One hundred years ago today (December 16, 1907) a baby boy was born to George and Annie. What was it like on that day, a long century ago? Was it cold and rainy like it is here today, or perhaps the snow fell gently down, covering the earth? Babies were born at home in those days, usually without a doctor present, only the female relatives to help with the birth. What went through Grandma’s mind as she held her new baby for the first time? Was she proud it was another son, one who could help in the fields? How fast did the news travel through the small town, from one relative or friend to another? All of these questions and more have passed through my mind these last few days as the 100th anniversary of Dad’s birth comes closer. Dad always said he wanted to live to be 100 years old and he was only a decade short of this goal when God called him home to be once again with those who held him long ago on that first day of his life.
Even though it has been almost ten years since he died, I still miss him so much. Sometimes when I drive down a road in the summer and pass a tobacco field, I will almost catch a glimpse of him walking along behind Ole Big Un, the sweat running down, drenching his shirt, as the plow turns a perfectly straight furrow down the tobacco row. Sometimes I can still hear his voice, shouting with joy as he played the trump card in Rummy or ran the numbers in Racko. I can see his big work-worn hands gently hold a grandchild as his rode them horsey on his knee. Or see him tenderly hand mom a rose from the garden. He was my example in faithfulness, in hard work, honesty, and endurance. He never gave up when times were tough and he never gave in, even when the infirmities of old age tried to slow him down. He took pride in doing a thing well and in giving his all to whatever he did. He demanded a lot from those around him, but never more than what he was willing to do himself. He taught me a love and respect for nature that nourishes and sustains my spirit even today. I am proud to be the daughter of such a man. Happy Birthday, Daddy!
I invite everyone to spend some time tomorrow saying a prayer for all of Dad’s family, living and dead as a birthday remembrance of him. In addition to this, we plan on celebrating Dad’s 100th birthday in a way that I think he would have approved and most certainly would have enjoyed. After church, we are going to Cracker Barrel, Dad’s favorite restaurant. For dessert we are going to have ice cream, one of Dad’s favorite foods! And as Nathan and Sarah said, “Make sure every hole in the bowl is filled.” Then we get to go watch the grandkids in a Christmas play. Dad always loved Christmas. He made sure we had Christmas dinner early so that we could open the presents sooner and he was like a little kid when he opened his. This year we are having Christmas dinner at our house for the first time in several years. Usually I stress out so much over big gatherings, trying to make sure that everything is perfect. It has taken me fifty some years to realize that things will never be perfect; families are never perfect and something will always happen that tries our patience or frazzles our nerves. But what is important is the being together, the laughter, the stories and the sharing. Food will be plentiful and good, but not fancy and the table won’t be a Martha Stewart masterpiece, but we will enjoy it together. Tradition is so important, especially to the younger generation and I want to give them many more memories to cherish of a family together at Christmas, enjoying one another. I think Dad will approve!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Duck, Deer, and Doves (Or how we met the "Good Old Boys")
We have finally outlasted the dry, hot spell and fall may be just around the corner. I don’t think we will have the brilliant fall colors we usually have; it’s been too dry and a lot of the leaves have already dried up and fallen off the trees. But I will enjoy whatever we get; autumn will always be my favorite time of the year!
I wasn’t enjoying myself the last two weeks, however. I got hit with a double whammy. First I had a stomach virus, with all the running to a certain room in the house that goes with that; then as soon as I recovered and was starting to feel better, I woke up with a sore throat which soon developed into full-blown congestion, hoarseness, sneezing, coughing and just generally feeling miserable. Of course, I did my share of complaining about how unfair it was to get struck with both of these back – to – back. But, on the bright side, maybe I’ve built up my immunity early and will escape these bugs when everyone else gets them later on!
Well, in case you are wondering about the title, I have to relate a somewhat embarrassing but highly amusing story about Jeff and I. Last week, Jeff received an invitation to a VIP Kick-off outdoor dinner for the 13th annual BarBQ on the River (the only reason we could figure for this was that he is on the Tourism Board). After asking me about it, he RSVP’d that we would be attending. A free BarBQ dinner and a chance to walk around and watch them set up for the festival wouldn’t be a bad way to spend a night together. On the night of the dinner, we discussed what we should wear (the invitation didn’t say and of course, being a man, Jeff didn’t think to ask when he called to RSVP)…dressy, casual?? We finally decided on good casual even though there would be big wigs there – after all it was a BarBQ! As we left the house I asked Jeff if he had the tickets and if he knew for sure where the dinner was; both answers were affirmative. We almost didn’t make it to the affair in one piece, since Jeff, not being used to traffic lights on the side of the streets, happened to run a red one as we got downtown, and a truck coming the other way only narrowly missed hitting our van. Boy, this dinner better be worth it! Of course, when we got to the Riverfront, there was no parking for blocks around. They already had the area blocked off to set up the tents and the grills and smokers. It was not a hot night, although it was lightning in the distance, and the walk down to the riverfront was nice. When we got to the place where the invitations had said the dinner was going to be, there wasn’t anything around that looked like food was being served. We started just walking around up and down the street where all the tents were set up and saw one big tent with a line of people standing in front of it; when we got closer we could see that they were in a serving line. We looked at each other and said, “This must be it” and joined the others in line. The tent had a big sign over it that said “The Good Old Boys” and I was glad to see that we were not over dressed; in fact there were some people in camouflage and jean shorts. There were a few people I recognized standing in line, one of whom was our local news anchor, but most of the people I did not know and for once Jeff didn’t either. The wait was long (about 45 minutes) and we made some small talk with people around us. We wondered what was being served; I could smell catfish frying and I remarked to Jeff that they must have been saving