The News We've Been Waiting For

Caleb will go to 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, along with his best buddy who he met at Capital in ROTC. I'm so proud of these guys for sticking it out. Only one more little piece of the suck that he has to embrace tomorrow - a 12 mile ruck march. They have to finish in under 3 hrs.

The Ranger Memorial

Caleb's graduation from the Ranger Indoctrination Program will be held here, at the Ranger Memorial at Ft. Benning, GA. He turned in his head size for his new tan beret this weekend. Just one long ruck march to go.

In his lifetime, he's learned the Apostle's Creed, the Nicene Creed, his catechism, the 4H pledge, the Scout Oath, a plethora of useless Pokemon info, and now, The Ranger Creed:
Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of the Rangers.

Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster, and fight harder than any other soldier.

Never shall I fail my comrades I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong, and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one hundred percent and then some.

Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress, and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.

Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.

Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission, though I be the lone survivor.

What the Baby's Been Up To

Three months old already.




Here we are up at Mom and Dad's -- talking to Caleb on the speakerphone. I'm living for these phone calls right now.

Around the Yard

East end of the garden.

Steer is a year old this week.
I"ve wanted a rose trellis for 15 years. Liddy finally made me one and we transplated the rose. Three days later, the rose looks dead. Hope it revives.

Another Swimmer Joins the Team

Distractions

Finished up the garden this weekend - Zane tilled, I planted. The neighbors are probably laughing.

Brad and Liddy moved the portable fencing and the cows. Gretel, who used to be "the nice one," has gotten rather rambunctious lately and has become difficult to lead. But by circling Marta around and having her head bump Gretel in the rear, the move was eventually accomplished. The pastures look good at this point - lots of clover and alfalfa. Twice last year I walked around re-seeding and it seems things are finally coming up as a result. Hope the rain continues.

This year's batch of meat chicks and pullets are big enough to go in and out now. The apple tree is loaded and the bees are busy.

There are some not-so-good things outside too. The garage is trashed, the coldframe is in pieces, the chicken house needs rebuilt, the fences are in bad need of repair and we might as well replace all our house windows with visquene. Another year has rolled around and still we have no railing on the steps or deck, etc, etc. So many projects. But we keep getting distracted by this:





Finally got my closet cleaned out - banished all maternity items to Goodwill and put away the things that I can't get into yet. Ah, simplification!

Destiny

Was digging around in my sewing stuff, looking for bias tape, and I found these:


Caleb bought them at our local junk store when he was a little guy.

Best Nursing Bra Ever!

Five children, and I worn many a nursing bra, from WalMart specials to old stretchy bras that could just be pulled up or down. My experience with baby Gordie has been much like having a first baby again in that I need a bra size that I could only imagine in my previous life. This requires serious structural design.

This brand wins hands down: Anita. It's a German company, but the bras are all over the web. Look for a sale price, and then religiously handwash and hang to dry. I have the #5075 - a microfiber soft cup model, and also an underwire lace cup version, #5041. I don't wear underwires every day, but some outfits require them. Nice support, the underwires don't come up too high on the sides, and it's pretty.

Runner up, for everyday wear, is the Bravado Body Silk. I love that it has pads that come in or out for days when you want a smoother look.

Baby crying, and some dog had an accident on the floor. Gotta go!

Those Gin and Tonics Sure Tasted Good

Last night Brad and I went to the Varsity Grill to toast our friend Melany's 50th birthday. She's a nut. Not your typical neurologist.


Case in point -- Melany in the dress-up area of the Columbus Museum of Art:


She teaches French to the junior high kids at the small parochial school Zane attends, so last week we took a field trip to the museum to look at French paintings. Then we lunched at La Chatelaine -- a dining experience that was totally lost on 13-yr old boys. Here is a picture of the entire junior high:
I suffered great angst over the decision to send Zane to school last summer, but it's been good for all of us. Today the 8th graders graduate and move on. School will be boring now!

And I have to share this -- it's the funniest blog post I've read all week. See it here.

Awesome Weekend

Other than the sleepless Saturday night with Zane having a stomach bug, it was an awesome long weekend.
Thinking Caleb might have a long weekend, we bought him a plane ticket early in the week. The next day he called - no weekend off. Depression set in. A couple days later, another phone call. Weekend off! (I'm getting the picture that "this is the Army.") Yay for the plane ticket!! Anxious to get out of Dodge, he took the shuttle van from Ft. Benning to the Atlanta airport the evening before and spent the night in the terminal.
Early Friday morning the little kids and I went down to pick him up. Brad suggested I wait at a nearby McDonalds and have Caleb call me when he gets on the ground. Nuh uh. That's the traveling salesman way to do things, but I wasn't going to miss the happy airport drama.
So the plane landed and pretty soon here comes Caleb strolling along with his backpack looking taller than ever. How great it was to have the whole family together at last. He left Jan 6 and we had only seen him one weekend in April when we visited him.
The place where he is training now is inside a compound. He's not to wear his uniform or dogtags outside, or talk about what he's doing. After all the great stories from OSUT about drill sergeants and buddies and training, this is a strange adjustment.
I'm afraid my other children are feeling like I"ve been obsessed with Caleb this year, but I can't help it. The oldest child leaving home is all new and different, and this Army life is not the same as going away to college.
Saying goodbye again was awful. I hate that I cry so easily.

Three generations at "Mom's Diner" for Saturday morning breakfast:

Lots o'fishing:

I look at this picture and I can't believe I have five children. They are all unique and fun:

Memorial Day

It's so easy to be oblivious. I don't want anyone to forget the Gold Star mothers.