First of all, even though thank you doesn’t seem to be enough, thank you to all who have served, who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Thank you for securing the freedoms we enjoy today.

My parents came over today after we finished mulching all the garden beds. We enjoyed grilled pork chops, potato salad, deviled eggs, fruit salad, baked beans and homemade cream puffs. Over dinner, we reminisced about past Memorial Days. Some could be so cold while others were roasting hot. For many years I marched with the band in the parade, first in middle school, then in high school. Some years I froze. My fingers would be frozen to my clarinet. Some years I roasted in those horrible black wool uniforms. Yes, I said wool. Great for fall football games, not so much for Memorial Day. One year it was sizzling. We had lined up to step off but there was some delay. Little by little, we all migrated to the neighborhood lawns, searching for a place in the shade. All of us, except for one trombone player who continued to stand at attention in the middle of the street, in the sun, in his black wool uniform. I still don’t understand that. But that is what I remember most about Memorial Day. Hope you all had a wonderful one!