A Little Light Diminished

Sunday, May 11 – Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Sunday, May 11

Happy Mother’s Day!

That’s how this week’s journal was to begin…and, in fact, it really was a wonderful day that I shared moments with both Edith and Jean and talked with most all of our kids.

We had told Edith that we would fix lunch for her gift today. Jerry and Jane were coming down from Roswell (Ernie and Billee were on the road to Austin), so while Jim baked bread and barbecued pork chops, I scurried around the kitchen and fixed steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, and a dessert. It was the best Mother’s Day, and my heart was full of joy and hope.

Monday, May 12

Shortly after Jim awoke, he said, “Barbara you know how you sometimes tell me you have this feeling that something horrible is wrong.” I knew immediately what he meant as I do get those feelings and usually I’m not far off base…our thoughts went to Heather and Andy since they were the only kids we hadn’t talked to lately and we had been trying to contact them. I don’t know how to explain this, but from that moment on, I, too, sensed that Jim was completely right.
When we checked the mail and found a returned, uncashed check from the state of Texas for our car tags (we had forgotten to enclose a copy of our insurance), we laughingly said…oh, this explains our doom and gloom! We tried to shake the feeling off…but it lingered…

Tuesday, May 13

A day of howling, swirling wind and dust. We both tried to shake the “blues” but again, neither of us was very successful. Usually at times like these, one of us is able to encourage the other and we’re able to move forward…it just wasn’t working that way this time.

Wednesday, May 14

It rained! Oh, not a lot, but enough to smell the crisp, clean air, to feel that God was washing the dust away. And, besides, this was Wednesday…a day to share a meal with Jean and family at lunch. Since Jean was going to have to work during lunch, Jim and I were to pick up lunch and take it to the funeral home where we’d share time with Jean, Susie, and Karen. Jerry and Nancy weren’t going to be able to make it this week.

I have no idea why, since I’m always complaining to Leah that she calls too much when it costs us minutes, but I called her about 1:00. I had nothing to say really, I just wanted to know how things were going since she wanted to come Mother’s Day week-end, but Jim and I talked her out of it because it’s a 9-hour trip from Liberal to Artesia and we didn’t think it made any sense for her to come since she’s 8 months pregnant and Ryan is on a fishing trip so she’d being traveling alone.

The last thing we talked about was her doctor visit this afternoon, and I, in my usual, lecturing way…said, “Well, don’t call us…just email us what he has to say, since we’ve already talked today.” (Where was that sense that something was wrong????????)

And, then our world fell apart and a little light diminished in our world. Leah Renee’ did call my cell and Jim’s (but we had forgotten to take them with us while we ran a 15-minute errand.) We both thought nothing of this since it wasn’t the first, second, or 50th time Leah disregarded our admonition to not call for something unimportant. The rain seemed to have lifted our sense of pending disaster so we were caught unaware and hopelessly unprepared for what she had to tell us.

Our precious, unborn grandson, Jameson Dudley McQuitty, aka Baby McQ, will never have a chance to know his beloved Mommy and Daddy and the family who loves him so much. How can this be? We have no answers…only heartache, worry for Leah and Ryan, and grief.

A Little Light Diminishes…

On the way to Liberal,

Jim and Barbara

A Little Down Time

Sunday, May 4 – Saturday, May 10, 2008

Sunday, May 4

After attending church and going by to see Edith, Ernie, and Billee, Jim and I got the “home” bug in a big way! I started by cooking up hamburger to put in the freezer (8 packages), cooked up chicken to put in chicken salad, and etc. I think I dirtied every pan and dish we have (and that’s without the luxury of a dishwasher!) Whatever was I thinking????

Meanwhile Jim was taking all the junk we have stored under the bed and sorting through it! Then he got in a “get rid of this” mode so we had stacks to throw away, donate, and keep. This place was a definite wreck! Then when I finished my jobs, I felt compelled to do the same. By the end of the afternoon, we had this place and every storage area cleaned to a T!

Then while Jim grilled pork chops outside, I tried my hand for the second time to make potato salad like Margarita and Maria made in Puerto Rico. This meant another call to them as I guess we never wrote the recipe down. Can’t believe we thought these tired old brains would remember it that long! Anyway, around 6 o’clock everything came together and we wandered over to Jean’s with food in hand since we had asked her to share.

Eventually, it was time to call this night over and bask in the glow of some jobs well-done!

Monday, May 5

Jim left around 9:00 to go pick up Ernie as they needed to do some banking business for Edith. Next he had a doctor’s appointment at 11:00 to get a steroid shot in his shoulder since the diagnosis was an inflamed tendon. While Jim was doing all of that, I was straightening up some messes we hadn’t fixed last night and taking care of the bills.

When Jim returned, we went out to take care of a list of errands we had accumulated. One of the most important in my books was to buy a bamboo plant like the one that the George’s had in their home. It grows in water and we decided that I could actually have a live plant! Luckily, we found everything we needed at Wal-Mart; so when we went by Edith’s, I got it prepared to take to its new home.

Tonight brought terrible wind storms with hints of rain (which never materialized)! Unless, you call that brown stuff (dirt) New Mexico rain!

Tuesday, May 6

Since Grammy’s Closet is closed on Monday’s, we headed there first thing this morning to get rid of the bags of clothes and household goods we had gathered on Sunday! The car looked like someone was living in it!

When we dropped by Edith’s, we found that they were showing the house today so we pitched in and helped clean it up. Since Ernie was going to bring Edith out to our house at 4:30, I decided that the occasion deserved a cake which I baked when we returned home.

Sometime during the day we received an email from Paul. This was the day that they found out the gender of the baby they are expecting in a few months.

Jim: When we were at church Sunday morning, I met a couple of men who are members of the Christian Motorcycle Association here in Artesia. They invited me to their meeting tonight, and one of them sent me several emails about the chapter and its activities.

Around 5:45 this evening I fired up the cycle and road into town to the Pecos Diamond Restaurant (which, I thought, was the site of the meeting). After waiting about 30 minutes, I decided that the meeting had been canceled because of the bad weather that was brewing, so I rode back out to Big V, getting inside just as a monster dirt storm hit us from the south. The wind was blowing so hard that everything inside Big V was rattling, so we quickly got the antenna cranked down and closed in the left side slide-outs.

When the wind subsided (which didn’t take long), we decided to go to Wal-Mart to get some necessaries for tomorrow’s trip to Carlsbad. While we were standing in line, we began talking to a man who was wearing a Christian Motorcycle Association t-shirt. Barbara mentioned that I had gone to their meeting tonight but couldn’t find anyone. He said that they had their meeting and that several were dressed in their CMA shirts or motorcycle clothing and he didn’t see how I could have missed them. Somehow it came out that they were meeting in the Pecos Inn, which is the local Best Western Motel. Evidently, when one of the men mentioned “Pecos” on Sunday morning, my brain filled in “Diamond,” rather than listening to what he was really saying.

Then the man in line asked me if I was Ernie’s big brother. I told him I was, and he started asking if I remembered a couple of boys who lived behind us years ago when I was growing up here. It turned out that he was one of our neighbor boys…several years younger than me…it’s a pretty small world some days.

Anyway, I now have the CMA business straightened out. All I have to do now is remember to attend on the first Tuesday of June.

As we returned home, we noticed a large number of pickup trucks in front of a neighbor’s mobile home. It seems that the straight line wind storm that I barely beat home tonight hit their home head-on and ripped the roof off, pealing it back as if a giant can opener had opened it up. Friends and neighbors had gathered to help move furniture and other belongings out until the roof could be replaced.

Wednesday, May 7

Today we received an email from Paul which included several sonogram pictures, one of which clearly showed that Paul and Stephanie will be welcoming a new son. Congrats!

After looking at the weather report and finding that this would be another day of winds in the 30’s with gusts in the 50’s, we tried to talk ourselves out of going to Carlsbad to have the ice maker replaced, but…eventually, we regained our senses and decided to just get it over with. Who knows when the wind will cease?

We arrived at the RV service center about an hour early, but we had beaten the winds! Then to our surprise, they came out shortly after 9:00 and told us to pull into bay 2. Wow! We were thrilled that we were getting it done an hour early since we were going to Seminole next for inspection.

