May 30, 2018. Madison, Mississippi. Water.

What a shock. At 6:30 last evening I went to wash my hands and discovered no water coming from the taps. My next action was to check the kitchen sink. No water. I checked with neighbors but no one was home so I did what I always do which was to call Christina to see if she knew the company providing the water. She did not know but she looked it up and she also gave me the phone number of The Pearl River Water System. I felt sure we had forgotten to pay the bill but when we came home from Mexico I called them to be sure our payments were being paid automatically so I thought that the bills were being paid. Also Christina is paying our bills now and she is efficient and diligent. Once a month or so after moving into the condo we had dinner guests. Just before we were serving dinner the lights went out. Fortunately candles were in the closet so we enjoyed our candlelight meal, amidst great hilarity. Apparently we had not paid our electric bill. We thought it was covered by the condo fee. Everyone remembered that dinner. When I called the water company, I was informed that a water main had broken and 5 subdivisions were without water including Roses Bluff. The water was to be turned on by 9:00. Sure enough, on it came so life returned to normal. Except that for 2 days we must boil the water. What was interesting to me was how helpless we are without running water. I could not rinse the dinner dishes or take a shower. Fortunately we had a case of bottled water in the car so Emma and I retrieved it. We are so used to our life style and comfort that without water we are shocked. Clean water is a great blessing but I only remember to be grateful until the taps do not work. And for the day after too.

May 29, 2018. Madison, Mississippi. Decisions.

Our minds are made up. Ken and I are going to Nova Scotia this summer. The easiest thing to do is stay here in Mississippi where we have everything we need to be comfortable, but during our lifetime, we have not always used the easiest paths. I have booked a flight for July 19. Now the fun begins. Ken and I spent most of the morning and early afternoon gathering information. Ken was able to find a company that provides professional drivers. They use our car. The drive would take 4 or 5 days, with stops along the way. I talked with the boss for a long time asking millions of questions. We will use them in the future, especially when we want to go to Texas. But after consulting with David via email, he suggests that the long car ride may be too much for Ken. I must call them tomorrow to let them know that the answer is NO. Ken found another company to fly. The price is about the same as the Air Ambulance but the planes are more comfortable. We have decided to use that company. Now tomorrow we must complete the paperwork. Our plan is to leave July 19 and fly from Jackson to Halifax, non stop. We will organize our own ground transportation. They will arrange it for us but the cost would probably be higher. We are happy with our decision. The two companies we dealt with today will be useful in the future. I spent a lot of time talking with them and the time was well spent. Now here we go, putting all the other pieces in place. Whoopee.

May 28, 2018. Madison, Mississippi. Cousins.

Six of our grandchildren were here for the graduation of Mary Frances. They had a good time together. Of course they have not seen each other for several years so they were pleased to see one another. David taught Molly how to cast which apparently she was able to do well, even though she did not catch a fish. Kate using her machine to pierce the twins ears. They disappeared downstairs and returned with pierced ears. So far all is well. The last two times they tried they got infections. All of the girls pitched in to help. Suzanne, Sarah and Samantha went to the grocery store for me. And they helped at every meal. All the cousins plus the Sutherland boys played card games. They must have had fun because they made a lot of noise. The cousins stayed together the whole time, except when sleeping. The Texas family stays at the Hilton. I suspect that if they were together more often they would not get along so well. All day Saturday, Kate worked at Handy's Candies, her summer job so in the afternoon the Texas family stopped to see her and buy some candy. They wanted to see Kate in action. I did not grow up with cousins. Until my cousin, Diane came to live with us in Vancouver when she was training at Grace Hospital I knew no cousins. My Uncle Joe's family lived in Montreal, were Catholic and did not think well of The Salvation Army so we never got to see them even though we would have been about the same age. So watching the cousins have a good time together is new to me. The Texas Family have invited Christina and the girls to Texas this summer, perhaps to stay at the lake house. I hope they go because knowing your cousins is a pleasure in your life. This time in Mississippi was pure pleasure, especially Ken and me.

May 27, 2018. Madison, Mississippi. The Waffle House.

