Scooter, my new old dog, has been rather puny of late. No fever. Nose cool and moist. But oh my God! Hours of panting, pacing, groaning, and moaning. Two trips to the vet and meds for pain and anxiety. They help but only temporarily. If only he could talk.
Meanwhile, yours truly is a bleary eyed basket case with only two nights of continuous sleep in nearly three weeks. Blood sugar - and probably pressure - elevated, a super sluggish brain and a near catatonic state. Worst of all, I just volunteered for the Obama campaign and I can't even punch numbers into the phone much less put two coherent sentences together. Damn, I'm a fracking mess!
I want to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. While celebrating, please take a few minutes to remember what it's all about.
Korean War Memorial
POW/MIA War Memorial, Washington D.C.
Prisoner of War Memorial Monument
Andersonville Prison
POW Memorial at Kinkaseki (Japan)
Vietnam Wall, Washington D.C.
Manila American Cemetery
Taguig City, Philippines
Florence American Cemetary
Arlington Cemetery
Washington, D.C.
125,000 American soldiers are buried in 22 cemeteries overseas and 94,000 more names are commemorated on Walls of the Missing. Hallowed Ground, produced by PBS in 2009, was the first major documentary made about these shrines.
Each cemetery contains tales of courage and unselfish service to comrades and country. Some of the fallen profiled in the program are well known: the poet Joyce Kilmer, the bandleader Glenn Miller, the five Sullivan Brothers, General George S. Patton. But most were ordinary men and women caught up in the calamity of war.
These military cemeteries also personify American diversity, and the program includes portraits of some of the many African-American, Hispanic-American, Japanese-American, Native-American, and Anglo-Americans who are buried in them.
* * * * *
How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate
our heroes and she-roes!
--Maya Angelo--
The problem is not that the dog can't talk. The problem is that no one is understanding what he is saying.
ReplyDeleteSadly true. Too bad we don't have translation earphones like they have at the UN! Last night I shut him out of the bedroom. I don't know what he did during the night but I slept like a log.
DeletePoor doggie!!! Hope he recovers soon!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, our fallen heroes deserve our respect and honor!
I'm afraid there's little hope of recovery here. He's an old feller and apparently has Sundowner Syndrome as well as a lot of pain from arthritis.
DeletePoor Scooter - Poor Leslie! I completely understand what you're going through (Scooter Pie does, too!) I hope you both get some rest & relief.
ReplyDeleteAs to not forgetting what it's about, you're on the mark as usual. I find the commercialization of the day unspeakably vulgar -- the fallen didn't give their lives so we could snatch up spectacular savings on living room suites.
And BBQs and a day on the boat - all without one thought of what this day represents.
DeleteSo sorry for both Scooter...and you.
ReplyDeleteWon't it be a fine day when we no longer have to build war memorials to the dead and missing.
And intelliwench...spot on comment!
"Won't it be a fine day when we no longer have to build war memorials to the dead and missing." YES.
DeleteThank you for this post. I am old enough to have lived through WWII. Three of my close friends who died in that war. The younger brother of my best friend was shot down over Holland and is buried there. (A Dutch woman tended his grave and wrote to his parents.) A classmate died in the D-Day invasion and is buried in France. (I visited that Memorial.) A boyfriend was MIA in a submarine.
ReplyDeleteWhen you know someone who didn't come home you never forget them, but this Memorial day is always bittersweet.
It is a bittersweet day and most especially for people like you who lost so many friends and family. I deplore war but WWII was not the same as Nam, Iraq or Afghanistan for obvious reasons. Somehow the deaths in these latter wars seem just so unnecessary.
DeleteThat's a fine Memorial Day tribute, L.P. We all owe a debt that can never be repaid or even adequately acknowledged.
ReplyDeleteBless you for taking in an old feller. Most people won't. Closeness with someone who care means a lot to a senior like Scooter, especially when suffering discomfort and feeling vulnerable. I believe that somehow, some time, such kindness tends to come back to those who've given it.
Thanks on both counts S.W. I have a special place in my heart for seniors of all varieties.
DeleteThanks for all of your post. Particularly noted that you came out about working in the 2012 Obama campaign; hope to see more bloggers making that decision. I want to do that too--will be darker than in 2008 but just as dogged.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Naomi. I think this election is probably even more important than 2008; it boils down to a choice between democracy and fascism. Writing on our blogs, and even being active on FB to a certain extent, helps but is mostly preaching to the choir. We really need to donate some man hours to the campaign. I'm just doing virtual phone banking, not a big job but an important one nonetheless.
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