We have enjoyed mild weather until today when the rain moved in. Many farmers have been scrambling to get their tobacco down while it’s in order (not dry and brittle). And for those who had any luck with soybeans they have been working to get those in before the fields get too muddy. Will Ed Osborne, reflecting on the drought, commented to me that it’s pretty sad when you can fit all the beans on the farm in the combine without having to unload it even once. (In a normal year the crop would produce many truck loads of beans.)
TURKEY X 3 AND THEN SOME. I reported last time that we had several Thanksgiving activities lined up for last week. On Wednesday we went to lunch at church where Nate goes to Mom’s Day Out and enjoyed a big meal there. This is Nate’s last you in this program as he will be in kindergarten next year.
Thursday night Mom and I went to the Cross Plains Heritage Commission’s annual covered dish meeting. Funny thing was that only one person brought dessert. This means that everyone will remember this year’s menu next year and all we’ll have a plethora of sweets next year. Gene Davidson, our former State Representative, spoke and sang for our program. He was really interesting.
East Robertson Elementary had their Thanksgiving dinner Friday. I had been saving a work order for a teacher out there so I could eat lunch with the kids. Their cafeteria ladies put on a great meal.
Saturday Bill Letsinger brought Aunt Sarah, Alec and Kate up for a brief visit. (Bill’s wife, Jen, had gone to South Carolina in preparation for a surprise birthday celebration for her mother. Bill and his family live in Georgia and Aunt Sarah lives in Alabama.) We all went out to eat at Cracker Barrel for lunch. We were joined by Hancock relatives from this branch of the family that live locally: Aunt Sue, her sons Neil and Mark, Mark’s wife Debbie, and their son Tracey. The only bad thing was that the visit was so quick. Since the Letsingers were not spending the night up here they didn’t have a lot of time to spend and had to leave.
Sunday night was our annual Community Thanksgiving service. This year it was held at our church. This service has traditionally been followed by a finger food fellowship. For some reason the participating pastors planning the service this year decided not to do the fellowship. I am hoping this isn’t a trend.
INSIDE JOKE. Sunday morning before church Vicki was ironing clothes in the kitchen while Jenna was eating breakfast. In their conversation Jenna expressed her astonishment of how quickly Christmas is approaching. Vicki who is beginning to feel the pressure of getting ready for the holidays jokingly exclaimed, “I’m going to smack the next person who mentions Christmas!”
Well, the next person to mention Christmas was Bro. Bill in the morning worship service as he was announcing all the upcoming Christmas activities. That’s when Vicki, sitting in the choir, locks eyes with her daughter in the congregation. Jenna is holding her hand over her mouth as her body convulses with stifled laughter. After the service Vicki, who tries to be a woman of her word, grabbed Jenna and found Bro. Bill. After she smacked him on the arm she filled him in on the rest of the story.
A THANKFUL REPORT. Jenna came home from school yesterday with a folder full of Thanksgiving activities. Part of this assignment included telling about all the things she is thankful for. To summarize her list included Aunt Mar (she elaborated to imply how glad she is to still have time with Aunt Mar who is 92 years old), her teacher and classmates, remote controls for the TV and DVD player, the Game Cube, and our dog. While the rest of the family didn’t make the list we were included in a very nice drawing with everyone holding hands around a table with a turkey on it. The scene included Uncle Will, Aunt Darice and the cousins as they are due to arrive tomorrow to celebrate the holiday with us.
LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. That’s what Jake, our dog, is today. Monday we came home and found him sitting by the mailbox. He would not get up. He was obviously hit by a car which broke his right femur and possibly his pelvis. Jake spent the last two nights with the vet and came home today. Right now he cannot stand on his back legs but there is hope of a full recovery as long as no internal organs are ruptured. He is to have complete “cage rest” for eight weeks.
Joe
