Thursday, September 1 – Friday, September 30, 2011
A “Little” Overview of the MonthSeptember brought us some travel time as we took off from Mineola to spend a week in our hometown of Artesia, New Mexico. We had wanted to go see our “adopted” family, the Terpenings, for some time, but just haven’t been able to arrange that.
For the uninitiated readers of our journal/blog, the Terpening family has been near and dear to us for many, many years. Barbara and her family knew the Terpenings when they lived in Hobbs and operated a funeral home there. Cal and Jean, along with a very young Jerry and Susan, later moved to Artesia to operate the Paulin Funeral Home and I was their El Paso Times paperboy for several years beginning when I was 12. Daddy even worked part time for Cal at one time, and Barbara’s mom and dad resumed their close friendship with them when they moved to Artesia at the beginning of our senior year at AHS. Barbara lived with the Terpening family in the funeral home during the summers when she was going to college at McMurry.
To make a long story short, Jerry grew up to follow in his father’s footsteps and eventually took over the operation of what is now Terpening and Son Mortuary. We resumed our friendship with the family after we got married in 1994 and it still isn’t clear whether we “adopted” them or they “adopted” us. In any case, we both consider Jean as our second mother and her children and grandchildren refer to us as Aunt Barbara and Uncle Jim (although, Barbara had already been Aunt Barbara for a long time).
When we retired in 2006 and decided to make a home base in Artesia so we could be close to Mother, Jean, Jerry, and Nancy invited us to park the motorhome on their pecan farm west of town and live out there. We took them up on the offer and, by the time we arrived on July 1, Jerry had already found the perfect parking place for us and hooked up the 50 amp electrical service we needed.
The pecan farm was our home base for three years until we relocated to East Texas to be close to Mother (and eventually move in with her as her fulltime caregivers). Still, Artesia and the Terpening family have a special tug at our hearts and we continue to return when we can.
To make this long story short, Jean was diagnosed with cancer at the first of the year and we needed to go visit her, so we arranged for care for Mother’s puppies, left Mother in the caring and capable hands of the folks at Wood Memorial Nursing Home, and made the trek across Texas to be in Artesia for a few days.
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Mother continues to adjust to her surroundings at the nursing home. The change to the private room was welcomed, but it also brought a change of staff, since the new room is on a different wing. One of the ways that Parkinsonism manifests itself in Mother’s behavior is increased confusion at times, and any changes in routine bring that confusion on. It has been a bit of a challenge for Mother to get used to the nurses and aides who are now working with her, but that is coming along quite well. Mother is the darling of the wing for some of her caregivers and she is beginning to respond very positively to them.My aunt Glennis was here for a couple of weeks this month, so Mother got to visit with both of her sisters daily, a real treat for her, as they remembered and relived their earlier days.
Heart-to-Heart Hospice has been an absolute godsend for us. With the extra hands and added services, not to mention the special bed and chair they provided, Mother is receiving and accepting the love, compassion, and care that she needs. If this sounds like an infomercial for Wood Memorial Nursing Home and Heart-to-Heart Hospice, so be it, but we believe that God had a firm hand in bringing us to these two outstanding organizations.
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Other than the above-mentioned, September was a relatively calm month. Our time is occupied mostly with the most mundane of chores – housekeeping and yard work at Mother’s property and at Our Little Lot at Holiday Villages, taking care of Bonita and Spike, including the trips to the vet for routine for routine puppy maintenance and Spike’s laser treatments for his arthritis, and our daily visits to see Mother and check with her caregivers at Wood Memorial about the services she receives.+++++
Sundays are set aside for services at Yantis First Baptist Church. Tuesday mornings find me at church at 7:00 for the weekly prayer meetings. The weekly Wednesday morning Bible study for women resumed this month, as did a monthly Tuesday night Women’s session. This month we splurged and spent the Tuesday night in Big V after Barbara returned from the group…it was nice to be home again, even if it was for just one night!We have also been asked (and have agreed) to help out in the church nursery on the fourth Wednesday evening of each month…more about that later in the blog.
And so, life continues for us here in East Texas…not necessarily the life we had planned, but let’s face it, how many people really live out their lives as they planned them? God is in control; we, like many others, just need to relinquish that control to Him and enjoy the ride.
