Monday, November 19
Barbara was still feeling the effects of whatever "bug" she picked up on our trip, so I called Dr. Martinez' office early this morning to try to get an appointment with him. The closest appointment was two weeks away, but they said we could see the nurse practitioner at 8:30 this morning, so Barbara quickly got dressed and we drove to Quitman to the hospital.
Erin, the nurse practitioner, checked Barbara over, had her discontinue some medications previously ordered when we were in Olathe and then ordered a new regimen of medications to fight acute bronchitis.
We got back to the house just in time to meet Alicia, a lady we are wanting to use occasionally to help us with the housecleaning. Alicia told us what we needed, I gathered it up, and she began her "test run." She finished around 12:30 and we knew then that we had a real winner. Alicia had her hands full, even though we had been gone three weeks. We never have figured out how that happens, but just check it up to another of those mysteries of life LOL.
To add to an already full day, I had a meeting at church at 5:00 this afternoon, so while Barbara rested, I drove out to Yantis.
Tonight...crash and burn!
Tuesday, November 20
We were faced with either going to the store for groceries or breaking food out of the freezer and cooking it up if we planned to eat this week. Neither of us cared to go to the store, so we got some things out of the freezer and Barbara (who was feeling a little more human after new meds and a good night's sleep) and I set to work in the kitchen.
A very important chore for the day was to get to Naturally Nails so Leslie could shear some locks. It was either that, or get dog tags. We had waited way too long for haircuts and just couldn't stand it anymore.
Following our session with Leslie, we drove to Quitman to get Barbara's driver license renewed. With the expiration coming up at the end of the month, we wanted to "get-er done" before we ran into any hangups.
Imagine our dismay when we got to the office in Quitman only to find that they were closed on a day when they were supposed to be open. A wasted trip, but we were told to get there early tomorrow morning and she should be able to get a new license.
By the time we finished with a full day of cooking, haircuts, and a wasted trip to Quitman, we decided on the way home to just go to Jalapeno Tree to get some good Mexican comfort food. After all, we hadn't done that for nearly a month, and we were way overdue.
Wednesday, November 21
We were up and about early (for us) this morning to make sure we were at the driver's license office in Quitman before 8:00. Getting there 15 minutes got us about 18th in line to get in when the office finally opened.
Fortunately, the new staff worked as quickly and smoothly as possible and it took us only a couple of hours for Barbara to complete all the paperwork, get her new photo taken care of, and receive her temporary license.
We spent the afternoon getting the house in order (thank goodness it was still clean) and ready for Ryan, Leah, and Kaiden, who were coming in this evening to spend some Thanksgiving time with the Mineola family.
Thursday, November 22
Thanksgiving, 2018
A Mineola Thanksgiving takes a full day of preparation and celebration. No one walked away hungry (although some of us waddled away) and a good time was had by all!
Friday, November 23
Today was a day of rest and recuperation. Ryan, Leah, and Kaiden got away around 8:30 this morning to return to their home. When they were gone, we got reorganized in the house and took some much-need rest therapy.
Saturday, November 24
We spent a big chunk of the morning in Sulphur Springs at a funeral home for a visitation for one of our church members.
After grabbing a bit to eat, we drove the back road from Yantis to Quitman, stopping at the home of our friends, Keith and Whitney Hutchins and their daughters, Aubrey and Rivers. Today was Rivers 4th birthday party (Her real birthday is the 25th..same as Jimmy Clint), and we wanted to drop of something special for her before the party crowd arrived.
When we arrived home, we were worn out and still feeling the effects of the three-week trip, so we just hunkered down and shut out the world.
Sunday, November 25
Happy Birthday to Daughter-in-Law Carol Colwell!!!!! (Her favorite place to be!)
Birthday Remembrances for Son Jimmy Clint Colwell (November 25, 1971-December 5, 2010)
Fearing that Barbara was still in the contagious stage of her bronchitis and might give it to one of the many "older" folks at church, she stayed home to catch up on rest today. I went to the morning service and played trumpet in the praise band, then returned this afternoon for a Stewardship Committee meeting.
And that, dear family and friends, was the extent of our day.
Monday, November 26
Happy Birthday to Son Mike Little!!!!!
Our usual Monday routine is that Barbara stays home in the morning and works on her projects while I drive out to Yantis to help Mary Parker count the offering money from Sunday and make a bank deposit. And that's exactly what happened this morning.
The mail today brought us a box with a dozen tulip bulbs that we had ordered from Texas Tulips when we visited their place in April. Bulb orders are mailed in late November or early December for planting in December or January. There was a lot of preparation work to be done for tulip beds, so we put the bulbs away in a cool, dry section of the garage to await planting time.
The mail also brought us a commemorative patch from Taps for Veterans, celebrating soundings of Taps at selected sites around the country on Veteran's Day. Barbara combined the photo of me preparing to sound Taps at the Douglas MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia, with a photo she took of the patch...
