Showing the colors on Flag Day

As ever, the much decorated house on Park Avenue was prepared for Flag Day this morning; in fact, it's been ready since before Memorial Day, though my impression is that a quite a few extra little flags have been planted in the lawn since.

Over at the WalMart today, these bolts of fabric with a patriotic theme caught my eye and, when the sales clerk asked what I was up to and I explained, she proudly displayed the little sun dress (below) that she made for her granddaughter.

Some displays are more permanent, for example the representation above in the forge at Memphis' National Museum of Ornamental Metal. And of course, Americans like to wear their sentiments on their cars, as below.

In fact, automobile dealers appear to be the merchants most likely to feature the Stars and Stripes in a big way. The huge American flag that flies over the Lamb dealership on SR 69 was sufficiently visible to my camera that I took the picture above from a half mile west of downtown. I've heard that this particular flag must be replaced two or three times per year, at a cost in the thousands.

Another flag, not quite as big but almost, flies over auto row in Memphis, where I took this and the next picture. But if commercial use of our flag disturbs any reader, he or she should think about all those British products that sport the Union Jack...

A patriotic season

I would like to have attended Memorial Day services at the Citizens Cemetery on Monday or at the VA facility today, but it was not to be. I recall that Mom called the holiday Decoration Day in the past, which was not uncommon. According to the U.S. Memorial Day Organization, the observance was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 and first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. By 1890 the holiday was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead.

In many ways, the significance of the day -- to honor our war dead -- has been confused by moving the date hither and yon to give Americans their three-day weekend and, I would guess, by the unpopularity of our most recent wars with many. Memorial Day continues to carry a patriotic theme into public life, however, and the six week period between it and July 4 constitutes what you might consider a patriotic season, during which many houses fly flags or decorate with bunting. Businesses also carry out the theme, as these pictures from one restaurant demonstrate.

Thematic flags.

Small touches, such as a vest for Granny Goose and a special wrapping for the bread basket.

Even a special seasonal liner for the pie display.

But this eagle is hard to take seriously; in fact, he looks to be in agony.

Serious Local Bloggers: Most of the Prescott area bloggers that I read regularly (and there are quite a few, BTW) post on a fairly light-hearted basis about their doings, their creations, their interests, their photography and their activities. However, a small group posts on much more serious topics. In As Your World Changes, a self-admitted long-time computer geek tells of her own gradual vision loss and how she is working to harness computer technology to assist the partially sighted. Another local, Robert Heiny, focuses on the use of portable computers in eduction at The Tablet PC Education Blog. The Mom and Me Journals describes in great detail Gail Rae's life caring for her aged mother, not as a patient, but as a companion in her declining years. I also have a reader, Digital Karen, down in Scottsdale who, though she usually posts with a light heart, periodically gives insight into living life in a wheelchair. If you know of other area bloggers with a serious message, please add to the list.

Starred & Striped for the 4th

If I hadn't eaten well at a neighbor's BBQ a couple of hours ago, I would be revving up to eat my words. My Memorial Day post included pictures of people on the Square in shirts and shorts patterned with the American flag. I wondered whether that symbolic expression should be read as patriotic -- or ironic, a la the late 1960s. "I confess to being somewhat disquieted by the lack of respect to the national symbols I saw this afternoon. Must be my age showing!" So I wrote at the time.

Obviously that's the problem -- my age has caught up with me. All the stars and stripes I saw worn today, the country's birthday, were obviously worn out of affection, not irony. Take our waitresses this morning (above) or one of my breakfast companions out of a group who generally score in the conservative quadrant (below.)

At the Square, where the Bucky O'Neill Memorial statue was rededicated this noon, I had to keep clicking the shutter there were so many variations on the red, white and blue.

These are just not the sort of folks who engage in irony.

Which leaves me wondering just what has changed. Perhaps it is a new style of dressing to the holiday that had its start with pretty Christmas themed sweaters and sweats. In our world of cheap, cheap clothing, an extra shirt or T to be worn only once or twice a year on a particular holiday is no big deal (aside from the closet space required.)

And, while everyday people may eschew irony, they are, in most cases, equally put off by too many rules or the stiff formality required of a patriotic display in earlier times. Today they literally wear their hearts on Tshirts. I'm sure that 30 or 40 years ago, these same people would have tsk, tsked at such clothing! At the very least.

A good trend -- or a bad trend? I can't say right now. I'm too busy choosing the right sauce for my May 28 words. In the meantime, happy birthday, America!