Memorial Day 2009

It came and went quietly here. We remembered why we observe this holiday, and are grateful for all who have given the "last full measure" of devotion, and those who have served and returned.

Memorial Day always conjures up memories of family cookouts in Grandma & Pa Redd's back yard on Victoria Place in Toledo. There was never a Memorial Day, July 4th, or any other national holiday that Grandma, and also Aunty Mary, didn't have their flags proudly hanging from their front porches. Why didn't we take more pictures of those special times with our family? The pictures (in my mind) will go with me when I go -- I will have to create mind pictures for my grandchildren to carry with them when I am gone.

The other memory that Memorial Day (or Decoration Day as it was called) brings to mind was Grandma and Aunty Mary making the rounds of the cemeteries in the Toledo area where family members and friends are laid to rest. Grandma was a house mother to a fraternity at the University of Toledo, and she not only saw many, many young men go off to war, but she corresponded with them regularly. Many didn't return; those who did visited her until her death at the age of 88. They never forgot, either.

Cemetery visiting is becoming a thing of the past. I don't think the younger generation will maintain this tradition very well. Part of the reason, in my family at least, is that I haven't taken my daughter with me when I have gone. My mother and father never took me, either, but I have been to the cemeteries with Grandma and Aunty Mary several times. Pleasant memories. Comforting.

This year Bob and I stayed home. We had friends join us for an informal backyard cookout. Low key. Pleasant. I heard or read many times this year that Memorial Day is not about cookouts. We had one anyway, and I don't think it was disrespectful. I remembered. And do, many, many more days throughout the year. And that is what this holiday is about.

The Project

A week ago we ordered six cubic yards of dirt, something we've needed but have been putting off for a few years. When we stretched our garden this year, we couldn't put it off any longer. When the man from Mountain Topsoil delivered it last Thursday , I told him, "I've never thought about dirt being pretty, but this is some doggone good looking dirt!" It was sifted and enriched with peat, smooth and dark.

Bob is definitely stronger and more focused than I am. I helped -- hauled many loads to the back yard, but I'm sure that for each wheelbarrowful of dirt I moved, Bob moved fifteen.



The first order of business was to fill the added garden space with good dirt. Once that was accomplished, the areas around the deck screamed for their share. Bob moved some plants and extended some sprinklers.





We had help. A supervisor. Named Daisy. She refused to lift a paw in the manual labor


...but she watched to make sure no one else slacked.




Not only did she supervise, she inspected...





...from every angle.



Occasionally, she followed Bob to the dirt pile out front and then back to the worksite. A good supervisor oversees all of the work. (Besides, she's a nosy cat.)



Notice the shape of the garden. Hint: we live in Utah.



Here's the deck area, after dirt, before flowers.


Good thing Daisy didn't see this. She'd have been on him in no time. Literally.




This project took several days. On Monday, we hired some help.





He worked cheap, and made himself at home.





And we had new supervisors, too.



The dirt pile in the street in front of the house is gone, and Bob is glad. The Advil helped to ease his pain, and mine. I've planted impatiens around the deck, and alyssum and petunias in the back along the fence. When they will show up without zooming, I'll post pictures.

I said to Bob, now we need some mulch. I won't tell you what he said.

"Let us" see...

how the lettuce is coming. It looks like lettuce to me.

The Latest Dirt

It's 11:15 P.M. and past my latest self-imposed bedtime. But I couldn't go to bed without sharing the latest dirt.

Ok, it's not just dirt. If you look reeeeeeally closely, you might be able to see a few very tiny seedlings in the middle of the picture above. You might need to zoom in on the picture. And be sure you have your glasses on (if you wear them). I'm so proud of these little guys -- they've come up several days ahead of schedule.

That's my dinner in late June. Or at least part of it. Lettuce. We've also put a few tomato plants in, several head lettuce plants, a cucumber,a broccoli plant and a brussel sprouts plant -- there are only two of us, and whatever comes from those two plants I'm sure will be plenty. Not yet in dirt are the zucchini plant(s), another cucumber, two Roma tomatoes, and lots of green bean seeds.