Tuesday, November 27
While Barbara worked at getting us caught up with journal/blog photos, I spent the morning in the kitchen baking bread and cooking up a huge pot of pinto beans, some of which will be turned into refried beans during another cooking session. We were both so busy at our selected activities that neither of us got around to taking any photos.
This evening we went to the funeral home here in Mineola to a visitation time for the aunt of one of our church members at Yantis.
Wednesday, November 28
Happy 74th Birthday to Barbara!!!!!
We aren't much about birthday gifts, but there are always "Little" birthday surprises. Today's surprise for Barbara was a carton of cookies that she really loves, along with a very special candle.
Except for a praise band rehearsal in Yantis tonight, the day was spent celebrating life.
Thursday, November 29
Thursday is usually a day for us to spend time on our children's sermon for the following Sunday. Today was no different as we completed the text, bought the items we would need for the children's gifts, and set up our construction show (dining room table).
Friday, November 30
Today was busy to begin with, and then went totally crazy at the end. Let's begin at the beginning...
A couple of months ago we found out that the Flying W Wranglers, a western-style entertainment group based out of Ruidoso, New Mexico, who we dearly love, had added Athens, Texas to their annual Christmas Show tour. The show was scheduled for tonight, so we ordered our tickets for an evening of musical entertainment and a fun way to celebrate Barbara's birthday.
Earlier this week a Patriot Guard couple who are also good friends called and said that her father, a Navy veteran, had passed away and they wanted me, if at all possible, to sound Taps at his funeral in Richardson. Of course, we accepted.
With our previous plan for going to Athens in place, we decided we'd just make a full day of it and go sound Taps at the funeral, and then drive to Tyler, check in to a Hilton property, go to Athens for the show, and then return to Tyler, spend the night, and return home tomorrow morning.
All went well until just before we left the hotel to go to Athens. We got a call that Carol, Barbara's sister in Roswell, was being airlifted to Lubbock for an emergency medical situation. There was nothing we could do tonight, but we said that we could get Barbara out to Lubbock one way or the other.
This is our day in a nutshell...
Barbara and Leah finally worked out a plan where I would take Barbara to Weatherford tomorrow morning and she and Leah would then drive to Lubbock. I had to stay at home for an appointment to have the windshield replaced on the Equinox.
We returned to the hotel with a plan. We'd get whatever sleep we could, then get up early in the morning to go back home, pack a few days of things for Barbara, and then drive to Weatherford.
Finishing November in Tyler, Texas,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsie
Erin, the nurse practitioner, checked Barbara over, had her discontinue some medications previously ordered when we were in Olathe and then ordered a new regimen of medications to fight acute bronchitis.
We got back to the house just in time to meet Alicia, a lady we are wanting to use occasionally to help us with the housecleaning. Alicia told us what we needed, I gathered it up, and she began her "test run." She finished around 12:30 and we knew then that we had a real winner. Alicia had her hands full, even though we had been gone three weeks. We never have figured out how that happens, but just check it up to another of those mysteries of life LOL.
To add to an already full day, I had a meeting at church at 5:00 this afternoon, so while Barbara rested, I drove out to Yantis.
Tonight...crash and burn!
++++++++
Tuesday, November 20
We were faced with either going to the store for groceries or breaking food out of the freezer and cooking it up if we planned to eat this week. Neither of us cared to go to the store, so we got some things out of the freezer and Barbara (who was feeling a little more human after new meds and a good night's sleep) and I set to work in the kitchen.
A very important chore for the day was to get to Naturally Nails so Leslie could shear some locks. It was either that, or get dog tags. We had waited way too long for haircuts and just couldn't stand it anymore.
Following our session with Leslie, we drove to Quitman to get Barbara's driver license renewed. With the expiration coming up at the end of the month, we wanted to "get-er done" before we ran into any hangups.
Imagine our dismay when we got to the office in Quitman only to find that they were closed on a day when they were supposed to be open. A wasted trip, but we were told to get there early tomorrow morning and she should be able to get a new license.
By the time we finished with a full day of cooking, haircuts, and a wasted trip to Quitman, we decided on the way home to just go to Jalapeno Tree to get some good Mexican comfort food. After all, we hadn't done that for nearly a month, and we were way overdue.
++++++++
Wednesday, November 21
We were up and about early (for us) this morning to make sure we were at the driver's license office in Quitman before 8:00. Getting there 15 minutes got us about 18th in line to get in when the office finally opened.
Fortunately, the new staff worked as quickly and smoothly as possible and it took us only a couple of hours for Barbara to complete all the paperwork, get her new photo taken care of, and receive her temporary license.
We spent the afternoon getting the house in order (thank goodness it was still clean) and ready for Ryan, Leah, and Kaiden, who were coming in this evening to spend some Thanksgiving time with the Mineola family.
