Heidi's Mom

Aiden Lukas ~ My new grandson!

2010-01-22T17:46:00.000-08:00

Daron and Tony, Prom 2009

2009-05-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

2009-02-25T07:35:00.001-08:00

"Today, we award only the second Jefferson Award ever presented from Astronaut High School.

For those who have forgotten, the Jefferson Award is a very prestigious award for outstanding community service. Our second recipient is only a sophomore. This goes to show, you don’t have to wait to give back to your community. This person has contributed her time in many different areas. Whether cleaning up trash in our local parks or around town, stocking shelves of donated goods, planting trees or helping point people in the right direction, this person always wears a smile and enjoys giving back. In addition to giving back to the community, this person is a member of our SGA and also a member of our AHS varsity volleyball team.

Ladies and Gentleman please welcome our second Jefferson Award winner, Daron Drylie.” Astronaut High School, SGA

(pictured: Eli Devoss, Daron Drylie, Brad Flack)

2008-06-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

Endless Summer: Part Two

Scully: "Doug? Lifeguard Doug? Oh I didn't recognize you without your beach." ~ Beach Balls, 1988

Daron and her partner, Brandi, are enjoying playing beach volleyball this summer at Cocoa Beach Pier.

"Is this form good enough or what, Coach?"

I don't know about you, but I'm intimidated!

2008-06-09T08:03:00.000-07:00

Endless Summer, Part One

“If you vote for me, it will be summer all year round.” Napoleon Dynamite, 2004

A week at the beach to start the summer off right. Part of the group heads to the shore to watch the sun set and build a sand castle.

The ladies do most of the work while the gentlemen look on, supervise and offer suggestions.

A sea turtle, the gopher tortoises live near the condo.

The New Jerusalem.

Michael, Brittany, Marsh and Daron enjoy the sunset on Crescent Beach.

Marsh

Earlier in the week, Nathan proves he CAN fit into the baby seat of the grocery store shopping cart.

2008-05-25T14:23:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, Marsh ~ Class of 2008

2008-04-11T10:23:00.000-07:00

This news comes from Jim at the great blog Thinking Right.

Surely we can each write a supportive email to these sailors and send them some great love from home!

It’s time for a new Letters from Home project. This time I will be collecting letters for the Navy. I’ll be sending them off to the USS Russell — DDG-59. So, just like last time, please send generalized supportive emails to me, and I will make sure that they get to the men and women aboard the Russell. When you send your email, please be sure and put “Letters from Home” in the subject line. We’re aiming for about 250 emails, so I’m hoping to have them collected and packed up by the end of the month. As with last time, anything you all can do to help spread the word would be greatly appreciated.

By the way, they have their own blog there on the Russell. There’s some great writing going on there! Their crew gives you a good close look at life aboard a modern destroyer at war.

2008-03-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

Back in late February, I received a note from Garry Trudeau thanking me and Heidi for our contribution to the new book, The Sandbox. Heidi and I didn't contribute much to the book, but we were happy for the shout out and the service patch is really nice. Mr. Trudeau's note came the same week as the one from the Prez, so it was a pretty good week, mail-wise.

If you haven't ever dropped in at the SandBox, please do so and preferably when you have the time to read a few dozen of the blogs from soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. You can find the Sandbox here. It would be good for you.

And check the book out. You need a copy. Buy one for a friend.

Here is my note back to Mr. Trudeau.

March 31, 2008

Dear Mr. Trudeau:

It was with great excitement that I received your note of February 29th, thanking me for my contribution to The Sandbox. Heidi and I appreciate your kind note and the enclosed service patches. It was my honor and privilege to have but a small part in The Sandbox and to the blog I kept going while Heidi was deployed.

You have long had a fan in me and now I add to this lifelong admiration, a sincere appreciation for what you have done and continue to do for our service personnel and their families. As I shared with David some time again, I have often felt alone with regards to my concern for our military, especially when my daughter was deployed, as no one about me has any connection whatsoever with the GWOT except to complain about “how long it is taking to bring it all to a conclusion”. My friends and acquaintances seem totally unaware that we, the families of the soldiers and the soldiers themselves, could not want a ‘conclusion’ any less than the rest of the citizens of this great country. Thank you for the part you play in not letting them forget.

My daughter, Heidi, is now a sergeant and stationed at Ft. Jackson where she takes care of incoming soldiers and teaches classes to other soldiers in training there at Jackson. Not a day goes by that I don't thank God she is home safe. Her fiancé, Sgt. Rob Eshleman, is currently stationed in Baghdad after a 16 month tour in Afghanistan. We miss him very much.

Life goes on and the war continues with no end in sight. Soldiers and civilians continue to die as we struggle to make sure no one forgets our armed forces, their families and their sacrifice. Thank you for your commitment to doing the same.

Most sincerely,

Heidi's Mom

2008-01-17T08:17:00.000-08:00

Hector
July 6, 2006 - January 15, 2008

"If I were only not his god."

Abandoned at birth, adopted by the world, missed by all ~ if only we had known that summer day, how much you would come to mean to us and how much we would miss you.

Hector Drylie passed away on January 15, 2008.

Click here.

“Hector”

Companion, Protector, Friend

Strength, devotion, contentment, determination,
unbridled happiness, unconditional Love.
You left us too soon.
Hector was buried with his soccer ball,
but left behind broken hearts and a significant void.
We miss you, you big lug!

Family and Friends

2007-11-28T15:49:00.000-08:00

2007-10-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Masterpieces

2007-10-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

"Yes, I love him. I love those hick shirts he wears with the boiled cuffs and the way he always has his vest buttoned wrong. He looks like a giraffe, and I love him" ~ Ball of Fire, 1941.

A few weeks ago, Marsh, Daron and I were heading home after an extremely long day at the office. Volleyball season was dragging on as it often does this time of year and deadlines for Yearbook assignments weren’t helping either. Add to that, finals for the first quarter loomed on the horizon. We had started to dream about the days we could go home straight from school without hanging around for the extra four to six hours per night the season sometimes brings.

Coming home any time after five o’clock is a challenge what with traffic behaving even more ‘trafficky’ than usual and we soon found ourselves hung up at a light with cars backed up for what seemed like miles. Dinner and homework would have to wait as we inched along at a snail’s pace towards home and the remainder of the day. About the time the vehicles started to move, Daron (seated traditionally in the backseat) exclaimed,

“Is that a GIRAFFE in the woods?!”

A giraffe? Too late, and wisely not slamming on the brakes, our sedan proceeded and the moment was lost.

Let me mention before we go on any further that the ‘woods’ in question are off Mitchell Hammock Road in Oviedo, not the Serengeti. In the next few weeks, it became a joke to tease Daron with, “Is that a GIRAFFE over there in that parking lot?” or “I think I just saw a GIRAFFE behind the McDonald’s!” And of course, every single time we passed by the ‘spot’ where she first saw the giraffe, Marsh and I made a big show of looking for it once again. Daron, a good sport as always, but clearly not amused. Weeks passed.

Saturday, Daron and I dropped in to our neighborhood post office way out here in east East Orlando. A private road runs alongside the parking lot for the post office and the property abuts the edge of few acres of private property. 'Do Not Enter' and 'Trespassers will be shot': I have never in 18 years seen anyone on the premises. Not a human, not an animal, not a car, not a mobile home. NOTHING.

“Daron,” I said. “What in the world is THAT?”

Closer inspection revealed, you guessed it, a giraffe. Staying on our side of the fence, Daron and I took pictures.

The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is a cud-chewing, cool looking, hoofed mammal from Africa, the tallest of all land-living animal species. The giraffe has keen sight, smell and hearing. Giraffe can see miles away, communicating with distant friends. Giraffes can inhabit savannas, grasslands, or open woodlands and prefer areas enriched with Acacia growth. Giraffe are able to spend long periods of time in dry, arid areas, but when searching for food will venture into areas with denser foliage.

The average male is about 17 feet tall and weighs around 3000 pounds, the female is slightly smaller. Giraffe only sleep about two hours a day. The giraffe is related to deer and cattle and its closest relative is the okapi. Its range extends from Chad to South Africa.

A Giraffe In Peking: Painting of a giraffe taken from Africa to China by Admiral Zheng He in 1414. The giraffe spent the remainder of his/her life in a Ming Dynasty zoo.

The Gathering of Manna, 1540, by Francesco Bacchiacca, depicts the first living giraffe to be seen in Italy since the days of Ancient Rome. "The Medici Giraffe", as it was known, was presented to Lorenzo de Medici, Florence, Italy in 1486.
The Nubian Giraffe, by Jacques-Laurent Agasse, 1827, depicts one of three giraffes sent to Europe by Mehmet Ali Pasha. In her lifetime, the giraffe seems not have been given a name, but was referred to as "the giraffe". Now she is known by the name Zarafa, Arabic for "charming" or "lovely one. When she was presented to the King at the chateau of Saint-Cloud in Paris in July, 1827 over 100,000 people came to see her ~ approximately an eighth of the population of Paris at the time. Honoré de Balzac wrote a story about her, Gustave Flaubert (then a young child) travelled from Rouen to Paris to see her. French hair was arranged in towering styles 'à la girafe', spotted fabrics were all the rage, porcelain and other ceramics were painted with giraffe images. At her death eighteen years later, Zarafa’s corpse was stuffed and displayed in the foyer of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris before being moved to the museum at La Rochelle, where it remains to this day.

Other famous and not so famous giraffes:

Geoffrey Giraffe, the Toys "R" Us mascot

Longrack from Beast Wars

Girafarig from Pokémon

Melman from Madagascar

Books about giraffe:

Tall Blondes: A Book About Giraffe by Lynn Sherr

Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys by H.A. Rey

The Medici Giraffe by Marina Belozerskaya

Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith and Adjoa Andoh

Zarafa: A Giraffe's True Story, from Deep in Africa to the Heart of Paris by Michael Allin

Did you know there is a giraffe cam at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, CO?

After seeing his picture on a milk carton, our giraffe has decided to go back home after months on the lam.

Why a giraffe? Why not a panther, or a black bear, or maybe a cow, or a gator or a white-tailed deer? What are the chances?

What are the odds?

This post is for Miss Macy D, sweet friend and giraffe devotee.

2007-10-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

Why My Cats Sleep Outside

2007-10-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

"Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory" ~ Mahatma Gandhi

"If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?" Vincent Lombardi

Double click the picture to see it better. From left to right: (seated) Rachel, Jenna, (standing) Sammie, Christine, Daron, Emily, Zoe, Victoria, Katie and Coach Conley.

This past weekend, the The Master's Academy Lady Eagle JV Volleyball team participated in the Circle Christian School JV Volleyball Classic.

Not dropping a single game, the TMA JV took the place by storm, winning all five of their matches and walking away with the tournament trophy. Daron served 35 aces for the day and was awarded an all team tournament trophy.

"We've won some matches and we've lost some matches.
Winning is better!" ~ Mom

2007-10-19T07:46:00.000-07:00

My Daughter Went to Afghanistan and All I Got Was A T-shirt

Recently, I received what is perhaps the highest honor ever bestowed upon me. I was made an honorary member of the PSD and I have the t-shirt to prove it.

As you might remember, "the PSD" (personal security detail) is made up of the young men (and Heidi) who served together in Afstan. Most of them were together the entire 16 months they were deployed to the sandbox. Thick and thin.

MSG Leslie designed the shirt and did the artwork. As far as I am concerned, MSG was, and still is, Heidi's Guardian Angel. My friend, Chris at Florida Design Images, Inc., printed it up. Chris also did the shirts for the Gardez Volleyball Club way back what seems like years ago. Double click the picture to see the shirt better.

All the members of the PSD got one of the shirts, but I bet mine means the most to me. That's me up there, "Kiwi". MSG says it's for 'service to my country'. He has no idea what he and the boys mean to me.

Heidi's Mom

2007-10-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

"Truth be told, I never sailed a day in me life. I figure I should get out, see the world while I'm still young"~ Pirates of the Caribbean, 2007.

Roadtrip, Summer 2007

The day immediately following Heidi's arrival in O'Town, she and her dad went car shopping. I restrained myself and refused to go, leaving the job of haggling for the best price to the experts ~ Heidi and David. Ten hours later, both returned, bloodied and bruised, but Heidi now the proud owner of a new Corolla (or 'the Motorola', as her friends Cameron and Montana call it).

When the decision to purchase the car in Florida came up, it was also decided Heidi, Marsh, Daron and I would pack for a roadtrip and help Heidi take the new car home. Didn't want her driving the roughly 1,000 miles back to NY on her own, did we? Not that she hadn't traversed thousands of dangerous miles in the sandbox or anything. Not like she doesn't have an EXCELLENT head for directions or couldn't get herself out of a pickle should she need to....

All smiles at the beginning of the trip, I believe we got along really well for such tight quarters. A pub in Savannah, GA.

The requisite horse and carriage trip ~ later in the evening, we took a "walking ghost tour", but didn't see any apparitions.

The Kehoe House, 'haunted house'built it 1892 and purchased by Joe Namath in 1980. Rumor is that ‘Broadway Joe’,planned on turning the Kehoe House into a nightclub and disco. Locals threatened to burn it to the ground if he did. Namath sold the house in 1989 for $530,000, making a profit of roughly seven times what he paid for it.

As we had seen D.C. recently, the three of us opted for a nice morning in Alexandria, VA instead.

King Street Blues, Alexandria. Perhaps the best meal we ate the entire trip.

Daron got a picture of each and every one of the 'welcome to' signs from Florida to New York. I risked my life to get a couple of the shots.

One of my favorite parts of the trip, a riverboat ride in Alexandria Bay, NY. The boat takes you up in to Canada, the only way we could go without a passport.

Marsh and Daron enjoy the view.

Boldt Castle.

Total Strangers.

Crazies from out of town.

A dire warning.

The Liberty Bell, Philadelphia.

The kids and Tony, our travel guide with the Philadelphia Duck Tours. If you haven't heard the song "Philadephia Freedom" sung in awhile, you need to go see Tony.

Meet me South of the Border, the Twilight Zone of 'theme parks'.

One of Daron's friends at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

In 2006, The National Aquarium won a Best of Baltimore award for "Best Over Priced Destination for Families." We think this is a little harsh. I had a great time.

A 'glass' of sweet tea at Phillip's Restaurant at the Harbor.

Next Time: "It's Niagara, Like the Falls"

Kerri

2007-10-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

"It's not about living forever, Jackie. It's about living with yourself forever" ~ Pirates of the Caribbean, 2007.

Carol is the mother of 4 soldier sons, all Army Infantry. Carol says, "My husband and I used to be "hippies" and lived in tipis, earth houses etc. I was even arrested (30 years ago mind you) for demonstrating at the Trident Nuclear submarine base! So it seems incredibly ironic that all of our children joined the Army. But I think it has so much to do with these present times and their unwillingness to sit around and let others do all the work of protecting our freedom. So I am immeasurably proud of them and all the other service men and women for making this very tough choice, enduring amazing hardship, trials and loss, and defending our country and freedoms. We have now experienced the worst thing any military parent can experience. One of our sons has made the Ultimate Sacrifice in Afghanistan, serving as a 1LT and leading his platoon in the Pech River Valley."

Carol's son, Forrest, was killed in action, June 16, 2006, Operation Enduring Freedom, Pech River Valley, Afghanistan.

Please take the time to look at this tribute below of a mother to her son and check out Carol's Myspace where she has more information about Forrest and her other three brave sons, Oaken, Elisha and Stephen.

Death is Nothing At All

Henry Scott Holland (1847-1918) Canon of St Paul's Cathedral

It does not count.

I have only slipped away into the next room.

Nothing has happened.

Everything remains exactly as it was.

I am I, and you are you,

and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched,

unchanged.

Whatever we were to each other, we are still.

Call me by the old familiar name.

Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.

Put no difference into your tone.

Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes

that we enjoyed together.

Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.

Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.

Let it be spoken without an effort,

without the ghost of a shadow upon it.

Life means all that it ever meant.

It is the same as it ever was.

There is absolute and unbroken continuity.

What is this death but a negligible accident?

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?

I am but waiting for you, for an interval,

somewhere very near,

just around the corner.

All is well.

Nothing is past; nothing is lost.

One brief moment and all will be as it was before

--only better, infinitely happier and forever---

we will be one together in Christ.

2007-10-15T05:31:00.000-07:00

"Hal, this isn't funny.... that behavior isn't acceptable. You're right. Boys ~ the next time you drive a golf cart over a catered lunch and into a swimming pool there will be consequences!" ~ Lois, Malcolm in the Middle

How about I not waste your extremely valuable time making excuses why I haven't been blogging? Suffice to say I had a wake up call this past weekend, a reminder of how many families are still out there waiting for their precious child to come home safely just like mine did. Please forgive me.

Heidi and Rob, home safely from Afghanistan.

Mindy is home, too! Her mom, Lynda, tells me Mindy won't be going back to Iraq any time soon. From her mouth to God's ear. Lynda's family threw a big welcome home party and Mindy bought a new Jeep she just loves. Lynda plans on taking down the red, white and blue lights she has had on the house for the five years Mindy has been deployed and put up real Christmas lights this year. Looks like things are back to normal, but for some reason I am sure it will take a whole lot longer and a whole lot more than a party, a new Jeep and some Christmas lights for it to truly be the way it was before Mindy left. War is like that.

Left to right: Jim, Lory, Matt, Uncle Dave, Aunt Mimi, Uncle Jack, Aunt Linda, Mike, Gramma Evelyn, Lynda, Mindy and Pete

Mindy and the Jeep

Welcome Home, Mindy!

