Mondays Ain't So Bad Any More ...

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Had to dash out to the store on Monday, as I stepped onto the deck, I marveled at what a lovely day it was. Warm with a cool breeze, which reminded me of how late it is in the year, October has scarcely begun yet it felt like fall, really felt like fall.

The angle of the light is different, the colors of nature seem more vibrant, more alive, as if knowing that soon the earth would be frozen and gray, so let's live it up now.

I feel much the same way.

Anyhoo ...

Knee is much, much better. I can go up the stairs with great agility, going down is still something of an adventure. Nothing hurts but my brain keeps reminding me of that day when the damned thing wouldn't bear any weight at all.

So I go down the stairs with a great deal of caution. I have no desire for The Missus Herself to come home to my lifeless carcass lying at the bottom of the stairs because I threw caution to the winds and faceplanted.

Did that once not that long ago going into the basement from the backyard. Going from bright sunlight into a darker space. What's worse is that I had changed to progressive lenses in my spectacles after having been assured, "oh, don't worry, they change much faster than they did back in the day!"

Lying bastards. "Faster" is a relative term, back in the day it would take them a minute or two to "undarken." Nowadays it only takes maybe fifteen seconds. When I need to be able to see "right fire trucking now," that ain't good enough.

Next pair of eyeglasses will NOT have that feature.

Oh yeah, going into the basement to get something as The Missus Herself and I were doing something in the backyard and we needed something from the basement. Bulkhead was open, light was on at the foot of the stairs, but truly I couldn't see squat once I left the sunlight.

As I stepped I realized that I was NOT on the last step but on the penultimate step. As I went into freefall I had one thought, "Well, this sucks."

Fortunately, I learned how to fall when I studied martial arts in Korea. Not that I was a great student, but learning how to properly fall so as not to let gravity kick one's ass, I got pretty good at that one thing. Okay in others, but in falling, I was a freaking ninja.

Anyhoo, I hit the basement floor and rolled, taking the brunt of the landing on my not insubstantial derriere. Yes, I was butt hurt after that fall. But nothing was broken, nothing was bleeding and I wasn't even sore the next day.

Of course, I was in my 60s back then ...

I remember when my Dad hit his 70s, I was kind of amazed at how much he had slowed down. Now?

Right there with ya Dad!

Yes, I'm slower but I'm still formidable! (Using the French there, it sounds cooler. You know how I am with languages.)

But yes, Mondays used to suck (unless it was a holiday). Now?

Well, they ain't too bad at all. I do what I want, when I want.

Been working my whole life towards that. It's nice to be there at last.

Ciao!

OAFS Photo

What a week!

 

 

 Well, Campers, it's been a busy week.  A bit of rain, 2.5" overnight, a couple of nights ago.  Cloud cover since, but nothing more than a sprinkle.  Hopefully that keeps up.  Because...

We've had quite a bit of good news.

 

 

 As you can see, the exterior of my Brother's house is basically finished.

 

Heck, he's even got doors and windows.  And....

 

 Electricity is being installed as well as water.  So, the end to this part of the project isn't at hand, but is a lot closer.

The horses are getting closer to release from "horse jail" and moved to their new home.

 The door frames are installed and just need to have the doors themselves installed as well as a bit more siding and the fencing.  So....again progress.

 And finally, the most exciting part of the project.  Construction has started on our house. 

 

Mrs. J, being far more artistic and imaginative than I, decided on this for the lower outside walls.  The supports will be redwood and the walls themselves an off white.  I was impressed when she laid the fragments in their final color in order.  Looked great.

AND....

On Wednesday last week, I posted this picture.

 

 

Went out there Saturday and this is what we saw! 

Framing is nowhere near complete, but we could walk through and get a good feel for where rooms are and their size and feel.  Much easier to visualize now than on a blueprint.   

So...progress is being made.  No, we're not all that close to moving in, but we're a heckuva lot closer.  

Keep up the good work guys.

Peace out, y'all! 

 

Septober¹

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Up until a couple of weeks ago it was all polo shirts and cargo shorts here at Chez Sarge. The air conditioning was blasting and Your Humble Scribe was comfortable in his lair. Then ...

Septober happened.

