Now that’s the way we tell it down here. The version folks read to their kids just lost somethin in the translation. Fortunately, with e-mail and all the other means of communication now available to us southerners, we are trying to straighten out these little irregularities. After returning from Flagstaff, AZ I felt I personally improved folks understandings of we country peoples ways somewhat. For example by the time I left, I know of several engineers and city officials who had a clear understanding of what geographical location yonder represented. A simple explanation that yonder was a midpoint between Here and way over yonder brought a looks of newfound enlightenment to their eyes. It gives you such a warm feeling to bring lurnin to the ignant folk. That one year I spent at Tech just keeps paying dividends.
At present I’m the ringmaster at a circus in Marietta. Under the pretense of building an Eckerds Drugs I keep thinking each day that the train’s gonna pull in with the elephants, clowns, and midgets in a tiny car and all I’ll need is a top hat (OSHA approved of course) and a megaphone to watch over all three rings. Gotta love this work, or be a little masochistic. It’s genetic I’m sure and will always hold Daddy responsible. I’m sure Daddy's already got a few folks up above worn out trying to keep up with him and his tireless energies. Probably helping Noah with his next boat and doin moonlight work refurbishing the pearly gates. As I said last year, not forgotten.
Susan’s still goin strong, wearing out cars and tires driving to work up above Blue Ridge at Fannin Regional Hospital. We started figuring, and with the wear on the car, cost of gas and the time spent driving she should be able to claim no income and we should be able to take a deduction for charitable contribution of time. Like I said, gotta love it. She’s been the church treasurer this past year, and I keep telling her that if some of our bills got mixed in with the Church’s bills and got paid, who’s to say it wasn’t divine intervention? Jimmy Baker and Tammy Faye would understand.
Carrie’s Driving!!!!!! There’s no greater entertainment than riding with Carrie driving and Mom being along. I take the approach, we’re all gonna go someday. Susan takes the longer view that it’s not gonna be today and “assists” Carrie in her driving skills. She really does quite well all and all. (This is for the benefit of our insurance agent). She’s almost as tall as me now and has developed her own set of tastes in music, clothes and interests. We’re going through the stage where every car we pass is evaluated for acceptability for us to purchase for her. Thank goodness we don’t live in some real fancy uppity neighborhood and she thinks a VW bug is “cool”. I still can’t say that word so it sounds like when the kids and moms say it. Oh well, a guy thing I guess.
Melissa and Andy, what a pair. They went out of their way this year to make us grandparents… again. We welcomed Madison Chloe to the clan (spelled with a C not a K) in August. She’s mighty precious and I see her brother Kyle as being her devout protection for life as he already has taken up pretty tight with her. Andy is still on duty on the USS Maine and travels all over. I mean under, the world. While he’s away Melissa has become quite the socialite along with the other submarine wives. Don’t know how she keeps up with all she has going on but she’s really impressed me. Must get it from Susan. Kyle is also amazing. Susan and I took him tent camping down at the waterfalls at the back of our property. He did pretty well till he woke up in the middle of the night. It was pitch dark and he informed Susan in no uncertain terms he wanted to sleep INSIDE the tent. The insulating value of the tent walls didn’t impress him in the least.
Mother is doing real well since she has folks staying with her all the time now. They keep her sugar balanced and all her tests come back with great reports, that is until one of us kids looks after her for a day. We tend to break the rules and slip a few treats into the regimen. We live by the axiom, variety is the spice of life, that and a little slice of pie and ice cream.
Susan’s Mom has a beautiful place down in Haines City Florida and seems to be enjoying the company of her neighbors with bingo and the like. Her health is like Mothers with good days and not so good. I’m beginning to appreciate that perspective more all the time. We hope to get down and see Alma as soon as I finish this job in February. Just in time for the Strawberry Festival.
This past year has seen the passing of some very special people. It doesn’t get any easier to say goodbye. Four people in particular made me stop and reflect on the great loss to humanity. Charles Kuralt, the man who hosted the CBS Sunday morning show and had such a personable approach in his show about traveling the backroads of America; Red Skelton, a man who knew what kind and gentle humor was, never at anothers expense; James Stuwart, an American treasure and great actor; and John Denver, his ballads about the possibilities of the human spirit, Love and hope. His songs live on.
This hodge podge letter I send to you our dearest friends is a small capsule to let you know we’re still here in Ellijay, and our door is always open to you and your families. You may be forced to eat some turnip greens and cornbread for supper and some grits and red eye gravy for breakfast but we won’t put on the dog every day. (For our city friends, we don’t actually put ON the dog). For our friends who spent all their money on a computer and like us can’t afford stamps, you can E-mail us or for close friends, just go to tha top of tha hill and holler out over the holler out yonder (way over yonder is long distance) We’ll bea listenen fer youins.
Merry Christmas to Y'all and to Y'all a gooooooood nite!!!!!!!!!!!
Buddy, Susan, Carrie and the Clan
