9-11 Survivor Quote – Guzman-McMillan
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09, 2023
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09, 2023
9-11 and Memory Triggers
Triggers are sensory reminders that can cause memories –painful or happy – to resurface. Triggers can be anything from a holiday to a perfume scent to a loud voice.
Years after certain events, whether we were part of an event or not, anniversaries of events can trigger feelings.
Dates like these:
| December 7, 1941 | Pearl Harbor |
| November 25, 1963 | John F. Kennedy Assassination |
| August 22, 1966 | The University of Texas Tower Shootings |
| April 04, 1968 | MLK Assassination |
| January 28, 1986 | Challenger Explosion |
| November 9, 1989 | Fall of Berlin Wall |
| August 31, 1997 | Princess Di dies in a car accident |
| April 20, 1999 | Columbine High School CO shootings |
And, of course, September 11, 2001
Today is the twenty-second anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania. Today we remember and honor those who died on that day and during the aftermath.
Memories may trigger for you as this day does for me. My husband worked in New York City for many years. Our photo albums are filled with pictures of the Twin Towers from our many trips to the city.
None of our before pictures can erase the scenes from what happened on September 11, 2001, or my fears that day. I couldn’t turn off the TV as the horrors unfolded.
If today triggers memories for you, too. Let’s remember this quote:
8
09, 2023
Silly Turkey
A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara
The grumpy turkey continues to provide entertainment on Miller Farm.
Friday morning when I went out to check on everyone, I found him roosting in the chicken coop.
He stayed there all day leading me to believe he was unsure how to get down.
I must confess, it was much less stressful to be in the chicken yard when the turkey was in the coop. But I was a little concerned he would starve to death so Beekeeper Brian tapped him and he jumped down.
A few days later he was back up on the roost. This time he figured out how to get down on his own, Silly Turkey!
He must think he is a chicken.
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09, 2023
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09, 2023
Celebrating Labor Day
Happy Labor Day!
Unlike most U.S. holidays, Labor Day is a strange celebration without rituals, well, except for shopping and barbecuing.
Peter J. McGuire, United Brotherhood of Carpenters founder, and Matthew Maguire, secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York, are considered founders of the U.S. Labor Day.
Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal in 1882 and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic. Workers agreed and staged a strike to get a day off work on the first Monday in September.
Twelve years later, in 1894, Labor Day became an official federal holiday though the bill did not give everyone a holiday. Only federal employees were authorized the day off by the law.
Over the years, emphasis changed from protests and demands and Labor Day shifted to honoring the labor movement and the social and economic achievements of all American workers.
Though the holiday has no rituals, addresses by union officials, industrialists, government officials, and others do receive coverage in social media, newspapers, and television.
Labor Day mostly signifies a three-day weekend filled with retail sales, an extra day away from work, and the unofficial end of summer.
Unless you work in retail then you’ll have some long working hours. Police, firefighters, nurses, and doctors will also experience heavy workloads because Labor Day is the second most dangerous holiday to drive on U.S. highways.
I’ll not be driving. I’ll be following Douglas Pagels’ advice.
“Sometimes it’s important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it’s essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow.”
Why not join me? Relax, grab one last hot dog, and slide down your rainbow beam.
1
09, 2023
My New Title
A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara
Last Friday I looked out the kitchen window to find that Mr. Grumpy Turkey was on the wrong side of the fence.
My first thought was “Who can I call to help me?” Beekeeper Brian was at work as were both children who live in town.
My next thought was “Who is available to take me to the hospital?” Mr. Turkey is not fond of me and the feeling is mutual. I was imagining a fierce battle.
I came to the conclusion that I would have to wrangle this turkey on my own. I started the coffee brewing, grabbed the rake, and prepared to face my nemesis.
He was much less brave when he was on my side of the fence. I was able to guide him back into the chicken yard through the gate. It was almost anticlimactic.
Feeling triumphant, I returned to the kitchen to enjoy my coffee and new title as Turkey Wrangler.
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08, 2023
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08, 2023
Labor Day, Yellow School Buses, and School Supply Sales
Fall Equinox will arrive on September 23, 02:50 A.M. EDT
Labor Day is upon us. The day that signals the time to bid farewell to the carefree days of summer and the return of high school football and fall festivals.
This little poem by Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt says it best.
It is the summer’s great last heat,
It is the fall’s first chill: They meet.
Down here where I live, we’re not experiencing or expecting the chill but I’m a former teacher and the return of the yellow buses brings waves of nostalgia. Not because I’m longing to be back in a classroom again, those days are long gone.
To be a teacher again, I’d have to give up too much time and energy I prefer to devote to writing.
But fall also means school supply sales. Necessary stuff for all the munchkins heading off to school and impossible for writers to pass up.
At least this author.
Never mind, I have plenty of pencils, pens, and notebooks. I simply can’t resist. I have to stop to check out all the displays.
Nothing jumpstarts my creativity like a shiny fresh notebook and a sharp new pencil or a bright colored pen.
Plus, who can resist a sale?
How about you? Do Back-to-School sales entice you?
25
08, 2023
Extracting Honey
A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara
Beekeeper Brian’s bees have been pretty productive this year so we were able to get honey for the first time in several years. I had forgotten what an interesting process it is.
We decided to move the extractor into the kitchen instead of using it out on the driveway. The Texas heat has been oppressive.
First Brian removed the frames of honey and comb from the hive. He used a special spray designed to drive the bees away. This was especially important since we were bringing them into the kitchen.
Then the very edge of the comb is cut to remove the wax caps.
The frames are then placed into the extractor.
Then it is a matter of physics – specifically centrifugal force.
The metal tub containing the frames is spun forcing the honey to vacate the comb.
The liquid gold is then put through a sieve to remove large pieces of comb and collected into a five-gallon bucket.
The last step is to put it in bottles to be used in tea, on yogurt, or just licked off a spoon. At the end of the process, there was sticky honey everywhere in the kitchen including on the heads of two dogs.
But having honey from our own front yard makes it all worth the effort.
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08, 2023
