Today in America we pause and reflect on "Memorial or Decoration Day. It is a federal holiday for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. In popular culture it is the beginning of summertime, celebrated with picnics, barbecues and  beaches. The solemness is often overlooked as the intention is to reflect upon those who gave their life in service of their country. Every town has a parade and there is a lot of patriotism and flag waving but we can never fully comprehend the suffering that this ultimate sacrifice bestows upon the families left behind after losing a loved one in war. When I was in High School we read a poem by Wilfred Owen, a 25 year old English infantryman who lost his life in WWI. It had a profound effect upon me. The poem is now 100 years old and theme of the devastation of war is still more appropriate than ever. If you would like to read it, here is a link to that poem entitled, "Dulce Et Decorum Est" 

The store will be closed today in honor of Memorial Day but of course the online store is open around the clock. We have recently added a "CHAT" button at the bottom right hand corner of each page. This allows visitors to the website to converse with someone at the store about products for sale. If no one is manning the site, your message will come as an email to us and we will get back to you as soon as we are back in the store. It is a handy tool and we have a had very good response.