What we did on the way

Dagny at Buc-ee's in Richmond, Kentucky

Two weeks ago, TG, I, and Dagny set out for the Midwest.

Road trip.

Our final destination was the great city of Chicago, where we would do a tad bit of sightseeing (as Dagny had never been there) and take in not one but two late-season baseball games at Wrigley Field.

Dagny in the plaza in front of Rupp Arena

Our Cubbies are currently in the playoffs and of course we are hoping for the best. There's nothing quite like October baseball.

The first day saw us traveling about seven hours, to Lexington, Kentucky. Our hotel was attached to Rupp Arena, where the University of Kentucky Wildcats play basketball.

It began raining as we arrived, but that didn't keep us from brandishing umbrellas and walking to a place called The Goose for dinner. It was warm outside despite the precipitation.

On day two we crossed the Indiana state line

TG enjoyed a burger while Dagny and I shared a pizza. Then we walked back to our hotel and spent a relaxing evening watching Shark Tank and playing word games on our devices.

The next morning we headed for Chicago, gaining an hour along the way into the Central time zone.

You may or may not remember this but TG and I met in Northwest Indiana in the mid-seventies, when I was a Bible college student and he was working as a teacher and coach.

Becky, me, and Kathy

After we married in the summer of 1979, we lived in "The Region" -- otherwise known as the Chicagoland area -- for another twelve years.

And so it is that perhaps the best friend I have ever known in this life, still lives there. Her name is Kathy.

She is widowed now, having lost her beloved husband -- one of TG's best friends -- to Covid in 2021.

Dagny in front of what was our front door when her mother was born

Kathy's only son, David, lives right next door in the duplex that Kathy now owns.

What's interesting about the duplex in which Kathy occupies the left side and David and his family occupy the right, is that it was, many years ago, owned by TG's late parents.

In fact, Kathy and her husband bought the conjoined domiciles from my in-laws, along about the mid-nineties, after we had moved to Knoxville.

Dagny with my beloved friend Kathy

Because in 1980, a few weeks after our Stephanie was born, we moved into the right side of the duplex.

A few years later, Kathy and her family moved in on the left side. Kathy and I were already good friends but we became forever friends during those years.

Each side of the duplex has three floors (one being a basement with windows at yard level), with two bedrooms and one and one-half baths.

You are looking at a wise and wonderful woman

We lived there (on the right) until we bought our first house in 1986. Both Audrey and Erica were brought home there as newborns.

We moved to a house a mile or so away, when Erica was six months old. We lived there when our Andrew was born.

Kathy is an avid gardener and works every day during growing season to keep her flowers lush.

Dagny and Becky struck up an instant friendship

She has made a number of improvements to the duplex and it's got a great deal of curb appeal.

So we swung by there. I had gotten in touch with Kathy a week beforehand, to let her know that we'd stop in at around two in the afternoon. 

Her eldest daughter, Becky, another of my most cherished friends, was there with her and that was an unexpected treat as I had not seen Becky in decades.

There was love all around

The weather was gorgeous and we did not have much time, so we stood around in the yard and then sat at a pretty table on the side of the house where Kathy had put out some snacks for us, and did a spot of catching up.

(The last time we stopped by to see Kathy was when we went to Chicago in August of 2019, when her husband was still alive.)

We have been friends for forty years

It was a too-short visit but Kathy and Becky enjoyed meeting Dagny and she loved meeting them, and we took some pictures and all assured one another (not for the first time and I hope not the last) that each of us loves the other forever, no matter what.

Then we took Dagny by the grade school where her mother and her Aunt Stephanie attended for the first several years of their educations, until we moved to Knoxville.

Dagny on the campus of her mother's elementary school

And we also took her by the small apartment building where TG and I lived for a little over a year in a ground-floor unit after we were married, and to the house we bought in 1986 when Erica was a baby.

I was sad to see that that house, which I loved and which was kept shipshape in our day, has been allowed to deteriorate. The present homeowners are not taking care of it.

TG knocked on the door but no one answered, although a dog barked inside.

Dagny and me in front of our long-ago house in Schererville, Indiana

You can't go back. It's perilous to try but we wanted Dagny to see that part of her mother's history.

Then we jumped back into the car and drove less than an hour, to Chicago.

Next time, I'll tell you what we did while we were there.

And that is all for now.

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Happy Tuesday

Bean there

If the Lone Ranger was a can of beans

Late last spring, I discovered Walmart Plus.

It arose out of TG being out of town for several days, and me being too lazy to go to the store.

(TG is the kind of husband who gladly goes to the store for me, and yes I let him, although I do a great deal of the grocery shopping too.)

(But I don't always feel like applying mascara to go to the store, and no I will not go without mascara.)

So it was that I tried out the thing where you order your kitchen staples online and they bring it right to your door.

For a nominal fee, and a tip for the driver, neither of which bother me.

I have not looked back. It's just too easy.

Some humorous/perplexing moments have arisen, however.

Like, the time I ordrered a bag of Fancy Feast cat kibble and, although I know it's right there on the shelf in the pet food aisle of the store, they insisted on shipping it separately.

It was delivered the same day as the rest of my order, only it came via a different car and driver, and -- what a bonus -- in the package along with the Fancy Feast was a big box of Huggies Pull-Ups.

The beans were well cushioned for their arrival

Which I neither ordered, paid for, nor need.

