Memorial Day 2024, Monday May 27

The last Monday in May is dedicated to remembering military members who died in service. I've done a number of blogs over the years about my uncle Clare who was killed in WWII in the China Burma India Theater in October 1944. There are only a few nieces and a nephew who remember him, and we are all in our 80s. He came home in October 1947 on the Honda Knot, and from there came by train to Franklin Grove, Illinois where he was buried in the Ashton Cemetery.

Have a thoughtful Memorial Day observance

Testimony wrapped up this week, and closing arguments are scheduled following the holiday.

Judge Juan Merchan, the worst in our history, sent the jury home to stew in the hate and threats in NYC they'll receive for several days if any one of them dares to follow the evidence and the "charge" (which we still don't know) and find Trump innocent of the non-crime. If the Democrats can destroy due process against a former president, they can do it to YOU.

Makes the sacrifices of all the wars and all our lost soldiers look futile, doesn't it?

Democrats are trying to get rid of Alito so they can hire a compliant stooge for the court. Wouldn't surprise me if that's what Merchan is going for.

Dershowitz: 'I've never seen a spectacle' like 'tyrant' Judge Merchan | WND | by Bob Unruh

"Megyn is joined by legal experts Andy McCarthy and Phil Holloway to discuss whether Trump witness Robert Costello helped or hurt his case, if the defense team should have rested after they established Michael Cohen was a liar on the stand during cross-examination, and more.

Megyn, McCarthy, and Holloway discuss Judge Merchan withholding jury instructions from the public, jurors being exposed to outside influence during the Memorial Day holiday, the political pressure on the jury and the judge to get a conviction, and more." (Megyn Kelly podcast May 25.)

Trump NY Criminal Trial, Week 6: The Final Witnesses, Jury Instructions, and More – Megyn Kelly

Memorial Day, 2021

 Our terrible storms on Lake Erie have cleared out (Port Clinton was in a state of emergency) and the holiday to memorialize the fallen heroes of our wars has appeared warm and sunny.

I walked to the Wellness Center on Sixth St. (about a mile) and then spent 3 miles on the exercycle.  The cycle had been moved (and maybe replaced, not sure) to a different window, so I couldn't see the pool.  However, I did see the small woods and open lot, and had the fun of watching a young deer nibbling tender shoots for breakfast.  I walked back home through the woods and Seventh Street rather than walk along the lake, the lakefront still being strewn with debris from the storm.  So I had five miles in before 8 a.m.

Then at 10:30 I went to the Memorial Day event on the lawn in front of the pavilion, and enjoyed it immensely.  We are usually not in Lakeside on this holiday, and I found the small town atmosphere with a mayor and city council (from Marblehead), and locals telling about the service of their fathers in WWII quite moving. One man's father had been in the Philippines waiting for the invasion of Japan, when the bomb was dropped.  He said there was much rejoicing--something we don't often hear about that terrible loss of Japanese people, yet it did save thousands of American lives. One woman told of her own father whose 4 year enlistment was up on December 8, 1941, so he was commanded to remain another 4 years. She was born after he returned after the war.  Bob Grim, head of the Lakeside Board also told of visiting Normandy with a 95 year old veteran who had been there when he was 19 years old. 

I sat next to a woman, my age or older, whose name was Nancy.  It was her first time in Lakeside and she was quite charmed by it all.

I took me back over 75 years, probably a year or so after WWII to the Memorial Day service in Mt. Morris.  The rifle salute scared me then as much as today, but I knew my Dad was home. I also thought about Uncle Clare, killed in 1944 in China and how my mom and grandparents grieved. Collecting My Thoughts: Remembering Uncle Clare on Memorial Day

A look at Lakeside's weather for the holiday week-end

I read this on Facebook.  Temps have dropped (Thursday evening).

"For those packing for the weekend - here's a quick heads up that the weather starts off  HORRIBLE! Friday will be wet and cold and windy, with steady rain all morning turning to showers in the afternoon. High temps barely above 60 (so plenty of room at the pool.  Winds will be blowing steadily out of the northeast all day, turning quite strong by Friday evening with gusts > 35mph at times. So no dock walks either .

Saturday will still be chilly but drier with some sunshine (although the NWS still says there is a chance of showers until 2 pm, I just don't see that as much of a threat after sunrise at the latest.) Highs in the 60s.

Back to near 70 with sunshine by Sunday and well into the 70s and dry Memorial Day too."

Back home in Lakeside

I stepped out this morning to a familiar hum--I think they are called "noseeums" tiny bugs you can't see but can hear.   The sound like buzzing in the power lines.  It was foggy, and with that hum I put my hood on my sweatshirt over my head.  By the time I got to the east end, the noise was gone.  They must be on their way west.

