16-12-05 (read 2/24/26)

Barry and I had a quiet weekend. We didn't stir up any big projects, and so ended up with time that was still, the kind of stillness in which important things sometimes bubble to the top. 

I over heard an owner-operator in the office saying to Derek, "My wife never liked the motorcycles, but now that she's gone, I can ride. I love to ride." I told Barry about that, as part of a conversation regarding what he would do if he had a year where we weren't expecting him to add to the revenue. Next year shouldn't be much of a year for buying or selling, either. He talked about wanting to rebuild his dad's truck, but then said, "I don't think you're going to go with me on a long-term basis," and so I told about the over-heard conversation. Later that afternoon, when we were in the pottery barn, he said that what he really wanted was for me to be able to write. That he feels like the luckiest man alive.

I told him that I'd gotten a kick out of Andrew noticing the Saran Wrap game and suggesting it. He talked about what a good man Andrew is, and said that he is really proud of him. 

We got to play with Jaden at Waffle House for a little bit, and Evan and Chelsea came over Saturday night for a little bit. I like it when Jaden smiles at me. 

Chris is helping Kennedy with her glass project. 

16-12-03 (Read 2/28/26)

Barry, as Evan pulled in to the Waffle House parking lot: There's Evan. Maybe we'll get to see the baby.

16-11-28 (Read 2/28/26)

We had Deck the Halls yesterday. Beth and Rodney left for Houston before we started, but they stopped by on their way out and visited with us for a little bit and Beverly and JA came over and got to see them for a few minutes. Beth called later in the evening to see how it went. She and Rodney got stuck in miles-long traffic jams, so got home about three hours later than they usually would have. I can't remember exactly where she was in Louisiana when she called but it wasn't nearly as far as she wanted to be. 

Beverly and Annette sat on the patio and visited. Beverly talking about Standing Rock. Morgan sitting on the swing, holding Jaden, which she did for most of the afternoon. 

Barry stayed in his rocking chair and watched a football game. Brandon sat in mine and they talked easily about the game, and bees. A little while later Zak joined them, sitting on the sofa. 

Andrew spent the afternoon in the front bedroom, rolling up the Saran wrap ball of presents The game is something he saw online and thought would be fun. He is especially looking forward to watching others play it. He's helped me find dice and the saran wrap --- it has been a fun thing for us to do together. 

JA had to work, but got home in time for supper and for birthday singing. 

John and Kim were in Huntsville, but lots of people asked where they were. 

Chris and his new girlfriend got here about 5:00. Afterwards, Tyler asked me what my first impression was. I asked him what he thought, how he felt around her. He said that she has a special freezer at Drew's that she doesn't let just anybody get into, but she lets him. 

Brittany was studying, Faith wasn't feeling well. Barry got the volleyball net up for me, and most of the younger kids played volleyball and ran around kind of like a Goodtimes. Willo and Vivian were sick, too. 

Angela asked where I wanted to put the Family Promise bags, and I told her the bed. She did that, but then came and asked if I'd like her to put them on a spot on the bedroom floor so that I wouldn't have to move them later on that night. 

Things have just shifted. There aren't as many little kids running noisily through the house, and all of the kids and older grandbabies not only can do more, but offer to do more. There's just a lot less stress and trying to get it all done for me. I showed them where the Family Promise things were, and they set up the process and got it all done. Beverly said, "Mom, it is really pretty great for you to do this." 

Tori and Josh had to leave for a little bit to go get Zoey from the vet. Annette told them she was proud of them for being prepared for the expense. 

Chelsea came with Jaden, and left him with us for a few minutes while she ran to the laundromat. She said she told Evan it felt weird to do that. I think it was the first time she left him anywhere. 

16-11-14 (Read 3/1/26)

Saturday just evolved as one of the best days a person could ask for. The Alabama game started at 11, and Barry called to see if the Reeds wanted to come over. Tori and Josh came right about that time, and so Beverly, JA, Ange, Josh, Tori and I (and Bentley, Bella, and Zoe) gathered up to watch the game (or play Nine's at the dining room table while Barry and JA watched the game.) The weather was pretty, so we left the patio door open most of the time. Barry ordered pizza, Beverly and JA brought some snacks. After awhile Evan, Chelsa and Jaden came over. He got lots of hugs and attention and Angela got some great pictures. Beverly said, "That baby changed my day." 

There were only about half us here last night, but we got to see Kim, which doesn't happen very often, and Vivian. We were a little squisshy, maybe two seats short, but visited and had a good time. Beverly and Angela cleaned the kitchen up for me. 

Beth called in and we put on speaker to sing Happy Birthday. Rodney called and he and I had a nice visit. 

And I did the right thing. I've been smiling about it ever since. I'd been thinking on it. I thought maybe I should have some conversations first. Check with people. But then I didn't. Then I just did what I wanted to do and called Vivian aside, and told her about the money I donated to the scholarship fund when Tori and Morgan each graduated and that Angela is graduating, and that I thought that what I really wanted to do was help her, and that I didn't know if this amount of money would be any help, and her eyes filled up with tears, and she said that it would be half her tuition, and she just hugged me and hugged me and hugged me and thanked me and thanked me and thanked me. It was a very, very happy spot for me. 

