Archery Season ...

Check out my other blog PA Woods N Stream for Archery Season 2009 with the women!

"The breezes taste of apple peel.

The air is full of smells to feel- Ripe fruit, old footballs,

burning brush, new books, erasers, chalk, and such.

The bee, his hive, well-honeyed hum, and

Mother cuts Chrysanthemums.

Like plates washed clean with suds,

the days are polished with A morning haze."

- John Updike, September

He's going to break you .... Amen!

Couldn't Resist This One ...

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men

who signed the Declaration of Independence ?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors,

and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;

another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or

hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes,

and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.

Eleven were merchants,

nine were farmers and large plantation owners;

men of means, well educated,

but they signed the Declaration of Independence

knowing full well that the penalty would be death if

they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and

trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the

British Navy. He sold his home and properties to

pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British

that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.

He served in the Congress without pay, and his family

was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him,

and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,

Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that

the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson

home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General

George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed,

and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.

The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying.

Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill

were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests

and caves, returning home to find his wife dead

and his children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday

and silently thank these patriots.

It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!

Greenbeans in the Garden ....

I've been working in the gardens and
while searching for something I came across this video ...
thought you might enjoy it too!

Here's my Tipsy Pot for this year ...

Last year I made one of these and did not post a pic on my other blog
but I took one this year ...

here's a pic of my "Steppables" plants they are doing really well, too.
I just noticed ... looks like the squirrel is holding the pot up and he has a hole in him!
Those dogs!!! Play with everything ...
someone snuck it back and didn't tell Mom
the damage!

Do a Google search on "Tipsy Pots" there are some neat ones made out of old tea kettles,
if you make one post a pic and send me the link!