Conservative Me

When I purchased my first home at age 40, I took the conservative route imbedded in my rational thought process from childhood. Farmers don’t lead extravagant life styles and, as was the case with my family, vacations are few and far between so money is very precious.

If it weren’t for weekend trips “up north” Cranberry Lake near Houghton, MI, which was a mere two hour ride, and if not for the cabin built by Uncle Jerry, there would have been no vacations. Fortunately, Jerry and Ethelyn gave us four kids many summer trips to the cabin while dad and mom enjoyed a few peaceful days alone.

In the early 60’s the tranquility of rowboat fishing and dog-paddling around the dock, which Jerry had also built, gave me the best of summers. Coleman lanterns, a gas stove, a grill and a flashlight for those frightful tip-tow nighttime trips to that god-awful, spider-infested, gross-smelling outhouse were exciting experiences. They give me happy-heart memories. I’m still grateful for the simple things in my life.

I couldn’t have wanted for more. Having food a-plenty and a safe, secure and loving home life with a brother and sisters to play with were sufficient. My best friend, Chucky, whose dad worked at the Oldsmobile factory in Lansing, went on vacations to such places as Yellowstone. I was invited to go along but no one, not even Chucky, felt the degree of dismay as myself. It had nothing to do with me personally; it was asthma that kept me feeling down on the farm.

What was initially a bit of jealousy was quickly replaced with the sad fact that I would miss a significant part of the summer without bike riding, playing ball and the little adventures a couple of buddies have as kids. Those two weeks were among the worst of my life.

I’m liberal with some of my thoughts, but for the most part I lay in a stagnant pool of conservatism. Since I didn’t know Mr. and Mrs. Jones, thus having no one to keep up with, and a non-player of the social games that people play, when I sought the help of what’s-his-name, who was more a realtor than a friend, my goal was to take on a home loan that would leave me secure in a castle but well within my financial means.

I ignored words that told me that told me I could afford a home of such-and-such a value. I ignored the suggestion that an adjustable rate mortgage would be right for me but I feared it would cost me an arm and a leg if/when rates went up. After a couple of years I refinanced, not only reducing the monthly payments but also narrowing the freedom of owning the home outright from 25 to 15 years and still chipping away until it was paid off a year earlier.

I followed the same course of reasoning when I moved from Orlando to Spring Hill. I got more home for less money with cash left over that was spent on upgrading carpeting and kitchen appliances, painting the interior with semi-gloss for longer lasting, more easily maintained walls and buying a 48” plasma TV. For the most part, these were true investments. Although there’s too much credit card debt thanks to home insurance, property taxes and “the unexpecteds” of life, I’m still a mortgage-free homeowner, guaranteed to have a roof over my head.

I had the same philosophy of survival when I left home at the age of 20 with all my belongings stacked in a wholly-owned ’69 Gremlin with enough saved for a year’s rent paid in advance. No one could understand my reasoning but, since I was all alone and insecure in foreign surroundings, I could fill my tummy with many nights of macaroni and cheese, which is healthy gourmet food at that age, without the worry of living on the street or, heaven forbid, giving up and retreating to the given security of living in someone else’s home, namely my parents. I was young, free, determined and responsible enough to make it on my own. Living conservatively has always fit like a glove to my needs.

In Memory of Decoration Day

I remember May 30th as being Decoration Day.

Attending a Memorial Service at church might start the day, then a parade at 10 a.m. with a great amount of chatter among the spectators along the route. A crowd began in front of the Bricks and Ivy of Dansville Agricultural High School, following a course that led to Howard Cemetery. Everyone was either a friend or a relative or an acquaintance that might become a neighbor. A 21-gun salute was followed with residents at the gravesites of loved ones.

There were floats, the Dansville High School Marching Band with majorettes twirling their batons, Girl and Boy Scouts, members of the 4-H Club, the Fire Department, and antique and convertible cars that carried the Senior Prom couple. Horses and bikes decorated with patriot colors were also proudly placed in the procession. Every marcher had more than just a couple of hands waving to get their attentions.

At the lead were members of the V.F.W. Their banner was the American Flag.

History leads to May 5, 1868, when General John Logan proclaimed the 30th day of the month as a day set aside “for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land”. General Logan was the national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization whose members were veterans of the Union Army that had served in the American Civil War. Thus became Decoration Day.

Understandably, Southern states did not acknowledge the day.

The alternate name Memorial Day began as early as 1882 and became more accepted following WWII. It was the local veterans of that war who worked at the Oldsmobile plant in Lansing, that helped introduce the new name to our community. Union labor groups played a part in further popularizing the name.

After WWI, it became a day to honor all Americans who died fighting in any and all wars. It wasn’t until 1968 that “Memorial Day” became the official name when Congress passed legislation that created the Uniform Monday Holiday Act; the effective date was January 1, 1971, making this, along with Washington’ Birthday, Columbus Day and Veterans Day, three-day Federal holidays.

For many, Memorial Day also marks the beginning of summer vacations.

In 1968, the hundredth anniversary of the beginning of Decoration Day, time still honored the age-old tradition in small communities, such as where I called home in my teenage years. Flowers were often grown in people’s gardens, perhaps an original arrangement crafted by a neighbor and proudly placed on the graves of the fallen. The American Flag also adorned the gravesites. The display of bright colors accented the Red, White and Blue.

A gathering of friends and families with a barbecue in the afternoon finished the day. At that time, a three-day weekend was infrequent, which helped mark it as a special day of patriotic tribute. The new millennia may once again put the true meaning of Memorial Day in our lives as we the honor those who gave their lives during the war in Iraq. As in the past, these soldiers, and others who have defended the freedoms of every American, deserve being remembered.

A soldier’s grave should be decorated, as were their uniforms with Medals of Honor.