Now this place is the perfect spot to have work done on the motor home since we can connect to the internet and goof off while we wait. And, the wait wasn’t really that long. By 10:00 they came out and said it was in, sign on the dotted line (it’s under warranty), and now you have to wait until the first batch of ice comes out before you can leave. No problem…we will have plenty of time to get to Seminole, get the motor home inspected, and return to Artesia. How lucky can we be???

Well, as it turns out (no pun intended), we weren’t so lucky after all…since the Big V was running on the generator, not electricity, and the fridge had been turned off for 2 hours, it took over 3 hours for the ice maker to turn out ice! By then, it was nearly 3:00 Texas time, the wind was really howling, and we didn’t feel like fighting it; so…it was back to Artesia. The inspection will have to wait for another time!

Once we got Big V settled again and livable, we went over to Edith’s to check in with them. Then another trip to Wal-Mart was made before we returned home.

Billee and Ernie came over around 6:00 to visit which was a real thrill. Other than Nancy, we don’t have many visitors in our “turtle” home.

Thursday, May 8

We are so behind on the journals that as Jim worked on last week, I began working on this week. Lately, I have been doing the skeleton work on our entries and then Jim fills in and finishes them while I download the photos and design how they go in the entry.

Once we have the journal written to Word, I have to fix the blog by copying and pasting the writing, adding the pictures (they won’t just copy in), and format the design before we can send it out. This whole process takes several hours and we aren’t always “in the mood.” And, today was one of those days that certainly didn’t help my disposition! While Jim took a nap, I was designing last week’s blog entry. I had all photos and print in place and then lost the internet which meant I lost all my work! Well, that’s not quite true since I had saved the photos. But, still I had to redo everything when the net came back up. Oh, the trials of journal writing!

Jim: After lunch and an episode of M*A*S*H, we decided to run into town and take care of some business. I picked up a few things at the local Do-It Center, and then it was down to the post office, and out to Mother’s house. Our hearts fell when we pulled into the driveway and opened the garage door…Ernie’s car was in the garage at the same time that they were supposed to be downtown completing the closing on their house.

Ernie came out to meet us and said that there had been another hang-up and that they were waiting for a call just any minute. After a short visit, we left for a visit to Wal-Mart (had to make it an official day) to pick up a few things for in and around Big V.

Ernie called around 4:30 to say that they had finally completed everything on the closing except picking up their check, and they will take care of that tomorrow. Hallelujah!!! This has been a long time coming, and we’re all very happy for them.

After supper we ventured over to Jean’s for a few minutes to see how her day went. Then, we returned to Big V to spend the evening working at our computers and watching television…nothing very exciting.

Friday, May 9

Since my niece Connie is graduating tonight from college in a Roswell ceremony, Jim and I thought we’d hand deliver the gift from Nancy and Tom and us. I had been looking forward to the early morning trek since we were going by Daylight Donuts to get apple fritters…only problem, though, was they were already sold out of everything by the time we got there! Guess you have to get there at the crack of dawn!

Next stop was Carol’s to see Connie since she had practice at 9:00 and should be through, or so we thought. However, when we arrived, we found that we had just missed her since they had cancelled the 9 o’clock practice and moved it to 10:00! Go figure…just weren’t early enough for anything today.

Jim spent his time visiting with Cal and Barney (one of Connie’s sons) in the living room while Carol and I chose to sit in the kitchen and conduct our own conversation. We waited, hoping that Connie would return, but that didn’t happen so finally we had to say our good-byes. Cal was looking so perky and good that we decided we’d take some photos. It’s hard to believe that just less than 2 months ago he was in the hospital fighting for his life! God is good!

After a stop at Happy Jack’s used books, where we unloaded 2 boxes of books, Jim left me at Dollar Tree where I needed to look for several household necessities while we went over to chat with his brother Jerry. Our last stop was at Target which is where we were when Ernie called to say that the realtor had called and they were showing Edith’s home at 3:00. Could they bring Edith over? We hightailed it back to Artesia and made it with 20 minutes to spare! This all worked out great since the wind decided to howl just after we made it home so we were spared the hassle of driving in the wind.

Edith, Jim, and I visited and watched a couple of episodes of M*A*S*H while waiting on Ernie and Billee to return. We all are just thrilled that they are showing the house…maybe soon the right person(s) will view the house and decide they can’t live without it.

Rest of the day was very unexciting, but restful.

Saturday, May 10

Housecleaning day! Enough said…

“Faith and doubt both are needed - not as antagonists, but working side by side to take us around the unknown curve.” Lillian Smith

Another week in Artesia,

Jim & Barbara

A Little Time With Friends

Sunday, April 27 – Saturday, May 3, 2008

Sunday, April 27

While Jim began preparations for leaving Liberal, I took Jaycie over to Leah’s to rejoin her mother for their trip home to Lubbock.

This is another red letter day in the “little” life of full time RVing for me! When I got back to the fairgrounds, Jim had the trailer ready for loading the car. And….I’m the one who drove the car up onto the trailer. How about that? And…I did it right the very first time. Wow!

Once all the trip chores were done, we tootled off down the highway with Glorieta, NM in our sights. (We had really hoped to be heading to Lenexa to see Whitney and her family, but we never could get it arranged.) So…we had been in communication with Rod and Ruth, who are working at Glorieta during April and May.

Jim: There’s not much to say about a travel day. We were out of Liberal 55 minutes after the alarm clock, maybe a new record for us to be up and around. We drove U.S. 54 until we got to Tucumcari, stopped to give Big V a big drink, and then picked up I-40 and drove to Clines Corners, where we turned north on U.S. 285 for a 40 or so mile drive to I-25 and our turn off on the Old Las Vegas Highway that led us a couple of miles to the Rancheros de Santa Fe campground, our “home on the road” for a few days.

Once we got Big V settled in, I called Rod and Ruth to let them know we were in place. After several attempts at trying to contact each other, we finally connected and they said they’d be down in a few minutes. The campground is located nine miles from Glorieta and almost the same distance from the St. Frances Drive exit in Santa Fe, so that worked well for us.
We haven’t seen Rod and Ruth since our trip to Lady Lake, Florida, in December for the dedication of Crossroads Community Church, but time doesn’t seem to mean much to any of us; we immediately started in where we left off after the last visit and began catching up on what has happened in the past few months.

After a bit, we hopped in Rod and Ruth’s car and drove into Santa Fe to pay a visit to Old Town. It’s been years since we last went to that section of the city, but we thought that little, if anything, had changed. We did a little shop-looking in some of the stores and made a couple of purchases before getting back in the car and driving across town to a Red Lobster restaurant for our evening meal.

We had a great dinner (and lots more talk) together, but the time soon came when everyone was worn out, so Rod and Ruth drove us back to the campground and we all said goodnight. They returned to Glorieta and we went into Big V for a good night’s rest.

Monday, April 28

We woke up after a wonderful sleep (must have been the mountain air) and just piddle-paddled around for a bit, enjoying being in the mountains without having anything serious to do. While it wasn’t yet classified as “serious,” we did take time to get a couple of loads of laundry done at the campground.

Rod and Ruth came over for lunch at our place. Since we had all eaten huge meals last night, we settled on chicken sandwiches and chips for our meal.

When we had finished and done some more talking, we followed Rod and Ruth back to their place at Glorieta, where they gave us the grand tour of their housing and the site where Rod is working. Rod is doing maintenance work, and the crew he is currently working with is remodeling old apartment-style units into dormitory rooms that will have beds and facilities for ten.

Once we were done there, we drove over to the registration center so Barbara could give Rod a lesson on signing in to his email service on one of the desktop computers in the commons room. They have their own laptop, but sometimes the service isn’t all that great, so they needed to be able to log in at a permanent station when the wireless isn’t working.

As we were driving across the campus, we received a couple of phone calls…the first was from Dr. Khan’s office in Artesia; they were letting me know that the MRI images had been read and that there didn’t appear to be any damage to the shoulder and muscles other than acute tendonitis…that was good news because there won’t be any surgery required. The other call was from the RV center in Carlsbad…they were letting us know that the new ice-maker for Big V had arrived and that we could make an appointment to come down there and get the units swapped out…great news on both counts!

Ruth had to go back on duty in the dining hall, so we left them to get a little rest before returning to work and we drove back into Santa Fe to do a little exploring on our own for the afternoon. One of the sights we stopped at is one we have seen on nearly every trip to Santa Fe, but haven’t taken the time to explore.

