2019 Joy Journal

November 29, 2019 The house is straightened back up, although I still have the little box of Thanksgiving decorations to put away. The white holiday plates are put away, along with the coffee cups that belonged to Grandmother and that I used for dessert cups for the Heavenly Chocolate Mousse. The cranberry sauce dish was out and is back up again.  I forgot to kick the oven up to 350 when I took the ham out and put the vegetable casseroles in. The dressing from Neighbors wasn't all that good. But my cranberry sauce was delicious and the rolls from Fresh Market were good, and the turkey from Neighbors was ok.  Angela was happier than I have seen her in a long, long time. Maybe it was the time she spent on the phone with Beverly the day before. Maybe because Logan came to Second Saturday Supper and she feels good about that relationship. Maybe she was just enjoying Thanksgiving dinner --- I don't know, but it was fun to see. Kennedy brought Guillermo, so we got to meet ...

November 25, 2019 The wifi is giving me a hard time this morning, and I hope that isn't going to be an all-morning thing. So frustrating. Barry and I drove down to Firefly yesterday afternoon. I think he wanted to show me what was going on with his oyster baskets. We took our lists and planners and spent a few minutes at the kitchen table working with them. It wasn't quite enough for me, and i had to get back up in the middle of the night to finish it, but it was a pleasant time. We had Second Sunday Supper on Saturday so that it would be easier for Tori to be here. It turned out that, at least on this particular Saturday night, it also meant that the older grandbabies could stay and finish their game of Nines. And so, with the house mostly empty except that table full, they gathered up in the dining room and played and talked and laughed. It was like an impromptu Goodtimes, and I loved it. Barry was talking about it the next day.  We got to meet Logan, Angela's f...

November 15, 2019 Barry and I rode down to Firefly after supper last night and got to enjoy the fireplace for the first time. It was rainy and cold, so I just went from the truck to the R.V. and back again.  I commented on an Al.com article and twenty people liked it! Heard from Zak.  Made it through a score of Wonderland tasks yesterday and felt a vast of amount of celebratory relief.

October 4, 2019 Heard from Andrew. He is in town to go to Annette's Atlanta race with her, but I might get to see him Monday morning for breakfast. Got to voice visit with Beverly last night. She was headed to an Elizabeth Warren town hall.  Heard from Tori yesterday. :-) She sent me a picture of her drawing for the day.  Heard from Amber. Morgan had a pumpkin patch party for Taylor and her boyfriend and Zak and his girlfriend. Zak sent me pictures.  Evan called Barry and is supposed to come over Saturday with the boys to visit.  Heard from Annette. Little text visit with Beth.  Zak posted pictures of their pumpkin carving night on his Facebook.

October 2, 2019 Angela sent me a "good morning" text. Annette sent me a "love you," text last night. Heard from Brittany Monday night. She's excited about planning her wedding. Angela and Tori playing their online game together. I sent Kennedy a meme about a pilot identifying their place in the sky by the shape of a cloud (like a lion) and she knew immediately that I was remembering when she was little and wanted to be someone who watches the clouds when she grew up.  Touched base with Beth this morning. She is expecting a busy day. Morgan and Angela came to the house for lunch yesterday and that was so much fun. Davis spent yesterday with me. All kinds of smiles and happiness ---- crawled over to me, stood up and put his hands on my legs. I said, "hug?" and he held up his arms and when I picked him up, he put his head on my shoulder.  Zak called yesterday. Amber posted about missing her siblings. Sent Evan a text and heard back f...

September 3, 2019 I get to have breakfast with Andrew tomorrow! Angela, when she called to tell me that she had gotten a job in Mobile and is moving back ---- I was so happy, she was so happy, she couldn't wait to tell me and she didn't want to do it by text.  Beth and Rodney have been in Chicago with Morgan, Amber, Zak, Brandon, Amber's boyfriend, and Davis. Lots of fun, lots of pictures on Facebook. Shawn is engaged.  Faith and Michael and Brooke came over yesterday to swim, and we sat at the kitchen counter for a long time and visited.  Heard from Brittany. She and Jon Marc spent Labor Day weekend with his family and had a good time. Pictures on Facebook. 

