Anticipation

Today is another run-of-the-mill day but this weekend........that's a different story. By 0900, Saturday, I will be at the Celtic Festival of Southern Maryland which is held on the last Saturday of April, rain or shine. Once there I will set up camp in such a fashion as to be situated so that we are near the open field where the behemoths engage in the Highland Games, a purveyor of imported Scottish Ales has ice cold bottles of goodness waiting for my thirsty palate, and the Pub Stage is resonating with Celtic music of all types played on different instruments by various local and far-flung musicians and singers. The skirl of the bagpipes accompanied by the staccato of the snares is a constant the entire day as the various pipe bands compete.

Occasionally I will get up from my comfortable temporary dwelling to trundle my overweight carcass to the different food booths for the Scotch Eggs; Haggis; Shepherd's Pie; Steak, Ale and Kidney Pie; etc, etc, etc, and to attend the Sessions where various musicians gather to play all the familiar and unfamiliar Scottish, Irish, and English tunes. There will be fiddlers, guitarists, tin whistles, penny whistles, Irish Harps, button accordions tuned dry and concertinas tuned the same. The music will be phenomenal and I will sit there and soak it all in.

Tomorrow, Sunday, at 1030, I and my spouse of 10 years will go to church. At 1400 in the afternoon we will be attending the opening game of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs at the Regency Furniture Stadium.  Lame you say - I think not!  These games are much more fun than attending the Major League games at a fraction of the cost.  The food is excellent, the beer is even better and we have Pinch, our fat Blue Crab mascot  who can do the worm better than any living creature - human or not.  It doesn't get any better than this! After the game (which is always entertaining) there will be fireworks as good as seen at any Fourth of July celebration complements of our host Brooks Robinson, team owner.  If you want some good family fun, at a great price, attend AAA ball at your local ball park.

The Ninth Anniversary of the La Plata Tornado (April 28, 2002)

Nine years ago today, my son Ian and I were fishing at Myrtle Grove Wildlife Management Area (WMA) having a great  time.  We weren't catching diddly (maybe small Bluegill or Sun Perch).  My ex-wife drove up just to hang out with us. I walked over to where she was smoking a cigarette and we were watching our son who was fishing away in bliss.

The sky started to darken and clouds came rolling in - it looked like one heck of a thunderstorm brewing up.  My ex exclaimed, "look at all the fish jumping out in the lake!" I looked and saw that those weren't fish, those were lemon-sized hailstones

hitting the water. I yelled to my ex to move her car under the trees and yelled for Ian who chucked his pole and dove into the car hiding under the dash (I didn't know you could scrunch up that small).  We drove into the bushes under big oaks and poplars to try to avoid the hail.  The storm blew by in less than 90 seconds.

Afterwards we backed our cars out into the parking lot and played with hailstones, having a great time.  My ex decided she needed to go so she left.  About two minutes later she called on her cell phone and told me that La Plata was pretty much gone - a tornado had taken out the town and the streets were covered with debris - she was going to have to go around the town.  Turns out the tornado had missed us by about a quarter of a mile, we never even knew it was there.

God is good all the time!

I am putting a couple of links in, if you are interested.  The La Plata Tornado Link 1  The La Plata Tornado Link 2

Life is Strange

Yesterday, 27 Apr 11, a very sweet woman who chose  to serve her country and worked just down the hall from me was gunned down in Kabul, Afghanistan by a despondent former pilot of the Afghan Air Force.  He was allegedly distressed because he was bankrupt.  She was in his country to help train the faltering Afghan military. She happened to be in the same area as he when he got into an argument with someone and blew a fuse.  His fuse blew so completely, that he just opened up with a weapon and killed the very people trying to bring his backwards military into the 21st century.

At the same time this is happening, another comrade in arms, a man I have known for more than twenty years is dying of cancer and there is no chance of even staving off that death even if he wanted to. He is "a man of infinite jest" and beloved by all that know him. The thought of this wonderful man wasting away in his bed is gut-wrenching to me.

When we were told to stand by for an announcement after the normal work day was to be done, I knew that we had a KIA or possibly Mr. A had passed away.  I was hoping it was the latter, not the former but that was not to be.

If We Would Just Follow This Advice - We'd Probably Be In Good Shape As A Nation

Welcome!

There is something cathartic about having a place to say what's on your mind.  I know my spouse tires of my ramblings and my musings and my mumbling to myself....so, I will ramble, and muse and mumble here instead.  If anyone cares to comment, they are welcome, keeping in mind that there are some rules to follow.

Rules:


1. Treat everyone who posts or comments like you would want to be treated.
2. See #1.
3. If you aren't following #1 in my opinion (it's my blog) I will remove your post and possibly you, if you're really acting like a kumquat.