Memorial Day is dying. I don't mean to pun and I really hate to make the observation, but I honestly believe that the significance of it is slowly being lost in barbecues and pool opening parties. This might be a good thing if we'd finally found a total and perpetual global peace and the reason to have the day was lost in time, but that's not the case.
We sort of did it to ourselves. Memorial Day was on May 30th. It was a day set by to remember those who had served in the armed services and sacrificed their lives protecting our country and everything we hold dear. In 1968, someone decided that we needed the National Monday Holiday Act, which created a series of three day weekends from holidays being moved to a Monday in close proximity. This created a block of days off for folks and supposedly caused a reduction of energy and resource use for three days in a row which was measurably better than shutting down for one day in the middle of the week. They were saying that the holidays involved(Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day) were still significant, just not significant enough to leave where they were.
We always celebrate Independence Day on July 4th. We always celebrate Christmas on December 25th, giving this religious observance the reverence of a national holiday. Thanksgiving was the first unfixed holiday, but it never had a set date, just a set day of the week in November. New Year's Day, well, you can't really move the first day of the year just because it doesn't work for you. Government offices are closed on all holidays, excluding essential services (police, fire, medical). There was a time when everything was closed in observance of these days. Some will say it's changed out of necessity as our society has evolved. But really, it's gone the way of commerce, allowing the purchase of just about anything like the holiday wasn't even there and sadly, none of those important calendar dates is immune.
I digress. Back to Memorial Day's imminent demise. It's been moved out of convenience, shifted during a time in our history (1971) when we were still involved in the war in Vietnam and young men and women were still coming home in boxes. It's been ignored by businesses that don't think profit-making should stop in the name of honor. It's been disregarded by its own people because government and businesses don't care enough about it, so why should they? It's a day off, a mini-vacation, the unofficial beginning of summer, an excuse to indulge in whatever calls. It's been trampled and the group of people still involved in the respectful acknowledgment of the day seems to be getting smaller and smaller.
Does it really have to end this way? Are we eventually going to forget to honor the memory of those in the military who gave their lives protecting all this country has to offer, even on the day put aside for just that purpose? It's not as though we're in peacetime, Folks, when it's easier to put it to the back of our collective consciousness. We're still fighting and the sacrificing continues on. We need to remember and honor those who served. Whether you do it on the legal holiday today or the original holiday date, make the time, take the time, and never, ever forget.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
The New Grass-Eating Beast and Me
After 15-20 years of grass cutting service, I decided to give up on my mower. While it always ran once it was repaired (beyond tune ups and oil changes), it was old, considerably rusted and has definitely had its share of issues since 2008. I finally declared it not worth fixing one more time when, just exiting the gate for the first go-round of the mowing season, the pull cord broke. Fixable? Of course -- for about $90. Fixable by the owner? My knowledge of mowers doesn't extend much beyond pull safety bar to handle, pull starter cord, mow and don't reach under the machine while the blade is in motion. They weren't teaching small engine repair to girls when I was in school and, much as I'm now a smart, independent woman capable of learning the task, I'm not really inclined to challenge the sexist notion of it being male territory to fix such things. Me cook, Tarzan. You make noisy grass-eating beast all better.
With the decision made to go to a brand spankin' new mower, it was time to do the research. The nerd was now in her element. Riding mowers were out outright. There are parts of my yard which really should be dealt with by goats. It may be small in size, but 'uneven' is a good choice of word to describe it. So is 'hilly'. "Mountainous terrain' is the best phrase when trying to mow it, though. Much as my neighbors sometimes think their riding mowers are ATVs, they're not. Going ass over (mower) teakettle down one of the slopes of my yard holds no appeal, especially if pinned under the mower immediately after the fall. Uh, no. Push mower it is.
