Wednesday, June 1
The first day of the month found us going through some of our ritualistic activities. This was the day that the dogs got their monthly medications for crawly critters and heartworms. Getting Spike to take his meds is a piece of cake, since he’ll eat almost anything…the only precaution is to make sure we can get our fingers pulled back so he can’t take them along with the pills. Bonita, on the other hand, is a very finicky eater and doesn’t like taking the pills at all, so we have to resort to all kinds of trickery in order to get the pills down her throat.
The other activity for the first of the month is to change out the HVAC filter in the hall ceiling. It’s one thing to simply change the filter, but the grating also has to be cleaned, requiring one to stand on a ladder, cock the head, neck, and shoulders at an impossible angle, and try to get a dust rag through all the little slots. It’s also best if one waits until this job is completed BEFORE vacuuming the hallway carpet…please don’t ask me how I know this.
In addition to these two necessary activities, we met one of our obligations to the great state of Texas by driving to Quitman to renew our registrations and get tags for the motorcycle and the car hauler trailer.
Barbara stayed at home tonight while I drove to the church in Yantis for another meeting with the youth pastor search committee.
Thursday, June 2
Happy Dirthday to Zeke Duke in Knox City, Texas!!!
We decided that today we’d do something just for ourselves, so after getting dressed and ready for the day, we went by the nursing home to visit with Mother for a bit, and then drove to Shreveport for a day trip, returning in time to see Mother once again before going to the house and calling it a day.
Friday, June 3
Yesterday was for fun; today was for work. I did yard work while Barbara did chores in the house as we got ready for the weekend. It’s amazing how much housework there is, even though there’s just the two of us (and the two dogs, of course), but it seems there is always “something” that needs attention.
Saturday, June 4
I spent yesterday tackling the front yard and the “north 40.” Today I turned my attention to the back yard, trimming trees and hedges, and hauling the trimmings to the burn pile in the north 40…also spread a couple of bags of lime to try to sweeten the ground under the trees. Meanwhile, Barbara made sure the bank statements were squared away and all the bills were paid, and then turned her to the kitchen to make sure we didn’t go to bed hungry tonight.
And, to disavow you of any notion we might have given you that our life is all work and no play, these photos show that we do enjoy watching the wildlife, plants, and flowers that abound on Mother’s property.
A typical Sunday for us now is to go see Mother for a few minutes, then drive to Yantis for the morning service (the church-wide breakfast and Sunday school are pretty much things of the past for us now that Mother is in the nursing home).
After the service, we drive back to the house, have lunch, take a nap, go see Mother again, drive back to Yantis for choir practice and the evening service, and then return to Mineola, hopefully before dark.
Monday, June 6
We spent the morning taking care of business around the house…phone calls, letters, paying Mother’s bills…all the regular stuff of life.
Barbara set out to try a new recipe for bucket steak, one that she had gotten from Kelly when we visited the kids in Virginia back in March…it’s basically a crock pot dish, something that is relatively easy and very handy for a busy day such as this one. With laundry going and the meat in the crock pot, we were well on the way to completing all the tasks we had set out to do.
Once the chores were done and we had a chance to sit down and catch our breath, we noticed that we weren’t smelling anything from the crock pot. A quick check of the kitchen counter showed that the switch was turned on, but neither of us had thought to plug the pot in…bummer!
We went ahead and started the meal, but ended up settling on sandwiches for lunch, saving the crock pot meal for the evening.
At 2:30 we went to the nursing home to meet with Mother’s support staff. It was a meeting not unlike the many IEP’s and ARD’s we had participated in over our 73 combined years in teaching, except that this time we were the parents facing the staff, and the primary topic was the eminent transition for Mother to either continued services at the nursing home under private-pay status, or a transfer back to the house for caregiving by us and whatever professional services we could engage.
Each of the support personnel went over what he/she was doing with Mother and how she was responding. We reiterated our position that our goal was to get Mother functioning well enough that she could come home and receive healthcare services in her own house.
