Left: Poppies in the garden. Click on the image to view an enlargement.
The arrival of the poppies are the third botanical event of my year. This year they came very early, due to unseasonably warm temperatures in April and May (interspersed with some unseasonably cold days too—it is after all Minnesota). Because of this there was no guessing as to whether or not they would be here for Memorial Day. They were here to inspire with their beauty and fragility. Rain and wind have beaten the petals off the early blossoms. Everywhere there is a tangle of stems.
I hope today you find time for introspection, for political thought and action, and most of all for gratitude.
There are thousands of videos covering World War I on YouTube. Letter from Gallipoli is a first person account in letters that I find incredibly powerful for its understatement.
