Thanks for Our Military

Beloved with some of his military awards
Photo edited for reasons of privacy

Last weekend Grandson #4 texted Beloved that he had a school assignment requiring him to interview a military veteran. We searched hard to find a suitable photo with Beloved in his uniform and couldn't get it done with the deadline looming up fast for completion of the assignment. 

We did the next best thing and staged a photo shoot with some memorabilia from that chapter of our lives, sending that along with a description of duties assigned during the 6-years spent in the Air Force (in addition to four years in ROTC on his university campus).

Wow, that was such a long time ago. It was during the Viet Nam war, but thankfully, Beloved's assignments were always stateside and deep underground. For four years he kept watch on Minuteman missiles for the Strategic Air Command from a bunker some 60 - 90 feet underground (depending on the soil).  Then for another nearly two years he worked inside a mountain that housed a multi-story building that rested on huge springs for shock absorption. 

During those early years of our marriage, I was busy having children and helping to care for my ailing father-in-law. I knew the work my husband did was very important and he couldn't talk about it much. It wasn't until decades later that I realized the many implications that came with his duties. I was stunned and humbled, even embarrassed at my naiveté. 

The military has changed a lot since then. Due to political reasons I won't explore in this post, many of those changes have not been for the good. I fear that the days of widespread patriotism we once knew may never be regained and it will take a very long time to re-build to the strength we once had.

I am thankful for those who are willing to serve in our armed forces now and for those who have served in the past. Many of their sacrifices (and inconveniences) cannot be discussed for reasons of security. It is good to recognize our military and to show them appreciation. They most certainly deserve it.

Salmagundi (a miscellaneous collection)

Purple Lupine in the back yard of
The Brown Bungalow

Of course, now that we have made the decision to move to Florida, the flowers in our Colorado home are trying to make us regret our action, showing off more than they have in previous years.

blue (purple) and pink  Columbines in one of the
raised planter boxes constructed by Beloved

This past week Beloved drove one of our cars down to our new home state and then flew back here. I stayed busy during his absence, attacking my to-do list every day and staying up later than usual.

neck tie storage

One of my projects was to pack Beloved's neck ties. He has been keeping them on a very nice wood rack on his closet wall, behind the door. However, he seldom wears them any more, so I decided to find another way to not only store them, but to also move them to our new home without damage or wrinkling. 

These boxes I found are from The Container Store for $14.99 each. I had to buy two of them for all of his ties. There is a hinged opaque lid with a magnet closure. They can be easily stored on a closet shelf, safe from light and dust. 

Chester

Beloved took the car he was driving to the home of family members who have space to store it until we can retrieve it after we drive our second car down. One of the perks of his brief visit to that family was to meet their new puppy, a Basset-Sharpei mix.

After his flight home, Beloved had a doctor's appointment. I stayed home to remove all of our pictures from the walls, fill nail holes with spackling and finish with touch-up paint.

Help!!

I ran into trouble when standing on a ladder, removing the large landscape art work hanging above the fire place. I could not get the picture loose on the left side! No matter how I maneuvered it, it would not come off. At first I thought I would have to stay on the ladder, holding the heavy picture for a couple of hours, until Beloved got home. Eventually I discovered it would be okay resting on the mantel and I could come down from the ladder. 

Beloved had trouble getting it to release but eventually he got it down with no damage to the wall.

Granddaughter #5 celebrates National Donut Day

We did not celebrate National Donut Day at The Brown Bungalow but Surfer Girl sent this fun snapshot, bringing a smile to our faces.

I conclude with a short editorial having to do with the current bru-ha-ha about climate change, President Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris Accord, and the claims that the coal mining industry here in the USA is declining.

south-bound coal train alongside I-25

We have extremely long, very slow-moving coal trains traveling through our town daily. They are a common sight. 

Coal trains always have multiple engines

This is one of the shorter coal trains because it has only 2 engines pulling the heavy load, moving very slowly.

you can see the black coal mounded in the train cars

We see these coal trains daily, often several times a day. My town has 12-18 trains passing through every day, not all of them carrying coal.

the coal trains are always very, very long

The coal trains can be, literally, a mile in length. Thankfully, most (but not all) of my town's road traffic can avoid driving over the tracks. Those of us who live here know the ways around the rail road crossings, other routes that take us on bridges over the tracks. We have at least 5 bridges that I can think of right now.

Based on what we see here daily, I find it very hard to believe the coal industry is declining. Once again, you cannot believe everything you see on the TV news. The liberal media construes the stories to fit their agendas.

Just sayin.'