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Divine Absurdities a daily log of 2016
Posted on 2024-04-24
Divine Absurdities a daily log of 2016
January 1, 2016 –- Received a message from my sister/friend Verona Jackson Imboden with her phone # and a request that we talk so I called her today. Haven't seen or talked to her since the 80s. She wants us to get together for a visit. She lives in Ash Flat, going to have to figure out how to make that happen.
January 2, 2016 – Larry installed our second pellet stove in the living room so hopefully we will have a warm house this winter. It would be nice.
January 3, 2016 – The new stove makes a real difference in our overall comfort. Just a note here about traditions. Black-eyed peas are supposed to be good luck. We eat them every year on New Year's Day. I cooked a whole pound. Not the best idea I ever had. Three days of peas in various guises and we still have plenty left.
January 4, 2016 – It's cold today, well it did get above freezing but not much, and I stayed huddled in the little sitting room. The house is warmer than it has been but I am still cold. I made a beef roast with veggies and gravy for supper, no peas for me today.
January 5, 2016 – Today is the first Tuesday of 2016 that we went to stay with the boys. We have been doing this all school year because Tuesday the paper goes to bed and Gretchen works late. They are growing up fast and before long we will no longer be needed.
January 6, 2016 – Epiphany, the final day of the 12 days of Christmas. Epiphany celebrates the coming of the three wise men and establishes the reality that Jesus was not a mere mortal. As they welcomed the new born baby with presents of great value we understand that they were convinced this was a child who would change the world. It was a stressful day for me as I made the decision to contact the Evans family to tell them their estranged father was dying. I am glad that I did.
January 7, 2016 – It's raining again. This has been a quiet almost peaceful day. We are getting new old neighbors. The Wilsons have moved a manufactured home onto the small acreage between the Fosters and us. Hoping for a continued peaceful existence.
January 8, 2016 – Supposed to have bad weather tomorrow so we decided to run a few errands. Had to pick up my insulin from the pharmacy, get cat food and buy the stuff for Wednesday's meal. Mission accomplished.
January 9, 2016 – This has been a long day. Woke up to foggy, rainy weather. Wendy is here to spend the weekend since Kier and Rosemary are involved in a monthly game day at the library. Someone from the Friends of the Library called to tell Larry they had a large donation of science fiction come in if he was interested. Well of course he was so off we went to see what gems were available. It was still warmish when we got back home but it is dropping like a rock tonight. NWS and Weather Underground are saying that it's going to be in the low 20s over night. Sure hope we don't wake up to a mess tomorrow.
January 10, 2016 – Printed a match the mittens activity for children's church. Kids seemed to enjoy it and even created their own mittens. Gretchen called soon after we got home to tell us that Dennis and Renee Zimmerman had arrived home from church to find their home engulfed in fire. The house is a total loss. How do you cope with that? Come home and realize you've lost everything but the clothes on your back.
January 11, 2016 – Today is my mother's birthday. Seems impossible that she's been gone for seven years. I've written many tales about her practical approach to life and her sense of humor. There's still a few stories left to tell.
January 12, 2016 – The State of the Union address was tonight and the internet has been down most of the evening so I have no idea what's happening out in the world. I don't think of television as a complete source of information like I did when I was younger. I have sincere doubts about all forms of information dissemination but I really hate it when I'm limited to one.
January 13, 2016 – Church tonight was interesting. Kiddos in abundance and Chris aka Uncle Poodle gave the message. He's certainly an inspiration. I have to admit that Wednesdays have been an uplifting experience for me.
January 14, 2016 – Today I turned 66 years old. A year ago I wasn't sure I'd make it. I don't know what the future holds but I'm hoping it's going to be a good run.
January 15, 2016 – Larry was able to get our pellet stove working again so we will have a warm house when the cold front moves in tomorrow. I am thankful that he has so many skills. He builds houses and fixes cars, writes complicated computer programs and tells corny jokes, he writes intricate music scores and teaches five year olds to sing. He is generous and kind and also stubborn and cantankerous. He is often so focused on what he is doing that nothing else matters or he is busy absorbing everything that is going on participating wholeheartedly. He is my complicated, compulsively over-achieving husband and I love him.
January 16, 2016 – Larry had a gig tonight in downtown Jonesboro at the coffee house, One Love People. I was along for the ride. Robin and Jerry met us there. I had a decaffeinated Latte with lots of froth. Not a fan but then I like my coffee strong and with plenty of kick. What can I say? Paul Nunis on bass and Kevin somebody, on trumpet, joined Larry for some jazz standards and a couple of originals.
January 17, 2016 – Internet has been nonexistent this weekend. I edited the articles and chose art for Around The House today. It's due this week and I like to get it turned in by Monday if at all possible. So I gave a CD to Megan with everything on it since that seemed the expedient thing to do. One of these days I will get back to my editorial writing or maybe I won't. I am pretty sure I'm not through with writing though.
January 18, 2016 – Today is Martin Luther King Day. Since school was out Wendy came to spend the day with us. We talked a lot. She certainly is a precocious child. She loves taking over my computer and playing games and doing puzzles. We had a short argument over whether 50 was a larger number than 20. After several minutes of yes it is/no it isn't I finally said to her, “What are you willing to wager that 20 is a larger number than 50?” She looked at me with that quirky grin and said 50! I thought you said 15. Fifteen! is smaller than 20. I rolled my eyes and she giggled. ------- “Yes, yes it is, 15 is smaller than 20.”
January 19, 2016 – We are under a winter storm watch. The first one this winter. We have the possibility for freezing rain, sleet and snow tonight and early tomorrow. They say 100% chance... guess we shall see. Sarah, Devin and Liz are on their way here to spend the night. It's gonna be crowded. Hard to believe that Larry and I plus six kids lived in this house. … I think it shrank.
January 20, 2016 – We got freezing rain and the roads were icy this morning. All the area schools were closed. Lots of cars in ditches, lots of fender benders and some rollovers but no serious injuries. Sarah and Liz are staying but Devin has to work tomorrow so he drove home as soon as the roads were passable. Another round of bad weather is predicted for the wee hours of tomorrow morning. No clue what we are going to end up with.
January 21, 2016 – Still freezing, still raining. Still no school. Electricity is twitchy but still on. Hope it quits raining before we lose power. Made a cinnamon crunch coffee cake and a loaf of whole wheat bread with golden flax. Saving the coffeecake for breakfast tomorrow just in case we don't have power.
January 22, 2016 – Woke up this morning to yet another rainy day. I reheated the coffeecake and glazed it to have with our morning coffee. It was pretty yummy. Just as I was getting ready to make a second pot of coffee the electricity went out. No warning shots, just out. We were without power all day. No lights, no pellet stove, no way to cook. Larry decided it was time to fire up our trusty old Ashley circulater so we could keep warm. That old wood stove not only kept us warm it also gave us a hot surface to cook on. So we put on a big pot of chili (nothing like it on a cold winter day) and anticipated how good it was going to taste. We also added another grandchild as Conley was dropped off to spend the night. When it grew dark we gave up hope that our electricity would be turned on but shortly after 9 p.m. I saw a large vehicle driving slowly down our road. Conley ran out to the porch to see what it was and reported a bucket truck was turning around in our driveway. The electricity fixit guys were here and we suddenly had hope for getting our power back on. Surprisingly just few minutes later the lights came on and all the stuff we'd left on all day began humming. My visions of the return of 2009 have died and I admit to a sigh of relief.
January 23, 2016 – The ice is mostly gone today. We still have quite a bit in our yard and on our trees but the roads are clear. Kier came by to pick up Sarah, Liz and Conley to go play games at Cullisons. Larry and I drove into town and bought the stuff we didn't buy before the bad weather set in. We were out of milk, eggs and coffee and that had to be rectified. I turned our leftover chili into Tex-Mex enchiladas for supper. Now it's darkthirty and Larry wants something for dessert. So I guess I'll go see what I can do about that.
January 24, 2016 – Much warmer today and the ice has disappeared. Went to church this morning and had fun with the kids in children's church. Megan came over after church and we visited and had lunch. Sarah and Liz are going home tomorrow. Devin is coming to pick them up when he gets off work. It's been nice getting to spend some time with them.
January 25, 2016 – Devin came in much earlier than anticipated so they were out of here before noon. The house has been pretty quiet today. I have some back pain that is slowing me down today. Hope it goes away soon.
January 26, 2016 – Tuesdays are the days we go to Gretchen's house to stay with the boys. I usually cook dinner and try to get the boys to do their homework and chores before their mom gets home. Tonight they did their chores, ate dinner and fell asleep before homework was done, although only Conley admitted to having homework. Guess that's going to mean an early morning homework scramble.
January 27, 2016 – Wednesdays are always stressful because cooking for a large number of people is time consuming. No matter how early I start it seems that something always happens to put a crimp in my day. At least today I eventually got everything finished and everyone was fed. I guess that could be defined as success.
January 28, 2016 – Had a tough night last night kept waking up drenched in sweat. It was a cold 32 degrees and confusing until the alarm woke me at 6:30 and realized I was also shaky and dizzy. Just as I figured my sugar was extremely low. A banana and some crackers helped. Larry was at ASU for most of the day so I stayed busy trying to recover the kitchen from Wednesday's chicken pot pie epidemic. I made two steam table trays full for the church potluck. I also made an orange cake with lots of orange zest and orange juice for flavor and it was yummy. I'm always exhausted after cooking all day Wednesday so I worked a little and rested a little in alternate shifts. I did get most of the dirty dishes washed and swept the floor. Even did laundry and put it away. Now I'm ready for a good nights sleep.
January 29, 2016 – Felt much better today. I made some headway on getting the back porch back in order. Packed up the last of the Christmas stuff. The cats have been breaking everything they can figure out how to knock off. I think they like to watch it explode when it hits the concrete.
January 30, 2016 – Today is Wendy's 6th birthday. We gathered at the church fellowship hall to celebrate. She decided last year she wanted a Halloween theme for her birthday party and asked everyone to come dressed as their favorite super hero or character. There were some amazing costumes there including Colter in a Mario costume and Wendy's witch costume but I have to give kudos to Carl and Conner for their Gnomish attire. It was pretty great! Spent the evening visiting with Megan, Conley, Carl, Courtney, Emily and Conner. It was a good day.
January 31, 2016 – The first month of 2016 is drawing to a close. I'm pleased that so far I have kept up this attempt at diarying 2016. Even after sleeping in this morning it's been a long day. Megan came over after church and spent some time with us. We had broccoli cheese soup and I sent some home with her. I am trying very hard to cook smaller amounts. Did not get to see Carl and Courtney and the kids today. They headed home after lunching with Adam and Kim and the boys
Feb. 1, 2016 – February is the shortest month, though some years it seems to last forever. Hope it stays calm, we're supposed to have high winds and thunderstorms tomorrow with temperatures in the low 70s. Never a good sign. Conley has a sinus and missed school today. Whether he goes to school tomorrow depends on how he feels. He may need to come here and we'll take him back home when we go get Colter off the bus.
February 2, 2016 – Conley was better today and went to school. It's Tuesday again and Larry and I were a little late getting to the house and the boys were already home. First time they have ever beaten us there. I While I cooked dinner Larry and the boys shot some hoops. The old guy hurt his bad knee but enjoyed it none the less. Side note both ate at least some of what I cooked --- so that's progress.
