WHO WAS OUR FIRST PRESIDENT & A SIMPLE CURE FOR BED BUG INFESTATION

It is a beautiful sunny day after many days of rain and
feeling the raw cold.  I had fully planned to start putting
away my chairs from my deck, the wooden sidewalk I
use so I can go barefoot, statues, and all the things I
bring out in the Spring to accentuate my yard.
I went to get the chairs to put them away and then
decided to sit in one in the sun for just a moment……it
turned into more than a moment.  I was in bliss, nice and warm
and feeling like it was Spring again.
Despite my plans, my mood was more nostalgic.  I was
a little sad to see the leaves fall and yet the beauty of the
wind tossing them around, uplifted me.  Since we had so
much rain, (and I was sitting outside in the chair) I could
hear the expensive system I had had installed this
spring to keep water out of my crawl space was working
good.  I had been wondering if it was working as our
summer had been so dry after it was installed.
My mind turned to Columbus Day and what a great nation
we have.  So many people have gone before us to prepare
the way so that we have our Independence.   Yet, all these
bashing political commercials have really been a downer.
My heart hurts when I hear humans degrading another human.
We are of the same species with the same needs and yet we
delight when another one of us “falls”.
This week, news broke that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,
one of the biggest sources of corporate cash backing
Republicans this year–has been using money from foreign
corporations in India, Bahrain, and elsewhere to fund its attack
ads, in apparent violation of the law.
The Chamber claims that it has internal systems to keep the money
separate, but the new report shows that the foreign corporations
donate directly to the Chamber’s general fund, which is where the
funding for their political attacks comes from. This would represent
a shocking disregard for longstanding American campaign finance laws,
all to advance a corporate, right-wing agenda of outsourcing jobs
and giving huge tax breaks to multi-national corporations.
The Chamber is spending more than any other group to back                                                      right-wing Republicans  and attack progressives in the election.

This saddens me so.  Our country is supposed to be run for the people and by the people of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.  Where are we????  Why can’t the politicians just state what they intend to do for this country and let us, the people, decide what and                             who we want.  I, for one, do not intend to vote for ANYONE who                                             subscribes to bashing their opponent regardless of what office                                                     they are running for.
I think this article is such an eye opener that it will give us a                                                         reality check and also instill pride back into our citizenship of                                                       this great country.
Who was our first President?I’m sure that George Washington was your best guess.

After all, no one else comes to mind.But think back to your history books – The United States

Declared its independence in 1776, yet Washington did not
take Office until April 30, 1789. So who was running the
country during these initial years of this young country?
It was the first eight U. S.. Presidents.  In fact, the
first President of the United States was one John Hanson.
I can hear you now – John who? John Hanson, the first
President of the United States. Don’t go checking the
encyclopedia for this guy’s name – he is
one of those great men that are lost to history.
If you’re extremely lucky, you may actually find a
brief mention of his name.The new country was actually formed on March 1, 1781

with the adoption of The Articles of Confederation.
This document was actually proposed on June 11, 1776,
but not agreed upon by Congress until November 15, 1777.Maryland refused to sign this document until Virginia

and New York ceded their western lands (Maryland
was afraid that these states would gain too much
power in the new government from such large
amounts of land).Once the signing took place in 1781, a President was

needed to run the country.  John Hanson was chosen
unanimously by Congress (which included George
Washington).  In fact, all the other potential candidates
refused to run against him, as he was a major player
in the revolution and an extremely influential member
of Congress.As the first President, Hanson had quite the shoes

to fill. No one had ever been President and the role
was poorly defined.  His actions in office would set
precedent for all future Presidents.  He took office
just as the Revolutionary War ended.  Almost
immediately, the troops demanded to be paid.
As would be expected after any long war, there
were no funds to meet the salaries.  As a result,
the soldiers threatened to overthrow the new
government and put Washington on the throne
as a monarch.All the members of Congress ran for their lives,

leaving Hanson as the only guy left running the
government.  He somehow managed to calm the
troops down and hold the country together.
If he had failed, the government would have
fallen almost immediately and everyone would have
been bowing to King Washington.
Hanson, as President, ordered all foreign troops

off American soil, as well as the removal of all
foreign flags This was quite the feat, considering
the fact that so many European countries had a
stake in the United States since the days
following Columbus.Hanson established the Great Seal of the

