Wednesday, January 1 – Friday, January
31
Wednesday, January 1
Happy New Year,
Everyone!
Since we
didn’t stay up late waiting for the new year to make an appearance, we were up
at a fairly normal time to get ready for the delivery of a new
refrigerator. That’s right...we ordered
a new refrigerator-freezer from Sears a couple of weeks ago, and they actually
scheduled delivery for today!
We don’t know
what we were thinking, but we didn’t have a camera standing by, so there is no
photographic documentation of this momentous occasion...maybe we’ll get our
heads on straight before we get too far into January.
Since the old
refrigerator wasn’t completely shot, we set it up in the garage to store
“stuff” that wouldn’t fit in the new unit.
Then, we spent the rest of the day reorganizing the entire garage and
later took food leftover from our New Year’s Eve banquet to our neighbors, John
and Wanda across the street, and Addie, next door.
Bonita, our
inheritance from Mother, will soon be turning 17 years. She’s slowed down a lot in the last year, but
still can delight us with her antics.
Her latest trick is to crawl under her bed and carry it like a turtle
shell to a new location; and sometimes her favorite trick is to sleep all day!
+++++++
Thursday, January 2 – Friday, January
10
The first 10
days of the month were relatively tame as we focused on the normal stuff of
daily life. On the good days, I went
outside to start cleaning out the North 40 and preparing it for “real” winter. On the days it wasn’t fun to get outside, we
worked in the house, since there is always something that needs doing.
Along the way
we attended a Saturday matinee showing of Saving Mr. Banks at the historic
Select Theater in downtown Mineola, baked some goodies to take to the week and
weekend crews at Wood Memorial Nursing Home (where Mother spent her last two
and a half years), I began a new season of rehearsals with the Lake Country
Symphonic Band, and we made a trip to Duncanville one Sunday afternoon to
support Mary Parker, a good friend and member of our church whose brother
passed away unexpectedly. And, since it
is January and a new “medical” year, we also began scheduling doctor
appointments.
+++++++
Saturday, January 11
We left early
this morning for a flying trip to Dallas to watch one of our former students,
Drew Johnson, perform with a jazz ensemble at the 5th Annual Jazz
Education Network Conference at the Dallas Hyatt Regency. Drew was in Barbara’s classes at West Middle
School in Liberal. He came to the high
school after I left the band room and went over to the “dark side,” so I only
got to follow his musical progress as his principal.
Drew
performed today with Pandemusicum, a jazz ensemble from Radford University in
Radford, Virginia. Oddly enough, the
director of the ensemble was Christopher White, who was the director of bands
at Dodge City Community College while I was principal at Liberal High
School. I never had the chance to meet
him until today.
Following the
concert, we called Heather and Leah to see if we could hook up with any of the
area bunch, but everyone was already busy with other things, so we drove back
home. Along the way, we found that Aunt
TJ had been admitted to East Texas Medical Center in Quitman again, so we went
there first to see what was going on.
+++++++
Sunday, January 12
Aunt TJ was
transferred from Quitman to Trinity Mother Francis Hospital in Tyler last
night, so we passed on church services at Yantis this morning and went to Tyler
to see her.
John sent us a photo of great-grandson Rhett in his basketball uniform tonight.
John sent us a photo of great-grandson Rhett in his basketball uniform tonight.
+++++++
Monday, January 13
We went back
to Tyler this morning to take some “necessaries” to TJ and visit her for
awhile. When we returned to Mineola, we
stopped at the Chevrolet place to drool over a new car we’ve been looking
at. We were looking at a new Chevrolet
Equinox, but all the pieces of the plan hadn’t come together yet, so we left
our drool marks on the pavement and went to see Leon Anderson, our Edward Jones
guy, to figure out the best way to get the money for the car.
Leon was very
helpful and it wasn’t long until we had the answers we needed...in time even to
go back to the Chevrolet place and let Richard Branch know that we had a deal,
but it would take at least until next Monday to have the money in place.
I was kind of
wired after we made the decision on the car, so since it was a really nice day
out, I went out to the North 40 to do some more work while Barbara went into
the house and started supper.
