A Little Time In June

Sunday, June 1 - Monday, June 16, 2014

Sunday, June 1, 2014

This morning found us on our usual Sunday schedule of driving out to Yantis for the morning service at Yantis First Baptist Church.  And, as usual, we found ourselves preached to, taught, and refreshed by the music and preaching.

After church, we drove through the back roads to Alba and then down U.S. 69 toward Lake Holbrook to enjoy a lovely meal and a great time of visitation with our friends Gene and Carolyn Neyer.

We don’t get to spend a lot of time with the Neyers because it seems that when we are home, they are out of town, and vice-versa.  But, our timing is just right for a couple of weeks, allowing us to enjoy some quality time with good friends.

We were plumb tuckered out by the time we got home, so we settled in for an afternoon nap and an evening of relaxation.

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Monday, June 2, 2014

Today we spent time preparing for a trip to Tyler tomorrow for Barbara’s pre-admission assessment at Trinity Mother Frances Hospital.  She is scheduled for a surgical biopsy procedure on Thursday, and there is a lot of time and paperwork involved.

We drove up to Quitman this afternoon to visit with Elmer and Jenny at East Texas Medical Center for a few minutes and let them know what is going on with us.

Tonight was a called band rehearsal for the Lake Country Symphonic Band.  We usually meet on Thursdays, but try to squeeze in an extra rehearsal on either Monday or Tuesday during the week that we have a concert on the following Sunday.  With all the rehearsals I missed during our long trip on Taz, I needed all the rehearsal I could get!

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Tuesday, June 3

I went to Yantis early this morning for prayer meeting and then to Our Little Lot at Holiday Villages of Lake Fork to do some much-needed and long-overdue work.  The first order of business was to transplant a number of Iris and Gladiola bulbs in our faux flower beds.  We just haven’t had time to keep up with things at the lot the way we’d like, so the flower beds I built a couple of years ago have raised only occasional weeds and some wild grasses.

The flower beds looked so good when I finished that I felt compelled to go ahead and mow and trim as much of the lot as I could before I ran out of time and had to return to Mineola.

When I got back to town, I found that Barbara had done the house work and was close to being ready for the ride to Tyler.  I took a quick shower, changed clothes, and we hopped in the car for the ride south.

The pre-surgery assessment didn’t take nearly as long as the driving to and from, but we got everything covered and the nurse explained the schedule and procedures for Thursday, making us feel a little better about the whole thing.

Then, it was back to Mineola, where we didn’t do much of anything for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

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Wednesday, June 4

Wednesday is the standard mowing and trimming day for our neighborhood.  Most folks have a service that does the work for them, but I consider the outdoor work as my therapy, so I got out early to mow, trim, and edge the front and back yards and then spend a couple of hours mowing the north 40, an area that doesn’t belong to us, but that left untended, becomes the breeding ground and home to critters that we don’t want coming into our yards.  Besides, it keeps me off the streets and out of the pool hall.

While I was working outside, Barbara was preparing new recipes that we might want to use for guests and/or a trip that we are planning.  And the great thing is, all these menus fit right in with the diet we’ve put ourselves on...healthy eating with great tastes...can’t beat it!!!

This afternoon we drove over to Tyler and checked in at the Best Western.  We decided that with an early appointment for surgery tomorrow, it would be a good thing to get a good night’s sleep and be just a few minutes away from the hospital, rather than having to make the morning commute with all that traffic.

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Thursday, June 5

We were up early this morning.  Barbara wasn’t allowed to have anything to eat after midnight last night, so while she was busy getting ready for the day, I went down to the breakfast bar for some cereal, yogurt, and coffee.  Then, it was back to the room to take the morning selfies, pack, load the car, check out, and head for the clinic for the pre-op procedures before going across the street to the hospital for the surgery.

The actual surgery was about an hour later than expected, but it all went well.  In fact, I hadn’t much more than left Barbara when they wheeled her to surgery, went out and moved the car to the hospital parking lot, and started inside when the doctor called to say that the procedure went beautifully and that everything appeared to be okay.  Of course, we will have to wait for the pathology report, but the doctor seemed quite positive that we had nothing to worry about.

We were in post-op for nearly three hours.  Barbara’s blood pressure and heart rate didn’t stabilize as quickly as expected, and she was having trouble with nausea.  However, everything finally cleared up and they gave us the green light to go home.

