Thank you so much for the birthday wishes.  Gary, you do such an awesome job on this site.  I had a great day.  I can’t believe how old I am!  Haha. 

Gary and friends, 

I hope every one had a great 2013 is thinking of New Year resolutions, these last few days of 2013.  

I think I have made mine.

I am recalling, how well fed I was while on my last holiday to Scotland.

My first breakfast choice in the Shetlands, Orkneys and Highland Isles was always the full Scot’s breakfast, which is so much like a the “farmers breakfasts” we ate long ago on the farm.

“Okay,the  traditional  Scots breakfast is so much more!”  It consists of toast with homemade soft fruit jam, tea, grilled tomato and mushrooms, beans, egg, black pudding, bacon, ham and sausage. (the eggs are from free range chickens; the yolks were quite orange, and the bread a heavy grained) The black pudding? I can take or leave.

I enjoy the variety on my plate and  was most reluctant to try other highly favored Scots breakfasts. i.e. porridge, kippers or salmon.

However, while at our lodging on Fionophort, the Isle of Mull, I finally sucumbed to curiosity. And I discovered,

Scots take porridge making  a serious endeavor.

Our hostess said, “You need to order porridge the night before, as it takes time to prepare. “hmm.My thought, “I  microwave Quaker oatmeal every morning, how could porridge be so special?”

The next morning as  I ate the creamy porridge. I realized it was different.

Later that, afternoon while in Tobermoray I purchased my first “spurtle”.

Coming home to ND, I decided to take oatmeal i.e. porridge making to the next level.

I went on line and found out  simple facts.

“Stir porridge clockwise; stirring anti-clockwise is liable to stir up the devil

         Always eat porridge standing up because “a staunin sack fills the fu’est” (a standing sack fills the fullest)

Source: A Bowl of Porridge, Guthrie Hutton”

            I looked at my spurtle and thought of my dear Uncle, Bill Metcalfe who told me his secret to a long life was oatmeal every morning. Well I am sorta there.

         Confession, I still use the Quaker Oatmeal and the microwave.   The spurtle is in amongst my other utensils waiting to be used.   I still  unsure of which end is which. 

 My 2014 new year resolution, which end of the spurtle do I  use?  I don’t want to stir up the ……!   

Until later,Vickie

This was beautiful…

The Silence

A few years ago, a friend visited the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in the village of Margraten, about six miles from Maastricht. There lie buried 8,301 American soldiers killed in the battles to liberate Holland in the fall and winter of 1944-5. Sgt. Bill Dukeman, 101st Airborne Division, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Second Battalion, Company C (of “Band of Brothers fame) is buried there. He was killed in the battle of “The Crossroads” in northern Holland.

The Dutch hold an annual memorial concert every September at the above cemetery to remember and honor the Americans who died to free them in Operation Market Garden and subsequent efforts to eject the German army from Holland. Sgt. Dukeman, like many other fallen GIs, was “adopted” by a Dutch family. Dukeman’s family in the States was contacted and hosted in Holland, and his grave site decorated each year by his Dutch “family.” They keep his portrait in their home, displayed in a place of honor. Fathers pass this obligation down to their sons in Holland. This version of the original “taps” music is played by a 13 year old Dutch girl named Melissa Venema. The conductor of the orchestra is Andre Rieu from Holland .

Many of you may never have heard taps played in its entirety . The original version of Taps was called Last Post, and was written by Daniel Butterfield in 1801. It was rather lengthy and formal, as you will hear in this clip, so in 1862 it was shortened to 24 notes and re-named Taps.

Melissa Venema is playing it on a trumpet whereby the original was played on a bugle.

Watch at this site, and go full screen.

http://www.flixxy.com/trumpet-solo-melissa-venema.htm