Ice, Rain, Sleet, and Snow

Over the past week we’ve had every form of precipitation except hail. We missed school Tuesday and Wednesday due to icy roads. We really dodged the bullet compared to folks in Kentucky and other parts of the country though.

GETTING THE WORD OUT. When I was a kid we seemed to miss a lot of school due to snow. I remember those nights and mornings keeping part of my attention on the TV for the school closing report. Nothing was more exciting than seeing Robertson County with snow glittering down over the county on the school closing map. One year we missed about four weeks straight. It was fun in the winter, but it got old when Spring Break was cancelled and we were making up school on Saturdays and on it to June (our schools normally closed before Memorial Day as they do now). Today, they still have the school closing report like I saw as a kid but in addition to that the closings crawl across the lower third of the TV screen and are posted on the Internet.

Now I don’t make a practice of sharing many details about my job here, but what I am about to report is something I find simply astounding. This year Robertson County Schools has been able to take advantage of a phone messaging service. One way we use this service is to call parents when we have a delayed opening, closure, or early dismissal due to inclement weather. This service can make about 1,000 phone calls per minute to deliver a message recorded by our Director of Schools. Within 15 minutes the system has attempted to call the parents of our 10,800 students at least once. It usually has better than a 90% success rate (meaning a real person or their voice mail answered and got our message). And all this is happening when other school systems across the nation may be using the service for the same thing. Truly amazing!

THANK YOU LORD! Early Tuesday morning started out with freezing rain. This wave of our precipitation was short lived, but it coated everything with ice before moving on. I was up while this was happening. At 5:58 I was sitting on the couch about to get up and take a shower when I heard a large, deep cracking sound. I don't have to guess -- a tree has been coated with too much ice to hold up any longer. I brace for impact, hoping it doesn't hit the house. I hear the crunch as the tree hits the ground. The house is okay, so where did the tree fall? Then I hear a car stop in front of our mailbox.

Turns out a large section of the maple tree by the mailbox broke off about 6-8 feet above the ground and fell across the highway. Thank you Lord that car wasn't a moment earlier. Thank you Lord the TDOT truck happened along within 30 seconds of the tree falling so they could turn on their flashing ambers on their light bar (the road was reopened within 30 minutes). Thank you Lord the house is okay and we still have power (the power line passes through the edge of the tree). Thank you Lord TDOT came back Thursday to cut up and haul off the rest of the tree (probably because it was in their right of way).

THE SICK HOUSE. We’ve had sickness run though our family of late. It started with me a week ago Wednesday (the 21st). I don’t know what I had, but I felt terrible for about 24 hours. Nate followed me. Jenna was next. Vicki took her to the doctor. It was strep. Then Ben’s number came up. His was strep as well. We’re all healthy now, but it’s been pretty rough around here.

Joe

Over the Top!

It turned out to be really nice this week. It has been pretty and warmer. I think the temperature reached 60° yesterday.

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH. The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus is back in town and we went to see the show today. Vicki had promoted it as a children’s ministry outing so there were 45 from church who went.

We were last at the circus two years ago and we recognized a few of the clowns from that visit as well as Ringmaster Chuck Wagoner (who grew up in Gallatin). The show we saw this time is called Over the Top and it was that. Many of the stunts are the same, but the floor show and script are different. My memory may be hazy on this, but it seems like there were more aerial stunts (trapeze, etc.) than last time. The seven motorcycles zooming around inside the spherical cage remains my favorite. We were entertained for a good three and a half hours.

CIRCUS MEMORIES. I’m going to go out on a limb here and reminisce about a memory that’s a bit fuzzy for me, probably because I was about Ben’s age. If anyone remembers more, please let me know.

We were talking about the circus and how the one we saw travels to each city aboard its own special train. That made me remember a circus that came to Cross Plains when I was a kid. I can’t remember what circus it was. Obviously it traveled by a fleet of trucks. But they had a big top and everything. At that time the area where True’s Barbecue and Tesha’s Cafe are, clear back to and including the car wash was one big hay field. They rented this field and set up there. I believe they even put the elephants to work setting up the tent. Like any circus there were clowns, trained animals, acrobats, etc. A whole lot of fun to be had just down from the four-way stop in Cross Plains.

