Peace Vigil #15 May 1, 2007

The weather couldn't have been more cooperative. Sunny again today, and when we started the fifteenth Vigil for Peace in Ashland, Wisconsin, the wind was blowing hard out of the Northwest. It was barely into the affair and the winds became light and variable. Before that, the signs were being stressed and blown pretty much out of the hands of many of those assembled for the purpose of asking a world for peace.




Personally, I started out with my sign well before the 5:00 PM starting time. Others quickly joined me and we had a good bunch on the corner by five. For the third week in a row, there were over twenty people here for the Vigil. Twenty two to be exact, with two small children and a dog. No, not the same dog as last week, and yes, the same children. Both my Grandchildren by the way.




Last week we had the same count, and the week before we had 24 with 4 kids and a dog. We also added a noise function this week in honor of May Day. There were two drums, two harmonicas and a kazoo. The drums kept beating in short spurts of rythm, the harmonicas and kazoo not quite as much. No one took the reigns and sang out very much, although we did do John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" for a few bars.




The signs were plentiful. Four of the assembled rode their bicycles to the Vigil. It would be a hard chore to ride and carry a sign in the wind today. Those that rode bikes used a sign from the surplus we had assembled in the back of my pickup truck. Sorry, but the 'Peace Hydrant' visible last week was not in use because of the wind. When the wind did subside, I guess we all forgot to go get the old hydrant peace aparatus out of the truck and onto the hydrant! Some were mentioning the close resemblance to an outhouse.




Little Peace Gracie wore her new hand me down peace shirt. We are to believe the shirt says peace in Arabic, Jewish and English. We are firm believers in heeding the words of Crosby, Stills and Nash. You know, "Teach Your Children Well". Live like you are peacful and instill this in them and they'll have this trait for life. At least we hope and pray this is the case. It's a tough world out there. In the case of my nearly three year old Grand Daughter, it is a shame that she has never had a moment of her life when the country she was born into was not involved actively in a war.



The Mayor of Ashland was there again today. Not for the full hour, but he did drive by twice and honked his horn in approval twice before he finished his errands and joined us. Many more horn honks than fingers, and still a lot of apathy. It was great to see folks looking at their steering wheel to find the horn button so they could honk at us. The waves and peace signs also exude a nice feeling. When someone gives us the finger, we all say it doesn't bother us, but I know, at least in my case, that it does bother me. I want people to see that we're just asking for the killing to stop. I want them to want it to be over too. We'll just have to keep trying to remind them that war is a terrible thing and that we're here on the corner to remind everyone that at least a few people from Northern Wisconsin feel that way.



May Peace prevail on the Sacred Earth Mother. May the horror of war end soon. Enjoy the pictures of the good people of Ashland and surrounding communities. They represent all Americans.