October - With a Little Travel and a Lot of Fun

Saturday, October 1 – Monday, October 31, 2011

A “Little” Overview of October

October kept us busy with mostly our usual routine of life in Mineola.  There was no great excitement this month, but maybe that was our blessing.

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Our church activities keep us busy on Sundays and some Wednesdays, and Barbara has taken on a new responsibility as the unofficial “official” photographer.  This month, the church began work on a new pictorial directory.  Several days were set aside for folks to come to the church to have their pictures made by photographer.  However, there were a number of people who, for one reason or another, could not come to any of those sessions.  Pastor David realized that there are several shut-ins and homebound church members, so he asked Barbara if, when the opportunities arose, she would go with him to take pictures at the homes so those members could be included in the directory.  We did find that to be a very satisfying and heartwarming experience.

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A church-related event that I began this month was to start going to Lake Fork with the Monday night fishing group with David, Jeremy, and a few other men from the church.  We generally meet at 4:30, get into two or three boats, and fish until around 8:00 (well after dark), and then go to the home of one of the ladies in the church (who allows us to use her rights to the boat ramp) for fellowship, coffee, and whatever new treat Mary has come up with while we were on the lake.  I can’t say that I have done great at fishing, but I haven’t been “skunked”…yet.

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Mother continues to do well at Wood Memorial Nursing Home here in Mineola.  A couple of concerns that we have are that she is slowly losing weight, just a little each week, even though her appetite remains strong, and that she is having more days when she doesn’t know where she is.  She is comfortable in the setting of her room, and we will be having a perfectly normal conversation with her, when she will ask where she is.  Each time that happens, we remind her that she is at the nursing home and that she is there to receive the care and attention she needs to stay healthy.  Even though most days are good, it is difficult to watch as the Parkinsonism continues its inexorable march through her brain, taking away her memories and reasoning capabilities.

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One of the main activities of the month was to try to get caught up with our journal/blog writing and posting.  We had gotten so far behind that we almost decided to forget the whole thing, but decided instead to try a new format.  For five years, we have written the journal in a day-by-day format, and that was well and good when we were travelling or involved in a lot of interesting activities.  Since we are now “town folks” with a somewhat limited range of activities, we decided to try something different.  We still have a lot of pictures to share, so we came up with the idea of giving a general overview of the month and then adding in pictures and descriptions of any special events that occurred during the month.  Luckily, we have kept our calendar current, so it wasn’t too difficult to construct a written account of the three months we had “lost.”  But, it was a time consuming project.  With the posting of this writing, we will finally be up to date with our entries.

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After a long, hot, and very arid summer, it was refreshing to not only begin experiencing slightly cooler and much easier to withstand temperatures, but we also received three very nice rainfalls during the month.  We are still way behind on our annual average, and the predictions for the winter aren’t all that favorable, but we cheerfully accept rain in any amounts and at any time.  Unfortunately, area lakes remain anywhere from 6 – 8 feet below average, so prayers continue for the rains that will return East Texas to its prime state.

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For part of the month, we remained under siege by our local armadillo, who continued destroying our lawns each night.  We tried everything we knew to do to catch him, but nothing seemed to work until Barbara and I constructed a makeshift fence across the end of the street. That seemed to keep the armadillo away from the yards, but we knew it would be only a matter of time before he would figure another way in. John (across the street neighbor) and we set out our traps next to the fence, but had no luck catching the critter until one Saturday morning when we had given up our efforts, went to get the traps to put them away, and John found the critter in his trap.  Hallelujah, the siege was broken and our yards were safe again!!!

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October also provided us with opportunities to visit some children and grandchildren and to renew acquaintances with friends, some from many years past.  God provided us with His traveling mercies as we continued to log the miles on the new car and make our way through Dallas/Fort Worth and San Antonio, two of our non-favorite cities in which to drive, as we made our journeys.  We did find, however, that as we became more like the drivers in those cities, we were able to negotiate the traffic much more easily.

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After watching me struggle through writing previous issues of the journal/blog on my aging Toshiba laptop, Barbara decided that I should think about getting a new laptop.  She did some research and came up with a Dell laptop that I really liked, so she ordered that and now I am preparing this issue of Little Times on my combined birthday and Christmas present.  I must say that it has made writing and browsing much easier and more fun.

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That’s the background story for October, 2011.  Now, on with the pictures and descriptions of some of the special days we shared together and with family and friends…

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Sunday, October 2

We visited with Mother this morning and told her we would be staying at Our Little Lot this afternoon, so we wouldn’t be back to visit until tomorrow.  Then, it was off to church and then to the lake.

Our most recent gift from the developers to the property owners was a folding picnic table with an umbrella (along with a nice Igloo ice chest and small propane grill).

We spent the afternoon cleaning up the pad and patio and rearranging the carpets and furniture to include the new picnic table in the setting.  It is so nice to have the new covered patio area for lounging in the solitude of our property.

Monday, October 3

The armadillo has made a couple of particularly vicious attacks on the lawns lately, digging even deeper holes than before in John’s, Addie’s, and our front yards.

Barbara decided that we had to do something to try to keep the armadillo away from the yards, so we gathered everything we could find to form some kind of barricade at the end of the street.  Luckily, there is already a large hedge in the center of the area, so we just had to find something to reach from each end of the hedge to the fences on either side.

Using our Odyssey of the Mind skill sets, we placed ornamental wrought iron fence sections that used to line the driveway, and even a folded card table and a six-foot school cafeteria-style table to fill in the blank spots.  It looked like an Arkie/Okie project, but it extended from fence to fence across the street at the edge of the North 40 and appeared, at least, capable of keeping the armadillo away from the yards until we could come up with something more suitable.

Tuesday, October 4

After going to the weekly prayer meeting at Yantis FBC this morning, I went to Our Little Lot at Holiday Villages of Lake Fork to continue working on a three-day project that I started in July.  This morning, I wanted to get as far as I could with tying in a water line that will run from the existing line to the new shed.

The work was tedious, mainly because the ground is so dry and hard-packed from the drought, but I managed to expose the water main and dig under the existing sewer line so I could install the final four feet of water line.

I found that because of the way I had to lay the line, I was going to need a couple more connecting joints, but at least I knew I was much closer to finishing this part of the project than I was before.

When I returned to Mineola, I went to the post office, stopped at Ace Hardware to buy the PVC joints I needed, went to O’Reilly’s Auto Parts to get a new battery for the motorcycle, and then returned to the house.

After a quick breakfast, we crossed over our barricade to look at the damage inflicted by the armadillo last night.  Fortunately, he didn’t get across to the yards, but he did do some major digging on the other side.

Not at all satisfied with the aesthetics of our barricade, we went to Walmart to see what they might have in the way of decorative fencing that would serve the purpose we had.  Luckily, even though they were at the end of their summer lawn inventory, they had a couple of boxes of white decorative fence sections that looked as if they might work for us.  We bought every piece they had, returned to the house, tore out the barricade, and began arranging the fence pieces so they would stretch from the ends of the center shrubs to the fence on John’s and our property.

The job wasn’t as easy as it might seem, mainly due to the hard ground and the contours we had to follow, but after an hour or so, we had a solid, if not highly aesthetic fence line stretching from one side of the street to the other

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After making sure that everything was placed as wanted and needed, we reset the traps, one in each of the drainage ditches that John and I dug last year, and then sat back to hope for the best.

This afternoon I took the motorcycle to Lindale for its annual inspection…one of the few rides I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy lately.

Barbara had her ladies meeting at church in Yantis tonight.  We decided that since she had Bible study tomorrow morning and there was work for me to do at Our Little Lot, we would treat ourselves to a night away from the house and stay in Big V tonight.  So, after finishing our daily chores and feeding the puppies, we drove out to the lot.  Barbara dropped me off at Big V and then went on to church, returning after the ladies group and we then enjoyed a nice evening in our own home.

