Travel Prep Day

Posted on May 6, 2019 by vanbraman

Today has been a travel prep day. When getting ready to travel there are some important things that need to get done.

Cliffor, Travel prep, suitcase, travel, packing formulaPacking is obviously one of the things that had to get done. Here I have the suitcase all ready to load up after I solved the Packing Formula.

pruning rose bushes, yard work, roses, dead headI also needed to do some work with my roses. I have had a lot of rose blooms this spring and it was time to do a bit of trimming.

rose bushes, cutting back blooms, yard workThe bush looks a lot different after all the spent blooms have been trimmed away. The rose blooms on this Mr. Lincoln bush do not last long. However, more are on the way and I will probably come home to a bush full of blooms.

back yard, mowing lawn, green grass, springI was also able to get the yard mowed and it all looks nice. It will be time to mow again when I get home, but can just imagine what it would look like if I didn’t mow it before I left.

ladybug pupae, ladybugs, natureI also found several ladybug pupae. I have never really noticed them before, but now that I am looking for them they seem to be everywhere. I saw them on most of my rose bushes today. Now if I can only find a nice cluster of eggs on the underside of a leaf.

Now to make the final packing decisions.

Steven

 

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The Battle of Cinco de Mayo

Posted on May 5, 2019 by vanbraman

Did you know that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration in memory of a battle? The battle is known as the Battle of Puebla or the Battle of Cinco de Mayo.

Cinco de Mayo - Battle of Puebla - Mexico vs. France - May 5, 1862This painting is titled: Batalla de Puebla, 5 de mayo de 1862

The painting is by José Cusachs and was painted in 1903.

The Battle of Puebla was between Mexico and an invading French army. The Mexican Army overcame great odds to win the battle and send the French packing. This battle may have had a big affect on the War Between the States as it has been speculated that if France had won this battle they would have then moved north and helped the Confederate Army in their battles.

After being defeated at the Battle of Puebla the French army had to regroup and they eventually resumed their march toward Mexico City which was soon defeated. Emperor Maximilian then ruled Mexico for about three years before the Mexican Republic was re-established.

Chapultepec Tower - Battle of Chapultepec - Mexico City - Grasshopper HillThe painting of the Battle of Puebla is in the Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City which is the home of the Museo Nacional De Historia. I really enjoyed learning about the history of Mexico from one of my students who is interested in History. In one of the museums we visited he was able to show me pictures of his grandfather.

Chapultepec Castle - Chapultepec Hill - Grasshopper Hill - Castillo de Chapultepec - Stained Glass WindowChapultepec has some ties to US History and you can read more in my post: Back in Time II

The year after the battle President Juárez declared a national holiday to remember the Battle of Cinco de Mayo.

However, today Cinco de Mayo is only a regional holiday in Mexico and is not a national holiday. It is interesting that Cinco de Mayo is celebrated by more people in the US than in Mexico.

I did not do anything special for the holiday, although I did eat some tortilla chips for dinner tonight 🙂

Steven

 

 

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