Someone ordered, paid for, and needed them, though -- I suppose -- and that someone was out of luck.

I gave them to Erica for when she begins training Elliot a/k/a Skippy.

Another time, I received two unasked-for packets of taco seasoning along with the stuff I did ask for.

Then there are the times that I do NOT get what I ordered, paid for, and needed.

Like the time about one-third of my order was missing. I had to go on the app and put checkmarks beside those items, and there was an immediate refund.

But still. That means I had to re-order those things and pay another tip. C'mon, man!

The other day, only one item was missing from my order: my Wright Hickory Thick Cut Bacon. I love that stuff and so does TG. It's Bacon the Wright Way.

I have not yet reordered that but have simply lived without it. Yes I got my refund.

But I found it amusing when recently stocking up on chili-making supplies should the cool fall weather actually arrive and we be struck with a craving for chili, when the Walmart app said that one can of Bush's Chili Beans in Medium Sauce would be shipped separately.

? ? ? ? ?

With all that padding they could have added a few dozen eggs

Okay, but just one can of beans? Shipping all alone?

And sure enough, a few days later a box showed up on the doorstep.

A box big enough to hold at least eight cans of those beans.

But inside, a lonely can of beans, with a bunch of air pillows in the box for padding.

Because you and I both know how fragile a can of beans can be.

I found it ridiculous but then, what in our world is not at least slightly ridiculous these days?

Not much.

Also I thought I would add, my extra-simple chili recipe* got even better when I discovered a few years ago that buying name-brand chili ready tomatoes and chili hot beans, as opposed to generic, makes a big difference.

In the flavor of the chili, I mean. It's noticeable. Since then I buy only Hunt's Seasoned Diced Tomatoes in Sauce for Mild Chili and Bush's Red Beans in Mild Chili Sauce for my chili.

*For a large quantity of hearty chili (you can make a lot and freeze half of it for another day), brown three pounds of lean ground beef. Add to your slow cooker or Crock Pot  three cans each of the Hunt's chili tomatoes and Bush's chili beans, and a packet of chili seasoning.

It was worth waiting for

Mix in the browned meat and let that come to temperature and simmer on low for a few hours.

Naturally you can amend that recipe for a smaller crowd (like just the two of you) by browning only one pound of ground round (what I use; no draining required), and one can each of the tomatoes and the beans.

Add, to taste, chili seasoning that you buy in a canister instead of using a packet.

(In fact it's more economical to use the canister seasoning instead of a packet, all of the time.)

Serve with corn chips, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and banana pepper rings. Or you can go with cornbread muffins on the side.

Make a lot and invite the crowd. On the first cool day. Which will arrive in due time.

And that is all for now.

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Happy Tuesday

If you are able

Thought-provoking, pointed, and poignant

When we were in Knoxville three weeks ago, we walked around the World's Fair Park. It was a gorgeous weather day and we enjoyed being outside.

Eventually we wandered to the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial at the edge of the park.

I was struck by one of the engraved monoliths containing a poem written by Major Michael Davis O'Donnell at Dak To, Vietnam, on January 1, 1970.

Major O'Donnell would be killed in action in Cambodia a few weeks later, on March 24, 1970.

The poem touched my heart that day, and I sent a picture of it to my girls.

Charlie Kirk had only a few weeks more to live, too, on that late August day. And today as we continue to mourn the loss of a great American, this poem is fitting, I think.

Because we are in a war; the war of right versus wrong. Good versus evil. The eternal struggle in which we will be engaged until our Lord returns.

Charlie was a warrior and like Major O'Donnell, he died for his country.

He was nothing if not a gentle hero. But fierce in defense of God and of truth. Which are one and the same.

God bless America and confound her enemies both foreign and domestic.

Especially domestic.

And that is all for now.

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Happy Friday

News from our August: birthdays plus horses, dogs, crows, and a cat

Let's face it: the fall season is upon us

And tidbits from our early September too, come to think of it.

In mid-August I invited my friend Marsha over for a mini birthday celebration. Hers.

my dear little friend Marsha and her birthday cupcake

It was a Thursday late afternoon, since she has Fridays off and can relax after work on Thursday. I cannot remember what I served us for a light meal, but I did have a cupcake for her.

Of course I got her a balloon too, and presents, without which it's not really a birthday.

I got her the prettiest balloon I could find

Marsha is engaged to be married and will be a beautiful bride next May. She is working hard to make everything happen on time.

Towards the end of August, TG and I took a trip to Knoxville for our grandson Guy's second birthday.

Mysterious brick gate at Market Square in Knoxville

Upon arrival in downtown Knoxville on Sunday evening and checking in to our hotel, we walked in Market Square and got a light supper, then strolled on Gay Street until dark.

In a half-acre grassy area across the street from the iconic Tennessee Theatre, we saw two mounted police officers.

Phil and Buzz on a late summer evening in Knoxville

We walked over and were invited to commune with the horses, whose names were Phil and Buzz.

We were not in town for Guy's party, which had taken place earlier that day, but we were able to hang out with him and Andrew the whole next day, Monday, and it was pretty special.

Either Phil or Buzz. Either way, nice horse.

We walked in Knoxville's World's Fair Park, took some pictures at the War Memorial there, and Guy played in the playground.

