Through An 'Old Timer's' Eyes
By Howard 'Mac' McDonald

Next Saturday, May 19, is National Armed Forces Day. Our "old-timer" columnist, Howard (Mac) McDonald, recommends a stop at the war memorial on Emporium's west end to gain an appreciation for the sacrifices of local military personnel.

Mothers Day and Memorial Day are two May holidays that deserve our special attention.

Memorial Day used to be known as Decoration Day. The Civil War brought about the custom of putting flags on the graves of the veterans.

In most towns, the VFW and the American Legion see that a flag is put on every veteran's grave. This a monumental task and my hat is off to them. When they are doing this strenuous task they must wonder if they are the only one who cares.

Emporium has an outstanding war memorial site on the west end of town. A visit to that special place is a moving experience.

As the garrison-sized Old Glory flies over head, accompanied by the black and white POW/MIA banner, the wind seems to make them speak for all the veterans.

The wing walls that face the highway have the names of those killed or missing in action. If you are weary, there are two benches provided by the Emporium Rotary Club, honoring all who served.

As I sat in the bright sunshine admiring this tribute, I thought of our veterans from the first Gulf War, the sailors killed on the USS Cole, the Marines killed in the bombing of their barracks in Lebanon, and the young men and women being slaughtered in Afghanistan and Iraq.

We are living in one mixed up world and it makes you wonder when all the fighting is going to end.

And don't forget your mom on this Mothers Day. My mother passed away in 1972, but I can remember the things she did for me like it was yesterday. I was a sickly kid and her loving care kept me alive.

In the cold, she would bundle me up with so many clothes could hardly walk. We had a big coal-fired kitchen cook stove and when I would come in, she would open the oven door and set me on a chair with my feet in the oven until I would thaw out. It worked every time.

With the cost of things today, both parents now have to work and it takes its toll on family life. The stress on the mothers today usually separates the women from the girls. I don't envy the job they have to do.

The front page of last week's Endeavor News, to me, was a work of art.

The publisher, Bob Hooftallen, worked his magic and integrated the picture of the cowboy who passed through the region into the front page flag. That picture really was worth a thousand words.

They say April showers bring May flowers and this year that is true. Our tulips are blooming and, when I walk Sarge, I can see wildflowers poking their heads through the leaves in the woods.

Several trees are full of blossoms and the green tint of the buds on the other trees really make them stand out. The trees that are in full bloom along Emporium's Fourth Street are beautiful. I may be plum crazy, but I believe they are a flowering plum.

When the weather is nice, I think that it affects the clocks and they speed up. Before you know it, the weekend is history.

What happened to the world where we thought that girls' gym suits were ugly, Mom's nylons were two separate stockings, and you never asked where the keys were, since they were in the ignition?

On that same note, Marsha Lamont sent me a list of things that were taken for granted in days gone by and are now missing from our lives.

Do you remember when War was a card game and the ultimate weapon was a water balloon? The Red Ryder Daisy BB gun was one of the most prestigious things you could own. The girls played hopscotch and jacks and Dad would howl whenever he stepped on a jack in his stocking feet. At 5:00 p.m., it was "Howdy Doody Time."

Well it's almost bed time, so I'd better get back to the last chapter in my Hardy Boys mystery.