Garbage is an easy to learn card game for 2 or more players using a standard 52 card deck. The object is to get your cards in a specific sequence. To begin, shuffle the deck.
The dealer deals 10 cards to each player (if 3 or more people are playing, 2 decks will be required). The players then place their cards face down in 2 rows, and the dealer puts the remaining cards in a pile in the middle. This is called the GARBAGE pile. The top card is placed face up creating the discard pile.
The first player to make a move is the player immediately to the dealer’s left. They will either draw the top card off the draw pile or use the card in discard pile. If the card is between an Ace and a ten, they will place it face up in the corresponding spot in the layout before them. For example, if they draw a five, it would be placed on the fifth spot in the layout.
Then, the player would turn over that first card that is being “replaced” by the card they just drew. It would be moved accordingly, if possible. So, if you flip over the fifth card in the lineup and have a ten, you would move that ten to the tenth spot and continue.
This continues until the player reveals a number already face-up in the line-up or until they draw a Jack or a King. The Jacks and Kings are garbage and end up in the discard pile. That signifies the end of a turn.
The Queens are wildcards and can replace any face-down card in the layout. If a Queen is being used as a wildcard and the player reveals the correct card for that wildcard spot, the card can replace the wildcard. Then, the wild card can be moved to another spot. When a move is no longer possible, the last card a player has is placed in the pile and the game moves onto the next player.
no, not THESE queens!
A player wins when the cards are all face-up and in sequential order from Ace to ten, with any Queens in the appropriate wildcard slots. At this point, the player wins the round.
In this next round, the cards are reshuffled and dealt again. The player who won the previous round is dealt one less card than the round before.
For example, if this is the second round and the first layout of ten was just cleared, the winner of the round would be dealt nine cards instead of ten. Every other player receives the same number of cards they had in the previous round.
Being dealt one less card makes it just slightly easier for the player to clear their layout. Instead of going Ace to ten, they will now only need to go Ace to nine. This continues until a player is down to one card in the layout.
The final win occurs when a player is down to just one card and is able to clear it with an Ace or a wildcard. There are many variations in this game–some prefer to use Kings as wildcards, some allow every player a final turn after the winning player completes their turn.
My granddaughter taught us this game several years ago and it has become a family favorite. So much so that the Garbage Champion is a much contested opinion. I believe myself to be the champion while my granddaughter believes herself to be the champion.
To settle the disagreement, I have challenged her to a championship match and fashioned a Garbage Trophy to boot!
I’ll update when a winner is determined!
UPDATE: The Garbage Championship was played this weekend. My granddaughter won the first 2 rounds…I came back defiantly and won the next 2 rounds…so it came down to the final round! We were neck and neck, but in the end she finally beat me!
She’s taken the trophy home to put proudly on her trophy shelf, with an offer to let me take another crack at her at Christmas! Challenge accepted!!
In 2008, I was living with HB and SIL in a house in Manassas, VA on a major roadway with a lot of traffic, although it was only a two-lane road. It was Christmas but it was unseasonably warm that year. HB and SIL were watching TV and, of course, I was sitting at my computer, which was directly in front of a window.
Our House in Manassas
All of a sudden, I heard a loud crash and looked up to see that an SUV had crashed into a tree across the street. It hit the tree and bounced back; I saw the driver’s door open and a man got out, with an obvious leg injury – he fell up against the SUV and kind of rolled down the side of it towards the front of the vehicle.
Representation from Net
By the time I got up and went to the door, I could no longer see him. Behind the house across the street was a large wooded area – there was a driveway running down the side of the house towards the back. We called 911 to report it and then we all trooped outside to look; a woman had pulled over into our driveway so we chatted with her while we waited.
Within 5 or 10 minutes, the cops arrived and began searching for the driver, who was nowhere to be found. They told us the SUV had just been stolen from someone down the street. I told them that he was obviously injured but that was all I knew. They searched and searched and searched, and finally determined that he must have gone down the driveway into the woods. So they sent a car around to the other side of the woods to search from that side. They even had a helicopter up looking for him.
Representation from Net
After about 45 minutes, another cop car pulled up with a canine unit. They brought the dog out and had him jump into the SUV to get the man’s scent. He jumped back down and went directly to the tree at the front of the SUV!
