THIS is Why We Have No Clothes in the Closets

Birthing a Birth Fund

I've been on a mission lately. Another mom that used Rising Moon Midwifery and I have been named Co-Directors of the Birth Fund.

After having Sophia and experiencing the beauty that is an all natural birth in the comfort and peace of our own home I set out on a mission to spread the word. First I started a training program to become a doula (professional labor assistant) and a natural childbirth educator. I figured that one way to educate is to...well, educate. The second endevour was a suggestion to one of the midwives that we start a Birth Fund to assist families that wouldn't otherwise be able to afford to have a homebirth. (*Note* Insurance doesn't cover homebirths in PA...despite it only costing a portion of what a hospital birth costs...and almost nothing compared to what a c-section costs.)

So, my co-director, Amy, and I planned out fundraising ideas for the next year. The first was a consignment sale. The picture of her husband, Ed, was taken while we spent the week pricing and organizing donations. I would label the sale a success. As a matter of fact, it was so successful that Amy has decided that we should have another one this weekend at her house in Kennett Square where she lives. (If you drive down there look for all the wet signs plastered to the poles...it rained...).

Next up on the calender is a screening of The Business of Being Born. We're hosting a screening in Philadelphia on 10 November. (Get your tickets one the Birth Fund website). I had a chance to see it in New Jersey at a conference and I am really excited to be able to offer it to a wider audience in Philadelphia.

So, that's what's going on in my world. Soph is growing like a weed and I'm studying, planning, organizing, and delegating (sure, delegating...). Here is a video about BOLD another event that we're doing next year. It is 10 minutes in lenght...and well worth every minute.

Family and Friends Update_Oct 5

Dear Family & Friends,

Tonight I am up at Camp Faez with the guys from the 5th Kandak team. Everyone seems to be doing well, and we enjoyed a delicious "Jung-oulash" stew together under the patio.

The start of our redeployment from the Eastern Zone back to Darulaman is only weeks away. Preparations continue daily and our relief -- ANA and ETT -- are wrapping up a reconnaissance in our area right now.

There is some bad news about one of our friends and comrades, 1LT Victor Yartz. He has been evacuated to Landstuhl Army Hospital in Germany due to a non-combat related medical issue which will probably not allow him to complete his tour with the team. "Yartzie" (yes, I think everyone on the team has a nickname) is our S6 -- Communications Officer -- which is very specialized and simply invaluable for what we do. More importantly, he has been a valued member of the team due to his hard work, great attitude and sharp wit -- some of the more memorable funny lines from this mission can be attributed to Yartzie.

When we found out that he was being evacuated a couple days ago, many of the guys sent him notes wishing him well, and he has been getting back with us throughout the day today. He sounds well and the prognosis is good because his condition was discovered soon enough. We wish Yartzie and Valerie the best on the road to a speedy recovery!

This coming week we will continue to prepare for the hand-over and start planning for the "recovery" period that comes after the return of the units to Darulaman. Ramadan ends this coming weekend, and Friday through Sunday are the Eid holidays -- the post-fasting period celebration. This Tuesday is also the "Night of Power" when Muslims look to the night sky to gain strength for the coming year's struggles.

Best Regards,

GEORGE M. SCHWARTZ
LTC, AR
Team Leader/Senior Mentor
1st Brigade, 201st Corps (ANA ETT)

Family and Friends Update_30 Sept

Dear Family & Friends,

The season is definitely changing. Back in Darulaman, the nights get cool -- into the upper 40'sF -- and in the east, the mountain peaks received a dusting of snow one night this week.

Our brigade's counter-insurgency operations continue even as we begin the preparations to move the unit back to Darulaman starting in mid-October after the end of Ramadan. Once back, the brigade will go into a "recovery" period that will include leave for the ANA soldiers. We will also be finishing up our own leaves at the end of November because leave is not permitted during the last 60 days in country. Back in the state currently are LTC Whitney, SSG Kramer and SPC "Tato."

As you know, we passed our eighth month milestone this past week. Although we have not corresponded with them yet, we have already been notified about our replacememts, who recently arrived at Fort Riley for training. We expect them to arrive shortly before Christmas and to be operational in mid-January.

We will be leaving a much different brigade than the one we took over. Most of the brigade will be mentored by French advisors by that time, and our replacements will be augmenting them. The next group of French arrive at the end of October, and we are preparing for their arrival now.

As you no doubt saw on the news, there was a terrible suicide bombing in Kabul yesterday that killed around 30, mostly ANA. Fortunately, no one from our unit was involved in the blast, but our counterparts are obviously saddened by the number of casualties, and many of the officers knew people who were on the bus.

I am very happy to announce that donations totalling $1,533.33 to The Jakub Argonish Trust and $3,066.66 to The Ball Children Trust were made this past week. These are the combided totals of donations collected from service members here who worked with MSG Ball and SGT Argonish, as well as an additional $1,000 collected by the FRG.

This coming week, the main event for me will be rooting on the fighting Phils to get into the playoffs instead of the Mets!

Best Regards,

GEORGE M. SCHWARTZ
LTC, AR
Team Leader/Senior Mentor
1st Brigade, 201st Corps (ANA ETT)

Curb Alert

Today was our "Tagging Party" for next week's consignment sale. This translates into Amy and I sitting in my dining room amongst 1,000 lbs of other people's clothes.

Sorting. Folding. Pricing. Pinning. Sorting.

Her husband drove up for dinner (and to be disappointed that his team sucked ass tonight). When he arrived:


E: You're never going to believe what I picked up on my way here!!!
A: What?
E: I was driving on 322 and saw a huge pile of stuff on the side of the road. When I got closer I saw a big FREE sign on the stuff.
A: Well what is it?
E: Lemme go get it. It is in the car.





(Guess what was along side the road?......)

















(Come on! Guess!!).....






















































We laughed for nearly 30 minutes.
There is never a dull moment with these two....

The Outdoor Wire

Geo is in an article published in The Outdoor Wire.

Follow the link to find Waldo....and then drop him an email to boost his ego :)

Fungus Among us...or Shitake Happened

I am (way) late in posting information on our fungus fun at the 22nd Annual Mushroom Festival. Better late than never though. Sophia and I were offered prime parking (read: FREE) on Saturday just two blocks from the festivities. The Borrelli posse were our tour guides and we live it up!


Ed was so excited by the possibility of being featured as the Mushroom Man on this blog that he nearly wet himself at the entrance to the Mushroom Exhibit!

Way to go, Mushroom Man!

And this is what the exhibit had in store:
Poop
Beds of smooshed poop with mushroom growing stuff on it...
And of course...mushrooms.
Keith, aka. Lil' Mush, enjoys a piece of fungus straight off the ....uh....bed of mushroom growing stuff. He LOVES it as his mother is gagging behind the camera.

There were also plenty of mushroom crafts to go around. These are mushroom shaped concrete that have been decorated by local artists. They were being auctioned off to raise money for...more mushrooms?
I wanted to bid on one of them. Though having a huge, psychedelic looking mushroom in the front yard would be humorous for George to come home to. Unfortunately the starting bid was $150 and by the time we got there they were well over $300!

Smaller, wooden mushroom crafts.
Even the radio station was there with their own mushroom tent!
And there was a shady mushroom truck down a side ally that was selling all sorts of goodies (of the fungus sort) out of the back on this truck. Seemed a little "Sopranos" to me.

If you have been inspired by the posted fungus and are now jumping out of your shorts to have some mushroom memorabilia you can visit the website and quench your thirst for a while....and we'll see you there next year! (I know where there is some cheap parking!!!)