Cindy Gannon, SEMO promoter

Cindy Gannon, assistant athletic director at Southeast, is up against it today.   February 8 is the first day that people can purchase my new book on Southeast AthleticHall of Fame.  She called me today and is frantically trying to set up everything.  Yes, I will sign copies between games that day and then will sign that night.    So happy that I don't have to do the promotion!  All I have to do is to have some good pens and recognize people which gets harder and harder to do with my cataracts.

I will never do another book --way too much work but so glad that I did these two for the University.  They will be a godsend to historians, fund-raisers, etc. down through the years.  They have no idea how happy that people will be to have this information in one solitary place.

Switching my interest now to history again --Cape Girardeau history and Mansion history  --I have gone all the way around and I am back to being a history major!

Lunch with my friend, Marilynn

Woke up this morning and half expected to see debris everywhere but we got thru in good shape. So I came downstairs, put a load of laundry in washer and soon heard water spewing out of clean out drain. What a mess! Called my plumber quickly and he got here quickly! Is,nt it strange how all the best laid plans are changed by the eruption of water or the cessation of power!

Then I heard from my friend, Marilynn Bradford. We are on the Mansion Board together and we hit it off from the beginning! She and her husband, Steve, have a business in Cape though they live in Jeff! We are having a reception together in March after the dedication of the Flag House and inviting the Mansion Board. We worked on all that at our hastily arranged luncheon at Bella Italia today!

Tonite I am going with Annie, my niece, to Anna and eat at Blue Boar. Too many details wait on me every day.

Tornado alerts

All of a sudden our lives were changed by threats of tornados and sirens! When the sirens come on, I get worried! Tornados in January! Who would have thunk it?

I have no television since the power is off and Annie just called to say Jordan, weather watcher, was going to be on television!  He saw one tornado and a terrible wreck on the highway.   Jordan, who turns 21 this weekend, loves weather!

It has been crazy weather  today and it is far from over. Will last until 1:00 and it is 9:47! At least the sirens are off right now! Why didn't I buy a house with a basement?

A Chorus Line

Last night I went with Vickie Boren to see a traveling company of "A Chorus Line" and it was really good.  I had never seen the production before and it was definitely theological although this conclusion took some time to come to.  Each of the people who desperately wanted a role was asked to talk about their reasons for wanting to dance and to talk about their parents.  Michael Bennett came up with original idea and did the choreography and music by Marvin Hamlisch.

Saw many old friends including Marge Loiseau and Loretta Schneider and Louis Watkins among the money.  My cataracts don't allow me to scan the crowds as well as I used to but I get by.

Recognized!

Sara and I spent Sunday in St. Louis stores trying on clothes and changing makeup. We hit Steinmark where we were in process of checking out. One of checkers asked for my name as part of a credit card application! The other checker said: "Jane Stacy'". I said "how did u know that?"

She said" Semo, class of 1993'. Everyone knew u!"
It was great being recognized again!

The iceman cometh!

Today we get up and ice has covered cars and streets and Mark and Tina have an early flight out! Puts a new face on things and priorities! Get that car heater on!

We had a fun night last night at Amicis restaurant ! Dr and mrs bob Mudd. (Karen) joined us and we feasted on the appetizer of fried spinach! Sara and I came home earl y and the party reassembled to Mudd House! Bob is doctor at st Mary's hospital!

A family time

A family comes together for special times.some sad, some happy! But even in sad times, sitting around a table of food, there comes the reminder of laughter of the past! It should remind us to let nothing happen to the memories!

My kids came in and they add joy in the full measure! I sat at the table with my niece and her family and we remembered!

Hilary Rocks her world

I was sick with stomach flu all day yesterday-- suffice it to say, I did not go too far from a bathroom.  My only diversion was watching Hillary Clinton take on the House and the Senate committees about BenGazi hearing.  And she did this well.    Now today, she is back with John Kerry to introduce him to the committee as he becomes Secretary of State.

I am an information junkie.    How lucky I am to be able to take a complete day and watch the news all day. Everyone has their own personality and conflicts.    Hillary Rodham Clinton married a man who cheated on her and she knows her way around politicians.   I give her credit.  She takes no prisoners and I like that.

I never thought, when I was a child, that an African-American would ever be elected as President nor did I ever consider that a woman could serve.   I want to live to see this happen --but I want to be sure that that woman is smart and savvy.  Hillary is.  Sorry, Joe Biden.  Can't give my vote to another man when there is a good woman --you men have had this in the bag for too long!

