Incredible as it might sound the temperature “cooled” to the low 90s today. In the late afternoon I went to pick up my car from the dealer and encountered several areas of heavy traffic caused by fender benders. It took me over an hour to make it from work to the dealer and another 30 minutes or so to get home. The ladies had already been to the dog park and from what I understand where not at all pleased with having to be out in the hot sun. Once home they acted all crazy and where running around in circles bumping chests like wild mustangs. After they ate they settled down to harassing the poor cat. Poor Sophie doesn’t know how to act when the ladies want to play with her.
Yes… It was Hot Again
June 25, 2010
Hot Again
June 24, 2010
It going to be a scorcher. Good thing the ladies will be home. Hopefully it will cool by evening.
Another Scorcher!
June 23, 2010
Today was extremely hot again. The Ladies spent most of the day inside in the cool. I can’t imagine having to work outside on a day like today though I’ve done it before. In 1984 I spent the summer at Fort Benning working as an instructor at Ranger School and many of the days were even hotter and more humid than today. Honestly, I don’t know how I survived.
Emma Got Very Agitated Today
June 22, 2010
We had to pick Emma up early from her day boarding today. She was very agitated and was pacing the floor panting and panting. Eventually they put her in a boarding suite and she calmed. When I got there the attendant told me that usually Cha Cha consoles and calms her, but today she did not. We are at home and she is asleep. I don’t know what happened but she seems fine now.
We met yesterday to say farewell. As the late morning sun sweltered into mid-day, there, in a quiet suburban Maryland town, several hundred people filled a small church, which testified to the efforts of Jesuit fathers working in the fields of the Lord. Sitting in the pews and standing along walls hung with scenes from the Via Dolorosa, mourners raised their choking voices to organ strains of Amazing Grace. The sound rose to the ancient rafters. Farewell fair spring farewell. With sad hearts we bid farewell, ever hopeful in the assurance that faith promises: we will all rise to life again.
Nat’s Game Was Fun to Watch–But Hot!
June 20, 2010
We arrived at the game early. Our seats were nearly on the field and thus out in the full blaze of the sun. We went down to the seats at 1:00 and stayed until the end of the game around 4:45. There was a family from Wisconsin in the row behind us and they did not last long at all. The mom and the pre-teen daughter scrambled to the shade on the food and drink level after about 30 minutes. At one point the dad was on his cell phone and he was telling the person on the other end that he, “was roasting.” The game was good though the Nats lost. Nyger Morgan and Josh Willingham both made great catches against the outfield wall. It is amazing to watch the choreography of the offensive and defensive play setting and making. On the surface it looks so spontaneous, but there is so much thought and strategy for each circumstance. That is why I love baseball: everyone has to know what everyone else is doing and work together.
Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there. And, of course to all the sons and daughters who have to put up with them!
Dumbarton House
June 19, 2010
We went to Dumbarton House in Georgetown today and earlier had walked along Q and R Streets on the sidewalks shaded by stately oaks. The weather was hot and muggy but the calmness of the neighborhood and the cool of a light breeze seemed to make the temperature feel less oppressive. A few blocks away on Wisconsin Avenue the mad crash and din of traffic no doubt continued, but for about an hour it seemed like it didn’t even exist.
The Ladies got an early start this morning. Emma woke up around 3:30 but still dozed for a bit. Cha Cha started giving kisses around 4:00. We got up and went for a short walk. It was all about the food!
Or is the U.S. really getting bogged down in Afghanistan? We’ve heard the explanation before: “We just have to win their hearts and minds.” But obviously it is not that simple. Warlordism, Pashtun custom, and religion seem to form the crucible that creates an elusive and resilient foe in the south and east. How can we expect young men, who live day-to-day at the instinct level, to not exhibit instinctual behaviors? Chauvinism, territorialism, and pride cloaked in the notion of honor, provide the foundation for an especially potent warrior cocktail. Firearms, explosives, and the aforementioned provide the finishing touches. Hearts and minds are alien concepts where crushing destitution rules. We can’t win hearts and minds where people are truly struggling daily to obtain basic subsistence.
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