Gratitude

"Go on, then, in your generous enterprise with gratitude to Heaven for past success, and confidence of it in the future. For my own part, I ask no greater blessing than to share with you the common danger and common glory ... that these American States may never cease to be free and independent." --Samuel Adams

Who Remembers?

Who remembers the "Upside Down, Flint-Rubble-Dubble Cake?"

HELLO!!!!

I would like to send out a huge HELLO to everyone round the world!

Did you know that...
-November 21st is World Hello Day?
-World Hello Day began in 1973 in response to the conflict between Egypt & Israel?
-Over 180 countries celebrate World Hello Day?
-That hello is an alt. of hallo, itself an alt of holla,hollo,a shout to attract attention, first recorded in 1588. Perhaps from holla! "stop, cease." Popularity as a greeting coincides with use of the telephone, where it won out over Alexander Graham Bell's suggestion, ahoy?
-Central telephone operators were known as hello-girls?

Hello from Shaileen!

Marine Corps Day

Today is US Marine Corps Day. I salute all of the brave men and women serving in the Marines for their dedication and perseverance in their duty to make the world a safer place. They may be few, but it is evident that they are rightfully proud of what they do each and every day.
I would particularly like to thank my "second son" Phillip Vargas, who completed Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island last week. He is on his way to a wonderful career, and I know I sleep better at night knowing that my security will be, at least in part, in his hands.
Thank you Phillip, and Thank You to every other US Marine. You are truly heroes.

Happy Birthday, Mickey Mouse!

80 years ago, Mickey Mouse steamed onto entertainment scene

From google.com

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Eighty years ago, one of the world's most beloved stars was born as Mickey Mouse whistled his way onto the silver screen with the cinema debut of "Steamboat Willie" at the Colony Theater in New York.

That day, November 18, 1928, is widely considered the iconic mouse's official birthday. But months before, Walt Disney had dreamt up the cartoon character and featured it in the short animated film "Plane Crazy."

"'Steamboat Willie' is the most famous of the early Mickey Mouse films because it has a soundtrack," Eric Smoodin, a professor of film studies at the University of California, Davis, told AFP.

"Mickey Mouse, within a year or two after Steamboat Willie, becomes the biggest star in the world," Smoodin said.

"So even though it's not the first Mickey Mouse film, it really was the beginning of his great celebrity," he added, speculating that in the 1930s, only Charlie Chaplin came close to Mickey Mouse in terms of global super-stardom.

Mickey Mouse was created almost by accident: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was Walt Disney's first cartoon character, but when Disney lost the rights to Oswald in 1927, he returned to the drawing board.

He came up with "Mortimer the Mouse." Popular legend has it that his wife preferred the name Mickey, and Walt Disney deferred to her choice.

"Steamboat Willie" has a flimsy, politically incorrect storyline and features little, if any, comprehensible dialogue.

But the cartoon marked an animation landmark with its synchronized sound track where Mickey whistles and blows raspberries at the irascible ship's captain, a large tobacco-chewing cat called Captain Pete.

In roughly seven minutes, Captain Pete kicks Mickey Mouse out of the steering room of a riverboat. The hero then hoists Minnie Mouse on board using a crane that grabs her by the knickers, swings a cat by the tail, strangles a goose and plays keyboard on some suckling piglets as the American folk song "Turkey in the Straw" plays from a goat's innards.

"Mickey Mouse was both a great star of Hollywood and the world and a symbol of Disney's technological innovation," said Smoodin.

Walt Disney recorded the "Steamboat Willie" soundtrack with "the bootleg Powers Cinephone process ... using a 15-piece band and his own squeaks for Mickey," according to the Disney website.

"It was an early sound film when there weren't that many sound films being made. Disney committed to making only sound films after that," explained Smoodin.

The Disney studios pioneered the use of color-film cinematography and 3-D films in the 1930s. Disney also made innovative use of stereo sound technology in "Fantasia," a movie starring Mickey Mouse and first released in 1946.

Just over a year after his debut in "Steamboat Willie," on January 13, 1930, Mickey Mouse got his own comic strip, drawn by artist Ub Iwerks.

He made it into the Sunday comics on January 10, 1932, the same year that Walt Disney won a special Academy Award for creating the friendly rodent.