Jim Cooper's Birthday

Today would have been my brother, Dr. James Cooper's, birthday!  Not that we were beseiged by presents  but Mama always made us a cake and was it ever good.

Jim never had to wash or dry dishes.  That was the work of Janie and Rose Marie.   Jim's work was to sometimes fill the stoker and milk the cow every night in the barn.  There is no way of knowing how much crap he carried in on the milk bucket.  No problem.  Mama had scalded everything and she strained the milk with a clean cloth.

We had a good time together with the Sunday afternoon Cooper ballet company.  Thanks, Jim, for the memories of growing up together with you!  I always hoped that you would not throw a fit and murder me with your temper!   Rose Marie had it far easier;  you did not want to hurt her hands!

Death of Cary Hammond

CARY W. HAMMOND died on Monday, January 21, 2013 in St. Louis.

Beloved husband of Leigh E. Hammond (nee Hearnes); dear father of Clayton and Catherine Hammond; dear brother of Kathy (Dennis) Thiele and Craig (Judy) Hammond; dear son of the late Lester and Virginia Hammond; dear son-in-law of Betty C. and the late Governor Warren E. Hearnes; dear bother-in-law of Julie (Dr. Dan) Sindelar and the late Lynn C. Hearnes; our dear uncle, cousin and friend to many.

Mr. Hammond was President and managing Principal of the law firm of Hammond and Shinners, P.C. He represented labor unions and multi-employer benefit plans in Missouri and Illinois for more than 35 years. He represented the Greater St. Louis Labor Council and Teamsters Joint Council 13. He was continuously listed in the Best Lawyers of America since 1993. The same publication also recently named him the outstanding union-side labor lawyer in the St. Louis area.

He served as a board member and chair for the Productive Living Board of St. Louis County. He served as the chair of the St. Louis County Reapportionment Commission in 1991 and as a membe of the University of Missouri Advisory Committee on the 21st Century.

Visitation will be held from 4 – 8 p.m. on Friday, January 25, 2013 at Kriegshauser West Mortuary, 9450 Olive Blvd., St. Louis. Funeral Services will be conducted at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 26, 2013 at the First Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood, at Kirkwood Road and Adams Street. Interment will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to Action for Autism, 15834 Clayton Road, Ellisville, MO 63022 or Five for the Fight, through the St. Louis Labor Council.

Please share your condolences at www.kriegshausermortuary.com.

Dear Abby no more!

I read this morning of the death of Dear Abby or, as we knew her, Abigail Van Buren.   I don't know why I read all the background but it is interesting to me.  She was a twin sister of Ann Landers and both wrote columns.  Why did we believe that two sisters from the same family could be smart enough to conquer the advice world?

Then I read that she had Alzheimer's and her daughter had written the column for years.  That is amazing that the public could just assume that if the mother could give advice, so could the daughter.  Like I said, "Free advice is usually worth what you pay for it!"   And all this advice is yours for the price of a newspaper.

But why am I shocked at this!  I am constantly shocked at the people you meet who will immediately tell you the story of their life and then ask what you would do.  What I would do is to talk to someone who really cares about you who has some measure of good sense?   There should be people in your life who fit that mold and actually care about you!   If there is no one in that ilk out there close to you, you have some real problems!

And yes to those who are my Dear Abbys --Bev, Joan, Greg, my kids, on and on, thanks for being there for me!  I hope I have been there for you, also!

Inauguration 2013

Today is the Inauguration and President Obama starts his second term.  I like what he is doing and I am proud of our country for electing a African-American for the second time.  I hate the prejudiced people who will never grow up and face their own misplaced loyalties.   

I grew up in a prejudiced town and there were role models who taught us that this kind of thinking might not be fair in the long run.   I am happy that I feel this way.   It does not mean that I don't have to gulp sometime as I deal with the problem of equality.  But I gulp instead of running my mouth.   America is a different country and white men are not the primary "big deals" anymore!

There is room around the table for everyone and I don't need a gun to keep someone inferior from invading my space at the table.   Happy Inauguration to me!

Messiah Performance today

I went to Trinity Church today to hear the Messiah with inter-denominational choir and it was wonderful.  John Shelton directed and Elizabeth Shelton was a soloist as was Trudy Lee.  Beautiful performance. Elizabeth did "Rejoice" and Trudy did "He shall feed his flock". and those are my two favorites.

It is a wonderful thing for a community to put on such a performance.  I could not help but notice that most of the congregation was gray haired but, many of those singers were young.  Elizabeth is same age as Sara Dyer.   John Shelton played for Elizabeth to sing and his hands flew over that piano.   Such a long-enduring talent.

Later we went out to Bob Evans and ate with Bev Hickam and her mother, Ann.   I enjoyed the afternoon.  Bev took a photo of me with John Shelton.  I hope it turned out since I want to send it to Sara.   A lovely afternoon.

Daddy and Stan Musial

The news hit big time last night about the death of Stan Musial at age 92, one of baseball's greatest hitters and the foremost Cardinal! I had met him on several occasions and had even heard him play "Wabash Cannonball" on his harmonica at times but this was not the part which compelled me in my assessment!

I thought of my Daddy and the fun hours he spent listening to the radio and never missing a game.  He would rush from preaching at a revival meeting, get to the car, and whip that radio on, and we had to sit like hushed up rabbits in the back seat so he could hear.  His bedroom was next to mine and that radio blared into the night with overtimes, and late games.  My mother said to me that she often wished that the electricity would be hit by lightning so she could go to sleep, one night, without the blare of that game.  (which she cared nothing about!)

We got our first television in 1954, when I was a sophomore in high school.  Karen Ellis already had one but it was snow until KFVS became a satellite.  People have no idea (post-television people) how we lived by the radio and knew every program and when it came on.   While that may not seem much of a diversion to you, it was a big diversion to us growing up and people who were finding ways to cope with their lives and wanting a little excitement.

Daddy loved the Cardinals and he loved Stan the Man!   He knew all their statistics and they became a part of his everyday life.   Radio allowed him to be a vital part of that game-playing schedule even when he was going about his life-business in Charleston, Missouri.  For that, I am most grateful.

RIP, Stan the Man

Landon Cheben, my hero

 

  Landon Cheben is my hero.   Sure he is my grandson, by marriage to Bailey Dyer, and sure he is not the only fighter pilot serving in Afghanistan but I don't know all the others by name.  I know him by name and by a relationship and I pray that he will come home safely and one day, this will all be a memory he can talk about to his children and his comrades.   I have the same uneasiness each day that I had when my brother, Jim, was in Vietnam.  And I have the same questions about our becoming involved in a war in some faraway country that knows nothing else but war.   The theology of war takes volumes of reading and then one has few conclusions to draw.

Landon is a West Point graduate and received a BS in Engineering psychology.  President OBama was the commencement speaker at his graduation in 2010.  From there, with wife at side, he headed for Fort Rucker, Alabama, for flight school.  Then he was sent to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky and on Labor Day, 2012, he was deployed to Afghanistan.   (Half of his deployment is over -yea!)  He spends much of his time flying and I hope the days fly by so that he can come home safely from his 9 month mission.  God speed!

Everything is Theology

Some people have wondered why I list my blog as theology and then talk about everyday happenings in it.  First, I am a seminary graduate and I believe that everything, in the end, is theology.  Second, it is because it is!

Last night I sat down to watch the television news.   Three big items were directly related to theology.  Commentators were discussing theology at its basic points and had no idea that they were doing so.   If you wonder about this, just think about it for a moment:

l.  Mante Te'o, the big football star at Notre Dame, has just revealed that the romance he had with the perfect woman who died on the same day as his grandmother, was a hoax and he had never met her but they were on social media together.   The commentators call this act "catfishing" where someone can set up a hoax on social media to gain fame or money.  The theology involved includes the subject, "Is it a lie when it never happened but you just were catfished?"

2.  Sakele Chinzera was fired from Cincinnati Children's Hospital because she wouldn't take a flu shot.  She is a vegan and doesn't allow eggs or animal fat in her diet and the flu shot contains elements of both.  The theology is "Is this a religion or is this a  food fad"?"
3.  Lance Armstrong, noted cyclist accused of doping all of these years, was interviewed on Oprah Winfrey show and he admitted that he lied saying that he "tried to control the narrative".  No apology came forth that I saw, just a rationale for his conduct.  The theology is "When is lying lying and are there valid reasons for lying or time-limitations"?

Like I said, it all boils down to theology.   Just watch the news and ponder! You are in theological wonderlust!

The Kellerman Foundation

Had a great time at the Kfvs towers last night for the board meeting of Kellerman foundation and getting ready for the dedication of the flag house! I love all the members : the kellermans, Linda Heitman, Steve Limbaugh, bill hart, Jerry Lorberg, art Mattingly, frank Nickell and Jennie, from Leming family! What an opportunity and how much fun!

