Thankful on this Memorial Day

We didn't fly the flag at my home. When the setting asks for all men and women who have served to stand, there is no one in my family tree who stands. Having a family history and background of Amish/Mennonite means a heritage of pacifism. My Dad was drafted and served his time working in a hospital. His greatest concern for our children, when we chose to change our church membership from a Mennonite church to a non-Mennonite church, was if our sons would lose the CO status the Mennonite church provided if the draft would be reinstated. I have been taught and appreciate the stand of pacifism - it's my history and my heritage.

Yet as I've grown older I've gained much appreciation and gratefulness for those who have served. Even as a child I struggled with feelings that as an adult I can now form into a question .... How can I judge those as wrong who have carried a weapon and then kneel with a prayer of thankfulness to God for my freedom? That tension bounced around inside my soul for as long as I can remember.

Today, at 50 years of age, I listen with my ears, my soul and emotion to the stories men and women tell of their times of service. I marvel at how these soldiers leave, serve and then return and try to live life normally with horror in their dreams and memories. My heart aches for those whose arms went empty because their loved one never came home again.

Although I have no family graves upon which to place a flag my heartfelt thankfulness and appreciation grows each year for those who gave their lives for my freedom.  I am also thankful to have lived in a country that allows the freedom to stand on moral conscience and provided an alternative service for those who couldn't serve in active duty because of that conscience.  I am proud of my Dad and his service as a Conscientious Objector.  And I am grateful for my freedom because of those who carried arms. 

 I live in that tension and I am immensely grateful for both, each and all.

And I fly the flag......

The greatest glory of a free-born people is to transmit that freedom

 to their children.   -William Havard

And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.   -Lee Greenwood

Teacup Birdfeeder

I found this idea on another blog and decided to give it a whirl.

I found this cup and saucer at the local thrift store for $1.00  I was hoping to find something more colorful, unique or interesting but this lowly brown set was all that was on the shelf.  Now I have a reason to pick up that interesting find I stumble across but think I have no use for.

And this set of 3 spoons at the Dollar General for $1.00.

Made a visit to the local hardward store for some Goop, a 10 foot section of 1/2" copper pipe that they cut into 3 pieces for me and 3 copper end caps.

 

Following the instructions that were given I sanded the bottom of the cup, inside the ring where the cup would sit, the bottom of the spoon and the top of the copper end cap -- all the places where I would apply glue. 

I assembled it all together and allowed time for the glue to dry. 

My supply of birdseed was depleted at picture time but the idea is to fill the cup with water and place birdseed around the saucer.

I gave this first one to my mom for Mother's Day.  She's the master gardener in the family and also finds much pleasure in birdwatching.

More antique finds

My friend forwarded me some pictures from her camera. She took these the day our foursome did some antiquing. I saw this ginormous golden 'hat'. The picture doesn't show how very tall it was. Turns out it is a phonogragh horn.




Mom and her friend got in on the action with some of their own finds.


We have so much fun on these days out. The good stuff life is made of.

New neighbors

Today I saw a pair of birds I've never seen before. As near as I can tell by what little research I had time to do today I'm thinking it was a male and female Orchard Oriole. Anyone know for sure?

First of all the pictures are of extremely poor quality. I could only get so close to the door without scaring them off and I was shooting from a darker inside into a brighter outside and through a glass door.

The Mrs. was completely distracted or attracted to my blue shiny flower pot. She was doing the Jericho march around and around and pecking at the side of the pot. She would march around and then fly off only to return within minutes and start again. At one point I filled a small container with grape jelly and also put out a half of an orange on the plant stand shelf below the blue pot. She marched around and never seemed to see the food offering below. When she flew off again I placed both food offerings in two separate corners right beside the flower pot. When she returned she simply walked around the food - she was completely mesmerized with pecking the pot and marching. She did eventually discover the orange and seemed quite pleased with her find.

The picture is 'busy' but she is sitting there facing the blue pot.

Occasionally she would fly down to the bottom of the glass sliding door and peck at the glass but she was soon back to marching around the pot.

I thought at first it was a mysteriously marked robin until she brought with her the Mister. One look at the two of them together convinced me that this was indeed no robin. Of course, as is true with most birds, Mister was much more splendidly colorful. The poor picture quality doesn't portray the bright shade of orange he was.

I have some time tomorrow morning at home and I'm hoping my meager fare will entice these two new neighbors to come for another visit.