We got here about 3:15 yesterday, stopped to pick up our pre-ordered summer passes.  If Lakeside ever needed the owners to step up and help pay for lost revenue, it is now.  I don't know if we'll be here enough to cover it, but we hope to.  The traffic is light, and there will be few programs, but walking around I see that the plant sale is still on--that's a Memorial Day tradition. People have their flags out--recognizing that this is a day to honor the war dead. 

I brought along some frozen items for dinner last night, but we're hoping to eat at the Patio this morning for breakfast.  Usually we do that on Sunday, but with social distancing, there will be limited seating. We thought Saturday might be better. Best pancakes ever. There is an active catering service with very reasonable meals--$6-$7 a piece and they will deliver for those too elderly or timid to venture out. I saw the usual picnic tables used when the Methodists (a huge crowd) are usually here in June stacked in parking lot a few blocks from the "main drag." Still, there are many here we do know.  One of our neighbors just found out about Phil's death on Thursday and she has been alerting other neighbors, so they step out of their homes when we walk by and express condolences. And so we tell the story briefly, but even in the retelling (if it's not too often) there is some healing--or at least it makes the unbelievable a bit more real.

The grounds crew have been busy, and we usually see a lot of work right after the spring storms, but I know they are have limited numbers of staff and limited funds, so the parks and lakefront look very good considering. Many have either been here in the spring, or live close enough to help, and I know there have been many volunteers. For a holiday week-end that is usually humming, I'd say we're about 1/4 of the usual crowd.  The regulars are opening; the renters are not here.

Happy Birthday, Mom

My mother would be 107 today. It's hard to imagine, and also to believe she's been gone since 2000. Our family never made much of a fuss about birthdays when I was growing up, and I can recall only a few times I was with her to celebrate during adulthood. I saw her for 2 days in late May of 1993 when I came out from Chicago after an MLA conference, but then she left for the DC area to see a granddaughter graduate, so I can't remember if we did anything to celebrate. Perhaps she celebrated it jointly with Julie. Then in the late 90s my sister and I both came in May and spent time with her.

And today is also the 3-day week-end date for Memorial Day, the last Monday in May instead of May 30 which was the date from 1868 to 1971--certainly enough years for me to adjust. It was originally a day to honor the Civil War dead--and there is still some controversy about that--however, now the tradition is to decorate the graves of family and friends, but also attend parades to honor war dead. In a letter to her cousin in Iowa, Marianne [posted at my blog], "Mom fretted a little on Memorial Day 1975 that she and her sister were the only ones left to place flowers at the grave sites of parents and brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, something their mother had always done." I hope my brother is able to get to Ashton to continue the family tradition of our parents and grandparents, and that my sister will place some flowers on the graves in Plainview in Mt. Morris.

Mom actually had a great uncle Jacob, the brother of her grandfather David, who died in the service during the Civil War, but if my grandmother, her mother knew that, she never told my mom. His birth and death dates are not in the family Bible. He was born in 1848 and died in May 1865, just weeks before the end of the war. He's buried in the National Cemetery in Nashville [Section J, grave 14379]. Mom and her sister found out about this 120 years later through a cousin in Iowa who still owned a letter he'd written from a prison camp. He was only 16 years old when he enlisted.

We are usually at our lake home over Memorial Day Week-end and here's a collection of the blogs I've written about it. https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/search/label/Memorial%20Day

Friday famly photo--Memorial Day week-end

The wind was really brisk along the lake this morning. I had my 2 mile walk.  The irises are fabulous—I could tell even in the dim light of a cloudy early morning sunrise that had no sun. Since contractors are not supposed to be working during the “season” I could see a lot of remodeling and rebuilding going on as I walked down Third and then the Lakefont. The Design/Review committee doesn’t seem as concerned about size as when Bob was on it, but he just shrugs.

I tore the cottage apart looking for the IT/modem information we need to reconnect our internet which we turn off in the fall and winter. The Spectrum guy was here yesterday to flip the switch, but things were not connected. When our daughter arrived and made many phone calls, we were finally up and running, and she then set up the Roku stick she got me for Mother's Day.

 Meanwhile, I found lots of other “stuff,” including a 1977 photo of Bob, his dad Bob and his brother-in-law Bob. The 3 Bobs. It was taken at a time when Bob Sr. visited his sister, so Bob drove over to see him. As near as I can figure, Bob Sr. was 64, Bob was 39 and Bob Poisal was 44. Bob had longish, auburn red hair and was very slender. 40 years makes a huge difference, not just in the clothing fashion as shown in my recent blog, but our hair styles, bodies and physical fitness.

