At a Crossroad

I have been a Boy Scout all my life. I joined when i was 8 yrs old, advanced through the ranks, became an Eagle Scout, joined a scouting related fraternity in college, volunteered my time as a childless adult leader, and naturally became a cub scout leader when my son was old enough to join.

My desire for him is and has been to experience the adventures that i had as a youth, see the things and visit the places I did as a youth, and earn his Eagle Scout badge as I did. I realize that the eras in which we each grew up are completely different as is the geographic setting. I grew up in a small town in the Ozarks where the sidewalks rolled up at 6pm every night and everyone in town knew your name, your parents and business.

My son grows up in a large urban area where we all live in our own little microcosm of the community, venturing out into the big city for special events. But the fact that there is 24 hour options in everything is worlds apart from my upbringing.

I have urged my son to stay in scout, earn Eagle Scout and then if he feels that it is still not fun or cool, then he can stop going. I have fought hard to keep the activities in the troop fun, educational, and active. This despite the fact that i am only an asst leader and the actual scoutmaster if an idiot of the first order. On top of fighting his imbecilic management of the troop, my son has also had to put up with the total lack of youth leadership in the troop. First from the scoutmasters equally idiotic son and then from another youth who, well lets just say he is a few bubbles from plumb.

In December the adults of the scouts got together and made a conscience decision to begin the process of disbanding the troop and merging it into another, in hopes of finding older scouts to mentor our boys and provide them with the type of program that we all remembered and want for our sons.

We researched area troops, paid visit to them to evaluate their programs, and to determine which would be the best fit for our boys. We came to a decision and as we were about to pull the trigger on things, something happened which we haven't quite gotten to the bottom of yet.

At about the same time as all this was happening, some new boys started coming to our meetings with their parents. Reportedly, they said their troop leader was leaving, they weren't happy with the new direction of their troop, and were looking for a smaller more active troop to join. We were open with them about our intentions and plans and they gave every indication that they were OK with our decision.

Fast forward to last week. At a meeting of the adults, it came to be that the idiot scoutmaster and his son had politicked the new folks into recruiting more people from the same troop to come over and the decision was made not to dissolve the troop. OK.. i get democracy. Majority rules and i was willing to go along with it as along as they could prove to me that their wasn't some hidden agenda or motive driving them.

On Saturday, they effectively took over the leadership of the troop, voting in their boys into every leadership position available and leaving our boys to take up the scraps and the pass-overs.

I have spend the last 6 years of mine and my sons life devoting my time and energy to this pack and troop, giving it my all. Now to be caste aside like we are no longer needed is just too much to put up with. I am angry, and I will have my revenge.

So I ask you dear readers. You know me, I don't pull any punches or sugar-coat anything.

1. Do i resign from the troop, along with my son, and keep my thoughts and opinions to myself and let them fester and die the slow death that i know they will?
2. Do i resign from the troop along with my son and go out in a blaze of glory, calling them out on their shit and making it known to all who will listen that they are conniving POSs that can not be trusted?
3. Do resign from the troop along with my son and stealthily, work to destroy what they have tried to build?

Let me know your thoughts.

So Shoot Me; After lunch

OK, i know i have once again been missing in action... SO SHOOT ME.

Life has gotten in the way of lots of things this past 4 months and too much has happened to relate to here, but suffice it to say, not much has really changed except I am poorer and just as frustrated with ungrateful, dumb ass kids and stepkids.

So in the interest of a clean break from my usual ranting and raving about the irresponsibilities of today's generation. I am not going to go there today and may not go there ever again, unless prompted to by an act of stupidity, so profound, that i want to world to know about it and to assist me in ridiculing them into submission.

Now for something completely different.

It was my birthday last month. My diamond anniversary. Work was hectic and we didn't get to do the customary lunch in my honor, so we ended up doing that today. My choice for lunch, so i let them off cheap and we went to McAlisters Deli. My choice conjured up memories of my youth and my first real experience in the big city as a child, so I thought i would pass along this moment.

