“This young wrestler has been given the once-in-a-lifetime chance to face off against the Champion. His skills will be put to the ultimate test in t...his spectacular battle. Please join me in welcoming Jack!”The crowd cheers and claps as you head down the ramp, carrying yourself with more confidence than you really feel. You wave to some of the fans, climb up into the ring, and disrobe, exposing your body to the crowd as you wait for the champ.You’re not kept waiting long. There’s a blaze of. He goes by Buster.” Captain Jerry Smith said.“Captain Smith, is this how you parade into a military office of somebody of higher rank?” Lucy asked.Jerry Smith looked closely at Lucy’s collar. He then stood frozen as if he had stepped into something the neighbor’s dog had left. Mona was trying not to smile. He screamed, “ATTENTION!” He brought his right arm up in a salute almost knocking Lile Anderson off balance.Lucy returned the salute, “At ease Captain Smith and Lieutenant Anderson. Why are. For the most part it’s quiet and boring, sprinkled with periods of intense danger and excitement. Given my increasing age (though I suppose my late forties isn’t terribly geriatric), I probably shouldn’t long for such heroics like I do. One day they’ll get the best of me. When I move to stand up, I’m reminded that perhaps they already have. A sharp pain in my left ankle nearly makes me stumble, but I grope for my staff and use it to get to my feet stubbornly. Unlike days past, the staff I. Satellite was tuned and cleaned, with a line of sight to the stars cleared by me the previous summer. Generator serviced, wired, fueled up,and ready to rock. And I had a cupboard full of preserved meats and vegetables, cabinet full of booze, mason jars full of herb, a few other odds and ends, and a handful of half-full Canadian whiskey in my hand. The metal awning I had installed over the porch this summer was serving well, and I was quite comfortable, stoned, buzzed, and listening to Dylan.