I Samuel 13:20 & 22 “But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to
sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle…So it came about, on the day of battle, that there was neither
sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were
with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.”

Monday, November 26, 2007

3:30 P.M. Houston

12:30 A.M., Al Fallujah

Good Morning,

Of course I’m way behind once again. Christmas preparations have a way of doing that what with the music for church, baking, and of course decorating.  After Christmas (which was good, but missing Chris’s antics) we took a short trip to Michigan to have fun with our family up there and have some wintertime play.  The snow was incredible, but I’m glad to have warmer daily temperatures here.  At the time of this update in Iraq Chris’s daily theme was sharp things: chainsaws, stones, and circular saws.  He must have been like Saul and Jonathan with the sharpened weapons.  The problem occurs when he turns them on himself.

He was experiencing difficulties in getting to the computer to send me his seventh poem.  He particularly wanted to share this one with the Blue Star Mothers in Houston:

The Warrior Way

We are the protectors of freedom;
we are the lovers of peace.
In times of hate and war,
our work shall never cease.

In times of evil,
we come from afar
To serve the innocent,
and be their guiding star.

We all have families;
we are husbands and sons.
We are the Warrior Class;
we are the strong ones.

We have lived for centuries,
each from a different line
From ancient Greece,
to the present time.

We are different people,
but share the same code
To give our lives to a service,
to fight evil in its abode.

We do not ask for thanks,
for that is not our way
But will fight evil forever,
for that is the Warrior Way.

He had just gotten class letters from Ms. K. B., a wonderful teacher in Kissimmee, Florida.  The children are delightful.  They love their teacher and informed Chris that not only is she only 23 years old, but she is also single.  Many seem to have a wee bit of matchmaking in mind.  Chris was so excited by their letters.  Many of the children are from Puerto Rico and are in the process of learning English.  They are good kids who truly love this country.  They wanted to know what it was that Chris was doing over there.  Their powers of description were entertaining.  They enjoyed writing their letters.  One child loved the Yankees, but said “The Bosox suck.”  Chris, being the ultimate Yankees’ fan (I still have no clue how that happened) was in full agreement.  Since I have always despised the Bosox (that started when I was 10 and they gave the Tigers trouble), I heartily concurred with that statement.  I don’t care if they’ve won the World Series a couple of times.

It was cold in Iraq that morning.  The highs have been in the low 50’s to upper 40’s, while the lows were in the low 30’s to upper 20’s.  Apparently these are normal winter temperatures.  We just always think about Iraq as being roastingly hot.  I’m glad that I crocheted Chris a wool afghan to use over there.  He’ll stay warm at night.  He’s also taken to drinking coffee to keep warm.  He enjoys it this time around.  Last deployment he was hooked on chai, a spiced tea served hot with milk.  Chris told his buddies that we were sending coffee (not instant), and they almost cried with joy.  They have the drip filters and can heat the water to make their own fresh cups of java.  I was also requested to send some homemade oatmeal raisin cookies for T.  I think that he deserves a treat after some of the antics Chris has involved him in.

Chris was delighted to have gotten a new chain for his saw.  I was glad to hear that after G told me the dangers of a dull chain (life-threatening).  Of course, Chris, being the Noodge, had to run his hand over the chain to ascertain its sharpness (it was extremely sharp).  Naturally it cut his hand…  A bit of blood adds glamour to any job if you’re a Marine.  Scars are said to be sexy.  I’ll pass.  He had to get going to change the tire on a humvee.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

6:25 A.M., Houston

3:25 P.M., Al Fallujah

Well, there’s a new booboo for Chris. He was on the base during a rocket attack (which did not hit him).  He threw himself down for protection.  Now, most people would make a dive onto nice soft dirt.  Our son prefers sharp stones.  He found a dandy for his right forearm.  The rock caused a short, but deep gash that took 8 stitches to close.  He managed to expose the bone.  He has pictures of it posted.  Such a delightful thing to look at.  This did not slow him down at all.  He was still using the chainsaw to take down enemy trees.  I think possibly he ought to figure out a way to avoid enemy stones the next time.  He was still doing his regular workouts.  He was taking muscle relaxers before or after working out.  He can’t afford to let his arms get out of shape.  He has to stay bulked up for aesthetic reasons.

The Noodge has a new task given.  He has become a carpenter, building rough computer tables for the base as well as a home entertainment center for the guys in his tent.  Of course he’s in heaven using new power tools: a circular saw, an electric wood saw, and a table saw.  Hopefully he won’t find the need to run his hand over any of these to see if they‘re sharp!  He’s been busy as a beaver cutting 2 x 4’s, 4 x 4’s, and 4 x 6’s.  As long as he leaves off cutting body parts I’ll be satisfied.

I was instructed to give Izzie lots of extra love and attention.  That’s not hard to do! She’s adorable and loving.  She knows how to give hugs and kisses pretty well though not yet 2 years old.

We observe the feast day of St. Nicholas in our home.  The kids have always put their shoes out (for candy) the night before.  When I asked Chris if he wanted candy to observe the feast day, he at first said no.  Once he got to thinking about it he did mention that “Well, some chocolate would be nice.”  I tried to find a chocolate squirrel to send, but nobody makes them. I thought he might possibly enjoy biting the head or feet off a squirrel.  In the end I was only able to send him some chocolate truffles in order to remember the day.

Chris talked a lot about his pride in his family.  He is keenly aware of his siblings’ abilities and tries hard to keep up with them all.  He sees now how hard G has worked all these years as a police officer.  The hours have always been long, especially on holidays.  At least we were able to celebrate all together then, unlike Chris in Iraq now.  He was concerned about giving Christmas presents to his brothers and sister this year.  He had G and I withdraw money from his account for him to buy gifts for them.   It’s a blessing to know that they all love each other so much. I can’t wait to have Christmas next year, all of us together.

I hope that everyone had a splendid Christmas and New Year.  We certainly did.

Happy January 2008,

J