Thursday, September 6
One of the services that Mother receives each week at Wood Memorial is a trip to see the hairdresser, who maintains a shop at one end of the building. It was time for another permanent for Mother this month, so while I was occupied at something or other, Barbara went to the nursing home to make sure that the permanent would happen today and to take some pictures along the way. Tammy, the hairdresser did a really nice job with Mother today. While Mother was on the final stages of the perm, she sent Barbara to Sonic for a drink which absolutely tickled Barbara since that’s a huge step for her. Once Mother’s perm was complete, Barbara got Mother safely to her room without running into anyone with the Geri-chair. Once there, one of the aides came in and posed with Mother so she could show off her new “do.
Wednesday, September 7
David later informed us that he would be bringing in Ray McElroy, a former NFL player and currently the chaplain for the Chicago Bears to give several talks in the area.
Last night, Ray spoke to a large group of men gathered at Big Smith’s Barbecue, between Yantis and Sulphur Springs. I took my cousin, Ladd Thompson, as my guest and we had a wonderful time…fantastic food, wonderful fellowship, and a great message about the responsibilities of being a Godly man.
This morning, Ray addressed the senior high and junior high students at Yantis. We were more than pleased with the way Ray commanded the attention of the students and staff and interacted with the students during his presentation. The message was both exciting and profound, something we felt Jimmy Clint would approve, especially since this is the sort of thing he wanted to do himself.
Wednesday, September 7 – Wednesday, September 14
To Artesia and Back
Wednesday, September 7
When we returned from Yantis this morning, we loaded the car for the trip to Artesia, closed up the house, took Bonita and Spike to the Doggie Motel, visited Mother for a while, and then headed west toward Abilene to spend the night with our friend Dandy.
The trip today was uneventful…we just took our time and stopped along the way whenever we felt like it, since there was no rush.
When we got to Abilene, we stopped at Walmart for gas and Barbara called Dandy to let her know we were in the neighborhood. We then drove to the house, unloaded what we needed for the night, visited for a few minutes, and then took Dandy to the Cotton Patch restaurant where we at a great meal and started getting caught up on all that had happened since we were last together.
When we returned to the house, we talked and played computer games until we couldn’t see straight and decided we all needed to get some sleep to prepare for tomorrow.
Thursday, September 8
We took our time getting around this morning, then said our goodbyes to Dandy and headed off on the next leg of our journey from Abilene to Artesia via Sweetwater, Big Spring, Lamesa, Seminole, and Hobbs.
When we got to Artesia, we went straight to Walmart to fuel the car and that’s where the day got interesting.
Before we left Mineola, we purchased a Walmart shopping card, knowing that we would make our regular Walmart fuel stops in Abilene and Artesia, and Roswell, if necessary. With the current ten cents per gallon discount, it only made sense to do so.
When we got to the pumps in Artesia, we couldn’t find the new card anywhere…searched all through the car and through the sacks that held our purchases from the stop in Abilene. We were beside ourselves, because there was nearly $200 on the card and we hadn’t brought along enough cash for fuel purchases.
I decided to not buy the gas at the time and we drove on to Jean’s house to unload the car and do a more thorough search. Unfortunately, we had no more luck there than before, so while Barbara talked to Jean, I stepped outside and called the Walmart store in Abilene, got someone at customer service, and explained our problem, and asked about getting a replacement card…I even had the receipts from both the Mineola and Abilene stores, so I was able to give all the information they needed.
The lady I talked to was kind and helpful and explained that we could either wait until we returned to Abilene to get a replacement card, or go to the customer service center in the Artesia store and get a replacement there.
Meanwhile, Barbara called the Mineola store to ask what we should do and they said to go to the Artesia store, show them the receipts for the purchase of the card and the purchases from Abilene, and they could cancel the card, providing it had not been found and used, and issue a new one…ah, the beauty of computers.
Barbara said she thought I should just go back to the Artesia store right away, since there might be a possibility they could check the computer and see if the card had been used anywhere, so I drove back to town, ready to plead my case.
The first lady I talked to at customer service said she didn’t know how to get that information, but that she would find the night manager to help. When the manager arrived, I again explained our situation, and she said there was NO WAY that they could help us out and that we would have to go back to the store in Mineola to get a replacement card. I explained what the lady in Abilene told me and the lady in Mineola told Barbara about going into the computer and tracking the card; I had the card number, so that should have minimized the problem.
