Invasions

Invasions generally carry with them negative consequences or results. Last evening while my husband was watching the Cubs and my grandson was putsing with his recreation, I slipped away to visit my father and step mother. When I walked into the house, I enjoyed an inward smile as they were sitting together in their usual places allowing Lawernce Welk and the big band to entertain them. My dad pointed to his desk and told me to pick up the photo album his wife had found recently. It was one with a wooden cover that my dad made while in the Navy during WWII in a carpenter shop on the Hawaiian islands (as he always calls it). Inside were many pictures of his experiences there and the people he met and became close to. There were also lots of pictures of my mom and me. I really was pretty cute, if I do say so myself. There are many pictures of my mother and me alone from those years when my dad was gone to put in his time for our country. I guess one could say that the war was an invasions on the lives of all those who had to leave home and family to serve in the military. Inside this album I found a letter that was addressed to my dad from another man with the same last name. My dad explained that his cousin was in the war at the same time and was with the infantry in Europe. Evidently my dad had written that he was enjoying his work in the carpenter shop in Hawaii. I think the man was a bit offended and envious of my dad's soft position. While Dad was enjoying the beauty and wonderful weather in Hawaii, his cousin, Tony, was involved in many of the invasions our military planned. He expressed frustration that they would be lead to believe they were going to go home or go to a safer location and find they were really being groomed for another invasion. In the letter he talks with a very serious and sad heart about the bloodshed he had seen and how he didn't know if he would get home alive either. It was a very sobering letter. After reading it, I turned to my dad and said, "Tony was telling you that even though you had to leave home for a few years, you didn't really know what war was". He shook his head in agreement. I am very grateful my dad didn't see fighting as I think that leaves such a pitiful mark on people. I have a good friend whose father saw much bloodshed and came home with difficult issues with which he struggled his entire life.
There are other less serious but still painful types of invasions. On Friday, my daughter and her four children spent most of the day here. My daughter decided to attempt to tackle the invasive honeysuckle that had taken over so much of the big garden I spoke of earlier. It was a very hot day and I didn't like the idea of spending the day in the hot sun with a shovel but she was undaunted. I reluctantly joined her and we dug and pulled and dug and pulled. Toward the end of our energy, I was digging in the soil and suddenly, out of the ground wiggled a rather large animal. It came up toward my direction and ran between my legs! I flew out of the garden with the speed of light. Scared my daughter to death since she hadn't seen the animal. She drilled me about what was wrong and I couldn't say a word. That little animals appearance had invaded my peace and I was speechless. I shiver sitting here writing about it. It was such an ugly sight. After we had settled down and laughed about it a dozen times, Lauri said she would be brave and go to get our shovels (we had decided we were finished for the day). She walked back into the garden and screamed, "he is still here". And she came running back without the shovels. I can hear you ask what the animal was. I do not know. Moles have a particularly identifiable nose and it didn't look like a mole to me. It was too big for a mouse and it wasn't a rat. My daughter thought it may have been a vole. I have never heard of a vole but my son-in-law sent me a picture of one and I got it this morning. It made me shiver to see the picture too. I don't think it was a vole either. Lauri isn't any more sure about identifying that animal as I am but it was surely ugly. My husband asked why I didn't take the shovel and kill the thing. I told him I am a woman and women don't think of killing like men do. He caught a mole in the mole trap yesterday and thinks that may have been the culprit. I'm not convinced. I'm not interested in any more invasions either.