Coming Home

 

     When I went to Vietnam the first time Linda and I had been married for less than a six months. She had decided to stay with my parents while I was away, staying with my family had it's ups and downs but Linda settled in to her new life. She got a job at Becker's Bakery just down the street from where Dad worked and they often rode together.

     Getting to know my siblings was ok especially getting to know Clint and Ronnie, when things got a little overwhelming they seemed to know when she needed to get away. Getting to know Vicky had it's ups and downs, I think their relationship didn't really mature until much later, Vicky was just starting into her teenage years and could be a handful at times. Mom helped Linda enhance her cooking skills and taught her a lot about sewing an art she excelled in for the rest of her life. Dad was proud of his daughter in law and took opportunities to show her off.

     All was not always cheerful and bright, Mom could be testy at times and Dad had a drinking problem. Linda wrote to me about how she would be scared of Dad's driving when he had been drinking. Being the man I was at the time I immediately fired off a letter to Dad and chewed him out for driving Linda around when he was drinking, in retrospect I should have calmed down before writing the letter but I didn't. This created some hard times for Linda.

     When I finally got back to the states I was anxious to get back home and bring Linda to California but the Navy wanted me to start six weeks of KP before going on leave. It took some arguing but I won out and got leave. During all of this I would call home and say I was getting leave then call back and say I wasn't then call back and say I was, in the mean time things were getting a little testy at home so Linda decided to take things in to her own hands.

     I finally got leave and called home to say I was on my way, Mom answered the phone and told me Linda had loaded the car and was own her way to California. Mom got on the phone with the highway patrol and they found Linda somewhere west of Nashville. The story Linda told me was that she was so upset and mad that when the trooper stopped her she rolled down the window and defiantly said "what". The trooper was understanding and gave her my flight number, she turned around and met me at the airport.

     We probably should have headed straight out for California but we went home instead, I returned to a cool reception. The next day we headed out, halfway to Memphis we heard on the radio that Dr. Martin Luther King had been killed in Memphis and riots were starting to form. We made it through Memphis an hour before the curfew started, then we headed on to Little rock where again we beat out the curfew. We didn't stop that night until somewhere in Oklahoma. 

     Day's later we arrived in California and went looking for a place to stay. We found a place and the realtor started filling out the paperwork then he asked us for a $100 for the first months rent and another $200 for deposit. We didn't have all of the money, Linda was devastated and started to cry the realtor took pity on us and let us move in with out any deposit.

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     The second time I returned from Vietnam was in the spring of 1969, Linda had gone back to Florida while I was overseas and was working for the local newspaper.

     I caught a flight from San Diego to Orlando, it was a night flight and believe it or not there were few passengers. During this time there had, for years, been several high jackings of passenger planes to Cuba. Several passengers were of obvious Spanish decent and the thought crossed my mind that I just spent seven months in Vietnam and now I could be on my way to Cuba. As it turned out we landed in Orlando with out a hitch, Linda was waiting for me and we spent the night in a local motel. A couple of days later we started our drive back to San Diego.

     Several months later I was discharged from the Navy in San Diego and was faced with a long drive back to Tennessee. Linda had been ill and had a surgical procedure she wasn't able to drive as yet. We had a 1962 Chevy which we loaded up with all our worldly possessions including a large trunk strapped to the roof.

     I had a friend from Tennessee who had broken his arm and was going home on leave, he opted to ride with us and help with the driving. Back then I was more interested in getting from point "A" to point "B" than stopping to look at anything in between, Linda on the other hand was interested in the view and the places we could see.

     Our first issue was crossing the lower Sierra mountains out of California. the climb was too much for the car and it overheated, fortunately for us a friendly state trooper came along and helped us out, overheating plagued us the entire trip. 

     When we got into Arizona Linda insisted we see the Grand Canyon so I relented and we made the detour. I planned on spending  a couple of hours but we wound up spending the whole day, after spending the night in a local motel it was a race back to Tennessee.