The customer service manager then informed me in no uncertain terms that there was nothing they could do to help, that Abilene might possibly be able to help, but that we would more than likely have to return to Mineola to get any assistance…the computer would just not allow that kind of search or transaction.
Now, keep in mind that the Walmart computer system is second in sophistication only to the system used by the Pentagon, and that with a few keystrokes, Walmart knows how many heads of lettuce are on the shelves or in storage at the store in Beijing, China, but this lady was telling me there was no way to track a card!
Unfortunately, the system is no better than the knowledge and skills of the person who operates it. Deciding that I was going to get nowhere with my line of reasoning, I left the store and returned to Jean’s house to set aside this little problem for the day and enjoy our visit with special friends.
Becky, Jerry and Nancy’s daughter, was tied up with a community theater rehearsal tonight, but Jean, Barbara, and I drove over to Jerry and Nancy’s house to spend a fun evening eating, talking, and generally getting caught up with each other’s busy lives. Unfortunately, we forgot to take the camera tonight, but there would be pictures later.
Friday, September 9
Jerry picked me up early this morning and I went with him to the weekly Methodist Men’s prayer breakfast…always a good time of food and fellowship.
Later in the morning, Barbara and I took Jean to Walmart to do some grocery shopping. While Jean and I wandered around the store, Barbara took our card receipts and went to find the customer service manager to tell her what had happened last night with the night manager (in detail) and ask if there was anything she could do to help us. By the time Jean and I finished loading the cart, Barbara was back with a smile on her face and a new card in her hand. It seems that the night manager was totally wrong and that with the right information, any store can give that kind of assistance. Of course, it took checking the manual to get the right procedure, but at least this lady was willing to do that for us. Again, the system, no matter how sophisticated or capable, is no better than the operator.
Today is Homecoming Day at Artesia High School, our alma mater. We joined Jerry, Becky, and Cousin Mary downtown for the parade this afternoon and relived the day 50 years ago when we marched in the band at our last high school homecoming.
The parade was marked, of course, by the usual entrants, a fire department color guard, the combined high school and junior high bands (with director Tom Dillon riding along on his orange motor scooter…why didn’t I ever think of that?), and the usual group of student floats and the homecoming court in their fancy convertibles. It didn’t seem that as much effort went into the building of the floats as when we were in school, but that was then and this is now, and the times have definitely changed!
Tonight I went to the football game at Bulldog Bowl with Jerry, Nancy, Becky, and Mary, while Barbara and Jean stayed at the house to listen on the radio.
Unfortunately, the hometown ‘Dogs were no match for the 5-A Albuquerque Manzano team and we suffered a homecoming loss. But, it was a beautiful night and we were with good friends…couldn’t ask for much more than that.
Saturday, September 10
One of the reasons we needed to come to Artesia was to pick up a trailer that has been stored in Jean’s boat barn since we moved to East Texas. We bought the trailer when we first retired to haul the motorcycle behind Big V. There have been several times when we could have used it at Holiday Villages to haul things to Our Little Lot, but the Pontiac Vibe we were driving didn’t have a tow package, so we could never come get the trailer. When we bought the new Dodge in February, we had them install an approved tow package, and this was the first opportunity we had to come get the trailer.
I spent part of the morning getting the trailer out of the barn and getting it travel ready, including taking it to town and running it through the car wash to get rid of a five-year accumulation of spiders and their homes.
We visited with Jean most of the day and then this evening we went to the Pecos Diamond restaurant with Jean, Jerry, and Nancy to enjoy a good meal before attending the Artesia Community Theater performance of Greater Tuna. Artesia has a very high caliber performing arts program, showcasing both local and traveling theater talent. Becky was involved as a backstage “dresser” for this production, so while we didn’t get to see her perform, we did enjoy the fruits of her labor.
Sunday, September 11
It looked as if today would be the only opportunity during this trip to go to Roswell and see family members (Barbara’s sister Carol and my brother Jerry and his wife Jane) so we got around fairly early and made the short drive north.
We met Carol at Golden Corral to visit and have breakfast and, after an hour or so, drove over to Jerry and Jane’s house to talk with them for another hour or so. It was a beautiful morning…a really nice day for “family time.”
