Memorial Day and Lilacs

We hope you all had a happy Memorial Day Weekend. We enjoyed many activities, but stayed pretty close to home. It was really nice! Mark almost finished planting his garden and the kids and I spent lots of time outside.

Ever since I can remember, my family has always taken time to attend the ceremony to honor Veterans which is held every Memorial Day at the little cemetery very close to my family's farm. A prayer is said, there is a 21 gun salute and Taps is played. It feels good to take a few moments to pause and remember what the day is all about. We actually went down to the local Veterans' Memorial and observed most of that service as well. (James wasn't bothered by the noise at that service, but he was pretty startled by the guns at the cemetery.) After the service, we found the paver that belongs to my great uncle. Then, the kids had fun playing at the nearby park. It was an absolutely beautiful day!

The Color Guard

James and his beloved blankie.

Ella pointing at her Great-Great Uncle Chuck's paver.

Getting a better view from Daddy's shoulders.

My favorite flowers of spring...lilacs!!!

I love lilacs! I love their smell and their colors. I wish they would bloom multiple times in the year. Unfortunately, they are only in bloom for about a week in late May. It wouldn't be Memorial Day without a fresh bouquet of homegrown lilacs. I usually bring home a big bunch from the farm and let them perfume my house. So, I cut a beautiful bunch and enjoyed them for several days. When those wilted, I realized the bushes at my house had finally grown enough that I could cut another bouquet of my very own lilacs. They are sitting in the center of my table right now! I also decide to try out the macro setting on my camera and I took these photos. Now I can enjoy the sight of these tiny flowers during the remainder of the year...if only I could successfully bottle their sweet scent... Enjoy the pics!