Memorial Day - Greenfield ~

 This was the fifth year we've made the drive east to Greenfield for Memorial Day.  (Nika again stayed with Doris.)  We decided to stay in Creston this year, closer to Green Valley State Park, where we'd planned to ride our bikes.

We left home early Sunday.  I wanted plenty of time to tidy things up at both cemeteries where my family are buried & change out flowers in the vases.  When we drove to Greenfield, the flag poles were up!  A sure sign the flags would be added early in the morning. 

Memorial Day, driving in from Creston, the view of  all the flags flying again, was amazing to see.  

Greenfield Cemetery~

Greenfield American Legion Head-Endres Post No. 265 and V.F.W. Post No. 5357 - hadn't flown the flags for the last two-years.  It's a large, labor intensive job & can't be done in bad weather.  The day was cool & with high overcast.  Just a light breeze from time to time caught the flags & put them in motion.  

Veteran Sunken Garden

Again, as part of the ceremony, a roll call of the name of each Veteran was spoken, followed by a 21-gun salute.  It took just over twenty-minutes.  676 Crosses are in the garden.  Among them, my Dad's, brother Russ & several Uncles.

My Dad's cross~

The poppies are in a bundle at the head of each row.  When the time comes, the people attending are asked to walk the rows & add a poppy to each cross.  This year I took my turn.

Dad's flag, my brother's next~

It gives me comfort to see Dad & my brother Russ's flags next to each other.  Two of the 456 displayed on this Memorial Day.

My Mother, Brother & Dad~

Artificial flowers were hard to come by this year.  Hobby Lobby's shelves were stripped almost bare.  Butch's sharp eyes found the beautiful green hydrangea.   We bring flags for the flag holders each year, but this year, they were already placed.

Overhead as we were driving out~

We visited other family graves before leaving.  I'm always melancholy after the service.  We drove back to Creston & had lunch before stopping at the True Value.  It's one of the places we enjoy browsing through, when we visit.  I found a really nice sized Aronia Berry bush.  I'm going to try to keep this one alive & go from there!

Memorial Day Weekend ~

  Originally to honor those who died in service to their country, over the years, Memorial Day has become a time to honor all Veterans who have served.   When I was little, it was called Decoration Day.  We would go to the cemetery to decorate family grave sites.  The meaning of the holiday, has changed somewhat over the ensuing years, but in the heartland, the true meaning is still very much in evidence.

  As we've done each Memorial Day weekend since moving to Iowa, we drove to my hometown.  Having packed the weed whacker, preen, new artificial flowers & the tools we knew we'd need to spruce up the area's at each of the two cemetery plots where so many of my family are buried.  My parents, paternal grandparents, aunts & uncles in Greenfield.

The Veteran Sunken Garden, Greenfield Cemetery~

The crosses in the garden hold the name of each Veteran who has served his country.  At this mornings ceremony, the names of each & every Veteran was spoken.  They now total 644 names...   Since the town's population is only around 2,000 - many men from this area have served over the years.  My Dad, my brother, several of my Uncles.

Looking toward the cemetery entrance.

I removed the old flowers from last year & placed the new ones. Since the weather was forecast to be awful, the American Legion decided to not place all the flags. The ceremony itself was scheduled to be held at a very large fitness club at the edge of town.

My Parents & youngest brother~

It is always a very introspective time for me.  Both Mom & Dad were 85 when they passed, just four-years apart.  We lost my youngest brother in 2000.  The cemetery was a busting place - cars coming & going, everyone out decorating & honoring family & friends that are no longer with us.

Nika waits~

Our next stop was again, the little cemetery, on a high hill.  My maternal family plot has been here, since before I was born.  It's always so quiet & so restful.  Some of the stones are very old, it's like walking back in time to see dates going back to the early 1800's.  Nika has made this trip with us several times now & likes this place the best.  

We can notice changes now.  Last year it was much drier & the peonies were already in bloom.  This year, they were still in the bud stage & everything was very wet & green.  We planted a new white peony & added a thick ring around it for protection from the mowers.  

I still remember my Grandmother bringing me out here each summer to pull weeds & think of how she would appreciate our taking over these duties.

Memorial Day ~

We were up & on our way to Greenfield early.  I wanted to arrive in time to decorate our families graves & find a place in the shade for the Memorial Ceremony.  Grateful appreciation has to be expressed to the members of the Greenfield American Legion Head-Endres Post No. 265 and V.F.W. Post No. 5357 

Entrance~

 We were among the first to arrive & it was nice to have the quiet of the morning to place flowers on my parents & brother Russ's graves.  My fraternal Grandparents gravesite is nearby, where we placed branches of wild red roses.

Honor Guard~

Butch had our chairs under a large tree in the shade & I was thankful for that - as the day was heating up incredibly fast.  The ceremony was beautiful, with the names of each & every Veteran called out.  The American Legion sets crosses in the Memorial Garden for each Veteran, in alphabetical order & by War or conflict.

Poppies placed on the crosses~

  Volunteers were asked to help place a poppy on each cross.  It's a staggeringly somber sight, to think of all the men, just from this small town, who have served & died for our country.

A field of Honor~

Both my father & my youngest brother have crosses here, along with several Uncles.  Many family names were familiar to me.  After the ceremony, family members could collect the poppies & we brought my two home~

Dad's Flag~

We took the walk to visit Dad's flag - no wind on this day - so Butch held it out for the photo.  A fitting tribute to so many who served valiantly & died for the freedom we enjoy today.

