Happy Memorial Day

What is a flag?
A flag is something that waves, that we salute, and that we pledge our allegiance to. It is a piece of fabric, with a pattern that is symbolic of something. For a country, that design can evolve as the country evolves, as in the American flag's 13 colonies to 52 states, without losing its original meaning. Those who design a flag put great thought into it and hope others will find importance in it.

What does the American flag mean to you?
We are without a doubt the most fortunate people in the world. While poverty may be rampant in some parts of the United States, even our poverty can't compare to the poverty seen in other places of the world. Our country is big and carries great importance, if not always favor, in almost every part of the world. Our flag is recognizable.

But what does it mean to you?
If you look at our flag with pride, I salute you. If you look at it and just see the "American Flag", but you don't feel chills when it waves, I understand you. You have never seen it wave above your head as the dust clears after a battle. You have never seen it torn and tattered, but in one piece as a hero emerges from the rubble with it in his arms. For you it waves in your yard on Memorial Day, or in a parade as scouts walk by. You salute it, and you wave, and you cheer and you laugh with your friends, and you celebrate the day.

We are without a doubt the most fortunate people in the world. We are so used to being free we have no idea what it means not to be. We can't imagine going from a peaceful existence to one of hiding from bombs and scavenging for food. But that is what war is all about. If you lived in Europe during WWII, it was your reality. In 1984 the winter Olympics were held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, but if you lived in Sarajevo in 1992, war was your reality. As Americans, we havc never truly experienced it. 9/11 brought us to our senses. It was our first real wake-up call to a world that others have lived in all along.

On Memorial Day, as you look at our flag whether it is flying over a car dealership or in a parade, take a moment and imagine the feeling that Francis Scott Key had when he wrote "In the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there."

What is our flag? It is a symbol of freedom and hope.
On the news yesterday was a WWII veteran who was placing little American flags on the graves of fallen soldiers. In a country like ours, amongst the sales, the parades, and the picnics we need to remember that the flag is not just a piece of fabric. It carries so much more and until you see it raised from the ruins, until you understand why it is carried into battle, and until you feel the hope that a soldier has felt, that streams from it like a beacon to others who see it, you will always just see the Red, White, and Blue proudly carried in a parade.

Today I will be at a picnic with friends. We will celebrate and have fun. I hope that WWII veteran is with family and friends. I know one thing. When he looks at the flag this weekend, there may be a tear in his eye as he remembers comrades who didn't come home. And I will take a moment and try to imagine just a small piece of what he must have experienced. In memoriam.

Another Era Draws to a Close

The Space Shuttle Atlantis landed tonight from its last voyage into space. There are 2 more shuttle launches before that program comes to an end. Talk about the end of an era!

The shuttle has been a big part of our family's life since it's first voyage. Living in Florida made it hard to ignore, but it was more than that. Long after shuttle launches became routine in the day of the life of a Floridian we were still waking up in the middle of the night to see if we could see the launch from our backyard. As much as we loved watching it, our fascination was also strengthened by our daughter's fascination with the stars. As a little girl, one of Jenny's favorite books was Franklyn M. Branley's "The Big Dipper", fondly referred to as "the dippy cup book". Every time we read the book, we had to go outside and look for the Big Dipper in the sky. She loved reading about the moon and the stars. As she got older she would look through binoculars at the moon to see its seas.
In Florida you can see the launch from almost anywhere in the state. We watched it in Tampa and in Ft. Lauderdale. It never ceased to enthrall us. We weren't alone. Go outside at launch time and you will see other neighbors doing the same thing. Classes of children will be taken outside by their teachers in hopes of catching a glimpse of the silver speck arcing through the sky on top of the plume.

I was privileged enough to view the launch live from the edge of the inter-coastal waterway on two occasions. One was a night launch which is spectacular, but it was during a day launch that I got my best science lesson on the speed of light, the speed of sound, as well as sound waves. We watched the clock count down the seconds. Suddenly we saw the flame, then the shuttle began to rise. Next we became aware of a rumble rolling across the water toward us. As we watched the rumble got louder and the water began to ripple. When the roar actually reached us the water was bouncing in little waves. The rumble rolled over us, and kept on going and the water calmed down again. It was such a cool experience of sight and sound. The shuttle rose above the launch pad, the flame below lighting up the sky. We were mesmerized as we watched it until it was nothing more than a speck. It is a truly awesome experience.

