Sh*t My Brother Drags Home

Last Week:

• Two random sheets of plywood, a wooden pallet frame and three buckets full of 4 x 6 ends no more than a foot or so long. I have no idea what he intends to use them for and I'm not convinced he has either. The stumps, except for being pine, would be ideal in a fireplace, if we had one, which we don't.
• A sort of scrapbook/portfolio of some random person's experience in the navy right after World War II including newspaper clippings (of various people so we don't know if the owner might have been one of them), photos of warships (aircraft carrier, cruiser and at least one destroyer), airplanes and Guantanamo Bay naval base back when it was just an innocent naval base located in a friendly country.
• An envelope labelled "Paris 1951" and containing hand-tinted postcards including one of the Eiffel Tower taken from almost the same vantage point as the famous picture of Hitler's visit to the City of Light, les Invalides, Napoleon's Tomb, etc.; several aerial photographs obviously taken by the original owner as he flew into the city; and a couple of business cards to cafes apparently owned or run by American expats with notes about meetings.

He was given the portfolio/scrapbook by a customer and thinks one of our nephews (both active-duty Navy) might be interested in it. I have my doubts since neither has ever expressed a great interest in history, especially not the personal histories of complete strangers.

I have no idea where (or why) he acquired the other items. I could probably put together a pretty good spy story with the contents of that envelope, though.

Nothing To Do But Wait

So today is the culmination of weeks and months of growing anxiety as my sweet, beautiful niece goes into surgery, yet again. She's fourteen and this is her fourth open heart operation. It was originally scheduled for last month but she came down with the flu a week before that date and had to reschedule.


I think at least part of the anxiety (our own, that is) comes from knowing that she is now old enough to be aware of the risks herself. The first two operations occurred when she was an infant and the last one a couple of years ago, but fourteen is a good age to have a real grip on your own mortality.


She's pretty good, although not perfect, at hiding her nervousness and spent yesterday evening swimming in the hotel pool in Boston before going in for pre-op.


The first three operations involved stitching together her heart valves and repairing leaks but they just wouldn't hold up permanently, so this one will install an artificial valve that should last.


One of her big brothers, the middle one who was just sent by the Navy on an extended tour of the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Seas (Romania, Israel and Greece, so far), made a video for her wishing her well because he couldn't be there this time. His political consciousness was formed almost entirely by 9/11 and tends to be somewhere to the right of John McCain but he is a sweet, caring, loving human being and the best big brother anyone could ask for and I'm quite proud of him.


I just received a report from her Dad that the operation is proceeding satisfactorily. They have finished replacing one valve and are working on the second one now. She went under around 8:30 this morning and the expect to be done in another couple of hours.


So we continue to wait.

All in the Family, Navy Style

My oldest nephew just made Chief Petty Officer today. His kid brother, my other nephew (also in the Navy and the one who went to Iraq), and his dad, my Other Brother and a retired chief himself, were both there in Norfolk, Virginia for the ceremony.

The rule is, if family is in attendance, family get to apply the insignia of promotion so my Other Brother and my nephew's brother got to pin his new anchors on him.

Yes, he does look a little like Tom Cruise when he smiles.

I'm also impressed that Dad can still fit into his old uniform.