Odd how it has evolved to be at once a day of quiet
remembrance and a day of raucous picnicking, outdoor playing, throwing the ball
around, wading in the water – in short, the somber and yet not really somber at
all American introduction to the summer season.
We took the middle road.
A stroll not too far from the farmhouse with my daughter...
Then, a lovely, subdued evening of grilling on the porch, with her
and her fiancée (and Ed, and the occasional appearance of Isis)...
Smiling at the colors of this weekend...
Loving the pleasure of being in each others company.
Day is done now. Gone the sun, from the lakes from the hills
from the sky... Ed dozes on the porch, the embers from the new grill (a grill searched for with such intensity just yesterday) nearly
spent.
A storm had passed through just as I was getting the grill
going. A violent, quick storm, all flash and brawn and I hid from it, but the
three gallant ones sat out on the porch, nearly oblivious to the noise, the
threat, the what ifs. One person’s terror may be another's brave moment. It’s
good that we can be different in this way.
My girl says to Ed – I see you have a patriotic t-shirt
on today. Funny girl. It’s a free one, from donating blood and one of the few that’s left in his clean stack at the moment.
Coincidence. Sure. But a sweet one.
That was a very poetic entry, Nina. Love the trust your daughter has in her beloved...letting him squirt mustard on her hotdog! True love.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, love the colours and the obvious smiles underneath the words that come from such deep family love in all corners.
Memorial Day is loaded with meaning in my family. Men we knew who gave the ultimate sacrifice so we can enjoy life. Men my father served with in World War II and Korea, men I served with in Vietnam, friends' children serving in Iraq & Afghanistan are honored and remembered on Memorial Day and throughout the year. But for us Memorial Day is also a day of celebration of life. So we grill hot dogs and hamburgers, tell stories as friends do, laugh, go for walks through beautiful landscapes, and end the day happily worn out.
ReplyDeleteAfter our guests had gone home, we watched a glorious golden sunset, settled in to watching a movie when, out of nowhere—the house went dark with a BOOM of too-close lightning, sudden hail clattering against the windows, hammering rain and hail on the roof, and within two minutes all was quiet. I went outside to see hail melting on the ground among the limbs which had been torn off our big trees, and the moon shining in a clear sky. Our sudden storm had come and gone quicker than I have ever seen before. Our neighborhood's power was out for about 18 hours.
I love Ed's patriotic t-shirt. The fresh berries look yummy—are they from your garden?
Thanks, Bex and Dande -- no, not from our garden! Our strawberry crop has been 90% consumed. By chipmunks! But, we'll have a stellar raspberry crop soon! The canes just spread and grow and produce. A lazyman's treasure!
ReplyDelete