Hello Winter!

Winter may only officially be here today, but it has been cold! We got enough snow last Sunday (the 12th) to spring the kids from school Monday and Tuesday. They returned to school on Wednesday two hours late, and with the threat of freezing rain on the way were released an hour early. This left teachers scrambling to get in their exams before we started our Christmas break.

In spite of the snow we've had a very busy two weeks. Last weekend was Vicki's birthday and we celebrated by going out to eat. That weekend also saw a lot of missions activities at church that our whole family could do. These included a trip to sing Christmas carols at one of the nursing homes in Springfield and delivering care packages to folks in our community.

We were supposed to go to a Cub Scout Christmas party Monday night (the 13th) but the snow cancelled that. Instead we took dinner over to Aunt Mar's and finished watching all the slides I had scanned. I think we've looked at over 1400 pictures from the 1950s to the 1970s. What is staggering to me is that Vicki and have snapped over ten times that number of pictures since purchasing our first digital camera seven years ago.

Last week Vicki and Jenna spent some time making candy to give to teachers at school. Jenna is turning into a candy making machine. I'm loving it, but I sure don't need it. This is one reason why the boys and I have started jogging in the mornings. Of course, the three staff/office parties I've attended are another reason to make me put on my tennis shoes.

Vicki was busy on Friday with parties at the boys' school. This was the last day of school and an abbreviated day at that. To celebrate to arrival of Christmas break we went to watch the latest Narnia flick, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," and then went Christmas shopping.

Saturday was a quiet day, and for once we got all our Christmas cards done in one day -- along with a ton of laundry and wrapping presents.

So now we're on the final stretch to Christmas Day. Being the last minute shopper I am scrambling to get my gifts in place before the big day. Since I won't write again until next week I'd like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.

Joe

Who's Got Your Back?

Winter is here. The calendar may say we still have two more weeks of autumn, but winter is here. It’s heavy coat weather now and we even had snow flurries on Sunday and yesterday.

UPWARD BASKETBALL. Basketball practice has gotten underway. The kids had their first practice last week. Jenna opted not to play for school this year and returned to the Upward league. She practices on Monday night. Her head coach is a guy Ben has played for before, but the team’s assistant coach is brand new. Vicki is helping to coach Upward ball this year. That’s right, my wife is an assistant coach. It was only a matter of time. Life as a spectator was just too hard for her, so she’s helping out.

The boys have coaches they’ve never played for before. Nate’s coach seems very nice, but the gym was in use for another function when we met him so his first practice was simply an orientation meeting. Nate knows a couple of boys on his team. Ben, on the other hand, doesn’t know anyone on his team. His coach seems like a fellow who wants to push the boys just the right amount to reach their fullest potential out on the court. He even has them running laps after practice. Games start January 8.

CHRISTMAS PARADE. The annual Cross Plains Christmas Parade took place Saturday. It being such a small town it seemed there were more people in the parade than watching it from the side of the road. We were not involved in a float this year, however, we helped set up a hot chocolate/cookie station so we still had to get there early. The parade theme was patriotism and one of our groups from church built an army tank for a float which won third place.

HARRY POTTER. The boys were invited to spend the night with their friends, the Taylor boys, Saturday night so Vicki, Jenna, and I took advantage of the afternoon and went to see the latest installment of the Harry Potter movies. We were really blown away with how good the film was, though it has been so long since Vicki and I have read the book that we’ve forgotten many of the details. Still, we had a great time at the movie and then out to eat afterward.

HOME TOUR. One of Mom’s favorite things to do during the holidays is to go on a tour of homes. I remember going through a lot of of houses during my childhood which turned out to be rather interesting because many times the barns and other buildings on the grounds were open as well. Sunday afternoon I took Mom on the Cross Plains home tour. It was a small tour, but we enjoyed it.

LONG BUS RIDE. My cell phone rang today around 3:15. It was Mom. I could tell she was a little upset. Nate hadn’t gotten off the bus and Ben really wasn’t sure if he even saw Nate get on the bus at school.

I happened to be ending my work day at the boys’ school so I told Mom to let me check his classroom just in case he thought he could ride home with me. I checked. No Nate. I went back up to the office and they radioed Alice, Nate’s bus driver.

It turns out that Nate fell asleep on the bus and slept through his bus stop. He woke up several stops past Aunt Mar’s house. Nate got to ride the rest of Alice’s route and she dropped him off at our house when she was done.

Nate seemed to have a good time seeing Alice’s entire bus route, and more importantly, I’ve had a good time teasing Jenna and Ben for not looking out for their little brother.

Joe

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving is becoming my favorite holiday. I think it’s because I have so much to be thankful for and because it has less hype than Christmas. Not that I don’t enjoy Christmas, I do, but it just seems like it’s easier to do Thanksgiving. This Thanksgiving has been fun.

PREPARATIONS. Getting ready for Thanksgiving was sort of strange this year. For the last seven years the meal has been a joint effort by Vicki and Pauline, and I think that’s been the one thing that has made the holiday a little hard this year. Jenna, however, has jumped right in. She and Vicki made an excellent team and served up a wonderful meal. They used several of Pauline’s recipes and I think she would be proud of them.

FESTIVITIES. The day was warm and overcast so the boys played outside with the neighbors most of the morning. (Twelve hours later the temperature had dropped 30°.) I went to get Mom and Aunt Mar at 2:00. We sat down to the biggest spread of ham, deviled eggs, corn, rolls, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, squash dressing, carrots, stuffed mushrooms, and green beans. We also enjoyed carrot cake and caramel pie for dessert.

After we engorged ourselves we retired to the living room where I had set up a laptop, a projector, and a screen. Over the last month or so I made a big push to scan all of Mom’s slides. I’m pretty sure some of these slides haven’t seen the light of day in 50 years. We rolled through almost 700 pictures from 1953 to 1959. I know Mom and Aunt Mar had a good time looking at their past. (We looked at almost 300 more pictures tonight.)

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS. It is not our practice to decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving. However, while others begin their Christmas shopping on Black Friday we use the day to deck our halls and trim our tree. I am glad to say we have everything decorated and all the boxes put away by the end of the weekend. The only major decoration we haven’t put up is our outdoor nativity scene which is in desperate need of a paint job. Hopefully this will be spruced up and back on display next year.

MRS. MANNERS WANNABE. While getting ready to put up the Christmas tree I was moving a table when a large book fell off and hit my foot. Picking the book up I noticed it was Emily Post’s Etiquette. When I asked Vicki about it she said, “It was Mom’s. I decided to keep it to see how in-etiquette I am.”

I GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS. After the last newsletter went out Vicki mentioned something that happened when she ate with Nate at school last week. Whenever a student has a guest for lunch they can pick one classmate to eat with them. Vicki said there was a cute little girl named Rebecca in Nate’s class vying for attention. At first she hung around and sweetly asked who Nate would invite to lunch. Nate didn’t want to be rude, but was trying to pick someone else while still being a gentleman to Rebecca. As the class was leaving Nate still hadn’t picked anyone so she grabbed his hand. Nate found a discreet way to slip his hand out of hers. Nate wound up not picking anyone in trying not to hurt her feelings.

Vicki also ate with Nate when she worked Book Fair several weeks ago. At that time Vicki got on to Nate for not eating his fruit, and then turned to the little boy and said, “Nate sure has a hard time remembering to eat his fruit. Would you remind him to do that?” The boy readily agreed that he could help Vicki out.

When Vicki got to school last week for the Thanksgiving meal that same little boy came up and said, “Nate’s doing better about eating his fruit.” Then another boy in the class chimed in, “Yeah, he is.” Vicki is glad Nate has buddies who have his back.

BUSY WEEKEND. Last weekend was pretty busy for us. Nate was invited to a birthday party for one of his classmates, Hayden, Friday night. Jenna also invited one of her friends, Savannah, to spend the night. After taking Nate to his party we drove on up to Franklin to eat and go shopping. Savannah is a nut. She kept us laughing all the way to Franklin and back.

The next day Savannah was reunited with her family at church and Ben got to bring home on of his friends, Jake, for the afternoon. That evening we went to the Christian Gospel Temple (the big church next to the interstate) for our community Thanksgiving service. We enjoyed music from all the churches attending and Bro. Bill spoke. There was a dessert social afterwards.

HOT MIC. Saturday morning Vicki cut my hair. Some hair trimmings got in my ear and since Vicki was unsuccessful trying to wipe them out she decided to lean over and blow them out. This was so unexpected and deafening that I practically jumped out of my chair. All I could say was, “Vicki, that microphone works very well.” This whole thing got us so tickled that Vicki almost couldn’t finish my haircut.

Joe

Let the Holidays Begin!

Cooler weather is here. We are having more and more days with an early morning frost now. November has also brought rain which reminds me a lot of taking down tobacco. Mom and I went to the annual Cross Plains Heritage Commission Thanksgiving Dinner tonight so it feels like the holidays have begun.

TIME AWAY. When I went to the 73rd Bomb Wing reunion back in May I earned a $300 voucher for giving up my seat on an overbooked flight. This helped Vicki to buy a plane ticket out of Tennessee for five days last week.

We took her to the airport Tuesday evening where she took off on the first leg of her trip to Georgia. She stayed a couple of days with her brother and family. Then on Friday she flew to Oklahoma City to spend a couple of days with her friend, Ginger. She came back home Sunday afternoon. Vicki had a great time visiting her family and Ginger. I’m glad she had the chance to go, and we were very happy to get her back home.

WHILE SHE WAS AWAY. I somehow managed to hold down the fort while Vicki was away. Since I am not handy in the kitchen Vicki took pity on me and cooked several meals for us in advance which I really appreciated. I usually try to help out with laundry as much as I can. I am always amazed with how much dirty clothes we generate in a day.