At the intersection of Cerrillos Road and St. Francis Drive is the New Mexico School for the Deaf. Several years ago as we were driving past that spot, we saw a large marquee showing the James A. Little Theater. We always thought about stopping for a picture, but never did it…until today. With time on our hands, we pulled into the school grounds, parked as close as possible to the theater, and got out to start shooting pictures. As we were walking to the theater, a couple of teachers came out. We told them what we were doing (and why) and they laughed and said that they always wondered who the theater was named for. As it turned out, we found that the facility was named for James A. Little, the superintendent of the school in 1982, the year of construction.

After doing a little more sight-seeing, we decided to return to the campground and just veg out for the evening.

Tuesday, April 29

Happy Birthday, Stephanie, in Grand Prairie, TX

Just call us turistas today. Our goal was to make stops at places we’ve seen along the way (or heard of), but have never explored. The first stop was at the Veterans National Cemetery, alongside U.S. 285 on the north side of Santa Fe.

As a veteran, these kinds of cemeteries have always held a certain fascination for me. It is just mind-boggling to look at the rows and rows of white crosses in perfectly straight lines and diagonals reaching the depth and breadth of the fields, and to think, with grateful hearts, of those who served and/or died giving the last full measure of their devotion that we can live freely in our great country.

Our next stop was a few miles farther north at the Santa Fe Opera facilities. We’ve never taken the time to pull over to see what there is to see (which, it turns out, isn’t much during the day or out of season). We weren’t able to go into the theater, but we did manage to get some pictures of the magnificent scenery that surrounds the complex. Maybe this summer we’ll be able to take in one of the productions.

From the opera complex, we continued north on U.S. 285 to the Pojoaque Pueblo, where we turned off and headed west towards Los Alamos and the Bandelier National Monument. After checking the time, we decided to forego a trip all the way into Los Alamos, and decided instead to focus on Bandelier, about 25 miles west of Pojoaque.

Bandolier National Monument is one of New Mexico’s best kept secrets; off the beaten path, it has to be searched out (on some interesting twisting, and turning roads) before it can be enjoyed. Named for the self-taught anthropologist and historian, Adolph A. Bandelier, who came to the New Mexico Territory in 1880, the area now known as Bandolier National Monument had at least 3,000 housing/living sites dating back several thousand years. Archeologists think the Ancestral Pueblo people may have descended from groups of hunter/gatherer people who first entered the region nearly 10,000 years ago. By the mid 1200’s, the people began to gather in larger groups, building villages with as many as 40 rooms.

Today, the reminders of the Ancestral Pueblo people, homes, kivas, and petroglyphs, remain for us to explore in the canyons of this rugged, but peaceful area of New Mexico.

Worn out from our hike through Frijoles Canyon, we returned to the Santa Fe area and our campground for a bit of rest before joining Rod and Ruth for the evening meal and more talking at the Glorieta dining hall.

Wednesday, April 30

We had intended for this to be our last day in the area, but looks at the weather stations throughout the morning convinced us that we needed to stay in place. Predictions for the area from Santa Fe to Artesia included constant high winds with frequent gusts up to 50 mph…hardly the sort of thing we were willing to face in Big V. Luckily, our slot was going to be available for another night, so we went to the office and extended our visit until Friday morning.

After that bit of business and some housekeeping chores, we decided to go back to Old Town in Santa Fe to do some extensive exploring of the area. The first order of business was to find a parking place, no easy chore, even on a slow morning. The streets of old town are very narrow and much of the curb space is reserved for loading and unloading for the businesses.

Fortunately, we did find a good spot for 2-hour parking just beyond the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, the huge 400 year-old Catholic structure that, along with the Palace of the Governors, form the focal points of Old Town.

We walked around the square, looked through several shops, bought a few items, and shared a fajita bought from one of the street vendors.

The rest of the day was spent in general sight-seeing and then returning to Big V to get ready for the evening.

We made arrangements this trip to visit with our friends, Max and Marion, who have lived in Santa Fe for a number of years. Max is a longtime high school and college friend who is now retired from the State of New Mexico and the NM National Guard.

We found their house without too much trouble. Max gave great directions, but I didn’t follow them very well, so we did waste a few minutes getting there.

While we talked and got caught up on all the news since we last saw them in August, Max and Marion prepared a great meal. The evening was spent in eating, talking, laughing, and a general good time among friends (not to mention taking pictures).
Thursday, May 1

Since we now had an extra day for adventures, we decided to drive farther north on U.S. 285 for a bit to explore around Espanola. We stayed in Espanola one night a couple of years ago when we made the motorcycle trip to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and wanted to see how it had changed (if it had changed).

We found the town to be dry and dusty, but there has been quite a bit of new development on the north end…don’t know what is driving the new economy, but it is happening.

While we were there, the winds started building, and the dirt and dust clouds started forming, so we decided it was time to hit the road and get back down through Santa Fe and to our campground to rest up a bit for the night’s activities (mainly, getting all our stuff together for the trip home tomorrow). We did make one stop along the way to take a picture of a natural rock formation that we have seen many times, but haven’t stopped to visit. Camel Rock, the namesake for the Camel Rock Casino (and, no, we didn’t stop there), is a sandstone formation on the west side of U.S. 285 that has been weathered out over the years to look for all the world like a kneeling camel. Finally, we now have our own picture of it.

Shortly after 6:00 p.m. we made another run up to Glorieta to say goodbye to Rod and Ruth. They were just finishing their evening meal with all the new volunteers who had arrived during the day and were getting ready to go to a meeting, so we just visited for a few minutes and then returned to the campground where we listened to the wind howl and watched television reports of the forest fires that were blazing throughout New Mexico.

Friday, May 2

We got up relatively early this morning and finished our packing and loading. The weather was nice (but a little cool), so it didn’t take long to have Big V ready to pull out for the journey back to Artesia. We took the time last night to get the Vibe loaded on the trailer, so that was one chore we didn’t have to face today.

We were on the road by 8:30…had a good tailwind for most of the trip, so it wasn’t a bad ride except for the few broad curves that caused us to take a beating from strong crosswinds. We had planned to stop in Roswell to do our grocery shopping at Wal-Mart and visit with Carol for a few minutes, but Carol said she wouldn’t be able to see us today, so we just motored on down the road, except for a brief roadside stop to have some lunch.

By 2:00 p.m. we were in place at Grandma’s RV Ranch in good old Artesia, and wasted no time getting everything set up for living for a few days. We elected to do the minimal setup, since we would be driving to Carlsbad on Wednesday to get the new ice-maker.

While we were working around the place, Amanda, Jerry and Nancy’s daughter, came over to make sure we knew we were invited to their place for a catfish fry tonight. Amanda had brought the boys, Daniel and Jonah, to visit the family for a few days, and is leaving tomorrow morning to go back home, so this would be their sendoff dinner. James and Susie would also join the group at some point during the evening.

The evening was a lot of fun; it was good to be with “family” and to enjoy playing with Daniel and Jonah. Of course, the fried catfish and all the trimmings certainly added to the atmosphere, and a good time was had by all. Too soon, we all had to call it a night and head back to our respective homes for the evening.

Saturday, May 3

Today was a really “blah” day for me. We went to town to visit Mother, Ernie, and Billee, then made a trip to Wal-Mart to get groceries. After that, we came back to Big V and put everything away. I spent the rest of the day feeling puny. I think I ended up taking three naps before finally giving the day up as a lot cause and going to bed for the night.

“Do you see difficulties in every opportunity, or opportunities in every difficulty?” – Church Signs

Back home again in Artesia,

Jim & Barbara

A Little Shower

Sunday, April 20 – Saturday, April 26, 2008

Sunday, April 20

Happy birthday to Whitney!

Somehow this day got away from us with only vague memories of howling wind, housework, Jim working in the yard, and packing for Edith…that is definitely a theme that will persist all week. Pack that box, tape it, move it to the garage! Today’s packing consisted of the guest bedroom which we were trying to clean out to prepare for Ernie and Billee to move into when their house closes.

Monday, April 21

Happy birthday to Daniel, Nancy and Jerry’s grandson!

With an early start to the day, we went by Marie Chase Community Center and Grammy’s Closet, both of which are charitable organizations with donations from Ernie and Billee’s and Edith’s home. However, we struck out at each as we were much too early for them to be open. So…it was over to Edith’s to pack and pack and pack.

