Memorial Day Musings

This past weekend we spent alot of time with family, both sides. It was a very fun and memorable weekend.

Friday we got to do the cleaning thing with Gramma Sharon, Granpa Roy, and Uncle Nathan. Mimi was so excited to give Granpa his present that she actually gave it to him four different times!

Saturday morning was spent trying to tame our yard and get our dutch oven pit dug and lined with brick. That is still an ongoing project, as is the lead abatement in the flower gardens and lawn. We hope to finish the dutch oven pit this week. We weren't able to finish everything we wanted due to the afternoon downpour!


The Patrick's have a tradition of going to the area cemetaries, cleaning and decorating family graves, and taking the time to tell the little ones about the people we are remembering. I think that it really made an impression on Mimi this year. We've talked in the past about her Grandpa John and Uncle Brian, how they live with Heavenly Father now. But she doesn't really know them, or any of the others whose graves we clean and decorate. But when she understood what we were going to be doing, she requested that we all take some time to go up to Canada to clean and decorate Papa Les' grave. Papa Les (Peggy's dad) lived with Gramma Midge and Peggy off and on for a year and a half before he passed away. Mimi wanted to make sure that he got remembered and loved, too.

It really made me appreciate the fact that we do have a time set aside to remember those who have died, in particular, those who have died who also served our country. What a wonderful, humbling thing, to think of all those men and women who gave their lives to preserve our freedoms, who served years and years to ensure that we can live in a free land, and have the many opportunities and blessingss we (all too often) take for granted.

It also starting me thinking that I need to make a greater effort to tell the kids about my ancestors, recent and more distant. G. Sharon and Papa Roy make an effort to get to the cemetaries in Salt Lake every year... I hope to go with them next time so that I can really know where the graves are and hear the stories, so I can pass them on. I have been to the cemetaries before to honor and remember our relatives, but it's been a long time, and we all know what happens with increasing age !)


On Monday morning, we went up to the Patrick Homestead to open the cabin for the season, get the water hooked up and do the small chores to tidy it after being closed for the winter. We made rootbeer and had a quick BBQ. The kids had a blast playing on the swingset, in the sand, on the pool table, and in general running wild, playing with cousins. Unfortunately, everyone else had places to be and were gone by about 1:30pm! Sometimes I wonder if we'd enjoy our time together more if we weren't all constantly seeing each other at my MIL's house...kind of the opposite of "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"? Or maybe it's just that the cabin has been an incredible work-maker for the siblings, so they would rather relax elsewhere. I don't really know, it was just kind of sad to have everyone leave, and have my kids ask where did everyone go? We did enjoy the quiet and the beauty of the mountains. As we left a little while later, Buddy said very sorrowfully, "But I will miss the cabin!"

We finished the day with a BBQ in SF at Gramma Sharon's house. Once again the kids had a blast running wild, on the trampoline, swinging, and (as Buddy gleefully exclaimed after the amen) "Woohoo! Now we can play in the dirt!" They also had a good time with the neighbors, who came over to share the BBQ. Sweetsa-pizza had a great time with Brittany, trying to give her a new hairdo.