Ten-SHUN!
Friday, March 12th, 2010The other afternoon I had a phone call that absolutely made my day.
A well-spoken young man was calling students from my college to entice them to join the Army. He was calling from a town about 30 miles away. After I got up from ROTFL, I mentioned to him that I really couldn’t believe the call. He responded that somehow I didn’t sound like a youthful teen – I seemed a little more intelligent and mature. I asked him where he’d been 50 or 60 years ago when I might have wanted to “join the Army, see the world!” Or is that the Navy?
Anyway, I shared my son’s military tales while stationed in Europe as a Desert Storm vet (20 years ago, if you recall), my grandson’s age and the existence of the Lovely Lilly. The young man said he’d been stationed in Germany too and visited EuroDisney with his wife and kids. He’d go back to Germany in a minute, he said. We had some great laughter about my senior (and how!) citizen status. I told him he’d made my day and would soon appear in my blog!
My son later asked if he could enlist me…….
Coincidence? The next day, after my unexpected morning on the x-ray tables rather than my scheduled work day at the antique store in the same town, DH and I visited his favorite Chinese buffet there. From our table I observed a pair of well-dressed (in camo) and perfectly conducted young men, who were also carefully filling plates with delicious lunch items. I looked at one of them, excused myself and asked if he was a recruiter. He said “yes, ma’am”, probably figuring I had a relative he could call. I then said, in my sort-of outside voice — “and where have you been for the past 50 to 60 years?” He looked over, his eyes widened, and he said – “that was YOU? You don’t look nearly as old as you said you were!” What a kick! But still too old for boot camp, unfortunately. It would probably do me a lot of good, if I would live through it!! (Don’t ask son’s opinion….) We had a sweet little bit of laughter again and a brief visit. Coincidence?
Some have asked if DD is back in Paris, and feeling better after the events of one crazy year ago. Well, viz……(the first little face is Nak, DD’s favorite in Cambodia, and whom I think I really should adopt) and again……She’s getting around town quite nicely, aided by the Metro and autobus and her own 2 healthy legs. Good to see!
A favorite shop of mine is having a re-opening party tomorrow there in the Marais……ah, time to win the lottery……can you say first class tickets? Oh my.
Speaking of money and such….working on taxes……..the ides of April threaten……for lots of clients. And our own as well. Also watching the rising water everywhere in this state. Thank goodness our own home is atop a small hill, almost 100 feet up and back from the lake. Why, oh why do people build on flood plains and steep hillsides and shifting sands??!!
Listened a few weeks ago to 12 discs comprising “Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee”. This was quite a sobering, often sad, experience. It deals with the past 180 years or so, not just the events at Wounded Knee in the recent times. We could only take an hour or so at a time in the car as I/we traveled to and from various places. As Dr. Prof at school often says, with apologies to Paul Harvey – “Now you’re learning the REST of the story”. And it’s depressing. Why was all this and other Indian history kept out of our social studies books all these years? Isn’t the Native American viewpoint worth hearing, at least? Can’t non-native Americans be trusted to develop an opinion of their own? And now this guy in Texas on the school board is about to oversee the changes to elementary history books (for 10 years?) to include questionable material from the conservative right?? Who IS in charge here, anyway??
Soon I will have a photo of the finished (OMG, at last!) FIRST sock of the Dancing Girls, a/k/a Girls Night Out, from the Knitters Brewing Company. After doing the last 15 rows of the toe decrease, and about to tie off the LAST STITCH OF THE KITCHENER, I discovered an irretrievable error in the earlier kitchener stitches. Frogged what turned out to be 20 rows and re-did most of the rows. Now the little bugger is waiting quietly, but I’m sure chuckling maniacally inside, for me to finish the last 3 rows and then KITCHENER again. Decided to do the last rows in the same contrasting color used earlier in the sock, on the cuff and heel. Will I regret that??
X-ray tables, you ask? Well, another time….oh, well, since you asked. A night ago I had a tumble in the house. Since I had a dr. appointment the next day anyway, I had her check out the bruised and battered areas of my body. X-rays were to make sure I would still be ambulatory. And I will. Nuf said. Left shoulder still wants to go places other than the rest of the body, but that’s thanks to many, many luggage overheads in my past working life. Angiogram upcoming, tho.
When I grow up I want to be a foreign correspondent…….just call me Nancy Amanpour – - – or something…….
“To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization…” – Arnold Toynbee
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That’s no problem…….lots of knitting to work on………..
