But you know Norma. She promptly set to work scrubbing and cleaning with all her might and main. The last thing she wanted was for anybody to come visiting before the place was spic-and-span, and to spy even the tiniest gnat wing. Horrors!
Kenny, however, was unconcerned about Putting Forth a Good Image, particularly since he felt no shame over the Sorry State of Affairs, seeing as how it was Not of His Own Making. So, that very week…
…he went to the Christmas Program practice and told several people, “There are cockroaches bumper to bumper in that house!”
As you could expect, Norma, upon learning of his indiscretion from a third party, was of the persuasion to scalp him. Evidently, however, he managed to put on a contrite enough face that he eluded the mêlée.
As you know, Dorcas has been helping Susan, my niece, taking care of Matthew, her little boy, just about every day. The ultrasounds show everything to be okay still, and a major hurdle has been reached, in that, were the baby to be born now, it would most likely live and be okay. Last week, Susan and Dorcas were cleaning out closets and drawers, preparing to move Matthew into a bedroom just down the hall, so that the new baby can have the bedroom right across from Susan and Charles’. Susan has sent all sorts of things home with Dorcas for all of us…necklaces for the little girls, drawer liners for Hannah’s new house, oodles of her extra pictures of Matthew (even an 8x10!), and so forth. The littles think it is Christmas time. Caleb, admiring some pages of stickers she sent him ‘from Matthew’, said, “I sure hope Susan keeps getting better and better, ’cause she’s so nice!”
I spent the better part of a day wrapping more Christmas presents, and I still need to get quite a few more. I bought a volley of pretty flower pots--they were a smashing bargain--for several of the girls’ friends, and I tucked flower seed packets into each pot before I wrapped it. I also found scores of soup mugs that were going for a song, so I bought them. With those, I included a packet of Campbell’s Soup. When one has a lot of children who have a whole lot of friends who give them a whole lot of presents, one must reciprocate!
We’ve been seeing a good deal more deer than usual along Shady Lake Road during the excursions we make out there. In fact, there are so many deer in this entire area of the state, the Game and Parks Commission has been selling anybody who wants them up to four deer licenses apiece.
Monday, the newest addition to the family--Kitty--got sick. She didn’t actually act sick, but she had diarrhea, vomiting, and internal bleeding. When I saw that, I thought, “Oh, dear! That’s the end of Kitty.”
We called our veterinarian, who thought it quite safe to wait until the next day to give Kitty a checkup. Not being in agreement, and wanting to do all we could to save this nice little cat that we were so glad to have found (or rather, that found us), we called another vet. This one was ready to come right to his office, which, conveniently enough, is just down the Boulevard a few blocks. So Larry and Teddy took the cat to his office. After the exam, the vet said it was a virus of some sort, gave her a shot, and a dropper-full of medicine. He also gave Larry a bottle of it, and we have been giving her a dropper-full each day, along with a pill to get rid of some type of parasite she had acquired. Did you ever know, it is a tricky enterprise to give a cat its medicine?
Well, it is. Even extraordinarily nice kitties, like ours. But between Larry and I, we get ’er accomplished, that we do! And Kitty, when we are done, even curls up in our arms and purrs. Since she’s been getting better, she’s been playing like we never saw her play before. It cost us $70, but Kitty is special. (And she’s even more special, now.)
The days are still brilliant and beautiful, although the air is definitely getting nippier. The children still play outside almost every day after school, but they don’t have to be reminded to put on their jackets. Tuesday evening, we were calmly preparing supper--tacos, pierogies with chicken gravy, and broccoli, carrots and cauliflower, followed by a fruit dessert--when the phone rang. It was Larry, and he was in dire need of aid and assistance.
He had gone riding on the four-wheeler across the Loup River and onto the property of a friend of ours. There are cornfields and wooded areas, and there are usually a number of deer. When Larry crossed the river, he knew it was a bit deeper than it normally was, with channels in strange places, but he made it across safely enough.
Less than an hour later, with the sun down far enough that he couldn’t find the exact spot he had crossed earlier, and with the water appearing to have risen several inches, he decided it would be unwise to try going over it again. The Loup is notorious for its holes and quicksand. Around here, there have been more people drown in the Loup than ever in the Platte, which is shallower and more predictable.
Evidently, the power company had let a lot of water through the headgates, where the Loup Canal joins the river. So Larry called home, using his cell phone, to ask someone to pick him up. He was about one-fourth of a mile past a truck stop on the south side of town. Since I was just leaving for the church to practice Thanksgiving songs with the band, it was decided that Dorcas would go to retrieve her father, while Hannah stayed home to take care of Victoria, who would soon be awaking from her nap, and the other littles.
