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Among all the flowers that evoke the memories and emotions of war is the red poppy, which became associated with war after the publication of a poem written by Col. John McCrae of Canada. The poem, "In Flander's Field," describes blowing red fields among the battleground of the fallen.
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.
A poppy is any of a number of showy flowers, typically with one per stem, belonging to the poppy family. They include a number of attractive wildflower species with showy flowers found growing singularly or in large groups; many species are also grown in gardens. Those that are grown in gardens include large plants used in a mixed herbaceous boarder and small plants that are grown in rock or alpine gardens.
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The flower color of poppy species include:
white,
pink,
yellow,
orange,
red and
blue; some have dark center markings. The species that have been cultivated for many years also include many other colors ranging from dark solid colors to soft pastel shades. The center of the flower has a whorl of
stamens surrounded by a cup- or bowl-shaped collection of four to six
petals. Prior to blooming, the petals are crumpled in
bud, and as blooming finishes, the petals often lie flat before falling away
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May 30 Friday
Memorial Day Observed: May 26 Monday
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Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his
General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.
All Toulouse Geese are gray. Their backs are a darker shade, over lighter gray plumage, and their undersides are pure white. The bills of Toulouse Geese are bright orange, as are their legs. The feathers are quite long and most Toulouse Geese have rather loose skin. Some Toulouse Geese have been color bred into white and buff shaded varieties.
The name Toulouse is used for several types of gray geese descended from the European Greylag.
Gestation is 28 – 30 days…
Goose Facts
More pictures at Eleven...
A special Thank you to my Husband who took part in the paparazzi crew last night. 
A special Thank you to my Husband who took part in the paparazzi crew last night. 
