In The "Strange But True" Department...

...is this company memo I once received. 

Ok, that's not the actual memo from 35 years ago; it's a facsimile with the names changed to protect the guilty.

But it is accurate and the title says it all, yes?

"Death/Company Picnic"

The president's secretary published the company memo weekly on a sheet of paper - email hadn't saved the world's forests yet.

These memos were always factual but rarely noteworthy; this one shattered that mold for all the wrong reasons.

Everyone wondered at the callous thought process that found this jarring juxtaposition of the tragic and mundane perfectly acceptable.

"Sorry about your dead uncle but hey!  It's our company picnic!"

A stream of coworkers stopped by my desk to roll their eyes and wag their tongues over that one.

I actually saved that sheet of paper for years until it finally dawned on me:

We do this exact same thing on a national level every year.

We call it <"Memorial Day">.

Yes, we honor those service members who gave their lives in defense of our country.

We have parades and give speeches and for many of us, the sentiment is sincere...

The soldier fights, not because he hates what’s in front of him, but because he loves what’s behind him.
    - G.K. Chesterton

...even reverent.

And what else do we do?

We have picnics and barbecues...

...and go on vacations...

...and celebrate the start of summer:

The airwaves and our inboxes are filled with advertisements for Memorial Day sales…

…encouraging us to worship at the altar of retail.

So what's the problem?

It it wrong for a company to have a picnic for its employees?

Should we not welcome the start of summer and the onset of outdoor living?

Is it improper to enjoy time with family and friends on a holiday?

Of course not, but consider:

We're able to do all of these things for one and only one reason:

The freedom we enjoy was purchased in blood by the brave men and women of our armed forces.

Don't let that foundational truth get misplaced by revelry.

Respect implies decorum, which decency always accommodates.

Another busy weekend of trying to whip the Castle Frankenstein back into summer shape.

They finally came and finished the driveway project; here's the "before"...

...and here's the "after":

And as always Karen worked me like a borrowed mule doing yardwork: mowing, digging, hauling, planting, cutting dead tree limbs, spreading mulch and hickory golfing (don't tell Karen.)

So far this May has been pretty dry...we're something like 3 inches below normal rainfall totals for the month.

In spite of that meteorological tidbit, I've been rained out of my last 2 tee times.

But this week I did finally get on the links again, with mixed results.

I only had 3 tee shots out of 9 that looked like I had a clue; the other 6 were comical examples for the blooper reel.

Even so, I managed to hang around with an almost competent short game and some surprising (for me) putting.

My first competent tee shot yielded a par on #4...

...and my other 2 decent tee shots netted a bogey on 7 and a par on 8.  Along the way I managed to snag another bogey in there (on 2), which means when I tee'd it up on the par 3, 9th hole, I was all square - 4 lost holes to 4 won holes.

Naturally I hit a lousy tee shot - it was that kind of day.

And my 2nd shot landed just off the green, from where I chipped to about 5 feet from the flag:

the U.S. flag was a nice touch

That's my bogey putt...miss it and lose the match, make it and walk off the last green a winner.

So which was it...

...the Lady or the Tiger?

Buckle up for another excitin' and informative journey...

That's just creepy...

...through 23 Skidoo:

never forget

hardscape in bloom

courtyard almost complete

almost time for tiger lilies

sunny sailboat scene

Don't blink, folks...we've just skated by the first of the twin bookends of summer.

Memorial Day weekend is in the books, and before you're ready, its less popular twin, Labor Day weekend will be here.

Make the most of what's in between, and as you frisk and frolic, always remember why that's possible:

"13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

    - John 15:13

later, mcm fans...

Another "Diva of Decorating" Moment...

we changed out this...

...as we seriously contemplate moving. 

...for this, to lean a little more into the midcentury modern look...the black recliner had to go.

And we swapped the TV room from this:

...to this:

...to make it feel a little larger and more open, and stop hiding the marshmallow couch.

When we're ready to show the home, my 1956 Philco V-handle will be back in the kitchen where it belongs...

...but the home itself will be sparsely furnished.

What's there will be midcentury modern, but we want folks to walk through and see where their stuff can be, not where our stuff is.

Probably won't be this selling season, though late summer / early fall is possible.

If not, then Lord willing, next year.

We've got plenty to do between now and then.

You get to skate this week; no HGU:

My 8 am tee time was rained out.

Thought about channeling my inner Francis Ouimet and playing anyway...

20 yr old Francis Ouimet and his 10 year old caddie Eddie Lowery in the 1913 US Open.  Ouimet shocked the world, playing two great rounds on Friday in the driving rain to force a 3 way tie with 2 of the world's best: the incomparable Harry Vardon and bomber Ted Ray.  Against all odds, Ouimet won by 5 strokes the next day in an 18 hole playoff.

...but I'm currently slogging through a rotten spring cold, so it was pretty much guaranteed it would be a morning of futility and frustration.

Decided I didn't want to pay for that, so pushing it back 'til next week.

Can't wait.

I love the month of May in Michigan:

snowballs in May

Everything bursts into bloom...

spireas showing off their new white blossoms

...as we finally put winter in the rearview and embrace the renewal of spring and summer.

a refreshing dip in the ol' swimmin' hole

But May is also my most medicated month...pollen counts are through the roof and I help support the lavish lifestyles of the makers of Zyrtec and Benadryl on a daily basis.

Looks like summer is happening "up north" at Larry's cottage as well:

...always a sure sign the outdoor season has arrived when the dock goes in the lake.

Welcome, Summer!

Just don't blink; it flies by before you know it...

What are you waiting for?  I say we mount up...

10 points if you can name these famous equestrians without me telling you they're the “Four Horsemen” of Notre Dame's 1924 football team, so nicknamed by famed sportswriter Grantland Rice.  L to R: rt halfback Don Miller, fullback Elmer Layden, left halfback Jim Crowley, and qb Harry Stuhldreher.   Sorry, no points for you!

...and 23 Skidoo:

caught in the act, fleeing the scene

another dr's office painting...he said his wife picked it out; I said she has good taste

should be mandatory for all D's, like the Covid jab was during the disastrous Biden years

love our little Japanese maple tree, soon to be joined by my seasonal fave, tiger lilies

Karen's making good progress on the lower garden...

...and getting started on the upper patio garden as well

courtyard coming into focus

Years ago an acquaintance and I had a sharp disagreement that ended with him telling me, "you've just made a powerful enemy!"

I remember wondering at the time if that was actually true; had I in fact made a powerful enemy?

Conflict in life is inevitable, and relationships sometimes fracture.

One thing you never want to do, however, is make THE most powerful enemy.

Sadly, many of us who claim to be Christians do just that, to our serious detriment.

How?

James tell us in chapter 4:4,

"...know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?  whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

When we adopt the morals and mores of the world around us - killing babies in utero is “reproductive health”; sleeping with whoever/whatever you want to is just a lifestyle choice -

When we behave like the world does - quarreling, coveting, fighting, envying, lusting -

When we're impressed like the world is with price, success and fame, rather than value, hard work and character -

Then we've left off the pursuit of God's calling and have succumbed to the siren call of the world.

We've become enemies with God.

That's not just dumb, it's dangerous.

Instead of pursuing our own self-destruction, we should heed God's call as given by the Apostle Paul in Romans:

2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.

    - Romans 12:2

If the rat race has got you down, stop racing with the rats.

Instead, "...press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)

later, mcm fans...