A FEW DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS

Kathy had tamales made by one of her co-workers at school and chili before we left. Christmas Eve services were great but for the first time I can remember I was unable join in the singing because when I tried to talk I started coughing. We enjoyed the trip to the church by viewing many streets of Christmas decorations. One of the winners had a helicopter on the roof, a teeter-totter with Santa Claus on one end and a bunch of deer on the other, plus a lot of other animated exhibits. Keith will try to duplicate that one next year.

Christmas morning we started by opening the stockings. Mine was filled with dark chocolate goodies like a can of chocolate pearls. My deer also got a deer block. We had breakfast and gift exchange with the packages under the tree. The tradition continues with Kathy giving me a Guideposts for next year. I got a lot of great gifts and enjoyed giving some. Valerie gave me an American Express gift card with instructions to take Nancy to a good restaurant. Kathy says she wants to come up to Granbury to meet her.

Later in the afternoon Jim and Mandi with their two sons and new daughter came in for another round of gift exchanges. They gave me a copy of Huckabee's Simple Christmas that I have started and it is a great book. I gave them a painting by Wyatt of a cowboy praying. Christopher got a Lego train set and had a great time setting it up and running the different car combinations. I got to hold my greatgranddaughter but I can't post any photos because I left my camera there.

I had a message from the church at Cross Plains that Christmas Eve services were cancelled due to slick roads. I called my neighbors to check and they said the roads were bad with a lot of snow and freezing temperatures. Saturday morning I left headed for Fort Worth. I called Mark and he took Kathy and her mother to visit an uncle in Paris who is in bad health. So I drove to Ashley's in FW. I was going to drive I-35 but the cops had it blocked. I turned back around and went 281 that Kathy had recommend to start with. Lost about 30 minutes there. Driving north I first saw the snow just south of Hamilton. And in trying to stay ahead of the slow drivers I was passing in a passing zone when a Highway Patrol car was coming from the other direction. I saw him turn around. He stopped me and explained that I was going 85 passing a car doing 79. I apologized and he gave me a warning ticket. When I told Nancy, who was driving down from Oklahoma, she said she also got a warning ticket for passing a car too fast. I got to FW a little after 2 to exchange gifts with Ash and Ross. They gave me a special bucket of home made candies that I am enjoying. They had taken other gifts to Mark's house. Mark called today to say he was going to have to mail them to me.

I went back to Granbury and visited with Nancy and her daughter for a few minutes, then headed home. It got dark as I got to Cisco and as I turned off of 206 onto the county roads the snow build-up was bad. It would push the car around. I almost got pushed into an oncoming pickup by the snow. The temperature was dropping below freezing and I was worried about ice building up. I took it easy and got my mail. I worry about getting stuck going up my road, but I was able to break the new snow and get enough traction to make it OK. I then only made one trip from the car to the house because of the snow on the walk.

Sunday Nancy drove from Granbury to meet me at church and got there before anyone else. She was one of four in SS and helped attendance at church. Today I finally got around to answering Christmas cards that were sent to Charles and Lou. I printed my Christmas letter and ran out of black ink in my printer, but got enough to finish the ones I needed to send. I am watching the Aggies get clobbered. They looked pretty good at the start of the second half but it has gone downhill by the last quarter.

Tomorrow they are predicting snow all day with 2-4 inches by the end of the day, so I have the fireplace going and will probably stay home all day.

TWAS THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Yesterday I met the mail man hoping to get a package I had ordered from Barnes and Noble from my new greatgranddaughter, but instead I got a package from my goddaughter, Melissa LeBahn. She said that she reads this blog and knew that I liked chocolate, so now I know the blog is good for something. I also got a gift from the mailman for my son that I should have taken a photo and posted here after I give it to him. My mailman is a craftsman.

I stopped by to see Sue and Ike as I left town and Sue gave me a box that she said had body lotion from Mary Kay that I should use no matter what my dermatologist told me about not bathing with soap and water to keep from itching all winter. She explained that the Mary Kay bar was also not soap and wouldn't make me itch. I of course won't open the package until Christmas.

