A Quick Look at Three Little Weeks…Part 1

Sunday, March 27 – Friday, April 9, 2011

Sunday, March 27

Happy Birthday to our “other mother,” Jean Terpening in Artesia, NM!!!

After attending morning church services, Jim and I hit the road for the first time in 15 months for a reason other than a quick get-away or a family crisis. It was a wonderful feeling! We made it as far as Tunica, Mississippi before spending the night.

Monday, March 28

Happy Anniversary to daughter Whitney and son-in-law Jim Farnham in Olathe, Kansas!!!

Today began with only two priorities…The first was to meet Jimmy Clint’s former boss and return his company computer and the other was to enjoy an evening meal with my former Lubbock family pastor and his wife. Otherwise, the day was ours to sleep in, relax and goof-off which I must confess felt mighty good!

Since we had never met Roger, we were delighted to meet him and his wife Margery and exchange memories of Jimmy. For us, it was pleasant to hear stories from their perspectives and it became obvious very quickly to us that they knew Jimmy very well, warts & all, and still regarded him highly! We do hope that one day we might meet them again as we thoroughly enjoyed our time together!

Next on the agenda was a quick ride over to Harrah’s Paula Deene Buffet where we were to meet George and Janie. Some things in life never change and the love and respect with which we hold for these two folks are an example…They have walked many a difficult path with me and my family; and when I married Jim, they welcomed him with the same warmth and caring; so it’s no wonder that Jim shares my love for them. It was such a pleasure to spend a couple of hours enjoying each other’s company and trading stories about family members. We don’t see George and Janie very often, but every minute with them is filled with quality time and we part having received multiple blessings of the time we share.

Eventually, it was time to say our good-byes and head back to the hotel where we needed to prepare and pack for the trip ahead.

Tuesday, March 29

By 7 AM we were on the road once again. We had decided before we left Liberal that we were going to make a slight detour this leg of the trip and go by Clarksville, TN, which is where a former student of ours now lives with her two children. Lindsay’s husband was killed fighting for our freedom and we needed to let her know how much we appreciated his and his family’s sacrifice.

Before we left Mineola, our neighbor John told us that a must stop was the Casey Jones Country Store and Museum in Jackson, TN. We timed our first pit stop there so we could find just the right treasures for our grandson, Jimmy, who loves trains and whose birthday was rapidly approaching.

After spending much more time than we intended there, we gave Lindsay a head’s up so she wouldn’t think we had gotten lost.

Along the way we encountered some really time consuming road construction which put us even more behind. But, luckily, Mike called during this time and he advised us to just take our time and not worry about making it to Midlothian on Wednesday like we planned. He assured us that that was no problem, which really took away the rushed feeling. In fact, it calmed us so much that when we stopped for gas and noticed a sign for “Land Between the Lakes” visitor center, 3 miles. We decided to take another slight detour. Our reasoning was sound…who knew if we’d ever make it this way again. What better excuse can one have than that?

Jim: Land Between the Lakes is a 170,000 acre National Recreation Area located between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley in Western Kentucky and Tennessee. It offers more than 200 miles of trails and rustic roads, as well as over 300 miles of undeveloped shore lines…a perfect area for camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, or just relaxing with Mother Nature. LBL has more than 250 days a year of hunting seasons for large and small game and waterfowl.

For serious naturalists and history buffs, LBL features The Homeplace, a working 19th century farm, and The Elk and Bison Prairie, a 700-acre restoration of Kentucky’s native barrens.

While our visit was necessarily short, we did have enough time to determine that we would like to spend more time in this beautiful place. We topped off the visit when we met Troy, a hiker who had been out on the trails for a couple of days. Troy shared some of his experiences, allowed us to take his picture for our journal/blog, and then returned the favor by taking a couple of shots of us.

After saying goodbye to our new acquaintance, we climbed back into the car, made our way out of the area, and continued our journey to Clarksville and a reunion with Lindsay.

Barbara: Once in Clarksville, we got directions from Lindsay and found her new home with absolutely no trouble at all. Her older son, Noah, was at school; but Kason the youngest was there to greet us, also. After checking out her new abode and quickly catching up on past years, we headed over to ….. for a wonderful lunch together. It was one of those cool places where you get to throw the peanut shells on the floor!

Jim: Lindsay had been one of Barbara’s students at WMS, and was one of my band students for one semester at LHS. She entered high school the year that I became assistant principal and, on the tenth day of the school year returned to my old job as high school band director when my replacement suddenly quit.

Barbara: Again time seemed to slip through our fingers and once on the road we agreed that we were not going to make it to Knoxville as we originally planned. So, being always ready to call it a day, we found a nice, inexpensive hideaway in Lebanon and called our travels over! This really created no problems except that I needed to call another former student we had made arrangements to see in Radford, VA, and warn him that we would not arrive as early as we had planned. Makes one wonder why Jim & I even plan anything, huh?

Wednesday, March 30

Happy Birthday to Cousin Angela Thompson in Mineola, Texas!!!

We woke up to rain, fog, and more rain this morning which made the traveling a little dicey in places. By the time we made it to Radford around 4:30, we knew that our bodies were not going to go any further down the highway this night; so, before meeting Drew at the Mexican restaurant, we checked into a Best Western.