In the pictures, Barbara is shown with Carol outside Golden Corral. Jerry and I are holding medals awarded to our great-great-grandfather Little in the Civil War, and Jerry and Jane are shown in their house.
We returned to Artesia to spend a quiet afternoon with Jean and then went with the family to La Fonda restaurant for some of their signature Tex-Mex dishes.
This evening we gathered at Jerry and Nancy’s house for a couple of rousing, if not heatedly contested (by Becky), rounds of Chickenfoot.
Monday, September 12
Another reason for this visit to Artesia was to help the family with getting Jean to some of her doctor appointments. Today was our turn to transport Jean to her cardiologist in Lovington.
So, we were up fairly early, had a little breakfast, and then got into Jean’s car for the 65-mile drive to the Lea County Medical Center. While Barbara stayed with Jean and waited for Susie (Jean’s daughter) to arrive, I drove across town to see if I could visit with Marie, my former mother-in-law and maternal grandmother to Heather, Mike, and Whitney. Marie is a resident in one of the nursing homes in Lovington.
Marie has been in the nursing home for several years now and I try to see her whenever I’m in the area. Today I found Marie in the recreation room, having her hair arranged by one of the aides and watching TV. She recognized me immediately and we moved off to one side of the room so we could talk for awhile and let one of the aides take our picture.
When I returned to the medical center, I found that Susie had arrived, so she, Barbara, and I visited awhile until Jean was through seeing the cardiologist. Then, we all drove back across town to Lazy 6 restaurant for lunch. All we can say about the Lazy 6 is that it has good food and is “quaint.” Those who find themselves in Lovington should give it a try and then try to describe it.
Tonight was more family time and then we had to get everything ready for the return journey tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 13
We were up early enough to get some photos of an Artesia morning. Living in the Piney Woods of East Texas, we see neither sunrises nor sunsets, just the sun when it appears above the trees and houses on the east and a bit of glow when it disappears behind the houses and trees in the west. So, it’s always a treat to watch sunrises and sunsets over the Pecos Valley horizons. The evenings during the time we have been here were cloudy, so we didn’t get any shots of the sunsets, but this morning’s sunrise was spectacular.
We ginned around and got the car loaded, hooked up the trailer, secured my bicycle on the trailer, said our goodbyes to Jean, and headed down the road for Abilene.
The trip today was mostly uneventful…that is, until it became VERY eventful.
I noticed that the drag caused by the trailer was taking its toll on our gas mileage…more than I thought it would, but 4-cylinder cars just aren’t built for towing much of anything. Still, we were doing well and I thought we could easily reach Sweetwater and the Walmart store there before refueling. Well, there are some days when I just shouldn’t bother thinking!
As we drove through Big Spring, the gas gauge showed a little over a fourth of a tank…should be enough to reach Sweetwater comfortably. What I failed to consider was that the bottom half of the gauge drops more rapidly than the top half.
Even as we passed through Colorado City, I thought we would still make it to Sweetwater, but within a few miles, the gauge needle dropped significantly and then the warning light came on. We immediately turned off the air conditioner to save what fuel we could and frantically began looking for anyplace to buy a few gallons of gas…just enough at any price to get us to Sweetwater.
We looked, and looked, and looked, but that stretch of I-20 is about as barren and devoid of gas stations as the Sahara desert. There were some stations, but they had been closed and shuttered years ago, back when gas was under a dollar a gallon, according to their price signs.
With more sweat running down our faces than we had gasoline in the tank, we finally spotted an exit at Colorado City, a wide spot in the road, but it had a convenience store and gas pumps, so were saved.
As we pulled onto the exit, the trailer made some horribly loud noises, but I didn’t think much about it since it had almost no weight on it and it had been bouncing and rattling all along the way.
I pulled into the convenience store parking lot and up to the fuel tank. As I got out of the car, I glanced at the trailer and saw the reason for all the noise…the left side tire was shredded. The combination of old tires that had been stored four years, highway speeds, and 112-degree temperatures had taken their toll. Now we were able to gas up the car, but unable to go anywhere because there was no spare tire, and the odds of finding one in Colorado City at this hour of the day were slim and none.
