Patrick ponders ...

Surratt House

2010-05-13T14:21:00.000-04:00

Sitting in traffic at this particular intersection it is so easy to imagine the voice of Rod Serling, “You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the sign post up ahead, your next stop...The Twilight Zone!"

Today cars sit waiting for the light to change at an intersection in Clinton, MD. Yet at midnight on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth came riding up to this very spot out of the infamous dark while Abraham Lincoln lay dying.

What if …. you fell through time to that night or before?

How many times have US Presidents flown over this infamous spot? Air Force One is based at Andrews AFB only 4 miles away.

Google ‘hauntings’ and read of voices , cries and footsteps having been heard. Mary Surratt, hung as a co-conspirator, allegedly haunts her former home.

Do not just sit in traffic … travel.

Surratt House Museum

Patrick
web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/

videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

transplanting lilac / vehicular gardening

2010-05-09T21:00:00.002-04:00

(originally posted April 3, 2009)
Maybe the Internet is NOT the best place to research gardening.

I wanted to transplant two lilac bushes. Gardening sites claimed transplanting lilac was easy.

They LIE!!!!

After hours of digging, complicated by proximity to house and other shrubs, I had only managed to bend my digging bar (a 6’ long, inch thick bar of steel) trying to leverage the root ball.

Frustration inspired vehicular gardening. Wrapping one end of the tow rope around what I had exposed of the root ball and hooking the other end to the car, OUT came the lilac bush like a molar.

Now it is wait and see if it was all worth it.

UPDATED May 9, 2010

Patrick

web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/

videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

how to clean a conch shell

2010-03-07T00:39:00.000-05:00

While boogie boarding at Stone Harbor, NJ, in July 2004, I was assaulted by a large predatory sea snail, a knobbed whelk or conch. Scungilli if you’re into the whole MTV Jersey Shore thing.

Anyway I prevailed; hey after all I had the beach tag.

Some grizzled beachcomber suggested I take it home, freeze it, and then boil it.

Well, you know how it is - out of sight out of mind the conch and shell remained frozen in a plastic bag deep in the back of my freezer as the years went by.

God only knows why, but today I finally decided to just do it.

Jimmy Buffett may romanticize “smell those shrimp they're beginnin’ to boil”; however, I can assure you there is nothing to sing about a 6 year old frozen conch beginnin’ to boil. Smelled more like a witch’s cauldron.

I added vinegar and lemon juice to try and control the smell.

Yet when all is said and done, I ended up with a beach memory of family and fun with fading piles of snow still on the ground. What’s not to like about that?

And yes, I can hear that Jersey surf calling!

Patrick Leer
web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

Remembering Roseman's Marine

2009-07-23T16:48:00.022-04:00

Attired in my Roseman’s Marine hat I headed to Stone Harbor, New Jersey for some boogie boarding and family time.

What a shock to discover Roseman’s Marine was an empty building.

“more and more family owned businesses on the island are going out of business”

For inquiring minds, the 7 Mile Times offers the whole story:

THE SUN SETS ON ROSEMAN’S MARINE

A stream of testimonials is hosted by BassBarn.com, for example:

“I have been going to Roseman’s since I was 12 years old. I'm now 32. I always looked forward to a "hey guy!" from Chuck. Roseman’s was a major part of the reason why I love Stone Harbor. And yes, he had everything from marine supply to Island Drum CD's. It didn't matter if you were a renter fishing from the docks or a veteran, Chuck treated everyone the same.”

“Roseman’s Marine” now another memory of the Jersey Shore lives on in the 500+ headings in a Google search.

For me the memory, as pictured below, is the colorful landmark and welcome atmosphere that was Roseman’s Marine.

Patrick Leer
web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

early April 1968 / Washington DC

2009-04-04T11:16:00.002-04:00

Odd how some mornings you can fall into a time hole, these are NOT pictures of some war zone but Washington DC in early April 1968.

I was 17 when the April 4th assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. shocked a nation and its capitol tore itself apart.

While my family then lived in the Washington DC suburb of Adelphi, MD, the capitol city may as well have been a second home. My father was born and raised in DC. My grandmother’s house stood only blocks from riot fires along the H St NE corridor.

‘Watching’ the news unfold was surreal. I remember a newscaster announcing that there were ‘reports’ of armored vehicles accompanying Federal troops, while out our upstairs window I could ‘see’ tanks and armored personnel carriers rolling along the Capitol Beltway.

“Marines mounted machine guns on the steps of the Capitol and Army troops guarded the White House. On April 5, rioting reached within two blocks of the White House before rioters retreated.”

Are you officially a geezer, when you start ‘remembering’ history?

Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer

web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/

videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

a bird sings at night: "American Nightingale"

2009-03-20T11:45:00.007-04:00

One of the stranger sounds to awake to in the dark of night is a songbird. While not alarming it certainly is confusing. Is it morning? Am I dreaming? What time is it?

Thanks to a Google search and Cornell Lab of Ornithology our home mystery is solved.

It seems the "American Nightingale" otherwise known as the Mockingbird can be a nocturnal singer, especially unmated males.

"Nighttime singing is more common during the full moon. In well-lit areas around people ..." Our lighted flagpole and surrounding shrubs must be an ideal "stage".

LISTEN to Northern Mockingbird

Now what was really cool, was when playing the above linked audio file through my PC speakers next to an open window, a bird responded outside! ... as well as one perplexed house cat. :)

Patrick
web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer
musings: Patrick Ponders ...

concert memories

2009-03-10T12:50:00.008-04:00

Concert posters from University of Maryland 1972 - 1973. CHECK OUT the ticket prices!!!

Patrick
web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

the right thing to do

2009-03-06T03:31:00.004-05:00

Referees had no choice even though the young man's Mom had died of cancer and he was not expected to play. The rules of high school basketball assess a technical foul if a team plays a player arriving late and not in the starting scorebook.

While the opposing team (DeKalb HS) had no choice but to take the foul shots, the young man standing at the foul line did have a choice to care.

"Darius McNeal set up for a regular free throw, but he only shot it two or three feet in front of him. It bounced once or twice and just rolled past the basket."

"I did it for the guy who lost his mom," McNeal told the newspaper. "It was the right thing to do."

Team's gesture supports grieving opponent

Patrick
web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer
musings: Patrick Ponders ...

... eating cat

2009-03-01T10:01:00.002-05:00

Western Pa. man gets probation for killing, eating cat

By Associated Press February 28, 2009

Last updated: Saturday, February 28, 2009 8:25 PM EST

WASHINGTON, Pa. (AP) — A western Pennsylvania man who killed and ate a woman’s cat has been sentenced to probation for 23 months.

Thirty-eight-year-old Stanley Sebetich, of Eighty Four, was sentenced Friday in Washington County court after he pleaded guilty to cruelty to animals. He was also ordered not to live with any pets for two years and fined $2,500.

According to court records, Sebetich cut the cat’s throat in a bathtub, skinned it, cut it up and cooked it in May 2007.

Patrick
web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer
musings: Patrick Ponders ...

Disabled kids show host draws criticism, praise

2009-02-28T10:41:00.003-05:00

Disabled kids show host draws criticism, praise

BBC says it is receiving complaints about TV host Cerrie Burnell
Some say Burnell, who was born with one hand, is scaring children
Burnell says she won't let criticism bother her

By Lateef Mungin CNN

(CNN) -- A children's show host who was born with one hand is facing criticism from parents over her disability.

