Tag: Memorial Day Page 2 of 4

The mower finished cutting its last blade of gas, heaving spasmodically and billowing a slight plume of smoke from its rear.
That was done.
Now it was time to use the beast known as weed whacker. It had a pretty big batch of stuff to trim since it had been awhile since the back 40 had been pruned.
That was done.
Earlier, my better half had cleaned the grill and everything else that needed cleaning.
We were ready for the Memorial Day barbecue. Well, almost ready as the food needed preparing. And the chef and helper needed lubrication in the form of adult libation while all the preliminary work that leads to barbecuing was being completed.
The staycation was much needed, but it was fast drawing to a close.
A lot was done around the house that otherwise gets neglected. You know, the kind of stuff that you put off doing until “there’s time.”
Body feels a lot better for the rest as well as all the good exercise—walks, runs and bicycle rides. The shoulder feels better. Guess it’s time to test it again by grinding and piling on some non-staycation activity like keyboarding, mouse clutching and pushups.

You know you’ve enjoyed good time off when you’re thinking how easy it would be not to return to work. That very common dictum known as “chasing a buck” always seems to take over when one is pondering how easy it would be not to go back.
Unlike robots, however, humans need time away from whatever it is they do on the professional level. While I feel there is nothing as presumptuous as work-life balance, if it actually existed, it would include staying away from work at regular intervals when at all possible.

…

I watch as the one who does it better than anyone else molds the patties out of raw chopped meat. It was bought at the local Farmer’s Market and looks really good. I sense my salivary glands sending a primordial reminder that I am not all that far removed from my ancestors who experienced similar bodily reactions at the prospect of dinner.
While I am writing this, I see something old as new again: Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary beckons me to type something in for defining. I smile at how clever an integration this is with Microsoft Word—an odd name for a word processor if it wasn’t for the simple fact that it’s been the mainstay writing tool of choice of authors for years.
I know I’ve had good time off when I’m admiring Microsoft Word. What exactly is a soft word that is of some kind of micro variety? Sounds like? Give me a clue. Alright. The writing tool’s second word in the name rhymes with “turd.” Microsoft Word! Ding ding ding!
This is silly, but it is also the end. It’s a short week for us working stiffs thanks to the many service members who gave their lives serving their country. I was in the Navy and I went home at the end of my enlistment. For me, there would not have been a volunteer force to opt in for in the first place, if not for the ultimate sacrifices of those veterans before me.
Yes, I’m barbecuing.
But I’m also remembering what it means to pay the price.
Enjoy the short work week and remember those whose lives were lost in service for their country. Today, we are able to choose to do trivial things like barbecue, but also immeasurably more important daily activities such as the ability to work, love and live freely.