2006-01-24 - 11:26 a.m.
Today, I'm waiting for my mail program to import 14,000 addresses. It's been running for half an hour, and it's up to 2,000. So it'll be a little while yet.
I didn't go see the Alvin Ailey dance troupe after all. My friend had something come up, and couldn't go. I did get the sewing area opened up, and got David's pants cut out and sewn in about 2 hours. It's a very simple pattern.
I also took Dolly out to the woods for about an hour on Sunday, and she was all gimpy the next day. My poor girl! I checked her feet and legs, they were okay. I think she was just sore from the unusual exertion. I've been walking her, but not where she could leap and bound and race about. It was cool and rainy yesterday, so I kept her inside, in consideration of her achiness. She was all better when I got home from work. So now, she's out in her yard. It's going to get up in the high fifties, and it's not supposed to rain.
David's company is out on the range this week, practicing their aim and zeroing their weapons. These days in the Army, you sign a weapon out and (you damn well better) return it. But in between, the weapons are in storage in the armory, and they get knocked around and all, so they have to be adjusted before deployment. When you're in a gunfight, it helps to know that the gunsight and the barrel are lined up. (Ack. I'm better off not thinking too hard about that.)
I don't know when or if he'll be home for dinner. This has been going on for a few weeks now - I find out when he's coming home just before he gets there. The company is apparently not good at getting stuff done in a timely fashion. Last Friday, I just made myself a sandwich and some soup, since I had no idea when to expect him. He had leftovers when he got in. I've been making lots of food so there are lots of leftovers for him - he eats steak, chicken, or pork chops at every meal, so it helps to have a lot of those on hand. Last night before I went to bed, I grilled up a t-bone for him to take to work for his lunch. Crazy.
My AA group is on post, so we get a lot of folks who are from other areas who are assigned to Ft Bragg for training prior to deployment. One of these, a woman from Boston, came back early from Iraq after nearly killing herself in a vehicle accident. She broke 60% of the bones in her face, among other things. Yikes. She looks pretty good, though not 100%, but they're still working on her. She has a lot of surgery in her future. Anyway, she's here at Ft Bragg again. We're going to a meeting together tonight. She got to choose her assignment while she's here, since she's injured, so she's working at the stables. Last week, she spent an entire day holding bridles while someone else cleaned the horses' hooves. (Good choice.)
From time to time, I read news articles about soldiers returning home with devastating injuries, and their experiences in dealing with the Army medical establishment. Reading this is probably not a good practice (and it sure raises my blood pressure), but I can't help myself. It's like watching a car wreck, you can't turn away. I'm pretty sure that David would not want me reading that stuff. Soldiers are superstitious, and paratroopers are more so. Talking about injury or death is simply not done. I doubt there are many Army wives who haven’t thought about the What Ifs, but we don’t discuss it. It’s only speculation, after all, and worry is a waste of time and energy.
Onward and upward.
