(all of the rose photos in this post today were taken yesterday during a wonderful visit to my friend Nick's garden in Maryland. His garden is what my garden wants to be when it grows up.)
I am an Army Brat. (My husband will not hesitate to tell you that I most resemble the second part of this term.) When I was growing up, my father, all of my friends' fathers (and some of the mothers) donned olive drab uniforms and went to work. Home for us was wherever the Department of Defense told us it would be ... sometimes in the US, sometimes in a foreign country. I am thirty years removed from this lifestyle now, having lived a civilian life since I married in 1980.
Memorial Day is personal for military families. We all know someone whose father (or mother, or brother, or son) gathered up their gear, got onto a plane bound for a foreign war zone, and never returned. Our family was spared this heartbreak ... I mourn for families who were not so blessed.
On days like today, I am reminded of parts of my former-military life. A bugle playing 'Taps' or a 21-Gun Salute are guaranteed to make me cry.
Friday night, we had dinner at the Greek Festival with friends. On our way home, I got a call from our next door neighbor, saying that there had been a terrible accident in front of our house and that the road was closed.
The car was full of young people, leaving a party about a mile from our house. The driver was speeding and he/she (I don't know which) misjudged the blind curve in front of our house. We were told that the car flipped several times before it hit the power pole across the street. Everyone in the car was taken to the hospital alive, but I do not know their current condition. I will probably never know.
The power company arrived very quickly, to begin the process of replacing the damaged pole and restoring our electrical service. When I got up at daylight the next morning, they were still here.
The opening of my nursery on Saturday was such a great day. We had a steady stream of people, but not so many that anyone felt hurried or neglected. Visitors walked the gardens, making lists of roses that they loved, and shopping from the ones I have available for sale. Two friends came to help, to write sales and cashier so my only responsibility was to answer questions ... LOTS of questions. It was a good day.
Happy Memorial Day, Everyone!! Be sure to hug your family, remind your children to be safe when they drive, and thank a veteran for their service and sacrifice.
(written by Hartwood Roses. Hartwood Roses blog.)