Viet Nam Memorial - The Moving Wall

At the Fort Benning Infantry Museum

As I stood and looked at this wall, I was filled with an overwhelming feeling of sadness. I don't know any of the soldiers whose names are inscribed here, so the only explanation can be the realization that war affects all of us no matter how far we may be from it. My mother's brother went to Viet Nam in the 60's. He left a fun-loving and mischeivous 20-something. He came home an alcoholic and drug addict.

Maybe his name should be on this wall; the best parts of him never came home.

James D. Olson

1948-2005

Note: Having 'outed' my uncle and exposed his challenges, he was many years sober with a son and grandson for which he was extremely proud when he passed away.

The following information comes from the website for the moving wall.  

"The Moving Wall" is the half-size replica of the Washington, DC Vietnam Veterans Memorial and has been touring the country for more than twenty years. When John Devitt attended the 1982 dedication in Washington, he felt the positive power of "The Wall." He vowed to share that experience with those who did not have the opportunity to go to Washington.

John, Norris Shears, Gerry Haver, and other Vietnam veteran volunteers built The Moving Wall. It went on display for the first time in Tyler, Texas in October of 1984. Two structures of The Moving Wall now travel the USA from April through November, spending about a week at each site.

A "Sponsor" is any organization or group of individuals that wants The Moving Wall to visit their area and is willing to do the work to make the local arrangements as described in "Scheduling a Visit of The Moving Wall." Sponsors are frequently civic groups, schools, or veterans' organizations. Sponsoring normally requires months of planning by dozens of local volunteers.

Before and After

Soaked. Trimmed. Massaged. Painted. Refreshed.

The Replacement Window is the WRONG Size

To catch you up, about a month ago the picture window in the sitting room was broken. How you say?

Lawn mower + rock = broken window

We have never replaced a window before so we were both a bit apprehensive. We measured at least three times. Together. Normally, I would have blamed this all on TOM, but I was right there with him. Confident with our dimensions we headed over to the local home store and placed our order.

Two weeks later we picked up our new window.

We were heading for a trip to the Gulf so we put the window in the garage. The week after our return TOM was out of town on a business trip. We finally get around to replacing the window about a month later. We remove the moldings and the sill and pull out the window. At this point the replacement window is still in the garage. We lift it up and realize that it is too small. About 2 inches on each side. Needless to say we were dumb-founded. Or course, the girl at the store made the mistake, not us.

Luckily we did not break the second pane of glass when we pulled the broken window out so we put it back into the gaping hole in our wall. We grab our receipts and head to the home store. We have to pay a restocking fee of $50, plus the difference for the 'new' replacement window, which was about $100 more than the first replacement window. 

Lessons Learned:

Buy clean top soil

Measure the rough opening for your replacement window

Check the size of your replacement against the you are replacing before you pull it out  

Let the Planning Begin

Our son is getting married next spring. After a month or so, they finally settled on a date, April 30, 2011. The location, St. George Island, FL. TOM and I have never been there before so we took a road trip to the beach last week. The original plan called for a rental on the beach that sleeps up to 24, swimming pool, hot tub, elavator, and dog friendly. We picked up brochures and began searching for properties that met that criteria. Talk about a reality check.

On the Beach: Plenty of properties meet this requirement. The question becomes how much do we really want to spend to have a clear view of the Gulf of Mexico? These are obviously the most expensive and when you are planning a wedding on a budget, these properties take a large chunk of the budget. Another thing we discovered is that several properties do not allow weddings and/or receptions. This knocks a large number of properties out of the running. 

Sleeps 24: This was a little harder to find. We did find two properties that would sleep 24. The first one we looked at was very dark inside (the cleaning crew was getting ready for the season and let us in to look around). There would be plenty of space for everyone. The kitchen was amazing, as was the master suite (you could turn it into 3 good sized rooms). However, it did not have enough bedrooms to offer privacy to older members of the family. Both houses busted the budget. I mean really, how many mortgage payments do you need to make off of a one week rental? And of course, both of these properties had the largest, nicest pools.

Swimming Pool: Most of the properties we looked at had pools. The sizes and locations varied. The pool is one of those things I think we need to have, especially if we only have a beach view as opposed to beach front. It will give the nephews something to do and I am sure some of us older folks will enjoy it too. We definitely need to have a pool. And not a shared pool.