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     I was 18 when I went in the Navy, I was the first to leave home, my youngest sibling was my brother Ronnie he was seven when I left. Returning on leave was usually a big deal especially for Ronnie. On one of my returns from Vietnam it was quite late when Linda and I got in Mom was up and waiting for us Dad had not gotten home as yet, Ronnie had fallen asleep waiting for us. I went into Ronnie's bedroom and sat on the side of his bed and woke him up, he rubbed his eyes saw it was me then he gave me the biggest hug, that night I was a proud brother.

     There have been many homecomings over the years each with it's own joys and sorrows. Kay and I have been back several times now, it's different from years ago. Home as I remember is no longer there, my family has gotten smaller the places I remember have changed or disappeared. Time has taken it's toll or progress has moved things along - take your choice. The important thing is that even though I have a home in Georgia now Tennessee is my real home every where I have been has been an adventure in the scheme of life.

     

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

 

     There is an old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words. I think the phrase really means that a picture can lead someone to write a thousand words about it. Pictures themselves don't always give you all of the information you need to realize the story that goes with it but it does give you something to spark the imagination or feed your curiosity. 

     Before photography there were artist who drew and painted what their eyes saw, their work was beautiful and fill museums around the world today and then came photography.  Photography got it's start back in the early 1800's, the cameras were large cumbersome boxes made of wood that had to be set up on a tripod, the negatives were glass plates that had to be handled with care. The person or item being photographed had to remain perfectly still for about 30 seconds and all of the pictures were black and white.

     By the time I was born anybody could be a photographer, the cameras were small hand held and contained rolls of film that were sent away to be developed after exposer. The pictures were still black and white but a professional photographer could colorize the picture after it was developed, my and my brother Pat's baby pictures were colorized in this way. Sometime around the late 50's or early 60's you could buy color rolls of film for your camera, here again there are color pictures of me as a handsome teenager, in a swimsuit no less, showing off my lean mean body.

     Now I was never a camera type of guy although I did from time to time take a few pictures, my mother was the camera person in the family and Linda took her place when we married. Between the two of them my life and that of my boys is well documented. Way back then  ( circa 1967 ) one of the big things was taking pictures after they were developed and putting them in photo albums that then accumulated on coffee tables and book shelves. Linda cherished her photo albums, for her they stored memories of the people she loved but after a while they became collectors of dust. When she passed away we had 19 albums filled with photos going back to the 1930's plus a stack of loose photos, mostly the albums held memories of our 47 year marriage.

     Technology has advanced at a rapid pace in my life time, pictures once printed on a piece of paper and accumulated in albums which accumulated on bookshelves or closet floors now fit in to a flash drive the size of  your little finger with room to spare. Even cell phones have a larger capacity than 19 albums. There is no more waiting for the pictures to be developed and they can be uploaded to a printer if you want a hard copy.

     Five years went by before I decided to do something with our photo albums, they held a lifetime of memories which I carried in my thoughts, they no longer held the same meaning they once held so what am I to do with them. I decided to sort the pictures and have them installed on a flash drive for the boys but there was a problem - I was not the person to do this because I had no idea what the hell I was talking about.

     This is where it helps to have kids who are smart and up to date with technology, Danny to the rescue. I sat down and removed all of the pictures from the albums, sorted them by year, labeled them with names, dates and places and gave them to Danny, he in turn copied them on his phone then transferred them to a flash drive, it took him almost a year but I was in no hurry.

     I started this blog so my kids, the grandkids and hopefully future generations will have something to look back on and see several generations of family that they never knew. I have put down every memory that comes to mind, they come a little slower now but they do still come. The pictures will put a face to my stories. 

     So, MJ and Matthew, somewhere there are pictures of people you never knew, your dad and uncle Clay from the time they were babies, your grandmother and I from when we were babies, great grandparents, great great grandparents back to the 1800's. Hopefully all of this will light a fire in your curiosity from an early age and you will add to what I have started.

