Category: Commentary

This past week was a semi-busy one, since it didn’t actually begin until Tuesday afternoon when I got in from my fun trip to visit with my granddaughter and her family. Luckily, there weren’t any meetings that will be this coming week! Wednesday, I did my unpacking and laundry and Thursday, my sister and I went shopping in Victoria, we had been trying to do that for months and we had an awesome time together. She found several things she was looking for in the clothing line, and I found a cute blouse and a couple of other things, but no white sandals were to be found anywhere and that was the main thing I wanted, I guess I’ll just have to figure out how to wear the ones I have!
Friday afternoon a friend and I sold raffle tickets at the hospital and did fairly well, and Saturday was a little more of the same thing. However, since it was Tom-Tom in Yoakum, we got to see at least part of the parade, since we were near the line-up area. There were lots of beautiful floats! After we finished selling tickets, I went out to the park for a while to see if anything interesting was going on. It was pretty much as usual with the same types of booths selling jewelry of one type or another, tee shirts etc., which you see at any type of commemorative gathering.
Just before Memorial Day, local groups of American Legion and VFW placed flags at each end of town, north, south, east and west, it is so beautiful to come into town from any side and see those flags flying.
Tuesday of next week, June 14th, is Flag Day and here is a little information for you about the flag.
Have you ever wondered in what order the states came into the Union? Who actually designed the first flag? Why does it have 13 stripes? How many stars were on the first flag? Which were the original 13 states? When was Texas admitted as a state?
Legend has it that Betsy Ross, a widowed seamstress was the one who made the first flag from a sketch given her by George Washington. She is said to have changed the number of points on the stars from six to five and then made the first flag in 1776. However, history has proven that it is just that, a legend.
A second legend claims that John Hulbert designed it a full year before Betsy Ross is supposedly did. This flag had 13 stripes and 13 stars in honor of the 13 original colonies.
These colonies were: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina and Rhode Island. They all became states between December 7, 1787 and May 29, 1790.
The First Flag Law was passed by congress on June 14, 1777, giving this country an official national flag, consisting of 13 stripes alternating red and white, and a union of 13 white stars on a blue field.
Congress on May 1, 1795, adding two stripes and two stars in recognition of Virginia and Kentucky, passed the Second Flag Law. This 15-striped, 15-star flag is the second version of the national flag.
The Star Spangled Banner was written as a poem in the Baltimore Patriot newspaper. Frances Scot Key composed the verses while viewing the battle of Fort McHenry during the war of 1812. It became our national anthem on March 3, 1931. (This flag is in the Smithsonian Museum. It is not being restored it is being preserved. The size of this flag, 30 X 42 ft, is astounding, considering the time and place that it flew.)
The Third Flag Act was passed on April 4, 1818 and created the third official version of the flag. Navy Captain Samuel Reid proposed that the flag contain 13 stripes to represent the 13 original colonies. At that time it was decided that a star, represent ting a state, would automatically be added to the flag on the Fourth of July after ea territory was admitted. The flag in 1818 consisted of 13 stripes and 20 stars.
On July 4, 1846, the 10th official design of the Stars and Stripes was created with the addition of Texas into the United States.
June 14, 1861 was the first recorded observance of Flag Day, which was the anniversary of the First Flag Law and took place in Hartford. Connecticut. Bernard Cigrand is generally given the credit for helping to promote Flag Day.
On July 4, 1877, the centennial of the First Flag Act, the 38th star was added honoring the admission of Colorado into the Union. This created the 20th official design of the Stars and Stripes.
The entry of New Mexico and Arizona into the Union on July 4, 1912 created the 25th official design of the flag with the addition of its 47th and 48th stars honoring these two states.
From 1912 until 1959, the flag had 48 stars and 13 stripes. In that year, Alaska became the 49th state and the 16th official design of the flag was created. The following year, on July 4, 1960, Hawaii was admitted to the Union and a 50-star flag became the 27th official design. At 12:01 a.m., a 50-star flag was raised over Ft. McHenry by presidential order in honor of the victory described in the national anthem.
Red White and Blue Layered Salad
1 package, 3-ounce cherry gelatin
1 package, 6-ounce lemon gelatin
1 package, 3-ounce raspberry gelatin
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 can, 14½ ounces blueberries, drained
1 cup sour cream (1/2 pint)
2 cups milk
3 cups boiling water
Bottom layer: Dissolve cherry gelatin in 1 cup boiling water; cool at room temperature; add pineapple, pour into bottom of dish. Size of dish or mold isn’t mentioned, but I would use a 9×13 glass dish.
Middle layer: Dissolve lemon gelatin in 1 cup boiling water, cool at room temperature. Beat sour cream and milk together. Combine cooled lemon mixture and sour cream mixture. When bottom layer is firm, but slightly sticky to the touch, gently pour or spoon on the middle layer.
