Memorial Day

Hi.  Welcome to my blog.

Today we celebrate Memorial Day.

This is a Power Poppy Digital image.  I've loosely colored it with my Zigs

and lots of water.

WHY IS THE POPPY A SYMBOL OF MEMORIAL DAY?

In the war-torn battlefields of Europe, the common red field poppy (Papaver rhoeas) was one of the first plants to reappear. Its seeds scattered in the wind and sat dormant in the ground, only germinating when the ground was disturbed—as it was by the very brutal fighting of World War 1.

John McCrae, a Canadian soldier and physician, witnessed the war first hand and was inspired to write the now-famous poem “In Flanders Fields” in 1915. (See below for the poem.) He saw the poppies scattered throughout the battlefield surrounding his artillery position in Belgium.

“In Flanders Fields”

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Challenges:

Power Poppy Creative Confetti - Walk in the Garden

PS: There's still a great sale going on at Power Poppy!

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Perfect Poppies Digital (Power Poppy), Snippets (PB)

Ink:   Old Olive

Paper:   Mixed Media, Old Olive, Watercolor (Strathmore 300 Series)

Other:  Long Classic Rectangle (SPL), Zig CCRBM (50 yellow, 20 Red, 24 Wine Red, 46 Mid Green, 43 Olive Green, 72 Dk. Brown, 239 Spruce Green)