Tuesday, November 29, 2005
It was a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
On Thursday I went up to my sister Janice's for dinner. I carried a salad, macaroni and cheese, a German chocolate Bundt cake, and a pecan pie.
People at Janice's were:
Mother (Her hair had been beautifully arranged by someone at the nursing home)
Julia and Frankie
June and Harry
Me
John and Charlotte, Cindy with Jesse and Morgan (Chelsea Paige had gone hunting with her daddy) Jennifer and Tony with Billy
Janice and Keith, Desi and Jonathan, Desiree
James
For some reason the conversation was particularly lively and it was a lot of fun.
Two people called Harry Frankie so we got a lot of comedy out of that.
Thursday afternoon my family came. It is always good to have them here. Since I was still taking care of Julia, I had a full house and it was great.
Friday morning was a new experience for me: I went shopping at the after Thanksgiving sales. We were up and at WalMart by 4:30. I cannot tell what we were out for but we did get it despite some setbacks. Anne got mad (with reason) and had some words for a WalMart clerk.
We also hit Target, Office Depot, Toys R Us, and Macy's. (It hurts a little bit to write Macy's. it should be Goldsmith's. It really should. It doesn't seem right to me that the chains are taking over the old stores that were identified with certain towns. Marshall Field. Rich's, Goldsmith's, etc. It is more efficient but we are losing some local cohesion.)
I did not buy much. Anne had her list and was the main buyer. I had previously made a large order to the Discovery Channel store. With the things I bought at Toys R Us and Macy's, my list is now down to Anne.
Friday afternoon we all went out to the nursing home to see Mother. I always remember that when she first moved there the kids understood it by saying that "Grandmother went to live with her friends." The home is already decorated and we enjoyed that.
Beth had to be at the airport by 6 am so she left early Saturday morning in my car and drove to Nashville. She left the car at Ken's mother's house and Margie took her to the airport. That was beyond the call of duty.
We got up and were off to Starkville to go to the Ole Miss game. I had some hopes. I thought we would be pretty evenly matched and that we might be able to win in a close game.
We ate breakfast at Selmer and ate lunch in West Point at Little Dooey's.
At the game, it was George's turn to sit with me. George turned out to be the worst to handle. He is not mean but he just had no interest in the game. We were always going out for the bathroom or to get food.
That takes a long time. We left our seats as soon as halftime was over to go get hot chocolate. When we got back to our seats, the game was 4 minutes into the 3rd quarter. The chocolate was good though.
One time we left to go to the bathroom just after we had scored a touchdown, when we got back they kicked the extra point. It was like they held up the game for us. What actually happened is that they reviewed the play upstairs and said he did not get into the end zone so the team had to do it again.
We won the game 35-14. We were on their 6 yard line when the game ended. The quarterback took a knee. I would have run it on in myself.
I can hardly believe it now. That we won by so much is incredible. There was much rejoicing.
After the game we went to our friends Charlie and Marty Sparrow. Their son Chuck was visiting with his wife Missy and new 4 month old daughter Shelby. I had wanted so much to see the new baby and she is worth it. She has a lot of hair and is a cutie and such a good baby.
We had a great meal of pizza. It was good to be back at the Sparrows' house.
Sunday I went back with them to Nashville. Originally I was to just drive my car back home but Emma got strep throat. Ken's mother volunteers at a hospital on Mondays so I stayed to care for Emma on Monday.
I came back after school and here I am alone now because Julia is back at her house.
On Thursday I went up to my sister Janice's for dinner. I carried a salad, macaroni and cheese, a German chocolate Bundt cake, and a pecan pie.
People at Janice's were:
Mother (Her hair had been beautifully arranged by someone at the nursing home)
Julia and Frankie
June and Harry
Me
John and Charlotte, Cindy with Jesse and Morgan (Chelsea Paige had gone hunting with her daddy) Jennifer and Tony with Billy
Janice and Keith, Desi and Jonathan, Desiree
James
For some reason the conversation was particularly lively and it was a lot of fun.
Two people called Harry Frankie so we got a lot of comedy out of that.
Thursday afternoon my family came. It is always good to have them here. Since I was still taking care of Julia, I had a full house and it was great.
Friday morning was a new experience for me: I went shopping at the after Thanksgiving sales. We were up and at WalMart by 4:30. I cannot tell what we were out for but we did get it despite some setbacks. Anne got mad (with reason) and had some words for a WalMart clerk.