the BarBQ for the actual festival. We expected there would be someone at the entrance to the tent that would take our ticket, but no one looked like they were taking up anything! When we finally made it to the food, there was fried catfish and it looked really good. There were also several aluminum pans of other meat that I did not recognize, but upon inspection there were labels under each pan with a funny description of what it contained. A man came out bringing another big pan of some kind of barbeque. I looked at the descriptions under each pan and Jeff and I had to start laughing. One of them looked like it contained meatballs and the sign under it read DEER BALLS. Another one had (Com) Pressed Duck, another one contained quail, one had turtle dove and there was even a pan of smoked salmon. There was such a wide variety of unusual cuisine and wild game, which really surprised us for an event of this kind. We loaded our plates with an assortment of the meats and they also had the usual slaw, potato salad, etc. All of the tables under the tents were taken and after getting our cold drinks (served in the can) we looked for someplace to sit and eat. Since it was starting to sprinkle, we wanted to find a place under cover if we could. We started back down towards the floodwall to find a table and we were talking about how this dinner was nothing like we expected to be. After all it was a shindig put on by the mayor and judge executive. We spotted some tables and headed towards them, going around a brick building next to the floodwall. As we turned the corner and looked over to the side, we saw a low wall built with hay bales and behind it were people sitting at cloth covered tables, some of which were set up with wine and finger foods. There were signs in front, which said VIP DINNER ONLY. I don’t know which one of us started laughing first!!! Immediately we knew what had happened. We had just crashed someone else’s dinner and we hadn’t the foggiest idea of whose it was!!! No wonder no one had asked for our tickets; in fact they were probably nudging each other saying, “Is that someone you invited?!!” In our haste to find the dinner we were invited to, we had overlooked the area because it was hidden on one side by the brick building and one side by the floodwall. As we went to sit at some picnic tables nearby, we thought about going on into the reception, even though we were an hour late. However we decided that it was meant to be that we had crashed the other dinner and I wouldn’t have traded my plate of DEER BALLS for one of their hor dourves!!! We sat down and enjoyed our meal and watched the comings and goings from the VIP dinner, the men in suits and women in nice dresses. We were laughing so hard that I was almost crying. I guess it really is true what they say, “You can take the kids out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the kids!” and we decided that the people whose party we crashed really were “Good Old Boys!”
I wasn’t enjoying myself the last two weeks, however. I got hit with a double whammy. First I had a stomach virus, with all the running to a certain room in the house that goes with that; then as soon as I recovered and was starting to feel better, I woke up with a sore throat which soon developed into full-blown congestion, hoarseness, sneezing, coughing and just generally feeling miserable. Of course, I did my share of complaining about how unfair it was to get struck with both of these back – to – back. But, on the bright side, maybe I’ve built up my immunity early and will escape these bugs when everyone else gets them later on!
Well, in case you are wondering about the title, I have to relate a somewhat embarrassing but highly amusing story about Jeff and I. Last week, Jeff received an invitation to a VIP Kick-off outdoor dinner for the 13th annual BarBQ on the River (the only reason we could figure for this was that he is on the Tourism Board). After asking me about it, he RSVP’d that we would be attending. A free BarBQ dinner and a chance to walk around and watch them set up for the festival wouldn’t be a bad way to spend a night together. On the night of the dinner, we discussed what we should wear (the invitation didn’t say and of course, being a man, Jeff didn’t think to ask when he called to RSVP)…dressy, casual?? We finally decided on good casual even though there would be big wigs there – after all it was a BarBQ! As we left the house I asked Jeff if he had the tickets and if he knew for sure where the dinner was; both answers were affirmative. We almost didn’t make it to the affair in one piece, since Jeff, not being used to traffic lights on the side of the streets, happened to run a red one as we got downtown, and a truck coming the other way only narrowly missed hitting our van. Boy, this dinner better be worth it! Of course, when we got to the Riverfront, there was no parking for blocks around. They already had the area blocked off to set up the tents and the grills and smokers. It was not a hot night, although it was lightning in the distance, and the walk down to the riverfront was nice. When we got to the place where the invitations had said the dinner was going to be, there wasn’t anything around that looked like food was being served. We started just walking around up and down the street where all the tents were set up and saw one big tent with a line of people standing in front of it; when we got closer we could see that they were in a serving line. We looked at each other and said, “This must be it” and joined the others in line. The tent had a big sign over it that said “The Good Old Boys” and I was glad to see that we were not over dressed; in fact there were some people in camouflage and jean shorts. There were a few people I recognized standing in line, one of whom was our local news anchor, but most of the people I did not know and for once Jeff didn’t either. The wait was long (about 45 minutes) and we made some small talk with people around us. We wondered what was being served; I could smell catfish frying and I remarked to Jeff that they must have been saving the BarBQ for the actual festival. We expected there would be someone at the entrance to the tent that would take our ticket, but no one looked like they were taking up anything! When we finally made it to the food, there was fried catfish and it looked really good. There were also several aluminum pans of other meat that I did not recognize, but upon inspection there were labels under each pan with a funny description of what it contained. A man came out bringing another big pan of some kind of barbeque. I looked at the descriptions under each pan and Jeff and I had to start laughing. One of them looked like it contained meatballs and the sign under it read DEER BALLS. Another one had (Com) Pressed Duck, another one contained quail, one had turtle dove and there was even a pan of smoked salmon. There was such a wide variety of unusual cuisine and wild game, which really surprised us for an event of this kind. We loaded our plates with an assortment of the meats and they also had the usual slaw, potato salad, etc. All of the tables under the