WTB&MF
The West Texas Book and Music Festival was Lou's goal today and she managed very well. Our granddaughter Val was our chauffer and we spent some time visiting with a lot of old friends. Lou first ran into Anthony Williams, Mayor pro-tem and a city councilman who looks like a NFL lineman and was a student of Lou's at McMurry. He still remembers her helping him in English writing and now contributes columns to the Abilene Reporter-News in his council position and as a supporter of helping youth with the after school basketball program. We also got to see Ann and Elmer Kelton who were honored at the luncheon along with Carleton Stowers, the nephew of Tom Stephenson in our church. Carleton was given the prestigious A. C. Greene award. Lou visited with the sales manager for TTPress and signed copies of Quotable Texas Women for Karla Kahl with Statehouse Press. She said it is still selling well and A&M who distributes it is focusing on gift shops to sell it. We talked to Joe Specht whose book THE WOMEN DON'T TREAT YOU MEAN IN ABILENE about western music has sold out in 17 months and they haven't reprinted it. We got to visit with Bill Neal who will be our Meet The Author October 23 in Cross Plains.

After the lunch and some more buying books Lou wanted to join in the old time gospel sing fest that ended the festival and we were there from 3 to 4:30. She is feeling well and enjoyed the day.

MURF TUESDAY

Every six months the McMurry University Retiree Fellowship meet and Lou missed the last meeting, but I took her to Abilene Tuesday for the noon luncheon. She really enjoyed discussing projects with other profs. She spent a lot of time with Rob Sledge who works part-time with the McWhinney publishing office. He wrote a book about football mascots in Texas and is working on stories about Abilene. Lou gave him some good advice and a few stories about her father selling produce in Abilene from a horse drawn wagon when a teen-ager. We visited with Bob Monk, who many, many years ago was the campus minister at A&M and has been a prof at McM for years. I finally got a good email address for him. His email has bounced for years. Lou sat next to Pug Harris, who had to leave to go teach class. She is having trouble retiring. We were disappointed that newly retired Joe Specht wasn't there because he took his wife to a Library meeting somewhere. The talk was about the campus development. We were the first group to meet in the new Furr Welcome Center attached to Radford Auditorium.

Tuesday night the laptop computer that our son helped us order from Dell when he was here was delivered and Lou is greatly pleased with it. I am helping her set it up and moving her old files from 3 1/2 disks to a memory stick. She will be able to work on her memoir book sitting in her rocking chair. That is what older writers do.

An update on Lou's cancer status. She is doing better today but has been having pain in her stomach and back. Today we called Dr. Hancock's office to get the report on her last CA-125 test taken 9/12 when she took the first Dixol chemo treatment. They Faxed the report and the value had moved up to 351 which indicated that the cancer is back and needed treatment. My research in ovarian cancer came up with a report that cranberry juice greatly improved chemo treatments. I passed it along to Lou.

LOU'S BIRTHDAY BASH
Our son and daughter and daughter-in-law with our first grandson, his wife and two greatgrandsons spent the night with us Friday night. Saturday they blew up balloons and hung them from a hook on the front porch, invited Lou's sister and her husband and one of her daughters, Diana, for a birthday dinner with a strawberry birthday cake Mary Kathryn made. Ashley and her new husband, Ross drove out for the day. We had homemade vanilla ice cream our daughter made. Lou and I both got more birthday presents from our daughter and grandson's family. Each of the great grandsons gave me a bolo that were beautiful additions to my collection and I wore one to teach Sunday School this morning.

