Fireworks, Family, and .... Helmet Liners!!!

The 4th has dawned cloudy and wet as so many days have been this summer, but today, aside from rejoicing in the rain for its own sake, we can also be grateful that this means that the fireworks are unlikely to result in a wildfire, especially from the kids shooting off bottle rockets in the arroyos.

We have family here in town this week which makes me feel much better about missing the Kiedis family gathering which I'm sure is in full swing in Florida, pulling the kids home from Tennessee and South Dakota, and featuring the incredibly cute new babies Asher and Summer. The agenda in Santa Fe today includes a morning trip to the Farmer's Market, the Wine Tasting Festival at Rancho de las Golandrinas, followed by dinner with various friends and fireworks. Hmmm, not dinner with fireworks. There's some kind of syntactical error there, but I don't feel like going back. You get the idea.

In honor of our military and their families on this day that celebrates our country, I wanted to direct your attention to a new website run by my sister, Liz, whose son is in the Marines and expected to deploy to Afghanistan in the fall:

Semper Gumby

. It's a way for military families and others to stay in touch with what's going on with their troops, but most importantly if you look to the side bar on the left, you'll see a link to a knitting pattern for helmet liners. Did she say....helmet liners???? Yep, it gets cold in Afghanistan - temps in the winter can dip into the negative numbers, and those helmets aren't fur lined. Therefore if you are so inclined you can give a little warmth on a winter night to a lonely soldier, just by knitting one or two or a hundred. There are lots of guys over there. They will appreciate it and you'll feel good because it's something tangible you can do - and the pattern is easy.








"There is nothing wrong with America that can't be cured by what is right with America." (Bill Clinton)