Wednesday, October 5

After a very pleasant and restful night in Big V, we lounged around a bit this morning and took advantage of the time to take a few pictures of Our Little Lot.  The drought this summer has taken a heavy toll on the trees around us.  What appears to be the beginning of fall colors are really leaves and branches that have gone into nature’s “self-defense” mode of dropping leaves to conserve the available moisture needed to keep the trees alive.  We’ve been told that trees can do this once in a lifetime before succumbing to the forces of nature and eventually dying.  We just hope that this is the first time for this to happen to the trees around our lot. And, in answer to the inevitable question, that is not an outhouse in the center picture; it is the small storage unit where we keep flammable fuels and some garden tools…we are highly civilized and have all the comforts of home in and around Big V, even if we don’t have many opportunities anymore to enjoy them.

While Barbara went to Bible study this morning, I stayed at the lot to finish connecting the waterline.  Working in such a confined area was difficult, but I finally had all the pieces cemented and connected and ready to test (or so I thought).

I went to the cutoff valve, turned on the water, and returned to the ditch to check for leaks.  I immediately saw that water was building up in the ditch, not a good sign.  Then, I saw the problem…there was one joint, the most difficult one to access, of course, that I had neglected to prime and cement.

So, I cut off the water, struggled to disconnect the PVC at the bad joint (giving myself a mud bath in the process…it’s amazing how much pressure had built up in the line), and finally got the joint cleaned, dried, primed, cemented, and reconnected.

After waiting a few minutes for the cement to dry, I opened the waterline again, checked the joints, and found that all was working exactly as it should.  Now I have two of the three phases completed…laying the electric and the water lines.  Phase three will be replacing the existing sewer line and replacing it with a fitting that will allow me to tie in a drain line from the storage shed, where we hope one of these days to have a washer and drier.

When we returned to Mineola, we went through our normal activities…went to the post office, visited Mother, and spent the afternoon mowing and trimming the yard.

We noticed that the hummingbirds hadn’t been around for several days, so we declared the season closed and took down the feeders, washed them, and put them away until next year.

Thursday, October 6

When we got up this morning, we found that the armadillo had breached the fence we put up Tuesday, probably by climbing on top of my trap and stepping over a low spot in the fence.  We remedied the situation by putting another section of fence along the side of our trap.  Now we just have to see if that works.

After going through our early morning routine, I took Spike to the vet to get his weekly laser treatment to ease some of the pain and stiffness from his arthritis.  Spike is a great traveler and really enjoys the car rides.  A few years ago, he would stand up in the seat and stick his head out the window to enjoy the breeze, but now he just sits and watches the world go by.

When we left Dr. Bradshaw’s clinic, I took Spike to Wood Memorial for a visit with Mother.  Mother loves to see her puppies, and Spike is very well behaved, so it was a very nice visit and I was able to get a couple of good shots of Mother with her favorite son.

Spike and I said our goodbyes to Mother and returned to the house where we all spent a very average and unexciting afternoon and evening.

Saturday, October 8

When we went outside this morning, we noticed that the armadillo hadn’t paid a house call, but didn’t pay any attention to the North 40 or the traps.

John came over later and very excitedly said, “You’re not going to believe this!”

We went across the street with him and saw that the armadillo was caught in his trap.  John hadn’t even looked for it; he was just going to get the trap and put it away, since we hadn’t had any luck with it.

The armadillo wasn’t a bit happy about being caught.  Barbara took a few pictures of it (Jaycie said she had never seen one, so we promised we’d send a picture as soon as we caught the critter).

Once we were done with the picture-taking session, John and I quietly carried the cage down to a copse of trees in the North 40, where the animal died of “sudden onset lead poisoning.”  We then returned to our respective houses and informed neighbors that the two-year armadillo siege was now over and it was safe to come out in our yards again.

Monday, October 10

We had made arrangements to go to San Antonio to visit with John and promised that we’d bring him some food, so we spent most of today cooking up some of our favorite dishes.  Barbara cooked and froze several packages of hamburger and chicken to be used as the base for different dishes, and I made up three pans of meatloaf and a large batch of spaghetti sauce.  Needless to say (but we’ll say it anyway), the kitchen smelled beyond wonderful all day.

Barbara also baked a cake to take to the staff at Wood Memorial as a bit of thanks for all they do for Mother.

This afternoon I joined the East Texas Patriot Guard Riders for a funeral service here in Mineola for John James Herbert, Age 94, a veteran of the U.S. Army Cavalry, Fifth Division (1938-1941) and the Army Air Force (1941-1947).

In addition to 30 Patriot Guard Riders, Mr. Herbert was surrounded by his loving family during a beautiful and moving service at Roselawn Memorial Cemetery north of Mineola.

Tonight, we spent our time getting things ready and packing for our trip to San Antonio tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 11 – Thursday, October 13

Some San Antonio Time

Tuesday, October 11

I got up early this morning to go to Yantis for the weekly prayer meeting.  When I returned, I got the puppies ready to take to the veterinary clinic’s “Doggy Hotel” for a couple of days while we went to San Antonio.

Once the puppies were taken care of, we began packing the car and closing up the house. When all was done, we drove over to Wood Memorial to visit with Mother for a while and then headed out of town, pointed in the general direction of San Antonio, with our route taking us west on I-20 to Dallas, and then south on I-35 E until we joined I-35 W at Hillsboro, and then on to San Antonio with the always delightful carnival ride through Austin.

As we were preparing to make a comfort stop along the way, I received a call from Jack Roe, corporate president of Holiday Villages of Lake Fork, in Dallas.  Since I am the chairperson of the committee that is overseeing the transition of management of HV/LF from corporate management to property owner management, Jack wanted to set up a conference call for me to talk about some of the legal and financial responsibilities that we would be taking over on January 1.  Barbara explained that I was driving through Austin and told Jack that I’d call him back later to set up the call sometime tomorrow.

Barbara: For some reason as we were travelling along the interstate, I decided to look at the map as I recalled friends who lived in the San Antonio area. To my surprise, I found that every time we’ve gone to San Antonio we have passed the towns where two of my dearest Lubbock friends lived. One is Barbara Curbo Pirch, who is battling cancer right now. Once I realized that we drive right through her town of Cibolo, I texted Leah Renee (who is my own personal directory assistant), and within minutes, she had a phone number for me. I was able to call Barbara and to her shock and mine we were able to make arrangements to meet at the Texas Roadside Park which was on her way home from radiation and our way to John’s. After a quick hug, a snap of the camera, and plans for breakfast on Thursday, Barbara and I said good-bye reluctantly, but with happiness, knowing that we would soon see each other again!

Jim: Following the brief, but very pleasant meeting with the two Barbaras, we continued our drive down I-35 to Anderson Loop, where we left the interstate and drove the final 25 miles to John’s house. During that time, Barbara had reached Carol Armstrong thanks to Leah’s efforts and she was busily working out plans to see Carol and her husband Terry the following day!

John, who works out of his house most of the time for AT&T, met us at the door (after a brief wait while he finished a conference call), and helped us unload the car and get us set up inside.  We visited for a while, and then John called Carol and Randi to see if they would come to the house and join us for dinner, featuring John’s famous smoked chicken.  We had already decided that we wanted to eat at the house, rather than at a restaurant, so Carol and Randi agreed to come over for the evening to join us.
While Barbara got some things ready at the house, John and I made a trip to the grocery store to get a few of the things that we would need to fill out the dinner menu.  We ran into Carol and Randi at the store and they followed us back to the house where we visited while John, Barbara, and I got the meal ready to serve.

The company was fun and the food was delicious.  I’ve talked about smoking chicken in our new smoker, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.  After tasting the chicken thighs that John had prepared, I’ve decided that someday soon, I’ll have to give it a try myself.
We spent the evening eating, talking, and generally getting caught up on things that have happened since we last were all together.  And, of course, there were pictures to take…lots of pictures.