We stayed busy with homework and such the whole time Vicki was gone. Friday night Jenna went with the youth at church to the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home. The boys and I played the Wii. Saturday we ate breakfast at the Master’s Table in Springfield. This is a non-profit restaurant that offers free meals to the homeless and is supported by the money it makes from paying customers. We also raked leaves and rewarded ourselves by going to see Megamind. That night we went out to eat with Mom and Aunt Mar.

BOMBS AWAY! Thinking about laundry, one day I asked Nate to throw down their dirty clothes. When the boys do this the stairwell becomes the laundry chute with the laundry landing in a pile beside the stairs. On this day I kept hearing Nate count down from ten and then make explosion noises. It seems each article of clothing had become a bomb with a time delay fuse.

THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL’S BACK. Each year the elementary school has a canned food drive so one day last week we sent food to school with the boys in their backpacks. Nate had also been coughing some so I stopped and got him so cough drops. The morning we sent the food to school Nate realized he’d forgotten his cough drops as he was walking out the door and went back to get them. When he came back out he said, “My backpack sure is heavy. It must be those cough drops.”

Joe

Nerds Rule the World

We have enjoyed some of the most pleasant fall weather. Saturday the boys and I had a great time taking a walk to earn a hiking belt loop for Cub Scouts. All of this year's crops have been harvested so all the fields are empty (though some winter wheat has been sown and is starting to sprout).

NERDS RULE THE WORLD. This year our family dressed up a nerds for Halloween, and I don't mind bragging to say we looked really good as nerds go.

We had Trunk or Treat at church Sunday night. I think this was the best one we've had yet. In planning the event Vicki told people to buy candy for about 300 trick or treaters. Several people ran out of candy. I know they also ran out of hot dogs.

It's always as much fun to see how everyone dresses up to hand out candy as it is to see the trick or treaters. The Swann/Raglin clan dressed as Sesame Street characters. They even had a backdrop with buildings painted on it to look like the Sesame Street set. Kenny, while not exactly a Sesame Street character, came as Miss Piggy.

SIGNS OF GROWING UP. There are subtle things about Jenna that lets me know that she is growing up and time with her at home is getting shorter. Most mornings now she has the hair dryer going to tame her hair. Was it really seven years ago that we took her to kindergarten for the first time?

SPEAKING OF TIME, as the kids grow up it is getting harder and harder to find time to record our activities. My goal is to try to write about once a week, but that doesn't always happen. Sometimes I feel like I miss a lot of neat stories because I can't sit down to write as often as I'd like. I was reminded of one such story from this summer just the other day so I wrote myself a note to make sure I wouldn't forget.

One Saturday Ben was out playing in the yard. I don't remember what he was doing but he was running and jumping around as boys are prone to do. Above his head, and unknown to him, a baby bird was leaving it's nest for the first time, it's anxious parents close by watching as their chick learned to fly. In a moment of incredibly bad timing the baby bird fell to the ground right in front of Ben as he was in midair from jumping. He had no time to react and crushed the poor bird. That's when mama bird lit into Ben like windmill in a hurricane.

I remember him coming into the house being sad about what had happened and scared about the mother bird attacking him. He couldn't go outside that day without having to run for cover, and the next day he came under attack again as we were leaving for church.

IMPORTANT OFFICE. Now that Ben is in the fourth grade he is part of 4-H. Each class that participates in 4-H elects their own officers, and Ben was elected vice-president for his class this year. (Ben attended an orientation for all 4-H officers a few weeks ago. I was amazed at the number of kids there.)

The kids were out of school today due to Election Day so they came to town with Vicki to run errands. As they were driving by my office Ben noticed the 4-H sign on the side of the building. When he asked Vicki about it she explained that the Extension office has the top floor and my office has the basement. That's when Ben said (with concern in his voice), "Should I go in? I am the vice-president."

FLYING SAUCERS AND FAST CARS. Last time I wrote I mentioned that Nate would get to paint a concrete block in the hall at school. Nate came up with two designs, one featuring some UFOs with aliens inside and another featuring a fast car. Since he had trouble deciding which design to use he put it to the family for a vote. The UFOs got unanimous approval. When it came time to paint his brick on Friday Nate still liked his car so he decided to combine the two designs. The final picture features flying saucers chasing the car.

JOKES. It's book fair time at school and the boys have gotten to purchase a couple of books for themselves. Nate came home with a joke book and was reading some jokes to me. He got tickled with himself because he kept losing his place and reading me the same couple of jokes. I thought that was funnier than the jokes too.

Of course, one of the things I appreciate about my wife is that she can have an off beat sense of humor at times. Recently, after viewing A Hard Day's Night, she's been reading a few books on the Beatles (one book was over 900 pages). The other morning we were having our usual bathroom mirror conversation as we were getting ready for the day. She pointed at a book and began telling me about something she'd read and then, with a perfectly straight delivery, threw in, "Did you know the Beatles broke up?"

I guess that's a lot better than my nerd joke suggesting we make a sign for Halloween night to read, "Pies for sale: $3.14."

Joe

Happy Campers

RAIN! For us here in Middle Tennessee 2010 will be remembered as the year Nashville got the 500 year flood. What's funny is that this has been a really dry year. So, we're really glad to see the rain.

WELCOME HOME! I'd like to extend a welcome to a new Tennessean and member of the Freeland family. A couple of weeks ago Brian, Debbie, and Jessica Freeland went to China to adopt Olivia. They returned home this weekend. As with any adoption, this has been in the works for quite some time, and we are very happy that they have Olivia home now. You can follow up on the Freelands on the blog at http://thefreelands.blogspot.com/.

EXCITED BOY. East Robertson Elementary uses Character Counts to promote good behavior among students. Every so often students who have received good behavior commendations have their names in a drawing to be able to decorate one of the concrete blocks in the hallway near the library. They can paint their bricks however they wish within certain guidelines. Jenna and Ben have both painted bricks in the past.

This year Nate's name was among those chosen for the honor and he is EXCITED. He came home with the news Friday and has one week to come up with a design. When Nate was telling me about this he was literally wiggling and dancing with excitement. I can't wait to see what he decides to put on his brick.

CAMPING. We had a church bonfire and campout over a Buzz and Tammy Graves' house Friday night. I know I've mentioned previous events we've had over at the Graves', but I'm not sure if I've said much about their yard and shed.

Buzz has set his yard up to be a place where kids can come and have fun. He has a sand volleyball court, a zip line, tetherball, horseshoes, corn hole, and hillbilly golf as well as plenty of space where kids can just run and have fun. His shed has a big room where people can eat and play other games like table tennis. Basically, their yard is a place where kids can be kids and have good, clean, cheap fun.

Friday we loaded our camping gear and headed over to their house for an evening of fun. We had several people come for supper. Rick and Sharon Robinson stayed overnight in their camper. I camped out with our boys a several other boys who wanted to stay the night. Vicki and Jenna went home but returned in the morning for breakfast.

When we got home Saturday Jenna said she wanted to camp out in the backyard that night. The boys were game for this so we set up the big tent. Ben wound up sleeping inside due to a sore throat, but Jenna and Nate bedded down for the night out there. I know Nate went to sleep pretty quickly, but I saw Jenna's book light on pretty late.

ANOTHER BIRTHDAY PARTY. As recently as last year it was really hard for Nate to see Jenna or Ben go to a birthday party. He was simply too young to be invited to many parties like his brother and sister. His social life has changed since then.

Nate was invited to a party for his friend Zachary Saturday afternoon. He came home with a large box and telling us all about the good time he'd had. Nate was so impressed by the party that he said it was the best party he'd been to except his own. And after a moment to think it over he said, "Nope, it was even better than my own party."

Zachary's mom had a large box for each guest and helped them decorate their boxes as cars. When the cars were made they parked them in front of the TV and had a drive-in movie. Their cars were even complete with a window tray with a cup holder (this was a shoebox fastened to the side of the car with binder clips). Nate's car is now parked in our living room and he sits in it to watch TV now.

MARRIAGE PLANS. The other day Ben said to Vicki that he was never going to get married.

"So you're going to be a bachelor, huh?" replied Vicki.

"Yep." And then about 30 seconds later Ben asked, "What's a bachelor?"

I guess we have a little time yet before he starts to notice girls.

Joe

Fall Break Staycation

Last week was our fall break and we enjoyed a fun week at home with our cousins from Florida. The weather was perfect. We've even seen a little rain which is long overdue.

FAMILY TIME. Jim, Dianna, Alex, and Chris arrived Monday evening and spent the week with us, leaving Friday morning. This time they brought Uncle Bob and Aunt Linda with them (they stayed at Aunt Mar and Mom's house). It's been an extra treat to have them here this time.

We didn't overload this visit with a lot of things to do, leaving the boys (and Jenna) a lot of free time to play together. They've had Nerf gun battles in the yard, romped through the woods, and played games in the house. We've eaten supper over at Aunt Mar's each night with the exception of Tuesday night when we went to the Catfish House.

SPELUNKING. We drove up to Bowling Green on Tuesday to tour Lost River Cave (http://www.lostrivercave.com/). This is the only cave boat tour in Kentucky. The cave was a main attraction in Bowling Green before I-65 claimed most of the traffic through the area. The cave can still be rented for parties and such. I mention this because the cave reminded me of what Cross Plains' own Yates Cave used to be many years ago. This was a really fun little day trip.

GOODBYE, PEANUT. I must pause here to say goodbye to our beloved cat. From what we can gather Peanut was following the boys as they played in the hayfield beside the house. This was the first time Peanut explored much outside the yard so when he got to the stock barn in the hayfield he naturally went in to check things out. The best we can tell Peanut met the stray cat that lives in that barn, and being young and inexperienced lost a territorial fight. We buried him the next day.