BBC spokeswoman Katya Mira said the corporation has received at least 25 "official" complaints recently about Cerrie Burnell, new host of two shows on the BBC-run CBeebies television network, which is aimed at children younger than 6.

The official complaints do not count the dozens of negative comments lodged in Internet chat rooms, Mira said.

In one chat room, a father lamented that Burnell being on the show forced him to have conversations with his child about disabilities.

However, there have also been messages of support for Burnell. What do you think about the complaints?

"We have also received 99 appreciations of her," Mira said.

Burnell started as a presenter of the shows in late January after acting with theater companies in Manchester, England, and Brazil.

A BBC news release in January introducing Burnell made no mention of her disability, but a publicity photo showed the right sleeve of her sweater pulled up, showing her arm stops just below her elbow.

The issue has spurred a debate in England among newspapers, columnists and bloggers.

Burnell said she has heard the criticism and will not let it bother her.

'It can only be a good thing that parents are using me as a chance to talk disability with their children. It just goes to show how important it is to have positive, disabled role models on CBeebies and television in general," Burnell said.

Michael Carrington, BBC controller of CBeebies, said the company is standing by Burnell.

"Cerrie is warm and natural and we think that, in time, all moms and dads and children will love her as much as we do," Carrington said.

Patrick
web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer
musings: Patrick Ponders ...

To Arms! To Arms!

2009-02-11T00:01:00.013-05:00

Data from the FBI show background checks for gun sales in January jumped 29 percent when compared with January 2008.
The increase follows a 24 percent rise in December and a 42 percent jump in November, the FBI said.

"People are buying all the ammo they can get. The last gun show I was at, people were bringing in dollies and taking out cases of the stuff"

ARMED AGAINST FEAR

Here in Pennsylvania only two months ago on the opening day of hunting season 900,000 men, women and children took up rifles. Pennsylvania hunters alone outnumber the standing armies of most nations.

Am I missing something?

Patrick
web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer
musings: Patrick Ponders ...

fakin' it

2009-01-24T10:09:00.004-05:00

“ … ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. … “ President Obama

classical music played for millions of people watching inauguration was NOT the live performance it appeared to be

Some music for inauguration was taped, not live

Patrick

blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"

website: http://caregivinglyyours.com/

videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

"off with their heads"

2009-01-23T12:30:00.002-05:00

Unscrupulous CEO’s in the US await trial in $7 million penthouses, plea bargain to luxury retirement, or in the worst cases “we the people” bail the scoundrels out.

Consumer food safety seems lost in corporate finger pointing. Media and lawyers circle like sharks but in whose interest.

6 deaths have been attributed to the recent US peanut butter salmonella outbreak.

Across the Earth, 6 deaths were attributed to a tainted milk scandal in China. Except there, scoundrels PAY for their crimes …

“Chinese courts sentenced two men to death and three other defendants, including a top dairy company executive, to life in prison”

Death sentences given in Chinese milk scandal

Perhaps a little more "off with their heads" might leave exceutives thinking twice before choosing between right or wrong.

Patrick
blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"
website: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl?

2009-01-12T11:15:00.004-05:00

"He will bet cheesesteaks to go to a Pittsburgh area senior center as well as a Pittsburgh area homeless shelter if the Steelers win and Primanti (Bros.) sandwiches to go to a Philadelphia homeless shelter and senior center if the Eagles win," said Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo.

Rendell prepares bets for all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl

Patrick
blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"
website: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

gas stations going bankrupt?

2008-12-29T00:07:00.004-05:00

My favorite gas station for the last several months and one that has consistently led the local gas price limbo as prices fell over 70% since July is now struggling with bankruptcy.

Chapter 11 bankruptcy delays fuel deliveries at Flying J

As I can best understand it all, it seems to have to do with defaulting on loans that were secured with oil and fuel inventories when oil was valued at 3X its current value per barrel. Isn't this the same logic that brought the banking industry down over loans for over valued real estate?

Will we next see 'Big Oil' asking for a bail out?

Patrick
blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"
website: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

What the #%@& is figgy pudding?

2008-12-26T12:35:00.006-05:00

Singing along with "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" while riding in our van, the verse "Now bring us some figgy pudding" was interrupted by Patti's exclamation, "What the f#ck is figgy pudding?"

An interesting, though oddly phrased, question. I have been singing that verse for 50+ years and have no idea what I have been asking for.

Thanks to Google I have learned that Figgy Pudding is more of a steamed cake served with custard sauce. Original recipes used suet, a form of fat from the loins and kidneys of meat animals. Fortunately pure butter and shortening can be substituted if you have no meat animals in your modern kitchen.

Recipes abound with a simple Google search.

Patrick
blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"
website: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

health care: waiting lists and Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T12:23:00.001-05:00

The number of Pennsylvania adults on a waiting list for state-subsidized health insurance has reached an all-time high.

Pennsylvania’s adultBasic insurance program serves 46,000 working Pennsylvanians who lack health insurance, but whose incomes are too high to qualify them for federal Medicaid health benefits.

“The situation isn’t getting any better as it relates to the uninsured” The waiting list is currently 3X the program, numbering 145,000 adults. Last month alone 15,000 joined the list.

Democrats led by Gov. Ed Rendell pushed unsuccessfully for expansion of health care for uninsured adults funded by a business payroll tax, a new tax on smokeless tobacco, and a cigarette tax increase.

Republicans countered with an expansion to broaden the network of free health clinics for the poor and provide insurance coverage for people who cannot get it because of pre-existing health conditions by using existing revenue from the current 25 cents-a-pack cigarette tax and surcharges paid by motorists cited for moving violations.

The 2008 session ended with no resolution of the squabbling before holiday adjournment while the waiting list for the uninsured grows at 10% per month.

Once there was a Christmas Eve here in Pennsylvania during the worst of times for a demoralized people. George Washington against all advice and common sense took a chance.

When did this country’s leaders start taking holidays when ‘we the people’ are facing crises?

Patrick
web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer
musings: Patrick Ponders ...

"conscience rule" or poisoned pill

2008-12-22T00:48:00.000-05:00

The 11th hour implementation by the Bush Administration of the "conscience rule" is frankly without conscience, more like a poisoned pill.

Long story short, the "conscience rule" allows any employee working in the healthcare field, to object to participating in any activity that would violate their religious or moral convictions, without penalty or discrimination.

Regardless of what it is all supposed to be about, the rule goes in effect one day before President-elect Obama's inaugural.

The Obama transition team has already expressed their opposition and intention to undo the rule. Yet that process could take months or more to undo.

While politicians play games what about those who need help and find themselves stuck in health care roulette?

This is nonsense, we deserve better. Focus on health care reform!

Patrick
web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer
musings: Patrick Ponders ...

health care: from duct tape to egg nog

2008-12-08T13:45:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I wonder if Saturday Night Live recruits script writers from the federal bureaucracy. Remember Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge and rolls of duct tape and plastic sheeting?

Will Health and Human Services Secretary (designate), Senator Tom Daschle be lampooned over egg nog and holiday health-care parties?

Daschle wants Americans to host “holiday-season house parties to brainstorm over how best to overhaul the U.S. health-care system.”

“Health care is a top priority for President-elect Obama, and he wants your help in reforming the system to provide quality, affordable health care for all Americans. That's why this holiday season, we're asking you to give us the gift of your ideas and input.”

He invited Americans to sign up for meetings, one of which he plans to attend, at host a Health Care Community Discussion.