tents were taken and after getting our cold drinks (served in the can) we looked for someplace to sit and eat. Since it was starting to sprinkle, we wanted to find a place under cover if we could. We started back down towards the floodwall to find a table and we were talking about how this dinner was nothing like we expected to be. After all it was a shindig put on by the mayor and judge executive. We spotted some tables and headed towards them, going around a brick building next to the floodwall. As we turned the corner and looked over to the side, we saw a low wall built with hay bales and behind it were people sitting at cloth covered tables, some of which were set up with wine and finger foods. There were signs in front, which said VIP DINNER ONLY. I don’t know which one of us started laughing first!!! Immediately we knew what had happened. We had just crashed someone else’s dinner and we hadn’t the foggiest idea of whose it was!!! No wonder no one had asked for our tickets; in fact they were probably nudging each other saying, “Is that someone you invited?!!” In our haste to find the dinner we were invited to, we had overlooked the area because it was hidden on one side by the brick building and one side by the floodwall. As we went to sit at some picnic tables nearby, we thought about going on into the reception, even though we were an hour late. However we decided that it was meant to be that we had crashed the other dinner and I wouldn’t have traded my plate of DEER BALLS for one of their hor dourves!!! We sat down and enjoyed our meal and watched the comings and goings from the VIP dinner, the men in suits and women in nice dresses. We were laughing so hard that I was almost crying. I guess it really is true what they say, “You can take the kids out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the kids!” and we decided that the people whose party we crashed really were “Good Old Boys!”
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Goodbye to a friend
This week Jeff and I said goodbye to an old friend. Our outside cat, CeCe, is gone. We are pretty sure she won’t be coming back. CeCe was one of five offspring from a cat that Sarah brought home when she was a junior in high school. The cat had wandered onto the football field where the high school band (Sarah played the flute) was practicing. Some of the boys in the band starting teasing the cat and this infuriated Sarah. Of course, she had to rescue it and bring it home and of course, it turned out to be a female cat already pregnant. Soon we had one momma cat and 4 kittens. CeCe was the only one that eventually survived to adulthood. They were officially “Sarah’s cats” and all five of them even made it into one pose of Sarah’s senior pictures.
It’s remarkable how some things become a part of the background of one’s life, day in and day out; almost unnoticeable because of their constant presence. CeCe was there through all the ups and downs of our constantly changing family life; a faithful, if not somewhat ambivalent, companion. For the first half of her life, CeCe was a definite loner. Disdaining any overly affectionate displays, she kept to herself and was often gone for days at a time, but never failed to return to her place of birth. She did not like to be petted much and only accepted our offerings of food if she had not been successful hunting down field mice or young rabbits. In the ensuing years, we acquired an inside cat, Simon. I guess we would have let CeCe come in also, if she had wanted it, but she was way too independent to accept such a life. They often sat and stared at each other, one on each side of the screen door on the porch. It reminded me of the story of the Prince and the Pauper. I wondered if they each longed to live the life of the other; Simon, longing for a taste of the freedom of the open fields and the excitement of the hunt, and CeCe, contemplating the comfort provided by indoor heating and cooling and cozy couches. On one occasion when the door was left ajar, just such an exchange took place. I had noticed the cat lying under the table, but just thought it was Simon, until I noticed Simon going around the corner of the house. They had indeed changed places, each slipping for a time into the place of their fantasies.
The years flew by, each with it’s own joys and sorrows. CeCe was there through it all, sometimes curled up in some strange place, sometimes proudly depositing her latest kill by the front door. The children left home and Sarah decided to become a “dog” person, acquiring Max, who came with her for frequent visits home. CeCe made her displeasure at this turn of events known by disappearing every time Max came, only returning when he was gone. The grandkids came along and a new generation tried to befriend her, usually without much success. In time, Jeff and I moved next door to help take care of mom and Nathan and his family lived in our house for a short while. We took Simon with us and he adapted well to living with mom (which is another story in itself). I thought for sure CeCe would follow us to mom’s house or maybe just leave for good when our house eventually remained empty for a few years. It became part of Jeff’s daily routine to cross the road and give her food and water. She was usually there to greet him, glad, I suppose for some reminder that we had not totally forgotten her. We fixed her a box with blankets on the porch to provide a shelter during the winter. We could not, however, do much about the family of raccoons who often vied with her for a free meal. Jeff finally had to resort to standing nearby while CeCe ate, guarding against the masked marauders.
It was during this time, perhaps because CeCe was getting older and depending more on our offerings and less on her declining strength for hunting, that she started to make friendly advances towards the humans that had been part of her life for so long. Or maybe she was just getting lonely from the lack of activity around our house. Whatever the reason, Jeff noticed she would come up, rub against his leg after she ate, something she had not been prone to do. She would even let him bend down and pet her, rewarding him with her purr. I guess either absence made the heart grow fonder or advancing age brought with it a softening of heart.
After mom died and we moved back into our house, I definitely noticed CeCe’s friendlier attitude. When Sarah brought Max with her to visit, CeCe even let him sniff at her and would rub against him. This was quite a change from the days when Max’s presence meant CeCe’s absence. Every time we went outdoors, CeCe was there by our side, rubbing and purring and wanting to be petted. Sometimes, when I would sit in the porch swing, she would jump into my lap. Every morning, as I made my way groggily to the coffee pot, I would notice her little head bobbing back and forth in the French door window. She knew we were up and was demanding her breakfast and morning attention. One of us would still have to stand guard every night while she ate. The raccoons were still around and they were very bold, coming within a few inches of us before deciding to turn tail and run.