+++++++
Tuesday, January 14
Today was definitely an unusual day for Barbara. Several days ago she made arrangements with Leslie Bautista for a few hours of permanent, and mani/pedi therapy.
I, on the other hand, elected to brave the cold and ride Taz to the early morning prayer meeting at Yantis FBC and then to Our Little Lot to get some work done out there while the weather was somewhat cooperative.
For me, it was business as usual, but Barbara was beaming and shouting Leslie's praises when she returned from the beauty shop with a new do, new fingers, and new feet. And, I had to admit that Leslie did a beautiful job. They have in mind that I'm going to be in there next for a pedicure, but I don't quite see that...at least not in this lifetime.
Wednesday, January 15
Happy Birthday to Barbara's sister, Nancy Hargrave in Cleburne, Texas!!!!
Aside from driving to Tyler this morning to bail TJ out of the hospital and get her back home, this was about as normal a Wednesday as we could have. The weather cooperated, so I got in some quality time in the North 40 and the back yard. Tonight we drove out to Yantis for Praise Band rehearsal.
Thursday, January 16
Happy Birthday to Jim's brother, Jerry Little, in Roswell, New Mexico!!!
It was another nice day outside, so I began mowing the North 40 after days of raking leaves and cutting down weeds.
Barbara spent a good part of the day creating collages for the December journal/blog and paying bills, both very necessary activities.
Tonight...another rehearsal with the Lake Country Symphonic Band as we prepare a program of Movie Magic for the March concert.
Friday, January 17
In preparation for a busy weekend, we went to see Leslie again to get Barbara's hair trimmed and my hair cut.
When we were finished with Leslie (or she was finished with us), we loaded some things in the car and drove to Rockwall for an afternoon of shopping and a night at the local Best Western.
Saturday, January 18
A couple of days ago, Heather sent a text asking if we wanted to come to Richardson this weekend to watch Alexander and Abby play soccer and to finally have our Christmas celebration. We had seen Heather, Andy, and the kids at Thanksgiving, but they were going to Virginia for Christmas, so we never got to have our Christmas time together.
We arranged to meet this morning at IHOP along the George Bush Toll Road for a family breakfast, but we sure didn't count on a large group of basketball and volleyball teams being there at the same time. There weren't any other feasible options close by, so we toughed it out and visited in the waiting area until we could get to a booth and order some food.
We drove over to Plano after breakfast to watch Alexander play in his team's soccer match for the day. Abby is a budding photographer, so we turned one of the cameras over to her to capture the scenes she wanted.
When Alexander's soccer match was over, we all returned to the house for a few hours. First on the agenda was our long-delayed Christmas celebration.
Once the gifts were open and the wrapping paper was thrown away, Alexander and Abby demonstrated their karaoke skills (and both are very skillful).
The weather was fairly nice, so we went outside for some fun time with plastic guns and rubber bullets, and a round or two of bean-bag tossing.
All the time that we kids were playing, Heather was busy working in the kitchen and preparing our lunch. Barbara kept a close eye on the preparations to see what we could learn. Heather's delicious meal and the obvious success that they have had with healthy eating and measured amounts of food gave us the impetus to begin a diet of our own...time will tell how that works out for us.
After our meal, the adults got busy clearing the table, washing dishes, and cleaning the kitchen. Meanwhile, Abby grabbed the camera and added to her portfolio of photos of Simba, the family cat.
It was soon time to get Abby in her soccer gear and make the short trek to a nearby indoor sports complex for yet another soccer match.
What a fun-filled day we had, but it was already dark after the final soccer match and we had to leave so I could be prepared to play trumpet with the Praise Band at church tomorrow morning.
Sunday, January 19 - Tuesday, January 21
These were days filled with the normal stuff of life...church, housecleaning, cooking, etc...certainly nothing noteworthy, and certainly NOT photo worthy.
Wednesday, January 22
Happy Birthday to daughter Leah McQuitty and daughter-in-law Kelly Little!!!!
With a major trip looming on the horizon, we decided we'd better get serious about cleaning the house; and, as it often is with housecleaning, one thing led to another, and another and...