Brittany is in nursing school, so we were not able to see her during our visit. But in addition to spending the day with Andrew and Guy, we had some park time with Ember after she got out of kindergarten for the day, and later all went out to supper.

Either Phil or Buzz. Either way, quality equine unit.

The next morning, Tuesday, Andrew was able to come to our hotel and have coffee with us at the Starbucks downstairs, there on Gay Street.

It was pretty great to see him.

I enjoyed coffee after not breaking my nose

Later that day we drove home and I was glad to get there because I tripped and fell in our hotel room that morning, landing -- how this happened I will never know -- on my nose. 

I didn't break it, which has to be some kind of minor miracle.

Baby Guy, at the park, two years and one day old

But I had a headache and a swollen nose and fear of getting black eyes, and in general felt fairly weak and tired by the time we reached home that evening.

(I did not develop black eyes, but rather just a faint greenish discoloration on both sides of my nose.)

Ember at the park after a long day at kindergarten

(Easily covered with makeup.)

My nose is still sore, three weeks later. I must learn to stay on my feet.

Random photo of my heroic granddog Sibyl Porter, a/k/a Sibi

My friend Sara in Virginia called me one day a few weeks ago. We had a lot of catching up to do since we had not talked in a while.

A few days later there was a good-sized box on my porch, from her. What could this be, I wondered.

Ember and Guy dressed for church on September seventh

Turns out it was a trove of crow-themed gifts. Because one, Sara operates two wildly successful antique stalls and has deep inventory, and two, she knows how much I love crows. And ravens.

Corvidae, as it were.

You've heard of throw pillows? These are crow throws.

There were two needlepoint pillows, plus a primitive crow on a canvas with its own easel, and a distressed wooden crow up on a dowel anchored in a wooden base.

This was thrilling and I have had such a good time with those crows.

Random photo of my treasured feline unit, Sweetness

Then it was Labor Day, and on that day it's our custom to celebrate our Stephanie's birthday. 

She turned forty-five this year. We had a nice meal with Stephanie and Joel plus the Chericas and the Maudags, and then a big birthday cake, and presents.

Dagny and Rizzo during a recent Cubs game

The weather had already turned gorgeous, and it has remained super nice, although still moderately hot.

We had a few cool-ish days in late August and I was lighting scented candles and switching up the decor and eager for autumn.

Stephanie's birthday cake

I still am, and it's closer than ever.

Summer is on the wane.

Our Skippy and his Uncle Joel on Labor Day

Another trip is coming up, and I can't wait to tell you all about that at its conclusion.

Let Freedom Ring: Andrew and Guy

Meanwhile we are all grieving the loss of true American Hero Charlie Kirk, and praying for his family.

God bless and help the United States of America, and confound her enemies both foreign and domestic.

Especially domestic.

And that is all for now.

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Happy Tuesday

Goodbye to July

Rhett Gregory spent the night with us last Friday

Life of late has been a blur of witheringly hot days.

Columbia, South Carolina, long ago adopted a tagline: Famously Hot.

Our city has lived up to its name recently as though that were its only job.

It's not a birthday without balloons

The family birthday that we celebrate in July, amidst the scorching heat and soul-crushing humidity and the primal shrieks of a trillion cicadas, is our grandson Rhett's.

He turned four last week.

Rhett is deeply into the states. As in, the United States. The genesis of that interest may or may not have been a large wooden puzzle that I keep in our TV room for the kids to play with.

Someone at church contributed CFA chicken nuggets

I think the puzzle was acquired several years ago for Dagny's enjoyment, but I can't be sure.

It features all fifty states in sturdy wood, brightly colored and removable so that the child can dump them out and then replace them all, learning some geography as he goes.

Rhett has been fascinated with the puzzle for as long as I can remember. And that fascination has expanded to a general and overall love of the states, so much so that his mother used it as the theme for his birthday party.

There's nothing quite like a soft slider roll

Also, nearly all of his gifts were state-themed. 

For my money, the slam-dunk was the gift that Rhett's Aunt Stephanie gave.

Have you heard of Stuffed States? It's just about the cutest thing you've ever seen related to love of our beautiful country.

Lit'l Smokies in the crock pot are a must

Naturally, since Rhett was born and is being reared in South Carolina, our Stephanie bought him the South Carolina stuffed state.

Just seriously adorable.

He also got a variety of state puzzle edutainment type toys, all so clever. I also gave him the book Jack the Cat, about a cat who lived on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor.

I bought it for him at the Fort Sumter gift shop when we visited there for my birthday last March.

Fritos are costly but necessary

Since he's into fridge magnets (what kid isn't?), I got him the Classic Magnets for New York, California, and Texas -- three states that, three or so weeks ago, he proclaimed to be his favorites.

I think there are new favorites now -- Vermont, New Hampshire, and Nevada have received honorable mention -- but that's okay. He loved his magnets.

We had two parties for Rhett. The first one was on his actual birthday, which was last Wednesday.

He posed in his special t-shirt

At our church we have a snack table that groans with treats both savory and sweet, before every service.

In keeping with that tradition, I wanted to provide the goodies for Rhett's birthday.

I ordered a cake from Walmart. Then I made Lit'l Smokies with grape jelly and chili sauce, barbecue pork to make slider sandwiches on soft rolls, and freshly homemade potato salad. There were also Fritos, to round out the feast.

The Walmart cake had strawberry filling between the layers

We had balloons and someone else had brought chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A, so overall it was quite the festive spread.