Andrew, as I called him in class at West Middle School, attends Radford University and continues to play his saxophone and follow his love of music.

Jim: Drew was never one of my band students, as he arrived at the high school after I went into administration. But, I followed his musical progress closely because he was truly an outstanding musician and because I naturally kept up with the bands and choirs as an active observer. I often said that when I was the band director, I started out each day by spending an hour or two with over a hundred of the school’s top students. When I went into administration, I rarely saw the top students like Drew except to hand out awards.

Tonight was my first occasion to spend any time at all with Drew, and I thoroughly enjoyed the visit; I could see why Barbara thought so highly of him as a student. When Drew told us about a concert by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band at Radford tonight, I jumped at the chance to attend with him. Barbara thought it would be a fun time, but after days of travel and visiting, decided that she would rather have an evening of quiet relaxation at the motel.

The evening at Bondurant Auditorium on the Radford campus was all that I thought it would be…and more! Drew was a genial host and the band was exceptional as they presented more than two hours of the finest in original New Orleans, Memphis, and Chicago jazz stylings. They are, indeed, a national treasure!

Thursday, March 31

Another dreary, rainy day greeted us as we put Radford in our rear view mirror. Next major stop…Midlothian, VA, where we would finally get introduced to our newest granddaughter, Ava! To say our spirits were soaring would be a gross understatement.

We did take time to once again stop at the VDOT Memorial on Interstate 69.

With the ground covered with fog, it was a perfect time to get some new and different photos!

Jim: We had stopped at the VDOT memorial on other trips, but the weather today seemed to make this site even more memorable. Having worked for the Texas Department of Transportation as one of my many summer jobs during my teaching career, I was struck by the obvious care and dedication the state of Virginia has shown to their highway department workers by the placement of this monument in memory of those who lost their lives while serving the department and state.

Barbara: I failed to mention that not only was it rainy and foggy; but the temperature had dropped immensely and we were very pleased that we had returned to Edith’s on Sunday to throw our coats in the car!

We did it! We made it to Midlothian before noon and got to join Mike, Kelly, and Ava in a bite of lunch. And, at this point in the journal, we’ll let the photos do all of the talking!!!

Is there any doubt as to why this trip was so important to us?

Friday, April 1

Who needs words?

Saturday, April 2

Happy 17th Anniversary to us!!!

Happy Birthday to our good friend Betty Boone in Longview, Texas!!!

So many pics! Go figure…basically the day went like this…kids took Ava to friends’ while they ran in the Monument Avenue 10 K. Jim and I ventured down to VCU where the race was going on and the fever was high because of the Final Four game…we looked, walked, shopped, and took pics…LOTS of people.

We escaped out of there and headed to Cary Street which is one of our favorite places in Richmond! Ate Greek food…a first for us on our own…back to the house where Mike and Jim brewed up a fine cook-out meal!

Sunday, April 3

Every morning begins with a photo op session! Kelly and I were actually there, but the pics seem to always be ones of Mike and Jim with her.

We had planned to meet Nina Elder, a former student, in Williamsburg this morning since the kids had some prior obligations; but Nina called and said it would need to be Monday. Jim and I decided to go on over and check it out since we had never been there. And…as it turned out, that was a good thing as we didn’t realize we could walk the old part of Williamsburg without buying a rather expensive ticket. (Didn’t learn that until we returned home to Mike and Kelly.) But…we still had a good time and we also learned an easier place to meet Nina tomorrow. Watched Morning Glory with the kids that night.

Monday April 4

After a morning with Ava…we headed back to Williamsburg for another little tour of old town. We even had the chance to witness a little protest taking place right on the streets of Williamsburg! As Jim said, how appropriate to witness freedom of speech as we walked the streets!

Then it was on to meet with Nina and her friend at the Williamsburg Outlet Mall…

Tuesday, March 5

A wonderful way to start a morning!

Band-aids on her legs from all of her immunizations! Poor baby!!!
Mike and Jim put together a porch swing after Mike got off work…

Wednesday, April 6

This shot shows that Ava and Gramps enjoy the same hair style early in the morning!

Thursday, April 7

After a lazy morning and lunch with the kids, Jim & I headed out to find IKEA in Woodridge, VA, to do some cushion shopping for Edith’s chairs…

On the way to Woodridge, we saw a sign for the National Museum of the Marine Corps and since we had plenty of time, we thought we’d take a quick look…well…as the photos show, this museum cannot be looked at quickly! Awesome!!!

Finally met it to IKEA where we DID shop quickly as we had spent so much time at the Marine museum…found what we needed and then headed back to Richmond. Since Mike & Kelly were having a Bible study, Jim and I decided to treat ourselves to yogurt from the Sweet Frog near their home.

Friday, April 8

Since we had not seen Mike’s new office, while Ava and Kelly had a lunch date, we went out with Mike and got the grand tour of the office. Wouldn’t it be tough to face this scene every day?

Our last full day in Richmond with the kids ended with a trip to Cary Street and the Thai restaurant we all enjoy!

