Saturday, February 23, 2013

Redoubtably Normal


Last week, I met a couple of my wonderful friends at a local diner to visit, celebrate a birthday and just enjoy each other's company.  The three of us have been friends for many years, sharing joys and sorrows, life and death.  Our relationship's ebb and flow, have highs and lows, but somehow manage to remain constant and comforting.

As we shared our lives with each other, we laughed and grew solemn and we encouraged each other in a way that only true bosom friends can.  Others joined us, if only for a moment, to partake of our frivolity and then bustled off, resuming their busy schedules.

As one of my friends noted later, we cut quite a figure, disembarking from the tiny diner.  All of us, in long skirts, hair upswept, wore sturdy, serviceable boots on our feet.  Each lady, unswervingly feminine, carried a weapon, concealed on her person and all of us daintily climbed into mud encrusted 4 wheel drive vehicles.  In the back of each vehicle were multiple gas cans and propane cylinders, a testament to our rugged lifestyles.

And this, my friends, is a perfect picture of the American Redoubt.  The rugged and refined, the prepared and pampered.  We are the Redoubt.  And this is our normal.  We are "Redoubtably Normal".

9 comments:

  1. It is a good life. You are blessed.

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  2. I love it! Thanks Enola!

    Scott

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  3. hey! i finally found a group of ladies to hang out with!! wish ya'll lived closer!!

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  4. Great Redoubt Women!!!
    The best type of life to have, God Bless.

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  5. No doubt, the redoubt women rock their boots and guns.
    It sounds like a lovely group; I am happy for you.

    In regard to boots, my son who just became a teenager, had one of his snow boots literally fall apart one day when he was pulling it on. I was able to purchase Bogs for him locally and I'm glad I went that route, because we ended up buying size 13; I would have ordered 12's. They only had two pair in that size with one style he could not get his foot into! I am unsure what to do about getting some in a larger size for the future. Maybe his foot won't grow...LOL. He loves his new Bogs! Thanks for the recommendation.

    I also picked up a pair for myself, as I was wearing his snow boots from about 4 years ago, which were a size too large, which resulted in me walking out of them when I got in deep wet snow. A couple days ago, my eldest son told me he'd spent the day playing in the snow with his five year old daughter and that it reminded him that gear was probably on sale so the time was right for picking up next years boots. He said he wanted to get really good boots so the younger daughter and any subsequent children could wear them, also. I was so excited, as I was on my way to town as we spoke, and I drove right to the sporting goods store that had Bogs on sale. I purchased a real cute girly pair and told him to expect them in the mail soon. However, I was not able to get them in the anticipated size needed next year so upped the size. After I got home, I realized the PERFECT pair was the size my son and his wife suggested that I could buy in the Mossy Oak pattern, as these will be good for any future grandson's, as well. So I will exchange them tomorrow when we are back in town.

    Thanks again for the tip. We've had one snow storm after another and our feet are happy in our new Bogs as we clear the drive.

    sidetracksusie

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  6. Thank you for such an inspiring and enjoyable visual, ladies in skirts, packing. Don't mess with momma. :-)

    MS Dixie Chick

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  7. American Redoubt women are REAL women. I found my wife here and could not be happier. She is definitely feminine, but woe to anyone threatening me or our children. Montana Guy

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  8. My husband and I are making plans to flee California for many reasons that you can easily imagine. We have some legal and moral obligations that will take about 15 months to complete, maybe a little less. That's enough time to discard some possessions and save more money. We're thinking about Tennessee because it's a Red state, I love Southern food, and my arthritis will be better in a warmer climate. We can have a big garden, hang clothes outside to dry, and I can have chickens. There are so many churches to choose from...

    Enola, you're an inspiration! I wear long skirts and carry concealed; but I have very short hair that's quite feminine. I think we'd get along just fine.

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  9. Hm. The non-conforming non-conformist in me freaked out about the "uniform" you were all wearing, but then how is that any different from the fashionistas around most of us?

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