I got to Brady at noon so stopped at Hard Eight BBQ where I had never eaten before. My kids and Charles Korbell have brought BBQ from there for me many times so I felt like that would be better than DQ for lunch. I had a turkey sandwich, potato salad and couldn't pass on the coconut-chocolate-pecan pie for dessert. I ate half of the sandwich and salad but all of the pie.

As I drove through Fredricksburg I called Kathy Shearer on my cell phone and talked to her all the way through town. I hate to talk on a cell phone while driving but wanted to wish her Merry Christmas. She had celebrated Christmas with her family when they met at Thanksgiving. Her son, Travis, the wheel with KBR in Dubai, is supposed to fly in for Christmas to be with his wife, who is now pregnant. Kathy and her significant other, Ernie, will take her mother to be with his family in Houston for Christmas. She could relate to me at this time of year.

Last night I took all of the Wilcoxes plus a cousin of Christopher's to eat at RIO RIO CANTINA AND NAKED IGUANA restaurant on the River walk. Got to be with my new greatgranddaughter. She got to eat under the cover of a special cloth. We all ate a lot of Mexican food. Jon-Marc and Kathy had margaritas but I had a Shiner Bock. We walked along the crowded river walk to enjoy the lights filling all the trees. I got my exercise walking up four stories to our car in the parking garage. I enjoyed having my granddaughter, Valerie, chauffer me.

There was disaster at Kathy's when I got there with the sewer backing up. When we got back Keith called a plumber and about $300 later their sewage system works great today. I had gone to bed and didn't hear the cold front come in with the thunder and rain. I also didn't hear the smoke detector go off when the plumber generated enough smoke with a torch to set it off. I slept real well.

Today Keith worked and sold some windows before noon. I enjoyed the morning with Kathy. While she went to the grocery store and fought huge crowds with the parking lot full and waiting in lines at the store, I finished writing the Flame for the church newsletter and sent it for editing. And this afternoon I got another good nap, so I am living the life of luxury. We will go to Christmas Eve communion services tonight.

So MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!

LITERARY AND NATURE UPDATE

When I visited the Mitchell County Library I looked at their collection. I first looked for Rushing and they had no books by or about Jane Gilmore Rushing. They didn't have Lou's biography or any of Rushing's novels. It seems a shame that West Texas libraries don't have all of Rushing's novels about West Texans. When I searched for Lou Rodenberger they had one book, her first one. HER WORK that Bill Shearer published. At least they had one.

On the nature scene we have 3 fox. I can't tell what sex they are so am not sure whether a new fox has come in or one of the kits is staying around. They are all about the same size. I have probably been feeding them too much. I have seen them chase squirrels again, but not catch one. The gold finch are back and are gobbling up the feed. I have had to carry hot water out for the birdbaths but not the last couple of days. Tonight for the first time I smell a skunk so something must have irritated him.

TUESDAY ALL DAY

Today seemed like a week long. My joy at church last Sunday was my new greatgranddaughter. My SS class' joy was finishing Leviticus with all the rules and regulations. We will move out of the desert and start the Canaan campaign next week when everyone else will be reading the Christmas story. But we are studying the writings that Christ was most familiar with and quoted from.

After church we held a Charge Conference that I haven't written up and published yet because I seem to be too busy. Monday morning was the monthly Library board meeting and we were overwhelmed with a gift for each director from Ann Beeler. She made Christmas ornaments to hang on the tree for each person with a different motif and individual photos on the ornaments. I think each one got 6 ornaments. One of mine had a photo of me with Margaret Waring when she visited so I had to send that one to her.

Last night it turned cold again and I was frozen today when I had to leave at 8:15 to drive to Colorado City for a Big Country Library System meeting. It lasted for 2 hours and instead of staying for lunch which is the best part of such meetings, I wanted to get back for a nap. I got to Abilene about 1 and stopped at China Garden for my chinese fix. They treat me nice in Abilene. I thought the Hot and Sour Soup felt very good on my throat. I also drank a whole pot of hot tea that they charged all of 80 cents for. The lemon chicken was lagniappe. I decided to have my car washed and still got a nap from 3-4. I built a fire in the fireplace to help the heat pump.