Saturday, April 9

After enjoying a family breakfast and a last photo session, it was time for Jim & I to hit the road.

Next stop…the home of Rod and Ruth Kunkel on Lake Anna which brings us to the end of this journal piece.

“A baby is God's opinion that life should go on.” Carl Sandburg

From Virginia,

Jim/Dad/Gramps & Barbara/Mom/Grams

A side note to this journal is that during our time away, we received 2 photos that we just have to share! First is the pic of granddaughter, Randi, who attended her school's prom.

The other is of my sister's husband and granddaughter, Tom and Keylin...what a pair!

This journal's entry proves that stories can be told through pictures!  

A Little Journey into Eldercare

Sunday, March 13 – Saturday, March 25, 2011

Sunday, March 13

Today was a normal Sunday for us…up early to go to the fellowship breakfast, Sunday school, and the morning worship service. Meanwhile, Sophie was staying with Mother and keeping her company until our return.

Since we hired Sophie for the entire day, we went to Our Little Lot and spent the afternoon lazing around Big V before returning to Yantis at 5:00 for choir practice and the evening worship service.

When church was over, we made the twenty-mile trip back to Mineola and settled in for another night at Casa Borsberry.

Monday, March 14

Today was a full day of taking care of business…made a final review of our federal income tax documentation and took the folder downtown to the accountant…went to the post office…called the Lubbock Police Department to try to find out more about Jimmy Clint’s personal items that were being held in the evidence room (with no more luck than the previous calls, we might add), and stood by while Nancy, the At-Home HealthCare nurse made her weekly visit to check on Mother.

We got an appointment at noon with Dr. Bankhead to discuss some of the things we’ve been noticing about Mother; changes that weren’t necessarily for the better. We explained that we had planned a trip to Virginia to see Mike, Kelly, and Ava, but that Mother’s deteriorating condition made it impossible for Sophie to stay with her and take care of her fulltime while we are gone.

Dr. Bankhead took a bunch of notes, explained some of the things that were going on with Mother, most of which seemed to be related to the Parkinsonism, and said she’d get back to us later in the week.

Tuesday, March 15
Blissfully unaware of what today would bring, I got up at 5:45, showered and dressed, and drove to Yantis for our weekly prayer meeting.

When the prayer meeting was over, I returned to Mineola, stopping first at a local donut shop to get some apple fritters for breakfast. Sophie happened to get there at the same time, so we visited a couple of minutes until our conversation was interrupted by my cell phone…it was Dr. Bankhead, calling to say that she had admitted Mother to Trinity Mother Francis Hospital in Tyler and we had to have her there by noon!

The rest of the morning was a blur…I rushed to the house to tell Barbara and Mother what was going on and then called TJ, who rushed right over. Mother just said, “Oh, shoot,” when we told her what Dr. Bankhead decided. Barbara got Mother into the shower and then gathered some clothes and other items that Mother might need for a stay of a few days and I got busy gathering up all the paperwork and records necessary for a hospital admission.

By 11:15, we had everything more or less put together, got Mother into the car, and we headed off to Tyler and the hospital. We got there about 12:15 and went through the admissions process. It wasn’t too complicated, but took longer than we had hoped. Mother has trouble sitting in a wheelchair for long periods of time, and she reached her limit before she was finally in a room and in bed.

We spent a couple of hours waiting for doctors, nurses, aides, and various other hospital employees to come through and ask all the questions that we had answered at the admissions check-in. But, everyone was friendly and the process went more smoothly than it could have.

Finally, we told Mother that we had to go to Lindale to see about getting her admitted to a rehab center as soon as she got out of the hospital. With that, we kissed her goodbye and headed back north to take care of business that we had no idea this morning we would be doing.

We stopped at Colonial Nursing Home and Rehab Center in Lindale to check out the facility. We were impressed with the friendliness of the folks and the cleanliness of the place, so we moved forward with plans to move Mother there when she got out of Trinity Mother Francis.

Because it was fairly late in the day and we didn’t have all the information we needed, we just made preliminary arrangements and reserved a room for at least a month.

We got to the house at 5:00, just in time to have a breather and then prepare for guests tonight. We had invited the Neyers and the Youngs to come over and play Fact or Crap with us, never imagining that the day would go the way it did. Since this was the only time soon that the six of us could get together, we told them we’d go ahead with the plans. A good time was had by all, but everyone seemed washed out this evening, so we called it quits early. Barbara and I straightened up the kitchen and dining room and then headed for bed, completely wrung out from a physically and emotionally tiring day.

Wednesday, March 16

Today was spent mainly on the road. We got to the hospital at 9:00, hoping to meet with the doctor when he did his rounds. As is usual at a hospital, there was a lot of hurry up and wait, but we finally did get to see one of the doctors and a couple of nurses. Mother complained that she hadn’t slept well during the night, partly because they had kept her up later than usual running some tests. Now we can add a urinary tract infection to the other diagnoses of fecal incontinence and mental confusion.

After the rounds were completed and we had the information we needed, we left Tyler and drove to Terrell to meet Heather, Andy, Alexander, and Abby for a late birthday celebration for Abby. We had located a Mexican restaurant that looked interesting and the kids were off on their spring break, so it seemed like a perfect time to get together.