Heidi's Mom

2007-07-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

"The things we did last summer, I'll remember all winter long" ~

Sammy Cahn,1913-1993

2007-07-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

"Well, you can forget your troubles with those Imperial slugs. I told you I'd outrun 'em. Don't everyone thank me at once."
Star Wars, 1977

Last Friday, we gathered at Orlando International Airport to welcome Heidi home. It was SO good to see her and I think Marsh and Daron were a little overwhelmed at first. What do you say first when you haven't seen your sister in almost two years? Within a few minutes though, it was as though she had never been away......

Aunt Tami, Marsh, Jamie and Daron.

Aunt Tami gets the first hug.

My motley crew, together again at last....

Heidi and her cousin, Jamie

First thing on the agenda? Heidi buys her first new car and takes 'the chids' to the beach.

Daron lookin' cool and feelin' fresh.

Marsh makes up for lost time.....

2007-06-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

The Ladybug Picnic

Posted for no other reason than it makes me smile.

2007-06-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

Heidi is coming home!

Friday, June 29th, 2007
Jet Blue flight #661, arriving at 7:02 p.m.,
Orlando International Airport

2007-06-07T06:55:00.000-07:00

"Nancy did not like to be told that she was pretty. She preferred to be called interesting." ~ The Secret of Red Gate Farm, 1941.

High on a bookcase in the study, resides one of my most prized possessions ~ my Nancy Drew books. My mother gave me her volumes and over the years I spent my allowance and baby sitting money adding to my collection. When Heidi came along, she and I added more and among the three of us, countless hours of our childhoods were spent reading about Nancy’s exploits.

Capable, level-headed, poised, independent, gentle, well-mannered, tough yet feminine, socially active, athletic and interested in the arts, Nancy - a tall, blonde - spent her life looking for trouble wherever trouble might be. Though her mother died when she was a small child, Nancy had the backing and respect of her father, Carson Drew, a famous Mid-West lawyer, and with his help and the help of her ‘chums’ George, Bess and Ned, Nancy solved over 350 mysteries during her seventy five year career. Remarkably, Miss Drew never worked for a living, but the job skills she acquired and the wisdom she obtained would come in handy for any woman trying to make her way in this world.

Everything I ever really needed to know I learned from Nancy Drew.

Be independent. However, when you can’t do it by yourself, at least be in charge.

Keep fresh batteries in the torch (flashlight) and a magnifying glass in the glove compartment. Since no one wears gloves anymore, there should be plenty of room.

Traveling at high speeds on gravel roads, breaking and entering, trespassing into abandoned bungalows and musty attics, sneaking around ivy-covered mansions and castle dungeons, opening locked doors, chests and drawers ~ all are acceptable when trying to solve a mystery.

When helping the underprivileged (or friends for that matter), be undaunted by the money or time spent.

Take a date to prom capable of moving fallen trees.

Fulfill social obligations and attend scheduled community functions before heading out to do your sleuthing.

Good relations with the house keeper are very important, though they are often laid up with an injury or out of town when you really need them.

Keep the phone number for the orthopedist close to the phone, or if you have a cell phone, put him/her on speed dial.

A flower garden keeps you busy between cases.

At all times be prepared to ride a horse, drive a boat, pilot a plane, fix your own car (or find someone capable enough to do it), break out of a closet, scuba dive or tap dance in Morse code.

Beware of shady characters.

Even though you might have perhaps had a volatile relationship with law enforcement in your early years, the police can come in handy should you ever be threatened by villains later in life.

An attractive swim suit and a change of eye-catching clothing should be kept close at hand for emergencies.

Being a ‘daddy’s girl’ has its perks.

Should you find your friend in a predicament, move heaven and earth to get her out.

Having an attorney in the family may come in handy should you need assistance with titles, stocks, bonds, wills and securities fraud.

Store the family jewels in a safety deposit box.

Roadside tearooms and quaint inns are better than Burger King and a La Quinta.

There may come at least one time in your life where you will be forced to obstruct justice by harboring ‘wanted’ but seemingly innocent fugitives in your home.

Never accept land won in a contest.

Even the most mundane of towns can be home to burglars, jewel thieves, smugglers, kidnappers and organized crime syndicates.

Grateful friends give lovely gifts as thank yous.

Being proficient with a gun/revolver is important during times you need to threaten or kill dangerous wildlife.

Always have at least one friend who is forever on a diet and one friend who is a tomboy. You will be able to compliment them both and keep them grounded.

Spend time with a man who understands what your priorities are, yet remains patient. He should allow you to control the relationship even if it means last minute changes in plans. He should be a college graduate and play a sport, preferable football.

Having a convertible is never frivolous as long as it is a Mustang. Trade it in often for newer models making sure to get a variety of colors.

Eavesdropping is appropriate and often necessary.

Fashionable frocks, pearls and high heels are a staple in any woman’s wardrobe. Tasteful suits should be accompanied by a matching hat and shoes should always coordinate with your handbag.

Kerri

"If worry were an effective weight-loss program, women would be invisible." Nancy Drew

2007-06-05T07:19:00.000-07:00

David 'D.J.' Emery Jr., of Bellefonte Receives his Purple Heart

Back in April, I told you about DJ Emery and his wife Leslie.

Marine Corporal David Emery Jr. of the Battalion Landing Team of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit was serving in Iraq. David, aka "DJ", graduated high school in 2003. DJ's unit was extended past their rotation date of January 1st and he was hoping to make it home in time for his child's birth.

On February 7th, 2007, DJ was at a checkpoint near a crowded place when a terrorist walked up to the Marines. DJ's Battalion Sergeant Major, Joseph Ellis (a recon Marine of 23 years), suspected that a bomber was approaching and put himself between the bomber and his Marines.

The bomber quickly detonated himself, instantly killing Sergeant Major Ellis. The Sergeant Major's sacrifice absorbed enough of the blast to barely keep DJ from being killed. DJ was hit hard in his abdomen - an artery was cut causing kidney failure - both legs and one arm were shattered, and, in fact, his wounds were so severe that doctors didn't think that he'd make it. On the 18th, DJ was strong enough to make the trip from Germany to the US (Bethesda). DJ is still fighting for his life.

CarePages sends me daily updates on DJ and his progress. Honestly, I don't know how he has done it. There were points in time I thought every update might bring bad news, but by DJ's will power and that of his mother, Connie and wife, Leslie, and the prayers of those who love him, DJ is making slow, very slow, progress.

DJ finally gets to hold his new baby girl, Carlee.

President Bush presents Marine Sgt. David D.J. Emery Jr., of Bellefonte with a Purple Heart Friday at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. I think the President invited DJ to visit him at the White House when he is able.

DJ is moving this week to Walter Reed and will probably sometime in the near future be at Fisher House or a facility like it.

Go back and pledge. You need to and you know you want to.

2007-06-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

Next October, When I Run the Boston Marathon....

Okay, so I am not running in a marathon, Steven Kane is. Steven is a member of the Nebraska National Guard and he is running the Chicago Marathon on October 7th. All 26.2 Miles, yikes! You know my opinion on running....

Oh yes, and he is training while serving in Iraq. Go here to see his training program.

Go here to pledge.

All proceeds go to the Fisher House, which provides "comfort homes," built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to their soldier during the hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease, or injury.This is the most worthy cause I have found in a long, long time.

Remember JR Salzman? He and his family spent time at the Fisher House.

What are you doing just sitting there? Go pledge.

2007-06-03T07:38:00.001-07:00

The Last Days of Chez JBAD

It's taken me a few weeks as you can see to come down out of the clouds. Heidi is finally back in the US of A, but not really home. That momentous event won't happen until later this month and then we only get her for a few weeks. I refuse to be anything but content and grateful, especially when soldiers continue to die every day in Iraq and Afghanistan, when there are soldiers still missing, soldiers fighting for their lives in military hospitals and other military families are still separated from their loved ones. So as you can see, it's a 'mixed bag' of emotions ~ extreme delight at our good fortune and guilt that we are the fortunate ones.

This doesn't mean I am not so happy I just about can't stand it. Heidi looks fabulous and I don't think I have seen her in such high spirits in ten years. Honestly. It's a combination of a lot of factors I am sure, some I won’t even begin to try to understand or explain, but there it is.

Last Saturday evening, I flew into Syracuse and spent the night in one of the worst hotels I have ever had the bad luck of finding. Only by reminding myself that this room would seem like a palace to most of our soldiers serving around the world did I keep from having a pity party for myself. Sunday morning, I traveled up to Watertown and the Ft. Drum area only getting lost once which if you know the way from the airport to the fort will seem like quite the feat.

Heidi’s dear friend, Sherry, met me for lunch, gave me the grand tour of Watertown and graciously took me to the base where I produced my birth certificate, passport, driver’s license, Social Security card, Sam’s Club membership and library card for a pass. Finally, Sherry and I sited McGrath Gym where the welcome home festivities would be held later that night. I would have difficulties finding this gym and the way off the base for the rest of the weekend.

I arrived at McGrath Gym two hours before the 10:00 p.m. scheduled arrival. Just my luck I figured, if I didn’t, for once the Army would be early and I would miss the entire thing. Imagine that - sixteen months, thousands of miles, hundreds of tears, terrifying days, weeks and I would miss it? I think not.

They at last marched in, four rows, hundreds of soldiers, all dressed alike, all looking ahead, caps down over their eyes. I couldn’t find Heidi anywhere. The short, ten minute ‘ceremony’ and I don’t recollect anything that was said. In conclusion, the commander said, “and so they are dismissed.....” The rest of us knew there would be music, the national anthem, a prayer and then the rush, but not one little girl, a daughter maybe two years old, who ran out from the crowd of anxiously waiting family members and friends. She ran straight to her dad and hugged him around the knees, not letting go. It was what we all wanted to do, but couldn’t. I envied her. The national anthem, lots of tears, and finally the rush to find each other.

It was a magnificent few days. Like a dream. I cannot believe Heidi is really home. She kept my camera to use for a few days (weeks), so I don’t yet have the pictures I took of her and the short, sweet welcome home ceremony. Nevertheless, she has sent me some pictures I will share with you and when she finally comes home, maybe I can spare a few moments of her time with you.

Thank you for being there with me all of this long, difficult, proud time, dear friends. I will never forget.

Heidi’s Mom

Heidi found this beautiful spot in JBAD, someone's cherished garden. She says she came here often and dreamed of home.

Our soldier, we are very proud of you, Heidi.

Most of the crew, all are safe and home at last.

The Colonel and Heidi at her re-enlistment ceremony. Colonel says it was appropriate to have it on the volleyball court, Heidi's second home.

_3936.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071871659003169874" />Heidi and Rob

2007-05-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

No Time To Do Much of Anything....

Between baby showers (2 of them), dances (2 of them), birthdays (I forgot the number), trips to theme parks, pool parties, putt putt golf hole construction, volleyball tournaments, awards desserts, last minute school projects, mountains of dirty laundry and dishes and most important, planning and packing for my trip to finally welcome Heidi home.....I have not had much time for blogging. Look at this, hopefully laugh, and I promise loads of pictures and amusing anecdotes when I get back.

Much love.

Kerri

2007-05-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

Prom 2007, Part Two

Jerad lines up and does the limbo.

Mack and Julie. There seemed to be a shortage of chairs all night.

Marsh adds his spin on the limbo routine.

More of me stalking Brett and Laura.

The party danced to the macarena, YMCA and some sort of chicken dance.

Becca and her beautiful dress.

Some took their shoes off, some kept them on....

And still the beat went on......

2007-05-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

A Walk on the Red Carpet, the Junior-Senior Prom, 2007

Marsh and Ashley agree to pose for pictures behind her lovely home on the lake.

Brett and Laura had a fabulous time and, from the looks of things, I think they prefer each others company to anyone's. Both thought I was stalking them until it was revealed I promised Brett's mom, Jodi, I would take pictures.

I am not sure who the girl in black is, but the one in red is Christa, one of my favorite people and a good friend of Marsh's. You have seen Christa before. She played 'The Matchmaker', Mrs. Dolly Levi last fall.

Stevie and Lynn enjoy a night out. They were the only couple I saw doing the tango. Marsh and Daron agreed, this color blue is perfect for Lynn.

Every good dance demands everyone does the limbo. Thank goodness I was too busy to join in.

More later. I am too busy packing.

2007-05-14T03:32:00.000-07:00

On Being Mom
by Anna Quindlen, Newsweek Columnist and Author

If not for the photographs, I might have a hard time believing they ever existed. The pensive infant with the swipe of dark bangs and the black button eyes of a Raggedy Andy doll. The placid baby with the yellow ringlets and the high piping voice. The sturdy toddler with the lower lip that curled into an apostrophe above her chin.

All my babies are gone now. I say this not in sorrow but in disbelief. I take great satisfaction in what I have today: three almost-adults, two taller than I am, one closing in fast. Three people who read the same books I do and have learned not to be afraid of disagreeing with me in their opinion of them, who sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me laugh until I choke and cry, who need razor blades and shower gel and privacy, who want to keep their doors closed more than I like.

Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom, zip up their jackets and move food from plate to mouth all by themselves. Like the trick soap I bought for the bathroom with a rubber ducky at its center, the baby is buried deep within each, barely discernible except through the unreliable haze of the past.

Everything in all the books I once pored over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach., T. Berry Brazelton., Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education, all grown obsolete. Along with Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are, they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories.

What those books taught me, finally, and what the women on the playground taught me, and the well-meaning relations --what they taught me, was that they couldn't really teach me very much at all. Raising children is presented at first as a true-false test, then becomes multiple choice, until finally, far along, you realize that it is an endless essay. No one knows anything. One child responds well to positive reinforcement, another can be managed only with a stern voice and a timeout. One child is toilet trained at 3, his sibling at 2.

When my first child was born, parents were told to put baby to bed on his belly so that he would not choke on his own spit-up. By the time my last arrived, babies were put down on their backs because of research on sudden infant death syndrome. To a new parent this ever-shifting certainty is terrifying, and then soothing.

Eventually you must learn to trust yourself. Eventually the research will follow. I remember 15 years ago poring over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful books on child development, in which he describes three different sorts of infants: average, quiet, and active. I was looking for a sub-quiet codicil for an 18-month old who did not walk. Was there something wrong with his fat little legs? Was there something wrong with his tiny little mind? Was he developmentally delayed, physically challenged? Was I insane? Last year he went to China. Next year he goes to college. He can talk just fine. He can walk, too.

Every part of raising children is humbling, too. Believe me, mistakes were made. They have all been enshrined in the, "Remember-When-Mom-Did Hall of Fame." The outbursts, the temper tantrums, the bad language, mine, not theirs. The times the baby fell off the bed. The times I arrived late for preschool pickup. The nightmare sleepover. The horrible summer camp. The day when the youngest came barreling out of the classroom with a 98 on her geography test, and I responded, What did you get wrong? (She insisted I include that.) The time I ordered food at the McDonald's drive-through speaker and then drove away without picking it up from the window. (They all insisted I include that.) I did not allow them to watch the Simpsons for the first two seasons. What was I thinking?

But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs.

There is one picture of the three of them, sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it
done a little less.

Even today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't, what was me and what was simply life. When they were very small, I suppose I thought someday they would become who they were because of what I'd done. Now I suspect they simply grew into their true selves because they demanded in a thousand ways that I back off and let them be.

The books said to be relaxed and I was often tense, matter-of-fact and I was sometimes over the top. And look how it all turned out. I wound up with the three people I like best in the world, who have done more than anyone to excavate my essential humanity.

That's what the books never told me. I was bound and determined to learn from the experts. It just took me a while to figure out who the experts were....

2007-05-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

Cinco de Putt Putt

This past Friday, we celebrated Cinco de Mayo at TMA. Though it was officially Quattro de Mayo, hotter than cayenne pepper, and before we could all get away safely an ambulance was called, we still had a tremendously good time.

Cinco de Mayo (translated as "The Fifth of May" in Spanish) is the date observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. A common misunderstanding in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day. It’s not. Mexico's Independence Day is September 16 (Dieciséis de septiembre), and is celebrated with food, music and fireworks like we celebrate the 4th of July in the United States.

Cinco de Mayo celebrations include food, drink, music and dancing. We played mini-golf or ‘putt putt’ and had a soccer match. I couldn't find any documentation of Cinco de Mayo celebrations being celebrated with miniature golf and soccer, but what do I know?

Remarkably, after much research, I found more information about mini-golf than Cinco de Mayo!

This year on May 12, 2007, National Miniature Golf Day will have its inaugural celebration. Yes, from now on, every second Saturday of May will be National Miniature Golf Day. It is officially recognized and will be published in 2008's edition of Chase's Calendar of Events. Who says we aren’t on the cutting edge and ahead of our time?

Miss Matz, you knew this all along, right?

Minigolf was developed from golf during the 19th century. The best candidate as the "first minigolf course in the world" is the Ladies' Putting Club of St. Andrews in Scotland, which was founded in 1867, and is still operating and open to the public. This 18-hole course of putting greens, called "the Himalayas", was founded by some members of the notorious Royal & Ancient Golf Club in St. Andrews. Women had become interested in the game of golf, but conservative social norms of the era deemed it 'unacceptable' for women to publicly perform the violent movements that swinging a golf club requires. Therefore, an 18-hole course of short putting greens was constructed for women – apparently the first "miniature golf course" in the world.

In the early years, minigolf was extremely fashionable among movie stars and celebrities. During the 1930's, there were approximately 30,000 mini-golf courses throughout the country with over 150 rooftop courses in New York City alone!

Americans were hooked on miniature golf because here was a sport that any gender, any age could excel without being a well-conditioned athlete and an estimated four million Americans played miniature golf.