Representation from Net
Turns out, the guy had buried himself in the leaves and was there the whole time!!!! They had never even looked there!!! We also found out he was an illegal – sometimes I swore half of Manassas was made up of illegals, there were so many, including MS-13!
HB and SIL had already made their decision by then to move to Nebraska. She was pregnant with Piper and wouldn’t be able to work and SIL had been laid off from his job. I had not yet decided to join them but, in March of 2009, I also lost my job as General Manager at ResoleAmerica. I decided God was telling me it was time to go home!!!!
The magic lantern, or zoetrope, is little known today but it amazed and delighted audiences in Victorian drawing rooms. It also led, in the 20th century, to the invention of the slide projector and the cinema. In its final form, the zoetrope was a cylinder-shaped canopy of thin material suspended over a lamp. Vanes placed at the top caught the hot air rising from the lamp and made the cylinder rotate slowly.
On the sides of the canopy were thin panes of paper on which were painted pictures. As the cylinder revolved around the lamp, the light shone through the succession of pictures to give the illusion that the painted figures were moving — exactly the same principle as that behind modern motion pictures.
From Athanasius Kirchner’s “An Magna Lucis et Umbrae” of 1671
In 1868 Mr. W.B. Carpenter, the vice president of the Royal Society of London, stated with some confidence that the magic lantern had been invented by Michael Faraday, the famous pioneer of electricity as recently as 1836. He was certainly wrong, as one John Bate had already written about the zoetrope early in the 17th century. However, even Bate was merely describing a device long known elsewhere.
The principal of using heat to make small figures rotate is extremely ancient. In the Near East it goes back to Heron of Alexandria, who invented a toy with moving dancers in the 1st century AD. The Chinese version is even older, and far more advanced, as it involved the projection of images.
In 121 BC, a magician named Shao Ong staged a sort of seance for the Emperor Han Wu-ti, using moving images projected onto a screen. An earlier emperor, Han Gaozu, had a lamp in his possession in 207 BC that, when lit, showed the sparkling scales of turning dragons.
Around 180 AD the inventor Ting Huan created a “nine-storied hill censer,” which was apparently an extremely complicated multiple magic lantern. On it were strange birds and unusual animals, which turned around as the lamp burned.
By the 12th century AD, the most common form of zoetrope was the “horse-riding” or the “horse-pacing” lamp. After the lamp was lit a succession of prancing horses was projected onto the walls, moving as if they were alive. More sophisticated examples probably used lenses to produce stronger images. This was the type of magic lantern seen by early European visitors, and is undoubtedly provided the inspiration for the Jesuit priest of the China Mission Martin Martini (1614-1661). Martini presented the first lantern slides in Europe at Louvain, Belgium, in 1654, soon followed by other European scientists fascinated by the properties of light.
I do not honestly remember sitting in church when i was a child, but my mom claims pictures of the four of us, her and my dad, my older sister and I dressed in our Sunday clothes is proof that we did. When I was 5, two things happened simultaneously: my brother was born and we moved in with my great grandmother to care for her.
It was at this point, our church going stopped. We still said grace at every meal, still said our evening prayers, but no formal religious instruction. Instead, we learned about God through our parents and He was always a loving, patient Father.
Perhaps that’s why i ignored Him for the most part till I was 17. My first “real” boyfriend asked me one weekend to accompany him to church and I did. I sat enthralled in the church pew, listening to the sermon, singing the hymns…I wanted more! After the service, greeting the Priest at the door, I asked where could I learn more and he talked to me about adult catechism classes. After taking those classes, he explained, I could take another step in my journey towards God…taking my First Holy Communion on Easter Sunday.
I took the classes in earnest, learning about my faith and the sacraments, and prepared to take the final steps–meeting with the Priest one on one, making my first confession and doing my penance. The meeting with the Priest was relaxed, comforting, and welcoming and he guided me in making a good confession which was to occur on Good Friday.
That morning, entering the confessional, I was nervous. The class instructor provided a printed confession process for us, so the basic mechanics were covered…the rest was up to me. I made my confession, received my penance and went into the church. Part of my penance was to recite so many “Our Father’s”, “Hail Mary’s” and “Glory Be’s” which I did all the while concentrating on how sorry I was to have offended God.