The meal was great and we had a wonderful time visiting and getting caught up on all the activities and news. We had gifts for both Abby and Alexander and Abby thoroughly enjoyed the attention that was lavished upon her, especially when the wait staff came to the table after the meal, put a huge sombrero on her head, and sang “Happy Birthday.” It was a celebration she won’t soon forget!

Since the outlet mall was just across the lot from the restaurant, we took the time to go through some of the stores with the kids and even located a few special items that Alexander and Abby especially liked.

Too soon, we had to end the visit and return to Tyler for another visit with Mother, so we said our goodbyes to the kids and grandkids and we all went our separate ways.

When we got back to the hospital, we found that Mother was about as worn out as we were, so we filled her in on our visit with the kids and then made yet another trip to Lindale to pick out and reserve a room for Mother at Colonial and then returned to the Mineola house at 6:00, completely exhausted from the day’s activities and travel.

Thursday, March 17

Happy St. Patrick’s Day…Everyone is Irish today!!!!

Birthday Greetings go out today to our good friend Gene Young!!!

This was another hospital morning for us...We were at Trinity Mother Francis by 9:00 and were in the room with Mother off and on until 1:00. We did take a short break a little before noon to go to a nearby Schlotzky’s to grab a sandwich and drinks, but most of the time was spent either in Mother’s room or waiting in the hallway while doctors examined and nurses treated.

We left the hospital at 1:00 and returned to the house in Mineola to start gathering things that Mother was going to need at Colonial. We called Cousin Ladd and asked if he could come over later in the afternoon to help haul things to Lindale.

Ladd came to the house around 3:30 and we loaded Mother’s easy chair, flat-screen TV, wheelchair, walker, clothes, and other assorted bits and pieces of “stuff” into his pickup and our car to take to Colonial. Ladd had a helper waiting, so he went to get him while Barbara and I drove on to Lindale and started unloading the car. When Ladd and his helper got there, we unloaded everything, moved it into Mother’s new room, and Barbara and I got everything set in place and straightened up, all ready for Mother to get settled in.

We finished the room around 6:00 and returned to the house to get supper and an evening of rest.

Friday, March 18

We played the “hurry up and wait” game with Trinity Mother Francis again today. They had told us to be there at 9:00 AM to get Mother ready to go to Colonial, but we waited on first one person and then several others, and it was after 1:00 when she was finally discharged.

Since Mother was ambulatory, we were able to get her into the car and transport her to Lindale. They were ready and waiting for her when we arrived and soon she was in her room and taking a battery of tests and finishing up the paperwork necessary to complete her admission.

Mother seemed to be generally pleased with her accommodations, but was plum wrung out after all the business at the hospital and the ride to Lindale, so we left her in the care of the staff of Colonial and returned to Mineola to take care of the puppies and make our way through the evening routine at the house.

Saturday, March 19

We drove to Lindale this morning to check on Mother…got there around 9:00 and found that she was already in rehab, but they brought her out to visit a bit. She was still very tired, so we let her get back to bed and we drove back to Mineola to take care of business around the house.

We went back to Colonial at 4:00 this afternoon, this time taking Spike and Bonita to see Mother. Spike loves to ride in the car, so he is no problem at all. Bonita, on the other hand, hates the car and the feeling of motion, so she screams like a banshee all the way. Luckily, she was okay when we got her out of the car and generally behaved herself while in Mother’s room. Still, we could see already that taking the puppies to see Mother was going to be an adventure in itself.

Sunday, March 20

With all the running around we did during the week, the house didn’t get its usual cleaning, so we took the morning off to tackle some of those chores and try to get it back in shape.

This afternoon we took the puppies back to see Mother for a while and then returned to the house for a little rest before I went out to check on Big V before going to choir practice and the evening church service while Barbara stayed home to get some much needed rest.

Monday, March 21

This was a day of “taking care of business.” We met with the CPA downtown to wrap up our income taxes for 2010…ended up paying her to tell us how much we had to pay the IRS again. While we weren’t particularly thankful about owing again this year, we were at least glad that we were able to wrap everything up before we got away on our planned trip to Virginia.

I also spent an interminable amount of time on the telephone trying to get someone from the Investigations Section of Lubbock Police Department to assist us in getting Jimmy Clint’s personal effects out of the evidence room. After several unanswered calls to the detective in charge, I managed to get the name of his supervisor to talk about the situation. Within minutes, the situation was cleared and we were told the material could be released to a person of our choosing today. We then called Kyle Avery, gave him the new information, and he promised to get it right away and send it to us.

We met our friend Heidi in Lindale for lunch today. We hadn’t seen Heidi in quite some time, and being with her is always fun, so we had a good time pretending to be “real people.”

After eating and saying goodbye to Heidi, we went to Colonial to spend some time with Mother (no puppies visiting today) and see how she was doing. Unfortunately, we found that she when she tried to move from her chair to her bed last night, she took a tumble and hurt one of her feet. The foot looked bad, but she wasn’t complaining about pain. Still, the nursing staff said they would set up an appointment with an orthopedist in Tyler on Thursday to have it checked out.