Thinking outside the box can be fun and effective, why not? On any given night around here between two caregivers with 33 years of combined home care experience plus an Autistic 16 yr old, plus Patti diagnosed with MS for 23 years, and a 20 year old daughter who of course knows everything … health care reform can certainly be discussed with more passion and likely more experience than a Congressional committee.

Why not give change a try? After all, has anyone seen a terrorist since we all bought up duct tape and plastic sheeting?

Patrick

a date which will live in infamy a generation which will live as heroes

2008-12-07T09:13:00.007-05:00

I am not sure which is more extraordinary, that with the click of a button we can time travel to the US Capitol on December 8th, 1941 and witness a 2 minute version of FDR's "day of infamy" speech or that a heroic generation of Americans made all this freedom possible. Thank You!

Patrick
blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"
website: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

hunting season

2008-12-01T16:01:00.009-05:00

This morning an army of 900,000 men, women and children ages 12 years and older (larger than the standing armies of most nations) took up rifles.

Why? ... It is the first day of the two-week firearms deer season. As in many parts of the state, local schools were even closed for this holiday.

Appropriate attire is blaze orange and camoflage.

Last year hunters took 323,070 deer.

For hunters who kill more deer than they can eat, "Hunters Sharing the Harvest" a 16-year-old nonprofit organization works with about 125 Pennsylvania meat processors to fund butchering of deer for donation to soup kitchens, food pantries and homeless shelters.

Patrick

blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"

website: http://caregivinglyyours.com/

videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

ignorance

2008-11-30T08:37:00.003-05:00

"I thought we killed all of you." ...

Native Americans still fighting ignorance at Plimoth

Patrick
blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"
website: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

ORIGINAL Thanksgiving menu

2008-11-23T00:01:00.001-05:00

The Pilgrims' Menu
(Source: Kathleen Curtin, Food Historian at Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, MA.)

Foods That May Have Been on the Menu

Seafood: Cod, Eel, Clams, Lobster
Wild Fowl: Wild Turkey, Goose, Duck, Crane, Swan, Partridge, Eagles
Meat: Venison, Seal
Grain: Wheat Flour, Indian Corn
Vegetables: Pumpkin, Peas, Beans, Onions, Lettuce, Radishes, Carrots
Fruit: Plums, Grapes
Nuts: Walnuts, Chestnuts, Acorns
Herbs and Seasonings: Olive Oil, Liverwort, Leeks, Dried Currants, Parsnips

What Was Not on the Menu

Surprisingly, the following foods, all considered staples of the modern Thanksgiving meal, didn't appear on the pilgrims's first feast table:
Ham: There is no evidence that the colonists had butchered a pig by this time, though they had brought pigs with them from England.
Sweet Potatoes/Potatoes: These were not common.
Corn on the Cob: Corn was kept dried out at this time of year.
Cranberry Sauce: The colonists had cranberries but no sugar at this time.
Pumpkin Pie: It's not a recipe that exists at this point, though the pilgrims had recipes for stewed pumpkin.
Chicken/Eggs: We know that the colonists brought hens with them from England, but it's unknown how many they had left at this point or whether the hens were still laying.
Milk: No cows had been aboard the Mayflower, though it's possible that the colonists used goat milk to make cheese.

Seventeenth Century Table Manners:

The pilgrims didn't use forks; they ate with spoons, knives, and their fingers.

Patrick
blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"
website: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

Harrisburg Holiday Parade

2008-11-22T18:21:00.003-05:00

Patrick
blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"
website: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

it's official

2008-11-19T17:38:00.006-05:00

I read today that FINALLY all the absentee, military, and provisional ballots have been counted and certified here in Cumberland County, PA. (white highlighted county)

After all the months of waterboarding voters and millions of dollars spent since before the Pennsylvania Primary, above is the end result for the two parties.

75.35 % voter participation here in Cumberland County!!!!

Republicans carried every race from local to national including McCain 56%, Obama 42%.

Patrick
blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"
website: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

change????

2008-11-10T23:01:00.002-05:00

Entry to the Inauguration of the President of the United States used to be FREE!

"Ticket brokers are selling tickets to the swearing-in of Barack Obama for thousands of dollars, even for standing-room areas on the National Mall."

"one ticket broker is asking $20,095 for a single ticket"

"The Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown is offering a $99,000 "Red, White, Blue and GREEN" inauguration package"

What happened to our economic crises??

Patrick
blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"
website: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

To President Elect Obama, "Novus Ordo Seclorum"

2008-11-05T16:44:00.005-05:00

Word smiths all over the world trumpet the recent US election: “Faith in the enduring promise of our nation” …“No person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream” … “On this morning, we all want to be American” … “America is rebecoming a New World” … "A new era for America”

Yet, it has been ‘on the money’ since 1935 “Novus Ordo Seclorum” (a new order of the ages). Look at the back of a one dollar bill.

… and on the Great Seal of the United States since 1782.
Only three phrases appear on the Great Seal ...

"E Pluribus Unum" ("Of Many, One")

“Annuit Cœptis” signifies that the Eye of Providence has "nodded at our beginnings."

“Novus Ordo Seclorum” means "a new order of the ages".

The Continental Congress rejected seals proposed by ‘star power’ Founding Fathers such as John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin turning the task over to Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress.

Charles Thomson (1729 - 1824) a Latin tutor at the Philadelphia Academy was born in Ireland, orphaned penniless in the British Colonies in America at the age of 8, and cared for by a black smith.

While the world’s word smiths work to capture a defining phrase … 226 years ago the pen of a dreamer in a new world translated the hopes for this “new order of the ages” and emblazoned them for all time. ... Sometimes it seems we forgot to look.

To President-Elect Obama, Novus Ordo Seclorum!

Patrick

blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"

website: http://caregivinglyyours.com/

videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

election campaign waterboarding

2008-11-01T11:48:00.010-04:00

Living in Pennsylvania has been about being badgered by politicians since Obama and Clinton began political waterboarding over the Pennsylvania Primary.

To me, Saturday mornings are a personal fantasy about sleep, especially when you work Friday night.

Today's waterboarding began with a morning robocall from the Republican party chatting with my answering machine.

Still working on my first cup of coffee the doorbell chimed and I discovered a perky Obama campaign worker informing me that Election Day was Tuesday ... yada yada.

As Sen Obama once remarked about Pennsylvania "... and it’s not surprising then they get bitter ...".

AMEN!!!!

I may just pioneer a new badger principle in voter rights. The last candidate to nag me, I promise NOT to vote for.

Patrick
blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"
website: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

gas under $2 a gallon????

2008-10-29T23:54:00.004-04:00

Can the gas price limbo actually go under $2 / gallon?? Tonight I filled up at $2.09 / gallon at local Flying J.

Do your remember when the price of a gallon of gas first climbed over the $2 / gallon mark?? Perhaps we all were distracted by the media hype over Martha Stewart's release from prison that month?

Patrick
blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"
website: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

Hillerman and harmony

2008-10-28T01:10:00.003-04:00

How strange to be driving around enjoying a talking book then to read on-line that the author recently died.

I have never picked up a Tony Hillerman book that did not totally fascinate and entertain me. Thank You!

His unique novels introduced to me the harmony dependent on interconnectedness of the Navajo way. An American home grown philosophy we all could use more of.

Patrick Leer
blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"
website: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

invasion of the stink bugs

2008-10-24T00:23:00.007-04:00

Yuk! For weeks we have been invaded by alien bugs, hanging on the siding, screens, and doors trying to get in. Those that did get in we discovered could not only hang and crawl, but fly!