The Sunday Drive

      I haven't written anything since June of last year. It's not that I didn't have any ideas I actually have several draft stories waiting for me to finish them but this has been a rather hectic year to say the least. I never for a moment thought I would have a year like this in my life time. First it was the election of a US president, the two candidates ( the sitting President and a former Vice President ) both were very controversial and had the nation turned topsy turvy before the election and even more so since the new President took office this last January. 

     Then there was this virus called COVID 19 that struck the entire world with sickness and death. Kay wouldn't let me leave home for months which turned out to be no big deal as so many businesses were closed, short staffed and out or low on merchandise. My barber was closed for about four months so I let my hair grow long and I grew a beard which I still have ( I look very distinguished if I do say so myself ). To make a long story short life as we knew it has mostly disappeared and the the new lifestyle just  sort of got in my way. 

     One of the things Kay and I started when we met  was to spend our Sunday afternoon on a Sunday drive around the countryside. We have traveled far and wide over north Georgia and sections of the states of North Carolina and South Carolina. Most of our travels have been on what we call "back roads", small two lane roads that twist and turn through and over the hills of Appalachia. We generally are out for 4 or 5 hours but have been out as much as 8. 

     These chaotic times had us looking forward to Sunday afternoons. We would ride around until we saw something of interest and stopped to look around, flea markets, antique stores, scenic overlooks and even wild flowers on the side of the road have caught our attention from time to time. Being a master gardener, Kay has a keen interest in the flora, fauna and foliage we see along the road side and we sometimes stop to dig up a plant or two for our own yard. Actually, after digging up plants with my bare fingers or a stick I bought a trenching tool that we keep under the seat of the truck. There are quite a few specimens adorning our yard, Kay has done herself proud with the arrangements of the plants she has spread around the house. Every evening before calling it a day Kay will stroll around the yard just to see what flower has opened that day sometimes I walk with her, I found a few of the plants and like to see how well they are doing.

     When Kay's Coonhound, Boone, passed away she had him cremated and one Sunday last fall we hopped in the truck with Boone's ashes, Kay wanted to spread them in the same place she had spread Wayne's ashes; after all Boone was really Wayne's dog so it was fitting they be together again. Kay had spread Wayne's ashes in a stream on a WMA north of Helen, Georgia so off we went. 

     Now at this time let me say that my knowledge of a WMA ( wildlife management area ) was that it is a big forest of trees with undergrowth of briars, wild grape vines and a floor of rotting leaves and dead trees, It is occupied by coyotes, raccoons, opossums, deer and bears with an occasional skunk thrown in for good measure. In addition to the wildlife and flora there are the views of endless mountains, hills and valleys of trees reaching to the horizon. To get to all of this there are a network of roads carved into the sides of the hills, some are maintained and easily driven while others are no more than two ruts running parallel to each other. 

     So here we go looking for a stream in the woods north of Helen. When we found the turn off from the highway it wasn't long ( maybe a hundred yards ) till the asphalt ended and the gravel took over, then we came to a stream or small shallow river littered with rocks of all sizes worn smooth after eons of being washed by the waters of the mountain. I thought to myself this was going to be easy, here is the stream just stop and spread Boone's ashes and move on but this was not to be, turns out this portion of water was too frequented by people. The small stream we were looking for was further into the forest so we drove into this small river of cold running water, emerging on the other side I couldn't help thinking how long it had been since the under carriage of the truck had been under water.