Early September in these parts is nearly indistinguishable from August, the days are hot but, unlike August, the nights start to get cool. Not cold mind you, cool, think mid-60s. But then the days start leaning towards coolness. Cool enough that I decided that the air conditioning could be shut down, an open window would suffice to cool the Sarge.

One night I awakened and discovered, "Damn it, it's cold in here."

Threw on a blanket and went back to sleep. That day I realized that we were now in that hybrid month which some call Septober. Days are sometimes cool, nights are sometimes cold, like mid-40s cold. A decision was required ...

So I made it, I decreed that the mini-splits would be switched to heat mode so that I would not lay shivering in my bed at night, no, I decided that warmth was good.

With no one to gainsay my decision, comfort returned.

Until this week. I awakened one morning rather overheated, the instruments here at Chez Sarge indicated that the overnight low was 70, yes, 70 degrees.

What?

Actually that's pretty standard Septober weather. Even though the calendar says October, bits of early September keep creeping back in.

So the heat was turned off and the night became comfortable once more.

For a couple of days it's been cooling off again at night. As I write this (Saturday night), the outside air temperature is 55.

Septober, when a pair of months can't figure out which season they need to be. Summer? Fall? Or perhaps a taste of early winter? (Which is rather mild along the southern coast of New England. One of the reasons we settled here rather than in my homeland of Vermont. Well, that and there were no jobs in Vermont for someone of my level of experience, education, and training. I suppose Burlington would have something suitable, but I refuse to return to Beijing on the lake.)

So, as of right now, the heat is off, the windows are closed, and ...

Yup, supposed to rain on Sunday.

Cold and wet, you're a classic my dear Septober.

¹ Miss you Scott.

Well, I've Got The Time, Haven't I?

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A few years back, an acquaintance of mine, well a friend really, friend on Facebook but some of those become the "real deal" over time if you share common interests. We did, he is a student of the Napoleonic Wars, as am I. He posted some pictures on Facebook of this game he was playing with a friend of his, out Chicago way.

He posted a few times with pictures and commentary as to how much they enjoyed the game. I was intrigued, so I looked into it. It's a game system really, as I discovered when I ordered it. You really only need the very first module to enjoy the game, which is probably what most people do.

I ain't "most people."

The game is Commands & Colors: Napoleonics by GMT Games. It's colorful, it's fun, and it satisfies my need for really great visuals. But, being as how I wanted the entire set, the original and all the expansions ...

I have a lot of work ahead of me. The game uses painted wooden blocks with stickers on them to represent the various units of the Napoleonic Wars ...

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The gray blocks are units of the Prussian Army waiting for their stickers to be applied ...

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A closer look at the stickers, which are applied front and back to those wee wooden blocks.

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I've finished the units in the first module, which are the British, Portuguese, and French armies (each expansion adds more units to the various armies, the Highland regiments of the British Army didn't show up until the final expansion kit, yup, irked me that did). I've also completed the Spanish, Russian, and Austrian expansion kits. I'm working on the Prussian Army now.

Three of the expansion kits add various bells and whistles, they also add the capability of fighting larger battles where you can have multiple human players on either side.

I waited until I had everything before starting to work on putting it all together, I like knowing that I have everything there is. Bit of a quirk of mine, dontcha know.

Doing the wooden blocks and stickers is easier than the alternative ...

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But I've got those too, multiple boxes of small scale (13.5 mm figures) covering the American Civil War, the American Revolution, and (of course) the Napoleonic Wars. I optimistically bought paint sets for the French and British figures, knowing full well that if I paint even twenty figures I'd be lucky. But you never know ...

After all, I've got the time, these hobbies help fill that time.

Hopefully the grandkids will appreciate this stuff someday!

Turney W. Leonard, MOH

 

 

 

 

 

Well Campers, we've got another Texas A&M Medal of Honor recipient to talk about.  This one has a couple of interesting facets and a somewhat happy ending.  So fasten your seat belts (always) and we'll be on our way!

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This fine gentleman is Turney White Leonard. (Yes Beans, those are actually his first, middle and last names,  I had to look twice also.). Born in 1921 and graduate from Texas A&M in 1942 with a degree in agriculture.  