Not being entomologists we labeled them dinosaur bugs, rhino bugs, or just plain butt ugly bugs.

Thanks to Rutgers University I learned they are “Stink Bugs”! … and more.

The "Brown Marmorated Stink Bug," was accidentally introduced into Allentown, PA around 1996 from China or Japan.

May be seen in large numbers during September and October.
Their name derives from the noxious odor produced as a defense mechanism.
They do not bite people or pets.
Unlike in Asia they have no natural predators in the US.

Management: The slow-moving insects are easy to capture. Inside home vacuum up the bugs and dispose of the bag. There are no chemical recommendations currently available.

You can report on line a “stink bug” sighting or learn more than you ever wanted to know at Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, Monitoring for the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. Reported sightings help them to better track the expansion of this alien pest.

Patrick Leer

blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours,"

website: www.CaregivinglyYours.com

discovering WXPN rediscovering radio

2008-10-21T15:35:00.004-04:00

Driving your car after someone else has driven it can be enlightening, especially when it comes to radio station selections of teen age drivers. Nothing quite like a volume 10 head banging blast to wake you up.

Recently I “owe” my 20 year old daughter Megan for helping me to rediscover radio. I am talking about WXPN. I am addicted!!! I sit longer in parking lots even my own driveway actually ENJOYING radio not just listening.

WXPN (88.5 FM) is a non-commercial, public radio station operated by the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia

Additional frequencies are available … 88.7 FM (York, Lancaster), 99.7 FM (Harrisburg), 104.9 FM (Lehigh Valley) In addition, certain hours are simulcast via 90.5 FM, (Chesapeake Bay/Baltimore, Maryland area).

or at home you can stream it on your PC from…
http://xpn.org/index.php

Listening to the following typical eclectic set from their 885 Essential Songs Countdown left me sitting in my car in my own driveway playing percussion on the steering wheel and dashboard, air guitar and singing along.

U2 Pride (In The Name Of Love)
Paula Cole Where Have All The Cowboys Gone
Talking Heads Once In A LifeTime
Flight Of The Conchords Business Time
Van Morrison Tupelo Honey

I know I am showing my age but I have not enjoyed radio this much since listening to the Wolfman on pirate stations so long ago.

Flight of the Conchords Business Time was new to me. My mouth was hanging open as I listened and laughed to, in my opinion, Barry White meets Frank Zappa. YOU can see and hear them perform the song on You Tube.

Patrick Leer

bird feed gardening

2008-10-19T14:49:00.001-04:00

Let spilled bird feed mix with rain and sun, and you get a lazy man's garden ...

Patrick Leer

Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours"

videos: You Tube - Caregivingly Yours
website: http://www.caregivinglyyours.com/

Happy 233rd Birthday! US Navy

2008-10-12T12:05:00.014-04:00

“… red sky at night, sailor’s delight…” It did not take an old salt to read the natural happenings on and around the Washington Navy Yard for Navy Day 2008.

Magnificent Spring weather on a Fall day greeted visitors to the oldest shore facility of the U.S. Navy, to celebrate the 233rd birthday of the US Navy.

Wandering around felt like walking between fiction and fact as I discovered a block long battleship cannon that once fired shells 23 miles to “Alvin” that took scientists 12,000 ft under the sea.

As an avid jet ski fan, I watched and drooled as the Navy’s Riverine Patrol Boat “performed” on the Anacostia River.

With a touch of the surreal, the US Navy’s own rock band, the Electric Brigade closed out the day with a spellbinding performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

Happy 233rd Birthday US NAVY! Ahoy! and THANK YOU!

Patrick Leer

Roller Coaster economics South Central Pennsylvania

2008-10-09T12:18:00.003-04:00

GAS DROPPING
$2.87 gal at Flying J on Carlisle Pike at I-81. A year ago average price of gas was $2.75.

HOUSING STABLE
While the median sale price declined, the average sales price went up, “Since no bubble was ever inflated, there is no bubble now to burst”

OUCH!
Stock portfolios? … stock market is down 39% from a year ago.

Patrick Leer
blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours,"
website: www.CaregivinglyYours.com
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

"Write your congressman!" but do they listen?

2008-09-30T16:16:00.008-04:00

“Write to your congressman!” is a stock answer we are all taught to express ourselves from school days onward. During negotiations for the bail out package, I decided to give President Bush and my Congressmen my two bits on the issue.

caregiver: melt down? bail out?

Did it do any good? Do they even read or listen to their constituents? I got the following emails in response …

President George W Bush comments@whitehouse.gov
On behalf of President Bush, thank you for your correspondence.

We appreciate hearing your views and welcome your suggestions.

Due to the large volume of e-mail received, the White House cannot respond to every message.

Thank you again for taking the time to write.

U.S. Senator Robert Casey, Jr. (D-PA) senator@casey.senate.gov
Thank you for your email. Your message has been received by my office and will be carefully reviewed by a member of my staff.

Sincerely,
Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.

U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) http://specter.senate.gov/public/
did not even auto respond.

U.S. Representative Todd R. Platts (R-PA) http://www.house.gov/platts/
Thank you for taking the time to send me an e-mail. It is especially important and beneficial for me to learn the thoughts, views, and concerns of individual citizens such as you. Annually, I receive over 20,000 e-mails, letters, phone calls, and faxes from constituents.

Please know that my staff and I will fully review your correspondence. Responses may take anywhere from a few days to a couple of months, depending on many factors such as the current volume of mail and the complexity of the issue to be addressed. My response will typically be by postal mail. Sometimes, a member of my staff may call you directly.

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your comments with me. I hope that you will continue to keep me informed about issues that are of importance to you. Best wishes!

TODD RUSSELL PLATTS
Member of Congress, 19th District, Pennsylvania

...............

I guess I missed the part in the Constitution about "we the people" will be "appreciated" and our feelings "reviewed". (grin)

J Patrick Leer

blog: Caregiver Blog "Caregivingly Yours,"

website: www.CaregivinglyYours.com

videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

Tim Curry TOUR 1979 / YouTubeUmentary

2008-08-06T13:06:00.004-04:00

Ahhh! Yes, the late 70's! A YouTubeUmentary ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWcgqNrqjG0

The O'Henry kind of twist in this story is that when I interviewed with Tim for the tour manager position, I had never seen Rocky Horror Picture Show.

I had recently finished a Hall & Oates tour. My only preknowledge came from watching a British TV comedy on late night TV, "Three Men In A Boat" starring Tim Curry, Michael Palin, and Stephen Moore.

J Patrick Leer
blog: AOL Journals: Caregivingly Yours
website: www.CaregivinglyYours.com
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

Tags: Tim Curry, A & M Records, 1979, I Do The Rock, Three Men In A Boat

quest for plastic dashboard Jesus

2008-07-28T12:19:00.011-04:00

Earlier this year I began a nostalgic quest in search of plastic dashboard Jesus.

The end of metal dashboards in automobiles basically ended the era of the magnetic plastic dashboard Jesus half a century ago.

I was fortunate to discover that the Sacred Heart Auto League still offers commenerative statues of the original. Using velcro on a safer dashboard is unquestionably an improvement for all.

