"The Meaning Behind Memorial Day"

"Our flag does not fly because the wind

blows it; It flies with the last breath

of every soldier who died defending it."

Memorial Day is not about cookouts or pool parties, fireworks or parades.

People and Buildings, Faces and Places: Why I'm Failing at Telling Their Stories

Some people may see a photo; this was a great opportunity to speak with this fire chief and his father, both of the Hurlock Fire Company in Dorchester County, MD

A few months ago I was driving down Old Ocean City Road in Wicomico County, Maryland when I passed the Parsonsburg fire department. It was a pretty day to take a few shots and of course, once I got involved looking at the building and researching their history, I wanted to know more. And that's where I run into trouble; I love these local sources of history and stories and legends of unselfishness. I want to find out the details behind the bricks and the logos of our local fire companies, and yet I'm struggling to find even one that genuinely has an interest in saving their memories - and hiring me. There's a post here, written a few months ago where I attempt to describe of a new beginning of sorts, a baby bird which didn't quite get off the ground, and it mirrors my worry that our society might be too willing to let go of our past. Where did I go wrong?

I don't understand what I'm seeing on Facebook anymore

 

 
A chronic neck condition requires me to lie down from time to time with a heating pad, and while doing that earlier I spent some time browsing through posts on Facebook. That's nothing unusual, except that for me Facebook is generally a tool to connect with others on public pages with an assigned purpose; to share photos, pass along information, update the public on certain situations, etc. So just browsing randomly through the most recent posts from friends or pages isn't something I have the time for often, and it seemed that the more I scrolled the more questions I had.

Trying To Write.....But Choosing a Topic That Stops Me In My Tracks

My "writing daily" project came to a screeching halt on.....well, the first day. Damn. I'd tried this back in December, following the advice of an online site geared towards encouraging creative and descriptive journaling, along with poetry, narratives and instructional-type material. The goal was to fire up one's mind to produce better content more efficiently; I took the bait and began following the steps.

"You didn't want to see what was right in front of you" | Death of a Small Business

From time to time I come across this piece I wrote about five years ago and feel the need to pass it on, perhaps one more time. Not only was it one of the first things I ever wrote, it was at a time when I'd realized that 1, my brain needed more help than the average person to work correctly and 2, it was possibly the most painful experience in my life. I share it now because of the process gone through, the things learned and that perhaps it will help someone else in a similar situation. (if that sounds cryptic it's because I don't want to give away the whole story until you've read this).

The Eastern Shore Police Memorial | Rhodesdale, Maryland

Located in the quiet woods of Dorchester County sits a granite memorial bearing the names of fallen officers from the local area. This section of the Delmarva Peninsula is referred to as the eastern shore of Maryland. It lies along the Atlantic Ocean and is bordered on the west by the Chesapeake Bay and Bay Bridge. The nine counties of the eastern shore are Worcester, Wicomico, Somerset, Dorchester, Caroline, Talbot, Queen Anne's, Kent and Cecil.

In 2009 the Eastern Shore Police Association dedicated a memorial to the law enforcement officers from this local area. In addition to the nine counties mentioned above, departments such as Maryland Natural Resources and Marine Police are included.

A Place Called Del-Mar-Va | 3 States, 14 Counties: DE, MD, VA

Delmarva refers to an area located along the east coast which includes the eastern shore counties of Maryland and Virginia, along with the state of Delaware. The peninsula is bordered by the Chesapeake Bay, the Delaware River, Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

Remembering Chief Harvey Gregg of the Georgetown Police Department

On April 4, 1998, Chief Gregg died in the line of duty while serving with the Georgetown Police Department. On Saturday April 9th, a wreath laying ceremony took place on the Circle in Georgetown to mark the anniversary of his passing.

• Press Release April 5th, 2016 from the Georgetown PD
• April 7th, 2016 article from the Sussex County Post

Pollen Season | We are the Silent Suffering People

Every year I am faced with the same dilemma, different dates. Spring has sprung and along with it fountains of yellow dust, leaf-like clusters of fresh buds and seasonal growth give way to headaches and sinus pressure. What's worse? I'm the Grinch - the official prophet of doom and gloom; the black sheep; the Debbie Downer. I HATE spring with every fiber of my being and each sneeze. But how vocal can you really be about something that so much of society celebrates? I turn to sarcasm, memes and Grumpy Cat to let out my inner disgust with this time of year......

Perhaps, I tell myself, I can play it off this year. With a goal of remaining indoors much of the time, and politely declining invitations for picnics, golf, gatherings which involve large fields of freshly cut grass, I will limit my exposure to the toxins and maybe no one will notice. After all, not every event on the calendar for April, May and June has to be an outdoor activity. Right? How I see spring....

Today I'm actually a little bit alarmed. At the insistence of the Trio of Fun, i.e., three rescued hound dogs, I went out earlier for a short walk. It was their idea, not mine, and I figured on keeping it safely short but was still shocked to only walk down the street only to return within minutes feeling as if I couldn't breathe. Ah. The mist and drizzle of the weekend is over and today in full force the deadly vapors once again filled the air.

See her? She didn't fall asleep in the movie because the poppies were poison or anything She just got overpowered by the pollen.

Those of us who suffer aren't welcomed into society, are we. While everyone else raves about the flowers and the beauty and new beginnings of the season, we are stocking up on Claritin and Allerga and buying pollen masks in quantity. We KNOW the others are planning outdoor festivities, rambling on about the delights of nature and Mother Earth. They are casually suggesting that events which could very well be held safely indoors, be moved OUTDOORS, because they don't care nor do they think. Let's move the meeting out to the picnic table they chant, blinded it seems by rising temperatures and a yellowish substance which coats everything each day. Each day!

I'm sorry! If you were sneezing and hacking and sounding like you are at deaths door then you may agree too.

They are the UN-affected ones who wear contact lenses every day without a second thought, sleep at night with the windows wide open and and contribute to the problem by surrounding their homes with bushes and floral growths and decorative grasses. They are the majority and can't understand why some of us would pay big bucks for an inflatable bubble we could safely exist in for several months at a time. We try to cope; we mask our snuffling with nasal sprays and air cleaners. We clean our cars off every day and never allow the windows to be open completely while we are in the house. We suffer through the season.

I wish you luck, fellow pollen-fighters. Happy Spring.

"Life on Delmarva" • #delmarvausa