It Was A Three Pillow Night

Memaw, Pawpaw and the boys decided to call it an early night. Lights were switched off; dog was let out to do her last potty of the night; classical music turned on and sweet slumber. NOT!

Footsteps running through the house. Who could that be? Then a voice! Memaw! Memaw! Help! I recognized Logan’s cry for help and met his footsteps, turned on the light and there stood a trembling little boy with nearly digested food from the top of his p.j.’s to the bottom of his feet. Here came Pawpaw too. Scurrying around we managed to clean up, wipe up, change clothes, another pillow, another blanket and back to bed. Then more footsteps - - this time it’s Micah. Memaw, memaw, what’s wrong with him? Possibly the virus Micah! Oh no, am I going to get it? Tell me I’m not going to get it Memaw! Remember last year when I got it? Micah don’t worry. Can I go to school; no one in my class has it. No Micah, its night and school is not in session.

I take this child to bed with me and tell him maybe we won’t get it. He can’t sleep for worrying about it. He wants me to take him somewhere right now where he won’t be around it. It’s now 10 p.m. Calm down Micah and go back to sleep, it’ll be okay.

Back to slumber. NOT! Memaw, Memaw! I smell this horrible smell, turn on the lights and Logan looks like a brown chocolate bear but smells like something that just popped out of the sewer. It’s from neck to toe again. This time I look over the situation and decide a shower is all I can do with this. Strip down, warm water, shower, brown flowing water finally turns clear. Dry off; clean up, new pajamas, new bedding, and new pillow and back to dreamland.

11:45 p.m. Splat, urp, gag, another round of Niagara Falls coming from our little one. Another pillow covered, another blanket, the plastic lined trash can - -clean! The floor is not. Another clean up, more burning the midnight oil, Micah up worrying about catching it, the dog wondering if it’s morning and time to go out again. OKAY, HELP GOD!

1:00 a.m. Footsteps running through the house - - I get up and this time I haven’t been sleeping and neither has Pawpaw. We console our little one, change clothes one more time, and this time he managed to get to the bathroom. We’re all wondering now how we can manage to sleep on the bathroom floor and wait for the next round, it might be easier. Micah is up again, terror in his eyes and worrying, “Am I going to get it Memaw, and what time does school start?”

I decide I will sit up and wait until the next round, but Chick talks me into going back to sleep so I try to, but can’t for waiting for the next round which comes. I get up; he made it to the trash can this time. Thank you Jesus! Now, we all settle down. I’ve started 2 loads of laundry and its 3 a.m.

4:00 a.m. - - Logan wants a drink. Pawpaw gives him a Capri Sun. It rumbles down in the darkest recesses of the belly, it roars and hold on to your hats, here it comes again!
He made it to the lined trash can. No mess, no fuss this time.

5:40 a.m. - - 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Suddenly it’s time to get up. Micah is shaking me and saying, “I’ve got to get to school Memaw”. I decided after staying up most of the night just to keep Micah home today; it’s now 20 minutes until 8 a.m. and he is wanting to go to the safety net of school where all the germs begin, but he thinks it’s a safe haven, so we jump up like Jack in the Boxes and magically he is ready and out the door. Logan is up and wanting to eat and drink. The Long Night is Over for now…

Sail Phone

Two years ago my husband (who is the brunt of lots of my humor, like Fang was for Phyllis Diller) went fishing with Jerry, my cousin’s husband, at Lake Lavon. He was recovering from surgery so I wanted to check on him after I realized he was out more than 5 hours, so I decided to call his cell phone. No answer! This is not unusual for him because he is not cell phone savvy and leaves it off most of the time unless he wants to call someone. I tried to figure out how I could contact him when suddenly a light bulb went off - - I could get Jerry’s cell phone number from my cousin Joyce, Jerry’s wife-- what a novel idea. I called her and she gave me Jerry’s number. I checked with her to see if he answers his phone when someone calls or leaves it off. She said he actually does answer his phone. We hung up after shooting the breeze and catching up on family news, and I called the number.

Jerry answered. I asked him how Chick was doing and Jerry said, “He’s fine. Do you want to talk to him and I said, “Yes, tell him I will call his phone if he will turn it on”. I didn’t want to use up Jerry’s phone minutes. Jerry said, “No, he can talk on mine, just a minute”. I heard him say, “Here Cuz” as he handed Chick the phone. Chick answered sounding light hearted and giddy - - the fish were biting! Apparently all was well and he planned to fish until dark. I said, “Great, see you about dark thirty” and we hung up.

Apparently, right after the end of our conversation Chick got a bite, the bobber went under; the fishing pole started to bend with the catch when all of a sudden it hits the hand he is holding the cell phone in and ‘ping’ it flies about 6 foot through the air and glug, glug, glug. Jerry missed the whole thing as he was turned in another direction. Chick had to tell him his sail phone just went about 18 feet deep… End of a good time, but years of good story telling and it’s not about the fish that got away – it’s about the sail phone!

I Remember

I REMEMBER

Today is January 1, 2007 and a day of remembrance of a year that is gone, and the people that went with it. Chick and I watched Sunday Morning this week and the tributes to famous people who passed in 2006. Many of the people I didn’t know, some I recognized, but it got me to remembering people I loved that I knew personally and not from a distance.

Goodbye A.J. , you were a rock when we needed stability in a sinking ship. You reached out to all of us and then you were gone. I watched a video of farewells to people who left the company we worked for and there you were with that sweet smile and words of wisdom. I smiled when I saw you, and wished we had spent more time talking.

Goodbye Dee, you left just after you retired from work and I know you wanted time with your Russell whom you loved and your children - - you were gone too soon as well. I have video of you too when you came to our fish fry. The laughter we shared, the stories and not enough time. You were fun and fearless, visiting a country where your son was in the Peace Corp and the account of your trip was fascinating. You cried when you first arrived in Cameroon, Africa and wanted to come home, but you stuck it out and kept a wonderful journal to share with all of us. I still have my copy. Thanks for sharing your life.

Goodbye my Dearest Aunt Ruth. As soon as I retired you left us. It was not a good time for you to leave, because I wanted to spend time with you now that I could, but God had another plan for you. I’ll never forget you and the year I asked you if when you left this earth if I could have your cross stitch of an old Country Store that reminded me of Grandma and Grandpa’s country store. Little did I know you would go home and work under a magnifying glass to make me my very own and then while you were in California visiting your kids have uncle Red deliver it to me for Christmas. What a wonderful gift of love! You had so many talents, but the best was making us all feel special, because we were special to you. I miss you, but know there is a time for us all to go and your time had come. See you again someday! It is promised!

Farewell Aunt Lena, I’ll miss talking to you long distance. You were a light in my life as well. I loved calling you and hearing the latest in Indiana; however you had grown sad since the loss of Shirley, Chuck and Jerry. You always reminded me you couldn’t live forever, but I’m selfish, I wanted you to be there when I come back to Indiana. I have such wonderful memories of you and Hosmer before we moved to Texas. I know you are happy once again and my memories will sustain me until we meet again.

Johnnie Ruth, what a joy you were, a heart as big as the state of Texas. Our boys were your Angel family when you learned we were adopting them. I wish we could have all hung out together more. You reached out to our daughter when very few people would and you always told me to tell her you loved her unconditionally. Again, you left us before I got to hang out with you much, but no more pain and you haven’t changed a bit except you are walking on streets paved with Gold and you met your maker who had to have said, “A job well done my child”.

I am better off for having you all in my life and when I count my blessings I will always remember…