Remembering Memorial Day

"In the cemetery, when I read the headstones, I can see the face, and hear the voice, of every person I knew."  ~Robert Mathison, Memorial Day, 2012

Early last Saturday morning, Adam and I drove past the Waterville Cemetery and saw that the Memorial Day flags had already been set up. It made me think about all of the people who would be giving their time on Memorial Day weekend, instead of camping or otherwise recreating, making sure that not a single military grave was forgotten and helping visitors find their way to the friends and loved ones they were searching for.

Adam worked in the funeral business for approximately four years. I remember that, every Memorial Day weekend, we would have to wake up really early and head to the cemetery to place flags on the graves of those who had served in our nation's armed forces. It was a fairly large cemetery, so even with several people working it took quite a while. I'll admit, I grumbled and complained (just a little bit) about the fact that we didn't have the opportunity to get out of town and "vacation" like other people did on Memorial Day weekend. I understood, though, that it really was the least we could do and I knew that those who came to visit would be grateful for the time we had invested to honor their loved one(s). 

I am thankful for that experience. Prior to our years in the funeral business I never really acknowledged Memorial Day as being anything more than just a fun-filled, three-day weekend. Now, every year, I do take time to remember those who paid the ultimate price to establish and preserve our liberty.

The Colors of Spring

Adam and I were told, when we first moved to Waterville, that in the Spring, the water can sometimes be "colorful." We've experienced a few different water shades over the past 4 years, but last weekend was the first time our water actually ran brown. 

My mom was over for a visit and I had just poured her a nice, cold, clear glass of water from our Brita carafe in the refrigerator. I told her, as I turned on the tap to refill the carafe, that we had just changed the Brita filters and the water was really good! 

As I spoke, I glanced down and discovered, to my horror, that the water flowing from the tap was not just a little off-clear, but rather a nasty, deep brown which grossly contrasted with the bright, clean white of the Brita. 

My mom had a good laugh as the water that drizzled through the filter emerged only a slightly lighter, more coppery hue.

I shrugged and said, "Well, yours is good anyway."

We had clear water again within a few hours, but "EEW!" Even if the water is technically clean, there is no way I'll ever drink it when it looks like that!

New People, New Connections

Adam and I met some new neighbors last weekend. Well, "new-ish" neighbors, that is. We're a little slow on the uptake when it comes to meeting people. 

We didn't actually meet both of them together, either. The first came and introduced himself while Adam was spraying the lawn and I met the second a little later when I was seeding the lawn. Now each of us knows one of the other two. I'm really not sure why that's funny, but it makes me chuckle.

They are very nice people who, like Adam and me, moved to Waterville because it was more financially viable than other options and very quickly learned to love this little town. They also, like us, acquired a fixer-upper that needs an awful lot of work.

Another thing we have in common?

I've mentioned that I maintain a few websites here in Waterville. It turns out, they have one too! It is called Interactive Waterville and it was created for the purpose of connecting Waterville townsfolk online. The site includes posts about events, lists of businesses and churches and even has a classifieds section! (Unfortunately the classifieds page is malfunctioning but it should be up and running/ready to use very soon.)

If you haven't seen this great new website, check it out at: http://www.watervillewainfo.com/