About five years ago everyone in the neighborhood got letters from the Lions Club, letting us know that for a specified yearly donation we could get a flag placed in our yard for every flag holiday. Through the years it caught on. I finally decided that we needed to do it too since just about every house out here had one up. I made several phone calls and finally found the right person. I told him we needed a flag because at this point we look like the most un-American house on the block. He said no problem and he'd put our address down on the list and send the form to me in the mail. I got the form, filled it out and went to write my check. You know when you're almost out of checks and the last few in the book have different designs? It's like the check reorder company wants to convince you to spend more so that every recipient of your check will know either that you like mountains or kittens or whatever. Anyway, I wrote my check...
All of a sudden I felt like I was getting extra points in patriotism, making up for all those years we'd gone without a flag in our yard. It was awkward but I sent it. It wasn't as bad as walking into the liquor store wearing a Blondie tshirt while they were playing Blondie but it was pretty close.
So now we have a flag in our yard for Memorial Day and every other flag-flying holiday, just like the all the other Americans in the neighborhood.
