A Slow Week

I have struggled over what to write about this week. It's just been very routine. I mean, Jenna losing two teeth and the fuel pump going out on my truck are two of the big headlining items I can think of, which just shows how interesting things have been. Sometimes slow is good.

OUR READER. Since Jenna only has one more week of summer left I've been thinking back over her vacation. She has been a voracious reader for a seven year old. Her favorite books are the Junie B. Jones series. It has been hard to maintain a routine this summer and our evening devotion time has suffered some but I have let Jenna read the devotion aloud on occasion. She does a really good job. She also reads to her brothers quite a bit.

OUR DRIVER. The other day Jenna showed Nate how to push the "gas" pedal on their Gator to make it go. When he first learned the trick he hadn't figured out the steering wheel and he drove several circles around Pauline's yard before I took pity on him and gave him another lesson. Nate caught on fairly quickly and while he may not be able to negotiate an obstacle course he can get around. The next day Vicki and Nate went over to Pauline's house. Nate jumped in the Gator and took off. He made it though our back yard without hitting any trees and even turned left toward Pauline's house when he got to the corn field. His only problem was in not straightening the wheels after making the left turn. When Vicki caught up with him she had to pull him out of the tall grass where he had run off the road (the reverse gear quit working on the Gator a few months ago). Nate also hauls trimmings from the flower beds to the edge of the field when we work out there.

What is becoming a parenting challenge is that Nate has claimed complete ownership of the Gator now that he can drive it. Nate has to be told to share it or let someone else drive for a while. And within a few minutes he "forgets" and kicks the offending sibling off the vehicle. Poor Ben gets the butt end of this most of the time.

OUR WINKER. You know that wink that people sometimes give when sharing a secret? Well, Ben has learned to do that. Aunt Mar was the first one to be winked at. It tickled her to no end that Ben took her into his confidence. He has done this several times now--here is one story: The other day he said to Vicki, "Mommy, I think Nate wants a Scoop like mine this Christmas [wink]." Vicki was caught off guard by the wink so she asked him to repeat himself. He did, wink included. Of course my words don't do the gesture justice but it was pretty funny.

Joe

The Dog Days of Summer

Sirius, also known as the Dog Star, is the brightest star in the nighttime sky and is part of the constellation Canis Major. It is not visible at night this time of year because the sun is between us and it, but it can be spotted around sunrise. I have heard it said that on a very clear day (no clouds, haze or smog) Sirius is bright enough to be seen near the sun in the daytime sky which is why these are called the Dog Days of Summer. Many centuries ago people believed that the heat from the sun combined with the additional heat from Sirius is what made summertime so hot. At a distance of 8.6 light years we get no heat from Sirius, which is good because the sun needs no extra help right now.

VICKI COMES HOME. After three and a half weeks of staying at Pauline's house Vicki is now back at home at night. She still spends several hours a day helping her mom around the house but she is now more confident in Pauline's ability to do some things for herself. I'm glad to have her home.

A FATHER'S ROLE. I have always figured that part of my job as a dad is to aggravate my kids, just to keep things stirred up a bit. For example, Nate loves to come up to me when I am eating and ask for a bite of my food. As an only child this goes against my grain. So to make the best of it I make Nate say, "I'm a moocher!" before I'll give him any food.

I'm a little more creative with Ben. Sometimes I'll call Pauline's house to talk to Vicki and Ben will answer the phone. After we say hello and talk a bit I'll pause and then ask, "Well, what did you call me for?" Of course his reply is, "I didn't call you. You called me." That's where I disagree with him and we have a friendly argument. About half a minute later he gets confused and says, "Well, I guess Mommy dialed the wrong number."

A few weeks ago Ben received an invitation to a birthday party at Hollywood's for one of his friends, Will Keaton. It made his day. Tuesday was the day of the party and Ben had a great time. I had him pretty worried on the way to the party though. I took a different route to White House and mentioned something about being lost.

I am sure this will all come back to haunt me one of these days.

FLATTERY WILL GET YOU EVERYWHERE. Last weekend Vicki and Nate were shopping. At one point she was trying on a long, flowing skirt and Nate started talking. After he repeated the word a several times Vicki realized he was saying "pincess." When she turned and asked, "Do you think I look like a princess?" he affirmed her saying, "Look like pincess, look like pincess!" That and the glow on his face made her day.