This afternoon late, when we returned home, Jim went over to prune the pecan trees.

Tuesday, April 22

Happy 1st birthday to grandson Little Jimmy!

While Jim helped Ernie move their couch and love seat to Marie Chase, I began the serious project of packing Edith’s library. To understand what a daunting task this is, one would have to realize how many books, videos, DVD’s, etc. she has collected in 84 years of living! We haven’t actually taken time to count the books, but just making a guesstimate, Jim says 1250-1500! This doesn’t include 3 sets of encyclopedias and years of the Condensed Reader’s Digests books. The videos themselves filled over 3 boxes, and we’re not talking little dinky boxes either! While I did the books, Edith shredded paperwork, checks, and etc. from years past. We were quite a working machine.

Wednesday, April 23

Since the laundry had piled up around our house, we decided that I would go to the Laundromat while Jim rode the cycle on over to his mother’s to continue the packing. It just blows our minds that two people who do “nothing” can collect such loads of laundry (and trash). We’re great at both!

Jim came by the Laundromat to get the car so he could take his mom to the doctor. He left me the cycle though so I’d have wheels. Right!

With all morning activities concluded, we met Jerry, Nancy, and Jean at Chaos for lunch which was a definite treat for us as they had been gone to Knox City for Daniel’s birthday party. Once the meal was over though, we returned to our packing posts after running some errands.

Eventually, it was home again to check email and relax.

It was a delight to receive photos of Joyce and Gary’s new grandbaby, Max, and one of Owen.

Then, we had the most interesting note for Cathey about Jaycie’s first softball game.

Cathey wrote:

Good morning everyone!

Well, Jaycie had her first ever softball game last night. She has been so nervous this past week about it too. We just tried to tell her that all she can do is her best and don’t worry about it and just HAVE FUN!!!!

So she’s all decked out in her “Angels” uniform, her Daddy’s glove, her bat and new batting gloves and helmet. They warm up and are anxious for the game to start. The coaches finally gather the girls in a huddle for some final words and they head to the dugout. Jimmy and I are sitting in our lawn chairs with some other parents just talking and waiting for the game. Now mind you Jaycie has come up with ever serious baseball scenario imaginable to ask about. She was more nervous about softball than cheer!!! So shortly after the huddle she runs up to the fence and whispers me over…I get up and she cups her hands over her mouth and asks…”Where’s center field?” I just about died!!!! So we told her and off she went to center field. It was too funny!!!!

The game got started and we were home team so we pitched first. Our pitcher had a hard time pitching it down the middle so we walked several batters but then we also were able to get our 3 outs with fielding plays. No balls were hit to the outfield to Jaycie’s dismay. So now we’re up to bat. We end up having the inning called because we scored the maximum of 7 runs in an inning.

Jaycie should bat the next inning. She sits out for defense this time as we again do a good job of fielding hits and making good throws. Now we’re up to bat again and Jaycie eventually gets to bat. Jimmy, David, Wendy, Emily, and I are cheering her on. Her two best friends are cheering in the dugout for “little ears!” (That’s one of her nicknames.) The first pitch is way too high and she lets it go. Great job! The second pitch is in the dirt and she lets it go. Great job! Now mind you, we can tell she’s scared to death because she’s not stepping out of the batters box after each pitch or lowering her bat. She’s a total statue with a determined look on her face that shows all over her little body. The next pitch is a little high but she swings… she gets a piece of it but foul ball. Still great job! Then the next pitch is thrown and she takes it. It’s a hit to short stop! Jaycie runs to first as the throw is being made. The throw is overthrown to 1st base and she advances to 2nd! She was so excited and was trying to keep it serious without showing how excited she was! Then the next batter was up, the pitch was made and the coach told Jaycie to steal third and she did. Then the coach showed her how to get a lead off of 3rd to home. Well, the batter got a base hit and Jaycie was able to score!!!

The 3 friends of ours and Jaycie all got hits and were able to score! We won the game 15 to 5!

Jaycie is loving softball!! I forgot the camera so I don’t have pictures but I will have them next time she plays. (These are photos from the next game they played. Jaycie is the front one on the 1st pic)

Thanks for letting us share our fun event with you all. Take care and we’ll keep you updated on Jaycie’s games.

Go Angels!!!

Thursday, April 24

All I can say about this day is that it was a travel one! I even drove 34 miles with Jim sleeping! However, as we approached Canyon the wind started howling, as it seems to do quite well; so I turned the helm over to Jim. By the time we were in Liberal (7:00 PM), Jim was one big knot after fighting the wind.

Thankfully, Leah and Ryan met us at the Fairgrounds and helped us set up. Then we visited a little before we all decided to call it a night.

Friday, April 25

The first order of the day was to go to Mon Del to get our usual, desperately needed haircut! Once that was accomplished we went over to the George’s new home. Jim will take it from here.

Jim: We have written about Mr. & Mrs. George and their sons, Livesy and Leslie in previous entries. They are originally from India, but were teaching in Botswana when we “discovered” each other. After making numerous telephone calls and going through reams of paper, were able to get them established in Liberal.

Each time we have returned to Liberal, we have tried to get together with the Georges, and they have wanted to take us out to dinner. While our time was short this weekend, we agreed that even if didn’t see anyone else this trip, we wanted to see the Georges and their new house.

Following the directions that Mr. George gave me on the telephone, we soon found several new houses on a street in the north end of the city. Livesy was at the high school having a last minute practice session before leaving with several band and choir members to participate in the state solo and ensemble schedule on Saturday.

While we waited for Livesy to call, Mr. and Mrs. George gave us the full-blown tour of their beautifully appointed new home. We were so very happy for them to finally be able to put down roots in their adopted community.

After a bit, Livesy called and asked for his dad to come pick him up at the high school. When they got back to the house, we had a brief photography session, and then, at Livesy’s suggestion, decided that we would adjourn to Vargas Restaurant for lunch.

We had a great time getting caught up on the news of their family; Leslie is completing his Masters Degree at Georgia Tech this spring, and Livesy continues to do well in his academics and activities at LHS. Not only is he an outstanding student, Livesy is a member of the award-winning robotics team, plays tennis, and is a member of the high school band.

Before we finished eating, we promised that when we return to Liberal in June, we will set aside a whole day to spend with Mr. and Mrs. George to visit and get some cooking lessons so we can begin cooking some authentic Indian dishes.

With our meal over, we said our goodbyes, spoke to a few people in the restaurant who came over to see us, and headed out to see some new construction on the north end of town and to do a little shopping.

Barbara: After we left the George’s at Vargas’s, Jim and I threw ourselves into gathering supplies needed for the surprise “family shower” we were going to throw Leah and Ryan tomorrow night. I ordered a Baby McQ cake and gathered some other needed items before heading to Big V to store them where Leah and Ryan wouldn't see them too soon.

Around 5:30 after Jim returned from visiting Chris and Pam Perkins, we went over to Leah’s for a cook-out. There we were joined by Cathey and Jaycie who had just driven in from Lubbock and Danny and Charlene.
What a fun night eating and visiting on the deck of Leah and Ryan’s home! When the night was over, Jaycie returned to Big V with us to spend the night. As usual, once we turned on a movie, Jaycie was out like a light and I gave up, too. However, Jim watched the Bee Movie to the bitter end!

Saturday, April 26

Since we weren’t expected over at Leah’s until 11:30, Jaycie had time to go out and create another “rock” town. We had even brought her the rock she used in Artesia so she would be equipped to do her thing.
While Jaycie was out creating her city, Jim was busy creating his famous pancakes, bacon, and eggs breakfast.

Eventually, it was time to prepare for the shower and head over to Leah’s where we would meet Ryan’s family for the first time. Ryan’s mother, sister and her three kids, and grandpa had come in for the big “do.” And, what would such a gathering be without touring Baby McQ’s awaiting room which the kids have decorated really, really well.

As par, the remaining time was spent eating, taking photos, and visiting before it was time for the “girls” to head to the Depot for Leah’s baby shower.

I guess, I was a little scatterbrained though, because I left the camera at Leah’s so I had to call the guys and ask them to bring it to me! We had to have photos to document this wonderful occasion, didn’t we?

