I Love the Smell of Coal Soot in the Morning!

Life has revolved around three different events since last Friday: the Threshermen’s Show, the Phifer reunion and the release of the Harry Potter book and movie.

A FULL HEAD OF STEAM. This year’s Threshermen’s Show has my vote for the best one in years. The weather was perfect! The third weekend of July is normally one of the hottest times of the year here in Tennessee. Those of us who want to go to the show know this fact and just deal with it. This year a weather system came through last Thursday night moving the humid air out of here and dropping our high temperatures to the low 80s. It was so pleasant! The show itself was larger than it had been the last few years. My favorite was seeing five engines under steam at the show. There had only been two there for many years.

Vicki and the kids came to the show Friday. Jenna paired up with her cousin Bonnie and I think they had a great time wandering around and enjoying each other’s company. Ben had a good time playing with his cousins, Nate, Spencer and Allen. We now know the bottom branches of the maple tree next to where the steam engine was parked will hold several boys. The straw stack was quite a bit flatter when the boys got done with it too. Our Nate (this is where it can get confusing) also enjoyed playing with his cousins but he was a bit too small to to keep up and stuck with me and Vicki some. Will Bumpus was the oldest of all the cousins there. He has outgrown playing with the younger kids but is coming into his own in helping his dad around the engine.

The bittersweet part came in seeing Uncle Paul’s picture on the show’s program. There was a nice write-up inside about him and on Saturday they had a memorial in his honor. He never missed a show in his lifetime and never had to have anyone drive him there. We all missed seeing him watch the engine work from his golf cart.

AN END TO THE SAGA. Jenna, Vicki and I all started reading the Harry Potter books last summer. Jenna and Vicki headed to the store Saturday to pick up their copy of the much anticipated Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It has been quite interesting trying to share one book between three people. Vicki and I both sped through the book and Jenna has had it all to herself since Tuesday. We also went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last Thursday. Jenna got to come and we teased her about tagging along on our date. When Vicki suggested that we might even double date with her and a boyfriend, say, ten years from now she reacted with her typical smirk, then a giggle, then hiding her face. While the movie and book were both great I am glad to have closure and return my thoughts to the Muggle world now.

A DAY TRIP. Sunday we drove to Camden for the Phifer reunion. Except for Pauline we didn’t know many of the relatives there, but the food was good. We also visited a few other relatives and friends before leaving town.

MR. HELPFUL. Ben has really changed a lot this summer. Not to talk bad about the boy but he has always been the one to complain when asked to do something and try his best to procrastinate in hope of getting out of the job. But here lately he has been complaining less and less and even asking to help with things around the house. For example, the only reason he doesn’t do the dishes all by himself is that he simply isn’t tall enough to reach everything. I told Vicki to enjoy it now, puberty will be here before we know it.

NATEISMS. The other day Vicki called Pauline’s where Nate was staying. Nate answered, “Hello.”

“Hello.”

“This is Nate.”

“Well, hi Nate.”

“Hey! Is this you Mom?”

“Yes.”

Nate responded with much enthusiasm, “Oh, I’m sooo glad to see you!”

Laughing, Vicki said, “You can’t see me silly.”

“I know. I mean see you on the phone.”

And then one day Nate came in the bathroom where Vicki was folding clothes. Bored and looking for something to do he climbed up on the counter and started peering into the bathroom closet. After a moment he asked, “Mom, can I have a band-aid?” When Vicki asked him what he needed a bandage for she saw him take a quick survey of his body before replying, “Uhh... [then locating a small scratch on his arm] right there.”

Joe

Wet and Wild Summer Fun, The Sequel

Well, it’s been a busy week in Cross Plains, my hometown out on the edge of Nashville. Jim, Dianna, Alex and Chris Cotter have been in for a visit and our house has been a whirlwind of activity. We could not have asked for better weather and everyone has had a wonderful time. They arrived last Sunday evening and left Saturday morning, so I now sit in a relatively quiet house as I reflect on the events of the week.

AT THE SWIMMING HOLE. We went down to the river to play on Monday and Friday. The kids had a great time rebuilding their dam from last year and sloshing up and down the creek. Kenny and Lori have two kayaks stored down there and everyone enjoyed having a go at it. Everyone, including the kids, got the hang of it pretty quickly, but Ben, Alex, and Chris seemed to be drawn to one low hanging tree limb much to the pleasure of Vicki and Dianna. Nate also enjoyed a few trips with me.