Wednesday, October 12

Jim: We spent the morning just lazing around the house.  John was at work on his computer and Barbara and I used the time to catch up on some of our mail while I waited to get on my conference call from Dallas.

When Jack Roe finally called me, the projected 30-minute conference call lasted nearly an hour; my arm was tired from holding the phone that long and my ear hurt, but I had a lot of valuable information to share with the other committee members when we returned to Mineola.

Barbara: While Jim was talking to Jack, I called Carol to finalize our plans as Jim wanted to come, too, if Terry was going to be there. He had met Carol several years ago when we were returning to Liberal from spending time with mom and Dad, W.T. and Virginia Perry, in Mission one summer.  But, he had never met Carol’s husband, Terry, who is retired from the air force and with that love in common, he was certain they would hit it off!

But…before we get into the visit with them, I must write down a part of my history with Carol. I first met her in the early 70’s through another teacher friend Judy Clemmons. The two of them helped raise my sons as back then Henry travelled a great deal and we only saw him on week-ends. Therefore, we spent a great deal of time with Carol (this was before Terry, too!) and Judy.

However, after John and Jimmy became men, anytime I mentioned either Judy or Carol and did they know who I was talking about they both would say, “Hey, they are the ones who took us to the park and wound up sitting on the picnic table crying!”

Why were they crying? This particular day was August 16, 1977, and as the boys played in the park, we three were listening to the radio, talking, and laughing when we heard the news that Elvis had died! Carol and Judy broke down in tears and the boys noticed and were worried about them! Because I wasn’t crying, the boys thought I had made them cry…LOL!

Anyway, there are a million more stories I could tell; but that one has to be written down for the grandkids to hear.

Jim: After a trip to Walmart for gasoline and Dollar Tree to look for some specialty items for John’s house, we returned to the house, talked with John for a few minutes, and then headed back around Anderson Loop to get to Carol and Terry’s house.  We had guestimated it would take 35-40 minutes to get to the house from John’s place, but the traffic was good and we were there in just a little over 20 minutes.

As soon as we got close to Carol and Terry’s house, we noticed a lot of deer in the street and yards.  Terry later said there were deer all over the place and that they finally quit growing a garden because they were only feeding the deer.

Terry and Carol live in a beautiful home and were extremely gracious hosts.  While Barbara and Carol did the grand tour of the house (Barbara had seen it only when they were in the building stage several years ago), Terry and I retired to the living room and talked, and talked, and talked.  It was almost as if we had known each other for years, rather than having just met.

We thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent together, but all too soon it was time to say goodbye and work our way back across San Antonio to John’s house to get ready for a big family dinner.

On the way back to John’s house, we stopped at Walmart to pick up a few things for the spaghetti dinner that we were planning.  Then, when we arrived back at the house, we waited for John to complete his work assignments before bringing him into the kitchen to observe how we prepared some of our favorite recipes.

John and I got the spaghetti sauce all put together and simmering so that we could eat at 6:00.  Carol and Randi arrived in plenty of time, but Kris (John’s stepson), Taryn, and Rhett (John’s step-grandson) got tied up in San Antonio traffic and didn’t make it until 6:30.

Thursday, October 13

We got a fairly early start from John’s house this morning and stopped at Abel’s Diner in Cibolo to have breakfast with Barbara Pirch before continuing our journey back to Mineola.  We didn’t get any new pictures of the two Barbaras, but we do have some good memories.

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Monday, October 17

This morning felt like the first real day of fall in our area.  We awoke to find fog developing and descending all around the neighborhood, providing some great photo opportunities.

Tuesday, October 18

Yantis First Baptist Church has decided that it is time to have a new pictorial directory of the church families.  Today, the photography team from the company doing the directory arrived at the church to begin taking pictures.

Our appointment was scheduled for 5:15 this afternoon, but we were dressed and ready to go well before that time, so we drove on out to the church to get our portrait made, hoping to get worked in early if no one else showed up.

The session went well enough and we were soon headed back to Mineola.  As we got close to town, I suggested that we stop at a little rest area just north of the city limits to take some pictures of ourselves, since it will be quite awhile before we get to see the new portrait.

We had a few difficulties finding a place to set the camera for the time-delay shots, but ended up being very pleased with the results.

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Wednesday, October 19 – Thursday, October 20

A Little Time with Grandchildren

Last week, Andy called from Richardson and asked if we’d be able to help out with Alexander and Abby this week while he and Heather had parent conferences at their respective schools.  We said that it wouldn’t be any problem and that we’d love to do it, but suggested that it might be easier overall and more fun for the kids if we picked them up and brought them back to Mineola with us, also giving them a chance to see Granny.

So, after visiting with Mother for a few minutes this afternoon, we took off for the drive to Dallas and Heather’s (and the kids’) school, Lakehill Preparatory School, near the SMU campus.

When we arrived, we went in to find Heather and she took us to the after school activities room where Alexander and Abby were decorating pumpkins to give to a local children’s shelter.  We visited a bit and then gathered up the kids and their backpacks, loaded them into the car, and began the journey back to Mineola.  We stopped for McSupper in Terrell and then drove on home, stopping first at Wood Memorial so Mother could see her great-grandchildren.

One of the effects of Parkinsonism on Mother is that it has robbed her of much of her facial expression, leaving her with what some would consider a permanent frown or scowl.  However, when Alexander and Abby walked into Mother’s room tonight and she saw them. Her face broke into an expression of joy that we haven’t seen for a long time.

Both children visited with their Granny for a bit and then demonstrated their reading skills by reading aloud passages from the book that Mother is currently reading.  She couldn’t believe it that Alexander, a second grader, and Abby, who is in kindergarten, could read passages from such an adult book.

We left the nursing home and went on to the house, got everything unpacked and put away, and spent the evening visiting and playing games until it was time for a tired Alexander and Abby and a very tired Grams and Gramps to call it a night and go to bed.

Thursday, October 20

We were all so tired from the activities and travel yesterday that we managed to sleep in this morning.  Barbara and I got right to work on a favorite breakfast for Alexander and Abby, bacon, eggs (cooked to order) and pancakes.  Abby and Barbara like their eggs scrambled, but Alexander and I like ours fried and over easy.  Even during breakfast, we managed to keep up the conversation and joking as we continued to enjoy our short visit together.

After breakfast, we got the dishes washed and the kitchen cleaned.  The kids then decided to do their part to help by gathering up all their things and loading them in the car so they’d be ready to go when it was time.

The kids and I drove to the post office to check the mail.  We flipped a coin to see which of them would open the box and which would get to take out the mail.  Alexander won the toss and got to open the box, but there wasn’t any mail, so we quickly changed the rules and had Abby close and lock the box.  Then, it was back to the house to play some football in the warm morning sun before having a light lunch.

After eating lunch and resting a bit, we loaded the car and drove over to Wood Memorial for another visit with Granny.

Today was Mother’s day to get her hair done at the shop in the nursing home.  We got there just as she was finished and waiting for an aide to wheel her back to her room.

Instead of waiting for the aide, Alexander pushed the Geri chair while Abby held Granny’s hand and walked beside her.

When we got to the door of Granny’s room, she wouldn’t let go of Abby’s hand, so it was a tight squeeze to get them both through the door without squeezing them too much.

With Mother safely back in her room, we all said our goodbyes, loaded up the car once again, and took off down U.S. 80 toward Grand Saline, where we stopped for a few minutes to show the kids the newly remodeled Salt Palace.  The Salt Palace was one of their favorite memories from a previous trip, so we were all glad to go through it again and see the changes that had been made.  We didn’t have time this trip to watch the movie of how they mine the salt, but promised the kids that the next time they come to visit we will take more time and see everything.