In an uneven yard that is an experimental weed factory and isn't as regularly mowed as other people's plots of land, gas power is best. The engines are able to deal with 6-8" crabgrass better than an electric or cordless type mower ever could. Self-propelled mowers, either one speed or the nicer variable speed models which allow you to walk leisurely or practically jog while cutting grass, were wonderful to ponder and drool over, but they added $75 to $125 to the price every time, regardless of the brand. Having the clippings bagged neatly behind the mower also sounded nice, but with my yard, it would mean several stops during the course of the mow to plunk the grass clump in some remote area of my yard to compost, likely an uphill walk. Since mowing is already an aerobic chore that I can't stand, why do I want to add to it? Besides. letting grass clippings lie where sliced off is actually good for the lawn, especially when one doesn't get out there and spread fertilizer and weed killer combos, which I don't. I like an organically grown, biodiverse lawn -- that's my lazy yard maintenance statement and I'm sticking to it.
Honda, Toro, Troy-Bilt, Husqvarna, Lawn Boy, Lawn Machine and others all got my appraising look-over of online specs and reviews as well as longing looks and touches up close and personal at several stores. There was also the occasional whimper while looking at the price tag. Yes, cost was also part of the equation. If it wasn't, there was a Honda variable speed, self-propelled mower with my name on it. Yes, Honda won the battle of the mowers, but not the war. In the end, I went back to the brand that had lasted all these years in my yard -- a Sears Craftsman. Some may scoff and say there are better and I would agree. But, with the exception of being self-propelled, it does everything I need for it to do -- and very well, I might add -- and was $200 less than its preferred cousin.
So, I begin the mowing season with a new grass cutter. It may be noisy. It may make me sweat to push it to all points of my property, up hill and down, that I wish to walk through without losing sight of my feet. It may make me grimace to periodically clean out the green grass biomass that invitably develops under the beast when I wait too long between mowings. It may make me cringe to keep it properly fed with gas and oil. But now, I have a machine with no ills that will likely stay that way for at least a few seasons. I have no excuse to not go forth and mow.
Wait, it's raining. Aww, too bad. Maybe tomorrow, grass-eating beast.
With the decision made to go to a brand spankin' new mower, it was time to do the research. The nerd was now in her element. Riding mowers were out outright. There are parts of my yard which really should be dealt with by goats. It may be small in size, but 'uneven' is a good choice of word to describe it. So is 'hilly'. "Mountainous terrain' is the best phrase when trying to mow it, though. Much as my neighbors sometimes think their riding mowers are ATVs, they're not. Going ass over (mower) teakettle down one of the slopes of my yard holds no appeal, especially if pinned under the mower immediately after the fall. Uh, no. Push mower it is.
In an uneven yard that is an experimental weed factory and isn't as regularly mowed as other people's plots of land, gas power is best. The engines are able to deal with 6-8" crabgrass better than an electric or cordless type mower ever could. Self-propelled mowers, either one speed or the nicer variable speed models which allow you to walk leisurely or practically jog while cutting grass, were wonderful to ponder and drool over, but they added $75 to $125 to the price every time, regardless of the brand. Having the clippings bagged neatly behind the mower also sounded nice, but with my yard, it would mean several stops during the course of the mow to plunk the grass clump in some remote area of my yard to compost, likely an uphill walk. Since mowing is already an aerobic chore that I can't stand, why do I want to add to it? Besides. letting grass clippings lie where sliced off is actually good for the lawn, especially when one doesn't get out there and spread fertilizer and weed killer combos, which I don't. I like an organically grown, biodiverse lawn -- that's my lazy yard maintenance statement and I'm sticking to it.
Honda, Toro, Troy-Bilt, Husqvarna, Lawn Boy, Lawn Machine and others all got my appraising look-over of online specs and reviews as well as longing looks and touches up close and personal at several stores. There was also the occasional whimper while looking at the price tag. Yes, cost was also part of the equation. If it wasn't, there was a Honda variable speed, self-propelled mower with my name on it. Yes, Honda won the battle of the mowers, but not the war. In the end, I went back to the brand that had lasted all these years in my yard -- a Sears Craftsman. Some may scoff and say there are better and I would agree. But, with the exception of being self-propelled, it does everything I need for it to do -- and very well, I might add -- and was $200 less than its preferred cousin.
