Ahhhh…Memorial Day Weekend…such a great American holiday.
Traditionally, there are family visits to cemeteries, mourning mixed with sweet memories, flag raisings, potluck dinners, neighborly get-togethers, BBQs, watermelon, lawn mowing, gardening, hiking, biking, fishing, sunbathing, the Indy 500, horseback riding (had to put that in there…right Gypsy?!), and all the good and the sad that go into this holiday. It’s a contradiction of sorts. A painful, joyful holiday. While some hurt over the loss of loved ones who died for our country in military service, others kick off the arrival of a brand new summer.
Hear Hear!
I wanted to learn more on the history on Memorial Day.
I discovered Memorial Day began after the Civil War but back then it was called Decoration Day. It was declared a holiday to honor deceased veterans by decorating their graves with flags and flowers. But whoa…the Confederates refused to celebrate on the same day those damn Yankees did, and in fact had many different days to honor their dead across the southern states.
It wasn’t until after WWI that tensions eased and a one-for-all Memorial Day was established for all American soldiers who died in any and all of our wars.
I do not have a grave to decorate, but in keeping with a new Freeka’s Funny Farm tradition…I have a live pig to decorate. Indeed, D.O.G. is booked for a deluxe spa and accoutrement session later today…on Decoration Day 2016.
On the funny farm, we lean toward the hedonistic side of this holiday, and celebrate summer with our best bohemian enthusiasm. Please allow me to share this memorable tradition, as created one year ago.
IT’S TIME TO CHILL!! (gritting teeth…thinking…um…heavy camera for a selfie…just take the dang photo…will I??? …and where is the pig?)
Why there he is…hot diggity D.O.G.!!
Let’s call this the pre-soak. It serves to remove any loose dirt or goobery thingys…
What a chill way to start the festivities…right D.O.G.?I made preparations for the next step as the pigster rested…hose showers are exhausting!
In order to decorate D.O.G. properly, as I see it, he must first get a facial, followed by a pedicure, a coconut oil rub, and plenty of sun screen powder puffs. In other words…a deluxe spa treatment.
But instead of traditional spa treatments that start with herbal tea or coconut water infused with essential things we never knew were essential…D.O.G. prefers a beer. Yup. And it sure makes a pedicure easier for the pedicurist. Please don’t report us to any even-toed-ungulate-cruelty-associations. I’m telling you…this is one happy-easy-going-cooperative pig with a beer in his belly. And he is far less likely to get nicked by the clippers.
Plus it’s his favorite part of the tradition….
Such admiration and appreciation for a good beer…
About this time I was laughing so hard it was all I could do to point and shoot without peeing my pants…
BEER BUBBLES!!!!(only a mama could love)
OK…it’s high time to get on with the spa treatments…
After all…no more beer…We started with a cleansing facial…
D.O.G. has deep folds on his face and quite a bit of eye discharge which is normal for a pig…
There’s an eye in there somewhere although I have never really seen it…Next…the pedicure…see Lily running away when the clippers come out…
I have so many clippers for dogs, cats, fences, weeds….but only one for a pig…
I’ll spare you the clip by clips of the job…it’s tedious and lasts about as long as the beer nap…then on to more pleasurable spa activities…a coconut oil rub and puffs of sunscreen to follow…
And now for the real fun…the decorating part…
Oops…I’m not very good at nail polish…especially with twitching toes…
Isn’t that the cutest little tail? (I kept telling him. Sometimes being a blind-buzzed pig works for the best)WAKE UP D.O.G.!! It’s Decoration Day!!!
Let’s honor our veterans…
…and our firefighters…
D.O.G. said…”Enough of this! I want to honor summertime! Too many brothers and sisters on the grill!!”
Well…OK then…howzabout some strawberries…
I swear he was humming ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’…
That is…until the watermelon showed up…
UH BOY!!!
…and that my friends is how we do Decoration Day on the funny farm…
2016 tradition coming right up!!! Wake up D.O.G.!!!
It’s Decoration Day!!!!