++++++++
Thursday, November 22
Thanksgiving, 2018
A Mineola Thanksgiving takes a full day of preparation and celebration. No one walked away hungry (although some of us waddled away) and a good time was had by all!
++++++++
Friday, November 23
Today was a day of rest and recuperation. Ryan, Leah, and Kaiden got away around 8:30 this morning to return to their home. When they were gone, we got reorganized in the house and took some much-need rest therapy.
++++++++
Saturday, November 24
We spent a big chunk of the morning in Sulphur Springs at a funeral home for a visitation for one of our church members.
After grabbing a bit to eat, we drove the back road from Yantis to Quitman, stopping at the home of our friends, Keith and Whitney Hutchins and their daughters, Aubrey and Rivers. Today was Rivers 4th birthday party (Her real birthday is the 25th..same as Jimmy Clint), and we wanted to drop of something special for her before the party crowd arrived.
When we arrived home, we were worn out and still feeling the effects of the three-week trip, so we just hunkered down and shut out the world.
++++++++
Sunday, November 25
Happy Birthday to Daughter-in-Law Carol Colwell!!!!! (Her favorite place to be!)
Birthday Remembrances for Son Jimmy Clint Colwell (November 25, 1971-December 5, 2010)
Fearing that Barbara was still in the contagious stage of her bronchitis and might give it to one of the many "older" folks at church, she stayed home to catch up on rest today. I went to the morning service and played trumpet in the praise band, then returned this afternoon for a Stewardship Committee meeting.
And that, dear family and friends, was the extent of our day.
++++++++
Monday, November 26
Happy Birthday to Son Mike Little!!!!!
Our usual Monday routine is that Barbara stays home in the morning and works on her projects while I drive out to Yantis to help Mary Parker count the offering money from Sunday and make a bank deposit. And that's exactly what happened this morning.
The mail today brought us a box with a dozen tulip bulbs that we had ordered from Texas Tulips when we visited their place in April. Bulb orders are mailed in late November or early December for planting in December or January. There was a lot of preparation work to be done for tulip beds, so we put the bulbs away in a cool, dry section of the garage to await planting time.
The mail also brought us a commemorative patch from Taps for Veterans, celebrating soundings of Taps at selected sites around the country on Veteran's Day. Barbara combined the photo of me preparing to sound Taps at the Douglas MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia, with a photo she took of the patch...
++++++++
Tuesday, November 27
While Barbara worked at getting us caught up with journal/blog photos, I spent the morning in the kitchen baking bread and cooking up a huge pot of pinto beans, some of which will be turned into refried beans during another cooking session. We were both so busy at our selected activities that neither of us got around to taking any photos.
This evening we went to the funeral home here in Mineola to a visitation time for the aunt of one of our church members at Yantis.
++++++++
Wednesday, November 28
Happy 74th Birthday to Barbara!!!!!
We aren't much about birthday gifts, but there are always "Little" birthday surprises. Today's surprise for Barbara was a carton of cookies that she really loves, along with a very special candle.
Except for a praise band rehearsal in Yantis tonight, the day was spent celebrating life.
++++++++
Thursday, November 29
Thursday is usually a day for us to spend time on our children's sermon for the following Sunday. Today was no different as we completed the text, bought the items we would need for the children's gifts, and set up our construction show (dining room table).
++++++++
Friday, November 30
Today was busy to begin with, and then went totally crazy at the end. Let's begin at the beginning...
A couple of months ago we found out that the Flying W Wranglers, a western-style entertainment group based out of Ruidoso, New Mexico, who we dearly love, had added Athens, Texas to their annual Christmas Show tour. The show was scheduled for tonight, so we ordered our tickets for an evening of musical entertainment and a fun way to celebrate Barbara's birthday.
Earlier this week a Patriot Guard couple who are also good friends called and said that her father, a Navy veteran, had passed away and they wanted me, if at all possible, to sound Taps at his funeral in Richardson. Of course, we accepted.
With our previous plan for going to Athens in place, we decided we'd just make a full day of it and go sound Taps at the funeral, and then drive to Tyler, check in to a Hilton property, go to Athens for the show, and then return to Tyler, spend the night, and return home tomorrow morning.
All went well until just before we left the hotel to go to Athens. We got a call that Carol, Barbara's sister in Roswell, was being airlifted to Lubbock for an emergency medical situation. There was nothing we could do tonight, but we said that we could get Barbara out to Lubbock one way or the other.
This is our day in a nutshell...
Barbara and Leah finally worked out a plan where I would take Barbara to Weatherford tomorrow morning and she and Leah would then drive to Lubbock. I had to stay at home for an appointment to have the windshield replaced on the Equinox.
We returned to the hotel with a plan. We'd get whatever sleep we could, then get up early in the morning to go back home, pack a few days of things for Barbara, and then drive to Weatherford.
++++++++
Finishing November in Tyler, Texas,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsie
