A Memorial Day MMP

[Sunny_Daze]

@missred

In the town where I live, we got a Blue Angels jet in Thursday. It is in a hangar at the airport across the street and will go into a memorial at a local park later. It is in memory of Captain Jeff Kuss, a Blue Angel who was killed in a crash landing at our air show last summer. http://wkrg.com/2017/05/25/blue-angels-jet-arrives-in-smyrna-for-capt-jeff-kuss-memorial/ He chose not to eject, but insted guided his plane to a field instead of where the crowds were.

I have chills and a sad.

@carnivorousplant

A bag to keep it in.

How about a hat, while keeping careful notes, which you will send to me, so I can finally crochet my hat, because I am an idjit and I need help.

Kids and Hubby are watching a movie. Laundry is washing. Got some schoolwork done with 'Beamer. Ordered some warm weather clothes. That’s about it so far today. Still need to fit in grocery shopping.

[Buttercup_Smith]

Finally cooked for a change. Twas good. I am despressed. Smoking thing f’ing with my moods. I am stoked for this to go away.

[Sunny_Daze]

Hang in there Butters. It will get better! I’m proud of you!

[missred]

butters, you can smoke if you want to. As long as you stick to things like ribs, shoulder, brisket, chikin and cheese.

[kopek]

@carnivorousplant

Is this an English thing? :dubious:

What a senseless waste of human life.

Easy points for guessing where that quote is from

@carnivorousplant

It began in memory of Union troops killed in the US Civil War, and was not observed in the South until World War I.

Memorial Day as a holiday: Rose knew that but she always had a unique take on the whole thing. Hers was that everyone served their country in some way - from the guys at the front to the families waiting back home, from those who fought to those who objected. Each of us is a small part of every victory and every defeat. So lets take one day to remember and reflect about everyone who has died before us, for whatever reason; for the good of us all.

@The_Vorlon

Ruble, you know that you have to add more headstones every few years.

They could turn out to be like the hangers in my closet and just multiply on their own; I’m not totally sure if the bag I used said “plant food” or “planted food”.

[kopek]

In further news ---------- sorry, Doggio.

[Sunny_Daze]

@kopek

Memorial Day as a holiday: Rose knew that but she always had a unique take on the whole thing. Hers was that everyone served their country in some way - from the guys at the front to the families waiting back home, from those who fought to those who objected. Each of us is a small part of every victory and every defeat. So lets take one day to remember and reflect about everyone who has died before us, for whatever reason; for the good of us all.

I like this. I often think that we wouldn’t get ourselves into the ass end of every stupid conflict on the planet if the country as a whole was more involved. Historically speaking I think we used to be. Now I think it’s easy to forget how long we’ve been in Afghanistan (as a for instance). We just borrow money to pay for it, and only the soldiers families really pay attention. Makes mad/sad. :mad:/

[dogbutler]

How thw heck can they play that well, and lose? : headdesk :

@CelticKnot

I didn’t come here with an intention to hijack the thread, but my whole point of looking today was to see if anyone has ever discussed what to say today.
People say “Happy Memorial Day” (it’s posted here a few times,) but it’s not supposed to be a happy day. It’s not about cookouts or mattress sales, it’s about remembering those who have died in serving this country–mostly in war, although some include first responders as well.
Some people have stated that they feel sad today, and a little offended that their lost loved ones are being neglected.
What should we say to people today? This is important to me as I am stuck working retail for the time being.

@Catamount

sari, that’s why my traditional holiday greeting is “Good day to you.” If they protest, then I get to reply with “I SAID GOOD DAY!”

Pretty much what I say. Retail has a way of killing the true meaning of holidays.

@The_Vorlon

Ruble, you know that you have to add more headstones every few years.
Just for effect.

Names like James Hoffa.

Father was cremated. Some of him was added to the family homestead before the great move, and more was consigned to the deeps via dispersal from Dunkin
Donuts cups in Boston harbor the next year. His remainder sits next to the coffee can that holds Mothers cash stash. We like to say he is guarding the bank of Folgers.

He did love his coffee.

I’d like that.

@Sahirrnee

I think it doesn’t matter what you say because no matter what somebody, somewhere is going to be offended.

One person will get mad if you say Merry Christmas because it’s not inclusive of non-Christians, and another person will get upset because you didn’t say Merry Christmas which is what they think the holiday is all about.
And maybe Memorial Day shouldn’t be about cook-outs and mattress sales, but there are plenty of people who think Christmas shouldn’t be so commercialized.

Somebody else is going to be offended by Happy Halloween because they think it’s a pagan holiday and it offends their religious sensibilities.

Columbus Day will surely be next, closely followed by Thanksgiving.

I think New Years Day may be safe, although somebody, somewhere, at some time will surely complain about it being a western holiday that follows the western calendar and is not inclusive of those who don’t.

However, I think it is safe to say the 4th of July is cool, because the Brits, who could find it offensive, won’t.

No matter what it is, a holiday, a greeting, white women selling tacos, an Uber driver with a bobblehead, a Thomas Jefferson quote, white women wearing hoop earrings, or Trump written in chalk, somebody somewhere is going to be offended.

And they are going to complain, loud and proud, all over the internet.

All I can say is, if all it takes is a greeting to offend somebody, then they need to sit back and give thanks for a life that can be so easily disrupted.
Because there are people out there who are homeless, or hungry, or are caring for a dying relative, or are dying themselves, or have difficult children, or are suffering abuse at the hands of loved one, or live in war zones. They are the people we need to be concerned about.

@Weisshund

When i was small, memorial day was never anything to do with parties or cook outs or such.
I would go with my grand mother to several local small and mostly forgotten veterans cemeteries in the area.
Perhaps you have some now tucked behind some shopping mall or something where you live

Every soldiers stone got cleaned and weeds pulled and every one got a little flower.
This took the better part of the day. We knew none of these people, but for this day they were family come to visit.

Then we would go home, and out would come the photo albums than would explain to me why i did not have the uncles and cousins etc that most other kids i knew did.
Faces or people i’ve never met or known, all smiling and looking sharp in their doughboy uniforms ready to ship out, all but one who will not be allowed to go because he suffers from what is probably emphysema, He is the oldest.
All probably thinking they will be home by next planting season, but none will be, except George who has the lucky misfortune of a lung ailment.

It seems almost unreal for a family to send all its boys off to war and not have even one return.

4 Boys had already become married and had children though, there were 4 sons and 2 daughters.
One daughter would die of polio, one would die of TB.

Of the 4 sons, 3 would remain with the family farms, one wanted to become an engineer.

Then comes another photo album 20 years into the future.
There are 3 strapping young men in work clothes sitting on a vintage tractor and one young man wearing eye glasses and dress clothes sitting on the tractor with them.
The engineer has come home from Tulane with degrees in both Electrical and Mechanical engineering, he has been recruited by Westinghouse.

The 3 strapping young men have yet to get to the business of finding wives, the engineer though has a young son, it will be the only child he has.

He has ideas of better easier more profitable farm operation through engineering, he will never get to work them out.

Japan will attack Pearl Harbor, and once again an immigrant family who is only now 1 generation american born will send her sons in faithful service of the country that has adopted them as it’s own.

3 sons will go to combat, the engineer will not be allowed, America needs him elsewhere, his draft number will be pulled 3 times but he will not be released to go.
But a price will be paid for the 3 deferrals even though they are not of his choosing.
3 more of the families sons will be lost.

They are immortalized in antique black and while photos proudly wearing their army uniforms standing by the same antique tractor.

The engineer is my grandfather, he would outlive my father by some 30 years.
My father would make the sacrifice to duty at age 30 and then fade into memory and photograph along with the rest.
Which is why it my grandmother and i attending to the graves.
My grandfather having fed them his family including his only son can not bear to look upon them.

Which leaves only me left and a bunch of old black and white photos, ghosts of people i mostly never knew, and somehow have never joined.

Not for lack of effort though, i suppose death has just gotten bored with the taste of us, and now i am too old for good eating, but eventually he will have me too, whether he likes it or not. And then our book will close.

So where am i now?
Sitting at work, so other people can have a long holiday week end, have cook outs and parties and such, somewhat ironic as i am the only veteran here.
Strange how a day of remembrance changes to a day for parties and cook outs.

Thanks for sharing.

@Buttercup_Smith

Finally cooked for a change. Twas good. I am despressed. Smoking thing f’ing with my moods. I am stoked for this to go away.

Keep holding on it will(I’ve been smoke free for 22 years)

[dogbutler]

Up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off to work.

[FairyChatMom]

I’m awake. I’m dressed. I’m in the office. I’ve got a metric buttload of stuff on my desk to be done. My fault - I asked for it… The only problem is the lack of priorities - I need to ask everyone when they need their drawings. At least there’s something to do.

More rain in the forecast. Dammit. We might see sun on Thursday… maybe. Meanwhile, squish squish squish

Happy Tuesday!

