Rainy day bloom

Another day with rain... that started late the other evening and seems to be staying around. For the most time it is just lightly falling but the plants are sure loving it.

Remember that the Firecracker Bush was cut back....look at the blooms starting to appear. It may be December but that is what happens here in Arizona. It should fill out quite nicely this Spring now that it is thinned and dead branches have been removed. The Sweet Memory still has flowers but that will need a good trim in the Spring. In the meantime...

The Amaryllis has revealed that it is red and starting to open. There is another shoot lower on the stem that will hopefully grow to bloom around Christmas. The simple dowel support seems to be keeping it straight. This new idea of having the bulb in thick wax and not watering seems to be really working. I plan to try to plant it after it finishes flowering. Not that it has worked in the past, but who knows.
Earlier this morning I received a text with pictures from my friend Pam back in RI. She wanted me to see that she still puts the ornaments that I had made for her in the past on her tree..... including the two that Dennis had painted of the Grinch and one of Santa. It really warms my heart to know that she still hangs them on her tree and remembers our friendship.
Today will be a nice remain indoors out of the rain and nippy air and do.... not sure what but whatever I do or do not do,  it will be okay. I may do some tatting.... I am out of Denny's Angel's. The last one left here this past week.
Today is Pearl Harbor Day...77 years ago the phrase "A day of infamy" was started. As I have posted in the past, my dad was there on that fateful morning and was lucky to survive and return home at the end of the war.
Glad to have you stop by today. Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship. Tomorrow Reindeer Food will be also flying to the special children on my list...still time of you need some with notes included. Just email me with child's name and address.

Pearl Harbor December 7 1941

Today I remember ... for my dad who returned and for those who did not. December 7 9141. Giuseppe (Joseph) Piccirilli...he was stationed on Oahu and just returned from guard duty and headed to the chow hall when the attack began. The men dove into the bushes until they could try to get their guns. The pilots were so low that he recalled looking at their faces as they dropped bombs. He never forgot and nor shall I, for him. He was just 22 and spent almost 5 1/2 years in Hawaii. He met and married my mom Eva after his return to the states and they married in 1946. He was a very patriotic man and I suppose that is why I am. Once while I was still single and living at home we watched From Here to Eternity together..... he was always careful to hide his emotions, but I thought I caught a tear in his eyes the night. He was very involved in the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, serving as the President at one time. In this picture you can see a copy of the newspaper and a copy of the Instrument of Surrender as well as the Christmas dinner they had that year. The newspaper article with my dad is an interview he gave the local paper one year.

 This is a picture taken with his older brother John who was in the Navy and in the surrounding waters at the time of the attack. He also survived. It is old and scratched but it is the only one I have of them together in uniform. There are those who do not know anything about that terrible day, but for our family it was a big deal. My grandma did not have the news access we have today when tragedy strikes. She waited almost 2 weeks to hear if her sons were alive. I am proud of the military service my father gave for our country. Just wanted to share........

Day of Infamy

On the morning of December 7, 1941 my dad was just coming off guard duty 8 AM Hawaiian time, He was just 22 and remembered looking up to see the Japanese planes coming over Fort Shafter. He ran for cover under bushes until he was able to run to get his gun out of lock up. The initial attack last around 90 minutes but it was a day to change many lives..... 2,403 Americans died  and 1178 were wounded that day.

In this photo you can see a copy of the news paper coverage. The inset of a newspaper is an article that a local paper ran about my dad and a snapshot of him as he was then. The map shows the location of Oahu in the Hawaiian chain. Now living in Arizona, I also remember those aboard the USS Arizona which sank with many of it's crew aboard. For me, the story of this event is as fresh as it was on the day so long ago that my dad and I talked about it. The story of how he enlisted, the time of the event and the years that he spent in Hawaii. In those days news from the "front" was slow to reach the states. My dad's family had a hard time at first learning whether my dad (Army) and my uncle John, dad's brother (Navy) were okay. Grandma Piccirilli told me once that when knew that her boys would be come home she cried for those who would not. Still today we are not really at peace in the world. Thank you for stopping by and reading my thoughts on this which has always been dear to me. Have a good day.