When I entered the church that morning, the sky was cloudy, but now as I left the church, a beam of sunlight broke through. I looked upward and felt the sunshine on my face as expected, but what i did not expect was the enveloping feeling of warmth and love. I felt it from my feet all throughout my body–it was the Holy Spirit of this i have no doubt!
Days later I was describing the feeling to my aunt and we were talking about the entire experience. I told her I wanted to question the Priest the coming Sunday about my penance…saying Our Father or Hail Mary x amount of times seemed silly. She asked me–you said the entire prayer each time, right? My mortified face told her no, I did not! (Our classes centered around beliefs, but not basic things they assumed everyone knew.)
I left work early that day and drove straight to the church to see the Priest. In tears I told him about my mistake and was so upset that I took my Holy Communion under false pretenses. I was afraid I would never be allowed to participate again, but he assured me I could confess again IF I felt I needed to, but it’s not just the deeds that God pays attention to. It’s also what’s in our heart…our intent. When I was doing my penance, my intent was to be sorry for my sins and the Priest said that was quite evident.
His attitude, along with my parents’ own views have helped shape my view of God. I am not in the fearful of a vengeful God crowd…I believe in a loving, patient, welcoming Father.
Much speculation has gone into discovering the origins of American football. Perhaps this was where the game originated…..in the 1st millenium B.C.? From “Ancient Inventions:”
“The most extraordinary sport of the ancient world was without doubt the sacred ball game of Central America and the southern United States. It was first played in about 1000 B.C. by the Olmecs, who lived along the Bay of Mexico, and by all the later great civilizations of the region.
From its very start, it was played by the most important members of society. The colossal Olmec heads — carved from basalt brought down from mountains 50 miles away and weighing up to 44 tons — show Olmec rulers wearing head coverings. A plausible explanation is that these are protective helmets (like those of modern football players) worn by the Olmecs when playing their sacred ball game.
Olmec Heads
The earliest ball courts were simple basins with earthen retaining walls, but by 1000 A.D., they had become far more elaborate. At Chichen Itza the parallel walls were 283 feet long, 100 feet apart and 27 feet high. In Aztec times, ball courts were shaped like a capital “I,” with temples at both ends and banks of seating along the sides. In the middle of the walls, which were usually 12 feet high, were set stone or wooden rings. The ball was a solid rubber sphere about 6 inches in diameter.
Detail from the 15th century Codex Magliabecciano, showing the Mexican ball game about to start. The rings, here shown outside the court, actually projected into it at right angles to the side walls.
To protect themselves against injuries from the heavy ball, the noble players (and a sprinkling of professionals) wore protective helmets, wide belts of hard wood and leather, hip pads, knee pads, and a single glove.
Representation of Protective Gear
After the ball was thrown into play, players had to pass it to their teammates using their hips, elbows, or legs, without letting it run into the other side’s end of the court, for this counted as a point against them. The excited crowd would bet on the outcome: according to a Spanish chronicler they would wager “gold, turquoises, slaves, rich mantles, even cornfields and houses.”
Star players were able to hit the ball up through the ring on the side of the court, thereby winning the game. The victorious side had the right to grab the clothes and jewelry of any spectators who couldn’t get away fast enough. That the game also had a religious significance is shown by the fact that omens were read from the movements of the ball and the nature of the victory.
Pre-Columbian art often depicts acts of decapitation as authors such as Christopher L. Moserhave pointed out. The practice is also known from the ball court game that was commonly played by all the Mesoamerican cultures prior to the arrival of the Spanish, from the Olmecs to the Aztecs. The game began to feature sacrificial elements when the Maya took it over from the Toltecs. Archaeologists had mostly dismissed these depictions as figurative, but recent evidence, including the discovery of a collection of decapitated human heads, has provided physical proof of its existence among Pre-Columbian cultures.
That the losing team may have paid the ultimate price for defeat is suggested by the sculptural reliefs found next to many ball courts, which show a ball player being decapitated as a sacrifice to the gods.
While Easter is not normally a big cake holiday–we tend to focus more on hams, chocolate bunnies, and marshmallow peeps–there are several easy to make bunny cake options which do not require special pans. We’re going to explore three: A bunny face, a bunny laying down, and a bunny butt. So let’s hop to it!
The Bunny Face
The bunny face requires 2 round cake layers. One layer is the face and the other layer is cut into the ears and bow tie.
