Indian Summer

It has been pretty warm, even hot in the afternoons this week. The big difference between now and a month ago is the nights are getting cooler. I'm just glad to see the heat go.

PROGRESS. Pauline went back to the doctor on Friday. He increased the weight she can put on her foot to 50 lbs. She is due to see him again in a week and a half. At this rate she may be tossing the wheelchair and walker by Thanksgiving!

THE TRACTOR MOTIF. Ever since Jenna has moved upstairs and Nate has moved in with Ben we have been redecorating the boy's room from the Raggedy Ann and Andy look to tractors. We had bought several John Deere things to put in the room but we still have the mural on the wall with Raggedy Ann and Andy sitting in a swing which is hanging from a tree branch. We hadn't done anything about that because we didn't want to repaint that room just yet. Last week Janice Hellmann loaned us a bunch of things (sheets, bed spreads, etc.) to use in the boy's room. Stephen, her son, is now into "army stuff" so she had redecorated his room and thought our boys would enjoy Stephen's old John Deere and Case-International stuff. There's even a wall hanging that fits in with the decor and covers Raggedy Ann and Andy very nicely. Ben is so proud of his room that he makes up his and Nate's beds each morning without being asked! Their room is so cool I almost want to spend the night with them.

A DOUBLE TRAGEDY. Speaking of Janice Hellmann, she was thrown from her horse yesterday and broke her shoulder. It seems she was riding in a field with tall grass and came up on an electric fence that neither she nor the horse saw which caused the horse to throw her off. She is at St. Thomas Hospital and had surgery this morning. This is the second accident she has had with her horse, the first one was more serious than this one. Knowing Janice, she will ride again.

Janice's parents, Carl and Mildred Swann, are out of town this weekend. Being fans of Jimmy Carter they are in Plains, Georgia, to hear President Carter teach Sunday School. This is their third trip down there. They know about Janice. What they don't know about is the barn fire. Mr. Carl had a tobacco barn to burn down last night. Dark Fired Tobacco has to be cured with smoke and if you ride around Robertson County right now you'll see lots of tobacco barns with smoke billowing from all the vents under their roofs. Occasionally a farmer's worst fear is realized and the barn itself catches fire. Mr. Carl had about 4.5 acres of tobacco in this barn. Just estimating that the tobacco would have weighed in at 3000 lbs. per acre and sold at $2.00 per pound you can see that the loss in gross income is around $27,000. Then there is the loss of the barn as well....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO WILL. Wilson Swann turns five on Wednesday but Kenny and Lori had his party yesterday. They hosted it at their house. One of the cutest things to watch was all the kids playing out in the driveway. They have two battery powered toys, a Gator like ours and a tractor, as well as several bikes and all the kids were riding around the turn around at the back end of the driveway. I think Nate ran at least one battery down. They had a piñata which actually busted open pretty quickly. (I keep remembering one we bought for Jenna's birthday several years ago. It seemed to be so tough you could have run over it with a car and not hurt it.) After the party we stuck around for hamburgers and such. It was a fun evening.

A GOOD FRIEND. One thing I am really proud of Jenna about is her friendship with Mrs. Vallie Douglas. Mrs. Vallie goes to our church. She will celebrate her 97th birthday this Wednesday. When she is able she drives from Springfield on Sunday mornings. One morning about 2-3 years ago Jenna and I were leaving for church and Mrs. Vallie drove by. Jenna recognized her and I told Jenna who she was and suggested that she speak to Mrs. Vallie when we got to church. She did and it has been so neat to see the two of them become friends ever since.

CONGRATULATIONS to Jonathan and Sheila Leach. Their third daughter, Sophia Grace, was born Friday evening. We are really happy for them!

Joe

Has it been another week already?

Last week sort of slipped right on by and here we are about to start a new week. Here's the news.

PUTTING A LITTLE WEIGHT DOWN. Pauline went to the doctor for a check up on her foot Friday. He told her she could begin to put about 25 lbs. of weight on her foot as she used her walker. She has also gotten her diabetic shoes. While Pauline was hoping that she would be able to put all her weight on her foot and start walking again, the rest of us are happy she can start doing this much.

PEARS, PEARS, PEARS. Our pear tree has really produced this year. While the crop was overwhelming Pauline and Vicki did put some of them to good use. Their preserves turned out well but I think they'd had enough of pears (and each other) after a long day of pealing and cooking. Vicki, poking fun at herself, says it is a good thing she was not a farmer's wife 100 years ago.

