SUMMER

I can’t be the only one who, on the twenty-first day of June, starts to get anxious about summer being over. Even though I’m mostly retired and travel and vacate nearly as much during the other three seasons, summer will always mean vacations and good times. But every year, from the first official day of summer, I start to fret about it almost being over.  Come the third week in August, I go into panic mode as the sun sets earlier and the evenings get cooler knowing autumn is just around the corner 

There are theoretically, three months to summer:  mid-June to mid-September.  But most of us, even if school was fifty years ago, still think in terms of the school year and summer vacation so it’s really less than three months. That’s not a lot of time to pack in all that summer brings.  

My list of wants combined with the Northeast’s relatively short season means there’s simply not enough time to cover it all. It doesn’t help that this June it also rained almost every single day.

So what is it about summer that is so great?  Being outdoors for starters.  Come November through mid- March, unless you’re a skier and I’ve hung up my skis, we Northeasterners are mostly inside. But in the summer months, you can be outside all the time—unless it’s raining. 

Most spectacularly there are the lakes and the ocean and even the backyard pool to enjoy. Besides the sports that come with being by the water, including sailing and kayaking and swimming, there’s the wonder and beauty of simply sitting beside water either in a lounge chair or a hammock with a good book and a glass of rosé or iced tea—pure heaven.       

But back to the salad days of summer, which are just now beginning. Besides the pleasures that come with the beach or the lake, there’s grilling outdoors followed by dinner on the deck or in the screened in porch alight with candles as the sun goes down. Rocking on the front porch with a friend or that same book and of course, a glass of wine.  There’s also playing golf. Whether you’re ready to go pro or are a duffer, there’s still the joy of being outside in a beautiful place. 

And when not golfing or reading and drinking wine? Outdoor concerts, summer theatre and midweek potluck dinner with friends fill the days and evenings as do celebrating Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day outside with old and new friends..

Perhaps summer is really be a symbol of what I love best, socializing, being outside and enjoying life and all it has to offer.  It is probably also about childhood memories of the beach and the lake and long carefree days when I wasn’t responsible for anyone but myself. Regardless, it is my favorite time of the year, not because I’m able to tan to a beautiful bronze, I freckle, but because more than any other season, it represents the little joys that life brings and reminds me to stop rushing so that I can enjoy them.

Take Time to Remember

by Fran McNabb

 

From family gatherings to solemn ceremonies—Memorial Day is a dichotomy of feelings.

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day set aside to remember those who died in the service of our country. The origins can be traced to the Civil War when General John Logan proclaimed a day be set aside for decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country.

                               

Today ceremonies to remember those veterans who lost their lives still take place throughout the country. Many national cemeteries honor the dead by placing American flags by each tombstone. In some cities speeches are given, dinners for veterans are shared, and Americans in general pay homage to our fallen soldiers.

But over the years Memorial Day has taken on another meaning. Unofficially it marks the beginning of summer. Like all holidays, we can’t get away from the commercial side of the day.  Ads encourage us to buy beach chairs and swimsuits, hotdogs and chips, and anything else that will make our weekend enjoyable. There’s nothing wrong with that.

I live on the Gulf Coast, and like so many others I look forward to enjoying a day on the water if the weather cooperates. The local barrier islands lure us to spend the day boating and swimming, and the Sunday before Memorial Day has become the favorite boating day. As I’m writing this, I just changed from my wet bathing suit and my husband is still washing the salt water off the boat. Today the weather was beautiful and the island was packed. It was wonderful to see so many enjoying the island's beauty.

 I hope in the excitement of enjoying the outdoors all of us will take the time to remember the meaning of Memorial Day, a day to honor the veterans who gave their lives while serving our country.

It is the beginning of summer, but it’s also something much, much more meaningful. Take time to remember.

FRAN MCNABB lives along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and looks forward to the warm days of summer to boat, fish, and enjoy the waters of the Mississippi Sound. When not on the water, she’s at her computer penning light romances. Her publishing credits include eight published novels, many of which use the coastal area as their setting. Visit her at  www.FranMcNabb.com or at mcnabbf@bellsouth.net

The Merry Month of May

 There are so many memorable and commemorated days this month, how do we keep track of the whys and wherefores of them all. Here are a few of the ancient superstitions surrounding May dating back to earliest Celtic times.

May was considered the least advantageous for weddings as the offspring of a May bride (and groom) were doomed to have bad luck. Also, farm animals born during this month were believed to be obstinate and a pack of bother. Shetlanders never marry in May, preferring the winter months – after the fishing season had ended.

May begins the fishing season in the northern reaches of Scotland and the Isle of Man. People who engage in dangerous jobs often hold superstitions that seem to have protective qualities. Manx  and Scots fisherman never used English or Scottish words at sea, sticking to Norn, a descendant of Old Norse.

When I was a child, every school held a May Day festival for which we practiced all through the early spring to dance around the Maypole, a Druidic tradition.

In Wales, a cold May was believed to mean a full barn and an empty graveyard.

More recently, we have designated May for the celebration of motherhood which grew from the Christian church event of Mothering Sunday, when the small local chapel congregations gathered at the mother church – the parish center – usually celebrated in March in British countries.

This past weekend we commemorated Armed Forces Day:

“President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country.

“On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days.

