Anti-Broccoli Warrior

Photo of the Dead Sea in Israel.

Just real quick tonight...

So, my Aunt was here recruiting for her "Support the King of Vegetables: Broccoli" club. My daughter and I were thinking about joining, but a requirement was to put it in writing... well, we're just not that committed to the Broccoli cause. Mom was thinking of joining, too. My husband arrived home with the mail just after the two ladies left and what do you suppose he had? My son's "I hate broccoli fan club" official T-shirt. Now, the name has been changed to "Broccoli Must Be Destroyed, Inc.", but my son still sticks to the original name. After reading aloud the wonderful literature that came with the shirt, my daughter and I thought about joining. My husband wants to officially join.

My son wore his shirt proudly to the grocery store, getting thumbs-up from most of the kids and several of the adults. Continuing his experiment and recruitment drive, he wore his shirt to NC and several family members now want their own T-shirts. Everywhere we went, the shirt was noticed and commented upon.

So, Lori- your campaign is working. My second daughter wants one for herself and so does my granddaughter- I'll send the dues up to you as soon as I am able. My son who is in the army said he would join if you added peas to the list, but he's sorry to say he kind of likes brocolli as long as it has no cheese. He thought the club was a great idea. My grandson will probably be an anit-broccoli kid, too. Do you have baby-size shirts? And my daughter who heretofore has been in the support broccoli camp says that if you add cabbage to the list she might be won over.

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Personally, all the veggie members of the broccoli family are pretty nasty- they're just supposed to be soooo nutritious that most of us who eat them force ourselves to do so out of health concerns. Thus why we tend to smother them in dip, cheese, salad dressing, soy sauce, or blend them into cole-slaw.

Some Broccoli Family Members: cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and the head of the group- broccoli.

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So, Lori- be not discouraged by overwhelming odds! The grass-roots movement has started! You impacted 4 states (Texas, Ohio, Virginia, and North Carolina) with ONE T-shirt and one devoted member of your club. I'm thinking they'll make good Christmas presents for all the broccoli haters on my gift list. You maybe should put a link on your blog for T-shirt orders... you never know- soon all America will get the message!

Note to self: have husband hook up scanner to post letter from club and post picture of the T-shirt which is quite tasteful in green and black.

I just wonder what would have happened if we had checked the mail sooner...

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Ok- also, we really had a delightful visit with my Aunt J (mom's side) and with Mama. All sorts of wonderful topics discussed. Mama brought some wonderful produce from Cana with her. THANKS!!!! That plus the BMBD package and it was a near perfect day :-).

We got a call at 2:30 in the morning inviting us to breakfast at an horrible time of day (allergic to mornings), but we went. It was our Army son and his fiancee- we were to meet them at the Wagon Wheel (I had mashed potatoes and gravy and fried okra, everyone else had breakfast). The rest of the family showed up, but the happy couple didn't. Too funny :-) So, after they got their heads together, they met us at my mother-in-law's. It was a really nice day. Nanny now has some live flowers out front again. :-) And my nephews are really sprucing her yard up for her. Most of the family came to Nanny's, including the youngest grandchild who is ever so sweet. It's probably the last time we'll see our son before he goes overseas again. :-( But, it was a happy day.

I tell ya this, folks: Today we have peace. Today we are not persecuted. Today we have food and shelter. Today we were safe. Leave tomorrow in God's hands. Trust Him with it, and enjoy the peace only He can give.

Pray, certainly- pray for the state of things. Pray for the protection of the innocents. The Bible says to pray without ceasing- and rightly so. In the dark days, we must cling to God or we will feel undone.

And please, do not pull down the blackout curtains and hide your light! Let Him shine through you; just like in a blackout, those houses that have lights in the windows are so comforting in the creepy darkness. The best way to do that? By our love. Share a smile or an encouraging word. Be nice to cashiers and waitresses. The economy is not their fault! But when everyone else is worried and grouchy, that's when the peace and joy that we have from God is so important. And think about it- if one T-shirt could make so much of an impact, just think what the love of God shining through you will do.

You may not know it until you get to heaven, but your smile could lift someone up who was about to give up. Kindness, gentleness, meekness, temperance (self-control), love, peace, joy, faith, hope- all these things are given to us. Are they gathering dust in the back of our closets or are we using them and sharing them with others? They're the kind of gifts that grow with use and sharing.

God, please help America. And Israel, and Australia (way to go, guys, BTW on hanging on to your heritage!!!), and all the former British colonies.

Rose

Evil Broccoli?

Is there anything nicer than a child studying of his or her own free will? Here are two of them. Cute, ain't they? Yes, those are a bunch of "For Dummies" books on the shelf. No "Gardening for Dummies", though.

And another day. Blurry and unflattering. I do not like this camera at all. It took me 25 pictures to get two clear ones of miscellaneous children studying. The one below was interrupting laundry detail. Really, the couch is not usually decorated with odd socks.

Well, Lori. You did it. My youngest asked if he could join your "I Hate Broccoli" Fan Club. You'll have to let me know. He used to like it raw and dipped in Ranch, but then I was calling it baby trees (oh, deceiver me!)- once he found out it was broccoli, he started begging not to be made to eat it. Since my husband was an early proponent of broccoli banning, it wasn't like I was going to make him eat it. My husband said that would be cruel- yes, and he said it in front of the kids. So my son at least equates broccoli with cruelty and the curse of the earth. And he thinks you should add cauliflower, cabbage, and squash to your list of evil vegetables. Well, I'm planting it anyway! It works better than grounding for a misbehavior correcting device. Evil? Maybe...

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No, if you haven't looked at the broccoli BLOG post from Because Two People Fell In Love (Link to the side), you should. My cousin ought to be a professional writer.

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Well, I spent most of the afternoon on the phone with schools. But, I did at least get my roses and a few baby trees planted with help from my daughter. My son's project is using the rocks from the garden to make a border around the house. Lots of rocks build up when a spot hasn't been plowed in over 50 years. We're hoping to get an earlier start and get more veggies in the ground tomorrow. Including broccoli. Hey, ya think that's what keeps stalling the planting?? Is it really a broccoli conspiracy? ;-)

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So, at the moment the kids are doing their evening study time. I need to get to mine, too. But... I gotta share with you about the nice walk my neighbor took me on. We moved in too late in the summer for me to see all of her flowers. They were so lovely! And so now we're doing a plant exchange thing which is really nice. She has Clemantis which are much bigger than they look in the catalogues. Also Yellow Rose of Texas, Bridal Wreath, Zinnias, Money Plant, and all sorts of Roses and other lovelies. It was really a sweet visit.

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And my husband calls me from work and puts me on hold for 20 minutes... He is such a nutcase!

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My Mama made me this nice book in case my head injury acted up and I forgot what my life was about. It was one of those things that was so precious that it makes you cry. The woman missed her calling. She should make memory books for folks in nursing homes and such. That or work for Hallmark.

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Well, I reckon I'd better skedaddle. Y'all have a good week now!

Rose