Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

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Could You Pass a Citizenship Test?

This question has bothered me about myself for a while. Although I have always felt somewhat patriotic and have believed myself a reasonably knowledgeable person, I have fallen embarrassingly short in civic smarts more often than I would like to admit. Watching from the sidelines as people near us have worked and prepared to become citizens of these beloved United States, I’ve decided it’s high time to brush up.

Tiny T says, "I pity the fool who takes his citizenship and liberty for granted!" Preach it, T. Preach it.
Tiny T says, “I pity the fool who takes his citizenship and liberty for granted!” Preach it, T. Preach it.

Which camp are you in? Do you feel totally competent; or do you see some room for improvement? Do you even care?

If you have a minute or so, pop over to the Huffington Post site and breeze through eleven sample questions to see how to measure up. Just take a deep breath and click here. But that’s nothing compared to what we should know, right?

Grab a sheet of paper and a pencil. Because here is a list of 100 questions we should all be able to answer:

1.      What are the colors of our flag?
2.      How many stars are there in our flag?
3.      What color are the stars on our flag?
4.      What do the stars on the flag mean?
5.      How many stripes are there in the flag?
6.      What color are the stripes?
7.      What do the stripes on the flag mean?
8.      How many states are there in the union?
9.      What is the 4th of July?
10.     What is the date of Independence Day?
11.     Independence from whom?
12.     What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?
13.     Who was the first President of the United States?
14.     Who is the President of the United States today?
15.     Who is the Vice-President of the United States today?
16.     Who elects the President of the United States?
17.     Who becomes President of the United States if the President should die?
18.     For how long do we elect the President?
19.     What is the Constitution?
20.     Can the Constitution be changed?
21.     What do we call a change to the Constitution?
22.     How many changes or amendments are there to the Constitution?
23.     How many branches are there in our government?
24.     What are the three branches of our government?
25.     What is the legislative branch of our government?
26.     Who makes the laws in the United States?
27.     What is Congress?
28.     What are the duties of Congress?
29.     Who elects Congress?
30.     How many senators are there in Congress?
31.     Can you name the two senators from your state?
32.     For how long do we elect each senator?
33.     How many representatives are there in Congress?
34.     For how long do we elect the representatives?
35.     What is the executive branch of our government?
36.     What is the judiciary branch of our government?
37.     What are the duties of the Supreme Court?
38.     What is the supreme law of the United States?
39.     What is the Bill of Rights?
40.     What is the capital of your state?
41.     Who is the current governor of your state?
42.     Who becomes President of the U.S.A. if the President and the Vice-President should die?
43.     Who is the chief justice of the Supreme Court?
44.     Can you name the thirteen original states?
45.     Who said, “Give me liberty or give me death”?
46.     Which countries were our enemies during World War II?
47.     What are the 49th and 50th states of the Union?
48.     How many terms can a President serve?
49.     Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
50.     Who is the head of your local government?
51.     According to the Constitution, a person must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible to become           President.  Name one of these requirements.
52.     Why are there 100 senators in the senate?
53.     Who selects the Supreme Court justices?
54.     How many Supreme Court justices are there?
55.     Why did the pilgrims come to America?
56.     What is the head executive of a state government called?
57.     What is the head executive of a city government called?
58.     What holiday was celebrated for the first time by the American colonists?
59.     Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?
60.     When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
61.     What is the basic belief of the Declaration of Independence?
62.     What is the national anthem of the United States?
63.     Who wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner”?
64.     Where does freedom of speech come from?
65.     What is the minimum voting age in the United States?
66.     Who signs bills into law?
67.     What is the highest court in the United States?
68.     Who was the President during the Civil War?
69.     What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
70.     What special group advises the President?
71.     Which President is called the “father of our country”?
72.     What immigration and naturalization service form is used to apply to become a naturalized citizen?
73.     Who helped the pilgrims in America?
74.     What is the name of the ship that brought the pilgrims to America?
75.     What were the 13 original states of the United States called?
76.     Name 3 rights or freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights?
77.     Who has the power to declare war?
78.     What kind of government does the United States have?
79.     Which President freed the slaves?
80.     In what year was the Constitution written?
81.     What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?
82.     Name one purpose of the United Nations.
83.     Where does Congress meet?
84.     Whose rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights?
85.     What is the introduction to the Constitution called?
86.     Name one benefit of being a citizen of the United States.
87.     What is the most important right granted to U.S. citizens?
88.     What is the United States capitol?
89.     What is the White House?
90.     Where is the White House located?
91.     What is the name of the President’s official home?
92.     Name one right guaranteed by the First Amendment.
93.     Who is the commander-in-chief of the U.S. military?
94.     Which President was the first commander-in-chief of the U.S. military?
95.     In what month do we vote for the President?
96.     In what month is the new President inaugurated?
97.     How many times may a senator be re-elected?
98.     How many times may a congressman be re-elected?
99.     What are the 2 major political parties in the U.S. today?
100.    How many states are there in the United States?