The landing of the shuttle was just as big for me. The first time it landed, my heart was in my throat. Would it burn up on re-entry? How hot was it inside? What were the astronauts feeling? It was such a relief to see it safely land. I watched as the pilot and crew got out and walked around that plane. They were so exhilerated at the beauty of that flight. Whenever it landed in Florida I would hear the twin sonic booms as it flew overhead before landing. If I was asleep, the booms would wake me up. I would puzzle over what awoke me and then suddenly think "Shuttle's home!". I would turn on the TV just in time to see it land at Cape Kennedy over 100 miles away.

Of course, not all shuttle experiences are happy. There was the day the Challenger blew up. Thankfully, I was teaching pre-school that day and not outside, but Larry was in a parking lot and watched as the plume separated and spiraled down. I heard what happened a few hours later and went outside. The spiraling vapor trail was still visible, a sacred place in the sky where several heroes lost their life. Then, one day Jenny called me. "Mom", she asked, "Did you hear the twin booms this morning?"

I was in a hurry to leave for a hair appointment, but her question stopped me cold. "No, was I supposed to?" I asked.

Jenny, who lived in Orlando and was closer to the action answered, "Columbia is 15 minutes late."

It was a heartbreaking moment. Even before there was any real news, the truth was apparent. The shuttle is never late.

Knowing the program is coming to an end saddens me. Times have changed. Presidents have changed. Goals have changed. I can understand change. I have changed, and my view of the world has changed. Change is a part of growth. Sometimes it's good. Other times it is hard to watch. Whether this proves to be a wise decision, or not isn't relevant to this rambling of a shuttle watcher. I've loved being a spectator in this exploration of our world. I will miss it when it ends.

End of an Era

Well, we did it! Finally the search is over and I'm glad. It was getting hard keeping track of the pros and cons of all those cars I've been driving. There is a new car in the garage! However, it marks the end of an era for this family.

The car, a Nissan Rogue, is aptly named, for by buying it I am definitely "Going Rogue" (excuse me, Sarah for stealing your line). For the past 40 plus years, my husband has only owned 1 vehicle that wasn't 1) American made and 2) a GM product. His dependency on GM products was probably shaped mainly at his father's knee, or perhaps more literally, standing behind him in the garage. My father-in-law was a mechanic by trade and worked on most American made cars in the days before computerization made him see the wisdom of retirement. Frequent complaints of how Fords were put together had a lasting impression on my father-in-law's son. I have no idea if there was any truth to the mutterings or if it was just the general cursings of a man under the hood of a car, but to an impressionable teenager, Ford was out. GM was in.

It is hard to know exactly what changed it all, but the plight of GM in this last year, the death of Pontiac, the difficulty in even test-driving a car we most likely would have bought (GMC Terrain or Chevy Equinox) sent us exploring other paths. I even drove a Ford and a Mercury! In all honesty, the Toyota RAV4 was my favorite car, but I don't believe Toyota knows what is the cause of their current problems and I wasn't willing to put my life in their hands. Incidentally, as a teenager, my parent's Chrysler had a problem with the Cruise Control and one day as I was driving on an expressway the car took over. It is a scary experience and happened to me twice. I don't ever want to go there again!

We were almost ready to buy the Mercury Mariner when I brought up the issue of a 6-CD changer. Hmmm! They don't make them. Then Larry discovered they didn't have an external temperature gauge.

So there we were. I sent Larry out with a choice of 3 cars: Honda CRV, Dodge Journey, and the Nissan Rogue. When the dealing was done, we were the proud owners of our first foreign made car.

And it's Cranberry Red. Perfect for me!

When we called the kids to tell them the news they were shocked.
"MOM! How did you convince Dad to buy a foreign car??"
"Simple", I said. "It was a matter of 'two sinks in the bathroom'."

