Another thought...I regularly display a flag from a pole on the front of my house, and my husband has a large flag on a permanent flagpole in front of his business. I've found that a good cloth flag in the elements everyday only lasts about six months. We routinely buy new ones to keep them looking good. We prefer to keep the folded flag from his father's funeral in storage under glass. I've seen the nice frames and display cases, but have never bought one.

Flying the flag is personal to me because every time I display it I say a prayer for the men and women who died to honor all it stands for. I feel guilty when I forget and leave it out all night or when I let it get rained on. (I think etiquette says that if it's on a permanent flagpole or a light on it, it's OK to leave it out.)

I've noticed that a lot of people these days aren't aware of flag etiquette that I'm sensitive to. Our local paper printed up a paper picture of the Stars and Stripes for folks to cut out and put in their windows. I even made a mistake about a flag displayed in a church sanctuary. The rule is...if it's (the American flag) on a platform or dais, it is on the right (speaker's right), but if it's on the level of the audience, then it's on the audience's right. Live and learn.