As the meeting went on, we saw that our goals for Mother might never be met. Lee, the physical therapist, reported that Mother had maxed out on her capabilities for using her legs. Mother will probably never walk again, certainly not unaided. Additionally, she is totally incontinent, and many times unaware that she has wet or soiled herself. Mother’s meds must be carefully balanced and monitored as the Parkinsonism marches onward, affecting her mental acuity and motor skills.
On the good side, Mother’s appetite is generally very good and her spirits are, for the most part, fair to very good. There is continued deterioration in her frontal lobe, resulting in periods of time and spatial confusion. When her mind is on track, Mother is as sharp and witty as ever, but the Parkinsonism has deeply affected her ability to take her thoughts and express them verbally. Mother is highly intelligent and was always very articulate, but now gets highly frustrated at her inability to express herself easily; the words she has always known and used just don’t come out when she needs them.
After all the staff members had spoken and we had asked a number of questions about what they had said, we finally asked the most pointed question, “Will Mother be able to return home, or will she need continuous monitored care at the nursing home?”
The answer was blunt, but not without compassion for Mother and for us. Without 24/7 monitored, professional care, we would be putting ourselves and Mother at risk by attempting to return her to the house for fulltime caregiving. The mental and physical stress on all of us would create a hazard for all of us. The staff pointed out very professionally and with compassion for us and Mother, that Barbara and I are not capable of providing the level of care necessary to insure Mother’s physical and mental care.
The recommendation of the staff was unanimous that Mother should remain under their care and, having tried care at home with nearly disastrous results, we reluctantly agreed. We had promised Mother when we took over her care in January, 2010 that our goal was to keep her in her own home, but that we would also do what was necessary to provide the best care possible. However, the onslaught of the Parkinsonism has presented problems and issues that make it not only impossible, but downright dangerous, for us to continue doing what we were doing.
Following the meeting and our decision to continue Mother’s care at Wood Memorial Nursing Home, we went to TJ’s house to tell her about the meeting, the concerns, and our decision. As can easily be expected, this whole situation is highly emotional, and while TJ didn’t agree with our decision, she would support (reluctantly) what we thought we needed to do.
In a somber mood, but convinced that we had made a decision that was in Mother’s best interests, we returned to the house to discuss and reflect on the discussions and decisions that had come out of this day’s activities. We always thought that being a parent was difficult enough, but being a parent to a parent is, perhaps, one of life’s greatest challenges.
Tuesday, June 7
I got up early this morning to go to prayer meeting at Yantis FBC and then returned to the house. We decided we’d grab a Sonic breakfast and head out to find out what we could about our pending (should have already been completed) project at Our Little Lot.
We drove first to Chris’s place of business just north of Lake Fork, but he was out on a job and didn’t answer his phone. We left a message and then decided we’d just drive over to Emory to the Carolina Carports distribution center to try to find out why the steel for our cover and shed hadn’t been delivered; after all, it had been a month since we had contracted Chris to do the job and paid for the steel.
When we got to Carolina Carports, we found friendly and helpful folks, but we also found that the steel, although paid for, had never been ordered. To say we were unhappy would be an extreme understatement.
After repeated unanswered calls to Chris, we returned to Mineola so I could attend a meeting with our CPA to discuss Mother’s investments and the tax ramifications of receiving some distributions to pay for Mother’s care when her Medicare benefits for nursing home care cease.
Later this evening, we decided to spend the night in Big V so I could get up early tomorrow morning and take her to Quitman for annual inspection. So, we packed a few things for overnight, drove out to Holiday Villages, and set up housekeeping for the night. Unfortunately, while we were checking the place out (in the dark, without a flashlight), Barbara stepped off the back of the slab into a hole that I had left uncovered after setting utility pipes for the shed, and fell down, bruising a few body parts. After we made sure she was okay and nothing was broken, we went into Big V and spent a somewhat restless night.
Wednesday, June 8
I got up early and drove Big V to Quitman to the inspection station, arriving well before the place opened. Barbara needed a few things from the grocery store, so she drove the car in, got us some pastries for breakfast, and then returned to the lot to try to make sense of all the “stuff” that had been stored under the motor home.
When I returned to Holiday Villages with Big V, I parked her in the RV park, plugged in the shoreline, and cranked up the air conditioner to try to keep her as cool as possible in the increasing summer heat.
