Magic Jack Calls and a Dangerous Threat

My husband is in Iraq for short time, and as always happens any time that he is away, I miss him until my chest literally aches. As he served in the United States Army, and now serves with the State Department however, there are sacrifices that must be made.  Part of what has helped me so much has been the love and devotion of various pets, especially two dogs, Ginger and Chance.  They always miss Randy when he is gone as much as I do.  Ginger was part of this world for almost 18 years, and she faithfully loved us every day she was part of our family.  Thank goodness Randy had already bought Chance for me on Valentine's Day the summer before we had to put Ginger down, I need a loyal friend who shares the burden of Randy's absences with me each time he is away.

Each evening I can call and talk with Randy for mere pennies while he is away, as we invested in a Magic Jack telephone device before we moved to Germany.  By the way, I highly recommend Magic Jack, in fact I don't know what I would do without ours. I have to hear the voices of my children and grand-children often, and that little Magic Jack device makes it possible at a yearly fee that is less than I used to spend for a single month of land line service in the States.  The only draw back for me in living in Europe is my family being so far away.  I have to talk to them often, in fact every day I call at least one family member.  Of course the ability to speak with my husband daily while he is in far away places, all of them dangerous, is such a blessing, and I really need that little daily sweet time of communication, evidently our dog Chance does too!

On this current trip Randy is on, I had a bit of

computer trouble, and could not get through to Randy for about four days, and I had to rely on email communication.  Chance had been missing Randy for a few days already by the time I got the problem resolved and got through to him the first time.  To use Magic Jack, I have to use my computer and have it on speaker phone.  It is so clear, it sounds like Randy is in the room. It took Chance a few moments to realize , sure enough, that was Randy's voice coming from somewhere.  At first he ran to the front door barking, then back to me, he ran out the back door which was open, barking as he ran all the way to the back fence before circling back into the house.  He again came and stood in front of me barking loudly, and by then I was annoyed as I could not hear Randy for the racket.  Chance next bounded up the stairs to the bedroom barking the whole way.  Then it dawned on me that Chance thought Randy was home, and I laughed and told Randy about it.  Randy then called out, "Pig, Pig, Pig!"  There was joy in Mudville!

 

 We had pot bellied pigs in our little petting zoo at the ranch, and for some reason, those pigs held great animosity toward Chance, and he towards them. There is no love lost between Shelties and pigs.  Our little dog doesn't chase a ball, chew, dig, fetch, or play any dog games at all, except for Pig, Pig, Pig. Randy found this good sized rubber dog toy shaped like a pig which squeaks loudly on a shopping trip, and against my advice he bought it for Chance.  He thought maybe Chance would enjoy it.  The reaction from our sweet and overly friendly little dog was over the top!  He despises that pig, and feels it is the number one threat to world order, and his gentle and loving personality turns from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde, at the mere sight of the toy pig.  Where ever he is in the house or yard, when Randy squeezes that pig, no matter how softly, Chance comes charging to bark, growl, jump, and attack like we are all going to die if he doesn't do something right now!  In an instant, he transforms from a little dainty Sheltie, to a rabid pit bull on steroids, and he loves it!  So does Randy!

This thing would scare anybody, don't you think?

Every night right before bed, Randy plays the version of the game Chance so loves when we go upstairs to bed.  It is hysterical to watch!  In fact, since we go to bed fairly early, at about 9:30, if we stay up a bit later, Chance starts begging.  First he goes to Randy, whines and bows.   By that I mean, he stretches his front paws forward, and bows the front of his body down.  According to the "dog language experts, this can be interpreted as, "I want to play with you."

If Randy won't listen, he comes to me, repeats the behavior, and needless to say, this begins to interrupt whatever activity we are finishing up.  When we ask him what he wants, his face zeros in on Randy, he freezes, stops barking, and listens as we ask, "Do you want a drink of water?"  He remains frozen.  One of us will then ask, "Are you hungry?"  He remains frozen.  "Do you want to go outside?"  Frozen.  "Are you ready for bed?"  The happy dance begins, accompanied by vocal rejoicing!

