CLOUDY AND WARM IN BRISTOW

Baba and Halle

School Party

Ella and Halle Bissell

Up around 7:00 to voices downstairs, came down to find Drew and Hayden in conversation, talking about Drew's old boyhood, whether it was painted because Hayden wants to move eventually to the basement, where she will have her own room and bathroom.  Drew chose to live in a closet when he was young, just so he didn't have to share a room with his brother so it sounds like Hayden's of the same stock, wanting to move downstairs when she gets older, though she has her own room now.  As Drew said, she will probably move downstairs just as she doesn't want her on her own (a teenager).  I am glad I'm a grandparent and don't have to worry about these sorts of things.

It's cloudy and warm, 50 degrees, with rain expected.  Girls are off in a bit though Halle has to go to the dentist for a brief procedure.  Evie and Jill go in to school to mann the welcome desk.  Drew has taken the day off and has offered to take me into Arlington because I have never visited the military cemetery.  We will go in around 9:30, visit it and have lunch in Old Town Arlington which sounds great.

We had a great meal last night, strip steaks, mushrooms, and salad, Evie's favorite dinner.  It was a nice afternoon for the girls to roller blade as well as cook out.  I have to say I don't mind the mild weather because being outside, walking the dog or kids to school, is easy.  I just hope the rain holds off till afte we visit Arlington.  Tonight it's spiral sliced ham and macaroni and cheese, yum.  Then, we'll have lots of left overs for sandwichs, perhaps scalloped and potatoes casserole, one of my favorites from my boyhood days.

I've spent lots of time with Drew talking about Iraq and neither of us is sanguine about  what's going on there.  We both think a civil war may be in the cards but hope not.  He's much more aware of the politics there, the rift between Shia(supported by Iran, with all their class anger at the Sunni control over the past 100 years) and the Sunni's and throw the Kurds into the mix, with their military force and power and you have a recipe for disaster.  If our politicians cannot even decide on a bill, just imagine how in the world the Iraq politicians can decide on anything which might be fair to all sides.  No way.  And the recent decision to target a Sunni vice president as a terrorist, and take out a warrant on him, suggests things are getting political fast, a day or two after we left.  If things to get worst, I am sure the Republicans will use it, blame Obama for a hasty retreat, even though Bush signed off on it three or four years ago.  Everything is political here as well as in Iraq...we have our own version of the Sunni/Shia hate...here it Democrat and Republican, fueled in both cases by the religious conservatives in both Iraq and the US(and add the Tea Party to the mix here).  Scary for both countries.