After all that activity, we returned to Mineola, stopped at the nursing home to visit with Mother for a while, and then went to the house to just chill for the rest of the day.
The unpleasantness of the week so far was put in the background when we received a surprise visit from our Kansas/Texas friends, Gene and Michelle Young who, as constant readers may remember, served as superintendent and principal, respectively, at Dodge City once upon a time.
Thursday, June 9
Today was haircut day…either that, or apply for a dog license.
Most of the day was taken up doing usual and casual chores around the house, visiting Mother, going to the post office, etc…hardly worth reporting.
Tonight we went out to the lake to the beautiful home of Gary and Holly Long, members of Yantis FBC. The occasion was to have an old-fashioned shrimp boil with members of the youth pastor search committee, their families, some of the church youth, and one of the candidates for the youth pastor position. The whole evening was unstructured and fun and the food was delicious! A thousand words couldn’t tell the story of the fellowship we shared, so the pictures will just have to do it for us.
Friday, June 10
Granddaughter Randi recently asked Barbara to send her some pictures of John from his much younger days as she was working on a special Father’s Day project for him. Barbara spent most of the morning researching photos for me to scan, and then put together a file to email to Randi.
During a break from sorting pictures, Barbara got these shots of a beautiful flower in the bed beside the driveway and our friendly neighborhood squirrel, who has taught himself to empty the birdfeeder.
After arranging for Sophie to look in on Bonita and Spike, we packed a few things and headed out to the RV park at Holiday Villages to prepare Big V for the trip. One thing I knew had to be done was to make sure the tires were all properly inflated, something that is extremely important for any RV. Our friends Bob and Mary Royar brought Bob’s air compressor down to the lot and I aired up the six tires, surprised, but grateful to find that in 18 months of non-use, none of the tires had lost more than three pounds of pressure…Yea for Michelins!
With tires aired and all systems checked, we pulled away from the park, every bit as excited as we were when we took our first in Big V five years ago. Big V handled beautifully and we enjoyed every minute of the drive to Durant.
After checking in at the KOA and receiving out lot assignment, we moved Big V into place, opened the slideouts, connected the utilities, leveled the rig, and commenced to enjoy a leisurely weekend in a different world.
Saturday, June 11
There’s not much to day today except that we thoroughly enjoyed our time away from reality…even took time to swim in the park’s saltwater pool to cool off during a hot afternoon.
Happy Anniversary to James and Susan Francis in Hobbs, New Mexico!!!
It was a gorgeous morning! We woke up early, enjoyed a little breakfast, and then went through the process of returning Big V to travel status for the ride back to Yantis for church (the choir was singing a special this morning, so we needed to be back for that).
After church, we returned Big V to her place in the RV park to await the time when the construction on Our Little Lot would be finished and then returned to Mineola, stopping at Wood Memorial to visit with Mother and let her know we were back safe and sound.
The rest of the day was a typical Sunday…lunch, naps, and then a return to Yantis for choir practice and the evening service.
Monday, June 13
Today was just a “normal” day of taking care of business around the house…nothing different than regular folks doing regular things.
Late this afternoon, while Barbara visited Mother and then stayed at the house with Spike and Bonita, I rode the motorcycle to Quitman to join fellow East Texas Patriot Guard Riders in a flag line vigil for the family of U.S. Army Sgt. Joshua Powell, age 28, a Quitman native who was recently killed in action while serving in Afghanistan. During a very poignant moment, Joshua’s father and brother came out to express their appreciation, on behalf of the entire family, for our participation in the services.
Tuesday, June 14
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 on Flag Day 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
Instead of going to prayer meeting this morning, I left on the cycle at 6:15 a.m. to ride up to the Lake Fork Baptist Church to prepare for PGR participation at the funeral of Sgt. Powell. While the involvement of the PGR at funerals is always professional and respectful, today’s mood was even more somber than usual as more than 50 motorcyclists and countless emergency responder vehicles gathered in and around the parking lot of the church.
Barbara drove out later to document the proceedings with her camera, taking pictures first of the flag line as we stood attention around the church for an hour preceding the service. When we broke the line down to await the procession after the funeral, Barbara drove back toward the cemetery, stopping at a major intersection along the route so she could photograph the procession as it came by.