DISRUPTING THE HOME LIFE. We have started to get a little renovation work done on the house this week. We are working toward two short term goals right now: to get some insulation put in some of the walls and for Jenna and the boys to switch bedrooms. We’ve hired Mike Lilly to do the work (his wife is Ben’s teacher). Mike and his helper Henry started by taking care of some electrical issues that were on my wish list (e.g. adding a few plugs upstairs, adding a switch to a light that only had a pull chain, etc.). Mike has replaced the ceiling fan upstairs with four new fixtures which has helped the lighting in that room tremendously.

We’ve put the electrical work at the top of the list because some of our wiring is quite old and I wanted to inspect it before we start putting insulation around it. So far everything Mike has checked out has looked good with the exception of a light fixture on our front porch that showed signs of shorting out. If we were going to have a fire hazard that was the best place to have it as we rarely turn on the front porch lights.

So, there’s going to be a lot of unusual activity at our house over the next few weeks. This weekend we are getting a lot of the extra stuff moved out of the kids’ rooms to store at Pauline’s. This will allow us to move them around quickly when we need to. There will be a couple of times when all three will need to share a bedroom while we paint. I have been saving some vacation days for painting, not as fun as Fall Break at Disney World or Christmas Break, but better than doing it at night after work.

PUBLIC SPEAKING. One of the good things about clubs like 4-H is that kids have to opportunity to develop skills they will need later in life. The 4-H public speaking contest is one of these opportunities. Back in the fall Jenna participated in this contest at school with a speech titled How to be Caring and Responsible for Our World and was selected to participate in the county wide speech contest. Jenna is a true child of me and Vicki, but she faced her stage fright and took part in this contest Thursday evening. This speech was on bald eagles.

There were quite a few participants in the contest this year and the fifth grade was split into three rooms, with the top two contestants from each room being called back for a second reading. Jenna’s delivery was excellent -- enough to make her parents, and any bald eagle proud! However, she wasn’t chosen for the final round. She was so relieved that she wouldn’t have to present her speech again that she kept saying, “I’m so glad I lost,” over and over again with a big grin on her face.

Afterwards we were sympathizing with Jenna about her stage fright. That was when I found out she purposely misspelled a word in her classroom spelling bee a few days ago so she wouldn’t have to go to the school wide spelling bee. I can’t be too hard on her. I did the same sort of things when I was a kid.

MR. METICULOUS. It’s always amazing to me how different each of our children are. Ben is a lot like me in regard to homework. He HATES to do it. He will, but under much protest. I have resigned myself to knowing that his spelling words are making me pay for my raising.

One neat thing about Ben is his bed. Every morning the kids are expected to make their beds. Ben does an excellent job! I think you could bounce a quarter on his bed. What’s so interesting about the boy are his stuffed animals (and there are several). Each one has a particular place on his bed, and he places them carefully each morning.

I can’t really describe why that’s important or striking to me. It’s just one of those little details like that you notice about people you love that makes them all the more special to you. This simply brings a smile to my face every time I glance in the boys’ room. Of course, it stands out because it’s the one tranquil spot in the middle of the pig sty. Keeping the rest of their room clean is sort of like herding cats. I will miss seeing his bed when they move upstairs.

Joe

Winter's Icy Grip

It is warm today at 40°, but this week we’ve seen low temperatures that we haven’t seen in several years. Yesterday morning we woke up to 4°, yes four degrees. Our schools were closed due to the cold (Metro Nashville started it and all the surrounding counties fell like dominoes). Now, I’ve complained about this before -- I don’t mind the cold, but where’s the snow? If we’re going to pay admission I want to see the show.

GREAT NEWS! Pauline has gotten the results from her last PET scan. Her lymphoma is now in remission! The chemo is over!

DIFFERENT CULTURES -- DIFFERENT FOODS. The other day I brought Chinese take out home for our supper. This is a treat for us from time to time. After supper Nate saw the packets of soy sauce on the counter and asked what they were. When I told him he got really grossed out and said, “Soil sauce! Why would anyone want soil sauce?”

EASILY EMBARRASSED. It is so easy to embarrass Jenna in public. She really should be thankful Kenny is not her father.

Last week Vicki and Jenna were out shopping. Jenna needed new shorts for basketball. They were in Wal-Mart and Vicki handed Jenna a pair of shorts to try on saying, “Just try them on over your pants.” Poor Jenna just couldn’t imagine her mom would suggest such a thing. I think she was ready to melt into the floor.

