cookiecrumbexpress.com Blog

Quoi de neuf?

I would do the rest of this in French, but I would have no idea what I was talking about. I have a hard time knowing what I am talking about anyway.

Ram is doing day classes. His roomie is doing night classes. Hopefully he will get an internet thingie put in this pm. It will be the first time in over a year that he will get to hang his hat in one place long enought to do that kinda stuff.

Just in time too a lot of the French lesson stuff is on line, as are many of the things he needs to access for his military life.

Well that’s it so for now …. Au revoir … yo!!! and peace out dude.

That was the message from the last horseback riding expedition. I know some took offense to the horse’s nickname, so I will call him by his real name here, which is Cody.

Cody is one of the ‘rescue’ horses at the horse riding place. Cody was a racehorse in a prior life.

Ram got to go out for a ride on Sunday, and they asked if he wanted Cody. He did, and both he and the horse got along great this time. Sometimes it just takes a bit to get used to a horse.

Did he get to run Cody? Yes why yes he did. Few things are as exciting as being on a horse in full gallop. He loved it.

He loved being in a group of people that had no other soldiers in it too. He got to sit a spell and talk after the ride, and the “hot pocket” they offered slid right down…. and reminded him how really hungry he was .. so when he left there … he went to eat.

Classes begin today, and for the next few months, he lives in the barracks.

Life is good.

The afternoon was a family get together at Mojo’s place. We are not quite sure how it happened but it happened.

Noah had all his toofs when he got here.

But not anymore. So wattya think? I think the Hockey player look works for him.  Don’t you?

Think sister Em did it?  In the study? with the candlestick?

Or did Mai do it …. in the library … with a stuffed wolf?

It was an accident. But it was Emily the Elbow who did it. Do you know how hard it is to find teeth in the grass. At least Jim found one.  Noah might have swallowed the other.  The tooth fairy is gonna have to take our word for it eh?

I think the hockey player look works for Noah.

Ram asked when he realized what weekend it was.  The answer of course is .. yes. We remember these guys all year round, but we especially make it a point to “buy POP a beer” today.

Grampa served in the US Army in WWII. He made Staff Sergeant very quickly cause he was the “old man” in his platoon. He was a machine gunner and served in New Guinea and the Philippines. Guys in his unit called him POP, so did I.

Great Grampa Al Smith served in the US Army in WWI. I remember a photo of him in one of those Army “Smokie the Bear” hats and that stiff collar that they wore in those days. I got being a ‘gun nut’ from him. They never put a flag on his grave, cause the headstone says nothing bout him being a veteran. So we take care of it.

Uncle Jerry was a Sergeant in the Army in WWII. His name was Jeremiah Coutsonikas. Yes indeed he was Greek. Outrageously Greek.  And proud of it. In later years he never went anywhere without his Greek fisherman’s hat.

So today we buy them all a beer, and flowers for the women they were married to, Irene, my mom, June, my aunt Louise my grandma … and my sister Virginia. God bless them and hold them close.

As Memorial Day approaches, instead of the usual cheers for the troops, Barbara and Margaret have decided on a quiet afternoon of serious reflection for what has been sacrificed for us just as Ken and Karen do.

Yes there is a beach near the Magical Forest, and today was just made for exploration.

A beach chair, shorts, sunglasses, and a cooler … and Ram was off.  He hasn’t been there before so it’s time he went.

Kicking back and consuming mass quantity is the order of the day for the weekend.  Although he normally doesn’t like Italian food, he went with a couple friends last night and decided he loves shrimp alfredo. Will wonders never cease?

Life is good and tomorrow is a holiday.

Mowgli is in the final two weeks of the training before what Ram just finished. That of course means he passed the swim test and is most way through the next thing.

Doc is finishing up the same training evolution Mowgli is in this upcoming Friday. S1 continues to be a communications center for the guys as they all head down different paths through the Magical Forest.

DeaconJones and S2 are in Washington and thriving.

Zimmer is in the training that follows what Ram just finished. Pistol is in Washington too.

It’s a long weekend outside the Magical Forest, so Ram has acquired a fishing pole and some gear and is excited about the possibility of wetting a line.

Ram update. Training successfully concluded. The book was wrong. Not everyone got one bowl of rice for the week. In this case there were 15 guys and three bowls of rice.

Ma said, “I didn’t think you liked rice.”

Ram replied, “I do now.”

To make a long story short it was a life altering experience. And yes they survived. And yes, life it good.

Karen’s present to Ram was a world class hit. So much so that Ram decided he wants a wallet size photo of all his nieces and nephews. And by golly, we will make sure he gets some.

Dog did great. Do not yet know about Doc and Mowgli, but we have a new guy … Poncho Villa. Poncho has been with Ram since basic, one of the few left, they will go on together. Poncho may be taking a bride soon.

Life has so much more meaning when you live it for others.

Life is good.

More as we get it. We pause for the guys to go out and eat. I mentioned that they would be hungry, but the fear is their stomachs have shrunk so much, they won’t be able to eat a lot. But they have a few weeks to overcome that.

As in Thank God It’s Almost Friday. Thank God this training cycle is almost over. I know those guys are eager to get back in from the Magical Forest and chow down.

I also know they are eager to enter the next phase of training.

We are anxious too to hear about it and to check and see what Mowgli and Doc are doing, although we think we know, you just don’t know till you know. Ya know?

We managed to find all four of the Tremor movies and send them to Ram. Just the thing for an achy tired kinda guy to kick back and watch over the weekend, interrupted by a few steaks and pizzas and nearly anything else.

Anyone who has ever depended on a fire for warmth in the woods knows that fire consumes fuel and will go out…. eventually.

Given that. The sun will burn out some time too.

That being said …. global warming is rot.

Al Gore is trying to ‘invent’ Global Warming in the face of the coming Ice Age.

Here is an interesting chart of climate a Chart and Article on Climate over the last 425,000 years.