     We started up the road as it rose higher into the trees, this was a one lane road with a steep incline climbing higher on one side and an equally steep drop off  falling through the tops of  trees far below on the other side. I kept waiting for us to start our descent down the other side of the mountain so we could find Wayne's stream but we kept going up and up. Every now and then we met a truck or Jeep going the other way both of us would hug the side of the road so we could pass with just inches between us. We kept going up and up, we were several miles from the main road before Kay said, "stop" and there it was not much more than a trickle of water sliding over the rocks of the hillside and running through a culvert in the road on it's continuing path on down the mountain into the valley far below. I watched as Kay carefully emptied Boone's ashes into the water. After a while we got back into the truck and as we continued up the road Kay said, "I hope you can find this place again because if I die before you I want my ashes spread here also". I made her a promise, if I'm not around Clay would fill in for me.

     Never one to like going over the same ground twice, we continued heading up the mountain, as we  closed in on the top the road conditions worsened, the gravel slowly turned to mostly dirt and then there was this huge mudhole filled with water, I hoped it was not too deep. We made it through the mudhole and crested the mountain. The road down the other side was washed away in places, the tires would fall into deep ruts one minute and rise up on a large piece of granite the next. The pace was bumpy and slow, exciting and beautiful , finally we emerged back on the main highway just north of Helen. We probably should not have made this trip in our two wheel drive truck but we did and now we are ready to do it again.

     We rarely miss one of our Sunday drives, once in a while the weather may be too bad and sometimes we hook up the boat and go fishing instead but mostly Sundays are for driving the backroads. One Sunday we wound up in Cherokee, N.C., another time it was Augusta, Ga. and then Lake Jocassee in South Carolina but most of the time it's some two lane road leading to nowhere in particular. I keep thinking we have been on all of the roads in north Georgia and then we find one hidden by a curve or low hanging trees, we even bought a road map that shows the gravel and dirt roads of the WMA's.

     A couple of weeks ago we went for a ride with Doug and Luanne in their new SUV. We headed up past Lake Burton and came out on Hwy 76, Doug asked if we had been to Tate City, we hadn't. After filling up the gas tank we found this little two lane road and started out for Tate City. It wasn't long till we turned off the paved road and struck out on a graveled road into one of the many National Forest. This particular road followed the headwaters of the Tallulah River, it was most of the time narrow, mostly gravel and definitely about 20 degrees cooler than than what we left behind in Statham. We found Tate City, population 32 + or -. There were some really nice summer homes in Tate City, Kay and Luanne got a few pictures and we headed back.

     A few days later, a Sunday, Kay and I decided to go back towards Tate City and take our time exploring the area but this time we found another little known road that took us close to Tate City from a different direction. This road veered off Hwy 76 a little farther west of the Tate City road, it started out as pavement  and a couple of miles later turned into gravel  ( sort of ) and it started going up. There were hairpin turns carved out of the hillside with occasional gullies left over from a previous storm.

     We ran into a group of four wheel Toyotas  who soon disappeared up a path into the trees, we continued on up what we hoped was the main road. The gravel slowly disappeared into the deep ruts of dirt and mud, the rocks so huge and I had to ride up on the side of the dirt curb so  I didn't scrape a hole in the oil pan.  At this point I told Kay I was glad to be going down hill because I didn't think I could make it going up, after all we only had a two wheel drive truck. At one point we found a wide point and stopped so we could dig up some flowers for our yard then we continued our downward trek one hair pinned rut after another and the we came to the river. 

     The Tallulah River at the point was about 25 or 30 yards across and the water being crystal clear made it hard to determine the depth and there appeared to not be a place to drive out on the other side so we stopped to ponder the situation. Turning around and going back may have been doable  but the emphasis was on "may have been"  and the path forward was also precarious looking. As we sat there pondering our next move two women walked out of the water and one of them told us the water was not deep and people drove through it all the time, of course they had four wheel drive trucks and Jeeps. Well it was a case of the good road ahead was within site while the miles of bad road behind us were doubtful so we eased into the water. I took it slow and we still bounced over the abundant small smooth rocks in the stream bottom, water pushed ahead of our bumper as a man standing in the water guided us around some bushes on the bank to the path out of the water, we made it.