When I was a kid (6-8 y.o.), we lived in Illinois, just across the river from St Louis. Now having been born in southeast Missouri and grown up on or near the farms, I was fascinated by the big city and all the wonders it had to offer. But the most memorable experiences came when we would make our annual pilgrimage to downtown St Louis to the big department stores for Christmas shopping and sightseeing.

These trips always included a trip the department store restaurant for those unique and one of a kind (or at least I thought so) dishes that you could only get there. It was on one of those trips that i discovered the dish that is "French Onion Soup".

Now I know your thinking, what 7 year old kid in their right mind would want to eat that.....well me. I guess even at that early age i was a gourmand and enjoyed eating new and exotic dishes.

So in honor of my lunch today and the memories of my childhood experiences; i leave you with the recipe from that trip.

The Famous Barr (store) French Onion Soup.


Yields: 16 servings

5 lbs onions, unpeeled

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground
2 tablespoons paprika
1 bay leaf
7 (16 ounce) cans beef broth, divided (recommended Swanson's)
1 cup dry white wine (optional)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour or instant flour (such as Wondra)
caramel coloring (optional) or Kitchen Bouquet (optional)
2 teaspoons salt
French baguette (optional)
swiss cheese (optional) or gruyere cheese (optional)


Peel onions and slice 1/8 inch thick, preferably in a food processor. Melt butter in a 6-quart (or larger) stockpot. Add onions; cook, uncovered, over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. (The long cooking time makes the onions mellow and sweet.) Stir in pepper, paprika and bay leaf; saute over low heat 10 minutes more, stirring frequently. Pour in 6 cans broth and wine. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Dissolve flour in remaining 1 can broth. Stir into boiling soup. Reduce heat and simmer slowly for 2 hours. Adjust color to a rich brown with caramel coloring, season with salt. Refrigerate overnight. To serve, heat soup in microwave or on stove top. If desired, pour into ovenproof crocks or bowls. Top with a slice of bread and a sprinkling of grated cheese. Heat under the broiler until cheese melts and bubbles, about 5 minutes. Leftover soup can be frozen.


ENJOY and let me know what you think.

Now It Begins

I have to admit the title of this post is from a novel I recently finished. In the novel, The Secret Generations by John Gardner, a family of spy's is rocked by the death of the patriarch of the family. Following the death, they must follow the trail left by him to uncover one or more family members who, for years, have been traitors to the family and the cause.

It is almost surreal that, after finishing the book, a similar circumstance has fallen on my own little world. No we aren't looking for double agents or traitors, but the impending death of a family member brings out the vultures and other carreon to circle, waiting for that moment to pounce and begin picking at the carcass (in this case, estate) for anything they can get their greedy and undeserving hands on.

This will probably end up being a series of posts as there is a bit of history that must be told. But the history defines certain individuals, so as those individuals are introduced, so to will be the history.

Last Thursday, L's mom and her uncle were in an auto accident. It first appeared like it would be a very bad one. We were called and told that they were being airlifted to a hospital and nothing more. We went to the said hospital and waited as patiently as possible. They finally told us that, "no they were not coming in by helicopter, but by ambulance." When Mom arrived, the paramedics told us that the other ambulance, with Uncle, had been diverted along the way to a smaller hospital due to him having a possible heart episode.

I left L and her sister at the hospital with Mom and went to the other hospital to check on Uncle. When I got there, he was still in a neck brace, but according to the Dr, was OK other than some bumps, bruises, and a nasty friction burn on his neck from the seat belt. They wanted to keep him for observation to insure that the seat belt had not damaged his coratid artery.

Uncle is 87 yo and lost his wife over a year ago. He has been living with Mom, his sister, since last fall. Now while they get along like any brother and sister, couple that with his age and hers (81 yo) and you have a pretty good picture of the dynamics of the relationship.