A moment that will forever remain in my memory occurred as the riders stood at attention and saluted as the family, friends, and Army Honor Guard exited the church to prepare for Sgt. Powell’s final ride. I glanced toward the family and saw Joshua’s wife standing stoically with her arms around their ten-year old daughter, another family member holding their infant, and Joshua’s father leaning on his mother while rendering a military salute as the flag-draped casket was loaded into the coach. There wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd as we all were struck with the terrible realization that these horrible wars have smitten even small-town East Texas.
The service at the cemetery was handled beautifully and professionally by the Army Honor Guard as they rendered the honors that were due their brother in arms.
When all was said and done, the Patriot Guard Riders left as unobtrusively as the Harley exhaust systems would allow, and we went our separate ways, each, I am sure, reflecting on the dedication of Sgt. Powell and the ultimate price he paid in service to his country.
Wednesday, June 15
After two emotionally charged days, it was good to return to a time of doing not much of anything except taking care of basic daily chores and commitments. I took Spike to the vet for his regular laser treatment (his arthritis is getting worse) and Barbara took care of the cooking for the day. Other than that, there was nothing worth noting except…
Hallelujah!!! We received a call from Chris telling us that the steel had arrived and would be delivered tomorrow morning and the crew would begin construction of our new patio cover and shed.
Thursday, June 16
I left early and rode the cycle out to Holiday Villages to oversee the beginning of the construction at Our Little Lot. By 8:15, the trailer load of steel was in place, followed shortly by Chris and his crew, who immediately started to work building the frame.
I had a 10:00 a.m. dermatology appointment in Quitman, so I had to leave for a while, but Barbara was there by then to document the progress of the work.
At the office in Quitman, The P.A., Mr. Gautier, checked me over, froze a few places on my arms and hands, and told me to come back in six months…my kind of a doctor appointment!
With my medical needs met, I returned to Our Little Lot to watch as yet another dream for our place took shape. Even having helped with steel building construction at churches in Florida and Tennessee, we are still amazed at all that goes into such work.
This evening we borrowed Cousin Madelyn’s pickup truck, loaded it with boxes and equipment to be stored in the new shed, and drove out to the lot, arriving just in time to catch the final rays of the sun as we moved everything from the truck to the storage shed and locked it up.
It would have been nice to just spend the night at Big V, but Madelyn needed her truck back and the puppies needed us to come home and feed them, so we returned to Mineola, dropped off the truck, and drove to Mother’s house, excitedly contemplating the next steps in store for Our Little Lot.
Friday, June 17
Happy Birthday to Amanda Duke in Knox city, Texas!!!
With all the things we had brought from Liberal moved out to the storage shed, we decided to tackle Mother’s garage to try to make more sense of it. I unpacked the new smoker and infra-red cooker and put them together, and then Barbara and I set about cleaning, straightening, and generally reorganizing the garage so we could have both the car and the motorcycle in it and still have room to move around.
The next big project was to go to Walmart, always a delightful adventure (that’s sarcasm you hear dripping), to stock up on food and supplies…then, back to the house to put everything away.
Later, we gathered up a few more things we decided belonged in storage and took them out to the lot, taking time while we were there to reorganize the stacks in the shed.
Saturday, June 18
We met Chris out at the lot to see him working on the final stage of our patio construction. When we first ordered the steel, we didn’t plan on putting siding on the outside of the patio, but decided after the work was done that we wanted the area enclosed at the bottom. Chris scrounged around and found enough steel siding to do what we wanted, and he and his son came out this morning to take care of the job.
Well, we got to Lindale in plenty of time, waited, and waited, and waited (temperature well over 100 and not even a hint of shade or even a breeze), and then set out slowly on I-20, giving the group plenty of time to catch up. After a few miles, it became obvious that even if the group did catch up, we couldn’t possibly get to the airport in time, so we turned around and returned to the house, stopping first to visit with Mother at Wood Memorial.
We found out later that the riders from Gladewater had a State Trooper escort all the way to Dallas and had blown through Lindale at 85 miles per hour about 20 minutes before we got there. It was just as well that we missed that part of the trip, since that was w-a-y too fast for us to ride in formation.
