Today, it has generally been adopted as the official start of summer, although the calendar has the season about a month away.
Barbecue grills come out of storage.
Swimming pool covers are removed. Boats are hitched up to trailers. This year, because of the extra-long winter and a long wet spell that followed, home gardeners are finally getting a chance to plant their tomatoes and flower beds. Families, relatives and friends gather for reunions. Once, Memorial Day was a single-day observance dedicated exclusively to honor the nation's war dead.