Jane, you should share your hot mustard with Dan! Lots of fun watching the crows here, soon they will bring their young and watching them is better than TV!

Patricia, our temp is 58° at the moment and I am wearing a heavy long sleeved shirt. More rain on the way plus a storm on Monday.

Amy, we're still at 47 and the rain has returned. Sunday, they say, will be clear and warming.

Almost time to say "Good Night". 

AMY, I bet he'd like the hot mustard!  If I had some here, I'd offer him a jar!  With everything I needed to bring and having to fit it to fly here, I left the mustard at home.  I do have his address though.  I suppose I could send him a jar when I get home!  I bet that would surprise him!

We have a leak in some kind of line and I think Jim said it's a natural gas line.  They don't know where it's leaking....can't find anything and Jim seems to think it's the warning buzzer that's bad.  I sure hope he's right or we might all wake up conked out tomorrow!  Oh well, Cindy just took off to go get a new one so we shall see!

I wish you all  a peaceful night's sleep and a good tomorrow.  I'll report in tomorrow (I think) 

Good morning..

Starting out at 56° and overcast sky. A welcomed day of rest here..

Noticed the beans squash along with pumpkin are up, no sign of parsnips or carrots yet.

Jane be safe!!!!!

Patricia, my friend in Manitoba had snow yesterday! We told her not to share.

Enjoy your day and stay safe.

Good morning, 46 and partly cloudy this morning and people are readying their gardens for Memorial Day plantings. The various "troubadours" have taken up their assigned corners, and bandstands, to spend the day singing to us. I'm so glad that they added a provision against any powerful mics.

Alaskaland, opens its gates on Memorial Day and the 10K Midnight Sun Run, is on June 22nd this year, and has evidently been selected to be a 2024 Road Runners Clubs of America National Championship Event per the news.

Baseball, softball, soccer, adult and children's leagues are claiming their fields and settling in. The semi-professional Alaska Goldpanners, will host the Ventura County Pirates for their first game this week and on June 21st, for the solstice game that starts at midnight under no artificial lights, they're playing the Seattle Studs.

The Yukon 800 Mile Marathon, a two day, high speed, riverboat race, begins on the Solstice and runs on the Chena, Tanana, and Yukon Rivers, traveling through hundreds of miles of Alaskan Wilderness, it's billed as the roughest, toughest, speedboat race in the world.

So, as the weather finally warms, people are not only planning but enjoying their summer.

Well, we all woke up this morning so I guess Jim was right.  It was the warning buzzer that was bad and not the heater leaking gas!  Thank goodness for that!

Cindy and I went out to Ali's garden to water for her this morning and then we stoppedand did some shopping on the way home!  We've had lunch and she's catching up on something on her computer job and I'm catching up with my friends!

PATRICIA, it sounds like Alaska is waking to Spring in a big way. If you wanted to find something to do or something to watch it would be easy from now through the summer, wouldn't it?

AMY, they can keep their snow up there.  I don't want it to show near me until next winter!!

Now I think I'll go do some walking but not outside in 89 degree weather!  I'll use Cindy's walking machine upstairs! Have a good rest of the day!  Do whatever suits your fancy!

Good Night Everyfriend, wherever you all are! I'm heading for the haystack!

Good Night, Good Night. --- Tomorrow is another day.

A Tale of Six Boys

Each year, I am hired to go to Washington, DC with the eighth grade class from Clinton, WI where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year, I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable.

On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. That memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history; that of the six brave soldiers raising the American flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan during WWII.

Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed toward the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer, he asked, "Where are you guys from?"

I told him we were from Wisconsin. "Hey, I'm a cheese head, too! Come gather around, cheese heads, and I will tell you a story."

James Bradley just happened to be in Washington, DC to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say goodnight to his dad, who has since passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington, D.C., but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night. When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words from that night).

"My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin. My dad is on that statue, and I just wrote a book called "Flags of Our Fathers," which is number five on the New York Times Best Seller list right now. It is the story of the six boys you see behind me."

"Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game. A game called 'war,' but it didn't turn out to be a game."

"Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out. I say that, because there are people who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18 and 19 years old."

(He pointed to the statue). "You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph. A photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection, because he was scared. He was 18 years old. Boys won the battle of Iwo Jima, boys, not old men."