We are continuing the study of Abraham and our French daughter, Laurie Christian (who lived with us when Kathy was a senior in HS) who now practices as a midwife in Auxerre wrote a BD email to Lou and included a story that I have to paste here:

Oh !a good story about different sons of Abraham(as you mentioned on the blog)here it is :A maroccan woman ,age 40, came here, some years ago, and married a French man...age 56.They wanted a baby. She came to see me, 3 years ago, as she wanted detailed explanation about womens fertility moments, and so on (she had barely been to school) . She came to me this week , 6 months pregnant at age 43.In the meantime, 3 doctors had told her she would never have babies, she didn't nave the right hormonal rates..they also refused to help her with any stimulation or medicine.And she said very gratefully to me :"YOU told me, come back and see me when you're pregnant..."And I said:"you read the Coran ,I read the Bible, but you know thats just what happened to Sara, Abraham's wife !"She agreed:"I thought I would never be a mother...and I took care of 2 little girls, for their mother..watching them, I prayed very much, Lord, give me a baby...!!and now some people tell me it's"nuts", but I KNOW it's my LOrd WHo gave me this baby!!!" I agreed...true story.her fisrt name is "Najate". That's a kind of good joy I have in my job !!

Lou is feeling better today. She had some pain yesterday, but hasn't exercised as much today and really enjoyed all the good food and attention this weekend. We have great children and relatives. We are much blessed.

HALSELL HOUSE RENOVATIONS
Our kids with some of their kids and grandkids are coming this weekend to celebrate Lou's birthday and the Halsell House will be in better shape to accomodate them. The air-conditioning ducts have been replaced with new ones so that the AC doesn't just cool the attic. I have purchased parts to make the dryer work and they should be installed by tomorrow. Our electric bills went up big time at the house last month and I think it was due to the A/C being on some of the time.

Lou and I went to Abilene yesterday and she made the trip fairly well after taking some Ibuprofen when we left. We shopped Walmart for fish food and dryer parts. When they didn't have the parts we found them at the new Lowes nearby on I-20. We ate lunch at Cracker Barrel right at noon and had to wait 10 minutes. I told Lou if we stood there long enough we would see someone we knew and about 2 seconds later Joyce Marton appeared and Lou had to tell her the story of hearing of her birth when her brother came to school and said we have two new babies at our house. Joyce lives just north of us and is spending a lot of her time taking care of her twin sister who is ailing.

Lou is doing some writing on her book, but has spent a lot of time writing her friends birthday cards and clearing up her desk. She wants me to do the same to mine. We still walk every morning and she tells me about what she is reading in the Bible. She loves Ecclesiastes but is also reading our SS lessons on Abraham and Sarah and the sons Issac and Ishmael. She is reading the book ABRAHAM by Feilder and I should be reading it in preparation for my lesson next Sunday. It is a great book where he argues that Jews, Christians and Muslims should all get along because we are all sons of Abraham. The problem is the sons started out fighting.

We are looking forward to seeing part of the family this weekend.

NEWS FROM ALASKA
Before I go to Alaska I want to clear up the balloons on my front gate Saturday morning. When I walked I found about 20 varicolored balloons tied on my flag staff holder. I called Lou on my cell phone but she hadn't ordered them and we speculated that someone was having a party and the balloons had been left on the wrong gate. Of course the sign above the gate says Rodenberger and Halsell so it would be difficult to mistake the gate. Lou ordered me to get rid of them so I brought them inside by the garbage barrel. The mystery was solved Sunday when Carol Bennett asked me if I enjoyed the celebration of my birthday with the balloons. She had them left over from a celebration of something in Abilene and left them at my gate. Ah, Friends.

Here is the email from Lou Ann Bates teaching in Alaska:

Hello, Everybody!

Well, the beginner's newness has now turned into the everyday reality of living and teaching in a very isolated village in Alaska. Quite honestly....it's not easy. There are good days and not-so-good days just like there are in everybody's lives. I'm just having to learn what to do without life's little distractions....you know....like restaurants, stores, movies, loved ones.......and to stay focused on my purpose....the children.

I just returned from berry-picking......I love the blueberries and have run out of fresh as well as dried.....and I discovered a different kind of berry. I can't wait until tomorrow to find out what my discovery is called. While I am out there in the very wild, blue yonder, it gives me a new perspective of things. It gives me clarity, and I always feel so much better.

I'm not sure what I included in my last email. I think that I have visited Togiak, the community across the bay, since my last correspondence. It was a very interesting trip and experience in living in the bush. Having to depend on air taxi for transportation was a lesson in having patience. I also learned the value of having a VHF radio out here......one reason is to be able to communicate with the pilots.

