Hope everyone is having a good Memorial Day weekend. The day is fine here and, since the good weather will probably hold, I'll be outside today for a spell, planting petunias in hanging baskets and yellow begonias and some small purplish-blue flowers in ground baskets.
Watching CNN at the moment. President Obama just placed a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Missed that. He'll speak soon. The news announcer just mentioned that the Commission on Remembrance has asked Americans to pause at 3:00 p.m. for a moment of silence and retrospection:
"It will help to reclaim Memorial Day as the sacred and noble holiday it was meant to be. In this shared remembrance, we connect as Americans."
Observances are to include an interruption of Major League Baseball games; the pausing of the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington; and the National Grocers Association and Food Marketing Institute asking shoppers to pause in stores nationwide to remember the fallen.
"We want our citizens to contemplate the ties that bind us and take a moment to put 'Memorial' back into Memorial Day," said Carmella LaSpada, executive director of the Commission on Remembrance.
Children touring Washington inspired the idea when LaSpada asked them what Memorial Day meant and they said that's when the swimming pool opens, according to the commission's Web site.
Sounds good to me. Not just the moment of silence. In fact, more so the attempt to take back Memorial Day. I'm sure I've blogged about this before, but...oh, what the heck...I'll say it again. I sure wouldn't mind if holidays like Memorial Day, 4th of July, etc. were actual holidays and not big sale days or just a mile marker of fun in the sun to come. It seems that going about our usual business on days like Memorial Day is kinda like when we multitask and every activity suffers. You know how when you're trying to talk on the phone, pull the kid out of the litter box, let the dog out before it pees in the house, take care of laundry/prepare dinner, etc. all at the same time and not doing anything very well? Maybe you can talk to that person another time. Laundry will still be there later (actually, it's always there). Yes, I suppose the kid shouldn't be in the litter box and no, I wouldn't want to have to clean up after the dog (I clean up enough after cats). Dinner can be simpler or get the kid to wash their hands and set the table, even if they have to bring out the silverware piece by piece.
Well, off my soap box to wish you all, wherever you are and whatever you're doing, a good Memorial Day weekend.
P.S. Yes, there is a cat in the picture. There's always a cat in the picture.
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