Betty’s Week

  We still have copies of Dave Hovey’s new book, Livin’ in the World, for sale and he also brought us copies of his other book, Easy Money 1956, which several of you have asked about.
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  It’s still very dark when I deliver papers to the stores on Wednesday mornings, but I’m slowly getting out the bed with less effort. Temperatures on Wednesday mornings are slowly getting better, however the prediction is for it to be very cold this week. Spring arriving apparently doesn’t mean much this year.
  The shrubs, flowers and trees haven’t seemed to mind the cold weather –they’ve just bloomed anyway. I’ve never seen so many daffidols, jonquils, forsythia, hawthornes, pears, peaches, apples and I heard a report that even red buds are starting to bloom.
  There are beds of daffidols on the Eureka Road that are almost as long as a football field and a couple of feet wide—thousands of blooms. And some of the pears are 30-plus feet tall and covered from top to bottom with white blooms.—they look like giant snowballs.
  Wildlife was enjoying the warmer days over the weekend. I saw one little squirrel crossing the road directly in front of me and I told the nursing home staff that he was going 90 miles an hour. Maybe not, but this little fellow was certainly moving on. He had a partial tail, so I expect he had already felt the impact of a vehicle.
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  Got to attend another First United Methodist Lenten Lunch last Thursday. Food was again delicious and the service was excellent.
  Music was presented by Bro. Eric Fearing, Minister of Music at First Baptist. He has a wonderful voice. I’ve heard him sing on several occasions during the years he’s been in the Valley, but had never gotten to visit with him. We were seated at the same table and following the service I had to ask him a few questions. In his introduction he told that he was from Kentucky (one of my favorite states) and that he’d met and married his wife in New Mexico (another favorite).
  Discovered that she was from Clovis and Ed and I had traveled through this city a couple of times—never actually had time to tour it, but I do think we ate there once. In the early days, when we drove, we saw a lot of central and southern New Mexico. We’d go north to Albuquerque and then just ramble east. Was good to get to know him just a little and it’s always very enjoyable to hear him sing.
  The speaker was Rev. John Garrett, who has a position with the Senatobia Methodist District. He volunteered to fill the speaking post at the last minute. The District Superintendent was to be the speaker, but a former District Superintendent has died and he was involved with the funeral and events following it.
    Bro. Garrett had attended the funeral the previous day and gave a report on the event. He then delivered a wonderful message, even with very little prep time. Stepped on all our toes (which we certainly needed), but gave the credit to the Lord, whom he said directed him to just preach on his assigned daily devotional, which admonished us to be about the ministry of the Lord. His delivery was very good and we all enjoyed his witty illustrations—definitely kept us all awake, even after a hearty meal.
  Bro. Raymond Aven will be the speaker Thursday and he’s always great. Don’t know who’ll be bringing the music, but know it will be good. Everyone is invited to attend. The event begins at noon and concludes by one o’clock.
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  Betty Melton brought her baby quilt Monday morning. She’s been working on this project for several weeks and it was well worth her effort. The quilt depicts Old McDonald’s Farm, with a beautiful barn, all the farm animals, with the sounds they make. This was done in cross stitches, French knots, satin stitches, and many others, using all the colors of the rainbow. Told her if I had a grand, or great-grand, she’d never get out of the office with that quilt—I’d just take it away from her. She was safe though—don’t even have a great-niece or nephew on the way.
  I though it should be used as a wall-hanging—it’s much to pretty to keep a baby warm. That’s unless there is nothing else to use to warm them up.
  I do enjoy my weekly visits with Betty as she brings in the Mt. Liberty News.
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  Got to visit with youngest great-niece, Caroline Cole, Jimmie’s grand, last weekend. She came to visit Mom and me and really livened up the nursing home. The door was not completely closed, so little fingers just pried it open and down the hall she went. Jimmie was putting drops in Mom’s eyes, so I had to do the chasing. That little girl is fast. If I  had to follow her all day for a few weeks I’d probably loose some weight and get into better shape.
  Going down the hall we looked at all the pictures. Coming back though she spied the vending machines. This 14-month old is already addicted to Coke—took me many years to do that. She went over to the machine and pointed directly at the red Coke and announced “Coke.”
    I reached into my pocket and found only 60 cents — not enough for her Coke. Then we turned our attention to the food and she says, “cookie.” There were cookies for our money, so I picked out some vanilla one, thinking she could probably eat them. After they dropped. she fished them out and ran to her MeMa, who says, “You can eat the cookies.”
    I explained that I didn’t know what she could or couldn’t eat, so wouldn’t let her open them. Jimmie says, “If it doesn’t eat her, she can eat it.” She’d definitely a member of the family.
  Mom is making progress. She ate well all weekend and walked all the way down the hall and back on Saturday. She even got hot Thursday, Friday and Saturday. She’s still in winter leisure clothes and in her room you needed shorts and tees on all three afternoons. She kept asking, “Don’t I have some cooler clothes, don’t we have a fan?”
    Well, I have to find summer clothes and a floor fan. Not going to be an easy chore. Her room has been completely destroyed, so who knows where the clothes or fan went. This is incentive to get the room cleaned and back together, though.
  Maybe we can have a house party Sunday and get some of this done.
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  For the past two Sundays the youth committee and the children’s committee has served lunch—on the 16th, hamburgers and hot dogs, with the trimmings; and on the 23rd, spaghetti, cole slaw, roll and dessert. At the conclusion of Sunday nights service, Bro. Lynn announced that we’d be on our own for lunch next Sunday.
    Sure was nice while it lasted—I liked taking home food, eating it, and then tossing the dishes.