We go upstairs, get ready for bed, brushing teeth, etc... Then we take the nice bedspread and all our "extra bed pillows men hate" slowly off the bed, and turn back the covers...  By then, Chance's whole body is quivering... and he bounds onto the bed.  The pig is always kept under Randy's pillow, and Chance is well aware of this.  If Randy tries to just turn over and go to sleep, Chance isn't having it!  The game must be played!  Randy loves pretending he isn't going to play the game.  Chance lays his chin on Randy's shoulder, staring intently with his big, brown, lovely eyes, waiting.  If he has to wait too long, he comes to me, whining, and begging for me to make Randy play...

When Randy finally stops teasing, the game begins.  Randy hides the pig under the covers, and makes the pig move under the covers toward Chance...  Anyone observing would think Chance is capable of chewing a leg off,  as he chases the covered pig moving under the covers.

Randy has very quick reflexes, and he will suddenly pull the pig from under the covers and make it "bite" Chance in the rear.  Several other quick maneuvers bring delight to the game. This causes Chance to all but loose it!  And so the play and laughter goes for about ten minutes, until at last I am the one who must declare Chance the winner by throwing the pig off the bed, and declaring, "You got that pig again Chance, thank goodness we can now sleep safe and sound.  Then Chance is praised, petted, and hugged... his joy is complete!

Each night now when it gets about time for me to call Randy, Chance comet to me, and begins encouraging me to hurry up and call.  He now climbs in my lap, tries to "paw the computer," and when he hears Randy's voice, he is filled with joy and excitement!  As anyone who has a dog realizes, these wonderful creatures make such good life friends, and make life richer.  My husband's jobs always carry a great deal of responsibility, but he never seems to suffer from stress.  When he works, he works, and his focus is unbreakable.  On the other hand, when he plays, he plays, and a good game of Pig, Pig, Pig, well played, melts the stress of everyone's day.  Chance climbs from the bed, lays down on the floor, and falls to sleep immediately.  God brings blessings and comforts to those who take the time and love to form a relationship with whatever animals are brought their way in life. Think I'll go make Chance a scrambled egg.

I Lost It!

You know, when I heard that once again there was "a shooter on Ft. Hood," I lost it.  I had been shopping at Walmart, and as my daughter Meredith called to tell me of the situation, and that the young Soldier who was my son-in-law for many years was once again "sheltering in place" on that installation, the world around me grew surreal.  Everything went into slow motion, and as I observed those people gathering items and putting them in their carts, as though everything in the world was fine and dandy, I realized I was only about two hours away from Ft. Hood where the situation was occurring.  The men and women being wounded and killed were not in some foreign country somewhere far away, they were being wounded and dying two hours away from where I slowly pushed my cart through a Walmart, barely able to check out my purchases, as I realized that it was happening again.

I like to think of myself as a tough old Army wife, veteran of multiple deployments, experienced and capable in managing the knowledge that people I love are often in countries where they are targets of raging enemies full of hatred.  I am aware too, that there is a monster among our troops, PTSD, which sometimes takes hostage their brothers and sisters.   This illness can in fact threaten their safety as well as the safety of those of their brothers and sisters in arms who suffer this debilitating illness.  I have educated myself, keep pamphlets in the desk, 800 numbers on the frig, and we open our home to the military and their families as a place to get away for a while from the stresses related to service in our Military.  I want to think I am strong enough and have made sure to take advantage of the training and information available through the Army to successfully manage having a loved on in service.  I like to think that because I have gone even much further than that, to study and research the stresses which our Military face, to advocate for their care and support, because I realize that not all is as it should be, or as our government promises that it will be, concerning concerning their care.  I felt that knowledge and experience had given me the needed skills to respond to most of the situations military families face, but as I trembled and fumbled with the items in my cart, I was completely unaware of my surroundings.  I was only two hours away from dying Soldiers, from a Soldier who would take his own life, no longer able to cope, a Soldier who was known to have mental health issues.

I was able to speak with William, who was sheltering in place, and learn that he was safe, but that did not quiet my trembling, or stop the silent tears which began and lasted the thirty minute drive home.  I could not quite identify what they were about, they seemed to be about everything since 911.  Certainly they were about "another shooter at Ft. Hood  My daughter went to Ft. Hood in 1999, where she served for six years, and there she met William, a young Soldier too, and they were married.  After 911, Beth left Active Duty to serve in the civilian sector at Ft. Hood, and she continues in that area of service with the Army Corp of Engineers.  Their marriage recently dissolved, in part due to the strain of four deployments to the Middle East, which were early on, fifteen months in duration.  

