The installation of my walkin tub began today. That’s why this is posted near sundown rather than near noon
Weather has turned … again. Warmer and a bit wetter with showers but no real rain.
And again … Chilly and raining.
Rained during the night. Now warming up.
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I recently heard a report on NPR’s Morning Edition concerning a lady in Uvalde, Texas following the mass shooting in an elementary school there, who dressed in a clown suit positioned herself where children could see her. Her mission was to bring smiles back onto faces.
Rather than being foolish, I thought how perceptive she was. She saw or sensed a need and chose to be open while responding to that need by choosing a publicly anonymous persona rather than participating in impersonal public shows of support through public display and the resultant attention.
It reminded me rather forcibly of the end of the blog post from last week …It’s Nice to be Important, but it’s more Important to be Nice.
It also reminded me of one of my sisters-in-law who spent many hours as an anonymous clown visiting hospital patients (mainly children) and making them smile, and even laugh, with her antics.
She also spent time in neonatal ICU wards just sitting in a rocker while holding and talking to dying babies whose parent(s) were unable to be there for whatever reasons.
In a conversation we once had she said “Even when you can’t see it or hear it, love can be sensed.”
She died in 2013.
It would be a fool’s bet to lay odds against there being no one who remembers her, even if they never knew her name.
So Thank You and Blessings to the Clown Lady of Uvalde.
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Thinking and writing about overt displays …
Last monday (Memorial Day) my neighbor to the west of me came by delivering small US flags to the residents of the Village.
My politics are at variance with a lot of, if not most, of the other residents here. But I have made it a habit to, whenever possible, avoid random discussion of politics, religion, and some moral opinions. I’m not comfortable with confrontation on those subjects with just anyone. Only with those whom I know to be, if not in agreement with me, at least open to agreeing to disagree.
I accepted the flag and stuck it in the rose container on the porch. It is now rolled up and set aside for display later.
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Over the past Memorial weekend, PBS shared many films from (too many) past wars which involved US service members, mostly news and military films, but one in particular which caught me. It was an 8mm film taken by a sailor serving aboard the cruiser US Los Angeles CA135, during the Korean affair. He was a member of a gun crew so it contained a lot of surface scenes of gun action and of his personal friends.
There were one or two group crew pictures, but they were too broad to recognize any single sailor unless the owner had made an identity list. Maybe I’ll contact PBS and see if there is a chance of getting copies.
George was a radioman during that time (which was why he wasn’t home for my 21st birthday) and the radiomen’s duty stations were on lower decks.
But some of the scenes were taken in Japanese cities during shore leave times and I recognised some of the names … among those were Kobe and Sasebo which George had mentioned in letters and from which he had brought home gifts.
There were some interesting asides as the owner talked about the pictures among which was orders that shore leaves began at some designated time after dawn and morning duties were complete and ALL personnel had to be back on board before dark.
So even there were no identifiable pictures of George, the film triggered memories and some tears. After all, it was Memorial day.
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I am building a Porch garden using containers of various kinds and sizes.
Flowers first … a Peace rose and Double Delights. I plan to track down a source for an Heirloom green rose.
Next will be vegetables … tomatoes (Black Krims which Mark shared and to which I will add a yellow (if I am able to find one) and salad greens (although there are those who say tomatoes are really fruit).
I also plan to relocate information in re companion planting about flowers and vegetables.
Growing reports to follow.
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Now a blast from the past …
June 1947
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… and to close out this week’s effort …
Nothing is too difficult to overcome. Instead of giving up, you survived and came out stronger. You can do that again and more. Keep believing in yourself. Keep going.
— Author Unknown
So,‘til next week …