Fun with lettuce, Noccalula, and parakeets – oh, and the Supreme Court meets Obamacare

So, I’ve been on summer break from college since mid-May. What do I have to show for it?

Here is a glimpse of a few things I’ve been up to.

The lettuce from the garden has been bountiful and delicious. By the months of July and August, however, most of the lettuce turns bitter in the heat and begins to bolt. During that time we eat cucumber salad and tomato relish instead. By autumn the lettuce is ready to sprout again.

Abigail and I harvested lettuce by the basketful!

(That’s a little blueberry bush right behind us…)

On June 2nd my sister Rachel performed in the Downtown Dance Conservatory‘s premier performance of “Noccalula’s Fall” (check it out!). It was a sold-out performance, and I managed to attend with Mom, Dad, Abigail, Mary, Elizabeth, Benjamin, and Rebecca (our friend Grant came along too and snapped the following picture).

The ballet was inspired by the local Gadsden, AL legend surrounding Noccalula Falls. That locale currently has the distinction of being the only place in the world that has a statue of a person jumping of a cliff (it’s a statue of the fabled Cherokee Indian Princess Noccalula).

Oh, and the parakeet on the left is Smokey, a little fellow that we acquired as a mate for Skippy, the (turned out to be female) parakeet Beth received as a birthday present from our grandparents last year. He’s a friendlier bird than she is at the moment. Perhaps Smokey will help Skippy act as sweet as she is pretty for once.

If you think any of this seemed rather boring, you’re not going to want to read about what else has occupied my time: studying Constitutional Law and the Obamacare lawsuit. My ConLaw professor originally suggested that I choose a topic for my research paper that I would be able to use in my professional writing, and I followed through with that suggestion in perhaps the most dry, boring, and simultaneously interesting and extremely important subject my column has yet covered.

I present to you “Civil war at the Court” – a three-part series at The Communities at The Washington Times (compiled here on Resist 44 – yeah, have you heard of the Resistance yet?): http://www.resist44.com/civil-war-at-the-court-the-supreme-court-approaches-a-landmark-decision-on-federalism

Civil war at the Court: The Obamacare lawsuit and America’s federal judicature In perhaps the largest states vs. federal government lawsuit in American history, questions about federalism and the nature of the U.S. judiciary collide. http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/not-your-average-read/2012/may/30/civil-war-court-obamacare-lawsuit-and-americas-fed/ Justices at the heart of the Obamacare lawsuit The Roberts Court deciding the landmark Obamacare case is composed of nine justices appointed by five different presidents over a span of twenty-six years. Who are they? http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/not-your-average-read/2012/jun/7/obamacare-roberts-supreme-court-civil-war/ The Supreme Court’s Obamacare decision: Four constitutional questions A vast faction of American consciousness still draws the line against federal government mandating the purchase of health insurance. The Supreme Court’s job is to decide where the Constitution draws the line. http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/not-your-average-read/2012/jun/20/supreme-court-obamacare-decision-unconstitutional/

So, Thursday is the big day – which also happens to be my little brother David’s 10th birthday. June 28th is destined to be monumental in one way or another.

GOD BLESS Y’ALL,

~ Amanda