Whew! Surely you did pretty well, because my friends and readers are all brilliant! But I bet there were at least a few questions there that gave you pause. Check back tomorrow or the next day and I will post the correct answers. Better yet, get your friends or office mates to play along. Let’s make sure we all are hob-nobbing with informed citizens, mmkay?

I am so thankful to have been born here, and I am no longer willing to take that for granted.

Give me liberty or give me death.
~Who said that again?
XOXOXOXO

visit me at lifeingrace

Hello, hello! Today I am 100% giddy to be a guest writer over at Edie’s beautiful, uplifting, challenging, mouthwatering blog, life(in)grace. I have been reading her luscious words and following her quest for life, truth, and beauty now for several years, drawing pretty constantly from her deep well of inspiration. I mean, just the life(in)grace Pinterest boards are enough to give a person emotional, nest-feathering diabetes!

 

Books, humor, bright colors, art, and more books. Touchdown. xoxo
Books, humor, bright colors, art, monograms, and more books. Touchdown. xoxo

 

Gorgeous, gorgeous stuff, all of it. But Edie’s thinky, faith-filled ideas are just as dazzling.When she invited me to write for her while she and her two youngest girls are on Spring Break, I might have gasped. (I definitely did.)  Then I might have panicked. (I definitely did that, too.) What do I write about for the woman who has taught and guided me in so many things, from turquoise cabinets to Chesterton and summertime makeup? Only something really particular to life here at the Lazy W.

So if you click over to her site, you can read all about our macaw Bobby Pacino and his undying love for little spring chicks.

 

You will never see a gentler, more devoted surrogate mother who is a boy.
You will never see a gentler, more devoted surrogate mother who is a boy. Baby Chicks, Llamas, and One Cool Parrot 

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping in! Please hop over and say hello right here at Edie’s corner of digital paradise. I would be so happy to have my friends there with me, as it’s kind of intimidating! haha

 XOXOXOXO

Dreaming of the Nectar Flow

Our Frontier Country Beekeepers’ club met again last night, and as always we had such a great time. They are the sweetest people. (Do you see what I did there?) I always laugh so hard the entire evening, eat too many wonderful snacks, and learn great stuff. Last night, the speakers’ material ranged from Shook Swarms to top bar hives, feeding with Ziploc baggies, and the shifting demand for bees in Oklahoma, versus honey (more on this soon, it’s very exciting!). We also learned more about producing comb honey. YUM. A few hours with these fine people just further inspires me to become a better steward of all that is under my care, including the bees. And I so appreciate that James, our president, opens every meeting with a prayer and a beautiful expression of love for the little honeybee. He thanks God for the chance to care for this important little creature, and it gives me happy chills.

 

A couple of years ago, my sweet baby named this bee "Fred" before she understood that Fred was a girl. xoxo
A couple of years ago, my sweet baby named this bee “Fred” before she understood that Fred was a girl. xoxo

 

This time of year is especially exciting, because in Oklahoma we are very likely beyond our last freeze; the pollen is in full bloom; and our first honey flow could happen this month. Experiences beekeepers are now feeding their girls sugar-water and Honey-B-Healthy, and some are even relocating hives to take advantage of blooming canola, etc. Do you want to understand how giddy they all are? Think of how excited I get about gardening season kicking off, then multiply that times twenty or thirty. That’s how excited beekeepers are right now. You could feel the trembling energy in the room last night, and it was contagious.

I toted my Papa Joe’s apiary journal to the meeting last night and let it circulate through the group, just not sure if anyone would be interested but still happy to share. They totally were interested! Of course Chuddie remembers Papa Joe and issued another solemn nod when I mentioned his name, and last night I learned that Chuddie’s wife remembers Papa Joe, too. This is so cool!

This is Chuddie, one of the "Old Timers" of our club. He claims to be older than dirt and has a knack for storytelling that almost makes me cry. Except that I am laughing too hard to bother.
This is Chuddie, one of the “Old Timers” of our club. He claims to be older than dirt and has a knack for storytelling that almost makes me cry. Except that I am laughing too hard to bother.

 

Another gentleman read through the notebook’s yellowed pages and told me afterwards that one entry in particular grabbed his attention, because in it Papa Joe had described a wax moth problem that he too had endured. “Me too!” I answered with too much intensity, and we laughed. There is something eye-opening and deeply comforting about seeing common challenges and universal conditions. It makes the problem seem less bizarre, more natural. Destructive wax moths in your bee hives are in this particular life category.

Here is a snippet from a journal entry Papa Joe made in early March, 1972. It could almost have been written here in Oklahoma, this past week:

 

Apiary Journal, Early March 1972
Apiary Journal, Early March 1972

 

Now it is early March and a few warm p.m.’s in the sixties, and bees are coming in loaded with a cream-colored pollen which is from the elms. The maples bloomed early in February. How long now till the first flow of nectar? The apricots which are often caught by frost are budding! showing pink… This & the wild plum will bloom in one week followed by apples, pears, and peaches. Dandelions & dutch clover are also very early to bloom. This is a very important time as early nectar & warm days help to determine the colony’s ability to build up strong for the big nectar flows.

