By Any Other Name

Roses are divided into 150 or so species, some of which have been garden plants for many centuries. Stems are often prickly or thorny and can be erect, arching, scrambling, or trailing. Flower form may be flat, cupped, rounded, high-centered, urn-shaped, rosette-shaped, quartered-rosette, or pompon. Flowers are often fragrant and range in color from white to nearly black. Species and cultivars are divided into old garden roses (in existence before 1867) and modern roses. Each division has many subgroups. There are many thousands of cultivars. Grow roses as specimens, in the border, as hedges or climbers, in the rock garden or cutting garden, or in containers. They can fill pretty much any garden need.
Noteworthy characteristics: Some species have been used in gardens for hundreds of years. Beautiful, fragrant flowers that are often good for cutting. Work well in a variety of garden situations.

Care: Even though many consider roses to be high maintenance plants, in reality they can tolerate a wide range of conditions. They usually prefer an open site in full sun, however. They grow best in moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil that is rich in humus. Plant in early spring or late fall. Suckers should be removed from rootstock. Plants flower best with regular feeding.

Propagation: Softwood cuttings can be taken from the time of the first bloom in spring to summer; take hardwood cuttings in fall. Bud in summer. Sow seed in containers in fall.

Problems: Roses are susceptible to a wide variety of pests and diseases including aphids, leafhoppers, spider mites, scale insects, caterpillars, sawfly larvae, Japanese beetles, rose stem girdlers, thrips, rose chafers, rose midges, rose slugs, leaf cutting bees, black spot, rust, powdery mildew, dieback, canker, crown gall, viruses, and downy mildew. Deer and rabbits can munch on plants.

From the Website of Fine Gardening.
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Our favorite garden flower is the rose, even with all of the problems one can encounter. It has taken some special effort to keep from completely tanking while trying to grow roses here in Annapolis. As mentioned before, the Japanese Beetles were the first unexpected surprise we experienced (see the earlier post), but those were easy to remedy with a phermone trap the second year. Black spot disease caused by Diplocarpon rosae took better than two seasons of adjustments, and a lot of fungicide sprayed early in the season in two week intervals and through out the summer - a lot of extra watering beyond what our drip irrigation system applies helps, too. The low maintenance version of the rose that we discovered after two yers was the Knockout Roses.

Regardless of all the problems listed above, we liked the looks of the roses in our Oregon garden - deer withstanding, and the looks of our roses in our Annapolis garden - despite several years of failures. We would like them in any garden - I'm sure. Of course, we also have no problem with roses gracing our table in doors as well.

Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose
Loveliness extreme.
Extra gaiters,
Loveliness extreme.
Sweetest ice-cream.
Pages ages page ages page ages.

Gertrude Stein, 1913, from "Sacred Emily", published in 1922, in Geography and Plays.
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a. The Cecile Brunner rose in our garden was grown from a cutting we made of a specimen in Bob and Lois's yard, our next door neighbors in Corvallis. The plant climbed high into a white oak tree and would bloom every spring, sending the smell of roses through out the neighborhood from the tens of thousands of blooms. We have the memory preserved on an arbor over on of the gates into our back yard (b).

Two climbing roses - red and salmon (c and d) - cover another arbor (f) over the second gate into our back yard. I have no idea of what varieties these are - one of the previous owners had planted them.

e. Rose are a gift that can keep on giving. Our friend Vicki grew a plant from a bouquet of roses picked in our Corvallis garden. When we moved East, she gave us a cutting back from the plant that was now flourishing in her garden.

g. Knockout roses are simple to grow, and seem to be resistant to black spot disease, as well as Japanese Beetles. We have them growing in a bed near our front door (h), as well as in another bed in the back yard.