A BAD DAD. Vicki and I have always had the philosophy that our kids are always welcome to melt down and have a good cry whenever things don't go their way--as long as they go to their room to do it. Jenna has grown out of this and Ben has pretty much left this behind as well. Not Nate. But Nate is to the point that you can tell him to go to his room when he starts to cry and he will. I think this works because their bed becomes a comfortable refuge when we have to enforce the rules and become public enemy number one.

One day I came home from work and Nate was wanting something out of the fridge. It was 20 minutes until supper and Vicki told him no. He melted down and would not close the refrigerator door. I walked in and told him to close the door and go to his room and stay there until he got control of himself. This he did. Then I got busy and he got quiet. Some 10 minutes later I hear this little voice coming from the boys' room saying, "I wanna get up," over and over again. That's when I realized he didn't hear the last part of his instructions and that I had forgotten him. I sure felt bad about that.

STICKING UP FOR LITTLE BROTHER. Tuesday night Pauline invited all of us (including Mom and Aunt Mar) over to eat. She is more and more able to do things for herself and decided to try her hand at cooking a large meal. Not only was it good but I am proud of her accomplishment. Now to the point of the story...

We have always tried to get our kids to do a fairly good job of eating before they can get the occasional dessert. We're not perfect at this but our goal is for them to have a healthy meal and at least try everything that is there. Nate is at that hardheaded stage. Tuesday night he wanted the fudge pie but did not want to finish his mashed potatoes to get it. Every time he mentioned the pie I would say, "Two bites of potatoes and the pie is yours." He always replied with a cheerful "No." Ben finally said to me, "Dad, quit being so hard on Nate and let him have some pie." I got a good laugh but Nate didn't get any pie. (He did get a slice the next day.)

BARBECUE. The Heritage Commission had their second annual Barbecue supper yesterday evening. Like last year we had a good turn out. People attending the supper enjoyed entertainment from the Friendship Baptist Church men's choir and a small band who called themselves "Barely Pickin'." (Friendship Baptist is a black church. All the men were dressed in purple striped suits. I don't think I could pull of a suit like that, but they did look sharp.) The choir sang several old time spirituals, a cappella style. The band consisted of several guys from the community who enjoy playing guitars together. Their repertoire consisted of more modern ballads and songs. The weather was nice. The food and music were good. It was a fun evening. (And the Heritage Commission made over $3000!)

IS THIS MY BOY? Speaking of fashion, I do not like to wear a necktie. I do not like to wear a sport coat or suit. It is in my genes to wear jeans. So you will understand my concern now that Ben has actually asked to wear a tie for the last two Sundays. I'm not sure where that comes from but it wasn't from me. To each his own.

TRUE APPRECIATION. The boys had gotten up from the table and gone to play after lunch today when Vicki and I broke out some Little Debbie cakes for dessert (Jenna went out to eat with Mom and Aunt Mar). Ben happened to come into the kitchen at that time so we only had to call Nate. He didn't respond to our calls until we mentioned chocolate. When he got to the table he looked at his Swiss Cake Roll for a moment, then he looked at Vicki and with sweet sincerity said, "Choc-kit, thank oo!"

ROLE REVERSAL. Most men love to watch sports, either in person or on TV. Not me. To be honest I am totally lost on the finer details about how every ball game works. The biggest reason I am remotely interested in hockey is that no one else in Tennessee really understands the game so I am in good company. When Vicki turns on a Titans or Vols football game, even the Super Bowl, you can find me anywhere else in the house doing anything else. What was funny was that when Vicki flipped on the Titans game today she and Jenna were in there rooting their team on. (Jenna did wonder why most of the players are brown.) The boys followed them in there but lost interest after about five minutes. Ours is not a typical home.

Joe

New and Old Memories

It feels like nature is switching gears now. The days are still warm enough but the nights are starting to get a little cool. We are hearing the cicadas less and crickets more. Bill Chatman has been cutting his tobacco this week while other farmers are getting a head start on harvesting their corn. We are moving into one of my favorite times of year.

SLEEP WALKING. One morning this week I got up and as normal went to the bathroom to take a shower. Still half asleep I felt my way as I wasn't really ready to see light yet. That's when I stubbed my toe on a strange mass on the floor in front of the toilet. Squatting down to take a closer look I found Nate curled up in a little ball there, dead to the world. I carried him to his bed, put his bear in his arms and didn't hear from him again for an hour and a half. I have no idea why he was there but I vaguely remember him coming to my side of the bed and looking at me during the night.

GOOD IMPRESSIONS. Nate has a good friend at church and Mom's Day Out. His name is Ian. They play together really well. Ian, at this point, is more of a talker than Nate. His mom recently told us that Ian never stops talking about his buddy Nate. He even prays for him when they bless their food and at his bedtime prayers. It is neat to see little friendships develop between kids at this age.