Well, it is Texas Agriculture and Mechanical University officially.

Unfortunately, in 1942 we were at war and he was a platoon leader in the 28th Infantry Division.  In November 1944 that division's assignment was to lead an assault on the Siegfried line in the Hurtgen forest, on the Belgian/German border.  This was a very important mission and extremely difficult both because of the terrain, forests and German defenses.

During the fighting, all the command officers of the infantry unit his platoon was assigned to were incapacitated, Leonard assumed command, even though seriously wounded in his arm. Two days later a mortar round severed his wounded arm and he was brought to an aid station.  The Germans continued their attack and the aid station was moved further back.  The seriously wounded were left behind in the hope the Germans would provide care.  He would have none of that, got a rifle and went back to the line.  Unfortunately...His body was later found buried in a crevice that had been buried by a artillery blast. 

For his actions in this battle he was awarded the Medal of Honor on September 1st, 1945.  I think it was well deserved. 

But there's a bit more to the story.  In 1946, the Germans were helping the Americans find remains of the soldiers killed in the area.  One of the Germans found Leonard's Texas A&M ring.  The A&M Ring is a big deal for graduates of the University. The  German kept it for a while and then returned it to the University.  It is now on display there in the A&M Medal of Honor recipient display.

 

Texas A&M Ring 

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 Rest in peace, Sir! 

Medal of Honor citation

He displayed extraordinary heroism while commanding a platoon of mobile weapons at Kommerscheidt, Germany, on 4, 5, and 6 November 1944. During the fierce 3-day engagement, he repeatedly braved overwhelming enemy fire in advance of his platoon to direct the fire of his tank destroyer from exposed, dismounted positions. He went on lone reconnaissance missions to discover what opposition his men faced, and on 1 occasion, when fired upon by a hostile machinegun, advanced alone and eliminated the enemy emplacement with a hand grenade. When a strong German attack threatened to overrun friendly positions, he moved through withering artillery, mortar, and small arms fire, reorganized confused infantry units whose leaders had become casualties, and exhorted them to hold firm. Although wounded early in battle, he continued to direct fire from his advanced position until he was disabled by a high-explosive shell which shattered his arm, forcing him to withdraw. He was last seen at a medical aid station which was subsequently captured by the enemy. By his superb courage, inspiring leadership, and indomitable fighting spirit, 1st Lt. Leonard enabled our forces to hold off the enemy attack and was personally responsible for the direction of fire which destroyed 6 German tanks.

 

 

 Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turney_W._Leonard

https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/turney-w-leonard 

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/leonard-turney-white   (The Ring).

https://historynet.com/battle-of-hurtgen-forest-fight-for-schmidt-and-kommerscheidt/   An excellent summary and explanation of the battle.

Salad Quest

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Four plus weeks into my monastic existence I was growing rather tired of what I was eating. Nothing fancy mind you, but altogether boring, and rather lacking in leafy green vegetables. Well, rather lacking in any sort of vegetable at all.

Now as a callow youth I could get by on nothing but meat and potatoes, as I age though, my body lets me know that it needs other things, roughage comes to mind. No need to get into any sordid details there, suffice to say, we were lacking in that area.

So ...

(Caveat: if you've a mind to give me advice in the comments about diet, exercise, vitamins, blah, blah, blah ... Hold your water, I'm too set in my ways to change now. So if I start seeing comments to that effect, don't be surprised if they get deleted. Share your own experiences if you will, but bear in mind, I'm set in my ways and I'm grumpy as hell without my better half around. Her return will do me a world of good, I, and by extension you, must be patient until she does.)

Anyhoo.

So Monday night I'm thinking about eating, gave a thought to going out to do so, but I haven't gone out to a dining establishment by myself in a very long time. Hated that back in my single days, I'm sure I still hate it. So it was get take-out or get delivery. Take-out would require going forth into the waning daylight, dealing with traffic and, what is sometimes worse, dealing with people. Don't get me wrong, I get along fine with most folks, but there are days I'd rather not have to do so.

So delivery it was. Pizza? While I do love pizza, getting even a small one means eating pizza a few days in a row. Or throwing out whatever is left over.

