Saturday 9

 

If You're Reading This

Welcome to Saturday 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Saturday 9: If You're Reading This (2007)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

Memorial Day is the federal holiday designated to honor American service people who died in battle. 

1) Memorial Day was introduced after the Civil War. War memorials, as well as graves of veterans, are to be decorated with flags and flowers this weekend in a show appreciation. Is there a war memorial in your neighborhood?

Of course there is.  If you consider the other side of town my "neighborhood", that is.  The Boy Scouts erected a small memorial to the Vietnam War veterans in Wantagh Park.  I mentioned it a few weeks ago.  

Over in Levittown (Wantagh's next-door neighbor) there is a small park where veterans have erected a memorial to the men and women who gave their lives for this country:  Levittown Veterans Memorial Park 

And if you travel just a bit further, to East Meadow, you'll find Eisenhower Park, the pride of Nassau County. The portion of the park deemed the "Veterans' Memorial" has grown to include First Responders, victims of drunk driving, murder victims, breast cancer patients, JFK, and anyone else the county wants to honor.  But the heart of the memorial is about the men and women who served this country in every war.

2) Here at Saturday 9, we regard everyone who served -- veterans and active military -- as heroes. Have you, or has anyone in your family, worn the uniform of our armed forces? We want to hear about them.

My father, of blessed memory, was a veteran of WW II. Drafted into the Army at 18, he served in Italy.  And when he passed away, at the age of 88, the Army sent an honor guard to his funeral.

3) Similarly, we're grateful to those who served on the front lines during the Covid 19 pandemic. Tell us about anyone you know who was an essential worker, a first responder or administered vaccines. They deserve a shout out, too!

My daughter Jen is a civilian employee of the Police Department.  When the rest of us had the luxury of working from home, Jen donned mask and gloves and headed to her office.

4) Memorial Day is the traditional kick off of the summer season. Have you packed away your winter clothes yet?

I am still in the process of changing out my closet.

5) What's your favorite picnic food?

One of my favorite summer dishes is pasta salad.

It's easy to prepare, very forgiving.  Cook your pasta, add veggies, dress.  Voila, pasta salad.

I  like  to use rotelle or shells.  I'll usually throw in a bag of frozen peas (I don't cook them -- I defrost them by placing them in the colander where I'm about to drain my pasta, and let the cooking water do the rest), shredded carrots, red onion, and bell peppers.  I don't measure the vegetables, I just cut them up and add them until it looks like "enough".

The dressing?    Here's what I use:

2 T honey
1 T honey mustard or Dijon mustard
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
3/4 C extra virgin olive oil

Whisk ingredients together and serve over the pasta salad. 

You can use less oil, if you like, or even eliminate the oil altogether.  No oil -- that's how my sister serves it, and everyone loves it.

6) As you answer these questions, is there a fan or an air conditioner cooling your room?

Both  -- a fan in the kitchen and a portable air conditioner in the bedroom.  It's a small apartment, I don't need much more than that.

7) This week's song is about a heartbreaking situation. The lyrics are a letter from a soldier to his family, which was only to be sent in the event of his death. What's the saddest song you have ever heard?

I don't know if this is the saddest song I've ever heard, but it certainly is depressing.

8) This week's featured artist, Tim McGraw, has a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame. It's near those honoring William Shatner and Julie Andrews. If you could have lunch with one of those luminaries -- Tim McGraw, William Shatner or Julie Andrews -- which would you choose?

I'm not much of a country music fan, I'm not a big Tim McGraw fan.  If I met him, I'd probably ask a million questions about his father -- I'm  NY Mets fan.

So basically you're asking me to choose between Captain Kirk and Mary Poppins.  You are soooo cruel.

Well, since I've seen Shatner's one-man show and know all about his offscreen life, I'd probably have to choose Andrews.

9) Random Question: Think of the last thing you bought. Was it a wise purchase?

It's cooling my bedroom as we speak, so yes, I think it was a wise purchase.