The rest of the trip back to Dallas was uneventful, thankfully, and we arrived at the school right at 4:00 p.m., just as planned.  While Barbara got ready to transfer the kids’ things to Heather’s car, I took Alexander and Abby over to the entrance to the school grounds to take their picture and then we went inside to find Heather.

We all went outside, made the transfer of kids and luggage, said goodbye, and then Barbara and I got back in the car and made the drive back to Mineola, tired, but happy to have had some time with Alexander and Abby.

The trip back was every bit as uneventful as the journey to Dallas.  We arrived back at the house exhausted and ready to spend the evening doing as little as possible.

Tuesday, October 25

Our friends Gene and Michelle Young, from Inman, Kansas, called last week to say they needed to come to Mineola for a few days to look for a house.  We offered to let them use Big V as their home base while they were here.  When they accepted our offer, we went out last Friday to clean and straighten Big V for the new tenants.

Gene and Michelle arrived Saturday evening and spent most of Saturday looking at different properties, but did have time to stop by the house and join us for a meal of Barbara’s famous chicken salad.  Our friends also presented us with a gift of some of their home-grown peppers of different varieties and sizes.  Michelle taught Barbara how to core, clean, and freeze the bell peppers they brought.  She also warned me that the chili peppers they gave us were very hot and to be careful how I handled them ( they were, I was, and they made wonderful salsa!!!).

We didn’t see the Youngs again until tonight (Tuesday), when they had finished their search for a house and were hoping that an offer on a place in Yantis would be accepted.

We wanted to go out and celebrate with a steak dinner, but realized that none of us knew a good place for steaks, so we decided instead to go to the East Texas Burger Company to see what kind of meal we could find there.

We hadn’t been able to get a picture of the four of us since Gene and Michelle arrived, but as I was getting ready to take a picture inside the restaurant, another customer came over and offered to shoot the four of us together (along with our meals).

Wednesday, October 26

Barbara had volunteered to take treats to the weekly Bible study group this morning, but when her friend Heidi called and said she needed to visit, I took the treats out to the church and then went to Holiday Villages to meet with the transition committee to conduct some business.

Our meeting went about two hours, and when it was over, I went to Big V to check on some things.  While there, I received a text saying that Barbara and Heidi were taking advantage of the lunch buffet at Pizza Hut.

Shortly after I returned to town, Barbara and Heidi came back to the house.  We talked a little and then I shot this picture of the two of them before Heidi had to leave and take care of other business in town.

Tonight was our night to keep the nursery during Wednesday evening activities, so we made the trip out to Yantis, arriving a little before 5:30 to start out duties.  During the course of the evening we took turns watching Jeremiah in the nursery, took pictures of the various youth groups and activities, downloaded and organized church-related pictures that we had taken as far back as February, 2010, and I worked in some practice time on my trumpet…lots of things going on at YFBC on Wednesday nights!

Friday, October 28

Leah and Ryan recently found that Halliburton was transferring Ryan to their yard in Alvarado, a little south of Fort Worth on I-35 W.  We combined a trip of picking up Abby and Alexander with checking out an apartment complex in Midlothian last week.

This weekend, Leah and Ryan were on a housing search in the area.  They were staying in Joshua, but we agreed to meet them in Alvarado and help them look, if necessary.  So, we put the puppies back in the puppy hotel this morning, went to visit Mother for a bit, and then headed back to the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex yet one more time.

As we neared Alvarado, the kids were just finishing up signing a lease at an apartment complex in Cleburne which, incidentally, is where Leah was born.  They came to Alvarado (about ten miles) to pick us up and take us to see the model apartment, since the one they will live in currently has a tenant.

After looking over the apartment complex, we realized that we were only a few minutes away from the neighborhood in which Barbara’s sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Tom, live.  Barbara had already called Nancy to let her know we were in the area, but she and Tom were committed to a production at their church, so they wouldn’t be able to see us this trip.

We decided that we’d show the kids where Tom and Nancy lived and, as we came by it, saw Tom waiting for Nancy in their pickup.  We very quickly stopped, got out of the car, and shared quick hugs and handshakes (and took a picture, of course) before Tom and Nancy had to get on to church.

After a little more sightseeing in Cleburne, we returned to our motel in Alvarado to settle down and watch game 7 of the World Series.  Ryan and I went to a nearby restaurant and got takeout dinners and we all gathered in the breakfast area of the motel to watch our Rangers lose their second World Series in a row.

Still, a good time was had by all as we were joined by other folks who were interested in the game and shared running commentaries with us throughout the evening.

The following collage shows how Leah, Ryan, and I watched the game, and how Barbara spent her time while we watched.

Saturday, October 29

This morning was one of the laziest we have spent in a long time…just took our time getting up and around and having breakfast from the motel breakfast bar.

We eventually got around to showering and getting dressed, then loaded the car and made a leisurely trip back to Mineola with stops in Lindale to shop at Walmart and Lowes, and to check at the motorcycle shop to see if my new choke cable had arrived (it hadn’t).

Sunday, October 30

What a beautiful Sunday this was!  After getting everything ready to spend the day at church and Our Little Lot, we went to Wood Memorial to visit Mother for a few minutes and then headed out to Yantis, stopping first at our traditional breakfast spot in Quitman, Sonic, to get something to eat.

When we got to Yantis, we found that there were no parking places on the paved lot; once inside, we learned the reason why…there were 124 in attendance at Sunday school and we had around 170 in the morning service, including the 15 children and workers in the nursery, by far the largest number of folks in attendance since we joined the church a year and a half ago.  Jeremy, our new youth minister, baptized 4 youth as part of the service, a beautiful and joyous picture for all in attendance, including the four full rows of youth who were present.

Brother David was truly “on fire” this morning during the service (which, incidentally, was also the topic of his sermon), and there were few, if any, who didn’t both get their toes stepped on and gain inspiration from the message.

Since we were going to be involved in the annual fish fry and fall fair at the church this evening, we just spent the afternoon at Our Little Lot at Holiday Villages, just seven miles from the church.  It was nice to have a restful afternoon in our own home and enjoy the peace and quiet of our neighborhood.

Before leaving the park to return to church, we stopped at the home of our friends Bob and Mary Royar to pick up some frozen desserts that we had ordered from one of the students in the park and that they were holding for us.  We also wanted to spend a little time with them before they load up soon and head to the Valley for the next few months.

Unfortunately, Mary was a little under the weather, so we had to cut our visit short, but it was good to see the Royars again.  Bob has been our advisor on all things electrical as we have developed our lot and has been an all-around good friend to many at Holiday Villages.

As we were preparing to leave, our next door neighbors, Wes and Linda Mann, drove by and stopped to ask Bob about Mary’s health.  True to our basic nature, we took a few minutes to gather our friends for an impromptu photo session in front of Bob and Mary’s house before we had to leave and get back to the church.

When we got to the church, we immediately started in helping with getting things ready for the fish fry and fair.  There are almost always a large number of volunteers to get things done for church activities, and tonight was no exception.  By the announced time of 5:00 pm, the food was ready…piles of fried crappie, fried okra, hush puppies, and more side dishes and desserts than we could possibly count.

Pastor David blessed the food and the gathering, and the lines started forming.  Within minutes, the first wave of more than 300 people were sitting down and enjoying great food and fellowship.

Barbara was the chief photographer of the event and my job for the evening was to man the popcorn machine in the gymnasium during the fair that followed the meal.  We had a huge crowd that stayed until well after 7:00, the planned closing time, and the pictures show that a good time was had by all.  Yantis First Baptist Church is definitely THE place to be on Sundays in northeast Wood County!

Monday, October 31

Happy Halloween to All!!

It was a quiet day and evening.  I went fishing with some of the men from the church tonight and then spent the night in Big V while Barbara manned the home fires and waited for the trick-or-treaters that never arrived…all in all, a great way to wrap up another month of Little Times.