FENDER BENDER. Friday is the day when Aunt Mar goes to town for her hair appointment and to run a few errands. This Friday was no different. When her errands were done and since it was about 90° F she decided to drive to McDonald's for a milk shake. She had just passed Shoney's on Memorial Boulevard, driving in the right lane, when a car coming from the opposite direction turned left in front of her. It happened so quickly she could not avoid a collision (the other driver admitted to not even seeing Aunt Mar's car before he turned). She basically T-boned the other car in its right door but at such a low speed the airbag wasn't even deployed. No one was hurt. Mom called me as I was on the way home from work and I turned around to check on Aunt Mar.

Unfortunately the other driver was driving without a license or car insurance. He received a citation but the fine was only $50! The damage to Aunt Mar's car was estimated at $1700. What was even more odd to me is that the guy at the car dealership that gave Aunt Mar the damage estimate told her that the other driver could make a claim with Aunt Mar's insurance to have his car fixed even though he was not carrying insurance or a driver's license and did admit to being at fault in the accident. Something just doesn't add up there for me.

As we were leaving the scene of the accident I told Aunt Mar she may as well get her milk shake after all the trouble she had been through for it.

I'M A MOODLER. I try to keep this newsletter focused on what happens in our family life but I had a very positive experience at work the other day and thought I'd share it. One of the problems we face in our school system is a very tight budget. In the past it has been very depressing to go to the Tennessee Educators Technical Conference and see all these neat things that are available for teachers only to have to come home and make do on limited funds.

I found Moodle a few months ago and installed it on our web server to provide web space for our teachers for free. Some of our teachers had been using an outside service to host their classroom web sites (like TeacherWeb) and paying the subscription out of their own pockets. They don't have to do that now. And what is so nice is that Moodle is open source software and is distributed free of charge. (I had one company that wanted to do the same thing for our school system for $18,000 plus the annual tech support fee.)

I held our first Moodle workshop on Wednesday morning. After I introduced the software and set accounts up for everyone I gave them the rest of the time to play around with the system. It was so rewarding to see their eyes light up as they would discover a tool in Moodle and then say, "Hey, I can use this for!" I went home feeling especially good about my job that day.

Joe

Of Steam and Coal Soot

As I reported last week we got rain. That and the cooler temperatures have continued off and on all week. We had been so dry that I hadn't gotten the mower out for several weeks but once the grass got a little moisture it jumped right up there. By the time I mowed my yard on Friday the seed heads on the grass were knee high.

A GOOD REPORT. Pauline went back to the orthopedic surgeon on Thursday. We have been preparing ourselves for the worst news and were pleasantly surprised about the optimistic tone of his report. They took an x-ray of her foot and the bone is starting to mend. He said the big concern was to get the swelling to go down even more which would just take time. He hopes she can be in a walking boot in a few months and progress from there to a diabetic shoe. It may take a while to get there but at least Pauline has a promising goal to work toward.

THE THRESHERMEN'S SHOW. I decided to work on Friday and only went out to the Threshermen's Show for lunch that day but Jenna, Ben and I spent the whole day there yesterday. (Vicki needed to do some shopping and since I was not going to be able to keep up with Nate every moment he went with her.)

Uncle Paul had a big day at the show. Back in 1969-1970 he was one of a group of people who got together to organize the show. He is the only surviving member of that group today. Yesterday he was the Grand Marshall of the parade and a bit later he was presented with a plaque to commemorate his involvement with the show. Uncle Paul is 92 and drove himself to the show (about 25 miles from his home) both days.

When you run antique equipment that you can't easily get replacement parts for you always hope everything holds together. The steam engine and separator ran well again this year. The worst thing to happen is that the drive (the 8 inch wide belt that runs between the engine and separator) began to rip near its seam and the rip was 3/4 of the way across the belt when the separator was shut down for the last time. (Had the belt broke it probably would have simply dropped to the ground because it is so heavy.) This is one of the few parts that is still relatively easy to fix or replace.

Jackie had to have surgery on his leg this week which left Charlie, his son-in-law, doing all they setup work the normally do together by himself. I know this week has worn Charlie out but when he finally gets home and gets things back to normal he should feel a great sense of accomplishment. He did a great job carrying on.

One of the things I like about the show is visiting with relatives I don't get to see much. And since I have been going for several years now I have met others who are part of the show. As always it was a lot of fun to catch up with everyone.

Jenna and Ben had a great time visiting all their cousins. As we were getting ready to go I looked at Ben and thought that if dirt were any indication of how much fun he had this day should be a highlight of the summer for him. All the kids got to ride in the parade, eat, pet the animals in the petting zoo, ride the ponies, eat, see the model railroad exhibit, eat, blow the whistle on the steam engine (Jenna declined this) and feed wheat into the separator. At one point someone put them in the grain wagon and they spent at least 20 minutes in there (imagine playing in a large sandbox but filled with wheat seed instead). Then they discovered the straw stack.... When they started playing on the straw stack it was about 20 feet in diameter and about 10 feet tall (want to play King of the Hill?).