The single day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under the Department of Defense.”

http://afd.defense.gov/ 

Memorial Day is commemorated the last weekend of May, but the actually date is the 31st.

“Today is a special day. It is a day of honor and reverence; it is a solemn day. Today we must recognize an unfortunate fact of life: our beloved country was formed and is protected by the blood of warriors. …”

http://www.usmemorialday.org/

Allow me to take this opportunity to express my deepest respect and gratitude to every man and woman who has served in the Armed Forces in the United States and my heartfelt condolences to those who are grieving the loss of their loved ones.

Your sacrifice is never forgotten.

A Memorial Day to Remember

Golden Gate National Cemetary, Memorial Day 2015

Every year, we commemorate the sacrifices of our military heroes on two days, separated by six months. Memorial Day is the most American of the two as it was initiated in 1868 as Decoration Day, following the end of the War Between the States (also known as the Second War of Independence), the American Civil War.

Traditionally, graves of Union soldiers were decorated with flowers. The Confederate soldiers were commemorated similarly, but on a separate day. By the 20th Century, the competing days merged into the one we now know, the last Monday of May, the beginning of summer.

Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day and Remembrance Day in other countries in Europe) commemorates the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month when the guns went silent at the end of World War I. This holiday evolved from this WWI connection to honor the service of all veterans of the U.S. Armed forces. Memorial Day honors the military personnel who died while serving our country. 

Drought-affected GGNC, Memorial Day 2015

This year, unlike so many in the recent past, the United States is not engaged in any major conflict on foreign soil, a reason to think of this year’s holiday as one to be set apart. 

Along with many of my fellow Americans, I visited the graves of members of my family who served in the U.S. Army during World Wars I and II, and the Vietnam War. To my knowledge, no one in my family died in combat, despite a long history of service in the Armed Forces.

Since the 1950s, the Golden Gate National Cemetery has been the resting place of uncles, aunts, my parents and siblings. My father and uncle, both U.S. Army officers, are buried with their wives. My sister-in-law passed away a year before my brother and they were interred together in my parent's grave. 

These vast rows of white tombstones and flags are, at once, a majestic and a sorrowful sight.

This post is in Memory of

• Moses F Verrill, Infantryman, US Army, 20th Maine, War Between the States
• Hiram W Verrill, PFC, US Army, WWI
• Thomas A Verrill, Sr. Captain, US Army, WWII
• Charles A. Adams, Sargent, US Army, WWII
• Owen K Nichols, US Navy, Korean War
• Thomas A Verrill, Jr. 1st Lt, US Army, Vietnam War

And in Honor of

• Maxine M Dillahunty nee Verrill, 1st Lt, US Army, Korean War,
• William D. Dillahunty, Airman 2nd Cl, US Air Force, Korean War

And with especial thanks to every one of the veterans and serving personnel who volunteer and are prepared to give their lives to protect and preserve our liberty. 

To Those We Honor by Fran McNabb

My blog date always falls on Memorial Day, and I wanted to do something different for this year. On this special day, we honor those who gave their lives during war, but we also include those men and women who are no longer with us but who served in the Armed Forces, especially during wartime. Below are some of those soldiers we remember today.

Fran's Dad: Lewis V. Langlinais
SSgt Army Air Corps. WWII
Died 2007

Noble P. Smith, Jr.
Army Air Corps, WWII
Pacific, Died 1997 

Milton A. Wallis, Jr.
U.S. Coast Guard, Gunner's Mate
WWII, Died March 1976

Robert S. Diamond, Jr."Jack"
 Chief Master Sgt.
WWII, Korea, Vietnam
USAF, died 1984

 

John Alden Turner, Lt Col, USAF
Pacific, Korea, died 1981
Wife Mariam
Army Nurse Corps, died 1956
Both are buried in Arlington Cemetery

James Edward Burns
PFC - E2 Marine Corps
Vietnam
Killed Dec 7, 1967
Brother to Raymond McKee

 




Raymond Scott McKee
CPO - Coast Guard
2 tours Operation Desert Storm
Died 2014

 

Not pictured:  Herb Chelikowsky, U.S. Army, WWII. Died 2005 

                                                                             

Robert Earl Gieger
Chief Master Sgt, WWII
Korea, Vietnam
Died 2012

Ronnie Rhodes, Sgt
US Army, 173rd Airborne
Killed in Vietnam 1968


 

Warren E. Jordan, Pvt, WWII
US Army, Guarded German prisoners
Sturgeon Bay, WI
Died 1980



Authur Springer
Army Air Corps, WWII
PFC, Gunner, New Guinea
Died 1986

Brothers Forrest and Shirley McNabb
Forrest: Army Air Corps/USAF
TSgt, WWII, Korea, Died 1970
Shirley: US Army, PFC, WWII
Died, 1983



Alton LeBlanc
WWII Navy,  Pacific
Ship Servicman 3rd Class
Died 2014
Wife Belva

Donald A. Winnney
TSgt USAF, Korea, Died 1985
Wife Oleta

 

Fran McNabb lives about thirty minutes from the National Cemetery       

on the Gulf Coast where both of her parents are buried. The cemetery,
like others across the nation on Memorial Day, honor the veterans buried there by placing a flag on each grave. It's a small gesture, but a reminder that we should never forget those who served to keep our nation free.
Visit Fran at www.FranMcNabb.com or contact her at
 mcnabbf@bellsouth.net.