List Making--It's a Good Thing

We have always been list makers. It all began years ago, I think Bob was the orginal list maker and I just followed suit because it's such a great thing. Here's why:

--it keeps you organized
--it keeps you accountable (if only to yourself)
--it helps you remember (and that gets harder with time)
--it can be short term or long term
--it works for almost anything, from groceries, to errands, to . . .well, I could start a new list!
--it helps your prioritize
--it gives you a sense of accomplishment as you cross off the completed action
--it doesn't cost much (a pack of 3 x 5 cards)

Anyway, the whole reason I brought up list making is that I have a "free" day today, that is, there are no meetings or luncheons for me on post so I'm making a list of things that I want to get done today, and so that I won't spend the day eating bon-bons and watching The View, Oprah or those home shopping channels!

Here's my list for today:

1) Run 5 miles
2) Vacuum
3) Vet clinic to pick up dog meds
4) Groceries (that includes another list)
5) PX to get baby gift
6) Meet with Mrs. B to finalize cost of Welcome function (another list)
7) Walk dogs
8) Plan menu for dinner for 18 Sunday evening

If I get everything done on the list it will be a great day! If not, I start a new list for tomorrow :)

Ashes to Ashes

My friend's mother died a few weeks ago. She had been very ill for quite some time and she and her husband had recently moved from another state to live with their daughter. The problem is that they had not made any plans for what type of funeral she would want. A hasty decision was made for cremation, but no service, of any kind.

This has been very difficult for my friend who has been treading lightly around her father, not wishing to upset him, but in the meantime she has been upset by no funeral or memorial service. They have finally decided, after three weeks, to have a memorial service back in their home state. And she has convinced her father not to scatter the ashes in the back yard, but to keep them in his room until they can be interred with him.

I'm just going over all of this to remind myself that these kinds of things should be discussed beforehand so there is no doubt or confusion about what the deceased would want. Please people, have it in writing! Now excuse me while I go write out my will. :)

1LT to CPT

I was just getting ready to go out the door to a promotion at Headquarters. A First Lieutenant is being promoted to Captain. It's not unusual for this to happen on an Army post, but this is the first one I've attended since we've moved back to Fort Knox and it reminds me of when Bob made the same promotion at this same location about twenty-one years ago. Whew! Time really does go by quickly. Time to get misty eyed . . .

Update on Snow Day

Well, the Beaver and I ventured out for lunch and shopping this afternoon and we both will confirm that Kentuckians are wimps in winter. Beaver's imitation of an ol' Kentuck feller quip, "well, I ain't goin' out in this here wether, cuz it's seems to be a mite chillin out there and them roads is slicker than owl hockey, yup!"

Another Snow Day?

OK , so we've had a few more snow flakes fall, and it's in the twenties, but this is ridiculous! They have canceled school again. At this rate the Beaver won't get a summer vacation.

When did the midwest become winter pansies? I grew up in northern Ohio and we had blustery winters that would freeze your nose and toes off. It was a pretty rare thing to get a snow day. But here in Kentucky they just haven't had this type of winter in many, many years. Seriously, for those of you who know what a real snow storm is (my son-in-law, Craig, for one!) you would laugh at the light dusting that is on the ground here, and the roads are all black asphalt. Maybe it is icy. I haven't been out yet . . .

On Being Jewish

I forgot to mention a couple of things about our dinner last night, the one in which we hosted the Israel officers. First of all I told the Beaver that he was going to join us at the table last night. He usually just grabs a plate and heads up to the office when we have these kinds of functions, but I thought this was too good an opportunity for him to miss. Anyway as it gets closer to dinner time, the guests have not arrived yet, and Beaver comes in saying "I'm ready to meet the Israeli officers." I look up and he's wearing a yarmelke! OK, after laughing for a few minutes I have to tell him, I don't think that's necessary. Plus, I don't know if our guests will have that kind of a sense of humor. (Ben has several yarmelkes that were given to him by a neighbor and friend of his from our tour in Korea.)

And I mentioned in a previous post that we had to go vegetarian. That proved an especially good thing as the officer escorting them had taken them to the DFAC (dining facility) on post for lunch where the main course was . . . PORK CHOPS!

The conversation at the table proved to be interesting and a bit sobering. Our spouses know about deployments and fighting, to be sure, but they go on overseas assignments. When the Israeli Army fights it is in their own backyard, literally. Their families are nearby. Oy vey!

Kosher, It's Really Not That Hard

When two officers from Israel come to dinner what do you feed them? Ours is a non-Kosher home, but can making a Kosher meal be done? Well, strictly speaking no. On the other hand you can get pretty close.

