GottaDEAL 2021 Black Friday Prize Club Thread

[Reinholt1]

April is half over and they are calling for possible snow here in Michigan for the next 3 days! My peach trees are gonna freeze! [emoji24]

Yeah...what a shame. Been telling my mother for two weeks now that it is not good that the trees are budding 2-3 weeks early, we could loose our fruit crops. But she is just so happy to see everything alive again....

 

Good luck with your peaches....hopefully some will make it.

[len_mullen]

Happy Patriots Day!

 

 

from Battles of Lexington and Concord - HISTORY

 

At dawn on April 19, some 700 British troops arrived in Lexington and came upon 77 militiamen gathered on the town green. A British major yelled, “Throw down your arms! Ye villains, ye rebels.” The heavily outnumbered militiamen had just been ordered by their commander to disperse when a shot rang out. To this day, no one knows which side fired first. Several British volleys were subsequently unleashed before order could be restored. When the smoke cleared, eight militiamen lay dead and nine were wounded, while only one Redcoat was injured.

 

The British then continued into Concord to search for arms, not realizing that the vast majority had already been relocated. They decided to burn what little they found, and the fire got slightly out of control. Hundreds of militiamen occupying the high ground outside of Concord incorrectly thought the whole town would be torched. The militiamen hustled to Concord’s North Bridge, which was being defended by a contingent of British soldiers. The British fired first but fell back when the colonists returned the volley. This was the “shot heard ‘round the world” later immortalized by poet Ralph Waldo Emerson.

 

After searching Concord for about four hours, the British prepared to return to Boston, located 18 miles away. By that time, almost 2,000 militiamen—known as minutemen for their ability to be ready on a moment’s notice—had descended to the area, and more were constantly arriving. At first, the militiamen simply followed the British column. Fighting started again soon after, however, with the militiamen firing at the British from behind trees, stone walls, houses and sheds. Before long, British troops were abandoning weapons, clothing and equipment in order to retreat faster.

 

When the British column reached Lexington, it ran into an entire brigade of fresh Redcoats that had answered a call for reinforcements. But that did not stop the colonists from resuming their attack all the way through Menotomy (now Arlington) and Cambridge. The British, for their part, tried to keep the colonists at bay with flanking parties and canon fire. In the evening a contingent of newly arrived minutemen from Salem and Marblehead, Massachusetts, purportedly had a chance to cut off the Redcoats and perhaps finish them off. Instead, their commander ordered them not to attack, and the British were able to reach the safety of Charlestown Neck, where they had naval support.

 

 

Paul Revere’s Ride

 

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

Listen, my children, and you shall hear

Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,

On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five:

Hardly a man is now alive

Who remembers that famous day and year.

 

He said to his friend, — “If the British march

By land or sea from the town to-night,

Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry-arch

Of the North-Church-tower, as a signal-light,

—One if by land, and two if by sea;

And I on the opposite shore will be,

Ready to ride and spread the alarm

Through every Middlesex village and farm,

For the country-folk to be up and to arm.”

 

Then he said good-night, and with muffled oar

Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,

Just as the moon rose over the bay,

Where swinging wide at her moorings lay

The Somersett, British man-of-war:

A phantom ship, with each mast and spar

Across the moon, like a prison-bar,

And a huge, black hulk, that was magnified

By its own reflection in the tide.

 

Meanwhile, his friend, through alley and street

Wanders and watches with eager ears,

Till in the silence around him he hears

The muster of men at the barrack-door,

The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,

And the measured tread of the grenadiers

Marching down to their boats on the shore.

 

Then he climbed to the tower of the church,

Up the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,

To the belfry-chamber overhead,

And startled the pigeons from their perch

On the sombre rafters, that round him made

Masses and moving shapes of shade,

—Up the light ladder, slender and tall,

To the highest window in the wall,

Where he paused to listen and look down

A moment on the roofs of the town,

And the moonlight flowing over all.

 

Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead

In their night-encampment on the hill,

Wrapped in silence so deep and still,

That he could hear, like a sentinel’s tread,

The watchful night-wind, as it went

Creeping along from tent to tent,

And seeming to whisper, “All is well!”

A moment only he feels the spell

Of the place and the hour, the secret dread

Of the lonely belfry and the dead;

For suddenly all his thoughts are bent

On a shadowy something far away,

Where the river widens to meet the bay,

—A line of black, that bends and floats

On the rising tide, like a bridge of boats.

 

Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,

Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride,

On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere

Now he patted his horse’s side,

Now gazed on the landscape far and near,

Then impetuous stamped the earth,

And turned and tightened his saddle-girth;

But mostly he watched with eager search

The belfry-tower of the old North Church,

As it rose above the graves on the hill,

Lonely, and spectral, and sombre, and still.

 

And lo! as he looks, on the belfry’s height,

A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!

He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,

But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight

A second lamp in the belfry burns!

 

A hurry of hoofs in a village-street,

A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,

And beneath from the pebbles, in passing, a spark

Struck out by a steed that flies fearless and fleet:

That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,

The fate of a nation was riding that night;

And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,

Kindled the land into flame with its heat.

