Reading in bed...is it possible?

I don't know why I attempt to read in bed. Most times I am unsuccessful at anything if my body reclines past 60 degrees except snoring. But as is with most of us, the only time I can think about doing some reading is when I hit the sack. Not that I don't already have two bookcases filled to the max, but my bedside table now has several tasty titles--The History of American Beer, The Reagan Diaries, The Baseball Encyclopedia, Zemkes Wolfpack, Paula Deens autobiography, and several others....Its pretty pathetic. I rolled over the other night after having gotten sleepy from my reading only to see this "Mount Everest" on my nightstand, capturing the image with my cell phone camera for posterity.

Where for Art Thou, Mans Best Friend?

My Best buddy and teen aged son Joe I have not seen in three weeks.

Inasmuch as I had to go to Annual Training at Ft. Stewart, that took me out of the loop for two weeks. On Friday before I was to arrive home, Joe calls and tells me "Hey Dad, I'm going to Mexico Beach with Colton on Saturday and will be back next weekend."



Bummer.



That has left me stuck in a houseful of Women all week. Not that there's anything wrong with that. The girls have kept me busy and I have been able to show them a little attention. I finally found out what the youngest ones name is (Lyndsay) and what grade (6th) she is in. The oldest one I discovered is a pretty good cook and has done a good job seeing to keeping the house in a good state of police. I believe her name is Amanda.



Anytime one of our little chickens leaves the roost, I miss them. And the only time I can ever get a good night sleep is when I know all of em are under one roof. Makes me wonder whats going to happen when they all get grown and leave for real.


School starts on Monday. Summer for these guys is done. When their summer is over so is mine.


I am heartbroken for them. And me.

It is now Saturday and I am like the RCA Dog waiting to hear my masters voice.

Chicago Bound 27-31 August

Rejoice, Dear Hearts!

Presently I am scheduled to attend a Fiscal Law class in Chicago at the end of the month. I have opted to wait until I get to town to try and obtain tickets to the Cubs/Brewers series. I went on the Cubs site to order tickets and all that were available were single seats--having contemplated my possible dilemma with co-worker Jeff, he says they just HAVE to hold back tickets to be available on game day. That makes sense to me. After all, even though the hallowed ground of Wrigley certainly will be filled to capacity, but its the Milwaukee Brewers, for gods sakes. they are the "margarine" of baseball. I really can't say much as my Braves are currently on "sick call" their own selves.

I have been pretty fortunate in my quest to see the Major League Ballparks--I have been to Montreal, where the fans all hollar OUI, OUI! instead of HELL YEAH!; Camden Yards in Baltimore, where a guy who sat in front of me made the terrible mistake of wearing white pants while having a slight case of hemorrhoids....(cleansing breath)....Atlanta, of course (to include game six of the 95 WS win for the Braves--Veterans Stadium on Philly, and Dodger Stadium in LA. Bostons Fenway Park still eludes me insofar as game attendance, but i did get to tour the place. My pals Joe Joe Hoffman and Tim Britt called me from there during a game just two weeks ago, a trio I had to miss due to performing duty at Ft. Stewart. But with some good luck thrown my way, I will even the score by making it thru the turn styles of Wrigley Field.Once in Chi-Town, I plan to go "native", have a Chicago Hot Dog and pay homage to his holiness, Harry "HOLY COW" Carey.I may even attend that Fiscal Law class.

Wrigley Field. HOOAH! I get goose bumps just typing the words.

If I have to sell plasma or donate an organ, I will make it to Wrigley and have my photo taken therein. It is my destiny. GO CUBS!

I KNOW WHO I AM

Going thru some "artifacts" recently I came across some letters from when I got mobilized for possible deployment during the first Gulf war--the nephew of my best buddy, Guerry "Aquamarine" Bruner, then a wee little fellow, had taken the time to draw me a picture and sent it to me--in those days there was no Email and Al Gores Internet was still in the works. you had to rely on the U. S. Postal Service--and even then, getting mail in the California Desert was a monumental task--but it was what we all lived for.
Of course, Guerrys nephew is all grown up and probably has long ago forgotten this picture he drew for me. While I recently rediscovered the picture I have never forgotten the title. It is who I am. I remind myself of this from time to time when I get down or feel like poor mouthing. I ain't ever going to be rich or famous, but I won't starve to death. I am glad it is the Army, too. The rest of the branches are all well and good and I love em all, but its like my hero, and high school ROTC instructor SGM (Oscar Sapp, Jr) said--The Air Force gets the Glory, the Navy gets the Money, the Marines get the uniforms, and the Army gets the WORK.

Thats me.
George, the guy in the Army suit. I have always thought it would be a good title for a Book. Now, if i can only string enough words together to do that.

One Weekend a Month, Two Weeks a Year my @#$% !!

I recently completed our annual training at Ft. Stewart. One of the highlights to our two weeks was sling load training, whereupon we learn how to hook up pieces of equipments to be flown to another place on the battlefield. High mobility, fast, flexible, and it beats driving.

