Sunday, June 13
I played bachelor son for Mother this morning since Barbara and Jaycie stayed out at Big V for their girls’ night out last night. After fixing breakfast and serving Mother, I got cleaned up and dressed for church and then oversaw her preparations for the day before leaving her to be picked up for church by TJ while I went to the lot to get Barbara and Jaycie and load the car.
When everything and everyone was ready, we went to Yantis and joined the breakfast bunch in the fellowship hall. After breakfast we had Sunday school (Barbara and another of the ladies spent the time cleaning up the kitchen), and then we decided we needed to miss the morning service so we could get on the road to meet Cathey in Wichita Falls.
After meeting Cathey in the parking lot of City Market and getting all of Jaycie’s things transferred to their car, we stood around in the lot and talked for another hour or so and then said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways.
Barbara and I returned to Mother’s house around 11:30 pm, wrung out from a very long day and another 500 miles under our belts.
Monday, June 14
Today we celebrate Flag Day in the United States, commemorating the adoption of the flag of the United States by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation officially setting June 14 as Flag Day, and in August, 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.
Flag Day was celebrated today in Mineola by the placement of flags by the Kiwanis Club in front of residences and businesses throughout the city.
It has become our tradition to reprint “The Promise,” a piece that I wrote in 2003 as part of a unit on patriotism by some of Barbara’s language arts classes at West Middle School in Liberal, Kansas. The piece is dedicated to the students of West Middle School.
THE PROMISE
I am the flag of the United States of America. It is almost impossible to go through a day without seeing me…flying proudly over public buildings and military bases…marching at the head of parades…or displayed as lapel pins on the jackets of patriots, young and old.
Perhaps nowhere do I strive to be displayed more proudly than in the schools of our country, for it is there that the first lessons of patriotism are taught to those who will grow up to guide, guard, and defend the country I represent.
But even there, as I am seen by millions of students each school day, I am in danger of neglect. Like all things that are commonplace, I am often taken for granted, and the pledge that was written to show honor to my colors and my country becomes a meaningless ritual, chanted without thought, by young people who have not learned, or who have forgotten that I represent the sacrifices, hopes, and dreams of all who came before, and of countless millions around the world who would share in their freedom.
It seems that it is only in the times of war or national tragedy that I have meaning to the masses who call this land their home. If that is true, then our country is only one generation away from losing the rights and privileges that I represent, and that you take for granted. For after all, if you don’t care, then who will teach those who follow you?
Whether I fly proudly over the buildings of your community, or am placed beside the flags of your houses of worship…whether I am seen as a pin in the lapel of a military veteran, or as an oversized decoration covering the playing field of a football or baseball stadium…or whether you see me draped in silence over the coffin of a father, mother, sister, brother, son, or daughter who served or gave their life for this country, I still represent each and every one of you, and the freedoms that were won on the battlefields around the world.
To you I make this promise…
“I pledge allegiance to those who call the United States of America their home. I will fly proudly as a symbol of your hopes and dreams, and of the blood, sweat, and tears that were shed to gain and protect your rights, privileges, and freedoms. For as long as I am honored and respected, I will be a daily reminder that we are truly ‘one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’”
“The things that the flag stands for were created by the experiences of a great people. Everything that it stands for was written by their lives. The flag is the embodiment not of sentiment, but of history." - Woodrow Wilson, 28th U.S. president
Our day was filled with activity as we tackled jobs that had been left waiting while we had Jaycie with us…mowing at both the lake lot and at Mother’s place, and catching up on laundry.
TJ came over this afternoon for a short visit and we got caught up on the latest news from her.
Tuesday, June 15
It was another busy morning for all of us as I left early to take TJ to a podiatry appointment in Tyler and Barbara took care of getting Mother to her physical therapy session. I got TJ back to her house just in time for Barbara to pick me up in the Vibe and then we both went back to the rehab center to get Mother and take her home.
Barbara had her Bridge group at the church in Yantis tonight. We left Mother’s a little earlier than usual so we could get out to the lot and begin a thorough top-to-bottom cleaning of Big V, something that hasn’t been high on our hit parade list since we moved in with Mother in January, but a chore that was definitely necessary. I spent a couple of hours scrubbing, sweeping, dusting, and mopping until Barbara returned from Bridge to rescue me and take me back to Mineola.
Wednesday, June 16
After getting Mother up, fed, and ready for the day, Barbara and I returned to Big V to finish our housecleaning chores. I had completed the work in the bedroom and bathroom areas last night, but there was much to be done in the kitchen and living room areas before we could return to Mother’s house for lunch and more housecleaning chores.
Gene and Michelle returned from Kansas last night and had to come to Mineola to take care of some business. They stopped by the house for a bit and we exchanged stories of the past couple of weeks. They are trying to get things completed at their new house in Alba and we are trying to get ready for round two of our summer visitors when our friends Gary and Joyce come to Mineola later this week.
This evening, when the outside temperature had “cooled down” to the lower 90’s, we went outside and tackled some chores in the front yard…trimming the hedges, pulling grass from the flower beds, and mowing and trimming the yard.
Thursday, June 17
Happy Birthday to Amanda Duke in Knox City, Texas!!!
Today was a special day for Spike and Bonita as we took them to the vet at 8:00 this morning to have their nails trimmed and get baths. We don’t know that Bonita thought it was so special, but Spike seemed to enjoy the experience once all was said and done.