Dutch Meyr and lunch

Went to eat at Bella Italian today at lunch with a long time friend, Dutch Meyr! Since his football playing days with bill Stacy, we have always been pals.

I told him about the book and he wanted me to sit at his table at the dinner! I will do that with Muench, steinbecker and Dennis!

Dutch is one of the special people in my life!

And the University business goes on!

I had no idea that I would continue to work with the University after I retired.  But I continue to work with them.  Wednesday, I had lunch with Bill Holland, VPresident, and I enjoyed it and we talked about several projects coming up.   Then Shad Burner, former alumni director, came in and came over.  I love Shad and he is so good to me.

Then I went out to lunch on Thursday with Greg Brune and Cindy Gannon to talk about my new book, how we were going to sell them, copy problems.  I told her that I was donating 475 copies to the University and it would pay for Hall of Fame.   Greg was in a big way and we had a great time reliving stories about Ron Shumate and our lives together.

Gun Issue Announced Today

I watch MSNBC most every night --one show after the other. Last night I paid attention to Rachel Maddow show. Cory Booker was her first guest and he is the Mayor of Newark. He said one statement that made me run for a pen: "When spiderwebs unite, they can tie up a lion!" I have no idea where that came from, or if it was original with him, but I like the possibility. The discussion was the announcement about Gun Control with the president and the vice=president. Biden quoted someone named Steve Barton, "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Does anyone think that these measures will keep the massacre from ever happening again? No one that I know believes that but to do nothing, is far worse! Then the discussion turned to all the shock-jocks and how they said what would get them attention! That is a sad state of affairs!

Ministry her own making

Spent the morning talking to Dr. Loretta Prater, a former dean at the university. We were and continue to be great friends. It will soon be ten years ago since her son was shot by Chattanooga police. I admire Loretta because she has taken this blow and turned it into a ministry. Each year she goes down and has a memorial for her son and all those people that have lost children. She is carved out her own ministry based on her own life experiences. Loretta Prater could give lessons to all of us.

Watkins House

Went out to eat today at Cup and Cork with Annie Criddle who is director of Kellerman Foundation! We are enmeshed with plans to open the WAtkins house where the Missouri Fllag was made.

Annie and I ate key lime pie and went over the board agenda. Then we went by the house and took pictures! We knew it as the Leming House! Date of opening is March 22-23, 2013.

Eye of a storm

Today I went to the eye doctor at Lenscrafter for the dreaded news I have known for years but this time it was different. Yes, I have cataracts in both eyes and the left one is bad, and yes, I need to see Dr Kinder about the first one for surgery. (One day)

So I said I would get back to them after I thought about it and I want to have it done. Good news was no macular degeneration signs which Mama had

So I am sitting here adjusting to post my d
Dreatic drops! My eyes are precious to me so whatever I have to do.

Remembering The Years

Cleaning out my office I found this picture of Mark and Tina when Bryan was a baby. Where have the years gone? Bryan is now an artist making it in Wilmington, North Carolina. I am proud of what he does although I can't paint a straight line.

Sundays are for remembering. Bryan is getting ready for "Panic Attack Wilmington NC" in April. I thank you Bryan for your unique style. You are a "Good Boy". Daddy always said that is the best compliment anyone can give another about a child.

From cover to cover!

Yes, the book goes to the printer on Monday and hallelujah. I am proud to say that I said upfront that I used to be First Lady for ten years.

I was that and no one can take that from me. It's my choice. Just like the art Colin did years ago. He did it and I can keep it forever. So I put on my big girl clothes and I'm claiming what's mine!

The lost sox

Saturday : another day of cleaning and painting! I am ready for it so it will get over! Had to sleep downstairs last night because I can't find a bed upstairs but I slept like a baby!!

Yesterday I had Gloria clean out my sock drawer since I can never find mates! No wonder! I only had three pair that had mates! I guess the dryer ate the others. Joy said a man was really hired to remove sox from city water supply.

So here they are  waiting for me to do something with them!   It is the fad now to wear mismatched xocks so Joy can have them to take home.   I am into matchy-matchy so I wil go out and buy more for the washer to eat!   They are only sox, people!

 

 

Friends who protect you.

I have friends who protect you.    I was even more aware of this yesterday when I had joint meetings with two people who protect my assets and we all met together.   This is not a subject I like to pursue so they do it for me.   One is Ron Hahs, my Northwestern Mutual person who has taken care of my retirement account for 20 years.   I told him then, I wanted him to take care of me as he would his sister and hence, he calls me "Sister".

