Human Interest: May 29, 2017

Today is Memorial Day , a national holiday set aside to honor the men and women who died while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.  Memorial Day started as Decoration Day, which is the way my grandparents referred to it.  Memorial Day was officially started in 1968, and first officially observed in 1971.  Flag etiquette on Memorial Day dictates that the Stars and Stripes be raised to full staff first thing in the morning, then lowered to half-staff, where it remains until noon.  At noon, the flag is raised to full staff.

News: Racket in the Morning

I was awakened at 2:00 AM this morning (Thursday, May 18^th) by six loud firecrackers going off very close by.  Given that my bedroom window faces the inside of the court, I think the noise came from the courtyard.  I looked out the window but didn't see any movement or people.

What I'm hoping is that with Independence Day coming up, and the somewhat prolific number of unsupervised youth that tend to congregate in small groups at odd hours of the morning,  that this was nothing more than an attempt to alleviate boredom with firecrackers.  I'm hoping it wasn't gun shots, although it could have been.

So - did anyone else hear the noise?

Human Interest: May 9, 2017

One thing I'm happy to see is the amount of green space we enjoy in McNaughten Village.  The trees and shrubbery are very easy on the eyes, and now some of the flowers are in bloom.

Iris

I think the irises are quite nice, and I'm glad to see them in bloom.  They may need a little propping up in the future.

To make the day even nicer, the weatherman is completely wrong about the weather yesterday and today.  I may go for a bike ride later on.