     There were a few times that day when Kay was worried about our chances of getting stuck or broke down, there were a few times I was wondering but I stayed confident. We have been thinking about getting a new vehicle and after this trip Kay has decided we need to look at four wheel drive vehicles. Four wheel drive would open up another avenue of adventure for us.

     Our Sunday drives have become a norm for us, we look forward to them. They remind Kay of drives with her family when she was a young girl, they remind me of drives with my grandfather when I was a kid. At this time in our lives anything that invokes happy memories is a good thing.

     

The Times, They Are Changing

     The 1960's were turbulent times, African Americans were fighting for equal rights, America's youth were fighting against the Vietnam War.
     The early 60's headlines were consumed with racial equality. President Kennedy desegregated the schools allowing African American kids to attend traditionally white schools, colleges and universities thereby obtaining an education equal to that of white kids. President Kennedy was assinated during his second year of office in November, 1962, I was a freshman in high school.
     Vice President Lyndon Johnson was sworn into the office of President and over the next few years he dealt with a multitude of issues including racial equality, the Vietnam War and civil protest about both issues. He did get a Civil Rights Bill passed but it took a lot of arm twisting and organized peaceful marches particularly in southern cities.
     A  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Atlanta, Georgia was the leader of the racial equality movement, he advocated against violence even though many of the marchers were met with violence and even death.
     In 1965 I enlisted in the U. S. Navy, while attending boot camp I received my draft notice.
     After two years in the Navy I was given orders to an outfit in Vietnam, I left in late November. There were protest and even rioting against the war, college students and other young people from around the country marched and confronted authorities on campuses and streets. Heads were busted with nightsticks, blood ran from cuts and lacerations, police cars were set afire, university buildings were occupied. The National guard was called up, students were arrested, beaten and at Kent State University several were shot and killed by the National Guard.
     I returned from my first Vietnam assignment in late March 1968 and was allowed to return home to get Linda. We left Nashville, Tennessee in the afternoon of April 4, 1968 and started driving to San Diego, California. About halfway to Memphis, Tn. we heard on the radio that Dr. King, who was in Memphis, had been assinated. Tensions were so high that a curfew was placed on the city, we slipped through just as the curfew went into effect, moving on we passed through Little Rock, Ar. slightly ahead of the curfew for that city. Every major city in the country was consumed with riots, looting and the burning of cars, businesses and homes.
     During all of this, war protesters kept up their vigil, GI's returning from their tours in Vietnam were cursed and spit on, they were called "baby killers".  Everyday newspapers around the country printed the names of fallen GI's killed in action, their numbers grew into the hundreds then thousands, the returning wounded numbered into the thousands and filled VA hospitals across the nation.
     I was fortunate, I returned unscathed, Linda and I picked up our lives and moved on. When I returned from Vietnam I received a welcome home package from the Navy, one of the things it held was a family coupon book for Disneyland in Anihiem, Ca., having never been Linda and I drove to LA and picked up her cousin Bobby, who was about ten at the time, and took him to Disneyland with us.
     Disneyland had a hall of presidents, it was a collection of robotic beings that looked like every president from George Washington to  Lyndon Johnson, they sat and stood around as a group, smiling and nodding their heads as you walked by. The main character was President Abraham Lincoln, he sat in a straight back arm chair, his legs crossed, his fingers tapping on the arm, his head turned from side to side and nodded, his eyes followed you as you walked by, it was eerie.  When the audience was seated the lights went down and a spot went up on Lincoln, he uncrossed his legs, and stood then began to speak.
     It was a speech he gave January 27, 1838, his Lyceum speech, I had chills on my spine then and have never forgotten the experience. The following is a portion of the speech although a very significant portion for 1968 and especially today - June, 2020.

     "Shall we expect some Trans Atlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us at a blow? Never ! All of the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth in their military chest with Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force take a drink from the Ohio or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected ? I answer. If it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us, it can not come from abroad. If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be it's author and finisher. As a nation of free men we must live through all time or die by suicide."