Once assembled, you can get very creative with the decorating! The whiskers can be licorice strings, stick pretzels or just colored frosting! The bunny can be brown (chocolate frosting) or a white bunny and you can cover it with coconut! And a jelly bean for the nose!
The Laying Bunny
This cake also uses round cake pans. The diagram below shows only one layer, but the layers can be frosted together and cut as one. The ears are made of paper, and the eyes and nose are jelly beans. To tint the coconut for the surrounding grass, place coconut in a ziploc bag and add drops of green food coloring. Close the bag and shake or gently squeeze the bag to evenly distribute the color. Use plastic gloves to place the tinted coconut around the bunny to avoid dying your hands green!
The Bunny Butt
The butt bunny cake is shaped by using an oven safe bowl, cupcakes, and marshmallows. The carrots are celery pieces and fruit roll ups. The ears are made from paper. The feet pads can be made from fruit roll ups, fondant, icing or taffy.
These are just three of the many possibilities to delight your family this Easter!
We have all now seen with our own eyes how our elected officials hide their shenanigans from the People. A clear example is the obscure hurricane bill passed under the public’s radar in 2015 that also conferred freedom from liability to Big Pharma (Glenn Beck). I gathered the following information via the Patriots For America blog back in 2014. This is going to be a long one, guys! Sorry – I tried to cut it down but….
I mentioned to Pat about there being an official process to revoke one’s United States citizenship, regain one’s own individual Sovereignty, and become strictly a State citizen. The process is very lengthy and complicated, of course – the instruction packet from SEDM (Sovereignty Education and Defense Ministry, a Christian-based group) is 17 pages long. You can only read it on-line if you are a member of the site (https://sedm.org/) but it was posted at PFA years ago, and I printed it out.
Two pictures from that document: – first page:
Last page:
Rechayahu Ben Harvey in 2014:
“There was a coup d’etat that occurred in 1871 in the United States. Both Senate and House of Republicans abandoned the de jure Constitution and seats of Congress for the United States of America, and joined the municipal corporate UNITED STATES, INC., giving the People the impression that their Country and Government had not made any major changes. It has been masquerading as the de jure “Nation” and “Country,” of United States of America to the American people and the world for over 150 years.”
UNITED STATES LLC – How the ACT of 1871 changed the US from a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC to a CORPORATION
“The Republic can be restored by returning to Common Law, but you must be ready to Constitutionally enforce it with Article I, Section 8, Clause 15. If not, back down and continue to be Sheeple for the next 150 years, for you have let all peaceful means slip away while you complain, petition, and seek assistance from traitors in the de facto Congress.
The people have been made submissive or dumbed down, and don’t recognize the authority that they have, that was given to them, in this founding document by the Founding Fathers–an authority no other country in the world has: 1776 Declaration of Independence.”
So, what is Article I, Section 8, Clause 15???
Article I, Section 8, Clause 15:
[The Congress shall have Power . . . ] “…to provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; . . .
The states as well as Congress may prescribe penalties for failure to obey the President’s call of the militia. They also have a concurrent power to aid the National Government by calls under their own authority, and in emergencies may use the militia to put down armed insurrection.1 The Federal Government may call out the militia in case of civil war; its authority to suppress rebellion is found in the power to suppress insurrection and to carry on war.2 The act of February 28, 1795,3 which delegated to the President the power to call out the militia, was held constitutional.4 A militiaman who refused to obey such a call was not employed in the service of the United States so as to be subject to the article of war, but was liable to be tried for disobedience of the act of 1795.5″
As with all legislation, this Act alone caused a cascade of secondary ramifications that have just gotten more convoluted, incomprehensible and corrupt with every year that passes.
Ben Harvey: “Even the most powerful and the most despotic government cannot hold a society together by sheer force; to that extent, there was a limited truth to the old belief that governments are produced by consent. Whatever corruption and tyranny that is being thrown at The People by this de facto government, it is with the People’s consent.”
The following was written in 2007 by Augustus Blackstone, Attorney, Spokane, WA:
1. The only remaining access to common (constitutional) law under original jurisdiction lies with the Admiralty Courts under “Savings to Suitors” through Rule 9(h). The political maggots had to leave this escape hatch, else they could legitimately be charged with treason.