I took everything off the bookshelves and rearranged, without about 20 books.  We took those and our original wicker 2 seat couch on the porch since 1989 to the South Auditorium for the Historical Society annual sale. We really squeaked in--everything was arranged and ready to go for the Saturday opening.

And I found restaurants menus; I must remember to date them when I pick them up. The Hotel Lakeside; The Patio; Cleats; Nagoya (Japanese restaurant our kids like); and Sloopy’s the local pizza joint. At 5 we left the grounds to drive to Sandusky to Sortino’s, an Italian restaurants our kids like. We each ordered something different, and brought half home to eat on Saturday evening.

Enjoying lasagna and fettuccini at Sortino's in Sandusky 

A few of the neighbors are rolling in—gates are open and charging for the week-end, but most come up to get their cottages ready. Two of our immediate neighbors died over the winter—they lived across the street from each since the 1970s, and died the same day, one in Florida and one in Ohio. Another neighbor is using her cottage for AirBnB, so we never know for sure who will be there.

Memorial Day Week-end, Monday Memories 2016

Our daughter and son-in-law also got in on the fun of yard work and spring cleaning this year which we traditionally do on Memorial Day week-end. With four more hands and two younger bodies we got a lot accomplished.  But we did take some time off for fun.  We drove to Sortino's in Sandusky for a great Italian meal Friday evening. The portions are so large that we each got a take home box and enjoyed it for Saturday evening, too. Really wonderful food.

Time Warner came out to install internet on Saturday so certain people who vacation there in July and their parents will continue to be connected. The nice thing is that we'll be able to watch our cable TV programs we subscribe to without having cable service at the lake. We made sure everything worked on our devices--collectively among us, we had 4 phones, 2 Nooks, 3 i-pads, 1 laptop and 1 TV while getting internet service for wi-fi. Our daughter got everything running smoothly. She's a tech wizard.

Need hymns for Memorial Day services?

Need hymns for Memorial Day? This time of year, it's my most popular blog post. They are from a 1964 Methodist hymnal that I found at a book sale for ten cents.  And remember! Memorial Day (which began to honor Civil War dead) is for deceased; Veterans Day observed the end of WWI (11th hour of the11th day of the 11th month) and is for all veterans.

 Hymns for Memorial Day Observance

Also some news about veterans.  There's a bill to allow WWII women veterans into Arlington Cemetery.  I didn't know anyone was keeping them out, but apparently some Democrats were.

http://www.speaker.gov/photo/women-wwii-deserve-be-arlington

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and honored the war dead of the Civil War with flowers on their graves. After WWI it became Memorial Day and honored all war dead, or even all deceased friends and family depending on your customs.

When I was very young, I sold paper red poppies with my siblings to raise money for the American Legion, of which my dad was a district commander in Illinois. When I was older I remember attending services at the band shell in Mt. Morris, where a senior student was chosen to recite the poem, "In Flanders' Field." First my grandparents would decorate my uncle's grave (died in China in 1944) at the Ashton, IL cemetery; then later my mom and her sister; and after they died, my father went to the cemetery with the flowers. Now they are all gone, and I think my brother who now lives in Franklin Grove has continued the tradition.

A message from our niece, Joanie

http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/1413th-Engineer-Company-Deploys-To-Afghanistan-256922571.html

Guest blogger Murray tours the home town—Mt. Morris, Illinois

Our favorite home town hasn’t changed much. On my first bike trip around the town after winter in Florida I did take note of the fact that the residents do a damn good job of keeping their homes up. Thank goodness for vinyl siding. There are some in a state of disrepair or abandoned, but considering the situation the town looks pretty neat. Whitmer, who farms the field back of our house, usually alternates between corn and soybeans but has elected to go for the ethanol crop again this year. The land around the airport outside of the village that had 5 acre lots for sale has utilized the land for an ethanol crop also while waiting for lot sales to pick up. We now have a new Dollar General Store located just before you get to the trailer court on Rt. 64. This was badly needed as the little discount store located in the old Brass Rail closed down after a year or so of opening although there is a sign painted on the window glass, "New Business Coming."  I stopped by on my bike trip and was able to talk to the owners. They are going to modify the store with a lunch counter and gift shop. They are aiming to reopen during the 4th so drop in. They are located in the old Brass Rail. Unfortunately, we lost the remaining ( Hough) hardware store that has been one of the town's mainstays. That store building plus the old Hough house is for sale. Probably the best news is the Kable Printing Company's building has been sold by Quad Graphics to a business out in California. It's my understanding this business does not operate any type of business of their own. They buy property, renovate it and rent or resell it to others. Part of the selling contract allows for Quad to use it for storage for 3 years. After that, hopefully Mt. Morris will see a new business startup. Here's the story: http://www.oglecountynews.com/2013/04/26/quad-graphics-plant-in-mt-morris-purchased-by-california-company-few-details-available/asa5iy0/

