Three Beautiful Things 03/30/20: In Memory of Uncle Bill, One Martini, Pleasures of Tea BONUS: A Limerick by Stu

1. In Kellogg, at the intersection of Railroad Ave. and Hill Street, the Silver Valley Veterans Memorial was dedicated on Veterans Day in 2005. One of the features of the memorial is the Wall of Honor where visitors can read the names of men and women from the Silver Valley who have served in the armed forces. I have visited the memorial and looked for my uncle's name and it wasn't there.

My uncle, William Earl Woolum, was killed in action during World War II at the Battle of Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands on October 6, 1943 on the USS Selfridge.

One night at the Lounge, I was talking with Doug Johnston and the subject of the Veterans Memorial came up and I told him about my uncle. Doug told me that the names go on the wall after the veteran or someone on the veteran's behalf submits an application. Before I knew it, Doug told Cas I needed an application and suddenly Cas reappeared with an application in hand and I took it home.

I put the application on my now cleared off and taken down card table in the Vizio room and it disappeared.

I unearthed it Saturday. Today, I finally filled it out and will mail it in for the consideration of the Silver Valley Veterans Memorial Committee. It'll be a while before the committee meets because of the pandemic.

2. A few Jumbles here. A crossword puzzle there. Checking the news from time to time. Before long, it's early evening and time to enjoy a single martini. It's good for me. It settles me down inside. It helps me fall asleep. It's a small pleasure, one I'm very grateful for. Two martinis are too many. I don't like the effect of more alcohol. But one. Just right.

3. I've read conflicting reports about whether drinking hot water beverages serves as a deterrent to the Coronavirus. Well, I say, nothing to lose -- these beverages don't cause harm. Therefore, I'm experiencing a former pleasure again drinking hot tea during the day. I enjoy black tea and I like herbal teas. So whether or not the lemon caraway tea or the English Breakfast Tea or the Bengal Spice Tea are good for virus fight, they are good for my sense of relaxation and pleasure and the taste and smell of these teas bring back some pleasant memories of tea drinking in my past.

Stu sent me a limerick for today:

The weather is taken for granted.
When not best for events then we've ranted.
Complain about rain,
Heat drives us insane.
But step back and look, it's enchanted.