First Week of July

It was a busy week and very hot too.

On Monday (June 30), my grad class, EDEX 962/963, began. We met on Zoom, and we prepared for our first day with students on July 1.

Summer Learning Place 2025 started on July 1. We have the children Monday through Thursday for the next four weeks. This week, the children started on Tuesday. The teachers (my students) assessed them in reading, math, writing, and behavior.

Meanwhile, hubby is still having severe back pain. We walked for an hour on Monday and Tuesday, but by Wednesday, he was in excruciating pain. On Wednesday afternoon, he had physical therapy, but I’m not sure if it helped because on Thursday and Friday, he was really hurting. On Thursday, he spent most of the day in bed

Every day, I worked a little in the kitchen. I’m slowly emptying bags and boxes. Everything has to be washed before it can be put away.

Thursday evening was our town’s fireworks festival. My friend Sheila came over at 8:30 pm and then at 9:30 pm, we sat in the front yard and watched the fireworks. Don stayed in bed. They lasted about 15 minutes. The location was moved this year, and instead of shooting them from Woodside Park, they moved it to PD Terry Park. So, we sat in the front yard and faced towards the park and we had a clear view of all the fireworks.

On the 4th of July, we got up early and did our grocery shopping. We went at 8 am and there were no crowds or traffic. When we got home, I finished knitting my shawl and washed and blocked it. For lunch, we walked to Bucky’s BBQ and binge-watched Mission: Impossible Movies.

World UFO Day

The #SPC1470 Roswell UFO Encounter 50th Anniversary cover was released in 1997 to remember the strange event that happened in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. The cover features a special postmark from the event and two space-related stamps: #966 and a stamp from the Space Fantasy set.

In 1947, something crashed on a farm, and people thought it might be a UFO, or a spaceship from another planet. The U.S. military first said it was a “flying disc,” but later said it was just a weather balloon. This made many people believe there was a cover-up.

World UFO Day is celebrated every year on July 2nd. This day is meant for people to look up at the sky and think about the possibility of life beyond Earth. UFO stands for "Unidentified Flying Object," which means anything in the sky that cannot be easily explained. Some people believe that UFOs are spaceships from other planets. Others think they might just be airplanes, weather balloons, or even tricks of light.

July 2nd was chosen because it is the date of a famous event called the Roswell Incident. In 1947, something strange crashed on a farm near Roswell, New Mexico. At first, the U.S. military said it was a “flying disc,” but later claimed it was just a weather balloon. This made many people wonder if the government was hiding something about aliens. Over time, Roswell became one of the most well-known UFO stories in the world.

People celebrate World UFO Day in different ways. Some host sky-watching parties or UFO-themed events. Others use the day to talk about space, aliens, or the possibility of life on other planets. The main idea is to think about the mysteries of the universe and to keep an open mind. Whether or not UFOs are real, World UFO Day reminds us to be curious and to explore the unknown.

References:
Mystic Stamp Company. (n.d.). 1997 32c Roswell Alien. Retrieved from https://www.mysticstamp.com
History.com Editors. (2018). Roswell. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/paranormal/roswell 
World UFO Day Organization. (n.d.). What is World UFO Day? Retrieved from https://www.worldufoday.com
https://www.wincalendar.com/World-UFO-Day

Long Week

We worked on our kitchen this week. We decided to paint the cabinets ourselves. My husband is a much better painter than I am, so I was the main helper. Unfortunately, he was in a lot of back pain and he finally went to the doctor. He fractured his back while we were having to shift the appliances in order to paint. After finding this out from X-rays and an MRI, he was told not to do anything strenuous and not to lift anything until he heals. So, I was able to put the hardware back on and started to put things back in the kitchen. The kitchen looks much better now.

Original photos by Pat Hensley

2019 First-Class Forever Stamp, Oscar the Grouch

June 1 is Oscar the Grouch Day. If you were around in the 70s, like I was, you would have heard about Oscar the Grouch.

