Saturday, June 13 as advertised, we all gathered at Andrea and Travis's home for our annual get together. All six of the children, five spouses, twelve grandchildren out of fourteen, nine of the grandchildren 's spouses, twenty of the twenty four great-grandchildren, and I ,the matriarch, attended. My great-nephew, Paul Durhea and his son Gavin and Gavin's mother Sandeena came from Cincinnati to join us.
We missed grand-daughter Shannon and her husband, Lenny along with their sons Nicholas and Daniel who are presently living in Japan. (they will be here for next year's bash) and Shannon's son Eric who lives in Owensboro and Grand-son Patrick and wife Kristy and son Alex who could not make it from Raleigh N.C. We missed them all and hope they'll make it next year because it is an awesome event! That totaled fifty-three members of the Fitzgerald Clan,and three members of the Charters Clan.
The Fitzgerald Clan Extraordinaire now has sixty-one members!
We had a fabulous time, lots of good food and drink and lots of wit and wisdom. The younger generation of cousins enjoy getting together with each other and join right in with the fun and laughter as if they had just parted company yesterday. For most of them, they only meet at family gatherings. One of the two year olds said, "I'm shy but I'm happy (to be here.)
We brought the films of the family trips to the beaches of North Carolina, the 60th wedding anniversary film of Doc and me, and a few thousand pictures of all that were taken over the last 66 years. Some nostalgic films and pictures from our lives that caused a lot of laughter and a few tears were enjoyed by most of us. The great -grandchildren really were amused by the films of their parents dancing and cavorting around when they were children. What fun we have had through the years. I love my big family and am so glad that we had them. Trials and tribulations along with all of the humor and loving that this talented group of people have ,I wouldn't have wanted to miss. We certainly fulfilled the following Irish Blessing:
" May there be a generation of children
On the children of your children."
"Slainthe is Saul Agat"
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The Right to Keep andBear Arms
The second amendment to the Constitution of the United States:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Have you ever read the messages on the pro-gun Web sites? It is enough to chill your bones. They are sure that the President is trying to "get your guns". Immediately following the election and actually for days before there were long lines of people outside the gun shops and the gun shows frantically buying guns because they were being told that the President was going to come and take them away from them! Many people have large arsenals in their basements and car trunks, and attics to ward off the "gun taker boogie-man".
A few months ago there were three or four mass murders, and thousands of individual murders, many of them by teens, that happen every day. Quite a few police were shot and killed, even a few in our area, but many others across the country. One of the killers in Pennsylvania that killed three police officers and wounded one other was said to have slept with a gun under his pillow in a basement filled with various firearms and ammunition because he believed that the Jews controlled the media and that the President was scheming to take away his guns! I knew a woman that boasted of her husband's arsenal and laughingly said, " He's going to be ready if the 'little black folks' try to get to us."
A few people that are well known enough that they are featured on television news shows have advocated all college students and faculty should have the right to carry guns, that all teachers and faculty members in high schools should carry guns. ( Think how that would liven up the keg parties in college!) Just this past weekend a local pastor invited all of his parishioners to bring their guns to church. They were not allowed to bring LOADED guns. Sort of a Barney Fife type gathering. The pastor, of course, got his 15 minutes of fame on all the news shows and postulated about how much safer we would all be if we could all 'carry'.
I do not claim to be an anti-gun nut. Both my father and my husband were hunters for a brief period of time. My dad put food on our table during the Great Depression years. He had a double barrel shot gun. It was only used for hunting. Doc had a shot gun and he also hunted food for us to eat. He was never a very enthusiastic hunter, I think he enjoyed eating pheasant and rabbit and being out with a few friends but that is as far as it went. He gave it up after just a few trips. My great-uncles had guns on their farms to ward off the foxes and other animals that would kill some of their stock. However, I never saw those guns because they were only brought to the fore in the event of some definite threat to the stock.
The deer population in this part of the country had reached the point that they needed to be thinned out and hunters were invited to help decrease the number. In parts of the country coyotes, bear, deer, wolves and other animals were creeping closer and closer to urban areas and it became necessary to decrease their number too. We have encroached on their natural habit ates to the point that they have to come in to forage for food. Good reasons to have guns.
