When I Was 17...

I also had recruiters courting me. It was 1976, and I was graduating from high school. Only a year before, the US had pulled out of Vietnam in a messy and painful way. The military did NOT have a good public image, to say the least. I was a B student, and the constant refrain was, "Tell them to get lost. Only losers go into the military."
Losers. Like this guy, or this one. People who hold compassion and honor above personal concerns. Yeah, losers.
I have a matted piece of calligraphy around here somewhere, waiting for a frame. It reads, "You don't raise sons to be heroes, but, if you raise them right, they become heroes anyway, even if it's just in your eyes." I hold my military boys as two of my heroes. Even though one "has issues" and the other "can't take care of himself" (and there's lots of sarcasm and humor in those two quotes!) they are among the bravest and most honorable people I know. One enlisted just before 9/11/2001, and was at Basic training when the world changed. But he reenlisted last winter, under the "crossed swords" in Baghdad.

Do you think he's a loser?











Then there was boy #2, who enlisted just as The Dreaded Surge was beginning. Would you call somewhat like that a loser?
Not to his momma's face, you wouldn't!






So, now, boy #3 is 17. And, later today, the cheesehead recruiter will stop by to pick up his transcript to take to the EdSpec (educational specialist) to evaluate. I know he's no loser, and the recruiter knows he's no loser. In fact, the recruiter is really trying to turn him toward ROTC, instead of enlisting. But EP wants to be a soldier before he's an officer, so it doesn't look like ROTC is where he's going. In fact, if I don't stop blogging and get the transcript WRITTEN, he may not even go enlisted!
So I'm off to turn another loser into my hero. Prayers would be appreciated.

Family Tour, Part 3

I realized we hadn't included GRANDMA in the mix! My grandmother, Irene, is 95, and came to live with us last spring. She was on her own for about 17 years, and decided she didn't want to do that anymore. So she moved in with MSP and has added to the chaos and fun of our household.This is a great picture of Grandma, taken this fall. JP4ling#1 had broken her leg, and was using a walker, so these two fun-loving girls decided to have a walker race across our living room! Grandma, by the way, is the taller of the two! Grandma likes to read, watch TV and suggest ways to improve our home. Sorry, Grandma, but you KNOW it's true! She has a busy life, between keeping an eye on the dogs and MSP, and playing with the JP4lings when they're in the house. Once a week the females in my family stop by for our big outing; lunch and WalMart. We all have a good time with it, and take turns driving Grandma. It's been good, having her here. I hope someone will do this for me, if I reach 95!

More Farm Stuff

Little basils and oreganos are becoming toddler basils and oreganos...Parsley and lettuce are still germinating.
Right now we're in the process of our annual beef order. Every winter, Mr. Haber from around the corner sends information about ordering Angus beef from him. He grows these steers from calf stage, feeding them on grass and some grain, but no antibiotics or hormones. You do know your supermarket beef is giving you more than Nature intended, don't you?
So Will contacts me, and I contact a select group of friends to arrange an order. Right now we have 5 families vying for a cow. I'm trying to explain to them that we need two, or else we'll run out of beef before Memorial Day. We'll work it out in time, but the volume of phone calling and describing has kept me away from blogging! What up with that?
It may help, too, that Pine Ridge Farm (that would be our homestead, thank you for asking) may soon have a few hundred pounds of hamburger to sell. The sad fact of life on a farm is that animals that can't produce while alive get the chance to do so when they're not. And our Dexter cow, Bessie, has now had about a year to allow herself to become with calf, so to speak, and continues to avoid or refuse. This included a couple of artificial insemination attempts and almost 6 months with Bill the bull. I am sure that 6 months of honeymoon would have produced some form of infant with most females, but Bess is having none of it. She is not too old to breed, but too old to be used for more than hamburger. Next month Dr. Bill will come out and "preg check" her. Ladies, remember those last 4 visits to the OB/GYN? OK, then, you know how this will work. Only it's waaayyy messier when Dr. Bill does it. For reference, see here. Arncha glad I shared?
And, if after all of Dr. Bill's hard and messy work, the rabbit doesn't die, well, Bessie will go off to Sam the Butcherman, and we'll have hamburger.

