for fast-food? Where's that money Obama promised me? Who will win Carol's 300th post drawing? (Is this a good last question?)

Chocolate news

Look what I found today! I'd heard this but found it in print. It wasn't too long ago that chocolate was considered about as healthy as a stick of butter. Not anymore. Although it may seem too good to be true, research does show that one type of chocolate is rich in the same protective antioxidants found in apples, grapes, green tea, and red wine. So is chocolate the new superfood? Not quite. But a growing body of evidence suggests chocolate may have more to offer than guilty pleasure. (Antioxidants are thought to help protect against cardiovascular disease.) The strawberries in the above picture are a bonus.

Foods Rich in Heart-Healthy Flavonoids; Apples, Apricots, Blackberries, Chocolate, Cranberries, Grapes, Green Tea, Onions, Red wine. (Grape juice works!) But not all chocolate is created equal. It's really only dark chocolate, high in cocoa content, that seems to be of benefit. Not white chocolate. Not milk chocolate. Only rich, dark chocolate. Guilt-free Dairy Queen? :-)

Just thought I'd share with my fellow bloggers. Source: http://www.realage.com/NutritionCenter/Articles.aspx?aid=10286

Unoffical photo of the day

Carol in between blogging, staining bathroom cabinets and experimenting with her new camera on an overcast, cool and lazy Sunday.

What bugs you?

Pet peeves ~ non-anonymous. Some of mine, in no particular order:

1. Other drivers who don't signal and I could've gone if I'd had known.

2. Spanglish spoken at fast food drive-thrus or not getting what I'd orderd on the phone & only finding out after arriving home.

3. Having to listen to another's cell phone conversation and I have no escape.

4. Politicians, period; this about sums it up. (A necessary evil.)

5. Those who deny the Holocaust.

6. Tailgaters at freeway speeds. (I've been known to wash my windshield; its unfortunate the over spray gets on them. Use caution here.)

7. The Socialistic trend America is going. (See # 4 above.)

8. I-15 under continuous construction.

9. A neighbor's yapping dog.

10. "Comfort food" that's not healthy.

My picture-of-the-day

I'm not officially doing the picture of the day but couldn't resist using this opportunity and do a video of what Cohen had to show me when I got home from work today! Sandler tries. . . . . . Monkey Boys Hop Scotch!