CeCe spent most of her time on the porch now, running to greet us each time we left or came home. Every time that Sarah came to visit, she would point out how thin CeCe was looking. She convinced us that CeCe was probably having a hard time eating the dry cat food we fed her and that we should start feeding her soft food. So began the quest for a soft food that was not messy and smelly. I remembered long ago when we had Midnight and Tushie (our previous indoor cats) that we fed them Tender Vittles, which came in a pouch and was soft but not smelly. However, trips to Wal-mart and even Pet Smart failed to turn up any of this food. Sarah could not even find it in Owensboro. So we settled on some little cups of meat and gravy made by Meow Mix. It had a tinfoil top that could be pulled off and the contents of the cup could be dumped all at one time with little mess. This simple switch in food provided us with some of the most funny and satisfying moments in our relationship with any pet we’ve had. The way CeCe gulped down each cup of Meow Mix was so funny to watch. She became obsessed with it and each time we walked out the door, her loud, insistent meowing often got her an extra cup, just so we could see her enjoy it so much.
Even though we mentioned it often, I guess it was just hard to believe how old CeCe was. Sarah and Jeff figured out that CeCe was fifteen years old, which would make her 105 (if a cat year counts the same as a dog’s - 7 human years). We doubted she would make it through last winter, but she did. She rarely left the porch for very long and as this summer’s heat took its toll, we would leave the porch fan on to provide her with some relief. It was obvious how much she enjoyed both our company and her new feeding routine, but even though she was eating well, she didn’t seem to be putting on any weight. And then two days ago, when I came in to get my coffee, her little head was not bobbing in the window and I knew something was amiss. I walked down the road and along the line of trees, calling her name and listening for any answering meow. When she still wasn’t there after we got back from work, Jeff and I both knew that her time had surely come. I have often heard that animals go off by themselves when they sense they are dying and I believe this is what CeCe did. And so one of the backdrops of our lives is gone, leaving behind pleasant memories.
It is amazing how strong the relationship is between humans and their pets; but I believe this is one of God’s gifts to give us pleasure in life. I really didn’t mean for this post to be so long, but it seemed to help me to write down all my thoughts about CeCe. Jeff also made a slide show of our favorite pictures of CeCe to remember and I have included it here.
It’s remarkable how some things become a part of the background of one’s life, day in and day out; almost unnoticeable because of their constant presence. CeCe was there through all the ups and downs of our constantly changing family life; a faithful, if not somewhat ambivalent, companion. For the first half of her life, CeCe was a definite loner. Disdaining any overly affectionate displays, she kept to herself and was often gone for days at a time, but never failed to return to her place of birth. She did not like to be petted much and only accepted our offerings of food if she had not been successful hunting down field mice or young rabbits. In the ensuing years, we acquired an inside cat, Simon. I guess we would have let CeCe come in also, if she had wanted it, but she was way too independent to accept such a life. They often sat and stared at each other, one on each side of the screen door on the porch. It reminded me of the story of the Prince and the Pauper. I wondered if they each longed to live the life of the other; Simon, longing for a taste of the freedom of the open fields and the excitement of the hunt, and CeCe, contemplating the comfort provided by indoor heating and cooling and cozy couches. On one occasion when the door was left ajar, just such an exchange took place. I had noticed the cat lying under the table, but just thought it was Simon, until I noticed Simon going around the corner of the house. They had indeed changed places, each slipping for a time into the place of their fantasies.
The years flew by, each with it’s own joys and sorrows. CeCe was there through it all, sometimes curled up in some strange place, sometimes proudly depositing her latest kill by the front door. The children left home and Sarah decided to become a “dog” person, acquiring Max, who came with her for frequent visits home. CeCe made her displeasure at this turn of events known by disappearing every time Max came, only returning when he was gone. The grandkids came along and a new generation tried to befriend her, usually without much success. In time, Jeff and I moved next door to help take care of mom and Nathan and his family lived in our house for a short while. We took Simon with us and he adapted well to living with mom (which is another story in itself). I thought for sure CeCe would follow us to mom’s house or maybe just leave for good when our house eventually remained empty for a few years. It became part of Jeff’s daily routine to cross the road and give her food and water. She was usually there to greet him, glad, I suppose for some reminder that we had not totally forgotten her. We fixed her a box with blankets on the porch to provide a shelter during the winter. We could not, however, do much about the family of raccoons who often vied with her for a free meal. Jeff finally had to resort to standing nearby while CeCe ate, guarding against the masked marauders.
It was during this time, perhaps because CeCe was getting older and depending more on our offerings and less on her declining strength for hunting, that she started to make friendly advances towards the humans that had been part of her life for so long. Or maybe she was just getting lonely from the lack of activity around our house. Whatever the reason, Jeff noticed she would come up, rub against his leg after she ate, something she had not been prone to do. She would even let him bend down and pet her, rewarding him with her purr. I guess either absence made the heart grow fonder or advancing age brought with it a softening of heart.
