Rain. We have rain.

So, I can count on one hand how many days its rained since May.  Make that two now.  We've had three near solid days of rain.  My new sardine can is leaking like a 62 Chevy through the front door hinge and I've got Gator, the pup, diving in my room at every chance for any reprieve from the elements.  He leaves it smelling like a wet Afghan ass (donkey.... well.... maybe), to boot.  I couldn't take it so after dinner tonight he got a shower, (sponsored in part by Dr Bonnie of Boswell Animal Clinic of Columbus, MS.) That's free plug is for the chew sticks, vitamins, collars and shampoo sent by our lovey vet clinic in MS.  Stop on by there if you get a chance, nice folks.  

Moving on........So, now he's bundled up and too lazy to get outside for his food.  I'm sure I'll pay for it about 0100 when his stomach starts to growl.  Auburn tucked herself away under a conex on the ANP side and had her pups today.  It took a while to find her.  We looked everywhere, but under the conex on their side because there's no way that fat heifer could have fit under there.  Well, she did.  I could only count three brown pups.  We'll check in the morning to see if more entered this exquisite, real estate rich country.

We picked up our new guy yesterday.  Nice guy from Syracuse, NY.  Well, this is his first deployment.  SGM and I gave him the "old, its gonna be OK speech" when we picked him up.  Told him how well the roads were around here and he had little to be concerned about.  You know, trying to assist him in relaxing and not worrying about everything that he was told to worry about during premobilization training.  Well, we were getting ready to head out when we got stood down from leaving the base.  EOD (explosive guys) were detonating an IED right outside the base.   So, we pulled over, dismounted the Humvees and had a talk.  The new guy was still in the humvee waiting for instruction.   Well, you know me........I had to say something.  SGM looked at me and knew exactly what I was thinking.  I said, I have to.  It's his first day here and after the its safe speech I gotta say something!  So, I went around the vehicle and knocked on his door.  He opened and I told him he could get out and take off his body armor because they were detonating an IED on our main route.  It was classic.......everything a moment like that could have been and more.... "Rogggeerrr tthaatt siirr,"as he dismounted the truck.   I responded, "Hey, you want some coffee while we wait?"  And at that one of the trucks went off to Tim Hortons to get some coffee while we waited for the boom.

Good times....Rain's keeping the dust down (in compliance with the all new  2008 anti-dirt lung laws of Afghanistan) and I got a little entertainment off the new guy.

Life is good.