It's Chancellorsville for this Computer

My old computer has nearly given up the ghost. He started by becoming slower and slower...maybe because the newer computers around him were faster to begin with, or maybe because he kept finding himself burdened with new files and programs. Then he started sending out error messages and shutting down programs without warning, despite all the newest anti-virus and anti-spyware/adware scans. Then it happened. Stonewall (my computer was much like General Jackson...a hard-headed southerner who would die defending his right to tell me when to shove off) told me he couldn't accept my photos anymore, despite the added storage space two years ago.

It was time to take drastic action: I went to buy a new computer.

The helpful tech guy was jaw-to-the-floor shocked that my computer was nearly 6. Apparently this is old in tech years. I did the right thing in naming it after an historical figure. Fortunately, I didn't tell the tech guy that. I just smirked. Where's the fun in being a history geek/nerd if you don't have inside jokes?

So now I have a new, sleek model that should last another few years into old age. Stonewall is understandably depressed, but is soldiering on as I move files over. Poor thing. He's trekked nearly as many roads as his namesake, so he deserves a rest. I hate that he's being taken out by his own side, though. He's seen me through myriad college courses, the babyhood of one and toddlerhood of both children, four dogs, a graduation, and a deployment. Oh, the emails he's seen! Rants, laughs, gleeful news or sad, Stonewall was there to pass them along.

Goodbye, Stonewall. You've served well.

Unfortunately, the new computer may look nice, but has no personality. It's merely "Rebecca's PC." How quaint.

Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

"Every year, the Friday before Mother's Day is designated as Military Spouse Appreciation Day. This year's celebration on May 7 is a time to recognize and applaud the selfless contributions and daily sacrifices our Army spouses make.

"Army life is challenging. The heart and stamina of our spouses are the core of the Army Family and provide an essential source of strength to our Soldiers. Spouses routinely put the welfare of their Soldier, Family, and Nation above their own. We are proud of all Army spouses and salute your efforts."

For the rest of the proclamation, please visit the Army website's Military Spouse Appreciation Day page.

This is for the husbands and wives who wake up early when their Soldier leaves for PT.

This is for the fathers and mothers who hold their children tight when they cling and cry for a parent overseas at night.

This is for the men and women who avoid the news, watch the news, or are glued to the news every day for months on end, hoping for good and not bad.

This is for the cooks who learn the gobbledygook acronyms and threaten to serve MREs if they are faced with a caselot sale on a payday at the commissary again.

This is for the lovers who touch photographs and hold back tears.

This is for the actors who put on a happy face when their soldier takes one more look over a shoulder while the transport is moving out.

This is for the comedians who crack jokes on the phone or over webcams, just to see their soldier smile thousands of miles away.

This is for the tired whose hearts break at the thought of just one more day alone, much less several more months.

This is for the strong who keep moving when all they want to do is stay under the covers curled into a ball.

This is for the "dependents" who know that a greater oxymoron was never coined, who rise to the call of independence in order to keep the house running smoothly, or to move it across the country alone.

This is for the proud, whose hearts are full to bursting as their loved one steps off that plane, that bus, that boat to stand in formation and affirm that they have served and will continue to serve their country.

This is for those who also serve, by making their own sacrifices and supporting their military loved one on the homefront, giving them assurance that all is well and that they can focus on the job at hand until it's time to come home.

This is for us, military spouses! Appreciate yourself today.



Photos courtesy of Photobucket.com

Rain

The curtains billowing in the breeze last night woke me up several times. The scent of rain wasn't quite in the air yet, but it was cool and moist, just waiting for the right moment to break from suspension into droplets. By the time the skies lightened to a dull grey this morning, the pattering had commenced.

The first comments I heard from the little ones were "I hope it stops raining today! I hope the sun comes out," looking from the skies to me with hopefulness, as if I had any control over the weather.

Even if I did, though, I'm not sure I would change it today. At least, not just yet. Right now the leaves are dripping and swaying under each dollop of water as it works its way down the tree from tip to root. The rain has abated for the most part, and doves are cooing quietly while songbirds tune up. A jay is calling from across the field out back, and over it all is the quiet sigh of the breeze.

It's not really warm, it's certainly not dry or sunny. But it's a quiet, introspective kind of morning, one in which you could hear yourself think, if you wanted to. But I'm not listening for that. After so much busyness the last several weeks, I'm rocking in my chair and listening to something outside, watching the drops fall down.