Memorial Day Remembrance

The poppy is the recognized symbol of remembrance for war dead in Canada, the countries of the British Commonwealth, and the United States. The flower owes its significance to the poem In Flanders Fields, written by Major (later Lieutenant-Colonel) John McCrae, a field surgeon in the Canadian artillery, in the midst of the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium, in May 1915.

The poppy references in the first and last stanzas of the most widely read and oft-quoted poem of the war contributed to the flower's status as an emblem of remembrance and a symbol of new growth amidst the devastation of war. via

IN FLANDERS' FIELDS by John McCrea

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.

The key points of his biography. He was a truly remarkable and inspiring man.

November: Poem and Image 1889

Harvard's Houghton Library

Please click on the link and view this lovely poem by Beatrice Crane and the illustration by Walter Crane 1889. Have you ever read a more perfect description of the month of November? I have not! This is another image I want to print and keep forever.

Memorial Day 2017 Lest We Forget

John McCrae, 1872 - 1918
Biography here. More history of the poem here.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

John McCrae, 1872 - 1918

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.

Million Dollar Owl Painting found in an Attic

William James Webbe (fl.1853-1878), The White Owl, ‘Alone and warming his five wits, The white owl in the belfry sits,’ signed with monogram and dated ‘1856’ (lower left), oil on board, 17¾ x 10 3/8 in. (45 x 26.3 cm.) © Christie’s Images Limited 2012

Alone and warming his five wits, 

The white owl in the belfry sits.

I can't believe this wonderful story. I also cannot believe I am able to find such interesting news and articles on Instagram. This story will have you running to your attic to rummage around if yours is packed and you have no idea what's up there. That's what happened when a lady had to move things for a plumber in hers.

"Everyone dreams of finding that one priceless item hiding in the corners of a dust-ridden attic. One UK teacher recently experienced the joy of rescuing such a forgotten antique, all thanks to an old owl painting that turned out to be worth nearly a million dollars."

Read the entire story on The Huffington Post. Enjoy this beautiful November Saturday as I shall. xo

A Quote from Shelley

I think this quote from Shelley is so beautiful, don't you? Photographed from one of my old books.

Poppies for Memorial Day

via

In Flander's Field by 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.

From an old blog post of mine.

The Leaves Are Falling All Around

The autumn leaves are falling

Yellow, Brown and Red

They patter softly like the rain

One landed on my head.

But when the sleep of winter comes

They settle down to rest

And Mother Nature tucks them in

with snow

As she thinks best.

That was the first poem my brother had to memorize in first grade and I helped him learn it. For some reason, I've always remembered it. My mother remembered it too and we would recite it together every fall. image source

In Flander's Field by John McCrae

 

In Flander's Field by 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.

"In Flander's Field" is a memorable poem that was written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae in a cemetery in the Flanders region of Belgium on May 3, 1915, the day after the death of his young friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer.

McCrae photo

Perhaps the most famous poem written during World War I, these simple but powerful fifteen lines, and the poppies they immortalize, have come to symbolize fallen soldiers. I think this is the perfect remembrance for Memorial Day and I post it every year.

Image: Painting by Willy Werner

Abraham Crowley: Garden, Home and Books

 

 

I'm quite sure we would have been friends if I had been born in London in 1618. via