Buying a Car

I've been driving a lot of cars lately. It is time to trade in my Pontiac Torrent and I've been trying every SUV I can find hoping to find the successor. When it comes to buying cars, Larry does the book research, and I do the hands-on kind. He finds the ones with the best ratings, that seem to offer what he likes in a car and then I go drive it and see how I like it. One thing I've learned is that inside a car we look for entirely different things. He's a big man and often a seat that is comfortable for him is too big for me and hits me in the back of my legs.
I've also learned that over the years what is important to me has changed. One of the first things I used to check out were the cup holders. I know I'm not alone here, either! However, I realized this accessory has moved down the priority chain. For one thing, they are now very standard in all vehicles, so I don't have to check to make sure the car has them. But the biggest reason goes right back to that 'view from the empty nest' thing. I no longer ferry kids all around, nor do we do a lot of family trips! As long as my car mug fits and there's a place for a bottle of water or my large ice tea, I'm good.
One thing that has become more important to me is the choice of color. I confess...this one seems really weak, but it became a major player when I bought my Torrent. It seems to me there are a few basic styles of vehicles; Truck, Car, Van, SUV, Sports car. It also seems to me that most of them are Gray while the rest are Tan or Silver. I had a gray Malibu once. It was a very pretty car and looked identical to a Toyota and very much like most other gray cars. Apparently, I don't discern differences in cars very well. When it was time to buy my Torrent I said "I want a car I can find in the parking lot"! The electric blue of my Torrent was VERY easy to find in a parking lot.
As we began the search we knew it would be an SUV, with sunroof, leather seats, electric seat positioning and of course, cruise control. That was the starting lineup. But as we started looking we discovered not all cars come with simple things we have become accustomed to. We were all ready to make a deal on a car when suddenly there it was. 2 sinks in the bathroom! The bottom line for any car was that it had to have an external temperature gauge (Larry's sink), 6CD changer (my sink) and heated seats (this may be the 3rd sink thrown in by the builder). The car we were ready to buy didn't have the external temperature gauge or the 6 CD changer! However, these are things we have had for a long time and we are accustomed to them.
It sounds so picky. I really wondered if we were unreasonable or just plain spoiled. But as Larry put it, "I've worked hard and if I can afford it and they provide it, why shouldn't we have it?" The truth is our lifestyle has changed and these are the things that are important to us. The 6 CD changer was a deal breaker for me. Now that I drive long distances alone a lot, I listen to Audio CD's. To be driving through Chicago while trying to switch out a single CD on a book I'm listening to sounded as bad as trying to text while driving. My CD player has been my traveling companion for a long time. I needed it. The heated seats joined the Must Have list this month as I have had some lower back problems and the heated seats feel so good!!! As for the external temperature gauge...eh... that's his. I'll just stick my hand out the window to see if it's cold or not, but hey, as long as I get my CD changer, he can have his temperature gauge.
The search continues, but we are almost there. I'll let you know the final result.
By the way, if you didn't get all the "sink" references, go back and read the post previous to this one. It will explain it all.

Two Sinks in the Bathroom

"Two sinks in the bathroom" is a phrase that has become our family "in joke". It epitomizes the bottom line when making a purchase. It started a few years ago when my husband and I were house hunting. Many of the homes we looked at had small bathrooms in the Master Bedroom and I noticed that most had only 1 sink. Now we have not had to fight over sink space while brushing our teeth or shaving in many years. The past several homes we have lived in all came with 2 sinks in the bathroom. The homes tended to be newer and were a comfortable size. Perhaps we were spoiled, but it was an accomodation that I really appreciated! As our house hunting continued, it became more and more the focus of what we wanted. Our single mindedness was almost funny. First we would check the layout of the house and how it felt. Next I wanted to be sure the kitchen was well laid out. A 3-car garage was a must. We had options--things we wanted but didn't have to have. But nothing would make the final cut if it didn't have 2 sinks in the bathroom.

The house we settled on had our relatives scratching their heads. We went from a single story house where we raised our children in Florida, to a 3 story house in Pittsburgh. This is a good place to say that most homes in Florida are single story, while a home in Pittsburgh could have only 3 rooms and it still could be built as a 3 story house. With the hillsides around here, buildings naturally go UP. But the house we bought wasn't a little one. It was big. "You do realize it's just the two of you now, right?" was the comment most often heard. "Sure", we answered, "but it has 2 sinks in the bathroom!"

We've been here 3 years now. The house has way more room than we need, but we use it all. We love the house, the neighborhood and Western PA. When our children and families visited we had room for everyone. and we've never had a shoving match trying to brush our teeth in the morning.

Every home has a few things that make the owner say "hmmm". We wonder what the architect was thinking when he designed a room or placed a closet. This house is no different, but there is one puzzle we've never figured out. When we finally moved into the house, we found the builder had made one change. He added a sink. There are now 3 sinks in the bathroom.

And then there was one...

Watching the bird's nest on my front door has been a real journey for me. I've discovered that even though I'm not the mother, I still can't distance myself from the needs of the babies. I've also discovered that most people have no idea what living in cramped quarters is really like. How often have you worried you would be pushed out your front door because you couldn't squeeze into your home? There are 5 birds in this picture. Can you count them?

The first time I checked the nest I saw one egg and one tiny hatchling. I thought that's all there would be until one day as I viewed the nest from the safe distance of the sidewalk I saw the rounded tops of 3 little heads. 3 babies!! A week later a neighbor wanted to see, so very carefully I put the step ladder by the door and checked them, only to see 4 little bodies crammed into a nest that a few weeks ago seemed quite roomy. When my neighbor looked she counted again. 5! I looked again. Sure enough, there were 4 little bodies on top, but there was an extra little eye peering up at me from the bottom of the nest, under the other 4 birds.

