I’ve mentioned before that when I was in the Navy, away from home during the Vietnam War, and I saw our flag flying on the mast of our ship, it always reminded me of home, of Betty and the boys.

Today is Flag Day and this video from Red Skelton is a good reminder of what it means when we pledge allegiance to our flag. Red was a flawed man as we all are, but I truly believe he means his words here.

Though earlier Patriot flags had been pieced together, it was on 14 June 1777 — more than two years after the first shots of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord, and almost a year after the signing of our Declaration of Independence — that the Second Continental Congress adopted the familiar Betsy Ross 13-star banner as our American flag.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation, originating with the signing of our Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776, our flag has become the beacon of the American Liberty embodied in that Declaration and its irrevocable assertion of the unalienable rights of man, as later enshrined in our Republic’s Constitution.

Our flag is a symbol of hope for all people who embrace these eternal words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…

(The above was written by Mark Alexander of The Patriot Post.)

These are the last of the colors in our place, and will last a good part of the Summer.

First, our Lavender …

Small Cactus …

Large Cactus, Cholla …

Chaste Tree …

Finally, Betty’s Roses have gone crazy this year …

No matter how big or old. Everyone loves a dip in the pool.