New Carrollton Station Parking

For the last eight months I have been commuting to Downtown Washington, D.C. (see the earlier blog.) I typically park in the structure at New Carrollton Station, and then catch the Metro for a 30 minute ride to work. The first step to an uneventful commute back to Annapolis - remember where I parked my car. The eight-level parking structure is made up of multiple ascending and descending ramps that are wide enough to park cars on the left and right sides of the driving lane. There are breaks mid-way in the supporting walls that form passages for walking between levels, and that can serve as short-cuts for exits if cars are not parked in them. Not only do you have to remember what level you are parked on, but also which of the three lanes you parked in, and whether on the left or right side, and at the proximal or distal end of the level, relative to the elevator or stairs.

There have been four times in the last four years of using Metro that I walked to where I thought I had parked my car, only to not find it where I thought it was. When that happens, all you can do is try to think back and retrace your actions nine or ten hours earlier. It is easy to spot other commuters in the same situation by way they walk, stop, and then have that stair-ahead-in-space-look - you know they are thinking "where did I leave my car?" I have even seen people looking for their cars, while I walk in circles through the structure looking for mine. (It would be a good Twits sketch if Monty Python's Flying Circus was still active.) One of the technological saving graces of finding a lost car in the labyrinth is the electronic key fob. As long as there are no cars exiting so it is quiet, I can press the unlock-door button and then carefully listen for the distinctive Toyota sound. The unlock-door button is superior to lock-door button because you get two beeps instead of one - a kind of sonar beep that beings to give reassurance that I am close to finding my way back home. A car search typically adds an additional half-hour onto that evening's commute home. When I realize that I didn't remember where I parked my car, the last thing on my mind has been to time how long it takes to find. But my wife can tell because I always text her when I arrive at my Metro stop - she then times dinner being ready with my arrival home. When I don't show up in 40 minutes, its either bad traffic, or a lost car.
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This past week as I was exiting the parking structure, I saw this family of Canada Geese walking across the street. I stopped, unzipped my brief case, and dug out my camera to take a quick shot. I kept looking in my rear view mirror to be sure I wasn't holding up anyone - some drivers get impatient with the littlest things so honk their horns. No other cars were in sight, so I got this portrait of part of the proud family - not the greatest composition, but at least captured the moment.

It is amazing how wildlife adapt to the Washington, D.C. urban environment - just as commuters looking for their cars have to do so in multilevel parking structures, or they would never get home for dinner.

Senior Moment

A quick update to an earlier post: Jamie Moyer becomes the oldest pitcher to throw a complete-game shut-out. See the post about Moyer at the beginning of the season - if only my back wasn't so sore from doing yard work yesterday.
_______________________________________
May 7, 2010

Record-setting Moyer fires two-hit shutout
Phils lefty, 47, oldest hurler to record complete-game blanking

PHILADELPHIA -- Cool.

Jamie Moyer stood in the middle of the Phillies' clubhouse late Friday night at Citizens Bank Park, his left shoulder wrapped in ice, and talked about becoming the oldest pitcher in baseball history to throw a shutout, when at 47 years, 170 days old, he threw a two-hitter in a 7-0 victory over the Braves.

"Cool," he said.

Just cool?

"Just doing my job."

Moyer downplayed the accomplishment, but what a remarkable moment in front of a sellout crowd that seemed to understand the rarity of the performance. Phil Niekro had been the oldest pitcher to throw a shutout when he threw one for the New York Yankees against the Toronto Blue Jays on October 6, 1985, at 46 years, 188 days old.

Satchel Paige had been the oldest non-knuckleball pitcher to accomplish the feat, when he pitched for the St. Louis Browns and threw a 12-inning shutout against the Detroit Tigers at 46 years, 75 days old.

"We knew it was Eighth Wonder of the World type stuff," relief pitcher Chad Durbin said.

"There's no ands, ifs or buts about it," Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said. "We didn't really barrel much hard. The guy is 87 years old and he's still pitching for a reason. He stays off of people's barrels. That's what he did. ... That's about as well-pitched of a game by a guy who throws 80 mph that I've ever seen."

"That amazes me," said manager Charlie Manuel.

"It was impressive, regardless of how old you are," ace Roy Halladay said.

Does Halladay expect to be throwing shutouts at 47?

"No," he said immediately.