WALNUTS. Dianna mentioned that they brought home a lot of walnuts from last year's vacation and that she'd like to gather more this year if she could. Wednesday morning we gathered walnuts, filling the bed of my truck about six inches deep. Dianna and I spent that afternoon hulling the walnuts and our hands are now stained black.

PAINTING AND ANTIQUING. While Dianna and I were into walnuts Jim and Jenna took Uncle Bob and Aunt Linda to an antique mall in Springfield. I think they had fun shopping. I know Jim came home with several interesting treasures.

Vicki went in to work where she and some volunteers started repainting the room used for children's activities to make it more fun looking. They are painting a large mural around the walls of the room.

FUN ON THE FARM. Thursday we spent a good portion of the day at Honeysuckle Hill Farm in Coopertown (http://www.honeysucklehillfarm.com/). Vicki and our boys had been there a few times on field trips, but I had never been and had no idea they had so much for kids to do there. They have animals to pet, corn to play in (like a huge sandbox), pedal tractors to ride, pig races to watch, and an inflated truck tarp to bounce on. We had a lot of fun doing these things, but the big attraction was the six acre corn maze we explored. The maze was laid out to celebrate the Centennial of Boy Scouting, and had several stations for solving a murder mystery.

LIFE AFTER COMPANY. As I mentioned above, the Cotters left Friday morning. We were all sad to see them go. Nate was in tears. This weekend has been uneventful except for a birthday party the boys were invited to Saturday afternoon. Ala in all in all we've had a great fall break. We aren't ready to go back to school or work tomorrow.

Joe

A Century of Scouting

The Boy Scouts of America are celebrating a century of scouting this year. The boys and I joined in on the fun at the Middle Tennessee Council Jamboree at the Wilson County Fairgounds in Lebanon this weekend. It was HUGE with over 12,000 scouts and scouters there. It was a weekend the boys and I will always remember. We got to the Jamboree Friday evening and left yesterday morning.

CAMPING OUT. I have never seen so many tents in one place before. There were acres and acres of tents. We camped out with our pack (I think there were eight families from our pack there).

The area was one big, organized tent city. We were fortunate to be right by the entrance for our side of the fairgrounds -- and right by the bathrooms. (This was something of a curse though, because our campsite was a high traffic area.) We unloaded the truck and then I had to go park about a half mile away. Again, walking by all the conglomeration of tents just blew my mind. The whole scene reminded me of the tent city described at the Quidditch World Cup in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

We were responsible for our food (unless we wanted to take advantage of the food vendors). I am no cook. My only motivation to even prepare food is because I need to eat. I didn’t make us sick, but I think the boys were being kind when they complimented my cooking. At breakfast I burned the toast and bacon (but not the eggs). The peanut butter and jelly sandwiches didn’t involve a stove so that was safe. The hamburgers were a near disaster. I had to cook those in two skillets because they patties didn’t fit in one. Before one side the to hamburgers were done the grease in one skillet caught on fire. I removed that skillet from the heat and the fire went out pretty quickly, but I still needed to cook the other side of the burgers. About that time the grease in the other skillet caught fire. I got that out quickly enough, but not before catching some dry grass afire. Somehow I got the burgers done without burning them, but it was an adventure I’d rather not repeat. The cold cereal we had yesterday morning was served with glad hands.

WEATHER. We had great weather for the Jamboree, though it was unseasonably hot for this time of year. We felt like we were living in extremes. We woke up to 46° Saturday morning (which is about 5° below average) and were a bit chilly in our sleeping bags. By mid-afternoon our chill had worn off in the 91° heat (18° above average). If we were hot by the end of the day we got over that with another cool nighttime low (45°). At least it wasn’t 30° and raining as those who attended last year’s Cub and Family event were reminiscing about.

COOL THINGS TO SEE AND DO. We were awakened by cannon fire Saturday morning. After the opening ceremony we had a whole day of things to see and do. There was no way we could get everything in. The Tennessee National Guard had two Bradley tanks and other vehicles there for scouts to tour. They also flew in a Blackhawk helicopter for the day. Other exhibits we saw were the caving demo and spelobox, the Tennessee State Trooper’s car crash exhibit, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency’s wild animal display. We missed about a dozen other exhibits.

The boys completed requirements for their Science, Language and Culture, Marbles, Music, and Weather belt loops. Ben also got a chance to complete several requirements for his Readyman activity badge. He was chosen to be the demo boy in three of these activities.

We also made paper airplanes, painted pet rocks, made ball and cup games, jumped in a sack race, sailed in a rain gutter regatta, and did some geocaching. These were just a few of the dozens of elective activities around the fairgrounds.

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. Saturday night everyone went to the arena for a show which celebrated a century of scouting here in America. There were about twice as many people as the arena would hold and we wound up sitting on the ground outside. The show features a series of skits depicting scouting in each decade over the last 100 years. It was interesting and well done.

SUNDAY SERVICES. The last thing on the schedule before departure were worship services yesterday morning. A pastor from Columbia, Tennessee, spoke to us. The boating story he told from his adolescence and the message were well said and memorable. After that we loaded up and headed home with many great memories.

All in all this has been a great way to begin our fall break!

Joe

Cooler Weather

I mentioned when I last wrote we were looking forward to the last of the 90° weather. Well, the weather changed in a hurry with the high and low temps dropping by as much as 20°. It feels like fall now. We switched our thermostat to heat last weekend.

NO MORE LIMP, NO MORE SPLINT. Jenna went back to the doctor for a follow-up exam last Tuesday. He said she has healed sufficiently and allowed her to take off her boot and wrist splint. He also gave her an extended doctor's excuse from PE through fall break, but Jenna later admitted she hadn't turned it in. She had decided to hold it until they played something she doesn't particularly enjoy. Vicki and I told her it wasn't a "get out of jail free" card and to give that note to her teacher.

THE AMAZING BLAKE. Vicki found a really neat magician and invited him to do a show for our Awana club last week. He really connected with the kids well and performed quite a few neat illusions. His show was a big hit.

AS IRON SHARPENS IRON, SO ONE MAN SHARPENS ANOTHER. Last weekend I went to the Middle Tennessee Men's Conference. It has been several years since I attended this event. This year the speakers were Ken Weathersby and Jim Henry. I enjoyed listening to both very much.

PARTY AT THE PITTS. Last Saturday Jimmie and Susanne Pitt had a big pot luck party at their house. They invited the whole church to come and there was a large crowd in their back yard. We had a lot of fun, but left a bit early because there was a cold breeze blowing. I decided to dig out a sweatshirt just before leaving the house which turned out the be the best decision I'd made all day. This wind sort of caught everyone off guard because it had been perfectly comfortable all day. The kids and I even went exploring the woods across the road from the house in shorts that afternoon.

VIOCE ON THE PHONE. We are setting up a computerized phone system at work for automating the calling of substitute teachers when a teacher is absent. It fell to me to give voice to many of the options (such as school names) that will be part of the menu system. While recording these sound bytes I stopped and listened to myself closely after recording "sixth grade social studies teacher" and thought, "Boy, I sound just like Sylvester the Cat!"

Joe

Fall Is Finally Here!

Summer is over. The humidity is gone, but the heat remains. We're hoping this weekend will mark the last of the 90° weather for the year. Mom's tobacco and corn were cut this week.

FATHER-SON CAMPOUT. The annual Robertson County Baptist Father-Son Campout was held last Friday night at Coldstream Camp. The boys and I went and we took a couple of other boys with us.

This event has no organized activities since it's a one night campout and so many of the boys have ball practice and games on Friday evening and Saturday, but Coldstream Camp has so many things to do no one is ever bored. When we arrived my boys hopped out of the truck and headed straight for the obstacle course. The lake, with its zip line and fishing, was a big hit as well. We enjoyed soup, hot dogs, and peach cobbler (made in Dutch ovens) for supper and eggs, bacon, and toast for breakfast.

STITCHES. Jenna is still hobbling around in her boot. We've teased her for being our Tennessee Walking Horse. She is, however, feeling better and she seems to be healing nicely.

The doctor at the ER had told Vicki that Jenna's stitches could come out after about a week. Monday evening Vicki looked at Jenna's stitches and said she thought it was time to remove them. When Jenna heard this and realized her mom intended to be the one to pull them out she said, "Oh no! I want a trained professional." Needless to say, we've gotten a lot of milage out of this. Thanks to Donna Hall, who is a nurse practitioner, Jenna's stitches have been removed. Donna even brought her lab coat, complete with name tag, to church Wednesday evening so she'd look professional enough.

HOME TOUR. I have said before that we are not indoor pet people. Ben knows this, but I think he would like for Peanut to be allowed in the house. I am holding my ground on this simply for the fact that I enjoy breathing clearly.

We're having to work right now to train the cat not to come in when the door is opened. The other day Peanut walked in and then I saw Ben carrying the cat through the house. When I asked Ben what he was doing he said, "I'm giving the cat a tour of the house." Peanut has had several quick tours of the house now.

Peanut is a patient cat. Ben picks him up and holds him close whenever he goes outside. Peanut seems glad to see Ben each time and doesn't struggle too much when he's in Ben's arms.

CAKE DECORATING. Tonight Vicki and our budding baker went to a cake decorating class at church. This class was taught by Pat Johnson who made the really beautiful cake for Jenna's birthday. Jenna has been looking forward to this for weeks.

All the students had to have their cakes baked ahead of time. Jenna told Vicki she wanted her cake made from scratch and even wrote out the recipe. Reality set in today so Jenna had to settle for a yellow cake mix.

The finished product was decorated with a Halloween theme. The cake was covered with white icing and trimmed with orange and black flowers and ghosts in black outlining. We all met over at Aunt Mar's after the class so they could show off their efforts before we bit into their work. It truly was as good as it looked.

