Remember how I mentioned that while we were in DC there was a visiting dignitary from Korea there also?  He not only left a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier but also at the Korean War Veterans Memorial.  It was beautiful.

Hope you see something beautiful this weekend.

I thought you all might like to read the letter I mailed to President Obama yesterday

Dear Mr. President,

Congratulations on your fabulous address to the joint session of Congress last evening. I thought your remarks were eloquent, heartfelt and truthful. I am hopeful that your positions on health care and the economy will bring about the change our country needs.

One particular statement that you made has prompted me to write this letter. You said that Ty’Sheoma Bethea, the young girl from Dillon, South Carolina, went to the public library and typed a letter to Congress. I think that it’s admirable that this young girl took the time to do that but what makes me truly proud is that she used the resources of the public library to do it.

Public libraries are so important to the citizens of this country. They are a critical part of the communities they serve not only for books, newspapers and magazines but for movies and free Internet access and computer usage. The librarians who work there offer programs to help people write resumes and find jobs, they proctor exams for people taking correspondence courses, and they direct people to the answers they seek and the resources they need.

And yet, when money becomes tight, public libraries are often the first institutions to face budget cuts. For the first time in my 15 years as a public library director I am facing budget cuts that will force me to layoff employees. I am being asked to reduce the hours the library is open and some members of the finance committee have even suggested that the library be closed completely. Where will a young girl like Ty’Sheoma Bethea go should that happen?

I know that you believe in the importance of education, Mr. President. And I know you understand that education doesn’t end when someone graduates from high school or college or graduate school. I fervently hope that you also know that the public library is the only place that all Americans can go to educate themselves for a lifetime. We serve the elderly and we serve students. We provide curriculum for home schoolers and a warm place to spend the day for those who are cold. We are here for everyone and for a lifetime of learning. We’d like to keep it that way.

Thank you for your time.

Yours truly,

Me

I made my very first King Cake this weekend. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a few years now. I love trying regional recipes or those with historical or cultural significance – like Hoppin’ John on New Year’s day – so King Cake on the last weekend before Fat Tuesday seemed especially appropriate. And since blog reader Doris made 14 of these last week and then sent me her recipe, along with lots of encouragement, I decided to give it a go.

It’s a yeast bread that’s shaped into a rectangle and filled with cinnamon and sugar and then rolled up. After it’s baked it’s covered in frosting and purple, green and yellow sugar.

It’s delicious and colorful and a great Mardi Gras tradition, even if I didn’t have a plastic baby to put inside.

Our trip to DC last week was really fabulous. Not only did we get to hang out with Hillary and her family but we also got to see so much. Honestly, I am astounded at how much we crammed into the 3 days we had in the city.

I could show you lots of pictures but I won’t bore you with that. Instead, I’ve selected just a few of my favorites. The highlights, if you will.

There was a visiting dignitary from South Korea at the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The ceremony was much more elaborate and we were fortunate to see it.

Dale was thrilled that we were able to visit Ford’s Theater.

We found the name of Peter Moskos on the wall.  He was from our town and Dale knows his family.  Finding his name really personalized the wall for us.

I call this one “Mr. Dale Goes to Washington.”  There are plenty more like this – Dale at the Washington Monument, Dale at the Lincoln Memorial, etc.  Be glad I only chose a couple.

I was very pleased that we got to see the World War II Memorial this time since I missed it last year.  It’s huge and really impressive and frankly, quite magnificent.

There were loads of things we saw and did that I don’t have pictures of. Like lunch at the Old Ebbitt Grill and dinner at Union Station. (They have happy hour in DC and that makes the Massachusetts visitors very happy.) We also saw the original Star Spangled Banner, Lincoln’s Top hat that he wore the night he was assassinated, the surrender flag from the Civil War, the furniture from Appomattox Court house, the Seinfeld puffy shirt, Kermit the Frog and Oscar the Grouch, Minnie Pearl’s hat and the Ruby Slippers, and the Hope diamond. We saw several of our country’s most important documents like the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The 19th Amendment, the Louisiana Purchase and the homestead papers of Charles Ingalls were also on display at the National Archives.