Recently I received an email from Haddon Pearson who actually has an original magnetic plastic dashboard Jesus, mailing package, and brochure. Thanks to Haddon's pictures, I will let the original packaging retell the story.
(You can click on a picture to enlarge if desired)

J Patrick Leer
blog: "Caregivingly Yours,"
videos: You Tube - Caregivingly Yours
website: http://www.caregivinglyyours.com/

Tags: plastic dashboard Jesus, Sacred Heart Auto League

Flying J / dropping gas prices

2008-07-24T00:09:00.004-04:00

Wednesday I fueled my Dodge Grand Caravan Rampvan for $3.76/gallon at Flying J in Carlisle, PA.

Nationwide as of the posting of this entry the lowest price in the US was $3.45/gallon in Oklahoma City, OK.

Yet, so much of any ‘drop’ in prices is still illusion as the average price one year ago was only $2.85/gallon.

The Flying J station I went to was ranked by PennsylvaniaGasPrices.com as the lowest price in Pennsylvania. Interestingly another Flying J, a Keystone, and a Sunoco or 4 of the 10 lowest priced stations do not purchase oil from terrorism sponsoring nations according to Terror-Free Oil Initiative.

That 40% of the lowest prices were not from the Persian Gulf left me musing.

Certainly there is a lot of strangeness going on and too much double speak.

Could OPEC and Arab oil be a whipping boy for simple old fashioned greed?

Whatever, thank you “Flying J” for leading the charge to lower prices here in Pennsylvania.

J Patrick Leer
blog: AOL Journal "Caregivingly Yours,"
videos: You Tube - Caregivingly Yours
website: http://www.caregivinglyyours.com/

Tags: Flying J, gas prices, PennsylvaniaGasPrices.com, Terror-Free Oil Initiative

A man and his microphone ...

2008-07-10T12:21:00.003-04:00

Having spent almost 40 years working with and around microphones I will never cease to be amazed at the human stupidity displayed in proximity to a microphone.

Whether you are a mover and shaker or just an average joe, NEVER say anything near a microphone that you do not wish to share with the entire world.

So while the media has a field day with Jesse, I choose to give him a break and ‘remember’ a lighter media moment of Jesse Jackson reading “Green Eggs And Ham” on Saturday Night Live. (3 minutes)

Video from http://www.youtube.com/JDinNYC01

J Patrick Leer
blog: AOL Journal "Caregivingly Yours,"
videos: You Tube - Caregivingly Yours
website: http://www.caregivinglyyours.com/

Tags: Jesse Jackson, microphone, Green Eggs and Ham, SNL

Independence Day

2008-07-04T09:27:00.005-04:00

Nobody knew in 1775, nor knows today, who fired the first shot of the American Revolution.

When the smoke cleared from the dawn Battle of Lexington Green eight Massachusetts men were dead.

George Washington remarked on hearing of the events, “… can a virtuous man hesitate in his choice?”
The rest we all know. ... A safe, happy, and family filled Independence Day wish to all.

J Patrick Leer

blog: AOL Journal "Caregivingly Yours,"

videos: You Tube - Caregivingly Yours

website: http://www.caregivinglyyours.com/

Tags: Independence Day, Minuteman Monument, Lexington Green

summer sky

2008-06-16T20:09:00.011-04:00

There is something about watching the sky during a summer thunderstorm that leaves me in wonder.

J Patrick Leer
blog: AOL Journal "Caregivingly Yours,"
videos: You Tube - Caregivingly Yours
website: http://www.caregivinglyyours.com/

Tags: summer, sky, thunderstorm

The dumbing down of voters

2008-06-15T12:55:00.005-04:00

from the Boston Globe:

"THE THOUGHT occurs to almost everybody, I would suppose, that politics today is conducted at a lower level than it used to be. ..."

The dumbing down of voters

"... (Americans' best subject was history, though there aren't many history teachers who would find this easy to believe.)..."

J Patrick Leer

blog: AOL Journal "Caregivingly Yours,"

videos: You Tube - Caregivingly Yours

website: http://www.caregivinglyyours.com/

Tags: Rick Shenkman, Scott Menchin, Boston Globe, voters, politics

40th reunion High Point High School

2008-06-03T22:42:00.009-04:00

Obviously I am showing my age because if I had to guess what a "wiki" was I would have guessed a baby "wookie".

This year marks the 40th Reunion of High Point High School Class of 1968. Some youngen has pimped out the reunion and created some techie thingamajig called a 'wiki'.

High Point High School Class of 1968 WIKI

Deep in the dust I found a minute of film from 1968 graduation ceremony. ... No 'wiki whining' about quality. You are looking at time travel

The "In Memoriam" section of the wiki with 37 names and pictures is kind of overwhelming.

J Patrick Leer

http://www.caregivinglyyours.com/

AOL Journal "Caregivingly Yours,"

You Tube - Caregivingly Yours

Tags: High Point High School, Class of 1968, 40th Reunion, Beltsville MD

What says "I love you!" more than a gift of a lawn mower?

2008-05-25T12:51:00.005-04:00

Lawn mowing musings may seem an obsession. Yet watching your lawn mower bleed to death was a first for me.

My Toro has been my loyal side kick for at least 16 years, beheading grass faithfully season after season.

Friday evening while chugging along the engine suddenly started clanking ending with a loud crack. As I stared down in disbelief oil began to spurt out of the side as if the machine had an artery then slowed to a fatal trickle as the Toro bled to death.

Repair or replace? The homeowner’s question for the ages.

I am blessed with two brother-in-laws who could pass for local versions of the PBS Car Talk guys. Consulting with them over the phone, the diagnosis was “catastrophic engine failure”.

Since I was about to take the Toro in for servicing and sharpening anyway at a cost of about $100 I decided to just spend another $100 and get a new mower. Thank you Mr. President for the economic stimulus money. Memorial Day Weekend sales at Home Depot also get a shout out.

RIP Toro …

Welcome to my world, Cub Cadet …
Cub Cadet was my original Plan B choice. Plan A was a competitor priced $30 less. My sales associate confirmed that my Plan A choice was indeed a great deal and their most popular seller but also their most frequently returned mower. I went to Plan B without hesitation.

Later in conversation I learned my sales associate had purchased a Cub Cadet for her own mother for Mother’s Day. Nothing quite says “Mom, I love you” like a new lawn mower.

Patrick Leer

website: www.CaregivinglyYours.com

videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

Tags: lawn mower, Toro, Cub Cadet, Car Talk, economic stimulus, Home Depot

When does a price increase equal savings?

2008-05-16T15:47:00.005-04:00

This is not a trick question. It happened to me today! Thank you, US Postal Service.

When postage prices went up on May 12th, "Express Mail" changed to zones versus flat rate. So if you are sending an "Express Mail" to a nearby zone you may actually save a couple bucs.

'Forever stamps' are boring looking so needless to say I headed to the Post Office today to buy one cent stamps, 41 to be exact. I also needed to send a package 'Express Mail'.

I EXPECTED to pay more for 'Express Mail' plus 41 cents for the one cent stamps. Instead 'Express Mail' plus 41 one cent stamps cost a couple bucs less than the last time I sent 'Express Mail'.

Politicians take note!! Turn the economy over to the Postal Service. Anytime a price increase costs me less out of pocket I am a happy consumer.

Patrick Leer
website: www.CaregivinglyYours.com
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

Tags: USPS, price increase, United States Postal Service

Hall & Oates / Around the World in '80

2008-05-05T16:01:00.004-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8362JjYVzM

J Patrick Leer

website: http://www.caregivinglyyours.com/

videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

Tags: Hall & Oates, Daryl Hall, John Oates, Japan, Australia, UK

Welcome HOME!!!!!!