First you ask them if they are allowed to eat in your home. If they are, then they are not following strict Kosher guidelines. This is only our second experience hosting Israelis and we've found that most do not, although they do follow the general guidelines of no pork or shrimp (unclean! unclean!).

So if they accept your invitation to dinner you can ask about more specific guidelines. Don't be shy about that, it can save you embarrassment in the end. We found out that one of the officers was a vegetarian. That's when the fun began. I was going to have to find a vegetarian meal that would be hearty enough to satisfy 7 hungry adult males and myself (but hey, I'll eat just about anything with gusto!).

I found just the thing in Everyday Pasta. Not only does Giada De Laurentiis look good cooking, but her dishes are really tasty. I made her Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables and it was really quite delicious. I served it with garlic green beans and a weird salad that I got from Lidia's Italy. Lidia Matticchio Bastianich is not as pretty as Giada, but she's authentic, so even though it sounded weird I made her Orange and Red Onion Salad to round out this Italian meal. It worked! I did get some looks from Bob and the American officers, but they decided it was really good.

Now you may be wondering why I would serve an Italian meal to Israeli officers. One thing I have learned about preparing a meal for foreign officers is never try to duplicate anything that is native to their country as you would never pull it off with any kind of authenticity, and it may even leave a bad taste in their mouth, so to speak. But the all American meal can be kind of boring, so it is okay to try something different . . . hey, for all they know whatever you fix is the all American meal.

Oh, and for dessert you can't go wrong with brownies and vanilla ice cream, because, hey, that is an international favorite!

Amrapali and Aging

Would June Cleaver wear Amrapali earings? At her age?! Well, yes, if she's very, very daring. A young lady from India who is a friend of my son and fellow PHD student working in Austin just returned from a trip to her homeland bearing gifts . . . and I was one of the lucky recipients!

Thank you Sri Priya for the lovely ornaments from the Jaipur-based jewellry house of Amrapali. They are a little over two inches long and I've never worn anything quite like them . . . but I am going to! When you reach a certain age (that is nearing the Red Hat Society proximity) you decide you can wear pretty much what you want to . . . it's especially OK to do that when your young adult children are not within seeing distance . . . so there will be no "are you going out like THAT?!" to dampen the moment. The Beaver has his own ideas about fashion so he certainly won't be making any pot calling the kettle black type of statements.

Priya also sent some new buzz pics of current hollywood stars wearing Amrapali earrings, so I'll be in good (or bad depending on how you look at it) company.

Thank You Betty Anderson

I want to thank my daughter for helping me with this site. If I want to keep in following with my theme, however, I'm in trouble as the Cleaver's didn't have a daughter. Never one to be daunted, I'm borrowing from the neighborhood. In Father Knows Best, the eldest daughter was a wiz. She could handle anything (with a little help from Dad, of course) but if they had had web-site blog building back in the day I'm sure she would have helped her pearl wearing mother with panache, just like my very own Betty Anderson did!

Snow Days

Well, while having my weekly Bible study this morning at my favorite local coffee shop a lady came in saying, "they're closing the schools." This was around 9:10 am. So I wasn't surprised when not more than five minutes later I received a call from the Beav, saying "pick me up by 9:30!" Can you believe that?! The incoming storm was not to hit until about 1:00 pm, but these schools weren't taking any chances. Not after last week, when it took us over two hours to travel the 10 miles to pick Beaver up. It's now 1:30 and we're just getting some mild icy snow. This is probably the worst winter Kentucky has had in about 28 years, and they really don't handle it well. So much for global warming.

The kids will probably miss tomorrow as well. What they don't realize is that this will all be added to the end of the year. Ha!

Speaking of snow days, after the initial "Day Off!" rush, the "I'm bored" whining kicks in . . . and then what do you do?

Foreign Meet and Greet

If yesterday's schedule wasn't busy enough with the COC, Bob also decided we needed to meet the latest batch of foreign exchange students before they started their Advanced Officer Training here at the Armor Center. So we had to run home and get things ready. This can be a tricky thing with officers from all over the world. We decided it was just safer not to serve anything with pork in it, as that is off limits to so many cultures.

Yesterday we had officers from Tunisia, Romania, Bahrain, Germany, Pakistan, Australia, Jordan, and Massachusetts. Just kidding, the Major from Massachusetts is a Marine, so we count him foreign for BOTH of those things.

Some of these officers are visiting here for the first time, and their English is nominal, but I agree with Bob that this 6 month period can do a lot for improving relations, depending of course upon their experience here. We try to make them feel as welcome as we can, show them around a bit and NOT feed them pork. What more can they ask for?!

