Life on Post

Now that Sgt. Crankypants’ deployment is coming to a close, a lot of people say to me, “You must be excited.”

This is a hard question to answer. Because while yes, him coming home is very exciting, until the unit touches down on American soil and they can well and truly say that their mission overseas is completed there is still a very real possibility that they might be extended. Or sent back.

It happened just last summer, to a unit from Alaska. Troops had actually arrived back in the States, and were informed that their deployment was extended and that they had to return.

Until I know that the unit is home, and home for the next several months, there’s a part of my mind that reminds me of that fact. Physically prepare for the best case, mentally prepare for the worst, and reality will likely fall somewhere in the middle.

Furthermore, we have little clue about the travel plan. Operational security dictates a level of non-communication, of course. But part of it also stems from flexible travel arrangements. Will they get on XYZ flight? Maybe, maybe not. And depending on whether your soldier gets asked to help load bags, that promise to “call when we leave” may or may not be able to be kept.

When my husband came home on his R&R, he called when he left the Middle East, and promised to call when he got to Atlanta, to let me know when I should pick him up at the airport. Except he managed to catch a flight to New Hampshire leaving immediately, and didn’t get that chance to call. He ended up calling from Manchester Airport, and instead of being able to meet him when he stepped off the plane for a joyful reunion, I got to rush to the airport where he’d been sitting for an hour.

My fault? Of course not. Was I glad to see him? Without a doubt. But it wasn’t according to the plan I had in mind, and that taught me a lot about setting reasonable expectations.

So what do you do when you’re sitting at home, wondering when you’ll get your soldier back?

Well, I clean like a fiend. And make margarita pie.

I saw this recipe in an issue of Family Circle that I’d purchased in New Hampshire and brought with me to Tennessee. Yesterday, feeling greatly unsettled at not hearing from my husband in a while, I went out and got the ingredients.

The first thing I noticed about this recipe was that it didn’t specify how much gelatin powder “one packet” should be. My off-post grocery sells a small, Jello-sized box of gelatin packets, four 1/4-oz. packets to a box. Is one packet sufficient? I go with the instructions on the recipe.

I ended up whipping up the tequila mixture first, then making the gelatin mixture; the reasoning being, if I ended up being a klutz (as I so often do) and drop something or make a mess of the tequila mix, I didn’t want to have to worry about whether the gelatin was already setting up. (Why no, I haven’t made jello on my own before. I haven’t made jello since I was.. ten?) The tequila mix comes together, the gelatin mix comes together, and I stir it all up and chill it for 30 minutes like the recipe says.

I elected not to add food coloring to make the pie more green. I figured that there were plenty of chemicals in the pie to begin with; I didn’t need to add in yet more that didn’t add anything to taste or texture.

When I go back to the fridge, it doesn’t look like the tequila and gelatin has started to set in the least, and it is at this point I wonder whether one packet of gelatin powder was enough. But I plod on, adding the whipped topping and pouring the whole into the graham cracker crust. I put it into the refrigerator to chill, and fight the urge to peek several times.

After chilling for three and a half hours, it had set. I was expecting the filling to have more of a cheesecake texture to it, and instead it more closely resembled meringue. Either way, it’s firm enough to serve without making a mess. It tastes of limes and tequila, which is all I really ask of it.

I think that this recipe could easily be converted to a non-alcoholic version by substituting something like limeade for the tequila. I might try this for the unit cookout later this month.

Drink Eat responsibly! Um. Don’t eat pie and drive.