Hot Tub: Now the catalogs have these cute little hot tub icons, but we did not see a single one. Are they in the house? Are they built into the pool? When they say hot tub do they really mean a big tub with bubbles in the master suite? 

Elevators: Many of the properties have elevators. This is a big plus when we you have multiple family members that can't climb a lot of stairs. Apparently, property owners know this is a big selling feature and a smart investment with the aging of America.

Dog Friendly: The whole island is dog friendly, but not all property owners are dog friendly. Personally, I think the dog needs to stay at home, at a kennel. I do not want to have to police the dog for a week. This is a wedding and we have plenty of other things to on our minds. The dog needs to stay home. Sorry. Dad said he would pay for the kennel.

Who Broke the Window

TOM did! Last summer we did some work in our backyard and we had to bring in some fill dirt. Actually, I suggested that we get 'clean' top soil so we wouldn't have as many rocks. It would have cost more, but probably less that this replacement window is going to cost. Anyway, the dirt TOM brought back was full of rocks. And he laughed at me when I started picking rocks. Who's laughing now? I am. After rain they just come to the top. Last weekend TOM was cutting the grass and threw up (you guessed it) a rock and broke this window. Because of the size, it'is a special order and will take a week to 10 days before it arrives.

We are going to install it ourselves. BTW, we have never installed a window before.

This ought to be really interesting. Stay tuned.

Why Do I Hate April?

Federal Income Taxes are Due

Car Tags Need to be Purchased

Pollen

Aside from these few items, this month has not been our friend. We received an [audit] letter from the IRS (dadadadum). We missed 1099 income on our 2008 federal tax return and owed taxes. Following Suze's (Orman) advice, we paid it outright because you don't want to owe them ANY money or risk missing a payment. No penalties, but there was some interest. Don't call, the check is in the mail. Really. 

TOM was outside cutting the grass,threw a rock up and shattered a window. Shattered it good. The inside pane is fine so we don't have to board it up. Of course, it's a special order and it will be 10 to 14 days before we get it. BTW, we have never replaced a window before.

We had to nail sheathing to the undersides of our funiture because Woodstock and Chica decided it was a cool place to play and nap. Tore holes right in the fabric. Actually, that was the easiest problem to fix.      

Work has been crazy busy.

We don't have a vacation planned for the first time in years (oh, that's right, we don't have any money left). Maybe next year.

To quote Woodstock, peace out.

Murder at Midnight

I was sleeping soundly until a loud thump startled me awake. I sit up, looking for something I cannot see. I lay back and close my eyes as a wet, sloppy sound comes to my ears. I wonder if my son, who works at a restaurant, has given my dog a bone. I sit up and search for the dog through the filtered light. The dog is awake, but eating nothing. I close my eyes and lay back on my pillow.

As I start to relax, the sound, louder than the first time, comes to my ears. I sit up and throw my legs over the side of the bed. I stand and walk slowly toward the door; carefully feeling my way through the dark. A feline shadow leaps across my path and darts from the room. I now know what to expect when I turn on the light; the dead or dying feline midnight snack.

I see the shadow of a bunny near the bed; glad that I didn't step on it when I got up. I check to make sure it's not moving before I head to the garage for a dust pan. I shut the door behind me so the criminal cannot to return to the scene of the crime. I remove the carcass and ban the animals from the room for the night.

I have had enough cats over the years to not be surprised when I find something unpleasant in the house.

I remember specifically birds (I have come home to find them flying around the house),

frogs,

snakes, 

moles,

and chipmunks. 

One chipmunk in particular had quite a scary adventure in our home. One of the cats brought him in while we were at work. Somehow he managed to escape the jaws of death only to be found by Woodstock, our ferret later in the day. Actually, that's a good thing, because we were able to rescue him and send him on his merry way. Woodstock, given the opportunity probably would have killed him. He chased that littlechipmunk into and out of all the places that we couldn't reach. It was quite a chase for all involved. I finally managed to capture Woodstock so we could focus on the chipmunk. TOM and son managed to corner the chipmunk in the corner of a small room and throw a towel over him and carry him out. 

For another dead critter story, click here.   

Down by the River

A lot has happened since the middle of February: I was working on a 'special project' that required me to be at work at 4:00 AM three days a week. The company I work for was planning the 'layoff' of around 200 team members. A terminally ill family member took a turn for the worse and we had to travel to Minnesota. I caught a cold. It continues to rain incessantly. Believe you me, the time and  motivation it takes to keep three blogs running is long gone.

