Fireworks and Food!

Happy Fourth of July! 

Happy Independence Day!

For me, as a relatively new American citizen, July 4th is all about three things – fireworks, food, and the constitution. The latter being the sole item of complete importance. As I see dictatorship and outright hegemony becoming the rule of the day, I feel compelled to re-state what made this country great in the first place. And to be clear, the days of America as a power and influencer is on the decline…once we corrupt our basic rights, we no longer have any moral authority.

I have always been so proud that the rights to liberty and happiness – yes happiness – was the base of our government. These days, I shake my head and pray that this sentiment will be still at our core twenty years from now. Here are  some of the sentiments from the original declaration of independence:

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

I won’t repeat the whole document here, but I thought it important to repeat the words that formed the basis of this country and the sole reasons we rose to greatness – a greatness that is rapidly dissipating amidst all the hate mongering and terrible labelling that now starts at the highest, and now, these days, the lowest office. 

Happy Fourth of July!

Cheers,

Jianne

Happy 86th Birthday Dad!

25 years ago, not on this day, my father died. Yesterday would have been his 86th birthday.

To all of you who still have living fathers, I have only this to say – enjoy every single moment. Love your dad to death and keep a constant watch.

Never a single day goes by when I don’t miss my father. We were extraordinarily close. He was my hero, my friend, an amazing business colleague, and my adored father. I count myself fortunate to have had such a loving, supportive man for my dad.

Yesterday, the viking and I attended my BFF’s son’s wedding.

February 11th, since my father passed, has always been bittersweet to me, and will continue to be so – I have no doubt of that.

But, yesterday, seeing Troy and Louisa starting off on their new life filled with hope, optimism, and the absolute best of the invitees who attended the ceremony, erased some of the sadness I’ve come to associate with the ominous date, February, 11th.
So, I thank you – Liz, Troy, and Louisa, for reminding me of the best and brightest view of life.

Cheers,

 

Jianne

P.S. Here are some pics of the wedding – and you just gotta love that their pooch – Tilly – was the ring bearer!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to My One and Only!

abstract-party-1Today is the dh’s sixtieth birthday.

Wow!

Bart eyes onlyI can still remember the first time our eyes met across the bar on our college campus, The Keg. My hubby has the twinkliest blue eyes in the world. He’d spent the summer working in construction, and was tanned a glorious nut brown, and his blonde hair was almost shoulder length (a real hippy back then) and bleached to a remarkable sunlight hue. Broad shoulders, and an ass so grabable that I literally salivated. Heck, I fell hard and fast. He was and still is the one – my one and only.

Without a doubt, I can say we’ve both had an incredible ride. Life has been good to us. We have three amazing sons who we not only love, but like. Our boys turned into wonderful men, and we’re both so proud of them. This year we’ll celebrate our thirty-sixth anniversary, and you know what? There’s no other person whose company I’d rather keep. We’re friends, lovers, and mates. I couldn’t ask for more.

So Happy Birthday my Viking!

All my love always,

Your,

J

 

December and January Birthdays!

confetti 3People who were born in December and January have a rotten time of it. For some reason, relatives and friends feel it’s okay to do a twofer – one present for both occasions. AND to top it off, they generally forget to even send good wishes on the day because  of the out-of-sight out-of-mind mentality. You know, they gave the present before Christmas and can wash their hands of any further responsibility.

My wayward son and my husband are late December and January respectively, and I’ve been a firm defender of two SEPARATE celebrations. Woe betide anyone who dared gang up on the two events, the wrath of Jianne was unleashed. The poor wayward one was as sick as the proverbial dog on his special day, but we were in Trinidad, and surrounded by family for the first time in seven years. He said that was an incredible present enough for him.

As for the dh, he’s celebrating a zero birthday – the kind that ends in zero. Funny, those used to be fun and we looked forward to them. Now, we cringe. However, we decided the event must be marked with good food and wine, therefore I am in the midst of a flurry of activity. My presence online and elsewhere will be haphazard for the next 10 days. I’ll try to stay current with comments on the blog and FB, but that’s about it.

I expect to be pleasantly buzzed once the visitors start arriving mid-week. The house will be full and the overflow housed at the inn down the road. We’ll be playing with the dh’s new toy, The Big Green Egg, and cooking for the hordes every night. So, from me to you – Have a great week!

Cheers,

Jianne

 
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