It's really windy here today. The wind swirling around the chimes I haven't taken down yet and making them a cacophony of noise. The gray clouds are rushing across the sky. In a hurry to I don't know where. The dried brown corn stalks left from the harvest are being blown into my yard littering it.

Just a preview of things to come. Soon the gray clouds will being spitting hard pellets of snow down as they barrel by. They will stick to the sides of the long driveway outlining the way home. The last few leaves clinging to the trees are starting to lose their grasp and are being blown along by the wind.

The wind is snaking in around the windows that haven't been winterized yet. Cooling this old farm house and making it shudder. Moods seem to match the weather. Lets just curl up together under a blanket and read the sunday paper.

YEE HAW !! I got a picture in my gallery!! It was taken at my daughters wedding (isn't she beautiful?) That's me in the black on the left,having a bad hair day.Pie

His name was Max and he would have been 82 this year. He was a simple man with an 8th grade education.He was a cowboy and a rodeo rider. He sold his beloved horse to buy his bride a wedding band. He was 20 years old when he was drafted into Company H 12th Infantry.

He left his young wife in Lancaster Missouri and trained in North Carolina as a heavy machine gunner before going overseas. He fought in many battles including the Battle of the Bulge in Ardennes,The Battle of Rhineland. And on the beach in Normandy. He was awarded 4 Bronze Stars,the Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster for wounds he suffered in France,June 1944 and Germany,December 1944. And the Good Conduct Medal. He was entitled to wear European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Campaign Ribbon, and 2 Overseas Bars. He rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant.

His Foreign service lasted 1 year 2 months and 1 day.He was discharged on October 6th 1945.

His total mustering out pay was $300.00. He was allowed $12.35 travel pay. He went back to his pretty young wife and raised 7 children. He never spoke of the things he saw or the pain he endured or the friends he lost. Ever. But I saw him fight those battles many times in his dreams.

He was my Dad.

My thanks to Prank for reminding me to give thanks to all those who fought for our freedom.Thanks Dad.

It seems as though all of us in our little blog family have felt the hurt of losing our friends. I know that the pain was unintentional on their part,but unavoidable on ours as it always hurts to say so long to a good friend.
So many people have expressed their feelings on their blogs and in their comments on other peoples posts. So much more eloquently than any words I can come up with.
Pranks picture with his post just seemed so fitting. Scratches post and all your comments to it put into words everything I was feeling but couldn't say. I was afraid to say how much it hurt because in my mind I was picturing people saying........Well jeeze Pie how well could you have really known Diesel you didn't even know his real name. You'd only met him here a few weeks ago. You've never heard his voice or seen his face. Get over it..........
And I thought I know all that it true but I also know that he is my friend despite all that.And that I love him for who he is. Thats the way I feel about so many of you. Wally's leaving was hard but D.'s hurt my heart.

Now can the rest of you just stay put for awhile? I love you guys.

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