Puteri’s Musings 2

America, Why I Love Her
narrated by John Wayne

You ask me why I love her? Well, give me time, and I’ll explain…
Have you seen a Kansas sunset or an Arizona rain?
Have you drifted on a bayou down Louisiana way?
Have you watched the cold fog drifting over San Francisco Bay?

Have you heard a Bobwhite calling in the Carolina pines?
Or heard the bellow of a diesel in the Appalachia mines?
Does the call of Niagara thrill you when you hear her waters roar?
Do you look with awe and wonder at a Massachusetts shore…
Where men who braved a hard new world, first stepped on Plymouth Rock?
And do you think of them when you stroll along a New York City dock ?

Have you seen a snowflake drifting in the Rockies…way up high?
Have you seen the sun come blazing down from a bright Nevada sky?
Do you hail to the Columbia as she rushes to the sea…
Or bow your head at Gettysburg…in our struggle to be free?

Have you seen the mighty Tetons? …Have you watched an eagle soar?
Have you seen the Mississippi roll along Missouri’s shore?
Have you felt a chill at Michigan, when on a winters day,
Her waters rage along the shore in a thunderous display?
Does the word “Aloha”… make you warm?
Do you stare in disbelief When you see the surf come roaring in at Waimea reef?

From Alaska’s gold to the Everglades…from the Rio Grande to Maine…
My heart cries out… my pulse runs fast at the might of her domain.
You ask me why I love her?… I’ve a million reasons why.
My beautiful America… beneath Gods’ wide, wide sky.

Happy Birthday, America, and may God continue to bless you.

  No love like a Mother’s Love

There is no love, like a mother’s love,
no stronger bond on earth…
like the precious bond that comes from God,
to a mother, when she gives birth.

A mother’s love is forever strong,
never changing for all time…
and when her children need her most,
a mother’s love will shine.

God bless these special mothers,
God bless them every one…
for all the tears and heartache,
and for the special work they’ve done.

When her days on earth are over,
a mother’s love lives on…
through many generations,
with God’s blessings on each one.

Be thankful for our mothers,
for they love with a higher love…
from the power God has given,
and the strength from up above.

By Jill Lemming

Indeed, there’s no love like a mother’s love. My mother lives on the other side of the world, but she is always near to my heart. I miss her this Mother’s Day and wished I was there to celebrate the occasion with her. A phone call to wish her Happy Mother’s Day is all I can do for her on this special occasion.

I miss you and love you, Mak!

Are you wearing green today? It is St. Patrick’s Day!

I tried looking for some nice warm green clothing to wear, but unfortunately I did not have any. So as I write this post, I am wearing a pink sweater with a black fleece jacket, and pink ear rings!

But I have corned beef in my slow cooker! The lovely smell is wafting in the house and I can’t wait to enjoy it at tonight’s dinner!

Here’s an Irish Blessing for you -

These things, I warmly wish for you-
Someone to love,
Some work to do,
A bit of o’ sun
A bit o’ cheer
And a guardian angel
Always near.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all!

It seems that the leek on Prince Charles lapel has generated quite a bit of interest. Most people, like I did, thought at first it was a spring onion that was on Prince’s Charles’ lapel.

Lookee here! My blog came up tops on the search engine!

According to Wikipedia, the following are some of the traditions that are observed on St. David’s Day (March 1). St. David is the patron saint of Wales, and Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, was wearing a leek on his lapel in keeping with the traditions.

Children take part in school concerts or eisteddfodau, with recitation and singing being the main activities. Formerly, a half-day holiday was afforded to school children. Officially this custom does not continue, although the practice can vary on a school-to-school basis.

Many Welsh people wear one or both of the national emblems of Wales on their lapel to celebrate St. David: the daffodil (a generic Welsh symbol which is in season during March) or the leek (Saint David’s personal symbol) on this day. The association between leeks and daffodils is strengthened by the fact that they have similar names in Welsh, Cenhinen (leek) and Cenhinen Bedr (daffodil, literally “Peter’s leek”).