"The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the "old man," because he was so old. He was already 24. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country.' He knew he was talking to little boys. Instead, he would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.'"

"The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona. Ira Hayes walked off Iwo Jima. He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, 'You're a hero.' He told reporters, 'How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?' So, you take your class at school. Two-hundred and fifty of you spending a year together, having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes died dead drunk, face down at the age of 32, ten years after this picture was taken."

"The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky. A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 70, told me, 'Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epsom salts. Those cows crapped all night.' Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store.

A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. The neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away."

"The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite's producers, or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say, 'No, I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back.' My dad never fished or even went to Canada. Usually, he was sitting right there at the table eating his Campbell's soup. But we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press."

"You see, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and on a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a caregiver. In Iwo Jima, he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died in Iwo Jima, they writhed and screamed in pain."

"When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, 'I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. Did not come back.'"

"So, that's the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time."

Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero nonetheless.

Unknown

Good morning..

Happy Memorial Day to you!

We are having a nice rain!! Lets me out of a job of watering the plants.

Nothing in the need to do list ,just Domestic Duties, thank you Callie. Picked up chicken breasts and will cook them up to see if I can entice Babe to eat.

Bubble, I don't think one ever gets tired of reading that story!!

Jane,I did a garden check last evening and the radishes are up! I thought of you and your fried radishes. You now have David hooked on them .

Patricia,most cottagers have opened up their cottage and once school is out they are here. Told Kyle that I will be shopping right when the stores open..scoot in before they get busy.

Rick, another day to enjoy doing what we like. No 9 -5 jobs to tend to.

Enjoy your day and stay safe.



 

Think       On this day -      Think      PRAY    Be Thankful

Good Morning Everyfriend!  My father is a veteran of WWI and, thank you, God we don't have to honor him until Veterans Day!  He made it home but I know he had memories that he wished he could forget from that war.  And he remembered friends who didn't make it home!

I sure do miss the kids this weekend!  I know they are having fun at the lake because we got some good pictures!  But I still miss them!

Have a good day Everyfriend!  Make it your own in every way!  And don't forget to peek in here!

Quote from: patricia19 on May 27, 2024, 02:16:55 PMWhat is there about war to glorify?

Memorial Day is not to glorify war. IMHO

Not the holiday but people and war in general.

Memorial Day was begun to honor they men and women who gave their lives for their country!  THEY DESERVE the honor!

You've taken a misconception and run with it.

I was not in any way speaking against Memorial Day or against the military men and women who fought and died for their country.

What I thought I had gotten across was that often wars are begun where diplomacy fails and that are often the result of a few people's greed or religious ideology and men and women suffer and die for that.

War is horrendous, and what it does to millions and millions of people is incalculable. And how do you glorify that?

That was my point.

  Checking in after a very busy past week of celebrating our oldest Grandson Matt's graduation from high school.  The parties are now like something we would have for a wedding back in the day😉😉 Lots of fun but way over the top‼️‼️‼️

Like many we have just finished all of our planting of flowers.  Now if we can just keep the darn hail at bay all will be well.  Sure nice to have lots of color on the patio‼️‼️

Today I visited my spine surgeon for a consultation on my lower back issues.  He wants me to try a couple of injections and see if I get immediate relief, even if it doesn't last to see if it is in the right area he may need to address with surgery.  And so it all continues.....

This afternoon we are gathering in the area golf club house for a happy hour catch up time.  It will be good to see everyone again. 

Today would have been Dave and Michele's 30th wedding anniversary.  These momentous dates keep coming on, and they are still a rough time to get through.  Of course it was hard that our M was not here with us to enjoy her first born child's accomplishments 😢. Life must go on🦋🦋

We had a quiet Memorial celebration yesterday at Dave and Carolyn's after they planted their new garden area. 

We did not get to the cemetery as planned but hope to go tomorrow when it is less crowded. 

PHYLLIS, I do hope the repairs on your home are coming along well.  So sorry for you and David to have to deal with this. 

GREAT GRANDMA CALLIE.....I was so pleased to read on FB about Cooper David joining the family.  Congratulations to you all.....love that your Dave continues to be honored with his name.  🥰

Take care EVERYFRIEND 🥰

Hi Jenny, nice to "see" you!  Stop by again when you have a minute!

