Memorial Day and Other Things

To those of you who are veterans of our armed forces, we thank you for serving our country.

SOCCER SEASON. Boy, Saturday was the day for soccer. We had games at 10:00, 12:00 and 2:00. We just packed to spend the day at the YMCA, which included a picnic lunch and swimming after all the games. The promise of swimming kept everyone happy and excited.

Jenna has played goalie most of the time she has been on the field. Her team has done well, and she really hasn’t had to defend the goal that much. Ben has been placed all over the field, but he really shines when he plays offense. The boy has picked up on what the game is all about and is a player his teammates can count on when they need him. It is a complete turn around from last year. Poor Nate and his team are all off in La-La Land. Nate usually just circles around the crowd that is kicking the ball, occasionally making contact himself. I think his team has only scored once all season.

IMAGINATION. I keep hearing that TV is destroying the creativity and imagination of our kids. This is not so with Nate. As we were leaving church the other day he was carrying a rolled up piece of butcher paper. This was his art project from Sunday school (they put food coloring in bubble solution and blew bubbles on the paper). When I asked him what it was he told me about their project and then added, “But it can also be a telescope, a sword, a hockey stick,....” His list of possibilities for that rolled up paper was so long I just stood there with my mouth open. He named off about a dozen ideas without even batting an eye.

NOW HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? So I am mowing Aunt Mar’s yard yesterday when Will Haggard steps out. I stop so we can talk. Somehow in this conversation I find that I have agreed to mow his yard. He doesn’t have a big yard, and I didn’t mind doing it, but the whole time I am wondering how I found myself doing this job. He stood out there watching me the whole time, I guess he is used to using a push mower and was amazed to see how quickly his yard could be cut with a riding mower. I’ve been sort of chuckling to myself about it ever since.

You really have to be from our community to appreciate what I have just written. For those of you who aren’t native Cross Plains folks I’ll do my best to enlighten you. Will Haggard Chatman can best be described as our local eccentric. He is in his late 60s and lives in a share cropper’s house on Uncle Paul’s farm. He has been a day laborer with the area farmers for as long as I’ve known him. He is the only man I know of who will wear two long sleeve shirts and two pair of overalls on a 90+° day.

Will is very hard to understand. You really have to train your ear to follow him (sort of like listening to someone from another country with a heavy accent). The good thing is that he repeats himself...a lot. This is how I got into the yard mowing job. It was late in a repetition cycle when I discovered that I had agreed to mow for him.

I worry about Will. He hides a lot. Some might say he sneaks around. I don’t think Will would ever dream of hurting anyone or stealing anything, but I’m afraid that newcomers to this community don’t know that and would assume the worst. You see, if Will thinks anyone might see him he’ll hide. He was probably hiding behind a tree for a while as I was mowing Monday. One day Rita Read, a neighbor, stopped beside the road to pick some buttercups. As she tells it, she felt like someone was watching her. Not seeing anyone she decided it might be Will and called out, “Will, I hope you don’t mind if I pick a few flowers.” From behind a tree Will jokingly replied, “I’m just watching to make sure you don’t get too many.”

HUMANE INTENTIONS. This story also falls under the “now how did that happen?” category. Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob breezed in for a two day visit this week (they had driven up for Ginny’s graduation). Tuesday evening Vicki went over for a late night game of spades. As is her habit, Mom saw Vicki to the garage door when she called it quits and left for home at 11:30. That’s when Mom noticed this poor little mouse with one paw stuck in a glue trap. Feeling sorry for the rodent she attempted to pull it free so she could release it in the field. When it became obvious this wouldn’t work she decided she would tear the trap leaving a small 'shoe' affixed to the critter’s foot. That’s when the mouse fought back and bit Mom on the finger which sent her and Aunt Linda to the hospital for a tetanus shot. When she got there she was too embarrassed to tell the nurse what had happened so I figure that interview was quite a comedy in and of itself. And to beat all, her finger had quit bleeding and with no noticeable mark Mom couldn’t remember which finger had been bitten. Fortunately the ER was not busy, but they were still 2:30 in the morning getting back home.