Males usually wear leeks while young girls wear daffodils. The younger girls usually wear their Welsh costumes to school. This costume consists of a long woollen skirt, white blouse, woollen shawl and a Welsh hat.

The Welsh flag is always flown in honour of St. David on days in which he is honoured or commemorated.

I couldn’t find a bigger picture of Prince Charles that showed the leek clearly on his lapel. Look carefully, you’ll be able to see the leek on his lapel.

It was a funny sight indeed, a leek on his lapel! Or is it a strange sight?

I was watching the news just now about Prince Harry returning from Afghanistan. Prince Charles and Prince William were there to meet him at the airport.

I immediately noticed what was on Prince Charles’ lapel. It was a spring onion! What’s with the spring onion? I have never seen anyone wear a spring onion on his lapel before. I have seen poppies on lapels especially just before Remembrance Day, because I was in England during that time once.

I just did a search on Google, and I am not the only one asking about the spring onion on Prince Charles lapel! Some one even suggested he had his lunch on his lapel! Haha!

Ok, now I get it. It is St. David’s Day and St. David is the patron saint of Wales. Prince Charles is the Prince of Wales, and wearing a spring onion or more accurately a leek, is one of the traditions to commemorate the day.

Thank goodness for Google and folks on message boards who know the answers to dumb questions! I don’t have to be left wondering if Prince Charles has finally gone cuckoo!

Related Post: A leek on Prince Charles lapel

KUWAIT CITY — Valentine’s Day is just three days away, but one Muslim politician is heading up a committee to make sure it goes completely ignored.

Kuwaiti MP Waleed Al-Tabtabae, head of the National Assembly’s Committee Monitoring Negative Alien Practices, will chair his group Wednesday to discuss ways to repress all public displays recognizing the international day of love.

“We want to discuss measures that should be taken by these ministries to prevent such alien events from impacting Kuwaiti society and spreading corruption among the Kuwaiti youth,” Al-Tabtabae told reporters Monday.

Committee member Islamist MP Jamaan Al-Harbash said many Islamic countries ban Valentine’s Day celebrations because the holiday “spreads moral corruption.”

Full story here.

Valentine’s Day spreads moral corruption?

Come on, this is the 21st century! Not the 7th century!

Oh well. What do you expect from a country where women were given the right to vote and the right to stand for elections only in 2005?

Sorry, sweethearts in Kuwait. Maybe next century you will have better luck!

Being the first sign of the Chinese zodiacs, rats are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are the most highly organized, meticulous, and systematic of the twelve signs. Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas, which often include money and power. They are energetic and versatile and can usually find their way around obstacles, and adapt to various environments easily. A rat’s natural charm and sharp demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone, but rats are usually highly exclusive and selective when choosing friends and so often have only a few very close friends whom they trust.

Behind the smiles and charm, rats can be terribly obstinate and controlling, insisting on having things their way no matter what the cost. These people tend to have immense control of their emotions, which they may use as a tool to manipulate and exploit others, both emotionally and mentally. Rats are masters of mind games and can be very dangerous, calculative and downright cruel if the need arises. Quick-tempered and aggressive, they will not think twice about exacting revenge on those that hurt them in any way. Rats need to learn to relax sometimes, as they can be quite obsessed with detail, intolerant and strict, demanding order, obedience, and perfection.

Full Wikipedia entry here.

I was born in the Year of the Rat, and so was my father.

Rats are intelligent and cunning. Huh. I like that! I don’t know if that describes me but, hey that’s what it says!

Rats are strong-willed and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas. Yeah, that does sound familiar!

One of my good friends was also born in the Year of the Rat, except that she was born 12 years later. We get along fine and understand each other’s temperament.

People born in the Year of the Rat are most compatible with people born in the years of the Dragon, Monkey, and Ox.

Doug was born in the Year of the Monkey and we do get along!

Here’s wishing all of you a Happy and Prosperous Year of the Rat.