A Veterans Day Story

Happy Monday. It is Veterans Day today. Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States. It is a day to honor military veterans, persons who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Happy Veterans Day to all of our Veterans. Thank you so much for your service. I want to share a very special veteran and a story with you. My brother Donnie.

When I was about four years old my oldest brother Donnie enlisted in the US Army. This was during the Vietnam War. My brother Allen also enlisted, a few years later, in the US Air Force. This particular story is about my brother Donnie.

Donnie was the first of our family to leave and go away. He left for a few months for basic training, I think in Virginia, and then not long after that he was sent to Thailand. I think he got to come home one time before leaving for Thailand. We had never been separated as a family quite like this.

I never really knew how hard his leaving was for my mama until I read her diaries and journals she left behind. She wrote about how bad she missed him, and how she would smell his clothes and the soap he used just so she could feel close to him. About the only way we had to communicate was through letters. No FaceTime or cell phones or anything like that existed. We did have the occasional land line phone call but it was very rare. The rates were unbelievable and the timing of where my brother was stationed just didn’t work out a lot.

I started first grade right about the time he had to leave for Thailand. I went to school and told everyone about my big brother and how he was a soldier and how brave he was. It’s really all we could think about at our house. We all missed him so badly. My parents stayed glued to the nightly news to hear updates about everything going on with the Vietnam War.

Every morning when I went to school we had a little assembly time where we would gather with a couple of other classes. We met in the cafeteria and sang songs. I will never forget the day I heard them singing “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” I thought they were singing “When Donnie Comes Marching Home”. WHAT??? They had written a song just for my brother!!! Oh I was beyond proud. I stood up straight and tall and vowed to learn every word of that song by heart. I could not wait to tell my mama.

As soon as I got off the bus that afternoon I ran straight into the kitchen where my mama was cooking dinner. Guess what? Guess what? I told her there was a song written just for Donnie, and they sing about how happy everyone will be when he comes marching home. I sang a few lines for her. She knew the song I meant, but she didn’t say anything. I thought she would be so happy but she had the saddest look on her face. It was several months later that one of my classmates pointed out to me that it was not Donnie, in the song, it was Johnny. It still didn’t change the meaning to me and I would still replace Johnny with Donnie every time I sang it. I vowed to do this until the day he really came marching back home.

When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again, is a song from the American Civil War that expressed people’s longing for the return of their loved ones who were fighting in the war. It was first published in 1863.

When Johnny comes marching home again,
Hurrah, hurrah
We’ll give him a hearty welcome then,
Hurrah, hurrah
The men will cheer, the boys will shout,
The ladies, they will all turn out,
And we’ll all feel gay,
When Johnny comes marching home.

It was many years later, after reading my mama’s diaries, that I realized why my mama looked so sad every time I sang that song. It was because she didn’t know if he would make it back home. Many people did not. Lots of people we knew, neighbors, friends, did not make it back home to their families. It was an unbelievably sad time for so many.

Last week we celebrated my brother Donnie’s 77th Birthday. He has been through so much in the last few years. He had tonsil cancer and has had some heart issues. He never lets it slow him down. He is the hardest worker I have ever known, many times having two jobs at a time. He can do anything. He does everything for his family. He is a true hero.

Today is the day we celebrate our heroes but really we should celebrate them every day. They are the reason we are able to live our lives in freedom.

Have a wonderful week and Always remember,

Love your day your way!!!

Frogner Park, Oslo Norway

A few months ago I visited Frogner Park in Oslo Norway. I was so impressed with it. I mentioned it in a previous post. I loved this park because it is so unique. It is beautiful with thousands of flowers and trees. There are 121 figures in the park. I didn’t capture all of them but I got most of my favorites. I don’t know why these sculptures touched me so much but they did. I loved this park!!!! To see additional photos and get more information just google Frogner Park. You will see so many more of the figures.

Frogner Park is a public Park in the central West End borough of Frogner in Oslo, Norway. The park is historically part of Frogner Manor and is Oslo’s largest park, open to the public at all times. Wikipedia

What is so unique about these figures? There are 121 human figures clinging and floating together. There’s men, women and children of different ages and different stages of life. At the very top of the park is a huge Monolith made up of human figures and crowned with children. To me it is magical.

