“Do you have the lunch boxes with the thermos inside?”
It may have been a joke- I mean, we were at Office Depot, not Target- and I wouldn’t have blamed the mom who said it since I was tempted to make up something ridiculous after asking the clerk for dayplanners and getting in response a funny, somewhat panicked look. And of course, it was worth a try. I imagine she was hoping to cut out one more stop. Plus, she was probably kicking herself for not going to Target in the first place. Still… a lunchbox? It is that time of year again. Back to School ads are everywhere. Stores have fall clothes on their racks (even though it is still in the 80s where I live). Kids are talking about locker decorations and fall sports. But I have tried to put off the craze as long as possible. This summer has flown by- filled with a little bit of vacation, some amazing camps (for my daughter, not me:>), and lots of hanging out together. And, while this last part hasn’t always been the romantic visions I carry with me as I go into summer vacation (“Moooooom, I’m bored.”) I have still have enjoyed my time getting to know the girl who rocks out in a band now and finds creative ways to convince me to set up a playdate for her (“It would give you more time to do your writing.”) But all great things must come to an end… and so I am preparing myself for the fall. School supplies? Check. Back to school outfit? Check. Practicing multiplication and division. Double check (“Summer’s not even over yet, Mom.”) And, while physically we might be ready, emotionally we are staving off what we call, the Sunday blues. We have one more trip planned (which I will tell you all about on Thursday…. So check back, it is going to be very cool, and related to my last book, Untangling the Knot.) And while we are excited to go away, underneath it is that niggling feeling that all of this will soon be over and a surprising desire to begin to hunker down and make apple spice cake and stew. So, perhaps that mom was also trying to get her head around fall, focusing on the homey, comforting aspects of shorter days and crock-pot suppers, and picturing where she would put the leftovers for lunch the next day. Are you ready for fall? What is your favorite part of back-to-school? I love, love, love my apple cake (too bad I am on a strict diet:>( Good news, though, Lucia, my character from Molto Mayhem, isn't and she has posted my recipe in her section of my website. Check it out and let me know what you think! I love to get your comments. Cheers, Deanne
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“What is Memorial Day supposed to celebrate, anyways?”
The good news is that this quote was said by a child. The bad news was that we all had different ideas about the answer. So far, our children have grown up thinking it is a holiday when all of the neighbors get together, make a big fire in the grill, separate out the kids drinks from the adult ones, and talk about the newest animals roaming our streets. And oddly enough, I am pretty sure there is actually some basis for this tradition. My father is originally from a very small town in the mid-west. And many Memorial Days while I was young we celebrated by going back his home town to sharing their holiday festivities. This included a street parade (three blocks, from the firehouse to the courthouse) made up of horses, kids in wagons, all Miss Watsons who were still alive and able to walk, a few tractors with flags on them, and the high school band playing patriotic songs. At the end of the parade route there was a huge picnic set up, with tents and tables and, yes, a huge grill with a big fire in it for BBQing. I seem to recall some silly contests, like pie eating, and a speech by the mayor. I also clearly remember discussion about which animals were plaguing the farmers that year. So, all in all, not that different from our own, more modern, celebration. The question I have is why? Why do we celebrate Memorial Day like this? How does it represent what the holiday is all about. According to Time for Kids: Memorial Day is now observed on the last Monday of May. It is an occasion to honor the men and women who died in all wars. Not only that, but it was started in 1868 and was named Memorial Day 20 years later. Then in 1950, it became officially recognized when: On May 11, 1950, Congress passed a resolution requesting that the President issue a proclamation calling on Americans to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a period on that day when the people of the United States might unite in prayer. So not only do we remember those who have died in wars, but we also unite in praying for peace. In fact, there is even designated a “National moment for remembrance at 3:00 p.m. local time.” Somewhere in the BBQ set-up and fire building I think this moment was lost yesterday. I won’t let that happen again next year though. And, actually, after the food was eaten and the kids had at least been told the part about remembering those who had died in wars, we did sort of say our own neighborhood version of a prayer for peace… it went something like this: “Please Lord, let the raccoon who is at war with our neighborhood find a new home. Amen.” Happy Memorial day to all of my friends, family and readers. |
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June 2020
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