After returning to Mineola and resting a bit, we drove out to Our Little Lot to check on Big V, get some summer clothes out of storage, and bring the motorcycle back to town to store in the garage while we are gone to Virginia.

Tuesday, March 22

I got up early this morning to drive to Yantis for weekly prayer meeting, but other than that, today was mostly a day of organizing for our upcoming trip…selected clothes to take along, did laundry and some preliminary packing, and also did some basic housecleaning, trying to avoid the last minute rush.

We did take the puppies back to Lindale to see Mother this afternoon. Bonita was her usual loud and cantankerous self in the car, but on the positive side, she has adapted to the leash much better than we ever expected…we take progress where we can find it, especially with her.

The one bit of business we got accomplished today was to call the Holiday Villages corporate office in Dallas to order a new gate keycard. I managed to lose the one I carried in the motorcycle and have no idea of where it could be. I’m sure though, that after paying the fifteen-dollar fee for a new key, we’ll find the old one somewhere.

This evening we decided that we had been working too hard and deserved a brief break, so after feeding the puppies, we took off and drove to Paris to spend the night and see the sights…something we’ve talked about many times, but just haven’t gotten around to doing.

Wednesday, March 23

We got up early this morning and drove out to see Paris’ claim to fame, the second-largest Eiffel Tower in the world. It took us a lot longer to get there than we expected, mainly because there was so much road construction that you literally “couldn’t get there from here.” But, we persisted and finally found the one unclosed road that led to the convention center and the tower.

The tower itself wasn’t very imposing, but it was interesting and is certainly a way to capitalize on the city’s name.

When we returned to Mineola, we turned the day into a major cleaning day…started in the garage in order to guarantee room for the motorcycle and Sophie’s car whenever she comes to doggy-sit while we are on our trip. The activities also included taking everything out of the freezer chest, defrosting, and then repacking the frozen foods.

We went to Lindale to see Mother at 3:30…found her sitting up in bed like the Queen Mother and accepting all the attention the staff was giving her. Her foot was bothering her a little, but she seemed to be doing just fine otherwise. The puppies were glad to see Mother again…Bonita hates the ride to and from Lindale, but has a good time exploring around the nursing home.

When we got home, we found that UPS had delivered the package of Jimmy Clint’s personal effects that Kyle sent to us. As we had said all along, there was absolutely nothing suspicious or seditious in Jimmy’s notes…just some letters for Cathey and Jaycie and his revised obituary that he has kept in plain sight since finding out how ill he was. We must say at this point that this whole experience has done nothing to raise our regard for the Lubbock Police Department. Even understanding that there are policies and procedures to be followed, the past few weeks have smacked of incompetence and inefficiency at several levels of the department.

Thursday, March 24

Today was full of more preparations for our trip. Sophie came over and we went over the care and feeding of the puppies. She will come in for two or three hours each day to check on the house and doggy-sit Spike and Bonita.

We also did laundry, cleaned out the refrigerator, and tackled some more housecleaning and Barbara baked a batch of cookies to take to Colonial to show our appreciation to the staff.

While Barbara was handling chores at the house, I drove out to Our Little Lot to do some mowing and trimming so the yard wouldn’t get too far ahead of us while we are away.

This evening we made another trip to Lindale to see how Mother’s day had gone. She had her visit with the orthopedist this morning and he found that she had actually broken a bone in her foot when she fell the other night…a non-displaced fracture. There was no way to treat it other than put an orthopedic boot on it, so she was sporting her new footwear when we came in. Other than that, she was in pretty good spirits and we had a nice visit before leaving to return to the house for the night.

Friday, March 25

Happy Birthday to Becky Terpening in Artesia, New Mexico!!!

It was another day of preparation for our Virginia trip…car to shop for service…bills to pay…Spike to vet for a laser treatment for his arthritis…etc.

I copied the packet of Jimmy’s notes, letters, and paperwork and we mailed them to Cathey and Jaycie as well as John and Leah.

In general, the day was full of all those little details that have to be taken care of before leaving the house for a few weeks…nothing big and exciting, but all important.

This afternoon we took the puppies for their final visit to see Mother for a while. We’ve told Sophie and TJ that they are welcome to take them to Colonial whenever they want, but that it wasn’t necessary to take them as often as we have been doing this week.

Saturday, March 26

The entire day was spent cleaning house, mowing the yards, and packing for the trip…so many last-minute details to handle. Our original plan was to have everything taken care of by 4:00, go to Lindale to see Mother for the last time before we leave for three weeks, return to the house to feed the puppies, and then go to Our Little Lot to spend the night in Big V. But, we were so exhausted that we decided when we returned from Lindale that we would just spend the night here in the house, rather than having to unpack a few things at Big V and then have to repack before going to church tomorrow morning…simplification just seemed to be the way to go tonight.

Since the yard was mowed and trimmed and the Azaleas were in full bloom, we decided to take a picture to share with family and friends.