I continue to have a rough voice and cough when I try to talk but my immune system is still fighting the good battle and will win.

RED LETTER DAY!



Today my first greatgranddaughter, Faith Wilcox, was born in San Antonio to Jim and Mandi Wilcox.




And I had a great day visiting Granbury while keeping up with the birth process by cell phone. My grandson has an iPhone and mailed the photo. Ate a great steak bought for me at Montana's and visited the Granbury park. We wanted to look at the art museum but it was closed, so we toured the antique store. And it warmed up from 23 to 40 degrees. Got home just as it got dark. My mail had a couple of new books from TT Press coffee table versions of spurs.

REFLECTIONS ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY

This Monday has been a bummer. I wanted to post the flag to remember Pearl Harbor today but the freezing drizzle didn't seem like a good place for the flag. I had ice building up on the mail box. When I went to town to help label and mail the Library newsletter, icicles were forming on my eaves. Freezing drizzle formed on my windshield coming home and I am dreading the ice bark causing a power outage. I am out of fire wood and can only last about an hour or two with the final logs in the fireplace.

Sunday morning started with the Sunday School class absorbing Leviticus 17-21. 17 is entitled Eating Blook Forbidden and the first comment was that she would be glad to finish Leviticus and all of the blood. So we moved to 18 entitled Unlawful Sexual Relations that starts with the explanation by the Lord that the people had to avoid the practices of the Egyptians where they had lived and the Canaanites where they were going. I saw a History channel show on pornography in Egyptian art and can see why this chapter was necessary. The verses on prohibiting sex with animals got an Aggie joke, but we agreed that this is still a problem in our society. We liked chapter 19 entitled Various Laws that starts with the Lord telling Moses to tell the people Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. And we agreed that you should respect your mother and father, since the class is a bunch of mothers and fathers. We agreed not to create idols of cast metal. And we agreed to share our gleanings with the poor. We had to discuss vs. 15 "Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly." Something to think about concerning how we treat the poor. The last half of 18 seemed fairly familiar "...love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord." However verse 19 included the prohibition "Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material." We all agreed with 35 that we should use honest measurements. (Especially in global temperature measurements.) Chapter 20 is entitled Punishments for Sin. 13 says "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." And 27 says "A man or woman who is a spiritist among you must be put to death." Chapter 21 is rules for priests and we didn't have any in the class.

We celebrated communion and lit the second candle in church followed by an Ad Council meeting to raise the preacher's salary to keep his take home pay the same due to increased insurance costs. So I got away a little late for my date at New York Hill restaurant. I got there at 1:05 but Nancy was delayed by having to switch cars and came in a little later. She is an author and we discussed our lives and when I left I was amazed that the time was 5:20. I thought it was about 3.

When I got home I found a Blue Darter hawk dead on the front porch. I presume he flew into a window and broke his neck. I am glad that he is no longer catching my songbirds. But he is a pretty bird.

My neighbor just brought me a container of chicken and dumplings that she was sharing with another widow and me. Two of her children delivered it to my door and they were bubbly. Her daughter plans to be an olympic runner and is getting tall and lanky. The young son is always wanting to quip with you. I told them not to slip on the ice, but they said that ice hasn't formed on the walks yet, even though it is making icicles on the roof. I guess the roads and walks are still too warm to let ice form. I am not going out in the morning until the predicted warmup has some time to thaw ice. Predicted to be 65 degrees tomorrow, but they predicted 44 for today and it only got up to 32.8.

ALL KINDS OF EMOTIONS

It has been an interesting couple of days. Yesterday I got the latest issue of The Roundup, the magazine of the Western Writers of America that is devoted to Elmer Kelton. Candy Moulton, the editor, published a number of emails that she got that included mine telling about first meeting Elmer when he came to the Texas Folklore Society and took notes to use in his novels. Candy published Elmer's comments on revisionist history that I had to read again. I was there when he gave the paper because he was on a program with Lou and Patricia Limerick on the TCU campus. Limerick had just come out with an ecorevisionist history of the west and Elmer answered it with facts and one of the best arguments in the world. I can't even remember Lou's paper. After the meeting Elmer and Limerick became good friends.