Dagny hung with me the night before and all through that sweltering day, to bring everything together and get it all in place.

It was a great deal of work but Rhett was properly celebrated and our church family greatly enjoyed it.

Second official party and an elated Rhett-man

His second party was at the Chericas' house, on Saturday. Stephanie, along with Melanie, traveled down from North Carolina to attend, and of course the rest of us were there.

The night before, Rhett stayed with me and TG at our house, freeing up Erica to clean and decorate without the presence of the birthday boy. We wanted Rhett to make an entrance on his party all put together and ready to go.

For our meal we had hot dogs and cole slaw and baked beans and chips with dip.

Erica had found state-centric party supplies

Chad had made his boy's birthday cake -- chocolate with chocolate icing, from the recipe off the Hershey's cocoa can. 

He remembers his mother creating that same cake for him on his boyhood birthdays, and he wanted to make one for his little son.

Erica had stenciled a big number 4 plus several states in blue on the front of a green t-shirt, and the entire United States map on the back. So of course he wore that along with a birthday boy badge.

Chad the Dad made his boy's birthday cake

We had a great time eating and talking and watching Rhett open his gifts.

Aren't birthdays wonderful? And grandchildren -- a whole new level of wonderful.

And now August beckons. A mere four weeks and change, and it will be September! Let that sink in.

We keep the birthday flame alive

The last of the summer birthdays will be our Mike's, in early August, and Baby Guy's, in late August when he turns two. 

TG and I will be traveling to Knoxville to spend a few days with Andrew and Brittany and Ember and Guy on that occasion, to take him his present and see what new things he has learned since we last saw him.

Then as summer is completely on the wane, we will fête our Stephanie in early September.

Rhett, earlier today, with his Stuffed State

Just as we mark Erica's birthday on the Memorial Day holiday, we mark Stephanie's on the Labor Day holiday.

At the end of September, our Elliot (a/k/a Skippy) will turn two. Can you believe? 

As I said at the beginning of this post, it's all been a blur.

What have you been doing during these dog days of summer? Let me know in the comments.

And that is all for now.

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Happy Thursday

Meme and me

Sometimes I wear only the girls' names

First off, please don't read meem above when you see Meme. Say Me Me.

Meme is a young teenager in our church who I've known and loved for many years. Her name is actually Emmalise, but she goes by Meme, pronounced as one would say Mimi.

Why am I telling you all of this?

Because I want you to know about a special project that Meme completed for me.

Us four and no more

An artistic commission, as it were.

The whole thing started as far back as three years ago when my daughter-in-law, Brittany, gave me a stretchy name bracelet spelling out the name of our granddaughter Ember.

It's beautiful and I love it and I often wear it.

But then, back in early May, TG and I traveled up to the Midwest to see our Cubbies play at Wrigley Field, and then worked our way east until we reached the charming home of Mari and Bob, near Grand Rapids, Michigan.

My first name bracelet: A gift from Brittany

The first night we were there, Mari invited her two daughters and their husbands and children over for hamburgers and hot dogs and delicious side dishes.

I had some gifts for the children, and as it turned out, Mari's two eldest granddaughters, Alaina and Ruby, had gifts for me.

Alaina had made me a clever and beautiful pencil and pen holder, which I keep on a table and use often.

Ruby made me a stretchy bracelet. The alphabet beads read: I HEART PIRATES.

Ruby made this for me

Except the heart is an actual heart symbol. So adorable! There is also a little piratey charm hanging from the bracelet.

Nearly every time I have gotten dressed to go out since then, I have worn that bracelet.

One day I also added my Ember name bracelet to my pirate bracelet. And an idea was born.

I should pull over and park here. You may as well know that I'm big on arm candy. As in, I always wear a number of bracelets. All at once. A stack.

She even included a piratey charm

Always and only on my left arm; I don't like anything on my right arm. But I will stack those bracelets like you wouldn't believe. It's sort of my signature.

Having the idea to wear each of my grandchildren's names on my arm (amongst my other bracelets), I wondered who I would ask to make my vision a reality.

And so I consulted Dagny. Who do you know who can make really good name bracelets? I asked her.

Right away, she said that her friend Meme was the one for the job.

That's my boys

I was not aware that Meme had talents in that arena, so I purposed to ask her about her ability and willingness to make a quantity of name bracelets for me.

She readily agreed and was excited about the prospect of making the bracelets.

We agreed on a price per bracelet, and I said that I would gather all of the materials and bring them to her. The only thing Meme would need to supply was the stretchy stuff that the beads are strung onto.

Sometimes I wear the children from one family

So it was that I went to Hobby Lobby and picked out all of the bracelet beads, and spacers, and alphabet beads, that would be needed.

As I did all of that, I added to the order: I wanted Meme to make name bracelets for Erica with the names of Rhett and Elliot. Later I added one for Audrey, with Dagny's name.

Because she saw Erica's bracelets and said, I want one!

A pirate and a Cub fan

There is also an expectant mother in our church and I wanted a bracelet for her to wear with her baby's name, to give to her at her shower which was at that time upcoming.

So there was a lot of work to be done.

I know enough about Hobby Lobby to buy certain things when they are on sale, and lucky for me, when I was ready to purchase the materials for the bracelets, that whole bead section was half off.

Erica's babies

(I know that's a trick played by retailers but I fall for it every time.)

