farmerdilla, "Garden supply companies make money selling road salt (Calcium Chloride) as Stop Rot. Plants naturally grow out of BER and Stop Rot gets the credit so they keep selling the stuff. It actually is about as helpful as going out and whistling Dixie to your plants at three O'clock in the morning." Funny you should mention that. Being "up north", I always hum Battle Hymn of the Republic at dawn, and thought that I was making a difference. So, are you saying that my harmonies haven't had an impact on my squash?! ;-)

I remember after 9/11 that our school district wanted to do something special. They held a districtwide music concert of all patriotic songs and invited the local military groups (the base and veterans groups) to attend as our guests. At one point in the evening, the concert band and orchestra played a medly of the various services' songs, and members of that service in the audience were asked to stand as their service song was played. It was very touching. I see strong patriotism in our students here.

Cindy, I did a bit of research to verify that Uris's book came first; it was published in 1958. According to IMDb, the screen rights were sold even before the book came out, and Ernest Gold was recruited to write the film score on the strength of his work on projects such as "The Defiant Ones" and "On the Beach." Gold was much taken with the story of the Jews returning to the land of their ancestors and is said to have studied Hebrew and Arab music to incorporate the correct harmony and rhythm. I think we can say he succeeded splendidly. Personal note: I remember my mother weeping the first time we heard the Exodus theme on the radio. The orchestration has a wonderful French horn part, and since I'm a horn player it has long been a favorite of mine. It gives me goosebumps even when I'm playing it.

Again - thanks for your good wishes on my birthday. Waldie, a cousin, and I were friends in our small high school, where he often played the piano at noon hour. He liked horses, rode one to school and parked it in my Dad's Mom's brother-in-law's barn. He helped his Dad, who was a member of our provincial legislature for several years, operate a timber business, and later began an auction business, from which he retired several years ago. He and his family loved music, and often performed. His son told me, when I spoke of their nobility in having performed while their father and grandfather was dying, that his last verbal communication with his father was that when he told his Dad that they were going to play at the gathering that night, his Dad sat part way up, said, "Good" and smiled. The show must go on. He was a jolly, friendly man, of integrity, who built many friendships, so there was a large crowd in attendance at the visitation and the church was nearly filled this morning for his funeral which included a number of stories about him, the family playing their fiddles, bass, mandolin, autoharp, etc. and singing, and a good deal of laughter, and applause - Waldie wouldn't have wanted it otherwise - and we sang, "What a friend we have in Jesus" and "The battle hymn of the republic". How much happier world ours would be were it peopled by more like he was. We'll miss Waldie at the Old Farts' club ... as we miss others on their departure. I've said sometimes that one of the best tributes that we can pay at the death of someone whom we admire is to examine the things about them that pleased us, tweak one or two of the good things so that they'd fit our lifestyle, and emulate those qualities within our own lives. I had just started down the lunch line ... when I remembered that, having skipped breakfast, and about to have a blood test that required fasting, I was about to misbehave ... so abandoned the line. Haven't et - yet: filled with expectations .... but the belly says, "I don't find them nearly that full-filling" ole joyfuelled