One of the other email comments came from Mike Blakely and I was intrigued by his comment about being inspired by Elmer and a couple of other writers to "carry on this odd business of telling the truth by making things up." I liked that. It is too bad everyone can't read this issue of the Roundup for all of the quality stories.

On the home front I got some culture by following my daughter's advice to see the 10 Tenors performing in Abilene on their world-wide tour. I invited Dr. Eugenia Tickle, the retired nursing professor from Wichita Falls to go with me. We ate at the Beehive in Abilene and shared a 22 oz. steak special and enjoyed it with some to take home. She enjoyed the Tenors more that me. Somewhere in my life I missed the lyrics to Rock and Roll and a lot of other tunes. They started with a paean to hero's as a patriotic gesture. They then sang a German song from their world wide tour. So there were more words I didn't understand although the music was great. Another song was Italian lyrics. They also sang Australian folklore songs that were hard for me to understand. I was impressed by the lighting and use of spotlights. I need more music culture in my life obviously.

Friday was interesting because the weathermen had predicted snow with a high of 38 but we got none and the temperature got up in the 40's which made for a nice night for the annual Kiwanis Christmas stew supper and Santa Claus event. We had a lot of music from our church chime band, the highschool brass group and a children's choir from the school that had most of the children in it.

My job was to take the money and tickets and hand out tickets for the drawing for prizes of money and frozen turkeys after Santa Claus finished having his photo made with all little kids. Eugenia and I left early to get some groceries before the store closed. She gave H. D. Weaver her ticket. He called to say her ticket won a turkey so we had to go visit Cottonwood and pick up the turkey before she went home. While I was working at the ticket table H. D. kept her entertained by telling stories and reciting some of his cowboy poetry. He loves to talk and his wife is from the Wichita Falls area.

I am behind because I have to write my column yet.
Mark called saying that he had landed from his Belgium trip and I told him the most dangerous part of the journey was gettin home safely from the DFW airport. He told me one thing that bothered me. He said that the European news was all supporting the Copenhagen meeting. I had thought after the UK reported on the scientists cheating on their data that there would be a reaction against the concept that people cause global warning. As Fred Thompson says "Common sense isn't all that common."

WINTER WONDERLAND WEDNESDAY

This morning I woke at 4:45 to find the power off. I called in the outage report. I opened the fireplace doors and put more logs on to help heat the house. When I got up for good I built a fire in the free-standing stove upstairs. I took photos early. I am posting them. I measured the snow on the board that has my rain guage and it measured 5". Rain all day yesterday measured over 0.32". I don't know how much rain is in the fluffy snow. My wood fires kept the temperature in the house at 63 degrees with the outside ranging from 34 to 39 today.

I started reading Elmer Kelton's last book OTHER MEN'S HORSES and got into it. I finally decided I was hungry enough to drive to town. I was hesitant because when I get that much snow on my caliche road it can get slick. I had to pop the automatic door opener and raise the garage door by hand. This all electric home is a pain when there is no electricity. I had some snow at noon on the road, but the highway was clear. I bought the blue plate special at Staghorn and drank hot tea.

This morning I got out both of my battery operated radios and neither worked. So while I was in town I stopped at Dollar General and Higginbothams and neither had any battery radios. One of the problems of small towns. When the electricity is off, I don't have internet, radio or TV for news. I can use my car radio.

The power finally came back on at 1:30 so I could flush toilets and get on the computer. I think the problem this morning was the buildup of snow on the wires and the new lightning arrestor connections every 5 poles that is a wire between the power and ground line with a lightning arrestor in the circuit. With this kind of snow the power can flow around the arrestor and short out the system. It took till noon to melt off all of the snow. But there may have been some other problem. It is supposed to get below freezing tonight. Just hope the power stays on.

I ate cold cereal for breakfast. I could have heated water on the stove upstairs but didn't.