When I brought the components of the bracelets home, I put together a sandwich baggie for each bracelet.

Each baggie contained a card spelling out the name for a single bracelet, plus all of the beads that would be needed for that bracelet.

Audrey's baby

In addition, there were two small containers of spacers: silver and gold. Eventually Meme and I would settle on gold spacers for the girls and silver for the sons.

The alphabet beads would be white with black letters for the girls, and the reverse for the boys.

It was to be ten bracelets at first: Eight for me (one for each grandchild) plus two more (Rhett and Elliot, for Erica's birthday at the end of May). Then shortly after, I added one for an expectant mom in our church, and one for Audrey just because I didn't want her to be the only one without her baby's name on a bracelet.

Only Dagny's included the middle name

So, a total of twelve.

Yes I realize I have not mentioned our Stephanie receiving name bracelets for her three babies. Shhhh! We are working on those. She has a birthday coming up in early September. 

So, make it fifteen bracelets that Meme either has made or will make for me.

Rhett and Skippy adorn their mother's arm

Since then, I located a set of three stretchy Cub-fan bracelets. I throw those on too, some days. They have been especially fun this summer since baseball is a summer game, and the colors are red, white, and blue.

Some days I wear my Cub-fan bracelets and my I Heart Pirates bracelet and leave the grandkids in the jewelry box. It's all good.

As for the expectant mom in our church, I want to tell you about Meme's reaction when I added that baby's name bracelet to the order. The little one's name is Ezra.

Meme refused to allow me to pay for it. I provided the materials but she wanted to donate her time to make the bracelet for the new mom. And she was so happy to do that, because that's the kind of young lady she is.

Stacked with blessings

And that new mom, whose little one is due in the next few weeks, was so thrilled with her bracelet. She wore it throughout her baby shower and I have seen her wearing it since.

I heard another lady in our church telling Meme that she'd seen my bracelets and wanted name bracelets for her own grandchildren. So I'm hopeful that we've started something that may turn out to be a cottage industry for Meme.

And yes I'm aware that I could log on to Etsy or Amazon and find dozens if not hundreds of crafters who make name bracelets to custom order. But I like giving the work and the money to Meme.

Me and Meme

Do you know a young lady who makes name bracelets? I know that Mari does, haha! Know a young lady, that is. Make that two young ladies, both extremely talented.

Would you like a few such bracelets for your own collection? If you get some made, I want to see them.

And that is all for now.

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Happy Monday

Straighten up and fly right

The plane that bore our Allissa from Washington to Williamsport

I would warn you that the following story is one with -- as Dagny would say -- all oopsies and no daisies, but I believe that amongst the oopsies we shall find a few daisies.

Allow me to elaborate. 

On Saturday, our Stephanie shared a special text with us. It involved our granddaughter Allissa's first truly independent adventure. Allissa is seventeen.

You may recall that last January, Allissa's Grampy -- our Joel's dad -- passed away unexpectedly. Since that time, Allissa has texted her Grammy Debbie in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, every morning, to tell her that she loves her and is praying for her.

I know that Debbie has cherished those texts.

At some point in recent weeks, Allissa developed a dream and a desire to travel to Pennsylvania on her own and spend some time with her Grammy. Just the two of them.

Since Joel and Stephanie and their children have for years spent the Fourth of July week in Williamsport (home of the Little League World Series), where Joel was born and raised, it made sense for Allissa to make her journey just ahead of their official family visit.

That way, she can travel back to North Carolina with her family, by car.

So it was that Allissa enlisted the help of her mother. Our Stephanie is one of those people who will hunt relentlessly for the best deals and best prices for just about anything.

And she found a ticket on Allegiant Air that would get our Allissa from Asheville Regional Airport to Dulles International Airport in Washington DC, for a mere fifty-four dollars.

Then -- and this is one of the daisies (or at least had the potential to be) -- she found a small airline that provides a connecting flight from Dulles direct to Williamsport, which is two hundred miles away. The cost was ninety-nine dollars.

(And when I say small airline, you must take me at my word. It's called Southern Airways Express and Stephanie described the aircraft that would take our Allissa from the nation's capital to Williamsport as a puddle jumper.)

(You should know that Allissa was safely in Williamsport before I knew anything about her travel plans, or I would likely have taken to the bed with a case of the fantods knowing that my granddaughter would be flying in such a plane. There were two pilots and all of three passengers!)

(I flew from Columbia to Williamsport in 2002, about eighteen months after Stephanie moved there as a new bride, and I seem to remember that my itinerary took me through Philadelphia.)

(But on that occasion there was some sort of mechanical or weather event and my connecting flight to Williamsport was canceled. The closest I could get by air was State College, Pennsylvania -- home of Penn State -- more than sixty miles from Williamsport.)

(Joel's dad, the late Pastor David Bixler, drove the hour-or-so distance with one of Joel's brothers to pick me up in State College and carry me to Williamsport. He was the consummate cheerful, helpful gentleman.)

Sweet Allissa at Asheville Regional Airport

But in Allilssa's case, the plan looked foolproof. The trip to Asheville by car took about ninety minutes and her flight was on time.

But let's back up so I can give you some information that you're going to need in order to truly appreciate this saga.

A couple of days before Allissa was to leave, Stephanie got a strong gut feeling that she should call someone at Southern Airways Express and make sure that they were okay with a seventeen-year-old flying by herself.