After the stock market crash of 1929, regulation minigolf links became too expensive for most people to afford. In spite of this, the desire to play this most popular game continued to flourish. The ingenuity of the players during this depressed period of American History spawned what became known as "Rinkiedink" golf. Undaunted by convention, enthusiastic players would use any space available to set up these unique and crazy courses. Due to the need for lights at night, many of these courses were built under a brilliantly illuminated billboard sign with the playing surface made of a clay or hard sand surface. There was even a green dye called "Grassit" which was used to color the ground to look like grass.

The first trade name mini course was developed and called ‘Tom Thumb Golf’. This course became the miniature golf most people know today as minigolf with an obstacle course and play-through hazards. Outdoor courses were landscaped with trees, flowers, shrubs, rookeries and fountains with umbrellas, easy chairs and snack bars to round off the ambiance. Look here for some really great old mini golf courses.

Indoor courses required imitation as well as miniaturization and came with their own set of design imperatives: ceilings were painted blue, supporting columns disguised as oaks or palms, and walls covered with canvas murals depicting open countryside or famous fairways. Balconies were transformed into clubhouses or verandas, offering drinks, snacks and rooms to gamble or play bridge. Some courses even provided caddies.

Public courses were open to anyone with a quarter or fifty cents. Miniature golf was one of the first outdoor sports that could be played at night – along with baseball and football. People could play an after-dinner round, purchase a combination movie and golf ticket or prolong a night at the theater by stopping on the way home to play in evening dress until the wee hours of the morning. Wanamaker's, the giant department store chain, featured Tom Thumb Fashions ~ "When you're Lilli-putting on the Miniature Golf Course ... remember your Clothes Technique!" Tom Thumb jackets with berets were $19.50.

Jump forward to the mid-1990's, and you find miniature golf ‘country club-designed courses’ holding the interest of players. Today's modern course features miniature replicas of regulation golf's "Famous Holes" complete with undulations, contours, moguls, water, sand & vegetation traps on the greens. Thus miniature golf now offers the player many of the challenges of real golf!

Though minigolf courses can be found in all parts of the world (the American Putt-Putt company had exported their minigolf courses to South Africa, Australia, Japan, India, Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil and the Eastern Block by the 1950s) their popularity is by far highest in the United States, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia and central Europe. In addition, there are pro mini golf tournaments held both nationally and internationally and a Pro Mini Golf Hall of Fame.

Muchos gracias to Janet for the fabulous pictures and to the US Pro Mini Golf Association for the info.

2007-05-03T06:05:00.000-07:00

My Dearest Heidi:

7,788 miles from home.

After all these months ~ way over a year ~ you will soon, finally, be back on American soil. Back where we can hug you and kiss you and never let you go again. I am counting the minutes, my bag is packed. I can't believe you are finally coming home. I will be there when your plane lands.

We are so proud of you, Sergeant. Proud of what you set out to do with your life, proud of how far you have come. Proud of what you will continue to do, where you will go, the lives you will touch. Lives you'll touch like you have touched my life, all of these 26 years.

Welcome home, Heidi, we have been waiting for you.

Love,

Mom

2007-04-30T03:23:00.000-07:00

Coffee Beans

Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, the right half of your brain is better developed than most people.

If you find the man between 3 seconds and 1 minute, the right half of your brain has developed normally.

If you find the man between 1 minute and 3 minutes, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein.

If you have not found the man after 3 minutes, give up, go have another cup of coffee and forget those dreams of becoming a rocket scientist. However, there could be a place for you in either politics or on talk shows.

2007-04-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

Please give this woman a room without The View

Finally, the time slot right before the noon news will be basically free of pestilence. Isn't the news depressing enough, without an hour of Ms. O'Donnell to start the afternoon off on the wrong foot?

Finally, I must no longer boycott my favorite news channel. Finally, I am free to resume my relationship with ABC. Finally, I am free to purchase an overpriced ticket at the Magic Kingdom and once again rub shoulders with the great unwashed and sweaty masses.

I have already contacted WFTV with the good news. They were thrilled I am returning.

Speaking of 'horrors' (and we were), last Sunday, Marsh and I went to see UCF's Conservatory Theatre presentation of Rocky Horror Show. It was fabulous and a prime example of me possibly not using good judgement when it comes to one of my kids.

Marsh had a blast!

In my strictly unbiased, uneducated opinion, UCF's Rocky Horror was much better than the movie.

It amazes me that after all these years (The Rocky Horror Show opened in London initially, on June 19, 1973), The Show still has a huge fan basis like this club in the UK.

When asked by his friend, Kira, why he hadn't 'dressed up' for The Show, Marsh mused, "I guess I could have worn Dad's red sequined dress and Mom's black fishnets..."

2007-04-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome Baby Reese

Last Tuesday, we welcomed Reese Parker Beery to the world and our TMA family.

Her dad, Matt, is a teacher at our school and a fabulous trumpet player. (Hence the pink rabbit playing the trumpet for those of you still confused).

Our theme colors were bright pink and lavendar. Mrs. Schultz sent in delicious cookies, Mrs. Litzell helped dice up the cake and Miss Matz let us borrow her room. Thank you, ladies!

Reese's mom, Amber, graciously allowed her to be passed around for high school students to hold. Brave Mom, you have no idea where those students have been!

Mr. Beery explained how difficult it can be getting up every two hours each night while still holding down a job.

Big brother, Jackson, enjoyed the baby cake, entertained easily distracted students and played with the balloons. After the party, we crammed all of the balloons into his mom's car along with fourteen pieces of extra well-iced cake. I bet THAT was a great ride home!

Ryan and Missi are happy to hold precious Reese, but thankful that come diaper changing time, neither will be anywhere near the baby.

The Happy Beery Family! We love you, Matt, Amber, Jackson and Baby Reese.

Jackson says that if the baby behaves, she can stay around the house a little longer.

Best Wishes Beery Family.

2007-04-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

A Walk on the Red Carpet

The Junior Class requests the honor
of your presence at the
2007 Junior ~ Senior Prom
Saturday, May 12th, 2007
from six o'clock to ten o'clock in the evening

The Embassy Suites Hotel
8978 International Drive
Orlando, Florida

Dinner selections include your choice of
Breast of Chicken or Sliced London Broil

2007-04-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

Fishing Family Furthers Fin Fanaticism

Recently, my friend Rick and his son, Kyle, and daughter, Kaley, fished in the Tampa Area YMCA Benefit Flats Tournament. These people amaze me and I have often regaled you on this blog with their fishing proficiency.

Kyle took 1st place for junior anglers with the largest trout.

Kaley won 1st place for junior anglers for the largest Red Fish and 2nd place for the second largest Trout. Kaley, you are SUCH the overachiever, I swear.

Rick was awarded 1st place for the amateur adult male with the largest Red Fish. Rick, amateur adult male sounds 'sketchy' to me to say the least; I might not repeat this again if I were you.

In all, the family took home three new fishing poles and other prizes worth over $500.00. Carolyn, Rick has decided it was 'well worth skipping work' and plans to do so on a regular basis.

As I have long said ‘there will be fishing in Hell’, so this allure of the sea confuses me. However, I am very proud of my friends.

I, myself, have other fish to fry.

2007-04-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

Daron's 8th Grade Dance, 2007

"It was the best time I ever had....."

Dear Heidi:

It's been a few days since I last posted. I forgot how much work it is to prepare a teenager for THE BIG DANCE. Pretty much, it takes a village and thankfully we have a big one.

The dress was from Cache, the shoes were from the 14th store we visited. The hair was a major ordeal, the purse was chosen in moments. The 'diamonds' are faux, the smiles are not.

"It was the best time I ever had....."

You will be home for the next dance.

Mom

Daron and Paige ~ Daron switched between 'the smile with the teeth and the smile without the teeth' all evening.

Rachel

Sammy taught Daron how to dance that morning in the gym during the volleyball tournament.

"Alex" ~ a gentleman and a scholar. Alex and Daron had a wonderful time! Thank you, Alex, you are my hero.

2007-04-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

Happy 17th Birthday, Marsh

Marsh.
Poet. Pirate.
Big Brother. Artist.
Musician. Little Brother.
Actor. Favorite Son.
Grandson. Warlock.
Friend. Nephew.
Wonderful.
Marsh.

I wonder if you know
how great it is
to have a son like you.

It's always meant so much to me
to hear you laugh,
to listen to your ideas,
to watch you grow and learn
and become your own person.

I wonder if you know
how many times
I've been so proud to say,
"That's my son...."

Happy 17th Birthday, Marsh
We love you so much!

Mom, Dad, Heidi and Daron

2007-04-15T06:37:00.000-07:00

SUPPORTING the THREE

Mindy was four and a half months premature when she was born. She only weighed 1 lb 13oz. Mindy is her parents' only child.

"I tell people she came out fighting and she still is fighting," her mother Lynda tells me. "So when she said she was selling her house and enlisting I wasn't surprised. We always told her, you do whatever you need to do and we will back you no matter what."

Mindy had finished college and had been a police officer for 6 years when she decided to enlist with the Military Police (MP) of the United States Army.

"Our daughter has moved to an outpost (in Iraq) with no mail, no electricity and no running water," Lynda says.

Being active Army, Mindy has no time for studying, but hopes to finish her Master's degree when she returns to Germany. She has a major in History and a minor in criminal justice and military history. Mindy has collected military uniforms since she was in Junior High. Someday, she hopes to open a museum.

Heidi ~ after 9/11, you asked me to come over, alone, for dinner at your house, you wanted to 'discuss something' with me. For goodness sakes, I thought you wanted to tell me you were going to marry a Buddhist or something, not that I would be upset about that.

Instead, you told me you wanted to do 'something that mattered'. You were tired of working in the emergency room, seeing the same things over and over again, the same sick people, day after day, dealing with the bureaucracy. You wanted to 'take care of service personnel' which you felt must be 'the highest calling' one could have. You wanted to make a difference.

What was I to say? Dad and I have brought up our children to believe they need to 'give back to mankind', 'it's not all about the money', 'leave something good behind when you are gone'. We never dreamed you'd actually want to take us up on it!

I can't speak for Lynda, but for goodness sakes, you young women (and men) do try your parents' patience. And we are so proud of you for it.

Hey, too bad that ‘dealing with the bureaucracy issue’ didn’t change much, huh?

This is Mindy's favorite poem. As you know, I prefer Billy Collins, but I am shallow and superficial.

Supporting the Three
Written in 1982, by SGT Allan Perkins. Allan was an MP.

I am the Infantry, follow me.
not a foot soldier, we're much more you see.
We'll take the fight to the enemy.
I am the Infantry, the first of the three.

I am the Cavalry, follow me.
A modern horse soldier in an APC.
Charging straight forward to the enemy.
I am the Cav, most daring of the three.

I am the Armor, follow me.
The arm of decision I'll always be.
When the going gets rough, call on me.
I am the Armor, the best of the three.

Armor, Cav, and Infantry
rush headlong into the melee.
Braking the lines like an angry sea
deep into enemy territory.

Approaching a crossroads, what do we see?
The area secured by two lonely MPs
Directing us forward, how can this be?
How long have they been waiting for me?

What a crazy person an MP must be.
He has no firepower or armor like me.
And I thought everyone followed the three
Armor, Cav, and Infantry.

I am the MP, don't follow me.
You don't want to be where I will be.
Guarding the crossroads, waiting for the three.
Just my partner, a sixteen, a sixty and me.

With the objective taken, wait and see.
No one will remember the lonely MP
Who held this ground so they could run free,
But that's my job, supporting the three.

"People say what we are all seeking is the meaning of life... I think what we're really seeking is the experience of being alive.." Rudyard Kipling

2007-04-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

Thinking Blogger Award

I have received the Thinking Blogger Award from Gazing at the Flag. Well, that's not what I call her, but you have to and you need to check out her site. Everyday.

You have no idea how honored I am, truly. I feel as if I have won an Oscar or a Tony or maybe a Pulitzer. Don't worry, it's not going to go to my head.

Now I have the privilege of nominating five more bloggers. My assignment, should I care to accept it and I do, is to nominate 'five blogs that make me think'. You are one of those chosen. I can tell you are excited. You should be. Now, you must do it, too. It takes forever to chose five worthy blogs, do up the nominating blog and send out the appropriate emails, so don't bother to thank me.

Scott Kesterson's Afghanistan Blog: Scott says, "A year ago I stood in an armory in NE Portland, watching the final goodbyes of the families and the soldiers that I had yet to come to know. As B. Company was called to formation, the order was given to move out, and the cold chill of reality set in. It was a moment of finality, in which everyone one present said farewell to the person they were, and accepted a fate of unknown change." If I could put five stars on this, I would.

Afghanistan Jag: "Like everything else in the military, complaining will get you nowhere. You have to simply adapt and be patient". I love this Scott's hard work, dedication, determination and the fact he still believes in what he is doing.

Kat at The Middle Ground: She says stuff like "Warmongerer that I am" and "I don't want to say I told you so". I love that. Don't always know what she is talking about, but I like how she says it.

Miserable Donuts: He describes himself as "An Adjustable Citizen-Soldier, He Who Is From A Foundation, An Educational Computer/Computer Based-Instruction Jedi, A PMP'n Senior Peon (from a Corporation that Is Not To Be Named), A Running Dog Capitalist/Economist, A CSM who has had a Kipling Experience and an Author/Prop - Yummy as Krispy Kreme and as strong as Dunkin' Donuts Coffee!" I can't add anything to that.

Sarge at My Army Life and other things: So Sarge is back on American soil, he is still my mentor and sends me wicked email.

Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. The participation rules are simple:

1). If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,

2). Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,

3). Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.

I like the last option, but I am going to put it on a permanent link, so I may look at it all the time. Every day. And I don't even have to dust it.

Carry on.

2007-04-12T05:37:00.000-07:00

My prayers to St. Fiacre and the Easter Bunny are finally paying off. The garden continues to look healthier by the day and my lack of interest has evidently not upset the roses in the least. To assist me in the undertaking of my next backyard quandary, I found myself in the market for assistance with the swimming pool. Enter Saint Adjutor of Vernon, patron saint of swimmers and swimming. So I am reaching a little here, sue me. (Is that really the theme song for the X Files I hear on that website?)

Not much is known about St. Adjutor, who was a Norman lord, master of Vernon-sur-Seine, a region in France. He was also a knight who fought in the First Crusade. While serving in the Crusades, he was captured by Muslims who tried to force him to abandon his faith. He escaped, apparently swimming to freedom and returned to France, where he became a Benedictine monk. He died in 1131, after spending his last years as a recluse monk in the abbey at Tiron, France.

All things considered, he is the best choice. If you don’t think I am completely serious, then you don’t know me very well.

Speaking of saints, I am still missing John Paul. Thankfully, Pope Benedict XVI is fast-tracking the beatification process, waving the customary five year waiting period for the sainthood procedure. This makes me very happy and Benedict XVI may grow on me yet. We could all use the help of John Paul as I am of the opinion the man has a direct line to The Power That Be.

2007-04-11T10:26:00.000-07:00

Scott over at Afghanistan Jag did some great work on Easter. Please click here to read all about it.

Scott and about 30 Air Force, Army, Navy and coalition soldiers joined forces to help distribute about 200 bags of collected food ~ sacks of wheat, flour, rice and beans~ and other supplies (including portable stoves) for a village of thousands washed out by a flood.

Scott was afraid no one would show up Sunday it being a holiday with several activities planned for Easter such as a basketball tournament, movies, etc.

The "nay-sayers" told Scott no one would show up that early on their day off. Scott believe and proved them wrong. Way to go to Scott and his fellow soldiers. You make me so proud! I think your Easter was most excellently spent and I hope you are all blessed for it.

And Scott, ditto on the priorities issue. After I read your post today, I fired off a wicked email to CNN.com. Any family member or close friend of mine will tell you I am known for this. I’m also currently boycotting a number of companies and products.

At CNN, the first question I had to answer was ‘whether or not my email was positive or negative’. I said positive, as I was positive they wouldn’t know news if it bit them in the...and asked them to please ‘shutthehellup’ about Don Imus. Six Canadian soldiers were murdered yesterday in Afghanistan and, quite frankly, THAT was more important. Not than I am an Imus fan or anything, but he’s been suspended, let’s move on. Yada, yada, yada. I promptly changed the channel from CNN to the soaps, which the dog prefers anyway.

Like CNN cares what I think.

2007-04-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

Easter at Emeril's, the quick 'trip to Italy' and that's just the way it is.

Do you think someone, somewhere is enjoying the Cadbury eggs I mailed to you two weeks ago for Easter? I hope they are being kind to the peeps.

I am supremely honored to be here and here.

What in heaven's name is this about???? Be patient and all will be revealed.

As you may or may not remember, Diana and Gary drew our name for Christmas this past year. WOW, did they go all out! First, there were the tickets to the Chris Botti concert (fabulous) and then an extremely generous gift certificate to Emeril's. I though perhaps we should wait until you come home to use it, (you WERE to be home for Easter) but then decided we would just go to New Orleans and eat at THAT Emeril's when you come home. What do you think, are you game?

Dad and Marsh discuss politics on the way over to City Walk and whether or not Hilary has a chance in the upcoming election. We took the boat from the Portofino Bay Hotel. Marsh (who has been there at least three times) could not remember having ever been there. Sigh.

Dad was told the reservations were for 6 not 6:30, to make sure we arrived on time. I am positive this tactic will not always work.

Marsh had the steak and a twice-baked potato which everyone decided would be what YOU would have ordered. He gave it two thumbs up.

I had this lovely dish, which believe it or not, is Andouille Crusted (encrusted?)Texas Redfish. I agree. Who would ever think it was fish??? Those are shoe string potatoes, dress shoes as apposed to athletic shoes.