We got Barbara back to the house and then I waited around for a couple of prescriptions to be filled so she could get started on them right away.  I had planned to not go to the dress rehearsal for the concert tonight, but Barbara said she’d just sleep anyway and that I should go on.

I got back after rehearsal to find Barbara resting comfortably....those pills were really working well.  We talked a little while and then both crashed for the night after a long and very busy day.

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Friday, June 6

Not srrprisingly, Barbara slept in this morning.  Bonita demonstrated her empathy by sleeping in her own bed beside Barbara, rather than going to the living room to nap.

I needed to go out to Our Little Lot to check on some things, so Barbara rode along just to get out of the house and have some fresh air.  As we were driving down Holiday Village Drive, we saw our friends Bob and Mary Royar, whom we haven't seen for some time.  We stopped for a few minutes to visit from the car and got this picture of Bob and Mary beside their garden.  Just before we left, Mary gave us a large bag of fresh-picked black berries...there's going to be some good eating ahead!

Ashley Bagwell graduated from Yantis High School tonight.  We knew that we couldn’t handle the graduation ceremony at Lake Fork Baptist Church, but had hoped to feel like going to the party at the Bagwell’s house in Sulphur Springs, However, the drive out to Holiday Village made us realize that neither of us was up to the challenge, so we made a mental note to catch up with the Bagwells later and have some special time with Ashley.

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Saturday, June 7

We were expecting Leah and Ryan to come in sometime late this afternoon, so we ginned around a little and straightened up the house for their arrival.  Other than that, we didn’t accomplish much.

Bonita, Mother’s little Chihuahua, is showing signs of winding down.  She is 17 years old and has developed bad arthritis, but still has her moments...even if some of them are in slow motion.  We had the camera handy this morning to photograph the choreography involved when Bonita tries to either get up from her bed, or lie down in it.  Although her condition must be painful, we couldn’t help but enjoy the little show she put on for us this morning.

Barbara was feeling a little stronger and more clear-headed this afternoon, so we made a short drive to Lindale to visit our friends the Hays.  We first met Heidi and her family when they lived in Georgia and she worked at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center while we did volunteer work there.  Heidi was the dessert chef and Barbara worked for her.  The Hays moved to Lindale several years ago, so we have been able to keep up our friendship and watch the kids grow.  Hannah, who was just entering middle school when we first met her, graduated from Lindale High School this week.  We weren’t able to attend the ceremonies, but did want to spend a little time with a very special family.

By the time we returned to Mineola, Leah and Ryan were just a short distance away.  They got the house, unloaded their stuff, and I went after pizza while they visited with Barbara.  The evening was one long and enjoyable pizza & movie party, with Leah selecting two very good movies for us to watch...can’t tell you now what they were, but we did have a good time.

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Sunday, June 8

We woke up to a gorgeous morning.  I checked the flower bed on the south side of the house and found one of the Gladiola plants had put on a beautiful stem of blooms...just right for brightening up the dining room table.

Barbara was unable to go to church this morning, so Leah and Ryan went with me.  Kent Pate, our interim pastor, was on a roll, as usual, and delivered a wonderful sermon on parenting.  He got through only half the sermon when he ran out of time, but promised to deliver the rest of it tonight.  Leah and Ryan were disappointed that they wouldn’t be able to hear all of it because they had to return home this evening.

When church was over, we returned to the house, had a light lunch, and then went downtown to Mineola’s Historic Select Theater for the spring concert by the Lake Country Symphonic Band.  Leah and Ryan had never heard or seen me play in a band and were excited about attending, especially after they saw the program.

The concert was a great success...one of the best we’ve done, and a good time was had by all.

We went back to the house for a few minutes, visited some more, and then Leah and Ryan had to make the return trip home.  Barbara and I were both wrung out from the day, so we stayed home this evening and rested.

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Monday, June 9

 We woke up to some horrific sounds early this morning and finally figured out that we were being clobbered by a storm that was preceded by 60+ mph winds.  We were focusing on the horizontal winds in front of the house until I went to the sun room in the back and saw that the loud noise we first heard this morning was the sound of the wind blowing over the storage shed and one of the charcoal grills.  Between 6:00 and 9:00 this morning, we received over 9/10ths of an inch of rain...that’s what showed in the rain gauge, but there was probably more from the horizontal storms that didn’t make it into the gauge.