(She'd already confirmed that Allegiant allowed seventeen-year-olds -- still technically minors in some states -- to travel unaccompanied by an adult.)

But when a female Customer Service Representative at Southern Airways Express -- the airline for the second leg of the trip -- learned the reason for Stephanie's call, she issued a warning that was as stern as it was lengthy.

The upshot of that protracted conversation -- which included the CSR slowly reading a wordy passage from a list of regulations -- was that in no way and no wise, under no circumstances, would Allissa Joy Bixler, age seventeen, be allowed to waltz off of the Allegiant plane at Dulles International Airport, find the gate for Southern Airways Express, and board that plane without being accompanied by an adult. 

And not some random adult, but someone who could explain their relationship to the minor passenger.

The CSR lady did not say that someone had to fly with Allissa, but just that an adult had to be with her at the gate both when she boarded in DC and when she deplaned in Williamsport.

(Not the same adult. It could be two different people, haha.)

And there would be forms to fill out and sign, and it was serious business, and don't think we are just saying this to hear ourselves talk. The policy is ironclad. No exceptions will be made or contemplated.

Stephanie thought, Oh NO. Because of course, who did she know in Washington DC who could meet Allissa's plane last Friday and see her onto her connecting flight? 

No one.

BUT providence intervened and Stephanie thought of something that might work.

Stephanie's husband Joel has two brothers. One of them, James, is married to a lovely girl named Heidi. And Heidi has a sister named Holly, who lives in the Washington DC area.

And Stephanie knew that on Friday, James and Heidi would be driving from their home in Williamsport, to attend a graduation party on Saturday for their nephew, Holly's son.

So she called James to see whether he and Heidi could be at Dulles International Airport to meet Allissa's plane and show an ID and sign a form and get her onto the connecting flight.

Allissa thoroughly enjoyed being up in the clouds

But that plan was bust because in fact James and Heidi would not arrive in Northern Virginia in time to be of any help to Allissa.

Heidi, thinking quickly, offered to call her sister and see whether Holly could do them that favor.

Holly was more than glad to help, and so it was established that Holly would show up at Dulles International Airport at the appointed time, obtain a gate pass, and be in the proper spot to meet Allissa's flight from Asheville.

She'd then walk with her to the Southern Airways Express gate, show her ID (the CSR rep had stressed the absolute necessity of this), sign the form, and stay until Allissa had boarded the puddle jumper.

So, relying on her sister-in-law's sister to be her proxy in DC, Stephanie called her mother-in-law.

Grammy Debbie readily agreed to meet Allissa's plane in Williamsport early enough that there would be ample time to show her ID, sign the requisite form, and fetch her granddaughter. 

(She would have been there anyway, to retrieve Allissa, but this was an added layer of responsibility and she needed to be prepared.)

(You should know that the Williamsport Regional Airport -- minus the runway -- would comfortably fit inside your local Walmart, with room left over for a bowling alley.)

There is but one gate. You can see the just-departing or just-arrived plane through an open door over to the left.

At this point Stephanie, having all of her ducks lined up for Allissa's trip, could breathe easily. You'd have to know our Stephanie to appreciate all of this, because she was born worrying. She's a quintessential mother hen.

In a good way. Let's just say, she's going to cover all the bases, and then some. She's diligent and detail-oriented. And, apparently, proficient at networking.

So it was that she and her children took off on Friday morning for Asheville, where Allissa would board an Allegiant Airways plane for the first leg of her journey.

Stephanie obtained a gate pass so that she could go with Allissa all the way to the gate and watch her board.

If I know my Stephanie, she then texted Holly, her brother-in-law's sister-in-law (stay with me) in Northern Virginia, and told her that it was all systems go. Allissa would arrive at the appointed time.

Holly acknowledged all of this and once again agreed, promising Stephanie that she would be on hand to fulfill the strict requirements of Southern Airways Express ahead of Allissa boarding the puddle jumper bound for Williamsport.

It was practically one pilot per passenger

But you won't believe.

When Holly arrived at the Southern Airways Express gate at Dulles International Airport, and told the desk agent the reason she was there, she was laughed to scorn.

The agent, along with another agent, mocked her openly. What on earth did she mean, she had to show an ID and sign a form in order to put her brother-in-law's seventeen-year-old niece onto one of their planes?

Holly stood her ground. I was not there (lucky for them) but Holly told Stephanie that she repeated to the agents her reason for being there, and relayed the fact that the company's CSR had given the child's mother a stern warning concerning the no-exceptions aspect of this rule.

The agents continued to laugh at Holly, look at one another in wonderment as though Holly had suggested that the three of them get on the microphone and belt out Build Me Up Buttercup in three-part harmony, and to tell her that they did not have a clue what she was talking about.

So rude.

Holly demanded -- politely, I am sure -- to speak with an airline manager. One appeared and, within a few minutes, confirmed that what Holly was saying was true. She was indeed required by the airline to produce an ID and sign a form in order to get Allissa installed on the flight to Williamsport.

The agents simply were not aware of this supposedly ironclad policy, and moreover were so unprofessional as to make fun of someone attempting to abide by said policy.

I think someone should lose their job.

I recommended to Stephanie that she should contact the Chairman and CEO of Southern Airways Express and tell him this story. His name is Stan Little and he lives in Palm Beach, Florida.