2008-04-29T13:29:00.004-04:00

I pray every family and friend of our Armed Forces gets to read "HOME" with multiple exclamation points on their veteran's My Space page (well, this is the 21st Century.)

http://www.myspace.com/usmc3bn2006

Safely home from Iraq, my nephew Danny now can make the transition back from warrior to family.

While certainly much joy here, I would be a fool to forget this is not always how the story ends. My heart and gratitute goes out to those families and friends whose veteran gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Patrick Leer

website: www.CaregivinglyYours.com

videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

Tags: Iraq, Marines, My Space

1972 vs 2008 Presidential Primaries

2008-04-23T10:29:00.006-04:00

Can voting be a 'Kodak moment'? The Pennsylvania Primary was not only our daughter's 20th birthday but her first vote in a presidential primary. It WAS a special parent benchmark to go to our local polling place together.

It was impossible not to reflect back to my own 'first vote' and how much this country has changed in 36 years, besides the obvious that back in my day one had to wait until 21 to vote.

The following results from the 1972 Maryland primary where I cast my first vote and 2008 Pennsylvania primary appear to reflect a rather different America.

2008 PENNSYLVANIA PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY

1972 MARYLAND PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY

Patrick Leer

website: www.CaregivinglyYours.com
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

Tags: Pennsylvania Primary, Hillary Clinton, Barak Obama, John McCain, Maryland Primary, 1972, George Wallace, Richard Nixon, voting

Pennsylvania Primary madness vs feng shui of kitsch

2008-04-21T14:50:00.007-04:00

"Over the weekend, both campaigns deployed thousands of paid workers, volunteers and surrogates to strategic points across the state." Final Push for Democrats in Pennsylvania

With rain pounding our roof so hard from a thunderstorm I could barely hear the door bell,I discovered a drowned Obama volunteer asking if "X" was home. ("X" = our resident Democrat. Our household contains 1 registered Democrat, 1 registered Republican, and 1 registered Independent.)

"X" was not home, and the volunteer left some material and stepped back out into the deluge. I was impressed.

It is not possible to stay in the house. Our phone practically rings from 8:30 AM until after 9:00 PM with either campaign workers or pollsters. The electronic voices of Sen. Bob Casey, and Sen. Barak Ombama have left messages. So today I seized the opportunity from several inches of rain and attacked some landscaping needing motivation.

I have been wanting to move our carved palm tree trunk (allegedly a Seminole totem pole) to be among it's more tacky yard friends and replace it with some interesting vegetation.

Presto chango, a 'Lavender Twist' Weeping Eastern Redbud and a Picasso like bench I found at Old Lucketts Store Antiques this past weekend.

Enterprising Democrats seized the opportunity. Note the Obama door nob flyer that was added while I dug in the back yard.

While the absolute insanity of the 11th hour of campaigning before the Pennsylvania Primary spins into super nova, I can now sit in my back yard and find harmony among the feng shui of kitsch.

The flying pig sculpted out of scrap metal also was adopted from Old Lucketts Store Antiques.

J Patrick Leer

website: http://www.caregivinglyyours.com/

musings: http://www.lairofcachalot.blogspot.com/

Tags: Pennsylvania Primary, feng shui, kitsch, Lavender Twist Weeping Eastern Redbud, Picasso Bench, Seminole totem pole, Old Lucketts Store Antiques

lawnmower man

2008-04-09T22:01:00.003-04:00

Winter is what nature SHOULD be! A magical pause button to freeze time and enjoy people. Snow constantly repaints the landscape with not only the look but the smell of ‘fresh’ and ‘new’.

In Spring nature becomes a babbling fool. Terroristic red breasted predators hop around gobbling worm children and their families. Pollen and weeds exceed air pollution. And above all lawn mowers endlessly roar consuming fuel and time.
April 10th was the first mowing of the year. All in all, twelve 8 hr days or almost two weeks of my life will be stolen by lawn mowing before blessed, magnificent, time friendly Winter returns.

Excuse me while I go hug the ice cube maker!

J Patrick Leer
website: http://www.caregivinglyyours.com/
musings: http://www.lairofcachalot.blogspot.com/

Tags: Winter, Spring, lawn mower, lawn mowing

Iraqi kid dance: Fighting Terrorism One Video At A Time:

2008-04-06T14:41:00.007-04:00

Take 23 seconds to enjoy a smile. Latest video from my nephew Danny and his Marine platoon in Iraq.

do ur chain hang low

THANK YOU to all the men and women of our Armed Forces. You ARE the best of us! Godspeed HOME!

PS If you have problems with the embedded video player, simply click this link to go directly to Danny's video on MySpaceTV:
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=30773205

J Patrick Leer (aka Uncle Patrick)

website: http://www.caregivinglyyours.com/

musings: http://www.lairofcachalot.blogspot.com/

Tags: Iraq, Marines

War by numbers

2008-04-03T15:50:00.005-04:00

Is there ever a fair way to send fellow citizens to war?

Recently I discovered my draft card!

Enrolling in the U of Maryland following high school I was classified 2-S (college deferment). During the first draft lottery my birth date was assigned the number 128. Completing or leaving college I would be reclassified 1-A, and 128 would be my number in that year’s draft lottery.

In 1970 a draft counselor advised me to drop my 2-S deferment and accept 1-A status because Nixon was ordering troop withdrawals and it was “practically impossible” the draft would go above lottery number 75. By dropping my 2-S before the year ended my lottery number would go up to 128 + 365 = 493.

However, Nixon expanded the war and the draft lottery climbed. I sweated out December 1970 as the lottery peaked at number 125. My number was 128.

‘War by numbers’ made little sense then and even less trying to explain it 40 years later.

We may send citizens into harms way by numbers, yet war is NEVER numbers. Men and women of our Armed Forces are family, friends, and neighbors. They are names not numbers, who have sacrificed part of their lives. Many who gave their lives.

Over 58,000 names stare back from the walls of the Vietnam War Memorial.

Patrick Leer
website: www.CaregivinglyYours.com
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

Tags: draft card, Vietnam War, Vietnam War Memorial

Commuting with coyotes

2008-04-01T10:43:00.004-04:00

Lexington, MA is not only the home of the “shot heard around the world” but also home to eight to 10 coyotes, according to Lexington Animal Control Officer Stephanie Doucette.

When we first moved from suburbs of Washington, DC to South Central Pennsylvania, I stared dumfounded at my first encounter with a coyote in our backyard.

Coyotes appear to defy tradition actually enlarging its range since human encroachment began.

This guy became somewhat of a pop culture hero when he actually boarded a train to avoid animal management staff at the Portland airport.

“ …urban and suburban places are the coyote’s new habitat, and in the end, wending a path through a bustling city is ever more normal behavior for neophilic young coyotes … “But saying that it’s normal,” says Marc Bekoff, professor of biology at the University of Colorado, “doesn’t mean that it doesn’t blow my mind when I hear about coyotes getting on buses or trains or elevators. We’d better get used to it, though, because we’re likely to be seeing this sort of thing more and more.”

Patrick Leer
website: http://www.caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

Tags: coyote, Lexington MA, Pennsylvania

Cell phones more dangerous than cigarettes?

2008-03-31T14:31:00.002-04:00

Whoa! Definitely had to take my Bluetooth out of my ear while reading this news.

“Bluetooth devices and unshielded headsets can convert the user’s head into an effective self-harming antenna.” Dr. Vini Khurana

Cell Phones Could Be More Dangerous Than Cigarettes

The french government has already warned against mobile phone use … Germany and the European Environment Agency have urged its people to minimize their exposure to mobile handsets.