Meanwhile, Mom has a severe laceration on her left arm that has peeled back the skin at the elbow. The Dr's are concerned about the cause of the accident and the fact that Mom may have blacked out, thus causing the accident. So they elect to keep her in the hospital overnight for observation. Uncle is throwing a fit because he doesn't want to stay in the hospital, but is finally convinced that it is for his own good.

Fast forward to Saturday morning. Mom has been given the all clear (meaning the Dr's cant find anything wrong with her) and she goes to the other hospital to visit her brother. Upon arrival, she is told that his condition is not good. They have determined that he has pneumonia and has had it for several months. He is also showing signs of diminished kidney function. At the same time, Uncle is becoming more and more lethargic and addled with the combination of his condition and the meds that they are giving him. He is weak, and virtually incapable of standing or moving himself, without someone practically holding him up.

Now it begins...... Part 2 tomorrow

Priceless Moments in History

In honor of Cary at List of the Day, I offer another priceless moment in history.

Cant Win for Losing

It started out innocent enough. L had been to the dentist and after 2 hrs in the chair and a new temporary crown, and two new fillings, she was home on the couch, resting and nursing a sore jaw. I came home with every intention of nursing her, fixing dinner, and enjoying a quiet evening.

I went shopping, bought groceries, came home, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, fixed her a pineapple, banana, and strawberry smoothie, and sat down to catch up on DVR programs. Then the phone rang. I could tell by the half of the conversation that i was hearing that she was committing us to watching the spawn, just not sure of the details. I lost it. I got up and stormed into the kitchen.

She asked what was wrong and I said nothing and proceeded to unload and load the dishwasher. I fumed around for a bit and then finally, she forced me to give her and answer and I said; "I am tired of your kids always planning our lives for us" . Needless to say that pissed her off and she tried to throw it back into my face that my kids have just as much if not more to do with our life schedule than hers do. I proceeded to tell her that yet again, she doesn't get the subtle difference that my kids are younger and thereby dependent on me where as her kids are all old enough to be taking care of their own shit.

We danced around the issue for a few more minutes and i decided that it was time for me to go. I left the house. Drove around for a bit, stopped by a friends house and visited with him and his wife, and caught up on life with them. Now this is my old college roommate, we live about 2 miles from one another and we have seen each other about 2 time since the first of the year. We are both busy with kids, family commitments and work, so i don't begrudge that time missed, but last night brought back alot of memories of good times past.

When i got home, i unloaded the dishwasher, loaded it again, and went to bed. She came to the room about 10PM and didn't say a word. Climbed into bed and we both attempted to sleep. At 11PM, I got up and asked her is she was going to talk to me and she said she had nothing to say. I asked her if she even knew why i got upset and she said that it was because we had to watch Spawn. I said no that was not the reason. The real reason was and still is that her kids take advantage of her and by default me. They call at the last minute and expect us to drop everything we have planned or even have remotely discussed on doing to bail them out of their child care dilemma or their current transportation issue. I am sick and tired of being responsible for everyone else's kids and their irresponsibility. I told her this last night.

Needless to say, our plan to drive into work together this morning and then go to my daughters softball game is now in the fucking trash heap because L has to pick up the spawn from daycare and then watch him to his dumbass mother gets off work.

I cant win for losing.....

POS of the Week

I have decided to start a new feature on this blog. Not only does it give me something easy to write about, but it also provides a venue of me to vent my frustrations on today's societal ills that the media seem to have a feeding frenzy over. So sports fans, enjoy this little clip about our first POS of the Week

This POS is only in if for the money and he continues to do whatever he can to live off the earnings of his children. The mom isn't much better and I am surprised she hasn't turned up in some rehab stint. I just wish the news media would quit enabling this POS and his daughters to stay in the limelight. Maybe then, we wouldn't have to see these assholes anymore

OUR POS OF THE WEEK IS MICHAEL LOHAN, FATHER OF LINDSEY LOHAN, A POS IN HER OWN RIGHT.