What does he expect to be doing then?

"Fishing," he said.

Moyer got plenty of support early. Jayson Werth hit a three-run homer in the third inning. Raul Ibanez and Wilson Valdez each plated two runs with singles in the fifth.

Moyer allowed a leadoff single to Troy Glaus in the second inning and a leadoff single to Glaus in the eighth inning. He retired 17 consecutive batters in between. He walked nobody. He struck out five. He threw just 105 pitches.

He even enjoyed a three-pitch second inning.

"That was a nice inning," Moyer said with a smile. "I enjoyed that."

He located. He changed speeds. He did it all.

"There weren't a lot of good at-bats," Halladay said. "It's pretty impressive. It's fun to watch when he's on like that. He does everything. He throws a little bit of everything and just keeps them off balance."

This was Moyer's third two-hit shutout. He threw one Aug. 16, 1986, in Montreal when he pitched for the Chicago Cubs. He threw his second on June 2, 2006, against Kansas City when he pitched for the Seattle Mariners.

Braves infielder Brandon Hicks, who had the first plate appearance of his big league career when he pinch-hit for Derek Lowe in the sixth inning, was less than a year old when Moyer threw his first gem against the Expos. Moyer struck him out swinging on a changeup.

"It's interesting to see their reaction on just how slow it is," said Ryan Howard, asked about watching young hitters face Moyer for the first time. "His fastball is like 80 mph. And then when he throws you a changeup, you just hope you don't throw something out of socket."

"You ever heard the old saying, 'Taking him to school?'" Manuel said. "Well, he can do that."

The Phillies saved several game-used balls. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum might be calling for one. The rest will go to Moyer and his family.

"What did I do with the ball?" Moyer said. "I think one of my kids has it. I don't know if it's in the [batting] cage and they're hitting with it, or they're going to give it to one of the dogs at home."

Moyer's wife, Karen, and five of their eight children were at the ballpark. His three sons patiently waited for him at his locker while he talked with reporters. Kyle Kendrick entertained 6-year-old McCabe by playing catch.

Moyer said it was nice to know that some of his children are old enough to have vivid images of this historical night.

"Yeah, I hope they do," he joked about his boys. "Two of them are teenagers."

Maybe they were fiddling with their iPods instead?

"There might have been some cute girls around, too," Moyer said. "I enjoy my family being there and we try to be together as much as I can, so that's special."

Moyer is asked constantly about his age, which definitely gets old for him. But nights like Friday night must make him wonder if there really can be an end to his baseball career, right?

"I never really thought about it that way, but now that you say it, this kind of stuff pushes you or pushes me," he said. "And I enjoy this. This is what it's about.

"I feel like there's plenty of time when I retire to reflect on things. I'm sure at home we'll talk about it tonight. It'll be a topic of conversation. As far as sitting back, tomorrow I'll probably sit and not necessarily think about what happened, but kind of rehearse the game in mind, go through the game again and be able to see pitches, and thoughts will come back.

"A lot of times at night that happens for me. I usually go sleepless when I pitch -- win, lose or draw. It's usually a long night for me, but it can be fun, because it's nice to reenact things and see things. Maybe a thought that went through your head comes back. Something may come to mind."

Like how special it was.

Todd Zolecki is a reporter for MLB.com.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100507&content_id=9875546&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Bright Blue Ball

Lots of discussion about the oil well blow out near Louisiana.
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Oil continues to flow into the Gulf of Mexico at an estimated to 5000 barrels (210,000 gallons) per day from three leaks in damaged piping on the sea floor. The Unified Command decided to test a new technique to apply dispersants to oil at the source - 5000’ below the surface. Another test and follow-on analysis of the effects of dispersant and dispersed oil in the water column are necessary before the technique is operational, but if successful it could reduce or prevent an oil plume from forming at the surface. Preparation for drilling of a relief or cut-off well is underway - one drilling rig is on site and one should arrive this weekend, but the process will not be complete for several months. Work also continues on a piping system designed to take oil from a collection dome at the sea floor to tankers on the surface; this technique has never been tried at 5000’. High winds and seas curtailed surface skimming and application of dispersant by air today, but production of dispersant has ramped up to 70,000 barrels per day. (1)
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Picture a bright blue ball, just spinning, spinnin' free,
Dizzy with eternity.
Paint it with a skin of sky,
Brush in some clouds and sea,
Call it home for you and me.
A peaceful place or so it looks from space,


A closer look reveals the human race.
Full of hope, full of grace
Is the human face,
But afraid we may lay our home to waste.


