Easter Morning A Tattered American Flag Waves In Texas While I Wear Tattered Clothes To Wal-Mart

I didn't realize until yesterday that today was Easter. Or maybe it was this morning.

Whenever it was that I knew today was Easter I decided I wanted to cook a ham.

I mentioned getting a last minute ham to Betty Jo Bouvier who proceeded to tell me the hams would be all picked over, should have been purchased a week ago and I'll be lucky if I'm able to find a scrappy ham. I may be paraphrasing.

I needed milk and bread, besides a ham, so I decided to go walking at Veterans Park and then go to the ALDI Food Market in Pantego to ham hunt.

On the way to Arlington I stopped to check my P.O. Box, at the Handley Post Office, and was surprised to see the flag flying on Sunday. On Easter.

Aren't there some sort of rules about how to display the American flag? I'm not one of those who gets all bent out of shape over such things. If someone wants to wear a bikini made from a flag, this does not bother me.

But, this American flag flying above the Post Office, in addition to flying on a Sunday, was also tattered, as in badly tattered and torn.

I know the U.S. Government is in really bad shape, running up deficits far beyond what anyone thought possible only a few years ago. I know the economy is still in bad shape.

So, is this tattered, torn American flag the new standard issue? Somehow symbolic of these troubled times in which we live?

After taking pictures of the tattered, torn American flag waving on a Sunday Easter morning in Texas, I continued on to Veterans Park.

At Veterans Park I saw several Easter picnics going on. I've noticed this on Easter ever since I moved to Texas. I thought maybe it was a Southern thing.

Then, this morning, after all this time in Texas, I realized that on Easter in Washington I would not have been in a park, I would have been stuck at some relative's Easter, so I've no idea what goes on in Washington parks on Easter.

Part way to Veterans Park it dawned on me that ALDI might be closed. I continued on anyway. After walking around Veterans Park I headed to ALDI. I passed the Pantego Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market. It was open. A sure sign that ALDI would be too.

That sign was wrong. I felt dejected. Easter ruined. No ham. On the way back here I dropped into my Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market. I looked at the Wal-Mart hams. None said buy me. I then saw the bake it yourself pizzas. One had ham on it. It said buy me. And so I did.

Being in my local Wal-Mart Easter Sunday, after church, put me in mind of a funny thing Betty Jo Bouvier sent me as part of her "REDNECK" emails.

"You might be a Redneck if your wife is quoted in the local paper saying..."

I was dressed more for Dollar Palace than Wal-Mart today, what with all those post-Easter service people all decked out in their Sunday finery and me in my hiking rags.