Yank on a Hot Tin Roof

Summer is here in blazing force on the island. The pre-Ramadan buzz is stirring. Sales starting for the feasting...I mean fasting...a-hem. Everything from dates to pillows to rice cookers on sale to pull in the masses for the evening "Ramadan timings". This referring to the altered schedules of the businesses during Ramadan. I am learning the ins and outs of produce shopping from my new housemaid and babysitter, Chitra. "This place sells bad melons, don't buy from them. This rice is too expensive, buy Tilda in the bag. " Apparently she can knock and tell if it is mushy.I came in prancing with my bargain melon. She unloads it from the bag and takes pause. I got screwed, I could tell by her face. Sure enough we cut it open and I managed to carve out a 1/2 kilo of decent melon out of the 5 kilos I bought. Those outside vendors sold me a cooked watermelon!!! Next lesson is Biryani Chicken and some sort of chicken wing dish. She knows I like to cook and she is gonna get jiggy in the kitchen with me Sri Lankan style.

Have I mentioned it is hot? It is a wave of unnatural heat that hits you, like someone turned a forced air furnace on right outside your door. You're vehicle is a torture device for about 15 minutes unless you were smart enough to run it a while before mounting. It is nice to be home though, and have the family together. A lot of the fun stuff we enjoy is hindered by the heat and Brigid's cast. So, August 3rd is the big day. She is getting tired of the plastic wrapped arm and the kiddie pool.

This is a weird time for the military families. New families pile in, recent friends move away, and most who are mid-tour bail like rats from a sinking ship for the summer. Those who stay try to welcome the newcomers. That is what we do best. "Welcome to the suck, do you need friends?!" This is a unique group of spouses. Joint military branches of every rank, NCIS,Embassy,Contractor,and Govt. employees from various agencies. We are purely social and support. We don't have dues, don't do fundraisers, don't do scholarships, and we even have a few men. Just like with the OSC they rarely show their faces. That many women tends to scare the average lad.

I have kept the book club afloat now that we are all back on the island. It is always a fun evening with some smart, funny ladies w/ a dash of nerdiness that only another bookworm can cherish. My intent is to stay til the end of the tour. That 23 hour flight is tough with three kids. I can't just put the headphones on and go to sleep or read. I have to be on alert all the time. I think the only real interest I have in traveling in this part of the world is to Jordan and Jerusalem. The Dead Sea, the lost city of Petra,the Holy Lands. I hope I get to see them, because once I leave here, I won't be back. So, time to bide and save some money and get the kids back on track academically. It was a rough year in that regard and I am ready to make up for lost time. So, wish me luck as we creep through the summer seeking shade and water. I seriously do not know how this place was inhabited prior to air conditioning.