February 3, 2016 – I was not expecting melodrama when I went to church this evening but none the less it happened. I don't do melodrama very well. It makes me uncomfortable and I don't like it. It would be nice if we could just leave our “it's all about me” attitudes at home and just be supportive of the whole congregation. The importance of meeting the needs of the kids who come to the church outweighs our need to have our egos stroked or boosting our sense of importance.
February 4, 2016 – Thursday's are Larry's long days at ASU but he got to come home for a while this morning. We had chicken and rice for lunch, one of his favorites, then he went back for his afternoon classes. I spent the day doing mundane things like laundry, dishes and cooking. Nothing very exciting but all necessary.
February 5, 2016 – At some point today it dawned on me that it was Friday. It has been a long time since I felt that sense of jubilation that comes with the end of the work week. Ironically, I do, however, still dread Mondays. Why? I don't know, maybe it's the last vestige of years of getting up early to go to work, all the while knowing the day would be far to long. I do admit to feeling jubilation when I sit down with my cup of coffee and realize I don't have to dash out the door before I finish it.
February 6, 2016 – Saturdays are hit or miss for me on whether I stay home or go do something. Larry and I ran to town this morning to pick up a few necessities, do some banking and buy another week's worth of pellets for the stoves. I sure am happy we have them. We are considering buying some sort of backup power source to keep them running when there is no electricity. It can get mighty cold during an Arkansas winter.
February 7, 2016 – Devin, Sarah and Liz arrive at about 12:30 last night or should I say early this morning. I heard them come in, but I was so pooped I didn't get up. I had already piled bedding on the couch for them to divide up for sleeping. I made up for my lack of hospitality with cinnamon roll pancakes, sausage and coffee for breakfast. Sarah and Liz went to Cullison's for a painting day while Dev stayed here and rested (slept). Devin headed back to Missouri this afternoon and Liz and Sarah are spending the week here. I didn't cook supper till about 6:30 this evening and the fry bread tacos I made are giving me grief as I sit here typing this at almost 11:30. Getting old sucks btw.
February 8, 2016 – Spent most of the day trying to get our internet straightened out. Did some dishes and laundry so it was an exciting day (not). Internet is still intermittent or rather more mittent than inter. Seems like if we get one good week of connection a month we are lucky. We've got snow in the forecast again. Hope it doesn't. Larry has class tomorrow morning so that means the alarm will go off at 6:30 a.m. If I haven't mentioned it, I hate alarms.
February 9, 2016 – Internet is better but still slow with frequent interruptions. Hope it gets fixed soon. We spent time after school and most of the evening with the boys as this is Gretchen's late night. Conley, Liz and Colter got to spend some time playing games and having fun. Going to try to get them back together some time this weekend. It's going too be busy for the rest of the week and I'm not looking forward to it.
February 10, 2016 – Ash Wednesday today and many youth and chidren were in attendance. The meal at church was leftover chili from Maggie Sullivan and we added hot dogs, crackers, fritos, cheese, sour cream and buns. Enjoyed some time talking with Jake after the service. I came home feeling rough from acid reflux and couldn't lay down to sleep, It's now after 2 a.m. and I'm going to give it another try.
February 11, 2016 – Not much sleep and an early morning today. Managed to get some dishes done and cook a couple of meals. Now it's time for bed and I still feel pretty rotten. Either my allergies have kicked up to high gear or I have caught a rotten cold. Hope I get some sleep tonight.
February 12, 2016 – Well it's Friday again. I'm still congested and coughing my head off. Hope it goes away soon. Haven't done anything constructive today but I did manage to get started on Around The House. Mostly I just wanted to sleep. Larry had a gig at The Edge and Megan rescheduled her Friday night game night to be there too. Sarah and Liz decided to go play games and rode into town with Meg. Megan decided to spend the night here so pretty much every room in the house is occupied by somebody.
February 13, 2016 – Wendy came to spend the day today because it's the monthly NEA Gamers day at the public library. Larry and I went to town to run errands and while Larry was at the library picking up Wendy I went to Kroger to pick up prescriptions and to restock some necessary items. This evening we went to Brookland UMC for the Valentine's Banquet. Wendy got to spend the evening with the other kids in the youth building and watch movies and eat pizza. Food was great, entertainments was super and I didn't have to do dishes. A win win for me.
February 14, 20 16 – Happy Valentines Day..... Missed church today because I was under the weather and still feel kind of listless. Larry and Megan took my children's church responsibilities while I stayed home. I finally made a pot of chicken and noodle soup for supper and we ate the whole shebang. Guess if nothing else I can still cook. Trying to get ATH in the can but it's not falling together yet. Hope I can rise and shine and get it finished in the A.M.
February 15, 2016 – Kind of fell down on writing the last two days, so this is actually 6 a.m. February 17. I spent a lot of Monday morning putting together Around The House. Devin drove in from Poplar Bluff and arrived around noon. He picked up Sarah and Liz and they went to town to meet Kier for lunch so I finished working on the page while Larry made soup. We had a late lunch/early dinner before the Browns returned and packed up for the trip home. Guess they we will be back this coming weekend.
February 16, 2016 – Tuesday I was tired and still congested. Larry went to class and I started laundry. I made a quick egg and toasted croissant breakfast sandwich and that and a cuppa carried me through till Larry came home after class. He reheated his soup but since I had breakfast I passed. I had decided to try a new enchilada recipe for supper at Gretchen's. We packed up around 3 p.m. and headed over to Paragould. After Gretchen arrived we drove to Jonesboro for a Jazz concert at the Fowler and got back home a little before 9. Watched some PBS and went to bed. There you have it, we lead such an exciting life......
February 17, 2016 – Lots of folks sick and tonights church service was light on adults and kids. I made a couple of pots of soup. Gretchen made spaghetti and Beth made mac and cheese. Not much else there so we made a meal of what we had. Since there was only a small amount of spaghetti left I guess they were well fed. Brandy sent a luscious cake but she had chemo today so she stayed home to rest.
February 18, 2016 – Larry has been asked to take Pat Hall to West Memphis tomorrow to pick up Montana and bring her home to spend the weekend. Joe had another appointment and couldn't take her. Larry and Megan took Pat and Bryan to pick her up last time. It will be good when she is finally gets to come home for good. I know it's stressful for Pat.
February 19, 2016 – Pat called this morning and said her aunt could take her to get Montana but couldn't take her back as originally planned and wanted to know if Larry could switch to taking her back instead of picking her up. Unthinkingly we said sure and then later as we started talking about what we had to do in the next few days we mentioned having a family gathering after church on Sunday and thought OOOPS! Guess we better call Pat and let her know we have a commitment for at least an hour or so after church.
February 20, 2016 – Saturdays are either super busy or laid back. This one was pretty laid back. I made rolls and cooked pork chops, garlic potatoes and buttered asparagus for lunch with key lime cheesecake for dessert. We ate burgers and fries for supper. The Browns arrived late and we were up till after midnight.
February 21, 2016 – We surprised Liz with the latest Nintendo DS as an early birthday present. We all chipped in what we could and Devin pre-ordered it so she would have it when it became available. I think she was truly wowed. Larry picked up Pat, Bryan and Montana around 3 this afternoon for the trip to Tennessee to return Montana to Youth Villages in Arlington. I'm sure everyone will be glad when she's home for good.
I woke up in the middle of the night with the realization that I was getting a UTI and started cranberry capsules. Still don't feel all that well.
February 23, 2016 – Went to the doctor today and got a prescription for antibiotics. Hopefully it will do the trick. I'm not looking forward to a week of them but it's way better than a bunch of bacteria swimming around in me. I'm super tired and feeling rough and thinking about making an early night of it. Today is Uldis's birthday, can't believe he is 46. I'm feeling old.
February 24-25, 2016 – I have been remiss in my daily entries and didn't write anything on these days. I have been taking the antibiotics and trying to get over this UTI and get back to life but they don't exactly make me feel all that well either.
February 26, 2016 – Learned today that another one of my schoolmates has passed. We spent lots of time just goofing off together during the summer. She lived within walking distance and Janis Jackson and I would sometimes go visit her and sometimes Tessie would go too. Her mother was often bed ridden so we'd hangout at her house and talk. Seems like so many of our classmates have passed on. Still a few of us around though.
February 27, 2016 – Long day today. Still not feeling well. Hope these antibiotics do the trick. Only three left to go. Larry, Paul and Kevin played The Edge tonight and Robin and Jerry came. Tomorrow is Sunday and we have children's church. Glad it's not crafts because I don't have a clue what I would do. Oh me.
February 28, 2016 – Went to church and Megan came to the house after the service for lunch and to help Larry move some cars around. Her F150 wasn't up to it. So Larry Wilson brought his four-wheel drive over and moved the cars out of the way. Guess we are going to build the rehearsal space and move some music stuff out of here.
February 29, 2016 – Yes, it's leap year and we get an extra day. Besides being the extra day in February today was also the last day for early voting for the presidential primary. We took advantage of the nice weather and went to town to vote. As I sit here typing Larry is podcasting with three of our offspring namely Sarah, Kier and Megan. I only hear his end so I get a very skewed version.
March 1, 2016 – We've leaped and our extra day has gone into the books. We began work on our yard today to get ready to plant a little garden patch. I'm going to try hay bale gardening this year and see how that works. Planted potatoes in some old tires and hope they grow and produce a few at least a few tubers.
March 2, 2016 – This Wednesday night was finger food potluck at church. Lots of food that I shouldn't have eaten but did. It's been a long day. I'm tired, my head hurts, my throat is sore and I think it's time for me to sleep. Hope I feel better by morning.
March 3, 2016 – Today was Larry's long day at school so I pretty much just hung around the house and tried to get caught up on stuff. Laundry and dishes never sleep. There's always some somewhere. Tired and my throat is still sore.
March 4, 2016 – I started my first apple cider vinegar this morning. I hope it helps. Still not feeling all that well. Larry stopped by Ace and picked up some more wood pellets on his way home from classes. Might be the last batch we have to buy till fall, but I wouldn't lay odds on it. I promised to make cookies for Beth's baby shower on Sunday guess I'll do that tomorrow.
March 5, 2016 – We went Three Junk Ladies. We didn't find much but sometimes we have really good luck. I picked up some L hooks at Brookland Sales and bought a few necessities at Dollar General and that was all the excitement we had for this Saturday.
March 6, 2016 – Larry has begun his annual quest to whip the yard into shape for spring. Beth's baby shower was today. Lots of folks showed up and she got a nice haul.
March 7, 2016 – Went to town to get groceries and buy the food for Wednesday night's meal. Bought two large pork butts at Hays. Had them sliced so they would cook quicker. We're having BBQ as the main course. Barbecue nachos were mentioned by a few folks. I bought buns and sauce so we shall see what else comes in.
March 8, 2016 – A couple of surprises were waiting on the boys when they went to feed the goats and chickens. Twin baby goats born today were waiting in the barn with their mama. They were so excited they ran all the way up the hill to use my phone to call their mother. They also forgot all about feeding. Fortunately Gretchen was soon on her way home and they all went down to take care of the new babies and feed and water all the animals. Dabaw and I headed home to avoid the onslaught of rain promised by NWS.