We enjoyed our lunches on the two new picnic tables. I say new because the old ones were washed away with the spring floods. The water had completely covered the deck railing which is about 10-12 feet above the current water level.

Vicki worked Tuesday so we all packed up and headed for the YMCA to meet her afterwards for a picnic lunch and swim. Thursday evening presented us with another swimming adventure. This time we went to Kenny and Lori’s barn and pool where we grilled hamburgers for supper. (Thank you Kenny and Lori for sharing the river, barn and pool with us.)

GOOD EATS. Of course, meal time is central to any family visit. Aside from the picnics and grilling out, we also enjoyed the Catfish House Monday night and Baldwin’s Barbecue for lunch Wednesday thanks to Mom and Aunt Mar. Mom took the Cotters to Thomas Drugs for sandwiches and shakes Thursday. These three eateries fulfilled their annual culinary tradition.

Friday night we grilled out at Pauline’s. The Dees drove in from Ashland City for this meal so Riley and Harper got in on some of the cousin fun. After supper the kids started chasing each other through the corn field . (Who needs a corn maze?) Shortly after they disappeared, Jim and I snuck in the field behind them to try to set up an ambush. I happened upon Alex in the field and scared him half to death. As I snuck up behind him and roared, his eyes got really big and he was tripping over his own feet trying to get out of there. It was fun teasing him later by asking him if he needed to go home and get fresh underwear.

SPEAKING OF UNDERWEAR. We are still working on Nate to be dry all night. Things fell apart while in Virginia, but he has been dry every night for almost two weeks now. One morning last week he wanted everyone to see his dry pull-up, but he and I were the only ones awake. He decided we should hang it up on the fridge with a magnet. Upon seeing this odd sight and hearing the explanation, Vicki said,“ Well, I was dry but you don’t see me hanging my panties on the fridge! Do you think we should all put our underwear on display?” The kids thought this to be quite funny and, of course, Dianna had more (clean) decor on the fridge before too long. 

MISCELLANEOUS ACTIVITIES. Other highlights from our time together included bowling, seeing Ratatouille, sundaes at Mom and Aunt Mar’s, and a Kids Only Breakfast at Pauline’s. The kids really enjoyed bowling (it was top on their list of favorite activities for the week when asked at breakfast Saturday morning). Alex and I were the high scorers of the family, tying at 127. Nate got tired before we finished our games and decided to stretch out on the bench for a nap. We all laughed at his rigid sleeping position (he looked like a soldier laying at attention). He was out of it!

Even with all the planned activities, the kids still had plenty of down time. The Gator got a work out (I know we recharged the battery twice) as well as the swing set and chicken house. They played the board game Sorry and Pac Man on the computer. Alex and Chris also introduced Jenna and Ben to the card game War. Jim brought his DVD set of Star Wars: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi which the kids enjoyed. (Jenna has already insisted that I put The Phantom Menace, The Attack of the Clones, and The Revenge of the Sith on the Netflix queue.)

So it was a good, long visit and we all enjoyed it.

Joe

Wet and Wild Summer Fun

Mom’s wheat was cut while we were gone to Virginia and Bill Chatman has been busy planting soybeans since we got back. If we don’t get some rain soon the beans will have a hard time coming up.

ANSWERED PRAYER! Several months ago we asked you to pray for Brent and Cindy Roycroft and the adoption of their son Tyler. We have just heard that the birth father has consented to allow the adoption and will sign papers to this end a couple of weeks from now. We do not know any other details. We’re just glad this is coming to a resolution. On behalf of the Roycrofts, thank you for your prayers.

TRASH AND TREASURES. Cross Plains had its annual community yard sale last weekend. We hadn’t planned on being as involved this year as I needed to work Friday and we had a wedding we wanted to attend Saturday (which, by the way, was beautiful Sherri). But at the last minute Ben wanted to set up a table to sell old toys. His impetus for doing this was to earn money to buy a Game Cube like Cameron and Zachary have. The kids earned a total of $38.10 for two mornings of work. Most of this trickled in with sales of $1.00 or less. Ben also found a $10 bill on the ground while he was out perusing other “vendors” which brought the grand total to $48.10. Of course, the out-of-pocket money from my wallet for the two day adventure probably exceeded their income.

