Colonel’s Blog, Earthdate 29 May 2023…
Hey Y’all!
Good morning and happy Monday, Memorial Day, from Air2Ground Farms. Today, a quick update and then Memorial Day thoughts. The beautiful sunny weather continues today and the animals are all doing very well. The Farmers’s Market was good again on Saturday with good sales and great conversations. We had a couple of folks show up for chicken and were disappointed when we had to report we are already sold out. Yesterday we had farm guests for the afternoon and evening. We had a great tour, good food, and amazing conversations. Thanks to Tim and Cathy for taking the time to visit! We moved the cows onto the hill we’ve been jealously allowing to grow from our winter hay unrolling. We have good stands of brome and fescue growing and we want the cows to eat some to stimulate the plants to continue to grow. We have a few more lambs on the ground. One little ram lamb couldn’t figure out how to nurse, so we gave it a boost of cow colostrum and spent about a half hour working with it teaching it to nurse. It is now doing well. The two bottle lambs are both doing very well. Raw Jersey milk is magic! Today we are going to clean up step-ins and poly-wire from the cow paddocks and attempt to make an area to move the bottle lambs and bum ewe closer to the house. The pic today is a 4-ship of F-15Es performing a Missing Man Flyover.
The River Rats (Red River Valley Association—an aviation group formed after Vietnam originally to honor and remember POWs and aircrew KIA/MIA and support their families.) sent out a Memorial Day email that was so prescient I decided to put it in its entirety into today’s blog regarding Memorial Day. I hope you enjoy it and find it as thought provoking as I.
Today we honor and remember the warriors who gave all. We pay tribute to the veterans who selflessly sacrificed their time, their safety, and their lives to protect the freedoms we hold dear. We express our deepest gratitude and our commitment to ensuring that their sacrifices are never forgotten. As we gather with family and friends on this Memorial Day, let us remember the true meaning behind this day and reflect upon the profound debt of gratitude we owe to those who gave all. May we always remember and honor the memory of our fallen heroes.
As part of the 2023 Scholarship Grant application process, students composed essays in response to the question 'what does Memorial Day mean to you?' The following essay was written by Patrick Oakden, 2023 Scholarship Grant recipient and senior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
"Memorial Day isn’t about those serving or who have served; it’s not about telling them “thank you for your service.” It’s about those who didn’t come home and those 22 a day who take their lives. “War is only over for the dead,” and those of us fortunate enough to live in freedom should never forget! These are some things to think about on Memorial Day, and they represent how vital Memorial Day is to the everyday American, including myself. First, the men & women we recognize and honor today aren’t the ones who “lost” their lives -- not like one loses their car keys. They didn’t misplace it accidentally or happenstantially ended up without it. No; they knew what they were doing. They purposefully gave up their lives as a sacrifice for you and for me. Their lives were willingly sacrificed for us; they were not “lost.Second, this isn’t Veterans’ Day, and no one should confuse the two. The distinction between Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day is absolutely important. Using the same old platitudes that will be reused on every other “Patriotic Holiday,” like Independence Day or Veteran’s Day, dilutes what Memorial Day is all about -- the fallen. To your average veteran and their families, remembering them, the fallen, is extremely important. “All gave some, and some gave all” isn’t cliché. The American people need to know the price that has been paid for their freedom because it honors the service of those who are no longer with us. Yet, it also gives us confidence that a knowing and astute public will be far less likely to put military force to use in their frivolous matters. By reflecting on the true nature of Memorial Day, an average civilian can show that they truly comprehend the heart of military sacrifice. They can show that they care and that they won’t allow their elected officials to misuse that devotion. They can tell their elected officials, “No, it isn’t Veteran’s Day,” and “Yes, it matters!” Third and finally, the best way to honor Memorial Day and the fallen who are remembered because of it is to simply do your civic duty. The men and women who died for our freedom did their job to the absolute fullest; it’s only right that you do your job. Everyone in the United States of America should be an educated voter. They should make an effort to understand the political issues being discussed, and they should be able to articulate the “why” behind their political opinions, whatever and regardless of what they may be. Everyone in the United States has a civic duty. If the average American truly wants to honor the fallen heroes and the entire meaning of Memorial Day, I would encourage all of them to please: forgo the yellow ribbon, the patriotic garb, and everything else just for show. Instead, do your duty. When it’s time to go to the polls, regardless of whether it’s in your local elections or state/national government, please remember the ones who can no longer vote. They gave their lives so you can.”
Local Farm Report for 27 & 28 May 2023:
Harvest:
67 Chicken eggs
16 Duck eggs
1 Goose egg
11 1/2 Gallons of milk
Cheers!
Psycho & Shelley
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