March 9, 2015 – Another Wednesday is almost in the books. Raining like crazy still and attendance at church was less than normal. We had enough food but not many leftovers this week. I made two barbecued butts and buns for the main course and we opened a can of nacho cheese sauce and had some chips. Pat and Jennifer brought some cookies and cake. We were amply fed and no one went home hungry.
March 10, 2016 – Not feeling well today. Lots of gastrointestinal problems and pain. Hope it will be gone by tomorrow. Haven't taken meds for acid reflux in a couple of days because my tummy wasn't feeling so good. Probably will pay for that.
March 11, 2016 – Sarah and Liz are here for the weekend. Wendy is coming to spend tomorrow. She will have all her usual needs and wants. I have plenty of crackers and peanut butter and fruit. Also some Nutter Butters.
March 12, 2016 – Long day today. Liz and Sarah had a game day at the library followed by another session at Cullisons. Wendy was enthralled with playing girl games on my computer. I finally told her she had to go to bed because it was to late for a six-year-old girl to be up. I headed to bed soon afterwards. Don't know what time the other two got home.
March 13, 2016 – Found out this morning at church that Jesse Evans had passed away. Did not really know him but I know many of his family members. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer just a few weeks ago. Kendra Winston has been staying at the hospital with him as much as she could.
March 14, 2016 – This day was devoted to getting my Around The House section written and sent in. I'm feeling tired and depressed. Seems like the news is filled with nothing but senseless violence or vitreous rhetoric from one side or other of the two reining political parties.
March 15, 2016 – The Ides of March has come and almost gone. Sure glad I finished ATH yesterday because there was no internet today. Hard to send in columns without connectivity. Larry and I picked up the boys after school and took Colter to Kendra because he had a basketball tourny game this evening. Conley came home with us and Gretchen picked him up on her way home from the game. They won and Colter's team plays again on Thursday.
March 16, 2016 – Fell after church tonight. It was one of those stupid things and luckily I didn't really hurt myself. I carried my soup pot out to the car and as I was stepping forward to set it on the back floor board my shoe caught on something and I fell into the car. I twisted my back and hurt my right arm. It takes some talent to fall inside a car and still get hurt.
March 17, 2016 – Happy St. Patrick's Day. I have a little Irish in my lineage so I guess the nth of Irish allows me to officially celebrate the day. Like everyone, my ancestors came from a wide diversity of ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
March 18, 2015 – Today was the first day (night actually) of family weekend. Tomorrow everyone will gather at Gretchen and Jason's for games, conversation, food and lots of fun. First time we've officially designated a weekend as a mini family reunion. Hopefully we will be able to continue them.
March 19, 2016 – We had a great time at the Family Weekend gathering.
Babies were everywhere. Well maybe not everywhere. Adam and Kim came and brought their two boys. We had chicken enchiladas and lots of other yummy food and desserts out the wazoo.
March 20, 2016 – Today is the first day of spring and tonight it's supposed to drop below freezing. Hope it doesn't do in my flowers. We gathered again at the Hunt Hotel today and ate leftovers and played family game. Lots of fun but I am tired. Liz is staying at Gretchen's until Thursday when Sarah comes to pick her up. Hope she has a great Spring Break.
March 21, 2016 – Worked at the paper today. First time in over a year. They were short staffed and needed a proof reader. Conley and Liz ended up spending the night at our house tonight. Colter went to Nini's.
March 22, 2016 – Long day today. Lots of kids since Wendy was here too. Tried to get some stuff done around the house but didn't get much accomplished. Tired and another day of cooking tomorrow. Hope things go smoothly.
March 23, 2016 – Wednesday night church tonight. We had breakfast for supper with pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs hash browns and ham. Meg came home with us after the service and she and Larry built her new computer.
March 24, 2016 – Megan stayed the night Wednesday so she could be at game day at the public library this morning to help Sarah. She came back afterwards and spent the afternoon. Larry had a rehearsal with Paul, Kevin and Cody for the gig they will play tomorrow night.
March 25, 2016 – Larry has a gig tonight so we made a quick run to town this morning to get stuff for Easter dinner. He did some of the shopping to make it a shorter trip. He's getting better at it every day. Maybe one of these days he can do all the shopping. Well probably not.
March 26, 2016 – Went to the Easter Egg hunt at the church. Wow so many eggs filled with so much candy. I bet those kiddos don't sleep a wink tonight. Megan is spending the night again tonight. She's at an Easter gathering at the Herrells and probably will get in late. She expressed a desire for a breakfast of bacon with a side of bacon in the morning.
March 27, 2016 – Easter Sunday. I got up at 7:30 and put a ham in the roaster oven. We fixed bacon with a side of bacon, leftover hash brown casserole, some fruit and croissants for breakfast. We had children's church today and since it was music Larry decided it would be a good day to go outside and enjoy the sunshine. After church while I was cooking lunch Megan helped Larry finish a cable chase then she came into the kitchen and cooked asparagus while I finished the salad. Nothing like lots of fresh spring veggies. We sneaked a little dessert in with some dark chocolate brownies.
March 28, 2016 – It's Monday, what more is there to say? Larry is on the phone with Sarah and Megan doing the biweekly podcast and I've been falling asleep on the couch. Did not sleep well last night so I even more sleepy than usual.
March 29, 2016 – Beth's and Greg's son Jack Osborne was born today. Have not met him yet but I will soon. Tuesdays are busy days. Larry had class and I worked on laundry and dishes. We went to pick up the boys after school and took them to Gretchen.
March 30, 2016 – Another Wednesday has come and almost gone. It was a fifth Wednesday and the youth led the service. Zack really delivered tonight. He put some work into his message for sure.
March 31, 2016 – College classes are starting to wind down. Guess this will be Larry's last term for a while. Don't know how much it will change our life but we'll see.
April 1, 2016 – April Fools!
April 2, 2016 – Sarah and Liz came in late last night and spent the day at Cullesins helping with a game auction. I'm told that Kier made out like a bandit. Megan helped auction off the games. Probably means she told them what to do.
April 3, 2016 – Today is my father's birthday. It's also the birthday of my brother-in-law Hugh Smith who is also deceased. Dad would have been 113 and Hugh would have been 87. It is also the anniversary of the first ride of the Pony Express which would also be 113 years old today.
April 4, 2016 – Not feeling so great tonight. Larry is at a concert at ASU so I made dinner late. I was feeling hungry so I went ahead and made a plate and started eating. Wasn't long before I realized it wasn't hunger pains it was just pains. Hate wasting good food so I dumped into a storage container and put it in the fridge.
April 5, 2016 – Still not feeling great but went to Gretchen's and made dinner. Gretchen had a meeting so we stayed with the boys till Jason got home.
April 6, 20 16 – Larry had his last recital (at least for now) this evening. His piece was last. It was a much more complex piece that the other compositions. We were finished in time to go to church for the evening service but not in time to participate in the meal.
April 7, 2016 – Larry had classes today but the term is winding down fast. Seems weird that the spring term is almost over and summer will be here before we know it. Hope it's a moderate summer and not too hot. Looking forward to some porch time.
April 8, 2016 – Went shopping this morning to pick up some grocery items for the pantry and for tomorrow's Spring Fling at BUMC. I made six containers of peanut butter fudge for the bake sale and tomorrow I'm making baked beans for the BBQ meal. Sarah, Liz and Megan are all coming to spend the night. Colter bug was kicked by a horse and it hurt his arm. Not sure how bad it is yet. Hopefully not anything serious.
April 9, 2016 – Sarah and Liz got here before Meg last night and we visited a short time before we gave up and went to bed. Don't know what time Meg got here but she said she ended up sleeping on the floor because the air mattress didn't stay filled. We spent some time at the church this morning. I made baked beans while Larry rummaged through the trash to treasure sale. Colter is still favoring his arm and not using it. Gretchen said he couldn't hold his ball glove this morning. After I got the beans in the oven we drove around Brookland and stopped at a few sales. We spent what cash we had and some of Meg's too. Kier dropped Wendy off with us on his way to pick up Sarah and Liz to take them to Jonesboro for game day at the library. Wendy enjoyed yard selling and having lunch at the church before we came home.
April 10, 2016 – Gretchen and Jason took Colter to the ER last night and he has a broken arm. I planned torn paper art as my children's church craft and they seemed to really like it. They didn't actually make a mosaic pattern as I had planned but more or less created collages. They had fun and were excited about it so I call it a success. Colter even managed to do some artwork. Conley came home with us and got to spend some time with Liz before he had to go to 4H. Sarah and Liz went home this afternoon. Megan drove them to Corning to meet Devin after her church commitments were finished. There were some crazy dust storms in the area today that caused several wrecks with injuries and fatalities. With all the rain we've had it seems ironic that this could happen.
April 11, 2016 – Monday Monday can't trust that day. Seems like I'm always tired on Mondays. Actually it seems like I'm always tired.
April 12, 2016 – Went to the store today and grabbed sausages for Wednesday night's meal and two very large containers of Tums. (Why? Because I need them) Then we went to H&R Block to pick up a copy of our tax return and find out how much we owed. It's always depressing and I hope this is the last year we have to file. Larry's Tuesday/Thursday classes are winding down and before we know it the term will be over. Summer is on it's way.
April 13, 2016 – Today is Wednesday so it was a cooking day. Larry and I started prepping the potatoes for roasting this afternoon and it was a job. All that scrubbing and chopping takes time and effort. Got them in the roaster and added olive oil and salt and pepper and away they go. Wasn't sure how roasted potatoes and sausage would go over as a main course but I guess it can be termed a success. Came home with only a few potatoes and two Lil Smokies sausages.
April 14, 2016 – Thursdays are busy days for Larry and me. Larry worked on his sax and went to the jazz band concert at ASU and to record and catch some of Pierce Pettis and Grace Pettis performance at The Arts at 311 tonight. For me Thursday means do laundry and cleaning house. Not my favorite pastime but I stayed busy. Not much to talk about I guess.
April 15, 2016 – Went to do some shopping and worked on rearranging and reorganizing the kitchen. Gonna get it finished one of these days I hope. At least I'm not hustling to finish filing my income tax forms.
April 16, 2016 – Stayed home all day while Larry attended a workshop and the Blues Symposium concert at City Water and Light Park. I'm not up to those all day events any more.
April 17, 2016 – The youth led worship today at both Union Grove and Brookland. Conley and Allie Hubbs each gave a short message. They both touched on the church as a home and the congregation as family.
April 18, 2016 – Doctor's appointment today. She's decided to send me for some more tests and to change my meds. I'm not sure what's going to come of it but I'm hoping I will feel better.
April 24, 2016 – There's a date leap here I know but it's been a crazy few days and I haven't felt very well. Went for a stress test on the 20th and of course I still don't know anything. It's amazing how they can just leave you spinning in the wind. I have another test on Wednesday. They are going to knock me out for this one. Hope it's not too bad.
April 25, 2016 – Felt a lot better this morning. We went to town to run some errands and to pick up a few groceries. Larry is going to make chili for the Wednesday night potluck. Guess going to town did me in and I've been mostly worthless since then.
April 26, 2016 – We picked up the boys and took them to the fairgrounds for a 4H meeting. Still not feeling very good. Hope things get better soon. Larry made chili for the Wednesday night meal. Tomorrow is the scope procedure at Lawrence Memorial. Hope things go well.