TJ called to say that she had lost power at her house, but expected it to be back on shortly.  We found out later that Ladd and Angela had a large pine tree split in their back yard and the half that fell just barely missed falling into the room that Ladd was sleeping in.

When the storms had passed and everything quieted down, we drove up to Quitman to check on Elmer.  Elmer wasn’t having a good day and didn’t want any visitors, but I did find out through a phone call from his granddaughter that parts of a tree had fallen into Elmer and Jenny’s house in Mineola, causing some roof damage.

On the way back home, we stopped at Ladd and Angela’s house to survey the damage there.

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Tuesday, June 10

I went to prayer meeting at YFBC this morning and then returned to Mineola to get Barbara and drive back out to Holiday Villages to start cleaning Big V and clear branches from some of the trees that line the driveway so we can get the motorhome out of the driveway.  With a big trip planned for the near future, we didn’t want to leave everything to the last minute.

Every project needs a supervisor, and I voted myself into that position today.

On the way home we stopped to visit with Elmer and Jenny.  Elmer was doing a little better today, but was not much interested in eating or visiting.

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Wednesday, June 11

We finally got our visit with David and Lorri Bagwell and Ashley and Amber today.  We asked them to pick a place to eat and said we’d take them to lunch.  We were going to eat at a place in downtown Sulphur Springs, but it was not only full, but had a waiting line, so we went to another place and had a delightful meal and lots of talking  Unfortunately, neither of us remembered to take a camera into the restaurant to record this momentous occasion..

When we finished at the restaurant, we drove to the Bagwell’s house to see their place and visit a while longer and take this photo of Ashley and Amber.

Then, it was back to Mineola with a short stop in Quitman to check on Elmer and Jenny.

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Thursday, June 12

Today was a day of working around the house and in the yard...nothing big or impressive, but it kept us busy.

Tonight the Neyers came over to visit, play cards, and have dessert.  It’s been a long time since we’ve gotten together for games, and tonight they taught us a new one, Hand and Foot, a game based largely on Canasta.  We had a great time visiting, enjoying each other’s company, and learning a new game.

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Friday, June 13

Today being Friday the Thirteenth, we didn’t venture very far from the house during the morning.  We did spend some time selecting clothes to take on our upcoming trip and making lists of things we would need, but we certainly didn’t go overboard in getting anything accomplished.

This afternoon I drove out to Our Little Lot to make sure Big V was ready for travel.  She’s been sitting for nearly a year with only occasional starts and generator checks, so I checked tires (all were down a little, but not as much as they could have been) and checked fluids under the hood.  By the time I was finished, I had all six tires up to the recommended pressure and everything under the hood up to snuff.

When I got back to town, I got cleaned up and we decided to make a Taz ride, since it be a while before we get to do that again.  The first stop was at Sonic, then a short ride through downtown Mineola, and out to the road that runs along the Mineola Nature Preserve along the Sabine River.

When we had looped back around to U.S. 80 way to the east of Mineola, we voted to cross 80 and go straight on a road we hadn’t traveled before...and were rewarded by some outstanding landscapes.

Our last stop before heading home was at the Mineola Civic Center and R.V. Park, where we hoped to park Big V on Sunday.

We were worn out after returning home, so we had a light meal, watched some TV, and called it a day.

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Saturday, June 14

Today we celebrate Flag Day in the United States, commemorating the adoption of the flag of the United States by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777.  In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation officially setting June 14 as Flag Day, and in August, 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.

Flag Day was celebrated today in Mineola by the placement of flags by the Kiwanis Club in front of residences and businesses throughout the city.

It has become our tradition to reprint “The Promise,” a piece that I wrote in 2003 as part of a unit on patriotism by some of Barbara’s language arts classes at West Middle School in Liberal, Kansas.  The piece is dedicated to the students of West Middle School.

THE PROMISE

I am the flag of the United States of America.  It is almost impossible to go through a day without seeing me…flying proudly over public buildings and military bases…marching at the head of parades…or displayed as lapel pins on the jackets of patriots, young and old.

Perhaps nowhere do I strive to be displayed more proudly than in the schools of our country, for it is there that the first lessons of patriotism are taught to those who will grow up to guide, guard, and defend the country I represent.