“When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to your youth, think of Algebra.” – Thanks to Carolyn Neyer for sharing this one

Running between Mineola and Lindale,

Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams

A Little Flag Day Remembrance

June 14, 2011

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.  On a sadder note, more than 100 members of the East Texas Patriot Guard Riders and the Christian Motorcycle Association rode today in support of the family of Army Sgt. Joshua D. Powell , who died June 4, 2011 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sgt. Powell, 28, of Quitman, Texas, was assigned to 793rd Military Police Battalion, 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; died of wounds suffered June 4, in Laghman province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Also killed in the incident were Sgt. Christopher R. Bell, Spc. Devin A. Snyder and Pfc. Robert L. Voakes Jr.

Services for Sgt. Powell were held this morning at Lake Fork Baptist Church and were followed by a procession to and burial with full military honors at Rock Creek Cemetery in Wood County.

It has become our Flag Day tradition to reprint “The Promise,” a piece that Jim 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

From Mineola,

Jim/Dad/Gramps & Barbara/Mom/Grams

A Little Update

Journal Update!

May 7, 2011

No, we have not fallen into a deep hole or run off to China. (Though, in truth, the thought has crossed our minds!)

And…since there is absolutely no way we’re going to get caught up on the journal any time soon, we decided to do a fast forward just to let those of you who have been concerned know what’s going on.

We did finally get to go to meet our newest, precious granddaughter Ava in Virginia! We did have 3 weeks away from Mineola. And, we were blessed in many ways! Thanks for the memories!

However, when we returned to East Texas on Friday, the 15th of April, we were definitely back in the real world as we know it.

Edith’s Parkinson’s has taken over in so many ways. For 6 days, the 16th through the 22nd of April, Jim and I tried to take care of her here at the house; but since she was no longer able to walk and we are so very untrained, it was a total nightmare for all of us! Poor Edith!

Jim tried contacting the Parkinson’s doctor on the 19th, but due to some weird circumstances it wasn’t until the 22nd that we got the word to bring her immediately to Tyler to the East Texas Medical Center ER. Well…easier said than done when one cannot walk and the two who can aren’t able to get her in a vehicle to transport! Finally, through Home Health Care, we found a shuttle that would transport her.

Fast forwarding…6 days of hospital care, a urinary tract infection, plus another chipped bone in her foot, and doctor’s orders to put her in a nursing home as it was too dangerous for her to be at home, Edith is now in Mineola at the Wood Memorial Nursing Home.

Our days were and have been during that time and now, consumed with making trips to Tyler, hunting just the right nursing home here in Mineola, maintaining Edith’s house and Big V as well as the yards, taking care of the puppies who do NOT understand where their Momma went, going to visit Edith, and making certain she understands that as soon as she can walk 22 steps (the distance from her bed to the chair) we will be bringing her home! We have also completely rearranged Edith’s furniture in the bedroom to make it more accessible for her wheelchair and, hopefully, walker.

As a side note on the photo of Spike and Bonita, they usually sleep with Edith in her bed; but when she’s not here, they won’t go near her bed. Therefore, we moved a blanket and a doggie bed into the living room. This particular morning, we found the puppies huddled together and Spike’s paw is resting on Bonita as though to give her comfort. It’s a precious photo, we think.

Some days when we visit, we find Edith. Other days there seems to be no one home. We try to go to physical therapy with Edith at least once or twice a week so we can learn better how to help her.

This particular day Edith was in her new Mother’s Day duster we gave her and was enjoying the wheelchair ride Jim was giving her. As a side note here… the Parkinson’s has robbed Edith of all facial expressions so one who is not familiar with her and her disease think she is frowning. She is not! Also, the pillow keeps her from leaning to the left too much. She no longer has control of some of her muscle functions, especially when she’s tired.

Honestly, we feel that we are on a roller coaster ride that dips to the depths of the earth and then soars to the mountain tops. However, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13.

One day we will complete our journal with flashback entries that we have started but not finished.

"We may not be able to control events, but we can control our attitude toward them." Our Daily Bread

From Mineola with love,

Jim/Dad/Gramps & Barbara/Mom/Grams

A Little Mineola Time

Sunday, February 27 – Saturday, March 12, 2011

Sunday, February 27

Birthday Greetings go out today to our good friend and adopted nephew, Jerry Terpening, in Artesia, New Mexico!!!

It was a usual Sunday for us today…got up early to prepare for church. Sophie came by to watch after Mother for the morning. We went to breakfast at church and then had Sunday school and the morning service before returning to Mineola to spend the afternoon with Mother.

This evening we went back to Yantis for choir practice and church service and then returned to the house to take care of all the nightly chores.

Monday, February 28

There wasn’t much excitement around the house this morning…just the usual chores and activities. Around 11:30 we took Mother to Tyler for her initial appointment with Dr. Plotkin, a neurologist who had been highly recommended by Dr. Bankhead for his aggressive treatment of Parkinsonism.

Our first stop was at Trinity Mother Frances Hospital to get Mother’s Cat scan reports, and then we proceeded down the street to the Neurological Institute at East Texas Medical Center.

We were very impressed with Dr. Plotkin and his staff and were pleased to find at the end of the examination that Dr. Plotkin was willing to take Mother on as one of his patients. We will be facing some changes in the meds routine, but we think this will give Mother a much better chance of staving off some of the effects of Parkinsonism.

