Thursday, July 9, 2009

WEATHER OR NOT

I’d mentioned that Fort Lawton was built on a bluff overlooking the entrance to Puget Sound. Actually the southern part of the facility was on flat ground on top of the bluff. Post personnel were barracked there, as were officers headed overseas. Just over the edge of the top were some post facilities such as the PX and a cafeteria. Then further down the slope were the shipping companies, and on the flat ground at the bottom were the buildings where troops destined for overseas were processed.


These processing buildings were arranged side by side, and second lieutenants headed overseas were given the charge of marching platoon-sized groups of non-coms into the area between the buildings and await instructions.





In the summer and fall when the weather was dry this arrangement worked quite well, but when it started to rain, that was unsatisfactory. So the powers-that-be ordered roofs be built over the space between the parallel buildings. And the second looeys were ordered to march their charges under that covering.

I was down in that area one wet day, and had just stepped out onto the covered porch where some sergeant was standing, when one of the newly minted second looeys marched a platoon of soldiers under the covering. But he did not himself get under cover. The sergeant turned to me and said, “That poor idiot doesn’t know enough to come in out of the rain!”.

Art work by my son Cliff.


Other humor:

DICTIONARY LIBERTIES
~ Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

~ Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

~ Beelzebug (n): Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

~ Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

~ Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

~ Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

~ Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

~ Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease.

~ Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

~ Glibido: All talk and no action.

~ Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

~ Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you're eating.

2 comments:

  1. Oooh, nice graphics by your son!

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  2. Lynn beat me to it--well done, Cliff!

    And that last definition is making me look a tad wryly at the two apples I picked off my golden delicious tree today. It seemed early, but they were the only ones still on it and since they came off easily into my hands, I've been hoping they're sufficiently edible this early.

    But here I was worrying about maybe squirrel spit, not caterpallor.

    Notice I haven't tried them yet.

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