The Rut

We all have those times in our lives where we seem to hit a low point, a rut if you want to call it that. Those periods where nothing you do or say seems appropriate. And no matter how hard you try to say it in a diplomatic and nice way, you just end up sticking your foot further into your mouth.

Not only does the rut affect your everyday interpersonal actions and reactions with others, it also affects your most intimate interactions with your loved ones. You want to tell them something, but your either afraid that you will exacerbate the situation even more, or that you will regret giving in. This seems to be where I am. I am tired of all the unnecessary drama in our lives and when i try to impart this to my wife, i get glares and looks of disdain. When i do my best to explain my frustrations to her, she refuses to acknowledge my opinion and chooses to ignore me.

That in and of itself doesn't bother me. What does bother me is that 99 times out of 100 I am right on the money with my insight and analysis and she refuses to accept the fact that I am usually right. Secondly, this makes her even more reticent to open up to me and tell me things about our life. So it compounds the issue by now adding feelings of inadequacy and suspicion to the mix.

I am at the point where i am ready to tell all of them to go F themselves, leave us alone, and if they end up on the street, with no place to go and no money, don't come crying to mommy.

Sorry for being such a heartless bastard, but live in my shoes for a few months and tell me you wouldn't do the same thing.

THE CODE OF THE WEST

I ran across this yesterday afternoon on the back of a business card from a gentleman from Wyoming. The quotes actually come from a book by James P. Owen, entitled Cowboy Ethics. As I read the words, it struck me as ironic that this is the way I think and how I try to live my life. Now some of you know that I may bitch and moan alot about my life and those in my life, but generally speaking, I do try to live by simple rules of responsibility and honesty.

Anyway, enjoy these little gems and let me know your thoughts. I am on my way to find this book and see what other pearls of wisdom I can glean from it.

1. Live each day with courage
2. Take pride in your work.
3. Always finish what you start.
4. Do what has to be done.
5. Be tough, but fair.
6. Whey you make a promise, keep it.
7. Ride for the brand (i.e., be loyal)
8. Tallk less; say more.
9. Remember that some things aren't for sale.
10. Know where to draw the line.

Happy Trails.......

I'm Back

Hello to all of you who have stopped by and wondered; "WTF is he doing, no post again". Sorry, the winter doldrums had me in a funk and the creative juices just weren't flowing. Besides, with kids basketball, scouts, work, home improvement projects, and kicking the stepdaughter and her spawn out of the house, I have been a little busy.

You are wondering about that last comment. Yes, L and I finally kicked her daughter's lazy, shiftless ass to the curb and her bratty kid as well. Now before you go all bleeding heart liberal on me about how could I kick out her kid, let me explain the circumstances.

Beginning in January, we counseled her on saving money for a car, an apt, and basic living needs, so that her and the spawn could move out. She gave us her typical "I KNOW" response and proceeded to piss away everything that she earned. In the meantime, her and SH1 were having this on again, off again relationship, mainly for a booty call. She finally got tired of his crap and lies, and not working, and being a general POS, that she hooked up with a new guy.

The new guy, whom we have dubbed PW, for p*s*y whipped, is a skinny, quiet guy, who wouldn't say shit if he had a mouthful of it. But he adores her, supposedly. He likes being the father figure to the spawn, and to some degree has been a stabling influence to her.

Cut to mid February. They have been dating 3 weeks and suddenly cook up this idea to file their taxes together so they can increase the return they get, they will pool their money, and that will solve the problem of transportation and housing. Seems logical to them, despite us telling her that it is illegal and she could be in a world of trouble.

Guess what.. our opinion and advice don't mean diddly. They do it, and all of a sudden, they have a car and plans to move in together. When L and I approached her about her mistake and pointed out that it was illegal and that she might get hauled off to jail, she took that as, we were going to drop a dime on her with the IRS and she would go to jail.