Dorcas jumped in her car and was off to the rescue.
But about the time she turned southwest on Route 30, a car behind her began heckling her, tailgating and then dropping back, then roaring forward to tailgate again…so, because they were upsetting her, she totally missed seeing Larry flash his lights at her from the side of the road. On she went, thinking that perhaps her father was a fourth of a mile on the other side of Duncan--a small town fifteen miles to the southwest. Some distance past Duncan, still being harassed by the car to the rear, she didn’t notice a large square hay bale in the middle of the road until it was directly in front of her.
She whammed right into it, snapping loose the bottom part of her bumper. The car bounced wildly but she managed to get slowed down. As she came to a stop on the shoulder, the driver of the car behind her acted extremely irate and went roaring past.
Dorcas, distressed, turned around and headed back to Duncan, where she called Larry’s cell phone number from a convenience store there. But Larry, wondering if Dorcas would drive all the way to Grand Island, had already called for Hannah to come, so he told Dorcas to just drive on home. She got home just before I came back from practice.
The poor girl was so upset, she was nearly in tears when she told me about all the troubles, and her voice was trembling, too. Meanwhile, Hannah had gone to get Larry, and, this time, Joseph had decided he’d better go, too, since he would be more likely to know the general area where Larry might be waiting for them. They found him with no problem, and arrived home shortly after Dorcas.
Larry looked over Dorcas’ car, and there doesn’t seem to be any permanent harm done, so she is greatly relieved.
Our band of horns--trumpets, trombones, saxophones--will play O Where Are the Reapers, Great God of Wonders, and To God Be the Glory for Thanksgiving. The orchestra--violins, cellos, violas, and bass fiddle--will play The Call for Reapers, For the Beauty of the Earth, and Give Him the Glory.
Wednesday was school picture day. The little girls were nearly late, because we forgot to plug in their curling iron--and their bangs were as straight as fiddle strings. They were looking quite forlorn, because they were afraid they’d have to have their pictures taken with their bangs uncurled. But we picked up the pace from Hectic Scurry and went straight into Furious Flurry, and we managed to send everybody off to school all Trimmed Out Properly in the Nick of Time.
Teddy has been cutting down the wilted peony bushes, the mulberry trees that spring up all over the place where they don’t belong (the birds plant them for us), and cleaning up the yard a bit. The chrysanthemums and asters, and even the honeysuckle are still blooming like anything, and the morning glories are valiantly trying to make their way over the trellis. I doubt if there is time for them to finish their journey before we get a frost; the temperature dropped to the mid-30s two or three nights ago.
One afternoon, Aleutia was calmly walking through the kitchen, gazing studiously to her right at the cupboards as she went, because the cat was on her left, and she’s been told she must be nice to the Kitty…and there sat Kitty, looking rather peeved, but unmoving---until the dog had gotten nearly past her. And then, suddenly, the cat, without benefit of the slightest running leap, flew right into the side of poor Aleutia with all four feet, batting her on the behind good and proper several times with a talons-extended front paw. Aleutia spun out and fled for dear life; the cat landed herself neatly right back where she had been, and sat looking smug, every hair sleekly in place.
That cat! She doesn’t realize at all, at all, with what type of wolf she’s dealing. The reason--the only reason--the dog is civil to her, is because we are nearly always nearby, or the dog thinks we will be.
We again practiced Thanksgiving and Christmas songs at Jr. Choir. Two of the children, Ernie and Jeanie, turned thirteen, which is the age they ‘graduate’ from the choir. I’m never happy when they leave; I get so attached to these children! Jeanie brought candy bars for everyone, and Ernie brought several large bags full of brightly-colored popcorn balls.
He also brought a gift for me--three black notebooks, of the type we keep our Jr. Choir songs in. This, because he knew I needed a couple more notebooks, and hadn’t been able to find them. They are of a somewhat unusual size, and are therefore kind of expensive.
“Ernie!” I exclaimed, “It’s your birthday, not mine!”
He just laughed.
Later that evening, I sent Penny Golden a pile of email, the words to all the Christmas songs I have chosen for this year’s program. She has a machine that can read her email right off her computer, and then print it out in Braille! Isn’t that amazing?
Friday morning, a number of things conspired to cause the littles such spasms of merriment that they were having a good deal of difficulty keeping from awakening their father and littlest sister, who were fast asleep. First, their mother, donning her robe in the darkness of her bedroom, put it on wrong side out.