April 27, 2016 – Don't remember much about the scope procedure. I remember they insisted on putting an IV in my right hand and I wasn't crazy about it. Ended up going to church in all my fuzzy headed glory.
April 28, 2016 – Larry had classes today and I pretty much burried my head in the sand. Not doing so good hope I feel better soon.
April 29, 2016 – Went to town this morning and got the new medicine for my reflux. Won't be able to try it till tomorrow. Kier is picking up Sarah and Liz at Poplar Bluff and Wendy is here with us. She's got a busy day ahead of her tomorrow and so do we.
April 30, 2016 – Still not feeling well. Fell asleep this afternoon and woke up disoriented. Larry had a rehearsal but I didn't remember it so I didn't know where he was. He is playing music with the Zendall Rainey Band tonight at Bono. I just wasn't up to going. Sarah and Liz are at Culleson's for the table top day. Feeling like warmed over crap and I'm going to bed.
May 1, 2016 – Same song different day. Hope tomorrow I will feel better. Still sleeping a lot and feeling awful. Hope the light at the end of the tunnel is not a damn train.
May 2, 2016 – Still feeling rotten. Haven't adjusted to all the different meds yet. Hopefully I will and I will feel better soon.
May 3, 2016 – Had to go pick up another prescription; Twenty-seven+ dollar for eight pills. Dag nab! Larry went to Sams and bought stuff for spaghetti for tomorrow night. Didn't go to Gretchen's tonight. Leah picked up Colter for a game.
May 4, 2016 – Well the fourth may have been with some of y'all but I guess it skipped right over me. Made spaghetti and meatballs for the meal at church tonight and had a lot of leftovers. They were set aside for the family gathering tomorrow after Ms Murlene's funeral.
Murlene Davenport was certainly a woman who knew what she wanted, and she didn't mind telling you if you were stepping on her toes. She loved children and she always had time for them. I only knew her the last 23 of her 104 years but she left a lasting impression that's for sure.
May 5, 2016 – Woke up this morning and my right leg was so sore I couldn't put any weight on it without feeling immense pain. Knee did not want to bend and I barely managed to hobble back and forth from the bathroom back to the couch. Other than my sudden loss of mobility Cinco de Mayo passed pretty uneventfully.
May 6, 2016 – My leg was a tad bit better this morning but still hurt to walk on it. I've hobbled around most of the day. The knee actually hurt worse this morning than the rest of the leg. Haven't been out of the house in two days now. It's about bedtime and I think I'm ready.
May 7, 2016 – Leg is better but knee is still hurts to bend it or put weight on it. Wendy was dropped off to spend the evening and we played video games. She was about half past sleepy by the time she was picked up. Was nice to see Will Hose who was in for a visit.
May 8, 2016 – Today is Mther's Day and we went to church this morning. I was able to get around okay. We made Mother's Day cards for our craft in children's church as we do every year. Got home and rested and ate some lunch. Megan came over for awhile then she and Larry went back to the church to do some repairs. Gretchen invited us all over for dinner but unfortunately as we drove out of our driveway I heard a strange noise we we discovered our brakes were on the fritz. So we pulled back in and parked.
May 9, 2016 – It's been a long day. The car is at the garage hopefully getting repaired. I'm tired and thinking about a long nap. It's been storming all around us and I'm hoping it doesn't decide to visit here as well. Hope everyone is safe and sound through the next several days of stormy weather.
May 10, 2016 – Today is Emily's birthday. She and Wendy are both 6 now. Still no car and Gretchen had to find someone to pick up the boys tonight and help them get to the places where they needed to go. Hopefully there isn't anything seriously wrong with it will be fixed soon.
May 11, 2016 – Got the car back late this afternoon. Angie was nice enough to take Larry to Randy's to pick it up. We made it to church around 5:30. Didn't have anything ready to take so I went empty handed.
May 12, 2016 – It was rainy this morning and by the time it cleared up we just decided to stay in. I guess we'll head to town tomorrow since we have commitments this weekend and I'm gonna need to have some food in the house.
May 13, 2016 – Made a quick trip to town and bought some groceries. Larry bought another motor from Harbor Freight and the the third time wasn't a charm. Another dud that was no worky! He finally broke down and ordered a new one from Sears. Hope it works. Tomorrow we have Wendy and lots of other stuff going on. Hope it's a nice easy day.
May 14-15 – I've been remiss again. We had lots going on with things at church and at home.
May 16, 2016 – Had blood work done at the St. Bernard's Hematology Lab in Cloptons Medical Complex. They were specifically looking to find out why my white blood cell count has been high over he last few years. When the doctor came in he told me he found no indication of leukemia and that he wouldn't have any answers for me until they had a chance to run more tests but that preliminarily he saw nothing to be concerned about.
May 17, 2016 – Got reminded yesterday afternoon that Around The House had to run this week. So I had to hurriedly put together the page and get it sent to the paper this morning. Managed to get it done.
May 18, 2016 – Had no plan for the Wednesday night meal. Cathy mentioned a lot of breakfast items were already at the church so we decided to go with breakfast for dinner. The kids munched it down. Bro. Joe was out of pocket so Megan gave the message. She did rather well in my opinion.
May 19, 2016 – I stayed home while Larry worked on getting the lawnmower to work. He took it in and found out that there was an issue with another part of the lawnmower and the motor was fine. After conferring with his favorite lawnmower guy he now has it running.
May 20, 2016 – The new mower came in today and Larry picked it up this morning. He mowed with it when he got home and it has provided him with the muscle he needed for keeping this huge yard under control. Bebop Beatniks had a gig tonight and I ended up going to take pics, etc. They are coming along quite nicely. Enjoyed the music very much.
May 21, 2016 – Busy day today. Shopping at Farmer's Market then at Kroger this morning. Larry played piano out at Craighead Forest this afternoon for Wesley Eddington's campaign bash then we went to the fish fry at church this evening. I took a buttermilk caramel cake, don't know if it was eaten or tossed. Lots of food lands in the garbage at these things. Really bothers me.
May 22, 2016 – Today is Megan's birthday. She came to the house for lunch and we had Mexican chicken casserole, Panco's cheese dip and chips. Didn't make her a cake. :(. Maybe later on in the week. Larry gave her set of wrenches and a T-shirt. I gave her a hard time.
May 23, 2016 – Larry took the car into Randy's and got the wheel bearings replaced. That's one more worry put to rest. He says he is slowing down, but as yet I haven't seen any evidence of it. He is busy as he can be. I don't have near the energy he has and never did.
May 24, 2016 – Wow has it ever rained today. Jonesboro flooded, Brookland flooded, Paragould flooded, Walnut Ridge flooded, Hoxie flooded..... Northeast Arkansas is under water. I sure hope it quits raining for a few days. We need just a little break. There aren't enough boats.
May 25, 2016 – Larry gave the message tonight at church since Joe is on vacation. He did a pretty good job even though I am prejudiced. I made chef salad for the Wednesday night meal and they mostly ate every scrap of it. I think it's a winner. We are going to have a cookout Sunday with Jazz music for Memorial Day and the end of school. Hopefully it isn't still raining by then.
May 26, 2016 – Finally got the car license renewed. Seems like it took forever to get it done. Picked up the rest of the stuff for the cookout and hopefully we are mostly ready. It's pouring rain again. The weather prediction for the next week is get a boat.
May 27, 2016 –
May 28, 2016 – Larry went to Newport to record Sonny Burgess's birthday bash at the country club. He didn't get home till late and I couldn't hang. I was to tired. I remember him coming in and waking up enough to notice it was 12:30 or so. I'm to old to stay up late any more.
May 29, 2016 – Megan led the service this morning and a lady named Donna gave the message. We had a cookout and live music featuring jazz musicians from Larry's band Bebop Beatniks and others. Seemed to go over well.
May 3o, 2016 – Memorial Day, Honoring those who died in battle. There should be no battles. Let's give peace a chance.
May 31, 2016 – Tomorrow we start the sixth month of the year. I can't believe that the year will soon be half over. My mom always said the older you get the faster time flies. Wendy is staying with us this week while her parents work.
June 1, 2016 – Wendy has discovered the joys of having an entire room and media center at her disposal. She apparently needs lots of snacks to keep her fueled. We celebrated Cathy Overman's birthday tonight at church though her birthday is tomorrow. It was finger food potluck tonight and we had a pretty nice spread. I took potato salad and we pulled out the ice cream from Sunday's Jazz cookout.
June 2, 2016 – Got a call this afternoon from Kier informing me that Jerry Runyan was in the ER and that he had a collapsed lung. Kier and Rosemary are planning on going to Little Rock and so Wendy will be staying with us till Kier and Roro get back. *I have keep trying to organize the kitchen so it functions more smoothly. Ordered another rolling kitchen cart which will occupy the space where the stove is currently residing. It has a stainless steel top and it should hold the two induction burners without a problem. It will also roll out to make cleaning much easier.
June 3, 2016 – Kier dropped off duds for Wendy as they headed out of town this morning. She didn't have any clothes here as she has been going home each afternoon. It turned out that Jerry's collapsed lung is due to fluid buildup in his chest cavity which caused the bottom half of his lung to be unable to expand. Hopefully they can help him now.
June 4, 2016 – Today is Kier's birthday. Can't believe he's 35. He picked up Wendy this morning to go celebrate his birthday. Didn't get to see him very long. Larry, Paul and Kevin had a gig at The Edge and I went along to be of little help. Jerry and Robin Gasaway met us there and we sat in the booth and talked while the guys played music. June 4, 2016 – Addendum Jerry Runyan was released from the hospital last night. They are trying to clear the chest cavity in hopes that his lung will inflate.
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Posted on 2024-04-24
Divine Absurdities a daily log of 2016
January 1, 2016 –- Received a message from my sister/friend Verona Jackson Imboden with her phone # and a request that we talk so I called her today. Haven't seen or talked to her since the 80s. She wants us to get together for a visit. She lives in Ash Flat, going to have to figure out how to make that happen.
January 2, 2016 – Larry installed our second pellet stove in the living room so hopefully we will have a warm house this winter. It would be nice.
January 3, 2016 – The new stove makes a real difference in our overall comfort. Just a note here about traditions. Black-eyed peas are supposed to be good luck. We eat them every year on New Year's Day. I cooked a whole pound. Not the best idea I ever had. Three days of peas in various guises and we still have plenty left.
January 4, 2016 – It's cold today, well it did get above freezing but not much, and I stayed huddled in the little sitting room. The house is warmer than it has been but I am still cold. I made a beef roast with veggies and gravy for supper, no peas for me today.
January 5, 2016 – Today is the first Tuesday of 2016 that we went to stay with the boys. We have been doing this all school year because Tuesday the paper goes to bed and Gretchen works late. They are growing up fast and before long we will no longer be needed.
January 6, 2016 – Epiphany, the final day of the 12 days of Christmas. Epiphany celebrates the coming of the three wise men and establishes the reality that Jesus was not a mere mortal. As they welcomed the new born baby with presents of great value we understand that they were convinced this was a child who would change the world. It was a stressful day for me as I made the decision to contact the Evans family to tell them their estranged father was dying. I am glad that I did.
January 7, 2016 – It's raining again. This has been a quiet almost peaceful day. We are getting new old neighbors. The Wilsons have moved a manufactured home onto the small acreage between the Fosters and us. Hoping for a continued peaceful existence.