At least let me finish my cigarette before pondering all this.

Patrick Leer
website: www.CaregivinglyYours.com
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer

Tags: cell phones, bluetooth, cigarettes, Vini Khurana

Pennsylvania, media eye of the universe

2008-03-30T10:34:00.003-04:00

Daily life in Pennsylvania is increasingly affected by living in the media eye of the universe leading to the Pennsylvania Primary in three weeks.

No more just throw something on and run to the store. You could find yourself bushwhacked by media and broadcast across America.

You better have a ‘sound bite’ ready, microphones are blooming faster than Spring flowers.

Then there is the endless polling. How come telephone “do not call” lists do not apply to political canvassers and pollsters?

Daily travel becomes guesswork as candidates visit with us ‘little people’ accompanied by an army of media, vehicles, road detours, and so on.

Beyond the election, others with a cause to publicize are drawn to the media eye of the universe.

Case in point, Monday (March 31st) in Harrisburg, PA it is anyone’s guess how to plan your day.

Truckers protesting diesel prices are planning to convoy through morning rush hour with 200+ tractor trailers traveling the most heavily used interstates around and into Harrisburg to surround the State Capitol with tractor trailers for a late morning rally.

… Then the Clinton campaign and her media army descends on Harrisburg in the afternoon kicking off a three day tour of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Clinton’s visit “will highlight ways that state and local leaders have found solutions to economic challenges.” ... Hopefully they open their eyes and see the tractor trailers.

With a little over three weeks to go … Bring It On!

Patrick Leer
website: www.CaregivinglyYours.com
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer
non-caregiver musings: www.lairofcachalot.blogspot.com

Tags: Pennsylvania Primary, diesel prices, truck convoy, Clinton

Fighting Terrorism One Video At A Time, No. 3

2008-03-21T02:34:00.004-04:00

Latest video from my nephew Danny and his Marine platoon in Iraq.

iraq

THANK YOU to all the men and women of our Armed Forces. You ARE the best of us! Godspeed HOME!

PS If you have problems with the embedded video player, simply click this link to go directly to Danny's video on MySpaceTV:

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=30727113

J Patrick Leer (aka Uncle Patrick)
www.CaregivinglyYours.com
non-caregiver musings: www.lairofcachalot.blogspot.com

Tags: Iraq, Marines

Easter: a problem with math

2008-03-20T17:37:00.005-04:00

As a wee little one, I so remember the withering stare of my Mother when I asked her if I could raise my hand and ask a question during the Easter Sunday sermon.

I have always been haunted by questions. I am told I ask too many.

My question that Easter Sunday had to do with a math problem that involves Easter.

Gospel of Mathew 12:40 (Mathew)
"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Gospel of Luke 24:46 (Luke)
"He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day"

Acts of the Apostles 10:40 (Peter)
"but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen."

Where is the math problem? Jesus is crucified and dies on Good Friday. Add three days and you end up with the Resurrection on Monday NOT Sunday.

Many questions later and too much research for a lay young person, I learned it all had to do with infighting in the early Catholic church as to when to actually celebrate Easter and more. Long story short, the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD decided that Easter MUST be celebrated by all throughout the world on the same SUNDAY.

By using a simple rule upon the moon of the calendar, uniformity was secured for all the world. According to this rule, Easter Sunday is the first Sunday which occurs after the first full moon following the 21st of March. As a result, the earliest possible date of Easter is 22 March, the latest 25 April.

While the early church may have written the Resurrection and Easter Sunday in stone, well actually the moon, it is not as crowded at services on the “third morning”.

J Patrick Leer
www.CaregivinglyYours.com
non-caregiver musings: www.lairofcachalot.blogspot.com

Tags: Easter Sunday

A bouquet for Geraldine ...

2008-03-12T16:28:00.007-04:00

To Geraldine with love ...

"If the roses where white, they would not be in this position. And if they were daffodils, they would not be in this position."

Caregivingly Yours, J Patrick Leer
www.CaregivinglyYours.com
non-caregiver musings: www.lairofcachalot.blogspot.com

Tags: Geraldine Ferraro, roses

Lawn Ornaments - Easter / St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-11T10:37:00.007-04:00

Lawns light up like fireflies for Christmas but what about Easter? Is the Easter Bunny less important than Santa?

EVERY garden totem pole should have a green mullet wig for St. Patrick’s Day. With March winds, I need to staple gun the wig to the pole.

Illuminated shamrocks and bunnies are easily added to ‘Christmas’ lights already in the shrubbery.

Of course, the pièce de résistance of any Easter lawn display is the plastic chocolate bunny rabbit!
It is also about a taste from a tacky fountain of youth every time I pull in or out of my driveway.

J Patrick Leer

www.CaregivinglyYours.com

Tags: lawn ornaments, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, totem pole, shamrock, chocolate bunny

"The SAINT PATRICK You Never Knew"

2008-02-28T09:22:00.005-05:00

“…The saints are for everyone—believer, unbeliever, Christian, non-Christian—it doesn't really matter. They are the people who say by their lives that human life is valuable—that my life is valuable—and that there is a reason for living. Without them, history would just be one horror after another."

“Some 1,500 years ago a teenage boy from what is now Great Britain was kidnapped and enslaved … . Not since Paris absconded with Helen of Troy has a kidnapping so changed the course of history.

And so it was that a young Briton named Patricius died an Irishman named Patrick. And neither Ireland nor Christianity was ever quite the same.”

From an interview with author Thomas Cahill in St. Anthony Messenger, “The Saint Patrick You Never Knew”.

... St. Patrick is the first male Christian since Jesus to praise women, speaking of women as individuals, lauding their strength and courage.

... St. Patrick is the first human being in the history of the world to speak out unequivocally against slavery.

... A better advocate than St. Patrick cannot be found for anyone disadvantaged, living on the fringes of society, or excluded—people that no one else wants anything to do with.

... A mystic who felt the presence of God in every turn of the road.

... It is Patrick's conversion of Ireland that makes possible the preservation of Western thought through the early Dark Ages by the Irish monasteries founded by Patrick's successors.

... The first to introduce Christianity outside Greco-Roman civilization

... By converting the Irish to Christianity without making any attempt to romanize them as well, he founded a new kind of Church, one that was both Catholic and primitive. More joyful and celebratory (than its Roman predecessor) in the way it approaches the natural world. Not a theology of sin but of the goodness of creation.

______________________

When Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter
You can hear the angels sing.
When Irish hearts are happy,
All the world seems bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, they steal your heart away.
(by Chauncey Olcott and George Graff, Jr.)

Beannachtaí Lá Fhéile Pádraig
(Blessings of St. Patrick’s Day!)
J Patrick Leer
www.CaregivinglyYours.com

Holidays in Iraq

2008-02-27T12:55:00.005-05:00

The latest video from my nephew's Marine platoon stationed in Iraq.

THANK YOU to all the men and women of our Armed Forces. You ARE the best of us! Godspeed HOME!

Our celebrity driven media culture too easily chases the sound bite and forgets the story. Our families and our neighbors are living, working and fighting far from home.

If you want a glimpse through the eyes of a young man, husband, and father you can visit Danny’s MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/usmc3bn2006

J. Patrick Leer
www.CaregivinglyYours.com

political email - John McCain & the Pledge of Allegiance

2008-02-17T21:26:00.006-05:00

As the primary elections heat up who doesn't get emails forwarded along about one candidate or another?