But even there, as I am seen by millions of students each school day, I am in danger of neglect.  Like all things that are commonplace, I am often taken for granted, and the pledge that was written to show honor to my colors and my country becomes a meaningless ritual, chanted without thought, by young people who have not learned, or who have forgotten that I represent the sacrifices, hopes, and dreams of all who came before, and of countless millions around the world who would share in their freedom.

It seems that it is only in the times of war or national tragedy that I have meaning to the masses who call this land their home.  If that is true, then our country is only one generation away from losing the rights and privileges that I represent, and that you take for granted.  For after all, if you don’t care, then who will teach those who follow you?

Whether I fly proudly over the buildings of your community, or am placed beside the flags of your houses of worship…whether I am seen as a pin in the lapel of a military veteran, or as an oversized decoration covering the playing field of a football or baseball stadium…or whether you see me draped in silence over the coffin of a father, mother, sister, brother, son, or daughter who served or gave their life for this country, I still represent each and every one of you, and the freedoms that were won on the battlefields around the world.

To you I make this promise…

“I pledge allegiance to those who call the United States of America their home.  I will fly proudly as a symbol of your hopes and dreams, and of the blood, sweat, and tears that were shed to gain and protect your rights, privileges, and freedoms.  For as long as I am honored and respected, I will be a daily reminder that we are truly ‘one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’”

“The things that the flag stands for were created by the experiences of a great people. Everything that it stands for was written by their lives. The flag is the embodiment not of sentiment, but of history." - Woodrow Wilson, 28th U.S. president

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We finally made the heavy decision today to put Bonita down.  She had a good 17 years, but her crippling arthritis and her more frequent lapses in getting to her pads to “take care of business” had brought us to this point.

Before taking Bonnie to the clinic, we spent our last morning with her just watching her and making her as comfortable as possible.

We bundled Bonita up and took her to Dr. Bradshaw’s clinic where she had one last time to roam around outside (although her steps got slower and slower along the way).  When it was time, we took her inside where Dr. Bradshaw and one of his assistants calmed Bonita down and showed her the highest degree of professionalism and love as they took the steps that sent her down the path to the Rainbow Bridge to meet Spike, Mother, and Mr. Sam.  We’re not sure how Daddy is going to take all this, but it being Heaven and all, he’ll probably be okay with it.

When we returned to the house, I re-wrapped Bonita in one of Mother’s towels, placed he in her bed (the one she stole from Spike), and took her outside to bury her beside Spike in a special place that we designed a couple of years ago.

This afternoon I began vacuuming and shampooing carpets while Barbara started dusting and cleaning.  We’ve neglected some of our household chores during the last two weeks, and it was time to get back on track.

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Sunday, June 15

Happy Father’s Day!!!!

We got up this morning and attended the service at YFBC...heard yet another great sermon on parenting (and grand-parenting) from Kent Pate.

On the way home, we stopped at Our Little Lot so I could drive Big V to Mineola and park her at the Civic Center R.V. Park so we could finish cleaning her and getting her stocked up for our trip on Tuesday.  Barbara followed in the car and snapped this photo as we were leaving Holiday Village.

Everything went fine until I turned onto Highway 37 in Quitman and got about a block from the Dairy Queen.  That’s when I hear a bad rattling sound under the hood and immediately lost my power steering and brakes.  I managed to coast to a stop a few yards south of the driveway entrance to Dairy Queen and checked the gauges only to see that they were going crazy.

My immediate guess was that I had thrown a belt, but I also knew that sometimes that causes other major problems under the hood.

Barbara had been following me, so she pulled around in front (luckily we were in a wide break-down lane) and we began the process of contacting a Good Sam Club representative to put our Roadside Emergency Service into play.  Unfortunately, this being Sunday AND Father’s Day, the representative in Fort Worth (who had no clue where Quitman was), was unable to find either a tow service or an emergency mechanic service to send to us.

Finally, after three hours of waiting in the hot sun (we were in the car, but it was very hot and the air-conditioner wasn’t able to overcome it in the parking lot), we were told that a tow truck was on the way.  I took Barbara to the house (it was only 8 miles, but we’d had to stay in place until we heard from someone) and returned to Quitman to wait for the tow service.