January 8, 2016 – Supposed to have bad weather tomorrow so we decided to run a few errands. Had to pick up my insulin from the pharmacy, get cat food and buy the stuff for Wednesday's meal. Mission accomplished.
January 9, 2016 – This has been a long day. Woke up to foggy, rainy weather. Wendy is here to spend the weekend since Kier and Rosemary are involved in a monthly game day at the library. Someone from the Friends of the Library called to tell Larry they had a large donation of science fiction come in if he was interested. Well of course he was so off we went to see what gems were available. It was still warmish when we got back home but it is dropping like a rock tonight. NWS and Weather Underground are saying that it's going to be in the low 20s over night. Sure hope we don't wake up to a mess tomorrow.
January 10, 2016 – Printed a match the mittens activity for children's church. Kids seemed to enjoy it and even created their own mittens. Gretchen called soon after we got home to tell us that Dennis and Renee Zimmerman had arrived home from church to find their home engulfed in fire. The house is a total loss. How do you cope with that? Come home and realize you've lost everything but the clothes on your back.
January 11, 2016 – Today is my mother's birthday. Seems impossible that she's been gone for seven years. I've written many tales about her practical approach to life and her sense of humor. There's still a few stories left to tell.
January 12, 2016 – The State of the Union address was tonight and the internet has been down most of the evening so I have no idea what's happening out in the world. I don't think of television as a complete source of information like I did when I was younger. I have sincere doubts about all forms of information dissemination but I really hate it when I'm limited to one.
January 13, 2016 – Church tonight was interesting. Kiddos in abundance and Chris aka Uncle Poodle gave the message. He's certainly an inspiration. I have to admit that Wednesdays have been an uplifting experience for me.
January 14, 2016 – Today I turned 66 years old. A year ago I wasn't sure I'd make it. I don't know what the future holds but I'm hoping it's going to be a good run.
January 15, 2016 – Larry was able to get our pellet stove working again so we will have a warm house when the cold front moves in tomorrow. I am thankful that he has so many skills. He builds houses and fixes cars, writes complicated computer programs and tells corny jokes, he writes intricate music scores and teaches five year olds to sing. He is generous and kind and also stubborn and cantankerous. He is often so focused on what he is doing that nothing else matters or he is busy absorbing everything that is going on participating wholeheartedly. He is my complicated, compulsively over-achieving husband and I love him.
January 16, 2016 – Larry had a gig tonight in downtown Jonesboro at the coffee house, One Love People. I was along for the ride. Robin and Jerry met us there. I had a decaffeinated Latte with lots of froth. Not a fan but then I like my coffee strong and with plenty of kick. What can I say? Paul Nunis on bass and Kevin somebody, on trumpet, joined Larry for some jazz standards and a couple of originals.
January 17, 2016 – Internet has been nonexistent this weekend. I edited the articles and chose art for Around The House today. It's due this week and I like to get it turned in by Monday if at all possible. So I gave a CD to Megan with everything on it since that seemed the expedient thing to do. One of these days I will get back to my editorial writing or maybe I won't. I am pretty sure I'm not through with writing though.
January 18, 2016 – Today is Martin Luther King Day. Since school was out Wendy came to spend the day with us. We talked a lot. She certainly is a precocious child. She loves taking over my computer and playing games and doing puzzles. We had a short argument over whether 50 was a larger number than 20. After several minutes of yes it is/no it isn't I finally said to her, “What are you willing to wager that 20 is a larger number than 50?” She looked at me with that quirky grin and said 50! I thought you said 15. Fifteen! is smaller than 20. I rolled my eyes and she giggled. ------- “Yes, yes it is, 15 is smaller than 20.”
January 19, 2016 – We are under a winter storm watch. The first one this winter. We have the possibility for freezing rain, sleet and snow tonight and early tomorrow. They say 100% chance... guess we shall see. Sarah, Devin and Liz are on their way here to spend the night. It's gonna be crowded. Hard to believe that Larry and I plus six kids lived in this house. … I think it shrank.
January 20, 2016 – We got freezing rain and the roads were icy this morning. All the area schools were closed. Lots of cars in ditches, lots of fender benders and some rollovers but no serious injuries. Sarah and Liz are staying but Devin has to work tomorrow so he drove home as soon as the roads were passable. Another round of bad weather is predicted for the wee hours of tomorrow morning. No clue what we are going to end up with.
January 21, 2016 – Still freezing, still raining. Still no school. Electricity is twitchy but still on. Hope it quits raining before we lose power. Made a cinnamon crunch coffee cake and a loaf of whole wheat bread with golden flax. Saving the coffeecake for breakfast tomorrow just in case we don't have power.
January 22, 2016 – Woke up this morning to yet another rainy day. I reheated the coffeecake and glazed it to have with our morning coffee. It was pretty yummy. Just as I was getting ready to make a second pot of coffee the electricity went out. No warning shots, just out. We were without power all day. No lights, no pellet stove, no way to cook. Larry decided it was time to fire up our trusty old Ashley circulater so we could keep warm. That old wood stove not only kept us warm it also gave us a hot surface to cook on. So we put on a big pot of chili (nothing like it on a cold winter day) and anticipated how good it was going to taste. We also added another grandchild as Conley was dropped off to spend the night. When it grew dark we gave up hope that our electricity would be turned on but shortly after 9 p.m. I saw a large vehicle driving slowly down our road. Conley ran out to the porch to see what it was and reported a bucket truck was turning around in our driveway. The electricity fixit guys were here and we suddenly had hope for getting our power back on. Surprisingly just few minutes later the lights came on and all the stuff we'd left on all day began humming. My visions of the return of 2009 have died and I admit to a sigh of relief.
January 23, 2016 – The ice is mostly gone today. We still have quite a bit in our yard and on our trees but the roads are clear. Kier came by to pick up Sarah, Liz and Conley to go play games at Cullisons. Larry and I drove into town and bought the stuff we didn't buy before the bad weather set in. We were out of milk, eggs and coffee and that had to be rectified. I turned our leftover chili into Tex-Mex enchiladas for supper. Now it's darkthirty and Larry wants something for dessert. So I guess I'll go see what I can do about that.
January 24, 2016 – Much warmer today and the ice has disappeared. Went to church this morning and had fun with the kids in children's church. Megan came over after church and we visited and had lunch. Sarah and Liz are going home tomorrow. Devin is coming to pick them up when he gets off work. It's been nice getting to spend some time with them.
January 25, 2016 – Devin came in much earlier than anticipated so they were out of here before noon. The house has been pretty quiet today. I have some back pain that is slowing me down today. Hope it goes away soon.
January 26, 2016 – Tuesdays are the days we go to Gretchen's house to stay with the boys. I usually cook dinner and try to get the boys to do their homework and chores before their mom gets home. Tonight they did their chores, ate dinner and fell asleep before homework was done, although only Conley admitted to having homework. Guess that's going to mean an early morning homework scramble.
January 27, 2016 – Wednesdays are always stressful because cooking for a large number of people is time consuming. No matter how early I start it seems that something always happens to put a crimp in my day. At least today I eventually got everything finished and everyone was fed. I guess that could be defined as success.
January 28, 2016 – Had a tough night last night kept waking up drenched in sweat. It was a cold 32 degrees and confusing until the alarm woke me at 6:30 and realized I was also shaky and dizzy. Just as I figured my sugar was extremely low. A banana and some crackers helped. Larry was at ASU for most of the day so I stayed busy trying to recover the kitchen from Wednesday's chicken pot pie epidemic. I made two steam table trays full for the church potluck. I also made an orange cake with lots of orange zest and orange juice for flavor and it was yummy. I'm always exhausted after cooking all day Wednesday so I worked a little and rested a little in alternate shifts. I did get most of the dirty dishes washed and swept the floor. Even did laundry and put it away. Now I'm ready for a good nights sleep.
January 29, 2016 – Felt much better today. I made some headway on getting the back porch back in order. Packed up the last of the Christmas stuff. The cats have been breaking everything they can figure out how to knock off. I think they like to watch it explode when it hits the concrete.
January 30, 2016 – Today is Wendy's 6th birthday. We gathered at the church fellowship hall to celebrate. She decided last year she wanted a Halloween theme for her birthday party and asked everyone to come dressed as their favorite super hero or character. There were some amazing costumes there including Colter in a Mario costume and Wendy's witch costume but I have to give kudos to Carl and Conner for their Gnomish attire. It was pretty great! Spent the evening visiting with Megan, Conley, Carl, Courtney, Emily and Conner. It was a good day.
January 31, 2016 – The first month of 2016 is drawing to a close. I'm pleased that so far I have kept up this attempt at diarying 2016. Even after sleeping in this morning it's been a long day. Megan came over after church and spent some time with us. We had broccoli cheese soup and I sent some home with her. I am trying very hard to cook smaller amounts. Did not get to see Carl and Courtney and the kids today. They headed home after lunching with Adam and Kim and the boys
Feb. 1, 2016 – February is the shortest month, though some years it seems to last forever. Hope it stays calm, we're supposed to have high winds and thunderstorms tomorrow with temperatures in the low 70s. Never a good sign. Conley has a sinus and missed school today. Whether he goes to school tomorrow depends on how he feels. He may need to come here and we'll take him back home when we go get Colter off the bus.
February 2, 2016 – Conley was better today and went to school. It's Tuesday again and Larry and I were a little late getting to the house and the boys were already home. First time they have ever beaten us there. I While I cooked dinner Larry and the boys shot some hoops. The old guy hurt his bad knee but enjoyed it none the less. Side note both ate at least some of what I cooked --- so that's progress.
February 3, 2016 – I was not expecting melodrama when I went to church this evening but none the less it happened. I don't do melodrama very well. It makes me uncomfortable and I don't like it. It would be nice if we could just leave our “it's all about me” attitudes at home and just be supportive of the whole congregation. The importance of meeting the needs of the kids who come to the church outweighs our need to have our egos stroked or boosting our sense of importance.
February 4, 2016 – Thursday's are Larry's long days at ASU but he got to come home for a while this morning. We had chicken and rice for lunch, one of his favorites, then he went back for his afternoon classes. I spent the day doing mundane things like laundry, dishes and cooking. Nothing very exciting but all necessary.
February 5, 2016 – At some point today it dawned on me that it was Friday. It has been a long time since I felt that sense of jubilation that comes with the end of the work week. Ironically, I do, however, still dread Mondays. Why? I don't know, maybe it's the last vestige of years of getting up early to go to work, all the while knowing the day would be far to long. I do admit to feeling jubilation when I sit down with my cup of coffee and realize I don't have to dash out the door before I finish it.
February 6, 2016 – Saturdays are hit or miss for me on whether I stay home or go do something. Larry and I ran to town this morning to pick up a few necessities, do some banking and buy another week's worth of pellets for the stoves. I sure am happy we have them. We are considering buying some sort of backup power source to keep them running when there is no electricity. It can get mighty cold during an Arkansas winter.
February 7, 2016 – Devin, Sarah and Liz arrive at about 12:30 last night or should I say early this morning. I heard them come in, but I was so pooped I didn't get up. I had already piled bedding on the couch for them to divide up for sleeping. I made up for my lack of hospitality with cinnamon roll pancakes, sausage and coffee for breakfast. Sarah and Liz went to Cullison's for a painting day while Dev stayed here and rested (slept). Devin headed back to Missouri this afternoon and Liz and Sarah are spending the week here. I didn't cook supper till about 6:30 this evening and the fry bread tacos I made are giving me grief as I sit here typing this at almost 11:30. Getting old sucks btw.