SMOOTHEST EVER. I mentioned before that Vicki is in charge of organizing PTO volunteers whenever East Robertson has major events. Grandparents' Day on Friday was the first event of the school year. They sold around 450 tickets to grandparents who came to eat lunch with their grandchildren. Vicki had to organize people to handle guest check-in, serving and various other duties. Later that day I had to call the school regarding some data we had received. One of the first things that was said to me on the phone was that Vicki's organization made this the smoothest Grandparent's Day ever. That's my wife! Vicki said she wished she had worn a pedometer and comfortable shoes.

LABOR DAY COOK OUT. Before you decide I am reporting this a bit late we had to postpone our cookout to Friday night because Ben was a little sick on Monday. This year we expanded our guest list to include Jimmie and Suzanne Pitt, Ed and Connie Coleman and Scott and Elizabeth Budd and their daughter Alyssa (it turned out that Scott was unable to come). We had a blast. After supper the kids and several of the adults got in the floor and built a train layout that went around Pauline's couch. It was very sad when we had to put the train tracks away and everyone had to go.

REMINISCING. Last week's train ride reminded me and Vicki of another train ride we took several years ago. It was our third anniversary and we were vacationing in Ft. Meyers, Florida. Overall we enjoyed that trip. Two of my favorite memories were touring the homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford and picking up sea shells on Captiva Island. Our anniversary was a disaster.

We had planned all kinds of fun, touristy things for our special day. Our activities started with lunch which actually went pretty well (I assume it did because I don't remember it). After lunch we took a train ride to see some of the local scenery. The sights next to the railroad tracks in Ft. Meyers is no better than it is in Nashville. On top of all of that the passenger car we were riding in rocked badly. I asked the lady about it and learned that the suspension on the car was not designed for low speeds. Unfortunately, the speed limit for the tracks we were on was low because it was an urban area. We were seasick by the time we returned to the station.

After our train ride we drove down to a marina where we had planned to have a nice dinner and take an evening cruise on a sailboat. We were rear-ended on the way there. At least the damage to our car was hardly noticeable.

I cannot remember how we heard about the restaurant but it was right on the water and the boat we were to sail on was within view. Their air conditioning was broken. I'm sure our queasiness from the train ride, the accident and the lack of A/C had something to do with it but the food was terrible.

Once we choked supper down we boarded our boat. The brochure told of a cruise around Sanibel and Captiva Islands with dolphins jumping around the boat, capped off with a beautiful sunset. We got everything but that. The crew tried raising the sails but the wind was too light to be of any use and they eventually switched to the engine. This was a relief to us because the waves, small as they were did nothing to help two people already feeling ill from the train and bad food. While "at sea" Vicki thought she saw the dorsal fin of one dolphin. The sunset, obscured by a thick haze, was far from spectacular. We found out the next day that a sandstorm in the Sahara Desert had lifted a lot of sand into the upper atmosphere which had blown across the ocean over the skies of southern Florida. Not even Jimmy Buffett could soothe us because their stereo was broken. We were very glad to get to the condo that night, take some Pepto-Bismol and lie on a bed that was not moving.

Joe

The Aftermath

The events of this week, watching the story of the damage in the wake of the hurricane unfold on TV makes this edition hard for me to write. For us Katrina was a tropical depression when it blew through Tennessee. We got four to five inches of desperately needed rain (and I was still able to drive across the yard in the truck within 48 hours). It was windy but I only had a few armloads of tree limbs to pick up.

I wish I could be happy about the rain we got but the scenes on TV take all that away. In some ways it is like seeing 9-11 all over again. It is so hard to comprehend the scope of the devastation. I wish I could reach through the TV screen and help those in such dire circumstances. I even have feelings of survivor's guilt knowing my life goes on when so many people won't know normal for months to come. While I cling to my belief that I worship a God who cares for all people that faith has been put to a test in some ways this week.

So, I sit at the keyboard with a renewed appreciation for the blessings I have this week and an understanding that my problems are very minor inconveniences. Hopefully, some of the stories I share won't seem trivial or out of place. I am thankful to God for having the people these stories are about in my life.

HURRICANE VICTIMS. I mentioned Darice's mom and step dad in their evacuation from Long Beach last week. Joe and Earline returned to their home this week. Last we heard they have been able to get one cell phone call out since entering Mississippi and we have learned that they were very fortunate. Their house only received minor damage. Joe is a pharmacist and the bad news for him is that the pharmacy he works for is gone. We are just thankful that they are safe and have a home to live in.