Which reminds me. There may be frost tonight (forecast says 39 degrees), so I've gotta run out and cover up my babies.

Little American

When Carter was here a few days ago, he found an American flag that I had bought a few weeks ago to use at the Tea Parties I attended.

He asked, "What's the name of this flag, Grandma?"

I was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"What's its name?" he asked again.

I still didn't understand what he wanted to know "Well, it's an American flag."

"But what's its name?"

"United States? Is that what you mean?"

Haltingly he began in a hushed tone, "...of America ... Republic.. which it stands...." He was shyly looking down at the floor, flag in hand.

"What did you say?" I couldn't have heard that right. It sounded like...

"...Nation... under God...." he said quietly.

Almost apologetically, with a hint of a smile on his face, he finished, "...inavisible...liberty...justice for all."

My four year old grandson had just said the Pledge of Allegiance in the most reverent spirit I have ever heard it recited.

Did you know....

...that Arlen Spector (R-PA) has changed his party affiliation and is now a Democrat? This may not sound newsworthy if you haven't been following what is happening in Congress, but it tips the balance of power in our country completely into the hands of a party who has no respect for life, no respect for the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, no sense of fiscal responsibility, and no hesitation to take our country straight into socialism. They now have a filibusterproof majority.

If you haven't been in the habit of writing your congressman and your senators, now is the time to start. On the side of this page, you'll find a link to "Contact Congress". I hope you'll check it out -- the site it leads to makes contacting them very easy, and even provides suggested wording for your emails regarding various important issues.

More now than ever, we have to prepare for some really tough times ahead.


Here's an article that is not about Arlen Specter but about the financial difficulties our country is in. It's from Meridian.

M E R I D I A N M A G A Z I N E

A Dangerous First 100 Days
By Stephen M. Studdert
This week President Barrack Obama marks his first 100 days in office. Never in my experience as a White House advisor or since have I witnessed such a torrid pace of monumental policy change. Cloaked in economic stimulus language, the astonishing breadth and depth of policy transformation and government intervention into the private economy is nothing short of staggering.

(portion of article cut here)

As a nation, with zeal and haste we are building just such a house – one of unwise and unrestrained federal debt – a house with no foundation that ultimately cannot stand.

With our national house being built on sand, more than ever each of us has a duty, to ourselves and to our families, to be informed. We need this economic information – no matter how serious and troubling it may be. And serious and troubling it is! (emphasis mine)

The grinding daily news unceasingly bombards our senses with gloomy information, and for most of us we end up with feelings of distress, worry, and even fear. It makes me not want to read or watch any news reports.

Yet the Lord commanded us to “seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:188)

(another portion of the article cut here)

In these troubled times, the welcome calming messages of General Conference just completed were especially inspiring and filled with hope. The Easter just celebrated renews in each of us a sense of everlasting gratitude for the King of Kings whose Resurrection made salvation and eternal life available to all. These are things of unspeakable joy, peace, comfort, and true happiness.

As we follow the Brethren and listen carefully and heed their inspired counsel, we like the Apostle Paul can say “ We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair .” (2 Corinthians 4:8).

In what is sure to be an increasingly bumpy ride, individual and family peace and safety come only – but surely – when we are inseparably connected to the Prophets and Apostles, in word and in deed.


The rest of the article here

Slackin'

Ok, he wasn't really slackin'. He was resting after this:




This is what he was doing on his day off



Now, if it would just quit snowing, we might have a garden this year!

Best Friends

Carter had a rare meltdown on Tuesday afternoon when I tried to explain that it was too late that day for him to come home with me. I was torn between wanting to make his every wish come true, and knowing that the words "not today" are ok sometimes and can help build character. I told him that I would pick him up the next morning and we would spend the day together.