We’re all just shocked that she was brave enough to reach down and pick up a mouse in the first place. Ben was certainly dumbfounded and speechless (his face was priceless), although Nate just wondered what became of the mouse. Jenna pretty much summed it up for all of us when she said, “Well, that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard...and the dumbest!” (Sorry Mom, anyone who sticks their finger near a mouse’s mouth and then admits to later praying for the varmint’s well-being deserves to be written up.)

Joe

The Unofficial Start of Summer

I have been driving with the truck window down and over the last week I have enjoyed the pleasant aroma of freshly cut hay. Farmers are also setting tobacco now. And today the kids finished up the 2006-2007 school year. For us, summer has begun. Unfortunately, so has mosquito season.

PREAKNESS PARTY. Last year our Sunday school class had a Derby party. We let the Kentucky Derby slip by us this year so we had a Preakness party. We had a great time at Rick and Sharon Robinson’s house Saturday evening. Nate’s “bet” earned him a package of mini Snickers.

FIELD DAY. The end of the school year brings all the field day activities. Vicki, as the PTO volunteer coordinator, went to school for three full days of this event (grades K-1 on Monday, 2-3 on Tuesday and 4-5 on Wednesday). The kids enjoyed all kinds of fun things to do out on the football field including classroom competitions like tug-of-war, inflatable jumping games and miniature golf. Judging from the 100+ pictures Vicki took I’d say all the kids had a great time.

RETIREMENT. Linda Jakes was Ben’s kindergarten teacher this year as well as Jenna’s kindergarten teacher in 2003-2004. She has announced her retirement this year. I can say, because I am in and out many different classrooms, that she is one of the best kindergarten teachers in our school system. I think the woman could calm an F4 tornado. While we regret that Nate will never have the chance to be one of her pupils we are happy that she is taking the time to pursue other interests in life. Lyn, her husband, is planning to retire from his job next year.

CONGRATULATIONS to my cousins Morgan Swann and Ginny Yergler on graduating from high school! Morgan will be attending Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, this fall and Ginny is going to Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. We are proud of you both!

FUNNY WORDING. Someone usually has to assist Nate as he dries off after a shower. When I do the job I support him with one hand as I rub the towel over him with the other hand. I guess my hands were a bit cold the other night because he said, “Dad, don’t 'burr' me with your cold hands!”

A PASSING. Bob Holmes, a friend and neighbor, passed away due to a heart attack Friday night. He was Lori Swann’s step father. Mr. Bob was a neat fellow. He took on woodworking in the last several years and many of his projects really showed off his craftsmanship. I know the chess sets he carved for his grandsons this past Christmas will be treasured for years to come.

This is one memory that will become more humorous as time passes, but I felt sorry for some folks who came to the funeral home to pay their respects. You see, many people who attend our church and are new to our community were completely unaware that Mr. Bob has an identical twin.

Lori, our hearts and prayers are with you and your family.

Joe

Hitting the High Spots

The past eleven days has seen a lot of mowing and even more soccer for us. We have been to more practices, games and make-up games than you can shake a stick at. The kids are also counting down the last five days of school!

GREEN REBOUND. I have been amazed how many of the trees have put out a second crop of leaves since the freeze we had a few weeks ago. Aunt Mar has dead, baby leaves on her patio with the trees in her yard putting out new leaves overhead. The one tree we are worried about is our pecan tree. This tree is probably the oldest resident of our yard. I measured the circumference of its trunk and found it to be 123 inches around, and I am estimating that it is about 50 feet tall. It is so easy to take for granted how much this tree contributes to the shade in our yard. If it doesn’t put out new leaves this year we hope it will be able to hang on until next year.

A DOG’S LIFE. I would be amiss not to mention how Sallie Mae is fitting into the family. Vicki and the kids stopped by the store after soccer practice one evening and fixed her up with a new collar and all sorts of toys. The kids have had the best time playing with her as she has had with them. Ben came in one day saying, “I just like to go out and look at Sallie Mae because she’s so cute.”

MOM AND MOTHER’S DAY. We celebrated Mom’s birthday Saturday by eating out at the Catfish House for a late lunch. This came after a morning of soccer. The next day was Mother’s Day and we all ate lunch over at Pauline’s house.

DRAMA REVIEW. The Drama Club at East Robertson High School performed Arsenic and Old Lace. We went to see it Saturday night. They did a great job! We knew several of the kids from church and were really impressed with how well they portrayed their parts. It had been so long since I had seen the play that I had forgotten how it ended so it was fun to relive the suspense again.