Joe

My Accident Prone Family

We’re used to Aunt Mar taking the occasional spill. That just comes with the territory when you’re in your nineties. We’ve just been really fortunate over the years that with three kids we’ve not had too many accidents. Our luck took a hit this week.

BUSTED CHIN. I have no idea how Nate did this, but Friday at school he was sitting down in his chair and missed the seat. On the way down he hit his head and then his chin, busting it open. The wound was deep enough the school nurse called Vicki. She was in town with Mom and Aunt Mar for Aunt Mar’s hair appointment so it took her a while to get out to school. The nurse kept Nate in her office until Vicki got there and I think Nate kept her entertained the whole time. Nate saw Dr. Saunders, the newest addition to the practice (whom he has renamed Dr. Joke because he was carrying on with a lot of jokes). They put some derma bond glue on his chin and sent him on his way.

BIKE WRECK. Last night marked the first Scout meeting of the year. Vicki and Jenna decided to come to White House with us for supper at Sonic and then to ride bikes along the Greenway while the boys and I were in Scouts. Jenna, who does not have a lot of biking experience, was a bit apprehensive but willing to try.

When we got to the school (White House Heritage Elementary) they unloaded and took off down the Greenway toward White House High School. They were going down that last hill as you approach Tryee Springs Road (which is pretty steep) when Jenna lost control of her bike by not braking hard enough and crashed into the side rail of the footbridge right where it makes that sharp turn. Fortunately this happened very close to the intersection with the road so I could easily get to them in the truck.

To make a long story short, after getting the boys from Scouts Mom met us at Pinson’s Crossroads so Vicki and Jenna could go on to the hospital and I could take the boys on home. Jenna has a gash under her chin which took seven stitches. She also has a severe sprain to her right wrist, and a small fracture in her right foot. We followed up with Dr. Cutright, an orthopedic specialist, today. He double checked the x-rays and agreed with the ER’s opinion. He said to wear the wrist splint until her wrist feels better and to wear a boot on her foot until a checkup in two weeks. Even after healing, I’m not sure she’ll be getting back on a bike anytime soon.

On the lighter side of this story, Vicki was filling out all the paperwork today at the doctor’s office when she got to a question that made her refer to Jenna for an answer. The question read something like, “When did you first become aware of your symptoms?” Jenna’s first response was, “When I hit the side of the bridge,” but then she corrected herself to say she was aware of her problems a few seconds before impact. You just have to find humor where you can.

Jenna is feeling much better now and seems to be more frustrated at her lack of mobility than anything else. Vicki has been dealing with guilt over this accident as anyone would. Jenna has wisely and sweetly told her mom to stop blaming herself which has really meant a lot to Vicki.

GRANDPARENT’S DAY. \Grandparent’s Day is an annual event at the elementary schools here and East Robertson celebrated yesterday by inviting grandparents for lunch. Mom was one of about 500 guests served in the school cafeteria. She ate with both Nate and Ben. There were so many people the boys said they hardly had time to eat. Vicki was one of the parent volunteers for the day.

Joe

Pleasant Weather

Today is the seventh anniversary of the Swann Family News.

We have had the most excellent weather this weekend. Actually, it's been nice all this past week. I think it's supposed to heat up again in the coming week, but that's okay because it feels like summer is starting to run out of gas. I just hope we get to enjoy a long season of fall weather instead of jumping right in to winter.

AM I GETTING OLD? I've been asked to run sound for weddings at church for around 15 years now. I did one a couple of weekends ago and another this weekend. One thing I've noticed -- these brides and grooms keep getting younger and younger each year!

This weekend's event was the Paige Martin - Jesse Cooper wedding. Paige is the daughter of our church secretary. Their reception was held outdoors at a neighbor's house where a large tent was set up, dinner was served, and guests could dance to a live band. They couldn't have asked for a more pleasant evening.

THE FAIR. Last weekend I worked the Fairest of the Fair as I have for 13 years now. For the last several years we've been too busy to make it to the fair itself, but this year we made some time to go. (We think Nate was in a stroller last time we went.) Unfortunately, something I ate during the day disagreed with my stomach so I wasn't feeling well when I walked in the gate. Everyone else, however, had a good time riding rides, playing games, and running into friends.

PEANUT AND 36. We are now a two pet family. A couple of weeks ago Rick Robinson and I found a stray kitten at church. Since Rick and Sharon have plenty of cats I took the kitten home. He's an orangish red cat with a hint of tiger striping.

In trying to decide what to name the cat we posted a picture on Facebook and asked our friends for suggestions. Two people suggested we go ahead and call him Roadkill and be done with it. The kids decided Peanut was a better name. Hopefully Peanut will have enough brains not to become roadkill.

My suggestion was to name the cat TC. This is short for Tree Cat. This is because he spends most of his time in the maple tree beside the house. I've even joked that I need to build him a small treehouse.

Our second pet is a goldfish. Ben won the fish at the fair. The kids spent $5 for 36 ping pong balls. Then they got the throw the balls at a table full of small bowls with fish. Anyone lucky enough to get a ball in a bowl with a fish wins a fish. We've named our fish 36 because Ben landed a ball in its bowl on the very last ball.

(Actually, Vicki and I call the fish 36D when the kids aren't around. This is because we were standing back about five feet behind the kids when they were throwing their ping pong balls. When Ben scored his hit we both looked at each other and said the D-word under our breath.)

AN ENJOYABLE LABOR DAY. We had a very relaxing Labor Day at home today. This evening we grilled hamburgers over at Aunt Mar's. After supper Mom got out old pictures and we had fun looking back in time.

Joe

Surviving the Start of School

I am happy to report that we have survived the start of school. August is one of the busiest times in my job and I am happy school is underway and we're still standing.

AWANA KICK OFF. With school comes another year of Awana on Wednesday evenings at church. Last week we had a party over at the Graves' house, and this week we had our first club meeting. We had about 50 kids our first night judging by the number of popsicles eaten. I guess once Scouts starts up we'll be in full swing again.

PARTINGS. I've never really reported on my job much here on the Swann Family News. For one thing, that's not what this journal is about. Also, I am really good about being totally and completely disengaged from my work when I'm not there. In spite of that, some of the people I enjoy most in my life are my colleagues at work, so it is fitting that I talk about some partings from my office.

In order of departure, the first to leave us is Nicole Presley. Nicole has been part of out team for three years and left us to become the Assistant Principal at Westside Elementary. Nicole brought a tremendous amount of energy and creativity to her job, but most of all I appreciated her being a true sister in Christ.

The next to go is Casey Landis. He is leaving us to be the Systems Analyst with Noranda Aluminum in Franklin. Casey came to us nine years ago. Very few people realize or possibly even understand what Casey has done for our school system in building our Windows Domain. I have always respected his ability when it comes to making our network work.

Also leaving us is Stephen Hudak. Stephen is our student intern who started with us when he was in high school. He is returning for his second year at Texas A&M and will come back when he has breaks from school.

Nicole and Casey have been replaced (respectively) by Pam Sanders and Bobby Edmunds. Both are very capable people and have jumped right in. The problem is that our jobs are complex enough that would take anyone a full year to get the hang of their responsibilities.

MADE YOU JUMP! Let's face it, when you live in an old farm house, in spite of your best efforts, you going to have the occasional mouse. I heard one in the walls the other morning so I got some fresh poison and set out a couple of traps. One of these traps is near the garbage can in the kitchen.

One morning Jenna opened a Pop Tart. When she threw away the wrapper it fluttered off course and landed right on top of the mousetrap. I happened to be in the kitchen so she asked me if it would be okay to pick up the wrapper. I told her it would be as long as she was careful. Naturally, I couldn't resist clapping my hands just as soon as she touched the wrapper to pick it up. The poor girl just about jumped out of her skin.

THE LITERALIST. Vicki and Jenna went to a wedding shower at church today. There was a wedding at church last night and the decorations from the reception were just kept up for the shower. There was no family connection between these two events which made Vicki comment to Jenna that the reuse of the decorations was "killing two birds with one stone." Jenna pondered this expression for a moment and then replied, "Well, you could do that … eventually."

A QUIET BIRTHDAY. Last Friday I celebrated my forty-fourth birthday. It was a very low key day which suited me just fine. I met Vicki, Mom, and Aunt Mar for lunch at D Squared in Springfield (this is a new restaurant which is a sister to the Depot a few blocks down the street).

That evening we ate barbecue over at Aunt Mar's house. Mom, Aunt Mar, and Jenna also made "the cake" which I think was one of the best of that recipe I've had in a long time.

Joe

Another Kid in Double Digits

There isn't but one word for our weather right now, HOT. This summer has been very hot and I'll be glad when it's over. I've hardly even needed to mow the yard in the last several weeks.

THURSDAY'S BABY IS TEN! I find it hard to believe my little boy who starred in the Thursday's Baby commercial for Baptist Hospital is now ten years old. His real birthday celebration comes this weekend, but we did go over to Aunt Mar's for peach cobbler. He wanted this instead of a cake so we stuck a candle in the crust and sang to him.

One thing Ben is really proud of is his new bike. While in Georgia Ben got Zachary's old bike since Zachary had outgrown it, and it's the perfect size for Ben. He was so happy to have it he made me take a ride with him Friday as soon as I got home from work.

SCHOOL DAYS. Speaking of summer being over, school has officially started. The kids had a half day of school yesterday and classes start Monday. Where did the time go?

Jenna is starting seventh grade this year. She will get her schedule on Monday. Ben is in Reneé Hooper's fourth grade homeroom, and Nate has Kim Knight for second grade this year. Vicki and Kim used to teach together at Bransford Elementary before Jenna was born. We got to see everyone's classrooms Tuesday evening at open house for both schools.