Top layer: Dissolve raspberry gelatin in 1 cup boiling water, cool at room temperature, add drained blue berries, pour and spoon over middle layer, when it is firm, but slightly sticky to the touch. Refrigerate until serving.
This is an older recipe that I found in a box with some stuff of my Mother’s, and it doesn’t have amount of servings nor any nutritional information. I would assume that a 9×13 would probably make 12 large servings, or 15 smaller servings.

My Memorial Day weekend was truly a memorable one! In fact it wasn’t only a weekend; it began with my trip to Devine last week. The trip itself was uneventful, as traffic wasn’t bad, it didn’t rain on me and I made really great time. When I arrived at my daughter’s home, I assembled the snack I was planning to serve and had a nice visit with my son-in-law. My daughter made a wonderful dessert for me to serve to my Bunco ladies. It was a red/white and blue jelled dessert that served up beautifully and everyone seemed to really enjoy, as there were lots of compliments!
My two oldest great-granddaughters are with my daughter as their school was already out, and they and I ‘hung out’ together all day on Thursday! We went to the local doughnut shop for a sweet breakfast, then to the beauty shop for my appointment, and then, of course, we had to go to Wal-Mart and shop around. When we got back out to the house, we did several things together, including making the sausage kolaches that I had promised to bring to my youngest granddaughter whose home I would be going to, for her son’s first birthday party! That evening, I went to my son’s home and we got ready to leave early on Friday morning for the 9½-hour trip to the Texas panhandle where she and her family live. It was a tiring but awesome trip, with lots of scenery for me to enjoy. The rolling hills and plains were really pretty as they’ve had enough rain, so that everything was green, rather than burnt brown as some places are, and there are still enough wild flowers blooming, especially the one called “Mexican Hat” and the beautiful Indian Paintbrush. The colors in that plant always fascinate me, with its deep orange, gold and almost brown petals and center.
We had a nice visit, the baby was still up and I got to play with him. He is such a sweet little boy and came to me immediately, even though I hadn’t seen him since Thanksgiving. Since his other grandparents, great-grandmother and uncle were all coming in also, I was taken to the guesthouse of some friends. It’s a great place that I had all to myself, very quiet, with a wonderful bed, that by that time I needed!
Saturday morning, my granddaughter picked me up, her husband’s parents had gotten in later the evening before, and after breakfast we divided up into two cars and made the trip to Oklahoma City, where my granddaughter and my son met the plane that was bringing my daughter-in-law, her mother and son in from their trip to graduation exercises in Georgia. We all met up for a quick lunch and then headed to the Oklahoma City Zoo. We had a great time, the baby wasn’t fussy and he seemed to enjoy the animals. It was a long and wonderful day that I enjoyed immensely.
Sunday was time for church and then the birthday party. That little guy certainly enjoyed his cake! Actually, it was the second celebration of his birthday, as he had previously had one with some of his friends and his ‘Church family’ that was closer to his actual birthday.
Now, it is Sunday evening and while the rest of the family went to services, I stayed at home to get this done!
Last week, I told you about Memorial Day and how it started and gave you the beautiful poem about the poppies. This week, here is the story about the poppies
The following is the story of the “Buddy Poppy” as it was printed in an article in “Ladies Auxiliary VFW Magazine in October 2015.
“It takes just three little parts and a few practiced twists and turns of the hand to create a perfect “Buddy”® Poppy. But this mighty little flower improves the lives of many veterans and their families”
In a modest building near Fort Dodge in dodge City, Kansas, a small but dedicated group of volunteers works hard, each with their own personal assembly line, building “Buddy”® Poppies at an impressive pace. Hundreds of loose bright red petals, bright green stems and paper labels quickly turn into tiny bouquets. There have been millions of poppies shipped from this building since 2003. Orders are filled from all over the United States, even as far away as Alaska.
The “Buddy”® Poppy makes a lot of difference for lots of veterans. The flowers are typically assembled by veterans in need or disabled veterans. On a Post and Auxiliary level, income is used to aid members. On state and national levels money from the poppies provides much-needed services for disabled veterans and their widows and orphans. Funds raised also go toward supporting the VFW National Home for Children and Veterans’ rehabilitation services.
There have been millions of poppies shipped from this building since 2003. Orders are filled from all over the United States, even as far away as Alaska.