     Over the last four months our nation and the rest of the world has been in a battle with a virus called Covid - 19.  People have been shut up in their homes fearful of contracting this disease that has sickened and killed thousands in Georgia alone. Tensions are running high, people are ready to get back to work while others think we should stay in quarantine for a while longer.
     A spark ignites a flame, a policeman uses too much force and an African American in custody dies. Nationwide protest erupt, before it is all over the protest will grow to world wide proportions with protest in many countries.
    Once again the streets are filled with young people protesting police brutality, racism and death of black men and women at the hands of the police. The protest start out peaceful but soon turn violent. Outsiders infiltrate the protesters, starting fires, taunting law enforcement, breaking into and looting businesses. Arrests are made, people on both sides are injured and even killed. Because it is an election year, political parties are using the turmoil to sway voters to their side.
     Change is demanded by the protesters, they are tired of being lied to, tired of being used then forgotten until they were needed again - usually at election time. The powers that be are anxious to appease the protesters so monuments of the past, offensive to some, are removed without regard to their true meaning. Talk of defunding police departments in major cities across the nation is rapidly growing. Blame is thrown out to all corners yet no one accepts it. For days the protest continue, curfews are put in place, violence continues.
     Finally, after more than a week things start to calm, the agitators are gone, the protest are more peaceful and of shorter duration. The clean up begins, life becomes somewhat more normal but most likely it may never be what we call normal again.
      I have lived through a lot of changes in my time, every generation does to some extent. Every generation  complains about the new generation and it's ability to survive without them. I hope I'm wrong but this generation that is protesting now gives me serious doubts as to the future my grandchildren will have, for sure it will not be the idyllic times I grew up in. I can only hope people can come to their senses.
     You can't change history by removing monuments, you can't understand history by picking only the parts that fit your ideas, you can't move forward into the future without bringing some of the past with you.

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                                                                    November 9, 2020

     2020 has been and continues to be the most screwed up year in recent memory. First the Democrats of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate continue their culminated their attempt to impeach the Republican President Donald Trump. They have been at this since President Trump was elected and took office in 2016, you might ask why the democrats have spent so much time and millions of tax dollars to impeach a duly elected President, in my opinion and that of many others the reason for the impeachment is pretty simple - HATRED. They hate President Trump because he is not "presidential", he threatens the political  way of doing things, he is not and has never been a politician, he is a very successful businessman worth many billions of dollars. The impeachment failed as everyone but the Democrats knew it would.

     While the impeachment was going on a virus called Codiv19 arrived on the scene from China. The virus was and continues to be deadly especially in the larger metropolitan areas or anywhere the people gather in large groups. There has been nothing like it since the Spanish flu of the early 1900's where more than fifty million people died worldwide. There is no known cure for Codiv19, it is particularly hard on old people and anybody with preexisting conditions like cancer, COPD, heart conditions, obesity and diabetes. The death toll in the United States stands at about 300,000, world wide deaths are running into the millions with 50 million people infected. The world is shut down as citizens everywhere have been ordered to stay home and only go out for essential errands. Businesses not deemed essential are closed, hospitals are overloaded with the sick and dying. Every where you go you have to wear a mask to keep from spreading the germs or to keep from inhaling the germs.

     Kay and I became hermits, all of our normal activities were canceled and due to my age Kay kept me bundled up at home. Kay would go out to the get groceries that she ordered on line while I stayed home. Our Sunday drives in the country became just that, we would ride around sight seeing but never stopping if there were any people, bottles of hand sanitizer were in each door of the truck and it was used anytime we got out of the truck. Our barber was closed so I didn't get a haircut for about four months and because I wasn't seeing anybody other than Kay, I decided to grow a beard. Daily life as we knew it no longer existed, a new term was coined "the new normal". 

