Happy Memorial Day

In my dad's family, there's a story of the Caesar brothers - these were my dad's uncles (great-uncles) and they were all named for the emperors. Dad had an Uncle Julius, an Uncle August and an Uncle Octavius.

Anyway, Uncle August wanted to join the Union Army during the Civil War but he was too young - not sixteen yet. His folks said he had to stay and work on the farm. So one day he went out, hoed to the end of one row, and then took off - he'd apparently stashed his travelling gear in the hedgerow at the other end of the field.

In my family now, 'hoeing to the end of your row' means doing all the stuff you don't want to do to get to do the stuff you do want to do.

That's about all I know about Uncle August, that and the fact that he survived to come home.