Saturday 9: Stars and Stripes

Saturday 9: Stars and Stripes Forever by The Muppets

 Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

Memorial Day is the federal holiday designated to honor American service people who died in battle. Though our song choice is humorous, we honor their sacrifice in our hearts.


1) Memorial Day was introduced after the Civil War. War memorials, as well as the graves of veterans, are to be decorated with flags and flowers on this day to show our appreciation. Is there a war memorial in your neighborhood?

Botetourt's War Monument

A.  We have an obelisk monument at the county courthouse. It was dedicated October 27, 1904 and put up by the Botetourt Monument Association.
The monument is unusual in that on one side it says this:

“To the women of Botetourt in remembrance of their constant encouragement, steadfast devotion, tender in ministrations and unfailing providence and care, during the war and in the dark reconstruction years.” Most of these Civil War memorials do not honor the women, from what I understand.

The other side lists “the deeds and services of the twelve volunteer companies … that went to the war from Botetourt County.” It is “in memory of our brave and loyal officers and enlisted men who were killed in battle and who died from wounds and disease, during the war, and of our faithful comrades who have died since the war.”

Since I live here and have ancestors who died in the War Between the States, and this is not a statue of a Confederate leader, I don't have a problem with it. It is a memorial for the dead. I realize others may differ in opinion, and perhaps rightly so. I do have a problem with the Confederate flags that people sometimes put out by it, but not with the memorial itself.

2) Andrew Johnson, our 17th President, was in office the first time Memorial Day (then called Decoration Day) was celebrated. Have you ever met one of our 45 Presidents?

A. The closest I came was playing the Star Spangled Banner for Jimmy Carter. Here's a picture:



The girl in the yellow circle is me. Yes, I look bored.

On the other hand, thanks to my newspaper reporting, I am only two degrees away from the president (or she who should have been president). I reported on Tim Kaine's run for governor and after he won I worked with him or his staff on various stories when he came to the area. Kaine was Mrs. Clinton's choice for vice president and he is a Virginia Senator, so obviously he knows President Obama and President Trump (and former Secretary of State Clinton). Whether or not Senator Kaine would remember me is suspect, because it has been a while since I wrote articles about him, but even so, the connection is there. The same goes for Virginia Senator Mark Warner, also a former state governor. There are other government officials, too, that I have met and that puts me only a single person away from the highest office in the land. I also have a friend who has met President Bill Clinton.

3) According to the AAA, 36 million Americans will hit the road this weekend and drive more than 50 miles. Will you be traveling far from home this weekend?

A. No. I won't be traveling anywhere at all, unless it is to the grocery store.

4) Memorial Day kicks off the summer season. What's your favorite picnic food?

A. It used to be hot dogs, but I have grown old and have ulcers and hot dogs no longer agree with me. Can I just say potato chips and let it go at that?

5) Have you packed away your winter clothes? Or is the weather still so changeable that you still may need something warm?

A. I never pack away my clothes. We have a very large walk-in closet and things just get moved from front to back. Plus I tend to wear the same thing year round, adding layers of sweaters when it grows cold. You can do that when you stay home and don't go out much.

6) As you answer these questions, is there an air conditioner or fan on?

A. The air conditioner (heat pump) is on at the moment. I feel a little draft. It is the first time it has been on all week, I think, as we have been inundated with rain and below normal temperatures.

7) This week, we are featuring the Muppets. Jim Henson made the first Muppet out of an old coat, and he used ping pong balls for the eyes. Do you have a talent for do-it-yourself/arts and crafts projects?

A. No. I am trying, though.

8) Random question: Think of the last thing you bought. Did you get a good deal?

A. I purchased four t-shirts and a pair of slacks for $33 at JCP on Thursday. I didn't think that was too bad.

9) Crazy Sam needs your help: What song or a performer would you like to see featured in a Saturday 9 this summer? You'll begin seeing your suggestions as Saturday 9 themes in mid-June. Thanks!

 

I searched the Saturday 9 blog and nothing came up for Fleetwood Mac or Stevie Nicks. So I shall suggest something by them. Perhaps Landslide, Rhiannon, Leather and Lace, or some other song by either that Crazy Sam prefers. Those three are my favorites, but they have lots to chose from.

 

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.