February 8, 2016 – Spent most of the day trying to get our internet straightened out. Did some dishes and laundry so it was an exciting day (not). Internet is still intermittent or rather more mittent than inter. Seems like if we get one good week of connection a month we are lucky. We've got snow in the forecast again. Hope it doesn't. Larry has class tomorrow morning so that means the alarm will go off at 6:30 a.m. If I haven't mentioned it, I hate alarms.
February 9, 2016 – Internet is better but still slow with frequent interruptions. Hope it gets fixed soon. We spent time after school and most of the evening with the boys as this is Gretchen's late night. Conley, Liz and Colter got to spend some time playing games and having fun. Going to try to get them back together some time this weekend. It's going too be busy for the rest of the week and I'm not looking forward to it.
February 10, 2016 – Ash Wednesday today and many youth and chidren were in attendance. The meal at church was leftover chili from Maggie Sullivan and we added hot dogs, crackers, fritos, cheese, sour cream and buns. Enjoyed some time talking with Jake after the service. I came home feeling rough from acid reflux and couldn't lay down to sleep, It's now after 2 a.m. and I'm going to give it another try.
February 11, 2016 – Not much sleep and an early morning today. Managed to get some dishes done and cook a couple of meals. Now it's time for bed and I still feel pretty rotten. Either my allergies have kicked up to high gear or I have caught a rotten cold. Hope I get some sleep tonight.
February 12, 2016 – Well it's Friday again. I'm still congested and coughing my head off. Hope it goes away soon. Haven't done anything constructive today but I did manage to get started on Around The House. Mostly I just wanted to sleep. Larry had a gig at The Edge and Megan rescheduled her Friday night game night to be there too. Sarah and Liz decided to go play games and rode into town with Meg. Megan decided to spend the night here so pretty much every room in the house is occupied by somebody.
February 13, 2016 – Wendy came to spend the day today because it's the monthly NEA Gamers day at the public library. Larry and I went to town to run errands and while Larry was at the library picking up Wendy I went to Kroger to pick up prescriptions and to restock some necessary items. This evening we went to Brookland UMC for the Valentine's Banquet. Wendy got to spend the evening with the other kids in the youth building and watch movies and eat pizza. Food was great, entertainments was super and I didn't have to do dishes. A win win for me.
February 14, 20 16 – Happy Valentines Day..... Missed church today because I was under the weather and still feel kind of listless. Larry and Megan took my children's church responsibilities while I stayed home. I finally made a pot of chicken and noodle soup for supper and we ate the whole shebang. Guess if nothing else I can still cook. Trying to get ATH in the can but it's not falling together yet. Hope I can rise and shine and get it finished in the A.M.
February 15, 2016 – Kind of fell down on writing the last two days, so this is actually 6 a.m. February 17. I spent a lot of Monday morning putting together Around The House. Devin drove in from Poplar Bluff and arrived around noon. He picked up Sarah and Liz and they went to town to meet Kier for lunch so I finished working on the page while Larry made soup. We had a late lunch/early dinner before the Browns returned and packed up for the trip home. Guess they we will be back this coming weekend.
February 16, 2016 – Tuesday I was tired and still congested. Larry went to class and I started laundry. I made a quick egg and toasted croissant breakfast sandwich and that and a cuppa carried me through till Larry came home after class. He reheated his soup but since I had breakfast I passed. I had decided to try a new enchilada recipe for supper at Gretchen's. We packed up around 3 p.m. and headed over to Paragould. After Gretchen arrived we drove to Jonesboro for a Jazz concert at the Fowler and got back home a little before 9. Watched some PBS and went to bed. There you have it, we lead such an exciting life......
February 17, 2016 – Lots of folks sick and tonights church service was light on adults and kids. I made a couple of pots of soup. Gretchen made spaghetti and Beth made mac and cheese. Not much else there so we made a meal of what we had. Since there was only a small amount of spaghetti left I guess they were well fed. Brandy sent a luscious cake but she had chemo today so she stayed home to rest.
February 18, 2016 – Larry has been asked to take Pat Hall to West Memphis tomorrow to pick up Montana and bring her home to spend the weekend. Joe had another appointment and couldn't take her. Larry and Megan took Pat and Bryan to pick her up last time. It will be good when she is finally gets to come home for good. I know it's stressful for Pat.
February 19, 2016 – Pat called this morning and said her aunt could take her to get Montana but couldn't take her back as originally planned and wanted to know if Larry could switch to taking her back instead of picking her up. Unthinkingly we said sure and then later as we started talking about what we had to do in the next few days we mentioned having a family gathering after church on Sunday and thought OOOPS! Guess we better call Pat and let her know we have a commitment for at least an hour or so after church.
February 20, 2016 – Saturdays are either super busy or laid back. This one was pretty laid back. I made rolls and cooked pork chops, garlic potatoes and buttered asparagus for lunch with key lime cheesecake for dessert. We ate burgers and fries for supper. The Browns arrived late and we were up till after midnight.
February 21, 2016 – We surprised Liz with the latest Nintendo DS as an early birthday present. We all chipped in what we could and Devin pre-ordered it so she would have it when it became available. I think she was truly wowed. Larry picked up Pat, Bryan and Montana around 3 this afternoon for the trip to Tennessee to return Montana to Youth Villages in Arlington. I'm sure everyone will be glad when she's home for good.
I woke up in the middle of the night with the realization that I was getting a UTI and started cranberry capsules. Still don't feel all that well.
February 23, 2016 – Went to the doctor today and got a prescription for antibiotics. Hopefully it will do the trick. I'm not looking forward to a week of them but it's way better than a bunch of bacteria swimming around in me. I'm super tired and feeling rough and thinking about making an early night of it. Today is Uldis's birthday, can't believe he is 46. I'm feeling old.
February 24-25, 2016 – I have been remiss in my daily entries and didn't write anything on these days. I have been taking the antibiotics and trying to get over this UTI and get back to life but they don't exactly make me feel all that well either.
February 26, 2016 – Learned today that another one of my schoolmates has passed. We spent lots of time just goofing off together during the summer. She lived within walking distance and Janis Jackson and I would sometimes go visit her and sometimes Tessie would go too. Her mother was often bed ridden so we'd hangout at her house and talk. Seems like so many of our classmates have passed on. Still a few of us around though.
February 27, 2016 – Long day today. Still not feeling well. Hope these antibiotics do the trick. Only three left to go. Larry, Paul and Kevin played The Edge tonight and Robin and Jerry came. Tomorrow is Sunday and we have children's church. Glad it's not crafts because I don't have a clue what I would do. Oh me.
February 28, 2016 – Went to church and Megan came to the house after the service for lunch and to help Larry move some cars around. Her F150 wasn't up to it. So Larry Wilson brought his four-wheel drive over and moved the cars out of the way. Guess we are going to build the rehearsal space and move some music stuff out of here.
February 29, 2016 – Yes, it's leap year and we get an extra day. Besides being the extra day in February today was also the last day for early voting for the presidential primary. We took advantage of the nice weather and went to town to vote. As I sit here typing Larry is podcasting with three of our offspring namely Sarah, Kier and Megan. I only hear his end so I get a very skewed version.
March 1, 2016 – We've leaped and our extra day has gone into the books. We began work on our yard today to get ready to plant a little garden patch. I'm going to try hay bale gardening this year and see how that works. Planted potatoes in some old tires and hope they grow and produce a few at least a few tubers.
March 2, 2016 – This Wednesday night was finger food potluck at church. Lots of food that I shouldn't have eaten but did. It's been a long day. I'm tired, my head hurts, my throat is sore and I think it's time for me to sleep. Hope I feel better by morning.
March 3, 2016 – Today was Larry's long day at school so I pretty much just hung around the house and tried to get caught up on stuff. Laundry and dishes never sleep. There's always some somewhere. Tired and my throat is still sore.
March 4, 2016 – I started my first apple cider vinegar this morning. I hope it helps. Still not feeling all that well. Larry stopped by Ace and picked up some more wood pellets on his way home from classes. Might be the last batch we have to buy till fall, but I wouldn't lay odds on it. I promised to make cookies for Beth's baby shower on Sunday guess I'll do that tomorrow.
March 5, 2016 – We went Three Junk Ladies. We didn't find much but sometimes we have really good luck. I picked up some L hooks at Brookland Sales and bought a few necessities at Dollar General and that was all the excitement we had for this Saturday.
March 6, 2016 – Larry has begun his annual quest to whip the yard into shape for spring. Beth's baby shower was today. Lots of folks showed up and she got a nice haul.
March 7, 2016 – Went to town to get groceries and buy the food for Wednesday night's meal. Bought two large pork butts at Hays. Had them sliced so they would cook quicker. We're having BBQ as the main course. Barbecue nachos were mentioned by a few folks. I bought buns and sauce so we shall see what else comes in.
March 8, 2016 – A couple of surprises were waiting on the boys when they went to feed the goats and chickens. Twin baby goats born today were waiting in the barn with their mama. They were so excited they ran all the way up the hill to use my phone to call their mother. They also forgot all about feeding. Fortunately Gretchen was soon on her way home and they all went down to take care of the new babies and feed and water all the animals. Dabaw and I headed home to avoid the onslaught of rain promised by NWS.
March 9, 2015 – Another Wednesday is almost in the books. Raining like crazy still and attendance at church was less than normal. We had enough food but not many leftovers this week. I made two barbecued butts and buns for the main course and we opened a can of nacho cheese sauce and had some chips. Pat and Jennifer brought some cookies and cake. We were amply fed and no one went home hungry.
March 10, 2016 – Not feeling well today. Lots of gastrointestinal problems and pain. Hope it will be gone by tomorrow. Haven't taken meds for acid reflux in a couple of days because my tummy wasn't feeling so good. Probably will pay for that.
March 11, 2016 – Sarah and Liz are here for the weekend. Wendy is coming to spend tomorrow. She will have all her usual needs and wants. I have plenty of crackers and peanut butter and fruit. Also some Nutter Butters.
March 12, 2016 – Long day today. Liz and Sarah had a game day at the library followed by another session at Cullisons. Wendy was enthralled with playing girl games on my computer. I finally told her she had to go to bed because it was to late for a six-year-old girl to be up. I headed to bed soon afterwards. Don't know what time the other two got home.
March 13, 2016 – Found out this morning at church that Jesse Evans had passed away. Did not really know him but I know many of his family members. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer just a few weeks ago. Kendra Winston has been staying at the hospital with him as much as she could.
March 14, 2016 – This day was devoted to getting my Around The House section written and sent in. I'm feeling tired and depressed. Seems like the news is filled with nothing but senseless violence or vitreous rhetoric from one side or other of the two reining political parties.
March 15, 2016 – The Ides of March has come and almost gone. Sure glad I finished ATH yesterday because there was no internet today. Hard to send in columns without connectivity. Larry and I picked up the boys after school and took Colter to Kendra because he had a basketball tourny game this evening. Conley came home with us and Gretchen picked him up on her way home from the game. They won and Colter's team plays again on Thursday.