Ben says he would do it again next year, but I think he was surprised that so many people would look over his table of “good stuff” and not buy anything. It reminded me of when I set up a table four years ago to sell copies of The Call of the Whistle. I don’t think I even sold ten copies. I did, however, have a woman who didn’t speak English come by and disconnect my DVD player (which I was using to preview the film on my table) and try to buy that. Ben had the same problem with his bubble gum. A handful of people bought some, but he could have sold the gum ball machine several times over.

SWIMMING LESSONS. Ben and Nate had swimming lessons at the YMCA all week. Jenna came along and practiced her skills as well. They have all had a blast. A typical day for them included driving to town, suiting up, slathering on the sunscreen, taking Nate to the bathroom, swimming, taking Nate to the bathroom again, a picnic lunch, taking Nate to the bathroom again, swimming some more, changing back to street clothes, and shopping at Wal-Mart or some other store where the kids were still hungry (can’t blame them), and arriving home for a well deserved rest.

Speaking of sunscreen, whenever Vicki would scan the pool to check on the kids she would simply count every glowing child she saw and when she got to three she stopped! Sorry kids...your parents had no pigment to pass along to you.

INDEPENDENCE DAY. Wednesday morning found us at the cemetery up the road where our community holds its annual Kilgore Rememberance celebration. The program this year focused on our nation’s patriotic music. Ann Morris, Jenna’s piano teacher, brought her keyboard and lead us in a sing-a-long. She also told us a lot of interesting things about the songs. I did not know America the Beautiful was originally sung to the tune of Auld Lang Sine. We also had our traditional reading of the Declaration of Independence as well as some long hunter re-enactors present to fire a gun salute with their flintlock rifles. One of the longhunters brought his four-year-old son with him. The boy was also dressed as a longhunter complete with power horn and toy rifle (which was taller than he was). He was really cute. I asked him if I should call him the short hunter.

That evening we grilled out at Pauline’s. Mom and Aunt Mar came over. Then we (except Pauline) went to David (my first cousin) and Betty Jo Thompsons’ to watch the White House fireworks. Their house is located in the perfect spot to see the show. We relaxed around their pool, munched on watermelon and cookies, and “oohed and aahed” over the 25 minute spectacle. The kids were all sawing ZZZs by the time we got home.

RECONNECTING. I was very blessed to have the Freelands for neighbors as I was growing up. The adventures I shared with Brian, Steve and Brent could fill a book. Steve is the only one who still lives here. Brian lives in Murfreesboro and Brent in North Carolina. Brent, Sabrina and their four kids have been in this week. Brent, who works as a chaplain for Corporate Chaplains of America, preached at church Sunday. That afternoon I barged in for a visit as I rarely see all three brothers together anymore. Thursday evening we all went over to Kenny and Lori’s barn to swim and have a cookout. While I wish we could all be together more often I’ll take what I can get. It was a pleasure to catch up on everyone. I know Mr. James Earl and Mrs. Sue are proud grandparents, they have good reason to be.

NATEISMS. Nate spent last night with Mom and Aunt Mar. This morning Nate, obviously in a sleepy stupor, asked Mom, “Now which one are you...Mar or G’Anne?”

While proofreading this newsletter Vicki and I were discussing some of the finer points of details and Nate, assuming the role of peacekeeper, said, “Stop argheein’ and take a deep breeeath.” 

THE NEWS FROM LAKE WOBEGON. After being introduced to a book and several cassette tapes I have been a fan of Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon. Unfortunately, I don’t get to catch A Prairie Home Companion when it airs on Saturday nights. Vicki borrowed the movie (excellent by the way) from the library this week and it renewed by interest again. Well, I have now discovered that the Lake Wobegon news is available by podcast and I have had a great time catching up on my lunch hour at work.

I think one reason I enjoy Keillor so much is that, beyond the humor, I admire the way he captures life. I keep thinking some day I might write my own book and fund college, weddings and retirement. With almost four years of the Swann Family News I am well on my way to having enough material. And maybe with 10 more years of practice writing about the misadventures of our family I will be able to crank out something that would sell. Until then that’s the news from the Swann household, where the man is going gray, the woman is better looking every day and the kids are all very active.

Joe