Then I came in to some more money, thanks to the generosity of my brother, Jim, and it brought in Cheryl Mothes, my Edward Jones agent for this account.  Now she is my "sister" and we decided we would meet together for better planning.  It all boils down to trust.  I can trust both of them and I am so happy I can.

So today, while I sit here, glued to the computer, finishing the proofing on my new book, I know that my money is in good hands and I can proofread away till my eyes fall out.   Gloria is here working an extra day cleaning so I feel more than blessed in the people around me!  I trust all of them.

So I must share all this with my niece, Annie Finnegan, as she takes on the responsibility for her mother and for her family.  You don't have to do it all;  but you have to have a real trust for the people who help you along the way.

No man putting his hand to the plow....

I love this Scripture in the Bible:  No man putting his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God."   I dig this verse.   I never plowed a row, or drove a nag but I know you can't keep going straight if you let the past dominate your eye or your focus.

Yesterday I sent out a verse that came over Facebook:   Sometimes, you just have to make peace with the past, in order to keep your future from becoming a constant battle.   (Susan Gale)   I believe this so strongly and I have learned to live it.   There are some things that you don't need to plow through time and time again.   It keeps you off-focus.  (Besides, people get tired of hearing you exhort the same subject morning, noon and night.)

So, Christianity means letting go of the past, even disassociating yourself from the chicanery and maneuverings that have worked before.   Yesterday, my niece and I faced a problem that had the possibility of allowing us to vent and we refused to play the game.   It was empowering.   I told her as we left, "Let it go!  Don't beat the dead horse to death!"

It works for me.  
There is always going to be a storm brewing in all of our worlds.   Decide, both before the storm and after the storm, which ones are worth chasing in the future!

Cleaning out the Closet

Today is clean out the office day --that is not a simple tasks.  Since I retired three years ago, I have lived in Charleston for nearly six months and then taken care of my sister up here who had a stroke and dealt with the death of my brother last January.   So it has piled up.

I have also written two books and I have closets and files of materials there which I cannot dispose of yet.     But I can't continue using the office for storage.  I need to be able to go into that room and do work.   And that means cleaning out the crap and the cobwebs.  It is the day Meleia and I make an attempt to find some order.  

That means pitching out and filing.   I could think of many other things I would rather do like watching television or even watching the world go by.  But if I do this, the world will soon cave in on me.

Ayn Rand is yuk!

I don't agree with Ayn Rand in much of anything. Yes I know there are Republicans like Paul Ryan who hold her philosophy in high esteem but I am not a Republican and the more I read about her, the less I hold her in any kind of esteem.    Jeff Long writes a religious column about this subject and I believe what Jeff says. 

Rand and I had completely different backgrounds.  She was a Russian who met the Bolsheviks and came to US  with the understanding that thre were two kinds of people in the world: the haves and the have nots and never the twain should meet.   Those who did not have should not expect to gain the spoils of wars they did not fight.

I was raised to believe that whatever we had we were to share.  This was the gospel I gleaned from my days in Sunday school and my days in a preacher's household.   Rand believed that Altruism is to be avoided and is a mistake.  I believe that a helping hand extended is required of all those who profess Christ as their savior.

The religious right and the political right are way off-base in my mind.  When the New England coast gets hit with disaster, to me the government has the same right to reach out.   We are founded on principles of equality.  It is a basic issue to me and has nothing to do with politics.  I find this current political climate sickeningly partisan.  

My helpers

I am the luckiest of people.   On Monday mornings, I have Meleia Sides coming to do work and Debbie Bickings coming to do my hair.   Both are invaluable to me.   Meleia straightens the house, does the errands, works on the computer and does anything needed.  Today she had to type a six page report from Rich Eichhorst which will finish the copy for my book.   It has been emailed to Bobby Brune along with picture, and proofreading of Barb Kinsey.   I will NOT do another book!

Debbie dyed my hair so we could do the pic.   So we are in good shape for any Monday and I don't know what I would do without them.   Meleia and I are celebrating with a Taco Bell run -- they now even have grillers and desserts.  We will be trying the Caramel Apple Empanada.  Do we need it!  Heck, yes!

It's Holly Finnegan's birthday!

So it's Holly Finnegan's birthday and she is 15 today!   We are going out to Pasta House tonight to have dinner and she will have a good time, I am certain, as will we!  I will more than welcome the respite since I have been cleaning out files and drawers since I got up this morning and I am beat!