We also hit Target, Office Depot, Toys R Us, and Macy's. (It hurts a little bit to write Macy's. it should be Goldsmith's. It really should. It doesn't seem right to me that the chains are taking over the old stores that were identified with certain towns. Marshall Field. Rich's, Goldsmith's, etc. It is more efficient but we are losing some local cohesion.)
I did not buy much. Anne had her list and was the main buyer. I had previously made a large order to the Discovery Channel store. With the things I bought at Toys R Us and Macy's, my list is now down to Anne.
Friday afternoon we all went out to the nursing home to see Mother. I always remember that when she first moved there the kids understood it by saying that "Grandmother went to live with her friends." The home is already decorated and we enjoyed that.
Beth had to be at the airport by 6 am so she left early Saturday morning in my car and drove to Nashville. She left the car at Ken's mother's house and Margie took her to the airport. That was beyond the call of duty.
We got up and were off to Starkville to go to the Ole Miss game. I had some hopes. I thought we would be pretty evenly matched and that we might be able to win in a close game.
We ate breakfast at Selmer and ate lunch in West Point at Little Dooey's.
At the game, it was George's turn to sit with me. George turned out to be the worst to handle. He is not mean but he just had no interest in the game. We were always going out for the bathroom or to get food.
That takes a long time. We left our seats as soon as halftime was over to go get hot chocolate. When we got back to our seats, the game was 4 minutes into the 3rd quarter. The chocolate was good though.
One time we left to go to the bathroom just after we had scored a touchdown, when we got back they kicked the extra point. It was like they held up the game for us. What actually happened is that they reviewed the play upstairs and said he did not get into the end zone so the team had to do it again.
We won the game 35-14. We were on their 6 yard line when the game ended. The quarterback took a knee. I would have run it on in myself.
I can hardly believe it now. That we won by so much is incredible. There was much rejoicing.
After the game we went to our friends Charlie and Marty Sparrow. Their son Chuck was visiting with his wife Missy and new 4 month old daughter Shelby. I had wanted so much to see the new baby and she is worth it. She has a lot of hair and is a cutie and such a good baby.
We had a great meal of pizza. It was good to be back at the Sparrows' house.
Sunday I went back with them to Nashville. Originally I was to just drive my car back home but Emma got strep throat. Ken's mother volunteers at a hospital on Mondays so I stayed to care for Emma on Monday.
I came back after school and here I am alone now because Julia is back at her house.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
The word is mitered. Daddy mitered the corners of the door on the cabinet he made.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
The aristocratic class and the poor have something in common: They each "have" their furniture rather than buying it.
I don't know if Mother ever bought any furniture. We just had furniture:it was there.
They did have one new set of furniture that somehow they got when they got married. It is the set that has always been in the back east bedroom. It used to be brown wood but Janice painted it blue and white.
The tall cabinet in the kitchen, the one without glass, was made by Daddy from the wood the bedroom set came in. Daddy was proud of the way the front door is ... I have lost my mind . I cannot think of the word that describes a joint where the two pieces of wood are joined with two 45 degree pieces of wood, like a picture frame. Anyway he was proud of his work and thought it good even though he did not have the proper fine carpentry tools to make it.
Some of the furniture was given to Mother by Mama and a lot belonged to my grandmother Webb. Mother resented Mammy sometimes. Even after being in Mother's house for decades, Mammy considered these things still hers and and when she visited, if she decided she wanted a plate back she took it.
Occasionaly we had new to us upholstered pieces that were given to us.
Mother's dining room furniture was used by Mama SEaton. It was a gift to her from Uncle George and when she died he gave it to Mother.
Typical of the furniture in that house is a small tabel desk that holds the tv. When Julia and Jerrell were at UT Martin they lived in married student housing. It was built for returning veterans of World War II and by the late 50s was not in good shape. When people moved out, they just left what they didn't think was good enough to take with them. Julia and Jerrell took the table desk where it had been abandoned and gave it to Mother.
The aristocratic class uses the valuable antiques they have inherited from their family. The poor cobble together their furniture ownings and wind up with junk but with no funds to replace them.
My Aunt Velma had a job teaching school, so she had money to buy things, including furniture.
In the fifties, blonde Scandanavian was in vogue. Eva Mae ran up to our house one day and excitedly told us that they had new blond living room furniture. I was excited, too, and it was a handsome set.
Aunt Velma enjoyed new things. I remember her serving a new dessert at a party once, something the rest of us had never heard of. She said it was called doughnuts. They weren't very good and later she found out she had made them wrong. How they were wrong, I don't know.Doris Carroll says Aunt Velma will be 90 on Monday.