TREE DOWN. Last time I wrote I mentioned we would be attending the Hancock reunion. Jenna went with Mom and Aunt Mar for a dinner at the Catfish House Friday night. The rest of us opted out. We all went to the dinner in Orlinda Saturday evening. We had a smaller crowd this year, but everyone had fun.

Saturday was nice in that we got about two inches of rain. Part of that rain came in a storm that blew through while we were at the reunion. In Orlinda we watched as lightning flashed all around. Little did we know that we were getting hail and strong wind back home. When we got home we discovered the top of the tree by our mailbox had been broken out by the wind and fallen across our driveway, taking down our mailbox in the process. Fortunately, we have a second driveway connection from the road. This was the same tree that lost a major limb due to ice and fell across the highway in January 2009. Brad Keith, who has recently started a tree trimming business, came and got the top of the tree up for us. He also cut the rest of the tree down so our front yard looks really bald now.

Speaking of Brad trimming trees, I had noticed a few dead trees in Aunt Mar's yard and Brad has been working over there the last two weeks. Turns out he needed to cut down about ten trees. You can hardly tell they're gone. She still has over one hundred trees in the yard.

NEW NEIGHBORS. In cleaning out Pauline's house we've been working toward getting it ready to rent. We didn't get anything accomplished last month because we were so busy, but the goal was to get back to this project this month. Well, our timetable has been accelerated because a family in our community had been on vacation and came home to find their house had completely burned down. They needed a place to stay and we needed tenants so we've got new neighbors now.

OVERHEATED. Vicki called me at work today and told me they'd lost power at the house. In our conversation it comes out that the kids had heard an explosion and seen a flash of light.

When I heard this I told Vicki to go outside and look at the transformer atop the power pole. Sure enough the top was blown off and the sides were black. Between the heat and our house pulling a load to run the A/C and do laundry the transformer overheated and blew up. CEMC had us back up and running quickly.

A Quiet Week

It has been a quiet week around my house this week. Some time ago Vicki had said when VBS was over she wanted to take the kids to Georgia for some fun with cousins before school starts. They left out Sunday afternoon. I've had to stay here due to work.

GETTING AWAY. From talking to Vicki and the kids on the phone I think they've really enjoyed their time away. They had planned to come home yesterday but decided to stay another day. Wednesday Vicki said she hadn't started the van since they arrived Sunday evening. While they did venture out yesterday they've spent the entire time swimming, playing games, and just having fun as a family. Vicki sounds like weeks of stress have melted away when I talk to her.

MY WEEK ALONE. I probably enjoy solitude more than most people, but this has been a good week for Vicki and the kids to be away. We are very busy at work trying to get ready for school to start so I have a lot to distract me during the day.

I did go out to eat with Mom and Aunt Mar one night, but I have spent the rest of my evenings here at home. For the most part I've been trying to keep up with the chores and clean out a few things I never have time to work on, but I've also made time for me to have some fun.

One thing I did was rent Boys Town from Netflix. I always enjoyed this movie when it came on TV years ago. What I didn't know was that there's a sequel, Men of Boys Town, which was on the reverse side of the DVD. Spencer Tracey and Mickey Rooney reprised their roles as Father Flanagan and Whitey Marsh and I enjoyed it just as much as the first story.

Probably the biggest excitement for the week was the dead chicken snake I removed from Aunt Mar's garage. It had gotten caught in one of the sticky traps set out in the garage for mice.

FAMILY REUNION. Sunday, while Vicki and the kids were packing, I went to the Denning reunion in Orlinda. I've not been around this part of my family much and I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people I knew. This reunion has also been a scheduling conflict with the Phifer reunion held in Camden that we've attended the last several years. I had a nice time catching up with folks I hand't seen in years. The Hancock reunion is coming up Saturday. I'm looking forward to doing this all over again with a different set of people.

SMALL THINGS. July has been such a whirl all I've been able to do is report on the big things we've been doing, but there are two things about Nate that stick out in my mind from last weekend.

Nate loves his bear now more than ever. One evening Nate was alone upstairs. I think Ben was playing on the computer. Vicki, Jenna, and I were together talking. Our conversation came to a halt when Nate started singing, "I love Bear," over and over again. He kept it up for several minutes.

Nate still rides in a booster seat which is a point of contention with him. In Tennessee kids shorter than 4' 9" must ride in a booster. Nate is 4' 5". I can assure you he is among the minority of kids his age still made to sit in one -- a point he brings up occasionally. I must admit, while I want my kids to be safe in a vehicle, I am looking forward to the day I can get the stupid thing out of my way.

Last Friday evening we went out to eat to celebrate VBS being over. We drove my truck. Nate's booster seat sits behind the driver's seat. For some reason as we were leaving the restaurant all the kids piled in the truck through the passenger's side. Nate, needing to be the first in, stopped halfway in the truck. When his siblings reprimanded him for holding them up he happily exclaimed, "My booster seat was made in China!"

Joe

Fast Times in July

I think we've been busier this month has been than any July that I remember. We've been going so hard if it were cold I'd think Christmas was on us. I feel like I have lost a lot of stories I'd normally share by waiting so long to write, but there simply hasn't been time to sit down and write anything. Last night Vicki and I finally got a chance to have a real conversation for the first time in at least three weeks.

CENTRI-KID. When I last wrote I promised to tell of Vicki's, Jenna's, and Ben's experiences at Centri-Kid. These camps are held all over the country. Our campers returned to Georgetown College in Kentucky. They came home on Friday, July 9, and Nate and I got one exhausted family back when they arrived. I think Jenna wound up sleeping 14 hours. Ben started trying to make up for lost time with Nate on the Wii but within a couple of hours he had slipped off for an early bedtime.

I was eager to get Ben's impressions of camp since this was his first year to go, but being a typical boy he did not elaborate much. I do know he had a lot of fun. The kids get to choose from a variety of track times for their afternoon activities. Ben got to do outdoor sports which was right down his alley. On the other hand, one of Jenna's track times was Kitchen Chaos which was a good fit for her.

Vicki said it as a good week for all the kids. Her comment about Ben was that there was so much intensity and so much to do that by Thursday afternoon Ben chose to go back to his room for a nap during his free time. This is highly uncharacteristic of him.

A CHEF IN THE MAKING. She has been sharpening up her cooking skills this summer with cookies and cupcakes and has come up with some very tasty desserts. She says she wants to open a bakery when she grows up. Of course, things can change between now and then, but this is something she brings up with Vicki about every other day. One day this week they were out running errands. Jenna spotted an empty suite in the strip mall where they were and commented that it would be a great location for a bakery. Then she started wondering how much it would cost to rent the space, etc. and ended up a little frustrated because she's too young to drive and still has to go to school.

FUN IN THE HOT SUN. Most years it seems like they picked the hottest weekend of the year to have the Threshing Show. This year was no exception (well, Saturday morning was pleasant). Heat or no, it was a lot of fun. We went to the show Friday and Saturday of last weekend.

I've got to pass my compliments along to Charlie, Mary, Will, and Nate Bumpus. They worked very hard this past spring to give the steam engine a new coat of paint as well as do some other maintenance and it looked fantastic.

I think the highlight of the show for me these days is to go and visit cousins I don't normally see. I'm sure Jenna feels this way because she really enjoys hanging out with her cousin, Bonnie. She was even invited to spend the night with Bonnie and her family in their camper Friday night.

The boys hung out with me most of the time. We played on the inflatable toys, walked around looking at equipment, went shopping in the flea market, and ate more junk food than we should.

All the kids got to ride in the parade. Ben even brought his bike and rode behind the trailer his siblings and cousins were on.

HIGH SEAS EXPEDITION. We had Vacation Bible School this week. Vicki was hardly back from Centri-Kid when she had to turn her attention to her final preparations for VBS (she didn't even make it to the Threshing Show). This has made us feel like VBS has been going for two weeks.

I'll have to say that I think this is the best VBS Vicki has headed up. She has done an exceptional job seeing to all the details and making it a fun week for everyone. I have to smile every time I see her on stage in front of the kids. She never would have dreamed she could do this five years ago. I am very proud of her.

We didn't have an adult class this year so I found myself up in the sound booth every night, and Jenna volunteered to help with preschool this year rather than be a participant. This only serves to remind me how quickly she's growing up. It reminds me how important it is to treasure these days while I'm living them.

Joe

Back in the Saddle Again

This year has been a year of extremes. We've had a colder than average winter, a 100 year flood in Nashville (some claim it was a 1000 year flood), and record breaking heat so far this summer (though we aren't suffering like points along the Atlantic coast). It makes us wonder what's next. Jim and Dianna told us the ocean water temperature was about 3°F higher than normal this year which is an indicator of an active hurricane season to come.

We actually had a little break in the heat last week, but around here we need rain. Everything is starting to turn brown. We were amazed at how much the corn had grown while we were away, but Will Ed Osborne was telling me Sunday if it didn't get rain soon it might not make anything. Bill Chatman has been planting soybeans since we got home.

BACK IN THE RAT RACE. Wouldn't it be nice to get back from vacation and have a few days to relax? One can dream. Vicki and I both had to go back to work last Monday (June 28), but she has had to get back into the swing of things more so than I. She had one week at home before heading out again with kids to CentriKID camp this week. She'll get back tomorrow and have one week before Vacation Bible School hits. After VBS we have a week before school starts and with that comes a new year of Awana.

INDEPENDENCE DAY. This year the Fourth of July fell on Sunday and so many towns held their activities on Saturday. The entire holiday felt unusually long as I was off work on Monday for the Fourth.

Our Kilgore Remembrance Ceremony was held on Saturday morning. Mark Lowe was the featured speaker this year. He spoke of what Thomas Kilgore's relationship with other longhunters of his day must have been like. Mark is a very interesting speaker and did a great job. Ben and Nate wore the Cub Scout uniforms and helped raise the flags.

