PAR-TAY!!

“When in the course of hy’umun events…” Wha-a-a? Scout! Get yer scruple paws off that teleprompter!

>>hzzzz. bigfoot touchy today.

Hey, today’s AFSister’s birthday--if I don’t do this right, I’m toast.

>>hzzzz. bigfoot crusty, stale and always in a jam. name scout think already fit definition of toast.

Thanks a heap, furbucket. Go find Jake and Muffy and see what’s up with the cake.

>>hzzzz. name muffy and name jake bake cake? ooog—name scout bet ranch cake be chok’lit with squirrel frosting. name scout think maybe go strine beer-food-beer pless for dins.

Fine. Bring me back a couple of lagers. But go find Jake and Muffy, first.

*scamper-skitter-galumph*

Geez. Where was I? Oh…

*smiling winsomely into castlecam®*

Dbie the AFSister gave me a splendiferous present a couple of weeks ago and I got roped--ummmm--am absolutely delighted with the chance to return the favor. After all, turnabout is fair play and

*bgvzzzzt* GRRAAGHH! SNAP!

OW! PG, you tin-plated, ankle-biting idiot construct, I said FAIR play!

Ruh-roh... *cringe*

Rats--my Columbian Exposition souvenir sox, too…ya got 'em right in Grover Cleveland's autograph. Go do something useful, like gnawing all that pink enamel off the Iowa at Midshipman Mudpuppy’s place!

*skitter-clank-yink-skitter*

Anyway. The e-mail story actually started with

John to Bill: What do you know about AFSister?
Bill to John: Thirtysomething, married with kids, pretty good sense of humor--seems like a nice kid. Why?
John to Bill: *snerk*

Next thing I know, I get an e-mail from AFSister and learned why she’s AFSister. And a couple of e-ms later, I realized she’s not just a mommy, she’s a damfine one and what I’d thought was a good sense of humor was a wild, rollicking laugh-out-loud boundless appetite for fun. I learned about her Red Cross volunteer work, her involvement with the Spirit of America campaign, and her cats. And (eventually) I even learned how you’re s’posed to pronounce “Dbie”...

Errr--speaking of cats, I have to plead guilty to tagging her with the “Middle-American Were-Kitten” moniker. It’s a long story, but since it was her rescue mission, I’ll let her do the honors on her blog. Heh. An AFSis TINS!

And why not (he asked rhetorically)? She was the first of the Castle Commenters to achieve blogspawn status and now my multi-faceted, multi-talented, multi-tasking blogbud shares her thoughts and frustrations and adventures and laughter with the rest of the online world.

And today’s the Cute Chick©’s birthday! And Were-Kitty’s and MAWK’s and Zoomie-Sib’s and

*scamper-skitter-scarper* *d-r-a-g*

>>hzz. pg-17c-thing say scrup’l come quick. qué pasa?

Muffy, have you numbskulls been cadging chow over at Boq’s again? And what’s with the--oh, geez! Who decorated that cake, Madonna? Quick, get it into the Jungle Room before somebody sees it and thinks this is the Midwest branch of Plato’s Retreat!

>>hzz. perfect pless. pretty lady what sometimes be cat-thing-hy’umun feel right at home when pop out of cake.

Huh? *dangerously* Wanna tell me why the guest of honor is inside her own cake?!?

>>hzzz. not be easy. many chok’lit-chip ‘n’ squirrel cookie involve in transaction.

Waitaminnit--you gave

>>hzz. name jake not give lady cookie, lady give name jake cookie. think this shindig surprise visit from vin diesel. lady big fan.

>>hzzz. also climb into cake with big fan. vinnie have eclectic admirers, even if only multiple-feline-personality lady involved.

*sigh* Well, help her out and

>>hzz. not ethical. name muffy see name jake already eat cookie. name muffy suspect lady not want cookie back in its present condition. or later, 'specially.

>>hzzz. suspect name muffy *urp* correct. suspect also lady use stale squirrel in cookie.