I’ll let the photos do the talking for the shower…it was great and the baby will certainly not be lacking for anything!
Cathey decided after the shower that Leah and Ryan needed a baby bulletin board to put in Jameson’s jungle room so the 3 of us made a Wal-Mart run to get supplies while Jaycie and Jim began preparations on the spaghetti dinner Jim was fixing. Ryan was busy out in the garage making Jim and me a washer game to take home with us. (It’s played much like horseshoes, except that I never did hit the board when I tried it earlier! However, Jim and Ryan seemed to not have that trouble!)

While Cathey started the bulletin board and Jim cooked, Jaycie and I drove over to the motor home to pick up tonight’s shower supplies. The plan was for us to call when we were just about to leave so Cathey and Jim could ask Leah and Ryan to make a Sonic run for everyone. However, Jaycie and I were too speedy (or maybe Leah and Ryan were too slow) and we had to stall waiting for them to leave the house. Once they left, we all quickly brought in gifts from the Artesia bunch (Granny, Billee and Ernie, Jean, Jerry and Nancy), my sister, and Mike. There was again no doubt that Leah and Ryan were going to be prepared completely when the baby comes.

My sister, Nancy (and her family) had given Leah and Ryan a gift card so Jim and I found this goofy clown tie to put it in…Jim wore it that evening and when he gave it to them, he said (at Cathey’s suggestion) “Nancy, Tom, Brandi and her family were tied up this week-end and couldn’t come, and handed Leah the tie.” In the photos, Leah is wearing the goofy tie, talking to my sister on the phone. Just thought an explanation of such a hideous tie was necessary.
Eventually, it was time to call this day over; so Jaycie, Jim and I went back to the Fairgrounds. No one even pretended to watch a movie tonight!

“Love starts when another person’s needs become more important than your own” – Unknown

At home in the Fairgrounds of Liberal, Kansas

Jim & Barbara

Just Hanging Around Artesia for a Little While

Sunday, April 13 – Saturday, April 19, 2008

Sunday, April 13

Barbara: Today was another “I don’t feel well day” for me. I did get up early (6 AM) so I could watch some of the church services I enjoy on TV since it was obvious we wouldn’t be going out today. After Jim awoke, he joined me for breakfast and another service before he headed outside to work around Jean’s place.

Since I was feeling cooped up, I decided to rearrange, clean some cabinets, and fix a crock pot noodle dish which we could later share with Edith.

We were invited over to Jean’s for a cook-out with the clan to baptize her new grill, but we decided that I might still be contagious; so Jim wandered over there alone. However, it wasn’t long until he was home with a plate of food for me. He said he had been given instructions to deliver this before they ate. Even though I had asked him to not make a special trip back to Big V, I was pleased that he did, especially when I saw all the good food.

Monday, April 14

There is no doubt in my mind that this is a day I’d like to erase! Jim has been having shoulder problems for quite a while and decided that he’d better get to the doctor for it. Therefore, he left around 9:00 to do that. When he returned, it was with the news that his blood pressure is way too high and the doctor wants to do some blood work as well as schedule an MRI for the shoulder since he thinks Jim’s rotator cuff might be torn. We have been blessed with such good health that this news just kind of hit me hard. Go figure.

Then, after starting laundry at Edith’s, we took the car to the car doctor for a simple oil, lube, and filter job. We planned to walk through downtown Artesia and do some shop looking and have lunch. The shop looking was a bust since the store we wanted to look in is closed on Monday. However, we chose to eat at the Garden Café which turned out to be a very wise decision since the sandwiches were great and the view of downtown from the “garden” was very pleasant. It’s definitely a place we’ll go to again.

Knowing that we had spent plenty of time for the car to be ready, we walked back over to Guy Chevrolet only to find that the car had not been moved. I really needed to go back and put in another load of clothes, but the manager assured us that the car would be ready in 20 minutes. So…we took off walking again. (At least it was a gorgeous day for a walk!) To make a long story short, I’ll just say that the car was not ready and it was another hour before we headed over to Edith’s.

But, this little fiasco was not over! About half way between Edith’s and Guy Chevrolet, the phone rang and it was the cashier at Guy’s. They had forgotten to add the labor to the bill, and wanted us to please come back! Jim said he’d be there in a minute (one of their minutes!) and took me on to Edith’s to work on the clothes while he drove back downtown.

We had had such a fun day that we were exhausted and even though it was almost 4:00, we came home for a quick nap. However, mine wasn’t so quick, so Jim went back for the clothes about 5:10 leaving me still asleep!

When I finally awoke (about 5:25) I walked over to Nancy and Jerry’s to feed Benji since we’re dog-sitting him for a couple of days. He was terribly lonely and wasn’t a bit interested in his food; so I took him for a walk. I told him we were going to Grandma’s (which is the clan name for Jean) and he led me right there! After visiting a little with Jean, Benji and I continued our walk. Just as we were heading for his (Nancy and Jerry’s) home, I spied Jim pulling up so we changed our course and met him to help take in the laundry. Then when we finished that, both of us took Benji home and dropped by Jean’s again.

Jim got engrossed in the Red Sox baseball game with Jean so I came on home to watch Deal or No Deal. The Sox pulled the game out of the jaws of defeat so Jim was a happy camper. Finally, a good end to this day!

Tuesday, April 15

HAPPY TAX DAY AMERICA!!! Thought for the day: Did you ever notice that when you say “The IRS,” it spells “Theirs?”

Happy birthday to Jim’s Aunt Glennis in Florida!

What exciting events do I have to tell about today? Not much…Jim got up early so he could be at Dr. Khan’s office at 8:00 to get his blood pressure checked and have blood drawn for some tests. When he came home, he took a couple of the magic pills that Dr. Khan gave him yesterday and went to bed to “rest his eyes.” About three hours later he finally stumbled out of the bedroom and restarted his day.

We went into town to see Edith and take her some food that we had left over from last night, and then did some “shop-looking” at the store we wanted to visit yesterday.

Jim has wanted to do some more Puerto Rican cooking, so we stopped at Fenn’s Supermarket and picked up a few items before we headed back out to the place. I went in to visit Jean while he took the groceries to Big V and started tonight’s meal.

Jim: I decided today that I wanted to cook a chicken dish and some rice, so we stopped at the supermarket when we were in town and got some chicken breasts. When we got home, I chopped some onion and garlic and cut a potato into very thin slices; then, while I fried them in olive oil, I cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and seasoned them with the Adobo seasoning. When the onions, garlic, and potatoes were done, I mixed in the chicken pieces and fried them until the outsides were cooked. When I thought everything was ready, I mixed in a package of Goya seasoning with Culantro and Achiote. When everything was heated and stirred, I added in a couple of cups of water, boiled the mixture for a few minutes, and then let it sit and simmer while I fixed the rest of the meal. With that going, I started the rice. We are still so grateful that Margarita and Maria taught us about grano mediano when we were in Puerto Rico, because it cooks up exactly the way we like it. I've never been able to cook rice this well, but now, thanks to them, it comes out perfect every time! While the rice and the meat mixture were cooking, I started on the tostones. The plantains we bought a couple of weeks ago were just right (well, one of them had turned black, so I didn't try to use it, but the other two were ripe). We found that the last time we did the plantains, we had the fire turned up too high on our burners; so, this time after I got the oil heated, I turned the burner to "low," and it was just the right amount of flame and heat. Also, I paid a lot more attention to what I was doing this time so the pieces didn't burn. Barbara bought a loaf of French bread today and sliced it up to cook in the griddle for flat bread. While I was fixing the tostones, she did the bread. As luck would have it (it had to be luck, because I don't think we could plan it this well), everything was ready at the same time. (We were going to use some sofrito we bought at the supermarket, but when I went to open it, I found that it had already been opened and probably wasn't good anymore, so I just threw it away. I think that soon I will gather everything I need for sofrito and make it myself.) We called Jean to see if she was ready to eat. She said to give her a few more minutes, and by the time we got all the pots, pans, and other containers into her house, she had the table set and we were all ready to eat. We also took some salad to eat, so we had that, the chicken dish, rice, fresh cooked plantains, and hot flat bread...Yum-Yum!!! Jean said she enjoyed it very much, and we were proud of ourselves for the way it turned out...Again, we were so grateful for the cooking lessons and tips we got from Margarita and Maria. With two or three trips back to Puerto Rico, we could almost be experts!

After we finished eating, Barbara went over to Jerry and Nancy’s house to feed Benji and take him for a walk. They came by the house so Benji could see “Grandma” for a few minutes before going back home for the night.