What resulted from that illogical thought process was two weeks of hell, in which she called L, her mother and I everything but white people, she moved her and her son in with PW's cousin, and proceeded to make our lives miserable. The one consolation from all the BS is that L finally got her fill of the lies, the irresponsibility, and the disrespect. She told her to pack her shit and git.

So after dragging her feet for a month and coming up with a myriad of excuses for why they don't have an apt yet, we finally said enough is enough. We rented a storage unit, loaded her crap, and stored it till the end of April. If she doesn't get it out of storage by then, she loses it. She knows this and has said that she would get it done. WE WILL SEE.

In the meantime, it has taken some getting use to, but damn is it nice to come home to a quiet house and not having a sink full of dirty dishes or half eaten food laying all over the house. Anyone want to place bets on how long PW puts up with her shit? I'm not giving odds.

Is This London or St Louis?

The old adage in St Louis is if you stick around for an hour the weather will change. For the most part it is true. We can go from cold and wet to warm and dry in the span of a day. But this new year so far has tested our endurance for extremes. This time two weeks ago, it was in the single digits with 3-inches of snow on the ground. Today, it is in the forties and looks like London England

I just wish it would decide whether it is going to be winter or spring. My sinuses cant take much more of this back and forth stuff.

The Bucket List

L sent me this, after she received it from my sister. Guess my sister wasn't really interested in my answers....

The Bucket List

Put an X next to the listing if I applies to you. Feel free to embellish the answer if you want. This is for your Entire Life!

(X) Shot a gun
(X)Gone on a blind date
( x) Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die
(x ) been to Canada
( ) Been to Alaska
( ) Been to Cuba
(x) Been to Europe
(x) Been to Las Vegas
( ) Been to Mexico
( ) Been to Bahamas
(x) Been to Florida
( ) Been to Japan
(x) Been on a plane
( ) Been on a cruise ship
( ) Served on a jury
( ) Been lost
(x) Gone to Washington , DC
(x) Swam in the ocean
( ) Cried yourself to sleep
(X) Played cops and robbers
(X) Played cowboys/girls and Indians
(x) Sang Karaoke
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only?
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? (X ) Made prank phone calls.....
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
( ) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
( ) Gone snow skiing
(x) Camped out under the stars
(X) Seen something so beautiful that it took your breath away?
(X) Are or have been Married?
(X) Children?
(x) Have a Pet?
(X) Been skinny dipping outdoors
(X) Been fishing
(X) Been boating
(X) Been water skiing (does knee-boarding count?)
(X) Been hiking
(x) Been camping in a trailer/RV
(x) Flown in a small 4 seater airplane
( ) Went para sailing
( ) Flown in a glider
( ) Been flying in a hot air balloon
( ) Been bungee-jumping or sky-diving
(X) Gone to a drive-in movie
(x) Done something that should have killed you
(X) Done something that you will probably regret for the rest of your life

1. Any nickname? Rockman, Bones, Kamala...(don't ask)
3. Favorite drink? Diet Coke
4. Body Piercings? No
5. Tattoos? No
6. How much do you love your job? A lot
7. Birthplace? Cape Girardeau, MO
8. Favorite vacation spot? Hawaii
9. Been to Africa? no
10. Ever eaten just cookies for dinner? No
11. Ever been on TV? N0
12. Ever steal any traffic sign? No
13. Ever been in a car accident? yes
14. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4
15. Favorite number? 22
16. Favorite movie? Bourne Identity
17. Favorite holiday? 4th of July
18. Favorite dessert? Carrot Cake
19. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Close to retirement and out of debt. Definitely no stepkids or kids living with me.
20. Farthest place you will send this message? California
21. Who will respond to this the fastest? I don't have a clue.