Birthday Greetings for October go out to granddaughter Jaycie Colwell (1^st), Cousin Cindy Wright (3^rd), Mike’s mother-in-law, Jan Jividen (9^th), Barbara’s sister, Carol (10^th), Cousin Ty Hodges (12^th), our special sister-friend Becky Roark (13^th), Cousin Michelle Sandley (20^th), Cousin Paula Wright, 27^th, and sister-in-law Jane Little (29^th)

“Facing an impossibility gives us the opportunity to trust God.” – Our Daily Bread

From Mineola, Wood County, Texas,

Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams

Little Times in September

Thursday, September 1 – Friday, September 30, 2011

A “Little” Overview of the Month

September brought us some travel time as we took off from Mineola to spend a week in our hometown of Artesia, New Mexico.  We had wanted to go see our “adopted” family, the Terpenings, for some time, but just haven’t been able to arrange that.

For the uninitiated readers of our journal/blog, the Terpening family has been near and dear to us for many, many years.  Barbara and her family knew the Terpenings when they lived in Hobbs and operated a funeral home there.  Cal and Jean, along with a very young Jerry and Susan, later moved to Artesia to operate the Paulin Funeral Home and I was their El Paso Times paperboy for several years beginning when I was 12.  Daddy even worked part time for Cal at one time, and Barbara’s mom and dad resumed their close friendship with them when they moved to Artesia at the beginning of our senior year at AHS.  Barbara lived with the Terpening family in the funeral home during the summers when she was going to college at McMurry.

To make a long story short, Jerry grew up to follow in his father’s footsteps and eventually took over the operation of what is now Terpening and Son Mortuary.  We resumed our friendship with the family after we got married in 1994 and it still isn’t clear whether we “adopted” them or they “adopted” us.  In any case, we both consider Jean as our second mother and her children and grandchildren refer to us as Aunt Barbara and Uncle Jim (although, Barbara had already been Aunt Barbara for a long time).

When we retired in 2006 and decided to make a home base in Artesia so we could be close to Mother, Jean, Jerry, and Nancy invited us to park the motorhome on their pecan farm west of town and live out there.  We took them up on the offer and, by the time we arrived on July 1, Jerry had already found the perfect parking place for us and hooked up the 50 amp electrical service we needed.

The pecan farm was our home base for three years until we relocated to East Texas to be close to Mother (and eventually move in with her as her fulltime caregivers).  Still, Artesia and the Terpening family have a special tug at our hearts and we continue to return when we can.

To make this long story short, Jean was diagnosed with cancer at the first of the year and we needed to go visit her, so we arranged for care for Mother’s puppies, left Mother in the caring and capable hands of the folks at Wood Memorial Nursing Home, and made the trek across Texas to be in Artesia for a few days.

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Mother continues to adjust to her surroundings at the nursing home.  The change to the private room was welcomed, but it also brought a change of staff, since the new room is on a different wing.  One of the ways that Parkinsonism manifests itself in Mother’s behavior is increased confusion at times, and any changes in routine bring that confusion on.  It has been a bit of a challenge for Mother to get used to the nurses and aides who are now working with her, but that is coming along quite well.  Mother is the darling of the wing for some of her caregivers and she is beginning to respond very positively to them.

My aunt Glennis was here for a couple of weeks this month, so Mother got to visit with both of her sisters daily, a real treat for her, as they remembered and relived their earlier days.
Heart-to-Heart Hospice has been an absolute godsend for us.  With the extra hands and added services, not to mention the special bed and chair they provided, Mother is receiving and accepting the love, compassion, and care that she needs.  If this sounds like an infomercial for Wood Memorial Nursing Home and Heart-to-Heart Hospice, so be it, but we believe that God had a firm hand in bringing us to these two outstanding organizations.

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Other than the above-mentioned, September was a relatively calm month.  Our time is occupied mostly with the most mundane of chores – housekeeping and yard work at Mother’s property and at Our Little Lot at Holiday Villages, taking care of Bonita and Spike, including the trips to the vet for routine for routine puppy maintenance and Spike’s laser treatments for his arthritis, and our daily visits to see Mother and check with her caregivers at Wood Memorial about the services she receives.

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Sundays are set aside for services at Yantis First Baptist Church.  Tuesday mornings find me at church at 7:00 for the weekly prayer meetings.  The weekly Wednesday morning Bible study for women resumed this month, as did a monthly Tuesday night Women’s session.  This month we splurged and spent the Tuesday night in Big V after Barbara returned from the group…it was nice to be home again, even if it was for just one night!

We have also been asked (and have agreed) to help out in the church nursery on the fourth Wednesday evening of each month…more about that later in the blog.

And so, life continues for us here in East Texas…not necessarily the life we had planned, but let’s face it, how many people really live out their lives as they planned them?  God is in control; we, like many others, just need to relinquish that control to Him and enjoy the ride.

Thursday, September 6

One of the services that Mother receives each week at Wood Memorial is a trip to see the hairdresser, who maintains a shop at one end of the building.  It was time for another permanent for Mother this month, so while I was occupied at something or other, Barbara went to the nursing home to make sure that the permanent would happen today and to take some pictures along the way.  Tammy, the hairdresser did a really nice job with Mother today. While Mother was on the final stages of the perm, she sent Barbara to Sonic for a drink which absolutely tickled Barbara since that’s a huge step for her. Once Mother’s perm was complete, Barbara got Mother safely to her room without running into anyone with the Geri-chair. Once there, one of the aides came in and posed with Mother so she could show off her new “do.

Wednesday, September 7

After Jimmy Clint’s death last December, we gave some of the insurance money to our pastor and asked him to apply it to any other funding he might have to get a good motivational speaker to come speak to the students at the Yantis schools.  Our request was for someone who would talk about personal decision-making, particularly in regard to the use/misuse of alcohol and drugs.

David later informed us that he would be bringing in Ray McElroy, a former NFL player and currently the chaplain for the Chicago Bears to give several talks in the area.

Last night, Ray spoke to a large group of men gathered at Big Smith’s Barbecue, between Yantis and Sulphur Springs.  I took my cousin, Ladd Thompson, as my guest and we had a wonderful time…fantastic food, wonderful fellowship, and a great message about the responsibilities of being a Godly man.

This morning, Ray addressed the senior high and junior high students at Yantis.  We were more than pleased with the way Ray commanded the attention of the students and staff and interacted with the students during his presentation.  The message was both exciting and profound, something we felt Jimmy Clint would approve, especially since this is the sort of thing he wanted to do himself.

Wednesday, September 7 – Wednesday, September 14

To Artesia and Back

Wednesday, September 7

When we returned from Yantis this morning, we loaded the car for the trip to Artesia, closed up the house, took Bonita and Spike to the Doggie Motel, visited Mother for a while, and then headed west toward Abilene to spend the night with our friend Dandy.

The trip today was uneventful…we just took our time and stopped along the way whenever we felt like it, since there was no rush.

When we got to Abilene, we stopped at Walmart for gas and Barbara called Dandy to let her know we were in the neighborhood.  We then drove to the house, unloaded what we needed for the night, visited for a few minutes, and then took Dandy to the Cotton Patch restaurant where we at a great meal and started getting caught up on all that had happened since we were last together.

When we returned to the house, we talked and played computer games until we couldn’t see straight and decided we all needed to get some sleep to prepare for tomorrow.

Thursday, September 8

We took our time getting around this morning, then said our goodbyes to Dandy and headed off on the next leg of our journey from Abilene to Artesia via Sweetwater, Big Spring, Lamesa, Seminole, and Hobbs.

When we got to Artesia, we went straight to Walmart to fuel the car and that’s where the day got interesting.

