We went to war in powder blue armed only with a bag of games and a smile…

Young, adventurous, idealistic and committed, we were a breath of fresh air in the dusty firebases and sweaty base camps of Vietnam. We were the Donut Dollies whose job was to distract U.S. soldiers on the front lines with games, songs and a listening ear.

Heirs to the recreation program begun in WWII, we Vietnam girls didn’t have donut machines (still the name stuck). But we were armed … with a never-ending smile, a listening ear and a collection of silly games. And our mission? Deliver a touch of home to the combat zone.

Join me on Tuesday evening, September 18th at 7 pm for the screening of A Touch of Home: The Vietnam War’s Red Cross Girls (47-minutes). The screening will be in the No Sweat Fitness store behind the Mall near the Thai Café and Heavenly Ham. Bring your own chair! Kool-Aid will be served (since this is what we served to the guys in Vietnam).

Reservations a must (fire regulations, doncha know). RSVP by email by Friday, September 14,(write ATOH in the subject line) or call me, Holley Watts, at 433-3677. If you get my voicemail, please leave your name, your phone number and number in your party. There will be a free-will contributions bucket at the door so I can show it at Court Square Theatre with some proper promotion.

See you soon!

Holley Watts, Donut Dolly
American Red Cross SRAO
DaNang, Chu Lai, An Khe, Cu Chi
Vietnam Sept ’66-Sept ‘67

~Lois

Summer is almost over and it’s time to get back in the swing of things. This month’s meeting is a Focused Networking event, designed to help you reconnect with other members and friends and meet new ones.

We’ll also have a discussion about what topics and presentations interest you, so come prepared to tell us who you’d like to present programs and what you’d like to hear about. Bring names and phone numbers, too! We are always trying to make Women’s Forum better, and you can help by providing ideas. No committees, no obligations. Just your ideas during the meeting. That’s pretty easy, isn’t it?

So bring plenty of business cards, flyers, marketing materials, etc. Come prepared to tell everyone who you are and “everything” you do in 60 seconds or less (30 seconds is even better!). Bring your friends and business associates, too! They want to meet new people and expand their businesses and friendships, don’t you agree?

RSVP by Tuesday, Sept. 11, noon:
lcarterfay@gmail.com or 540.820.3840

Women’s Forum Meeting
Thursday, September 13
11:45 am - 1:00 pm

Spotswood Country Club
Harrisonburg, VA

$15 Members
$20 Guests

~Lois

You can now buy Nancy’s books directly from her through her new website. Check it out:

Nancy Bondurant Jones’ Website

~Lois

A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.

“House” for instance, is feminine: “la casa.”
“Pencil,”however, is masculine: “el lapiz.”

A student asked, “What gender is ‘computer’?”

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether “computer” should be a masculine or a feminine noun.

Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

The men’s group decided that “computer” should definitely be of the feminine gender (”la computadora” ), because:

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;

2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and

4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

The women’s group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine (”el computador”) , because:

1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;

2. They have a lot of data but still can’t think for themselves;

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

The women won!

~Lois

Now’s the time to reserve for our July 12 meeting!

The July 12 meeting of Women’s Forum will feature Brenda Black, CTP, Tourism Manager for Harrisonburg Tourism & Visitor Services. She will discuss “Fun Things To Do In And Around Harrisonburg,” introducing us to some new ideas and a few old favorites. Learn about Friday on the Square (Harrisonburg), Jazz in the Park (Staunton), local and regional museums and hiking opportunities, as well as what events are coming up in the next few weeks.

Women’s Forum Monthly Meeting
Thursday, July 12
12N-1PM

Brenda Black, CTP, Tourism Manager
Harrisonburg Tourism & Visitor Services
“Fun Things To Do In & Around Harrisonburg”

Meet the WF Member: Margo McIntire

Members: $15
Guests: $20

Please reserve by July 10, noon:
Reserve online: Click on above blue link
Call Lois: 540.820.3840
Email Lois: lcf @ marketingideashop.com

~Lois

It wouldn’t be funny if it wasn’t so true…

To commemorate her 69th birthday on October 1, 2004 actress/vocalist, Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan’s Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was “My Favorite Things” from the legendary movie Sound Of Music.