We might have been cleaning well into the evening, but we had to stop so Barbara could get ready to go see Dr. Bankhead for her annual physical exam. The last trip to Dr. Bankhead's office resulted in an ambulance ride to the hospital in Tyler, but this one was simpler and more successful, even if it did take a long time.
When we had finished at Dr. Bankhead's office, we drove across town to the Chevrolet dealership and took possession of a new car. We'd been dealing with them for about two weeks, and everything finally came together this afternoon, including the deal-maker, the installation of a tow package that will allow us to flat tow the vehicle behind Big V, something we haven't been able to do with previous cars.
So, after three years and 77,000 miles on the Dodge Caliber, we climbed into the interior of a brand new Chevrolet Equinox, got a quick lesson on the space-age dash complex, and drove off with grand plans to "See the USA in our Chevrolet."
Thursday, January 23
Happy Birthday to our "adopted" nephew, Paul Francis, in Lewisville, Texas!!!!
We were up early this morning to take our maiden voyage in the new car. The trip was only to Tyler for a doctor appointment, but it did give us a chance to get a feel for how the car was going to handle on the road.
Barbara had a cardiology appointment with Dr. Tolleson this morning. It was supposed to be for a stress test, but Dr. Tolleson wanted the best images he could get of her heart, so he changed to a PET scan. Fortunately, everything looked great, so now Barbara has had two doctors give her a clean bill of health...what a difference a month has made!!!
We stopped at Walmart in Lindale for some shopping on the way home. When we got back to the house, I went across the street to consult with John about a project he wanted me to help with later this week.
While I was talking to John, Barbara captured these photos of a couple of squirrels in front of our house...we couldn't tell if they were praying for snow, or praying for no snow, but their posture told us they definitely wanted something.
Friday, January 24
Happy Birthday to one of our missions friends, Jesse Fairfax!!!!
This wasn't the best of days to be outside, but I did manage to take care of some more lawn chores and finished cleaning out the rain gutters.
Barbara spent a big part of the day putting together collages for the December journal. We're hoping to have it ready to post early next week, but that remains to be seen.
Saturday, January 25
John, our neighbor across the street, asked me the other day if I would mind helping him with a little project as soon as we had a nice day. Today looked like it was as nice as it was going to get in January, so I went over and we put together a small exercise cycle. Completely unknown to us, Barbara was snapping pictures of us from across the street.
Sunday, January 26 - Monday, January 27
Happy Birthday on Sunday to son-in-law Jim Farnham, in Olathe, Kansas!!!!
Outside of my annual check-up with Dr. Bankhead on Tuesday, there was nothing noteworthy about these days...just the usual stuff of daily life.
Tuesday, January 28
I got up early this morning and went to prayer meeting at Yantis First Baptist Church. On the way home, I stopped at the tax appraisers office in Quitman to check on property taxes for the Mineola house. When we probated Mother's will last summer, the attorney said that we didn't have to do anything about changing the property into my name, that someone in the courthouse would put everything together for us. Well, that bit of paid-for advice wasn't worth what I paid. It turns out that by waiting for the county office to "take care of things," we'll end up losing a homestead exemption for this year's taxes. Oh well, live and learn.
On a happier note, we got word this evening of the birth of step-great grandson, Bowman Johnson, born to Kris and Taryn Johnson.
Wednesday, January 29
Happy Birthday to Step-Great Grandson Rhett Johnson!!!!
Thursday, January 30
Addie, our next door neighbor, has been trying for the past several months to get us together with her music minister at First Baptist Church in Mineola. The finally came today as we had a nice lunch and visit at Addie's house.
Friday, January 31
This afternoon we needed to go out north of Lake Fork to take care of some business and while we were in the neighborhood, we gave our friends Gene and Michelle Young a call to see if they were up to having visitors. They were, so we drove over to their place for a short visit and a time of catching up since we last saw them
"It's always a good day to be grateful for all of life - grateful for large blessings and small." - Jonathan Lockwood Huie
And that's it for January, 2014...one month down and eleven to go,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsie
Today was definitely an unusual day for Barbara. Several days ago she made arrangements with Leslie Bautista for a few hours of permanent, and mani/pedi therapy.