This weather, the holidays, and work are really taking a toll on my creative thoughts and desire to come up with something more entertaining for you all. So please accept this as a token of my appreciation for visiting, and feel free to plagiarize, comment, discuss, or whatever you want to do with it.

Have a good day.

Bah Friggin Humbug

I know it has been well over a month since i posted. So kill me....shit happens, life gets in the way, work gets in the way, and I just haven't felt in the mood.

The mood still isn't really in there, but I felt like I at least owed you faithful followers some of my time and wisdom. So here are some random thoughts that have gone through my mind in the last few weeks.

* How many times do I have to come home to a new steaming pile of shit that the stepdaughter has left waiting for us?

* How many times do you have to keep defending the inadequacies of your children before you realize that it reflects on you?

* When are we finally going to catch a break and not have to spend money of other people and have the time and inclination to spend money on ourselves?

* Why is it that, people whom you despise and loathe under normal circumstances, always seem to feel obligated to play nice at the holidays, making you feel guilty? Tell them to piss off regardless of the time of year it is.

* How come I always end up in a job I love with a manager that I do not respect and has advanced well beyond their Peter Principle level?

OK.... enough of the soap box. Now a very brief update...

Stepdaughter is working again... yippee hooray, bout GD time.

LB is still a pain in my ass but he is going to preschool now so some of the socialization skills are starting to help. Now if we could just get his OCD under control, he might actually begin to function like a normal 4 y.o.

Shithead is history with the stepdaughter, and we are just waiting for an opportunity to drop a dime on him with his PO and send his ass back to the pen.

L and I are struggling to maintain some sense of a normal life, under all the external pressures from her family. I told her last night again.. Start telling people NO or I will do it for you. We can not and will not continue to be the rescue squad for every little family crisis that someone else has. We have enough shit of our own to deal with... MORE ON THAT LATER.

I sincerely hope that you all have a happy holiday season. I am planning on telling everyone that gets in my way or on my nerves to go fuck themselves and leave my house. WISH ME LUCK.

Friday Funnies - NORTHWEST AIRLINES PILOT TRAINING FILM

You have to wonder if this is how Northwest Airlines trains their pilots after this week's incident of "overshooting the airport by 150 miles.

On The Mend

After a visit to the DR on Monday, it seems that L and I are suffering from the residual effects of a respiratory virus that mimics the flu, and actually could be a mild case of the flu.

Not likely H1N1, but the plain old, garden variety flu. Whatever it is, it sucks donkey dong.

The doc says don't worry, take the horse pills I am prescribing, and if your not better in a week to ten days after the course of antibiotics, then get your will and testament in order get your butt back in here and we will do something else. Gee, what a comfort.

He did say that while he feels my pain, we are not alone. He has seen more patients this fall with the flu than he saw all last year. And while everyone is freaking out about H1N1, he said that more than likely, what people have is the regular flu. According to DR, getting a flu shot does help, but if you have the symptoms for more than 48 hours before you seek medical attention, then tough shit... anything that they give you wont really help. Your body has already started producing antibodies to fight the particular virus strain in you and any additional medicine will just slow down that process. (Guess you all skipped that day of H.S. Biology.)

DR says that the over the counter meds will help the symptoms, but if things are markedly improved after a week to 10 days, then you likely may have a secondary infection.

Long story short, don't screw around with this stuff. If it lingers, get medical help and take care of yourself. Because of all the crackheads out there, Wally World can't sell the really good over the counter medicines anymore, so you may as well get a script for it and stop messing around.

Creeping Crud

I don't know how many of you have been sick this past few months, but I am getting damn tired of feeling like ASS.. as my grandson so eloquently puts it.

It all started Labor Day weekend. My middle stepson came down with some bug, classic flu like symptoms, aches, pains, chills, fever, coughing a lung up and a runny nose like a faucet got turned on. He passed it to L who was home in bed the first week of Sept for 2 days with fever and aches.