The following, currently making the rounds, regards John McCain and the Pledge of Allegiance. Confirming through urban legends, I was pleased to find one such email that is true. Though "not new", basically it's an abbreviated version of his speech before the 1988 Republican National Convention.

"As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room. This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles from home.

One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian. Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School. Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and
captured in 1967. Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country-and our military-provide for people who want to work and want to succeed. As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing. Mike got himself a bamboo needle.

Over a period of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt. Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event.

One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it. That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours.

Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up as well as we could. The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room. As said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there
beneath that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American flag.

He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to Pledge our allegiance to our flag and country.

So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world.

You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
John McCain, 1988

J Patrick Leer
http://caregivinglyyours.com/

A Snow Angel for Valentine's Day

2008-02-13T14:05:00.012-05:00

When the shoveling of snow and scraping of ice is finished it's time to appreciate any winter storm.

Ice transforms a weeping willow into a crystal sentinel companion for our lawn cannon.

Of course, how can there be snow without 'snow angels'? Since Valentine's Day is tomorrow I could not resist highlighting with a can of red spray paint. (or would that be angel grafitti? )

J Patrick Leer
www.CaregivinglyYours.com

GOP Valentine's Day cards

2008-02-11T11:04:00.000-05:00

They are not exactly "Hallmark" Valentine's Day cards ...

Compliments of www.GOPValentine.com.

I have not found any expressions of Valentine's Day sentiment on the Democratic side, or I would post them also. Where is the LOVE?

J. Patrick Leer

www.CaregivinglyYours.com

21st Century hunting - gathering

2008-02-02T11:45:00.000-05:00

Why does CoffeeMate have a “sell by” date? Could any of the following actually ‘expire’?

INGREDIENTS: WATER, SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED OIL, AND LESS THAN 2% OF NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SODIUM CASEINATE (A MILK DERIVATIVE- Not a source of lactose), DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, COLOR ADDED, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, POLYSORBATE 60, CARRAGEENAN, BETA-CAROTENE COLOR.

I totally enjoy this Eggnog flavor. However it is seasonal and obviously the ‘sell by’ dates are becoming almost the same as the date I buy it.

Raised before the era of expiration dates I basically ignore them choosing the age old method of smelling something or looking at it for lumps, mold, or insects before eating. Plus I have to go find my reading glasses to actually see an expiration date.

Peter Pan Peanut Butter poisoned me almost a year ago, and my suspicions of food products have been heightened ever since. (That poisoned jar of peanut butter was consumed ‘before’ the expiration date so who can you trust?)

On the other hand, I prepared, ate and enjoyed a delicious packet of Quaker Instant Oatmeal (Maple & Brown Sugar) the other morning only to discover ‘after’ finding my reading glasses that the “best if used by date” was almost 4 years ago!

Hunting – gathering for food can be so challenging in this 21st Century.

J Patrick Leer

http://caregivinglyyours.com/

Groundhog's Day 2008

2008-02-02T08:18:00.000-05:00

http://www.groundhog.org/

OK! I can figure out why the ground hog always looks the same pictured year after year, decade after decade, but how come the guy holding the prognosticating rodent also seems unchanged.

And, of all the things PETA gets worked up about how do they miss this each year?

J Patrick Leer
http://caregivinglyyours.com/

kamikaze bambi

2008-01-26T12:29:00.000-05:00

Friday a kamikaze bambi attacked my daughter, Megan, driving home from her afternoon classes at college through a residential neighborhood.

Most importantly, Megan was unharmed. Bambi's suicide damaged bumper, hood, and windshield.

Comprehensive insurance should repair our Taurus station wagon, minus out of pocket $100 deductible.

A little over a year ago a bambi jumped onto my Aerostar van while I was driving on a highway at 60 MPH. Again fortunately I was unharmed but the van was totaled along with bambi.

This is becoming ridiculous. A Pennsylvania driver's license should come with a deer stamp.

J Patrick Leer

http://caregivinglyyours.com/

Fighting terrorism one video at a time

2008-01-23T08:58:00.000-05:00

The latest video from my nephew's Marine platoon ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx5PDh8l4tU

Danny provides the opening commentary.

God's Speed HOME to all our Armed Forces!

J Patrick Leer
http://caregivinglyyours.com/

election campaign buttons

2008-01-21T04:27:00.000-05:00

With all the election primary hoopla I could not resist scanning in some buttons I unearthed from another election primary season ...

... even a button from Mitt Romney's Dad's election bid.

It also seem opposition to war is timeless ...

J Patrick Leer
http://caregivinglyyours.com/

storytelling and the Pennsylvania Farm Show

2008-01-12T19:24:00.000-05:00

Modern story telling tools enable me to tell a story about caregiving, Multiple Sclerosis, accessibility, and visiting the Pennsylvania Farm Show a multitude of ways.

In 45 seconds on You Tube ("Caring on: visiting PA Farm Show") ...

Or in 24 seconds with a Picasa slide show ("PA Farm Show")...

Or in the approximate minute or so it takes to read an AOL journal entry ...
Caregiving: visiting Pennsylvania Farm Show 2008

Homer had to walk around Greece from table to table "telling" stories yet he managed the Iliad and the Odyssey. Considering our 21st Century tools are our stories evolving as well?

Patrick Leer
http://caregivinglyyours.com/

Tags: Pennsylvania Farm Show, caregiving, caregiver, Multiple Sclerosis, PA Farm Show, disability, accessibility, wheelchair

Rolling Thunder Revue Tour - suitcase anthropology

2008-01-09T16:16:00.000-05:00

Reading about Bob Dylan's "legendary" Rolling Thunder Revue on the Internet inspired some house cleaning and suitcase anthropology.

Then a 1 min 20 sec You Tube overview of the other side ...

"Rolling Thunder Revue / suitcase anthropology"

For the complete archeological diggings ...
http://picasaweb.google.com/PatrickLeer/RollingThunderRevue
Patrick Leer
http://caregivinglyyours.com/

Hall & Oates 1980 tours

2008-01-06T14:37:00.000-05:00

The more I sort and organize long overdue projects for the New Year the more I seem to find myself time traveling ... and grateful for a year (1980) when I was actually fortunate to travel around much of the world AND get paid doing it, the magic of rock n' roll touring. Working with Hall & Oates "Voices" world tour and Care Free Bubble Gum sponsored mini-tour of high schools.

Patrick Leer
http://caregivinglyyours.com/

NSA / CIA growing up with 'spooks'

2008-01-05T13:21:00.000-05:00

If only pictures could talk what secrets they could tell.

Patrick Leer
http://caregivinglyyours.com/

White House Easter Egg Roll and POG

2008-01-05T12:44:00.000-05:00

Continuing year end/year beginning project of sorting through old crawl space picture boxes I stumbled down a rabbit hole to 1998 and the White House lawn. I was deejaying for World POG Federation within yards of the Oval Office during the White House Easter Egg Roll. ... and yes, couldn't resist posing on Clinton's jogging track.

Patrick Leer
http://caregivinglyyours.com/

1935 Washington D.C.

2008-01-04T14:38:00.000-05:00

Patrick Leer
http://caregivinglyyours.com/

USS Wright 1942 "Washington's Birthday" menu and more

2008-01-04T14:21:00.000-05:00

My father James E Leer (1922-1997) served on USS Wright during WWII. I found these old photos while sorting crawl space boxes.

Patrick Leer
http://caregivinglyyours.com/

Buffalo Bob Smith

2007-12-27T13:29:00.000-05:00

Patrick Leer
http://caregivinglyyours.com/