War Story

From time to time I have the desire to write a war story but I am troubled by the need for excitement without incriminating anyone.  That is especially true of me.   I grew up in an era where my parents taught me to not suffer fools gladly.  That one fact alone should have made me cannon fodder for the old guns to pick off.  As it turned out, I survived not only those superior guns but those of an armed enemy that seriously wanted to take my life.  I am also stopped from writing because of the graphic nature of war.  If  I close my eyes and seriously look inside my distant thoughts.  I find it difficult to describe the mud, the blood and the beer without causing me to drift too close to places I am trying to cover up.  Kind of like a scab on a road rash that if you leave it well enough alone you can kind of forget the stupidity that caused you to get it in the first place.  Knock off the scab and all sorts of things start to happen and most aren't pleasant.

Back when I could still do most of the things I now need to live down.

We are home now and it sure is nice to be here.  The squirrels have started their annual hickory nut purge and the front walk is covered with an inch of nut hulls.  Those damned hickory nuts are like little pieces of shrapnel when the lawn mower throws them and if you blow them off the cement, they seem to make a line of defense that is truly bad.  Oh well, I'll still use the leaf blower and get them as far out as I can.  Perhaps if I use the big mower and blow them away from the house I can get away with it.

Squirrel City

This morning when I went out to fetch the paper (It wasn't there) the fog made all the spider webs stand out like they were miniature strands of pearls.  The weather was about 60 and really foggy.  I am not sure of there will be any sun today or not.  There isn't to be the heavy rains like yesterday but it will stay overcast for a while. 

Have you decided to start you major project list yet?  I am not talking about the every day duties that are a part of normal life, but the big things you would like to do.  I joke that there are things I would buy if I won the Lottery but I have all that I need and most of what I want right now.  I want to fix up the pickup or the 57 Chevy.   The 57 doesn't run great and it sure as hell doesn't stop well.  If I redo the car, I thing a rack and pinion steering  and disk brakes will be required to really make it drivable safely.  There are loads of little things but they will wait or be done in time.

Here in the Heartland it didn't rain any significant amount in July.  I mowed just prior to leaving two weeks back and it really needs it again.  I guess the moisture in August brought about a growth spurt that will carry over until the first frost.  I know that for years Barbara tells me that she wants to put the plants to bed with their feet wet.  No, I don't know why, only that I don't even try to argue growing things with her.  Yes Mam, moving the hose now boss.  If it rains, all I have to do is bring in the hoses for the winter.

Because we were gone (Perhaps we wouldn't have stopped it if we had been here) the deer have picked all the low hanging fruit off the trees in the orchard.  It is amazing that the deer can stand tall enough to reach pretty high on the trees.  Oh well, eat hearty deer, any you eat now will just probably be those that you won't get later.  I have fed deer apples through December in some years past.  I have also run out by Thanksgiving.  Either way, there are probably enough for Barb to make apple and or pear butter and freeze enough for a pie or two.  Barbara says the tomatoes were pretty pick over by the birds and there isn't much left to pick.  Oh well, I probably didn't need too many more BLT's.

On our trip to Idaho, we had a family gathering at Harry Berry Park in Twin Falls, ID.  It was great that most of the grandkids showed up and it was also nice that Doris and Betty (Mom's sisters) were there.  As you can probably tell from my posts, I love to see little kids having a grand old time.  Good food, good people and lots of smiles were had by all.   I still need to work on my tendency to over plan the food.  Here at home, I would have had a fridge full of leftovers.  There, we had to send them home with the local people.  Oh well, I'm sure they all got a chance to eat well.

Better cut it off here and move on smartly.  I would take a vacation to rest up but Barbara tells me I am retired and can do pretty much what I want.

MUD