Barry made the beans for dinner and just generally helped me. It made getting ready for dinner so much more fun, so much less exhausting. 

Chris and Tyler seemed to enjoy their time together, so I was happy about that. Chris has a job with a different glass company. 

Noah spent Friday with us, and that was fun. 

Barry had fun working with Kennedy and Angela in the pottery barn. They were using all kinds of tools and he brought out things they didn't even need because he was having so much fun watching them. 

16-11-02 (Read 3/1/26

Just a really happy day for me. When I left the office Monday, I left it clear of things that needed to be taken care of before Thursday. I did the HH Bookkeeping and Home Administrative duties yesterday, as scheduled. I kept at the laundry all day, so I can get by without worrying about it today. There are some things dry / drying that can be put away, but they can also wait till tomorrow, so my mind can really be cleared of that. I really can just spend the whole day writing without hurting anybody. That's a rare treat.

When I talked to Daddy yesterday, he told me that Andrew had written "Our phone conversations mean the world to me," on the card he'd sent. Daddy said that Andrew calls him from time to time, but he hadn't realized how much the conversations meant to him. He said that Andrew's saying so meant a lot to him. 

Annette sent a text yesterday to check on Beverly and Barry. 

Brittany helped me with Tyler's homework. :-) I posted a question in the Goodtimes group, and she answered it --- and then the next one, and gave me really good, easy to understand answers, too. 

Angela and I are counting down the days till her graduation, and got excited together yesterday that her graduation announcements had come in. 

Touched base with Beth a little. 

Did I tell you that Evan came over Sunday and visited with me for awhile? Chelsea came over yesterday with their weekly payment and I got to visit with her for a little bit and play with Jaden. 

Shawn called Tyler yesterday, and that made Tyler happy. 

Tyler said  he saw Theresa and asked her how it was not tutoring Shawn anymore. She told him it made her sad that Shawn wasn't there when he wanted to talk to him. Tyler said, "I thought that was really nice for her to say." 

16-10-11 (Read 3/11/26)

Barry and I took a walk last night --- 3 or 4 laps around the yard. He said we could do that every night, and I'm pretty happy about that. That's been on my wish list for a long time. 

Got to visit with John and Noah a little bit when they brought Tyler home. 

Kathi responded to my text. They have their power back on. 

My little climate control thingie seems to be working jsut fine. It wasn't cold when I came out this morning. 

Barry and I did the kitchen together last night. 

I'm getting to have a writing day. :-) By that I mean that most of the day is devoted to writing. It isn't quite like being in Iowa, as I have to work around some things, but I'm in pretty good shape work wise and HH admin wise. My writing and my civic duties may kind of overlap. Spent part of my writing time writing Jeff Sessions, who has indicated that he doesn't really know what Trump meant when he said that he kissed women without even asking them, etc. 

Annette said she got Skyler registered and setup at Theodore, and that Skyler seemed really happy. 

Angela sent me a message yesterday and so did Brittany. 

Jaden weight ten pounds, ten ounces. Chelsea posted a picture yesterday of him propped up in the corner of the sofa and not falling over. 

October 6, 2016 (Read 3/12/2)

Tyler got up and off to school on time. He listens closely when I talk to him....maybe, now that I think about it, listening to me the same way that I told him I try to listen to him. We did the kitchen together last night. 

The temperature has dropped just a little, just enough to let you know that we are headed into fall, just enough to let me know it is time to take Tyler and get some long pants. 

Daddy's voice sounded strong yesterday. 

Some of the berries on the holly bush by the pool have changed color. It is striking even from a distance, even from the kitchen window. 

Beverly and JA played cards with Tyler and took him on a bicycle ride while we were gone. 

Chelsea came over yesterday and brought Jaden for a little visit. 

Angela sent me a Facebook message yesterday, and Monday. She got a reminder to order her graduation announcements, and that was fun. 

Tori said she and Josh are going to Arkansas to go camping, and she's excited about going to a new place. There's a river for Zoey to play in, so that should be fun. 

Kennedy came over a visit last night and we had a good time. She helped Papa set Cirrus XM up on his phone, which took her at least 30 minutes. He had to get logged in to his Facebook account, which was really quite a feat. When she was done she said, "Just don't ever, ever log out." 

In Brittany's internship she has been working on a project with Daphne Utilities. It went into it's test phase yesterday. Her name is on the sign and everything. See FB Joy Journal for details. 

Evan came over to check on Granddad. "How's the man?" he said, in case we hadn't told Tyler yet. 

16-08-23 (Read 3/16/26)

7 pounds 3 ounces, 20 inches long, born at 1:23 pm, on August 23rd, 2016. I love you Jaden Connor Wyatt!!

16-08-28 (Read 3/16/26)

Look at this handsome little boy after his first bath today. 😙😙
Mommy & daddy love you squirt 😊😊

16-09-12 (Read 3/20/26)

This computer logged in online, to the home network, just about as quickly as it used to. That's promising. We'll see if it does better than it did on my hotspot, because it kept on freezing up there. 

