Today is a cloudy Thursday morning. The TV tells m that the temperature will be 95 degrees this afternoon and also very humid. This weather report sounds like all weather reports used to sound in August. I, along with everybody else, have become very spoiled over the Fall-like weather we have been experiencing. I suppose that the month of September will be a "catch up" month. I walk Houston early and again just before dark. I really spend most of my time inside where it is very cool and comfortable.
Yesterday my daughter, Nita, surprised me by stopping by for a visit. I say surprised me because when I moved to Hendersonville she came by quite frequently to chat or we would run errands together. She is now working full time and what little free time she has is spent exercising, visiting with her grandchildren or church work. It didn't take long for her to get to the point of her visit. She asked me "what was wrong with me". She backed this assumption up by defining the "way I talk and the sound of my voice". I would say that she is most perceptive or, thinks she is. I could not or did not agree to any particular reason for her assumption because I had no time to study the subject. I think I did mention my declining eyesight, which really is a constant problem for me. However, after she left and I sat in my chair pondering her visit and exploring my thoughts, I realized that my problem is plain old boredom. I was shocked when I made that realization. I have prided myself all my life on the fact that I have never been bored. I always maintained that if you felt lost for activity the answer is to read a book, work at a project, etc. Well, I have found out that you can read just so many books. You can work on scrap books for just so many hours. You can pull out your projects and work on them until you either conclude or lose interest. What is wrong with me is I am not in the mainstream of life. I don't cook at church. I don't volunteer at the nursing home. I don't drive a car so I can't visit the shops and browse the merchandise or meet some friend for lunch or drive out to Barbara's house for an overnighter. Of course any of my daughters would be happy to take me for grocery, medicine or any other errand that I need to do but it is the extra things that I miss Kim and I do have times where we try out a new restaurant or drive through the city observing the changes and I really do treasure those times. Nita said that I would have to tell her and her sisters what I wanted. For someone who has lived almost 80 years that is a hard thing to do. It means asking and I'm not good at asking I hate asking someone to take me to the grocery, to get my nails done, to take me to church, to take me to a meeting at East High, to take me to the funeral home when someone dies, to take me to ball games, or even to the movies. So, I guess if I had been honest with Nita yesterday I would have said "I'm having a pity party but it won't last forever".
Today Nita, Corinne, Kim, Tracey, Jacque, Sara and I are having lunch at Rafferty's to celebrate Corinne's birthday. Her birthday is actually not until Saturday, but she and Mark will be in Panama City, FL sitting on the beach relaxing on that day. When she was asked what she would like to have for her birthday, her response was that she wanted to have a massage at the spa in Florida. We are going to accommodate her by giving her more than enough money for that so that she might also get some more richly deserved pampering.
Tomorrow is the first home game this year for the Goodpasture Football Team. We are going to have a tail-gate supper prior to the game. Last week we played Clarksville High School and it was a "nail biter" game Carter certainly did his part to win the game. He ran 8 yards for the first touchdown and then when it looked like the game would end in a tie, he ran 78 yards for the final score and then scored the 2 points to make us win the game. I was absolutely thrilled to death with his playing and totally worn out from the emotion of the game. Bobbie, Jim, Corinne, Jacque and I celebrated with ice cream from McDonalds.
My friend, Paul Kemp, turned 83 Tuesday of this week. We celebrated by going to Carrabba's Italian Restaurant. I had my favorite meal -veal piccatta with penne pasta and it was excellent. They gave him a delicious piece of cake as a birthday gift. He blew out his candle and made a wish. Later he confided in me that his wish was that he would have many more birthdays and that I would celebrate them with him. I thought that was a very kind thing for him to say. He is a good friend and has been a good friend to Billy and to me for many years. Paul and Joetta, Billy and I have celebrated many birthdays in past years. Friends are a blessing from God and He has blessed me with very dear friends that give me much happiness and support in my life. Just another example that God is good - all the time.