Later in the afternoon, I decided that I’d ride west toward Grand Saline and meet the procession there. For some reason, I took a street that I wouldn’t normally take, only to find that at the intersection with U.S. 80, there was a large congregation of riders, waiting for the procession to reach Mineola and to take the lead for the final leg of the trip to Gladewater.
When the group finally arrived from Dallas, they took a short break and then we all mounted up to begin the trip to Gladewater. There were nearly 100 motorcycles and more emergency response vehicles than we could count as we rode across East Texas in a procession that stretched for nearly two miles. Along the way were walls of people standing along the highway and displaying banners and flags to show their respect for Warrant Officer Gaudet and his family.
We finally arrived at the funeral home in Gladewater, with motorcycles lined up in four rows and completely encircling the block. We dismounted and took our places in formation as Warrant Officer Gaudet’s casket was removed from the coach and taken into the funeral home by an Army Honor Guard.
With that part of our mission accomplished, we remounted our bikes and went our separate ways. It was after dark when I finally arrived back at the house, but Barbara had supper ready and we were both ready to sit down and relax after a long, hot, and very emotional day.
Sunday, June 19
Happy Father’s Day to dad’s everywhere!!!
We were still wrung out from the work and activities of the week, so we elected to take today off (in a manner of speaking). Instead of going to Yantis this morning, we slept in and then celebrated Father’s Day by working around the house and yard.
While I washed the motorcycle (had to get rid of the weekend bugs and get it shined up for a funeral ride tomorrow), Barbara cooked a big breakfast. We ate, took care of the dishes, and then went to work on the yard, mowing, trimming, edging, trimming hedges, etc. It was a beautiful day for working outside, and we made the most of it.
After getting cleaned up, we went to Wood Memorial for a visit with Mother and then returned to the house where I set up the grill and barbecued pork chops while Barbara put the rest of the meal together.
Pat, a good friend from Georgia, recently received a number of old pictures of her father and wanted to save them the way we have been doing with old family pictures, so Barbara spent quite a bit of time giving Pat some online instruction and then structuring some beautiful collages to send her.
Monday, June 20
Happy Birthday today to Cousin Ladd Thompson in Mineola, Texas!!!
I was up early this morning to prepare for a PGR ride to honor Warrant Officer Bradley Gaudet, a U.S. Army helicopter pilot who was recently killed in action in Afghanistan. I had a quiet and uneventful ride to Gladewater, where I joined 50 fellow East Texas Patriot Guard Riders to stand in the flag line and then escort the remains and the family to the cemetery.
The church parking lot was very small and difficult to get to because traffic had been blocked in certain parts of the area, so three of us ended up doing traffic control and directing drivers to the parking lot. I was doing my best imitation of an air force AP when a driver, obviously a military veteran or retiree, drove up, rolled down his window, and smiled and said, “You’ve done this before, haven’t you?” I indicated that I had, but didn’t explain that my traffic directing was always to keep drivers from running over band members when we were street marching.
Gary and the tribe got here later than any of us expected (traveling with little ones isn’t conducive to keeping a tight schedule), and after they arrived at the house for a “necessary break,” we led them to Wood Memorial for a reunion with Mother before they had to get on down the road.
Tuesday, June 21
While I went to prayer meeting at Yantis FBC this morning, Barbara stayed home and got things ready for a visit from Leah, who was driving in to visit for a few days.
When prayer meeting was over, I returned to the house and we took care of the daily chores while we waited for Leah to arrive.
Two prayers were answered today…we received some rain (that’s a BIG hallelujah these days) and Leah arrived safely.
After unloading the car and getting Leah set up in Mother’s room, we visited for awhile, went to Wood Memorial so Leah could talk to Granny, and then drove out to Our Little Lot to show off the new construction.
Wednesday, June 22
With Leah here to help, we decided this morning would be as good a time as any to take Spike and Bonita to the nursing home to see their Mama. Spike thoroughly enjoyed the ride over, but Bonita, in her inimitable Chihuahua fashion, managed to make the 5-minute drive seem like five hours in a torture chamber.
