We’ve graduated the class of 2017 and sent the rest of the students home for the summer. Ben was bored within hours of his last class, pacing the floor, wondering what to do with himself. Anyone need to hire a teenage boy?
I supposed Kenny could put him and Nate to work. We had a storm with high winds blow through yesterday afternoon. When it was all over they discovered one tree had fallen across their driveway out to the road and another had blown down across the driveway from their house to Mrs. Connie’s house. They couldn’t go out either exit. Too bad he doesn’t heat with firewood any more. He’ll have plenty.
UPDATE ON MOM
Mom has continued to do well over the last few weeks. She made it back to church last Sunday and again today as well as last Wednesday evening. She’s also made it to Mrs. Jean’s for her hair appointment the last two weeks so life is returning to normal for her a bit.
WASHINGTON, DC
I really should have written this up last time, but I didn’t. Nate, along with the vast majority of the eighth grade at school, went on a school trip to Washington, DC. They flew out from Nashville early on Wednesday, April 26, and returned late that Friday.
They flew in and out of Baltimore so the first day of the trip they visited the Naval Academy and took in a baseball game where the Orioles defeated Tampa Bay 5-4. Thursday they went to DC where they visited all the major monuments, Arlington, and other historic sites. Nate caught up with Andrew Swann who is a junior at George Washington University at some point on this day. Friday they went back to DC to see more sites and visit the Smithsonian before heading back to the airport and home.
I had a marvelous opportunity to see a lot of our nation’s capital when I was a summer missionary there in 1989, but if you are going to make a quick trip I think a class trip like this would be a lot of fun. I’m glad Nate got the chance to go.
A VISIT TO VIRGINIA
Vicki and Jenna made a weekend trip to see the Jones family right after I wrote last. They left home on Friday, May 5, and came back that Tuesday.
Vicki and Jenna wound up helping the Jones family move. You see, the apartment they have been renting while their house is under construction is a basement level unit. The upstairs neighbors are a family with several small children. So when a neighboring, upstairs unit became available they jumped at the chance to get out from under all the noise. To be fair, Vicki and Jenna had a heads up with the chance to back out before their visit. But hey, that’s what family is for.
Vicki did say that even though the driving distance to Waynesboro is about 200 miles farther than Athens, she’d rather drive to Virginia than deal with all the traffic in Chattanooga and Atlanta. I remember that whole trip through East Tennessee and up the Shenandoah Valley is very scenic and I’m looking forward to driving it again.
ROLLER COASTER FUN
Vicki and the kids used to make a trip to a nearby amusement park each year after school was out, and they decided to do it again this year. This time they went to King’s Island in Cincinnati. Their original intentions were to leave super early last Thursday, but when they saw the forecast was for storms there they left around 9:30. They had hoped to get a little time in the park that evening, but the storms were lingering in the area so they ate out and took in a movie and went to their hotel. Friday turned out to be a beautiful day and they enjoyed their time riding the rides. They still have one day on their passes that can be used anytime in the next six months so they’ll probably do the water park when they return.
So it seems everyone has gotten to go somewhere except me. This is fine. I’ve been to DC, my time to visit Virginia will come, and I’m not a big roller coaster rider. It was nice to have a little quiet around the house and get a few things done.
Joe
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Thursday, May 4, 2017
May The Fourth Be With You
I generally don’t mind a rainy day. Some of my favorite memories from
childhood involve a rainy day. However, enough is enough! Rain, rain, go
away. Come again some other day.
BACK PAIN
Last time I wrote I mentioned that Mom was experiencing some back pain. Well, we had no idea what lay ahead for her. She didn’t go to church the next day and her pain continued to get worse each day. By that Tuesday (the 25th) Vicki and I knew something had to be done.
Sadly, one of Mom’s high school classmates, Mrs. Peggy Fletcher, passed away on March 25. Mrs. Peggy’s health had really deteriorated the last couple of years and her family had found an excellent person as a live-in aide. Vicki and I contacted Ms. Linda and she’s been staying with Mom since Wednesday of last week (the 26th).
At any rate, we’ve had to really step up Mom’s pain medication. She’s had an MRI that revealed a crushed L1 vertebrae and will see a specialist later this week to see if she is a candidate for any sort of treatment beyond pain management.
Whatever lies ahead, we are so happy to have Ms. Linda helping Mom out.
EYE SURGERY
Several years ago I discovered that I have glaucoma. I am currently taking two eye drops to keep my eye pressure down, yet my eyes haven’t completely cooperated. When I was in for my last checkup the doctor laid out some additional treatment options. One was an outpatient procedure, laser trabeculoplasty, where tiny holes are burned in my eye to help bleed off the pressure. My right eye was done last Thursday.
When I went back for a post op check Tuesday my eye pressure was down, but still not where my doctor would like for it to be. Hopefully, after a few weeks of adjustment, the story will be better.
THE FRESHMAN YEAR IS OVER!