     The virus seemed to run amuck for a while then new cases and death tolls would drop, the country would was lulled into letting down their defenses, mandates were relaxed, the rush to get the country back to work was on. Things were looking good.

     This is an election year, the Democrats are working hard to defeat President Trump and gain a majority in the House and Senate, the Republicans are working hard to defeat the Democrats. Adding to this fight is the fight for racial justice, several black criminals have been killed by police in several cities, protestors took to the streets and as usual there is somebody who wants to take advantage of situations so the protests would turn to looting, burning and assaults. The protest turn into riots with results in people on both sides being hurt, protestors are jailed, businesses are burned and looted. Strangely enough these riots seem to only take place in Democratic run cities and states. Riots in many cities have been going on now for more than 150 days with no end in sight.

     There is a movement that calls for the defunding of the police, mayors, governors and city council members restrict the response the police are allowed to give many times claiming the protest are peaceful. There are two new groups who appeared on the protesting scene - BLM and Antifa. The BLM stands for Black Lives Matter and people flock to them. I was believed the BLM was supposed to stand with black people and support them in their quest for racial justice, everyone thought it would do something good for the black community but the black community is waiting for that to happen, seems the BLM is more interested rioting, looting, taking over cities and tearing down statues they deem offensive. So far I have seen nothing good come from the BLM movement, their leaders are professed Marxist who are prepared to destroy our democratic society, they believe in socialism.

     Antifa is a left wing political movement whose stated goal is to disrupt the American way of life even if they have to become violent. In short they want to turn America into a socialist state.

     The presidential election has been held, it turned into a big surprise - a democrat was elected to the office of president, the House of Representatives remains controlled by the democrats and the Senate won't know who is in control until a run-off election for two Georgia seats takes place January 5th, 2021. Pressure is being applied to the citizens of Georgia to get out and vote, the Democrats are slinging the proverbial mud at the Republicans and the Republicans are slinging mud back at them. President Trump, even though he doesn't have the Electoral votes has refused to concede the election, he is fighting the results in the courts claiming fraud and mismanagement of the election system. 

     I'm seventy three years old, I can remember presidential elections back to the election of John Kennedy in 1959, he was the first Catholic President. This has been the been the election to end all elections. I have never seen such hatred the two parties have for each other, a hatred that has spilled over to the voters. The two parties no longer seem to want to work for the common good of the American people, each party considers their ideals to be the best for the country and each seems to be hell bent on dominance of the other - America be damned.

     In the mean time, the virus has reared it's ugly head again, the number of cases have started to climb as well as the death rate. The Democrats blame President Trump for many of the deaths claiming he failed to implement protective measures quick enough back in the first of the year and now that the virus has been revived they say he has again failed to take action by making nationwide mandatory regulations. Many, myself included, think that Trump has done all that he could do under the circumstances, under his watch the country has virtually been shut down. Unemployment has reached record rates, business closings have reached an all time high with many small businesses closing for good. In the beginning the country was ill prepared with needed medical supplies and equipment, President Trump had several big businesses halt production of their products and start producing the needed supplies and distribute them around the country and even to other parts of the world where needed. 

     President Trump removed Federal regulations so pharmaceutical companies could quickly develop a vaccine and get it into production. As of now there are several companies with an emergency approval of their vaccine from the FDA, millions of doses of a vaccine are ready to ship with inoculations to start in mid December.

     There is still another month of this year to go, I would say I'm ready to get off of this rollercoaster, which I am, but I'm worried for our future. Will the Senate races here in Georgia leave the Senate in the control of the Republicans, will the Democrats be successful in the pursuit of their programs of open borders, defunding of the police, support for late term abortions and raising taxes to cover the free programs they have promised. 

     Lincoln's Lyceum speech looms large in my  mind, the people of the United States are as divided now as they were in the mid 1800's prior to the Civil War. There is a division of the races and political parties, there are new factions whose sole purpose seems to be to widen the gaps of the divisions and hope that from the turmoil a new society will emerge, a society of socialism.