There's a fear down here we can't forget.
Hasn't got a name just yet.
Always awake, always around,
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.

Now watch as the ball revolves
And the nighttime falls.
Again the hunt begins,
Again the bloodwind calls.
By and by, the morning sun will rise,
But the darkness never goes
From some men's eyes.

It strolls the sidewalks and it rolls the streets,
Staking turf, dividing up meat.
Nightmare spook, piece of heat,
It's you and me.
You and me.

Click flash blade in ghetto night,
Rudies looking for a fight.
Rat cat alley, roll them bones.
Need that cash to feed that jones.
And the politicians throwin' stones,
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.


Commissars and pin-stripe bosses
Roll the dice.
Any way they fall,
Guess who gets to pay the price.
Money green or proletarian gray,
Selling guns 'stead of food today.

So the kids they dance
And shake their bones,
And the politicians throwin' stones,
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.

Heartless powers try to tell us
What to think.
If the spirit's sleeping,
Then the flesh is ink
History's page will thus be carved in stone.
And we are here, and we are on our own
On our own.
On our own.
On our own.

If the game is lost,
Then we're all the same.
No one left to place or take the blame.
We can leave this place and empty stone
Or that shinin' ball we used to call our home.

So the kids they dance
And shake their bones,
And the politicians throwin' stones,
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.

Shipping powders back and forth
Singing black goes south and white comes north.
In a whole world full of petty wars
Singing I got mine and you got yours.

And the current fashion sets the pace,
Lose your step, fall out of grace.
And the radical, he rant and rage,
Singing someone's got to turn the page.
And the rich man in his summer home,
Singing just leave well enough alone.
But his pants are down, his cover's blown...

And the politicians throwin' stones,
So the kids they dance
And shake their bones,
And it's all too clear we're on our own.
Singing ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.

Picture a bright blue ball,
Just spinnin', spinnin, free.
Dizzy with the possibilities.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.
Ashes, ashes, all fall down.

Grateful Dead, Throwing Stones,
Barlow & Weir
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(1) From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Website.

Sings So Sweet

I wake up early in the morning often these days - 3:00 AM - and I have found whether an upstairs window is open or not, I can hear the sounds of birds singing.

Right now it is 5:55 AM, and I have been browsing the morning news on the major city newspapers' Websites, and checking our youngest son's daily 100-day countdown blog. In the background from outside, I hear the coo, coo, coo of a mourning dove over the old-man ringing in my ears. There are other bird songs playing as well, but I am not all that good of a birder, because I don't know them: woo, woo, kaa, kaa, kaa.

On the front page of this morning's Washington Post, is an article all about the influences of urban sounds on bird songs - interesting.

The birds here on the East Coast are remarkable - they are remarkable also in the ways they adapt to their environments.

* Birds may be choosing to sing songs that contain higher notes, or are raising pitches to stand out above the noise.

* The regions of the birds' brains associated with song undergo partial renewal each spring, which may cement into the bird's head certain songs tailored for a noisy territory.

* Birds may learn modified songs, or may not be able to hear low notes, or they may simply drop low notes that aren't effective.

* Females may be more likely to choose males who sing in higher frequencies, and are known to select males that show a proficiency for learning.

* If birds sing more loudly in response to noise, they will use more energy, which could lead to either shorter, more efficient songs or diminished vigor.

Maybe it would be interesting to record how westerners from small college towns adapt to the hustle and bustle of the East Coast as well.