2. Suits in Admiralty are under the exclusive original jurisdiction of the (Article 111) district courts of the United States of America….which is not the same thing as Article 1 (administrative) or Article IV (territorial) “United States District Courts”.
3. At present, there are only 13 judges vested with original jurisdiction Article 111 judicial authority and who are properly bound by original jurisdiction Article VI oath. They are the judges of the Court of International Trade and they have the authority to sit the bench in any case in any court anywhere in the United States of America. (The CIT is located in New York.)
4. Any case (state or federal) can be re-opened and/or removed to the Admiralty as a Libel in Review, Counterclaim, and Injunction under (common law remedies) “Savings to Suitors.” An original action in Admiralty can be brought in much the same way.
5. The Admiralty courts have exclusive jurisdiction of the property in Maritime Law. The State courts can have concurrent jurisdiction only over the personage of the parties. The entire subject of insurance (of any kind, including SSA) falls within the Maritime aspect of Contract (common) Law. Hence, the phrase “law of the contract.” Today, Maritime insurance touches every part of an average American’s life. Even the nation’s currency is Maritime insured.
6. Trust entities (“strawman,” etc.) are treated as corporation entities because they are artificial creatures without inherent conscience or sentient volition of their own. Corporation entities are treated in the Admiralty as “vessels” (for similar reasons). For Maritime insurance (contract) purposes, each “vessel” must not only have a hull (body) number, but each “vessel” must also be “personified” with a name (usually all caps spelling).
7. What most people think of as federal, state, and local “government” today is, in truth, nothing more than a bunch of affiliated (Maritime insured) corporation entities (“vessels”). Each entity (Justice Dept., Judicial Dept., Treasury Dept., United States, State of ______, IRS, SSA, FBI, etc.) has its own Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), which number cannot be obtained without certification of corporation “vessel” character/status (Form SS-4).
8. The most compelling evidence of proof of the corporation status, which can be obtained via public disclosure request (FOIA), is written verification of the FEIN assigned to a particular “government” agency/department.
9. The officers and crew of these corporation vessels, whether elected, appointed or hired, are nothing more than corporation “public policy” employees (without Public Law authority) and are, therefore, subject to removal/employment termination for any malfeasance, misfeasance or non-feasance, including false personification (of a Public Law officer).
10. The most compelling evidence of proof of the (corporation) “employee” status of any of today’s so-called “civil servants,” is written verification of their individual membership account in the (state) Public Employee’s Retirement System (PERS) or the Federal Employee’s Retirement System (FERS). You won’t be able to get any account balances or other more personal information, but verification of the existence or non-existence of the account is not “exempt” from disclosure under FOIA.
11. With this sort of evidence in hand, the issue (in court) then becomes: by what lawful authority do (or did) you, a mere employee of a mere corporation, exercise legitimate Public Law power to my detriment?
12. The procedures in Admiralty courts are not so dissimilar from those of other courts. It is mainly understanding the actual body of law being applied to the case without confusing it with what you think it ought to be. The de jure government of our nation is, for the most part, dormant. And it’s Offices are, for the most part, vacant. The de facto “government” and it’s employees can be brought to task only in the Admiralty courts (under Contract Law).
13. Admiralty jurisdiction has another aspect which, for various valid reasons, directly corresponds to Law Martial. It is that aspect (in a corrupted ‘quasi’ or
‘colorable’ form) which is currently in use by the federal corporation “vessels” most people tend to think of as federal, state and local “government.” There is a distinction to be made between a “criminal action” (Public Law exercise of the collective power of the People) and a “penal code violation” (exercise of federal corporation “public policy” authority). A Public Law crime requires an actual victim (corpus delicti). A federal corporation “(Public) policy” offense only requires an infraction violation of the corporation’s penal code. The easiest way to make the distinction between the two is: the punishment for a (real) crime makes no provision for amercement (bribe). The penalty for a federal corporation’s penal code violation typically includes time in the “vessel’s” brig/stockade or a “fine,” or both. Thus, the Maritime insurance/Contract Law becomes apparent.
14. It is a fundamental precept of English/American jurisprudence that “justice shall be administered without purchase.” In other words, “justice” is not for sale or hire. That is why those who advocate (practice law) on behalf of incompetent person, e.g., the insane, infants, etc., must do so pro bono and be appointed by the court on a case-by-case basis (which is how practitioners lawfully acquire the character/status of “officer of the court.”
