The last couple of days have been absolutely like fall so I decided that I wanted to see fall.

I remembered that I took these pictures of Cheaha State Park.

I think it might put you in the fall mood as well!!!

Recently I saw a spot on the Weather Channel that said we are entering the “Dog Days of Summer”. Hmmm. This summer has been so hot that I do not know when these specific days started. And in fact, where did this saying originate? And what are some things we can do make these hot days easier to cope with?

Okay first I figured out that this period of summer was named after the brightest star, Sirius which is the alpha star of Canis Major and is referenced to as the “big dog” star. Ha! And along with Sirius meaning scorcher we can see why Sirius is defined as the Dog Star. All the movement of Sirius comes into place right now, this time of year.Well some of this was news to me. I mean yeah, I knew Sirius, the big dog star, had something to do with this time of year but somewhere in my misinformed past I thought it had to do with real canines getting lazy from the hottest part of the summer. Don’t know where that idea came from but hey! There it is.

Okay now that I know that hot equals Sirius aligning during late July through August I need a late summer “pick me up” so I decided I need to do something about this hair on my head for starters.  I need a good conditioner and a hair cut followed by a facial. That will boast my spirits.

Then I decided I needed some ice tea and a good book to read. Nothing I can do about all this heat but stay out of it. My cousin recommended  a Ken Follett book called The Pillars of the Earth. Another good summer read is Greedy Bones by Carolyn Haines. Both books are short if you having trouble concentrating from the heat. But if you want a longer, deeper book to keep you disconnected from the heat try a historical novel like American Lion: Andrew Jackson in The White House.

Okay so I got facial lined up, I am getting a haircut and I got a good book to read. Now I need to cool down….and dream of Fall. What about you? What are you doing to stay relaxed during this grueling hot summer period of the Dog Days of Summer?

Yesterday was National Relaxation Day. Yep, we have such a day. Here are few tips that were offered on how to enjoy it and I think we can use these for the rest of the summer too!

Here are a few ideas:

• Call a long lost friend, just to say hello.
• Take a leisure walk, enjoy the sights and smells of the outdoors.
• Have a great and healthy meal.
• Have a cool refreshing drink
• Take a nap.
• Watch the clouds and daydream.
• Anything that will put your mind, body and soul at ease.

If you would like to learn about other Unusual Health Holidays visit Odette’s homepage.

(Cited National Relaxation Day from: http://www.examiner.com/health-and-beauty-in-hartford/national-relaxation-day)

    
So after landing my new job as a   Wal-Mart   greeter,
a good find for many retirees, I lasted less than a day…  

About two hours into my first day on the job a very

It seems like just the other day that I started blogging on GG (as I affectionately call it). I went back over the blog to see what I have been writing about and what kind of comments I have gotten. Over the past three years I have thrown out just about anything that crossed my mind.  I have shared my school, books I have read, my health, my garden and my dreams.

As I sit down to start another year I think of what goals I would like set. Before my decision to do a “face lift” I was starting a one year project on my yard and garden under the Impatient Gardener. That will continue as I am still working on it. I did however get stopped due to the heat we are having this summer. I don’t know where you are but where I am at the heat and humidity is well into the 100s and it isn’t cooling off at night.

Recipes and tips are always a great thing to share and if you dear reader have some tried and true recipes by all means share! A couple of eco-friendly reminders I have recently had is stick with the simple cleaners; baking soda, borax and vinegar. Tried and true and they work!

I am done with school but not done with learning. I am taking a six month sabbatical from employment and university education to find out what I want to be when I grow up. As I am nearing the ending of my 50s I see the 60s as my next growth spurt. I am ready to learn and enjoy life in ways I never did before.

What about current events?  Humor? And musings? They are still on my menu. But let’s get a tad more comfortable and grab a cuppa coffee (or tea if that is your drink of choice) and let’s go journeying. Life is what we make of my dear readers, so let’s grab all we can. Looking forward to another year!

• Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.
• Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
• Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.
• Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
• They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
• Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners;
  men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
• Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
• Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.  He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
• Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and  Middleton.
• At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson
  home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
• Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
• John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying.  Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!

I hope you will show your support by this Holiday.  It’s time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics and baseball games.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:

1. No matter how hard you try, you can’t baptize cats..
2. When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don’t let her brush your hair.
3. If your sister hits you, don’t hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4. Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5. You can’t trust dogs to watch your food.
6. Don’t sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7. Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8. You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9. Don’t wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10. The best place to be when you’re sad is Grandma’s lap.