One couple at church, Bill and Diane Harris, has a daughter who lives with her husband in Gulfport, Mississippi. They had been on a trip and arrived home Saturday night. They were so tired they never turned on the news. Diane finally reached them Sunday morning and convinced them that they were in danger. They packed a few pair of shorts and shirts and arrived in Cross Plains late that night. Their vehicle and the clothes they brought are all they own now.

MAKING A DECISION. For Mom, the decision about going ahead with the knee replacement surgery as her doctor has recommended has been a hard one. She went back to the doctor on Thursday for more information about the surgery and decided to go ahead with it. It will be set for some time in October.

OUR SHOWMAN. This is one of those things about Nate I want to remember when I'm 80. He is at that point where he is trying so many new things. Whenever he accomplishes something he is quick to celebrate. For example, the other day he was trying to climb up on our bed and was having a particularly hard time. When he finally made he stood up with a big smile on his face, held up his hands and said, "Ta-da!"

Nate is also a little booger. Normally, when I am putting dishes in the dishwasher he loves to come up and push the racks back in and close the door each time I turn to the sink to get another handful of dishes. It has taken a while but I have just about broke him of that. The other day he came up and was playing with the lower rack when I was loading dishes. Since he did not close the door I wasn't paying much attention. I wish I had. When I went to push the lower rack back into the dishwasher I found he had removed all of the wheels and thrown them to the back corner of the appliance.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS. Our old, decrepit pear tree that is outside the kitchen window has produced another bumper crop this year. One afternoon the kids and I went out to pick up pears so we wouldn't have a big mess when we mowed the yard. Ben and Nate love being outside. Jenna does not. The boys don't care if there are bugs (except for bees). They don't care if they are hot and sweaty. They didn't even mind picking up the rotten pears too much. But Jenna, who normally doesn't complain about much, was one miserable little girl. I hope she doesn't marry a farmer.

DOUBLE DUTCH. We put the kids to bed around 8:30 this past Friday night. On nights when there is no school Jenna likes to stay up about 30 minutes and read, which she did on this particular night. About an hour and a half later Vicki was still up watching the news when she heard a soft thumping sound. She got up to investigate and the noise stopped. Calling to Jenna she asked, "Jenna, what are you doing?"

A guilty, "Nothing," came as a reply.

Knowing something was afoot Vicki's interrogation continued, "Jenna, have you been jumping rope?"

Sheepishly, Jenna confessed, "Well, I was reading and then I jumped rope just a little."

Lord help us when it's time to move the boys up there.

A KENNYISM. First, some background for those of you who who aren't really connected with our community. My cousin Kenny is one of those people who can cut up with just about anyone and get them to smile. He is devious as anyone who has been on the receiving end of an April Fool's Day joke can tell you (for example, one year he had Katie Henry running around her front yard, in her night gown, looking for a herd of deer). One of his current missions in life is to teach my boys how to pee outdoors (so they don't grow up to be city folk).

Kenny and Lori have converted an old tobacco barn behind their house to a guest house/pool house/office and have a wonderful place to host parties. On one occasion a woman who was there visiting went to use the bathroom. Before flushing she happened to look in the toilet bowl and there was a frog looking back up at her. Somewhat distressed she came out asking what she should do about the misplaced amphibian. Never at a loss for a quick answer Kenny recommended she should visit her gynecologist!

A DAY OUT WITH THOMAS. Thomas the Tank Engine is currently in Nashville and we went to see him on Saturday. This is definitely a little boy event. There were all kinds of activities: large inflatable play equipment, temporary tattoos, a model railroad, a gift $hop, etc. Of course, the highlight of the day was being "pulled" by Thomas on a 30 minute excursion.

The bad thing about the train trip is that railroad tracks generally don't go through the nicest sections of a city. What made it fun for us was striking up a conversation with the gentleman who was the conductor for our car. He was an older fellow who had seen better days (picture a man with a stooped back, ill fitting uniform and unsteady walk) but wore the smile of one still enjoying life. When we first sat down he was relaxing, actually collapsed, in the seat across the aisle with his feet up in the opposing seat (we were the eighth and last trip of the day so he had a right to be tired). We asked if we could snap a picture. With a twinkle in his eye he said it was okay with him "as long as we don't show the front office." After punching tickets (we held our breath for him through this) he came back and pointed out things like, the scrapped airplane in the junk yard, Jackie Gleason's private passenger car, and the creek where a homeless man was bathing when Thomas was in Nashville last year. It seems that this homeless man kept standing up, in the buff, and waving to all the kids as the trains went by (until the police came and arrested him)!

Joe