Second Sunday Supper was last night, and almost everyone was there. We were missing Amber, Kim and Willo. I enjoyed watching the kids as they arrived, greeting each other, heading for the back yard or the game table to enjoy each other's company. 

We celebrated our September birthdays, and Josh was able to be with us this time, so that was fun. We also celebrated Morgan and Brandon's engagement. "What are we going to sing to them?" someone asked. So, we didn't sing. I spoke. Just told them that we were doing this in our usual haphazard way, but wanted them to know that we are happy for them, that we are happy about this, that we loved them both --- and Brandon's face --- just looked like he was happy in the moment, happy to hear the words, in real life. Congratulations on Facebook are good, and short congratulatory words in person are good, but a banner and streamers and a little official congratulations --- that seemed to have an important place, too. I'll have to remember that. 

Kennedy and John W got here early to help me get ready and decorate and Brittany and Beverly and Angela. Tori came but when she went to check on her dad, who was working on Beverly's jeep in the shop, he was bleeding, and she said she'd decided he needed someone to watch over him. I can't remember what she told us he said about his cut, but she said she thought, "Aw, you need a buddy." 

Andrew, John and Rodney, sitting at the table, talking about Dragon Con. 

Some snippets of agreement conversation at the big kid table re: the Dakota Access Pipeline. 

I asked Barry to make the beans, and he did, and they were a hit. 

I used Crazy Jane's Mixed Up Pepper in the macaroni and cheese, and I really liked that. 

Skyler to Noah, as she left, "Be good in school!" 

Annette, coming up behind me as I was at the counter, hugging me, telling me how excited she is about the Purple Rain tickets, "But thing I'm most excited about is hanging out with you guys." 

Brittany's planning on get a double masters --- Business, and Coastal Engineering. Her engineering professor can not only get the Coastal Engineering master funded, she can arrange for Brittany to be paid while she's working on the project. 

Chris helped JA get Beverly's jeep fixed. 

Jaden came to his first official (unless you count the Alabama game at Beth's house) family function. Lots of cuddling and pictures. Beverly took him immediately, and held him until Chelsea was through eating, and then got her own supper. My camera has disappeared, so Brittany took pictures on her phone. 

Friday night, Barry and I went to a Black Jacket Symphony "Hotel California," with Beth and Rodney. They'd gotten tickets for us and his mom, and his aunt Susie and Uncle Jerry. So, we all went to supper together and then the concert, and had a a good time. 

Beverly, re: Chelsea, after they'd watched the game together at Beth's house: "She handled us all really well. I was really impressed." 

16-09-09 (Read 3/20/26)

Shawn came in to my office last night and sat down and we talked for about half an hour, maybe longer, It was a fun visit.

Tyler went to the bee club meeting with Barry. Barry said Tyler seemed be paying close attention. 

Evan and Chelsea and Jaden came for dinner last night. Evan is caught up on the class hours that he missed. Barry and I got to hold Jaden.

Shawn said that when Destiny called in the night, upset about the surgery she has to have, he was able to give her an uplift. He said he felt like a life coach, really good about himself. He said he's been looking for jobs online. 

I got enough done out in the office that I don't have to go back out there today at all. The only thing I need to do is run the Daily Booked Loads Report for Monday, and I really could do that most any time this weekend. So, theoretically, this is "Fitness Friday." It is interrupted by laundry, but I'm going to put my hiking shoes on after lunch. 

16-09-02 (Read 5/15/26)

Chelsea:

He looks so serious!! He took a selfie with mommy!! 😊?Jaden Connor Wyatt❤ ❤

June 29, 2016 (Read 6/29/26)

They are putting the roof on the writing shack today. I like the color I chose --- you never know about those things ---- if  what you get is going to match the color chart you were using. 

The view from the old writing shack, where I am now, is pretty. Lawn is green and thick. A different pecan tree with a different circle of flowers, our garden --- also a fence line backed with pallets and some Wonderland stuff, but that isn't too bad. I wonder where the bricks that line the three-legged barn came from. 

Angela is making progress on her return to college. She got word from the registrar's office that she was an out of state student, because of that one little year where she lived in Tampa, as a student. So, she is having to supply employment proof that she has lived in Alabama for at least a year. She just had her one-year anniversary at Premier, so that worked out. She came over last night to print some forms related to graduation and when she left she said happily, "I went ahead and printed the graduation application form. I think you have to turn that in the semester of." Happy as in, "I know where I'm going and what I'm doing." 

Called Kathi yesterday and had a nice little visit with her. 

Shawn seems so happy. When he asked Tuesday afternoon about his friend coming over, and I knew Barry and I would be out to dinner with Dave Ferrante and Joe, I told him that that would be fine, that he'd been mature and responsible and just not to screw me up now. He said, with that happy tone we have when we've received a compliment we like, "Thank you, Grannie!"

The baby shower for Chelsea, and Evan, and Jaden was fun. Everyone seemed happy and played the games and visited well. Except for Loren, everyone there was also part of the Second Sunday Supper crowd, and they all laughed together. Beth had a living room full, and Chelsea and Evan seemed happy.