Whilst perusing the Domino's menu (hold your water, I LIKE Domino's) I thought about one of their "not bad" sandwiches. But those are hit or miss, did the kid loading it into the oven plan to pull it out on time? Or would it arrive rather too crispy like the last one did?

That's when I did a double take as I scrolled ...

Salads? Domino's has salads?

Why yes, yes they do.

They have a classic garden salad and they have a chicken Caesar salad (in my area, their website speaks of a third type we don't have here). As tomatoes and I do not get along (it's the seeds man, my colon cannot abide them) so I went with the chicken Caesar. I was also desiring the protein. I'm an omnivore leaning towards the more carnivorous aspect of that diet. So, I ordered it and was prepared to be, well ...

Underwhelmed springs to mind. However ...

The salad arrived, I noted that it was prepared by an outfit called Ready Pac Foods, Inc. and came with all the necessary things to build a chicken Caser salad. Each component had it's own packaging so that things weren't all jumbled up, soggy, what-have-you.

The lettuce was crisp and tasted very fresh, after adding the chicken, the croutons, and the shredded parmesan, I pulled out the salad dressing packet. Ken's Foods, LLC, a brand I've had before and found to be most satisfactory and rather tasty.

All told, it was a most excellent salad. And filling as well. I had ordered a sandwich as well (chicken bacon ranch if you must know) and as I ate my salad with relish, I looked at the sandwich and said (out loud, with me in the house all alone), "Poor thing, I don't really need you, do I?" (Spoiler alert, I saved it for later, wished at that time that I had another salad.)

So later in the week, that would be Wednesday, when I went to the food emporium to procure my rations, I looked up beforehand whether or not the store had some sort of pre-packaged salad thingamabob, now that I knew such a thing existed.

Lo and behold, they did, bought three of 'em I did (on sale they were).

As I left the store, feeling rather proud of myself, I realized that I had voluntarily sought out and purchased something healthy to eat. There's a first, right there.

When telling The Nuke about how impressed I was she asked me about the dressing, I said something to the effect of, "It comes with its own package of Caesar sauce."

That last word hung in the air for a moment before I corrected myself and said, "I mean Caesar salad dressing ..."

Alas, I was too late, The Nuke was laughing hysterically on her end and I had to chuckle myself.

Caesar sauce, I kinda felt like Paulie Walnuts in The Sopranos when they go to Italy and Paulie keeps referring to the pasta sauce as "gravy." (Which a friend of mine assured me that that's what it's called in New Jersey, gravy, not sauce. Live and learn.)

So that was my big adventure this week, salad quest. Last week it was new socks, this week it was going forth to purchase salad. The old dog learned a new trick.

Simple things, gotta love 'em.

Housing Update #4

 

 

 Ok Campers, time for the weekly housing progress.  The first project, my brother's home, is coming along quite well.

 

The weather seal has been applied and windows installed.  I believe I heard the crew chief (I know...an Air Force term) told us that the next step was electricity and water. Nope today, they are starting plumbing and HVAC. Probably which skillset persons are available.  But, regardless in the installation series, progress is continuing.  After that and a couple of other exterior to interior connections,  they should start working on the internal walls and stuff.  In fact, an update yesterday whte this story posted, they were.  So, making progress.

Which is good!

         

 The next project now in progress is the horse barn.  We'd like to get the horses out of the boarding stable and here where it's a bit shadier, a larger area to roam around in and...a heckuva lot cheaper to maintain. So...

 

 

 

 The stall hardware has been delivered and should be assembled and welded to the building by this time next week.

That will be the "Tack" room.  AKA where we store stuff we don't want the horses to be too aware of and not able to get to at all.  Love them dearly, but they're big and curious.  Storage is important.

 

Again, they'll have to be boarded until the property is properly fenced and plumbed and electrically supplied for all the projects. would be kinda nice to be able to turn on lights and see what's going on in the barn.

 

So these two projects are coming along nicely. 

 

But finally, for the one all y'all (but especially Mrs J and I) are waiting for.

 

Ta Da!  Progress on the house! 

 

Yep, the first sight of progress on the main house is in place.  Lumber (or at least SOME lumber) has been delivered.  So framing should begin sometime soon.  At least that's the assumption.  

We shall see what will be!

Peace out, y'all!