Mama and Papa were patient with me. I could hear them whenever I was anywhere near. Their cheerful warble in the morning would change to a warning "cheep, cheep, cheep" either telling me to leave them alone, or to tell them to keep their heads down and stay still. Baby birds are very obedient. One minute I'd see three little heads but after I heard the "Cheep, cheep, cheep" those little heads would disappear.
As the weeks went on I realized the wreath was shifting and the nest was tilting. The weather was bad, with cold nights and high winds and I worried that the wreath would fall. Placing a tea towel over the nest to keep the birds calm, I shifted the wreath and tried to stablize it. But after one very windy night the nest had moved preciptiously and I could see one bird flapping it's wings trying to stay in. As I went closer, I found 2 birds huddled together on my front stoop under the wreath, and 3 more still tucked inside the nest. The one on top was the one trying to stay in. Larry gave me his hanky which I placed over the 2 birds on the stoop, knowing if they can't see they won't struggle. Once again, I readjusted the wreath taking care this time to tuck the end of the wreath hanger into the woven part of the wreath. Then it was time to move the 2 birds back into the nest. The first bird went in willingly, but the second one flapped its wings the second I removed the hanky...and off he flew... sort of! He made a beautiful glide down into the grass and then, flapping his wings, made another short hop further away. This was encouragement enough for the other bird who decided it was time to make his get-away. His flight was clumsier with much flapping but little gliding. As soon as he hit the grass he burrowed in to hide.

At this point most people would be happy. The nest was secure. 2 birds had grown up and left the nest, but the silence around me, and the hawks in the area, bothered me. Where was the familiar warning call? Cheep, cheep, cheep? I didn't hear the parents. How would they find their young? Would a hawk see them first? Once again, with the hanky I quietly approached the youngest bird in the grass. He didn't move as I picked him up and carefully tucked him under a bush near the nest. Then I went after the bird that flew pretty well. Suddenly I heard the "Cheep, cheep cheep" that told me the parents were near. As I reached for the baby bird, he flapped his wings and flew a short distance away. "Good!" I thought." Now they know where you are. I'll let them take over."

Today, as I watch the nest we seem to be down to 1 little bird left. He doesn't hide from me but watches as I walk around the front yard trying to get a good look. It won't be long before he tries his wings. Once again there will be an empty nest.

When my kids flew the coop, I cleaned closets. This time I'll be cleaning a front door and stoop. Kids and birds have one thing in common. They are fun to have around but they both leave a lot of crap.

My Lawn Mower needs a GPS

One of the things I really like about going to Iowa to visit my daughter is seeing a part of the country I know little about. Farming is big there. Excuse me. Farming is BIG there. Jan married into one of America's farming families. 2 brothers and 3 sons farm 8,000 acres. When we first met her husband-to-be, we were a little ignorant as most people are when they come across something new. We didn't mean to be. We were really interested in hearing all about everything, but silly things made us laugh and I'm sure we came across as strange at least. For instance, my daughter lives on a gravel road 3 miles from the main road. When Mike first told us about the house he said it was 3 miles from the pavement. I'm sorry to say, a few of us convulsed in giggles. Pavement? I guess we thought of pavement as sidewalk or driveway, or something else. I think we envisioned a 2 rut road through the fields to a hardtop country road, followed by a long drive to town. For some reason we found this funny and it sounded like they were really out in the middle of nowhere.

Not so! The gravel road they live on fits 2 vehicles easily, or one really big tractor, combine, spreader--you know--farm stuff! Cars and trucks go by at 40-50 miles an hour leaving a trail of dust in their wake. During the planting or harvest season the Planters and Combines rule the road. When you drive down those roads, you learn to look for 'driveways', which is any place you can pull off safely without going into the ditch. Ditches in Iowa are pretty impressive. When they say to get into a ditch if you see a tornado coming, trust me. You are down pretty far. I've seen a few ditches that would easily hide a car in them. In order to cross the ditch to get into a field a driveway has been created for the tractors. In summer they are hard to see because the grass in the ditch is high but after my first trip out there I learned to look for them and try to arrive in daylight so I don't have to share the road in the dark with a piece of machinery that could drive over me and never know I was there.

My daughter's father-in-law has a new tractor that is equipped with a GPS. A GPS is one amazing piece of technology. It can find lost children, locate stolen cars and tell me how to get from my door to my daughter's faster than I can find a map of Iowa in a road atlas....and yes, I tell it, I will take toll roads. It knows the speed limits I will encounter, and can tell me to the minute how long a drive it is.

