June 10th

June 10th is my scheduled deployment date. Finally.

In the moment.

Last night I left my house to attend the house warming party of my former renters. Their new place is within walking distance of my house. I visited with the neighbors and friends while I was waiting for Mickey Blue Eyes to get off work and come hang out with his Mom. The food was good though and I wanted to write about these rolls she made. They were homemade, and smelled of yeast. Perfect rolls lightly browned on the outside with that little spot perfect for your fingers to break it open in the middle. I broke it open and lowered my head to inhale the scent. The first roll looked so good I ate it plain. The flavor of butter and yeast soft on the inside. Later I went back to have another, and just in time there was one left. This one I pulled apart and put horseradish on because now sitting on the table was homemade roast beef. I added some greens from a salad and closed the sandwich and headed back outside to sit upon the orange bench that matched the house to eat it in the evening. Kids playing around me and an occasional rain drop landed on my hands. Memorial weekend is coming and the good weather always makes a quick exit before the holiday weekend and we are right on track for that to happen as two more drops of rain hit my other hand.

I walked down their driveway, my boots making a solid clack as they do when I walk with purpose, I called Mickey and headed home. We made plans over the phone as I walked the short distance back to my house; to watch a movie, so I needed to walk down to the post office in Roslyn and pick up the movie that had arrived in the mail earlier in the day, 'Paul'. I dropped my drink off and did my quick jaunt to the PO. Once I was home again, I was restless and noticed the house warming party had started a fire. Brilliant, I thought I'm going to burn too. It won't be much longer that we can burn, so now would be a good time to start working on my accumulated piles and leavings of the pruning of my tree's. There is something soothing about using pruners and burning your own yard debris. I started my fire and gathered stuff to fill my pit. I have this little dryer drum that is a great burn pit. The renters had buried it and placed rocks around it. I burned until he arrived; filled with melancholy to have to leave in the morning and more so when I tell him and he replies, "Yeah I like it when you are here too."

Another day to burn, awaits.