What is andouille? Per Wikipedia, andouille is a spiced, heavily smoked, pork sausage, primarily composed of pig intestines and stomach. Glad I read that today and not yesterday. The recipe was brought to the New World by the French colonists of Louisiana and Cajun andouille is the best-known variety in the United States. Cajun andouille is made of the butt or shank meat and fat, seasoned with salt, cracked black pepper, garlic and smoked over pecan wood and sugar cane for up to seven or eight hours. The resulting sausage is used in a wide range of Louisiana dishes, such as gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and étouffée. LaPlace, Louisiana has proclaimed itself the Andouille Capital of the World, and holds a huge festival in October of each year.

After our delicious dinner, Marsh and Daron 'motored' around our little 'piece of Italy'. Both are still miffed they missed out on the real thing last October. I told the munchkins you would make it up to them. Don't bother to thank me. Double click the picture and see Daron's sweet face. She looks like a French movie star.

Will he ever learn how to drive? I think my nerves won't take it.

Sunday morning, we visited Tami's church, St. Luke's. The pastor said something I needed to hear and something I won't soon forget. This seldom happens when I am in church, so I wrote it down. "Don't let Easter go by with you still believing, 'Well, this is just the way it is, just the way it has to be'," he said. He was talking about our relationship with God and, I believe, things in general. We don't have to settle for what we think we deserve from life and what sorry relationship with might currently have with God or anybody else, for that matter. All is NOT lost. It is what we make it. I, for one, need to be reminded of this. Perhaps on a daily basis.

More bunnies......

It's apparent I can't get enough of rabbits and bunnies this spring. Remember Patrick, that black and white bunny you got for St. Patrick's Day, way back? How he 'went away to live with the other bunnies'.......

Please visit the bunnies at Angry Alien Productions. I think you will like them. This is a particular favorite of mine ~ look here as the bunnies re-create 007.

Finally, Marsh and Daron, what are they doing? What looks like an ad for teeth whiteners or the possible evils of not flossing, is actually M & D in a room with a black light. Black light? Yep. This was the one picture we took using the flash. Seems their teeth glow in the dark without the flash. Goof balls.

Love.

Mom

2007-04-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

Helen Drylie Wolcott ~ March 2, 1910 - March 22, 2007

Somebody's makin my life mighty glad
Somebody's kind to me when I feel sad
Somebody's missin' me when we're apart
Precious somebody the pride o' my heart.
Somebody's fair to me all the way through
Somebody's trustin' me knows I am true
Somebody's dearer than words can define
Precious somebody, Somebody o' mine..

Grandma Helen died on Thursday, March 22, 2007 at the age of 97. She was born in Pittsburgh, PA on March 2, 1910 to her parents, Joseph and Mabel P. Marsh. Mrs. Drylie-Wolcott was a medical assistant, a Director of Religious Education, was for thirty years in service with the National Aging Program, including a Directorship of the Pinellas County Coalition on Aging. She was an active member of Altrusa, Int. for twenty years, a member and past President of the St. Claire Daughters of the King, a prayer order. Most recently, she was the Co-Director of the Institute for Biblical Literacy in Athens, GA.

Helen was predeceased by her husbands, Herbert D. Drylie, Sr., Robert L. Kaechele and Robert H. Wolcott. She was also predeceased by her two children, Dr. David M. Drylie, a local physician, and Herbert (Dick) Drylie, Jr. a Commander and fighter pilot with the US Navy as well as a granddaughter, Laura Drylie Dougherty . She is survived by her five grandchildren: David Drylie of Christmas, FL, Deedee Drylie of Atlanta, GA, Deborah Drylie of Gainesville, FL, Diana Murphy of Santa Monica, CA, and Dicky Drylie of Virginia Beach, VA. She is also survived by nine great-grandchildren.

Dearest Heidi, I find it hard to believe we have lost not one, but three wonderful, brave, courageous women in our family since you have been gone. When I last saw Grandma, ten days before she died, I told her you sent your love and a big Happy Birthday. She squeezed my hand and smiled. She never failed to ask how you were doing and to tell me how proud she was of you.

Aunt Deborah gave this thoughtful, heartfelt tribute to Grandma Helen at her memorial. Those of us who knew her know how perfectly it describes "Dr. Grandma":

"If there is one word which comes to mind when I think of my grandmother, it is “color” – specifically, the color purple.

Indulge me for a moment and close your eyes and envision the color purple – from the lightest shade of lavender to the deepest darkest amethyst – that is the rainbow which was Grandma Helen.

Her love of purple goes back to my earliest memory of her – when I was a young child and spent a rare and precious weekend with her and she pronounced that we were both “purple people”…. A bond we shared, almost as a special secret.

Another word to describe Grandma ….”particular”. She was “particular” about everything. I think that it sounds better than “picky”. In the last few years, there were times when her being “particular” could be a trial of one’s patience.

Miss Marie, a God sent angel to this family, can attest to this sometimes trying but ultimately lovable characteristic. She took grandma to CVS so many times for just the right watch. They’d purchase a watch one week, only to return it the next! It finally got to the point Miss Marie had to pull a sales clerk aside and convince her to refuse acceptance of another returned watch from Grandma.

One day, maybe 8 months ago, Marie called me somewhat upset about Grandma’s announced plans for their day together. Apparently, Grandma had become unhappy with her pillow and after several trips to several stores, finally found just the right one. She returned to The Villages, tore off the tags, threw away the receipt and used that pillow for several weeks. Then, suddenly, on Monday she announces to Marie that the pillow was no good, too lumpy, and must be returned. It was her insistence upon returning a used pillow, with no tags and no receipt, and some degree of uncertainty as to the place of purchase which prompted Miss Marie’s call.

After explaining the situation and background, Marie and I concluded two things. First, there would be no stopping this (at the time) 96 year old woman from doing exactly as she intended and second, if there was anyone who could convince a sales clerk to accept the return of a pillow (used), with no tags and no receipt it would be Grandma.

When I was preparing for today, I thought back to the only other memorial service during which I said a few words – that was my dad’s – Grandma’s oldest son.

With my dad, it was a sudden and unexpected heart attack at what I increasingly see as the tender age of 65. In reflecting on his untimely death almost 10 years ago, I’ve come to see a silver lining in the relationship which sprung up with my Grandmother. A relationship and closeness which grew and blossomed when I wasn’t even looking.

After my dad’s death, Grandma moved here to Gainesville so her increasing needs could be more easily looked after and attended to. Over the last 10 years, those needs increased and resulted in the loss of her independence and consequently, increasing dependence on others. Yet, each loss was faced with wisdom, resolve and quiet acceptance of her ever-greater list of limitations and ailments.

For me, only after her death have I come to fully understand and appreciate that my father’s death opened the door for me to enjoy and experience an enriched relationship with Grandma Helen – a relationship which likely would not have occurred if it had not been borne out of loss.

Towards the end of Grandma’s long life, especially when compared to her husbands and sons, she frequently questioned why she was still here – her feelings of uselessness frustrated and confounded her. She wanted a purpose for her life and was far too humble to even consider the possibilities – the possibility that her purpose was to show and lead by example her family and friends towards a pathway of life filled with dignity, determination, grace and acceptance while never losing the essence of herself. A particularly colorful person who could (and did) indeed convince a sales clerk to accept a used, tagless, receiptless pillow …"

The poem, loved by Grandma and used for her memorial program, was written by Norman Bright, British POW, during WWII.

2007-04-05T07:41:00.000-07:00

"That's right Joel. Our invention this week is based on one's natural inclination to bite the heads off of chocolate bunnies" ~ Mystery Science Theater 3000, 1988.

Today, in honor of spring, we shall look at rabbits, bunnies, pikas and hares. Also, interesting and/or sometimes silly, quotes about the same.

Name these 22 bunny rabbits found in literature, television and the movies and win a prize! Send your guesses to me at kiwixmas@aol.com.

#1

Bugs Bunny: "No, look at the life rabbits lead. Dogs, hunters, hasenpfeffer... these rabbit's feet have never brought me any luck!" ~ Bowery Bugs, 1949.

#2

Stormy: "We could dress them up like bunnies, and dip them in chocolate!" ~ Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, 1989.

#3

Wallace: "Aah, the old BV6000, Ma'am, err... capable of 125 rpm - that's "rabbits per minute" ~ Wallace & Gromit, Curse of the Were-Rabbit, 2005.

#4

Dale Cooper: [speaking into tape recorder] "Diane, I'm holding in my hands a small box of chocolate bunnies" ~ Twin Peaks, 1990.

#5

"With bunnies running for their lives" ~ Homestarrunner.com, 2006.

#6

Laurie Partridge: "All you guys think we're interested in is being cheerleaders or homecoming queens. And then, if we're real lucky, we can all grow up to be Playboy bunnies" ~ The Partridge Family, 1970.

#7

Dr. Mark Greene: “Bunnies?” ~ ER, 1994

#8

"Bingo! Think about it Ted- I put the bunnies in the last place he'd ever expect to find them! In his own room- he'd never look there!" ~ Father Ted, 1995.

#9

Meatwad: “Our minds must be conflicting because you say plague of snakes and all I hear is Easter bunny, Easter bunny, Easter bunny.” ~ Aqua Teen Hunger Force, 2000.

#10

"Aw, nut bunnies!" ~ Freakazoid, 1995.

#11

“Hey, that cloud looks like a fluffy bunny!”

“You'd better hope that's not it. The fluffy bunny cloud symbolizes death and destruction.”

Avatar: The Last Airbender, 2005

#12

Faith Rosco: “You were here. You saw what happened. I offered the little snit a job and she comes after me like a bunny out of hell. That's assault and if you don't take her in I'm going straight to ADA Lancing and I will have your badge.” ~ General Hospital, 1963.

#13

Ethel Mertz: “Fred, I'm sorry I said you were a dumb bunny.” ~ I Love Lucy, 1951.

#14

Michael McBride: [looks in sack] “Rabbit or hare, what's the odds?” ~ Darby O’ Gill and the Little People, 1959.

#15

Tim: “I warned you, but did you listen to me? Oh, no, you knew, didn't you? Oh, it's just a harmless little bunny, isn't it?” ~ Monte Python and the Holy Grail, 1975.

#16

Bugs Bunny: [sung] “I dream of Genie, she's a light brown hare.” ~ 1001 Rabbit Tales, 1982.

#17

“Bunnies make him sneeze something awful.” ~ The Tale of the Bunny Picnic, 1986.

#18

Mad Hatter: "Really Hare! Do you have to make so much noise while I'm reading? You know I like it quiet enough to hear a feather fall." ~ Adventures in Wonderland, 1991.

#19

Dangerous Davies: "A receding hare-line!" ~ The Last Detective, 2003.

#20

"My, what a lovely carrot' said the hippo.

"Yes, but is it organic?" said the rabbit in a squeaky voice. ~ Black Books, 2000.

#21

Bo Duke: "You know, when I got up this mornin', the biggest thing on my mind was to do a little rabbit huntin' " ~ The Dukes of Hazzard, 1979.

#22

Father Ted Crilly: "Because, Dougal, my nerves are shot and I won't be able to relax until the only rabbit left is the one sitting in your head working the controls." ~ Father Ted, 1995.

Happy Easter, you bunny.

2007-04-03T06:18:00.000-07:00

It's way more dangerous out there than I originally thought.

While researching otters for a previous post , I stumbled on some information never before brought to my attention in all the 30, okay 40, plus years I have been living in the Sunshine State.

There are evil forces out there working against us. For those of us 'in the know' it's more commonly known as 'wildlife'.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has gone so far as to post vast amounts of helpful hints to assist distraught homeowners coping with Florida's disruptive wildlife.

Apparently, some of our neighbors, citizens of this verdant state, are handling some serious issues with the wildlife and I am not talking here about The Trail.

Find this in your yard and you really DO have a problem.

These are pretty dangerous, too.

Frequently asked questions about wildlife, per the FFWCC:

• How do I get this snake out of my house or yard?
• What do I do when there is an alligator in my neighborhood?
• How do I stop animals digging in my yard or raiding my trash?
• What can I do about the crane on my golf course or neighborhood?
• What do I do when a bear is bothering my bee hives?
• Who can I go to for trapping this troublesome animal?
• What can I do about these vultures tearing up my roof?
• There are birds dive-bombing me, what should I do?
• What should I do about an animal living under my house?
• There are bats in my house, what should I do?
• There is a woodpecker pecking on my siding, what should I do?
• An otter is eating all the fish in my pond, what should I do?
• What should I do about the squirrels chewing plastic piping and wiring and shingles?
• What should I do if find wildlife, or baby birds unattended?
• Can the Commission come and remove a muscovy duck?

Honest to Pete, I thought this was a joke! These people are serious!

This list doesn’t even include additional problems with snakes, armadillos, bats, raccoons, moles, pocket gophers, vultures, skunks, opossums and mocking birds. Yes, mocking birds! I had no idea Florida residents were forcing to address such obvious perils, and apparently on an almost daily basis! How does anyone get a wink of SLEEP??!!

IFAS can give you more information than you will ever need to know on how to torture and/or eradicate these creatures from your home, neighborhood, golf course or local park.

I myself have not had to deal with these problems, of course, as we have been able to live with the animals and share our habitat in this our peaceable kingdom.

Okay, okay, with the possible exception of the wild pigs, which as you may have noticed, were not even mentioned in the FFWCC list! What about wildcats? What about panthers?

If you DO need help, look at this.

[NOTICE FROM THE FFWCC:

At this time of year, well meaning parents need to be reminded NOT to buy a mallard duck for Johnny Junior's Easter basket. Though obviously inundated with horrors every time they leave their homes, many Florida residents are still too stupid to live and buy non-native ducks to add to their troubles.

With Easter approaching, many parents contemplate purchasing mallard ducklings as gifts for their children. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) suggests buying your child the stuffed-animal version instead.

“Although these ducklings might make nice pets while they’re young, they can live 10 years and quickly outgrow the cute-and-fuzzy stage, leaving full-size droppings on your patio and outdoor furniture,” said FWC waterfowl management coordinator Diane Eggeman. “When this happens, parents and children often grow tired of caring for them and decide to turn them loose into the wild.”]

Please read the entire article here if you need more persuading.

So as Sergeant Phil Esterhaus from Hill Street Blues used to say, "Hey, let's be careful out there".

2007-04-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

Soldiers' Angels

Please read this first about Marine Corporal David Emery Jr.

Soldiers Angels has been supporting our nation's military men and women since 2003. Their mission is to provide aid and comfort to the military and its families, provide immediate response to hard situations, and make sure no soldier feels unloved. They start with letters, care pacakges, and comfort items to our deployed. They also help their families here at home as requested.

The Soldiers' Angels was started by a self-described ordinary mother of an ordinary young man turned hero, Sgt. Brandon Varn. Brandon was deployed in Iraq and has since honorably completed his mission and has returned back to his proud and loving family.

In the summer of 2003, he wrote home expressing his concern that some soldiers did not receive any mail or support from home. Being a caring and loving mother, she decided not to allow a situation like that to continue. She contacted a few friends and extended family to ask if they would write to a soldier or two. Within a few short months, Soldiers' Angels went from a mother writing a few extra letters to an Internet Community with thousands of angels worldwide.

With more and more merchants donating services, money and items for packages, the Angels reorganized as a 501 c 3 non-profit so all donations would be tax deductible.
Soldiers' Angels currently supports thousands of American Service Members stationed wherever we raise our Country's Flag and the number is growing daily. Soldiers' Angels are dedicated in supporting our military during and after their deployment.

In December of 2004 a worldwide support forum was created. In hopes of providing a place where needs of our heroes can be fulfilled.

In July 2006 this ordinary mother's youngest son, Bretton Varn started Boot Camp and looks forward to serving his country.

Through special projects, dedicated teams and individuals supporting our troops we hope to make a difference in the lives of our soldiers. Find out how you can get involved!

May God Bless Our Troops

2007-04-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

On a crisp, still-dark morning about two weeks ago, Daron and I were out back loading up the car for the a.m. commute to school. Marsh was holding us up as usual, and things were getting tense. All of a sudden, Daron and I heard what sounded like one of the cats bounding through the rose garden towards the pool. We both walked over to the pool, only to see something slip quietly into the water. An otter.

Marsh and your Dad didn't believe us at first, but were only miffed they hadn't seen it first. Though we have had otters on the property for years, we have certainly never seen one in the backyard, much less, in the swimming pool. I have a love/hate relationship with that pool and the fact someone else is swimming in it when I can't....well, let's not go there.

We finally got a picture of our little friend, just this morning.

Florida otters, Northern River Otter (Lutra canadensis) have very beautiful brown fur. An otter is about the size of a cat, the male is slightly larger and darker. The otter eats small land animals, such as muskrats, shrews, and young beavers, but will eat almost anything that swims or floats - fish, frogs, tadpoles, turtles, insects. I can see why one might like my pool. The otter usually feeds just after dusk and then again before dawn.

The Northern River Otter is active by day if not disturbed by human activity. Well adapted to an aquatic life, it has a streamlined body, rudder-like tail, and ears and nostrils that are valved to keep out water. The animal swims rapidly both underwater and on the surface, moving like a flexible torpedo, either forward or backward, with astonishing grace and power. To observe its surroundings, it raises its head high and treads water. A river otter can remain submerged for several minutes and can dive to a depth of 55 feet, swimming as far as 1/4 mile underwater if necessary. I can imagine our otter is enjoying the 'lap' part of the pool.

