I spoke with my favorite veteran, Leon Standifer, yesterday for Memorial Day. He made sure to mention his two young friends who died during the war, reminding me that Memorial Day is about those who don't come home. The friends who died in France fighting alongside Leon were Dale Proctor and Thomas Richards. Any friend of Leon's is a friend of mine, so I intend to remember those two names on my "thankful" list.
As for the garden, Leon stopped by this weekend while we weren't home and later told me, "It all looks good!" He expressed that with such genuine enthusiasm, so I'm inclined to believe that our garden truly is in good shape this season. I can't take any credit for it—all the glory goes to Leon, my husband, and our home's previous owner. Julia and I just observe, weed from time to time, and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Speaking of fruit, oh my gosh our blackberries are the best. Several bushes are bursting with berries at the moment. We pick them every other day, per Leon's instructions, and have them for breakfast, lunch afternoon snack, dinner and dessert. Leon said that the "Lawton" variety we have was discovered growing wild in New York then propagated and sold by William Lawton. (I'm not sure how Leon knows everything under the sun, but he does.)
