Another good reason to end the war.

Jamie's most-requested bedtime song this week is, "The bear jumped over the mountain." I'm still trying to decide what the bear sees when he's jumped instead of just "went".

Karl and I are reading Patrick F. McManus's book A Fine and Pleasant Misery. Karl is enjoying the short stories immensely, and I can tell he connects with the young boys (McManus and his friends) depicted therein. If you have read any McManus, you'll know many of his childhood outdoor experiences revolved around gear he got at his local Army-Navy Surplus store. Karl certainly gets a gleam in his eye as we read stories of sieve-like life rafts and bullet-riddled canteens obtained at Grogan's Surplus.

I've told Karl how surplus stores were an outgrowth of the end of WWII, and why you don't see them around much any more. A couple nights ago he asked me if the war in Iraq will end soon. He hopes the war ending will result in a new flood of military surplus, which will in turn spawn a new generation of Army-Navy Surplus stores for him to buy the stuff of adventure in.

Yet another good reason to bring the war to an end.