Miles on Monday

Miles and Bailey joined me for cocktails on the back porch.

Miles is very jealous. He does not like it when Bailey and Cassie pay attention to me and gets in between me and them. Theresa (my cleaning lady) says he does the same thing with her. Poor Bailey and Cassie.
Just to let you know Jon is in Spain and doesn't have access to the internet. He did for awhile but now he writes that his host family does not have internet. He wrote

Am about to get 6 hours sleep finally. Am having a great time. Spent the last 2 hours walking around Madrid with some friends I've made (its 12:20). I got a phone today for 30 euros that works in Spain, but international calls cost like 1.39 euros a minute. After we got checked in Linda, Heather, Bettina and I went and ate at nice little pub. After walking around a park I then spent 2 hours before dinner hanging out with Bettina, Alicia and Heather helping them set up their phones. Had a nice meal in the 4 star restaurant in our hotel with David, Blake and Kate. Good day. Best since Zion.

I am glad he is having a good time. thanks for stopping by. Hugs

Memorial Day 2010

I ran out to the cemetery to take a few pictures in-between getting the place ready for me to be gone. I have to move "stuff" fix a barricade so the boys can be in the kitchen, do laundry, pay bills, pack.etc,. etc., etc. I did want to go out to the Ames cemetery to take pictures of the flags and some of the tombstones. The one above is on the lot owned by the Lodge. I believe there is only one person buried there. Not sure of the history. It would ba a good thing to research.

This is my mother's stone/ It is on my grandparent's lot and I used to put a nice hanging basket on the shepherd's crook. I got a lavender geranium one year and hung it up on Sunday before Memorial Day. When I went out on Monday to get it as I did not want it to die, it was gone. I thought perhaps my sister had taken it but no, it had been stolen. Some low life person took the flowers I had gotten to honor my mother and stolen them before Memorial Day was over. Needless to say a letter to the editor was written and it was the last time I did that.

One time I had asked my mother if she wanted a brick on the Plaza of Heroines at Iowa State University.. She had worked there when I was growing up but she said no that she would rather the money went to something that would help someone who needed it. So I took her advice and since that time I have made a yearly donation in her memory to Youth and Shelter Services which is an organization which helps young people in trouble. It is run by a friend of mine and I was on the Board at one time so I like to give to them.












These (except for the mausoleum marked Greeley) are some of the family tombstones. You can click to embiggen them. The Coles were builders and Great Grandfather Underwood was a lawyer and mayor of Ames at one time.

Every year the Ames Patriotic Council sees to it that the flags are placed and taken down for Memorial Day. Each flag was given by the family of a veteran who is buried in the Cemetery. The Patriotic Council (of which I am a Past President) is also responsible for putting up the flags on Main street and on Fifth street and the Veteran's Memorial at the corner of Fifth and Grand Avenues. They arrange for the Veteran's Day program in the Fall (November 11) and the Memorial Day Parade and Program as well. It is a great organization and is a real asset to our community. I hope you enjoy looking at the photos below. They are a reminder to me of what this day is all about.

Comment h/t FireDogLake

How Dare President Obama Skip Arlington on Memorial Day! Who Does He Think He Is, a Republican?

Cartoons

There is certainly enough fodder for the editorial cartoonists to keep busy right now. I needed to get away from everything so I went to see Prince of Persia. Nice escapist movie with not much of a plot (I know what do you expect from a movie based on a video game) and it was about 1/2 hour too long. The leader of the Valley of the Slaves who was going on about government and taxes was a hoot. Funny I was the only one laughing out loud. Just my weird sense of humor. Thanks for stopping by. Hugs. j

Memorial

In the Ames Cemetery there is a section which is called the Catholic section. There is one above ground burial there because the man who is buried there committed suicide and they wouldn't let him be buried in the ground. Or at least that is the story I have been told. I am not certain of the Catholic Section being true either as one of my friends was buried up near there and I know she was not Catholic nor was her husband. Anyway the point of this post is to show you the memorial above. I am not sure if you can read it or not but it is inscribed to the "memory of the unborn babies killed by abortion." I have been told (but here again I may be wrong) that it was placed by the Knights of Columbus.

I take exception to it. I want to place a marker right beside it inscribed with pictures of an auto-da-fé" and inscribe it "to the memory of all those killed and tortured by the Inquisition and to the millions who died while the Church remained silent and to those who fought in the wars inspired by religion... AS WELL AS THOSE WHO HAD THEIR LIVES RUINED BY PEDOPHILE PRIESTS.

I ask "Which is more evil?" I leave it for you to answer.

Recommended Reading

House Drops COBRA Extension, Democrats Cede Moral High Ground on Health Care

When my sister had her accident she had no health insurance. Her ex-husband helped her get on Cobra and it literally saved her. This proposed action is just unconscionable. - Click above to go to FDL to read.

Saturday May 29, 2010 - A Wedding in the Family.

So when you drive the farm to market roads in Iowa you come across vehicles like this. Yesterday I had to do a Masonic Service form my friend and Brother Oliver in Clarion which is about an hour north of Ames. On the way home I too a "shortcut" which turned out not to be so short but it was a pretty drive and we came behind this ??? going about 5 miles an hour. None of us in the car knew what it was and the two brothers with me had both worked in agriculture for a long time. If neither of them knew I wasn't going to guess. If you can tell what it is please leave a note. Inquiring minds want to know.
But as I said it was a beautiful drive and the sky was different from the day before. It was an exhausting event as I had to do the service and there was no other service so it needed to be a little longer that I usually do. Oliver was one of my officers when I was Master in 1980 and it is always difficult to do one of these for a close friend. In the evening I had Specialis Procer Lodge in Des Moines. It was a stated meeting and not well attended.

Today my cousin's son got married. Here is the bride.

And the groom. (sorry Andy I didn't get many pictures.)

Andy's sister. the lovely Lily.

Snaps from the reception which was held at the Inis Grove Park shelter. I did not put all the pictures up as I fear for my life and have been threatened by some.

Pam - Andy's step-mother

Cousin Georgia.

Ginny and Georgia. It is so nice that Ginny has moved back so she can be

a part of family events.

A couple of drive-by pictures on the way home.

Jon is in Spain for six weeks. He made arrangements for Miles to be taken for walks a couple of times a week and today Miles got his first walk. It must have been a good one as he is conked out in the living room.

I leave for the United Grand Imperial Council of the Red Cross of Constantine and Appendant orders for the United States Mexico and the Philippines on Wednesday. It will be held in Troy Michigan and I am ready to get out of town for about a week. While I am gone the "boys" and Cassie will be locked in the kitchen and I have people staying here and coming in and out to take care of them. Usually Jon is around to move in and take care of them but not this time. I think Ginny is going to clean her things in the garage. It is a mess.

Well it is 5:00 PM and my Cocktails Alarm went off. Cheers. Have a great rest of the week-end. Hugs, j

Lest We Forget

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

ht/Randy