I remember the first Memorial Day parade I marched in. I was a new Brownie Scout. So new I didn't have an official uniform yet. I remember that I wore a pink flowered dress that my Aunt Mary made for me. Alongside my childhood best friend, Rosemary, I marched out from the center of Falls Village.
We stopped at Grassy Hill Cemetery to place flags on the graves of veterans. Then we marched onto the Catholic cemetery to do the same. It was a distance of about two miles....a seemingly long walk for a little girl.
I do not remember it being long. Even at that young age, I knew there was something special about the people who lay in the graves we were honoring. I wasn't sure exactly what it was. I just knew that they did something that made our country proud of them.
There is nothing like a Memorial Day parade to make one cry red, white and blue tears. Our hearts beat just as loudly as the drums with pride for the men and women who have given so much to preserve the freedoms that make this country such a wonderful place to live.
We, like every family, have our share of loved ones who have served in the armed forces. My uncle Mike served during World War II. My brother-in-law, Hank, is a Navy man. 
Paul spent 4 years in the Air Force. He wasn't drafted. He was one of those who voluntarily signed up. 
And my mother served as an army nurse during World War II. She was honored today along with 12 other residents at Geer Nursing home. That little tribute touched her and it touches me.
Paul's Uncle Gino went far beyond the obligatory 4 years. He was a tail-gunner in World War II, the Korean War and in Viet Nam. Kudos to him for his bravery and his dedication to his country.
A happy Memorial Day to all and a special heartfelt thank you to all those who gave so much to us.
There are times when I get angry when the weatherman is wrong...such as when he predicts a "gollywhomper" of a snow storm and not even one flurry is produced. But this weekend I was rejoicing in the fact that he was wrong. The prediction was for a showery and cool Saturday and Sunday. We did have showers but they were mostly at night after we were tucked in bed. The days, for the most part, were sunny and warm.
I've been so thoroughly enjoying the weekend. I keep wondering if this is what retirement will be like (I hope I hope) but then realize that with retirement comes no income so I guess my answer to that question would be no. Close but.......no. I have spent most of the weekend working outside; mowing the lawn and weeding. Nothing special, just enjoyable.
I have a friend who sent me a link to a solar powered water fountain in the form of a milk can. She thought it would be a nice thing for my father's garden. It reminded me of my sweet father so I ordered it and set it up today. I've been looking for something that I could put in the garden that would make me think of him. Now I have it . Thank you, Pam! It makes me happy.
We took a break this afternoon and drove to Canaan to deliver a chair to my mother. She looked so well and happy that it made me feel well and happy. Then we drove up and down Main Street in Canaan... a drive that can be done in less than a minute....looking for a place to eat. There's not too much of anything in Canaan anymore. We finally found a little restaurant called "Higby's" The wine was good, the food was scrumptious and the atmosphere was nice. But the nicest thing was the little walk down memory lane as we walked in. It was a restaurant when I was growing up but it was called Charlie's. It had been Charlie's for years. It doesn't look the same now. The booths that lined the walls have been replaced by tables. The paper napkins dispensers have been replaced by linen napkins. The old tin ceiling has been covered over with a sparkling new one. There is a fresh paint job and new paintings on the wall. Charlie's was THE place to go when I was in the 8th grade. My friends and I would take the train to Canaan....about a 10 minute ride...on a Saturday morning. We would do a little shopping at the Five and Ten Cent store. A movie would follow and then we would crowd into a booth at Charlie's for a hamburger and fries. I thought I was SO grown up. That whole day of entertainment probably cost me less than $10.00. I was really happy.
When Paul and I were dating back in the 60's our evenings would often end with a trip to Charlie's for a cup of tea and an English muffin. We would sit in the booth, our own little world, reading the taglines on the tea bags to each other. And laugh. I was very happy.
And I still am.
Simple pleasures.............
We had a brief flirt with summer a couple of weeks ago and now we are doing a complete reversal. It is coooooolllddd out. Today felt much more like fall than spring. A brisk north wind kept me hunched up against the cold when ever I was outside. You could have fooled me into believing that school was starting in 3 weeks rather than getting out for the summer in 3 weeks. It is 38 degrees outside right now with frost expected later on tonight. If we had any precipitation I am sure it would be snow. But the grass is emerald green and the lilac bushes are heavy with flowers so, despite the temperatures, it does look like spring. By the end of the week our temps are expected to hit the 80's. Cathy's Cafe...here we come.
The memorial day weekend looks nice but not hot. Mostly in the 70's. We will try to get the pool open but I doubt it will be warm enough for swimming. And with the cold week we've been having the water will be more inviting to a polar bear than to a human.
The focus on Mother's Day changes over the years. When I was small it was all about MY mother and preparing her a breakfast in bed (mostly consisting of cold coffee and soggy wheaties), making her cards and picking bouquets of flowers for her (once from graves on a cemetery that I was too young to realize was a no-no).
One year she desperately wanted an electric mixer, an item that was quite expensive for our farm budget. My father managed to save enough money to buy her this gift that she wanted more than anything else. While we were in church he decorated the old farm truck with hay bales and my sister's toy drum set. When we got home from church he secretly wisked us to the barn and hoisted us onto the truck. He drove it from the barn to the house; my sister pounding away on the drums and the electric mixer proudly displayed on it's throne of hay bales.
When I became a mother the focus was still on my mother but suddenly I was thrown into the spotlight too, along with the breakfasts in bed, sweet flowers clutched in tiny hands and homemade cards that came from the heart.
This year the focus was back on my mother again. Her year has not been the easiest. She has been in and out of the hospital. She has become increasingly prone to falling. The falls have become frequent enough that she needed a bit more supervision that the assisted living home could offer so, with a little sadness, we realized that a nursing home would offer her more security and us more peace of mind.
Five days before mother's day she took up residence in her new home. She seems content there. It is in the same area where she married and raised her family. She has old friends in the area who have come to visit her already. In the few days she has been there she has attended a band concert, an ice cream social, a trivia contest and "news discussions". She's becoming quite the social butterfly.
While she was "jiving it up" at her band concert we were emptying out her apartment...a poignant project for mother's day. Not one that I relish. So many momentos. So many memories. Everything I looked at reminded me of some part of her life. From the doll she had as a child to the books she read to us when we were small to the cards we all sent her that she saved between the pages of books to the Obama poster on the wall. They are all a part of her. They are my life. She is my life. It is difficult to have to consolidate her life into a few boxes. But at a time in my life when so many of my friends have lost their mothers I am so blessed that I still have mine. I can visit her anytime I want. I can pick up the phone each day and hear her voice. I can still give her a hug. There is not a day that goes by when I don't tell myself how lucky I am. I am savoring these moments. 
Happy Mother's Day to my mom and to all mothers everywhere. You have no idea how precious our moments are with you.
Paul spent 4 years in the Air Force. He wasn't drafted. He was one of those who voluntarily signed up. 
And my mother served as an army nurse during World War II. She was honored today along with 12 other residents at Geer Nursing home. That little tribute touched her and it touches me. 
