Archive for the ‘American Life’ Category

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Memorial Day

May 30, 2011

The flag in our front yard, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. June 13, 2010.

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.  There are many stories about the beginnings of Memorial Day and it is hard to say where it actually began.  Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

The first state to officially recognize Memorial Day was New York in 1873.  By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states.  The South refused to acknowledge the holiday until after World War I (when the holiday was changed from honoring just those who died fighting the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war).  In 1971 the official date of Memorial Day was set by act of Congress as the last Monday in May.

For most Americans Memorial Day is celebrated as the unofficial start of summer.  The original meaning of the day has almost been forgotten.  But please, as you enjoy the holiday, take a moment to remember those who made it possible for us to enjoy it.

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Posted in American Life | 13 Comments »

Down Memory Lane: Fairfield Glade (2008)

February 10, 2011

Betsy and I think Fairfield Glade is a pretty special place.  We enjoy the beauty of the community as well as that of our own house and yard.  This collage is made up of pictures taken around Fairfield Glade during the latter part of 2008.

To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.

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My World: Relieved, Not Happy

February 8, 2011

Mom, Dad and me, Crown Point, Indiana. October, 1943.

This is my post for the My World meme.  It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, and Fishing Guy.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

As you may know, Betsy and I have spent the last couple of years helping my parents at their home in Hendersonville.  Dad is 98, Mom is 90 and they are both legally blind.

They are also very stubborn and have insisted that they can get along just fine at home by themselves.  After much pleading they finally agreed to let Meals on Wheels bring them meals, and a caregiver visit them three times a week.  Although this was an improvement, it still left them alone much too often as far as my sister, Betsy and I were concerned.  Both Mom and Dad have fallen and have needed help getting up.

My sister Janet has been trying for several years to get Mom and Dad to move to Tullahoma and live with her.  She has a little area in her home fixed up for them.  Her husband has to have a full-time sitter, who can also keep an eye on the folks.

Mom and Dad have resisted moving, but after many discussions with us, their doctor, and members of their church, they have agreed to try living down there.  Janet took them home with her this past Friday, and if things go well, we’ll move some of their furniture down next week.

I know that encouraging them to move to Janet’s home was the right thing to do, but doing it wasn’t easy and didn’t make me feel especially happy.  Please keep these two wonderful people (and the rest of us) in your prayers.

The picture above was taken in 1943.  I had much more hair back then!

 

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Down Memory Lane: Our Wedding

February 3, 2011

I recently came across a file of pictures from our wedding and posted them online.

Betsy and I got married on June 23 in a small ceremony at a Methodist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.  It was an outdoor ceremony, and although it had poured down rain the day before, we had a beautiful day for the wedding.

We only invited family to the wedding, and everyone was able to come except Betsy’s youngest son Jeff, who was told at the last minute that he had to work that day.

I often tease Betsy because she made me wait until June before we could get married, but I have to admit that the wedding — which she mostly planned — was very nice.  She did good.

To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.

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Happy Thanksgiving

November 24, 2010

At this time of Thanksgiving, Betsy and I have so very much for which to be thankful.  I’ve pictured just a few of them in the collage above.

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Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us.

For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea,
We thank you, Lord.

For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.

For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends,
We thank you, Lord.

For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.

For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,
We thank you, Lord.

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Betsy and I hope all of you have a happy, blessed and safe Thanksgiving.

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Is This a Blue Moon?

November 22, 2010

Full Moon over Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. November 21, 2010.

Sunday evening’s full moon is the first in November, so most people would say that it is not a blue moon.  A full moon is considered to be a blue moon when it is the second full moon of the month.

BUT . . .  This definition of a blue moon came about in 1943 in an article written for Sky & Telescope magazine.  Prior to that, according to an article written in 1937 for Maine Farmers’ Almanac, a blue moon was the third of four full moons in a season.

Names were assigned to each moon in a season:  For example, the first moon of summer was called the early summer moon, the second was the midsummer moon, and the last was called the late summer moon.

Seven times in 19 years there are 13 full moons in a calendar year, which means that one season that year has four full moons.  When a particular season has four full moons, the third was called a blue moon so that the fourth and final one could continue to be called the late moon.