I, on the other hand, elected to brave the cold and ride Taz to the early morning prayer meeting at Yantis FBC and then to Our Little Lot to get some work done out there while the weather was somewhat cooperative.
For me, it was business as usual, but Barbara was beaming and shouting Leslie's praises when she returned from the beauty shop with a new do, new fingers, and new feet. And, I had to admit that Leslie did a beautiful job. They have in mind that I'm going to be in there next for a pedicure, but I don't quite see that...at least not in this lifetime.
+++++++
Wednesday, January 15
Happy Birthday to Barbara's sister, Nancy Hargrave in Cleburne, Texas!!!!
Aside from driving to Tyler this morning to bail TJ out of the hospital and get her back home, this was about as normal a Wednesday as we could have. The weather cooperated, so I got in some quality time in the North 40 and the back yard. Tonight we drove out to Yantis for Praise Band rehearsal.
+++++++
Thursday, January 16
Happy Birthday to Jim's brother, Jerry Little, in Roswell, New Mexico!!!
It was another nice day outside, so I began mowing the North 40 after days of raking leaves and cutting down weeds.
Barbara spent a good part of the day creating collages for the December journal/blog and paying bills, both very necessary activities.
Tonight...another rehearsal with the Lake Country Symphonic Band as we prepare a program of Movie Magic for the March concert.
+++++++
Friday, January 17
In preparation for a busy weekend, we went to see Leslie again to get Barbara's hair trimmed and my hair cut.
When we were finished with Leslie (or she was finished with us), we loaded some things in the car and drove to Rockwall for an afternoon of shopping and a night at the local Best Western.
+++++++
Saturday, January 18
A couple of days ago, Heather sent a text asking if we wanted to come to Richardson this weekend to watch Alexander and Abby play soccer and to finally have our Christmas celebration. We had seen Heather, Andy, and the kids at Thanksgiving, but they were going to Virginia for Christmas, so we never got to have our Christmas time together.
We arranged to meet this morning at IHOP along the George Bush Toll Road for a family breakfast, but we sure didn't count on a large group of basketball and volleyball teams being there at the same time. There weren't any other feasible options close by, so we toughed it out and visited in the waiting area until we could get to a booth and order some food.
We drove over to Plano after breakfast to watch Alexander play in his team's soccer match for the day. Abby is a budding photographer, so we turned one of the cameras over to her to capture the scenes she wanted.
When Alexander's soccer match was over, we all returned to the house for a few hours. First on the agenda was our long-delayed Christmas celebration.
Once the gifts were open and the wrapping paper was thrown away, Alexander and Abby demonstrated their karaoke skills (and both are very skillful).
All the time that we kids were playing, Heather was busy working in the kitchen and preparing our lunch. Barbara kept a close eye on the preparations to see what we could learn. Heather's delicious meal and the obvious success that they have had with healthy eating and measured amounts of food gave us the impetus to begin a diet of our own...time will tell how that works out for us.
After our meal, the adults got busy clearing the table, washing dishes, and cleaning the kitchen. Meanwhile, Abby grabbed the camera and added to her portfolio of photos of Simba, the family cat.
It was soon time to get Abby in her soccer gear and make the short trek to a nearby indoor sports complex for yet another soccer match.
What a fun-filled day we had, but it was already dark after the final soccer match and we had to leave so I could be prepared to play trumpet with the Praise Band at church tomorrow morning.
+++++++
Sunday, January 19 - Tuesday, January 21
These were days filled with the normal stuff of life...church, housecleaning, cooking, etc...certainly nothing noteworthy, and certainly NOT photo worthy.
+++++++
Wednesday, January 22
Happy Birthday to daughter Leah McQuitty and daughter-in-law Kelly Little!!!!
With a major trip looming on the horizon, we decided we'd better get serious about cleaning the house; and, as it often is with housecleaning, one thing led to another, and another and...