The coming weeks will be busy and lots of fun for our Frontier Beekeepers’ club. We have a two-day class planned. We have at least one, maybe two additional field days planned for exploring commercial and private apiaries. And of course all the work and creativity that gets poured into individual colonies…. For me that is where the magic happens.

Here at the Lazy W I have a little more construction and painting to do for new wooden-ware, then I am relocating all of my hives to the back field, where my girls (my human girls) used to have their playhouse “fort.” Our bee yard will be near the pond still and well guarded by the llamas, but further away from the vegetable garden and mowing areas.

 

Dulcinea's trustworthiness with the honey is dubious at best. But I am taking my chances.
Dulcinea’s trustworthiness with the honey is dubious at best. But I am taking my chances.

 

Happy month of March, friends! Enjoy the changes big and small, the thrilling renewal. Celebrate the flow of nectar, however it looks in your world.

“They whom truth and wisdom lead,

 can gather honey from a weed.”

~William Cowper, 18th century English poet

XOXOXOXO

 

 

 

 

Anticipating Blooms & Miracles

The clouds are gathering, and we can smell the rain. The morning’s bright sun has already cooled, but we don’t mind. Not even a trace of wind is bothering us. Birds are singing constantly. Roosters are crowing. Barn cats purring. After a long, hard packed work week Handsome and I have landed exhausted but safe, together at home on one of the most restorative Saturday mornings we’ve enjoyed in a long time. All of our farm chores today are pleasurable, fun, satisfying. The sights, sounds, and smells here are all new life and constant love. Mouth watering stuff.

I cannot help but think all over again about the cyclical nature of life and about how much better we appreciate the springtime after a brutal winter. Like flower bulbs, we gather strength in the cold, dark months. If we survive the hard times, then we reemerge with more beauty than ever before. We greet the longer days with open arms and open hearts, eager to bloom. Our dormancy is put to good use by the Master.

If you’re still waiting for your miracle, please keep waiting and do not be discouraged by the passage of time. Be brave enough to abandon the need for instant gratification. Then on that day when you finally see the first sprouts of your miracle appearing, you’ll be overjoyed! You’ll know that all of the waiting was not in vain. You’ll have built more strength than you even thought you needed. And the bloom will be robust. Miraculous.

Bring on the rain. Gather the clouds. Send the cold, even, if that’s what we need. I’ve planted my seeds and trust You with them all. I’m willing to wait.

 

Seeds sown like prayers, each one growing at its own pace, to its own fruition.
Seeds sown like prayers, each one growing at its own pace, to its own fruition.

 

Handsome has finished his shed organizing project now and is happily tending a midday bonfire just as the rain begins to fall. I’m lounging nearby with a cup of strong, hot tea and a very cuddly barn cat. My face is half cool and damp from the weather, half warm and taut from the flames. In my mind  I see every seed planted this morning soon bursting into heaps of delicious, beautiful food or flowers. In my heart I see every prayer, uttered or silent, answered in unbelievable ways. It’s already happening.

“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.” 

~C.S. Lewis

XOXOXO

Mystery Egg

Howdy! So very glad you’ve stopped in one more time. Are you hungry?

Mama Kat has invited us to share a photo from this past week’s Instagram fun, and this one sprung to mind:

 

The chicken from whence this egg came might need a day off and some aspirin.
The chicken from whence this egg came might need a day off and some aspirin.

 

It’s basically… an egg. A ginormous, heavy as a boulder, almost the size of my perfectly normal sized hand, egg. I collected it still warm from beneath the feathery hiney of one of our youngest hens. She’s a little white and brown girl named “Other Chicken.” Because on that naming day I was sorely lacking in creativity. Odds are she wasn’t the poor soul who laid it, but I cannot guarantee that. As Other Chicken was doing that day, hens often sit on a whole clutch of eggs that do not belong to them. It’s like they all read Hillary Clinton’s It Take s a Village or something.

Anyway, my online friends all made guesses about whether it was a goose egg or a double yolker chicken egg, and I let this glorious package of protein and miracles sit in the glow of admiration for a couple of days. Honestly, though, I was  disappointed nobody volunteered the possibility of dinosaur egg. Come on you guys! Let’s think outside of the nesting box for a sec.

Then a few days later I was starving to death but fresh out of my staple food, which is off brand tortilla chips. So I heated up a skillet with a little real butter and cracked open that dinosaur egg. I’ll spare you the suspense. It was definitely a chicken egg, double yolker. It was deep orange, too, not anemic yellow, and it was dense and fresh and perfect. I ate it scrambled up with spinach and mushrooms.

And it was delicious.

The End.