Honoring All Who Served:

Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11th, the anniversary of signing of Armistice that finished World War I. The main hostilities of World War I were properly finished at the 11th hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month of 1918 with Germany signing of the Armistice. "Armistice Day" became “Veterans Day” in 1954 as a result of legislation signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The name was changed to honor all who served the nation in wars or conflicts.

There are currently 24.5 million veterans in the United States -- of whom 1.7 million are women. The number of veterans who are age 65 or older is 9.5 million. There are 8.2 million Vietnam-era veterans, and 3.9 million who served during World War II.

On this Veterans Day, I want to honor a man who is honored by all the service men and women I know -- Gen. George S. Patton Jr. He was/is a soldier's soldier...

Patton Quotes:
"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."

"Better to fight for something than live for nothing."

"I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom."

"Prepare for the unknown by studying how others in the past have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable."

"There is only one sort of discipline, perfect discipline."

"We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way."

"Watch what people are cynical about, and one can often discover what they lack."

"Always do everything you ask of those you command."

"Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood."

An Elephant In The Room:

I've decided I need an attitude adjustment. I'm in a funk. Have you ever had that kind of week? When you feel like you are free-falling into a deep hole? When you realize there isn't even a glimmer of light at the end of your dark tunnel? And you get a bad feeling that it's not going to end anytime soon? Well, that's where I am and I'm in a foul mood because of it. I am definitely not fun to be around.

It is paradigm shifting time. I woke up this morning and decided that I need a change. I refuse to waste one more moment on this gloom and doom mood. Thanksgiving -- my absolute favorite holiday -- will soon be here and I am missing all the fun of anticipating what's to come: outdoor walks in the beautiful Fall weather, once-a-year delicious Thanksgiving turkey and dressing and giblet gravy and cranberry salad, great college football, and the four-day luxury of being with those I love the most!

This morning before Miss M awoke, I sat down with a freshly brewed cup of jo and wrote a list of things that would help reframe my brain. The list ended up in two columns -- dos and don'ts. Number One on my list of "dos" was to find things that make me laugh... you know, "the best medicine." Bill Cosby's old comedy albums really crack me up... his routines can produce the laugh-so-hard-that-you-cry-and-pee-in your-pants kind of results. The Grandparents skit from the Bill Cosby Himself album, circa 1982, is epic. Surely this will jump start my change in attitude!

Lucy, I'm Home:

One of my family's Thanksgiving food traditions is a delicious gelatin salad made with fresh cranberries. It's a recipe that was handed down to me by my best friend Penny Ventura*.

I hope you'll give it a try. I know you'll love it as much as we do!

Penny’s Cranberry Salad
1 package (3 ozs) strawberry Jello
1 can (small like tuna) crushed pineapples, well drained
1 cup boiling water
1pkg fresh strawberries, cut-up
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup pecans halves that have been cut up
1 1/2 cup fresh cranberries, quartered
Dissolve Jello and sugar in boiling water. Add cranberries and let set for 20 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix pineapple, strawberries, and pecans. Add cranberry mixture and refrigerate overnight. Transfer to a pretty bowl (or to hollowed-out orange halves or hollowed-out pineapple half) and serve.

*After a courageous three-year-seven-month fight, Penny died of ovarian cancer on December 27, 1993. To find out more about the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, please CLICK HERE.

A Terrible Tragedy:

Fort Hood, you are in my thoughts and prayers.

The Movement You Need Is On Your Shoulder:

By now you know I love all things Beatles. Can't help it. Raised on it. Part of my DNA.

Although Hey Jude was written in 1968, for me it came to life in the Fall of 1970 and represents high school football. Every time I hear it I'm taken back in time to cool crisp autumn nights; the rustle of pom-poms; white knee socks with saddle oxfords; the combined smell of Woodhue, English Lavender, and Shalimar; and the thrilling feeling I got seeing cute boys in helmets and pads. My pep squad sang Hey Jude ad nauseam on the school bus as we rode to and from games. We sang it for what seemed like hours, for sure longer than the record's length -- 7 minutes and 11 seconds! We sang it over and over and over, always imparting our own ending: "...hey, hey, hey, Northwood High!" We sang it with anticipation before the game, with enthusiasm when we won, and with sadness like a death march when we lost.

I got this graph off the SWISSMISS blog... so cool.

California Dreamin':
My middle daughter has an art history assignment this weekend: to visit San Francisco's MOMA and view a current exhibit, "Matisse and Beyond: The Painting and Sculpture Collection." I am green with envy at her opportunity... and so disappointed that I can't experience it with her. I long to walk arm-in-arm with my sweet angel and be among the works of art produced by such amazing 20th-century masters as Henri Matise, Mark Rothko, Salvador Dali, Marcel Duchamp, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo ("I luff my monkeys."), Rene Magritte, Joan Mitchell, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol.

Think of all the places this art has been ... and all the people who have seen it...

Candy For Troops:
Wondering what to do with leftover Halloween candy? Operation Gratitude accepts candy for American troops who use it both for themselves and to give out to the children in the communities they patrol. All types of candy are acceptable, including chocolate this time of year. Ship candy by December 5 to Operation Gratitude/California Army National Guard, 17330 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91406, Attn: Charlie Othold.
Details are at http://www.operationgratitude.com/.

The Wheel of Fortune:

My youngest daughter sings in a college choir and this weekend was their big, annual concert (which was wonderful!) The variety of songs held my interest and the choir's range is amazing, but one song selection took me by complete surprise. I mean, I wasn't expecting Gershwin and Berlin to be followed by German composer Carl Orff! It was odd but thrilling all the same. O Fortuna! (Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi) is in-your-face good. It is part of Orff's scenic cantata, Carmina Burana. The text was discovered in 1803 at the Monastery of Benediktbeuren near Munich as part of a collection of Latin poetry dating back to the 12th century and written by the Goliards, a group of wandering scholars, poets, performers, and clerics. Orff's music brilliantly captures the meaning and nature of the Wheel of Fortune, large and foreboding. The melody repeats itself over and over and over, mimicking the rotation of a wheel. O Fortuna opens with a pounding timpani and large chorus. It reminds me of a huge storm filled with elemental power and primitive forces. It is haunting and can scare the bejeezus out of you... making it perfect for the Halloween concert! The words are rather sad and at times somewhat suggestive. They speak of the struggle of love, hope and happiness, of Fortune against the cruelties of Fate. The translated lyrics are as follows:

O Fortune,
like the moon
you are changeable,
ever waxing
and waning;
hateful life
first oppresses
and then soothes
as fancy takes it;
poverty
and power
it melts them like ice.

Fate -- monstrous
and empty,
you whirling wheel,
you are malevolent,
well-being is vain
and always fades to nothing,
shadowed
and veiled
you plague me too;
now through the game,
I bring my bare back
to your villainy.

Fate is against me
in health
and virture,
driven on
and weighted down,
always enslaved.
So at this hour
without delay
pluck the vibrating strings;
since Fate
strikes down the string
everyone weep with me!