Seven Years Ago Today

It was seven years ago today that I got an email at work from my wife, "Mike phoned home, said he joined the Army, call me." I stood shocked looking at the screen - my knees may have buckled. I called right away, "April Fools, he got us good, didn't he."(1) Was I relieved, and went back to my work.

On the drive home, I had a chance to think - Where did that come from?

The next night, I am sitting in my chair and the phone rings - it's Mike, "Dad, I really do want to join the Army. Can we talk?"

Thursday the 3rd, we are sitting at the table eating dinner and I am asking, "Why not the Navy, or the Air Force?"

"I want to do something significant with my life. I want to be up front."

"They will tell you what to do."

"It's for a purpose, Dad."

It may as well been an Army recruiting commercial on Super Bowl Sunday.
_____________________________

Mike reported for duty on September 11, 2003. On November 14 I flew to Atlanta and drove to Fort Benning for the Family Weekend Visit, the first time the recruits were able to have a night away from Basic Training. Following is a copy of the notes I kept for the weekend.

Visiting Michael at Ft. Benning
November 15 and 16, 2003

I was able to pick Michael out of the crowd when the couple sitting next to me said the 2nd Platoon was marching.

When I first walked up to him he had a really big smile. I shook his hand and then asked if I could hug him. We had a big hug. I kissed him, too, and was a little bit emotional.

Mike explained everything about his M-16. I didn’t have the record button pushed correctly on the video camera, so didn’t get it taped!

Mike’s friend “Smiley” Slaney from Seattle came up and introduced himself along with a fellow named Perez from Puerto Rico.

Captain Paul, First Sergeant ______, and Drill Sergeant ______ gave a briefing in the classroom while we waited for the soldiers to change from their fatigues into their Class A dress uniforms. Also saw a brief video about the Infantry.

After final instructions, Mike was released for leave and we went out to Grand Cherokee. Mike said sometime he would like to have one for himself. (2)

We went back to the Holiday Inn in Columbus to stow his bag.

We went to Ranger Joe’s to get Mike PV2 chevrons put on his sleeves – he didn’t have time to do that since getting his dress uniform. This was important for him to get done. Mike was proud of his uniform and talked about the different kinds of cords he would have: Infantry, Old Guard when he completed the different training phases. He is looking forward to getting his Blue Infantry cord when he graduates, doesn’t feel his uniform will be complete until then. We looked at the different uniform patches that identified which division or group you were with. We found the Old Guard patch with the Washington Monument on it.

We went to Outback Steakhouse for “lunch” at 3:00 PM. We had cheese fries for a snack, and then Mike had pasta with chicken and shrimp. He drank three big glasses of sweetened tea. No room for desert. The First Sergeant had told the families to make sure their soldier didn’t eat their steak in three minutes! Mike had no difficulty eating slowly and talking about all aspects of what he has been experiencing.

I thought it was significant that Mike said if he hadn’t been offered Old Guard he would have regretted not taking Airborne medic training since he would have then only be airborne infantry. He has learned a lot about what kind of environment and kind of people he wants be with. He talked a lot about how he really likes the discipline of the Army and is looking forward to the professionalism of the Old Guard, its rigors.

We didn’t eat supper since we had a big late lunch, but Mike remarked how he was used to eating three big meals a day. He described how much he eats for breakfast. Also mentioned how it seems that when they don’t get much sleep, they seem to get to eat more.

Mike said he doesn’t have a lot of patience for the guys that get upset with the Drill Sergeants being they way they are and why they make them do things they way they want them done. Mike just accepts the Army system for the way it is.

We went to see the movie Runaway Jury. Mike picked it out with the other best choice being the murder mystery with Denzel Washington.

After the movie we went back to the Holiday Inn. Mike made calls talking to Grandpa Imbach and Erinn.

There were a lot of soldiers and college students around. There was a home college football game in town. The people in the room next door we up and making a lot of noise until after 3:00 AM. Mike slept through the whole thing!