On the bright side, the special project ended successfully. I survived the layoff (whew). We were able to spend three days with my family member before she passed peacefully in her sleep. My cold is almost over.

I had ONE nice day to go out for a walk and take some photos before it started to rain again.

And the most exciting news: my son is finally going to marry his longtime girlfriend.

Life IS good. The sun WILL shine. My life rhythm is returning.  

Happy Birthday, Sean

My son Sean turned 31 today. It seems like only yesterday that he was just a baby. My husband was in Korea when Sean was born. I was staying with my parents. I woke up in the middle of the night with excrutiating back pain. Never had a pain like that before. Anyway, after a couple hours I got up to go to the john. Try anything to relieve the pain, right? As soon as I stood up, my water broke. Now this is my first child and I really was clueless. (It took me three months to figure out that I was pregnant.) I went to get my parents for the ride to the hospital. This is a snippet of our conversation:
Me: (Knocking on bedroom door.) Mom, I think it's time to go to the hospital.
Mom: How do you know.
Me: My water just broke.
Mom: You didn't get any on my new carpet did you?
Me: No. (Dad just rolls over.)
(I am not really sure about my response or if I got amniotic fluid on her carpet.)
FYI, she had that carpet until last year.
Because my husband was away, I had my mother go into the delivery room with me. She never gave any clue as to how she felt about that, but I bet it
was the last thing she thought she would do that day.
My son finally made his appearance at 12:57 pm.

Let the adventure begin.

Is it cold where you live?

The answer to that, if you live in the US, is yes unless you live in portions of Cali. I have not been able to get outside to take any snaps for a week. Suffering a bit of withdrawal to tell the truth. Having said that, I am probably spending too much time on the computer working with the pictures. This weather imposed hiatus might be a good thing. I will say that my photography technique is improving, as well as my visualization and framimig.  I liked the look of this almost 'naked' tree against the white wall. I also find interesting the gray sqare. Not sure what it is, probably a patch.

What's Next?

I tell you what, this has been the week from (almost) hell. First, we lose Lady. Then, the feeder hose for the ice maker springs a leak. Easy fix, but we didn't realize we had a leak until the hard wood floor in the living room was wet (saturated in some places).

We turn off the water and begin to work on drying the floor. The shop vac works pretty well to suck up the water and use the mop for the rest. We still have significant damage to the floor in one spot. I am sure the drywall was damaged as well.

We run to the local home store to purchae the replacement hose and install. When TOM turns the water back on, he discovers that the water shut off valve has sprung a leak (apparently a common occurence when turning the valve on or off for repairs). TOM cannot fix this becaue he does not have the right tools.

Did I hear you say plummer? And if you don't think I need to call a plumber, let me tell you about the $75 light switch : )

Lady (12-28-2009)

LADY

Lady came to us as all of our animals do, by destiny not design. My youngest son was doing some community service at an animal shelter about 8 years ago and Lady was at the shelter. She was 6-8 weeks old. She had been abandoned and was found running down the middle of the road. She was dehydrated and starving.

On Saturday, we headed to the shelter to help any way we could and there she was in a puppy playpen in the yard. Her fur was glossy black and she was eager to please. We had lost Nova (another black lab) about 6 months earlier and Cricket really needed a playmate. However, I really did not want another dog. New dogs, especially puppies need so much work and time.

Both my son and husband wanted this little pup. She was sweet as could be, but I was darned if I was going to bring another dog home. As you can see, they won the battle. She house trained easily and was the sweetest dog ever. She loved playing catch; anytime day or night. She could run out about 30 feet and catch that ball : ) She was smarter than we gave her credit for.

Lady was a canine garbage disposal and I think that might have been the end of her. She was fine one day and sick the next. She went downhill fast and there was nothing we could do. Vet care for a sick animal is expensive, especially if they don't know the cause of the problem. We had to set a limit. Sadly, Lady left on her own time schedule, we were saved having to make that decision. She's now nestled under the squirrel tree with the ever present tennis ball.

We are better because of her. I hope we made her as happy as she made us.

A New Project

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood. We started a new project today. It is relatively small compared to most of our projects, but it does involve construction. I can't say too much at this time because it is a gift for someone who might read this blog and I don't want to give away the surprise. We spent about three hours, cutting, gluing, and nailing. A good life.

