Thursday, May 26, 2016

Here we are, almost at the unofficial beginning of summer, Memorial Day Weekend.  It seems we are going to enjoy a very nice weekend - warm to hot weather, plenty of sunshine with maybe just an occasional evening shower.  Can't get much better than that.  I distinctly remember standing in cold rain more than once to watch the Memorial Day Parade in St. Johnsbury and then arriving at camp afterwards for a picnic and being apologetic to invited guests for the occasional snowflakes in the air.  When I was a kid, we always hoped to go swimming on Memorial Day, but I don't think that happened very often.  Back then the ice was barely out of the pond by May 30th.   It could happen this year, but this kid won't be going swimming . . . I'm more than happy to cool off in the shower, if need be.

I was curious about displaying the flag on Memorial Day.  There was something in the back of my mind that made me think there was some special rule about that, and sure enough, flags displayed outside are flown at half mast until noon, and then raised to full mast.  Here is the site that addresses that policy. Flag Etiquette

It's very nice to go to the cemeteries and put flowers on relative's graves, and Memorial Day is a great time to do that; but the day was designated to remember fallen soldiers.  Here is the History of Memorial Day I found interesting.   

I'm sitting here listening to June bugs bounce off the window above my computer screen.  I've heard them for a couple of nights now - but I haven't seen any outside.  I usually find them in the morning, motionless on the deck, a result of banging against the window pane, I suppose.

The air is sweet with the scent of apple blossoms - I had a rush of
fleeting memory today as I started off on my noon-time walk - it took me back just for an instant to years ago, no specific time or place, just one of those precious moments that nudge your memory and then are gone before you can grasp it, leaving you feeling a little nostalgic. 

The apple trees are blooming - the one across the road from our mailboxes (top) and our old tree (bottom). We're surprised our old tree is loaded with blossoms again this year.  Pretty amazing since for years it only had fruit every other year for years.  Then Fred pruned it a while back and since then we've had a bumper crop every year.  We haven't been down on the lower lawn to see how the transparent apple tree is doing - maybe we'll do that tomorrow.  The lawn has been mowed for the first time this year - another indicator summer has begun.

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