We got up Sunday morning around 8:30. Mike had said the Sunday before that he didn’t want to “sleep in” a long time. He took a regular fast shower. Mentioned that he can get away shaving every-other day, but has to use shaving cream then that slows things down a lot. A lot of what he does is to try to save time here and there. There just isn’t a lot of time for him, so time is all-important.

We went to Denny’s after looking all around for a restaurant for breakfast - it turned out that there are a lot of choices on the north end of town farthest away from Fort Benning. Mike had a big scramble dish, with a side of pancakes, and three large glasses of orange juice. The waitress Carol let us plug in the video camera to get it charged while we were in the restaurant. A couple of customers waiting commented/asked if Mike was on his mid training leave. One was a nice fellow who was finishing up Officer’s Candidate School training -a really nice fellow, looks like he would be real quality officer material, was there with his girlfriend/fiancée, noticed that they prayed before their meal.

After breakfast we went back to Ranger Joe’s for a little more looking around and shopping. We then drove onto the base to go to the PX. Mike showed his ID each time we passed a security check. Mike did a lot of filming of the base and describing the sights. It should be good. We then went to Sand Hill and filmed his entire world there. Also went to the Infantry Museum. Along the way to that we drove by the Officer and NCO housing of the type that was shown in the movie “We were soldiers”.(3) Reading some of the memorial monuments outside the museum was a little emotional for me.

Mike talked about how he has learned he needs not to get all excited about what he is going to do in the future because in the past he gets so over board that he then runs cold. Now he is going one day at a time, one step at a time. He wants to be the best he can be and will take it as each opportunity comes along.

Mike told me how he had signed up for the Montgomery GI Bill for college. $100 per month for the first year and then he is vested in it. He said he didn’t do this when he was processed in Portland, but when processed at Ft. Benning again, he thought it was a good deal. He said that it is able to be used by his family (wife, kids later on, too). I told him that Bill Constadt was really concerned that he signs up for it. He also signed up for the life insurance offered by the Army ($16 per month), though he doesn’t like the idea of setting a price for his life.

Mike told me the story about the details of his pneumonia episode.

He has been a squad leader for about as long as any one has been to this point. The Drill Sergeants are now putting in specific guys that show leadership ability, and not by random choice.

He had a guy really angry with him Friday evening and it got close to a fight, but Mike said he kept his cool. His squad is still problematic, can’t stay focused for more than a few hours at a time. He and the rest of the squad leaders and the platoon leader got smoked the other day, and the guys in the platoon were in line for a few hours, but then lost focus, again.

Mike really likes the Army. He doesn’t know, but may make a career of it. The idea of getting in 20 years and retiring by age 39 appeals to him.

He can go into detail about all of the weapons systems they use.

Said he would want to be in a position of leadership when it counts because he sees the importance of who ever is in charge knowing what they are doing or you would get killed. They did an exercise in the field and were flanked by two guys and Mike was “killed” and he knew they were going to get it because the squad leader wasn’t using good tactics.

We went to dinner on Sunday at O’Charley’s on the north end of Columbus, in the same area as the Cinemaplex. Mike had a big hamburger, fries, and pink lemonade. We called Grandma and Grandpa Steiner before we went in, but the cell phone lost its charge. We charged it while we were in the restaurant. Called Grandma back after dinner. Mike also called Dan and Anna, and then Brian. All together, he called Erinn a couple of times, along with all the calls to Mom. He called Brian Shreeve from the car before 7:00 PM when we were back near his barracks.

Mike told about getting smoked for not following a procedure properly because his Drill Sergeant give contradictory orders to the weapon’s procedures. He still liked getting all sweaty doing the push ups and was satisfied with how well he takes it from the drill sergeants when getting dressed down. In general, Mike is satisfied with how he keeps his cool.

Mike also enjoys observing all the different kinds of people and how they do what they do.

Also, he is impressed with all the different kinds of hair styles that Afro-American women have. He never saw anything like that in Corvallis! The general cultural differences in the South are of interest to him.