Then a week or so later my son got it. Now this boy fights being sick to the death, but when he is laying down on the ground sleeping in the middle of his sisters soccer game because he doesn't feel good, I know he is sick. (Why he as there in the first place was beyond me, but that was his mother's decision... fodder for another blog on how self-centered and self-absorbed she can be at times).

A week later my daughter has it, and guess what, she just happens to have it the nite her and her brother as suppose to be at the house. Needless to say, I feel like my home is becoming a petri dish.

Fast forward to the 2nd week of Oct. I am home sick for two days with fever, aches, and coughing. Then L got it again last week and was home for 2 days.

She went to the DR on Thursday and all that quack would tell her is that she has a viral infection in her respiratory system and there is nothing that can be done other than to let it run it's course. What BULLSHIT.....

So we have purchased countless over the counter medicines to help alleviate the symptoms but that is like putting a band-aid on an amputation.

Guess what.. I went to bed last night with a fever and generally feel like I am walking around in a cloud today. The good news it that I already had a DR appt. schedule for this afternoon to review some lab work. So lucky me, my timing is right on in that regard.

Additionally, my doctor is s D.O. rather than an M.D. They tend to be less formal, more holistic, and less willing to cut and hack on you for something. I have been seeing this guy for going on 17-18 years now and he is the best. He is always willing to discuss in detail my treatment, and given that i am a scientist, he knows he cant bullshit his way around the diagnosis or toss me off with a "you wouldn't understand". I think that also helps me in that whenever I am in a predicament like I am now, with this crud being passed around like it is. He will not hesitate to raid his closet of medicine and help a brother out with a handful of free sample packages to help all of us get through the plague.

Maybe I will hit him up for some Viagra too....you never know.

Friday Funnies - PART 2

I just couldn't pass up posting this one for your viewing pleasure. Brings a whole new meaning to the old Hill Street Blues TV Show line; "Lets be careful out there".....

ENJOY

Friday Funnies

LUNCH ANYONE

Swearing Baby

Turn your speakers up or put on headphones, it is pretty hard to hear.

Deployment

When I married L, I knew that I would be taking on the role of stepfather to three older children (currently 22, 24, and almost 26). I also knew that I would be a step grandfather to two very high maintenance and hellion boys. I accepted this role knowing that dealing with the issues facing them would involve a lot of patience, some creative accounting, and probably many of sleepless nights and anxiety filled days. But I love L and knew and continue to believe that the risk was and is worth the reward.

Yesterday, my middle stepson left for training, prior to being deployed to Iraq. So I have inherited a new role. Concerned parent to a soldier. While I don't feel it is my place to tell my stepson how to live his life or call him son, or do any of the other things I might normally do if he were younger, I do feel the need to let him know that his mother and I are very proud of him and pursuit of a military career.

I told him as much in a phone call yesterday morning as he was departing. I told him that I wished I could have been there to see him off but my commitment to my own son and a boy scout trip prevented me from being at the airport. Through the sobs and sniffles of him fighting back openly crying, he said he understood and knew that I didn't have a choice but to be with my own son rather than with him. I told him that it still didn't make it right that I could not be there. I told him that his mother and I were proud of him, and that I knew he had to do this for himself, his wife, his family, and his country. I told him that no matter what happened, we would take care of his wife and that last thing he needed to worry about over there was her.

L and his wife were obviously upset and keeping it together by the thinnest of strings for most of the day yesterday. I made it home by noon and was able to have some things done around the house by the time they got back from the airport. On top of all the emotion of her son leaving yesterday, it was L's birthday yesterday. I was able to be home for most of it, got her a present that she really wanted, cooked her dinner, and generally was there for her to hold and to provide a shoulder to cry on.

Yesterday was the beginning of at least a one year role as military parent, supportive husband and father in law, amongst other roles. I hope I am up to the challenge.

If you followers are interested, I will update you from time to time on his progress and situation. If it is a little too maudlin or self-serving for your taste, I won't. Your call.