By the time we returned to Mineola we were all wrung out, emotionally and physically, so we settled down to a light meal and then took it easy until time to head for bed.

Tuesday, March 1

This was prayer meeting morning, so I headed off to Yantis early while Barbara stayed at the house to take care of Mother’s morning needs.

When I returned, we set about taking care of the usual business of life; correspondence, banking, bill paying, grocery shopping, etc. Later in the day the nurse from At-Home Health Care came by for her weekly visit with Mother. Barbara and the nurse went over the new meds regime and got everything squared away. The new regime is very different and will take both of us some time to get it down pat.

Wednesday, March 2

This was just another “normal” day of our life in Mineola. Barbara got early enough to make some snacks to take to her Bible study group at Yantis First Baptist Church. While she was gone, I stayed at home to keep up with Mother and took time to do some minor housecleaning and straightening and a load or two of laundry.

This afternoon we made one of our regular runs to Walmart for a few things we needed around the house and stopped by Medicine Chest to pick up the latest order of meds for Mother.

Thursday, March 3

Happy Birthday today to Barbara Francis Yehl (daughter of Susie Terpening Francis) in Victoria, Texas!!!

Today we just piddled around the house taking care of the usual daily chores…nothing particularly exciting or even interesting.

Tonight our friends Gene and Michelle came over and we went out for Chinese food. When we returned to the house we got in three rounds of “Catch Phrase.” It just wasn’t a good night at all for Gene and me as we got waxed in all three games (although the last one was fairly close for a while).

Friday, March 4

Today was an “adventure day” for the three of us. Barbara and I needed to go to Mt. Pleasant to buy some supplies we needed for burning discs for the Bible study group, so we got Mother up and dressed and the three of us took a morning-long ride.

We left the house and drove to the post office to check the daily offering from the USPS and then drove down the street to Sonic for breakfast to go. As we ate our breakfast in the car, we drove out to Holiday Villages of Lake Fork to check on some things at Big V and stop at the sales office to pick up this quarter’s gift from the property owners association, an electronic reader…not quite as fancy as a Kindle, but still a very handy tool that we hope to incorporate into our daily life and future travels.

After introducing Mother to some of the friendly sales staff, we left the park and drove to Mt. Pleasant, about 45 miles away, to do our shopping. While I went to Staples to find the items we needed for our church work, Barbara and Mother went to Dollar Tree to see if there was anything we couldn’t live without.

When we had made our purchases and got back together, we hopped back into the car and headed down the road to Pittsburg. Now, Pittsburg isn’t much of a destination town, but it holds fond memories from my childhood. Pittsburg was home to Mother’s Aunt Nanie and Uncle Nunky. When we would travel to East Texas many years ago, a stop at Nanie’s house was always a must. The summer after my sophomore year in high school, Ernie and I spent several weeks with Aunt Nanie. Their home was pretty classy at the time, but it was always a home, rather than a showplace house, and we always enjoyed visits there.

On the way to Pittsburg we had to call TJ to get the name of the street that Nanie’s house was on, and once she told me, I even remembered the address. Nanie and Nunky have been gone for many years now, and the fine neighborhood they lived in on Lafayette Street has deteriorated a bit, but I immediately recognized the house where we had enjoyed family gatherings in times of happiness and sorrow.

Barbara took a couple of pictures of the house and then we drove down the street to find a place to turn around. When we got to the end of the street, we noticed a tamale factory and decided we’d give it a try. All three of us love fresh tamales and are always on the lookout for a place to by good ones.

Barbara and I went inside, visited a bit with the owner (who gave us some sample bites of the delicious treats) and ordered a couple dozen tamales to take home with us. Since the tamales were steaming hot and smelled wonderful, we decided we’d give them some taste tests along the way. Sure enough, the tamales passed the test for the three of us and we decided that we would have even more of them when we returned to the house.

From Pittsburg we drove down the road to Gilmer (sorry, Barbara Clingan, but we were in a hurry to get back to Mineola and didn’t have time to stop and call) and then turned off to return to Mineola by way of Quitman. We missed what should have been an obvious turnoff that would have taken us directly to Mineola from Gilmer, but since there didn’t seem to be an easy way to get back to that road, we decided to save it for a motorcycle trip on a “date day.”

Our trip lasted a little over four hours…a long trip for Mother, but we all enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the visit to places we hadn’t seen in such a long time. We returned to the house with renewed memories (for Mother and me), new places to see for Barbara, and hearty appetites for fresh tamales for all of us. Luckily, it didn’t take long to heat up the tamales, and soon the three of us were gathered around the dining room table enjoying the bounty of the day.

Saturday, March 5

Today was totally unmemorable…just worked around the house and yard, took care of some business, and spent a couple of hours burning CD’s for the ladies Bible class…some days are just days.

Sunday, March 6

We hired Sophie to come in for the whole day since Mother and TJ weren’t going to their church. We went on to Yantis for the usual Sunday morning activities…breakfast, Sunday school, and the morning preaching service.

When church was over, Barbara and I drove back to Holiday Villages and spent the afternoon just doing the things we like to do…reading and yard work. I torched the trash pile and burned off all the limbs and leaves that our neighbors and we have been piling on for the last couple of months and Barbara and I raked the leaves out of our “front” yard.