We talked a little bit about some perspectives for why the Drill Sergeants do what they do: He mentioned how the DS’s asking and then making a lot of fun of the guys who were having family visiting for the leave. I said that they probably did this because they didn’t want the guys who didn’t have family coming to not feel too bad. Told him how Sr. Drill Sergeant had told us at the family briefing that the reason they don’t want cookies sent is because in this kind of climate in the south, there would be ants and cockroaches all over the place if all the soldiers had food in their lockers. I told him about the Marine book mentioning how recruits who received letters were punished with push ups to equalize it for the guys that didn’t get mail. Mike later mentioned to Dan about my perspectives being helpful for him understanding the DS's more.
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(1) Jan was in California April 1, 2010. I text'd her today, repeating the same message she emailed me seven years before - it caught her off guard now, as her message did me the same.

(2) This came true - he bought one after reporting to Fort McNair after Airborne School at Fort Benning. He still drives a Grand Cherokee, though a newer model.

(3) Every spring and autumn we have a neighborhood clean-up at the entrance to our subdivision. One of the regulars there is George who is a retired Army Colonel. Over a couple of seasons' clean ups, I found out that he was at la Drang Valley on November 14, 1965. He later was a consultant for the movie We Were Soldiers, and last year attended President Obama's Inauguration as a guest of one of our state's U.S. Senators. His mother was also in the 1965 Civil Rights March in Washington, D.C., while he was a soldier stationed at Fort Myer.

Didn't your graduate student become queen.....

.....no, but her husband was Prime Minister.

Nigeria, Venezuela, USA, Egypt, Somalia, Korea, United Arab Emirates, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Argentina - over the years I have had 16 graduate students - roughly half of them internationals; half each men and women.

Our kids were vaguely aware of them. My first graduate student was from Nigeria, and when we took her to church one Sunday, our only child at the time just stared at her in the back seat of our Volkswagen Rabbit - Dupe said, "you have never seen a black face before, have you?"

Jump ahead eight years, and our youngest of four was just a few months old when there was a reception for the graduate students in the College that had finished their degrees. Mariam was my next-to-last finishing graduate student in California. I knew she came from a professional family in Somalia that had high expectations for how she did with her studies. At the reception she walked up and introduced me to her finance, Ali. She had spoken of him before, so I knew that he was a professor at Syracuse University, and that he had been involved in giving testimony of some kind to different international organizations in Europe. They soon were married, she moved to Syracuse and completed another graduate degree in statistics, and began having children; my wife and I moved to Oregon the next Autumn with our four kids in tow; she and her family eventually to Minnesota; we occasionally exchanged emails, but with time lost touch.

Jump ahead another 12 years. I was in Minneapolis at a conference, when just after giving a presentation up walks Mariam and an escort - she had noticed in the news that the professional societies I belong to were having their annual meetings in the city, so found the program on-line and saw I was making a presentation, and so looked me up to say hello. We asked about how each other was doing, children and parents as well - most of her family had fled Somalia to Kenya and then emigrated to either Canada or the United States. When I asked, "How is Ali?" She said in a matter-of-fact way, "Oh, he is fine, he is Prime Minister." It was time for her to go, so just as she walked up down the aisle, so she disappeared the way she came.

Jump ahead another 10 years. Our youngest is now 22 and finishing his Political Science - International Relations degree in 58 days - he is counting down the days (see his memories count-down blog). Three weeks ago we were talking about something to do with world affairs, and he asked, "Didn't your graduate student become a queen?" I replied, "No, but her husband became the Prime Minister of Somalia." I don't know how often dads and sons questions and answers line up like that in a lifetime, but it seems to me that it wouldn't be all that often - at least my way of looking at things.

Our discussion caused me to see if I could find anything about Mariam and Ali. I found they no longer living in Minnesota, or at least he as a professor at the University of Minnesota - perhaps back to Persian Gulf to run the business he owned. Somalia is still in the news, still a dangerous place to be. I wonder if Mariam will ever be able to return, or perhaps her children will some day - in more peaceful times.
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Updated: May 21, 2012, from Africa Review, Apr 25th, 2012, click here.