Before we left Mineola, we purchased a Walmart shopping card, knowing that we would make our regular Walmart fuel stops in Abilene and Artesia, and Roswell, if necessary.  With the current ten cents per gallon discount, it only made sense to do so.

When we got to the pumps in Artesia, we couldn’t find the new card anywhere…searched all through the car and through the sacks that held our purchases from the stop in Abilene.  We were beside ourselves, because there was nearly $200 on the card and we hadn’t brought along enough cash for fuel purchases.

I decided to not buy the gas at the time and we drove on to Jean’s house to unload the car and do a more thorough search.  Unfortunately, we had no more luck there than before, so while Barbara talked to Jean, I stepped outside and called the Walmart store in Abilene, got someone at customer service, and explained our problem, and asked about getting a replacement card…I even had the receipts from both the Mineola and Abilene stores, so I was able to give all the information they needed.

The lady I talked to was kind and helpful and explained that we could either wait until we returned to Abilene to get a replacement card, or go to the customer service center in the Artesia store and get a replacement there.

Meanwhile, Barbara called the Mineola store to ask what we should do and they said to go to the Artesia store, show them the receipts for the purchase of the card and the purchases from Abilene, and they could cancel the card, providing it had not been found and used, and issue a new one…ah, the beauty of computers.

Barbara said she thought I should just go back to the Artesia store right away, since there might be a possibility they could check the computer and see if the card had been used anywhere, so I drove back to town, ready to plead my case.

The first lady I talked to at customer service said she didn’t know how to get that information, but that she would find the night manager to help.  When the manager arrived, I again explained our situation, and she said there was NO WAY that they could help us out and that we would have to go back to the store in Mineola to get a replacement card.  I explained what the lady in Abilene told me and the lady in Mineola told Barbara about going into the computer and tracking the card; I had the card number, so that should have minimized the problem.

The customer service manager then informed me in no uncertain terms that there was nothing they could do to help, that Abilene might possibly be able to help, but that we would more than likely have to return to Mineola to get any assistance…the computer would just not allow that kind of search or transaction.

Now, keep in mind that the Walmart computer system is second in sophistication only to the system used by the Pentagon, and that with a few keystrokes, Walmart knows how many heads of lettuce are on the shelves or in storage at the store in Beijing, China, but this lady was telling me there was no way to track a card!

Unfortunately, the system is no better than the knowledge and skills of the person who operates it.  Deciding that I was going to get nowhere with my line of reasoning, I left the store and returned to Jean’s house to set aside this little problem for the day and enjoy our visit with special friends.

Becky, Jerry and Nancy’s daughter, was tied up with a community theater rehearsal tonight, but Jean, Barbara, and I drove over to Jerry and Nancy’s house to spend a fun evening eating, talking, and generally getting caught up with each other’s busy lives.  Unfortunately, we forgot to take the camera tonight, but there would be pictures later.

Friday, September 9

Jerry picked me up early this morning and I went with him to the weekly Methodist Men’s prayer breakfast…always a good time of food and fellowship.

Later in the morning, Barbara and I took Jean to Walmart to do some grocery shopping.  While Jean and I wandered around the store, Barbara took our card receipts and went to find the customer service manager to tell her what had happened last night with the night manager (in detail) and ask if there was anything she could do to help us.  By the time Jean and I finished loading the cart, Barbara was back with a smile on her face and a new card in her hand.  It seems that the night manager was totally wrong and that with the right information, any store can give that kind of assistance.  Of course, it took checking the manual to get the right procedure, but at least this lady was willing to do that for us.  Again, the system, no matter how sophisticated or capable, is no better than the operator.

Today is Homecoming Day at Artesia High School, our alma mater.  We joined Jerry, Becky, and Cousin Mary downtown for the parade this afternoon and relived the day 50 years ago when we marched in the band at our last high school homecoming.

The parade was marked, of course, by the usual entrants, a fire department color guard, the combined high school and junior high bands (with director Tom Dillon riding along on his orange motor scooter…why didn’t I ever think of that?), and the usual group of student floats and the homecoming court in their fancy convertibles.  It didn’t seem that as much effort went into the building of the floats as when we were in school, but that was then and this is now, and the times have definitely changed!

Tonight I went to the football game at Bulldog Bowl with Jerry, Nancy, Becky, and Mary, while Barbara and Jean stayed at the house to listen on the radio.

Unfortunately, the hometown ‘Dogs were no match for the 5-A Albuquerque Manzano team and we suffered a homecoming loss.  But, it was a beautiful night and we were with good friends…couldn’t ask for much more than that.

Saturday, September 10

One of the reasons we needed to come to Artesia was to pick up a trailer that has been stored in Jean’s boat barn since we moved to East Texas.  We bought the trailer when we first retired to haul the motorcycle behind Big V.  There have been several times when we could have used it at Holiday Villages to haul things to Our Little Lot, but the Pontiac Vibe we were driving didn’t have a tow package, so we could never come get the trailer.  When we bought the new Dodge in February, we had them install an approved tow package, and this was the first opportunity we had to come get the trailer.

I spent part of the morning getting the trailer out of the barn and getting it travel ready, including taking it to town and running it through the car wash to get rid of a five-year accumulation of spiders and their homes.

We visited with Jean most of the day and then this evening we went to the Pecos Diamond restaurant with Jean, Jerry, and Nancy to enjoy a good meal before attending the Artesia Community Theater performance of Greater Tuna.  Artesia has a very high caliber performing arts program, showcasing both local and traveling theater talent.  Becky was involved as a backstage “dresser” for this production, so while we didn’t get to see her perform, we did enjoy the fruits of her labor.

Sunday, September 11

It looked as if today would be the only opportunity during this trip to go to Roswell and see family members (Barbara’s sister Carol and my brother Jerry and his wife Jane) so we got around fairly early and made the short drive north.

We met Carol at Golden Corral to visit and have breakfast and, after an hour or so, drove over to Jerry and Jane’s house to talk with them for another hour or so.  It was a beautiful morning…a really nice day for “family time.”

In the pictures, Barbara is shown with Carol outside Golden Corral.  Jerry and I are holding medals awarded to our great-great-grandfather Little in the Civil War, and Jerry and Jane are shown in their house.

We returned to Artesia to spend a quiet afternoon with Jean and then went with the family to La Fonda restaurant for some of their signature Tex-Mex dishes.

This evening we gathered at Jerry and Nancy’s house for a couple of rousing, if not heatedly contested (by Becky), rounds of Chickenfoot.

Monday, September 12

Another reason for this visit to Artesia was to help the family with getting Jean to some of her doctor appointments.  Today was our turn to transport Jean to her cardiologist in Lovington.
So, we were up fairly early, had a little breakfast, and then got into Jean’s car for the 65-mile drive to the Lea County Medical Center.  While Barbara stayed with Jean and waited for Susie (Jean’s daughter) to arrive, I drove across town to see if I could visit with Marie, my former mother-in-law and maternal grandmother to Heather, Mike, and Whitney. Marie is a resident in one of the nursing homes in Lovington.

Marie has been in the nursing home for several years now and I try to see her whenever I’m in the area.  Today I found Marie in the recreation room, having her hair arranged by one of the aides and watching TV.  She recognized me immediately and we moved off to one side of the room so we could talk for awhile and let one of the aides take our picture.

When I returned to the medical center, I found that Susie had arrived, so she, Barbara, and I visited awhile until Jean was through seeing the cardiologist.  Then, we all drove back across town to Lazy 6 restaurant for lunch.  All we can say about the Lazy 6 is that it has good food and is “quaint.”  Those who find themselves in Lovington should give it a try and then try to describe it.

Tonight was more family time and then we had to get everything ready for the return journey tomorrow.