Our golf course is doing well and is in great shape so if you visit bring your clubs and call me cause I'm still whacking the ball around. Right now they are busy getting ready for the 32nd annual Old Home Week Golf Tournament. They are calling it the 32nd but I remember playing in it back in the 60's and 70's. Click here for tournament info: http://sunsetgolfmm.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2013-Old-Home-Week-Entry-Form.pdf. The group from the Rockford Country Club did not sign up this year therefore leaving the tournament a few teams short. Some of the area courses aren't doing as well as Sunset. Oregon Country Club has been sold and is currently closed. The new owner is trying to resell it as a golf course. Good luck with that one. Silver Ridge closed last fall but has a new owner this spring and is open for play. Sterling Country Club closed and was sold. It is now farmland. Looks like more ethanol on line. As of now I don't know what's holding the Polo course together. Dixon and Lost Nation are still going along with Prairie View in Byron.

In spite of the fact that small town America is disappearing, Mt. Morris refuses to give up on it's traditions and way of life. They held their memorial day festivities as usual with a good turnout at the Band shell and Memorial fountain. The Band shell has been renovated complete with a cement pad to hold the new park benches out front. The Kable Band has given concerts for the last 117 years. Click here: http://www.mtmorrisil.net/Blank.html Somebody needs to call Guinness on this....could be a record! And of course, as many of the natives count on, our annual 4th of July celebration will draw people back home from all over the country. I'll be at my usual spot out in front of the old Brass Rail hopefully along with the usual old friends that annually check each other out during the parade. If you come bring a few tall tales to add to the ones you'll be hearing from the "old regulars" They have a million of them that get better each year!

The Blackhawk statue is soliciting for donations for badly needed renovations. You can help. Go here for information about the restoration: http://www.rrstar.com/news/x1503808519/Summer-2014-repair-expected-for-Black-Hawk-statue-in-Oregon#axzz2WO4dE7M4

Pinecrest Manor continues to expand it's facilities. Everybody's little buddy Jimmy "Lil' Pete" Smith from the class of '55 is now a resident. Besides the facilities to house the elderly requiring assistance, they now have a small village of their own called Pinecrest Grove. The plans call for 42 duplex homes with 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms. They already have 10 built with 4 of them sold. They really look nice and the prices range from $50,000 to $167,000 depending on the type of "plan" you subscribe to. Click here to have a peek. http://www.pinecrestcommunity.org/lifestyle/pinecrest-grove

The biggest bummer is our main drag. Starting at the corner of Wesley & Center going north there are 10 store fronts in the first block with 3 empty. Not too bad. But, the next block that includes Felkers Drug is completely void of any businesses. The final block shows Zickuhr's Corner Drug empty and with just a tavern plus gas station. (Dewey's old place) The recent closing of the  old hardware store renders that side of the block empty now . So the heart of the town is pretty quiet most days.

Here are other websites that will provide you with just about anything you want to know about your favorite hometown:

http://www.mtmorrisil.net/Tourism.html

http://www.mtmorrisil.net/Mt_Morris_Updated_Businesses_6-25-12.pdf

Friday Family Photo

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and honored the war dead of the Civil War with flowers on their graves. After WWI it became Memorial Day and honored all war dead, or even all deceased friends and family depending on your customs.

When I was very young, I sold paper red poppies with my siblings to raise money for the American Legion, of which my dad was a district commander in Illinois. When I was older I remember attending services at the band shell in Mt. Morris, where a senior student was chosen to recite the poem, "In Flanders' Field." First my grandparents would decorate my uncle's grave (died in China in 1944) at the Ashton, IL cemetery; then later my mom and aunt; and after they died, my father went to the cemetery with the flowers. Now they are all gone, but I hope there will be a few family members to go to the cemetery in Ashton and Mt. Morris to decorate and memorialize.

            

Memorial Day--Poppy Day--Monday Memories

The Junior Auxiliary was selling poppies in Forreston, Illinois--probably 1950. My dad was the 13th District Commander of the American Legion, which had a total membership of 6,500 when he was membership chairman, and he was post Commander of Forreston in 1950.

Obama's Memorial Day appearance in Illinois canceled by rain, thunderstorm and high winds

Torrential rain, lightning, thunder and strong winds forced President Barack Obama to cancel a Memorial Day speech he'd scheduled at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Illinois.