And I hope that she will do that. Because I think Stan should know how uninformed his gate agents are, and most of all, how they treat the paying customers.

Because wait; there's more.

Joel's mother, Allissa's Grammy Debbie, presented herself at the gate for Southern Airways Express in Williamsport shortly after (but unaware of) all of the drama in DC, as Allissa was en route, prepared to show her ID and sign the form in accordance with the non-negotiable rules set down by Southern Airways Express regarding minors.

And the exact same thing happened.

The agent mocked her. Laughed at her and said that what Debbie was saying was the craziest thing they'd ever heard. Or words to that effect.

But like Holly earlier in the day, Debbie stood her ground, so much so that the agent ultimately located the form that needed signing, and Debbie signed it, and by then Allissa had arrived, and Debbie collected her precious cargo and they went home.

It was fortuitous that such a flight existed

I texted Allissa to tell her how proud I was of her for being brave enough to fly off into the blue without her mother. She responded that it had all been so thrilling. What a precious young lady she is.

Then I remembered that I went off to college hundreds of miles from our home, flying back and forth between Chicago and New Orleans and Chicago and Atlanta, multiple times during those years, all by myself.

This is significant because I was seventeen when I went away to college. Maybe Allissa gets her adventurous streak from me. I choose to believe that. Pirate!

Meanwhile have you been even marginally entertained by this labyrinthine travelogue? I hope so. Have you any such or similar stories of your own? I hope not.

And that is all for now.

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A man walked into a pet store and asked to buy twelve bees. But when his order had been fulfilled, he noticed that he'd been given thirteen bees.

That last one was a free bee 🐝

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Happy Tuesday :: Happy July

Our tune for June

Apple Jam Mont Blanc pastry from Tous les Jours

We have been moderately busy.

There is always a flurry of activity in June ... two birthdays (three if you count my late mother, who would have turned eighty-eight yesterday).

Dagny's is the fourteenth, and our Chad's is the twenty-sixth -- today! Happy Birthday, Chad.

We're not planning a get-together per se but I'm sure he'll be fêted properly by all of us nonetheless.

I have three truly special sons-in-law and a lovely daughter-in-law, and I'm grateful for all of them.

Me playing with Dagny on the way home from the bakery

But before we celebrated Dagny with a party on the very day she turned eleven -- which is also Flag Day and President Trump's birthday -- we girls got up to some shenanigans.

Audrey needed to make a trip to Charlotte for an important errand, so we girls formed a plan.

Erica had at some point become aware of a Charlotte bakery named Tous les Jours. She'd wanted to go there for some time and the rest of us of course shared that desire.

If you love baked bads goods as much as we do, you will understand our yearning. Who does not love a bakery?

Turns out Tous les Jours translates (French to English) every day.

If you're ever in Charlotte and need a snack, try Tous les Jours

Yes I could eat bakery items every day. Make that many times every day. So you can see the appropriateness of this excursion.

It was an ideal time to go. Rhett was in North Carolina for VBS at our Stephanie's church. 

Erica left Elliot in the care of a teenaged girl from our church who adores that kid.

So it was that Audrey (who drove us in her brand-new Honda CR-V EX-L) and Erica and Dagny and I set out for Charlotte, a ninety-minute drive, at about eleven that morning.

Dagny's party was all about strawberries

Audrey's errand involved her visiting an office at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. We dropped her off and, not knowing how long she'd be there, decided to go shopping.

Dagny navigated with my phone while Erica drove us to the nearest TJ Maxx. Turned out there was a Burlington there too. We were happily shopping at Burlington when Audrey texted Erica that she was done.

Oh noes! We did not want to leave; we'd only just got there!

Audrey agreed to Uber over and in fact admitted that she'd already thought of it, when she'd checked and seen where we were and knew what we were doing.

Our Allissa cuddling Skippy at the party

She joined us about fifteen minutes later. We kept shopping at Burlington, made some purchases, and then hit TJ Maxx.

What a great time. Shopping! With a bakery visit on the horizon! Pinch me.

Eventually we got antsy to experience Tous les Jours, so we set out for the five-minute drive.

And oh the wonders we saw upon arrival. You take a lovely large square tray with high sides, put a piece of waxed paper in the bottom, and grab a pair of tongs.

Dagny insisted on displaying her Trump poster

Then you go to the cases and pick out what you want and put it on your tray, then go to the counter to order your coffee or whatever beverage you prefer.

There is a small seating area and we picked our spots and chowed down.

Apparently the pastries are French-Korean inspired. Fine with me. I chose the Apple Jam Mont Blanc pastry, while the girls selected, among other things, the Strawberry Croissant.

There were no complaints as we consumed our treats and coffee drinks. Mercy. I went back to the cases a second time and chose some things to take home.

I told Dagny to get a shot of her presents in the front room

In due time we were sated and decided to head for home. As we neared Columbia, a heavy rain came and we drove the last ten-or-so miles in the deluge.

Approaching our street (the girls had picked me up that morning), I saw on my phone that TG was at home. I said out loud that I just knew my beloved would be waiting in the garage with a big golf umbrella for me, as he too would be watching his phone for where we were.

Haha.

Turns out the garage door was open but TG was not standing in the open door prepared to escort me and my packages into the house without getting drenched.

She truly is berry berry sweet

He'd just got home and was sitting in the driveway in his car, waiting for the rain to abate.