I gathered up some of the pots and pans and took them back to Big V, where Barbara and I did the dishes and then sat down to rest for a bit. Later, we went back over to visit Jean for a few minutes and then came home to watch a little TV before ending our day.

Mike called us this afternoon to chat a bit and let us know that he and Kelly have set a wedding date. They will be married on Sunday, October 19 in the Richmond area. Of course, there will be more information on this big event as we receive it.

Wednesday, April 16

Edith and Jim had an appointment with the banker concerning house issues related to moving to Mineola. Therefore, I chose to stay home to begin packing up all the house knick-knacks since we have to go to Carlsbad tomorrow.

Eventually, we wound up spending the whole day running around (in the car). We enjoyed visits with Edith and then later with Billee and Ernie. We also had to clean out the refrigerator and take all our perishable items over to Edith’s since the ice maker will have to be checked out tomorrow.

Later Jim went over and watched basketball and baseball a little while with Jean.

Thursday, April 17

Edith had an appointment this morning at the hospital to have some standard blood tests done in preparation for her doctor appointment next week. This took only 30 minutes which gave Jim and me plenty of time to finish closing Big V before going to Carlsbad. We had decided that Jim would drive the motor home and I’d follow in the car so we wouldn’t be stranded at the repair shop.

After leaving Big V, we decided to conjure up some old memories by going to Furr’s Cafeteria to enjoy a leisurely meal. Back in the old days, Furr’s was a name to be reckoned with in the grocery and restaurant market around West Texas and New Mexico. The food was good, but we both agreed it wasn’t the quality that it used to be.

After doing some shop-browsing, the phone finally rang letting us know that Big V was ready to go…without an ice maker…they have to order it and then we’ll have to come back…go figure! To me, it just seems logical that since they have known for 2 weeks that we were coming, they would have had a new one to put in. But…guess that’s just too logical.

Since we were only inside the store for probably 25 minutes, we were shocked when we walked out to go get Big V to find that the weather had deteriorated immensely…the wind and dirt were in cahoots and they were causing all kinds of havoc! Therefore, it did us no good to get Big V because we couldn’t travel with her! After spending about 30 minutes rocking back and forth in a vacant lot next to the repair shop, we finally decided to check into an RV Park just a few yards down the road so we could get the levelers down and quit being “seasick.”

So…here we are…cozy as two bugs in a rug while the wind (gusts up to 45-50 mph) swirls around us!

The only excitement we had this night was when we got a call from Joyce announcing that Ginger and Michael are now the proud parents of another son, Max. They were in Maryland for Michael’s sister’s wedding, but they wasted no time heading to El Paso to bring home their new son!

Friday, April 18

We spent a lazy morning with no great rush to get on the road back home. The weather is supposed to be nice today; so we decided that slow and easy was our mantra today.

We had an uneventful trip back home and then squandered the day away.

Saturday, April 19

While I did chores inside, Jim took advantage of the beautiful morning by working outside. Then we headed over to Edith’s to begin the process of packing up her belongings for her eventual move. After 3 hours of that, we decided it was time to quit for the day. Edith suggested that we go to Ruth’s and get lunch for the 3 of us (even though by then it was 2) and by K-Mart to get her prescriptions…so we did.

Then it was home to take a much needed nap! We senior citizens can really get used to that being a part of our daily activities!

Once again Jim worked outside while I worked inside. Once I went out to empty the trash though, I didn’t want to stay inside. Jim suggested I go get some bubble gum to throw down the ground squirrel holes! Doesn’t that sound like a cool assignment? Anyway, I did it gleefully!

We finished up the week by doing nothing to write home about.

“If you don’t get everything you want, think of the things you don’t get that you don’t want” – Church Signs (a gift Heather and Andy gave Jim for Christmas...thanks, guys, we both enjoy and use it!)

Just hanging around in Artesia,

Jim & Barbara

Little More Time

Sunday, April 6 – Saturday, April 12, 2008

Sunday, April 6

Barbara: We were really undecided today as to what we were going to do. I had checked out some nearby churches, but in the end, we decided it was more important to take Alexander and Abby over to Mineola so their Granny and great Aunt TJ could get to enjoy them since we didn’t know when or if they would have this opportunity again. With that goal in mind, we began preparations…diapers, sippy cups, snacks, juice, cell phones, etc. etc. Oh, yes…we need the kids! Okay, car packed and we’re off to the turtle races!

Keeping in mind that little ones do not enjoy being cooped up in a car for 2 hours, we made a playground stop at McDonald’s in Terrell so Abby and Alexander could expend some energy. With that mission accomplished, we loaded back into the car to make round 2 in the car.

In no time at all, we were pulling into TJ’s drive and were quickly letting the kids out of their car seats! What a great time Granny and TJ had watching and listening to Alexander and Abby enjoy their freedom. TJ and Jim eventually went to pick up some chicken for lunch (the kids favorite!) while I took them out for a walk to see the cows and horses down the street. Since Alexander decided he was too tired to walk, Abby and I pulled him in TJ’s red wagon. Then we went back indoors to play with Granny…

After lunch while the kids watched TV in TJ’s bedroom, we adults were able to visit a little about Edith’s decision on the move to Mineola.

One of the houses we saw on Friday is a garden home which only had 2 bedrooms, but might as well be called something bigger since it has an office attached to the master bedroom. This is the home that Edith has decided to call hers.

This home also has a lovely screened in sun porch where Edith can have her morning coffee and watch the dogs roam around in the small, but lovely backyard.

This home was definitely meant for her! We all agreed on that. Now if we could just hit a magic button and have all her belongings in place and ready to live in!

Before we left, we conducted the usual photo session in order to document our special time together…
Eventually, it was time to head back to Richardson. We had mentioned to Alexander that if he slept in the car, it would count as his nap so that’s exactly what he did until we got to Terrell. However, this time we stopped at a public park that offered many opportunities for fun for both Alexander and Abby.

Once home it was time again for another meal, a little playtime, baths, story time, and finally bedtime for both them and us!

Monday, April 7

We all made a pretty lazy start to the day. Finally, it was time to hit the road to McDonald’s for lunch and playground time. A stop by Home Depot for a part for Jim to fix a broken shower was next on the agenda. While Jim fixed the shower, the kids and I played outside, inside, and all around!

Around 5 we ventured out in the wild, crazy Dallas traffic to meet Paul (Jean’s grandson) and his wife Stephanie at Double Dave’s Pizza in Grand Prairie. About a half block from our destination, we had to make a pit stop for Alexander. This turned out to be the coolest thing we did all week, because the convenience store had a life-size cut-out of Iron Man! Now how lucky could we be! Alexander was so excited about this that I asked the store clerk if we could take his picture by the stand-up cut-out. She was so kind and told we definitely could and just move it anywhere we wanted! And, we did!

With no more ado, we wound up at the restaurant where Stephanie and Paul were waiting for us.
Paul and Stephanie are expecting their first child sometime in September though one would never really know it by just looking at Stephanie!

Once we got the kids settled in with their food, I laughingly said as Jim and I were going to get ours, “We’ll be back in a week!” Never did I dream that Alexander would take me seriously, especially since the buffet line was right by our table, but he did. And, when we returned to the table, we found him in tears. Finally, with some hugs and reassurance for him, we all dug into the delicious pizza.

By the time we returned to Richardson, Abby was sound asleep and we just chose to leave her that way. Bath time didn’t seem quite so important! We would start the day tomorrow with baths.

We watched the Kansas vs. Memphis championship game with high hopes for Kansas, especially since I had picked them to win in my bracket group. With a win, I would wind up in 4th place out of 25…with a loss, I’d be 10th. As is now history, we watched with bated breath as Kansas tied the game with two seconds left! Overtime gave them the game and I found myself in a respectful 4th place in my group! Needless to say, it’s the best I’ve done since I began joining a March Madness group 3 years ago.

Tuesday, April 8

We knew today would probably be the most difficult day to keep the kids busy since they knew their parents were returning. But we began with a lot of outdoor time, which they love. Jim edged the backyard while I mowed it and the kids played on the deck. Then it was out front where I mowed one half while Jim watched the kids. However, when Jim started mowing the other half, I decided it would be better to take Abby and Alexander to the backyard where there aren’t quite so many rules!