United States, which all Presidents have since
been required to use on all official documents.President Hanson also established the first

Treasury Department, the first Secretary of
War, and the first Foreign Affairs Department.Lastly, he declared that the fourth Thursday

of every November was to be Thanksgiving Day,
which is still true today.The Articles of Confederation only allowed a

President to serve a one year term during any
three year period, so Hanson actually accomplished
quite a bit in such little time.
Seven other presidents were elected after him:
1. Elias Boudinot (1782-83),

2. Thomas Mifflin (1783-84),

3. Richard Henry Lee (1784-85),

4. John Hancock (1785-86),

5. Nathan Gorman (1786-87),

6. Arthur St. Clair (1787-88), and

7. Cyrus Griffin (1788-89), ….all prior to

Washington taking office.So what happened?  Why don’t we hear about

the first eight presidents?It’s quite simple – The Articles of Confederation

didn’t work well.  The individual states had too much
power and nothing could be agreed upon.
A new doctrine needed to be written –
something we know as the Constitution.
And that leads us to the end of our story.George Washington was definitely not the

first President of the United States.  He was
the first President of the United States under the
Constitution we follow today.
And the first eight Presidents are forgotten in history.

YOU HAVE TO BE A LOVER OF HISTORY TO

APPRECIATE THIS!!It took EIGHT years for us to establish a successful

government.  You might just remember this when you
hear that so little progress has been made establishing
a Government in Iraq.There you are – another lesson in U.S. History,

and you may have learned something new today.
On a lighter note, this is simple TO DO.

 

Subject:
Bed Bug Epidemic – true
Hi All: A bit of information that you might like to know about.
We have friends here in our community and one of their sons is an
entomologist (insect expert), and has been telling them that there is
an epidemic of bed bugs now occurring in America. Recently I have
heard on the news that several stores in NYC have had to close due

to bed bug problems, as well as a complete mall in New Jersey.He says that since much of our clothing, sheets, towels, etc. now comes
from companies outside of America, (sad but true), even the most
expensive stores sell foreign clothing from China, Indonesia, etc.
The bed bugs are coming in on the clothing as these countries do not
consider them a problem.

He recommends that if you buy any new clothing, even underwear and
socks, sheets, towels, etc. that you bring  them into the house and put
them in your clothes dryer for at least 20 minutes. The heat will kill
them and their eggs.
DO NOT PURCHASE CLOTHES AND HANG THEM IN THE CLOSET FIRST.
It does not matter what the price range is of the clothing, or if the outfit
comes from the most expensive store known in the U.S. They still get
shipments from these countries and the bugs can come in a box of
scarves or anything else for that matter. That is the reason why so
many stores, many of them clothing stores have had to shut down
in NYC and other places.

All you need is to bring one item into the house that has bugs or eggs and
you will go to hell and back trying to get rid of them. He travels
all over the country as an advisor to many of these stores, as prevention
and after they have the problem.
Send this information on to those on your e-mail list so that this good
prevention information gets around quickly.

HAVE A HAPPY, FREE AND WONDERFUL COLUMBUS DAY!
Love and Light
Mary Grace

FEEL GOOD CPR

I have been trying to find something to write to you about.
My well of inspiration seems to have run dry and I know
we all have periods of dryness, in the physical world and
also in the spiritual world. I decided to just sit here and let
whatever comes out to be what I was meant to share with
you.

I know I am resisting the fall weather only because it means
that winter is not far behind. I so loved the summer, It was
a true summer was it not? I so love to be warm, wear less
clothing, walk around barefoot in my house and outside too.
I love to go in my kayak with only shorts and a top, to sit on
my deck and enjoy all the birds flittering around and chirping
to me and each other. The sun just warms my spirit and makes
me smile to just think about it. I can open my windows and
doors and let the warm air in and watch my tomatoes ripen.