From the outside, it seems to be the same old Waffle House. The sign and the colors are the same as they were 20 years ago. But something seems to have changed. Mary Frances mentioned a few weeks ago that The Waffle House is the main place for students from Jackson Prep, her school. The kids hang out there after performances or sporting events. She said it is like a home away from home. The place is always open and the workers are polite and attentive. I took notice because there is a Waffle House down the road on Old Canton Road. We pass it often but had never gone in because it looked so dowdy and dull. Last week on the way home from our doctor appointments we decided to go out for a late breakfast or early lunch so we decided to try The Waffle House, the one close to our home. No cars were in the lot. When we went in we were surprised. The interior has been done in black and white tile with cute vintage tables and chairs. The place sparkled. All the workers greeted us as we came into the empty restaurant. I ate breakfast as did our helper but Ken ordered a large lunch. The service was excellent as we were the only folks eating. And the food was good too. By the time we left, the place as still empty. I wonder how they would stay in business. April our other helper mentioned that The Waffle House is full at odd hours, such as midnight or 2:00am. She said that because they are open 24 hours a day, it has become the place to drop in for a small bite at an odd hour. Not long ago she went to a midnight movie. She and her friends popped into The Waffle House after the movie for a waffle. The place was packed and they had to wait for a table. I wondered why they left the outside looking the same while the inside sparkles. Must be a reason. And now I know they stay in business.

May 26, 2018. Madison, Mississippi. The Dinner Party.

Many hands make light work. Tonight we invited friends for dinner to visit with David and Suzanne and the children. Along with their children, we were a happy group of 24, which makes for a lot of work. But with everyone helping, the house was back to order quickly. By 9:45, everyone had gone and the house looked normal. Grandchildren are a great blessing in many different ways. I ordered food from a local restaurant, The Cock of the Walk. The food was delivered at 5:00 so all we needed to do was to keep the ovens going to keep the food warm, which we did. The evening was easy with the drinks and appetizers on one table and the dinner served from the bar, which can be accessed from both sides. Everything was provided by the restaurant. Everything left over David sent to the trash bins except for the desserts. I ordered a southern meal of catfish, french fries, hush puppies, collard greens, coleslaw and corn muffins. Good southern food. And so easy. The kids sat at the dining table while the adults sat at either the breakfast table or sitting around the living room. The event was celebrating the graduation along with a visit with David and Suzanne and the children. Everyone knew each other from the 55th anniversary in Texas. The only problem was that Mary Frances was competing at the Quiz bowl in New Orleans. We celebrated without her but we did miss her. And Abigail too was missing due to her May semester course. Our evening was delightful and the clean up was easy, with all hands helping out. Now we look forward to seeing our Texas family the next time whenever that will be. Ken and I are appreciative that they drove here for the graduation and to help us. We loved having them here. They leave tomorrow morning at 6:00 to drive home to San Antonio. We wish them safe travels.

May 25, 2018. Madison, Mississippi. A Red Letter Day.

The Dickie Family celebrated today. We ate an early lunch at the best Japanese restaurant in Jackson, Sukaro Bana. Mary Frances was in fine spirits despite her lack of sleep. Celebrating at noon is easier for Ken but in truth we had no choice because Mary Frances competes for the school this weekend in New Orleans at The Quiz Show and they were leaving at 4:00. So we celebrated her graduation at noon today. Christina had pre ordered our food so life was easy because the food just kept coming. Today fish were caught from our dock. Allison caught one fish and David one. And Molly learned to cast. She will be a fine fisherman, I feel sure. David reports that our dock is excellent. It is sturdy and steady. Those three fish were the first caught from our new dock. After dinner, Kate, Allison and Samantha went downstairs. The twins have had two times tried to have their ears pierced but both time they ended with bad infections. Kate felt sure that she would be able to successfully do the job. With both mothers in agreement, Suzanne bought the supplies needed to complete the task. Kate already had a little tool to shoot the hole. The three of them disappeared with the request for having no onlookers. Soon they returned with wearing the new earrings. Kate was successful. And we all cheered. Mid afternoon, we all drove to the VIP and had pedicures, including David. Eight of us invaded the place. Sarah selected a manicure. And I just had my nails painted as I had a pedicure with Christina on Wednesday. But I was not going to miss out on this event. And besides I love the foot and leg massage. So our day was a Red Letter Day. But the most important item of the day was that we were together!!

May 24, 2018. Madison, Mississippi. The Graduation.

The instructions to the parents was to clap at the end of the presentations to the graduates. No cheering for each student. I had heard that before but most family members ignore the instructions. But not tonight. The head master calling out the names admonished us to keep quiet. Only once did he need to repeat the instructions. That meant the the names were read quickly with just enough time for the graduate to walk across the stage, pick up their diploma, have a picture with the chairman of the board and exit the stage. The good thing was the speed. We were finished in 80 minutes. And we had four speeches. The ceremony was well run which I appreciated. The speeches were short with appropriate content. All in all, the graduation was splendid. We were all happy to cheer on Mary Frances but we were not allowed to cheer until the last graduates name was called. Then we clapped and whistled. Our Texas family brought me home and we ate a bowl of soup made today by our Cuban cook. Tomorrow we will celebrate with Mary Frances for Japanese food, which is her favorite. The beat goes on. And it is all good.