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.


I took a walk through the neighborhood and was again impressed with our local horticulture.

Rose Bush in Bloom

Roses

My camera tends to distort the color red, so the photograph doesn't do the flowers justice.  They are very pretty, and make the neighborhood look nice.

Hanging Basket

Magnificent!

The entire basket is in bloom.  I have no idea how long the flowers will last, but this is something to be enjoyed by everyone passing by.

Planting in Progress

 These are going in the ground today, and will brighten everything up.

Marigolds

Marigolds in Bloom

Note the circle of rocks above.  Although they look nice, they aren't exclusively for decoration.  It seems that in past years the lawn service mowed everything in sight, including a bed of marigolds.  If you decide to plant something in your yard, please be sure to protect it from the lawn service.

Clematis Arbor

I found this arbor of Clematis Vine to be especially striking.  I'm given to understand that Clematis are easy to grow and will happily spread everywhere.  If you grow flowering vines - and I somewhat selfishly hope you do - you have to keep an eye on them and restrict them to their designated area.  The arbor, in this case, provides a perfect venue.

Clematis in Bloom

I like daisies.  These are growing in a nice, wild profusion and add a nice contrast to the Clematis.

Daisy in Bloom

That's it for today.  I'm now officially going to begin enjoying the Memorial Day holiday.