March 16, 2016 – Fell after church tonight. It was one of those stupid things and luckily I didn't really hurt myself. I carried my soup pot out to the car and as I was stepping forward to set it on the back floor board my shoe caught on something and I fell into the car. I twisted my back and hurt my right arm. It takes some talent to fall inside a car and still get hurt.
March 17, 2016 – Happy St. Patrick's Day. I have a little Irish in my lineage so I guess the nth of Irish allows me to officially celebrate the day. Like everyone, my ancestors came from a wide diversity of ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
March 18, 2015 – Today was the first day (night actually) of family weekend. Tomorrow everyone will gather at Gretchen and Jason's for games, conversation, food and lots of fun. First time we've officially designated a weekend as a mini family reunion. Hopefully we will be able to continue them.
March 19, 2016 – We had a great time at the Family Weekend gathering.
Babies were everywhere. Well maybe not everywhere. Adam and Kim came and brought their two boys. We had chicken enchiladas and lots of other yummy food and desserts out the wazoo.
March 20, 2016 – Today is the first day of spring and tonight it's supposed to drop below freezing. Hope it doesn't do in my flowers. We gathered again at the Hunt Hotel today and ate leftovers and played family game. Lots of fun but I am tired. Liz is staying at Gretchen's until Thursday when Sarah comes to pick her up. Hope she has a great Spring Break.
March 21, 2016 – Worked at the paper today. First time in over a year. They were short staffed and needed a proof reader. Conley and Liz ended up spending the night at our house tonight. Colter went to Nini's.
March 22, 2016 – Long day today. Lots of kids since Wendy was here too. Tried to get some stuff done around the house but didn't get much accomplished. Tired and another day of cooking tomorrow. Hope things go smoothly.
March 23, 2016 – Wednesday night church tonight. We had breakfast for supper with pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs hash browns and ham. Meg came home with us after the service and she and Larry built her new computer.
March 24, 2016 – Megan stayed the night Wednesday so she could be at game day at the public library this morning to help Sarah. She came back afterwards and spent the afternoon. Larry had a rehearsal with Paul, Kevin and Cody for the gig they will play tomorrow night.
March 25, 2016 – Larry has a gig tonight so we made a quick run to town this morning to get stuff for Easter dinner. He did some of the shopping to make it a shorter trip. He's getting better at it every day. Maybe one of these days he can do all the shopping. Well probably not.
March 26, 2016 – Went to the Easter Egg hunt at the church. Wow so many eggs filled with so much candy. I bet those kiddos don't sleep a wink tonight. Megan is spending the night again tonight. She's at an Easter gathering at the Herrells and probably will get in late. She expressed a desire for a breakfast of bacon with a side of bacon in the morning.
March 27, 2016 – Easter Sunday. I got up at 7:30 and put a ham in the roaster oven. We fixed bacon with a side of bacon, leftover hash brown casserole, some fruit and croissants for breakfast. We had children's church today and since it was music Larry decided it would be a good day to go outside and enjoy the sunshine. After church while I was cooking lunch Megan helped Larry finish a cable chase then she came into the kitchen and cooked asparagus while I finished the salad. Nothing like lots of fresh spring veggies. We sneaked a little dessert in with some dark chocolate brownies.
March 28, 2016 – It's Monday, what more is there to say? Larry is on the phone with Sarah and Megan doing the biweekly podcast and I've been falling asleep on the couch. Did not sleep well last night so I even more sleepy than usual.
March 29, 2016 – Beth's and Greg's son Jack Osborne was born today. Have not met him yet but I will soon. Tuesdays are busy days. Larry had class and I worked on laundry and dishes. We went to pick up the boys after school and took them to Gretchen.
March 30, 2016 – Another Wednesday has come and almost gone. It was a fifth Wednesday and the youth led the service. Zack really delivered tonight. He put some work into his message for sure.
March 31, 2016 – College classes are starting to wind down. Guess this will be Larry's last term for a while. Don't know how much it will change our life but we'll see.
April 1, 2016 – April Fools!
April 2, 2016 – Sarah and Liz came in late last night and spent the day at Cullesins helping with a game auction. I'm told that Kier made out like a bandit. Megan helped auction off the games. Probably means she told them what to do.
April 3, 2016 – Today is my father's birthday. It's also the birthday of my brother-in-law Hugh Smith who is also deceased. Dad would have been 113 and Hugh would have been 87. It is also the anniversary of the first ride of the Pony Express which would also be 113 years old today.
April 4, 2016 – Not feeling so great tonight. Larry is at a concert at ASU so I made dinner late. I was feeling hungry so I went ahead and made a plate and started eating. Wasn't long before I realized it wasn't hunger pains it was just pains. Hate wasting good food so I dumped into a storage container and put it in the fridge.
April 5, 2016 – Still not feeling great but went to Gretchen's and made dinner. Gretchen had a meeting so we stayed with the boys till Jason got home.
April 6, 20 16 – Larry had his last recital (at least for now) this evening. His piece was last. It was a much more complex piece that the other compositions. We were finished in time to go to church for the evening service but not in time to participate in the meal.
April 7, 2016 – Larry had classes today but the term is winding down fast. Seems weird that the spring term is almost over and summer will be here before we know it. Hope it's a moderate summer and not too hot. Looking forward to some porch time.
April 8, 2016 – Went shopping this morning to pick up some grocery items for the pantry and for tomorrow's Spring Fling at BUMC. I made six containers of peanut butter fudge for the bake sale and tomorrow I'm making baked beans for the BBQ meal. Sarah, Liz and Megan are all coming to spend the night. Colter bug was kicked by a horse and it hurt his arm. Not sure how bad it is yet. Hopefully not anything serious.
April 9, 2016 – Sarah and Liz got here before Meg last night and we visited a short time before we gave up and went to bed. Don't know what time Meg got here but she said she ended up sleeping on the floor because the air mattress didn't stay filled. We spent some time at the church this morning. I made baked beans while Larry rummaged through the trash to treasure sale. Colter is still favoring his arm and not using it. Gretchen said he couldn't hold his ball glove this morning. After I got the beans in the oven we drove around Brookland and stopped at a few sales. We spent what cash we had and some of Meg's too. Kier dropped Wendy off with us on his way to pick up Sarah and Liz to take them to Jonesboro for game day at the library. Wendy enjoyed yard selling and having lunch at the church before we came home.
April 10, 2016 – Gretchen and Jason took Colter to the ER last night and he has a broken arm. I planned torn paper art as my children's church craft and they seemed to really like it. They didn't actually make a mosaic pattern as I had planned but more or less created collages. They had fun and were excited about it so I call it a success. Colter even managed to do some artwork. Conley came home with us and got to spend some time with Liz before he had to go to 4H. Sarah and Liz went home this afternoon. Megan drove them to Corning to meet Devin after her church commitments were finished. There were some crazy dust storms in the area today that caused several wrecks with injuries and fatalities. With all the rain we've had it seems ironic that this could happen.
April 11, 2016 – Monday Monday can't trust that day. Seems like I'm always tired on Mondays. Actually it seems like I'm always tired.
April 12, 2016 – Went to the store today and grabbed sausages for Wednesday night's meal and two very large containers of Tums. (Why? Because I need them) Then we went to H&R Block to pick up a copy of our tax return and find out how much we owed. It's always depressing and I hope this is the last year we have to file. Larry's Tuesday/Thursday classes are winding down and before we know it the term will be over. Summer is on it's way.
April 13, 2016 – Today is Wednesday so it was a cooking day. Larry and I started prepping the potatoes for roasting this afternoon and it was a job. All that scrubbing and chopping takes time and effort. Got them in the roaster and added olive oil and salt and pepper and away they go. Wasn't sure how roasted potatoes and sausage would go over as a main course but I guess it can be termed a success. Came home with only a few potatoes and two Lil Smokies sausages.
April 14, 2016 – Thursdays are busy days for Larry and me. Larry worked on his sax and went to the jazz band concert at ASU and to record and catch some of Pierce Pettis and Grace Pettis performance at The Arts at 311 tonight. For me Thursday means do laundry and cleaning house. Not my favorite pastime but I stayed busy. Not much to talk about I guess.
April 15, 2016 – Went to do some shopping and worked on rearranging and reorganizing the kitchen. Gonna get it finished one of these days I hope. At least I'm not hustling to finish filing my income tax forms.
April 16, 2016 – Stayed home all day while Larry attended a workshop and the Blues Symposium concert at City Water and Light Park. I'm not up to those all day events any more.
April 17, 2016 – The youth led worship today at both Union Grove and Brookland. Conley and Allie Hubbs each gave a short message. They both touched on the church as a home and the congregation as family.
April 18, 2016 – Doctor's appointment today. She's decided to send me for some more tests and to change my meds. I'm not sure what's going to come of it but I'm hoping I will feel better.
April 24, 2016 – There's a date leap here I know but it's been a crazy few days and I haven't felt very well. Went for a stress test on the 20th and of course I still don't know anything. It's amazing how they can just leave you spinning in the wind. I have another test on Wednesday. They are going to knock me out for this one. Hope it's not too bad.
April 25, 2016 – Felt a lot better this morning. We went to town to run some errands and to pick up a few groceries. Larry is going to make chili for the Wednesday night potluck. Guess going to town did me in and I've been mostly worthless since then.
April 26, 2016 – We picked up the boys and took them to the fairgrounds for a 4H meeting. Still not feeling very good. Hope things get better soon. Larry made chili for the Wednesday night meal. Tomorrow is the scope procedure at Lawrence Memorial. Hope things go well.
April 27, 2016 – Don't remember much about the scope procedure. I remember they insisted on putting an IV in my right hand and I wasn't crazy about it. Ended up going to church in all my fuzzy headed glory.
April 28, 2016 – Larry had classes today and I pretty much burried my head in the sand. Not doing so good hope I feel better soon.
April 29, 2016 – Went to town this morning and got the new medicine for my reflux. Won't be able to try it till tomorrow. Kier is picking up Sarah and Liz at Poplar Bluff and Wendy is here with us. She's got a busy day ahead of her tomorrow and so do we.
April 30, 2016 – Still not feeling well. Fell asleep this afternoon and woke up disoriented. Larry had a rehearsal but I didn't remember it so I didn't know where he was. He is playing music with the Zendall Rainey Band tonight at Bono. I just wasn't up to going. Sarah and Liz are at Culleson's for the table top day. Feeling like warmed over crap and I'm going to bed.
May 1, 2016 – Same song different day. Hope tomorrow I will feel better. Still sleeping a lot and feeling awful. Hope the light at the end of the tunnel is not a damn train.
May 2, 2016 – Still feeling rotten. Haven't adjusted to all the different meds yet. Hopefully I will and I will feel better soon.
May 3, 2016 – Had to go pick up another prescription; Twenty-seven+ dollar for eight pills. Dag nab! Larry went to Sams and bought stuff for spaghetti for tomorrow night. Didn't go to Gretchen's tonight. Leah picked up Colter for a game.
May 4, 2016 – Well the fourth may have been with some of y'all but I guess it skipped right over me. Made spaghetti and meatballs for the meal at church tonight and had a lot of leftovers. They were set aside for the family gathering tomorrow after Ms Murlene's funeral.