It Begins Again

I don't need a groundhog to tell me that spring is just around the corner. And so, 5 days ago, I began the ritual. My first seeds went into the ground.
I planted basil, oregano and Italian parsley into one of those little greenhouses; this one is smaller than a six-pack. The little basil and oregano plants are already up; the parsley is going to take much longer. It's a little surreal to be planting when, that night, we got 5-6" of snow. But I'll be glad come July.
Then, 2 days ago, I planted about 5 different kinds of lettuce in a 3-foot indoor greenhouse tray. Again, snow on the ground, and baby lettuce waiting to make it's appearance. It sounds a little odd, I suppose, when I have international produce markets within a half hour of me. But it's satisfying to head out to the yard before supper and pick tonight's salad.
Today I picked up some sweet potatoes. Some will be cooked for supper, probably tomorrow night. Some will be sprouted for the garden. Stay tuned as the garden season progresses.
Oh, and MAP has a pay-as-you-go cell phone now. We should be talking to him more regularly!

Family Tour, Part 2

I really hadn't intended to do this today, but some of us felt left out...
MAP is #2 son. Not that he isn't as important as anyone else, but birth order can be unforgiving. Here's a recent shot of him in his environment; eating while in uniform. The photo was taken at the airport in Bangor, Maine, while he was on his way to play in the sand. Some very nice folks make sure that someone greets every military flight, outgoing and incoming. An actual human shakes every military hand, goodies are handed out, and pictures are taken as well, to be posted on their website. MAP said it all passed like a blur, as it was late enough to be almost the middle of the night, but he did appreciate it. As do all the moms, dads, spouses, families and friends who get the heartwarming experience of seeing their soldier/airman/Marine cared for so well. MAP has always been the silent type; kinda shy, does what he is interested in...and not much else! He and EP are our history buffs; MAP went so far as to join a reenacting group while he was in high school. He reenacted WWII; from the German side. It made for interesting travel; sending my little boy off in his Waffen SS uniform to die for the Fatherland. [German reenactors don't "live" long; GI's (who don't "take their hits") finish them off pretty quickly.] But, as he said, if you're gonna have "good guys" at a reenactment, someone has to be the "bad guys."
Last but not least is #1 son, JP4. Despite the shorthand, he has nothing to do with aircraft. Here is one of our favorite shots of him. It's about a year old, and was taken the day he returned from Iraq. Those are the "JP4-lings," who make us smile and often make Daddy smile, too...and grump a little, on occasion! He's a full-time music student, full-time dad, and part-time job hunter? Anyone got a job for someone who won't be in this country on any reliable schedule? :)
I suppose we should include a picture of the mom and dad of this rodeo. However, it seems we don't take picture of ourselves anymore! At least not alone; we ARE to the right in the picture of EP from yesterday's post. But it's either being too busy taking pictures of younglings, or being too aware of the extra pounds the camera adds (as well as those added by nachos, chocolate and good German beer!) that keeps us from taking any of ourselves! I have been searching files for about half an hour, and have come up with nada. Nothing. Bupkis. No pictures for you today! So stop looking already!

Family Tour

I tend to be a nosy person. When people talk about someone else, I try to conjure up images and personalities. I wanna know what that other person is like, and sometimes I get a little grumpy because I wonder why I'm not good enough to have met them. Well, I talk about other people on this blog from time to time, and I don't want to leave you out in the cold, so to speak, which is saying a lot for northern Illinois this weekend! So I will share some pictures and descriptions of my family this week, just to, you know, be fair.
And it's Monday and my brain is not yet in high gear and I really don't have much to blog about. Just being honest.
Let's start with...the youngest. MSP made her appearance almost 13 years ago and looks about like this now.
She's coloring here; art is one of her great interests. If I could get her as interested in writing....But that's beyond the scope of this post.I'd say, for her age, she's appropriately horse and boy crazy (boy crazy enough to worry her dad, but not lose him any sleep. Yet.) Ironically, she's our most athletically inclined kid. The boys were more likely to be found reading or computing. Fitness became an issue when they wanted to enlist. She's our kid who HAS to be active during the day, or we go crazy. Get that? WE go crazy. "MSP, GO OUTSIDE for a while!"
Working up from the bottom, we get EP, Civil Air Patrol cadet, college student, and fencing and Airsoft aficionado. Here's our "baby boy," mostly grown up and earning his Billy Mitchell. Oh, and being named Outstanding Cadet Officer of the Year. Not that we brag or anything. He'd be, by the way, second from the left. He's always been pretty focused; not driven, just focused. Right now he's focusing on finishing his Associate's degree (he'll be 18 when he's done in December) and enlisting in the National Guard, as a combat medic. The jury is still out on whether he'll stay in Illinois or if Wisconsin will get him....
I think that's enough about us for one day. The dogs are up and ready to rock, the coffee pot is calling again, and the phone is ringing!

Go. Play.

It's the Sabbath, for God's sake. And yours!