 

It was twelve by the village-clock,

When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.

He heard the crowing of the cock,

And the barking of the farmer’s dog,

And felt the damp of the river-fog,

That rises when the sun goes down.

 

It was one by the village-clock,

When he rode into Lexington.

He saw the gilded weathercock

Swim in the moonlight as he passed,

And the meeting-house windows, blank and bare,

Gaze at him with a spectral glare,

As if they already stood aghast

At the bloody work they would look upon.

 

It was two by the village-clock,

When he came to the bridge in Concord town.

He heard the bleating of the flock,

And the twitter of birds among the trees,

And felt the breath of the morning-breeze

Blowing over the meadows brown.

And one was safe and asleep in his bed

Who at the bridge would be first to fall,

Who that day would be lying dead,

Pierced by a British musket-ball.

 

You know the rest. In the books you have read

How the British regulars fired and fled,

—How the farmers gave them ball for ball,

From behind each fence and farmyard-wall,

Chasing the red-coats down the lane,

Then crossing the fields to emerge again

Under the trees at the turn of the road,

And only pausing to fire and load.

 

So through the night rode Paul Revere;

And so through the night went his cry of alarm

To every Middlesex village and farm,

—A cry of defiance, and not of fear,

—A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,

And a word that shall echo forevermore!

For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,

Through all our history, to the last,

In the hour of darkness and peril and need,

The people will waken and listen to hear

The hurrying hoof-beat of that steed,

And the midnight-message of Paul Revere.

 

 

When my youngest was a Boy Scout, we would camp in Acton April 18-19 then rally at Captain Issac Davis' farm for speeches, and march to the North Bridge where a park ranger of the National Park Service would describe the events of the day.  Along the way, the kids would stop at historical sites and collect information required to complete a questionnaire.  Successful completion of the questionnaire and hike earned each participant a commemorative medal...

 

 

(You got nothing for carrying a young scout most of the six miles on your shoulders.)

 

Every other year the Acton Minutemen accompanied the scouts on the march.  Every year the residents of Actor lined the route as if we were some kind of parade.

 

 

from Captain Isaac Davis (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

 

Isaac Davis was the captain of the Acton minute man company. He was the first colonial officer to die in the American Revolution, April 19, 1775. He was born February 23, 1745 to Ezekiel Davis and Mary Gibson. On October 24, 1764 he married Hannah Brown and the couple raised four children. He made his living as farmer and a blacksmith.  

 

According to their order in the line from a muster a few weeks prior, [the Acton Minutemen] formed up to the left of the Concord companies. However, for reasons which remain unknown and are still a source of heated debate among historians, Davis’ company was soon brought up on the right. Colonel Barrett, in overall command, then ordered the make-shift battalion to march upon the bridge but not to fire unless first fired upon. The column then wheeled off into column “by the right” and began the advance to North Bridge with Davis’ company in front.  

 

To march within range of the enemy’s guns and let them take the first shot requires enormous courage. Davis, accompanied by Major John Buttrick and Lt. Colonel Robinson marched in front with his men close behind. The Regulars fell back to the opposite shore and formed for action. Soon shots rang out from the British side and Luther Blanchard, the fifer for Davis’ company, cried out that he had been hit. Major Buttrick then shouted “Fire! For God’s sake fire!” The minute men returned the fire and British responded in kind. Captain Davis was shot through the chest and died instantly along with Abner Hosmer, a young private in the company.

Edited April 19, 2021 by len_mullen

[Kanyon71]

Ya it’s been snowing in MI yesterday and today.

[HanShotFirst]

Ya it’s been snowing in MI yesterday and today.

My azaleas had just gotten to nearly full bloom and I had just potted some impatiens and vincas, and BAM.......mother nature strikes again down South too with freeze warnings and record low temps for April......We cannot win for losing. 

[magickallight]

Only 217 days until Black Friday.

[starbeck96]

It is now 216 days until BF

[Kanyon71]

Almost may already. Sheesh

[packratfamily]

Hmmmm looks like April is doing better here. Been doing PT 3x/week and think it may be having some effect.Only took a year to find correct medical help

[chester5]

Woke up to a dusting of snow on the ground.  As my daughter would say, "what the muffins"???

[ilikefree]

Almost may already. Sheesh

Unreal!

[Kanyon71]

Woke up to a dusting of snow on the ground.  As my daughter would say, "what the muffins"???

Was 35 when I took my wife's laptop charger to her at work (she accidentally left it), supposed to be 86 tomorrow. I mean SERIOUSLY?

[bluebear]

Today is my son's 25th birthday (yikes!) And he wasn't asking for anything, so I got everyone to get him $25 GCs. That was fun!

And both him and my daughter got new jobs last week, and my youngest was contacted by a major company's corporate office for a possible internship, so that is all exciting news for them! Hooray!

[bossy1]

Was 35 when I took my wife's laptop charger to her at work (she accidentally left it), supposed to be 86 tomorrow. I mean SERIOUSLY?