So, I begin the mowing season with a new grass cutter. It may be noisy. It may make me sweat to push it to all points of my property, up hill and down, that I wish to walk through without losing sight of my feet. It may make me grimace to periodically clean out the green grass biomass that invitably develops under the beast when I wait too long between mowings. It may make me cringe to keep it properly fed with gas and oil. But now, I have a machine with no ills that will likely stay that way for at least a few seasons. I have no excuse to not go forth and mow.
Wait, it's raining. Aww, too bad. Maybe tomorrow, grass-eating beast.
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
My Birthday Wish List
The sublime to the ridiculous and back again in a stream of consciousness fashion for the upcoming day.
1) A full time job, preferably with a pay scale that's more than minimum wage
2) A huge lottery win where a full time job becomes optional.
3) A roof that doesn't leak
4) A foundation that doesn't look like a map of the San Andreas fault
5) A cat that doesn't purr in my face and walk all over me at 4:30 in the morning to get breakfast
6) To find my keys - one set would be nice, two sets would be perfect
7) To write something that isn't ignored by those who write out checks for such things (rejection notices are better, honest -- at least I'd know someone's actually reading the stuff)
8) A lawn that wouldn't be bare if I doused it with weed killer
9) To be taken out to lunch
10) To be taken out to lunch by an intelligent man with a sense of humor who tickles my fancy
11) To have my fancy tickled in ways that would make this post need an adult content warning
12) To find a pair of pants in a local store in my size and the proper length
13) A house that cleans itself and STAYS that way
14) To have the money and energy to go back to school and get the four year degree in journalism that I've always secretly wanted
15) A solar/electric/gas hybrid car whose price tag wouldn't make my jaw drop and cause me to slink quietly back to my 15 year old blue auto beast
16) To be able to do 100 sit-ups and not have to pay the price for it the next day
17) To get a full night of unbroken sleep on a regular basis
18) To find an open kayak cheap and regularly use it
19) To find the perfect small house on several acres in the perfect countryside location and live there until my dying day, preferably with that fancy-ticklin' gentleman
20) To have good health and sound mind until my dying day
21) To have a world at peace, where all people love and respect one another and differences aren't met with anger and violence, where there is no war or famine, no want or need, and our planet is forever a healthy, viable and life-sustaining big blue marble as viewed from space.
I'd give up items #1-20 in a heartbeat to have #21.
Happy Birthday to me.
1) A full time job, preferably with a pay scale that's more than minimum wage
2) A huge lottery win where a full time job becomes optional.
3) A roof that doesn't leak
4) A foundation that doesn't look like a map of the San Andreas fault
5) A cat that doesn't purr in my face and walk all over me at 4:30 in the morning to get breakfast
6) To find my keys - one set would be nice, two sets would be perfect
7) To write something that isn't ignored by those who write out checks for such things (rejection notices are better, honest -- at least I'd know someone's actually reading the stuff)
8) A lawn that wouldn't be bare if I doused it with weed killer
9) To be taken out to lunch
10) To be taken out to lunch by an intelligent man with a sense of humor who tickles my fancy
11) To have my fancy tickled in ways that would make this post need an adult content warning
12) To find a pair of pants in a local store in my size and the proper length
13) A house that cleans itself and STAYS that way
14) To have the money and energy to go back to school and get the four year degree in journalism that I've always secretly wanted
15) A solar/electric/gas hybrid car whose price tag wouldn't make my jaw drop and cause me to slink quietly back to my 15 year old blue auto beast
16) To be able to do 100 sit-ups and not have to pay the price for it the next day
17) To get a full night of unbroken sleep on a regular basis
18) To find an open kayak cheap and regularly use it
19) To find the perfect small house on several acres in the perfect countryside location and live there until my dying day, preferably with that fancy-ticklin' gentleman
20) To have good health and sound mind until my dying day
21) To have a world at peace, where all people love and respect one another and differences aren't met with anger and violence, where there is no war or famine, no want or need, and our planet is forever a healthy, viable and life-sustaining big blue marble as viewed from space.
I'd give up items #1-20 in a heartbeat to have #21.
Happy Birthday to me.
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