“Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will break our hearts…”
~ Anonymous
Make a point to say something nice to someone today. You never know what burden they’re carrying or how heavy their heart is.
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Sticks and Stones…
2 AugThose who are…
27 Jul“Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.”
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
This is the final…
25 Jul“This is the final test of gentlemen; his respect for those who can be of no possible service to him.”
~ William Lyon Phelps
A Happy Home Recipe
24 JulFrom the time I was about 5 years old my parents owned a vacation home in the Palm Desert area. They started out with a mobile home in a private community and worked their way up to different condominiums in private, gated communities. It was my favorite place to be. Pool, tennis court, golf course, shopping.
A typical day would find me and my mom sitting by the pool or curled up on the couch reading our books. It was the definition of relaxation for me.
Breakfast could be something as simple as a bowl of cereal or cantaloupe but for my mom and me it was bagels with lox, cream cheese and capers. When lunchtime rolled around we took out all the fixins to make the best deli sandwiches. Today, that’s still my favorite lunch! At night, my dad might barbeque steaks, or we’d make homemade pizzas (each person made their own!). It didn’t matter what we had, meals always tasted better when we were at our house in the desert. I slept better too. Maybe it was because the environment just encouraged rest and relaxation.
We rented a lot of movies too. After dinner, we’d gather around the couch with our bowl of popcorn and watch the newest flick or two. I know how fortunate I was to grow up in a family that could afford such a place and it not even be our primary residence. I know how blessed I am to have such incredible memories and grateful I was able to share the house and “lifestyle” with my own daughters. For almost 40 years I had access to this mini-retreat.
My mom passed away from cancer in 1994. Her death is still the most emotionally devastating event I’ve ever experienced. Spending time there after she died was bittersweet. I could still feel her in every room. I’d walk past the living room and my mind’s eye would see us both curled up reading. I’d step out on the patio and see her eating breakfast while she and my dad shared the morning paper. As I walked through the house I was reminded of her creative side. Much of the artwork on the walls was painted by her.
A few years ago my dad finally sold the house, and as you can imagine, it was really difficult for me. I’d grown up there and most of my memories are tied to the special times with my mom. In addition to the various art and sculptures, there was a framed recipe that hung in the kitchen. It was there for as long as I can remember. I don’t know where she got it or how much it cost, but it’s hanging in my kitchen now and its value is priceless. Of all the recipes I have, this is by far my favorite. I hope you enjoy it and prepare it often.
It is better…
23 Jul“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.”
~ Andŕe Gide
More baseball…
11 JulIn keeping with my baseball theme and in light of today’s All-Star Game… I give you these:
“Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many players on the field?”
~ Jim Boulton
“The problem with being a good sport is that you have to lose to prove it.”
~ Anonymous
“Trying to sneak a fastball past Hank Aaron is like trying to sneak the sunrise past a rooster.”
~ Joe Adcock
“The next best thing to winning is losing! At least you’ve been in the race.”
~ Nellie Hershey Smith
“There are only two seasons ~ Winter and Baseball.”
~ Bill Veeck
“Always play a game with somebody, never against them. Always win a game, never beat an opponent.”
~ Andrew Bailey
“I never threw an illegal pitch. The trouble is, once in a while I toss one that ain’t never been seen by this generation.”
~ Satchel Page
“Baseball is a slow, sluggish game, with frequent and trivial interruptions, offering the spectator many opportunities to reflect at leisure upon the situation on the field: This is what a fan loves most about the game.”
~ Edward Abbey
And finally (for now anyway)…
“If I were playing third base and my mother were rounding third with the run that was going to beat us, I’d trip her. Oh, I’d pick her up and brush her off and say “I’m sorry Mom,” but nobody beats me.”
~ Leo Durocher
You gotta be…
9 JulAs most of you know I’m a huge baseball fan (Go Halos!) and in the spirit of tonight’s Homerun Derby, I give you this…
“You gotta be a man to play baseball for a living, but you gotta have a lot of little boy in you, too.”
~ Roy Campanella
Happy 4th of July…
4 JulIn the spirit of our Independence Day, I wanted to share a few bits on freedom and the pursuit of it.
“The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.”
~ John F. Kennedy
“Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits.”
~ Thomas Jefferson
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”~ Ronald Reagan
“But what is freedom? Rightly understood, a universal license to be good.”
~ Hartley Coleridge
“All great change in America begins at the dinner table. “~ Ronald Reagan
My Bungalow Days 