it's my half birthday today

and i went to the dentist for the first time in 7 years. i have to go back so i still await the total damage report...but i think minor gum disease and one cavity and eventual removal of wisdom teeth is what i am looking at. but she said my teeth look good. oh glorious and coveted good health insurance hooray! and in six months i will have been in this world for 30 years....golly.

i love dirt

this weekend i got to sift, with reckless abandon, through pounds and pounds of dirt and it was fun. i love dirt.

Brothers and Mothers

My brother, whom I love dearly, is about as smart as they come and he is warm and loving soul who is always educating himself, and sometimes, educating us. And it's always so wonderful to hear from him. The following is an email he sent to us this past weekend:

Hey Family,I hope everyone is doing well... I just wanted to pass along something I just heard about the origins of Mother's Day. Apparently, the holiday we know as being mostly about cards, flowers and brunch actually has its origins in this country as a day for peace. In 1870 Julia Ward Howe, better known as the author of the famous Civil War song Battle Hymn of the Republic, began a movement to have Mother's Day recognized as a national holiday. Her interest in this idea grew from her outrage at the violence and carnage of the Civil War. For several years she convened a gathering of prominent women's rights advocates for the Mother's Peace Day Observance on the second Sunday in June. Though she didn't live to see the adoption of Mother's Day as a national holiday, the day we celebrate tomorrow owes its origins to the efforts of this revolutionary woman, and many others like her.

Here are the words of Julia Ward Howe's Mother's Day Proclamation of 1870 that convey the spirit of her intent or Mother's Day:

Arise then...women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts!Whether your baptism be of water or of tears! Say firmly:"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, For caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.We, the women of one country,Will be too tender of those of another country To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."From the bosom of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."Blood does not wipe our dishonor,Nor violence indicate possession.As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war, Let women now leave all that may be left of homeFor a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means Whereby the great human family can live in peace...Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, But of God -In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality, May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenientAnd at the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,The amicable settlement of international questions,The great and general interests of peace.

I wonder if this is going to wind up on a Hallmark card anytime soon? For a short reading of this proclamation by stars like Vanessa Williams, Felicity Hoffman, and Alfre Woodard, check out this link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=LtzAwo1HU2w

Jeffrey

isnt that just the thing?

1. I bought stamps last week. It usually takes me a few months to go through an entire book of stamps. Prices went up today.

2. Since I am running quite a bit I have gotten it into my head that I need more running gear. I stopped into a 'running' store and was amazed by the tiny, miniscule pieces of 'wicking' material that is supposed to constitute women's running shorts. They were ranging in price from $40-100 and wouldn't even cover one cheek, if you know what I mean. They also had skirts. Who runs in skirts? Answer: People in my neighborhood as witnessed by me this morning on my way to the gym before work.

In case you were wondering about cheese, part 2

Blue Cheese Description#1

Blue cheese is made from cow's milk and inoculated with Penicillium roquefortti mold spores that result in the characteristic veining and flavor.

Blue Cheese Description#2

Crumbled white-yellowish cheese with greenish blue veins evenly spread throughout the cheese. Some irregular distributed holes with a tangy sharp taste.


Oh, and the difference between Feta and Goat? Feta can be made from goat or sheep's milk but is increasingly made from cow's milk (I suspect to save on costs) and goat cheese is made from....you guessed it, goat milk. Which is better for you? Neither but if you have to pick go with Goat b/c of all the SODIUM and CHOLESTEROL in the Feta......

I did not like blue cheese before and I was iffy on Feta. This 'new' information reinforces those feelings.....

Descriptive words used for cheeses:

rindless, smooth, creamy, nutty, slightly acidic, lactic flavor, salt notes, off flavor, porcelain-like, soft


Ok I'm through.