August 16, 2019 Beth called yesterday afternoon and we talked for a good thirty minutes, really longer, I think. It made me happy to get to have such a good visit with her. When I opened the mail, there was something to me from Andrew, Annette, Brittany and Skyler --- a hummingbird pop-up card, with a sweet message. I told Zak I was curious about the cards he and Morgan were talking about with Gabby, and he answered my text --- a game called "What's your meme?" He said she won the most cards. Amber said she is enjoying her yoga class.  Tor walked in shaking her head and grinning.  Me- What's funny? Tor- Daddy's just being so cute. M- About what? T- (sigh) Everything.  His laughs when they are near him. His face when they greet him at the door. I've been watching it for so long but it never fails to fill me in unexpected ways.

August 15, 2019 Barry and I spent last night at Firefly. I'm at my little writing desk in the bedroom. He and Mike and Jerry Wigfield are working on finishing up getting the electricity out to the deck. It is taking a little bit for that peaceful feeling to settle back in, but I got to see the moonlight on the bay last night. I slept too late to see the sun make its first peek over the horizon, but was up before I moved from orange to yellow.  Zak posted last night that he is in a relationship with Gabby, and Beth said he seems really happy.  Angela, Tori and Kennedy made it safely to San Diego, although their flight was delayed a couple of hours because of rain in Houston. Beverly and I got to have a phone visit. She said there is a lady at work who is about 68 who is really, really sweet to everyone. She said that one day when she was stressed out, the lady took Beverly's face in her hands and said, "Don't forget, you are very pretty."  Heard from Beth....

June 18, 2019 Got a text from Tori yesterday! She said they are having a lot of rain, that work was good, and that she'd had a yum lunch. :-)  Heard from Beverly this morning.  Got to have a nice phone visit with Beth yesterday afternoon. She'd had a crazy Friday at work and had anticipated Monday being troublesome, but it turned out not to be.  Got a text from Angela this morning. Heard from Zak. He said he was planning to come by this evening, but since Barry and I are planning to go to Firefly at 5:00, he's going to come over for supper Wednesday night. 

June 19, 2019 It wasn't perfect --- wasn't unrushed or unpressured the way I would like for things to be, but we still got to watch the sun rise over the bay, and he got back to the yard before he was antsy. Some of the pressure is just about adjusting the schedule and getting things figured out. The coffee part worked this morning, so that was progress. We still didn't get to have coffee because the pot wasn't in position correctly and it made a mess, but still --- progress. I swam this morning. I don't have anywhere I have to be today so my hair doesn't have to be dry. It takes longer to swim than it does to walk, when you throw in the changing and the showering, but I feel so much better, and I think that I really do have the time.  J.A. sent a text and thanked me for his Father's Day card. Zak and Kennedy and Evan and Chelsea are all coming over for supper tonight! 

June 7, 2019 Barry and I drove down to Firefly after work and just set out on the deck for a minute ...he picked up his fishing rod. Time just flies by when we're down there. We went to Bailey's for supper.  Heard from  Skyler. Enjoyed visiting with Tyler on the way to and from his class. Got a text from Angela this morning, with a video. A turtle is laying eggs just outside her office! Got to have a little phone visit with Beverly. She should be getting the schedule she expected, starting next week, and she was signed off on some things that she had to get through, even though they didn't give her much time to prepare.  Heard from Kennedy. She may be over this weekend. I shared a fish article on Zak's timeline and he responded.  Beth will get her CT results one day next week. Heard from Amber. She said she got in a two mile run along the lake!

June 4, 2019 Kennedy is here!  I got a "Happy Tuesday," text from Angela early this morning. Brittany sent me a picture of a vase that she has, and that she has filled with a collection of sand, including sand from Vero Beach. Beth sent me a text. Facebook chatted with Morgan a little bit yesterday.  Zak posted on Facebook and I commented on his post, and he said, "Love you, Grannie!" Amber posted a picture of some paleo baking she'd done. Had a good visit with Tyler yesterday when I took him to his class. Had a good walk with Bertice this morning. 

March 22, 2019 Annette sent me a good morning text message. We had a fun supper with Zak and Vivian at Quickly's last night. We got to hear about their trip. Vivian may get a shift change at WalMart, so she'll be able to be at Second Sunday Supper again. She's applied for a WalMart scholarship, and it would be really awesome if she got it.  Heard from Skyler. Heard from Andrew. Got to have a nice phone visit with Beverly. She had expected to work yesterday, but they called her and told her they don't usually schedule people on their last day, so she didn't have to work after all.  Heard from Angela. She and Tori are driving in this weekend. They're going to come over here with Kennedy and pick out some things for her new apartment. Heard from Tori. She is looking forward to being able to swim. Kennedy called to update us and sent some pictures of her new comforter, etc. She said, "Thank you for helping me feel ready. I feel so ready. I lov...