While I filled the gas tank, Barbara went inside to inquire about anyplace around that might have tires. I came in and she handed me the phone and I talked to a man who had a tire store right across the interstate from the convenience store. He was unable to come to help us, so we dragged the trailer, v-e-r-y slowly through the underpass about a block and a half to the tire store.
Luckily, they had a couple of tires the size that we needed, so we gave them the go-ahead to change both tires (no point in taking a chance on the one that hadn’t blown – yet). We went to the local Dairy Queen for a rest stop and a drink and then returned to wait a few more minutes until both tires were mounted and we could pay out and get on down the road. Just ask us if we believe God was watching out for us today!!!
We called Dandy and told her what had happened and that we would be later than we thought getting to her house. Then, we headed down the road with, thankfully, no more excitement.
After arriving at Dandy’s house and unloading the car, we went out to one of her favorite Chinese restaurants to enjoy a great meal and conversation. Then, it was back to the house for an evening of fun with a very special friend.
Wednesday, September 14
Surprisingly, we slept in this morning. We took our time getting the car loaded and taking some pictures and then headed out for the final leg of the trip back to Mineola. It was a beautiful day and the traffic, even through Dallas-Fort Worth, was cooperative, providing for a quiet and uneventful journey.
We stopped at Wood Memorial to visit with Mother and let her know we were back, and then went to the house to unload the car and get things put away. When all was done, I drove out to Our Little Lot to drop off the trailer and then returned to the house for a quiet evening.
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Friday, September 16When we returned from our trip a couple of days ago, we found that the armadillo had continued its assault on the neighborhood yards, inflicting severe damage to Mother’s front yard. We have tried everything we can think of to get rid of the nasty critter – putting out grub and worm killer to get rid of the food source, spreading a substance that is supposed to deter armadillos and possums from walking on the area, chasing the dumb animal with a shovel to scare it away (me), and even kicking it when it got too close (John), but nothing worked. The armadillo (and were pretty sure there is only one) not only ignores the three baited traps that we have set out, it forages and digs right next to them, as if he is having a giant laugh at our expense. John is frustrated, Addie is frustrated, and we are frustrated at our inability to trap the critter or convince him to move to a less hostile environment.
The armadillo has no set schedule…he has appeared anywhere from 9:00 pm to 5:00 am, and never at the same time on consecutive days. Tonight, Barbara stayed up late to try to at least get a picture of the animal. Her efforts were unrewarded, so she came to bed and then got up around 4:00 am to try again. The armadillo finally made his appearance a little after 5:00 and Barbara was able to get this shot…cloudy and not very distinct, but if you look closely, you’ll see him drilling away in the front yard, between the tree and the sidewalk. Barbara woke me up to come and see, but by the time I got out there, our neighborhood pest was long gone.
Saturday, September 17
After standing the flag line at the church, Patriot Guard Riders escorted Sgt. Henry’s remains and his family to a local cemetery for interment with military honors.
Following the graveside service and a post-mission review, the riders quietly dispersed to other activities of the day. For my part, I returned to Mineola, stopping in Lindale for lunch, for a quiet afternoon and evening at the house.
Sunday, September 18
We had a very special service at Yantis First Baptist Church this morning as we welcomed our new youth pastor, Jeremy Durig, and his family on their first Sunday at YFBC. The recommendation of the search committee was unanimous, as was the vote of the church membership, when the call came to a vote. Jeremy and Emily and their sons Jamison and Jeremiah made a strong impression on the church membership when they came for an interview, and we are certain they will continue with mighty service in Yantis and the surrounding area. Welcome, Jeremy, Emily, Jamison, and Jeremiah to our church family!
Wednesday, September 21
What a great day this was! With Aunt Glennis here to visit Mother and TJ, we had planned a big family dinner. I got up at 5:00 to start the smoker and by 6:00, the brisket was underway.
While we were making out final plans for the day yesterday, Barbara suggested that we talk to the people in the office at Wood Memorial to see if there was any way we could have them transport Mother to the house for a few hours today. I was skeptical that it could happen, but agreed to go over and ask this morning. A few minutes after 9:00 AM, we went to the main office and asked Linda, the person who oversees that sort of thing, what might be possible, even volunteering to pay for that service if necessary.