Obama's Memorial Day appearance in Illinois canceled by rain, thunderstorm and high winds | StarTribune.com

How old, how young?

How old do you have to be before younger people step aside on the walking path along the lake?  It's a gorgeous day in the neighborhood--perfect for a walk heading east.  Giant tanker at the Marblehead dock, sunny day, a few clouds, and a nice breeze.  I was almost mowed down by a 20-something jogger--I stepped into the grass--and then a 40-something ran by with her big dog--and I stepped aside.  I was walking on the far right, leaving them plenty of room, but they were enjoying the great weather and not looking.

Flowers are terrific in May. As are the greens that just don't appear any other time of the year.  All the colors and blooms I remember from the days 50 years ago when most people didn't go to the nurseries to buy annuals.  Peach, pink, rose, purple, blue and white iris.  Early rose bushes.  The lilacs are finished now. Bridal wreath just about done. Later in the summer there will be hollihocks along the lakefront, and then the many types of lilies.

This morning I saw a huge hawk circling and two tiny parent birds trying to attack it to keep it away from the nest.  Parenting is never easy, and in the law of nature, only the fittest survive.  I hope my mother duck at the front door is staying close to the nest.  Her coloring is just perfect for that location, but when she gets frightened and leaves the 9 eggs (that we can see), they are so light they almost glow against the leaves and mulch.

As every Spring at Lakeside there are changes.  People scraping cottages and freshening with new paint; ripping off an old porch and adding a new; some cottages sold over the winter; others went up for sale--the biggest gap will be the 3 on our street all owned by the same couple who have relocated to New York; and some deaths.  When we only see each other a few months of the year time is so compressed.

Just heard about the death of my high school classmate Neal--I'd only seen him once or twice in the last 50 years.  He left school early to enter college and rarely came back for reunions, or else we didn't come back at the same time.  But he was a very smart kid who wrote plays for our class to perform.  It was a very small town, but the teachers all knew he was a rare one, and encouraged his unusual abilities. I'm sure everyone in the class remembers Neal, and I'm sorry for his children who have lost both parents within one year.

This year there will be restaurant service at the Hotel Lakeside again--and that is great news.  I stopped in and picked up a menu today--casual fare except for week-end evenings.  Now that Abigail's has closed there were not many choices for dining out, so people were leaving the grounds for Marblehead and Port Clinton.  And that's not good for the rest of the merchants who depend on people strolling by and impulse purchases.  I still remember sitting in the Hotel dining room in the summer of 1988 looking at the newly rebuilt pavilion and saying to Bob, "I think I'm ready to buy a cottage."  I thought he'd pass out from happiness, and he didn't say much for fear I might change my mind.  We took a different walking route on the way back to our rental, and passed this tiny cottage with a for sale sign in the yard, and the rest is history as they say.

And this blog is so long and so all over the place because I'm on the porch picking up a connection from God knows where and it won't last long--so bye, and have a great holiday week-end.

Our New Grill

About 10 years ago, our son-in-law once removed Pete (brother of our SIL) gave us a rehabbed grill that he found at the curb. It was really nice and he worked hard on it--looked brand new. However, we rarely grill and our deck which we love to use for "eating out" is rather small. And the grill was. . . large. So a few years ago we loaned it to a neighbor who has a lot of company, a large cottage, and many cookouts. Now we have no grill unless we want to go to the neighbors and clean it. So we've bought a cute little Blue Rhino at Lowe's for about $30 and hope it will make our kids happy, because they like to grill. For us, it makes for very expensive bratwurst. My husband is skipping church at the auditorium this morning with all the gazillion pieces parts laid out on the porch floor. Something is missing for the grease pan. And I'm not sure of the English skills of the committee that wrote the instructions. But Eric and Sharon are coming for lunch, and he's an engineer. Perhaps the two guys will figure this out and Sharon and I will take a walk along the lakefront.

Hymns for Memorial Day Observance

So many people stopped by (according to site meter) to see my list, which only referred to another blog I'd written, that I decided to add them here. This blog is way up on google's list, and the other one isn't, so people get here first. This list is from The Methodist Hymnal (1964).

Eternal Father, strong to save

Father eternal, Ruler of creation

For the might of thine arm

God of grace and God of glory

God of our father

God, the Omnipotent

Judge eternal, throned in splendor

Lord, while for all mankind we pray

Mine eyes have seen the glory

My country, 'tis of thee

Not alone for might empire

Now praise we great and famous men

O God of earth and altar

O Lord, our fathers oft have told

These things shall be

This is my song

Turn back, O man

Hymns for Memorial Day

There's a list at my other, other blog.