When we got to Wood Memorial, Barbara went inside to get Mother ready for the visit and wheel her outside in the warm sun (we’ve learned through experience that it is generally unwise to take both puppies inside to see Mother…one or the other, but never both).
Leah and I walked the dogs around and around the parking lot until Barbara and Mother came out the front door of the building and got situated where it was warm, but not to bright for Mother’s eyes. Mother was thrilled to see her babies and the puppies were on pretty good behavior, so we had a nice long visit at the front of the building before wheeling Mother and walking the dogs to the back entrance so Leah, Spike, and Bonita could meet Lee, the physical therapist, and an avid dog lover.
After returning the puppies to the house, Barbara, Leah, and I went to Walmart to pick up some things we needed for the week. When we got back to the house and unloaded the car, Barbara stayed behind to put things away while Leah and I went across town to Sonic to buy lunch.
This evening, I drove back out to Yantis to meet with the youth pastor search committee to assess a fresh batch of resumes and start the search process all over.
When I got back to the house, the three of us went to Brookshire’s to pick out a brisket to smoke tomorrow, and then returned to the place and I went to work devising a marinade to soak it in all night.
Thursday, June 23
I got up this morning and got the smoker going…my first time to ever smoke the meat instead of grilling. I have to admit that I did have the neighborhood stinking pretty good.
Around 9:30, we drove out to Holiday Villages to move Big V from the RV park to Our Little Lot. It is not an easy process, but with Barbara and Leah’s help, I got Big V backed into the right position on the pad and we set about opening the slideouts, leveling, and hooking up all the utilities. Wow, Big V sure looks nice with the new shed and patio attached to the original pad and cover…we’re movin’ on up in the neighborhood!
When we got back to town, Barbara set to work fixing all the trimmings to go along with the brisket while Leah and I drove over to Wood Memorial to visit with Mother and see how her day was going.
When Leah and I returned from seeing Mother, she and Barbara made some “adjustments” to their kitchen redecorating project, getting everything just as they wanted it…for today, anyway. (The wooden box in the middle was made for Barbara years ago in shop class by a student, Mike Farmer. It continues to be her treasure!)
We all just took our sweet time getting around this morning…visiting and having a leisurely breakfast and enjoying the last part of Leah’s visit with us.
Leah and Ryan decided that for my Father’s Day gift, they wanted to treat me to a Ranger’s game in Arlington. Unfortunately, even though Ryan was in Dallas, he was attending a work-related event and couldn’t go to the game, and Barbara said that she had no interest in going to the game. However, we made arrangements for Leah and me to go visit Heather, Andy, and the kids this afternoon, go to the ballgame this evening, and then go back and spend the night at the kid’s house. Leah would then get up early tomorrow morning to go meet Ryan and Barbara would drive over from Mineola to join me in visiting with the kids.
So, with the plans all in place, Leah and I said goodbye to Barbara and got in Leah’s car for the drive to Richardson, stopping first at the nursing home to see Mother and let Leah tell her goodbye. Then, it was down the road for the two-hour drive to the kids’ house.
Andy and Abby were out on a father/daughter outing when we got to the house, but we got to visit with Heather and Alexander, and Alexander took the time to give his Gramps some baseball and soccer lessons.
Tonight was the first time since 1994 that I attended a Rangers game. On that night, I was with the Liberal High School band on our spring tour and the game was one long rain delay. The weather this evening was beautiful and, while it was brutally hot in the sun, the seats Leah selected were in the shade and we had a nice breeze blowing over us.
After the game, Leah and I made our way out of the park to the parking lot (we were cheap, so parking was several blocks away) and then back across the city to Heather and Andy’s house where we visited with them for about an hour before going to sleep after a long and busy day.
Saturday, June 25
Leah got up and away fairly early this morning and Barbara wasn’t due to arrive until 10:30 or so, so I had plenty of time to continue the visit with the kids. Abby and Alexander and I played and then when Andy took the car in for service, I walked with Heather and the kids to a neighborhood yard sale.
When Barbara arrived and Andy returned, we all sat and visited some more…the kids showed Barbara their reading skills (which, by the way, are tremendous) and then we followed them to a restaurant where we met Leah and Ryan and we all enjoyed a nice, if somewhat noisy, family lunch.
