I recently heard this on NPR and I found myself moved by both the story and song. Therefore, you can only imagine my surprise upon hearing that many were outraged by Rene Marie’s rendition of The Star Spangled Banner.
Outrage? Seriously?
I guess I just don’t get it…at all.
What in this is outrage worthy?
I ask you, what is there to be outraged over in the words she so eloquently sang?
I am proud to be an American, and extremely proud of the ability that we all have in our freedom of speech that our Constitution upholds for us!
I will leave you with the youtube video of Ms. Marie singing along with the annual tradition that NPR has of reading the Declaration of Independence.
Have a safe and blessed fourth!
Lift every voice and sing, till earth and Heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise, high as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.
In a few short days, June will be over and July will be upon us, and what does July bring? The end to my allergies that is what! The Cottonwood trees have finished pollinating and the Catalpa trees blooms are dropping like flies!
Ahhh, I am ready to breathe pollen free air once again!
In addition, hopefully July will usher in more warm weather, the sunny days of summer, and the celebration of July 4.
One very big event happens every July as well. It is a competition in which the participant’s goal is to wear the coveted yellow jersey!
That is right; July brings us the Tour de Fleece!
Yes, you read that right, the Tour de Fleece.
That is right from July 4 through the 26th I will be spinning with Team Suck Less!
Today is the first full day of summer, or so you thought, really what began today was the start of the Monsoon Season here in West Michigan.
Seriously.
Don’t tell me there is no such thing as Global Warming.
After we got a record setting amount of rain on Friday night, something unbelievable like almost 9 inches in 3 hours and my Little Dutch Town was looking for the little boy who did not put his finger in the proverbial dike! I am convinced that The Netherlands kept all intelligent forms of life there – or at least all the engineers!
It is funny, don’t you think, our founding fathers came from a place that is really just reclaimed land from the sea! We obviously have missed the boat in that much of our town is or was under water over the weekend.
But, when it rains, I say find a good indoor activity to do – like say knit… or spin… or weave!
I got a little treat from my friend Beth at The Spinning Loft this week. A box full of fiber-y deliciousness that contained 18 different breeds, from Wensleydale to Jacob – a veritable feast for my Woolen senses.
My friend Claudia Hall Christian has really done a great job writing a book that keeps your attention with a fast-paced read!
I quickly found myself engrossed in the story and did not want to put it down as Alexandra Hargreaves took me along with her on this thrilling journey.
There is some romance, and lots of twists and turns and its hard, if not impossible to put down!
Claudia has been kind enough to offer you, Gentle Reader, a discount in your purchase of this book, just use this code: EYCG5KNS.
You will not be disappointed, so don’t delay – let The Fey kick off your summer reading with a bang!
To encourage you, leave a comment – I will use a random method of selecting one of you and I will send you her book free – yes, free. So, leave me some comment love and if you retweet my blog post, let me know in your comment and that will give you an extra opportunity to win!
I recently found a new podcast – The Dinner Party Download. I have been enjoying it tremendously; the hosts are Rico Gagliano and Brendan Frances Newnam of Marketplace Money fame.
Anyways, the idea behind the podcast is to give you “…a fast and funny “booster shot” of unconventional news, cuisine, and culture to help you win this weekend’s dinner party,” and one of this week’s “unconventional news” items was this stunning piece of information: over 50% of Americans think that torture is acceptable in some circumstances.
Yes, you read that right that would be over 50%.
I do not know about you, but that news saddened and depressed me.
Greatly.
I think that maybe the just under 50% of us that do not think that torture is acceptable in any circumstances need to be a bit more vocal about our belief that torture does not add any value to our society, nor does it make us any safer as a nation.
Seriously, Gentle Reader, if your beliefs on this issue lie in category that mine do – the less that 50% category, then we need to open our mouths, pick up a pen, or send off an email to our representatives in Washington DC and do so quickly.
In case you have never written to your elected officials, modern technology has made it incredibly simple. You can do it all online, and with amazing ease! I encourage you to try it!
To end this on a more positive and warm fuzzy note (yes, that would be a fiber reference!) I have been knitting and spinning. I would have snapped some photos to share with you today, but the sun has evidently gone on vacation. Bad lighting does not a good picture make. Stay tuned for sweater updates, spinning updates, and what is fresh off the loom!
