Evelyn Dewars

There’s a little roadside stand on the old highway and sometimes I drive down the old highway just for a change of pace. I like to mix it up a little and not go the same way day after day after day. The old highway is more scenic, in an odd way. It has a mixture of stores and businesses and old homes that are still hanging in there resisting the commercialization of the road. The old highway has stop lights and billboards and this one special roadside stand selling local vegetables.

So I decided to drive home on the old highway tonight and went ahead and stopped at the roadside stand to poke around a bit. They have a nice selection of fresh tomatoes and green peppers, so I bought some of those. At least the locally grown veggies are excluded from the FDA’s ban on tomatoes as part of the salmonella scare. And I admit I don’t know much about the salmonella outbreak, but I have to wonder if this whole thing is because someone in the fields is contaminating what they pick? Or does it have to do with not storing them properly and not washing them thoroughly before cooking and serving them?

I do hope they figure this out quickly, because not everyone has access to a great little roadside stand that sells locally grown produce.

One of the most under rated, or perhaps underserved, holidays in America is Flag Day. I think it is every American’s duty to own at least one flag and to display it proudly on national holidays.

If you don’t already own a flag, I encourage you to take today’s designation as Flag Day to heart and go buy a flag for your house or yard. There is a reason why we sing the Star Spangled Banner at the beginning of every professional sports event. We need to remember and honor our forefathers and show our patriotism to all.

Mother was friends for life with a wonderful lady named, “June.” They were as close as sisters, and seeing as how neither one was blessed with a sister in their own homes, the fact that they found each other as young girls and maintained such a close friendship over the years was truly remarkable. After they married and had children, both families would get together often, sometimes even taking vacation trips together.

June retired and moved to Florida when she was still young enough to enjoy the warm weather and the recreational opportunities of the Sunshine State. We would visit every year during our trek to Orlando at spring break. She had a darling cottage in Sanford, Florida and real orange trees in her backyard. I was always impressed with that. Someday I would love to have a variety of citrus trees in my yard. As much as I love lemons and limes, I hope to have a couple of each of those plus an orange tree or two.