Nevertheless, it does not take an AK-47 or an Uzi or an automatic rifle, or any powerful hand gun to protect the property of the citizens. We do have an armed force of men in every city and county in this country. The hand guns that are in the hands of the types of people that would shoot a person over an athletic game outcome, or because his brother wouldn't give him computer time, or because of a dispute over who got the last pork chop, these guns should be taken away. There are supposed to be background checks and proof of sound minds etc. before a licence is issued, but somehow or other I don't think the present laws are working.
Just as the banks and money lenders and financial people got out of control because of the lack of regulations, I fear that the same thing is happening with the gun enthusiasts. They don't want firmer regulations because they resent them and think their rights are being violated. Well, what about all of the people that are shot and killed by hand guns, what about their rights? How many people are shot because their home or life or life of a family member are being threatened by a criminal? Most of the people that are shot by handguns are shot by either jealous lovers, drunken spouses, drug deals gone bad, money or just pure cussedness. The guns are not used to protect their homes or loved ones they are used to fulfill the purpose of the gun. To kill some living thing. They are used to settle arguments.
We need more stringent rules and regulations regarding guns! But alas, its like the genie out of the bottle, what's to be done about all of the illegal and ill gotten guns that are already out there?
Woe is us!
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Have you ever read the messages on the pro-gun Web sites? It is enough to chill your bones. They are sure that the President is trying to "get your guns". Immediately following the election and actually for days before there were long lines of people outside the gun shops and the gun shows frantically buying guns because they were being told that the President was going to come and take them away from them! Many people have large arsenals in their basements and car trunks, and attics to ward off the "gun taker boogie-man".
A few months ago there were three or four mass murders, and thousands of individual murders, many of them by teens, that happen every day. Quite a few police were shot and killed, even a few in our area, but many others across the country. One of the killers in Pennsylvania that killed three police officers and wounded one other was said to have slept with a gun under his pillow in a basement filled with various firearms and ammunition because he believed that the Jews controlled the media and that the President was scheming to take away his guns! I knew a woman that boasted of her husband's arsenal and laughingly said, " He's going to be ready if the 'little black folks' try to get to us."
A few people that are well known enough that they are featured on television news shows have advocated all college students and faculty should have the right to carry guns, that all teachers and faculty members in high schools should carry guns. ( Think how that would liven up the keg parties in college!) Just this past weekend a local pastor invited all of his parishioners to bring their guns to church. They were not allowed to bring LOADED guns. Sort of a Barney Fife type gathering. The pastor, of course, got his 15 minutes of fame on all the news shows and postulated about how much safer we would all be if we could all 'carry'.
I do not claim to be an anti-gun nut. Both my father and my husband were hunters for a brief period of time. My dad put food on our table during the Great Depression years. He had a double barrel shot gun. It was only used for hunting. Doc had a shot gun and he also hunted food for us to eat. He was never a very enthusiastic hunter, I think he enjoyed eating pheasant and rabbit and being out with a few friends but that is as far as it went. He gave it up after just a few trips. My great-uncles had guns on their farms to ward off the foxes and other animals that would kill some of their stock. However, I never saw those guns because they were only brought to the fore in the event of some definite threat to the stock.
The deer population in this part of the country had reached the point that they needed to be thinned out and hunters were invited to help decrease the number. In parts of the country coyotes, bear, deer, wolves and other animals were creeping closer and closer to urban areas and it became necessary to decrease their number too. We have encroached on their natural habit ates to the point that they have to come in to forage for food. Good reasons to have guns.
Nevertheless, it does not take an AK-47 or an Uzi or an automatic rifle, or any powerful hand gun to protect the property of the citizens. We do have an armed force of men in every city and county in this country. The hand guns that are in the hands of the types of people that would shoot a person over an athletic game outcome, or because his brother wouldn't give him computer time, or because of a dispute over who got the last pork chop, these guns should be taken away. There are supposed to be background checks and proof of sound minds etc. before a licence is issued, but somehow or other I don't think the present laws are working.