I feel ya... just right below you in O HI HELL... the weather needs some lithium...it's acting totally manic.

[colemandawn4905]

I’m ready for warm weather and plenty of sun!

[Kanyon71]

I feel ya... just right below you in O HI HELL... the weather needs some lithium...it's acting totally manic.

Ya today they are saying in the 80's and then possible frost again later in the week. EVERYONE is going to get sick lol.

[Doresia]

Checking in for April

[freesia39]

This allergy season is awful.

[rockpzazz]

Its the end of April, I guess I better bust out my N*SYNC albums because before you know it.... IT'S GONNA BE MAY!

[stationchief]

Better late than never to get my April in. Got my first covid moderna shot last week and same time next month will be shot #2. Looking forward to the side effects. My sister said hers made her really sick for a day but her husband's just made him super tired. We'll see.

 

Wish I had better news to report. Three weeks ago my ten-year-old emotional support cat, "Bud Bud", passed on to the rainbow bridge. He had gastrointestinal problems throughout his life, but the last two days before he died were pretty sudden. It was hard on me for a while. Many years ago he was a stray off the streets that would hang out with me before I had my motorcycle accident that crippled my spine and put me out of work. Then my fall at home that caused me to have a spinal fusion. He realized I needed someone to watch over and care for me so he decided it was time to settle down and become a house cat. He insisted I adopt him and become his daddy and he becomes my companion animal. That was six years ago and he gave me many years of joy, love, and companionship. His ashes now rest in his urn over my desk right above where he would always sit to watch me work every day. You will be missed my big boy, my emotional companion, and my best friend. I will always remember all the wonderful years we had together. I will see you again one day.

 

[len_mullen]

Its the end of April, I guess I better bust out my N*SYNC albums because before you know it.... IT'S GONNA BE MAY!

 

It's Gonna Be May!

[Kanyon71]

Better late than never to get my April in. Got my first covid moderna shot last week and same time next month will be shot #2. Looking forward to the side effects. My sister said hers made her really sick for a day but her husband's just made him super tired. We'll see.

 

Wish I had better news to report. Three weeks ago my ten-year-old emotional support cat, "Bud Bud", passed on to the rainbow bridge. He had gastrointestinal problems throughout his life, but the last two days before he died were pretty sudden. It was hard on me for a while. Many years ago he was a stray off the streets that would hang out with me before I had my motorcycle accident that crippled my spine and put me out of work. Then my fall at home that caused me to have a spinal fusion. He realized I needed someone to watch over and care for me so he decided it was time to settle down and become a house cat. He insisted I adopt him and become his daddy and he becomes my companion animal. That was six years ago and he gave me many years of joy, love, and companionship. His ashes now rest in his urn over my desk right above where he would always sit to watch me work every day. You will be missed my big boy, my emotional companion, and my best friend. I will always remember all the wonderful years we had together. I will see you again one day.

 

Sorry to hear that. Losing a pet is never easy. They quickly become a member of the family. Was a hard hard decision when we had to have our Husky put down some years back. He had been my buddy for 14 years.

[Bopeep]

Better late than never to get my April in. Got my first covid moderna shot last week and same time next month will be shot #2. Looking forward to the side effects. My sister said hers made her really sick for a day but her husband's just made him super tired. We'll see.

 

Wish I had better news to report. Three weeks ago my ten-year-old emotional support cat, "Bud Bud", passed on to the rainbow bridge. He had gastrointestinal problems throughout his life, but the last two days before he died were pretty sudden. It was hard on me for a while. Many years ago he was a stray off the streets that would hang out with me before I had my motorcycle accident that crippled my spine and put me out of work. Then my fall at home that caused me to have a spinal fusion. He realized I needed someone to watch over and care for me so he decided it was time to settle down and become a house cat. He insisted I adopt him and become his daddy and he becomes my companion animal. That was six years ago and he gave me many years of joy, love, and companionship. His ashes now rest in his urn over my desk right above where he would always sit to watch me work every day. You will be missed my big boy, my emotional companion, and my best friend. I will always remember all the wonderful years we had together. I will see you again one day.

 

 

I'm so sorry Chief. 

[magickallight]

Hope everyone's May is a beautiful one!

 

[BFgrl79]

May already?? Holy cow! I think I made it a week between when I shut my heat off and kicked on the air. Frickin’ Missouri 

[bossy1]

Here for my favorite month of the year...YAY for MAY!!!

[ytmomof4]

Happy may! Let’s hope Mother Nature gets her crap together I’m ready for the hot sunny days

[izzydedyet]

Can’t believe it’s May. I have a set of twins getting ready to graduate high school this month. Life sure flies by fast. Happy May to each of you!

[stina629]

Checking in for MAY! Can’t believe it’s the birth month of my now 11 month old baby girl - she’ll be ONE YEAR on May 29th! This year was the most difficult of my life in many ways but for sure the most rewarding.

 

Hope y’all are doing well, and look forward to reading through your May posts! [emoji178][emoji178][emoji178]

[riven3d]

it sure doesnt feel like May weather wise

[Brad]

Down to 45 members. Lost one last month.