One of the nice things about living off-post is that we  aren’t awakened every morning to the sounds of reveille. However, on occasion, we can hear the artillery bursts from the multiple tactical training areas around our house. But not today.

Today marks Day One for the one hundred some-odd boy scouts who are camped in the usually abandoned training area on the other side of the rice patties.

Because it’s usually abandoned, it’s become part of the daily walk with Maggie – gravel roads, neglected 1950s bunkers, over-hanging trees, wild strawberries everywhere - all tightly nestled inbetween the road that leads to our house, a few scattered farmers & the rice patties.

Last week we stumbled on this.

Not knowing it would be boy scouts, I assumed it was time for war games with all the recent ramblings from the North.

But last Friday as we walked along-side of the abandoned camp site we were approached by a big, lumbering cross-eyed man who came out of nowhere to shoo me & Maggie away – telling us not to walk here next week because of all the scouts.

Well, after this morning’s antics – I’m about ready to walk over there & shoo them away! Reveille at 6am! It’s not really so bad, but man do I feel for all those poor, little farmers who live right up against their bright & shiny new boy scout camp!

This was the one morning Eric’s been able to sleep-in. We’re getting a new Colonel on post & today’s the training day for the “big show” tomorrow.

(Anytime a new commander takes over there’s a lot of marching & fanfare. And I’ll be in the bleachers taking pictures.)

But it would appear that Eric is immune to their reveille – he hasn’t budged…or he’s refusing to - either way I wonder how he ever survived basic.