After mom died and we moved back into our house, I definitely noticed CeCe’s friendlier attitude. When Sarah brought Max with her to visit, CeCe even let him sniff at her and would rub against him. This was quite a change from the days when Max’s presence meant CeCe’s absence. Every time we went outdoors, CeCe was there by our side, rubbing and purring and wanting to be petted. Sometimes, when I would sit in the porch swing, she would jump into my lap. Every morning, as I made my way groggily to the coffee pot, I would notice her little head bobbing back and forth in the French door window. She knew we were up and was demanding her breakfast and morning attention. One of us would still have to stand guard every night while she ate. The raccoons were still around and they were very bold, coming within a few inches of us before deciding to turn tail and run.
CeCe spent most of her time on the porch now, running to greet us each time we left or came home. Every time that Sarah came to visit, she would point out how thin CeCe was looking. She convinced us that CeCe was probably having a hard time eating the dry cat food we fed her and that we should start feeding her soft food. So began the quest for a soft food that was not messy and smelly. I remembered long ago when we had Midnight and Tushie (our previous indoor cats) that we fed them Tender Vittles, which came in a pouch and was soft but not smelly. However, trips to Wal-mart and even Pet Smart failed to turn up any of this food. Sarah could not even find it in Owensboro. So we settled on some little cups of meat and gravy made by Meow Mix. It had a tinfoil top that could be pulled off and the contents of the cup could be dumped all at one time with little mess. This simple switch in food provided us with some of the most funny and satisfying moments in our relationship with any pet we’ve had. The way CeCe gulped down each cup of Meow Mix was so funny to watch. She became obsessed with it and each time we walked out the door, her loud, insistent meowing often got her an extra cup, just so we could see her enjoy it so much.
Even though we mentioned it often, I guess it was just hard to believe how old CeCe was. Sarah and Jeff figured out that CeCe was fifteen years old, which would make her 105 (if a cat year counts the same as a dog’s - 7 human years). We doubted she would make it through last winter, but she did. She rarely left the porch for very long and as this summer’s heat took its toll, we would leave the porch fan on to provide her with some relief. It was obvious how much she enjoyed both our company and her new feeding routine, but even though she was eating well, she didn’t seem to be putting on any weight. And then two days ago, when I came in to get my coffee, her little head was not bobbing in the window and I knew something was amiss. I walked down the road and along the line of trees, calling her name and listening for any answering meow. When she still wasn’t there after we got back from work, Jeff and I both knew that her time had surely come. I have often heard that animals go off by themselves when they sense they are dying and I believe this is what CeCe did. And so one of the backdrops of our lives is gone, leaving behind pleasant memories.
It is amazing how strong the relationship is between humans and their pets; but I believe this is one of God’s gifts to give us pleasure in life. I really didn’t mean for this post to be so long, but it seemed to help me to write down all my thoughts about CeCe. Jeff also made a slide show of our favorite pictures of CeCe to remember and I have included it here.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Heat, Horror, and Hope
The last two weeks have been tough. The temperatures have broken 80 year heat records with several days of over 100 degrees. When you add the humidity in, the heat index reached 110 on some days. Lack of rain adds to the misery; the air is both muggy and dusty which makes being outdoors very uncomfortable, as well as dangerous to some people. Most of the Kentucky corn crop is gone, as dry and brown as the grass in everyone’s yard. As I write this, I am watching a news story in our county that we usually associate with states to the west of us. As I was taking the grandkids to piano lessons this afternoon we encountered a barrage of firetrucks and smoke so thick on the highway that I literally could not see to drive. A tractor had sparked a field fire which turned into a fast spreading wild fire that they are final process of containing tonight. Volunteer fire departments, as well as trucks from nearby counties and cities were called in and many other local people came with shovels and pails to help dig trenches and water down property. Over 200 acres have been burned and several houses had to be evacuated, one of my cousins on dad’s side among them. Thankfully, no homes have been burned and no one fighting the fire was injured. All this on top of the local bank in our small town being robbed on Saturday and suddenly small town life doesn’t seem so peaceful.
Last week a violent act tore at everyone’s heart and filled me with horror, when an eleven year old boy in another part of the county was shot in the head by a shotgun; killed by a fifteen year old, supposedly over a video game. And other young people had to witness the aftermath before adults arrived on the scene. It was especially hard for me, because I knew some of the ones involved and the young boy who was killed was the same age as my oldest grandson. It makes it really hit home when you associate it with your own loved ones. I know that most people say, “Guns don’t kill people; people kill people”, but if young kids could not get their hands on guns owned by adults, some tragedies like this would never happen.
In the midst of everything else, however, there were bright spots that raised my spirits and gave me hope. Things like my daughter calling, all excited because her new boyfriend sent her flowers at work. Like joining the grandkids in baking a cake and decorating for a “surprise” birthday party for their dad (his 30th). Like going out to watch the elementary football team practice, expecting to have to bite my tongue and come away angry because I would hear the coaches yelling and swearing at the kids. Instead all I heard were words of encouragement and guidance.
This is the first year that my grandson in the 6th grade has played football and he has made me proud by how hard he is throwing himself into it; he is more the video game, couch potato type. I had memories that were not too good from when my son played in grade school. My son had to remind me of one funny (in retrospect) incident from his playing days. I was so against him playing elementary football because I didn’t want my “baby” to be hurt. He started playing in the 3rd grade and I worried all that year and into the 4th grade. Meanwhile his older sister had joined the cheerleading team, which didn’t seem to worry me much. She talked my son into helping her practice cheers in their grandparents backyard one day and he fell off her back and broke his arm! He said after that I told him he could play all the football he wanted, but he could never go out for cheerleading!!!