Did it tell you that I did something that made me laugh at
myself? I decided this summer to have tomatoes, cukes,
and peppers in pots so I could pick my own. Well, my
cherry tomatoes were ripening nicely but they kept falling
into the pot with a little piece of the stem attached. I
assumed (you know what assumes does?) that the birds
I was feeding were landing on the tomato cages and
knocking them off or some other insect was cutting them
away from the cluster. I moved the tomato pot as far away
from the bird feeders as I could and it was still happening.
I finally looked at the plastic label that I had put in the dirt
so I could remember what was in each pot. You’ll never
guess. I was growing Sun Gold tomatoes which were orange
in color when they were ripe. I had been waiting for them to
turn red but they knew when they were ripe and fell to the
ground. It’s funny, but I had no more problems after that
discovery, I wonder why?

We have been having a cold spell, colder than normal for
this time of year so I finally turned on my heat throughout
my house after just turning it on in the bathroom for one day.
Last night I was so cold I turned on my space heater near me.
It is on wheels which I love, so I wheeled it into my office so I
could have some extra warmth here. To help me get over
this hump in the road, I am going to focus on what I like about
the colder weather.

I was able to throw a jacket over my banging around clothes
this morning to go to the dump, I did not have change. It feels
good to snuggle into the flannel sheets I use for the winter. I no
longer have to wash the hummingbird feeders as they have left
for the winter (I miss them and the orioles, though). When you
love someone, it is not a chore to care for them. The trees are
showing their individuality with their different displays of color.
I get to sleep later in the morning as the sun no wakes me up so
early. A good cup of coffee or tea seems to taste so much
better as it warms your insides. Hot cereal is a treat also. I
will be taking down the screens so will have a clearer view of
Mother Nature. Night school is offering an array of subjects
that pique my interest. These are just some of the things I
am using to make the transition easier.

I do have some information that will make you feel good
just to know about it. I know you want to help wherever
you can and in an emergency, we don’t always know
WHAT to do to help. Take a look at this site and
learn how you can help any time you run into a
situation that needs immediate attention.

Learn Sarver Heart Center’s Continuous Chest Compression CPR | College of Medi

Although I have been trained in CPR, I always wondered if I
would be able to do mouth to mouth resuscitation with a
stranger. NOW, any of us can help if we are faced with
this dilemma. Who knows if one of your loved ones will
need your assistance some day.

I know this made me feel better just knowing it and right
now I am looking for ways to feel more interested in
the moment I am in. Have a Happy Autumn.

I want to share something that lifts my heart…….and makes me laugh

Betty White and Johnny Carson, obviously early in both their professional lives, which only makes it better.

Click
>here: Johnny Carson: Betty White and the Garden of Eden | MilkandCookies

Whatever you want to do, do it now. There are only so many tomorrows

Love and Light

Mary Grace
www.TheWoundedChalice.com
www.TheWoundedChalice.com/blog
[email protected]

3 Brows Beach Dr
PO Box 403
Wales, MA 01081, USA
413-245-3977

FREEDOM FROM WHAT?

Happy 4th of July!!!! What symbolism this day bears.
We are free as a Country from the terrorism of other
countries and our beloved service men and women
are the reason for this freedom. We owe them a
debt beyond anything we can give them.

Today also brings up for me the many ways I am not
free. I am not free from the negative news that is spewed
across the airways, I am not free from the judgement of
my peers who differ in opinions whether pertaining to
religion or politics or health policies. But…..I am free
to say what I do believe and I am also free to make
up my own mind of the things I choose to believe.

The hardest freedom to attain is from the habits of the
mind. My mind is most critical of myself and my habits.
Other people habits do not really affect me directly but
the way I look at myself in mind, body and spirit does
directly affect me. I am more critical of myself than any
other person I know and I find it more difficult to forgive
myself for transgressions that seem to come upon me
without me even being aware of them.