In 2019, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sesame Street, the United States Postal Service released a special set of Forever stamps featuring 16 beloved characters from the show. One of these stamps showcased Oscar the Grouch, the grumpy green Muppet who lives in a trash can. The stamp was designed by art director Derry Noyes using a photograph of Oscar. It was officially released on June 22, 2019, during a ceremony in Detroit, Michigan, as part of the "Sesame Street Road Trip"—a celebration event held in 10 cities across the U.S.

The Oscar the Grouch stamp was part of a pane of 16 stamps, each featuring a different character from Sesame Street, such as Big Bird, Elmo, and Cookie Monster. These stamps were issued as Forever stamps. A total of 62 million of these stamps were printed by Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. The back of the stamp pane displayed special artwork celebrating the show's 50th anniversary.

Oscar the Grouch is a fuzzy green character from the children's TV show Sesame Street. He lives in a trash can and loves everything dirty, messy, and smelly! Unlike most of the friendly characters on the show, Oscar is grumpy and enjoys complaining. But even though he seems mean, Oscar teaches kids that it’s okay to have different feelings and that everyone is unique in their own way. He even has a pet worm named Slimey and lots of strange things in his trash can home.

Oscar was first seen on Sesame Street when the show started in 1969. He was originally orange, but he later became green. He was created by Jim Henson and played by puppeteer Caroll Spinney for many years. Even though Oscar doesn’t like being happy, he’s an important part of Sesame Street because he helps show that people can be different and still be part of a community. He’s grouchy, but deep down, he has a big heart!

References:

• United States Postal Service. (2019). Sesame Street Celebrates 50 Years. https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2019/0522-sesame-street-celebrates-50-years.htm
  
• Mystic Stamp Company. (n.d.). 5394g - 2019 First-Class Forever Stamp - Sesame Street: Oscar the Grouch. https://www.mysticstamp.com/5394g-2019-first-class-forever-stamp-sesame-street-oscar-the-grouch/
• United States Postal Service. (2019). Stamp Services. https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2019/pb22521/html/info_004.htmUSPS+2USPS+2USPS+2mysticstamp.comUSPS
• Sesame Workshop. (n.d.). Oscar the Grouch. https://www.sesamestreet.org
• Gikow, Louise. Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street. Black Dog & Leventhal, 2009.

New Roof and Memorial Day Weekend

Sunday was quiet and we relaxed all day.

On Monday, we went to the senior center to walk for an hour and then attend Heather’s exercise class. It felt good to work out! When we got home, we worked in the yard, trimming bushes.. The azaleas needed a good trim after blooming, or they would grow out of control.

On Tuesday morning, the roofing materials were delivered, and the delivery guy was really nice. We stood and chatted for a long time! He has 5 children and they live on a farm. They homeschool all their children. In the evening, I went to my local knitting group, and I always enjoy the time I spend with the.

Wednesday and Thursday involved watching the roofers and the progress of replacing the roof. It was pretty interesting how much the materials and technology have changed over the years. Wednesday brought 5 roofers, and they worked hard for 14 hours! They even brought their microwave! At lunchtime, they were relaxing under a tree and even taking a nap (which was well deserved). On Thursday, only 3 guys worked on the roof.

We left on Thursday around 4 pm to meet our senior center group at Travinia’s for dinner. Luckily, we were able to walk to the restaurant. There were about 17 of us. The food was very good, but the service was meh. We bought cannolis to bring home and have for dessert, but they weren’t as good as the ones we got years ago in Boston. We still had a great time with the group and hope to go out more with them.

On Friday, an elderly man (Mr. James) came to do a magnetized cleaning for nails. I called the project manager to make sure that he was with the company, and he was. We found some small concerns we wanted to discuss during the final inspection, which was around 4:30 pm. We walked around the house with Jonah and showed him the concerns. He fixed most of them, but they will have to come out and repair a screen and clean the siding. He got on the ladder and found about 5 more things they need to seal up when they come out. Overall, I like our new roof! Our Sounds of the Summer concert series started downtown, and I was able to hear the music in my sunroom with the windows closed. 🙂

While the roof was being replaced, I was able to get a lot of knitting done. The noise didn’t bother me. I’m trying to relax more and de-stress so I can get over these shingles faster.

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend, and we won’t do anything special. We tend to stay home and off the roads during holidays because of the crazy drivers.

Original photos by Pat Hensley