It was coming down like cats, dogs, and ferrets. Maybe an armadillo or two.

Audrey pulled up more or less behind my garaged Cadillac.

I called TG. After he said hello, I wasted no time requesting that he brave the rain to get the umbrella out of my car and rescue me.

Birthday confection created by Erica

He chuckled. Ooookay, he said. You know how that sounded: Yes my love I will (reluctantly) sacrifice myself for you.

Haha.

Which he did, rather gallantly, I thought. Dagny reached over the back seat and got my shopping haul and passed it up to me. TG got those first and took them into the house, then came back and got me.

As he sweetly pointed out, he needed a shower anyway.

The strawberries would not stay on the candles

Wasn't that exciting? Yes it was.

Then we went into full party-planning mode for Dagny's upcoming birthday only two days hence.

Stephanie and her three children arrived on Friday night ahead of the party on Saturday. 

The theme we chose was Strawberries. I know; we realized that generally that is a popular theme for one-year-old girls. We just decided to add the other one. It was easy.

Our Mike took this birthday portrait of Dagny

I had already bought for her a pair of Betsey Johnson flip-flops featuring a large luscious sparkling strawberry on the top of one and a sparkling slice of lemon on the other.

And no I did not pay the Amazon price for those; I got them for significantly less on TJ Maxx's website.

Our meal was chicken drummettes which I got for free (story on that later), pigs in blankets with several dipping sauces, baked macaroni and cheese, and Bird's Eye McKenzie's Creamed Corn which you absolutely must try if you have not already.

Dagny, having first tasted that cream corn at my house, is wild about it. It is excellent. Audrey bought the frozen cream-corn rolls and I heated them up in the crock pot because there was a lot. Everyone loved it.

The cake was lusciously lopsided and so delicious

Erica had been commissioned to create the birthday cake, which she made with homemade angel food cake, real whipped cream that she stabilized with sour cream (you should try that), and of course gobs of fresh strawberries.

Dagny had a blast opening her gifts. There was a special gift at the very end of her present-opening time that I will share with you later.

By about five in the afternoon, everyone was gone. Dagny went home with her Aunt Stephanie and cousins because she would be going with them on the following Monday to church camp.

It was junior camp week at Mount Moriah Christian Camp in Knoxville, and our son-in-law Joel was the preacher for the week.

We took a selfie at the Billy Graham Library

Thus, the whole family went along although Dagny was the only camper. It was her first time to go to camp, so we were glad that her relatives would be on hand in case she got homesick.

But she didn't. She had a ball and can't wait to go back next year. She swam and zip-lined and made new friends and it was all entirely positive.

Meanwhile, TG and I celebrated our forty-sixth wedding anniversary on the same day that camp began: Monday, June sixteenth.

It's almost always my call as to what we do that day, and although I was ambivalent even up to the morning of, we decided to drive to Charlotte and take in the Billy Graham Library.

The lady who took this was a bride in 1979 too

It was exceptional. Everyone should go, no matter your spiritual orientation.

The first thing you do is go through the farm house where Billy Graham was reared. The house has been moved not once but twice, brick-by-brick, to finally rest at this site. It is a truly special house and I enjoyed looking at the pictures on the walls and many family artifacts that are on display there.

As we left, I asked the super-nice lady who was, along with her husband, one of the host that day, if she could remember what she was doing exactly forty-six years ago that day.

I always ask someone that on my anniversary.

She looked confused so I said, I know what I was doing: getting married. To him (I pointed TG-ward).

The lady burst into a happy smile. We just celebrated forty-six! she exclaimed, gesturing towards her husband who was standing in the Billy Graham living room. 

She had an extraordinary life

She told me that they had wed in April of Nineteen Seventy-Nine. So, she said, I was a happy newlywed on this day forty-six years ago.

We enjoyed chatting and then she insisted on taking a picture of us with the BG Library in the background.

After finishing in the library and gift shop, we visited Billy and Ruth Graham's graves, which are on the grounds. I was particularly taken with Ruth's stone.

She'd apparently often been amused by road signs at the conclusion of onerous stretches of construction. The sign would read:

End of Construction. Thank you for your patience.

So she had told Billy and her children that she wanted that phrase on her stone. At the top, above her name and the dates that define her time on this earth, is a Chinese character that translates Righteousness.

Stephanie captured Dagny as she arrived at church camp

Ruth Bell Graham was a missionary child born in China. Visting her and her husband's graves was a moving experience.

To cap off the day, we went to the Cheesecake Factory at SouthPark Mall for a late lunch. I had a cheeseburger and fries and it was excellent in every way. No cheesecake. We dawdled a bit at the mall after that, but were home by six and enjoyed a quiet evening.

One of the things i gave to Dagny for her birthday was a pair of silky summer pajamas in black with white trim. I have these same pajamas in the pant-and-long-sleeve version and I love them.

She had requested the pajamas and is loving them so much along with the transparent socks I got for her, for which she also specifically asked.

It's not what it looks like

So Audrey took a picture of her wearing the pajamas and it turned out so funny. It looks like either the house is miniature or Dagny is a giant, which of course is not the case.

It's interesting how one's point of view can change based on something as innocuous as a camera angle.

Have you ever taken a picture that turned out to look not exactly like what you saw through the lens? I hope you'll tell me about it.

And that is all for now.

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