Ali and the kids came by today and we all had lunch together. Cindy, Jim and I did "catch as catch can" for supper.  We've been accumulating a lot of leftovers and we decided it was time to get rid of some of them. I had a piece of meat cut up in some leftover pasta and a half cup of leftover cauliflower on the side.  It was a pretty good supper.  I don't know what the other two had.  But I guess they had enough because I haven't heard anyone at the fridge. OOPS!  I just heard the fridge door!  Wonder who got a yearning!  And one of the dogs just got off my feet and took off for the kitchen!  I'm planning on a popsicle later when everything settles!

I hope you all had a good day!  I hope it was yours in every way!  You can share it if you want to!

Good morning..

Another busy day in the making! No wake up call from the crows but the geese sure made up for it. Going to have to buy silencers for their honkers!

Enjoy your day and stay safe.

Good Morning Everyfriend!  I'm just about ready to head upstairs to take a shower and get dressed before heading out for my morning walk!  Don't know if we'll have the kids or not!  Cindy just left to get a hair cut and Jim is eating his breakfast while he checks his mail!

We sure aren't a bunch of exciting older people!  Cindy is the busiest.  She still is working practically full time from home.  I sometimes hear her with customers and I wonder how I ever produced this smart gal. Sometimes I wonder that about her siblings too!

Guess I better get moving! I wish you all a good day....better than yesterday but not as good as tomorrow!  Make it your own in every way!  And don't forget to pop in her and say "HI"

Jane, I think we as older people are as exciting as we want to be. We did have our time of  fast and furious days, now is the time to sit back and enjoy.

I do believe you are right about that, AMY!  We've done our job now we can relax and enjoy the outcome!  I'm loving this visit!

Trying to find a food that Babe will eat has been interesting.
Lean hamburg was fine for a while but not now. Beef liver and chicken hearts also did it for a while. Now we are trying chicken breasts along with the broth and cooked mashed sweet potato and YES it is working. That along with being hand fed is making her happy! What we don't  do  for our furkids!

AMY, she loves you as much as you love her! 

Good Night Everyfriend!  I'm going to hit the hay early tonight because I have to be up and attem early tomorrow to get ready for Cindy's cleaning lady!  I have to have all my stuff off the floor and the windowsill and night stand before they get here.  I'm sure glad my suitcase is empty and that it fits on the bed!

I wish you all a peaceful night's sleep and a happy tomorrow.  Make the day your own in every way but share a piece of it with us!  We miss you when we don't "see" you!

God morning..

Picking up meds then home to work . Grass needs cutting again after all the
 rain,then the trimming will be done...maybe.

Cooler temps for the next few days making work outside much nicer as long as the skeeters stay away.

Enjoy your day and stay safe.

Good day --- everyone.

The sun us shining. Oh happy day.

We apparently had frost overnight......didn't  touch our plants. May have frost again tonight!!

Good Morning Everyfriend!  The cleaning ladies were here when I got back from my walk today so I took up residence on the porch swing until they left. It smells good in here and Cindy got a message from Ali while we were out there that they won't be coming over here today. So I have to watch myself so Cindy can enjoy a clean, non-messed-up house for a day!  I don't think she'd really mind if they did come and mess it up. She truly loves those kids!  I do too!!!

AMY, I hope the frost keeps on avoiding your plantings!  That could be bad, annoying, frustrating etc.  I'll be thinking of you!

RICK, Enjoy the sunshine!  I know they've had lots of rainy days back where I live.  I'm glad I missed them!

I wish you all a good day today...better than yesterday but not as good as tomorrow!  Poke your head in and share it with us!  We don't want to miss you!

Hello everyone this Mid day It is Partley cloudy here today, this new laptop is a all new game. hard to teach AOLD DOG new tricks. thank god for great grand children next door and willing to help a old man. our air condisner crashed have to get a new one ( IT HASE TO BE NEW FURNICE AND AC COMBINED) NEW ONE IS COSTING $5,600. ALSO LIFE IS NOT FUN ANYMORE. i CAN NOT REMBER ANYTHING WHEN i NEED TO. HOPE YOU ALL ARE HAVING A GOOD JUST LIKE YOU lIKE IT.

LlOYD

Lloyd, good to see you! Join the forget me not  crowd.   You can't be without an a/c  in the hot weather and now you won't have to worry if your furnace will stop come winter.