What is Memorial Day?

Today is Memorial Day.

To many, it is a long weekend around which to plan picnics and vacations. The president places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, now called the Tomb of the Unknowns. There are still a few parades and ceremonies to be found, usually not so well attended. Many people forget the real purpose of this holiday but the Atkins family never will.

Memorial Day has special meaning in our family because the senior Atkins boy witnessed, first hand, the deaths of many brave men when he took part in the landing in France during World War II. It is something he doesn't talk about a lot but when asked whether the movie, Saving Private Ryan, was an accurate depiction of what took place, the answer was yes. When asked what he remembered most he didn't hesitate. He said it was the smell. The activity did not end as the surviving soldiers advanced inland. And, yes, the Navy went ashore too. One doesn't easily forget an experience like that.

Carl was on a landing craft during those terrible days. Their main job was to deliver soldiers and equipment to the beaches and to take on German prisoners as they were captured. The German officers tried to commit suicide by jumping overboard and were promptly shot. Such are the realities of war. Memories like this do not go away.

We are blessed with a grandson who never forgets to honor his grandfather on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. He is mindful of the sacrifices that were made. Here you see Greg and Carl displaying the Navy flag that Greg presented to him this year.

Memorial Day. A day to remember those who didn't live to come home and have a grandson like Greg.

Another Fuzzy

This blog began with the story of Fuzzy – the stray cat who now lives in Scott's van after showing up and refusing to leave.

Well, here you see another Fuzzy having its second meal at the senior Atkins's home.
That thing sticking up on its back is a giant hairball that is just behind the bald spots where it has, presumably, been successful at dislodging more of the same.

This cat has been in the habit of coming by our house periodically to visit Lily Pearl through the window. It was well fed and well groomed when we first saw it last year but we've noticed that it has been looking more and more unkempt lately. About a month ago we began wondering if its owners might have moved away and left it behind. Now we know they did.

A couple of days ago we looked out the window, saw it lying there, and thought it had died in our back yard. Grabbing a handful of cat food, the female of the family cautiously approached and, after coaxing, got the poor thing to raise its head. Leaving the cat food behind, she watched as it ate like there was no tomorrow. Another handful of cat food plus a bowl of water followed, both instantly consumed.

Carl observed that we now have another cat. And then he began watching for it, looking for permanent water and food bowls, and wondering why it didn't hang around. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was disappointed that it might not come back. The senior Atkins Boy does have a soft spot for cats.

The food disappeared yesterday when we weren't looking. Since there are several cats in our neighborhood, we decided to wait and see if this particular cat came back before putting out more food. It was spotted this morning on the fringes of the yard and came part of the way to the porch when called.

So here it is, having another meal at our house. It stops eating and backs off if we get too close so these pictures were taken over the garden gate. It seems that Carl was right. We probably have acquired a second cat without really wanting one.

There's no way we can introduce another cat into the house with our cantankerous Lily Pearl already in residence. I see another customized cat abode with a heated floor in our future. We have all summer to build it and the downstairs back porch is dry. It's better than starving. Maybe by then it will trust us.

And to its heartless former owners, may you someday experience the same fate you imposed on a pet that, undoubtedly, counted on you to take care of it.

If it's still here next week, we will have to give it a name. Any suggestions?

The Atkins Family Matriarch

Here you see a picture of Mary Alice Ulbrich, wife of Asa Carl Atkins, Sr., with two of her German uncles.

Her father arrived in America from Hammer, Militsch Kreis, Germany, in 1873. Her mother was descended from the McLaughlin family who left Killarney, Ireland, to come to America around 1815 and from the Hicks and Bailey families who arrived in Kanawha Co. WV sometime around 1830.

Although she never traveled far from Putnam County, West Virginia, Mary was articulate, interesting, and well read. Her grammar was perfect and her letters were a joy to receive. She was skilled at embroidery, quilting, crocheting, sewing, and gardening and she loved cats - especially black cats. No place was more dear to her than her country home on a hilltop near Buffalo. Nothing was more important to her than her family, followed closely by her life-long friends. In fact, she kept up a lively correspondence with friends she hadn't seen since girlhood.

Like many other mothers of her time, she made do with whatever she could find during the years of the great depression. Can you imagine cooking "wild carrots" (the roots of Queen Anne's Lace) or foraging for wild greens for your next meal? She did.

That feeling never went away. No garden was ever quite big enough and there were never too many jars of canned fruit and vegetables in her cellar. Mending and patching were a way of life – even when they were no longer required. She simply could not abandon her thrifty habits.

Mary had an abiding interest in family history. It is due to her love of family, her preservation of old documents, and her excellent memory that the Atkins family has such an understanding and appreciation of those who came before us and their journeys along the way.

She loved her husband, her son, and her two daughters. And when it was time, she loved her daughter-in-law equally. She was determined to always be independent and she managed to do just that. Although she did not drive and lived two miles up a mountain on a dirt road, she successfully lived alone for sixteen years after her husband died until she passed away at age 89 after suffering a stroke in the home they had built together.

I can't think of anyone who would make a negative remark about her.

That's quite a legacy.

Things Get Lost Around Our House

Sometimes they're found and sometimes they never surface again.

Pet toys. They're always under something or behind something. This isn't always bad because it gives us humans exercise we would not otherwise get. Have you ever noticed how long animals can sit and stare under a couch when they want those toys?

Appointment reminders. You go to the dentist or eye doctor. They give you a card with the next appointment date. And then where does it go? The family female is always asked to explain this since husbands always swear they put it on the kitchen counter the minute they got home.

Socks. The senior Atkins boy has about 40 pairs of socks – all of them mismatched – and there are extras lying on top of the dryer after every washing. This, too, is something the family female is expected to resolve.

Grocery lists. Start a grocery list. Put it on the kitchen counter. Who takes those?

Earrings. The lone female member of the Atkins family has many earrings that are, alas, no longer part of a pair.

Eyeglasses. One can have five pairs and they're never in the room where they're needed. This is especially annoying to males of the species who can always find their glasses because they are always on their faces. Of course.

A new gold necklace once disappeared from the senior Atkins household for over a year. It was eventually found in the toe of a seldom worn high-heeled shoe where Magnolia had stashed it. Fortunately, a need to wear the shoes brought the missing jewelry to light before the senior Atkins boy asked where it was. Darn cat!

Car keys. This one really annoys the senior Atkins boy and is punishable by having to do without one's own keys for a very long time while humbly having to ask to borrow his. Men never lose their car keys because they always have pockets. Women everywhere should sew their husbands' pockets shut and hand them a purse to carry for just one week.

And the big kahuna of them all – PURSES! This is a situation that will never be forgotten by any male member of any family. Lose your purse just one time and your husband will still be dredging it up fifty years later – and telling all of your friends about it. Right down to the date, time, place, and situation. Refer to the above paragraph for a possible solution.

I don't remember what prompted the searches pictured above but the photographs gave us a chuckle when they surfaced recently, thus prompting these random thoughts.

Do things get lost around your house?