On nearly every trip we've taken, whether in the car, on a motorcycle, or in Big V, we've seen a motorhome broken down beside the road, and our thought has always been, "That can't be a good thing."  Well, today was our day to not have a good thing as Big V was hitched up to the tow truck.

When the truck got there, I learned that Big V was going to be taken to Winnsboro, about twenty miles north.  I told the driver that we lived in Mineola and asked why Big V couldn’t be taken to the yard there.  The driver checked and then said that it would be several days before they could get to Big V in Mineola, but that the shop in Winnsboro could probably get everything taken care of tomorrow.  Well, that settled it for me, so I sent Big V packing (at least now I know what we look like from behind when we’re driving her down the highway).

I returned to Mineola, where we continued preparations for our trip, all the while praying that Wyatt’s would get Big V fixed tomorrow so we could leave on Tuesday.

Monday, June 16

Wow...What a day!!!

We were up early this morning to get the car to an appointment at Dow Chevrolet at 8:00 am.  When we bought the Equinox, the deal maker/breaker was whether it could be flat-towed behind the motorhome, because we didn’t want to have to trailer a car again (especially since we sold the big car-hauler we bought when we retired.  The salesman assured us we could flat-tow the car and even told us that when we got ready to make our first trip with the Big V/car combination to bring it to the dealership and they would have someone go over all the instructions for hookups and disconnects.  The salesman who told us that is gone now, but one of the other salesmen agreed they could do that and set us up for an appointment with the service manager.

We were supposed to bring in both Big V and the Equinox, but Big V was in the shop, so we just brought in the car and went over the instructions step by step.  The procedures for hookups and disconnects are fairly simple, and after a short lesson, we felt confident we could do this thing...now all we need is Big V to complete the combination.

After out visit to the dealership, we drove to Quitman for a visit with the tax appraiser so we could get proof of ownership (a lengthy process that we went through after Mother died and left the house to us in her will), file for a homestead exemption and hopefully save a few dollars on our property taxes for this year.  When we came out of the tax office, Barbara noticed a stone monument in the next lot.  We checked it out and found that it was a marker memorializing the Quitman Colored School that had stood on that property from 1947 – 1965.  It seems strange to think that segregation was the law in this part of the country back in those days, but Texas was part of the South, and East Texas was part of the Deep South then.

After taking a few photos, we drove back to Mineola to take our proof of ownership of the house to our insurance agency so we could get a new policy.  The lady at the agency was very helpful, but told us it would take a couple of hours to get everything worked out.

Right next door to the agency is the local Sonic, so we walked over there to get some morning beverages, then took the car to the post office and Brookshire’s before returning to the house to do some more packing and rest for a bit.

Later, we got a call from the insurance agency to let us know everything was ready, so we drove downtown and took care of that little bit of business.

After a short nap, we drove to Tyler for Barbara’s follow-up appointment with Dr. McGeehe.  Again, we spent much more time on the road than we did in the doctor’s office, but the good news was that there was no malignancy found and Barbara had a clean bill of health...Hallelujah!!!

Then it was back to Mineola to visit with Elmer and Jenny Bunn for a few minutes before returning home to prepare for a birthday dinner at Ladd and Angela’s house this evening...at least, that was the plan.

As we were leaving the assisted living center, we received a phone call from Wyatt’s in Winnsboro letting us know that Big V was finished and ready to go.  What a happy moment that was, especially when they told us it was only $199 for the repairs...we had been expecting a much higher amount and were thrilled to know this was all it would be.

We made it to the yard in Winnsboro in time to bail Big V out, then returned to Mineola so we could park her at the Civic Center R.V. lot and get the electricity turned on.  After that, we hustled back to the house, got everything ready for the dinner, and then drove over to Ladd and Angela’s house for a wonderful meal and time of visitation with the Thompsons and Aunt T.J.

When dinner was over and all the pictures were taken (we thought) we stepped outside to head for the car and crossed paths with one of Ladd's and Angela's, chickens, giving rise to the old question, "Why did the chicken cross the road?"  The answer is simple...it was so Barbara could take its photo!

We went back to the house too gather up the first load of clothes and etcetera to take to Big V...the excitement of the trip was really building now, but we were exhausted from a long day of activities, so we returned to the house from the civic center and called it a day.

"Friends are relatives you make for yourself." - Eustache Deschamps (1340-1406) Medieval French poet

From Mineola, on the eve of a new adventure in Big V,

Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsy