Memorials of war - far away, close to home...

Preface: 
I wrote the original post yesterday after visiting the replica of the Viet Nam Memorial, recreated here in my home town for Memorial Day.  As all memorials to war, it was moving to see, stirring up emotions and memories.  I felt the same way when I walked the cemetery in Normandy...

I cried for my father, though he served far away in the Philippines. And I could barely hold my composure walking among the barren cement sculptures of the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin...

I woke this morning thinking I should tone my post down a bit, but I decided against it.  Memorials are markers of our past history, and they serve to remind us of our collective inhumanity to man.  Though we move past them, somehow we never forget, nor should we.

War is Hell...

I lived through Viet Nam, only because I wasn't there. But I, like so many other young people from the 60's and 70's, remember its horror well.  We remember watching the young men sweat out a letter from the Draft Board...tentatively watching them digest their "number". We remember the letters from boot camp, the teary phone calls, the white faced shock of the words "Riverboats". We watched the protesters passively, wishing we had the courage to pick up a sign ourselves. We all watched and waited.

If they lived, they came back scarred anyway, forever changed.  We remember the bad dreams, the shakes, the dubious coping mechanisms and the ill-fated attempts at normalcy.  We remember praying for sanity and strength, peace and forgiveness. A lucky few of us watched heroes overcome the horrors, seemingly unscathed and make their peace with life. But many more watched helplessly as the demons of the aftermath won the final battle. And we, like collateral damage, somehow survived.

If they fell, their names are etched on this memorial, carved with care, for the remembrance of strangers passing by on a sunny day. May we never forget their service or their sacrifice.

Today I am also remembering Red, my father who served in the Philippines; Kenny and Ellis, my uncles who fought in Korea; and Ron, who rode the riverboats in Viet Nam.

I am grateful for the service of my sweet Dave for flying his "Connie" during Viet Nam, my three brother for their Navy years, Joel for his service in Afghanistan and our other veterans, friends and family who served their country. Thank You.

Laurel. God Bless Our Troops!

Bad Night

Magpie Tales

Mag 170

Ponytail by Last Exit

She dreamed she drowned again
Twisting, writhing in the deep
No one to help her
Nothing to grab hold of
Water so thick it coated her limbs like latex paint
rendering them useless in the onslaught...

Tossing, turning in the loudness of the quiet
Approaching a hole in the abyss
Clasping the last edge before nowhere
As her ponytail was snatched from the fray
Dragging her body behind her
She woke on the downy pile
Her bed mate snoring peacefully beside her.

Laurel. Ambien maybe? 

A little Settings Change...

Is anyone else getting Spammed by bozos who want to sell you something?  They drop into one of my older posts, and leave some Anonymous comment that has nothing to do with my post and then refer me to their website or blog to cure my erectile dysfunction or my paunchy stomach???

Whatever!!!!  I have changed my settings, so approval is required on comments.

I dislike these people intensely!

But here's a nice photo for you...

Laurel.  Just Sayin'....

Senior Ball...

I love it when my granddaughter asks me to take photos of her. This photo shoot was for her Senior Ball, the last formal dance of her high school years. I barely remember my Senior Ball, but I can say for sure that I, nor any of my friends, looked anything like this!!

I used Pic Monkey to edit these photos...I like all the effects you can get and it is infinitely easier to use than my Photoshop.

But when someone is as pretty as this girl, who can miss? Yes, I am a proud Grandma!!!

My daughter (hairdresser) did her up-do and the wonderful red color!!!!

Laurel. And she's a beast on the soccer field...

Totally Random...

My blogging friend Nancy at A rural journal invited us fellow bloggers to participate in her regular Friday link-up where participants share 5 random facts, events, whatever...

So, since I am feeling very "random" about blogging these days, here are 5 things that I have been remiss to share in the past few weeks, assuming you really are interested...

1.) I made this incredible seviche from the Mexican cookbook of Rick Bayless and took it to a Sunday Cinco De Mayo gathering.  Lot's of yummy dishes from a lot of awesome cooks.  I think mine held up pretty well to the scrutiny...

2.) I go to a certain Goodwill outlet (I call it "nasty Goodwill") where junk is just piled into giant bins. Imagine my joy to find this beat-up chandelier in a bin.  It was originally wired with little lights - I ripped its little guts out, bent it back to shape and re-purposed the arms to hold little tea lights...my patio loves Nasty Goodwill.

3) I am basically somewhat demented. My granddaughter posted a cross-eyed picture of herself on my iPhone when I wasn't looking, so I texted her back this photo of me, telling her I crashed my car after seeing her photo on my phone. Oh yeah...Ketchup smells bad when applied to your face.

4) Some days I have no sense of what looks good on me.  Colette told me that this sheer pink jacket wasn't going to work, but I made it anyway. One should be careful with pink, i.e., I think the hubby might like it over a teddy.... was that TMI???

5) I am currently suffering from "Road Trip Deprivation". I need me some of this:

Laurel. Guess I'll go knit, then.