StraightForward in a Crooked World

It all started with morning serenades outside our bedroom window. After a long winter that just wouldn't go away it finally left, and not only did the sun return but someone in particular was there to see that life be celebrated every morning with a song and to him I am thankful.

You would other wise miss him or really take him for granted and ignore him but for the last couple of months a passerine Northern Cardinal has been my guide back into the life of sounds. And he has reminded me that here are no better sounds than those sounds that occur in summer.

His singing has made me take to looking to the air of an evening to see what birds soar the heavens above our abode, and as your eyes scan the heavens looking for the sparrows that are feeding or the unidentified way hi-flyers your ears open as well. And they hear good things and they notice the gaps that once were of long ago.

I can shut down and listen to the cicadas talk all night, or hear the bat as he hunts the sky at night an…

While most of you won't know who they are three of our own are headed home as of this writing after being the longest held American Hostages. On 2/13/2003 Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell where kidnapped by FARC leftist rebels when there single engine plane crashed in the jungle when they were on a drug surveillance mission. All three were employed as contractors of sorts for Northrop Grumman Corp. They were freed along with Ingrid Bentacourt who was kidnapped when she was on the campaign trail SIX years ago along with eleven Colombian police officers and soldiers who had been hostages of these Commie Bastards. The daring ploy was pulled off by those identified only as "Colombian Spies" and they did it without firing a shot.

From working in various situations and a few kidnapping to boot I can tell you that things like this never never never go this perfect and it is a credit to numerous men and women who will never be known of several nationalities. And w…