Fortunate!

         The man's cap said "Marines".  It also said "Vietnam."  Ed and I were fortunate. By accident of birth we were too young to fight in the Korean conflict. By that same accident of birth we were too young, barely, to be sent to Vietnam. Ed, with a year left of  duty after my discharge, did honor duty accompanying the bodies of Marines killed in Vietnam to their families.

       Neither conflict would have been easy. In Korea the Marines were engaged with the Chinese in the frozen north thanks to General MacArthur's stupidity. Duty at the "Frozen Chosen" would have been horrific. Even as a young person I didn't like cold and the thought of combat duty in extreme cold gives me the shivers.

     Would duty in the tropical heat and mud of Vietnam been any better?  Our accident of birth allowed us escape of both conflicts. Thankfully, we escaped both.

Takk for alt,

Al

This picture of me sitting on my bunk shows how little space there was between them. The ropes were threaded through gromets on canvas and then around aluminum tubing which formed the perimeter of the bed. It was actually quite comfortable. My M-1 rifle is hanging beside me. It was issued to me after boot camp and I kept it until we left Okinawa for the States and my discharge. You ask: "Why are you wearing tennis shoes?"  It was the Battalion Commander's idea to go easy on the surface of the ship's deck. It amused the sailors. Admire my nice haircut.

ed

Blow Down!

      That's a first!  With 25 nesting boxes to supervise, mostly the problem is wrens stuffing them with twigs to eliminate competition. Cattle have knocked down a couple. This time it was the wind blowing down the dead tree on which the box was mounted. Fortunately the tree fell box side up so it wasn't damaged. Now it's placed on a live tree so little chance of it falling. It wasn't occupied so now it's ready for a migrant.

      The few minutes I spent in the grassland exposed to the wind was sufficient. Twenty nine degrees with a plus 20mph wind makes me uncomfortable very quickly. Do what needs to be done and quickly retreat to the truck.

Takk for alt,

Al

Asked if I cook I reply, "I don't cook, I prepare meals."  This is an example. The entree, in this case a Cornish Game Hen, is done in the air fryer. Frozen vegetables are done in the microwave. Spinach salad with blue cheese dressing completes the mean. 

It happened!

       As the weatherman predicted the temperature swung. It was 70 degrees at bedtime and 39 at breakfast. Not that it changes anything, but I much prefer hot to cold. Then there was Joanne going out in sub-zero weather wearing a wind-breaker.

     Convening the family for dinner, there were eight of us tonight. As the convenor I choose the time and place. It turns out that none had been at tonight's venue since last November when I last convened them. Though I suggested others could convene there were no takers. It's not difficult, I just group text, time and place, they RSVP and I call in a reservation.

Takk for alt,

Al

1954 Austin Healy, 100...it would be fun to have again.

Temperature Swing.

       The temperature today is 82. The predicted daytime high tomorrow is 42. We live too far from the moderating effect  of the ocean.

    Realizing the high temperature tomorrow I opted from some tillage work today. Operating an open station tractor in cold weather is not on my list of desired activities. The 25mph wind with gusts to 35, was bad enough, but cold??? forget it. So, I worked until there was equipment failure. L asked "Why do you have so many break downs?"  "Well, all my equipment is 50 years old, or older."   

    Filled my truck with gas today. The total? 101.33$   It could have been worse because it was 3.40$ per gallon. That's the lowest price I've seen in awhile.

Takk for alt,

Al

Saw a version of this in Marine Boot Camp

 

Field Work!

     The warm dry weather, 70 something, made ideal conditions for chopping the cornstalks in my fields. There was much left-over corn in one field. Deer nose under the corn husks and feed on the corn as far as they can reach. On longer ears there are a few rows of kernels beyond their reach. Chopping the stalks shatters the kernels and spreads them on the ground. Now, birds and deer will feed on the shelled corn, and the occasional full ear.

   Wildlife feasting on this corn is helpful to me. If the kernels were tilled into the soil, in the process of planting the new crop, their germination would be problematic for the planted corn. Corn does not like to be crowded so their presence would inhibit the growth of the corn which was planted.

  One field had a significant amount of left-over corn. The ground was yellow with corn kernels. The other field  had none. This is the field that was grazed by the geese last summer. My effort there was essentially recreational chopping. South Dakota Fish and Wildlife personnel will fence the geese out this year.

Takk for alt,

Al

Ye olde stalk chopper!

Wildlife News.

   "Ladybug, ladybug fly away home,

Your house is on fire and your children are gone,
All except one, and her name is Ann,
And she hid under the baking pan."   1744

   The Little House has been a winter refuge for many ladybugs and a few boxelder bugs. Their presence is a clue that the house is not air tight. Mostly I just move these harmless critters aside. When the temperature reached the 70s I scooped up 40? and transferred them outside. While insects may not have feelings it appeared to me that they flew happily away. Harmless, they just wanted a warm place to wait out the winter.

   The pond across the street from the house has been dry since last fall. Drought, you know. In spite of that the frogs are signing. They must have emerged from the ground to sing their spring song.

Takk for alt,

Al

 

The pond across the street when there was water.