("hee hee hee hee hee hee hee") (That was Hester, Lydia, and Caleb.)
Next, Kitty spotted the ties from Victoria's bib hanging down off the edge of the table. She snatched one and gave it a good jerk--and the bib descended and landed on her surprised pate. The funny part was, she just sat there, turning her head this way and that, bib following her every move. The littles were in spasms of mirth, and trying to keep quiet just made everything all the funnier.
After a day and a half of doing the bookwork, I cut out Lydia’s Christmas dress--teal silk jacquard with black something-or-other--sort of like brocade, but not really--for the bodice. All this, from fancy prom dresses people give me because they think I can redo them properly for wearing to church. Arrgghh! I don’t like to do that! It’s much easier to start afresh, with a nice big hunk of material that the pattern actually fits on, rather than having to tear a dress completely apart and then make up my own pattern to accommodate the funny-shaped pieces of material I wind up with. (But don’t tell anyone; I do appreciate their generosity.) I also cut out Hester’s dress. The skirt is red silk jacquard--again, from a prom dress--and the bodice is black velvet.
Friday night, John and Lura Kay brought Caleb and me presents--towels, washcloths for me, a big book on Revelation by Criswell--which I’d wanted for soooo long!, a little resin bear figurine with a kitty and a mouse, and a Bible verse on the bottom. For Caleb--a collector’s old-fashioned car, several books, and a horse that came with a display stand. We had a delightful visit; we don’t have the opportunity to do that very often, it seems.
One afternoon, Lydia and Caleb painted pumpkins at school. So, tonight after church, Caleb wanted Larry and I to come see his pumpkin in his classroom. There was a table full of them, and what a motley crew they were. My three Walker nephews came in to look at them, too, since some of their children had also painted a pumpkin. We all stood and laughed over those funny pumpkins for a while.
The children love to play with our neighbor’s puppy, Mandy; and Mr. Foreman has brought their other dog, Annie, back from their farm, saying she’ll be here through the winter. The kids are glad to see her, too; but the Foreman’s dogs--especially after they’ve been gone for a while--don’t show as much affection as they used to; this has happened with other dogs of theirs. That’s because they don’t have as much affection shown to them as a dog really needs, in order to be a good dog. Mandy looks up at our window for a while, and then barks, wanting the kids to come out and play with her.
“Mandy’s yapping!” says Victoria, and runs to look out the window at her.
Teddy has taught the dog to sit, lay down, stay, and fetch her ball. She’ll sit right beside him while he throws the ball, and not run to get it until he says, “Okay!” Poor Aleutia is jealous of the animals indoors and out. We try to make it up to her, petting her and telling her what a good dog she is…and then the cat comes sashaying along, acting sassy, the dog’s ears fly up and she starts to turn her head toward the cat, and somebody orders her, “Don’t stare at the Kitty!”, which makes her duck speedily. So much for making her feel better.
Friday afternoon, Kenny and Annette had a baby girl, named Katharine Nicole. She weighed eight pounds, two ounces, and was 21½ inches long. She was born at 2:12 p.m. She went to church for the first time Sunday, when she was only two days old. Just like their others, this is one beautiful baby.
Friday night, Bobby and Hannah went to Keith and Esther’s house, where Bobby and Keith practiced their saxophones together, with Hannah accompanying them on the piano, for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Keith will also play his cello. Because of all the special music we will have over the holidays, I’ve been practicing the piano for over an hour every day. I like to do different arrangements each year, so as not to bore everybody stiff.
I am almost done sewing a coat I cut out a long time ago. It’s made of burgundy fur, short, and with a pointed lapel. Luckily, I’m still the same size I was when I cut it out.
The Wrights Quartet sang Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken, and the octet sang Rivers of Love. I really enjoy practicing with them; they are a fine group of young people. Just listen to the middle verse of Glorious Things:
See, the streams of living waters,
Springing from eternal love,
Well supply thy sons and daughters,
And all fear of want remove:
Who can faint while such a river
Ever flows their thirst to assuage?
Grace which like the Lord, the Giver,
Never fails from age to age!
The man who sings bass, John, Bobby’s father, had a lot of solo parts in the second half of each verse. Oh, it was so pretty! Another one of those toe-tappers, right down my alley.
We have been having testimonies again today, two each service. We have had a steady stream of testimonies for a couple of weeks now, and we are planning to have a baptism in two weeks. All of those giving testimonies and getting baptized are children, from about age 12-16, perhaps.
Now…off to the sewing machine!
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