Day 316: Veteran's Day

Today we honor American veterans and current military personnel who have served our nation so selflessly.  Our family, like many, includes many veterans.  My Dad was a Marine who served in the South Pacific at the end of WWII.  My husband Steve served in the US Army in Vietnam from 1968-69 as a combat medic.  Our son Colin followed in his father's footsteps and enlisted in the Army after H.S.   Greatly influenced by the events of 9/11, we expected that he would be shipped to Iraq or Afghanistan, but we were incredibly relieved when he was assigned to Korea.  

My sister's  daughter and son both enlisted in the US Navy after H.S. and that's where Jennifer met her husband Rob, who was also in the Navy.  They both worked on helicopters and Rob moved up the ranks to become a master sergeant.  He did a few tours in the Middle East.  Adam, my brother's son, also enlisted in the Navy after H.S. and worked as a nuclear power technician on a nuclear submarine for 13 years.  Unfortunately, he developed kidney stones and they forced him to retire.

It was a gorgeous day of 71 degrees, highly unusual for mid-November.   Many of the flowers in my pots are still blooming including petunias, geraniums and the African daisies.   As I plucked the mushy remains of the the sweet potato vines from the pot, I discovered a huge tuber.  It's no wonder the possum has been raiding the pots!  The blooms won't last much longer.  Snow is predicted for tomorrow night.

After we walked five miles this morning, we raked, mowed, trimmed, and cleaned up the gardens.  Then Steve was off to fight fires and run rehab in Ripley and Portland for the afternoon.  This evening, someone has been lighting piles of leaves on fire.  With the winds whipping up tonight, that could create a very dangerous situation.

Boy Scouts preparing for a Veteran's Day flag ceremony