Jenna took her last exam yesterday, and with that, finished up her freshman year. As good of a year as it has been, I think she is glad to have everything behind her and a little time off. She is going to take one course online this summer as well as work at Historic Perk and help coordinate the summer mission trip to Haiti. She’s going to be one busy girl!
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Forty years ago this month Star Wars premiered and science fiction became cool—at least it seemed for the kids at my school. No one at my school seemed the slightest bit interested when I mentioned any of the science fiction shows I liked to watch on TV so I felt all alone in my interest. But everyone was into Star Wars! Who wouldn’t be? You’ve got blasters, light sabers, cool ships, and an array of aliens and droids. It was so easy to have light saber fights with tobacco sticks.
I remember me, Mom, and Aunt Mar piling into the car and going to the other side of Nashville to see the movie as none of the theaters on our side of town had it yet. As I recall it wasn’t widely released because the initial prediction was that the film wouldn’t do well, but as the summer wore on the movie listings in the paper would say, “Held over (X) weeks!” as we watched the flick become a cultural icon. And now we are awaiting the release of the ninth film in the franchise in December, not to mention all the other Star Wars related media, games, toys, etc. that pervade our culture. It’s hard for the ten year old boy inside of me to believe it’s been forty years since Luke used the Force to blow up the Death Star.
TREND SETTERS
So back in January or February Ben ordered a fidget spinner for Nate for his birthday. It’s a little toy with a ball bearing in the center of three arms (some models have only two). To play with it, you hold the bearing between your thumb and finger and give it a spin. There’s plenty of pictures and videos online if my description isn’t adequate.
To get to the point, I had never seen one of these before, now half the kids at school are playing with fidget spinners. They started appearing after Nate took his to school. I’m sure the fad would have caught on one way or another, but at DA Nate was the trendsetter for this one.
Joe
BACK PAIN
Last time I wrote I mentioned that Mom was experiencing some back pain. Well, we had no idea what lay ahead for her. She didn’t go to church the next day and her pain continued to get worse each day. By that Tuesday (the 25th) Vicki and I knew something had to be done.
Sadly, one of Mom’s high school classmates, Mrs. Peggy Fletcher, passed away on March 25. Mrs. Peggy’s health had really deteriorated the last couple of years and her family had found an excellent person as a live-in aide. Vicki and I contacted Ms. Linda and she’s been staying with Mom since Wednesday of last week (the 26th).
At any rate, we’ve had to really step up Mom’s pain medication. She’s had an MRI that revealed a crushed L1 vertebrae and will see a specialist later this week to see if she is a candidate for any sort of treatment beyond pain management.
Whatever lies ahead, we are so happy to have Ms. Linda helping Mom out.
EYE SURGERY
Several years ago I discovered that I have glaucoma. I am currently taking two eye drops to keep my eye pressure down, yet my eyes haven’t completely cooperated. When I was in for my last checkup the doctor laid out some additional treatment options. One was an outpatient procedure, laser trabeculoplasty, where tiny holes are burned in my eye to help bleed off the pressure. My right eye was done last Thursday.
When I went back for a post op check Tuesday my eye pressure was down, but still not where my doctor would like for it to be. Hopefully, after a few weeks of adjustment, the story will be better.
THE FRESHMAN YEAR IS OVER!
Jenna took her last exam yesterday, and with that, finished up her freshman year. As good of a year as it has been, I think she is glad to have everything behind her and a little time off. She is going to take one course online this summer as well as work at Historic Perk and help coordinate the summer mission trip to Haiti. She’s going to be one busy girl!
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Forty years ago this month Star Wars premiered and science fiction became cool—at least it seemed for the kids at my school. No one at my school seemed the slightest bit interested when I mentioned any of the science fiction shows I liked to watch on TV so I felt all alone in my interest. But everyone was into Star Wars! Who wouldn’t be? You’ve got blasters, light sabers, cool ships, and an array of aliens and droids. It was so easy to have light saber fights with tobacco sticks.
I remember me, Mom, and Aunt Mar piling into the car and going to the other side of Nashville to see the movie as none of the theaters on our side of town had it yet. As I recall it wasn’t widely released because the initial prediction was that the film wouldn’t do well, but as the summer wore on the movie listings in the paper would say, “Held over (X) weeks!” as we watched the flick become a cultural icon. And now we are awaiting the release of the ninth film in the franchise in December, not to mention all the other Star Wars related media, games, toys, etc. that pervade our culture. It’s hard for the ten year old boy inside of me to believe it’s been forty years since Luke used the Force to blow up the Death Star.
TREND SETTERS
So back in January or February Ben ordered a fidget spinner for Nate for his birthday. It’s a little toy with a ball bearing in the center of three arms (some models have only two). To play with it, you hold the bearing between your thumb and finger and give it a spin. There’s plenty of pictures and videos online if my description isn’t adequate.
To get to the point, I had never seen one of these before, now half the kids at school are playing with fidget spinners. They started appearing after Nate took his to school. I’m sure the fad would have caught on one way or another, but at DA Nate was the trendsetter for this one.
Joe
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