I also gained a new respect for my living arrangements. Many of the new teachers in Togiak had to depend on those with ATV's for transportation into the village......here I have no worries about transportation to anywhere. There most did not have internet in their apartments.......here living in the school gives me instant access.

You know.....you just have to see the goodness in all the small things. However, the comfort of my apartment is not a small thing......anytime I return home from an adventure, I want to do a happy dance for being with all my things again.

The children are cute and for the most part fun. The day I left for Togiak, some of them were playing outside the school. They wanted to know if I was going back to Texas.......I thought that was sad. Teachers tend to come and go in such a remote village. They want to know if I have horses and cows. Friday one of the boys wanted to know what they call me in Texas. He wanted to know if my daddy called me "Ms. Bates." They make me smile everyday.They teach me things all the time.

A moose was killed week before last by one of the villagers. I asked the kids if they liked moose meat. They said yes especially dipped in uquq which is seal oil and soy sauce. Then they started describing something else they like to dip in uquq. It was something found in the sea and was crunchy. .....seems the crunchy wonder was herring eggs found on the kelp. Now, when I tried to say the uquq, the kids laughed and said I sounded like their baby (three of my boys are brothers and have another one at home). So I said it again to give them a giggle. They love to sit around the circle and say, "Remember when.................." They could go forever telling stories like that.

Oh, Diana, I was invited to a "steam." Fortunately for me.....I was on my way to bed. If I haven't told everyone, a steam is not only a way to bath here, but it is also a social thing in the villages. We were told at inservice that if ask, we should really consider joining.(men with men, women with women, of course.......and in the nude, I might add). Diana, told me that that is when she would fly home........my sentiments exactly. Hopefully, I won't be invited again.

I'm all about learning about the culture.....but with my clothes on.....thank you very much!

Well, not that I am counting or anything, but we have fourteen weeks before Christmas. My tickets have been purchased and everything. I want to ask everybody to pray for clear weather so I can get out of Twin Hills and make my connections in Dillingham, Anchorage, Seattle, Houston and Dallas happening on Dec. 22 and 23. If I can fly out of Twin Hills on the 21, I will. My main concern is getting to Dillingham and then to Anchorage on time. All of you are in my thoughts.
I love and miss you all.
Louann

BEE GONE
I took off at half time to write my Livestock Weekly column and decided to update you on the bee population. I goofed. I had an exterminator come out in place of a bee keeper and failed to get to harvest the eight layers of honey from the bees located under the roof next to the chimney. She put her suit back on when I got home from church and gave her a key to the mower. She drove it back up to the shed for me. I am still itching but it is getting better every minute. I bought some allergy medicine after church and took one of them. It has stayed down and I think is helping some.

Lou is having some pain from the chemo but is doing better than with the first chemo round. She can't eat hot or hard food, but is enjoying watching the Cowboys. Our daughter just called to say they had a great time going to the Aggie game and visiting with Sylvia Grider, who is getting over a shingles attack. The Aggies won so it was a great day for them.

BEE EXCITING
Today was a normal day of working in the office and killing fire ants until I decided to mow around the Halsell House with the riding mower. Yesterday the mower wouldn't start and I had to go to town and buy a new battery to finish mowing up here. Today I mowed the old garden plot on the south and then made a pass around the house. As I got to the NW corner of the house the bees attacked. I bailed off the mower fighting with my hands, knocked off my glasses, ran around the house and fished my keys out of my pocket to get into the house, found a towel and fought the remaining bees to a standstill. I then pulled out my phone and after squinting to see the menu finally dialed Lou to find that there is no signal in the house for a cell phone. I waited a while and went out the other back door. The bees let me walk up the road to the house where I took a couple of benadryls. Lou used twezzers to pull a couple of stingers out and I used my wound salve, Carrysyn IV to take out the pain. The stings are not bothering me much and I will be OK.

I went back to the house, took the keys out of the mower to save the battery and found my glasses on the mower where I knocked them off in the first battle.

Lou was pretty good today but this afternoon she is feeling the effects of the chemo some. Thanks for all the emails and prayers for her.

