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Sue Spitulnik

Writing, Sewing, Travel, and Thoughts

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Where Did It Go?

It’s National Lost Sock Memorial Day. How many individual socks do you have sitting on top of your dresser? They lie there waiting, in hopes their partner will be found hidden in a folded sheet, or in a dusty ball under the bed.

My husband has a few and I do to. It’s funny, because I buy the same brand of sock for him year after year. He has brown ones and black ones. I can only tell them apart by the hue of color according to the age of the sock. Which means, they could be matched with each other at most times, but yet, I still have these poor single socks with no mate.

According to the National Day of Calendar, this day is thee day to throw out the single socks and have a little memorial for them. It also suggests you could use them as dust rags, or make hand puppets out of them. I remember making hand puppets when I was a kid. We got out my mother’s button box and found just the right button for the eyes, and nose. Do kids even do that today?

I have a special young man in my life that is a sports reporter. He wears mismatched socks on purpose because he says it’s a good ice-breaker or conversation starter when he’s out in public. I can’t say as I’ve ever seen it do anything but get weird looks from people. My grandson also wears mismatched socks, but he has a better reason. “Grandma, I just pick the first two out of the drawer that I can reach.” Maybe it’s because his mom doesn’t take the time to match them. Either way, it is his form of personal self expression.

If you don’t do it today, the next time you do laundry, give each one of those single socks a little kiss and toss them in the trash. By now you should know the other half of the pair is not going to show back up. Maybe they are in washer or dryer heaven.

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Better When Shared

It’s National Have a Coke Day. If you haven’t had one in a while, or if you live in one of those cities that has added a huge tax to a sugary drink, I suggest you live a little today and have one for old times sake.

When I was a kid, my girlfriends and I would collect some change, or empty pop bottles and go to the corner store to buy some Cokes and a bag of M&M’s. At the time, a Coke, in a bottle, was 10 cents, plus 2 cents deposit. I think a bag of M&M’s was 5 cents. We had to go to the kitchen to open the Cokes with a bottle opener. Then we would go out and sit on the porch to split the M&M’s and drop them one by one in the pop bottle. You couldn’t do it quickly, because each one made the drink fizz. Then we would swish the bottle until all the color had come off the M&M’s. The drink was now a muddy color and not very cold but what a treat. We ate the chocolate last, tipping the bottles upside down into our mouths and thumping on the end to get the morsels to fall. No one ever chipped a tooth, but I think that was just luck.

I don’t think it would be near the fun today because Coke now comes in cans or plastic with screw-off tops. Back then it was a process, a labor of love almost. Sometimes my mother or sisters would see our concoction and with a sneer, ask what we were drinking. I miss the innocence of childhood when such little things made us giggle. I think I would do it even today if my grandson joined me. But he’s a thinker. I can hear him saying, “Grandma, why would you do that?” I guess I won’t ask him if he wants to.

Now days I have Coke in the fridge as a mixer for my adult beverages. I like my whiskey and bourbon mixed with Coke. I know, it’s fattening, but the beverage just doesn’t taste the same mixed with anything else and by itself it is too strong and doesn’t last near as long.

Whether a child putting chocolate in a Coke, or as an adult, adding some adult beverage, it always seems to taste better when shared with a friend.

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May the Force Be With You

National Star Wars Day was first organized in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Toronto Underground Cinema in 2011. Produced by Sean Ward and Alice Quinn, festivities included an Original Trilogy Trivia Game Show, a costume contest and the web’s best tribute films, mash-ups, parodies, and remixes on the big screen. May 4th was chosen because of the play on words, but Star Wars fans didn’t first introduce the often quoted phrase. In 1979, Britain elected the first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. On May 4, the day she took office, the Conservative Party placed an advertisement in The London Evening News, which read, “May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations.” The line was picked up by Star Wars fans everywhere.

Star Wars fans live all over the world. You are probably one of them. When you have a hero like Luke Skywalker and a heroine like Princess Leia, fighting against the evil Darth Vader how can you not get involved. With light sabers, flying fighting machines, a Wookiee, a few robots and the coolest looking characters from other planets or solar systems, you have a sure blockbuster hit movie. Or, I should say movies. The only confusing part of the equation is why they didn’t make the movies in chronological order of the events. That might have been a grand marketing tool to get you to watch the movies over and over.

I know a few people who are avid fans. Everything they do is related to Star Wars; their clothing, the way they talk, their vacations and their Halloween costumes. I don’t quite get that, but hey, whatever floats your boat, or flies your rocket ship. The story itself is the same old premise of good against evil, but the setting and costumes keep you coming back for more. Personally, I like all the beings in the bar scenes. I would love to have the imagination that thought all of them up in fine detail. I would also like to see how the costumes were made and make-up applied for shooting the movie scenes. What a lot of expensive work.