After lunch and naps, we journeyed over to the Firewheel Mall where the kids could play and run around after we did a little shopping. Then a stop at Taco Bueno for supper to take back to the house was next on the agenda.

With a movie in the TV and plenty of toys to play with, time really flew by for them and by 7:30 Heather and Andy were walking through the door. It goes without saying that the kids latched on to them and were afraid to let go! So…after a little catching up on the job interviews and our activities with the kids, Jim and I headed over to Terrell where we had motel reservations for the night. This is where we were meeting TJ with Edith tomorrow and it seemed wiser to already be there instead of fighting through Dallas traffic tomorrow, especially since Heather and Andy would be trying to get the kids ready for school, etc.

Wednesday, April 9

Jim: TJ and Edith arrived about 9 TX time and the three of us pointed the Vibe in the westerly direction while TJ went back east. The trip was generally uneventful, although we found out after we got home that a tornado had skipped across I-20 at Abilene just after we had passed through there. The clouds looked a little funky as we were driving west of Abilene, but I didn’t think much about it. Barbara suggested that we turn on the radio and check the weather station, but I said it was just some low-swirling fog and wasn’t worth worrying about…guess God really does look after the foolish.

As we crossed over 12-mile hill east of Artesia, we saw what we thought were some dark clouds. Well, they were, but they were dark with sand and dust. A major wind and dust storm was brewing and we were headed right into the thick of it.

Around 5:30 NM time, we were pulling into Edith’s driveway where Ernie was waiting to help us unload.

Then it was home to Big V for us. The wind and dirt were blowing so hard that we elected to bring in only what was absolutely necessary for the night. We didn’t even open up the slide-outs on the right side because of the wind…just made do for the night.

There’s no place like home!

Thursday, April 10

A really do-nothing day! We slept in this morning, even with the wind howling around us. The slide-outs stayed slid in for most of the day, and it was foolish to even think of going outside and doing any work. Late in the afternoon the wind started diminishing enough that we could open the place up and bring in a few more things that we had left in the car.

Jerry called during the afternoon and asked if we wanted to go to dinner with them and then attend a magic show presentation by the Artesia Arts Council. We said that we didn’t think we were interested in the magic show, but when we found that Jean was going to dinner but not the show, we agreed to go with her to Kwan Den to try out their remodeled Chinese buffet (by the way, it was wonderful).

After dinner we came back and visited with Jean a bit before calling it a night.

Friday, April 11

We took our time getting around this morning…nothing important happening here at Big V, but later in the morning we made several stops around town to take care of business. We had some questions for Dr. Kahn, the physician that Mother sees. I am having some problems with my left shoulder, and rather than driving all the way to Liberal to see Dr. Gill, I decided to see if Dr. Kahn would take me on as a patient.

The Vibe also needed to go to the car doctor for a checkup, so we stopped at Guy Chevrolet to see about an appointment for regular service (and, no doubt, some filter changes due to all the dust and dirt storms we’ve experienced this spring).

With a doctor appointment scheduled for 9:30 Monday morning and a car appointment set for 1:00 Monday afternoon, we drove on over to Mother’s house to see how she was doing. Everything seemed to be just fine over there. She and Ernie had gone to the bank this morning and made arrangements to get the money to buy her new house in Mineola.

After leaving Mother’s house, we drove out to Roselawn Elementary School to visit Becky. She’s asked us several times to come out and see where she works as a Special Services paraprofessional.

We were pleasantly surprised to find a very bright and cheerful school building. The school nurse has recently painted murals on the walls that really brighten the place up. With a little help from the secretary, we soon found Becky and a couple of the teachers with whom she works.

After a short visit we went back to the front of the building where we had the opportunity to meet Mrs. Perez, the building principal. She didn’t have much time to visit with us as she was busy reading to three students who were in her office, but she did give us a hearty welcome and invited us to come back whenever we could.

Since Susie was coming back to Artesia to work an extra day this week, we joined the gang at Chaos for lunch and had a great meal and time to catch up on the events and activities of the last ten days or so.

After lunch, we made a brief stop at Mother’s house and then came back out to Big V to get a nap. It was a beautiful afternoon to be outside, but catching a few Z’s seemed to be more important.

Barbara woke up feeling a little under the weather, so while she stayed inside and rested, I went outside to do some work around the place and try to undo some of the wind damage from the past few days.

Later I went over to visit Jean for a few minutes and convey Barbara’s regrets for not getting out tonight. Then, it was back to Big V to eat supper, watch a couple of TV shows, and then end the day.

Saturday, April 12

It was a beautiful day today…the temperatures weren’t too high, but with little or no wind, it was very pleasant to go outside and work.

Barbara fixed breakfast, but wasn’t feeling well enough to get out, so she stayed inside while I enjoyed the bright sunshine and fresh air for a few hours.

Nancy stopped by to let us know that she had done well at her 4-wheeler driving school in Roswell this morning and to give us some information we’ll need for “babysitting’ Benji next week while she and Jerry take a welcome break for a short fishing vacation.

When I did come in, she had a great lunch fixed, with enough left over to share with Jean and Mother. I delivered the food, went to Wal-Mart to pick up a propane tank for Jean, and then came back to Big V to spend the afternoon watching the Red Sox and Yankees go at it at Fenway Park.

Tonight…just put life on “cruise control” and take it easy.

“Life just gives you time and space…it’s up to you to fill it” – Unknown

Back home in Artesia,

Jim & Barbara

A Little Time in Richardson

Sunday, March 30 – Saturday, April 5, 2008

Sunday, March 30

It was great to be back in our home church at Artesia First Baptist this morning. Brother Rick is a wonderful Bible teacher/preacher and was at the top of his form this morning.

After church we came back to Big V, fixed lunch, and settled in for an afternoon of NCAA basketball, only to be sadly disappointed by the total collapse of Texas as they fell to Memphis, and disturbed by the less that stellar play of Kansas in their game with Davidson (although Davidson was a great team and put up a great fight before finally losing by only 2 points. We were just wishing that Davidson had played either North Carolina or UCLA and knocked one of them out of the tournament.

After a quick visit over at Mother’s house, we decided that we’d cook up one of the meals that we had learned from Margarita and Maria when we were in Puerto Rico earlier in the month, so we fired up the stove top and started cooking. While Barbara was cutting, frying, and smashing the plantains, I went to work on the cubed steaks that had been marinating in olive oil and Adobo seasoning since yesterday. It didn’t take long until Big V was really “stinking purty.”

Later, Barbara started cooking some rice and I added tomato sauce to the simmering steaks and onions. By the time we were finished, Big V smelled exactly like Maria and Margarita’s house did when they taught us the recipe.

We decided we’d call Jean and offer to bring everything over to her house if she hadn’t eaten yet. She said to come on over, so we took the food and a pancake griddle over to her kitchen. Margarita taught us how to take fresh rolled bread (which we didn’t have, so we substituted some buns) butter it, and close the griddle on it to make flat bread.

With everything finally in place, we sat down with Jean and enjoyed a wonderful Puerto Rican meal.

After eating and watching a little more TV, we gathered our dirty pots and pans, took them back to Big V to wash, and called it a day.

Monday, March 31

Don’t know why, other than that deep down inside we knew it needed doing, but we decided to tackle a deep cleaning of Big V today. It’s been a while since we did that last, and it took about three hours to do all that we thought needed doing. We’ve had lots of dust storms since the last cleaning, and Big V, like every structure in southeastern New Mexico, is definitely not immune to invasion by the dust and sand that blows through here.

Mother had a physical therapy appointment this afternoon at 2:30, so I left Barbara at Big V and went to town to get her. In addition to a solid workout, she had to stay late to complete a bunch of paperwork, so it was after 5:00 when I finally got home.

Jean invited us over to supper tonight. She had some Portuguese barbecued chicken and beans she had bought at the St. Anthony’s Catholic fundraiser, so we enjoyed another delicious meal at her place before returning to Big V to watch television and eventually get to bed.

Tuesday, April 1

With a trip to East Texas coming up, we decided that we’d better get the laundry taken care of today, so we took everything over to Mother’s house to wash while we did some chores for her and us. We talked it over with Mother and decided that rather than driving all day Wednesday to go to Mineola, Texas, we’d leave after lunch on Wednesday, drive as far as Sweetwater and then go on to Mineola on Thursday. Our hope was that we would miss rush hour traffic around the Dallas/Forth Worth area and not feel so beat up when we did arrive in Mineola.