Last week a violent act tore at everyone’s heart and filled me with horror, when an eleven year old boy in another part of the county was shot in the head by a shotgun; killed by a fifteen year old, supposedly over a video game. And other young people had to witness the aftermath before adults arrived on the scene. It was especially hard for me, because I knew some of the ones involved and the young boy who was killed was the same age as my oldest grandson. It makes it really hit home when you associate it with your own loved ones. I know that most people say, “Guns don’t kill people; people kill people”, but if young kids could not get their hands on guns owned by adults, some tragedies like this would never happen.
In the midst of everything else, however, there were bright spots that raised my spirits and gave me hope. Things like my daughter calling, all excited because her new boyfriend sent her flowers at work. Like joining the grandkids in baking a cake and decorating for a “surprise” birthday party for their dad (his 30th). Like going out to watch the elementary football team practice, expecting to have to bite my tongue and come away angry because I would hear the coaches yelling and swearing at the kids. Instead all I heard were words of encouragement and guidance.
This is the first year that my grandson in the 6th grade has played football and he has made me proud by how hard he is throwing himself into it; he is more the video game, couch potato type. I had memories that were not too good from when my son played in grade school. My son had to remind me of one funny (in retrospect) incident from his playing days. I was so against him playing elementary football because I didn’t want my “baby” to be hurt. He started playing in the 3rd grade and I worried all that year and into the 4th grade. Meanwhile his older sister had joined the cheerleading team, which didn’t seem to worry me much. She talked my son into helping her practice cheers in their grandparents backyard one day and he fell off her back and broke his arm! He said after that I told him he could play all the football he wanted, but he could never go out for cheerleading!!!
Friday, July 13, 2007
Vacation is over! (almost)
Our modem went down after we returned from vacation and we are just now getting back on the internet. So now I can post and update.
I am almost rested up from our trip. We had a wonderful vacation with the grandkids in St. Louis. But to use an old Southern expression - it wore me out! The heat almost got to me at the Zoo on Sunday; I had to stop and rest often and we ended up leaving earlier than planned. But we had a wonderful day. We started out by taking our breakfast and eating on picnic tables in Forest Park. It was so special to me because it was July 8th and not only the first anniversary of mom's death, but also would have been her and dad's 76th wedding anniversary. They were married early in the morning at St. Patrick's church in East St. Louis; but later that day they went to Forest Park and took wedding photos in front of the World Fair Pavilion. We ate our breakfast right beside it. I told the grandkids the story about how they met and married. After breakfast we walked around the pavilion and made pictures in front of it. It looks exactly the same, although they are working on the landscaping in the front and have the grounds all tore up there right now. I felt so close to mom and dad and couldn't help but think back to what it was like for them in that same place 76 years ago.
I'm posting some old pics of Mom and Dad on their wedding day that were taken at the pavilion and also some of the pics that I took Sunday.
I have a few more days left before I have to be at work again. I am still trying to get things straightened up after our move last year. There are some boxes I am just now getting around to looking into. If I haven't needed it for a year - probably don't need it all. I see a huge yard sale coming in the near future!
Well, that's all until next time. Stay cool.
I am almost rested up from our trip. We had a wonderful vacation with the grandkids in St. Louis. But to use an old Southern expression - it wore me out! The heat almost got to me at the Zoo on Sunday; I had to stop and rest often and we ended up leaving earlier than planned. But we had a wonderful day. We started out by taking our breakfast and eating on picnic tables in Forest Park. It was so special to me because it was July 8th and not only the first anniversary of mom's death, but also would have been her and dad's 76th wedding anniversary. They were married early in the morning at St. Patrick's church in East St. Louis; but later that day they went to Forest Park and took wedding photos in front of the World Fair Pavilion. We ate our breakfast right beside it. I told the grandkids the story about how they met and married. After breakfast we walked around the pavilion and made pictures in front of it. It looks exactly the same, although they are working on the landscaping in the front and have the grounds all tore up there right now. I felt so close to mom and dad and couldn't help but think back to what it was like for them in that same place 76 years ago.
I'm posting some old pics of Mom and Dad on their wedding day that were taken at the pavilion and also some of the pics that I took Sunday.
(I see by the date on my pics that I need to change the date setting on my camera. It must have messed up when the batteries ran down.)
We stayed in a hotel with an indoor and outdoor pool and I think that was the favorite part of the trip for the kids. We had to make sure we got back to the hotel every night in time for them to hit the pool. They love to swim and I am glad. I never learned to swim and have always been somewhat afraid of water (I guess because some of my first experiences with trying to swim were in a pond muddied with cow manure and with snapping turtles looking for a nibble), but I am glad to see the grandkids able to enjoy the water so much.
We made stops at the Butterfly House, the Science Musuem ( to see the SuperHeros exhibit), the Magic House, and of course the zoo. We were at the arch on Friday night and they had a free concert on the riverfront with the Los Lonely Boys and a wonderful fireworks show afterward. To me there is nothing more fun during a fireworks display than watching the faces of children as they watch the fireworks. We had such a good time with the grandkids - it was the first time we had been able to go away with them in quite a while. My only complaint was about the typical July weather - very hot and humid. To test our endurance even more, the air conditioner on the van would work sometimes and sometimes not. Thank goodness it worked on the ride home.
I have a few more days left before I have to be at work again. I am still trying to get things straightened up after our move last year. There are some boxes I am just now getting around to looking into. If I haven't needed it for a year - probably don't need it all. I see a huge yard sale coming in the near future!
