December 7, 2012. Canyon Lake, Texas. The Bank.

This morning I had business at the bank, something seldom done in this day and age.   The place is in Satler, the small town close to the lake.   In the past, the staff was friendly and helpful and today was no exception.

When I walked in, a couple were sitting waiting to speak to a financial counselor.   The man was sound asleep,  with his arms folder over his big round belly.  The lady was glowering at me which is unusual in Texas.  I said hello and went directly to a teller to complete my business.   It took me about ten minutes, only to discover that I too needed to talk to one of those experts, so I was required to wait too.  The man was still asleep.

In order to avoid sitting right across from the sleeping man and the glowering lady,  I went down the hall and stood, right in front of two chairs.  Almost immediately, two very old people came and sat down to wait as well.  They were friendly old souls and asked why I was standing, so I told them about the sleeping man.    Immediately, the really old man got up to go and look and came back to report that indeed, the man was still asleep.  He then suggested to me that it was better to sleep while waiting than standing pacing, which I was doing.  I laughed and so did his wife.  Then he told me all about them selves:  age, weight, memory problems, digestion, health, wealth, cars, banking.  They were nice old people but I had heard enough and decided that what I was waiting for could wait for another day.

When I was leaving, I said goodbye.  The man asked my age and I correctly told him that my birthday was yesterday and I was 75.   He commented that I looked very spry for 75, but that in 10 years, all his problems would be mine too.  Horrors.  I escaped, just as the sleeping man was being ushered into the expert's office. But the wife was still glowering!!

December 6, 2012. Canyon Lake, Texas. Birthdays.

Some people don't like birthdays, but not me.  I love them.   My day started with a cup of coffee upstairs in my bedroom, brought by Ken,  followed by reading all the greetings via e mail from my friends and relatives.  It was a treat as well as a treatment.  I loved every message.

After driving to the lake, I organized my belongings for the journey to Mississippi.   Abigail. who is thirteen,  plays on the Junior Varsity basketball team at her school so the whole family went to watch her play.   The team plays well and they won by 10 points.  Their coach is a teacher at school and also their coach.  He played football at a major college and professionally for two years before getting injured.   He towers over the girls.  He is 6'8" tall and weighs at least 300 pounds.  When he says run they tend to run and he has them playing good basketball, for an eight grade team.  It was great fun watching them play and a real birthday treat.

But the best part was going out to dinner at a Japanese restaurant.  They put us in a separate private dining room.  Of course I told them at the restaurant that it was my birthday so from then on, we had a festive dinner.  The food was great, the girls were hungry and the conversation was spirited.  We all agreed to do it again.

Now I am 75 and doing well.  I am not perfect.  I weigh too much.  But both Ken and I are walking and talking so all is well in our world.   I am very fortunate and I know it.

December 5, 2012. Harper, Texas. The Cross.

If you fly over Harper, Texas and look down, you could see a white cross.  As the cross is twenty feet high, you could see it from pretty far up.    Our neighbor Robbie put it  on top of his barn and as you go on the road,  down a hill from our ranch, you can see it shining brightly.   Now our road is remote and not many people drive down this road but Joyce and Robbie just felt that at this time of year, where Christian customs are being held hostage, they would be telling the world that they are Christians.

This is the first time they have put up the cross on top of the barn and the first time they felt threatened by being a Christian.  Perhaps not here in the US, but in many other countries, Christians are being abused or killed for no other reason than being a Christian.  They just wanted to make their statement of solidarity to all other Christians in the world.   Robbie likes it so much, he might leave it up all year.

So if you are flying across Texas, look down and look for Robbie's cross.  It is big and it is bright and it is a statement of faith.  It is not merely a Christmas decoration.

December 4, 2012. Harper, Texas. House Cleaning.

This morning while drinking coffee in my comfortable chair in the bedroom I spied dust under the bed. A normal person would have immediately gotten out the vacuum or broom to sweep up that dust.   But I did nothing, except to realize that there was dust under my bed.   I have learned to tolerate dust.