As much as we saw, I still feel like we’ve only scratched the surface of all that DC has to offer. We’re just going to have to go back!

How about that Oscar show! Did you watch? What did you think? I wasn’t surprised at all that Slumdog Millionaire walked away with the top honors. In fact, most of the awards went the way I predicted. Sean Penn for Milk, Kate Winslet for The Reader, etc.

How about the dresses? I thought Sarah Jessica Parker hit a home run. So did Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep. And Sean Penn looked classic in all black.

The show itself was better than usual, I thought. Hugh Jackman was a great host and I liked that they took advantage of his musical ability. The new way of presenting the awards was good but I did miss seeing the film clips.

So, what did you think? Let’s hear it.

Hey Everybody!
I’m sorry I disappeared on you – I wasn’t really trying to fake my own death. That’s just overdone, isn’t it? Plus, I wouldn’t have been any better at it than some others that have tried, since Hillary posted a picture of me yesterday and I am clearly alive and well in that photo.

Anyway, it was really just a series of unfortunate events that wound up making a lot of people very nervous.

Dale and I went on vacation this week so I had 3 posts pre-written to take me through Wednesday. I planned on checking the blog and responding to emails while away but my laptop had issues with Hillary’s wireless and I couldn’t actually do any of that. I then planned on posting Thursday morning (from the airport) telling you where we had been and all that stuff – Wednesday’s photo was a big hint, by the way. However, when I attempted to get into WordPress Thursday morning I was shut out because someone had hacked into my blog with some sort of phishing thing. SiteGround shut me down and it has been a real hassle getting things back up.

JessaLu has been my tech guru once again. I’d still be floundering around in admin files and support tickets if it weren’t for her. That said, we’ve done a work around here that SiteGround may or may not approve of – meaning this may disappear again.

So just know that I’m fine and not a zombie. The blog will be fine eventually and all is well here at Carole Knits. The dog and cat survived our time away and things are returning to normal. Thanks to each of you who emailed me to make sure I was okay! Keep your fingers crossed that things go smoothly from this point forward.

The bread line at the FDR Memorial. The shape of things to come? Or a look at the past?
(Okay, fine, so I can’t be completely wordless. Big surprise there, eh?)

This week’s Ten on Tuesday is 10 Songs That Describe You or Your Life. Hmm. This shouldn’t be too difficult.

Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On by Jimmy Buffett. The lesson here is obvious – learn to let it go. I’m even considering this is a tattoo to remind me of the way I want to approach life.

It Works for Me by Toby Keith. Yeah, a country song. But this song is all about living your life your way and not according to someone else’s rules. That works for me.

I’m a Bitch, I’m a Lover by Alanis Morisette. Self-explanatory, I think.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness. An old-fashioned hymn that says a lot about God’s place in my life.

Roll Me Away by Bob Seeger. My favorite part: I could go East, I could go West, it was all up to me to decide.

Love in the Library by Jimmy Buffett. I’m a librarian and a romantic, what can I say?

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables from Les Miserables. Sometimes I really miss my mom, dad, and my two brothers. It’s lonely being the last surviving family member.

Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen. We make the world go ’round, you know.

I Got You Babe by Sonny and Cher. The song that most accurately describes my life with Dale.

Testify to Love by Wynonna Judd. In the end, love is all you’ve got.

So as you may recall, I am a huge fan of The Oscars. I love the movies, I love the actors and actresses, I love the red carpet and the commentary, I love the show. Really, this is my favorite night of television all year long and the show is less than a week away now! I can’t wait to dress up and eat fancy food while we watch.

Once the nominations are announced we try very hard to see as many of the Oscar-nominated pictures as possible. At the very least I like to see all the best picture nominees and this year we did! (That’s not as easy as you might think, living out here in the ‘burbs and all.) This year’s best picture nominees are:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire.

Have you seen them? Which one is your favorite? Which one do you think will win?

Discuss.

Dale brought me tulips the other day. I should bake him a cake more often, I guess.

Have a great weekend!