Joe

An Awesome Trip!

I think I’ve had one of the best times of my life this week! Naturally, I’m going to tell you all about it.

OH, BEFORE I DO. I took the kids to school before leaving for Cincinnati. Ben took part in the morning announcements over the PA system (he introduced the moment of silence) and he did a great job. I was proud of him. I tried to hug him afterwards but he didn’t want me to do that in front of his friends.

73RD BOMB WING REUNION. As I indicated last Tuesday, I headed to Cincinnati for the 73rd Bomb Wing’s 31st annual Reunion. It was actually held at the Radisson Hotel in Covington, Kentucky. It was a four hour drive. I came back home yesterday (and with it being Kentucky Derby day State Troopers were EVERYWHERE--no, I didn’t get a ticket).

The first people I saw were Bill and Joan Agee, whom I had met last year. Mr. Agee calls himself an old coot, and he is one of the neatest old coots you’ll ever hope to meet. I also saw Mr. and Mrs. Krantz along with their daughters Cathy and Lynda (more friends from last year). I think the Krantz family had a mini-reunion this year because I was introduced to so many folks in their family I got confused.

Fulfilling a dream of mine I met two of Dad’s crew mates this week. Bill Lind (pilot) and Bob Stangland (left gunner) were standing together in the registration line when I first saw them. They both said I looked enough like my father that they had no trouble recognizing me. If the rest of the crew was like these two men Dad flew with some great people. Another new friend is Jim Pattee. Mr. Pattee was part of another crew in the 497th Bomb Group. He and Mr. Lind happened to meet on the trip from Minneapolis and he hung out with us quite a bit.

ITINERARY. Wednesday night we had our pre-flight social. There was live entertainment but it was too loud for anyone to enjoy conversation so we drifted out to the lobby pretty quickly.

Wednesday was a full day. Mr. Stangland and I ate breakfast together. Then we all boarded busses and headed for the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton, Ohio. We started our tour in the hanger where the old Presidential planes and old experimental aircraft are on display. This included the Air Force One that carried President Kennedy’s body back to Washington, DC, (and where President Johnson was sworn in). We enjoyed an outstanding lunch at the officers’ club. That afternoon we had too little time to see the main part of the museum where there are 17 acres of planes under roof. I’m guessing we only saw about 20% of what was on display. We spent most of our time in the WWII hanger.

That evening we boarded the Belle of Cincinnati for a dinner cruise along the Ohio River. (As a footnote to this, the next day I was in my hotel room when I heard a calliope playing. Grabbing my camera I snapped a couple of pictures of the riverboat as it passed by only to discover when I got home it was the Delta Queen. It was in the area for its annual race with the Belle of Louisville as part of the Kentucky Derby Festival. It is an authentic steam driven sternwheeler. I toured this boat in 1985 when I was working as a deck hand on the General Jackson.)

I spent most of the day Thursday in the Memorabilia Room looking at pictures and documents as well as visiting. The best part of this was simply hearing Mr. Stangland and Mr. Lind tell of their experiences first hand. Mr. Lind, Mr. Standland and I ate lunch together. After lunch Mr. Lind’s grandson, who is about to graduate from Xavier University, took us on a tour of Cincinnati. That evening we had our banquet. The guest speaker was the Honorable Timothy P. Villagomez, Lt. Govenor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. His speech, accompanied by a visual presentation, gave us a brief history of Saipan as well as showing us what things look like today. (I was so impressed when I got home I said to Vicki, “You know that trip to Hawaii we’re always talking about--let’s set our sights a little further west.”)

Yesterday we spent more time in the Memorabilia Room. Then each Bomb Group had their own luncheon which allowed some time for each veteran to stand up and tell their own war story. After that I headed home.

NEW WAR STORIES. Mr. Lind and Mr. Standland told several stories I already knew about, but I did get a couple of new ones as well. I did not know they had to pull guard duty around the planes at night. Saipan had not been completely cleared of Japanese soldiers so each crew rotated nighttime guard duty of all the planes in the squadron. I also learned Dad and the rest of the enlisted men on the crew were almost deployed with the 58th Bomb Wing which was operating from China (and having to fly its own supplies over the Himalayas from India). At the very last moment an officer stopped them from boarding one plane and put them on another that sent them to Saipan.

