Just Two Minutes

On Friday, at the eleventh hour






of the eleventh day






of this eleventh month,






with red poppies pinned close to our hearts,






Canadians across our nation will share two silent minutes of reflection and respect to remember those who served our country.






Two minutes for those whose hearts ceased beating far too soon.






Two minutes for countless, selfless acts of courage given in exchange for our freedom.






Two minutes for indescribable sacrifice.






It's an honour and a privilege for Canadians to pause to remember and respect those who serve.






At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, please honour those who have given their lives so that we can enjoy the freedom we assume as our right.





May we never forget.

In Flanders Fields

~ John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields.

Two Minutes

At the eleventh hour






of the eleventh day






of this eleventh month,






with red poppies pinned close to our hearts,






Canadians across our nation will share two silent minutes of reflection and respect to remember those who served our country.






Two minutes for those whose hearts ceased beating far too soon.






Two minutes for countless, selfless acts of courage given in exchange for our freedom.






Two minutes for indescribable sacrifice.






It's an honour and a privilege for Canadians to pause to remember and respect those who serve.






At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, please honour those who have given their lives so that we can enjoy the freedom we assume as our right.





May we never forget.

In Flanders Fields

~ John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields.

Beautiful Reserve

I've been mostly absent from the blogging scene these past several weeks. It sure takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to ready a home for sale. I've collected a lot of "stuff" in twenty-nine years and the house has needed a lot of work to get it up to snuff. But I'm just about there. I think it will be on the market before this week is over. And then it's a waiting game to see when it will sell.

I'm not looking forward to the constant care to keep it looking pristine, and then disappearing on short notice while the home is being shown. But that's all part of the game and it must be endured if I ever want to haul my behind up to our new place. And I most definitely do.

I've not had time to take many photos lately and even less time to put a blog post together but I did set a few up in advance a long while back. The following images are from late spring and early summer. I'm sure most of us would enjoy receiving flowers at this time of the year. These are my gift to you.

One of the most attractive things about the flowers is their beautiful reserve.

~ Henry David Thoreau

By plucking her petals, you do not gather the beauty of the flower.
~ Rabindranath Tagore





The smallest flower is a thought, a life answering to some feature of the Great Whole, of whom they have a persistent intuition.
~ Honore de Balzac





Summer set lip to earth's bosom bare,
And left the flushed print in a poppy there.
~ Francis Thompson





If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom. ~Terri Guillemets






Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.
~ John Harrigan





Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.
~ Gerard De Nerval




Loveliest of lovely things are they on earth that soonest pass away. The rose that lives its little hour is prized beyond the sculptured flower.
~William C. Bryant





The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life.
~ Jean Giraudoux

More photos coming up... sometime.