The Third Commandment

Yesterday's sermon covered You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold Him guiltless who takes His name in vain, better known as the Third Commandment. I'm convinced many of us do this without thinking, gosh darn it. See what I mean?

Our minister made some very good points about taking the language we use seriously, and using God's name correctly. For instance, ways not to use God's name: as an insult, as a way to indulge, or as an exclamation point (oh, my ---!).

And he reminded us that the words we choose can bring blessings or curses. Think about that, it might just be what we think of as an innocuous comment, but it can hurt someone deeply. "Hey, I was just kidding!" doesn't always get you off the hook either. And withholding a comment that should be made can work the same way. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. Proverbs 25:11 I'd get that simile better if they left off the silver part.

I rarely use swear words. I would like to say never, but that just wouldn't be honest. I am guilty of using slang and euphemisms . . . hey, it's hard just letting your "yeas be yeas, etc." I am going to make a concerted effort to clean it up in the future.

The Incredible Lightness of Being (Uncluttered)

Well it took all afternoon, especially since I didn't start until about 1:30, but my desk is clear as are my closets! The boxes, bags, and counter tops that were piled with various and sundry magazines, junk mail, letters, papers, and whatnot . . . GONE! Boy does that feel good. Oh, that it would last past a thousand suns. But, what the heck, I'll enjoy it for at least a week or so.

Ugly Paper Build Up

Any idea how one can stop the flow of unsolicited mail? It's not just the ads, it's piles of envelopes with the latest offer from banks, credit cards, etc. "There oughta be a law!" I know that you can refuse packages, I wonder if that works with third class mail? Just write 'refused' on it and send it back . . . if enough of us did that you think they would get the message?

As it is I am being buried. It builds up, because some days I'm just too busy to sort through it . . . and some of it you can't just "File 13," you have to shred it. Come to think of it most of us bought our shredders for this very reason. Then the pile becomes daunting . . . and a procrastinator's nightmare. Then you have visitors come to the house and you shove it all in a box or bag into the nearest closest, where like an amoeba it begins to divide and multiply, so that when you next open the closet door . . . "AAAAGH!!!"

And you have to do what I am doing today; devote an entire morning to cleaning, sorting and unburying yourself. Sigh.

Protocol Woes

Yesterday we had a COC, Change of Command, which as military ceremonies go, is a pretty big deal. As brigade commander, Bob was in charge of the ceremony and had to give a short speech. Protocol dictates that the corresponding spouses are also invited and get VIP seating, which is usually front row, near the podium, yada yada. OK, fine. I have been to so many of these by now they are pretty much old hat, and I know when to stand up, sit down, put your hand over your heart, etc.

We arrived a bit late yesterday (what else is new?!) so I am escorted to my seat by a young soldier, and Bob is IN the ceremony so he takes his place on the field (which is actually a gym floor). Anyway, the stadium has filled by this time and I am plunked down at the end of a VERY empty first row. Well General So-and-So is seated by HIMSELF at the opposite end. The eight or so empty seats between us have name tags on them, so they were meant for some uppity-ups who have obviously decided the weather is too crummy to get there. And in all fairness it WAS a nasty day, weather wise. But I am feeling very much like I'm hanging in the wind here--this puts extra pressure on because I know that people in the back rows watch the front row for the ups and downs. What to do, and how to do it as inconspicuously as possible? I formulated a plan, and in between the invocation and the announcement of the guest speaker, I executed it . . . flawlessly, if I don't say so myself. I did a boot scootin boogie down the row and plunked down next to General So-and-So who very politely thanked me for joining him. So we were in this together now!

The ceremony went smoothly, Bob gave a great (meaning not too long) speech, command was switched out, and I learned that sometimes you have to chuck protocol to the wind!

Costly Beer

Last week Bob and I had a real treat. We were invited by the British foreign exchange officer to attend the Pipes and Drums event in Louisville. The Royal Scottish Regiment is touring the States with their band, which includes the guys in kilts playing bagpipes. And they asked Bob to go in his dress blues to give the order at the end of the presentation to "Carry on." We are never ones to pass on pomp and circumstance so there we were. And we met them afterwards in civvies (civilian clothes) at a pub on 4th Street. Fourth Street Louisville is comparable to 6th Street in Austin. Bob and I had never been there, being as close to being geezers as we are. Anyway we met at an English Pub (what else!) and ordered fish and chips (what else?!) and beer. Had I known that the light ale I had chosen was $11 a glass I would have stuck with water. If I had known it was that costly I wouldn't have been able to drink it!!! We enjoyed meeting the Scots . . . it was a VERY memorable evening. Brilliant! Lovely!