The events of this week, watching the story of the damage in the wake of the hurricane unfold on TV makes this edition hard for me to write. For us Katrina was a tropical depression when it blew through Tennessee. We got four to five inches of desperately needed rain (and I was still able to drive across the yard in the truck within 48 hours). It was windy but I only had a few armloads of tree limbs to pick up.
I wish I could be happy about the rain we got but the scenes on TV take all that away. In some ways it is like seeing 9-11 all over again. It is so hard to comprehend the scope of the devastation. I wish I could reach through the TV screen and help those in such dire circumstances. I even have feelings of survivor's guilt knowing my life goes on when so many people won't know normal for months to come. While I cling to my belief that I worship a God who cares for all people that faith has been put to a test in some ways this week.
So, I sit at the keyboard with a renewed appreciation for the blessings I have this week and an understanding that my problems are very minor inconveniences. Hopefully, some of the stories I share won't seem trivial or out of place. I am thankful to God for having the people these stories are about in my life.
HURRICANE VICTIMS. I mentioned Darice's mom and step dad in their evacuation from Long Beach last week. Joe and Earline returned to their home this week. Last we heard they have been able to get one cell phone call out since entering Mississippi and we have learned that they were very fortunate. Their house only received minor damage. Joe is a pharmacist and the bad news for him is that the pharmacy he works for is gone. We are just thankful that they are safe and have a home to live in.
One couple at church, Bill and Diane Harris, has a daughter who lives with her husband in Gulfport, Mississippi. They had been on a trip and arrived home Saturday night. They were so tired they never turned on the news. Diane finally reached them Sunday morning and convinced them that they were in danger. They packed a few pair of shorts and shirts and arrived in Cross Plains late that night. Their vehicle and the clothes they brought are all they own now.
MAKING A DECISION. For Mom, the decision about going ahead with the knee replacement surgery as her doctor has recommended has been a hard one. She went back to the doctor on Thursday for more information about the surgery and decided to go ahead with it. It will be set for some time in October.
OUR SHOWMAN. This is one of those things about Nate I want to remember when I'm 80. He is at that point where he is trying so many new things. Whenever he accomplishes something he is quick to celebrate. For example, the other day he was trying to climb up on our bed and was having a particularly hard time. When he finally made he stood up with a big smile on his face, held up his hands and said, "Ta-da!"
Nate is also a little booger. Normally, when I am putting dishes in the dishwasher he loves to come up and push the racks back in and close the door each time I turn to the sink to get another handful of dishes. It has taken a while but I have just about broke him of that. The other day he came up and was playing with the lower rack when I was loading dishes. Since he did not close the door I wasn't paying much attention. I wish I had. When I went to push the lower rack back into the dishwasher I found he had removed all of the wheels and thrown them to the back corner of the appliance.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS. Our old, decrepit pear tree that is outside the kitchen window has produced another bumper crop this year. One afternoon the kids and I went out to pick up pears so we wouldn't have a big mess when we mowed the yard. Ben and Nate love being outside. Jenna does not. The boys don't care if there are bugs (except for bees). They don't care if they are hot and sweaty. They didn't even mind picking up the rotten pears too much. But Jenna, who normally doesn't complain about much, was one miserable little girl. I hope she doesn't marry a farmer.
DOUBLE DUTCH. We put the kids to bed around 8:30 this past Friday night. On nights when there is no school Jenna likes to stay up about 30 minutes and read, which she did on this particular night. About an hour and a half later Vicki was still up watching the news when she heard a soft thumping sound. She got up to investigate and the noise stopped. Calling to Jenna she asked, "Jenna, what are you doing?"
A guilty, "Nothing," came as a reply.
Knowing something was afoot Vicki's interrogation continued, "Jenna, have you been jumping rope?"
Sheepishly, Jenna confessed, "Well, I was reading and then I jumped rope just a little."
Lord help us when it's time to move the boys up there.
A KENNYISM. First, some background for those of you who who aren't really connected with our community. My cousin Kenny is one of those people who can cut up with just about anyone and get them to smile. He is devious as anyone who has been on the receiving end of an April Fool's Day joke can tell you (for example, one year he had Katie Henry running around her front yard, in her night gown, looking for a herd of deer). One of his current missions in life is to teach my boys how to pee outdoors (so they don't grow up to be city folk).
Kenny and Lori have converted an old tobacco barn behind their house to a guest house/pool house/office and have a wonderful place to host parties. On one occasion a woman who was there visiting went to use the bathroom. Before flushing she happened to look in the toilet bowl and there was a frog looking back up at her. Somewhat distressed she came out asking what she should do about the misplaced amphibian. Never at a loss for a quick answer Kenny recommended she should visit her gynecologist!
A DAY OUT WITH THOMAS. Thomas the Tank Engine is currently in Nashville and we went to see him on Saturday. This is definitely a little boy event. There were all kinds of activities: large inflatable play equipment, temporary tattoos, a model railroad, a gift $hop, etc. Of course, the highlight of the day was being "pulled" by Thomas on a 30 minute excursion.
The bad thing about the train trip is that railroad tracks generally don't go through the nicest sections of a city. What made it fun for us was striking up a conversation with the gentleman who was the conductor for our car. He was an older fellow who had seen better days (picture a man with a stooped back, ill fitting uniform and unsteady walk) but wore the smile of one still enjoying life. When we first sat down he was relaxing, actually collapsed, in the seat across the aisle with his feet up in the opposing seat (we were the eighth and last trip of the day so he had a right to be tired). We asked if we could snap a picture. With a twinkle in his eye he said it was okay with him "as long as we don't show the front office." After punching tickets (we held our breath for him through this) he came back and pointed out things like, the scrapped airplane in the junk yard, Jackie Gleason's private passenger car, and the creek where a homeless man was bathing when Thomas was in Nashville last year. It seems that this homeless man kept standing up, in the buff, and waving to all the kids as the trains went by (until the police came and arrested him)!
Joe