Now I am not normally lazy but I really don't like cleaning the house and I do not really know why.   In the early years of our marriage I always cleaned the house with no problem but the first time we had two incomes, I hired a cleaning lady.  That was the year Ken was an Intern.   The cleaning lady was  retired and a friend of my Mother, so I paid her to work a full day.  She cleaned our apartment in the morning and took the bus to my Mother and cleared her apartment in the afternoon.  Then she and my Mother had dinner together.  It was a wonderful arrangement for everyone.  I was hooked for life.

I have had someone to clean my house from that time to now, except when we moved to Bethesda and I was not working.  As soon as I had income, I hired.  My friend Mary has cleaned her own house ever since she retired, mostly for the exercise.  And I noticed when visiting my sister in laws house that her house is much cleaner than any of my houses.  She also cleans her own house since she retired.

Maybe I am just lazy but I really don't enjoy cleaning my own house.  My dear sister in law Rita will agree.

December 3, 2012. Harper, Texas. Darwin James Dickie.

I knew this call from my sister in law Wilma would be a bad call.     Normally, we communicate regularly with e mails.  She knew we were in Mexico, so a call on my cell phone seemed ominous.  Fortunately I picked up the call immediately and returned her call .    My nephew Darwin, her son, had died from a heart attack.   It was stunning.  Darwin was 47, thin and fit, yet he died.   He and his wife Wanda have a four year old son and a step son Dorian.   It seems unbelievable that he has gone from the family at such a young age.

We last saw Darwin on our 281 trip, where we ended up in Brandon where Keith and Wilma live.  Darwin and Wanda live in a small town just outside  Brandon, at Glenboro, where he worked as a para medic.  He had everything going in his direction, with a good job and a lovely wife and two fine sons.  We were so pleased to see him and his family.  And they were driving to our 55th celebration in Texas next Fall.   He was especially looking forward to seeing David and Andrew again.  They had not seen each other since they all married.  But he has gone.

At a time like this, a person is helpless to be of help to the family.  Wilma is still reeling from the passing of her husband Keith last year,  and now her fine son Darwin is gone too.  It seems unfair that such lovely people have so many troubles.  It is just not fair at all.

December 2, 2012. Canyon Lake, Texas. A Lovely Day.

The highlight of the day was our Thanksgiving dinner,   celebrated with David and Suzanne and the four girls at their home.  We were together for Thanksgiving but although we ate turkey in Mexico, it wasn't quite the same as eating a traditional American Thanksgiving turkey dinner, so Suzanne cooked one tonight.  Sarah set a beautiful table in the dining room and we used the good china,  the best silver and fanciest crystal, making it a very festive occasion.    After dinner was over, we eight  sat around the table for ages, chatting of former dinners and happy times.  

And the four girls cleared the table and put away the food, as well as loading the dishwasher and washing the pots and pans.  No adult touched the kitchen.  What a wonder!!

All afternoon, we unloaded the Christmas decorations.   Suzanne put things around the house while the girls and I decorated the Christmas trees, with Christmas music playing all the while getting us into the Christmas spirit.   Finally, while eating our pumpkin pie, we watched the cartoon of Mr. Grinch stealing Christmas.  It was just a lovely day.  A day for the ages.

December 1, 2012. Canyon Lake, Texas. Travellling.

It is so interesting watching people in the airport.    I watch couples, to see if they match.   Today, waiting in Cancun I spotted two couples who were both very tall.    Now I was sitting,  so heights are difficult to judge, but by looking at normal people walking by, it seemed to me that the man must have been six feet 8 inches tall, and his wife was not too much shorter.   It is unusual to spot one very tall couple and I saw two within an hour.  

Everyone at the airport was returning from a resort.  I don't know what they were thinking but I spotted lots of ladies still wearing resort attire.   I saw many flip flops, lots of see through bathing suit cover ups, and many many straw hats, both on the men and women.  A straw hat on the beach is useful but in the airport it is just a nuisance.

Sitting right next to us was a group heading for Baltimore.  There were eight or ten in their group, coming and going and chatting, but never speaking to me.  They all seemed to be in their thirties.  The husband of one of the women joined the group and sat one seat over from me.  He seemed pleasant.  But within a few minutes, I realized that we needed to walk around.  He really smelled bad.   I was so surprised.   It was all I could do to ask him what was smelling but I held my tongue.  I was certainly pleased to be going to another city.  I would have hated sitting beside him on the airplane!!