So what is one doing on a tractor??? Funny you should ask. It will take the tractor across the field in a perfectly straight row. Mike doesn't even have to use the steering wheel. Jan's father-in-law prefers to drive the tractor himself. He grew up old school and takes pride in how straight his rows are. He says he can do a row straighter than the GPS can, because when the tractor turns, it wobbles a bit as it self corrects and finds it's new position. This picture of a field was planted without the use of the GPS. Those are straight rows. Amazing!

This year, Larry bought me a new lawnmower. It's not a riding mower but it is self-propelled. I'm spoiled already. My favorite feature though is the bagger. Our last mower didn't have one, and on windy days I was so covered in grass birds tried to nest in me. The other day I was out walking and noticed a newly mowed lawn. It was beautiful! I could see the rows the mower had made as it was cut. They were straight and neat and I was impressed.

Today I mowed my grass. Our backyard is rough, but so much easier to mow with the self-propelled feature. It pulls me along and we bounce over hills and through ruts. As I look back I see a zigzag path behind me. Each row wibble-wobbles along. The wheel tracks overlap in places and cross each other in places. If an observant police officer drove by and looked he might have probable cause to give me a breathalyer and make sure I wasn't under the influence of one of my favorite end-of-the-day beverages. I have a long way to go before I can mow in nice, straight rows. I wonder if the next model of lawnmower will come with a GPS. I think I need one.

Amazing Birds

The wreath on our front door is home to a new family of House Finches. I was very worried on Monday when Larry discovered a broken egg on the rug inside the front door! That was when I discovered the first egg had hatched. It was also when we stopped using the front door. While mama was away, I carefully opened the door and checked the nest. A tiny bundle of gray fluff with a yellow beak lay inside next to a second egg.

Tuesday night the temperature outside dipped into the low 30's. I worried about this little bird. Would he be alright? How could he keep warm enough? Mama and Papa huddled together and did their job well. On Thursday I had to mow the grass, so Mama took off again. While she was away I checked the nest again. This time I saw 2 yellow beaks among the fluff.

Mama doesn't like it when people walk by the front of the house. But the nest is secure and safe from the elements. I'm still amazed that such tiny creatures can survive cold nights, but spring weather can be tricky and as always, Mother Nature usually takes care of her own.

Yesterday, Larry found two web sites that have live camera feeds from inside bird nests. One is a bluebird nest that currently has 5 eggs in it. The other is inside an eagle's nest with one baby and one unhatched egg. These sites are amazing. Today I watched as the eagle brought back a fish, ate it and then fed her chick. Try these links for a first hand look at some amazing birds.

www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objid=643557&mode=2 Blue bird nest--I tried to access this link directly, but it doesn't want to go through from the blog site. The best I could do was to write the link down and type it into the URL box. Once saved in my Favorites I can go directly to it.

www.hornbyeagles.com/webcam This site is awesome. I could watch it for hours!

Yard Sale

Today was our neighborhood yard sale. We have a nice sized neighborhood and great neighbors, but only a few participate. I, myself, am not a yard sale person. I don't like going to them and I really don't enjoy preparing for one. Also, I really like things that I own so I tend to keep them forever. By the time I'm ready to get rid of something, it is old, dated, and no one else wants it! However, I am too cheap to throw out my junk, so I usually groan and give in. I set my stuff out, but we don't often sell much.

At some point we will move from this house into a smaller one and when we do I truly hope we have gotten rid of a lot of extraneous stuff. From time to time I go on a clearing out binge and target an area. When I heard our neigborhood sale was this weekend it was pretty easy to gather some of the more interesting stuff and put it out there.

As we set things out early this morning, Maggie positioned herself behind a table. As much as I think I have the ideal dog, I know strangers may not realize what a gem she is, so we tried to get her to go inside. "Maggie, come!" Larry said. Maggie stayed. "Maggie... COME!" he repeated. Maggie stayed. She wouldn't even look at us. With her head on her paws, her straight ahead stare clearly said "As little excitement as I get around here, I am NOT going inside on the first really nice day that promises interesting people. No thanks! I'll stay right here."

Unfortunately for Maggie, we prevailed. She went inside while we finished setting things up. Every time we opened the door to bring something else out, she was standing in the exact spot where we left her. Fortunately for Maggie, we are suckers for the guilt trip.

Maggie came out for the yard sale and was a perfectly behaved dog. She got head rubs, back scratches, ears stroked, and didn't go after small children. We didn't sell much. I still have a lot of my stuff, but Maggie said the day was worth it. And I guess that's all that really matters!