A Retraction and Holiday Weekend

OK - I will take care of the retraction first.  Obama is not the first president to miss the Arlington Cemetary Ceremony - in fact several US Presidents have missed it for other "better" options.  In the Washington Post is an article specifically addressing this issue it reads  "Obama is not the first president to miss the Arlington ceremony. Ronald Reagan spoke at West Point one year, and went to his California ranch another year. George H.W. Bush, a war veteran, did not go at all. Bill Clinton, who did not serve in Vietnam and had a rocky time with the military, went to Arlington all eight years, and George W. Bush, who also avoided combat service in Vietnam, attended from 2003 onward".  So I guess I should let him off the hook since he is attending a veterans activity while he is in Illinois.
Memorial Day Weekend - I wish I were in Idaho this weekend with my family.  I miss them!!!  Since we stayed home, we opted for a very productive weekend so far. 

• Friday night was spent with the "kids"  We had a great time - they are welcome back anytime.
• Saturday, after we got the kids breakfast and on their way,we spent the majority of the day at the family compound.  We mowed lawn, dug dandelions with Bruce and Susan, planted tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant, made sure all was watered and ready for some warm weather coming our way.  I will have to take some pictures to show you before the weeds take over.
• Sunday I got things started in primary before we headed off to listen to Meish's homecoming.  I sure do love that family and especially that kid.  He served in Hungary and I can't wait to have him over to tell us more about it.
• Monday - we had a relaxing morning then Ralph went back to the family compound to plant flowers for his Mom.  He also took his Mom to the cemetary closely followed by a couple of his other siblings.  They visited the graves and left flowers at each one they visited.  (weird tradition if you ask me - just like valentines day only for dead people.  Hopefully these people are thought of more than one day a year and that we honor them with how we live our lives)  I stayed at home and cleaned house and did laundry.  Our landlord came by and got our swamp cooler up and running.  I am not quite ready to use it, but I am glad it is hooked up - this coming week is going to get warm. Today is the day to barbecue...we got a last minute invite up to the family compound.  I love hanging out with family - even those that periodically annoy me.  I am sure I do the same back.  Grilled bratwurst, chips, salsa, dip, veggies and fruit.  Ice cream for dessert.  Yummy Stuff!

  Happy Birthday to Ralph's younger brother. This is his 40 year old birthday and does not want a big celebration or hoop-la. But,as I committed, everyone gets a personalized card for their birthday whether or not they actually want to celebrate it.  He really enjoys all aspects of astronomy so I opted for that theme.

I know you gotta love our humor.  It can get a little warped sometimes.  We try to curb it with some family members and the others get the full brunt of it.

I got the idea for the card from someone elses  blog, but can't seem to remember the address.
Paper - Ballet Blue, Basic Gray, Pumpkin Pie, Green Galore, Basic Black, whisper white
Stamps - Pun Fun, Seeing Stars
Ink - Versamark, Black Stazon, blender pens
Accessories - Circle Cutter, Circle Punches, Oval punches, swirls sizzlit die, irridescent ice embossing powder, Pearlescent chalks, border punch, dimensionals, heat gun.

Well, I am off to play some more with my stamp stuff - have a great rest of the weekend.
Ta Ta for now