Just as the banks and money lenders and financial people got out of control because of the lack of regulations, I fear that the same thing is happening with the gun enthusiasts. They don't want firmer regulations because they resent them and think their rights are being violated. Well, what about all of the people that are shot and killed by hand guns, what about their rights? How many people are shot because their home or life or life of a family member are being threatened by a criminal? Most of the people that are shot by handguns are shot by either jealous lovers, drunken spouses, drug deals gone bad, money or just pure cussedness. The guns are not used to protect their homes or loved ones they are used to fulfill the purpose of the gun. To kill some living thing. They are used to settle arguments.
We need more stringent rules and regulations regarding guns! But alas, its like the genie out of the bottle, what's to be done about all of the illegal and ill gotten guns that are already out there?
Woe is us!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Fun Time
The whole family is gearing up for the annual Fitzgerald Family Fun Festival. We are looking forward to seeing everyone.
I spent about four hours this afternoon looking through pictures of the family that I've saved throughout the years. I will bring them to the gathering and people can go through them at their liesure. Some of them bring back such great memories. It will be fun for some of us to see how much we have changed over the years. Remember how good you thought you looked in that dress? those shorts? that bathing suit? Or remember how many diets you went on? I remember when I actually had hair!!
There are so many pictures of Grandpa with a baby in his arms and a dog at his feet, I sometimes could not identify the baby so you will have to do that for us. I also have pictures of my grandparents and my parents that you can mull over and see who looks like who, etc.
Hundreds of the pictures are at beaches, mostly at Garden City but some from the Outer Banks and at Edisto, most of them from beaches in the Carolinas. We also have some from Lake Michigan, Indian Lake, and a few beaches in Florida and others. For someone with my skin to have spent a big portion of my life on one beach or another, it is a wonder I have any skin left. Granted, I was always under a beach umbrella and a pile of towels or up on the porch watching all of you out there frying. I always came home looking very much like I did when I left home.
While we were at the beach we usually made a movie. We spent a lot of time during the week picking out a theme for the film. We did a murder mystery one year, a musical, we did Jaws, and a few others. Some of those films are so funny and so creative that we thought we should have them at the Fam. Fest. I have two or three but I think there are others out there. If you have one, bring it. We should make a movie at the Fam.Fest. just for old time's sake! Maybe we could have a talent show! Lord knows, we've got talent! Remember the talent show at the funeral? We could even have a grand prize!
I am getting revved up for the day. See y'all there. Ciao.
I spent about four hours this afternoon looking through pictures of the family that I've saved throughout the years. I will bring them to the gathering and people can go through them at their liesure. Some of them bring back such great memories. It will be fun for some of us to see how much we have changed over the years. Remember how good you thought you looked in that dress? those shorts? that bathing suit? Or remember how many diets you went on? I remember when I actually had hair!!
There are so many pictures of Grandpa with a baby in his arms and a dog at his feet, I sometimes could not identify the baby so you will have to do that for us. I also have pictures of my grandparents and my parents that you can mull over and see who looks like who, etc.
Hundreds of the pictures are at beaches, mostly at Garden City but some from the Outer Banks and at Edisto, most of them from beaches in the Carolinas. We also have some from Lake Michigan, Indian Lake, and a few beaches in Florida and others. For someone with my skin to have spent a big portion of my life on one beach or another, it is a wonder I have any skin left. Granted, I was always under a beach umbrella and a pile of towels or up on the porch watching all of you out there frying. I always came home looking very much like I did when I left home.
While we were at the beach we usually made a movie. We spent a lot of time during the week picking out a theme for the film. We did a murder mystery one year, a musical, we did Jaws, and a few others. Some of those films are so funny and so creative that we thought we should have them at the Fam. Fest. I have two or three but I think there are others out there. If you have one, bring it. We should make a movie at the Fam.Fest. just for old time's sake! Maybe we could have a talent show! Lord knows, we've got talent! Remember the talent show at the funeral? We could even have a grand prize!
I am getting revved up for the day. See y'all there. Ciao.
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