Having ice cream is not a terrible thing, in fact, it is
quite soothing especially at this time of the year. Yet,
one eskimo pie leads to another and I can’t seem to say
no to myself after just one. I know better than to eat
more than one but it’s like one calls for more. I do
not even want ice cream other than when it is hot
outside and I would like the freedom to say no to
myself when my urges are excessive. We have all
had occasions when urges take us over so we know
the ramifications of giving into them. But….oh, that
Eskimo pie is so refreshing.

I know this is a small thing in the scheme of things and
I am grateful for the opportunities (after all, I do the
grocery shopping), I guess its OK to be excessive
occasionally. How many people would like to have
those opportunities.

I have just witnessed the most beautiful display of
fireworks. Remember I live on a lake which is
another thing I am grateful for. There must have been
all the boats from around the lake out there with their
silhouettes and their night lights on, it was a sight to behold.
Usually after sunset, the boats retire to their perspective
mooring sites.There were five houses who shot them off,
each one trying to top off the last one. They took turns
so it lasted quite a while.

I was able to watch from inside my house through my bow
window and I could see them all. I have a sensitivity to
smoke of any kind so I was able to be safe inside and
still enjoy the display. Another thing to be grateful for.

We as a country, have so much to be grateful for. We
take our freedoms for granted without even taking the time
to thank our fellow Americans for giving us those rights.
We have many ancestors to also thank for Our Land
of the Free. Let us take a moment to send up a silent
prayer for all the freedoms we do have.

I received this info and this is an appropriate day to
share this with you.

Subject: The Last Post

We have heard the music a thousand times. Now we know
the history & the words. WOW!!!!!!
If any of you have ever been to a military funeral in which The
Last Post was played; this brings out a new meaning of it.

Here is something everyone should know. Until I read this,
I didn’t know, but I checked it out and it’s true:

We have all heard the haunting song, ‘The Last Post.’
It’s the song that gives us the lump in our throats and usually
tears in our eyes.

But, do you know the story behind the song? If not, I think
you will be interested to find out about its humble beginnings.

Reportedly, it all began in 1862 during the American Civil War,
when Union Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his men
near Harrison’s Landing in Virginia . The Confederate Army
was on the other side of the narrow strip of land.

During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moans of a soldier
who lay severely wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a
Union or Confederate soldier, the Captain decided to risk his life
and bring the stricken man back for medical attention. Crawling
on his stomach through the gunfire, the Captain reached the
stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment.

When the Captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered
it was actually a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead.

The Captain lit a lantern and suddenly caught his breath and
went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of
the soldier. It was his own son. The boy had been studying
music in the South when the war broke out. Without telling
his father, the boy enlisted in the Confederate Army.

The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked
permission of his superiors to give his son a full military
burial, despite his enemy status. His request was only
partially granted.

The Captain had asked if he could have a group of Army
band members play a funeral dirge for his son at the funeral.

The request was turned down since the soldier was a
Confederate.

But, out of respect for the father, they did say they
could give him only one musician.
The Captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to
play a series of musical notes he had found on a piece
of paper in the pocket of the dead youth’s uniform.

This wish was granted.
The haunting melody, we now know as ‘The Last Post’
used at military funerals was born.

The words are:

Day is done.
Gone the sun.
From the lakes
From the hills.
From the sky.
All is well.
Safely rest.
God is nigh.

Fading light.
Dims the sight.
And a star.
Gems the sky.
Gleaming bright.
From afar.
Drawing nigh.
Falls the night
Thanks and praise.
For our days.
Neath the sun
Neath the stars.
Neath the sky
As we go.
This we know.
God is nigh

I too have felt the chills while listening to ‘The Last Post’
but I have never seen all the words to the song until now.
I didn’t even know there was more than one verse .
I also never knew the story behind the song and I
didn’t know if you had either so I thought I’d pass it along.

I now have an even deeper respect for the song than I
did before.

Remember Those Lost and Harmed While Serving Their
Country. Also Remember Those Who Have Served And
Returned; and for those presently serving in the Armed Forces.

Love and Light,

Mary Grace
http://www.TheWoundedChalice.com
http://www.TheWoundedChalice.com/blog
[email protected]

3 Brows Beach Dr
PO Box 403
Wales, MA 01081, USA
413-245-3977