Random Notes

Prayers needed

Many of you know Buddy Bare of the 8th Virginia Ifantry, Co. I&F. Buddy has long been a fixture in Longstreet's corps being on of the long standing members of one of the Corps' charter units.

I have been told by Captain Barry Woods that Buddy has taken ill with heart troubles and is currently in the hospital. Things have been touch and go but I am happy to report that recent days have seen him take a good turn and doctors are positive.

Please keep Buddy in your thoughts and prayers in the coming week.

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2006 Infantry Guide Coming Soon

I had the privlidge of previewing the new Infantry Guide being compiled by Col. Grosson. I must say it is quite a nice compilation of information and will be of great service to the officers and troops.

I will not let the surprises out but watch you e-mail for this volumn.

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The Excitement never ends at Casa de Zusman. As a review, you all know I recently decided I was not given enough agony in my life so I bought an old house in the Shenandoah Valley. The recent hike in LP gas has me keeping the thermostat at an unreasonale 52 degrees or so. I just look at it as training for the March Endview event. You will recognize me there, I will be the guy running around in shorts complaining that 60 degrees is too hot.

I left the house to fend for itself last weekend and came home to my latest home project. Apparently the house felt it needed a waterfall rnning from the kitchen to the basement...yes friends, a frozen pipe broke under the sink. Thankfully it seemed to have just broken before I arrived and clean up was minimal and there was only a small puddle starting in the basement.

A quick fix the next day replacing about a foot of pipe and I was on my way. Thank God I paid attention in home improvement class (lol).

Needless to say, lesson learned, I know keep the thermostat at 55 degrees.

Unitl next time...adios.

Listen up Gentlemen, this is important!

I am going to let you in on the three most important days on the reenacting calendar, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and your wedding anniversary. Face it, you forget one of these and your days out in the field with your pards will be limited.

Now as you all know, Tony loves the ladies and Lord knows the ladies love him, so I speak to you from experience.

By the time you read this you are on zero hour for Valentine's Day. I was at Wal-Mart today and the isle with the Valentines stuff was a mix of the left over lame stuff and a lot of trampled items. Buy your wife or girlfriend some of the left over lingerie the day before VD and we won't see you in the field before Gettysburg.

The guy in the line ahead of me had a bag of a dozen apples. He explained they were red and kinda heart shaped and his wife would give him points for originality. His originality will come in handy as he tries to figure out how to sleep comfortably on the couch next week.

Now don't give up hope. You still have time. The guy in line was half right. When you wait too long you have to use originality, but be a little smarter. Take a cruise on the web and look for some historic yet romantic items. You will be a hero and maybe learn something on the way.

Try a Victorian Love Poem or perhaps try your hand at something constructive by copying a Victorian Valentine.


The Corps' resident Cupid, Stinky, would likely recommend you get your buns in the kitchen and create a romantic period style dinner. While it is ok to borrow the candles from your kit, we would, however, suggest you not make anything using the year old piece of hard tack or the salt pork in the bottom of your haversack.

Now if there are some ladies reading this, please note the above does not work on men. While the path to a man's heart is through the stomach, the usual "romantic" gifts do not usually work on the average clueless guy.

One suggestion I can give the ladies comes from a lady friend I knew some years back. She took the occasion of Valentines Day as a good time to buy a new corset for reenactments. She had spent $100 on the custom made corset and charged it to boot, something her husband did not approve of wholeheartedly. However, after modeling her new purchase on Valentine's Day she was free and clear. Ahhh, the versatility of the gift that keeps on giving.

So where will you be when the spring campaigns begin? Will you be on the field with your pards or at home paying penance for not heeding my warning.

Happy Birthday to the Confederacy....The official kick off of the 145th Anniversary Events!

145 years ago today the Confederacy officially set up for business in Montgomery, Alabama. The provisional government appointed Jefferson Davis as President and he took office on February 18.

I give a tip of the hat to those folks today, without them I would have had to take up golf or woodworking as my full time hobby. Face it, there is not as much politics in golf
and woodworking, though I could easily have spent as much money on each as I have in reenacting. I have never heard of a woodworker making charges against another and demanding he be hung. Yes, I have heard that in reenacting.

So thank you gentlemen for your forethought and giving us this obsession we follow year after year.