Independence Day, 2009

Happy Independence Day!

It's 233 years since the first signature went on to the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia.

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....

Enjoy it while it lasts and be prepared to defend it if it is threatened.


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Should be a beautiful day for a picnic, a parade, and fireworks. Swimming? Maybe if you're a polar bear. After several days (weeks?) of cold, wet, windy weather we can finally eliminate the middle man. It's just cold and windy today. But not as windy as it has been. Certainly as cold as you can get in July. This morning's low was 55 degrees at 7 AM. The weather quacks say it will get up to 75 or so later this afternoon. Maybe so.

If my get up and go hasn't gotten up and went, I'll be firing up the lawn mower to cut the lawn while I can. Then there's some weeding of the garden that needs to be done. The second planting of lettuce (Romaine as opposed to the leaf variety) has sprouted and we should be harvesting from that in about two weeks. Lettuce really loves this chilly weather. The beans and tomatoes are loaded with flowers and the tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini are setting fruit.

Speaking of zucchini, we've got one more loaf of zucchini bread in the freezer from last year. It's dated 7/21 which was a day or so after I picked some zukes up from a neighbor's "Free" box on the corner. My zukes began producing a week or so later and we ended up with about three dozen loaves of bread and lots of grilled, fried, and raw zucchini in our meals.

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Terry saw an ad in the local Penny Saver yesterday that indicates the blueberry farm we picked at last year will be opening for business starting Monday, July 6th. That seems a bit early to me considering the cool weather we've had this spring. Might have to check it out, however. Those were some good berries!

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Got an email from my son that his wife, Sandy, is still studying hard for her bar exams later this month but that she has already landed a job up in Portland. It means that their delayed honeymoon to the Boundary Waters area of Minnesota, scheduled for after she takes the bar exam, will be cut short. It also means that they will be moving out of Eugene and that he will have to find himself a new job as--even if they split the distance--the commute to his work site would be prohibitive. He's a certified arborist working with a tree company. He's often the one to climb the tallest trees and lop off the top branches. Or he'll run the stump grinder, drive the truck, chip the limbs, do job estimates.... He's still got all his fingers and toes so he hasn't been at this long. ;-)

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Another email from my nephew Brian in Chicago mentions that he has passed his final exam and is officially a CPA. His girlfriend, Vicky, has taken her final test and is awaiting the results.

UPDATE: Brian's Mom, my Sis-in-Law, emails to say that Vicky passed her tests, too, so there're two new CPAs in Chicago. Way to go Vicky! (Funny though how Brian didn't mention that in his email yesterday.)

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