While the puppies were being pampered, TJ took Mother to her rehab session this morning, allowing Barbara and me to drive out to the lake and do some touch-up mowing and trimming around Big V in preparation for our guests. We had told Gary and Joyce that they could stay at the Big V Resort during their visit and we wanted everything to be just right for them.
When we got back to Mother’s house we had lunch and did a few chores around the place before going back to the vet’s at 3:00 to pick up Spike and Bonita, both of whom were more than ready to get back to their mother!
Friday, June 18
This was another rehab morning for Mother.
We spent most of the day cleaning house and getting ready for our next visitors, Gary and Joyce, our friends from Houston. We planned a late lunch, which was good because Gary and Joyce didn’t get away from their house when they planned. They called and said to go ahead and eat, but we told them there wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait, so we just held off until they got here and we could all sit down together. Gary and Joyce had visited Mother at her house in Artesia about three years ago, but hadn’t been to Mineola yet.
The afternoon was spent in visiting and getting caught up and then we took Gary and Joyce out to Holiday Village and Our Little Lot to get them situated for the weekend and show them around the place.
After breakfast, we left Mother to do her “Saturday thing” while we drove out to the lake to visit with Gary and Joyce and do some work around the place while they went off with Josh to take the grand tour of the village.
Around 1:00 we returned to Mineola to begin preparations for a big cookout. Since tomorrow will be both Father’s Day and Cousin Ladd’s birthday, we decided we’d celebrate early by barbecuing some pork ribs, pork chops, and chicken. That, along with potato salad, beans, a couple of loaves of homemade bread, and Barbara’s signature Big Red ice cream provided the makings for a veritable feast as Mother, TJ, Gary and Joyce, Ladd, Angela, and Madeline, and Barbara and I pulled up to the table and ate until we were all miserable (but it was such a nice miserable).
While we were at the lot, our friends Bob and Mary stopped by to visit for a while. After introductions and some conversation, Bob invited Gary and me to join him for a short boat trip out on the lake to check the jug lines he had set out to catch catfish. Gary and I took our fishing poles along, but we didn’t have much chance to use them. (Mary, Joyce and Barbara stayed at Big V to continue their hen party. At one point, Mary told them that she thought she saw Bob just drive by. Then the women decided nah that couldn’t be…what they didn’t know was…) When we got to the boat dock, Bob discovered that he had left the ignition key to the boat at his lot, so he and Gary went back to get it while I made a few half-hearted casts into the lake.
It was getting dark by the time we got back to the lot, so we all said our goodbyes for the evening and Bob and Mary returned to their lot while Barbara and I got into the Vibe and headed back to Mother’s house for a good night’s sleep.
Sunday, June 20
Happy Father’s Day to dads everywhere!!!
Happy Birthday to Cousin Ladd Thompson in Mineola!!!
Today was another wonderful day of fellowship with friends. After getting Mother up and around so she could go to church, we drove back to Our Little Lot to spend the day with Gary and Joyce and Gene and Carolyn, whom we had invited to join us for the day. Gene was planning to bring his boat out so we guys could go out on the lake and do some fishing, but at the last minute he discovered that his trailer lights weren’t working, so we just opted for a day of sitting around and talking.
While the ladies spent most of the morning in nice air conditioned Big V, we men toughed it out by turning on the fan in the “patio” area and swapped stories. Gary and Joyce had never met Gene and Carolyn, so there was much to be said in order to bring everyone up to speed.
We all decided that before we called it quits that we would take Joyce and Gary over to Gene and Carolyn’s home on Lake Holbrook for the fifty cent tour.
As we toured Gene and Carolyn’s lovely house (a work in progress, but a beautiful work it is) Gene broke out his accordion and played for us. I ended up going to the music room while Barbara, Gary, and Joyce visited in the living room and Barbara had to haul me kicking and singing from the music room because Gene found several tunes that I could sing along with and that will make great accordion-trumpet duets in the future.
All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend a day…a beautiful day, good friends, and good food…God is good!
Monday, June 21
We got Mother up and around this morning and then left to go out to Holiday Village to have breakfast with Gary and Joyce before they left. We had time to share a leisurely meal at the clubhouse (and take a few last pictures) before they loaded the car and set off on the next leg of their journey.
While in the Holiday Village office, I tried to help Karen out by emptying the bag of M&M’s but she seemed to think she didn’t need my help!
Mother had rehab again this morning, but TJ offered to take her so we could spend a little more time with Gary and Joyce.
Once they headed out, we closed up Big V and then returned to Mother’s house where we spent the rest of the day taking care of minor chores around the place and working on the journal and making collages out of the many pictures we took during the week.
Tuesday, June 22
We got Mother up and around this morning and then Barbara and I drove back to the lake to do some mowing and trimming around Big V. The plan was that we would finish our work in time for Chris and his crew to get to our place and install three side panels on the south side of our awning.
While we were working, some of the crew members stopped by to say there was a problem at the steel place and they were running at least a couple of hours late getting their orders out this morning. So, we just continued our work, finishing all of the mowing and trimming, only to find out that the machine that cut the rolled steel sections was broken and there was no way we were going to see the work done today.
Given that bit of disappointing information, we put our tools away, closed up Big V, and returned to Mineola to spend the rest of the day cleaning house and getting ready for Alexander and Abby, who were going to spend the next week with us.
“A person that smiles in the face of adversity probably has a scapegoat.” - A. Nonny Mus
With family and friends in Mineola, Texas,
Jim/Dad/Gramps & Barbara/Mom/Grams
Hummingbirds, flowers, and new clothes...a sign of East Texas summer!