One reason Carter wanted to come over, hopefully not the only one, was that he loves to play mini-golf and we had started our own little tradition of playing mini-golf on nice spring mornings, just him and me, with no one else around.

So the first order of business on Wednesday was to drive over to Cascade, select the balls and clubs of our choice, and head onto the golf course.


Here's Tiger


We didn't keep score, but this boy is pretty good with a golf club. I know he had a par on at least one hole, and has seen a few hole-in-ones (holes-in-one?)in his short golfing career.

Being the beautiful day that it was, when we were done golfing, we went to Lynne's to spend a little while on the lawn swings with her. Carter decided he would photo-document this outing:

It was a beautiful, clear day.



The flowers were in full bloom.





The grass was green, and well cut, thanks to Phil a few days before.



Speaking of Phil, he was busy with "guy things", i.e. getting soaker hoses unwound and placed for the summer, putting the awnings on the swings, etc. Carter put down the camera to get in on the action:





Carter is a good helper. And Phil is a patient man.

When he wasn't helping, Carter took up the camera once again.





He brought his golf clubs along...



....hmmm. He seems to have misplaced the clubs. They were there somewhere.


I think all the girl talk got a little boring, and Phil went into the house. The camera became all important at this point. Here's life through the eyes of a 4 year old:










He was especially proud of this self portrait:





When we left Lynne's, Carter got into the car and exclaimed, "I had fun!"


The photos above are but a few of the many, many great pictures Carter took on Wednesday. The only photos he did not take in this blog are the ones in which he appears.

My favorite part of the day happened right after mini-golf. We were getting out of the car at the house, and Carter said, "Grandma, you are my very best friend." I took his little face in my hands, looked him in the eye and said, "Carter, you are my very best friend too." I wanted to soak up that moment and write it permanently on the tablet of my heart.

I turned and went ahead of him to unlock the back door. Behind me I heard this little voice, "Grandma, you have a big bum."

What Are They Good For?

As the straggler in a short line of hikers at Snow Canyon this weekend, I contemplated what grandmothers are for.



The answer: Grandmothers are good for nagging Grandfathers to hold on to the hand of the littlest hiker.



Grandmothers should not have to repeat this admonition 1432 times in a 40 minute hike. But Grandfathers have very short memories, and they forget at every turn that little people go where the bigger people go, especially when the "bigger people" are the older brother and sister whom the little person adores in every way.


But this Grandmother is very fortunate that she has a Granddaughter who is a Nurturer-in-Miniature, who always looks out for her little brother. Here Granddaugher is saying, "No, Brother. Stay down there!"





And he did.


Grandson definitely listens to Sister better than he listens to Grandmother.



Youngest Grandson says of Sister: "She's my friend. I love her."




Grandmother's nagging paid off....I'm just not sure who it was who listened...not lookin' like it was Grandfather.




Somewhere in the midst of all this Grandmother's angst and her reminding, I thought of Sacagawea with Lewis and Clark. I'm sure Heavenly Father must have planted her on that expedition to be sure these adventurous explorers neither got too close to the edge of anything they could fall off of, or overloaded their wooden canoes. Or got lost. We know they wouldn't have asked for directions.

The thought of that courageous woman caused me to gird up my loins and press forward. Someone had to keep reminding Grandfather about holding little hands and keeping littlest Grandson from the BIG rocks.

Grandpa's remedy:


And we all reached the end of the trail safely. Grandmothers are good for something on these hikes!

Now the rest of the story:

What are Grandfathers good for?

Grandfathers can learn important lessons. For instance, when Grandson (in the car* on the way home from St. George) tells Grandfather that he's going to throw up, Grandfather has learned that the response, "No you aren't. Close your eyes and think of the snow up in the mountains" will not stop the event from happening.

Grandfathers are good for cleaning up messes.

And Grandfathers are compassionate.

This Grandfather helped sickie Grandson to feel better about the incident by telling him a story about the time he threw up in his grandmother's bed and hid the evidence under the pillow.








*Remind me to tell you even more of the story.