By 2:00, it was time for everyone to go their separate ways, so we went outside for the traditional photo session and then headed back to Mineola, stopping along the way to do a little shop-looking at Walmart and Lowe’s to look for an outdoor carpet for the new patio at Our Little Lot.
We stopped at Wood Memorial on the way into Mineola, visited with Mother and told her about our weekend, and then went to the house, took care of the puppies, and called it a day.
Sunday, June 26
It was a typical Sunday for the Littles…go see Mother, go to church, return to the house for the afternoon, go see Mother before returning to Yantis for choir practice and the evening service, and return to the house…hardly worth writing about. We did, however, work into the late hours, spending some time working on text and photos for journals and blog entries which were way behind schedule (but not as far behind as this one).
Monday, June 27
We decided that we’d take a little time for ourselves today, so after taking care of business (bills, post office, household chores, etc.) we took the dogs to the vet for grooming, nail trims, and Spike’s laser treatment, left them overnight, went to visit Mother at Wood Memorial, and then headed to Shreveport for an evening getaway.
The new hat I’m sporting was my idea, and is something we purchased at Bealls before leaving Mineola today. The dermatologist has ordered me to keep my head covered when I’m outside, and the current inventory of hats were either too dirty from being worn while I was working in the yard, or were winter-weight. So, on a whim, I bought this jaunty little number.
After a routine two-hour trip, we arrived at out hotel in Shreveport around 4:40, got checked in, and then went out for a nice dinner and an evening of entertainment.
Tuesday, June 28
After a relaxing morning and good breakfast, we climbed back into the chariot and returned to Mineola for Reality 101 time. I took Barbara to the house and unloaded the car. While she was putting things away, I went to the vet’s to pick up the dogs and then return them to the house.
With plans for John and Randi to come visit next week, we decided that I would go out to Holiday Villages and get Big V cleaned up tonight and tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, Barbara elected to stay home and work on cleaning and reorganizing the garage and preparing some of the things to be given away to a church garage sale.
Wednesday, June 29
I woke up early at the lake lot this morning and continued what I had started last night, mainly scrubbing down the interior of Big V, and vacuuming the floors. When that was done, I turned my attention to mowing, trimming, and generally cleaning the lot so it looked like someone lived there and cared for the place.
When I was finished and had shut the place down, I returned to Mineola around 8:00 p.m. to find that Barbara had the garage shining and that TJ, the pastor of her church, and some others had hauled off all the giveaways…now we had a clean and well-organized garage at the house and a clean motorhome and semi-organized storage shed at Our Little Lot…life is looking pretty good!
This morning was spent in doing some more straightening around the house. Barbara boxed up a bunch of books and I took a them to donate to the local library; Ladd and Angela came over in their pickup a little later to help us haul some more things to Mother’s church for the garage sale they were having.
This afternoon we did some routine housecleaning and laundry chores…just another day of life on Heritage Drive.
“The circumstances in our lives seem random and unplanned; but someday we will surely see the order of God’s hand.” - Sper
From Mineola,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams
ADDENDUM
It’s hard to believe, but this journal/blog entry marks the end of our first five years of retirement. On June 30, 2006, we completed our service at Liberal USD 480, climbed into Big V, and headed off into the great unknown.
We now have 10 journals, one each six months, chronicling everything from our mundane everyday life to great adventures across the country, including making new friends and renewing old friendships, not to mention learning new skills as we helped build churches in Florida and Tennessee, and worked on various mission projects.
The life we are now living is not what we expected, but we still believe that God has us right where HE wants us, taking care of Mother, helping our neighbors, and joining in the various aspects of ministry through Yantis First Baptist Church (where, by the way, our former pastor from Liberal, David Bagwell and his family) now serves as pastor. It seems that “coincidence” is merely a term that man has devised to explain the unexplainable work of God in our lives.
We hope you will continue this road with us, and that we will once again savor the joy of love and friendship together.
Love to all…May God’s richest blessings be poured out upon you,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams
Mineola, Texas and Our Little Lot at Holiday Villages of Lake Fork
June 30, 2011
