Memorial Day weekend may prompt visions of the red poppy known as Flanders or corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas). This beautiful flower inspired the poem In Flanders Field written by the Canadian doctor Lt. Col. John McCrae, who ran a field hospital during World War I.

Free pizza? In Shawano? It happened.

Free pizza was the ticket May 15 at Stubborn Brothers Brewery to help choose the cheese that will be featured on the pies at Stubborn Slice, the new venture of Erik and Aaron Gilling, owners of Stubborn Brothers.

Classic Neapolitan style pizza and thin crust pizzas will be on the menu.

FRIDAY, MAY 22

OCONTO: 46th annual Oconto Sportsmen’s Club Perch Derby, City Docks, Spies Road. Tickets $20 includes cash drawings. Weigh-in 3 p.m. Saturday.

SHAWANO: American Red Cross blood drive, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Shawano City Hall, 127 S. Sawyer St. Appointments at www.redcrossblood.org or 800-733-2767.

We recently enjoyed a birding trip to the southeast United States that rewarded us with sightings of many bird species not seen in Wisconsin. These included the wood stork, roseate spoonbill, yellow-crowned night heron and brown pelican among others. It also allowed us to see many more egrets than we’d see here in northeast Wisconsin.

I joined the American Legion Auxiliary in 2004. Jon had joined the Legion, and I’d just published “My Mother Kept a Scrapbook: The True Story of a WWII POW” by Gerhard Johnson. Lifelong fishing buddies, Jon and Gerhard were both born and raised in Elderon.

Make it fun and convenient to add some homegrown flavor to cookouts, garden parties and meals. Grow a few herbs in containers on a patio, deck or balcony.

Set a pot near the grill and fill it with favorite grilling herbs. Include some barbecue rosemary known for its especially good flavor and aroma suited to cooking. Plus, the strong stems make the perfect skewer, something guests are sure to remember.