On one mission one of the gas tanks was not sealed properly. Early in flight they noticed they were losing gas. Looking out a window one of the gunners reported that gas was leaking out the top of the wing. What was happening was that the wind over the wing was siphoning the gas out of the tank. The plane quickly filled with gas fumes. Mr. Lind ordered that they not use any electrical equipment, including the intercom or radio. Because of this they did not open the bomb bay doors and salvo the bombs into the ocean. They turned around and headed back to Saipan where they landed a plane loaded with bombs and high octane gas safely. Mr. Lind said that was the smoothest landing he ever made in a B-29.

Because of the length of these missions (around 13 hours) a meal was packed into a metal box on the planes. After clearing the combat area and starting the return trip to Saipan they plugged the box into an electrical outlet to heat the food and then ate. On one mission the mess hall sent pork sandwiches. The pork was improperly prepared and the entire crew got food poisoning in flight--well, everyone except Irwin Moskowitz (bombardier), that is. This was because he was the only crewman aboard of Jewish faith. Al Goebel (copilot) was pretty much incapacitated by the raunchy rations and he was laid out on the floor in the radar compartment. Mr. Lind said he put the ship on autopilot for the majority of the trip back and that Mr. Moskowitz made course corrections through the bombsight. It was on final approach to Isley Field that Mr. Lind said his stomach decided it was time to regurgitate again, so he was heaving out the window as he was landing the plane. I’m sure a mess officer got a royal chewing out over that one.

ON THE HOME FRONT...we got a lot of rain. When I got back I noticed the river was out of its banks which is unusual these days. All the soccer games were cancelled. Jenna had also won tickets to a Sounds baseball game through a reading program at school. Jenna, Ben and Vicki went to the game Friday night but it started raining so hard the game was suspended a few innings.

AFTER MONTHS OF TALKING ABOUT IT we have finally added a new member to our family. She is named Sallie Mae. Vicki had seen a “free puppies” sign a few miles down the road and we stopped by this afternoon to inspect the litter. There was one little dog about 7-8 weeks old left. She seemed to have a gentle personality so we took her. Sallie Mae is a mix but has some black lab in her. The kids are sure taken with her. I lost count of how many times they went to the door to tell her goodnight.

Joe

A Routine Week

It has just hit me this week that the school year is about over! I can’t figure where the time has gone but in three and a half weeks the kids will be starting their summer break. I am looking forward to having some time off as well, but I’m not sure what the summer schedule will be like. Our office building will be demolished this summer to make way for new construction so we are facing a move. Our temporary home will be the old First National Bank building where Aunt Mar worked for 25 years.

Life has been pretty routine this week so there isn’t much to report. Between church, work, soccer and mowing there isn’t time for much else.

THE ROAD TO RECOVERY. Mom is continuing to recover from her surgery. The bleeding I mentioned last week has tapered off considerably. She is clear to drive again. Naturally, her first trip behind the wheel was to the beauty shop.

Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob left for home Thursday. Vicki did not make it for any late night spades games but she did get one session in one afternoon last week. I know this because Uncle Bob proudly showed me the score sheet where he and Mom trounced Vicki and Aunt Linda.

FIRST TOOTH. Vicki pulled Ben’s first baby tooth this evening under Jenna’s soothing words of encouragement. It is one of the front, bottom teeth and he proudly sports his new grin with a gap. Nate paid him this compliment, “Benton, I like your hole!”

PENNIES, PENNIES, PENNIES. It has been a while since I reported on Morgan Swann’s fundraising project. You may recall she is trying to raise money for kids in Africa whose parents died of AIDS. I read an update in our church’s worship folder Sunday where she has collected over two million pennies. That’s quite an accomplishment!

HEADING TO CINCINNATI. You may recall that I went to the 73rd Bomb Wing reunion in Memphis last year. This year the reunion is in Cincinnati and I am heading out in the morning! What will make this trip extra special is that two of Dad’s crew mates will be attending: Bill Lind, the pilot, and Bob Stangland, the left gunner. While I have corresponded with both men and talked to Mr. Lind on the phone this will be the first time I have ever met anyone who flew with Dad in the war. Any guesses as to what the main topic of the next newsletter will be?

Joe