The boys and I went up to Kilgore park Sunday night for the Cross Plains fireworks show. They put on a good show, but the neat thing was that from the hill where we were you could see fireworks from all the neighboring towns. I think one of the firemen shooting off the fireworks must have gotten hurt because an ambulance left from where they were immediately after it was over.

THE ADVENTURES OF DAD AND NATE. I mentioned above that Vicki took a group of kids to CentriKid this week. Jenna and Ben were part of this group which left me and Nate home as bachelors for the week. The campers are coming home tomorrow so I'll save their stories for next time, but I can tell you what Nate and I have been in to.

First of all, I worked half days this week so I could spend time with Nate. While I was at work we lined up play dates for Nate with his friends. Monday was taken care of since I was off for the Fourth. On Tuesday Nate went to spend time with Matthew Rollings. The next day he was with Mom and Aunt Mar. Today he played with Cole Totten, and tomorrow he will be at Zachary Norfleet's house. I think he's played video games everywhere he went, and he's been swimming as well.

When Nate and I have been together we've mixed work with pleasure. We got several chores done around the house, but took breaks to play the Wii, watch TV, and read a book. Yesterday afternoon we went to the Boy Scout store in Nashville and took in a movie (we saw Toy Story 3 again as there was nothing else playing age appropriate for him). I don't know about him, but I'll always treasure the time we spent together this week.

Joe

A Much Needed Vacation, Part 2

I left off last time with us having driven down to Ormond Beach last Tuesday (June 22). We stayed at the same place as last year. After checking in we went to supper and then did what everyone should do when they're on vacation -- we went to Wal-Mart.

For me and Vicki this part of the trip was all about relaxing in the sand. We didn't have any agenda to speak of with the exception of meeting up with the Cotters for one day.

Given our complexion we tried to schedule our beach time so that we weren't out through the middle part of the day. Between that and SPF 50 sunscreen we came away with very little sunburn. When we came in for lunch we typically hung out inside for a few hours, even waiting until after supper before hitting the beach again. We also went shopping some in the afternoon. (Nate's came home with a couple of shark's tooth necklaces and an alligator head -- all things he is very proud to own.) We broke with this schedule one day when Jim, Dianna, Alex, and Chris drove over to spend a day at the beach with us. We had a really nice visit with them.

On the beach we played in the sand and surf. Ben and Nate built several sand castles. We also took our kites this year and those logged quite a bit of air time. In the water I think we had the most fun jumping waves, but riding the boogie boards were also fun.

I bought a skimboard this year. If you've never seen one it is about the size of a boogie board but is made of 3/8 inch plywood. This intention is to ride it like a skateboard in very shallow water (say, 1-2 inches deep). This was probably a stupid move for me seeing how I have no skateboarding experience. It is definitely a lot harder than it looks. Vicki and Jenna were sitting in the shallow water as I was trying this. Jenna commented to Vicki, "I sure admire his enthusiasm, but I would never do that." A few minutes later I took a tumble and came up with a good sized strawberry on my left knee.

Later I was using my skimboard as a boogie board (Ben was riding his boogie board next to me) when the board somehow went nose down and dug itself into the sand. I had enough time to think, "This is going to hurt," when the wave slammed my chest into the back edge of the board. I didn't break anything, but it was about two days before I could take a deep breath. So, I came home beat up by my own skimboard.

We tried a couple of new places to eat this time. The first, and in our opinion the best, was the Charlie Horse restaurant (http://www.charliehorserestaurant.com/home_page.htm) which was right down the street from our condo. The other was the Harbor Lights Restaurant down in Port Orange.

Saturday morning we checked out and headed home. This trip was so relaxing it felt like loads of stress have been washed out to sea. Neither Vicki or I were ready to come home. We wound up spending the night in Georgia and getting home Sunday afternoon. This pretty much sums up our vacation. Not exactly a high adventure trip, but it offered a lot of rest that we needed.

Joe

A Much Needed Vacation, Part 1

I suppose after two weeks it's time to give an update on the happenings in our family. Within fifteen minutes of sending out our last newsletter we were on the road for our vacation!

We've had an excellent trip! Our Disney vacation in 2008 still stands out as our best vacation ever, but this was a close second and was definitely the most relaxing time we've ever had away. We got back home Sunday, and I'm not really sure I want to be back home. Before leaving Vicki and I were both under a lot of stress to get things done. Vicki had even begun to break out in hives and get physically sick -- all of which cleared up within hours of leaving Cross Plains. We spent four nights with the Jones family at their new house in Georgia and then headed down to Ormond Beach for four nights there.

We have a portable DVD player we typically take with us on trips, but it has quit working so the kids had to entertain themselves the way I used to do when I was there age. One game we played was to see how many different state license plates (including Canadian provinces) we'd see on the trip to Georgia. Everyone guessed a number before leaving. We were all low in our estimates as we saw license plates from 31 states -- the farthest being Alaska. (Oddly, no one from Canada was traveling around us -- wrong time of year I guess.)

Somehow we got on the topic of things I used to see on the road when we would drive to Arizona to visit Aunt Carrie and Uncle Ed or Florida to visit the Cotters. The long Army convoys have always stuck out in my mind. This somehow led to me mentioning the Cold War which made Nate ask, "What's a cold war? Is that where they play Rock, Paper, Scissors?" Now I have this visual of Kennedy and Khrushchev in Vienna banging their fists on their open palms stuck in my head.

Will and Darice had been renting a house for a little over a year since moving to Georgia. They bought the house they have now back in November and completed moving in by Christmas. With Pauline's passing away we are just now getting to see their new house. It is a beautiful home with a pool in the back and situated in a rural area. We really enjoyed their pool! Even without the pool I think this is my favorite of all the houses they've lived in.

One of the goals for this visit was to scan family pictures and documents we found in Pauline's house. We started with the love letters from when Pauline and Jessie dated. They dated, mostly by mail, for five months before getting married in November 1963. Jessie was working for GM near Chicago and Pauline lived in Camden. They met when Jessie came home to Camden to visit family. There were over 100 letters exchanged between them during this time and we have them scanned now. We're planning to put these into a book so all the grandchildren can have a copy when they are old enough. There's also a cassette tape from about 1972 of Pauline and Jessie telling about when they first met. We're thinking we will transcribe that for the introduction.

On Saturday (June 19) we went to the Mall of Georgia to see Toy Story 3 (in 2D). This is a cute film and a great sequel to the first two movies. Even with Andy going off to college I wonder if there will be a Toy Story 4. While at the mall we also saw an iPad. This is a really cool device and I can see why Apple has sold 3 million units in only 80 days. Impressed as I may be, I don't want one. Sunday we stayed at home with the exception of going to church (http://www.st-annas.com/).

We drove over to Lake Hartwell on the Georgia-South Carolina border on Monday. We rented a pontoon boat for an afternoon of fun. We also bought a Zip Ski (a large, one person inner tube) to tow behind the boat. We enjoyed riding in the boat, being pulled in the Zip Ski, swimming in the lake, and having a picnic lunch on the boat. The only bad thing about the whole day is that I can no longer say the General Jackson is the smallest boat I've ever driven.

Tuesday we got up early and drove to Ormond Beach for the second half of our vacation. We stayed off the interstate for the majority of this leg of the trip and drove on state highways through rural Georgia to Jacksonville. It was a pleasant drive, though I'm not sure I want to travel the route again. With that I'll stop and save the rest of the vacation for the next edition.

Joe

The Not So Lazy Days of Summer

While it’s technically not summer just yet it sure feels like it. It has been hot! Vicki was telling me she heard on the news our temps have been 15° above average for June.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Sixteen years ago today was another warm day. I remember parts of it well as it was the day Vicki and I got married. Actually, I remember most of the day very well -- I was just so nervous I can’t remember the ceremony. In all those years I’ve never had reason to say to Vicki, “Find that tape and prove to me we got married.” She is a wonderful partner to share life with.

I know where I want to take Vicki to celebrate our anniversary, but it’s going to have to wait until next month as there are too many things on the calendar at present.

SWIMMING/TWILIGHT CAMP UPDATE. Last week I mentioned the kids were all taking swimming lessons from Morgan and the boys had Cub Scout camp. It was a good but tiring week for all of us. The kids slept well every night.

Morgan is a very good swim instructor. Saturday afternoon the kids and I went over to swim with the Totten boys and I could tell a big improvement in all three. Jenna’s and Ben’s swimming skills were good from previous experience, but I could tell she helped them get better. Nate, on the other hand, was a big improvement. I definitely don’t feel like I need to hover around him any more. That’s not to say I’ve thrown caution to the wind, but it’s a nice thing when you know your kids can take care of themselves in the water.

The boys also had a good time at camp. We dropped the boys off and ran errands Monday through Thursday evenings, but Jenna and I stayed for camp Friday evening. I was very impressed with the activities they had lined up. At the end each boy got a paper to give to their den leader telling what they accomplished at camp toward their next badge. Ben and Nate have both picked up a few belt loops and are on their way toward other things a Webelo and a Wolf need to do. They also had a lot of fun along the way.

TAXI SERVICE. Aunt Mar has a standing appointment to have her hair done every Friday. Over the last few months Vicki has begun to go with Mom and Aunt Mar for this appointment to lend a hand. Now that the kids are out of school Aunt Mar has a full escort service. I even met them at Shoney’s for lunch last week.

WORK IS NEVER DONE. This year it has not worked out for me to be off much during the summer. Vicki has also needed to put a lot of time in at work now to get ready for taking a group of kids to camp and then put on VBS -- both events are next month.

Joe

The First Week of Summer Break

In some ways I feel sorry for my kids. When I was a kid our summer break lasted three months. My kids get eight weeks, and one of those precious weeks is already gone.