March 15, 2019 We have plans to have supper with Zak and Vivian at Quickley's next Thursday. :-)  Bertice said that she is so glad that I am in her corner. Got to talk to Daddy. He seems to be on-track for healing.  "Noah ended up doing one of this trick things where he gets the ball onto his back and kicks it up, so that was fun to watch it play out in a game." Barry offered to take me to the restaurant that is where Hungry Owl used to be, instead of going to get sushi.

Beverly called. She only had seven minutes, but she called. Daddy called. He had gotten my email, and thanked me for the pictures. Vivian sent a text to see if Papa and I would like to meet her and Zak at Quickly's for dinner.  Kennedy drove over last night so we got to see her. She and Barry are going to her new apartment this morning, and she is supposed to get to sign the lease.  I heard from Skyler yesterday. She was watching a school soccer match at the same time I was, only I was watching Noah play, and she was somewhere else. Noah was team captain, and he scored.

March 11, 2019 Second Sunday Supper was a lot of fun, and this morning is going well.  Heard from Andrew --- text --- really busy at work. Brittany called me in to the bedroom for a minute and Jon Marc jumped  up from the dining room table and said, "Wait a minute!" Brittany handed me a gift bag, saying "We went into a gift shop, and I saw this first thing, and said, 'I have to have this for Grannie." A turtle-shaped coffee cup that says "I turtilly love you!" So sweet.  She called me the other day --- said she'd started to send a text but then thought, "I haven't talked to Grannie for a while. I just want to hear her voice."  Skyler drove herself to school for the first time today, in her new car. Annette talked about taking Skyler with her to get the oil changed, and letting her be the one to have the conversation with the people there. They've opened a checking account for her, too. Angela and Tori and Kennedy hel...

March 8, 2019 Tyler gave me an extra hug yesterday. I'm not sure Wylder recognized me, but he wasn't afraid of me. He walked up to me and wanted me to pick him up. :-)  Tori said they were going to go see the Captain Marvel movie.  Kennedy said she's gotten the power turned on in her new apartment! Morgan assures me that Davis hasn't forgotten me. Zak and Vivian are on their way home! I get to spend the early afternoon with Beth. 

February 25, 2019 Andrew: California is the most racist place I've ever been, and when you consider where I'm from, that's saying a lot. The Spanish and the Asians and the blacks don't even acknowledge each other, and don't have anything to say to each other --- that is good. I come in and say, "Hi!" to everyone. That confused them. When they need something done they come to me because they don't know which contractor to call, and that isn't even part of my job. They all bring in food, but just for their own little group. I'll bring in ten dozen doughnuts and get on the radio and tell them we've got doughnuts and they're for everybody. .... When he calls for help, he gets more than he even needs. He needed to move his equipment to another location, way on the other side of campus. He asked if a couple of people could come help him. So many people showed him, he didn't even know how many. He said he was literally just handing each ...

February 22, 2019 I'm just so happy today! Angela and Tori have a trip planned home for the first weekend in March and Beth is coming home the third weekend. We'll have Second Sunday Supper the second weekend, so there should be lots more family time than we've had in January and February.  Had some voice visits yesterday with Beverly, Angela and Tori, and Beth, so my heart is much happier.  Got to talk to Daddy. He won't know for sure what is wrong with his Achilles tendon until he has an MRI and follow up doctors appointment next week. But we laughed together, and he told me about a note that they'd gotten from Kennedy that made them very happy.  Kennedy and Barry are going to Pensacon today. Beverly said it is all Kennedy has been able to talk about. Vivian and Zak are in Denmark and having a good time. Viv posted a video with her laughing in it and Morgan said she'd had turned the volume up and listened to it again, just to hear Vivian's laugh....

February 19, 2019 Kennedy is listed on Escambia Reads website now, as the Program and Marketing Assistant. She was assigned to them as part of her school work program. Now they have her more in the art department, but it looks to me like ECARE really wants to hang on to her. I went to the mall yesterday morning and had a nice walk with Bertice. I went to Publix and stocked up on the cereal that I like, and the fibre cereal that Daddy gave me, that I can't find anywhere else. They had pistachios, too, so now I finally have the ingredients for my regular breakfast concoction again.  I picked Skyler up from school on Tuesday and we got to visit a little bit. She is taking piano at school. Kennedy may be over this evening.  Noah responded to my text re: his soccer game this afternoon. Chris and Tyler and Wylder stopped by so Chris could get some of his mail. Tyler gave me a cord he found that had fallen on the ground, and asked if Mama Cat liked her ca...