Mickey Mouse has gone on to star in over 120 different cartoons and got his own television show, "The Mickey Mouse Club," in the 1950s. The show's theme song engraved in the minds of a generation of Americans how to spell M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E.

These days, children watch Mickey on the mouse's eponymous Clubhouse, which airs on Playhouse Disney.

His trademark morphology -- the ears above all -- appears on merchandise items ranging from T-shirts to cuddly toys, most often sporting his white gloves, red shorts and yellow shoes. Mickey has also been featured in museum exhibits from New York to Helsinki and Tokyo.

Ronzoni for Rene

OXFORD - About four years ago Rene Forcier, a former volunteer firefighter at Riverside Fire Company currently residing in Dunbarton, N.H., began having problems with his digestive system.

On seeking medical help, he was advised to have a colonoscopy, which he agreed to do.

In the process, doctors discovered a tumor in his intestines that was so large they couldn't complete the procedure.

Because the tumor was malignant, doctors ordered a regimen of chemotherapy treatments and for a brief period of time, Mr. Forcier appeared to be responding.

However, he soon relapsed as the cancer metastasized to other organs, including his liver.

In June, Mr. Forcier, who is a police officer and the first selectman in Dunbarton, was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital where he underwent a radical, 15-hour surgery to remove the tumors that had developed in his liver, diaphragm and intestines. Portions of various organs were removed.

His cousin, Debbie Greco, who lives in Canton, said there was no way he could survive without the surgery, so even though it was a complicated procedure, he opted to take the risk.

Unfortunately, he failed to recover as hoped. Subsequent to the surgery, he suffered multiple complications, including infections, and within eight weeks, four or five new tumors had developed.

As of last week, Mr. Forcier, who is only 48 and has a wife and two young children, was in the care of Hospice.

According to Mrs. Greco last Wednesday, he was comfortable and communicating with his family, but, outside of a miracle, there is no hope for his recovery.

The tragedy is not the first endured by the Forcier family.

Rene's father, also named Rene, but more popularly known as Ray Forcier, and his wife, Doris, who live on Bowers Hill, also have a 46-year-old son Fred, who has terminal throat and lung cancer. Fred is receiving Hospice care at a nursing home.

Ray is a local school bus driver, currently on leave from work, and Doris is a retired school bus driver.

Four years ago, the couple's daughter, Cheryl, was killed when her vehicle struck a tree on Quaker Farms Road. Cheryl left a four-year old daughter, Rachel, who now is being raised by Cheryl's husband and Ray and Doris.

The couple has two other grown children, Danny of Oxford and Kevin, who lives in New York.

Mrs. Greco, who spent a lot of time with her cousins growing up, described Rene as "a fun-loving, family-oriented, caring and compassionate person who has always gone out of his way to help others. There is no one more genuine and sincere," she said.

Mrs. Greco said Rene had a passion for scouting, served as a troop leader and was an Eagle Scout. In addition to serving as a volunteer firefighter at Riverside Company, he also volunteered in Southbury.

Mrs. Greco now is seeking to assist Rene's family in meeting its financial obligations. Toward that end, she has organized a pasta dinner, "Ronzoni for Rene," at 5 p.m. Saturday, November 22, at the Colonial Tavern. A second seating is scheduled at 7 p.m.

The event is a family-friendly event that welcomes children. In addition to dinner, there will be a cash bar, jazz band, card-making, balloons and face painting for children. A 50/50 raffle and silent auction are planned.

The event is sponsored by the CUREchief Foundation, a volunteer organization that makes head coverings for cancer patients.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children under age 12.

Those who wish to purchase tickets or donate an item to the auction, may call Mrs. Greco at 860-888-9709 or e-mail bigsister06019@yahoo.

Persons also may call Therese Kennett at 203-888-9809 or e-mail kennett18@comcast.net for tickets or purchase them at the Southford Store, 1514 Southford Road and The Lake House, 337 Roosevelt Drive.

All proceeds will be donated to the Rene Forcier family.

Cape Cod Light

Cape Cod Light
Photo by Shaileen

Just got back from a nice relaxing trip to the Cape- it was great! Except for a couple of days, the weather was surprisingly warm. It was sooooo nice and quiet there- off-season Cape Cod seems like a completely different place!