Thank you.

Every day, not just on Veterans Day, we are profoundly grateful to our American soldiers for the freedoms we enjoy.

Thank you, all of you.

Memorial Day 2011

Memorial Day

As the flowers rest on the decorated graves and the sunlight shines on the beautiful sailboats, Uncle Sam whispers in my ear about how we should care for the soldiers and remember the ones that have died. 

Swimming pools open, BBQs fry. Today is the day to think of what they have done for us. 

There are blurs of red, white and blue marching down the street and flags are lowered at half-mast. 

But we should always remember and never forget what set us free, from this very day on.

© 2001 Ali M., 3rd Grader, Academy Elementary School, Madison, Connecticut.

Margie Loves Navy Day

Margie: Edna, I was just reading that today is Navy Day so look what I dug out of that old trunk of pictures. Remember these two sailors?

Edna: Margie, I'm not sure that I'm in the mood to listen to more of your escapades. That's probably just some picture you cut out of a magazine.

Margie: Edna, you're the old fool who cuts Gilles Marini pictures out of magazines then tapes them on your wall. You even have one of his face taped on your pillow.

Anyway, this is Navy Day and I always like to honor our military men. I've known so many of them over the years. Happy day to all you sailors!

If you're ever in Jericho just ask anybody to direct you to my basement. Come sit a spell and let's have tea.

Happy Memorial Day

We hope everyone has a safe and happy
Memorial Day.

And, as always, our deepest thanks go to the
men and women in the military
who have died while in service to our country.

Love, Margie and Edna

A Manly Man: Van Johnson

Margie: My silly sister, Edna, has gone into town to look for a new dress. I know exactly what she's up to without her saying a word. Yes, Valentine's Day is quickly approaching. Edna thinks a new dress will make her attractive to some man and he'll then buy her a box of chocolates. Poor Edna.

Anyway, good riddance. I have this blog all to myself. I usually have old Prune Lips looking over my shoulder and trying to boss me. Not today.

So, I'm taking the opportunity to mention a manly man whom I dearly loved to see in the movies. He died recently so that makes me sad. There just aren't a lot of manly men in today's movies.

Watch some Van Johnson if you can. He's wonderful as a man in uniform. And, don't tell Edna what I said about her dress.

Confederate Memorial Day: A Tribute

If you’re at all familiar with this blog, you know by now that it’s not often that we have a serious entry or write about something personal. We’d like to take some time today and deviate from our usual format. Both of us had direct ancestors who fought in the Civil War, on both the Union and Confederate sides. Even though our ancestors fought on opposite sides, we honor them by standing together today in our respect and gratitude.


Confederate Memorial Day is a day set aside in the South to pay tribute to those who served with the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. It is observed on April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; on May 10 in North Carolina and South Carolina; on May 30 in Virginia; and on June 3 in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee.

"At least 618,000 Americans died in the Civil War, and some experts say the toll reached 700,000.

The Union armies had from 2,500,000 to 2,750,000 men. Their losses, by the best estimates:
Battle deaths: 110,070
Disease, etc.: 250,152
Total 360,222

The Confederate strength, known less accurately because of missing records, was from 750,000 to 1,250,000. Its estimated losses:
Battle deaths: 94,000
Disease, etc.: 164,000
Total 258,000"

Photo courtesy of The Civil War