Memorial Day

The flags are out. 

Memorial Day means different things to different people To many, it's the first holiday of "summer", although that's pushing it here in the north. Being that, it's traditionally the time to open pools, parks, and to get the boats out. It's a time for family gatherings, grilling, and just enjoying the outdoors. The freedom and ability to do such things is what makes this country great. Of course, like most things good, it has come with a price. Millions gave everything to allow us to enjoy our freedoms, whether that be as simple as grilling a burger in your backyard, or as important as speaking your mind at a political rally.

Part of the way Cindy and I honor their memory is to put about 40 flags on our property for the weekend. A simple task, and appropriate too since this holiday used to be called Decoration Day. Decoration Day was originally established after the Civil War as a day to decorate the graves of soldiers with flowers. As time went on, flowers changed to small flags, and people began to call the holiday Memorial Day. Hopefully, as people walk or drive by the house, the flags will help them remember why we have the holiday, and remember those that allow us the freedom to honor it as we wish.

Molding finally done. I like the contrast between the
wall color and ceiling. 

On the home improvement front. the molding has been completed. The new compound miter saw worked beautifully and the angles came out nice. There are some minor gaps of course, mainly because the house is not square, and the walls have rolling waves in them, So, I have nearly completed caulking the gaps and nail holes in the molding, and it actually looks pretty good. Soon the paper I taped to the floor in November, will finally be removed.

It looks better in real life. Honest.

With the arrival of warm weather, work has moved outdoors, mostly of the general maintenance and upkeep variety. Last fall, after stacking all the firewood in the garage that would fit, we had about a half face cord left outside. It took me two tractor cart loads to bring that wood in the garage. My raked and re-seeded lawn is coming along nicely, mainly thanks to our persistent rain. It got it's first cut last week.

Despite my brown thumb, and questionable purchase decision, our little spruce tree is doing great. It's loaded with new growth and looks very healthy. I never let it go more than 24 hours without water as it tends to droop a bit in dry and warm conditions.

Healthy little tree. 

I came across an interesting blog that was very complimentary of our small city. The writer praised the architecture here in Binghamton that survived the urban renewal wave of the 1970s. He also liked our collection of interesting and eclectic bars and restaurants, many of which I have yet to visit. It really is amazing how this small city, with a struggling economy, has really had the downtown area blossom with so many interesting places to eat and drink. A lot has to do with the growth of Binghamton University, but I think the abundance of classic old buildings at a relatively cheap price, has certainly helped. I need to check more of these places out, and you should too. Several small business owners deserve to be rewarded for the effort and innovation, and the more new customers they get, the better.