Also at ease on land, the river otter will lope along, then slide, and it also runs fairly well. River otters are among the most playful of animals. A lone river otter often amuses itself by rolling about, sliding, diving, or "body surfing" along on a rapid current. It's nest consists of sticks, grass, reeds, and leaves. This species rests under roots or overhangs, in hollow logs, burrows of other animals, or beaver lodges, which if heavily used by otters may also contain some nesting materials.

The river otter’s vocalizations include a whistle, probably used to communicate over distances, and a shrill, chattering call, emitted during the mating season. Otters chuckle softly to siblings or mates, apparently as a sign of affection, and also chirp, grunt, snort, and growl. The male river otter presumably mates with one or more females that have home ranges within his territory. The female establishes the natal den shortly before giving birth. Weaned at four months, the young disperse in fall or winter before the arrival of the next litter. The male, evicted while the young are small, returns to help care for them when they are half-grown. While sociable most of the year, during the breeding season competing males may battle.

The Northern River Otter’s fur is durable, thick, and beautiful, and excessive trapping in the past has greatly diminished the animals in number. More recently, water and air pollution, including mercury fallout, have taken a toll on otter populations. Thank goodness, there is no chlorine in that pool. Information from EcoFlorida.

If you would like to adopt an otter for yourself or perhaps a loved one as an Easter present, go here, because you can't have mine.

2007-03-31T07:32:00.000-07:00

Perhaps, enough is enough.

More information here, should you need it.

You can give ABC your input by clicking right here and sending them a note.

Then, for you locals, go here and you can give WFTV, Channel Nine your input.

After sending messages to both ABC and WFTV, I myself, after decades of watching Channel Nine, will switch to WKMG, Channel Six. Here's one reason why.

WKMG is owned and operated by Post-Newsweek Stations, Inc., a subsidiary of the Washington Post Company. The callsign, WKMG, was chosen in honor of longtime Washington Post publisher, Katharine M. Graham.

Who is Katharine M. Graham?

At her death in 2001, President Bush stated, "She was a true leader and a true lady, steely yet shy, powerful yet humble, known for her integrity and always gracious and generous to others."

Louis D. Boccardi, president and chief executive of The Associated Press, described Mrs. Graham as "a hero - for the way she met the challenge of taking over The Washington Post Co., for what she did with it, for what she stood for in journalism, and for the inspiration she provided to other women."

Bob Woodward said about Mrs. Graham, " Accompanying her bravery was a deep sense of the peril of being wrong or unfair or shallow or even being miscast as partisan".

Fair, unbiased, honest.

Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, chairman emeritus of The New York Times Co., said Mrs. Graham "used her intelligence, her courage and her wit to transform the landscape of American journalism."

Mrs. Graham took charge of the Washington Post in 1963 at the age of 46. Mrs. Graham evolved from a self-described timid housewife into a guiding force in American journalism. With a steady hand, she led the Post through the turbulent days of the Pentagon Papers and Watergate and beyond, emerging as a powerful voice for a free and impartial press.

Author David Halberstam said about her "Because she had not been raised to do it, because she had self-doubt, it made her a great listener," he said. "Some of the weaknesses that she seemingly brought turned out not to be deficits, because she was such a good listener."

In 20 years, Mrs. Graham nurtured the paper her father had purchased at bankruptcy auction into a media empire that ranked 271st on the Fortune 500 list by the time she turned it over to her son in 1991. The Post conglomerate grew to include newspaper, magazines (including Newsweek), cable and broadcast properties, including WDIV-Detroit, KPRC-Houston, WPLG-Miami, KSAT-San Antonio, WKMG-Orlando and WJXT-Jacksonville.

Ben Bradlee, her longtime executive editor, said Mrs. Graham's legacy was that "she set a newspaper on a course that took it to the very top ranks of American journalism in principle and excellence and fairness.

Mrs. Graham's mettle was forged in the tumult of 1970s, in the showdown over the Pentagon Papers, a secret study of the Vietnam War, and in the Post's dogged pursuit of the Watergate scandal that brought down President Nixon.

At the critical moment in 1971 when she made the decision to publish the Pentagon Papers, in defiance of government protests and against legal advice - but after The New York Times had already broken the story - a frightened Mrs. Graham gulped and said, "Let's go. Let's publish."

She later wrote, "Publishing the Pentagon Papers made future decisions easier, even possible. Most of all it prepared us -- and I suspect, unfortunately, Nixon as well -- for Watergate."

The Post's dogged reporting of Watergate was its defining moment. Mrs. Graham, though, remembered it as "a particularly lonely" time for the paper.

"I sometimes privately thought: If this is such a hell of a story, then where is everybody else?" she wrote.

In 1974, she was the first woman elected to The Associated Press board of directors, serving the maximum nine years. She also was chairman of the American Newspaper Publishers Association from 1980-82. That group is now called the Newspaper Association of America.

Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle, D-S.D., "She was not simply one of the best woman newspaper publishers this country has ever produced. She was one of the best newspaper publishers America has ever seen, period."

Graham's memoirs, Personal History, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998.

Regardless of what she did in life, Mrs. Graham did it with "integrity, humility, impartiality, honesty", and often against legal advice. She made sure what she printed or said was the truth.

Is this really one of the reason's I have chosen to change channels for the time being? Yes. I don't really need another reason.

Katharine Graham has been widely described as one of the most powerful American women of the 20th century.

Rosie O'Donnell is a comedienne.

2007-03-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

Random Ramblings, Rants and Rumblings for a Friday in late March.

In honor of my dear friends in New Orleans, who have simply put up with far more than should be expected of any human being.......

An article in The New Orleans Levee, "We don't hold anything back" ~

Brad, Angie say they'll take Ray...

New Orleanians breathed a collective sigh of relief last week, as celebrity super-couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie confirmed they are in late-stage negotiations to adopt New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin.

Please read the entire thing, it's a scream, an absolute scream.

Seen on a local street recently ~ I am thinking about getting one for the yard, or at the very least, having the slogan tattooed on my ankle. It completely describes the way I feel each time I crank the car up.

What's wrong with this picture?

Andy, JT, Tim, Dru and Dan burn up the track at the 2nd Annual Master's Academy Eagle Regiment 5K Run. No family should look this good.

Life is so unfair. Look at these people ~ buff, confident, well-tanned and I hear they even like each other. You will remember Dru and Dan. Last year, they spent their 25th wedding anniversary out west, hiking. Nuts, both of them.

One thing that makes me feel much better about myself with reference to my dear Dan and Dru ~ they are stuck with, excuse me, the PROUD OWNERS of this wild and crazy dog.

Do You Know This Child?

Yep, that's your little brother, back when he was still in 'short pants' and not worried about getting a date or his driver's license or apparently noticing strip joints.

During our last trip to the beach, Dad surprised us by taking us out to dinner. Osteen's was closed it being Sunday (we never remember they are closed on Sunday), nevertheless, the Gypsy Cab Company was open and doing a brisk business. Marsh was horrified when we pulled into the parking lot. When pressed for information, Marsh couldn't exactly say why he thought it might be a strip club. "The purple neon says stripper to me," was his only reply.

Though the Gypsy Cab Company turned out not to be a strip club, but a restaurant with fine food and excellent service, research into the phenomenon of purple neon proved the boy to be totally correct.

And finally, too crazy for words......Double click to see the pictures better. Is that man really waving at me?

2007-03-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

Easter Tea Party with the Hart Sisters

Please meet me for lunch/tea at the Hart Sisters Lunch Cafe and Tea Room on Wednesday, April 4th at 12:30.

The Hart Sisters, Anna and Susan, took over the Tea Room a few years back after having established a highly successful catering business. Southern hospitality is their specialty. We may chose to enjoy a lovely traditional afternoon tea or one of Anna and Susan’s delicious lunches while sipping hot or iced teas in the Victorian Dining Room or outside in the Tea Garden.

Later, we can take home a bag of freshly baked scones!

Take a peek at the menu here.

The Hart Sisters Tea Room is located at:

1305 S. Park Avenue
Sanford Florida, 32771

To get to the Hart Sisters Tea Room, look here.

It takes 16 minutes to get to the tea room from Oviedo.

I hope you will be able to meet me for lunch at the tea room where we can spend a lovely, spring afternoon!

Kerri

RSVP at kiwixmas@aol.com

2007-03-28T03:32:00.000-07:00

Love Letter to Heidi and Her Friends in Afghanistan: 2006-2007

Come home soon, Heidi, safe and sound.....

We love you and miss you so much.

2007-03-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

The Road From Kabul to Jalalabad

Please wear your seatbelt.

2007-03-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

"Manny Ramirez Wants to Sell You a Grill"

As you know, I don't follow professional baseball, preferring college football and my beloved 'Gators'. However, I stumbled over this recently and I like this man's style.

Manny Ramirez, left fielder for the Boston Red Sox, is apparently known for his "Manny moments" ~ dropping his pants in left field, forgetting there was a game in progress and wandering out of the ballpark or having a pizza delivered to the dugout (good idea). Guess what he has done now?

"Hi, I'm Manny Ramirez. I bought this AMAZING grill for about $4,000 and I used it once. ... but I never have the time to use it because I am always on the road. I would love to sell it and you will get an autographed ball signed by me. Enjoy it, Manny Ramirez."

"I'm a business man, I've got to make a little money," Ramirez has stated.

ESPN says: "The bidding began with the minimum allowed, $3,000, at 1:11 p.m. ET Tuesday and rose throughout the day, reaching $99,999,999 by about midnight, the highest bid the Web site was technically capable of listing. The item was removed from the site when it was discovered the grill might not actually belong to Manny".

I found this last point interesting on numerous levels.

eBay, while able to figure out 'the grill might not belong to Manny', is unable (or unwilling) to stop liars and thieves from sending me dozens of bogus emails a month attempting to defraud me via a fake eBay account. Go figure. Seem they have their priorities and protecting me from the likes of Manny Ramirez is much higher on the list than protecting me from actual predators. But I digress as I often do.

Putting aside the fact the grill may or may not be Manny's, let's think a moment about this. Remember my 'Paula Abduls'? Those juice glasses Aunt Diana sent me years ago that matched my set of iced tea glasses? They once belonged to Paula Abdul who returned them to Williams Sonoma, Rodeo Drive. Aunt Diana snatched them up for me when she worked there and yes, she paid for them. Geez.

I love those glasses and while not having a particular affinity for P.A., many people do and might want to own those pre-celebrity owned vessels.

My idea: auction off items on a non-profit website (not eBay) that have been documented to having actually been owned by the famous (or infamous) and donate the money to charity. There are obviously lots of fools in the sea to take that bait. A good deed could be accomplished while giving people what they obviously want, at the same time. Now when does that ever happen, I ask you?

And now for something completely different. Mr. Fair is one of my all-time favorite people. When he left TMA, we were the worse for it. In this woman's unbiased opinion, Mr. Fair you are totally the bomb.

Much love,

Mom

ps A box of DVDs and books are in the mail along with your clove cigarettes.

2007-03-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

10th Mountain Tribute in Pictures.

Please check this out. It's a wonderful tribute to Heidi's 10th Mountain Division serving in Afghanistan. Many of these soldier, including Heidi, are now serving the 13th consecutive month of their tour.

The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division of the United States Army currently serving under the XVIII Airborne Corps. The unit's specialty involves fighting effectively in harsh conditions. Like the rest of the corps, it is designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world. The division is currently based at Fort Drum, New York.

The modern 10th Mountain's first deployment came in 1990 when division units were deployed to support Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. During 1993, the 10th Mountain Division was deployed to Somalia as part of Operation Restore Hope. When Task Force Ranger and the SAR team were pinned down during a raid in what later became known as the Battle of Mogadishu, 10th Mountain units provided infantry for the UN quick reaction force sent to rescue them. The 10th had 2 soldiers KIA in the fighting.

After Hurricane Andrew devastated Florida August 1992, the division deployed to assist in the recovery effort. 10th Mountain troops set up relief camps, distributed food, clothing, medical necessities and building supplies as well as helping to rebuild homes and clear debris. The 10th Mountain Division later was deployed to Haiti and Bosnia in the 1990s. Because of number of deployments, 10th Mountain gained a reputation as the most deployed division in the army.

2007-03-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Heidi:

Remember back in late November early December when you and the boys took a journey to BAF? I mentioned it in the Thanksgiving Day post.

I believe one of the soldiers you escorted might have been Cpl. Nathan “Nate” Goodiron, who was killed in Afghanistan on Thanksgiving Day 2006. Here is Nate's story and information about a book his father is writing about him.

Father writing book about son who was killed in Afghanistan

By ELOISE OGDEN, Regional Editor

Goodiron, of Mandaree, ND, is writing a book about Nathan’s life from his birth to Paul and Harriet Goodiron, to Nathan’s funeral on Dec. 2, 2006, in the Goodiron’s home community of Mandaree on the Fort Berthold Reservation.

The book will also take people on the family’s journey when and after they learned of Nathan’s death in Afghanistan, as well as the time following the funeral. It will also include Indian spiritual traditions relating to Nathan’s life.

Reflecting on Nathan and his job in Afghanistan, Paul Goodiron said, “Nathan believed in what he was doing.” He said that was why his son wanted to go there and be there.

Heidi, please read about Nate if you can. I am proud you were there to help take care of him.

Have I told you today how much I love you?

Mom

2007-03-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

Religious Squirrels

There were five country churches in a small Texas town: The Presbyterian Church, the Baptist Church, the Methodist Church, the Catholic Church and a Jewish Synagogue.

Each church was overrun with pesky squirrels.

One day, the Presbyterian Church called a meeting to decide what to do about the squirrels. After much prayer and consideration they determined that the squirrels were predestined to be there and they shouldn't interfere with God's divine will..

In the Baptist Church, the squirrels had taken up habitation in the baptistery. The deacons met and decided to put a cover on the baptistery and drown the squirrels in it. The squirrels escaped somehow and there were twice as many there the next week.

The Methodist Church got together and decided that they were not in a position to harm any of God's creation. So, they humanely trapped the Squirrels and set them free a few miles outside of town. Three days later, the squirrels were back.

But The Catholic Church, with the best and most effective solution, baptized the squirrels and registered them as members of the church. Now they only see them on Christmas and Easter.

Not much was heard about the Jewish Synagogue, but the rumors are that they took one squirrel, had him ceremonially circumcised and they haven't seen a squirrel on the property since.

2007-03-21T06:28:00.000-07:00

Heidi Ho Costume ~ Yodel Odel?

Some strange things are going on around here.

Look at what $49.99 will buy you at Target.
I don't think further comment on this is even needed.

Those wild and crazy royals...

Princes Pull Phone Prank on Queen Elizabeth II

LONDON — Princely pranksters William and Harry have been accused of recording a bogus message on Queen Elizabeth II's answering machine. The pair were asked for help by their regal gran when she was baffled by the technology. But she was reported to be mortified when she heard the end result.

"Hey wassup!" their message said. "This is Liz. Sorry I'm away from the throne."

"For a hotline to Philip, press one. For Charles, press two," the recording continued. "And for the corgis, press three."

According to The Daily Star, the Queen saw the funny side later when she thought about which VIPs might have heard the message. But her private secretary was not so amused. The paper says he almost fell off his chair the first time one of his calls was put through to the voicemail.

The Queen, who is 80, has been taught by Prince William and Prince Harry how to send text messages on her mobile phone. She was given her first mobile phone in 2001 by the Duke of York, but she banned servants at the royal palaces from carrying phones on duty, after becoming annoyed at their ring tones. The ban was reportedly prompted by several mobile phones ringing during a major banquet held for foreign dignitaries.

QE II keeps her cell in that black purse you always see her with, which was recently searched when she attempted to board a plane without going through security.

Finally for today, something a little funny ~ How to Quiet A Room Full of Kids.

2007-03-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

Happy 14th Birthday, Daron!

You, My Brown-Eyed Girl

We love you, Darmo.

2007-03-19T05:42:00.000-07:00

"What's in a name?
That which we call a rose
By any other name
Would smell as sweet"

W. Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

'Scooby' is my good friend Mary Lee's new puppy. In my expert opinion, I think Scooby is a silly name and I am going to tell her as soon as I see her. A dog like this needs a big boy name like Bruce or Shep or Butch or Magnus (from Latin, Magna, meaning great). Even though I prefer 'people names' for dogs ( MY dogs' names are Edward, Daphne and Hector), I could even accept something like Rebel or maybe Wiley.

Speaking of Shakespearean names (and we were), how about Benvolio (I am naming my next child Benvolio) or Dogberry from Much Ado About Nothing? Elliot might look good on this dog. I might even be open to Kareen or Fabian or Seamus. Scooby? How about Gregory or Hugo? Or maybe Jude, then you could say, "hey.... Jude".

You know Mary Lee, there can be pitfalls when you chose a name. Remember, you are taking full responsibility for creating an important factor in your dog’s identity. Your dog’s name must be suitable throughout all of phases of his/her life. Will Scooby be teased mercilessly at the dogpark? Will he be happy with his name when he is a teenager trying not to give into peer pressure? As a young adult dog trying to score with the ladies? Will his name suit him as he matures on into middle age?

What will your puppy think of your choice, Mary Lee? Will he thank you for constantly having to repeat and spell his name to people for the rest of his life? “Yes, ma’m, that is Scooby with a ‘y’ not an ‘ie’. “

Scientific studies undertaken by eminent psychologists suggest that dogs who have weird names, or names considered odd by those around them, can experience great difficulties in their normal social relationships! Think about this, Mary Lee! Will Scooby agree to take care of you in your old age or will he be so damaged by the stress of his name that he will put you in a home?

Mary Lee says, "He has been sleeping all night, and is really a good puppy". These people with their dogs, God love them, I could do dozens of blogs with pictures of my friends' dogs and their passionate, fanatical, crazy owners, including your dad and his Miss Lucy.

