Jan. 10, 2003 ~ Happy dance!
My BABY called this morning! Oops, I mean the fine young Soldier Boy, brave and strong, who is stationed in Afghanistan. Otherwise known as my baby. Moms will understand. Dads, too. He called shortly after 6:00 AM, before I was fully awake (because of a sleepless night), and it was a lousy connection. He sounded faraway and quiet, and there was a strong echo on the line. Every word was repeated once or even twice. It took me a few seconds to figure out that it was really him, but then I practically jumped for joy. He called from the base, which means he's still getting decent food and has a tent to sleep in during those cold desert nights. But he couldn't tell me one thing, not one thing, about his surroundings (location) or what type of work he is doing. There were many voices in the background, probably other soldiers waiting to use the phone. His call was free, but limited to two minutes. I tried to force alertness, tried to pack in all the big news, knowing that we had just seconds to talk. There was no time to wake College Boy, and Husband had already left for work, so it was just me. I was able to tell him that his grandmother and great uncle were doing fine. He told me there was a PX on the base, and I asked if he could buy cigarettes there. He could, he said, but he had quit smoking. Joy! Rapture! I hope it sticks. And one minor detail... those tobacco products were awfully expensive, and sending them overseas was a bit of a strain, financially. So we are relieved in every way, by his decision to quit.
Though I had less than two hours sleep last night, that phone call left me wide awake. No chance of going back to sleep. So maybe I'll sleep well tonight. At least we know the boy is alive and well. I just can't tell you how good it was to hear his voice! Faraway, barely audible, interference on the line, two minute conversation... doesn't matter. It was the best conversation I'd had in weeks! Since, well... since the last time we talked to him, which was the day before he left the US. In my mind, I did a little happy dance.
Dakotah seems about the same or maybe a little better this morning. The difference is that it was COLD out there today. It's one thing to stand there for 20 minutes when you're sweating, another thing altogether when you're turning blue. He did manage to accidentally kick the bucket over once yesterday, but it was because a horse fly bit him. A horse fly! In January. That's crazy. But there were mosquitoes out last night, too, which is also pretty weird. Then again, the roses are still blooming in the backyard, so the weather is definitely strange.
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