Tuesday, September 13

We were up early enough to get some photos of an Artesia morning.  Living in the Piney Woods of East Texas, we see neither sunrises nor sunsets, just the sun when it appears above the trees and houses on the east and a bit of glow when it disappears behind the houses and trees in the west.  So, it’s always a treat to watch sunrises and sunsets over the Pecos Valley horizons.  The evenings during the time we have been here were cloudy, so we didn’t get any shots of the sunsets, but this morning’s sunrise was spectacular.

We ginned around and got the car loaded, hooked up the trailer, secured my bicycle on the trailer, said our goodbyes to Jean, and headed down the road for Abilene.

The trip today was mostly uneventful…that is, until it became VERY eventful.
I noticed that the drag caused by the trailer was taking its toll on our gas mileage…more than I thought it would, but 4-cylinder cars just aren’t built for towing much of anything.  Still, we were doing well and I thought we could easily reach Sweetwater and the Walmart store there before refueling.  Well, there are some days when I just shouldn’t bother thinking!

As we drove through Big Spring, the gas gauge showed a little over a fourth of a tank…should be enough to reach Sweetwater comfortably.  What I failed to consider was that the bottom half of the gauge drops more rapidly than the top half.

Even as we passed through Colorado City, I thought we would still make it to Sweetwater, but within a few miles, the gauge needle dropped significantly and then the warning light came on. We immediately turned off the air conditioner to save what fuel we could and frantically began looking for anyplace to buy a few gallons of gas…just enough at any price to get us to Sweetwater.

We looked, and looked, and looked, but that stretch of I-20 is about as barren and devoid of gas stations as the Sahara desert.  There were some stations, but they had been closed and shuttered years ago, back when gas was under a dollar a gallon, according to their price signs.

With more sweat running down our faces than we had gasoline in the tank, we finally spotted an exit at Colorado City, a wide spot in the road, but it had a convenience store and gas pumps, so were saved.

As we pulled onto the exit, the trailer made some horribly loud noises, but I didn’t think much about it since it had almost no weight on it and it had been bouncing and rattling all along the way.

I pulled into the convenience store parking lot and up to the fuel tank.  As I got out of the car, I glanced at the trailer and saw the reason for all the noise…the left side tire was shredded.  The combination of old tires that had been stored four years, highway speeds, and 112-degree temperatures had taken their toll.  Now we were able to gas up the car, but unable to go anywhere because there was no spare tire, and the odds of finding one in Colorado City at this hour of the day were slim and none.

While I filled the gas tank, Barbara went inside to inquire about anyplace around that might have tires.  I came in and she handed me the phone and I talked to a man who had a tire store right across the interstate from the convenience store.  He was unable to come to help us, so we dragged the trailer, v-e-r-y slowly through the underpass about a block and a half to the tire store.

Luckily, they had a couple of tires the size that we needed, so we gave them the go-ahead to change both tires (no point in taking a chance on the one that hadn’t blown – yet).  We went to the local Dairy Queen for a rest stop and a drink and then returned to wait a few more minutes until both tires were mounted and we could pay out and get on down the road.  Just ask us if we believe God was watching out for us today!!!

We called Dandy and told her what had happened and that we would be later than we thought getting to her house.  Then, we headed down the road with, thankfully, no more excitement.

After arriving at Dandy’s house and unloading the car, we went out to one of her favorite Chinese restaurants to enjoy a great meal and conversation.  Then, it was back to the house for an evening of fun with a very special friend.

Wednesday, September 14

Surprisingly, we slept in this morning.  We took our time getting the car loaded and taking some pictures and then headed out for the final leg of the trip back to Mineola.  It was a beautiful day and the traffic, even through Dallas-Fort Worth, was cooperative, providing for a quiet and uneventful journey.

We stopped at Wood Memorial to visit with Mother and let her know we were back, and then went to the house to unload the car and get things put away.  When all was done, I drove out to Our Little Lot to drop off the trailer and then returned to the house for a quiet evening.

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Friday, September 16

When we returned from our trip a couple of days ago, we found that the armadillo had continued its assault on the neighborhood yards, inflicting severe damage to Mother’s front yard.  We have tried everything we can think of to get rid of the nasty critter – putting out grub and worm killer to get rid of the food source, spreading a substance that is supposed to deter armadillos and possums from walking on the area, chasing the dumb animal with a shovel to scare it away (me), and even kicking it when it got too close (John), but nothing worked.  The armadillo (and were pretty sure there is only one) not only ignores the three baited traps that we have set out, it forages and digs right next to them, as if he is having a giant laugh at our expense.  John is frustrated, Addie is frustrated, and we are frustrated at our inability to trap the critter or convince him to move to a less hostile environment.

The armadillo has no set schedule…he has appeared anywhere from 9:00 pm to 5:00 am, and never at the same time on consecutive days.  Tonight, Barbara stayed up late to try to at least get a picture of the animal.  Her efforts were unrewarded, so she came to bed and then got up around 4:00 am to try again.  The armadillo finally made his appearance a little after 5:00 and Barbara was able to get this shot…cloudy and not very distinct, but if you look closely, you’ll see him drilling away in the front yard, between the tree and the sidewalk.  Barbara woke me up to come and see, but by the time I got out there, our neighborhood pest was long gone.

Saturday, September 17

Barbara stayed at home and did the housework this morning while I rode the cycle on a PGR mission to Tyler.  Today we were standing in honor of U.S. Army Sgt. Lee D Henry, Jr. (21MAR28 – 7AUG50).  22-year old Sgt. Henry was lost while conducting combat operations near the Naktong River in South Korea. Sgt. Henry’s remains were identified on June 3^rd of this year. Sgt. Henry received a Purple Heart Medal, and earned the Korean War Combat Ribbon and Korean Presidential Unit Citation.

After standing the flag line at the church, Patriot Guard Riders escorted Sgt. Henry’s remains and his family to a local cemetery for interment with military honors.

Following the graveside service and a post-mission review, the riders quietly dispersed to other activities of the day.  For my part, I returned to Mineola, stopping in Lindale for lunch, for a quiet afternoon and evening at the house.

Sunday, September 18

We had a very special service at Yantis First Baptist Church this morning as we welcomed our new youth pastor, Jeremy Durig, and his family on their first Sunday at YFBC.  The recommendation of the search committee was unanimous, as was the vote of the church membership, when the call came to a vote.  Jeremy and Emily and their sons Jamison and Jeremiah made a strong impression on the church membership when they came for an interview, and we are certain they will continue with mighty service in Yantis and the surrounding area.  Welcome, Jeremy, Emily, Jamison, and Jeremiah to our church family!

Wednesday, September 21

What a great day this was!  With Aunt Glennis here to visit Mother and TJ, we had planned a big family dinner.  I got up at 5:00 to start the smoker and by 6:00, the brisket was underway.

While we were making out final plans for the day yesterday, Barbara suggested that we talk to the people in the office at Wood Memorial to see if there was any way we could have them transport Mother to the house for a few hours today.  I was skeptical that it could happen, but agreed to go over and ask this morning.  A few minutes after 9:00 AM, we went to the main office and asked Linda, the person who oversees that sort of thing, what might be possible, even volunteering to pay for that service if necessary.

Linda just looked at us, smiled, and said not to worry about it…it was possible, depending on scheduling of the transport vehicle, and there was no charge.  While Barbara and I crossed our fingers, Linda called the driver to check on whether he had medical transports scheduled for the day; there were none during the time frame we wanted Mother at home, so we completed the arrangements, asking that they bring Mother to the house at 1:00 so we could surprise TJ and Glennis when they got there.

We then went to Mother’s room to tell her what we had going, but found that she was in physical therapy doing her exercises and singing along with the group.  We told her what we had planned and asked if she wanted to come to the house for a few hours to eat and visit with the family.  The look on her face was all we needed to know, so we warned her to not tell TJ and Glennis when they came by for their morning visit because we wanted it to be a surprise for them.