Speaking of wheat, both of Ben's pockets were full of it. This was discovered by his bewildered mother as it poured into the pile of dirty laundry. I even had to dump out his booster seat this morning before church.

If you've never been to the Threshermen's Show before and this sounds like fun you should mark July 14-15 on next year's calendar.

Joe

Rain!

My original title for this newsletter was "Hot and Dry" but the remnants of hurricane Dennis have blown in and we have had rain and much cooler temperatures for the last two days. A very welcome change of pace.

THE IMPATIENT PATIENT. That would be my mother. She has done well since her surgery. She left walker behind on Friday. Mom visited the surgeon today (which is the reason I waited to write) because she was concerned over the bruising on her leg. One bruise is as large as my footprint which the doctor said was normal. She was also worried because her knee didn't feel any better by now but he said to give it another two weeks to heal. He did admit that her kneecap was the worst he had ever seen.

RETURNING HOME. I think I mentioned that Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob came up last week. It has been really nice to have them here as Mom was recovering from surgery. This has taken a load off my mind. Of course, once Mom was back on her feet they broke out the cards and played several games of Spades. Uncle Bob has also kept himself busy with several projects in Aunt Mar's yard. We also got our traditional trip to the Catfish House in last night which was just in time as they plan to leave for home tomorrow.

GETTING INTO A ROUTINE. Now that my vacation is over we find ourselves trying to establish a new routine. It is sort of weird living between two houses. Our pantry and fridge are starting to look really bare as all I keep over here now is breakfast food. Vicki is still staying at Pauline's and there is no set schedule for which child sleeps where, we just sort that out on the fly after supper each day.

The kids and I usually water Pauline's flower beds every evening. Jenna and Ben take turns watering the front and back (there are two hoses). Nate stays very busy but I haven't figured out what he does. I have to laugh about Ben and Nate. I think I just need to take some shampoo and soap with me and make watering time doubly productive. When they came in Saturday night there wasn't a dry stitch of clothing on them.

The kids have had an adjustment because they have been used to getting by with more at grandma's house than they do at home. Now that Vicki is staying over there she is imposing the "home" rules. It has been funny to watch them go appeal to a "higher authority" only to have Pauline say, "Now your momma said...."

The good thing about all this is at least the doctor was pleased with Pauline's blood sugar numbers when they took her log of daily tests in for her checkup. Vicki is pretty strict about what her mom can eat. The doctor was not unhappy with her foot but reserved any comments for her visit with the orthopedic surgeon this week.

THE STRAYS. There was a stray kitten wandering around in Pauline's back yard Saturday afternoon. It came right up to me so I figure it was either desperate for help or used to people. We fed it and then the boys played with it. Funny thing, now it may turn up later but we haven't seen it since.

Today we had a beagle to visit. He had a flea collar and was also very friendly. The boys took to him as well. I think he took their handling of him a little better than the kitten.

Jenna is not a dog lover. We couldn't even get her to come outside when the dog was in sight. The only dog she will tolerate is Molly, Jimmie and Suzanne's collie. If we ever get a dog of our own she'll never want to set foot outside the house again.

Joe

Happy Independence Day!

The summer heat is definitely here. Where most people look forward to spring to get winter over with, I am looking forward to fall. And sadly, my summer vacation is over. I went back to work on Friday.

HEALTH UPDATES. I must say that I admire Pauline. In all of her recent problems I have rarely heard her complain. When I mentioned this to Vicki she agreed. We are working hard to keep her blood sugar in check. The diet is not nearly as restrictive as we thought. We just have to be careful.

Speaking of health, please keep Mom in your prayers on Wednesday when she has her surgery. She's still no better or worse, just hanging in there for Wednesday.

BELATED CONGRATULATIONS. Sarah Yergler, my cousin, graduated from high school last week (I should have reported this in the last edition but with all the excitement...). She lives in New Jersey where they run their school calendar a little later than ours. Her summer will be very short this year as she will begin her studies at Baylor University next month. She hasn't decided what her major will be but then at the age of 38 and two degrees later I'm still not sure I know what my major should be either. Sarah, we're proud of you!

EXPRESS YOURSELF. Nate is starting to move beyond parroting what you say to actually expressing himself in simple sentences. I got a laugh the other morning what I was in the bathroom getting ready for the day. Nate was watching as I turned around and tossed some trash into the trash can. When it went in he exclaimed, "Wow, good shot!"