I don't know if Mother ever bought any furniture. We just had furniture:it was there.
They did have one new set of furniture that somehow they got when they got married. It is the set that has always been in the back east bedroom. It used to be brown wood but Janice painted it blue and white.
The tall cabinet in the kitchen, the one without glass, was made by Daddy from the wood the bedroom set came in. Daddy was proud of the way the front door is ... I have lost my mind . I cannot think of the word that describes a joint where the two pieces of wood are joined with two 45 degree pieces of wood, like a picture frame. Anyway he was proud of his work and thought it good even though he did not have the proper fine carpentry tools to make it.
Some of the furniture was given to Mother by Mama and a lot belonged to my grandmother Webb. Mother resented Mammy sometimes. Even after being in Mother's house for decades, Mammy considered these things still hers and and when she visited, if she decided she wanted a plate back she took it.
Occasionaly we had new to us upholstered pieces that were given to us.
Mother's dining room furniture was used by Mama SEaton. It was a gift to her from Uncle George and when she died he gave it to Mother.
Typical of the furniture in that house is a small tabel desk that holds the tv. When Julia and Jerrell were at UT Martin they lived in married student housing. It was built for returning veterans of World War II and by the late 50s was not in good shape. When people moved out, they just left what they didn't think was good enough to take with them. Julia and Jerrell took the table desk where it had been abandoned and gave it to Mother.
The aristocratic class uses the valuable antiques they have inherited from their family. The poor cobble together their furniture ownings and wind up with junk but with no funds to replace them.
My Aunt Velma had a job teaching school, so she had money to buy things, including furniture.
In the fifties, blonde Scandanavian was in vogue. Eva Mae ran up to our house one day and excitedly told us that they had new blond living room furniture. I was excited, too, and it was a handsome set.
Aunt Velma enjoyed new things. I remember her serving a new dessert at a party once, something the rest of us had never heard of. She said it was called doughnuts. They weren't very good and later she found out she had made them wrong. How they were wrong, I don't know.Doris Carroll says Aunt Velma will be 90 on Monday.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Watching football on a fall Saturday afternoon is full of emotion. Frustration, elation, joy, and sorrow.
The Tennessee-Vanderbilt game is normally one where I want both to win so I watch the game hoping the one behind will score. Today Vanderbilt won in a thrilling game. Vanderbilt fans who went to Knoxville and saw the game in person must be both exhausted, relieved, and happy. I feel for Tennessee fans. The season started with such anticipation and now, even with a victory over Kentucky next week, they will not be bowl eligible.
Currently I am watching Auburn-Alabama and I don't want either to win. Earlier in the day one of the networks switched to the Ivy League where Harvard-Yale went into overtime. I can't express how uninterested I was in that game.
And in Little Rock, my beloved Bulldogs lost to lowly, lowly Arkansas 44-10. That is the worst we've been beaten this year, I think. How humiliating.
James has always been an advocate of seeing your team through the hard times. He says, and he is correct, that you really can't enjoy the good times fully if you haven't experienced the lows.
But even James is changing his tune. He sees no hope that my team will ever have highs and tells me that I have done my part for 40 years and it is okay if I give it up.
Will I feel better if I stop hitting my head against this brick wall? I'm not sure.
The Tennessee-Vanderbilt game is normally one where I want both to win so I watch the game hoping the one behind will score. Today Vanderbilt won in a thrilling game. Vanderbilt fans who went to Knoxville and saw the game in person must be both exhausted, relieved, and happy. I feel for Tennessee fans. The season started with such anticipation and now, even with a victory over Kentucky next week, they will not be bowl eligible.
Currently I am watching Auburn-Alabama and I don't want either to win. Earlier in the day one of the networks switched to the Ivy League where Harvard-Yale went into overtime. I can't express how uninterested I was in that game.
And in Little Rock, my beloved Bulldogs lost to lowly, lowly Arkansas 44-10. That is the worst we've been beaten this year, I think. How humiliating.
James has always been an advocate of seeing your team through the hard times. He says, and he is correct, that you really can't enjoy the good times fully if you haven't experienced the lows.
But even James is changing his tune. He sees no hope that my team will ever have highs and tells me that I have done my part for 40 years and it is okay if I give it up.
Will I feel better if I stop hitting my head against this brick wall? I'm not sure.
I remember studying about "extinguishing" behavior in psychology. Scientists train chickens, or whatever, to peck at a lever to get food. Then they quit giving the chicken the food and study how long it takes the chicken to quit pecking at the lever. That is extinguishing behavior.
