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Issue 15 July   2001

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2000 ~ Sample  Issue One  Issue 2  Issue 3  Issue 4   Issue 5   Issue 6  Issue 7

2001 - Jan I- 8  Feb I-9  March I-10   April I-11  May I-12   May 15th I-13  June I-14  July I-15  Aug I-16

Simply exquisite work. If you like angels, you'll love this.  If you Email J Ann, and ask about a special, I'll bet she'll be more than happy to let you in on the secret.  She has graciously allowed me permission to make this lovely graphic set to compliment her work.  I'll be doing more and putting them on the site, so look for them. 

Chantaclair's Musings

July 2001

Patriotism has been written about probably more than love.  Well, maybe not more, but a great deal.  Still, as we come upon the birthday anniversary of our country, I can't help but reflect on all that I have discovered and all that I am thankful to have. 

I'm grateful for our flag.  I'm grateful to have a symbol that we can stand behind and have a focus for tender feelings like patriotism and pride and gratitude. I'm grateful for all the flags that have waved over us and wrapped around our dead and flown over our entertainment and our fears and our difficulties and our accomplishments.  From the waving of an Olympic banner to the bomb tattered symbol of our determination and our freedom.   I'm very grateful for the thought and the consideration that has gone into making our flag a symbol of America. 

There was a scene in Disney's "Remember the Titans"  That particularly struck me.  The coach had all these high school football students who were having a difficult time getting along with others, unlike themselves.   He made them run through a dark forest in the wee morning and when they broke through the trees, they looked out over the field at Gettysburg and he said, "We are still fighting this fight today!" 

To anyone who has served, or is serving, my hat is off to all of you, if I wore one. Personally, I can't thank you enough for answering that call. Whatever it has meant to you, and whatever it means to others, to a singular woman you'll never meet, it meant everything. I prayed for you every night when I was a teen, and often my thoughts were far far away. A heartfelt but inadequate, Thank you.

May we be blessed in another year in a country that is not perfect, but that is better than any other place on the face of this earth. I am proud to be an American, as cliché' as that is, it is meant from my very center.

                   Clean plastic furniture with bleach and water on a sunny day---The sun helps bleach out the furniture.

                    Wash wicker furniture with a mild saltwater solution to avoid yellowing. Wash wicker outdoors and let the sun
                    dry it to tighten up sagging seats.

                    Remove rust from wrought iron furniture with steel wool. Apply a layer of aluminum paint before covering 
                    with outdoor paint. When paint dries, add a layer of paste wax to avoid pitting!

                    Outdoor cooking---Fast starter---Stuff a crumbled sheet of newspaper under your coals, then roll another
                    sheet of newspaper into a cone and poke it through the coals to the paper to form a chimney, Ignite the
                    paper. It will carry the fire into your charcoal.

                    To make cookout cleanups easier, take a preventive step and spray the cooking grill with nonstick spray
                    before placing the grid over the coals. Food won't stick nearly as much as it does on an untreated grid. 

                    To get rid of itch from mosquito bite, try applying soap on the area---instant relief!

Hints Courtesy of Frats Fax. 

 

These statistics were provided by Stephen J. Manhard

~On Men's friendships. "I know just what you mean" O'Brien/ Goodman

"I love Nick and he loves me.  He would die for me and I for him.  We have no secrets... Our trust in each other is complete. I can't imagine life without Nick. . . This is what friendship could, should, might be. Growing together, supporting one another, keeping the other guy's dreams alive.. . There is no element of struggle in it, no pushing, only lifting, drawing the other guy on, teaching, working in partnership without ever having to ask for help." 
- Steven E. Ambrose  Commands 

This is an excellent book on women's friendships mostly, but also on the differences between men and women's friendships. It talks about how and why women connect the way they do, and how and why men connect differently.  I am enjoying the view of myself, through other people's experiences. They say that what people want more than anything in life, is intimacy.  Not sexual, but that closeness that only comes rarely, but is more precious than breath. 

~  Whoops, no comments this month.  If you like something, why not tell me what so you can see your initials here.