Mar. 02, 2002 ~ Soldier boy
called yesterday afternoon. He'd gotten off work early, and thought he'd call before he went to bed. Seems he'd only had about four hours sleep the night before.
He spoke of an aborted jump, cancelled at the last minute. They were actually up in the plane, lined up and ready to go, but it was too windy so the jump was called off. Good thing, according to him. He was number 13 in line, and it was a full moon. The LAST guy who'd been number thirteen, his main chute had failed to open.
"But his reserve chute opened, didn't it?"
I had to ask this question three or four times. Don't know if son was just tired, couldn't hear me, or didn't want to answer, but finally he said that yes, his other chute opened. I didn't ask any more about it, but I think the boy was okay. Boy. Man. I think of them as boys still, but they are obviously young men now.
After this week's non-jump, they landed the plane, and get this... it was the first time EVER that Soldier Boy had landed in a plane. Until he joined the military, he'd never set foot on a plane. And he became a paratrooper. So the first time he went on an airplane, he jumped out of it. And this has been the case ever since.
He enjoyed the landing.
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It's cold, rainy and windy. Do I want to go outside and feed the animals? No, I do not. But will I? Of course. Very soon. It's almost time. Come to think of it, I'll just go and put some food on the porches for the cats. I looked out the window and saw one of the kitties running up to the porch.
There. I feel like a better cat mom now. We have front porch cats and back porch cats. Main barn cats and hay barn cats. Even one or two Other Hay Barn cats. They all seem to have their own spaces, their own territories, and there's not too much mixing back and forth. When there is, there is hissing and spitting and the fur flies.
Now I guess there's nothing left to do but put on the coat, hat and gloves, and go feed the cows and horses. Oh, and the ducks and chickens... can't forget them. It's not so much the cold, that's keeping me inside, it's the wind. It just seems to cut right through you. Never mind -- it can't be helped.
Off I go.
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