Thinking About

My Report On The U.S. Flag Complete With Commentary

/ Ally Bean / 33 Comments
American-Flag-222x300

{ image from Library of Congress}

Today is Flag Day.  On this date in 1777, the Continental Congress officially approved the design of the U.S. flag as we know it today.

•  But you knew that, of course.  You paid attention in history class and it’s right there on your calendar, in small print.

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In adopting the flag the Continental Congress stated: “Resolved, That the Flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”  It is interesting to note that the colors of red – white – blue did not have meanings when this resolution was adopted.

In 1818, after 5 more states joined the Union, the U.S. Congress passed legislation fixing the number of stripes at 13 and requiring that the number of stars equal the number of states.

•  Smart thinking if you ask me.  Have a plan, stick to it.

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In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson declared June 14th as a national day of recognition for the flag.  According to this declaration, the flag is to be flown everywhere on this day, not just on government buildings and schools.

In 1949, while President Truman was in office, the U.S. Congress established June 14 as National Flag Day.  The next year on June 14th he proclaimed it as such.  However, this does not make June 14th an official federal holiday so no one gets the day off from work because of this Act of Congress.

•  I fail to see the reason why the U.S. Congress did what they did, but that’s nothing new.

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The U.S. flag has three nicknames: “Stars and Stripes” – “Star-Spangled Banner” – “Old Glory.”  And as you can imagine, no matter what you call it, there are etiquette rules for flying the U.S. flag.  Reading through them you will discover that We, The People, break these rules almost daily.

•  I direct your attention to the Decorative section of the list.  ‘Nuff said.

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In 1960, on July 4th, the last new star was added to the flag when Hawaii became the 50th state.  That is the last time there has been a change to the U.S. flag itself.  But there is more to the story than mere design changes.  You see, on June 14, 2004, the U.S. Congress unanimously voted to declare that Flag Day originated in Ozaukee County, Waubeka Wisconsin, thereby acknowledging another little known historical fact.

And with that I have nothing more to add to this report.  ‘Tis time for me to go put my cute little red, white & blue flags in my large blue green flower pots filled with dark pink geraniums, so that I can say that I’m [stylishly] observing this holiday.

•  How about you?  What are you going to do to celebrate Flag Day?

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Call Me!

/ Ally Bean / 19 Comments

This June my desk calendar’s picture is an old advertisement for a 1959 Princess Telephone.  The phone is that unique shade of turquoise that was so popular in the 1950s.  Tres chic!

I have no personal recollection of Princess Telephones [Model 702].  We didn’t have one in our home.  Instead, we had a basic white rotary dial Desk Telephone [Model 500] in the kitchen + a yellow Trimline Telephone [Model 220] in my upstairs bedroom.

Yes, we were early adopters with two phones in our small house.  Try not to be jealous.

Even though the following short TV commercial is from the 1950s, I can’t help feeling that I, too, was just as much of a princess as this girl.  I mean, I had a “personal extension phone” in my upstairs bedroom.

On the other hand, I didn’t have a dressing table adorned with bottles of nail polish and a French poodle figurine… nor was I ever inclined to wear bobby socks with a skirt… nor, after years of painful orthodontia, were my teeth as crooked as the girl’s teeth in this commercial…

But other than that, I was just like her.  Yakking on the phone.  Up in my bedroom.  In my own little teenage world.  😉

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So how about you?  

Did you have a Princess Telephone?  Or a Trimline Telephone?  

Or some other sort of phone entirely?

• • • 

[For photos and descriptions of models mentioned above please go here: Western Electric ~ A look at the evolution of the Dial Telephone.]

[FYI – Phone numbers used to be recited with words at the beginning.  Here’s a chart to help you remember, or understand, what those words meant: Ma Bell’s Officially Recommended Exchange Names.]

Rambling Thoughts On A Spring Morning

/ Ally Bean / 21 Comments

DSCN0085Another wet morning here.  This Spring has been unusually rainy and not as warm as I’d like it to be.  In fact, I have yet to wear capris, let alone shorts.  Sandals, however, I have worn.  They look kind of snazzy with jeans, so there’s that.

• • • 

As you can imagine the rainy days have led to green, lush grass.  Our yard looks great.  The neighbors’ yards look great.  The grass-filled concrete divider islands in the grocery parking look great.  The side of the interstate looks great.

The whole world looks great… as long as you like this particular shade of green.  From my point of view this green is getting a little too close to Pantone’s 2013 Color of the Year, Emerald Green.  I don’t like Emerald Green, so you can see how, for me, this Spring is getting a little cloying.

• • • 

To set my heart right I’ve taken to checking our pots of pansies more often than need be.  The leaves are green, of course– but overall the pansies are a hodgepodge of purple and maroon and orange and blue.  These colors make me happier/mellower/calmer than all that in-your-face green.  I always feel more comfortable with variety than with sameness;  and I guess, now that I think about it, that principle holds true for me in nature– as well as in decorating and people.

• • • 

Well, that’s all I’ve got from here.  Waiting for the sun to shine so that I can get outside to work in the garden.  Wondering about where I should go to buy some new shorts.  Thinking that it’s a very good thing that today is Friday, because I. am. tired.

Have a groovy weekend everyone.  See you next week on the flip side.

I’ve Looked At Blogs From Both Sides Now

/ Ally Bean / 25 Comments

A few weeks ago I wrote about having been around the blogosphere for nine years.  As I said then, I’ve seen and experienced many good things during my blogging career.  But as you can imagine there have been weird things that have happened to me, also.   

So, in the interest of full disclosure, and as I have nothing else I really want to talk about today, I thought that I’d share some of the less-than-friendly experiences I’ve had while blogging. 

Life ain’t all sunshine and rainbows, now is it?

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 1.  Years ago a woman with a public blog asked me to remove her blog from my blogroll because she did not know me in real life.  She told me that she only allowed people who she knew in real life to put her blog on their blogroll.  I did as she asked and sent her an email apologizing for any distress my connection might have caused her.

To this day I have to wonder how she’s doing at keeping strangers from connecting with her.  If you don’t want people to take an interest in your life, then don’t keep a public blog.  Seems logical to me, but then I’m a pragmatic person, so what do I know?

Kind of trippy, that one.

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2.  I’ve always included some photos in my blogs.  At one point someone liked my photos so much that he or she set up a Flickr account using a version of my name.  Then he or she stole some of my photos off my blog, and placed them in this account.  Under my name.

This was one of those “to what end?” experiences.  I was given credit for my work– which was good.  The account was public– which was good.  However, I never determined why someone would do this.  Was it supposed to be flattery?  I don’t know.  It was harmless, but really?

Just a little too weird, if you ask me.

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3.  As many of you know, I like to leave comments on other people’s blogs.  I only comment if I have something to add to the conversation.  Never anything rude or disruptive.  So one day I read a post, complete with a photo, that spoke to me.  Consequently, I left a short heartfelt comment based on experiences in my life.

I returned to the blog a few days later to see if this blogger had responded to my comment, only to find that she had taken down the photo that had sparked my comment.  And that she had deleted my kind, non-confrontational, positive comment.  I was shocked at first.  But then it slowly dawned on me that this woman was a diva and she might have felt that my comment upstaged her [?], so she got rid of the photo– and me.

Flip city, huh?

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So, tell me, what weirdnesses have you experienced while using social media?  I know everyone has a story to tell– and what better place and time than here and now?  

Hmmm?  ‘Fess up.