I have another son-in-law who while stationed at Ft. Hood and deployed to Iraq , was seriously wounded, and he can no longer serve.  He misses service in the military every day, he would have been a "lifer," but as it was, twelve years were proudly given.  As I considered all my loved ones, friends, and extended family who have at one time or another called Ft. Hood home, and remembered all the times I have visited the installation and observed the sons and daughters of this country busy at their professional and heart calling to service in our Military, I continued to tremble.

At some point on the drive home, I began trying to get hold of myself.  Phone calls were coming and going concerning the situation, and I began considering all the ramifications which this incident was going to produce.  I began to try and exercise my willpower to bring my emotions into control, so that I might be able to help and comfort those directly affected by this senseless tragedy.

I have regained my composure, began the thinking concerning what the needs are going to be, and how long those needs were going to continue, and to consider how this could have happened.  I fear that there are places where blame lies.  I fear that there were things that could have been done, and should have been done, and they were not.  One thing I am certain of, while I am not directly affected, I am an American citizen, protected everyday by Soldiers serving at Ft. Hood, Texas, and I owe them my support, and I am obligated to demand answers concerning any short comings which occurred.

I will be writing about "another shooter at Ft. Hood" until I am certain that those affected have recovered, and all that can be done to prevent this from ever occurring again has been implemented, and is faithfully being administered.  For now, their are wounds to be bound, and I am not speaking of physical, and visible wounds, I am speaking of those wounds of the soul, which are sometimes more difficult to treat than the physical kind.

Before all else, my first action was to go to prayer before the Father, whose heart is always toward Soldiers, those who are willing to lay down their lives for another.  Father God understands laying down a life for another, and holds that act as the highest example of love and honor.  The next thing I have done toward this sacred duty is to call in order to obtain the mailing addresses where funds and resources can be sent in order to meet the immediate needs of those families affected by this tragedy.  I am going to share those resources as soon as the correct information is confirmed.  I hope to be of service to these families in many ways, after all, I am only two hours away.

Just a Few Moments of Your Time To Really Thank a Servicemember for Their Service

https://www.facebook.com/events/573649859386620/permalink/573677702717169/ 

I will be voting for Cassaundra! You should too! Come on now... what an easy way to honor the military and their families! Commit to this! Share the link! Blow it out of the water! Just a few moments of your time can put something substantial behind the phrase, "thank you for your service!"

Soldier's Babies Are Special

Christmas time is about the birth of a baby, which is always a cause for celebration, and this morning it brings to my mind one of the sacrifices that has been made time and again during the last twelve years.  In young military families there are times of deployment when an expected child is born in the absence of the father, who is in service at a duty station where his family cannot accompany him.  A couple of years or so back, a fellow blogger sent me a message that a "special" Soldier was coming home and would be seeing his new baby for the first time.  I am repeating that blog post, because it is about a baby... and it is about sacrifice, that is what Christmas is all about.

The pictures of children and babies for this post are the children of Jared and Heather Campbell, both of whom have served proudly.

Aunty Brat, my good friend and fellow supporter of the American and Coalition Forces sent me a note about a Soldier coming home on leave to see for the first time a new baby girl, born while he was deployed.  It brought such beautiful images to my mind immediately, and when I went to Aunty's blog and saw her picture... my heart just melted at her sweet little self.

http://assolutatranquillita.blogspot.com/2011/05/every-day-hero-welcome-home.html

To her parents and all her family, thanks for making my day, and thank you all for your service and sacrifice!  We are a grateful nation!

This is what I sent to the new baby and all those who love her.  May she thrive in your love, always live in liberty, and come to know of your sacrifices to the preservation of freedom.

You know, if Aunty Brat says you are a special Soldier... you must indeed be a special Solider. It is always difficult for me to put into words how I feel about Soldiers and their families. When I try to open a ketchup package, and it is difficult for me, the thought never fails to cross my mind, no matter how much I love my country, if it had to depend on me for for some of the most important of the protection needed from it's enemies, we women would all be wearing burqas (spelling ?) We must have young men and women of the caliber and skills which you possess, or our heritage of freedom will disappear.... As the sign on my gate says, "Land of the free, because of the brave."