The park is just a beautiful place. Flowers everywhere!!! The layout of the park was also designed by the sculptor. So when you see all the figures you may wonder who is behind these amazing figures and this beautifully designed park It is Gustav Vigeland and you will often hear the park called Vigeland Park.

Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943) Gustav persuaded the city of Oslo to build him a combined home and studio. In return, Vigeland would donate all his works to the city sometime in the future.

It took approximately 20 years to complete everything.

***Gustav Vigeland Norway’s greatest sculptor and one of its finest twentieth century artists.***

I hope you enjoyed all the sculptures as much as I did. I think they are so unique and beautiful. If you ever get to Norway please visit this park it is simply amazing!!!!!

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!

Hello Monday

Hello friends and happy Monday. I am in Chattanooga, TN for a short work trip. I will be meeting this week with my Southern Highlands buddies. This is a group of attractions from Lookout Mountain Georgia to Luray Virginia. I have mentioned that we meet three times a year and visit other attractions and share ideas to help each other out. It is a really fun group and I always come back with something to share at my work place. We will be visiting some really fun places while we are here and I will be sure to share all of those with you later in the week.

Last week was a bit of a crazy week. By the time Friday rolled around I was ready for the weekend. Labor Day, well actually the entire weekend, is one of our busiest times at work and also the end of our tourist season. So it is both anticipated and a bit sad. Our attraction remains open all year but the crowds definitely dwindle after Labor Day. It seems like I am always ready for a break by this time and then I am ready again when the season first gets started.

Friday morning I went with my sister to see her oncologist and to get blood work and set up a CT scan to see how everything is going with her. By the way she is doing so great!!! Her blood work came back great and the NP that we actually saw was just overjoyed. So were we!!! But what we thought was going to be a quick in and out visit wound up taking a long time. Plus we were in Knoxville, about an hour from home, I was very late getting to work on Friday and still had a ton of things to do. This always causes me a lot of anxiety. I know it shouldn’t but it does that is just how I roll. I decided that in future I will not try to do a doctor visit with her and plan to work the same day. A bit of staffing shortage is what had put that plan in to place to start with.

Like I said by Friday evening I just went home and crashed. I made some popcorn and watched my favorite movie, When Harry Met Sally. I needed something to watch that I didn’t really have to focus on and could just chill at the same time.

***One of my favorite movies of all time***.

Saturday was pretty quiet and just what I needed. I finished a book I had started on Friday. Freak which was the sequel to Creep. I know they sound very strange. Both books are about a serial killer and quite a bit of mystery. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

I also finished this scarf I took with me on our trip a couple of weeks ago. I had it finished except weaving the ends and blocking it. I love the colors and it is so light and airy. I think I may keep this one for myself.

My meeting in Chattanooga didn’t actually start until around noon on Monday but I decided to go down on Sunday evening.

We are staying downtown Chattanooga for the meeting and there is going to be a huge parade for a man, Larry Taylor, who is receiving a Medal of Honor. This will mean that a lot of the downtown streets will be closed for the parade and a lot of rerouting will take place. Because I am not that familiar with downtown Chattanooga I decided to get there really early. I am about two hours from Chattanooga and I knew if I had to get up early on Monday and make my way through all of the traffic and deal with closed streets, it would not be good and I probably wouldn’t make it on time. So going down on Sunday evening worked best for me. I called the hotel and changed my reservation to come in on Sunday night. I was able to stop at Target on my way in, get something to eat, and get to the hotel in time to do some blog work and even get a little knitting in. It worked out perfect. Of course I hate leaving my husband and the kitties for an extra day but I knew it would work out for the best. Less stress is my new motto.

Chattanooga Times Free Press photo
Larry Taylor, the Signal Mountain man who in June 1968 saved four U.S. soldiers surrounded by enemies in Vietnam, will head next week to Washington, D.C., to receive an award for valor at the White House.

My room is very nice with a great work station.

I brought this scarf/shawl with me to work on. The pattern is knit half and then start the decrease to form the other half sort of like a triangle. It’s fairly easy but I have to be careful to count the stitches. It is not one I can work on and not pay close attention.