We might have been cleaning well into the evening, but we had to stop so Barbara could get ready to go see Dr. Bankhead for her annual physical exam. The last trip to Dr. Bankhead's office resulted in an ambulance ride to the hospital in Tyler, but this one was simpler and more successful, even if it did take a long time.
When we had finished at Dr. Bankhead's office, we drove across town to the Chevrolet dealership and took possession of a new car. We'd been dealing with them for about two weeks, and everything finally came together this afternoon, including the deal-maker, the installation of a tow package that will allow us to flat tow the vehicle behind Big V, something we haven't been able to do with previous cars.
So, after three years and 77,000 miles on the Dodge Caliber, we climbed into the interior of a brand new Chevrolet Equinox, got a quick lesson on the space-age dash complex, and drove off with grand plans to "See the USA in our Chevrolet."
+++++++
Thursday, January 23
Happy Birthday to our "adopted" nephew, Paul Francis, in Lewisville, Texas!!!!
We were up early this morning to take our maiden voyage in the new car. The trip was only to Tyler for a doctor appointment, but it did give us a chance to get a feel for how the car was going to handle on the road.
Barbara had a cardiology appointment with Dr. Tolleson this morning. It was supposed to be for a stress test, but Dr. Tolleson wanted the best images he could get of her heart, so he changed to a PET scan. Fortunately, everything looked great, so now Barbara has had two doctors give her a clean bill of health...what a difference a month has made!!!
We stopped at Walmart in Lindale for some shopping on the way home. When we got back to the house, I went across the street to consult with John about a project he wanted me to help with later this week.
While I was talking to John, Barbara captured these photos of a couple of squirrels in front of our house...we couldn't tell if they were praying for snow, or praying for no snow, but their posture told us they definitely wanted something.
+++++++
Friday, January 24
Happy Birthday to one of our missions friends, Jesse Fairfax!!!!
This wasn't the best of days to be outside, but I did manage to take care of some more lawn chores and finished cleaning out the rain gutters.
Barbara spent a big part of the day putting together collages for the December journal. We're hoping to have it ready to post early next week, but that remains to be seen.
+++++++
Saturday, January 25
John, our neighbor across the street, asked me the other day if I would mind helping him with a little project as soon as we had a nice day. Today looked like it was as nice as it was going to get in January, so I went over and we put together a small exercise cycle. Completely unknown to us, Barbara was snapping pictures of us from across the street.
+++++++
Sunday, January 26 - Monday, January 27
Happy Birthday on Sunday to son-in-law Jim Farnham, in Olathe, Kansas!!!!
Outside of my annual check-up with Dr. Bankhead on Tuesday, there was nothing noteworthy about these days...just the usual stuff of daily life.
+++++++
Tuesday, January 28
I got up early this morning and went to prayer meeting at Yantis First Baptist Church. On the way home, I stopped at the tax appraisers office in Quitman to check on property taxes for the Mineola house. When we probated Mother's will last summer, the attorney said that we didn't have to do anything about changing the property into my name, that someone in the courthouse would put everything together for us. Well, that bit of paid-for advice wasn't worth what I paid. It turns out that by waiting for the county office to "take care of things," we'll end up losing a homestead exemption for this year's taxes. Oh well, live and learn.
On a happier note, we got word this evening of the birth of step-great grandson, Bowman Johnson, born to Kris and Taryn Johnson.
+++++++
Wednesday, January 29
Happy Birthday to Step-Great Grandson Rhett Johnson!!!!
+++++++
Thursday, January 30
Addie, our next door neighbor, has been trying for the past several months to get us together with her music minister at First Baptist Church in Mineola. The finally came today as we had a nice lunch and visit at Addie's house.
+++++++
Friday, January 31
This afternoon we needed to go out north of Lake Fork to take care of some business and while we were in the neighborhood, we gave our friends Gene and Michelle Young a call to see if they were up to having visitors. They were, so we drove over to their place for a short visit and a time of catching up since we last saw them
"It's always a good day to be grateful for all of life - grateful for large blessings and small." - Jonathan Lockwood Huie
And that's it for January, 2014...one month down and eleven to go,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsie
