Brute’s Bleat May 25, 2016

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Vanna usually makes our walks exciting, especially in the spring when everything seems to come alive after a long winter. In the instance above, her nose, like most dogs, is a thousand times more sensitive than humans, when she sniffed out a small mud turtle that was making its way through the grass in Ney Park. She was content to smell the turtle before we went on our way. I thought it might have been a June bug which has happened before, apparently turtles are new to her. Janis commented that each dog’s, (besides having outstanding noses) is unique, much like the fingerprints of humans, with none having identical nose prints. So much for dog lore!
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I would have liked to fill this column with some walleye fishing tales, but my postponed opener didn’t materialize and I have yet to wet a line. With rain promised for this week my next effort will be in Lake of the Woods out from the Northwest Angle beginning the day after Memorial Day. This year’s group consists of George Palmer, Mike Muller, my brother, Charles, and his friend, Wayne, and myself. We’ll be at the Angle for about a week and I’m looking forward to the shore lunches. Shore lunches have been part of the trip since way back and it was common to see fishing groups pulled up to an island with smoke from a wood fire curling up into the sky. The lunch break also gives a person a chance to stretch the legs. Shore lunches seem to have lost some of their appeal with today’s anglers, and we didn’t see any other groups a year ago.
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Maple Lake’s Memorial Day program is scheduled for the Community Park beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday and will be similar to previous programs. The rain site is the Legion Post 131 hall.
Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and was initiated to honor the soldiers for the Union and Confederate armies who died during the American Civil War.
Celebrations honoring Civil War heroes started the year after the war ended. The establishment of a public holiday was meant to unify the celebration as a national day of remembrance instead of a holiday celebrated separately by the Union and Confederate states. By the late 19th century, the holiday became known as Memorial Day and was expanded to include the deceased veterans of all the wars fought by American forces. In 1971, Memorial Day became a federal holiday.
The Memorial Day tradition in Maple Lake is to gather in a solemn group to remember the veterans who have died to preserve our freedom. Monday’s program will do that with a parade to the park as reported in last week’s Messenger. It’s a day to show respect for the United States flag as the Color Guard passes in review. That means to stand up (if you are able), remove your cap or hat, and stand at attention for the brief time the Color Guard moves by. Servicemen and former servicemen often give the flag a military salute which is also appropriate. Memorial Day is the unofficial beginning of summer and it could be a hot day so bring a chair to help you enjoy the program.

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