Well, that's all until next time. Stay cool.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
I'm Bloggin
It's been almost a year since Mom died and I've been trying to think of some positive way to mark the date. Mom loved family and keeping in touch, so I decided to try this way of communicating with others in our family and beyond. I'm not too sure exactly what the content will be or how often I'll actually get to post, but I hope to make it a regular way to let others know what is going on "back home", as well as expressing all the random thoughts inside my head. Please feel free to post comments; I look forward to reading them.
Right now I am off work for about a month. The janitors are waxing the school floors and I can't get to my office.....(: ) sigh! Jeff is on vacation next week and we are taking the grandkids to St. Louis for a few days to see the zoo, Grant's Farm, the Science Musuem, Magic House, and anything else we can cram into four days! I just didn't want to be at home next week with my memories. The grandkids are really looking forward to it... the 4 year old has never stayed in a hotel before and I think he is more excited about that than anything. We are going to start out at Sarah's new house in Owensboro for the 4th and watch fireworks on the riverfront.
Actually, Jeff and I have been spending every weekend for the last month in Owensboro helping Sarah to settle in to her new house. We have been putting up a privacy fence in her backyard. We are so naive..... we thought we could get it put up in one weekend using a manual posthole digger. It has taken us four weekends using a rented auger and it is still not finished. One of Sarah's friends (the brother of the principal at the school she teaches at) has been helping us. It looks really good and I will try to post some pictures later on; but the main reason we wanted to get it up was so that her dog, Max, would have a safe place to play - primarily to protect the neighborhood children from Max - he is very protective of Sarah and very wary of strangers!
Sarah loves her new house and she is glad to be back in the city of Owensboro instead of so far out in the county, especially with gas prices now. We firmly believe that this house is a blessing from heaven and the reason she was able to get it was through Mom and Dad's intercession for her. There have been just too many things that couldn't have happened any other way. She had been looking for a house for several months with no luck; there just wasn't anything in her price range in a good neighborhood. She was starting to get really discouraged, as she really needed to move. I could tell she was getting really depressed and as I was out walking one day, I was praying about it and I had the strongest feeling of dad's presence telling me that everything was going to be ok. I sent her a note telling her about my experience. Jeff and I went to Owensboro the next weekend to look at some houses with her; but, once again we came up empty handed. When we got back home, I e-mailed Sarah some houses I had found on the internet and she called to say she was calling her agent to set up some appointments. She also mentioned an open house she saw in the paper that was the next day and she said she thought she would just go by to see it, even though she didn't think it was what she wanted. When we went back up the next weekend to look at houses again, it was on the list we were to see. The minute I walked in, I knew it was the house for her, but knowing how advice from a mother can be, I only made the standard comments...but I did mention that I felt a good karma in the house and I could tell that it had been a house that had shared a lot of love and had good memories in it. We didn't know anything about the history of the people who were selling the house and for a brief second I doubted my own instincts and wondered if the reason it was for sale was the owner was in jail for murder or something! It is an older house, built in 1961, but it was immaculate and was extremely well kept and was move in ready. It was the kind of house that Mom and Dad would have had. We looked at some other houses that day - one that even had a large snake caged in the living room - definitely not good karma in that house!!! Well, to shorten the story, Sarah called that week and said she was putting in a bid for the1961 house, but she got the bad news that someone else had placed a bid before her. But this was the first thing that let us know it was meant for her to get this house because the other person's bid fell through and she got the house! When she called to tell us the news I reminded her of how her Grandpa was looking out for her and that everything was going to turn out alright. But a few days later when she called to tell us about signing the final papers I thought I was going to have to eat my words. She was literally crying so hard that I couldn't understand what she was saying. But when she finally got the words out, she was trying to tell me that when she went in to the bank to sign the papers, she almost lost it. It was a little old lady that was selling the house and Sarah said, "Mom, she looked just like Grandma, a little bitty lady with gray hair and a sweet smile; even her handwriting was like Grandma's." She started telling Sarah about how her and her husband had built the house in 1961 and it was the only house they had lived in and had raised their family there. Her husband had died and she was no longer able to keep it up and was moving in an assisted living apartment. She told Sarah that she had had a lot of happy times in the house. And Sarah told the lady that I had felt those memories the first time I had walked in the house!!! And so it was meant to be.... The next weekend we went back up to help her move in and we got to meet the next door neighbors on both sides. They were both extremely nice, on one side an older couple, the lady volunteered as a tutor in the city schools; and on the other side a young couple with a little girl. As we were talking Sarah discovered that one of her very good friends at the board office was the first cousin of the older couple. We made the first of what was to be many trips to Lowe's and Wal-Mart and this is another one of those happenings that made my hair stand on end...as we were rounding the aisle in the hardware dept. at Wal-Mart I almost fainted because there in the aisle was a lady; I could only see her back and she had white hair and she had on the exact dress that mom was buried in; the one that dad had loved so much. I have never saw that dress on anyone else before and mom had wore it at their 50th anniversary over 15 years ago! I know I turned as white as a sheet before the lady turned around and I could see her face. But after she had walked off, I told Sarah that this was just another sign that Grandma and Grandpa were watching over her. And the coindences keep coming...Sarah later found out that her principal (the one that is like a second momma to her) was friends in school with the boy that used to live in her new house and she had often took him home from school and knew the people that lived there. She told Sarah that the boy reminded her of Sarah - he played the piano and was very active in church. Also we found out while building the privacy fence with Sarah's friend,Bill - the principal's brother, that the young couple next door had actually met at the wedding of Bill's son. The guy next door had actually been the best man at the wedding and had met his wife at the wedding.