Murlene Davenport was certainly a woman who knew what she wanted, and she didn't mind telling you if you were stepping on her toes. She loved children and she always had time for them. I only knew her the last 23 of her 104 years but she left a lasting impression that's for sure.
May 5, 2016 – Woke up this morning and my right leg was so sore I couldn't put any weight on it without feeling immense pain. Knee did not want to bend and I barely managed to hobble back and forth from the bathroom back to the couch. Other than my sudden loss of mobility Cinco de Mayo passed pretty uneventfully.
May 6, 2016 – My leg was a tad bit better this morning but still hurt to walk on it. I've hobbled around most of the day. The knee actually hurt worse this morning than the rest of the leg. Haven't been out of the house in two days now. It's about bedtime and I think I'm ready.
May 7, 2016 – Leg is better but knee is still hurts to bend it or put weight on it. Wendy was dropped off to spend the evening and we played video games. She was about half past sleepy by the time she was picked up. Was nice to see Will Hose who was in for a visit.
May 8, 2016 – Today is Mther's Day and we went to church this morning. I was able to get around okay. We made Mother's Day cards for our craft in children's church as we do every year. Got home and rested and ate some lunch. Megan came over for awhile then she and Larry went back to the church to do some repairs. Gretchen invited us all over for dinner but unfortunately as we drove out of our driveway I heard a strange noise we we discovered our brakes were on the fritz. So we pulled back in and parked.
May 9, 2016 – It's been a long day. The car is at the garage hopefully getting repaired. I'm tired and thinking about a long nap. It's been storming all around us and I'm hoping it doesn't decide to visit here as well. Hope everyone is safe and sound through the next several days of stormy weather.
May 10, 2016 – Today is Emily's birthday. She and Wendy are both 6 now. Still no car and Gretchen had to find someone to pick up the boys tonight and help them get to the places where they needed to go. Hopefully there isn't anything seriously wrong with it will be fixed soon.
May 11, 2016 – Got the car back late this afternoon. Angie was nice enough to take Larry to Randy's to pick it up. We made it to church around 5:30. Didn't have anything ready to take so I went empty handed.
May 12, 2016 – It was rainy this morning and by the time it cleared up we just decided to stay in. I guess we'll head to town tomorrow since we have commitments this weekend and I'm gonna need to have some food in the house.
May 13, 2016 – Made a quick trip to town and bought some groceries. Larry bought another motor from Harbor Freight and the the third time wasn't a charm. Another dud that was no worky! He finally broke down and ordered a new one from Sears. Hope it works. Tomorrow we have Wendy and lots of other stuff going on. Hope it's a nice easy day.
May 14-15 – I've been remiss again. We had lots going on with things at church and at home.
May 16, 2016 – Had blood work done at the St. Bernard's Hematology Lab in Cloptons Medical Complex. They were specifically looking to find out why my white blood cell count has been high over he last few years. When the doctor came in he told me he found no indication of leukemia and that he wouldn't have any answers for me until they had a chance to run more tests but that preliminarily he saw nothing to be concerned about.
May 17, 2016 – Got reminded yesterday afternoon that Around The House had to run this week. So I had to hurriedly put together the page and get it sent to the paper this morning. Managed to get it done.
May 18, 2016 – Had no plan for the Wednesday night meal. Cathy mentioned a lot of breakfast items were already at the church so we decided to go with breakfast for dinner. The kids munched it down. Bro. Joe was out of pocket so Megan gave the message. She did rather well in my opinion.
May 19, 2016 – I stayed home while Larry worked on getting the lawnmower to work. He took it in and found out that there was an issue with another part of the lawnmower and the motor was fine. After conferring with his favorite lawnmower guy he now has it running.
May 20, 2016 – The new mower came in today and Larry picked it up this morning. He mowed with it when he got home and it has provided him with the muscle he needed for keeping this huge yard under control. Bebop Beatniks had a gig tonight and I ended up going to take pics, etc. They are coming along quite nicely. Enjoyed the music very much.
May 21, 2016 – Busy day today. Shopping at Farmer's Market then at Kroger this morning. Larry played piano out at Craighead Forest this afternoon for Wesley Eddington's campaign bash then we went to the fish fry at church this evening. I took a buttermilk caramel cake, don't know if it was eaten or tossed. Lots of food lands in the garbage at these things. Really bothers me.
May 22, 2016 – Today is Megan's birthday. She came to the house for lunch and we had Mexican chicken casserole, Panco's cheese dip and chips. Didn't make her a cake. :(. Maybe later on in the week. Larry gave her set of wrenches and a T-shirt. I gave her a hard time.
May 23, 2016 – Larry took the car into Randy's and got the wheel bearings replaced. That's one more worry put to rest. He says he is slowing down, but as yet I haven't seen any evidence of it. He is busy as he can be. I don't have near the energy he has and never did.
May 24, 2016 – Wow has it ever rained today. Jonesboro flooded, Brookland flooded, Paragould flooded, Walnut Ridge flooded, Hoxie flooded..... Northeast Arkansas is under water. I sure hope it quits raining for a few days. We need just a little break. There aren't enough boats.
May 25, 2016 – Larry gave the message tonight at church since Joe is on vacation. He did a pretty good job even though I am prejudiced. I made chef salad for the Wednesday night meal and they mostly ate every scrap of it. I think it's a winner. We are going to have a cookout Sunday with Jazz music for Memorial Day and the end of school. Hopefully it isn't still raining by then.
May 26, 2016 – Finally got the car license renewed. Seems like it took forever to get it done. Picked up the rest of the stuff for the cookout and hopefully we are mostly ready. It's pouring rain again. The weather prediction for the next week is get a boat.
May 27, 2016 –
May 28, 2016 – Larry went to Newport to record Sonny Burgess's birthday bash at the country club. He didn't get home till late and I couldn't hang. I was to tired. I remember him coming in and waking up enough to notice it was 12:30 or so. I'm to old to stay up late any more.
May 29, 2016 – Megan led the service this morning and a lady named Donna gave the message. We had a cookout and live music featuring jazz musicians from Larry's band Bebop Beatniks and others. Seemed to go over well.
May 3o, 2016 – Memorial Day, Honoring those who died in battle. There should be no battles. Let's give peace a chance.
May 31, 2016 – Tomorrow we start the sixth month of the year. I can't believe that the year will soon be half over. My mom always said the older you get the faster time flies. Wendy is staying with us this week while her parents work.
June 1, 2016 – Wendy has discovered the joys of having an entire room and media center at her disposal. She apparently needs lots of snacks to keep her fueled. We celebrated Cathy Overman's birthday tonight at church though her birthday is tomorrow. It was finger food potluck tonight and we had a pretty nice spread. I took potato salad and we pulled out the ice cream from Sunday's Jazz cookout.
June 2, 2016 – Got a call this afternoon from Kier informing me that Jerry Runyan was in the ER and that he had a collapsed lung. Kier and Rosemary are planning on going to Little Rock and so Wendy will be staying with us till Kier and Roro get back. *I have keep trying to organize the kitchen so it functions more smoothly. Ordered another rolling kitchen cart which will occupy the space where the stove is currently residing. It has a stainless steel top and it should hold the two induction burners without a problem. It will also roll out to make cleaning much easier.
June 3, 2016 – Kier dropped off duds for Wendy as they headed out of town this morning. She didn't have any clothes here as she has been going home each afternoon. It turned out that Jerry's collapsed lung is due to fluid buildup in his chest cavity which caused the bottom half of his lung to be unable to expand. Hopefully they can help him now.
June 4, 2016 – Today is Kier's birthday. Can't believe he's 35. He picked up Wendy this morning to go celebrate his birthday. Didn't get to see him very long. Larry, Paul and Kevin had a gig at The Edge and I went along to be of little help. Jerry and Robin Gasaway met us there and we sat in the booth and talked while the guys played music. June 4, 2016 – Addendum Jerry Runyan was released from the hospital last night. They are trying to clear the chest cavity in hopes that his lung will inflate.
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by Vivian Heyl 1950-2024
Vivian Running Sound At Blues Fest
Vivian was editor at Delta Boogie since we started the site in 1996. She wrote almost all of our Delta Musicians section, the most popular area on Delta Boogie. She also wrote anything else on Delta Boogie that doesn't have a byline.
She also worked for the Times Dispatch in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, where she contributed many features and some reporting. Her work at the Times Dispatch regularly won awards from the Arkansas Press Association.
Writing was her passion. She wrote for her whole life. Much of it we still have in computer files. I am posting her work here as I find it.
by Larry Heyl
Links
Delta Boogie
Gamer+
Related To Geeks
Gretchen says:
Today we celebrate Vivian Heyl. Mom, Grandma, Viv. Whatever name you knew her by, I'm sure at some point in time she used her gift of nurturing on you. She was indeed a nurturer - of the mind, body and spirit. Her words of encouragement could only be outdone by her quick wit and, when needed, sharp tongue. She loved unconditionally, but she had no problem calling you on your crap. She welcomed ALL to her family - and about the only thing that would get you unwelcome was making someone else feel that way. Today we celebrate the life she lived, the example she set and the love she shared.
Many have asked what they can do for the family or in memory of Mom - I offer these suggestions:
Play a game with your family. There is nothing that would be a better gift than to share joy with your family and in memory of Mom.
Read a book (it can have pictures). Mom loved to go on adventures in books and she led us kids down the same path.
Encourage a kid (preferably one who no else even seems to notice). I promise that is the one Mom would spot first and immediately bring into the fold.
We would also love to hear your stories about Mom. We would love anyone who would like to share stories or memories to do so in the comment thread. Maybe you have a story where you realized, possibly even years later, that you had been molded by a momma's love in the form of Vivian Heyl.
If you would like to make a memorial gift, please consider the children and youth fund at Brookland UMC or the friends of the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library, the Lawrence County Library or your local library.
Lastly, just keep loving us! We are sad, but we are blessed.
Add your words to the comments thread:
Words and Comments
Delta Boogie Newsletter/Gamer+ News - May 2024 - This One's For Vivian
https://gamerplus.org/@hairylarry/pages/1714661546292
My wife Vivian was the editor of Delta Boogie and a regular contributor to Gamer+. She helped me with everything I did including Blues Fest for 25 years, The Bandshell Project, Jonesboro Computer Services, The Jonesboro User Group, and so much more. I don't know what I'll do without her.
On April 18, 2024, Vivian passed on.
She was a writer all her life and I am collecting her writings here.
https://deltaboogie.net/words
She worked at The Times Dispatch in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, for years. Her features regularly won Awards from the Arkansas Press Association.
She wrote almost all of Delta Musicians, the most popular section on Delta Boogie, where she provided Delta Bluesmen with a place on the internet back in the nineties. She also wrote all of the articles on Delta Boogie that do not have a byline.
She played and ran fantasy RPGs with dice and miniatures at ASU Beebe in the early seventies before D&D was published.
We home schooled our children and she saw their love of D&D as an educational opportunity for reading, writing, history, the arts, and, of course, math.
She loved music and games and she raised a family of musicians and gamers.
We have five children and seven grandchildren. I had two boys before we married and she loved them like her own.
She saved my life and she gave me a good life. I love her still and always.
For her, I thank you all, for your continued support of Delta Boogie, Gamer+, Delta music, NEA gaming and whatever else it is that you do to make the world a little bit better.
Please take a minute and say a prayer.
Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/@hairylarry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com
Comment thread here.