Mary Lee, please, before it is too late, go back to the drawing board on this one. Regardless, you could at least give him a good MIDDLE NAME!

2007-03-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

The more things change, the more they remain the same. This is from the October 2006 issue of The Talon, Astronaut High School's newspaper. If you want to read the entire issue of The Talon, check it out. You'll see some names you will recognize.

As you may remember, Daron was born around the time you started playing volleyball. This past weekend, she and I met up with your 'old' volleyball coach, Hans. I never knew Hans's last name; it was always just "Hans", like Sting or Prince or Cher. Well, here he is, head volleyball coach now at AHS and Miss Daron, all growed up!

New Coaches Serve Up Changes for Volleyball

By Devin Spoerle

“If we lose games, that’s my fault but if we win, it’s all them,”proclaims Hans Holtskamp, the new coach of the varsity volleyball team. “The team will do well because the girls work together and have fun.”

Last year, the girls had a 10-9 record. Holtskamp plans on helping the team become more successful with a better record than the previous years. Although this is his first year as head coach at Astronaut, he has been coaching now for eight years and has played a lot of volleyball himself,including beach volleyball. He has found three freshman girls that he believes will contribute to the varsity team: Mallory Johnson, Jenna Hostetler (oh my gosh, she is all grown up!), and Chelsea Mack. He has put them all in the front middle position because he says they have “potential”.

“I feel like we are all being made a part of the team, even though we are freshman,” explains Mallory Johnson. “Being a freshman, I have already experienced the competition volleyball atmosphere when I played Cape Coast and I think the team is going to do well because Holtskamp always pushes us to do better.”

Holtskamp does not believe in having team captains. “The same girls have been standing out at practices and in our first game. Lauren Jernigan, Becca Nelsen, and Megan Wilson, all juniors, have all stepped up when it comes to leading the team,” said Holtskamp.

“Hans is going to make a huge improvement from last year and really benefit our team,” said junior Becca Nelsen, “I think as a whole team we just really want to make it to districts and hopefully come out on top.”

The team did not practice very much over the summer because the gym was being remodeled, but they are determined that it will not affect their performances. At the beginning of the summer, Dean Jeanne Andrews was originally going to be the head coach. She stepped down from the position and allowed Holtskamp to step up.

“Due to construction being done at my house and ‘old age’, I would not have had enough patience. Also, Hans is a much better coach and Erin is going to be great,” said Andrews.

Holtskamp came in with only two weeks to practice before the girls’ first pre-season game. The pre-season games were played by Astronaut High School, Merritt Island High School, and Titusville High School. Although the girls did better than expected with such little time to practice, Astronaut was not victorious this time and lost in the first four matches against both schools.

“I think the new coach has the quality to teach us new skills to make us much better for districts,” said senior Megan Reaves. “I have no doubt that we will be a good team because we all work well together and we’re all friends.”

The junior varsity volleyball team also has a new coach this year. The new coach is Erin Lelle who played on the volleyball team when she attended school here in the late ‘90s (interesting....). She is very involved and excited about this year. The JV team is made up of one freshman, eight sophomores, and one junior.

“Our volleyball team will do well because we all work great together and blend all of our talent together,” said freshman Chelsea Swanger. “The new coach pushes us and works us every day to improve. Because of this, I think we will be very successful.”

The volleyball program has always been driven by its determination and hard work. The junior varsity girls agreed that coach Lelle will be a huge help in their upcoming season.

“She gets down to it,” explains sophomore Chelsie Lipscomb. “ She’s very serious, but at the same time, she’s fun and that’s what I like so much about her.”

The girls say that she is always pushing them to hustle and work really hard at practice so that in a game they are ready to win. The JV team is expected to win numerous games because they all come together when it’s time to play.

“We’re going to do great because we all communicate really well and hustle no matter what,” said sophomore Rachel Browne. “Personally, I want to work on consistent serves and getting every down ball in.”

Their coach also tells them that serving is one of the most important aspects of the game besides passing. This is now very significant to Rachel because she understands that in a ‘rally scoring’ game, every serve counts as either a point for your team, or the other.

Both new volleyball coaches have already had a major impact on the teams. Individually, both teams believe that they have a good chance at winning many games this year due to the fact that they have coaches pushing them to be better. After seeing the improvements that have been made, they have a better chance of beating the few tougher teams in the county and advancing to the playoffs.

Daron hangs out with Hans, but refuses to play volleyball for him. Dunamis!

2007-03-10T09:01:00.000-08:00

Listen to this song here.....

Are You Alright?

Are you alright?
All the sudden you went away.
Are you alright?
I hope you come back around someday.
Are you alright?
I haven't seen you in a real long time.
Are you alright?
Could you give me some kind of sign.
Are you alright?

I looked around me and you were gone.
Are you alright?
I feel like there must be something wrong.
Are you alright?
'Cause it seems like you disappeared.
Are you alright?
'Cause I been feeling a little scared.
Are you alright?

Chorus:
Are you sleeping through the night?
Do you have someone to hold you tight?
Do you have someone to hang out with?
Do you have someone to hug and kiss you,
Hug and kiss you,Hug and kiss you?
Are you alright?

Are you alright?
Is there something been bothering you?
Are you alright?
I wish you'd give me a little clue.
Are you alright?
Is there something you wanna say?
Are you alright?

Just tell me that you're okay.
Are you alright?
'Cause you took off without a word.
Are you alright?
You flew away like a little bird.
Are you alright?
Is there anything I can do?
Are you alright?
'Cause I need to hear from you.
Are you alright?

Are you alright?
Are you alright?
Hey...

from Lucinda Williams's new album, West

2007-03-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Kite Flying Returns to Afghanistan: Part Four

"LET GO, LET GO!"

The new frame is constructed for Kite number two.

Where did they get all that newspaper?

The new kite is much bigger than the first kite, but will it fly?

Kite Number Two Makes Its Debut: Heidi and the boss display the new, improved model. Bigger is always better.

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

I don't know about the rest of you, but that's good enough for me! Congratulations, boys and a job well-done.

One final note....

I refuse to even comment on the following except for the fact the word coward kept popping into my mind when I read the article. I wanted to make sure you saw it.

Taliban Commander Caught in Afghanistan

By Rahim Faiez, Associated Press Writer

Afghan soldiers caught a senior Taliban commander at a checkpoint who was wearing a burqa, while NATO forces on Wednesday fought Taliban militants in the second day of the alliance's largest-ever offensive in Afghanistan.

Mullah Mahmood, who is accused of helping the Taliban detonate suicide bombs, was caught Tuesday in Kandahar province while wearing the all-encompassing Islamic veil worn here by women, NATO said.

"Alert (Afghan) soldiers at this checkpoint spotted the oddity and quickly arrested him," NATO said.

Mahmood was caught trying to leave the Panjwayi area of Kandahar province — the site of a large NATO battle last fall where hundreds of Taliban fighters were killed, NATO said.

Read the rest of the story here.

2007-03-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Kite Flying Returns to Afghanistan: Part Three

Things Take a Disastrous Turn

Today's videos are rated PG-13. Some material may not be suitable for young audiences.

I am really serious about this, consider yourself warned.

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

"I almost went up with it".

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

The damage is assessed.

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

"Cupcake stepped on it, that's what happened!"

Looks like that's it for kite number one.

NEXT TIME: KITE NUMBER TWO MAKES ITS DEBUT, "LET GO, LET GO!"

2007-03-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cooking with Carlos and Honda

Carlos

Honda

Years ago (maybe even when I was in school), it became mandatory for a high school student to successfully complete two years' study of one foreign language. I don’t know about you, but I have never used the Spanish I learned in high school.

For almost two years, Marsh has been slogging through Spanish One and Spanish Two. Some people have no aptitude for languages and I am of the belief your brother is one of those people.

In an effort to pass Spanish, Marsh created Carlos and Honda. Carlos and Honda have shared many experiences over the past year and a half, some of them quite dangerous. At the zoo, Carlos and Honda were attacked by wild animals. When they went to the beach, Carlos was almost eaten by a shark. He was rescued by Honda only to die later because he didn’t wait long enough before going back into the water after eating a big meal.

In this story, Carlos and Honda are faced with the dilemna of cooking for their girlfriends. As we all know, girls are extremely hard to please when it comes to food.

Carlos and Honda like to cook.

Honda likes the pasta food group.

Ramen is very good.

Carlos likes the bean, rice and cereal group.

Normally, Carlos and Honda cook for fun.

Sometimes, Carlos and Honda cook for social events.

Every Friday, Carlos and Honda cook for the girls.

Carlos and Honda are expert chefs.

My souffle! Very hot!

Carlos burned his hair, arms, legs, eyes, his back, his whole body. The situation is very serious.

"Thank you!" "What happened?"

The souffle is okay.

I don't like fire. It's not very agreeable.

More fruit and vegetable group!

Carlos and Honda get a stomach ache from eating too much fruit and vegetables.

The girls demand food.

Trying to please girls is very complicated.

There are two things girls like ~ Chicken and Chocolate!

The food groups: meats and sweets.

Carlos and Honda become very famous......

....and rich!

2007-03-06T05:40:00.001-08:00

Kite Flying Returns to Afghanistan, Part Two: The Art of Gudiparan Bazi

This information was posted by Dr. David Sahar, at Afghana.com

Before the war began, Gudiparan bazi (kite flying) was a common hobby of many Afghans throughout Afghanistan. It was a form of sport that many took to the status of art. From the designs and sizes of kites to the making of unbreakable tar (wire), for many this became a matter of honor to compete in who's who among the best kite fighters in their neighborhood. This addicting sport absorbed many young Afghans, even during the war.

For those who missed out on this great Afghan pastime, here is the nuts and bolts of Afghan kite and kite fighting in a nut shell. I have compiled this article to preserve this aspect of the Afghan culture, as today this sport is banned by current authorities.

(This article was written on 1/15/01. Since the Taliban have been removed from power, kite flying is no longer illegal.)

The Unit
To have an operational unit to fly a Kite "officially", it was accepted that it would take 2 persons. One to actually fly the kite (leader) and the other to keep the charkha (an intricately designed wooden drum penetrated longitudinally by a stick to keep the wire wound around it and for ease of recovering the wire back) Undeservedly many times the charkha gir would get the blame for not holding the wire correctly should the unit lose the kite fight.

The Kite
The kites, or Gudiparan (literally meaning flying doll) as it's called in Afghanistan, came in different sizes - from smallest which was only about 10-12 inches in diameter to largest which was human size - Mahi gec, nim takhtai, se parcha, panj parcha, shesh parcha and the famous humongous haft parcha or simply "haft". The shape was mostly conserved throughout the family of Kites. They were all made of thin paper and the skeleton supported by bamboo wood, investing on its malleability and flexibility.

A Kite Flying Unit:
Kite flyer (leader)
Charkha gir - person holding the wire
Kite
Wire
Charkha
Accessories
Finger protector - A tubular leather, usually worn around the right index finger to prevent trauma to the index finger from the sharp wire

The Wire (Tar)
The wire that connected the Kite to the leader was of great importance. Much attention was paid to this aspect of Kite flying, as it determined the success of Kite fighting. A variety of wires were used including (from highest to lowest quality) hasht lumber, panjsad war and da lumber, chel lumbar, among others. Chel lumbar was the thinnest of all, but worked well in a fight when flying small kites. Many advocated this due to it's fine ability to get into the opponents wire easily and cut it during a kite fight. The way the wire was prepared took hours to make. First shisha (a mold to coat the wire) had to be made. Basically glass was grounded(to make the wire sharp for cutting) and mixed with an adhesive material and mushed rice to make what was comparable to a paste in texture. The wire was coated with this mold and after it was dry, it is wound around the drum (charkha), where it is stored for use. The alternative coating method was called "dolai", where the wire was immersed into liquid "shisha" and coated. It was left to dry, then used. Usually 2 trees were used to wound the wire around until it was dry, then wound on a drum (Charkha). The coated wire is sharp - it is designed for kite fighting. Many children would cut themselves with this sharp wire - often to the bone. To avoid this, many wrapped a piece of leather around their index finger (called kilkak) to protect them.

The Drum (Charkha) - Though charkha was mostly used for storage of wire, it proved crucial during kite fighting where rapid release of wire was critical. It was essential to have the drum light for ease of use, so wood was used to make this element of kite flying.
The Fight (Jang) - In order to have a kite fight, 2 kites had to be airborne simultaneously at a close proximity. As soon as the wire of these two kites contacted each other, the fight had began. The fight would last from a split second to up to 1/2 hour, depending on wind, the difference in quality of tar between the two parties and other undetermined factors. Generally the one with most experience and patience win the fight, given the same quality of the tar, kite and charkha gir. The general concept was to release wire, and avoid pulling when in a kite fight. The faster you release the more likely one would win the fight. This theory is based on a complex dynamic relationship of the wires while in the air, which held true for the most part. Since larger kites had greater pull, greater release of wire per second was anticipated and thus greater chance of winning with a larger kite. However this theory had it's limitations - larger kites have been known to lose to much smaller kites. The quality of tar was also an important factor in determining who was to go home with a kite. Some would preach that the smoother the wire, the better it would cut the opponent, as it would be more fluid during the fight. Further, the wire with more shisha (sharper) would get stuck easily and get cut. However, proponents would argue that sharper wire would serve better specially during "kashak" (a fight where one of the parties go on offense and pull very hard under the opponent - this fight would last no more than a second usually) Though there are no randomized trial research to determine which method served best, somewhere in between is probably where one wants to be.

Azadi Rawast
Once the loser of the kite fight would lose the kite, the kite would be released into the air without guidance and would follow the direction of wind. This was a great opportunity for some one else to catch and own it.

The Sharti
Most Kocha's (A block of street) had their own Sharti (Kite fight Champion). Sharti title was given to the one who had the impeccable record of not losing a kite fight. Shartis generally had a good grasp of what they should do in a particular kite fight to win, or at least not lose. They also had a style and elegance that would capture audience throughout the neighborhood. However, even sharti's would occasionally lose, and this was generally a big deal to many kochagis (neighborhood).

The Hazards
Unfortunately kite flying in Afghanistan was a dangerous business. For the most part this was the game of boys. Flying kites in neighborhoods meant one would climb the roof, where they had the best view and access to wind and skies. However, many unwary of their position and looking into the sky were victim of falls. Untold number of children would break bones or even lose their lives with this sport.

For any of you still left uncertain this was serious business, here you will find video of the boys' preparation to fly.

Note: native Afghans need only TWO people to launch a kite, no truck and no tow package.

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

NEXT TIME: THINGS TAKE A DISASTROUS TURN

2007-03-05T02:58:00.000-08:00

Kite Flying Returns to Afghanistan: Part One

"Every winter, districts in Kabul held a kite-fighting tournament. If you were a boy living in Kabul, the day of the tournament was undeniably the highlight of the cold season. I never slept the night before the tournament. I'd roll from side to side, make shadow animals on the wall, even sit on the balcony in the dark, a blanket wrapped around me. I felt like a soldier trying to sleep in the trenches the night before a major battle. And that wasn't so far off. In Kabul, fighting kites was a little like going to war." Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner.

Jawid runs a shop in the Shur Bazaar, the kite-selling market in old Kabul. "People have been flying kites [in Afghanistan] for more than 100 years. It was banned during the Taliban. They would say that kite flying was illegal. We sell and buy from 500 to 2,000 kites every day in our shop. The Taliban banned this and used to beat children when they flew kites. Long ago, kite flying was part of our national games, and my father won a trophy 25 years ago during [former Afghan President Mohammad] Daud Khan's time." Read more of this article by Grant Podelco here.

Kite flying, or "gudiparan bazi", is a two-person affair. One person, the "charka gir," holds the wooden spool around which the wire, or "tar," is wound. The second person -- called the "gudiparan baz," or kite flyer -- actually controls the movement of the kite in the air.

In Afghanistan, wherever there are kites, there is kite fighting. During the fight, or "jang," two kites are flown close to one another, often at great heights. The object is to use the wire of your kite to cut the wire of your opponent's kite and set it free. Kite fighters often wrap a piece of leather around their fingers to protect themselves from the taut wire, which can cut to the bone.

When an opponent's kite is cut free, it flutters like a colorful, dying bird into the far reaches of the city. Such kites are said to be "azadi rawest," or "free and legal," and can be retrieved by neighborhood children to fly another day. Each neighborhood crowns its own "sharti," or kite-fighting champion.

Khaled Hosseini's excellent book, The Kite Runner, is being made into a movie to be released later this year.

Until then, we shall settle for our own kite making pictures and kite flying video, courtesy of our boys.

The plan:

Wood is measured twice and cut once.

Assembly begins.

The plan is implemented.

I know who is in charge.

The boys follow their leader's instruction.

The kite is constructed and ready for paint.

Some people are relegated to supervisory positions.

The finished product is ready to fly.

NEXT TIME: THE KITE IS READY TO LAUNCH

2007-03-04T05:39:00.001-08:00

The Cedar Waxwing have returned for their annual pilgrimage south, our version of the swallows returning to Capistrano. Double click the pictures to see them better.

The Cedar Waxwing is one of the few temperate dwelling birds that specializes in eating fruit. It can survive on fruit alone for several months. Unlike many birds that regurgitate seeds from fruit they eat, the Cedar Waxwing defecates fruit seeds. More of this article (with lots of pictures) from Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

This is a picture of the Cedar Waxwing who have come back to visit us once again. The trees in the backyard are literally teeming with these birds. Daron, Dad and Marsh especially love our feathered friends. I am ambivalent, except for the fact they happily spread 'volunteers' all over my yard grown from the tiny seeds they poop.