REMEMBERING A PROMISE. I enjoy rainbows. We had a quick shower on Monday that made the most unique rainbow I've ever seen appear. We were over at Pauline's at the time. For those of you who have not seen her house the back door looks toward the east. About 600 feet behind her house is a row of trees. There is a field between her yard and the trees (it currently has corn in it). The rainbow stretched from one end of the trees to the other and was no higher than the tallest tree. It was as if the trees were a screen for the rainbow to be projected on. The sunlight was bright so the bow showed up really well. What was really neat was a few hours later we saw another rainbow. The sun was just about to set making this one HUGE. It was very clear and was a double bow in places. The kids were impressed!

While I am very thankful that God has promised never to flood the earth with water again I sure wish He'd send a little more rain our way right now.

THE RETURN OF THE TRAIN. I packed Nate's train away when we started painting rooms and moving things around. Now that we are back and forth between Pauline's so much I thought it would be a good time to get the train back out and set it up in an out of the way corner at her house. You'd think Nate had found a long lost friend. I guess I am going to have to divide the train set between the two houses. When Nate is here he is constantly asking, "Play train?" I have to keep the door bolted shut to keep him from leaving on his own.

CONCERNED FOR MOMMA. On Wednesday night Jenna, Ben and I came home from church. Vicki had stopped by the house in Pauline's car on her way to choir practice and the headlights were shining on the path we walk to the house. Right in the headlight beam we saw a spider spinning its web between a tree and the ground. Later that night, after I had put the boys to bed I heard Ben get back up. He was really worried about Vicki and wanted to check to make sure she wasn't caught up in the spider web.

WEEDING AND WATERING. Anyone who has visited our house knows that neither Vicki or I have a talent for landscape design. And to be honest, if I can't maintain it with a riding mower and a weed eater I'm not too keen on it. Now Pauline has pretty flower beds around her house. We have been working in the flower beds some since she can't get out to see about them. The other day we were pulling weeds. Vicki, Jenna, Ben and I kept Nate pretty busy as he was hauling all the weeds we pulled to the edge of the yard is a little wagon. Ben really enjoys 'pulling the roots."

A little later we were watering the flowers. It was Ben's turn to have the hose. Vicki and Nate were on the front porch watering the hanging baskets. You can imagine what happens when you give a four year old a hose with his mom and little brother in range. As Vicki was scolding Ben for the third time I looked over at Nate who had been oblivious to what was happening. Looking down and wiping his shirt off he exclaimed, "Hey! My shirt wet." Poor Ben really wasn't trying to hit them...his aim was just off.

MAILBOX VANDALS STRIKE AGAIN. When Pauline moved into her house Vicki and I got her one of those plastic mailboxes as a housewarming present. Two years ago this past Memorial Day some kids came by, stuffed it full of straw and set it on fire. We were left with a puddle of plastic and a charred stump of a 4x4 post. I replaced it with a solid steel mailbox. One would have to work to tear this thing up. Well, last night some kids did come by and decide to have a crack at tearing it up. They succeeded in destroying the post but the mailbox, while slightly bent from being slammed on the ground, was still okay (I had to beat the door hinge a little so the door would close). I told Pauline that if this keeps up she'd eventually have a column of bricks with a mailbox embedded within.

FOURTH OF JULY We celebrated the Fourth with a cookout. Mom and Aunt Mar came over as well as Ruth Cole, a neighbor. After supper we shot off some fireworks and watched the fireworks shows in Springfield, Greenbrier, and close neighbors as best we could through the trees. Ben was so funny. He wasn't too worried about safety for Vicki and myself as we shot off our fireworks but was concerned about those from Springfield even though they were seven miles away.

Joe

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An Update on Mom's Surgery
Monday, July 7, 2005

We appreciate every prayer that was spoken on Mom's behalf yesterday. Her surgery went well and she was back home by 1:00. Her pain medication still has her drugged up pretty well but at least she can get around with a walker and put a little weight on her knee when she needs to move around.

I am not good when it comes to thinking about questions when I am being briefed by the doctor after a surgery. I thought of dozens of questions a few hours after we left the hospital. Anyway, here's what I know. The underside on Mom's knee cap is badly eroded. All the cartilage that should normally be there is long gone. This has been the source of her arthritic pain all this time and probably the cause of the internal bleeding. He smoothed this out as best he could. She also has a very large spur growing off the side of her knee cap. The doctor decided not to make any further incisions to remove this so it is still there.

What is so nice is that Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob have arrived from Florida. They got here late yesterday. I don't know how we would manage this if they weren't here.

Joe