Okay, okay--*gritting teeth*--wheel it into the screening room and crank up Pitch Black on the hi-def so’s she won’t be too torqued when she pops out. Waitaminnit--what’s that skritching sound coming from the inside of the cake?

*cautiously lifts top layer of cake to reveal--*

PG-17A.

Clad only in a thin layer of chocolate and a large fan…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*grin* Hey, kiddo, didn’t think I was gonna stick ya in the cake and leave ya there while the party cranked up, didja?

Happy birthday, Dbie!

Ummmm--whoever you are today...

Happy Birthday, Cricket!!

The gravity well surrounding Bill's Natal Day almost sucked in another celebration! Our favorite Castle Chef and lady of many talents, Cricket, is celebrating a birthday!

The Castle Chef's!

Well, okay, it was yesterday... Boq, pass around the wet noodles later. *sigh*

But enough of that. It's time for all Castle Denizens and visitors to share virtual offerings for the Birthday Girl. In case you aren't sure what to get, I have handy a little list for guidance.

When asked to list what she would acquire if money were no object,
Cricket gave the following answer :

--

200 acres minimum. Totally off the grid.

Flying lessons.

Housekeeping staff.

Ten bedrooms and a bath to each one. Indoor pool with retractable
ceiling for those sunny days.

Fully equipped kitchen.

This would be on the beach or up in the Rockies.
Castle Denizens would be welcome, as well as the local knavery from VC.

On the acreage: Food critters and orchards of trees. A greenhouse.
Formally landscaped front garden, kitchen garden out back.

Also a range for practicing shooting of guns, arrows and even rubber bands and super soakers.

A lake for either paddling a canoe, fishing or water skiing.

--

For my own gift, I offer this lovely Colorado bed and breakfast. If
it's not quite large enough, we can add rooms!

Let the Comment Party begin!

Happy Birthday, Cricket!!

The gravity well surrounding Bill's Natal Day almost sucked in another celebration! Our favorite Castle Chef and lady of many talents, Cricket, is celebrating a birthday!

The Castle Chef's!

Well, okay, it was yesterday... Boq, pass around the wet noodles later. *sigh*

But enough of that. It's time for all Castle Denizens and visitors to share virtual offerings for the Birthday Girl. In case you aren't sure what to get, I have handy a little list for guidance.

When asked to list what she would acquire if money were no object,
Cricket gave the following answer :

--

200 acres minimum. Totally off the grid.

Flying lessons.

Housekeeping staff.

Ten bedrooms and a bath to each one. Indoor pool with retractable
ceiling for those sunny days.

Fully equipped kitchen.

This would be on the beach or up in the Rockies.
Castle Denizens would be welcome, as well as the local knavery from VC.

On the acreage: Food critters and orchards of trees. A greenhouse.
Formally landscaped front garden, kitchen garden out back.

Also a range for practicing shooting of guns, arrows and even rubber bands and super soakers.

A lake for either paddling a canoe, fishing or water skiing.

--

For my own gift, I offer this lovely Colorado bed and breakfast. If
it's not quite large enough, we can add rooms!

Let the Comment Party begin!

Happy Birthday, Bill!

I started reading The Castle over a year ago, and then, in the fall last year, this guy started making some really cool comments on John's posts. I didn't know who he was, and he had this secret agent code name, CW4BillT. Now, I figured his name was Bill (duh), but wot in the heck was CW4?
So.... I sheepishly asked John. "Um, John... who's this CW4 guy, and what does that mean?"
I'm sure he rolled his eyes, giggled, and replied "Chief Warrant Officer. You can just call him Chief, or Bill."
"OK! Kewl! Thanks, John! He makes some really great comments- I'd love to email him personally. Do you know his address?"
"Just click on his name on any comment he's made- it will give you his real email address."

Great! So I sent this phantom person an email. And he replied! And I found out he was WAY cool. Since that first email, we've shared many messages to each other. He also started posting at The Castle himself. So for his BIRTHDAY (cue music, cake, party beverages, and dancing).... I thought I would share some of my favorite posts by my bestest blogbud, Bill. I'm sure you all have your favorites too- share them in comments or email me, and I'll post them here.