With that bit of business taken care of, we went back to the house, Barbara started some things going in the crock pot, and then left to go to Bible study while I stayed at the house to monitor the smoker and do some minor cleaning and straightening to get ready for the bunch.

Barbara has become the unofficial “official” photographer for the church, taking pictures and organizing them into pictorial reminders of the many different events and activities held at and around the church.  While at Bible study this morning, she took a number of pictures of the ladies in action.  These will be copied and given to Pastor David for use in demonstrating what is available to the community through our church.

When Barbara returned from church, we took care of getting the final parts of the dinner prepared and then waited for the transport van to deliver Mother.  Shortly after 1:00, the driver arrived and got Mother wheeled out of the van and into the garage, where we took over and got her situated in the living room with her babies, Spike and Bonita.

To say that TJ and Glennis were surprised when they walked into the house and saw Mother would be the understatement of the year.  The looks on their faces were priceless, and they told us that they had just finished saying that they wished “Sister” could be here to enjoy the get-together.

Ladd and Angela arrived a few minutes after the others, and soon we had a roomful of people, all excited about the prospect of spending a few hours at home with Mother and gathering around a loaded kitchen table.

Words can’t really describe how we all felt, but the pictures say a lot.

Friday, September 23

We had the rare opportunity this weekend to go to Dallas and enjoy visits with grandchildren Alexander and Abby and also with Jean Terpening’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Since two of Jean’s grandchildren were in the area this weekend, it was almost like hitting the trifecta for us.

After putting the puppies in the doggie hospital for the weekend, we went to see Mother and then drove to Richardson to see Andy, Alexander, and Abby and spend the night with them.  Heather was attending a conference in New Orleans, so we didn’t get to see her on this trip, but we thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with Andy and the kids.  Both kids are voracious readers and highly competitive game players, so there was no shortage of opportunities to show off their skills and abilities.

Andy and I decided that we would cook the old-fashioned way…call Pizza Hut and order out.  After determining what we wanted, Andy made the call and he and I went out to pick up the order while Grams (Barbara) was entertained by the kids.

When we returned, we set up the table for the kids and then we adults got comfortable on the couches and chairs while we all enjoyed pizza and cheesy breadsticks while watching our first ever movie of Phineas and Ferb.  Who would have ever guessed how much we could learn from our grandchildren!

Saturday, September 24

We got up early this morning and had a chance to spend some quality time with Alexander and Abby, who were happy to show off their study spaces (Alexander is a 2^nd grader and Abby is in kindergarten – both attend Lakehill Preparatory School, where Heather works.

After saying goodbye to Andy and the kids and thanking them for the nice time we had, we struck out across the Metroplex to find the home of Paul and Stephanie Francis and attend a birthday party for their son Wesley.

It took a while to find the house (our GPS was almost as useless as the printed map), but we got there in plenty of time to have a great visit with everyone.

Paul is the son of James and Susie Francis (Susie being Jean’s daughter).  He is married to Stephanie, and they have two sons, Wesley and Eugene.

Barbara Yehl is a daughter of James and Susie and is married to Warren Yehl,  Barbara and Warren have a son, Henry.

This weekend, the house was full of Jean’s grandchildren and grandchildren as they gathered to celebrate Wesley’s third birthday.

Since Barbara and I are “adopted” family members, we fit right in with the crowd (also including Stephanie’s parents and her older sister), alternately helping with adult duties and being babysitters while the parents prepared for their other guests.

Needless to say, a good time was had by all and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit, especially since we finally got to see Henry in person and hadn’t seen Eugene since he was a newborn.

And of course, time spent with James and Susie is always fun.

Monday, September 26

When Mother bought the house in Mineola three years ago, the only carpeting was in the master bedroom; all of the other rooms, except for the bathrooms, had varying shades of laminated wood flooring.  We decided early on that the laminate flooring was a bad idea to begin with.  For one thing, it is impossible to keep clean; for another, it is extremely dangerous for Spike to walk on because of the increasing instability of his legs.

A little over a year ago, Mother decided that we needed to have carpet in the living room and hallway so Spike and Bonita wouldn’t slip and slide as they padded about the house.  We didn’t know what to do about the kitchen and dining room; carpeting in those areas, especially with the way the dogs drag their food around, just wasn’t practical.

Lately, Spike has been having more problems with walking on the laminate flooring.  His legs tend to splay out, leaving him sprawled out on the floor and unable to stand up without help.
Last week Barbara and I went to Wood County Flooring in Quitman, the same folks that sold and installed the carpet, and talked to them about new flooring for the kitchen and dining room.  After looking at several products and trying out some samples by having Spike walk on them, we settled on vinyl planking, an almost indestructable material that has raised grain like wood and is easy for the dogs to walk and stand on.

Today, the workers showed up to rip out the laminate flooring and install the new planking.  We immediately ran into problems when they moved the refrigerator out turned off the water faucet for the ice maker, and disconnected it.  The problem was that the faucet was broken and only appeared to be turned off.  So, their next job was to have me locate the water main, close off the water supply to the house, and then they started mopping the floor.

While the installers were playing with the refrigerator and starting to rip out the laminate planks, I made a couple of trips to the local Ace Hardware store to get a new faucet and everything I needed to install it.

I finally got the faucet fixed and the water turned back on and the installers continued ripping out the old flooring, cleaning up the concrete floor, and then starting on the installation of the vinyl planking.

When they were finished, the dining room and kitchen looked far better than we even hoped and, best of all, the new floors passed the “puppy test” with flying colors as both Spike and Bonita were able to walk about without any slipping.

Wednesday, September 28

Today was the annual observance of See You at the Pole for students at the Yantis schools.  A large contingent of high school and middle school students began arriving even before the announced time of 7:00 a.m. and began making their final preparations for the events of the morning.  See You at the Pole is a student sponsored prayer-based event and at Yantis, is organized and directed by the youth from First Baptist Church, sponsored by our new youth pastor, Jeremy Durig.

For those who who needed a little breakfast “fix,” there was juice and donuts before the prayer session.  On a signal from the student leaders, the kids gathered around the flag pole for prayer and then broke into smaller prayer groups to continue their praises and petitions.

Tonight we went back to Yantis to take turns serving as volunteers in the nursery and take pictures of the Saw You at the Pole activities by our youth group.

We had a large number of youth of all ages in the building tonight, so there was a lot to document.  Our volunteer youth helpers have done a marvelous job of building the group and maintaining it while we searched for a fulltime youth pastor, and now Jeremy is doing his part to keep them active and growing.  YFBC is definitely THE place to be for youth in the community on Wednesday nights.

Besides taking pictures of all the activities tonight, our other job was to handle the nursery.  Fortunately for us, our only baby was 4-month old Jeremiah Durig, son of Jeremy and Emily.

For the most part, our previous experiences served us well, but we did have a few tense moments when Jeremiah got upset about something and nothing we tried seemed to calm him down.  I finally went to the youth department and got Emily to come down and help us.  She said that Jeremiah had been feeling bad anyway, but we think she was just being kind to a couple of old folks who need some retraining in baby care.

I was hoping to get in a little practice time on my trumpet tonight.  When Barbara finished playing with Jeremiah and left to go take pictures, I broke out the trumpet and entertained him with some warm-up exercises.  It seems that when Jeremiah is well, he is a very happy and easily entertained baby.  We’re looking forward to spending time with hime on the fourth Wednesday of each month.

Birthday greetings this month go to Paul Boley (husband of niece Brandi Hargrave Boley) September 2; Mary Royar (friend and neighbor at Holiday Villages) September 22; and Francisco Camacho (former student and a member of our Puerto Rico family) September 29.

That’s the news from here for the month of September.  There’ll be more next month, the good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.

“The secret of peace is to give every anxious thought to God.” – Our Daily Bread
From Mother’s house in Mineola, Texas,

Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom Grams