CANCER IS BACK

We got Dr. Hancock's opinion that the CA125 results and CT Scan showing a soft mass that might indicate another tumor needs a second round of chemo, so Lou took the first dose of a new chemical, Doxil, that looks like pink lemonade. Theoretically it has a lot less side effects, like she can keep her hair. They gave her a sheet of possible problems, but she has had no side effects today. She will take doxil every four weeks for four months. It was one year ago that she finished the first round of chemo and this round should be over by the end of the year. This session took 2 hours but the next will only take a little over one hour. Fortunately, Mary Kathryn took time away from her mother's birthday to help us. Lou said she wished she had had her in class because she takes good notes about what the doctor said. She brought us food at noon. We left at 2:30 and got home at 4:30. Lou is feeling good tonight.

Yesterday was a great day. In the morning Lou spoke to the North Fort Worth Woman's Club book group. A small crowd because their membership is dwindling and looks like they won't be around next year. But Lou reviewed the book TEXAS WOMEN ON THE CATTLE TRAILS and did a great job, even including the story of local ranch women like Alice Roby who ran the Edwards ranch at Spur for years. Her essay in the book was about a woman named Miles. Afterward each woman had to tell Lou her story about horses.

What I enjoyed was that one of the women remembered that I loved her dark chocolate potato candy last time and she made me another plate full. When they found out that it was my birthday they sang to me. We then met Mark and MK for lunch at Hedarys. Afterwards I got a good nap.

Mary Kathryn then outdid herself preparing a meal for us, her mother, Ashley and Ross. Mark got to see some UFOs flying in the sky. Looking through his binoculars he is convinced it wasn't an airplane or planet. A great meal followed by three heart shaped birthday cakes each with a candle for me 9/11, her mother 9/12 and Lou 9/21 so one Happy Birthday song took care of us all. It was a wonderful chocolate cake and icing filled with chocolate chips. I had a great chocolate birthday. They also gave us wonderful BD gifts. I got 2 new shirts, Lou a beautiful blouse and Mary got a lovely turquoise necklace. It was one great birthday for me. And I am feeling better physically.

LUBBOCK REPORT

We had a great long weekend visiting with family and friends in Lubbock. We got there Thursday afternoon and spent it with Richard and Mary Ann Chaffin who lost their home in the 2005 Cross Plains fire and lived in their RV until this year when they moved back to Lubbock where Richard had been a pastor of a church that they have now joined. They live in the Whisperwood area and recently moved from a home with a too large lawn to a condo with a small yard that has a great back yard alcove. We got to review all our friends and catch up on their lives.

Friday we caught up with our daughter Kathy and her husband Keith who were staying with our TT granddaughter to celebrate her 22nd birthday Sept. 13. They all came to meet us at the Cowboy Symposium where we met many old friends. We started out at the TT Press booth where we met their newest marketing person, Barbara Brannon from the Carolinas who started working Thursday. Noel Parsons showed us his new hearing aid and made us want one for us. He claims that it worked great in restaurants and noisy meeting areas. Mine only amplify the ambient noise. The Wilcoxs shopped the booths and almost bought a pair of chaps for their grandson, but it was a little expensive. They did buy Vanessa (the TT student) a new ring. Rings are a major attraction to Kathy. At noon Judith Keeling, the editor in chief for TT Press took us to an out of the way little restaurant, Manna Bread and Wine, for a discussion with Lou of the book she is writing and the books that she had reviewed for the Press. She has one son finishing his degree in Ag at TT and her youngest son has a baseball scholarship at "Boone State" which is Oklahoma State whose athletic program is funded by T. Boone Pickens. In the afternoon we went to sessions. Heard Jim Hoy tell about cowboys in Australia and South America. Ken Davis, our friend who is a retired English prof from TT chaired the session.

That evening we took our granddaughter, Vanessa, to Gardskis to celebrate her BD. Lou was ready to go to bed early. Saturday morning after the night time rain the streets were washed for the horse parade that morning. We stayed in the room until just before the 11 session that Ken Davis was chairing. We heard Phyllis Bridges give an excellent paper on the Oklahoma Centennial and gave me some Oklahoma history that I hadn't heard growing up in OK. It is interesting that I grew up almost from the start of the state. The other two persons gave a dual presentation of Charles and Mollie Goodnight reviewing their history and showing them talking about their lives on their front porch. Very interesting.

We ate a sandwich for lunch and Lou got to visit with her old friend, Tuffy Cooper, who is a famous cattle roper. He wanted to know about Joyce Roach because she has some books that he needs. Lou gave her paper at the session on Women on the Cattle Trails. Sylvia Mahoney gave a great summary of her effort to get the Rotary Clubs to mark the Western Trail that runs from Brownsville to Canada. The better known Chisholm Trail was marked every mile through Oklahoma and Texas was challenged to mark that trail but Sylvia put together an effort to mark the longer Western Trail through Texas and all the other states to Canada. She even has a marker in Mexico because the trail went that far South. After the panel we took leave of our family, got in the car just as the A&M vs. Fresno State game started on the radio and listened all the way home. Got home about 5:45 and watched the last two overtimes on the TV. We followed that by the TCU - TU game.

Lou was pretty well worn out by the 3 days on the road and spent the day in her rocking chair reading. She is judging the best new novels for WWA Spur awards. Right now she is learning all about the Earp brothers. Tuesday we will head for Fort Worth where Lou will give a book report to a Women's Club. We will spend the night with Mark and MK so that Lou can go to her oncologist the next morning.

COWBOY SYMPOSIUM This weekend Lubbock will be celebrating the National Cowboy Symposium and Lou will again be on the program. She hasn't missed for probably 10 years except for last year when she was recovering from cancer surgery. She will be on a panel on Women going up the cattle trail chaired by Dr. Sylvia Mahoney at 1 p.m. Saturday. Thursday we will visit with our friends Richard and Mary Ann Chaffin then meet with our TT granddaughter and her parents who will come in Thursday night. We will leave Saturday afternoon before the football game starts and we will avoid that traffic. Friday Lou will have lunch with Judith Keeling the Texas Tech Press editor to discuss her memoir book and other subjects. So it will be a busy weekend. I will make it back to continue the study of Genesis in Sunday School.

ANNIVERSARY IS NATIONAL HOLIDAY This is a great year. The nation celebrates our 58th anniversary with a national holiday and again they will honor my birthday with a national celebration. Is this a great nation or not!

We celebrated with our morning walk, did the laundry and I went to town to buy groceries because they give a 5% senior citizen's discount on Mondays. Lou refused my offer to take her to Lytle Land and Cattle Steakhouse for lunch so we recycled Ashley's enchiladas for lunch but I made some great sundaes for dessert. A little splash of Kaluha helps a lot.

This afternoon we are celebrating watching Texas Tech play my alma mater SMU. Lou is cheering for Tech and I am supporting the lonely Mustangs. It has been a great anniversary.

COOL SEPTEMBER September is here and the weather is nice. The weekend was great with our granddaughter, Ashley, cooking blueberry pancakes for breakfast and chicken enchiladas for lunch. This afternoon I almost worked her new husband, Ross, to death. I had asked him to trim up a peach tree. We hauled the trimmings to a brush pile and I decided to pick up the firewood that the tree trimmers had left along the road. Some of the logs were five feet long and large diameter. I hadn't realized how big they were or would have waited. But he loaded them in the pickup and we unloaded them at the firewood pile. I will get one of the other son-in-laws to chain saw them into fire wood size.

They also came to Sunday School class where the lesson was Genesis 1 and I got to give my 50 year study of Creation Science to the class who are tired of hearing my ranting about the subject. Ross is interested in science and took one of the papers I had written some years back plus some of the Creation Science Research literature.

Speaking of literary study Lou was complaining about the passage in Exodus where the Lord sends Moses to Egypt and then trys to kill him along the way. Ashley tried to explain that the OT Lord was a vindictive Lord. But decided He is the same yesterday and today so we had a good discussion of theology.