With ageing comes a narrowing of horizons. An example is my decision, congruent, not to fly anymore. The loss is not being able to return to Thailand. It would be great to be there but the effort of travel is too steep a price to pay. The thought of entering an airport traveling to someplace fills me with dread. So glad that I travelled as peripatetically as I did when I could. No more and that's fine. A former colleague asked me recently if I'm still driving. She thought I shouldn't as she compared me to her mother at my age. 😁 They haven't come for my car keys yet.
Even as old age narrows horizons, small things, victories, take on more meaning. Resisting Express Scripts exorbitant pricing for the skin ointment, $60.00 for a small tube, I turned to the VA. Now possessing the inside phone number of a helpful person, Cindy, I left a voicemail. When she returned my call she reported that the prescription in question will be mailed tomorrow. That's a small thing that brings satisfaction. Paying the $60. wouldn't have left me bereft, yet....
Takk for alt,
Al
PS In answer to M's question: those are chimneys on top of the tents. There were small oil burners in each tent. They fed off a five gallon jerry can. If the jerry can emptied in the night, and the tent got cold, the lowest ranking Marine was sent out to attach a full can.
Sitting on my sleeping bag and air mattress I'm writing my weekly letter home, in the tent pictured yesterday.. Do you remember the old aerograms? Mother saved them all and now I have them. My rifle is hanging behind me and eating utensils are to my left. The rifle was issued to me after boot camp and I kept until we left Asia to return to the U.S. The sea bag holds my clothes and anything valuable and can be locked. The tents had wood floors and were semi-permanent.
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