Sausage Potato Breakfast Casserole
1 30 oz bag frozen shredded hash browns
1 lb breakfast sausage
1 4 oz can green chiles
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 8 oz container heavy cream
1 can cream of celery soup
Salt, pepper and a little cayenne pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 2 qt casserole dish. In a deep skillet, brown sausage and crumble with a potato masher. Add the can of green chiles and the cream cheese until all melted and then add the soup and heavy cream.  (If mixture is still thick, thin slightly with milk.) Heat all on medium heat, stirring continually until all is well blended and to keep from sticking to the bottom of the skillet. Once well blended, remove from heat and set aside. Break up frozen hash browns and layer on bottom of baking dish. Pour the sausage mixture over hash browns & bake until all bubbling and potatoes are heated through. Top with grated cheese while warm.

Last week, I told you about our 100th year celebration of our local hospital and said that I was excited to be going to the culmination of that week’s celebration, which would be a dressy party. It was a wonderful party with many of the Hospital Foundation donors, members of the Hospital Board, our doctors, the hospital staff, and last but by no means least about twenty or more of our auxiliary members.
When you walked into our local Community Center, the first thing you saw was an antique crib or isolette with a small doll dressed as a baby would have been, with a little jacket and diaper. As you checked in a found your table, the true decorations from the past 100 years were shown. There was an entire wall dedicated to photos of past doctors and nurses, newspaper articles about the hospital, that have been preserved, and the list goes on! Some of the older ladies in attendance were telling us about some of the Nuns who were nurses back in those days and how strict everything was, and how hard everyone worked.
There were also photos of Auxiliary members at various times, and a shadow box with pins and bars from the ladies, denoting the amount of hours donated to the Hospital by these members, It is a total of over 70,000 hours. I am not sure of the number of years that is included here. It is really a beautiful display and as I understand, it will be on display at our local museum until September.
The evening began with a cocktail reception, with drinks and any type of fruit, cheese, and cold cuts you can imagine for snacking, and lots of socializing, as everyone seemed to enjoy seeing old friends and former co-workers.
This was followed by welcome from our Hospital CEO, and an invocation by the Mr. Leck, Chair of the Hospital Board of Trustees.
Then came a marvelous dinner with a salad and a choice of entrée, that was steak medallions or salmon, followed by a choice of grilled vegetables, and was prepared and served by a restaurant from a nearby town, and the food and service was all awesome!
The meal was followed by a program of Personal and Oral History Interviews, including patients, our local Doctors, department heads, members of the Hospital board, a member of the Auxiliary. There are really too many to mention here, but it was a wonderful evening that culminated with the the unveling of a painting, called “A Century of Memories”. It will be on display at the hospital on our history wall at the hospital. The Hospital is shown in each of its re-buildings and growth through the past century.
Monday, May 30 is Memorial Day. What does it mean to you? Do you celebrate it, or is it just a neat day to have off work for a long weekend? Do you fly the flag? It is mainly a day of remembrance, of all the veterans of all the wars and is one of the holidays that are celebrated on the last Monday of the month that it is in. We will have a program at the Fire Station, with a part of the high school band playing for us, and also a really nice program. There are usually speakers, and wreaths are placed as memorials from many organizations.
Memorial Day was formerly called Decoration Day and was celebrated on May 30th. General John A. Logan, commander of the Grand Army of the Republic originated this day to honor the war dead.
It is a legal holiday in almost all the fifty states. In some places, the observance consists of civic parades and the placing of flowers on veteran’s graves. In San Antonio, there is usually a special service at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. This very impressive ceremony, with taps and a 21-gun salute, always reduces even the strongest to tears as they realize that these men who are buried here gave there all for their country.
There are services in foreign cemeteries honoring the graves of American servicemen who are buried on foreign soil. There are water services for those who died at sea, and there are ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. It has been the custom to fly the flag at half-mast until noon in the United States.
The verse that follows is one of the best known and is written about the Buddy Poppy. Everyone is familiar with this little red flower that is offered for a donation either at Memorial Day or in time for Veteran’s Day in November. John McCrae (1872-1918) is the author of this famous poem. He is remembered for what is probably the single best-known and popular poem from WWI. He was a Canadian physician and fought on the Western Front in 1914, but was then transferred to the medical corps and assigned to a hospital in France. He died of pneumonia while on active duty in 1918. His volume of poetry, “In Flanders Fields and Other Poems, was published in 1919. It is said that John McCrae was standing in the cemetery and saw the beautiful red poppies growing over the area, that he was so impressed and moved that he wrote the poem.
In Flanders Fields
By John McCrae (1872-1918)
In Flanders fields the
Poppies blow
Between the cross, row on row
That mark our place;
And in the sky
The larks, still bravely
Singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the
Guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw
Sunset glow
Loved and were loved,
And now we lie
In Flanders fields. Take
Up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing
Hands we throw
The torch’ be yours to
Hold it high.
If ye break faith with us
Who die
We shall not sleep,
Though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.