A Box Full of Memories

I hope you were able to take some time yesterday to honor or at least think about those who have given their lives for the freedoms we enjoy in this country. You all know by now that my dad is a Viet Nam veteran, USAF retired fighter pilot, and that I'm very proud of that fact. The folks were here yesterday, and I embarked on a successful Internet search on Dad's behalf to locate the service route of the 12th Indiana Infantry regiment - from the Civil War. Turns out his father's maternal grandfather (i.e., my great-great-grandfather) was a private in Company G of the 12th Indiana, and from 1862 to 1865 they traveled from Indianapolis to Memphis to Chattanooga and then to Washington D.C. by way of Vicksburg, Atlanta and Richmond. And our ancestor lived to tell the tale. Fascinating stuff, though I have to be careful about bragging on my Yankee ancestry considering I am now firmly ensconced in a state quite proud of its Rebel heritage. (Down here, they still call it the War of Northern Aggression.)

I love my Southern friends, and you all (ahem, y'all) know who you are.

Another thing I found recently ... sort of related but sort of not ... was a box full of notecards, stationery and stickers that I used for correspondence back when I was in [cough]high school[cough]. Talk about opening up a box full of memories. I can't begin to describe everything that I found, but each new piece I picked up brought back a flood like I haven't had in a long, long time. Ah, nostalgia.

I'm off to spend part of my afternoon with my pal Will ... Shakespeare, that is ... and a bit of As You Like It. And after that, of course, I'm diving back into the TBR pile. I'm reading a book called Poison Pen by the lovely Sheila Lowe, another Capital Crime Press writer in league with Robert Fate and Bruce Cook. Sheila will be dropping by the Lunch Room for an interview here in the very near future, so be sure to schedule your lunch dates accordingly. I'll let you know closer to time what date that'll be so you can get it on your calendar - you won't want to miss her.

And don't forget to register for our current drawing for an autographed copy of Blood Harvest. This is an incredible book, and well worth the afternoon it will take you to read it. Trust me.

=) JB

"Life is too short for a long story."
-- Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762) English writer