Our Training Officer had initiated this several months before when we were doing all our planning, and I had made a bet with him that he wouldn't be able to pull it off. Being a bit pessimistic I had thought that our aviators would have other missions for the birds, and we would be at rock bottom of the priority list. I had gone so far (letting my mouth overload my narrow a**) as to bet Bob that "If you do it I will kiss your a** on the middle of the Parade Field at Ft. Stewart"---

I didn't take a photo of THAT EVENT but here's a photo of our training the day it happened.

Bob and the boys in the OPs shop got their Kudos and the entire 148 "Wishmasters" Battalion knew of the bet--we all had a good time with it and I still owe everyone a photo of me "puckering up"....

They even let me take part and HOOK UP the HUMMVEE to the Chopper...the blast from the blades of the Chinook almost blew me out of the Hummvee, but one of the soldiers had me by my belt loops and yelled to me over the noise of the chopper "Don't Worry, Sir--I got your Back!"

Such is the way with all those wonderful soldiers I am allowed to serve-they are magnificent. I am just fortunate enough to have a window seat.

THE PERFECT DAY--5 JULY

I had an absolutely wonderful day on the 5th---heres how it went.

Slept in until 0730 without having had to get up and go tinkle the previous night.

I Got coffee, and for a few minutes gave thought to where i was two years ago on the 5th of July--crying my eyes out as i said goodbye to my family and headed to Iraq via Ft. Drum, NY.....this Juy the 5th was to be a lot better.

I went and got Mans best friend JOE and we went and played 18 holes of golf. I actually made par on one hole. Joe even said i did good. Pretty good kudos from a 15 yr old teenager.

We went to the greatest Hot dog joint on Earth, NU-WAY. We both had two all the way, a hamburger, and fries, with Medium coke with Flaky Ice. Our meal was magnificent! It made me hunch.

I went home, and took a two hour nap--uninterrupted.

Sue came home and cooked supper--Ravioli.

There was no need to put the moves on my wife and attempt any extra liberties in the budoir, not after having the day I had, so i read some of my book (The History of Beer in America) and drifted off to sleep.

Two years ago I had cried myself to sleep. This time I went to bed grinning like a opossum.

UPDATE ON ALL THINGS FISHER

Since the last chronicle----my lord...where does the time go?

WORK. not much to report there, i still go there, and I still have a job, thank goodness. My Duties on the weekend have sufficiently taken care of any spare time. I aint complaining, and am glad to do it. I also thank my lucky stars i wake up in Macon every day as opposed to Iraq or New Jersey.

--I bought a new car--a 1990 BMW convertible. I know, mid life crisis. But it cost 1500 bucks, which is a lot cheaper than a bass boat. I LOVE it and i listen to the stereo just as loud as it will go--when i drive it I am 18 years old and a High School Senior--woo-hoo!

--Winnie Poops ears that got pierced--well she didn't look out for them as prescribed so they closed back up-she now gets to try it again when she is 13.

--Winnie Poops is currently attending a day camp. she takes her lunch everyday. While the other kids are taking their lunch of a PBJ and some chips, my little Redneck girl, and chip off the old block, has been taking a can of vienna sausage, saltines, and hot sauce. Swear. I will draw the line if i see a can of skoal in the back of her jeans--

--Sue and I bought a treadmill. It looks great in the basement just sitting there idle.......

--ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL. I have had a few trips recently--New Hampshire back in March. It was cold up there, and i almost never made it because of snafus at the Atlanta Airport, which resulted in me sharing a hotel room with one of my buds from work and all we had between us was one pair of drawers and a toothbrush. After making it to New Hampshire, I went to a Hockey game there and was the only person in attendance wearing shorts. I showed those Yankees how we do it in Dixie. We also took the rental car and ventured into Maine to eat Lobster, which is one thing i can check off my list of things to do before i die. the lobster was delicious but I haven't started paying against the principal yet. I also got to go to Illinois (Springfield), where i went and toured the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum--It was awesome. In the gift shop you can actually buy Lincoln Logs. They have to be the real deal, but i didn't buy any, which is something i will regret for the rest of my life. But we were lucky enough to go south for an hour and a half to St. Louis and catch a Cardinals game. Gorgeous ballpark, and the Cards won, no doubt because they knew i was there. I also went to a record store and bought the CD of KISS ALIVE II so i could play it in my mid life crisis car and feel like i am a High School Senior again...
I am hoping for a trip to Chicago for work so i can go to Wrigley, hallowed be its name (If Allah wills it). In yet more traveling, I got to go to the Republic of Georgia (we had soldiers over there helping train the Georgian Army) and stayed for just a week. It is gorgeous country over there and I could go on and on about the WINE--and perhaps i will at a later time. Beautiful Country, and the girls are all dark haired breathtakingly gorgeous, or so i was told. I didn't notice.

-- Our little girl dog Gracie is pregnant. Gracie has papers that says she is a Shi-Tzu, but she doesnt look like it--She looks more pekingese. Too late to give her back now as she already has a place to pee on the floor. I hope she doesn't build a nest in my suitcase, which has yet to be unpacked from my last trip-