A Date Which Will Live in Infamy...

Today is the 75th anniversary of the 

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

December 7, 1941.

"A date which will live in infamy."

Last year, we visited the 

USS Arizona Memorial.

It was very moving.

Thinking of all those young people,

going about their business, on a Sunday morning.

Before the surprise attack by 

Japanese Imperial Navy.

Many ships were sunk.

The harbor was turned into an inferno,

by the burning oil from the ships.

The memorial is built, straddling the sunken ship.

It's arranged so that it doesn't touch the ship,

which is actually the tomb of so many sailors and marines.

1,177 men died on board the USS Arizona.

229 bodies were recovered.

The rest still lie here.

The next day,

the United States entered World War 11.

Today, let's pause to honor these forever-young men,

who perished,

75 years ago today.

"A date which will live in infamy."

Rest in Peace

~~Linda~~

Memorial Day...

Memorial Day,

is a day to remember and honor,

those who gave their lives for our freedom.

Last year, we took a trip to

Washington D.C.

Among the memorials there,

one of the most impressive to me,

was the Korean War Memorial.

We were there in the middle of the day. The light was harsh.

But, I can imagine the feeling of lower light...

it probably gives a better feeling of being on patrol.

The artist wanted to make twice as many statues.

But, space did not allow for that.

So, a black granite wall reflects the soldiers...doubling their number.

 Look closely and you can see faces, etched into the stone,

depicting all the branches of the military.

It was very moving, to me.

I am very grateful, to those who have given their all,

for all of us.

Have a safe

Memorial Day

~~Linda~~

Memorial Day...

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery.

Have a safe and happy 

Memorial Day Weekend.

Take a moment to remember those who gave their lives for us.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

This and That on Tuesday....

Yep...it's that time. 

The brown fuzzies from the Live Oak trees have finished falling (I hope).

So, let the mulching begin.

The past few days have been full...again.

Yesterday, we attended a memorial service, for another one of our neighbors.

Another sweet person, taken from us too early.

She will be missed.

Saturday evening, we went to The Backyard for a concert.

The Backyard is an outdoor venue, in Bee Caves, TX.

It used to be over on Hwy. 71.  But, because of all the retail going in there, 

they moved over to a new area on Hwy 620, not too far from the old place.

There were the three of us....father, mother and son.

We got last minute, general admission tickets, which means sitting on the ground.

As this t-shirt on a young man in front of us shows, 

we were there to see Willie Nelson.

There were two lead-in acts.  Laura Nelson...Willie's daughter.

And, Jamey Johnson.

Both were very good.

It was after dark, when the main attraction came on.

After a fairly slow start, he put on his usual good show.

The years and hard living, are showing on this man's face.

But, he can still play that guitar and put on a show.

We had a good time.

****************************

Editorial Comment:

The Backyard has the potential to be a great outdoor music venue.

BUT...the bathroom situation is awful.

Although I don't like cutting down trees, if you have an area where people are trying to see a stage,

 trees left in the line of view, don't help.

It's been a long time since we sat in the 'lawn area' of a concert.

But, I don't remember people being so rude in the past.

We wondered why a large group of young women bought tickets to sit on the ground, show each other pictures on their phones and laugh and talk so loudly it was hard to hear the music.

And, then the not-that-young men yelling obscenities, as they took pictures of each other with their phones.

They all could have done this somewhere there were not people who actually came to hear the concert.

Maybe we're just getting old.  But, whatever happened to common courtesy?

OK...that's my soapbox comment.

********************************

Earlier on Saturday, we watched our granddaughter's soccer game.

She scored three goals!

Then, she had a spectacular tumble.

And, yes...after a trip to the doctor on Sunday....the wrist is broken, AGAIN.

Understandably...she is NOT a happy camper.

She's a tough kid, though.  She'll be ok, and back out there again.

And, that brace will be on that arm when playing, from now on.

OK...back to mulching. 

Hope you're having as beautiful a day, as we are here.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Where Were You?...

September 11, 2001

That's the question we ask each other.  Mostly, we ask that when some tragic event happens.

Pearl Harbor

The assassination of President Kennedy

The start of any war

I wasn't watching the news that morning.  Mr. P had gone to work.  I was getting the day started, and had a quilting program on the television.

Our daughter called.  She was watching Good Morning America.  "Are you watching tv?", she asked.

Well, yes....what's going on?

I switched channels.....in time for us to chatter on about what that first plane hitting the 

World Trade Center in New York City was all about.

Then, shock.....another airliner hit the second tower.

Oh my God!  What is going on?

Then, the scenes on the television switch to the Pentagon.  Smoke rising, people running.

Another plane had flown into the nation's military headquarters.

Oh my God!  What is going on?

Then later, we learn of the crash of Flight 93.  

We wouldn't know until much later that the brave passengers had manage to bring it down, 

saving many more lives.

By then, we knew what was going on.

The day unfolded with more and more horrific scenes.  

In today's world, we can watch horrible things happening....live, in real time.  

People trapped in burning buildings.  

Firefighters and police running TO those buildings.  

People running away in terror.

Then, the buildings fell.....

It seemed that all of America gasped.....and then, fell silent.

That was ten years ago, today.

For the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives that day, their lives were changed forever.

For the rest of us, our lives changed, too....though in different ways.

Two wars

New security rules...everywhere.

The wonder if evil people in this world could ever do this again.

We all go on with our lives.  That's what people do...adjust or die.

There's always that hope for the most precious of dreams...

Peace on Earth

So, today we'll stop and think about that day....about all those people who lost their lives.

About the brave people helping one another to survive.

About the men and women who have lost their lives, or been injured, in the wars to avenge this.

And, we'll remember when someone asks...

Where were you?

May God bless each of us.

And, may God Bless America.

~~Linda~~

I’ll Be Seeing You…..

I’ve written here before, about the sudden loss of someone, when our neighbor passed away, back in the fall.  This time it hit closer to home.


Mr. P’s sister, passed away last week.  She’d felt bad for a short while.   Her son came over and drove her to her doctor.  The doctor diagnosed stomach flu, and gave her some medicine to help with the symptoms.


After seeing that she ate something, and took her medicine, her son left her to rest.  Mr. P. was on his way to her area, for a business meeting the next day.  They talked on the phone, about an hour or so after our nephew left.  She was tired, so they decided they’d wait until the next day to visit.  Then, another hour passed, when our nephew couldn’t reach her on the phone.  Her neighbor was called, but couldn’t rouse her either.  So, a call went out to 911.  It appears she sat down on the sofa to watch television, fell asleep and just slipped away. 


She’ll  be missed.  Her son and daughter-in-law, and their two boys.  Her brother and I, our children and grandchildren.  We’ll all miss ‘Aunt Barbara’. 


Those we love, live on in our hearts and our memories.  Those of us who believe there’s something better on the other side, look forward to seeing those loved ones again sometime.


So, here’s to you, Barbara.  We loved you.  We’ll miss you.  And, as your mother loved to say….

I’ll be seeing you.

~*~Be Sure to Say I Love You~*~

You never know what fate will bring to your doorstep. 

Saturday dawned one of those Texas days, where the weather was fresh and cool.  A cold front had come in the day before and driven away the heat and humidity of the week.  It had brought with it some more much needed rain to our area.  The temperature had dropped several degrees.  Instead of shorts, we donned sweaters to take our weekend guests to lunch.

We returned to the news that tragedy had struck on our quiet cul-de-sac.

Our neighbors next door are a nice couple...approaching their mid years, they have five lovely, well mannered children.  They're very active in their church and in the community.  One daughter is newly married.  One daughter and one son away at college. Two sons at home...one in high school, one in middle school.

Mom was off on a fun trip with her sisters.  Dad took time for a tennis day, with the cool weather.

Dad never returned.  A massive heart attack took this seemingly hearty young man from his family.  It all happened in the blink of an eye.

We're a small town and word passes quickly. 

It's raining again out there today.  And, the cul-de-sac is full of cars.  Friends coming to give their support and comfort to this fine family.  And everyone is stunned.

This happens everyday, in large cities and small towns.  Sometimes, like this, it happens all of a sudden...sometimes slowly.  Either way, hearts are broken....loved ones seem lost.

And, you never really know when that time might come.

So, be sure to say I love you.  You might never get another chance.