Oh Susannah...

Well I emailed Susie and she answered me back and told me how to hook up an instant messenger service on the computer. Apparently I had neglected to tell her what my new email address was when I first moved and she thought that I was cross at her for some reason so she allowed me my space.

She asked me if I had heard from mom or from "dad"?!? I was shocked, he had always wanted us to call him Colonel. Susie said "tough, he'll have to deal with it or else I'll grab him and give him a big hug and destroy his male gendered unfeeling military-created cowpoke up a horse's behind" I'm still shocked she said that.... then she said she was more a man than him to call him "dad".... Susie ranted about how grand-dad, the Captain, had defied his father, the General, by being part of the Air Force when it first became established while the General (great-grand-dad if you're as confused as me about my family ancestry) believed the Sword family must stay in the Army because of tradition (there's that ugly word again).

Is that what radical feminism teaches? Defy the Colonel by calling him "dad" and hug him when he starts getting mad at such a sign of disrespect? Maybe Susie's right, she did convince the Colonel (with mom and Sal joining in the family revolt) to let me avoid the Air Force by just being part of the Air Force reserves and if there was a war, I'd only do one tour of duty and then could retire. Afghanistan happened and I did my time and am now a retired Lieutenant living in Montreal.... Susie was always the strongest one in the family. And because I was in Montreal and that Susie writes in some magazine, I ended up meeting Wendy.

I told Susie about Wendy and what she said about my initials. Susie sent her smily face and the usual "lol" and told me that Sal and her both had the same middle name (I never knew.... never thought to ask, I mean it was on their birth registration (Wendy calls it a "birth certificate" as if one can get certified for being born.... must be a Canadian joke or something) anyway it was never used). Susie and Sally both have Amanda as a middle name.... yes that would be S.A.S. no wonder they've been strong and I being S.I.S. was always soft.... It was in our name. Susie told me she'd forward my hello to mom and the Colonel.... but that she'd call him "dad" nonetheless.

She's my hero.