After cleaning up and then shutting Big V down again, we drove back to Yantis where Barbara dropped me off for choir practice while she drove to Sulphur Springs to do some shopping at Walmart. Barbara returned in time for the evening service and then we drove back to Mineola for a typical Sunday evening.

Monday, March 7

Happy 5th birthday to granddaughter Abby Dondis in Richardson, Texas!!!

Today was just a typical day of business around the house…bills to pay, paperwork to catch up on, and telephone calls to either make , cancel, or postpone medical appointments for Mother.

When we weren’t working on the business of running the house, we were trying to catch up with journal/blog entries. One would think that if there wasn’t much going on, we wouldn’t have any problems staying current, but one would be very wrong about that. The writing isn’t necessarily the difficult part…it’s finding a block of uninterrupted time to write that is.

Tonight I joined some of our neighbors at City Hall for a zoning board meeting. We all received a notice of a requested zoning change for the “North 40,” the large undeveloped area bordering Mother’s house on the north. As it turns out, it wasn’t a really big deal and won’t affect the property immediately north of us for some time, but there is the possibility that with a zoning change as requested, there will be a new and modern assisted living facility close to us in a couple of years. Some of the neighbors joked that that wouldn’t be such a bad thing because it would happen about the time they needed to sell out and move there.

Tuesday, March 8

I went to Yantis for prayer meeting this morning and then returned for a busy day around the house. When we weren’t taking care of daily chores, we plugged away at the journal/blog. I wrote text and Barbara combed through our photo files and built the collages. I did manage to get away for a few minutes to go to the local Dodge dealership and order a new license tag holder for the Caliber…since we bought it in New Mexico, a state that has tags only on the back of vehicles, the new car didn’t come equipped with a holder.

During the day we all managed to find our way to Naturally Nails to let Leslie do something with our hair. All three of us had gone a few days past the time we should have done something about it.

But, Leslie was able to get the three of us looking reputable again and ready to get out in the public. Barbara and I didn’t pictures of our new looks, but when we got Mother back home and in place, we got a shot of her looking “real purty.”

Wednesday, March 9

Today turned out to be pretty busy. After the three of us got up and around (after a fashion), I took the puppies to the vet to get their nails clipped (couldn’t stand the sound of Spike tap-tap-tapping on the wooden floors) and have their spring baths.

Since the business with the vet was going to take until around 3:00 this afternoon, we got Sophie to come stay with Mother and Barbara and I left for the morning. We went to the lake where she dropped me off at Big V to do yard work and she went on to Yantis for the ladies weekly Bible study.

When we returned to the house in Mineola, we had lunch with Mother, took short naps, and then worked some more on journals and blogs.

This evening I drove back to Yantis for the first meeting of the youth pastor search committee. The church has decided that we need a fulltime youth minister and when I was asked to serve on the committee, I immediately said I would be happy to do that. It has been a real blessing to watch the growth of the youth group over the past year under the direction of volunteer leaders, and while they will continue to serve as volunteers, it is quickly becoming time to hire a permanent minister to handle that part of the ministry to the Yantis community.

Thursday, March 10

Today we just worked around the house. Mother’s Parkinsonism was kicking in with a vengeance and she needed almost fulltime attention.

Our friends Gene and Michelle came over to visit a bit. They were in town taking care of some business and decided to drop by to see us while they were around.

Friday, March 11

Birthday greetings go out today to Cousin Darren Wright in Marianna, Florida!!!

We had another rough day with Mother. When she is going through a period of downturn (our “medical” term), she can hardly walk and has trouble with coherency. We know she will return to normal and level off for a bit, but days like this are rough on everyone.

We were hoping to have our friends Gene and Carolyn over this afternoon, but they were in Dallas for an accordionists’ convention. We’re looking forward to their return and sharing time with them.

TJ and Arianna stopped by this morning to see how Mother was doing and to show off Arianna’s new hairdo. We invited them to come back this afternoon for a matinee showing of Shrek. Arianna didn’t know who Shrek was, so we showed her the picture of the cassette box and said we thought she’d really like it. She seemed inclined to want to see it, but TJ said it all depended on how things were going at her house this afternoon.

Mother did feel up to a movie this afternoon, so after eating lunch and getting the kitchen squared away.we put “Shrek” in the VCR and had some enjoyable family time watching the movie and laughing at the puns in the script. We waited a bit for TJ and Arianna, but they didn’t show for the show today.

Tonight we spent time putting the final touches on an earlier journal/blog entry so we could get it posted and not be so far behind.

Saturday, March 12

Mother was doing a little better today, so we were able to take some time for much-needed house and yard work. Spring is hitting us head-on and the yard needs more attention. We’d both rather be outside working, but have to take time to keep up with the inside of the house also.

This afternoon we went to Walmart to load up on some ”necessaries” for the week ahead and then we spent the evening putting the finishing touches on this week’s Bible study CDs so we can give them to Lisa at church tomorrow morning.

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." – Robert Frost

Living our life in Mineola,

Jim/Dad/Gramps & Barbara/Mom/Grams