I wonder how long it takes for my readers to quit checking to see if I have posted new material. Sorry for comparing you to chickens.
Julia had her arthroscopic knee surgery on Monday. It has turned out to be quite an ordeal for her.
She came home very weak and today on Saturday is just now strong enough to get around.
Tuesday she had fever and was hot and cold. I heated blankets in the dryer for her and then a little while later I would turn on the overhead fan to cool her down.
Wednesday Frankie took her to see Dr. Frix who prescribed an antibiotic for her.
Friday she talked to the surgeon's office and was told to go to the emergency room to see an orthopedic surgeon. Frankie took her and they were there for several hours.
She has a hematoma behind her knee but it isn't the kind goes to the heart or lungs and kills. She is not supposed to be up and on that knee.
They were most worried about her knee being hot. A whole slew of tests failed to reveal the cause of this.
She was told that if she has any more problems to immediately call the emergency room and ask for the orthopedic guy who will be there all weekend.
On Monday she goes back to the orginal surgeon.
I wonder how long it takes for my readers to quit checking to see if I have posted new material. Sorry for comparing you to chickens.
Julia had her arthroscopic knee surgery on Monday. It has turned out to be quite an ordeal for her.
She came home very weak and today on Saturday is just now strong enough to get around.
Tuesday she had fever and was hot and cold. I heated blankets in the dryer for her and then a little while later I would turn on the overhead fan to cool her down.
Wednesday Frankie took her to see Dr. Frix who prescribed an antibiotic for her.
Friday she talked to the surgeon's office and was told to go to the emergency room to see an orthopedic surgeon. Frankie took her and they were there for several hours.
She has a hematoma behind her knee but it isn't the kind goes to the heart or lungs and kills. She is not supposed to be up and on that knee.
They were most worried about her knee being hot. A whole slew of tests failed to reveal the cause of this.
She was told that if she has any more problems to immediately call the emergency room and ask for the orthopedic guy who will be there all weekend.
On Monday she goes back to the orginal surgeon.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
I drove down to Starkville yesterday to go to the Alabama game. The fall colors were beautiful, the weather was great, and it was good to be on the road. The colors in New England are supposed to be spectacular. I have never seen them but they must be great if they are that much better than here.
Unfortunately it did not turn out to be good to be a Mississippi State fan.
First, I had trouble getting there. When I got to the turn-off at Clayton Village, the normal way to campus, it was blocked off by highway patrolmen. I had to continue on the Highway 82 bypass. This is new, only been open a couple of months. I then took the next exit and had no idea where it went but went right to campus. I turned to the right when I got to regular 82 and went right to the technology center where I usually park.
Our regular kicker is hurt so we kicked off the game using a black kicker. Have you ever seen that before? I haven't. He did pretty good.
We lost the game 17-0. They scored 3 points on the defense, 7 on the offense, and 7 on a special teams. Except for a disastrous less than 3 minutes period at the beginning of the first half, the score would have been 3-0.
The defense played well all day. Once holding them on a 4th and 1.
When they announced the scores of the Tennessee-Notre Dame game, it got a big cheer. I could not figure it out until I realized that it was Alabama fans who were cheering the Tennessee loss.
After the game I talked to the Sparrows and got to see new pictures of their new baby granddaughters. Baby Rachael lives in Athens, GA, and baby Shelby lives in Atlanta. I don't see how Marty and Charlie stay out of Georgia.
Unfortunately it did not turn out to be good to be a Mississippi State fan.
First, I had trouble getting there. When I got to the turn-off at Clayton Village, the normal way to campus, it was blocked off by highway patrolmen. I had to continue on the Highway 82 bypass. This is new, only been open a couple of months. I then took the next exit and had no idea where it went but went right to campus. I turned to the right when I got to regular 82 and went right to the technology center where I usually park.
Our regular kicker is hurt so we kicked off the game using a black kicker. Have you ever seen that before? I haven't. He did pretty good.
We lost the game 17-0. They scored 3 points on the defense, 7 on the offense, and 7 on a special teams. Except for a disastrous less than 3 minutes period at the beginning of the first half, the score would have been 3-0.
The defense played well all day. Once holding them on a 4th and 1.
When they announced the scores of the Tennessee-Notre Dame game, it got a big cheer. I could not figure it out until I realized that it was Alabama fans who were cheering the Tennessee loss.
After the game I talked to the Sparrows and got to see new pictures of their new baby granddaughters. Baby Rachael lives in Athens, GA, and baby Shelby lives in Atlanta. I don't see how Marty and Charlie stay out of Georgia.