[Sario]

Morning all. I’m up, though I’m not yet presentable. It’s currently drizzling, and has been all night, so everything is thoroughly soaked. The holiday means my schedule this week is slightly different, which is why I’m posting at this time rather than being halfway through my commute Oh well, time to pull myself together and get out the door.

[scareyfaerie]

Belated happies, Rio!

I am at irk, it is blurf-worthy today. Actually not got a lot to do which is a nice change after the exam madness. We still have exams going on this week but I don’t have any for my Very Special Snowflakes so I can get on with doing other things. Not quite sure what other things to do yet, but I’ll find something.

Weekend in Belgium was very nice, good to see some of our old haunts are still there even though some of the bars and restaurants we used to frequent have changed hands or disappeared completely. They were in the middle of a mini heatwave over there and had temperatures in the upper 20s and low 30s so it was absolutely roasting. Back in the UK, it’s drizzly and damp today so much less hot although the house will be too hot for me as it’s been closed up all day.

I have to go shopping tonight as there’s no lunch-type food in the house which means I have to go and forage for something lunch-ish today then I can stock up on green leafy stuff for home and start making my own again.

I am tired, so I think a walk across campus to the card shop (freind’s birthday this week) and the café will perk me up again. That and a cup of tea, of course.

[swampbear]

Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN 'Tis 73 Amurrkin and cloudy out with a predicted high of 87 and mostly cloudy for the day with the possibility of a stray tstorm. Today I shall defilthyfy da cave. Dindin will be sketties 'n meatballs. Nice to be able to yank sauce and meatballs outta da freezer. Sallit and garlic bread shall accompany.

OK, I need more caffeine and rumbly tummy demands sustenance. Then. well, I suppose I should begin defilthfycation. Rah.

Happy Tuesday Y’all!

[The_Stainless_Steel_Rat]

Up and must be a grouchy mood as I’ve already posted in the Pit this morning, something I don’t normally do. And the temperature report on Weather Underground said it was 66.6F out…

Last replacement window people are coming out this afternoon, then I have to decide. Go with a local company or the slightly more expensive (but better, in my barely-educated opinion) window? Decisions, decisions.

Sario, if it was your B-Day yesterday as boofairy reports, hope you had a good one.

boofairy, I love a ‘heatwave’ in the ‘20-30’s’ (Celsius of course). When I lived in Abu Dhabi (Where highs for six months a year were 40-45C with the occasional 50C), we called that ‘winter’. The world is quite a mix.

[scareyfaerie]

metalmouse, anything between 20-25 degrees is a heatwave for us! Anything more than that, when the temperature markers on the weather map are orange instead of yellow…well, that’s just scorchio and us pale pasty folks stay inside

[Buttercup_Smith]

blurf At irk again. It is so cold in my office I am wrapped in a blanket. For some unknown reason my office only gets 20 degrees cooler than the rest of the building which I am mostly OK with as I’d rather not be hot.

My lead clerk, the one who gave notice, is in hospital with pneumonia, poor thing. I guess I could send some flowers but iI sure as hell ain’t visiting as I can not and do not want to be sick.

26 days smoke free. Nearly a month.

[FairyChatMom]

**Butters **- congrats on 26 days!! Back in the olden days when smoking was permitted in offices, I worked for a man who’d try to quit, and I’d be treated to 4-5 days of him crunching on carrot sticks before he went back to the butts. Good for you for being stronger than a fighter pilot!!!

[peedin]

At irk, but since I’m leaving Friday for 2 weeks vacay, I’m mentally checked out. I simply do not care…

[kopek]

@Sunny_Daze

I like this.

For her time (1886-1984) the lady had some unusual outlooks on life and the universe. For some reason, much of what she planted took good root in me.

@dogbutler

How thw heck can they play that well, and lose? : headdesk :

The Flightless Birds practice the Dark Arts?

Other than that awake and the weather is showing enough of a gap between storms to make it worth considering the Sportie. Forage will be shortly.

[swampbear]

I have dusted, vacuumed and cleaned both bathrooms. The kitchen and moppin’ can wait until tomorrow cause I don’t want to do them today and can get away with that. I just et a pimento cheese sammich accompanied by a glass of milk. As I was munchin’ I pondered over just how many pimento cheese, ‘mater, and PBJ sammiches accompanied by a glass of milk I have eaten over the years. Growin’ up those were the three N.O.L. staples and I know I’ve eaten many of all three as an adult. When one retires one has time to ponder the great questions of life.