Another time they were shopping Vicki was looking at bath towels. Now Vicki likes to wrap herself in her towel after a shower, after all, with only one bathroom she’s got to be somewhat decent if someone else needs to come in. So when Vicki looks for towels she’s sizing them up to see if they will wrap around properly. Much to Jenna’s chagrin her mother begins trying on towels (over her clothes) right there in the middle of the towel aisle. I think Jenna would have disowned her mom right then and there if she could have. When Vicki saw that Jenna was dying of embarrassment she modeled a different colored towel.

Then there was the time they were out shopping while it was raining. As they were leaving the store Vicki asked for an empty shopping bag. She poked two eye holes in it, put it on, and stepped out in the weather. Jenna was mortified, and did not want a bag for herself. Obviously, she’d rather be a drowned rat than wear a shopping bag over her head.

I can, of course, relate to Jenna on this last one. Mom and Aunt Mar have always had their hair done once a week so the hairdo has got to hold for seven days. Naturally, they keep rain bonnets in their purses. I was always amazed at what conditions would bring out the rain bonnets. All it took was the slightest breeze. Of course, the crowning moment was the day we were at the beach...

SHOE TYING. Velcro is a wonderful invention. I can’t imagine life without it. But an unfortunate side effect is that kids don’t learn how to tie their shoes as early as they did when I was a boy. This is best illustrated by a story Morgan told us over Christmas. She was helping Wil tie his shoes and was talking to him about learning how to tie them for himself. In this conversation she asked Wil if any other kids in his class could tie their shoes. That’s when it comes out that Ben can’t tie his shoes either.

Somewhere along the way Wil had gotten the impression that I never learned how to tie my own shoes and had forbidden my family from tying their shoes either. What freaked Morgan out was the next time she saw our family at church none of us were wearing shoes with shoelaces. After looking at our feet she slips out her cell phone and texts Lori, “Mom, is it true that Uncle Joe can’t tie his shoes?” (Lori has saved this text as it is one of the most absurd messages she’s ever gotten.)

For the record, I do know how to tie shoes, though I taught myself. I never could figure out how to do it when Mom showed me. Her fingers kept getting in the way when I was watching. As a matter of fact, my method wasn’t the best way to tie a shoe, and when I was in college I saw someone tying their shoes and re-taught myself how to tie the knot a different way.

Of course, I stopped Wil at church the other day and pointed to his shoes and said, “You know, it’s a little known fact that I don’t know how to tie shoes.”

Joe

2009 Is Here!

Well, here we are in 2009. I can hardly believe it. All to quickly Christmas Break is over. I had to report to work Monday and the kids went back to school Tuesday. They were hoping, in vain, for snow. Getting back in the groove isn’t the easiest thing. Ben and spelling words simply don’t mix well.

VISITING THE JONES FAMILY. Will, Darice, and their kids recently moved from Virginia to Athens, Georgia, so the day after I wrote last (December 28) we headed out to visit them. We came back New Year’s Day. Pauline went with us. We had a great visit. All the kids played really well together.

Since Will and Darice are new to the area we didn’t do any sightseeing. Vicki, Darice, and Pauline went shopping some one day, and we all went out for pizza another. We spent the rest of the time just visiting and playing games together -- having a good time together as a family. Will did not fare so well in Scrabble this visit.

AN ASHLAND CITY CHRISTMAS. As we were driving home from Georgia Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob were on the road for Cross Plains and got here a few hours ahead of us. It was really nice to see them.

Saturday night we all drove to Ashland City to do Christmas with the Bradleys and Dees. We hadn’t seen Tanner but once since she was born last February, and boy, had she grown! Her older sisters, Riley and Harper, had grown a lot as well. We all had a great time visiting together and were surprised at how quickly it became time to go home.

Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob headed back to Florida on Sunday.

UPWARD BASKETBALL. Basketball season has started for us now. The kids have played two games. This is Nate’s first year to play and he sure is excited. He’s still trying to figure out how the game works, but at least he knows to move up and down the court with the ball. Last week he even got a chance to shoot, but the shot fell short.

Nate plays on the same team with Ben. Ben, who now has two years of experience under his belt, is turning out to be a good player. Of course, being a head taller than most of the other boys helps a lot. Last week Ben had a good defensive game. Offensively, he scored two points ... for the other team. He put about eight points on the board for his team today.

Jenna is playing basketball this year too, and has had two good games as well. I think she has about 20 points to her credit over the last two games.

Joe