Holly is doing so well making her adjustment at Central and she has a boyfriend.   She is very popular and is happy as a lark.   Happy Birthday Holly.   You are a joy to all who know you!

Lucas Presson and birthday breakfast

Went out this morning to birthday breakfast at  My Daddy's with Lucas.   I have known Lucas since he was born --knew his parents  - Janet Thompson Presson and Don Presson and knew his grandparents:  Bill and Edna Thompson from New Bethel area and Daddy's church.  Went to high school with his aunt and uncle:  Billy Thompson and Eleanor Sue Thompson Crowell.  So much for geneology.

Then Lucas came to work for me --biggest Republican around and we learned to stay off certain subjects --like his hero, Paul Ryan, today!   We have chosen to be family --He calls me "Grandma" and I like it.   He works for Southeast Missourian and edits the Good Time Section.   Today I had him answer three computer problems for me.  I save them up.

I wish Congress could emulate our relationship.  But, in the meantime, I am happy to have a local grandson who hugs me at every opportunity.   He makes me happy!

Deadline for Book

When it rains, it pours.  I get up this morning with a stomach virus and my printer starts calling for deadlines.  I can't find Jordan, Liz or Meleia, all of whom know where everything is on my computer so I am struggling.   They want the electronic copy for the stories and I thought I had sent them all of them.  Obviously, I have not.

So I am working for the Brune boys today, fast and furiously, in between running to the bathroom.   Here's Greg (I am dedicating the book to him) and Bobby, who is putting it all together for Moll Printing and he wishes I knew more about technology.   Here's to you guys!   If I have stiffed you today, think of all the times you have stiffed me!  

It's appropriate that I run to the bathroom this day!

Scam alert or legit!

I'm checking out scam alerts these days!   In the past few days, I have received a check that I was not certain was legit (it is legit) and then received a note from another source indicating that my retirement account should be reviewed for my convenience.   Fortunately, for me, that did not throw me into a panic.   I called my agent who takes care of my savings in retirement, then I called the Edward Jones agent who takes care of my inheritance account and when neither one of them knew anything about this, I called the numbers on the card after calling Susan Burton and asking her to check it out with HR at the University.   (They finally found out the check was legit, but they had to trace it down;  then I called back with the number of the second card (This was someone who wanted to do a free review of my account  --they are checking this out also.)

But it worried me for other people who don't have as many sources as I do for checkout.   And who are not normally as suspicious as I am!   Anyway, it takes time and trouble to do all of this but I have to take care of myself and trust people I designate to take care of me.   If I see anything off-kilter, I plan to check it out!   I am on permanent scam-alert!  What I have is mine, people!  Go screw someone else or yourself!

New Year's Day with Evelyn Boardman

I spent part of New Year's out with Evelyn Boardman at Panera's drinking coffee.    Evelyn is a friend who is second on Jennie's medical directives with me and she visits Jennie in the Nursing Home every week.  She also became friends with my brother, Jim, when he would come up to visit Jennie and we would go to Panera's afterward and eat.   She also knows Julia from antique days.  So she is a Cooper person to many of us but she helps me more than she does anyone in dealing with Jennie.  (It also helps that her daughter, Lynn, is director at Nursing at the Lutheran Home where Jennie is).

We sat at Panera's, visited with Gary Rust, and talked about the new Barbara Streisand movie.   It is always a wonderful way to spend time.  We are both Democrats so we discussed the big vote due today and how despicable the Tea Party members are and the NRA people who think that people should be allowed to carry around assault weapons.    I said to her that it never occurred to me, however, that one day, that gays would legally be allowed to marry so I can't say that things are not changing.   I don't want to be in the category that I cannot read and study and change my own position.

So, Evelyn, thanks for the part you play in my life.  You are great company and thanks for what you did for my brother and do for my sister.  You are faithful to my task!

A neighborhood visit

I had a fire in the fireplace and the snow was coming down when Henry Sessoms appeared at the door with a delicious tray of Christmas goodies, including Baklava.   He  came in and we visited and laughed and talked.   It was a fun time.   I love my neighbors;  the Sessoms, Margaret Dement, Felicia Fox and Judy Blankford.   We have been here together for years but most of the time, we congregate at the mail box.

We laughed at our long past together:   Henry was chair of English Dept and I was his daughter, Diedre's, scout leader.   The ties go on and on and they keep renewing themselves.

So in the meantime and in the morning, I am ready to choose which goody I will choose next!