The connections to this house are strong and I thank God for blessing Sarah with being able to get this house. And I know that Mom and Dad are smiling at the way things have turned out!
Right now I am off work for about a month. The janitors are waxing the school floors and I can't get to my office.....(: ) sigh! Jeff is on vacation next week and we are taking the grandkids to St. Louis for a few days to see the zoo, Grant's Farm, the Science Musuem, Magic House, and anything else we can cram into four days! I just didn't want to be at home next week with my memories. The grandkids are really looking forward to it... the 4 year old has never stayed in a hotel before and I think he is more excited about that than anything. We are going to start out at Sarah's new house in Owensboro for the 4th and watch fireworks on the riverfront.
Actually, Jeff and I have been spending every weekend for the last month in Owensboro helping Sarah to settle in to her new house. We have been putting up a privacy fence in her backyard. We are so naive..... we thought we could get it put up in one weekend using a manual posthole digger. It has taken us four weekends using a rented auger and it is still not finished. One of Sarah's friends (the brother of the principal at the school she teaches at) has been helping us. It looks really good and I will try to post some pictures later on; but the main reason we wanted to get it up was so that her dog, Max, would have a safe place to play - primarily to protect the neighborhood children from Max - he is very protective of Sarah and very wary of strangers!
Sarah loves her new house and she is glad to be back in the city of Owensboro instead of so far out in the county, especially with gas prices now. We firmly believe that this house is a blessing from heaven and the reason she was able to get it was through Mom and Dad's intercession for her. There have been just too many things that couldn't have happened any other way. She had been looking for a house for several months with no luck; there just wasn't anything in her price range in a good neighborhood. She was starting to get really discouraged, as she really needed to move. I could tell she was getting really depressed and as I was out walking one day, I was praying about it and I had the strongest feeling of dad's presence telling me that everything was going to be ok. I sent her a note telling her about my experience. Jeff and I went to Owensboro the next weekend to look at some houses with her; but, once again we came up empty handed. When we got back home, I e-mailed Sarah some houses I had found on the internet and she called to say she was calling her agent to set up some appointments. She also mentioned an open house she saw in the paper that was the next day and she said she thought she would just go by to see it, even though she didn't think it was what she wanted. When we went back up the next weekend to look at houses again, it was on the list we were to see. The minute I walked in, I knew it was the house for her, but knowing how advice from a mother can be, I only made the standard comments...but I did mention that I felt a good karma in the house and I could tell that it had been a house that had shared a lot of love and had good memories in it. We didn't know anything about the history of the people who were selling the house and for a brief second I doubted my own instincts and wondered if the reason it was for sale was the owner was in jail for murder or something! It is an older house, built in 1961, but it was immaculate and was extremely well kept and was move in ready. It was the kind of house that Mom and Dad would have had. We looked at some other houses that day - one that even had a large snake caged in the living room - definitely not good karma in that house!!! Well, to shorten the story, Sarah called that week and said she was putting in a bid for the1961 house, but she got the bad news that someone else had placed a bid before her. But this was the first thing that let us know it was meant for her to get this house because the other person's bid fell through and she got the house! When she called to tell us the news I reminded her of how her Grandpa was looking out for her and that everything was going to turn out alright. But a few days later when she called to tell us about signing the final papers I thought I was going to have to eat my words. She was literally crying so hard that I couldn't understand what she was saying. But when she finally got the words out, she was trying to tell me that when she went in to the bank to sign the papers, she almost lost it. It was a little old lady that was selling the house and Sarah said, "Mom, she looked just like Grandma, a little bitty lady with gray hair and a sweet smile; even her handwriting was like Grandma's." She started telling Sarah about how her and her husband had built the house in 1961 and it was the only house they had lived in and had raised their family there. Her husband had died and she was no longer able to keep it up and was moving in an assisted living apartment. She told Sarah that she had had a lot of happy times in the house. And Sarah told the lady that I had felt those memories the first time I had walked in the house!!! And so it was meant to be.... The next weekend we went back up to help her move in and we got to meet the next door neighbors on both sides. They were both extremely nice, on one side an older couple, the lady volunteered as a tutor in the city schools; and on the other side a young couple with a little girl. As we were talking Sarah discovered that one of her very good friends at the board office was the first cousin of the older couple. We made the first of what was to be many trips to Lowe's and Wal-Mart and this is another one of those happenings that made my hair stand on end...as we were rounding the aisle in the hardware dept. at Wal-Mart I almost fainted because there in the aisle was a lady; I could only see her back and she had white hair and she had on the exact dress that mom was buried in; the one that dad had loved so much. I have never saw that dress on anyone else before and mom had wore it at their 50th anniversary over 15 years ago! I know I turned as white as a sheet before the lady turned around and I could see her face. But after she had walked off, I told Sarah that this was just another sign that Grandma and Grandpa were watching over her. And the coindences keep coming...Sarah later found out that her principal (the one that is like a second momma to her) was friends in school with the boy that used to live in her new house and she had often took him home from school and knew the people that lived there. She told Sarah that the boy reminded her of Sarah - he played the piano and was very active in church. Also we found out while building the privacy fence with Sarah's friend,Bill - the principal's brother, that the young couple next door had actually met at the wedding of Bill's son. The guy next door had actually been the best man at the wedding and had met his wife at the wedding.
The connections to this house are strong and I thank God for blessing Sarah with being able to get this house. And I know that Mom and Dad are smiling at the way things have turned out!
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