Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum
comic strip overdue media

Monday, May 30, 2011

Yesterday was also my grandmother's 87th birthday

I'm going to visit her in a little while; my mom and stepfather are coming up to take me to see her. It'll be nice to get out of Lexington for awhile, too--that's rare for me, usually only when I visit my family or sometimes if one of my colleagues lets me carpool to a professional meeting. It's nice to be off on a Monday, too. Of course, it's good to remember that this isn't just a free day, but a day to remember those who have passed, especially those who served their country in the military.

Did you know that according to a law passed several years ago all Americans are supposed to pause for a moment of silence at 3 pm to remember the veterans who have died? I read that in the Christian Science Monitor the other day; I don't have the article handy just now.

Here in the South it's sometimes called Decoration Day and people go out to cemeteries to lay flowers and visit the graves, not just of those who died in wars but pretty much everyone. There's a tendency for one woman in the family to be informally assigned the task of keeping up the graves, at least in my father's family. I'm that person--I'm the last of that line, but I haven't been able to get to Owenton for years to take care of the Duncan graves. My grandmother usually takes care of the graves in Danville, but her health is an issue this year. I don't know if she'll have us do it or not. A few years ago we went out to the two cemeteries where we have people buried and she showed us the graves. I remember pretty much how to get to the Perryville Cemetery for the Lambs and Craigs. The Reardons were up on some hill that had a steep grade somewhere out in Boyle County near Mitchellsburg, I think. I'll have to ask my mom. Someone should know from my generation.

Okay, time to check out the news. It looks to be a beautiful day--sunny and hot. I hope you have a safe and wonderful day.

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