Since my husband went to war, poetry concerning this great conflict has haunted me until I express it. Your homecoming to your new daughter caused beautiful images in my mind. I wrote words that I hope will comfort and empower your family as you serve. So here is my gift to the new baby:

 I Came Home to My Daughter

There she lay, so warm, pink, soft, and sweet.

When first we finally did meet.

I saw so much of her mother there in her eyes,

The stamp of my own features on her countenance threatened to make me cry.

Wonder at the first sight of my darling daughter,

Swept my soul, and I knew my life she would forever alter.

Feelings too tender for the battlefield,

In that moment caused all my vigilance briefly to yield.

Then I realized more clearly than ever before,

I was called to war because of an evil good people everywhere deplore.

My newborn child and all the children of the world,

Need those of us in service, the flag of liberty to unfurl.

In my daughter’s face I saw the hope of our world and our nation,

Waiting for her contributions, which true peace will hasten.

I knew that in a land far away, where long I had stood the wall,

Children were seeing first hand our intent in the service of us all.

As they watch, I know they too will learn,

Their own hearts for peace and liberty will come to yearn.

In this the power of the enemy will disappear,

The truth of all our brotherhood will finally do away with all fear.

So though my heart longs to stay,

I will again return to the war zone in just a few short days.

In my mind, images of her gentle beauty,

Will give me strength and bring complete commitment to my sacred duty. 

I Love Sundays in Bellville

I love Sunday morning in Bellville, Texas.  Living in a small place where there is still a town square really is fun.  There are little shops all around the square and a cafe.  Of course, Big Hats, and Little Whispers is one of the neatest place in town to eat.  You never know if the building is going to fall completely over or not.

There are many businesses on the square as well as the quaint little shops.

The dry cleaners and the Chamber of Commerce are on the square as well as the Edward Jones office.

 The sidewalks always have flower containers during the spring, summer, and fall, and there are beds of flowers all through the town.

 Jewelry shops, craft stores, and a beautiful high end art gallery, just down from Big Hats and Little Whispers.

 The old town was established by Czechoslovakian and German settlers. and many of the restored homes reflect the architecture from the "old country."

 

 Mimi Bella's is full of treasures you will love browsing through.














Old farm houses dot the country roads surrounding our little town, and there are rich agriculture roots in the community.

Tribute to the Mothers of Our Warriors

To the Unknown Mother

There is a young man upon whose countenance I have never looked,
Only knowing him from his written words and images placed on Facebook.

So easily a mind filled with wisdom, courage, and honor is seen.
In my admiration of this young Soldier the lines I long to read between.

I find etched in millions of pixels which come from a virtual space,
The qualities of leadership humanity longs to follow in this life's race.

In my ponderings I often wonder of the woman who gave him birth.
For surely it is from her that he learned much that makes up his worth.

I realize his father too was a strong and disciplined man who played a part,
Still always I know well it is a mother who most stamps a man's heart.

 What words and dialogue did she use to shape his mind and his soul,
Ensuring as God's Word promises, from truth he will not depart when he is old?

As she held his tiny child's hand while he learned to walk and to talk,
How was it she fashioned a yearning for integrity in the midst of the world's squawk?

In her visage and life deeds what did he view that so inspired and fashioned,
A fearless warrior heart, filled also with tender love and compassion?

Among all of the creations and designs from the world and existence of womankind,
None stands so eternal as the skill which creates the man who becomes defined.

I Saw Sad Eyes

 

  

I Saw the Sad Eyes 

I saw the sad eyes of women who had been betrayed,

By those who from honor should never have strayed.

They could not have known what would come to them,

      Integrity was pledged and they believed without a whim.

In a dark hour their faith and loyalty was shattered. 
Their lives, without regard, left broken and tattered.

Time seemed strangled and unable their injuries to mend.

To go on with life seemed to have nowhere to begin.

Then in chorus the sad eyes look around in panic and pain,

In a moment they knew other eyes revealed the same stain.

                                                                                                                                             
 Hearts united and power and change came with more ease,      
 The weakest were lifted first by the women from their knees.

Words and tears were shared and brought balm to their soul wounds.

Slowly in unity they overcame, and the living of lives resumed.

 I saw the sad eyes of women who had been betrayed. 
By those who from honor should  never have strayed.