[The term 'volunteer' is perhaps a Southern botany term meaning ~ "a cultivated plant, especially a crop plant, that grows without having been intentionally sown or planted". Dad taught me the word back when we first met and I remember hearing Grandma Milhollin mention it years ago.]

Speaking of birds. I am not sure if you remember my diminutive friend, Atticus.

Atticus and I keep company when I am home as he shares the study with me and the computers. He keeps up a constant chatter and trilling all day and frankly, I enjoy his company. He doesn’t ask for much, only water to splash around in and a bowl of fresh seed. As you know, there is nothing cuter than a tiny bird splashing around in water, so I make sure Atticus has some fresh water every day. He doesn’t have a preference on where you buy his seed or how much it costs. Mr. Finch doesn’t leave dirty dishes around and since he wears no clothes, there is nothing to be washed or picked up.

The day before yesterday, we had a near disaster and almost sudden bird death. After M and D were dropped off at the money pit, excuse me, the school, I returned home to work on some projects, pay bills and balance my checkbook. As I entered the study I noticed, Atticus, from his corner of the room, was putting up a terrible fuss. I walked over to his cage and noticed he was definitely flying upside down.

Atticus had caught his tiny talon on the thinnest piece of moss you have ever seen. He could not free himself and was flapping mightily and bouncing himself off the sides and bottom of the cage. When I had reached in and gently disentangled him from almost certain doom, he sat on the top of his nest panting as if he had run a marathon. My petite friend was visibly, terribly upset, but relieved to have survived his ordeal.

2007-03-03T05:07:00.001-08:00

"All political power is primarily an illusion... Mirrors and blue smoke, beautiful blue smoke rolling over the surface of highly polished mirrors..."

For Marsh's latest assignment in Art Class, he decided to do a little photography. When he puts his mind to it, he is almost as good a photographer as either you or Daron. Marsh has named his masterpiece 'Smoke and Mirrors' and is entering it into an art competition.

As the art competition has a 'political backer', I don't guess Marsh planned on winning. He calls it his 'political statement', if you will. This is why he said he named it what he did:

Smoke and Mirrors~ meaning 'trickery or deception', often in a political context.

This expression alludes to the performances of stage conjurers who use actual smoke and mirrors to deceive the audience. The figurative use that is now more common refers to the obscuring or embellishing of the truth that is employed by spin doctors and the like in order to deceive the general public. This later usage comes from the writings of the American journalist Jimmy Breslin. In his Notes from Impeachment Summer, 1975, Breslin twice refers to smoke and mirrors being used in the US political scene:

"All political power is primarily an illusion... Mirrors and blue smoke, beautiful blue smoke rolling over the surface of highly polished mirrors... If somebody tells you how to look, there can be seen in the smoke great, magnificent shapes, castles and kingdoms, and maybe they can be yours."

Marsh doesn't mean any particular politician only politicians in general.

Some days, I don't know about that boy.

Personally, I prefer this photo....

...or maybe this one....

2007-03-02T07:19:00.001-08:00

The Life of Saint Fiacre ~ Patron Saint of Gardeners

The St. Fi in my backyard. I don't know what he has been up to lately, because things have certainly gotten out of hand in my garden.

Saint Fiacre was born in Ireland in the seventh century and was raised in a monastery at a time when much of mankind's learning and knowledge was left in the care and protection of the monks. Travelers brought seeds and plant material, as well as cultural enlightenment, from as far away as Rome and the Holy Land. St. Fiacre's days at the monastery taught him a deep love of silence, the joys of planting and harvesting crops and an appreciation of nature.

Eventually, St. Fiacre achieved unwanted fame as one skilled with herbs, a healer and a holy man, causing disciples to flock to him. This cut drastically into Fiacre’s quiet time, so seeking greater solitude; he left his native land and sought refuge in France, at Meaux.

At Meaux, he was warmly received by St. Faro. Faro gave Fi some of his own land in Breuil, beautiful property surrounded by forests. Here Fiacre built an oratory in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a hospice in which he received strangers, and a cell in which he himself lived apart. He lived a life of great mortification, in prayer, fast, vigil, and the manual labor of the garden. The vegetables and flowers he grew around his monastery were said to be quite superb.

The legend of St. Fiacre says St. Faro allowed him as much land as he might entrench in one day with a furrow. Fiacre turned up the earth with the point of his staff, toppling trees and uprooting briars and weeds. A suspicious woman hastened to tell Faro that he was being beguiled and that this was witchcraft; Faro however recognized this was the work of God.

With time, Fiacre’s reputation for miracles became widespread. He cured all types of diseases by laying on his hands; blindness, polypus, and fevers are mentioned. A curved stone on which he had once sat attracted pilgrims seeking relief from hemorrhoids.

St. Fiacre died on August 18, 670. His remains were initially interred in the church at Breuil, where his sanctity was soon attested by the numerous cures wrought at his tomb. In 1234, his remains were placed in a shrine by Pierre, Bishop of Meaux, his arm being encased in a separate reliquary. In 1479, the relics of Sts. Fiacre and Kilian were placed in a silver shrine, which was removed in 1568 to the cathedral church at Meaux for safety from the destructive fanaticism of the Calvinists. In 161,7 the Bishop of Meaux gave part of the saint's body to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and in 1637, the shrine was again opened and part of the vertebrae given to Cardinal Richelieu (yes the same one mentioned in the book, The Three Musketeers).

You remember what relics are? We saw those fabulous reliquaries in the basement of the Duomo? A little creepy in my book. If you want more info on reliquaries, look here for a lengthy, but informative article on old ones and here for 'modern' ones.

Many churches and oratories have been dedicated to him throughout France. His shrine at Breuil is still a resort for pilgrims with bodily ailments. St Fiacre is most renowned as the patron saint of gardeners. He is also the patron saint of taxi drivers and people with hemorrhoids. Fiacre's connection to cab drivers is because the Hotel de Saint Fiacre in Paris, France rented carriages. The sign of the inn was an image of the saint, and the coaches in time came to be called by his name. People who had no idea who Fiacre was, referred to the cabs as "Fiacre cabs", and eventually as "fiacres".

So the bottom line is, do I pray to St. Fiacre to help me get my garden back in order, because quite frankly, it has become a pain in my butt.

If things don't look up, I may just say a few prayers to the Easter Bunny in my backyard...

or perhaps the wingless angel I schlepped all the way back from that gargoyle place in Boston.

Yes, that is some of the ivy you potted up for me.

2007-03-01T05:18:00.000-08:00

“That was a stupid thing to do son…”

In that fateful summer of 1999, my parents made plans to once again attend the annual ASLA conference. This summer, the conference was to be held in Naples, Florida. My mom stocked the kitchen shelves and refrigerator with all of our favorite 'fun' foods, then left my eighteen year old sister, Heidi, in charge of me and my little sister Daron. I was nine at the time, my little sister was six. We thought the four days with our beloved sister were going consist of the usual activities: couch cushion forts, popcorn and movies, board games and the like. We were wrong…well not really wrong, but we were certainly surprised.

It was true; we did have a lot of fun that week. Staying with my sister wasn’t nearly as bad as staying with my dad, because at least my sister knows how to cook. The first couple of days were made up mostly of hanging around the house, watching T.V., and swimming in the pool. One morning, not exactly bright but relatively early for a summer day, we hopped into “The Beast”, my sister’s Mercedes, and took off towards the nearest beach, which just so happened to be near Titusville. After spending a day at the beach and getting ourselves as sandy as possible, my older sister got a brilliant idea. Heidi was going to bleach my hair. At the tender age of nine, which I was at the time, none of this really registered very clearly in my head. I looked up to my sister, admired her, adored her and anything she said was cool and alright by me.

I started my life as a blond.

Our next stop, Wal-Mart: where you can get just about anything someone needs to do something dumb. It didn’t take long for my sister to find the color she wanted ~ something similar to the hue of yellow hi-lighters. Upon our arrival at home, I took a shower to thoroughly wash my hair of all the salt and grime it had accumulated at the beach. Coming downstairs I was met by Heidi, dye in hand, who, apparently, had done this before. It didn’t take long to get the chemical in my hair, and after it was in, there was no turning back. After a few more rinses in the shower, I was ready for my big debut. Again, my sister met me on the stairs, laughing hysterically. This normally meant one of two things: she was happy with her work or, she knew she was in trouble. In this case, it was both. My hair was indeed the color of a hi-lighter.

It was the fourth day, my parents were coming back and my hair was not the same color it had been when they left. This was to be a good day. I heard the car drive up, heard the tumblers in the lock turn, my parents were home. I tried to look cute. My dad wasn’t home five seconds before muttering, “That was a stupid thing to do son…”

So it wasn’t so bad after all, because at least one of my parents did like my hair. I didn’t get in trouble, and I was able to show up the first day of school, with white blond hair.

Marsh Drylie
Mrs. Laustsen
English Honors
March 1, 2007

2007-02-27T03:32:00.001-08:00

"I'll have a number one, a number seven and a number nine, please."

"Will that be for here or to go?"

Heidi and friends share lunch on the road.

WHAT IS IT?

The Meal, Ready-To-Eat (MRE) is designed to sustain an individual engaged in heavy activity such as military training or during actual military operations when normal food service facilities are not available. The MRE is a totally self-contained operational ration consisting of a full meal packed in a flexible meal bag. The full bag is lightweight and fits easily into military field clothing pockets. Each meal bag contains an entree and a variety of other components as may be seen in the table of Menus.

Take a look here at the available dinners. MRE Menus

WHAT IS IN IT?

The twenty-four different varieties of meals can be seen in the menu table. Components are selected to complement each entrée as well as provide necessary nutrition. The components vary among menus and include both Mexican and white rice, fruits, bakery items, crackers, spreads, beverages, snacks, candy, hot sauce, and chow mein noodles for the pork chow mein entrée. The fruits may be applesauce, pears, peaches, pineapple, or strawberry. The bakery items include a fudge brownie, cookies, fruit bars, a toaster pastry, and pound cake in flavors of lemon, vanilla, orange, pineapple, and chocolate mint. Each meal also contains an accessory packet. The contents of one MRE meal bag provides an average of 1250 kilocalories (13 % protein, 36 % fat, and 51 % carbohydrates). It also provides 1/3 of the Military Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamins and minerals determined essential by the Surgeon General of the United States.

Except for the beverages, the entire meal is ready to eat. While the entree may be eaten cold when operationally necessary, it can also be heated in a variety of ways, including submersion in hot water while still sealed in its individual entree package. Since mid 1992, a flameless ration heating device has also been packed into each meal bag to heat the entree.

The shelf life of the MRE is three (3) years at 80 degrees F. However, the shelf life can be extended through the use of cold storage facilities prior to distribution.

MREs are also available for civilians.

2007-02-26T11:02:00.000-08:00

"If you wanna call me that, smile" ~ The Virginian, 1929.

It may be true that I do my best work on Mondays. Today, I have something new for my blog and I'm so excited I just about can't stand it.

After much ado ~ downloading, uploading, cross referencing, cutting and pasting, aiding and abetting ~ it's highly possible I may be able to post videos on the blog. Probably, many of you smart people have been doing this for eons, but some of us have taken a little longer to move into the 21st century.

This is Heidi and some of her Afghan boys, video taken last summer. As you can see and hear, they are quite interested in her and her name.

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

2007-02-24T07:24:00.000-08:00

When the snow melts, have a got a project for you!

Back in 630 AD, a Chinese pilgrim, Xuan Zang, wrote in his diary about a visit he made to Bamiyan in central Afghanistan:

"There is a stone image of a standing Buddha carved into the mountainside northeast of the palace. Shining in gold, and adorned with jewelry, the statue stands about 45 metres tall. To the east of the temple, stands another statue of a 30-metre-tall Buddha made with brass."

Photo taken of Buddhas, 1835, long after Xuan Zang saw them. He had neglected to take pictures.

Xuan Zang was describing the Bamiyan Buddhas which had been carved directly from the surrounding sandstone cliffs. They were actually 55 and 38 metres tall, but we're gonna let that slide. The Bamiyan Buddhas were among the most impressive Buddhist monuments in western Asia before their demolition by the Taliban in March 2001.

The Buddhas before the Taliban blew them up.

No one knows exactly when they were constructed, but it was likely they were erected sometime in the 4th or 5th century AD. For many centuries they stood sentinel to groups of wandering monks and merchants along the famous "silk road" from Rome to China. Alongside the Buddhas, monasteries once existed here as places of sanctuary, but were abandoned in the 9th century as Islam displaced Buddhism in Afghanistan.

What is more interesting to me about this, since we can’t go back and erase what the stupid Taliban have done, is that there may be one more Bamiyan Buddha they didn’t get their grubby hands on.

Xuan Zang wrote:

"Inside a Buddhist temple located about 10 kilometres from the palace, there is a statue of Buddha in a state of passing into nirvana. The image of the supine Buddha is as long as 300 metres."

In case your metrics are as shaky as mine are, that's about 1,000 feet long. Reclining Buddhas remain a common feature of Buddhist temples around the world but this one would have been extraordinarily long, the equivalent of the Eiffel Tower placed on its side. It's shoulder would have been about 25 metres high.

To put things into perspective.

So how could you misplace such a monumental structure? How did the Buddha disappear underground and could it be salvageable if it still exists?

Professor Zemaryalai Tarzi says the statue may have been deliberately buried by devotees centuries ago to protect it from invading Muslim armies or it could have been covered after a major earthquake.

The largest reclining Buddha is 418 meters long and resides in China.

A somewhat better view.

Impressive and a little larger than our missing Buddha, this Buddha is only a few years old.

So should you find yourself with a little extra time on your hands, you might want to get out your excavation tools and get to work. Too bad Daron can't help you in your quest. That child can find anything, a necessary talent for one so disorganized.

A prime example of this amazing phenomenon is the recent ‘Mystery of the Disappearing Volleyball Uniform Top”, seen in this picture.

After months of asking Daron about the whereabouts of one of her two school volleyball uniform tops and getting the answers, “I don’t know”, “I have no idea”, and my personal favorite, “It’s somewhere in my room….”, we received an emergency email from the HEAD COACH at her school. Desperate measures were in order.

“It’s truly a miracle,” Daron said, “I reached my hand into the back of my closet, behind all of the clothes, felt around along the floor……and there it was”. Surprise, surprise.

This was after Mom’s statement, “You will go to your room, you will find the jersey, you will not leave the room until it is found, you will not eat another meal until it is found”.

You get my drift.

2007-02-23T09:52:00.000-08:00

I also dreamed my laundry was caught up, but that wasn't a real dream, it was an illusion.

2007-02-20T07:03:00.000-08:00

"Liberty's too precious a thing to be buried in books, Miss Saunders. Men should hold it up in front of them every single day of their lives and say: I'm free to think and to speak. My ancestors couldn't, I can, and my children will. Boys ought to grow up remembering that" ~ Jefferson Smith, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 1939.

Nothing, and I do mean nothing, is more fun than an expedition to Washington, D.C., in the dead of winter with one hundred eighth graders. Especially Florida eighth graders not used to sub freezing temperatures, snow and ice on the ground. The Potomac River froze over and we were there to see it. Does it get any better than this?

From the halls of the Capitol....

......to the stacks at the Library of Congress, from the feet of ‘Honest Abe’......

....to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial (modeled after the Pantheon of Rome), we traversed the streets of this great city soaking in the sights and sounds.

What could go wrong, did go wrong, and went wrong more than once. Buses breaking down, buses stuck in the snow, reservations lost, appointments missed, engagements cancelled, activities rescheduled, fevers, vomiting, fainting in the White House.

Through it all our fearless leader, Miss Chessum, history teacher extraordinaire, sallied forth and carried on. It was through her courage and perseverance we survived the week, intact.

Miss Chessum and some of her boys

Not to say giving up didn’t cross our minds, it did. On the day we visited Arlington Cemetery and participated in the wreath ceremony, there were moments I felt I could not go on. The water in my water bottle turned to slush and my feet ceased to exist. My fingers tingled and my face was raw, but still we pressed on. Our doggedness was honored by our group being able to witness a special wreath laying ceremony, complete with cannon fire, military honor guard and band. What a wonderful experience!

The Army puts on a good show.

Am I happy I went? You bet. The journey was an amazing, challenging, thought provoking experience. Once again I was reminded of how much I love this great country, its history, its achievements, its faults, its failures. I am reminded our forefathers were people just like you and me – human beings with feet of clay who made mistakes, but carried on, never giving up and never giving in.

My girls at Iwo Jima, the first day of snow.

Daron sees her reflection in the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial.

My dear Heidi, since Daron and I made hundreds of pictures, this could go on and on, but I won't bore you, only leave you with one final thought. From the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial, which never ceases to amaze me, the words of a soldier imploring us to never forget the sacrifices it took to make this country what it is today, flaws and all. Not just the brave soldiers who lost their lives in Vietnam, but all soldiers, men and women, from all wars, who have gone on before us.

"If you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go.

Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. Take what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own.

And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind. "

Major Michael Davis O'Donnell
January 1, 1970
Dak To, Vietnam
Listed as KIA February 7, 1978

Come home soon, Heidi, we miss you.

2007-02-19T06:22:00.000-08:00

Happy President's Day!

Dear Heidi:

Had a wonderful time in D.C.

The monuments are actually much smaller than they look on tv.

Will write more when my fingers thaw out.

Love.

Mom

2007-02-11T07:14:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day, Heidi!

A dozen roses from our garden, each one wrapped in love.

