Wednesday, November 11, 2026

Wednesday, November 11, 2026

Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2007. It was Veteran's Day and we walked from our apartment down to the National Mall to see the parade. I snapped this photo of Mattie on Constitution Avenue. Mattie wasn't in love with loud noises and crowds, so I remember we did not stay long, but I wanted him to understand the importance of the day. 

Quote of the day: America’s veterans have served their country with the belief that democracy and freedom are ideals to be upheld around the world. ~  John Doolittle

Yesterday, my dad came home with this certificate of appreciation from his memory care center. My dad was a surgical nurse in the army reserves. Something he is very proud of..... I love when he regales the story of him volunteering one day during a training exercise. He had no idea what he was volunteering for, until they strapped him underneath a helicopter and then the helicopter took off and was flying. My dad is a risk averse person, so you can imagine how terrified he was at that moment. When he got back down on the ground, he vowed he would never volunteer for something again! 

On this Veteran's Day, I remember all the veteran's who served and those who died. Their courage and bravery is both awesome and inspiring. 

Did you know that the red poppy is a symbol of remembrance for military service and sacrifice, inspired by World War I?

The poppy symbol grew out of the World War I poem "In Flanders Fields" by Canadian Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, who noted how red poppies bloomed across soldier graves in battle-torn fields. 

My morning began with phone calls from doctor offices wanting to reschedule appointments for my parents and then I received a call from Bruce, my refrigerator repair person. Bruce visited yesterday and wrote down diagnosis codes. Who knew a refrigerator control panel gave off diagnostic codes! Our world is one big computer. Any case, he called Thermador today and they diagnosed the problem. There are a list of problems with the freezer, but we are first going to address the seal issue, which requires freon. Hopefully new freon will correct the problem so that I can work on changing the evaporator, the door mechanism, and the ice maker. But ironically, I have to think about this, because by the time I am done, I probably could purchase a new refrigerator for the same ridiculous price. I absolutely hate making these decisions alone. I know you are tired of hearing this, as I am tired of saying it..... but I did not sign up to be single and balancing the impossible alone. 

It was a day of non-stop irritable bowel issues with my dad. By round four, I had to go outside and regroup. I trimmed one of my crape myrtles and a rhododendron bush. I then collected all my garden hoses and put them in the garage for the winter. Thank goodness for Cody, my plumber. Yesterday, he drained all my hose bibs for the winter and then went around to every hose and disconnected it from the hose bib. That may not sound like a big issue, but it is! Last year, I had to take WD 40 and a wrench to one of the hose bibs. This year, I had do to nothing, as Cody did the hard work for me. Seriously when I saw the hoses disconnected today, I felt like I won the lottery. I am not used to someone helping me, I forgot what that looked and felt like. 

I am slowly making progress outside, as I am trying to get the garden ready for the winter. I have a few more things to do, but the majority of it is done! That is a good feeling on one hand, and a sad feeling on the other, as I love being outside and nurturing my garden.