All the Flags from Here to There

After sharing the post about suddenly noticing a flag at the Dollar General Store, it appeared I was seeing them everywhere.  It wasn't close to a flag-waving patriotic holiday;  Memorial day was one month away and July 4th was even further away.  Why so many flags?  Was it my imagination?  I had to find out the truth.  So as an experiment, I  decided to snap a picture of every flag I passed on my weekly milk run to the Amish in Ethridge, Tennessee.   It is 50 miles (one way) of winding back country roads.  Every picture on this post was taken on the route during April.

I decided any in front of a business would not count.  If the person was being paid to raise and lower the flag, it would not qualify.  I was looking for flags that were voluntarily raised; it had to be a labor of love.

So as cute as this one appears, it doesn't count.  There is only so much time before the ice melts in the cooler so I had to hurry.

I will count the State of Tennessee flag since I am from Tennessee.

Also, I will count any Confederate flags since I am a daughter of the South.

So how many do you think I saw on my weekly trip?  Quick, make a guess and see how close you come.  The answer will be posted in the comment section.  No peeping!

I expected to see these since they are in vogue now.

But these surprised me.  They were randomly put in different places.  It felt creepy taking a picture of someone's bedroom window. Thankfully no one was home and I am glad the neighbors didn't call the sheriff.

I almost missed this one.  You have to look closely to see it.

These people were closing down their yard sale.  There are two flags hanging on the rack.  I don't want to trick anyone who is counting.

Something tells me these people are Republicans.  Just a guess - and, no the Trump flag does not count.

I think this one was the highest.  It is on top of a radio antenna tower. This family meant for their flag to be seen!

Many people put them on the front of their houses.

This one made me sad because this is disrespectful treatment.

These people are SLACKERS!  Poles but no flags.  Tut.  Tut.  Tut.  They do not get any points.

This last category I consider the best. All of these people had to dig a hole, add cement then put up a large pole. These are permanent poles which required hard work to set up.

I didn't get pictures of all of them. I ran out of time, the sun was going down, some were too far away and people kept stopping to ask me if I needed help since I was parked on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere taking pictures of nothing. I gave it my best (camera) shot.

The best has been saved for last. My favorite flag of the whole day. This one met me at the garage door, hauled in the groceries, put the milk in the refrigerator, and most importantly, gave me a hug.

American Flag

This is the picture that started it all.  My Great Patriotic Awakening.

As I was getting ready to enter a Dollar General Store in another town, I noticed this worn and tattered American flag duct taped to the handicapped parking sign.  I paused to take a picture.  As any photographer knows, the wind never cooperates.  I stood and waited for it to unfurl the fabric.  I waited and waited.  Finally, a small breeze picked up and I began snapping pictures hoping to get at least one good shot.  It quickly died and I turned around.  A soldier in uniform was standing behind me watching.  I was startled.  I thought I was alone.  Quickly I extended my hand to thank him for his service to our country.

He replied that he had just returned from Afghanistan and was driving home.  He wanted to watch me taking the pictures.

I welcomed him home, then choked up as he got into his car and drove away.

It made me stop and think.  As I entered the store, I saw these.

I could not stop thinking about the soldier as I returned to the parking lot.  Instead of driving away, I decided to pause and look around.  This is what I saw in that tiny parking lot:

Yes, I too am proud to be an American.

The story continues with: All the Flags from Here to There

She Loves Me? She Loves Me Not?

DOES SHE LOVE ME???   LOOK AT ME!!!   I AM SO HANDSOME!!!  LOOK AT ME!!!  DOES SHE LOVE ME????

She loves me not.

Crimson Clover Tea

This past week I drove beside a field where the Crimson Clover blossoms were in full bloom.  It was beautiful.  

It was a large hay field planted with a variety of grasses which will be mowed, dried, and harvested for winter animal feed.  On the other hand, the land could be in crop rotation and soon everything will be plowed under as a green manure to increase the nutrition in the soil.  Either way, you can tell it is not used as a pasture for animals because there is no fence around it.

No fence makes it easy for people like me to slip in and grab a bouquet.  I don't think they will miss what I took. This is foraging, not stealing.

Back in January, I shared my new year's resolution which was to find new teas by growing them in my garden or learning to forage.  Now that it is finally spring, my search has begun.

Crimson Clovers are rich in many nutrients such as calcium, chromium, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, thiamine, and vitamin C.  Plus, it is abundant in isoflavones, which is a plant-based chemical that acts like estrogen.

A few of the health benefits of drinking red clover tea:

• Lowers inflammation, which has been linked to diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's and more
• Cleanses the blood by removing toxins from your system
• Improves water retention which helps creates younger skin
• Protects against cardiovascular diseases
• Improves blood flow

There are many more uses; I have only given a short list.

Since I was unsure if the hay field had been treated with chemicals (probably not), I chose to not use these flowers in my tea.  Instead, I picked the leaves from my own itty bitty herb garden.  It is not as impressive as the field above; but, pleases me just the same.

Mourning Dove

Early one morning during this past week I slipped outside to check my flowers to see what was destroyed by the previous night's storm.  As I strolled past a big rock, I was startled when two mourning doves suddenly flew up in front of my face.  I stopped and looked down.  To my dismay, I discovered this small baby mourning dove hiding up against the rock.  It's mom and dad were protecting it and I startled them away.

I immediately called for back up.

We checked the tree branch above and saw this nest right above the baby.  Was this where it lived before it fell? Should we put it back?  How would we get up in the tree?  We decided to get a ladder and together, gently slip it back in the nest.

Then we noticed a second nest in the very top of the tree.  Was that the right nest?  We do not have a ladder tall enough to reach that high.  What if there were more babies in the nest?  Would we accidentally harm them climbing up?  We realized we were unequipped to handle this disaster and decided to do what we could.  We brought Scooter into the house, then peeped out the windows and watched.

Sure enough, Mom (or Pop) flew back down and covered the baby with their wings.

We continued to watch.  The day wore on, the sun began to set and Mom did not move.  Sometime before nightfall everyone disappeared.  We hoped they had found a safer spot.

Yesterday Bill informed me he saw Mom walk under my wheelbarrow and slip inside in a clump of weeds beside my flower bed.  We assumed baby was safely hidden under it.  He said he would not mow the area and I agreed to not weed for a while.  I am always willing to avoid weeding, for a good cause.  Hopefully, with everyone's help, this little baby will soon fly away.  Perhaps, before it leaves, it will remember to say thank you to Mom on Mother's day.