Last View~

As we drove south - Butch stopped for me to take in this last view of the Cemetery.  It's still very hard for me to think of the family I have lost.  I was so very lucky to know my grandparents so well as a child & as the oldest, have the most memories of them. 

From here we traveled on to where the maternal side of my family is buried.  It's in a quiet, almost forgotten part of the Iowa countryside.  We were the only ones there, with only the songs of the birds drifting in the light breeze.  

Family plot~

When we were planting all the emerald green trees at the Homestead, Mom got the idea of planting one at each corner of the plot here.  Even under very harsh conditions & getting hit by a mower on occasion, they've managed to live.  

A quote from the only early history I've managed to find on this area, entitled;  "A Parson's Vacation", describes it this way in 1855.  "He was especially impressed with the native wealth of western Iowa's never-ending rolling divides, then so luxuriantly covered with waving grass in a sea of green & dotted with wild flowers of every hue;  all tossing their radiant greetings to him in the gentle summer breezes."

We drove past Grandma's farm on our way back to Greenfield.  Lunch was overdue & by the time we'd finished, a thunderstorm had rolled in.  Driving through it, at home the temperatures were up in the high 90's yet again.

Memorial Day - Greenfield Cemetary~

 The flags were blowing in the wind & the ceremony was in progress when we arrived.  Greenfield American Legion Head-Endres Post No. 265 and V.F.W. Post No. 5357 - do an amazing job of organizing this event every year.  To see all these flags against the deep blue of the sky & crosses standing in the field of green grass, sends a strong & silent statement.  So many men who served with strength & honor.   Gone - but never forgotten.  A roll call was spoken, of every Veteran's name - followed by a 21 gun salute.

Flags flying~

After the ceremony, Butch & I started walking to look for Dad's flag.  There were so many - we soon realized they were set in alphabetical order.  What took time, was finding where the A's started.  We'd walked most of the cemetery, found the few "Y's" & worked our way back up the hillside from there.  With the wind blowing so strong, it would take a minute or two to verify the name on each flag.

Dad's flag~

My emotions were overflowing when we found it.  It seems surreal - this flag has flown each Memorial Day over the five-years that have passed since we lost Dad.  To finally be here to see it - gave me a sense of closure.  

At the flag~

I don't think any of us lucky enough to have our parents in our lives for a good length of time, ever consider what it would be like without them.  I never did - I just gave thanks they were here.  Having Mom for support when we lost Dad was my saving grace.   Now with Mom gone too, my world has changed forever.   My brother has been gone for 17-years - his flag was the next in the row.

As we were walking by, I recognized the name on this little cross.  Geo was a neighbor of my Grandpa Jim & made things from wood.  I was maybe four or five when Grandpa bought the little sign below from him for a dollar.

It stayed in my hope chest until I had my first home in CO, moved with us to WA & is hanging now in my kitchen here in IA.  I think Geo was saying HI!

Red, White & Blue

Walking here, on this day, I felt that in many ways,  I've come full circle.  I've done my best to honor my parents wishes & see them to their final resting place.

We took a longer route on our way home, visiting other towns further east.  At every cemetery we passed, the flags were flying, graves decorated & people walking among the stones.  Here, honoring the past & those that have gone before is a tradition passed on through each generation as a part of life.

Greenfield Cemetery~

"The best & most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.  They must be felt with the heart"  - Helen Keller

My First Hometown~

When I called to make reservations at Hotel Greenfield - the weekend was booked solid with a reunion.  A room was open on Sunday, giving us an overnight stay.  It was our first year of taking on the responsibility of decorating my family's graves.  I was looking forward to seeing my father's flag flying on Memorial Day for the first time.

Evening on the square~

After putting fresh arrangements in the vases at the Greenfield Cemetery, we drove across a very rural part of the state - to the place my maternal Grandparents are buried.  This cemetery -  very old - is an amazingly peaceful place.  I have memories of going here each summer when Grandma would drive us out & we'd clean-up around my Grandfather's stone.  (He passed away when I was only four, but I'm lucky enough to remember him.) 

Nika enjoys the afternoon~

We pulled weeds, trimmed the dead branches out of the emerald greens that mark the four corners of the lot & pulled grass out of the peonies.  Extended family came by with flowers too, while we were there.

Once back in town, we decided to go to the movies at the Grand Theater.  This is the same theater that was in business when I was a kid.  Where my Mom & A. Shirley took me to see the Ten Commandments :-)

Beautifully Retro~

This old theater is one of the few that has managed the expense of updating to digital, did remodeling that is in keeping with the original décor & is still in business today.  It is For Sale - so I can only hope that it finds new owners who will keep it open.

Prices that a family can actually afford!

Afterward, as dusk fell, we took a walk around town.  It was a perfect late Spring evening, kids out playing, a breeze in the trees.

Where I started school~

 A new elementary school was being built when I was ready to start Kindergarten.  Our class was housed in the basement of this church.  I still remember bringing a sleep mat for our nap time :-)

Patriotic decorations~

The home above is one of my favorites.  It was dark by the time we walked past the house my Grandmother had on the highway.  She lived there until she met & married my step-grandfather who had the farm & bought me my first horse.

Mural of the towns history~

This mural gives a great overview of the town's history.  Like so many in the mid-west, an agricultural based economy, fueled by the small, mostly self-sustaining family farms.  A way of life that was starting to disappear when I was young.  Now, the last of those farmers are retiring & it's sad to drive past the old farm houses & barns fallen to disrepair...