HOLIDAY WORLD. As I mentioned last time, Wednesday, May 26, was the last day of classes. Vicki surprised the kids the next day and took them to Holiday World (see www.holidayworld.com/). They put on swimsuits and loaded up in the van for a day trip of amusement park bliss. They came back telling that they rode every water ride in the park. The Wildebeest, dubbed the longest water coaster in the world, sure made an impression on all the kids. I think they ignored all the roller coasters. It was a great way to start the summer.

REUNION. I did not go to Holiday World with them as I was in Wichita, Kansas, attending another 73rd Bomb Wing reunion. I flew out there Wednesday (May 26) and came back late Saturday. I had a great time seeing old friends again this year. One of the highlights of spending time with people is sharing a meal and talking with them. I will always remember the meals I shared with the Agees, the Bartholds, Paul Linden, and Bob Stangland. Mr. Stangland was the only member of Dad’s crew present this year.

We went on a tour of the McConnell Air Force Base this year. While there we got a chance to crawl around in a KC-135 and meet some of the crew. They allowed us complete access to the plane so I went everywhere from the pilot’s seat in the cockpit to the boomer’s position in the tail. (The KC-135 is a tanker for inflight refueling. The boomer is the one who operates the refueling boom that drops down from the rear of the plane.)

After lunch we got to tour a B-29 named Doc. Doc is being restored by a private group there on the base. Touring Doc was very special for me because this was the first time tail section was open on any Superfortress I’ve had the opportunity to crawl inside. (The engines had been removed so the cockpit was filled with weights to keep the nose wheel on the ground.) For the first time in my life I got to climb in the rear door and sit in my dad’s position as right gunner.

It was still a bit hard to visualize what it was like in the plane during the war as practically all the equipment has been stripped out. For example, there were no seats or gunsights at any of the gunner’s positions. Even with the plane fairly empty it was cramped quarters. I even crawled back to the tail gunner’s position. It was tight for me to get in there. I can’t imagine how men like Mr. Stathas did it in flight squeezing between ammo cans and such with oxygen bottle in hand and a flack jacket and parachute on.

I’m really looking forward to next year’s reunion. If everything works out I will be commuting to Nashville!

MORE CLEANING OUT. The Jones family took advantage of the Memorial Day weekend and came up here for a final clean out of Pauline’s house. This time they rented a trailer and took things back with them they wanted to keep. All that’s left now are things Vicki wants to keep and some furniture to be sold.

THE END OF BASEBALL. Ben played his last baseball game of the year Saturday. I think he enjoyed it in spite of the fact they didn’t have a winning season (actually, we saw the five run mercy rule, which Nate called the mercury rule, used a lot to keep our opponents from running up the score). He did really well for his first year. What made us proud was that he ended the season with a couple of singles. Going in to this final week Ben only got the bat on the ball once, just barely tipping it for a foul ball. He did get to walk several times and got practice stealing bases. Once he even stole home but the batter didn’t step out of the box so the umpire didn’t allow the run to count.

Thursday night Ben hit his first single. It was a grounder to center field. I think he was on second when their team got their third out for the inning. On Saturday Ben hit another single. This time it was a grounder to right field. He eventually stole his way to second and third and scored a run when another batter walked with the bases loaded. A respectable way to end a first season of baseball.

A BUSY WEEK. The kids have a full slate of activities on schedule for this week. Morgan is giving swimming lessons this summer. The boys are signed up for 45 minute lessons with her every morning and Jenna will follow them with 20 minute diving lessons. The boys also have Cub Scout camp this week. We signed them up for a different camp this year. This camp is in the evenings (5:00-9:00) at Moss Wright Park in Goodlettsville.

Joe

Catching Up

I’ve hardly reported anything about us these last couple of weeks so it is time to catch up. May has been a month of extremes. We started with record breaking rains. Then it got cool enough we needed to turn the heat on at night. This week has been hot. I think we may have even set a record. It makes me wonder what this summer holds.

AGRICULTURAL ENDEAVORS. Last spring I planted strawberries in our garden spot. They did really well this year and would have lasted longer had we gotten a little less rain. Vicki and the kids really enjoyed them. My garden is now confined to eight large pots (tomotos and squash). Weeding it will be easy!

WINDING UP THE SCHOOL YEAR. It’s hard to believe the school year comes to a close this week. Ben is tickled there are no more spelling words! Many classes are getting field trips in now. Jenna got to go on a Jr. Beta trip to Holiday World last Friday. She said they got soaking wet on all the rides. The boys have had trips as well. The kids are enjoying Field Day at school this week.

ADVANCEMENT. The boys have been active in Cub Scouts this year. Nate was awarded his Tiger patch at last month’s pack meeting so he’s moving on to be a Wolf now. Ben earned his Bear patch at Monday night’s pack meeting so now he’s a Webelow. I think they’ve enjoyed Scouts this year. They’re signed up for a Cub Scout twilight camp in a couple of weeks and they’re looking forward to it.

RESIDENT ARTIST. A retired gentleman in our community, Gordon Killebrew, spent some free this past winter in his shop making birdhouses from scrap lumber. He made dozens of birdhouses. He stopped by Aunt Mar’s and put one up in her back yard. There are a pair of blue birds nesting there and Aunt Mar has enjoyed watching them from her den.

Mr. Killebrew took most of his birdhouses to school and gave them to all the third graders. The students were told to paint them and the best looking ones would be hung up at Kilgore Park. Ben painted his birdhouse all by himself (I showed him how to spray on the base coat of paint). One side has a flower in the sun. The other shows a bird singing from a tree branch. The front reads, “Home Tweet Home.” I think he did a great job with it in spite of the fact it wasn’t chosen for the park. That’s okay, we’ve got plenty of trees for it here.

YEARBOOKS. It’s that time of the school year when the school yearbook comes out. Of course, a big part of this is getting all your friends to sign your annual. Jenna’s friend, Mackenzie, has a crush on a boy at their school, but since she is a bit shy she asked Jenna to take her yearbook to the boy for him to sign for her. Jenna, being the good friend that she is, did this favor for Mackenzie.

A few moments later Mackenzie decided Jenna needed the boy’s signature and told her she needed to take her own yearbook to the boy for him to sign. Jenna, being the dutiful friend that she is, did this too. The funny thing was that the first time the boy simply assumed Jenna was Mackenzie so when Jenna returned he looked at the name on the cover of the book and inquired, “Who’s Jenna?” Without missing a beat Jenna gave a flick of her hand in Mackenzie’s general direction and replied, “Oh, she’s that girl over there.”

SHENANIGANS. Life is no fun if you don’t bring a little mischief to it every now and then. I will always remember the day Leslie Hancock came into our office (Jeff Crawford and I put him up to this) and began messing with Melinda by telling her he was from Alabama and had taken a cab to Springfield to pay a traffic ticket. Within twenty minutes he had cooked up this wild tale of who he was and what he was doing I was doubled over laughing. Melinda was about ready to call the police on the crazy man before we told her he is my cousin.

Aunt Helen (and Lynn) also got a last laugh on Bro. Bill. As I wrote a few weeks ago, Aunt Helen passed away on Thursday, April 29. Her funeral was that Monday, but we couldn’t bury her until the next Thursday (May 6) due to all the rain. The rest is best told by Bro. Bill himself (quoted from his blog at http://crossplainspeaking.blogspot.com/ -- keep in mind the funeral service was held at church).

It was probably predictable that even her funeral would have to negotiate some opposing circumstances. The excessive rains would make it nearly impossible to bury the remains on Monday. So the decision was to wait until later in the week. No doubt, Mrs. Helen would have gotten a chuckle out of it. She had a great sense of humor. We all loved that about her.

So on Sunday evening at the funeral home, Cindy and I stood with her family remembering the good times. Lynn, her son, greeted everyone with love and care. Without blinking an eye, he began to tell me what I already knew about his mother’s commitment to our church and her love for me—her pastor and friend.

“Bro. Bill, you know over the last ten years my mother hasn’t been able to be at church the way she wanted. She’s missed being in the new sanctuary and taking part in all that’s been going on. You know too how much she loved you.” I nodded with appropriate pastoral sensitivity and humility. Lynn continued, “We have decided that instead of transporting her body back to the funeral home, we will just wheel her into your office and leave her there until later in the week. We believe that’s what she would want.”

I stood there, in pastoral pose, calm and collected. After all, I am a seminary graduate and beyond that, I have been sharpening certain pastoral skills for quite a few years now. I even have the grey hair to prove it! All the while my mind was racing, “Are you kidding me?... I guess I can do that… Sure I can...I think I can manage that for a few days… Is that even legal?”

“Sure,” I responded. “That will be perfectly alright. I know how much Mrs. Helen loved Mt. Carmel. And I loved her.” No sooner than I had choked up these words, Lynn began to laugh. He got me! And Mrs. Helen, I’m sure, loved every bit of it!

I'm sure she did.

Joe

A Hard Goodbye

Friday, after picking the boys up from Mom and Aunt Mar’s (Jenna was away on a Jr. Beta trip), we stopped by church to see Vicki for a moment. When we got there Ben asked if he could go out to the cemetery alone. It is heartbreaking to know that your nine year old son is going out to the graveyard to visit one of his best friends.

Ben is like me in that he is extremely private with his feelings, sometimes to the point of seeming flippant in times like this. In this post, I want to write about Ethan’s funeral and particularly how Ben has handled it.

Last week I said that Ben was probably handling Ethan’s death better than the rest of us. Well, it took a couple of days for this to really hit him. By Wednesday morning he had an upset stomach and was late to school. This happened again Thursday morning.

These two mornings afforded Vicki and Ben some time where they could talk about Ethan. Many of the things they talked about Vicki has shared with me. I will respect my son’s privacy here and only say that he has been working through some very deep emotions.