After getting back to Big V and having some lunch, I decided I’d work as much of the fence lines as I could on the east side of Jean’s property. The problem with cleaning out one side of the lot is that everything else looks worse until it’s cleaned, and I wanted to remedy that problem before we left on the next trip. The weather and wind cooperated, and by 5:00 p.m. I had accomplished even more than I had expected.

Tonight we did as much packing as possible in order to be ready for travel tomorrow.

Wednesday, April 2

Happy 14th Anniversary to us!

We had every intention of sleeping in this morning, but were up and around by 5:30. We took our time moving around…I fixed pancakes, bacon, and eggs and we had a leisurely breakfast.

We decided that, as much as we’d like to join the bunch for our Wednesday Chaos luncheon, it made more sense to get away around noon, so we checked with Mother to see if she could be ready to leave by 12:30. She said it wouldn’t be a problem, so we got busy doing all the chores necessary for closing up Big V for a few days. We let Jean and Susie know that we wouldn’t be eating with them today and headed on over to Mother’s house around 12:15.

Ernie and Billee were there to help us load the car and get underway, and by 12:30 we were on U.S. 82, headed toward Hobbs and various other points on our way to Big Spring, Texas, where we got on I-20 and pointed the car east toward Sweetwater.

We arrived at the Sweetwater Super 8 Motel around 5:30 and were pleasantly surprised to find a newly remodeled structure with all the amenities one could ask for in a budget lodging (not to mention the lowest price we’ve seen in a long time. We got checked in to our rooms and then Barbara and I walked down to the street to pick up a sandwich and some cheesecake slices at Schlotzky’s, and a Burrito Supreme at Taco Bell to take back to the rooms for our dinner.

We spent the rest of the evening watching TV, working at our computers, and generally kicking back and relaxing.

Thursday, April 3

We got up early and got everything ready to go. After a good hot breakfast in the motel dining room, we were ready to roll by 8:30, far better than what we had anticipated.

With cloudy skies at the first of the trip, we just motored down I-20 through Abilene, Weatherford, Fort Worth, Dallas, and Terrell on our way to Mineola…not much to say about the trip…just drive, derive, and drive some more. But, with the early start, we were at T.J.’s house in Mineola at two o’clock, ready to eat the delicious meal she had prepared for us, ham, macaroni and cheese casserole, green beans, and homemade bread. Wow…what a great welcome!

At 4:15 we went to a neighbor’s house to visit, look at the layout of the house, and check out the property. We had mentioned a couple of years ago that if Mother ever considered moving to Mineola it would be great to find something in T.J.’s neighborhood, and this house is one that we singled out as a great piece of property. The folks who live here are considering selling and moving to a new place, so we thought we’d take advantage of a possible opportunity and check it out.

After we got back to T.J.’s place and unloaded the car, Barbara and I drove downtown to Legal Grounds, a local internet café/coffee shop, where we checked our email and sent out a couple of messages. From there, it was back to the house (with a brief stop at Dairy Queen for a Blizzard for Barbara and a Mocha Moolatte for Mother), where we settled in for an evening of visiting.

Friday, April 4

Wow…What was that noise!? We woke up to the sound of thunder rumbling (been a while since we’ve heard that), and rain pounding down on the roof…took us a few minutes to dig around in the memory banks and realize what was happening.

After everyone was finally up and more or less ready to face the day, T.J. fixed a great breakfast for us and we chowed down on bacon, eggs, biscuits, gravy, juice, and coffee…more than enough to give us a good kick start for a busy day.

At 10:00 a.m. we drove over to Century 21 to meet a realtor and begin a home tour. Over the course of the morning we saw several houses, most of which we ruled out immediately for a variety of reasons, but we did see two places that were definite possibilities. The frontrunner was a beautiful two-bedroom (but that’s not a very apt description) garden home that will take little or nothing to be ready to occupy. The second was a lovely three-bedroom sitting on a large shady lot near one of the local lakes. Now it’s down to decision time for Mother.

After seeing the last house of the day, Barbara and I went back to Legal Grounds to check email, then to Wal-Mart for a couple of purchases before returning to T.J.’s house.

We received a phone call from Heather while we were at the realtor’s office. We had planned to come back to Richardson next weekend to watch the Alexander and Abby while Heather and Andy go on a job interview; but, she received a call from the school this morning saying that next weekend won’t work for the school, and could they come this weekend instead and interview on Monday.

We quickly changed our plans so that Mother would stay with T.J. until Wednesday morning and we would go on to Richardson this evening. Heather and Andy will fly out tomorrow morning and return Tuesday evening. Luckily, we were “in the neighborhood” and were able to help them out and they were able to make reasonable travel arrangements.

We left Mineola about 4:00 p.m. and drove west on U.S. 80 to Terrell, where we stopped for a while at an outlet center to look for shoes and “other stuff.” Then, we continued on to Richardson to the kids’ house to get settled in for the night and prepare to start keeping Alexander and Abby tomorrow morning.

Saturday, April 5

“Happy Birthday today to Aunt T.J. in Mineola, Texas!

Alexander decided to start his day early…we had told him to come to our room and get us when he woke up, but we didn’t expect it to be at 5:30a.m.! We were already downstairs with him before we realized what time it was, so we got him started on a video while we checked our email, all of us trying to be quiet so we wouldn’t wake up everyone else.

Everyone eventually got up and moving around…Heather and Andy had to pack and get ready to go to the airport; and, there was all the last minute instructions and other “stuff” involved in leaving the kids with Grams and Gramps for a few days. We were pleased to find that the little ones accepted us and let Mommy and Daddy leave without any tears…they really are growing up!

After fixing some breakfast (we found that both children absolutely love bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast), Grams and I got the kitchen cleaned up and put back together. We played with some of the toys, watched a little TV, and then got everyone cleaned up and dressed to make our traditional drive to Wal-Mart. We had bought a doll and accessories for Abby while we were in Mineola, but it turned out to be a duplicate of what she already had, so we went to exchange it. While we were there, a couple of other items just happened to “jump” into the cart…we never have figured out how that happens.

When we were finished at Wal-Mart we went for a ride before ending up at Chick Fil-A for lunch (OK, we went for a ride because we got hopelessly lost trying to find a McDonalds that we thought was close by…what we found along the way is that there don’t seem to be any straight and/or parallel streets anywhere around here…we were “certain” we knew how to get to a McDonalds that we visited with the kids before, but we haven’t found it yet).

After arriving back at the house, we played with the new toys for a bit and then decided it was naptime. Alexander went right to sleep (no wonder, since he had waked up so early), but Abby had her second wind and did not take kindly to nap time. I went in and talked to her to try to quiet her, and Grams got her up for a few minutes and then put her back down, but nothing seemed to work, so we got her up long before Alexander woke up.

We spent a large part of the afternoon outside since it finally turned off nice and warm. Alexander wore his Spiderman outfit and Abby was satisfied to play on the swing set. We did take a timeout for a photo-op with Spidey-Alex, Spidey-Gramps, and Abby together in the backyard.

Heather provided us with a nice selection of leftovers, so dinner tonight wasn’t too complicated…pork pie and beans as a main dish, and the kids enjoyed some left over chicken nuggets and fries as well.

We spent the evening multi-tasking…alternately watching NCAA semi-final games (we didn’t care much about the UCLA/Memphis game, which was good, since there was a lot going on then…baths, clean up the living room, answering telephone calls, etc. Besides, if I had my way, that game would end in a tie and an investigation by someone in power would result in suspension from the tournament…in case you haven’t guessed, those two teams were squarely in my “who cares?” bracket.

We had Abby in bed and everything pretty well in shape by the time the Kansas/North Carolina game came on. Since Alexander had taken a nap in the afternoon, we let him stay up later. We got to watch the entire first half (a thing of beauty if you were a Kansas fan) and I gave him his bath during halftime.

The second half was a little scary for the KU folks. It looked as if UNC was going to have the ultimate upset, but Kansas regained control and advanced to the final game on the strength of an 18-point win…Go Jayhawks!!!

With the game safely tucked away, we went upstairs to read for a while and then called it a night.

“Basketball doesn’t build character, it reveals it.” - Anonymous

Babysitting grandchildren in Richardson, Texas,

Jim & Barbara