Linda just looked at us, smiled, and said not to worry about it…it was possible, depending on scheduling of the transport vehicle, and there was no charge. While Barbara and I crossed our fingers, Linda called the driver to check on whether he had medical transports scheduled for the day; there were none during the time frame we wanted Mother at home, so we completed the arrangements, asking that they bring Mother to the house at 1:00 so we could surprise TJ and Glennis when they got there.
We then went to Mother’s room to tell her what we had going, but found that she was in physical therapy doing her exercises and singing along with the group. We told her what we had planned and asked if she wanted to come to the house for a few hours to eat and visit with the family. The look on her face was all we needed to know, so we warned her to not tell TJ and Glennis when they came by for their morning visit because we wanted it to be a surprise for them.
With that bit of business taken care of, we went back to the house, Barbara started some things going in the crock pot, and then left to go to Bible study while I stayed at the house to monitor the smoker and do some minor cleaning and straightening to get ready for the bunch.
Barbara has become the unofficial “official” photographer for the church, taking pictures and organizing them into pictorial reminders of the many different events and activities held at and around the church. While at Bible study this morning, she took a number of pictures of the ladies in action. These will be copied and given to Pastor David for use in demonstrating what is available to the community through our church.
When Barbara returned from church, we took care of getting the final parts of the dinner prepared and then waited for the transport van to deliver Mother. Shortly after 1:00, the driver arrived and got Mother wheeled out of the van and into the garage, where we took over and got her situated in the living room with her babies, Spike and Bonita.
To say that TJ and Glennis were surprised when they walked into the house and saw Mother would be the understatement of the year. The looks on their faces were priceless, and they told us that they had just finished saying that they wished “Sister” could be here to enjoy the get-together.
Ladd and Angela arrived a few minutes after the others, and soon we had a roomful of people, all excited about the prospect of spending a few hours at home with Mother and gathering around a loaded kitchen table.
Words can’t really describe how we all felt, but the pictures say a lot.
Friday, September 23
We had the rare opportunity this weekend to go to Dallas and enjoy visits with grandchildren Alexander and Abby and also with Jean Terpening’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Since two of Jean’s grandchildren were in the area this weekend, it was almost like hitting the trifecta for us.
After putting the puppies in the doggie hospital for the weekend, we went to see Mother and then drove to Richardson to see Andy, Alexander, and Abby and spend the night with them. Heather was attending a conference in New Orleans, so we didn’t get to see her on this trip, but we thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with Andy and the kids. Both kids are voracious readers and highly competitive game players, so there was no shortage of opportunities to show off their skills and abilities.
Andy and I decided that we would cook the old-fashioned way…call Pizza Hut and order out. After determining what we wanted, Andy made the call and he and I went out to pick up the order while Grams (Barbara) was entertained by the kids.
When we returned, we set up the table for the kids and then we adults got comfortable on the couches and chairs while we all enjoyed pizza and cheesy breadsticks while watching our first ever movie of Phineas and Ferb. Who would have ever guessed how much we could learn from our grandchildren!
Saturday, September 24
We got up early this morning and had a chance to spend some quality time with Alexander and Abby, who were happy to show off their study spaces (Alexander is a 2nd grader and Abby is in kindergarten – both attend Lakehill Preparatory School, where Heather works.
After saying goodbye to Andy and the kids and thanking them for the nice time we had, we struck out across the Metroplex to find the home of Paul and Stephanie Francis and attend a birthday party for their son Wesley.
It took a while to find the house (our GPS was almost as useless as the printed map), but we got there in plenty of time to have a great visit with everyone.
Paul is the son of James and Susie Francis (Susie being Jean’s daughter). He is married to Stephanie, and they have two sons, Wesley and Eugene.
Barbara Yehl is a daughter of James and Susie and is married to Warren Yehl, Barbara and Warren have a son, Henry.This weekend, the house was full of Jean’s grandchildren and grandchildren as they gathered to celebrate Wesley’s third birthday.
Since Barbara and I are “adopted” family members, we fit right in with the crowd (also including Stephanie’s parents and her older sister), alternately helping with adult duties and being babysitters while the parents prepared for their other guests.
Needless to say, a good time was had by all and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit, especially since we finally got to see Henry in person and hadn’t seen Eugene since he was a newborn.
And of course, time spent with James and Susie is always fun.
When Mother bought the house in Mineola three years ago, the only carpeting was in the master bedroom; all of the other rooms, except for the bathrooms, had varying shades of laminated wood flooring. We decided early on that the laminate flooring was a bad idea to begin with. For one thing, it is impossible to keep clean; for another, it is extremely dangerous for Spike to walk on because of the increasing instability of his legs.
A little over a year ago, Mother decided that we needed to have carpet in the living room and hallway so Spike and Bonita wouldn’t slip and slide as they padded about the house. We didn’t know what to do about the kitchen and dining room; carpeting in those areas, especially with the way the dogs drag their food around, just wasn’t practical.
Lately, Spike has been having more problems with walking on the laminate flooring. His legs tend to splay out, leaving him sprawled out on the floor and unable to stand up without help.
Last week Barbara and I went to Wood County Flooring in Quitman, the same folks that sold and installed the carpet, and talked to them about new flooring for the kitchen and dining room. After looking at several products and trying out some samples by having Spike walk on them, we settled on vinyl planking, an almost indestructable material that has raised grain like wood and is easy for the dogs to walk and stand on.
Today, the workers showed up to rip out the laminate flooring and install the new planking. We immediately ran into problems when they moved the refrigerator out turned off the water faucet for the ice maker, and disconnected it. The problem was that the faucet was broken and only appeared to be turned off. So, their next job was to have me locate the water main, close off the water supply to the house, and then they started mopping the floor.
While the installers were playing with the refrigerator and starting to rip out the laminate planks, I made a couple of trips to the local Ace Hardware store to get a new faucet and everything I needed to install it.
I finally got the faucet fixed and the water turned back on and the installers continued ripping out the old flooring, cleaning up the concrete floor, and then starting on the installation of the vinyl planking.
When they were finished, the dining room and kitchen looked far better than we even hoped and, best of all, the new floors passed the “puppy test” with flying colors as both Spike and Bonita were able to walk about without any slipping.
Wednesday, September 28
Today was the annual observance of See You at the Pole for students at the Yantis schools. A large contingent of high school and middle school students began arriving even before the announced time of 7:00 a.m. and began making their final preparations for the events of the morning. See You at the Pole is a student sponsored prayer-based event and at Yantis, is organized and directed by the youth from First Baptist Church, sponsored by our new youth pastor, Jeremy Durig.
For those who who needed a little breakfast “fix,” there was juice and donuts before the prayer session. On a signal from the student leaders, the kids gathered around the flag pole for prayer and then broke into smaller prayer groups to continue their praises and petitions.
Tonight we went back to Yantis to take turns serving as volunteers in the nursery and take pictures of the Saw You at the Pole activities by our youth group.
We had a large number of youth of all ages in the building tonight, so there was a lot to document. Our volunteer youth helpers have done a marvelous job of building the group and maintaining it while we searched for a fulltime youth pastor, and now Jeremy is doing his part to keep them active and growing. YFBC is definitely THE place to be for youth in the community on Wednesday nights.
Besides taking pictures of all the activities tonight, our other job was to handle the nursery. Fortunately for us, our only baby was 4-month old Jeremiah Durig, son of Jeremy and Emily.
For the most part, our previous experiences served us well, but we did have a few tense moments when Jeremiah got upset about something and nothing we tried seemed to calm him down. I finally went to the youth department and got Emily to come down and help us. She said that Jeremiah had been feeling bad anyway, but we think she was just being kind to a couple of old folks who need some retraining in baby care.
I was hoping to get in a little practice time on my trumpet tonight. When Barbara finished playing with Jeremiah and left to go take pictures, I broke out the trumpet and entertained him with some warm-up exercises. It seems that when Jeremiah is well, he is a very happy and easily entertained baby. We’re looking forward to spending time with hime on the fourth Wednesday of each month.
Birthday greetings this month go to Paul Boley (husband of niece Brandi Hargrave Boley) September 2; Mary Royar (friend and neighbor at Holiday Villages) September 22; and Francisco Camacho (former student and a member of our Puerto Rico family) September 29.
That’s the news from here for the month of September. There’ll be more next month, the good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.
“The secret of peace is to give every anxious thought to God.” – Our Daily Bread
From Mother’s house in Mineola, Texas,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom Grams