Here are the lyrics she used:

Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Cadillac’s and cataracts, and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don’t feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pains, confused brains, and no need for sinnin’,
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin’,
And we won’t mention our short, shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.

When the joints ache,
When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I’ve had,
And then I don’t feel so bad!

(Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted over four minutes and repeated encores.)

~Lois

An Explanation of God from the 8-Year-Old’s Perspective

“One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes
them to replace the ones that die, so there will be
enough people to take care of things on earth.

He doesn’t make grownups, just babies. I think because
they are smaller and easier to make. That way He
doesn’t have to take up His valuable time teaching
them to talk and walk He can just leave that to
mothers and fathers.”

“God’s second most important job is listening to
prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some
people, like preachers and things, pray at times
beside bedtime. God doesn’t have time to listen to the
radio or TV because of this. Because He hears
everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in
His ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it
off.”

“God sees everything and hears everything and is
everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you
shouldn’t go wasting His time by going over your Mom
and Dad’s head asking for something they said you
couldn’t have.”

“Atheists are people who don’t believe in God. I don’t
think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there
aren’t any who come to our church.”

“Jesus is God’s Son. He used to do all the hard work
like walking on water and performing miracles and
trying to teach the people who didn’t want to learn
about God. They finally got tired of Him preaching to
them and they crucified Him. But He was good and
kind, like His Father , and He told His Father that
they didn’t know what they were doing and to forgive
them and God said O.K.”

“His Dad (God) appreciated everything that He had done
and all His hard work on earth so He told Him He
didn’t have to go out on the road anymore. He could
stay in heaven. So He did. And now He helps His Dad
out by listening to prayers and seeing things which
are important for God to take care of and which ones
He can take care of Himself without having to bother
God. Like a secretary, only more important.”

“You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to
help you because they got it worked out so one of them
is on duty all the time.”

“You should always go to church because it makes God
happy, and if there’s anybody you want to make happy,
it’s God.

Don’t skip church or do something you think will be
more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And
besides the sun doesn’t come out at the beach until
noon! anyway.”

“If you don’t believe in God, besides being an
atheist, you will be very lonely, because your
parents can’t go everywhere with you, like to camp,
but God can. It is good to know He’s around you when
you’re scared, in the dark or when you can’t swim and
you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.”

“But…you shouldn’t just always think of what God can
do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take
me back anytime He pleases. And…that’s why I believe
in God.”

~Lois

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most
people die of natural causes.

Gardening Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are
removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it
comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a
replacement.

There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.

Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

Some people are like Slinkies. Not really good for anything, but
you still can’t help but smile when you see one tumble down the
stairs.

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals
dying of nothing.

Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one
talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

In the 60’s, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the
world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes
a whole box to start a campfire?

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, “I think I’ll
squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?”

Who was the first person to say, “See that chicken there? I’m gonna
eat the next thing that comes outta its backside.”

Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but
don’t point to their crotch when they ask where the bathroom is?

Why does your OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed if they
are going to look up there anyway?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from
morons?

Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog’s face, he gets mad
at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out
the window?

Why doesn’t glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

~Lois

I love it when I find websites with interesting information for women and girls. Here are three I found today:

Cool Careers for Girls

Feminist.com

The Women’s Network

~Lois

In this quick-to-read book by Doug Hewitt ($16.95 from Hatherleigh Press, the author discusses 101 creative, affordable and fun weekend activities to do with your children. Many of the ideas can be used with just about any age child.

My favorite—one that I used when Erin was little—is the “Make up a story” activity. Hewitt calls it “Round Robin Stories.” Erin loved it. I would generally start the story. Something like:

“Once upon a time there was a little brown bear named Delilah. She lived in the woods with her mom and they went blueberry picking every day. It was a fun and delicious adventure, but one day…”

And then Erin would have to continue the story. When we first started this game, she would say something like:

“Delilah met a rabbit in the blueberry patch and…”

And then she would give it back to me. But as time went on, she got better and better at telling stories. Sometimes she would go on and on with a very elaborate tale. We always had loads of fun.

I enjoyed my quick scan trhough Hewitt’s book, The Practical Guide to Weekend Parenting. It reminded me of several activities I plan to do with my granddaughter when she comes to visit.

Get more information and ideas from WeekendParenting.com

~Lois