The full moon on November 21 was the third of the autumn season this year — the first two were September 23 and October 22.  The fourth full moon of autumn in 2010 will occur 2:13 a.m. CST on December 21, 15 hours and 25 minutes before the solstice and the arrival of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.  So according to the Maine Almanac rule, the third full moon of the 2010 fall season on November 21 was a blue moon.

I don’t know if this should be called a blue moon or not.  All I know is that it was beautiful.

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Down Memory Lane: Two Room Schools

November 18, 2010

Beech Grove School, Cataloochee Valley, North Carolina. October 20, 2010.

When Betsy and I visited Cataloochee Valley with our friends Patti and Neal, we stopped by Beech Grove School.  Beech Grove School is a two room school built in 1901.  It is the only one of three schools in the valley that still remains.

Visiting this school brought back memories for me.  I attended two-room schools for the first eight grade.  Washington School was for grades 1 through 4, and Riley School was for grades 5 through 8.

In both schools had two teachers, each with her own room.  Each room had two classes.  One class worked while the teacher taught the other class, and then the classes switched roles.

As a child I liked that system.  I was always an avid reader, so when I was in the lower grade, I got to read with the class ahead of me.  When in the higher grade, I got to do free reading while the rest of my class studied reading.

The same situation applied to arithmetic.  I got to study arithmetic with the upper class when I was in the lower class and I tutored students in the lower class when I was in the upper class.

Desks in Beech Grove School, Cataloochee Valley, North Carolina. October 20, 2010.

The desks at Washington School were very similar to these in Beech Grove School shown in the picture above.  Riley School has been demolished, and Washington School has been converted into a private residence.  But I do have happy memories of both of those schools.

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Fireworks at the Glade

July 6, 2010

The start of the fireworks display. Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 4, 2010.

This is my post for the My World meme.  It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, and Fishing Guy.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Fairfield Glade is an interesting community.  Most of the full-time residents are retired, but it is also a time-share resort with plenty of visitors in the summer.  The Fourth of July is a big celebration for both groups.  People here on vacation like to find things other than golf and the visiting grandchildren of residents need to be entertained.

For a relatively small community the Glade puts on a pretty good fireworks display.  I couldn’t resist the temptation to join residents and visitors at the Druid Hills club house to see the show.  All of these pictures were taken Sunday night.  I learned some things about my camera while taking these, so hopefully I’ll do better next year.

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Posted in American Life | 18 Comments »

Happy Fourth of July

July 3, 2010

The Liberty Bell, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. December 2, 2000.

” …  We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. …”

Two hundred and thirty-four years ago, the United States began with a declaration and an ideal.  We need to remember both and work to bring the ideal closer to reality.

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July.

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A Flag Day Tirade

June 14, 2010

The flag in our yard waiting for a breeze. June 13, 2010.

Warning:  If you don’t want to read a tirade from an Old Fogey, skip the post below.

One of my never-ending projects is converting our vinyl records to digital format.  I put many of the resulting files onto my iPod, but I also burn CDs so we can enjoy classical music on our stereo system and so that we can listen to music in the car.

On our trip to the beach in May we took along CDs made from an album of vinyl records put out by Reader’s Digest around the time of our Bicentennial.  One of the tracks was Kate Smith’s “God Bless America”.  After listening to it, Betsy and I got to talking about that and other patriotic songs we remember from our childhood.  We sang these songs in schools and other places and usually didn’t even need to have the printed words since we knew them (or at least parts of them) by heart.  Now I wonder if our grandchildren have even heard them.

If they haven’t I think they are missing out on something.  Now don’t get me wrong — I know that the U. S. is not heaven on earth.  But I do think that this is a pretty special country.  My father grew up as a tenant farmer’s son who went to town with his father in a horse-drawn wagon.  I ended up programming and running computers half-way around the globe.  Our civil discourse is decidedly uncivil at times, but I think most Americans are decent, hard-working people who care about their families and their neighbors.  When there is a disaster in any part of the world Americans are usually there helping in person or by donating money.

So on this Flag Day the flag will be flying at our house (perhaps there will even be a breeze).  As it says another song, “If this is flag-waving — flag-waving — can you think of a better flag to wave?”

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