When we went to Ethan’s visitation at church Wednesday night Ben had to stop and sit down as soon as he walked in the door of the sanctuary. We sat with him on the back row and watched pictures for about 20 minutes until he was ready to go meet the family. I will say Farris, Robin, and Lanna did very well throughout the whole funeral process. When it came Ben’s turn to express his condolences Robin, Ethan’s mom, and Ben hugged for 20-30 seconds -- something that is highly uncharacteristic of my son. After taking some time to view Ethan’s body Ben left the room.

Later, as the time for visiting was coming to an end, Ben wanted to go look at Ethan again. At first there were several people around the casket so he had a hard time seeing. After a moment he gave up and sat by me. We talked some and then he went to sit hidden from view behind some flowers. This was when Sherry Parker was a fairy godmother to my son (more on this in the next paragraph). When some of the people moved away from the casket Ben went to look at his friend. Then he did something I have never been able to do -- he reached out and placed his hand on Ethan’s shoulder.

Thursday morning Ben wrote Ethan a letter. Sherry Parker suggested to Ben that he do this. Sherry has been Ethan’s author on his CaringBridge website (see http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/bibb). She is also known as his Fairy Godmother and has been a special source of strength for the Bibb family. As I mentioned above, Sherry spent some time with Ben behind the flowers at the visitation Wednesday night and it was then that she suggested he write Ethan a letter. Ben spent about 20 minutes on his letter. No one but Ben knows what he wrote. He placed it in Ethan’s casket before the funeral. I think her suggestion helped Ben have some closure because after writing the letter Ben told Vicki he wouldn’t need to be late for school any more.

The funeral service on Thursday evening was beautiful. Ben did very well. Our sanctuary, which seats around 800, was as full as it has ever been. Among those who sang were Marilyn Kahn, a close friend of the Bibbs and Ethan’s third grade teacher. I’ve never heard her sound better. Emma Shultz, a friend and schoolmate of Ethan’s, also sang and did an outstanding job. (It was said that Ethan had a crush on Emma.) Bro. Bill spoke. He is so gifted in finding the right things to say when people need comfort. Sherry Parker also spoke and read a story she wrote for Ethan (with his input) about a rainbow which was Ethan’s magical place to escape to when he was in pain. The person who spoke that I will remember the most was Farris, Ethan’s dad.

Thursday was a wet, messy day. I heard it said the sky was crying for Ethan. We had a break in the rain when it was time for the graveside service. A large number of people slogged out to the cemetery. After Bro. Bill offered some final words a Marine presented Robin with a Christian flag. Then Lesley McDaniel (see http://www.lesleymcdaniel.com/) sang “It Is Well” a cappella (his voice echoed beautifully off the trees beside the cemetery). When it was over many people reported seeing a rainbow as they were driving home.

Joe

The Battle Is Over

Ethan Bibb ended his long, hard battle with cancer yesterday afternoon. I feel like our community has been holding it’s collective breath waiting for that terrible news. The latest updates on Ethan have been heart breaking (see http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/bibb). The results of the MRIs taken this year have not been what anyone was hoping for. In the last few weeks they've had to discontinue treatments as Ethan's counts were too low.

Ethan had actually gotten quite a bit stronger with the chemo out of his system. He has been able to do a lot of things he hasn't had the strength to do in quite a while. He had a wonderful day at a Titans football practice with his own locker right next to Vince Young's locker.

Last weekend Ethan got sick. A trip to the hospital revealed pneumonia. He was simply too weak to fight it. If a family ever needed prayers it is the Bibb family right now.

A few weeks ago Ben was invited to spend a Friday afternoon with Ethan. Vicki took Ben over right after school and they had several wonderful hours together. Ethan was feeling well enough to talk, play the Wii, and ride a four-wheeler. Later that evening Ben tagged along to a church benefit for Ethan. Ethan even sang a couple of karaoke songs (Ben was too shy for that).

I’m glad Ethan and Ben had that time together a few weeks ago. They had not gotten to see each other much in the 14 months since Ethan’s diagnosis. So far Ben has done very well with this news. I think he is a lot like me in that he does not wear emotions like this on his sleeve. He’s also heard us be thankful recently that both Grandma Jones and Aunt Helen are no longer suffering but are completely healed and living in God’s presence. Ben knows the same is true for Ethan and is probably handling things better than the rest of us. Praise God we have a Savior who has conquered death for us so we can have that comfort in a time of loss.

Again, please keep the Bibb family in your prayers.

Joe

The Flood of '10

It was pretty all last week. Then rain moved in Saturday. We knew this one would be big. By Sunday, May 2, meteorologists were saying this was the wettest May on record. They were also saying we got the highest rainfall since records have been kept. This weather event has interrupted the lives of thousands of people for months to come. The pictures on TV have truly (and hopefully) been once in a lifetime images. This event preempted all regular programming for the weekend. We have gotten 12-18 inches of rain in this area. To put this in perspective, that’s at least 25% of our average annual rainfall in a 48 hour period.

THE EFFECTS OF FLOODING. I don’t want to ignore the damage to residential areas where people lost everything, but there is simply too much to describe. Besides, I’m sure videos on YouTube do a much better job of showing that anyway, but to touch on a few major landmarks: a section of I-24 near Hickory Hollow Mall has been closed because it was under water (there were pictures of a portable from a nearby school floating down the interstate) and many businesses in the area submerged, LP Field where the Titans play is underwater, the new Schermerhorn Symphony Center has experienced considerable damage, there’s water covering the ice where the Predators play hockey, Opryland Hotel and Opry Mills Mall have been flooded and will be months reopening. The saddest part are the 19 reported deaths in Tennessee.

Robertson County really dodged the bullet on this one compared to other areas of Middle Tennessee. For one thing we sit on high ground here atop the Highland Rim where Nashville, Antioch, Lebanon, Franklin, etc., are all down in the Central Basin which makes up the valley surrounding the Cumberland River. We’ve had our flooding and road closures, but nothing in comparison with other areas. I know our fairgrounds are a wreck and Highway 49 between Springfield and Coopertown has been closed as well as many back roads that cross rivers. Customers of the White House Utility District (this includes us) were asked to conserve water yesterday while crews repaired a series of water main leaks. Schools were closed yesterday and again today due to these problems.

IN OTHER NEWS... East Robertson High School is a cool school! We always knew that, but ERHS was featured Friday as Channel 4’s Cool School. Each Friday they feature a cool school during the morning newscast (before the Today show airs). Students who wanted to be part of this broadcast had to be at school by 4:30 that morning (so much for sleep) and they were allowed to leave at 11:30. Jenna went but was not on any of the featured segments on TV. Her school day consisted of one huge pep rally/party while the news crew was there. Since the day was a wash educationally they also got their yearbooks.

BOOKS, THE OTHER CHANNEL. Benton has become a reader. I never would have predicted this -- not even as recently as Christmas. This spring he has become more and more interested in reading a good story and it is not uncommon to see him holed up somewhere with a book. In just the last few weeks Ben has come from behind to have the most Accelerated Reader points in his class.

I had to laugh yesterday when I saw him reading in his room. He had taken their Buzz Lightyear play tent and blocked off a corner of his and Nate’s bedroom and hung a sign on the tent that read “Quiet Place.” When I looked over the tent he was sprawled out on a beanbag with his book.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE HOOVED KIND. We are so used to walking between our house and Pauline’s house at night we think nothing of going without a flashlight. One recent night I went over there for something and thought I saw a large object about 50 feet out in the wheat field beside my path. Since there was no moon I almost dismissed it as my eyes playing tricks on me, but on the return trip I noticed the object wasn’t there. A few nights later Vicki was walking the same path when she heard something running toward her. Turns out a deer ran across her path about twenty feet in front of her. Now I know my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me.

AUNT HELEN’S FIGHT IS OVER. We got word Thursday night that Aunt Helen passed away. Since Uncle Paul’s death a little over three years ago she had been the last of my father’s siblings left.

The last decade has not been kind to Aunt Helen. Uncle Biddie had been sick and died in 2000. Then Aunt Ruth’s health began to fail and Aunt Helen began to take care of her. In the middle of this, and a few weeks after Ben’s first birthday, Aunt Helen had to have a knee replacement. In early 2002 a staph infection set in and this began a long, slow decline of her health. She was in and out of the hospital a lot back then and some time around 2005 she was no longer able to live at home. Recently Aunt Helen got another nasty infection and she simply wasn’t strong enough to fight it off.

Aunt Helen was always a cut up. She had something going on all the time. If she didn’t make you laugh there was something wrong with you. The thing I admire most about Aunt Helen is that in spite of all the illness she lived through she did her very best to keep a positive attitude and find the joy in life. I don’t think I have the emotional grit to do that if I were in her shoes.

I always liked to go to Aunt Helen’s house because she was so fun. Mom worked at Hancocks Loosefloor when I was in elementary school. When we were out for snow Aunt Helen would be one of the people Mom would ask to keep me for the day. One day I noticed two new pictures in her den. One was of half a barn, cut off on the left, and the other was half a barn, cut off on the right. I told Aunt Helen I thought those were the same barn. She said she didn’t know, but had bought them because she liked them. The next snow day I took my drawing pad to Aunt Helens and we both sat at the kitchen table and sketched those two pictures. I took care to measure my sketches from the original and when I put the two papers together the halves of the barn did match. My complete barn hangs over my computer. Every time I look at it I think about those warm, nurturing, fun times I had with Aunt Helen.

Another time when we had a snow day Aunt Helen went out to get the mail and I locked her out of the house. I stood at the back door and laughed at her for a minute or two before letting her in. She enjoyed me doing that and we laughed about it many times over the years. I fully expect her to shut the gates of Heaven when I get there and laugh at me from inside before letting me in.

Joe