15. That is also why those who advocate (practice law) for hire on behalf of a corporation entity must do so under “license” issued by and under the official Seal of the State(s)….which an attorney’s BAR card is not. The BAR card carries no more legal significance than a AAA membership card….which is not a “license” (to drive) issued by and under the official Seal of the State(s). The State BARs, without federal corporation “vessels” styled as “LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF _______” and/or “JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT.”
16. The BAR number assigned to each member is (or can be referred to as) a mixed war Letter of Marque (document) number, by which they are seemingly authorized to make inland raids and seizures (in the capacity of privateers) upon “enemies” of the (corporation) “state.” (Ref. the Trading With The Enemy Act).
17. When in the Admiralty courts, one must use the proper terms to properly identify the parties and their actions. The Maritime insured federal corporation vessel styled as “(insert TITLE/NAME)” operates inland under U.S. tax registry number (insert FEIN). The officers and crew thereof are Maritime insured “employees.” Get the idea?
The foregoing has very little directly to do with restoring and maintaining one’s individual sovereign character/status. It does, however, help one to understand the true nature of the game (and its rules) in which we find ourselves, and the remedies available.
Before we moved to upstate Pennsylvania, I lived and worked in the southeastern part of the state at a logistics company. They moved cargo and containers from ports and railways all across the country. I was the “Cash Applications Manager”…lol…fancy title I know, and I was friends with several other managers in the company.
One of my best friends there, Jane, and I would walk every day we could, right after lunch. The building we worked out of, was nestled in a small industrial section of Bethlehem, and was not far from a main thoroughfare in the city. One sunny afternoon, we were feeling pretty ambitious and decided to take the “long” way back the office.
I could smell the air changing as we walked and a puzzled look must have crossed my face because Jane asked me what was wrong. “Can’t you smell it?” I asked.
She looked around briefly, sniffed and said “Just Born.”
Just Born is the maker of the famous Peeps…and jelly beans…and all sorts of wonderful candy. On most days when we walked far enough, or the wind was blowing just right, we could smell jelly beans being made–the fruity smells filling the air!
Of course, Just Born also is the home of the famous Peepmobile!
Peeps are not to everyone’s taste, but I love them! I enjoy mine stale. I remove the plastic wrapping from the peeps and let them sit out for a while to develop a crunchy outside…YUM!
If you thought other weddings you’ve been to had a lot of traditions, just wait until you attend your first military wedding. With a slew of unique customs, specific dress codes, and even requirements for invitation wording, there’s etiquette to navigate that you may not have seen before. Plus, different branches of the military have different variations of these traditions.
Like all nuptial ceremonies, military weddings are celebratory and meaningful events but with an added air of patriotism. They’re meant to honor anyone who has served or is currently serving in any branch of the U.S. military, including those enlisted, active and retired officers, and cadets at an academy. Incorporating long-standing traditions makes military weddings that much more special, and there’s a lot more guidance when it comes to making decisions about the venue, decorations, recessional song, and more.
Wondering what to expect at a military wedding? Below, learn all about the traditions, plus what to plan for and expect at a military wedding ceremony.
Seating Based on Military Status and Rank
During the ceremony, commanding officers should sit near the front, either with or directly behind the couple’s families. At the reception, military members should be seated by rank (captains with captains, sergeants with sergeants, etc.). Military personnel may also be seated together at a table of honor near the head table, or they can sit with the civilian guests if the couple prefers.
Each branch of service has specific seating guidelines, but overall, high-ranking officers (generals, captains) are given positions of the highest honor both at the ceremony and reception.
A Flag On Display
An American flag and the bride or groom’s unit standard are usually on display during the ceremony as a sign of respect. Protocol dictates that this should be displayed to the left of the officiant when viewed by the gathered guests. In addition to the flag, the couple may choose to incorporate other patriotic decorations and colors into their ceremony and reception.
The Rules of Grooming
If the groom chooses to be wed in full military uniform, they’ll need to adhere to the unique regulatory standards that each branch holds, including universal grooming standards, such as shaving. All men in uniform must be clean-shaven, and these same rules apply to any vets or retirees planning to don a uniform.
