It is Memorial Day weekend. When I was growing up, there were no silk flowers. We grew iris and pennies and put them in cans of water and took them to the local cemeteries for our families. We visited the graves of all our relatives in the area. Today I drove for 6 hours to go to Missouri and put flowers on the graves of my husband’s family. I placed flowers in front of Ben and my stone, on his parents graves, on his aunts and uncles and on his grand parents graves in three different cemeteries in the Elsberry, Missouri area. Friday evening I went to three local cemeteries to visit with my family members. I talked with a couple of people named Whiteside in Elsberry who knew Ben’s family well. What we found in common is that our generation seems to be the only ones doing flowers for loved ones. Has Memorial Day just become a long weekend instead of a day to pay tribute to those who have passed on. There was not a single remembrance on any of the graves I visited except those I put there.
Not sure if that is a fitting way to begin the News as there have been several deaths in our area this week. Our sympathy to the family of Jean Douglas Danielson who passed in a car wreck near Colchester this week.
I also heard that Gene Burton of Plymouth passed away yesterday.
Another friend, Dale McCurdy of Vermont, left this world on Friday evening. He was Dylan’s uncle, the next door neighbor to two of my good friends, Ray and Kathy Goodell, and my friends form doing 3rd Sunday Market in Bloomington.
Know that we care about the loss to your families.
Illinois Education Association Retired met in Rushville on Tuesday evening. The program was on senior scams. It was very interesting and there was a lot to learn. One of the items mentioned was phone calls. I support several charities and some times they call and want a donation. They also want a credit card number which I will never give on the phone. The speaker pointed out that we have no way of knowing if it is really that charity calling or someone using their name on the caller ID. Good point, I had not thought of that. Also do not respond to calls which claim to be from the IRS or from your “grandchildren” who have been injured and need for one to wire them money. After hearing about all the scams, we just decided it would be better to let all calls go to voice mail and call back if a message was left. Most scammers do not leave messages. Also do not assume that just because the called ID gives a name, that it is a correct name. A simple apt makes it easy to change what one sees on caller ID.
Sunday a passing car threw a rock into the windshield of my VW and made a big chip in it. Had just watched a video on face book on how to repair a rock chip. Knowing that I neither had the supplies or the talent to repair my window, I stopped by Macomb Glass on Monday morning. In a few minutes and for 40 dollars the chip is gone and the window will not crack and run. I felt that it was a good investment.
Saw a humming bird so put up my feeder on Thursday. A humming bird found the feeder later the same day. Love those little guys.
Friday my rain gage showed .7 inches of rain.
Saturday evening had a mother and her son at the B&B. They were lovely people to share my home with. They brought four alpacas to a new home as well as two rescue kitties.
I am not sure that corning ware is supposed to break. I hit a piece of it on the frig door and dropped it on the floor. It did not break, it shattered into hundreds of pieces, some of them very tiny. I had a real mess of freshly cooked green beans and ham. Ugh.
Brick Wall Pizza is open on Friday and Saturday evenings from 4-10 pm. Their phone number is 309 458 3300. Great pizza.
Mary Keller asked me to share some senior news with you. Anyone over 55 is considered a senior. Cards are played every Tuesday at 1 pm at the Senior Center in Augusta. Also on the first Thursday of each month there is a pot luck dinner at noon and music following dinner. All area seniors are invited to the Augusta center, not just those from Augusta. If anyone has an activity in the area related to seniors that you would like to get shared in the “News and Views” you may send it to hancockcosenior@yahoo.com.
Bruce Morton brought in copies of his book “Textiles” so now both of his books, “Forgottonia” and “Textiles” are available at Plymouth Rock Antiques. I even have a small display of them set up so that they are easy to find.
Hope you had a good Memorial Day weekend and that you remember to scatter kindness to all around you this week.