Happ-E-birth-Day America

Oh, it's a grand old day, for a grand old America.

This morning my mind wanders back to Fourth of July Family Picnics.  We would stuff ourselves with food, and spend the afternoon playing our own version of the yard game Croquet.  They were wild man, we would have the start point on the west side of the front yard at the curb, and the end point would be at the east side of the front yard at the curb.  We would have to go to the back yard, jump a creek, work our way around shrubs, ferns and other landscape, cross a bridge, and work our way out to the front yard and the end post. I mean those games were great.  Especially for the last two that took turns, because eventually everybody would lose interest in us and we would plot how we were going to 'cheat' and win the game.  Oh, there was a lot of shouting and laughter, and jolly good fun.  My brother and brother-in-law started this new way to play the game, and I thank them greatly, our Fourth of July was never, ever, dull.

But, once more, I've digressed.

What I really want to write about is some of the symbols of America.  Of course, there is the Eagle...which could have been the Wild Turkey (the bird not the whiskey) had Ben Franklin had his way.  There are the Historical Landmarks, Statues of the Fathers of our Nation, and the Declaration of Independence (which occasionally tours America), and the Constitution of the United States.

However, my favorite is the American Flag.  It has changed much in 238 years.  At the time I was born the flag had 48 white stars and 13 red and white stripes.  There was one star to symbolize each state, and the 13 stripes to represent the original states.  I have seen three of those symbols proudly flying overhead, those with 48, 49 and 50 stars.

History records that a woman named Besty Ross, a seamstress by trade, an upholsterer actually, was commissioned by George Washington to design the first national flag, and while researching for this blog, I read that George wanted a six pointed star, but Betsy knowing how difficult a six pointed star was to cut, showed him she could cut out a five pointed star with one clip of the scissors.  (Whether this is true or not...well, let's just leave this to American legend.)  At any rate, our nation's flag was born with five pointed stars.

I think I've mentioned how much I enjoy old time television shows, one of my favorites just happens to be a half hour show called Green Acres.  It's a silly little show, but its story lines are always unique, and I never know what the topic will be. But, I'm pretty sure yesterday's show was specifically chosen to be shown because...if you know the show at all, is about a New York City lawyer (Oliver Wendell Douglas) who always wanted to be a farmer, and watch the little seeds 'shooots' up into the air and grow into something wonderful.

However, rather than wearing farmer attire he had his lawyer suits for every occasion, plowing, fence pole digging, barn painting, etc.  Well, yesterday the local farmers were in the general store discussing that somebody had to speak to Oliver about not dressing like a farmer.  No one could, but he began to get the message when everywhere he went his 'plowin' suit was the general topic for discussion.

Oliver needed to wear coveralls.  Farmers wear coveralls.  The local farmers then have a discussion of where coveralls came from, and who actually made the first pair of coveralls?

Why, of course.

Betsy Ross.

And, the story line grew from there.  The farmers tried farming in suits, Lisa had Oliver's tailor make him a $150.00 pair of coveralls with mink straps, the farmers wives burned their husbands coveralls cause they liked their husbands working in suits.  It was a very funny show.

We all know Betsy Ross did not sew together the first pair of coveralls.  But she did do a bang up, firecracker job on the first flag.  For which we are all most thankful and a great many of us will display ours in our yards today in honor of America's birthday.

It's A Grand Old Flag

Written and composed by

George M. Cohan,

Chorus

You're a grand old flag,

You're a high-flying flag,

And forever in peace may you wave.

You're the emblem of the land I love,

The home of the free and the brave.

Ev'ry heart beats true

'Neath the Red, White and Blue,

Where there's never a boast or brag.

But should auld acquaintance be forgot,

Keep your eye on the grand old flag.

  Happ-E-birth-Day America!