Government Quarters

I had to go out to Fort Benning this week to get a new ID card. It expired a year ago October. Just goes to show you how much I have separated myself from 20 years of my life. Anyhoo, while I was on post I decided to take a spin thru Custer Terrace, now called Custer Court, if I remember correctly. I finally made it to 101B Arrowhead and it looked the same except for the fence out back and the flowers up front. When I lived here I worked really weird hours and was going to school. No time for gardening. Not much time for it now either : )

The thing that surprised me most was the rush of emotion that came over me. We lived in this dumpy little duplex longer than any other place before our current home. I believe these homes were built in the 50's. When you walk in the front door the kitchen/laundry is to your left. To your right is a hallway with three bedrooms and a SINGLE bathroom. Just imagine 1 woman and 3 men sharing a SMALL bathroom. Straight in from the front door is the living/dining room. The whole house had the most beautiful hard wood floors. The whole place was probably 1200 square feet. So much living in such a small place:

• Sean started high school
• Jeremy started middle school
• Growing pains (and that's all I'll say about that)
• TOM deployed to Saudi Arabia
• Jeremy was diagnosed
• We built a snowman
• We lived through our first hurricane
• Nova chased an MP out of the backyard because he got too close to her puppies
• Lawrence passed away
• I broke my leg
• I received my Associates degree (it took three more years to finish my bachelors)
• Pizza Thursday's (Papa's John's)
• I bought my 1993 Z28 Camaro (I should have never sold that car)
• I quit smoking
• TOM broke his back
• We took a great vacation to the Florida Keys
• Dad had his bypass surgery

Good and bad, these are the things that come to mind as I sit here in my comfortable (10 year new) home with 2 bathrooms, a separate laundry room, and a garage. The day after I went to Benning the shootings occurred at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. We lived there for almost 5 years and I think of the people that we knew and hope that they are all right. A whole other list of things comes to mind that I won't mention here. I'm saving them for my memoir : 0.

Who Built the Dog House?

Opening hunting weekend in Alabama and TOM was not hunting, but I'll tell you why. First, on Saturday he committed to working on House of Heroes. HOH is a charitable organization, that thru the help of volunteers, repairs homes of retired veterans, fire fighters, and policeman. Depending on the work that needs to be completed, contractors donate time and supplies to make the repairs. Anyhoo, that was his Saturday. After a long day on the job, son #1 calls and asks his dad to help him build a dog house for his dog Gypsy, which means no hunting for TOM on Sunday. Now when said son says "I'll be over at 10:00 a.m., he really means sometime after noon. I don't know how this one manages to make it to work on time. Anyhoo, they had a great day for building a dog house. The only injury, aside from a couple of splinters, was a severely smashed thumb. It bruised all the way thru and he, my son, will probably lose the nail. But they finished the house and it turned out great. And TOM is glad he didn't go hunting : )

Life is good. Go out and enjoy it.

Wild Four O'Clock

The sky is gray

the wind is blowing

I'm just glad

that it's not snowing.

Time Flies

Where does the time go? My last post was in July and it's already September. We got back from a trip to Minnesota on Saturday and the last couple of days have been pretty, well, lazy. We didn't even go get groceries. Of course that could have something to do with the fact that we don't have any money left : )

We did have a good time. I spent one aftrnoon setting up my mom's wireless connection, opening her an email account, and putting together the 'office'. We also got connected thru skype. That is the greatest software and so easy to use. You really should check it out. Click here for a free download.

We also went to the state fair. MN has one of the best fairs around. Truly, like a mini city. We had a great time. We spent the morning touring the barns, the International Market, Heritage Square, and the midway. Later that evening we went to the Jackson Browne show.

My dad went to the fair with us. In fact, my main objective that day was to get on the Ferris Wheel with him. He always used to take me up when I was little.

TOM managed to get a couple of shots.

How Do You Know When a Watermelon is Ripe?

Apparently, even the experts don't know.

This is what the farmer's almanac says.

Next question:

Where do the seeds for seedless watermelon come from?

And the final question:

How much water is too much?

I Hate Reptiles

I know it is not nice to hate God's creatures, but I really can't help it when it come to green slithery things. Reptiles have to be number one on the list of things I don't like.

It all started back when I was in the first grade (yes, I do remember back that far) and I was walking thru my front yard with bare feet. I don't know what made me look down, but there slithering under the arch of my left foot was a garden snake. I know, they are perfectly harmless (until they bite you). I don't think I even actually touched flesh to reptile skin, but it totally grossed me out. I don't like frogs or toads, lizards or salamanders. Geckos (like geico) are ok. Turtles are OK too. I have been known to move them out of the road to the safety of the shoulder.