All our love,

Mom, Dad, Marsh and Daron

Click here for Valentine Coloring Sheet

2007-02-03T07:06:00.000-08:00

Dear Heidi:

Please check out ABC News, Person of the Week: Bert Brady. I love this man!

Veteran Makes Soldier Homecomings a Daily Ritual

Feb. 2, 2007 — - Just about every morning for the past year, Bert Brady has been getting up, having a cup of coffee and heading over to the Dallas Fort Worth Airport. But this ritual has nothing to do with travel. He's at the terminal to welcome home American troops as they return from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I went 300 days last year," Brady said. "They are glad to see us, and we are tickled to death to see them because they are our heroes."

See the video here....

Brady, a 69-year-old veteran, is a member of the Welcome Home a Hero program at his local airport. He makes sure every soldier that comes through Dallas gets a special homecoming.

And he has reached out to almost anyone who will join him.

"We have people who only come on weekends. We have people who come during the week," Brady said. "We have a lot of support from the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts."

Brady shows up each day with the goal of making soldiers feel appreciated and proud of their service. He's often joined by veterans of the Vietnam and Korean wars who did not get a warm reception when they returned from battle.

"We are not going to forget them like a lot of Vietnam soldiers have been forgotten," Brady said. "We are not going to forget the soldiers of today."

One Korean War vet working with Brady added, "We owe it to them. They're doing a good job for us. When I came home in 1954, there was nobody, no nothing."

And for Brady, it's simply "rewarding" to greet the soldiers.

"You can't make 200 people happy and not feel that. Ninety-five percent of them are smiling, and you never can tell if one of their buddies has just died in their arms yesterday," he said. "So you get all kinds of emotion coming through."

And the soldiers appreciate the efforts. "It's great. … They took the time out of their day to be here," one soldier said.

"It's incredible to see the support," said one soldier's wife, who was in tears. "Everybody cheering him on … it's a little embarrassing, but we appreciate it."

When asked why he is so dedicated to this effort, Brady pointed to a moment he shared with one soldier.

"He said, 'Mister, I will never forget you,' and my heart was almost pounding like it was going to burst out of my chest," Brady said. "He said, 'It's the greatest thing that ever happened to me.'"

2007-02-02T11:30:00.000-08:00

WOW, Heidi, look at this. Just when I think I am out here all alone and you are out there all alone, someone or many someones, restore my faith and give me something to hold onto.

OTHER VIEWS MY WORD

Faith in troops, but not politicians
Mark P. Wylie

February 1, 2007

I read Kerri Drylie's "My Word" column on Tuesday -- "Bring Daughter Home from Afghanistan" -- with a great deal of sympathy, pride in her daughter's service and a personal understanding of her concerns.

Our son Nathaniel is a first lieutenant with the 82nd Airborne Division brigade sent last month to replace her daughter's 10th Mountain Division brigade in Afghanistan. My wife and I went to Fort Bragg, N.C., to see him off, as we did in 2005 when he departed for Iraq.

I could not have been prouder of him and the men in his unit. They are all multiple volunteers. They volunteered to join the Army, volunteered for a combat-arms branch and volunteered for airborne service.

Most of the men in his unit (they are all men, as it is a front-line combat unit in which women are not yet allowed to serve) are under 40 and most (like our son) are under 30 years old. They have seen combat in Iraq or Afghanistan at least once, and several have been overseas many times.

They don't like the long separations from their families, but it's their job. They are America's professional soldiers.

Our son's unit trained for months to take over operations from 10th Mountain. A few weeks ago, they packed their gear and equipment, said their goodbyes and boarded a jet for the remote forward-operating base that was to be their home for the next 12 months.

Within hours of the 82nd's planned arrival, the new secretary of defense met with U.S. generals in the country and announced plans to extend her daughter's unit's mission in Afghanistan. So, like Drylie's daughter, his plans changed.

I know that while he is there "in harm's way," he will be with American soldiers in the finest military unit in the history of mankind. Since the days of recorded conflict, there has been no fighting machine that has had more training, more firepower, more technology and more motivation to see a war through to its one and only desired conclusion: defeating the enemy.

Military strategist Carl von Clausewitz astutely said that war is an extension of politics, and it will be a decision of the politicians, not the warriors, as to when our son and her daughter return home. Until that decision is made, I hope President Bush and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as our congressmen and senators, remain focused on the mission of our soldiers, and provide them with the resources and policies necessary to defeat the enemy wherever it is found.

This war against global terrorism is not one of America's choosing and will not be easily concluded. It is different in size and scope than any war ever fought. As American politicians respond to our restless society, I am increasingly less confident in our political leadership and its ability to plan to bring this war to a swift and sure end.

Until they return, I am full of confidence that Drylie's daughter and our son are up for the challenge that any enemy can throw at them, or any changes to their planning brought on by their military or political leadership. They are, after all, American professional soldiers.

Mark P. Wylie lives in Winter Park. He is the president of the Central Florida chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors.

Comments on Mr. Wylie's My Word:

We also thank Drylie's son, your daughter, and all of the brave men and women who are deployed to protect us. We will be forever grateful.

God Bless Our Troops.

Diane Pursley
Chief Security Officer

www.adoptaussoldier.org

I humbly thank you and your family for your sacrifices. I cannot thank Drylie's daughter and your son enough for serving our country. They make us proud!

God Bless Our Troops!

J. Hoyt
Deltona, FL

www.theheartoffreedom.org

2007-01-31T06:51:00.000-08:00

Online Comments on my Letter to the Editor:

You have my support--I echo your sentiments as I fear my husband's upcoming deployment.

Rachael Sullivan
Mc Lean, VA

Thanks Ms Drylie and Thanks to your Daughter. We all wish her home, safe and soon.
CwV
Pacific, MO

WE MUST KEEP THE WARON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE POND. SORRY, ABOUT YOUR DAUGHT, SHE JOIED. WE MUST GET THE JOB DONE.
MIKE
Farmington, MI

My prayers are with you daughter and they rest of your family. My son just returned from Afghanistan, and I am holding my breath, waiting to see if he goes back. Whatever the future holds, we deal as it comes.

Rachael, the very same to you. We are all in this together.

Please, someone make this stop.
Meg
Orlando, FL

I agree with Mrs. Kerri Drylie. My son, my only child, is scheduled to go to Afghanistan this spring just in time for the Taliban spring offensive. He is proud to do his duty and serve but is he a 39 year old National Guardsmen, father of two teenagers with a new wife. He was a 19 year old Marine who served in Desert Storm. I cannot bear the fact so many young and middle aged men and women are rotating over and over through the Middle East. So few are doing the work for our country. If we are going to fight these wars, then there should be a draft. I dare the Congress and Senate to have the guts to declare a draft. Either we fight these wars with ALL our resources or we get out now!
Alexandra King
Placitas, NM

I as an Afghan really appreciate your daughter's service in my homeland. God may bless all of you. Thanks alot for serving of your daughter in my homeland. I really appreciate it.
Abdullah
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

I just love it how the family member always speaks for the service member. Let them speak for themselves and stop being selfish.

A service member in Afghanistan whose has also been here a year.
Kabul, Afghanistan

"servicemember wrote: I just love it how the family member always speak for the service member. Let them speak for themselves and stop being selfish.... "

So speak--How do you feel about the way things are going over there? You ready to redeploy to Iraq when your current tour is up in Afghanistan? What's your take on the overall attitude and morale of our troops? Do you have some insight into how the 2-war front is affecting them? Has your opinion of war itself changed since you landed in the middle of one? Speak to US--And perhaps you can persuade some of your fellow-troopers to do the same. Assuming that you actually are who you are and where you are: We want to hear what you have to say. We're plumb tired of all the horse manure shoveled up by the Pols and the Press...From an old Jarhead who cares about you all...

BuckStripes

Thanks, Buck!

2007-01-30T10:47:00.001-08:00

Dear Editor:

Sunday, January 28, 2007

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a delegation of six other congressional Democrats, showed up in Afghanistan today to speak with President Karzai about future plans for his country. This plan includes lots of money and more troops.

My daughter is among the 3,200 soldiers with the 10th Mountain, 3rd Brigade being kept an additional four months in Afghanistan. It was time for my daughter to come home. Her year was up. She is tired, physically and mentally. She misses her family. As she was stationed in S. Korea her previous tour, by the time she does get home (safely, we pray) she would not have seen her younger brother and sister in almost two years.

Ms. Pelosi, I hope you and the rest of the Congress and Senate, yes even all of the citizens of this great country, appreciate the sacrifice my daughter and our family is making. I know my daughter is very proud of her country and is willing to serve, even if that meant being sent to Iraq. If my daughter needs to stay four more months to help reach our goals in Afghanistan, so be it. I have many, many pictures of the people, especially children, of Afghanistan, she has sent me over the past year. She says the country is beautiful, as are the people.

But after these four months, I want her to come back to the US. I do not want her to go to Iraq. Please, Ms. Pelosi, do what you can do to keep any more troops from going there. Especially those who have already served in Afghanistan.

My daughter is the bravest person I know, bar none. She has a very dangerous job I can't discuss. She has often stated she would stay 'as long as needed in the Middle East in order for her younger brother and his friends NOT to have to sign up or be drafted'.

Please bring my daughter and all of her fellow soldiers home soon.

Most sincerely,

Kerri Drylie

(This letter to the editor was printed in the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday, January 30th, My Word. A copy was also sent to Ms. Pelosi and President Bush)

2007-01-29T06:47:00.000-08:00

"I'd love to kiss you, but I just washed my hair" ~ Cabin in the Cotton, 1932.

I am not shocked to hear mermaids are making a long overdue comeback. What took so long? What does flabbergast me is that terrorists would be concerned about mermaids.

If I failed to take you to see the mermaids when you were a child, please forgive me. An oversight on my part, I am sure it will come up one day when you are in therapy.

About an hour north of Tampa is a one of a kind tourist trap; excuse me, tourist destination and one of Florida’s oldest and most unique roadside attractions. The Seminole Indians named the spring “Weeki Wachee,” which means “little spring” or “winding river.” The spring is so deep the bottom has never been found. Each day, more than 170 million gallons of clear, fresh 72-degree water bubbles up out of subterranean caverns. Deep in the spring, the surge of the current is so strong that it can knock a scuba diver’s mask off. The basin of the spring is 100 feet wide with limestone sides and there, where the mermaids swim, 16 to 20 feet below the surface, the current runs a strong five miles an hour.

In 1946, Newton Perry, a former U.S. Navy frogman who trained SEALS to swim underwater in World War II, scouted out Weeki Wachee as a good site for a new business. More alligators and black bears lived in the area than humans. The spring was full of old rusted refrigerators and abandoned cars. After clearing out the junk, 'Newt' experimented with underwater breathing hoses and invented a method of breathing underwater from a free-flowing air hose supplying oxygen from an air compressor, rather than from a tank strapped onto the back. With the air hose, humans could give the appearance of thriving twenty feet underwater with no breathing apparatus. Presto, Weeki Wachee was born.

An 18-seat theater was built into the limestone, submerged six feet below the surface of the spring, so viewers could look right into the natural beauty of the ancient spring. Newt scouted out pretty girls and trained them to swim with air hoses and smile at the same time. He taught them to drink Grapette, a non-carbonated beverage no longer made, eat bananas underwater and do aquatic ballets.

In those days, cars were few. When the 'mermaids' heard a car coming, they ran to the road in their bathing suits to beckon drivers into the parking lot, just like sirens of ancient lore lured sailors to their sides. Then they jumped into the spring to perform.

In the 1950s, Weeki Wachee was one of the nation’s most popular tourist stops. The attraction received worldwide acclaim. Movies were filmed at the spring, like “Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid.” (Mr. Peabody finds a mermaid while on a fishing trip, brings her home to live in his pond, much to the consternation of his long-suffering wife). Sights at the park included the mermaid shows, orchid gardens, jungle cruises, an Indian encampment and a new beach. The mermaids took etiquette and ballet lessons and all sorts of people stopped to see the mermaids, even Elvis.

Tragically, it appears Weeki Wachee mermaids are now in the terrorists’ cross hairs.

What? Yes, Weeki Wachee Springs is seeking federal funds after being named a top terrorism target, or a TTT, to those of you in the know. See the entire story here.

2007-01-22T06:15:00.000-08:00

Please check out the update on JR Salzman and remember him in your prayers.

2007-01-21T08:29:00.000-08:00

"We'll always have Paris" - Casablanca, 1942.

Present-day northern Afghanistan was the former kingdom of Bactria, which was conquered by Alexander the Great in 327 BC.

What is remarkable about the Afghan treasures currently on display at the Musée Guimet in Paris is that they exist at all. For 27 years of war, this treasure trove known as the Bactrian Gold, has been squirreled away in a bank vault under a royal palace in Kabul.

“The heroes of this story include Muhammad Najibullah, Afghanistan’s last Communist president, who in 1989 ordered that the treasures be hidden. Curators and employees of the Kabul Museum who shared the secret also later resisted threats and torture by Taliban militants demanding entry into the safes containing the treasures. Thanks to this foresight and courage, then, Afghans can still boast a record of their ancient civilizations back to the Bronze Age, “ says Alan Riding of the New York Times.

“The highlight of the exhibition is a selection of 100 objects from among the 21,618 pieces of Bactrian gold discovered in 1978 by a Russian-Greek archaeologist, Viktor Sarianidi, at a site called Tillia-Tepe in northern Afghanistan. In six tombs from the 1st century A.D., gold objects that once decorated the bodies and robes of five women and one man lay untouched. Yet because relatively little is known about the Kushan dynasty which ruled the area at the time, the objects are in effect called upon to speak for themselves.”

Please read the rest of Mr. Riding’s excellent article here.

The national museum in Kabul was first looted by mujahadeen, then vandalised by the Taliban. As the chaos intensified in the late 1990s, tribal factions and then the Taliban attacked the vault trying to find the treasure they suspected was inside, but the inner doors stood firm. Bank employees "were beaten almost senseless ... but resisted." Ultimately local locksmiths opened the doors. Just a handful of people knew what was there - and finally, in 2003, the gold was uncovered, hidden in modest crates under piles of old currency. On a day in August, Afghan President Hamid Karzai provided a guided tour of the presidential palace's secret vault to show Afghans it had not been plundered.

Afghanistan's golden cache has never been shown in public to the Afghan people for security reasons. They have never seen it, which reminded me of a discussion you and I had about the wonderful treasures of the Vatican Museum.

‘Afghanistan, Rediscovered Treasures: Collections of the National Museum of Kabul’ runs through April 30, 2007. Guess what? After it's visit to France, the Bactrian Gold comes to the United States!

2007-01-15T06:33:00.000-08:00

"Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world" ~ Casablanca, 1942.

It's been a week since my last post and I would like to say I was just 'hung over' from celebrating our second National Championship, but in all honesty, some days it's just hard to get up or get excited about anything. When I heard your 'travel arrangements' have been changed, it took all the wind out of my sails. However, I know how much you hate it when people feel sorry for themselves and you don't like whiners either.

So check this out first and please pray for Salzman.

Marsh and Daron spent a lovely evening with friends from school to celebrate Shanti's fifteenth birthday. A good time was had by all. We found Daron a beautiful dress at BCBG and Aunt Tami let her borrow her pearls as I still have not found mine. Marsh was fitted with a new tuxedo he plans on wearing a lot in the next few years (from his mouth to God's ear). Both looked smashing!

Daron is NOT taller than Marsh

The Quinceañera or Quince Años is, in some Spanish-speaking regions of the Americas, a young woman's celebration of her fifteenth birthday, which is celebrated in a unique and different way from her other birthdays. The closest equivalents to the Quinceañera in the English-speaking world are the sweet sixteen or, in more affluent communities, a debutante ball at the age of eighteen. In some cases, the birthday girl has a choice of a quinceañera, a trip, or a car. Shanti chose the party.

The traditional color of a quinceañera's dress is white but now in modern cultures they are letting the girl pick the color (most girls want to wear a pink dress and save the white dress for their wedding) and they wear a tiara because she is a princess in God's eyes that night. Shanti wore a beautiful white dress and the other girls wore either white or cream. Daron wore cream. Traditionally, the birthday girl holds a court with 14 girls (damas) and 15 boys (chambelanes) which including herself would equal 30 people, or, 15 couples (to represent each year). At the party the court does a waltz and a surprise dance.

Shanti in her tiara

The birthday girl dances with her father, but first changes from flats to heels to represent the first time she can wear them. I think I have seen Shanti in heels before, but that's okay. The Honoree might also receive a doll with the exact same dress she has on to signify this will be the last doll she ever will receive. In the past, the party signifies the girl is ready to be married, but in today's culture it is so the girl can date. Shanti didn't get a doll, but we gave her a white bear that played the tune "When You Wish Upon a Star". Oh, and money. I don't think her parents want her getting married any time soon.

Marsh escorted his little sister and danced the first dance with her. Evidently volleyball has not given Daron any dancing skills as Marsh claims 'dancing with Daron is like dancing with a chair'. We may have to work on this before next year's Homecoming dance.

Some other traditions observed in the celebration may include the giving and throwing of a quince doll. The display doll signifies the young lady's last doll as a child and the throwing doll, usually a Barbie type, is thrown by the young lady to the other female children in attendance much as the garter is thrown in a wedding. No Barbies were harmed during Shanti's party. The celebrant is wearing flats, or flat shoes for the celebration but after the inaugural dance the father of the young lady, who is sitting in a chair in the center of the dance floor, removes her flats and puts her high heels on signifying her becoming a young lady. Shanti DID change her shoes, but has always been a young lady.

Marsh had a great time and used the evening to pick out a date for prom. More on that much later.

Call me.

2007-01-09T06:05:00.001-08:00

Way to go Gators!