Frost warnings … and heat stroke with sunburn possibilities …

Yes I must live in New England.

One night people are covering plants to protect them from the frost and the next day it is so warm that short sleeves would have been good when walking (but I got dressed when it was frosty and was wearing a turtleneck) and a sunburn now graces my face.

My cats were angry with me because I had shut the door to the porch over night.  They don’t care about frosty temperatures because they have fur coats.  I actually started a fire in the wood stove and it felt pretty good.

Tonight it should be in the 60’s and so I will probably leave the window open.

The birds were angry with me because I woke up after they did and wasn’t quick about putting the bird feeder out again.  I now have to bring that inside at night because of our local ursine creature that enjoys emptying the bird feeder.  I don’t have the courage to tell him (or her) that he isn’t a bird and it is not for him.  Since I have never seen said creature I guess I am just making the wild assumption that it is a bear … it could have been a troupe of travelling raccoons perched precariously on top of each other and tipping the feeder to share with the others.

Yes, Spring has finally sprung.  The cats are loving it.

Happy Memorial Day… but is it really happy?

Memorial Day, a holiday known in history as Decoration Day, that name makes much more sense in my mind.  Decoration Day was a day when you put up bunting and flew flags and decorated graveyards.  A Day of Remembrance for those who lost their lives to give us the freedoms we should hold dear.

I think that I never truly understood this holiday until I worked at a museum.  Yes, I was a Girl Scout and marched in the parade in town for many years.  We would bring little bouquets to place at graves of those with little American Flags.  We would hear the “old guys” speak and we were told to be respectful and quiet and sing when others sang.  But it was a day off from school when we were so close to the end of the year.  A little taste of summer before the long weeks began.  If you watch the commercials … we should have our grills out, our coolers large enough to hydrate a professional football team and our lawn furniture prepared for hours of leisure (what’s that?).

Maybe it is a sign of maturity that I think that Memorial Day should go back to being Decoration Day.  Keep the BBQs and picnics for the Fourth of July.  I am all for large gathering on the Fourth of July, it makes sense to celebrate then.  It is a birthday.  Memorial Day is really a Death Day.

I guess that having to work the past few years hasn’t helped me feel too festive … but seeing the flags for soldiers at large cemeteries doesn’t either.