There is nothing wrong with an enjoyable extended weekend with spring doing its last hurrahs and summer looming around the corner. I do hope, however, that we never ever come to call days like this a bank holiday. It was the common people who let their own blood for this day. Farmers who put down their hoes, paperboys who traded in their caps for helmets, fathers, brothers and sons and also daughters, wives and sisters. I made my rounds to the cemetery plots to lay flowers and revive memories and more than a few of my family gravestones were adorned with the flags of veterans. My father's footstone records service in three wars from foxholes in Europe to the DMZ in Vietnam and many points between. My Uncle, his brother, who died in Normandy. A cousin who served in Vietnam, and died shortly after his return, a broken man. Two 2nd great grandfathers, both of whom were prisoners of war in the War between the States. A grandfather who served in Europe in WWI. I can go all the way back to the first line of my family to have come to this country.....Quakers who took up weapons against their own beliefs to fight in the Revolution. A great Uncle who survived the Spanish American War and volunteered to serve in the Phillipine Rebellion and died there, but his stone sits on an empty grave in the local cemetery. Yes, it's a day in our family we always remember respectfully.

Thank you everyone. Jeanne I decided use both sets of S@P' at the last minute. I'm glad I did. Punk I was surprised at how easily this this table came together. It seemed to have it's own idea about how it wanted to look. LOL Jane, The S@Ps aren't vintage. I like using fresh flowers when I can. The prices are reasonable at the grocery store. and they always have seasonal arrangements. I hope you are able to get out and about more now. Thank you sunnyca. I love when you pop in to comment. Thanks luvs, the little bowls came from CTS. How is your DH doing? Nana

Jeanne, your table is just lovely! The centerpiece is perfect, simple but so eye-catching. And you know that I love the addition of all the white bunnies (and tea pot). I am a firm believer that bunnies go with any and all holidays. LOL. Probably cause my house is overrun with the non-real kind. And none of those in the yard causing mischief, thanks to my life as a city dweller. Sorry I'm late to all the Memorial celebrations. And I never did get out my decor either. I'm going to give myself one more chance...4th of July...and if it stays packed again this year (be two in a row), then it will have to go. New rule I'm trying to enforce, stuff can NOT stay packed several years without seeing the light of day. I need to let someone else enjoy it if I can't. Anyway, I definitely enjoyed seeing your pretty things and am so glad you decorated for "us" here. ;o) hugs, Karen

After some consideration of my earlier post here, I offer my apology for having made it on this thread, as I did not intend it in any way to detract from your appreciation of the service that military people have given, including death for many. While I consider that the point that I made is valid, I think that I should have made it on a separate thread. Our May holiday, last weekend, earlier dealing with our queen of the late 1800s, has been just a holiday for many years, with no military connotations. We remember their contributions on November 11, which we used to call "Armistice Day", related mainly to te multiplied thousands who were killed in World War I, and later in World War II and Korea. Our family has more reason than many to be thankful for the soldiers' contribution, for Grandpa was 54 (Dad 13) in 1914, when World WarI began. When World War II began in 1939, Dad at 38 had a wife in the chronic hospital, an old mother 77 and me, aged 10 plus 2 younger brothers and a fairly large farm to look after. Korea was not a major deal here, I wondered about going, but was busy in University at the time. I finished just as the Korean War was winding down and asked to be appointed as a missionary of our (liberal Protestant)(1) church, to help heal the wounds of war in Korea, then spent 10 years there. I do not like war. So our family, not having been personally involved in war, have reason to be more thankful than many for the gift of their lives that many soldiers have been called upon to make. I drove my son, who has lived all of his life in Canada, a dual citizen, to Toronto to register for the U.S. draft in the late '70s, when he was near or at 18 ... but he has not served. He was in the Canadian Navy Officers' Training or Reserves for a while, while he was in University, and spent a summer with them, but did not continue. When given an order, he had a tendency to ask the officer to give him three reasons why he should follow it. I think that he and the Navy felt that they would not make a good fit. Good wishes to you all as you remember later today, Memorial Day. ole joyful 1. When I started university in 1947, I was assigned a room in our seminary dorm that had been furnished in tribute to our first ordained female clergyperson, which took place in the 1930s on the Prairies, I think. Most of the Presbyterians, the Methodists and the Congregationalists (plus a number of local union churches, mainly in the recently-settled Prairies) joined into The United Church of Canada in 1925. o j