My friends, Marianne and Ski (his last name was Pankowsky but IDR his first name – we just called him Ski! The blue braid on his arm signifies that he was in the 3rd US Infantry)
If you’re a woman marrying a male retiree or vet with a sexy beard and want him to wear his uniform, he’s going to have to get rid of it again. I think we’re all aware that men can get pretty attached to their beards, so that may or may not require some negotiation. However, the opportunity to again wear a uniform that holds so much national and personal significance may be a major motivation.
Groomsmen in White Gloves
Any member of the wedding party in uniform who is carrying a saber or cutlass, whether an officer or enlisted personnel, must wear white gloves. This is typically required of military members for most ceremonial events. The groom and best man are exempt, however, as they will be handling the rings.
The Saber Arch Exit
If one or both of the newlyweds are commissioned officers, they may exit the ceremony beneath an archway of sabers held by other military members, known as the Arch of Sabers (or the Arch of Swords if they’re in the Navy or Marine Corps). If the partners are noncommissioned officers or enlisted personnel, they will instead use a variation known as the Arch of Rifles.
The arch serves as a pledge of loyalty to the couple by their military family and often ends with the final two military members lowering their sabers to prevent the couple from passing.
Traditionally, brides who aren’t in the military may be ceremonially tapped on the behind with a saber before the couple is allowed to pass—it’s considered a way to “welcome” them into the military family. Though less common than it used to be, it’s still practiced today, and brides can request to skip this part if they’re not comfortable with it.
Cake-Cutting With a Sword
The sword cake-cutting is perhaps one of the most recognizable military wedding traditions. If the bride or groom is an officer, they will use a ceremonial military sword to cut their wedding cake instead of a knife or cake server.
Marianne and Ski did cut their cake with a sword but I didn’t get pics of that one!
Traditionally, the military spouse presents the sword to their partner before they cut the cake. Then, customarily, the bride places a hand underneath the groom’s on the handle of the sword, and they cut through the cake together; however, this can be updated according to the couple’s preferences.
M & S with their parents outside the chapel
These are just a few of the traditions – read more:
Okay, OUR pond monster wasn’t quite this glorious or famous…but what an adventure!
We begin the tale on an average evening in April here in the Pennsylvania mountains, where an…ah…older couple have just finished their dinner and are doing the dishes, looking out at their quaint little pond.
not us by the way
Suddenly my husband notices a “black spot” on the pond and points…”What’s that, do you think?” I respond that i haven’t a clue. Since it was getting darker and there are no lights out near the pond and, of course, we wanna veg for the evening, we agree it’s nothing. Watching Third Rock from the Sun on dvd, laughing about aliens from another planet, makes us forget all about whatever is IN the pond.
In the morning, we continue our daily lives as though nothing happened the night before-no mysterious sighting in the pond. I do laundry, have coffee, peruse my favorite websites. Hubby gets his coffee and heads to his home office to begin his day.
I start to do the breakfast dishes and notice it’s raining…and my gaze wanders to the pond…the THING is still there…IN THE SAME SPOT. In our little pond, we have 2 outfall pipes to keep the water level as consistent as possible (droughts notwithstanding). Water enters the pond from the left (from my vantage point) via a waterfall and the outfall pipes are directly across the pond to the right. The THING in the pond is in the direct path of the incoming water but is NOT being drawn to the outfall pipes!
All at once, the rain becomes heavier…and as i watch, the THING in the pond moves! Not toward the pipes, but towards me! Well okay, it’s still in the water but it’s moving towards the pond’s edge. I call out to hubby that I’m going to investigate!! He laughs–imagine–he laughs! “It’s probably dirt or leaves or something.” I grab the binoculars and I see 2 white spots on the black THING–I yell–“IT’S GOT EYES!!!!!”
I yank on my rain slicker, grab the rolling pin (the handiest weapon I have in the kitchen) and storm out!
not me, again
I hear hubby laughing behind me as I charge the pond, determined to see what has invaded us! As we near the water’s edge, I can see it has moved even closer and I raise my rolling pin, almost clubbing hubby who now is as intrigued as I about IT. It’s turning in the water…this is just not dirt! Although there appeared to be twigs and leaves entwined together…there is something steering the small dark mass…it turns…and turns… and then we get a look at the driver…
A frog…the biggest darn frog I’ve seen to date around here…but just a frog.
Well, that’s what counts as an adventure around these parts.
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Sew Colorful 