This early post introduced us all to The Scruples.

The Scruples have their own language, and classic lines like "hzzzzz. bassackwards. must roll in dough first before make cookie."

He kept up with old friends in new places.

And he has told fantastic TINS- like how to fly your Cobra sideways, why pilots hate wires, bragging rights, and how to avoid a heat-seeking missile.

The man has some skillz... what can I say? It's no wonder we miss him when he's gone.

And he's more than willing to share his pilot knowledge.

He's also an excellent cook, did you know that?

And... his name has changed, to CW4(ret)BillT.

But no matter if you call him Chief, or Bill, or Muffy, or pencil-neck, sunken chest geek.... I'll always call him friend.

Happy Birthday, Bill. Now... LET THE COMMENT PARTY BEGIN!

UPDATE:
JMH sent me this little gem: I had no idea Bill also flew (on) jets....

Happy Birthday!

On this day in 1790, the United States Revenue Cutter Service was born.

Today - we know them as the Coast Guard, the 5th Armed Service of the United States.

"COAST GUARD MATCH BOX FLEET: THE DOUGHTY FLEET OF COAST GUARD 83-FOOTERS PLY THE ROUGH WATERS OF THE ENGLISH CHANNEL OFF THE COAST OF FRANCE. THIS COAST GUARD RESCUE FLOTILLA PERFORMED VALIANT SERVICE, SAVING ALMOST 1500 MEN FROM THE WATERS ON D-DAY AND SUCCEEDING DAYS."

They were there at Normandy, and other hard fights. The manned a lot of the landing craft. They hunted subs and escorted convoys. They earned Medals of Honor. And did their regular job, too.

Now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance: Semper Paratus!

Happy Birthday!!

Today is the Keeper of Castle Argghhh's! birthday!

Happy Birthday, John!

Since I forgot to close the door, and Beth snuck in and posted, I might as well add this:

It's a mixed bag for birthdays on the 29th of July:

1805 Alexis de Toqueville, who understood America
1817 James Blair Steedman, Maj Gen, U.S., d. 1883
1828 Cuvier Grover, Bvt Maj Gen, U.S., d. 1885
1830 Alvan Cullem Gillem, Mar Gen, U.S., d. 1875
1871 Rasputin, Russian monk who proved very hard to kill in 1916.
1883 Benito Mussolini, WW I veteran
1905 Dag Hammerskjold, Secretar General (1953-1961), Nobelist (1961)

Like I said, mixed bag.

In military history, it's arguably worse, what with officer reliefs, sinkings, bad fires, and a portable tennis court. It looks like it's a good thing I didn't want to be sailor...

1846 Landing party U.S. Sloop-of-War Cyane capture San Diego, Ca
1864 Battle of Macon, GA (Stoneman's Raid)
1874 Maj. Walter Copton Wingfield patents a portable tennis court
1918 Assistant SecNav Franklin D. Roosevelt visits Queenstown, Ireland
1937 China Incident: Japanese troops occupy Peking & Tientsin
1942 Japanese retake Kokoda from the Australians, who fall back on Deniki.
1942 Japanese reinforcements land at Buna, despite some losses to Allied air.
1943 New Guinea: 43rd Div Cdr relieved, as his troops press on slowly.
1944 Marines take Orote airstrip on Guam, despite fierce Japanese resistance.
1945 U.S. warships shell naval and air bases on Honshu.
1945 CA Indianapolis torpedoed & sunk; nearly 900 die over the next four days.
1945 U.S. warships shell naval and air bases on Honshu.
1949 Berlin Airlift ends, as Sovite give up Berlin blockade
1953 Soviets shoot down US bomber at north of Vladivostok
1966 Military coup by Nigerian Chief of Staff Jakubu Gowon
1967 Fire aboard carrier USS Forrestal in Gulf of Tonkin, 134 die