But I digress, back to the note and the reason for it at the top of this post. Kitty brought a frog into the house. It wasn't quite dead, but was close. TOM was on the road for work so I didn't have anyone to get rid of the frog. (TOM recently instituted rule 37 which states 'the first one to see it has to get rid of it', but I don't follow that rule. The next best thing for frog disposal is my son, it is his cat after all. He works late so I left him a note. I put an ice cream bucket on the frog and a rock on top of the bucket. My son called me at 10:00 to tell me that the FROG WAS NOT UNDER THE BUCKET! I mean where the heck did it go? I thought is was too weak to move the bucket, now I'm worried there's a dead frog in the house. And to top it off, we have a ferret and instinctively he is not fond of reptiles either. I am afraid he will find it and drag it off somewhere. Think it's a toy or something. What a quandary. I'm surprised that I can sleep with all the slithering going on in this house. Maybe Kitty realized how upset I was and took it back outside. I will probably never know, but I watch my step pretty carefully.

Takin' Down the Fence

This project started because we have to upgrade our septic system. We figured if we had to get some money from our heloc, we would get enough to finish the meditation garden in the back. The first thing we had to do was put a fence at the top of our property line. About 30% of our backyard is atop a retaining wall. We want to use that space and improve access. Because of the privacy fence for the dogs we had to walk all the way around, a bit of a hassle to tell you the truth. Anyway, we decided on a split rail because we have one in the front. This is the site plan for the new project:

This is the meditation garden 'space'. We will be putting a lattice panel behind the bench to retain the feeling of a room. Oops, this photo doesn't have the bench, but you will see it in the next photo. To ensure the dogs don't escape from the back, we put green chicken wire from the bottom rail to the ground. You can't even tell it's there. I really like it.

It was so blasted hot and humid this weekend that we did not get as much done as we planned. TOM is out of town on business this week so this is what the yard will look like until he gets back. You might be wondering why we didn't use the old privacy fence. We are going to use the old slats for the fence expansion we need to make as a result of the septic tank repair. That new fence really stands out and we would rather have it in the back.

OK, I Know I've Been Slacking

I hate slackers don't you? They never finish anything, but they expect you to be at the top of your game. They lack for nothing because they want nothing. Personally, I don't know any slackers. Do you?

On to nicer, happier topics. I really am having a blast with Woodstock. I have started a blog and am planning his movie debut. But how do you script a movie in which the main character is a ferret? We plan to take-off on one or many of the following (real) movies/characters: Indiana Jones, It Takes a Thief, and Mission Impossible. I had a couple of others, but the titles escape me.

And that's another thing. All week long I have been losing snippets of information. Is my hard drive crashing? It's like I have no short term memory. And my notebook is crapping out too. The hard drive is fine but the processor is definitely acting up. Do you suppose my hard drive and the notebook crapping out is systematic of something else, like maybe I spend to much on the computer and too much time at work?

I have been preparing for the notebook replacement. You know doing my research, checking prices, but what do I do about my hard drive? Not so easy to replace. Just can't run down to wally world and pick up a new one.

Maybe I should become a slacker. What do you think?

Happy Anniversary to US

32 years ago I married this young soldier. It wasn't always easy, but it was always an adventure. Boy, we were young.

We managed to get a fellow traveler to take this shot of us in Union Square on our recent trip to San Francisco.

Clairol really had it right when they said 'you're not getting older, you're getting better'. I have to agree. Age adds character (along with a few other things).

Streets of San Francisco

Coit Tower. Across from the boat to Alcatraz.

Watching our cable car as it heads to the end of the line.

Powell and Hyde Cable Car. We got off at Union Square for lunch.

Parallel parking. No problem.

Ghiradelli Square

Fisherman's Wharf

Mr. Toad's Tours in front of Rain Forest Cafe

Pedi Cabs were all along the Embarkadaro

AThe Cannery

Blue Mermaid Chowder House

Alcatraz Favorites

Alcatraz from the boat

Cellhouse, Cell Blocks B and C

Flowers taking over the Warden's House

Succulents

Blue flowers

Snowy Egret

The Lighthouse

The Officer's Garden

The Warden's House

Stairway