Next time you are feeling defeated, or need some extra strength to make it through a situation in life, grab your light saber and remember, the force is with you. You can do it!

 

 

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So Many Kinds

It’s National Textile Day. Wait, don’t click off because you aren’t interested in sewing. Take a second and look around you. What are you wearing? What is the seat made out of you are sitting on? Is there a rug under your feet, or near-by? Is there a painting on your wall? What kind of window coverings are blocking that bright sunshine, or another day of rain? Is there a wonderful, comfy quilt on your bed that your grandmother made? Do you like going camping in a tent?

Now you have the picture. Each item I mentioned is made out of a different type of textile. Now think about your summer wardrobe compared to your winter one. In the summer we like breathable cotton, rayon and the new wicking athletic wear. In the winter we get out the wool, fleece, and fur. All textiles.

Long story short; you are surrounded by textiles and probably take it for granted. That’s all right, I do too. I didn’t realize just how many there were until I looked at the National Day of Calendar to see what subject/ thing gets special recognition on this day.

Spring is trying to arrive in western New York, and wedding season is upon us. If you get to attend such an event in the near future, take a minute to see how many different textiles you can see during the event. I’m sure it will be beautiful, and don’t forget to count the table cloths.

 

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Planning Ahead

The sale of life insurance in the U.S. began in the late 1760s. On May 2, 1759, the charter was recorded for the Corporation for Relief of Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers. Episcopalian priests created a comparable relief fund in 1769. Between 1787 and 1837 more than two dozen life insurance companies were started, but fewer than half a dozen survived.

Life insurance can do some pretty amazing things for people. It can buy loved ones time to grieve. It can pay off debts and loans, providing surviving family members with the chance to move on with a clean slate. It can keep families in their homes and pre-fund a child’s college education. It can keep a family business in the family. It can provide a stream of income for a family to live on for a period of time. [courtesy National Day of Calendar]

I am in that age group where my friends are starting to lose their spouses, and some are just dealing with losing their parents. Life insurance is mentioned often with the main question being, “Do you have any?” Too often, I hear, “Well, we bought some years ago, but couldn’t continue to keep paying for it.” From my friends that are already widows and widowers who didn’t have an active life insurance policy, let me tell you, that is the wrong answer.

The younger you are when you take out life insurance, not expensive term life, but whole life, the less your payments will be. I suggest you look at that payment as important as the electric bill. In the future, you will be glad you did. Even a small insurance policy is better than none. With funerals now costing over $5000.00 in the U. S. just that bill could be enough to stagger the finances and cause a person to stumble into the “new normal”.

My friends who have become single because of a death who have been able to stay in their homes without financial worries are happier than those who found themselves suddenly in an apartment. Of course I realize age and health of the surviving spouse (or children) also plays a role in where they live.

Please be kind to yourself and plan ahead for financial freedom for your surviving family members by buying life insurance early.

 

 

 

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Freedom Isn’t Free

Every May 1 Americans honor the sacrifices of the combat wounded, ill and dying service members on Silver Star Service Banner Day. The history of the service banner dates back to 1917 or 1918, following the suggestions of Women’s Committee of the Council of National Defenses.  The use of Blue and Gold Star Service Banners was formally adopted into the United States Code and made official, leaving the Silver Star Service Flag overlooked.  A new Silver Star Service Flag and Banner were designed and were quickly accepted widely used throughout the United States. The United States House of Representatives passed H Res. 855, a stand-alone resolution on April 21, 2010, making the SSFOA Silver Star Service Banner official and making May 1 Silver Star Service Banner Day. {Courtesy National Day of Calendar}

I’m glad the U. S. as a whole has come to the conclusion that our service members should be recognized and thanked, whether we agree with the conflict they have been involved in or not. Why we are involved in a conflict is an argument to be taken up with our government. When a new military member raises their hand and says they will serve, they are expected to take orders and follow them without question. It isn’t their choice where they go or if they want to do what is expected of them. It is a sacrifice from the very beginning, family days no longer exist, and staying close to home is a rarity.

When a service member returns from assignment, or finishes their enlistment, they often come home with visible and invisible scars. It’s easy to recognize a facial scar, or missing limb. It’s not easy to recognize what they are now calling “brain trauma”. That refers to the emotional wounds from being involved in combat; what they had to do to survive, or what they saw happen right next to them. War is ugly, sometimes expectations in a non-war zone are just as ugly.

I share this in case you don’t have any personal connection to someone who has served in our military, in an attempt to educate. Our service members deserve recognition and that is what the Silver Star Service Banner Day is all about.

 

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