Memorial Day traditions....

My first thoughts of Memorial Day... 

The men and women who have served our country and gave their lives doing so. 

The cemetery in (Old) Concord MN lines it gravel car path with American flags,

each flag is tagged with a veterans name and the war he/she fought in.

This National holiday was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868, (three years after the end of the Civil War), it was first observed on May 30th 1868. 

Flowers were placed on the graves of Union and 

Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

Originally, it was designated only for placing flowers on soldiers' graves, though people later expanded it to include placing flowers on all loved ones' graves.

Every Memorial Day, my sister and I take my Mom to the Concord Cemetery 

to place flowers on her parents and grandparents graves.

My maternal Grandparents Lee & Gertrude Thomas

I never knew my Grandpa, but I'm quite certain he and I would have connected and there would have been tractor rides, and stories about when he was a boy, and talk about the 

generations of farmers in my family.

"Grandma's farm" as we called it, is only a few miles from the cemetery.

The farm that I have fond memories of growing up. Playing with cousins, running around in the hayloft avoiding the giant hole in the floor.  Chasing the chickens, climbing the giant trees, making willow whistles from the willow tree branches and Holly Hock dolls from grandma's Holly Hocks.

What's left of the farm.

(Mom, me, niece Jensen and sister Jodi.)

The man who's owns it now was out, so we pulled in the driveway and had a chat. 

He was happy to see us and invited us back anytime.

The farm house has long been gone, and a new house built. I miss that slanted kitchen floor and Grandma's enormous pantry, there was the wood burning stove, the forbidden upstairs, the laundry basket full of old toys, and that phone on the wall.....so cool!

Photo from Google images, similar to grandma's phone

 It's kinda sad to see the decline of this old structure.

 The man who lives at grandma's farm now said that several years ago 

a straight-line wind came and took the top off the barn right off.

 The fields nearby the farm that my Grandfather used to plant

The corn is coming up!

As part of our day together we have lunch

a favorite is the County Seat in Mantorville

 and then a pedicure

That's my foot on top. 

  This year we added an ice cream cone at Flapdoodles 

( a local parlor in Rochester that makes their own ice cream)

How did you celebrate your Memorial Weekend, what are your traditions?