     Lincoln was right in that America can not be destroyed by the armies of other nations but it can be brought down by hordes of disgruntled citizens with an idea of a new and better form of government. Never in my life have I imagined such turmoil in America, I can only hope calmer minds on both side will prevail.   

The Legacy

     I have been writing this blog since early 2012, it has taken a lot of time to become comfortable on the computer, I have made lots of mistakes. Let's face it, technology is not something I excel in, but I try. I'm on face book which is another major accomplishment that also comes with problems that leave me frustrated to say the least.
     Face book was something Linda started mainly as a means to keep up with family especially after MJ was born. She seldom responded to any postings but she would sometimes call me in to look at something someone had posted.
     My sister got me started writing this blog, I wanted to put down all of the family stories I could remember before I forgot them, I wanted my boys and their kids to know where they come from  and maybe pass along stories to future generations. When Linda's health started going down hill I was determined that MJ and Matthew would know their Grandmother if only in my memories. I have come to think of this blog as my legacy to future generations of a family started long ago.
     I am face book friends with maybe 25 people including several cousins and one remaining uncle. I enjoy reading the postings they make and even go so far as to comment on them. One of the most interesting consequences of reading the postings of my relatives are the little tidbits of family lore that I pick up on from time to time.
     Case in point - Sister Vickie shared a story about our Grandmother Ruth Wade, Granny had a habit of saying "well I swan" whenever something would go wrong. This story brought back memories for me and I remember Granny saying just those words, for her it was a matter of upbringing, she was raised in a time when it was not nice for ladies to use foul language so when she might stub her toe instead of saying "damn" she would say "well I swan". Grand Pa could be aggravating at times he made her swan a lot. Uncle Paul is Granny's youngest son, he will turn 90 in a couple of months, his body is showing his age but his mind is as sharp as a tack, he recently commented on a post about going barefoot, he said that Granny would not let them go barefoot until someone brought her a butterfly, the theory is that if the weather was warm enough for butterflies it was warm enough to go barefoot. This little tidbit was news to me but thinking back it fits right in with the way people were raised in the 1930's, the main thing to remember is that this small look into the past would have been lost had not Uncle Paul responded to something he saw on the computer.
     I never knew that my Aunt Elizabeth was not raised by my Grand Parents, I remember seeing her and her family most weekends when growing up, I never realized there was even any strife in the family until a couple of years ago. My cousin Gayle, her youngest daughter, told me the story of how Aunt Elizabeth was sent away to be raised by someone else at a very early age. My Dad was always considered the youngest in the family but in fact he had a younger sister who became sick one day. The baby became so sick that Granny sent Aunt Elizabeth to a neighbor, down the road, to get the neighbor lady to come help Granny. Aunt Elizabeth was just a young girl herself, she became distracted in some way and didn't get to the neighbors house in a timely manor, by the time the neighbor arrived the baby had died.  Granny evidently was distraught to the point that she sent Aunt Elizabeth away, I understand this was not what Grand Pa wanted. This lady by the name of Bertie, raised Aunt Elizabeth and another girl to adults, on her death Bertie left everything she owned to Aunt Elizabeth and the other girl, for whatever reason Granny went to court to have the will annulled, she was not successful. This story was really surprising to me as this was not the Grand Mother I knew but it did answer a question I had never gotten an answer to - why did Gayle's older sister Jo Ann not want any Riggan's at her funeral. This story forced me to see my Grand Parents in a different light.
     Gayle had another tidbit to pass along about Aunt Elizabeth, it is a dash of wisdom one seldom hears anymore. Seems Aunt Elizabeth was fond of saying "if you can count your friends on one hand you are lucky, if it takes both hands you are lying to yourself".
     Getting back to Uncle Paul, I think I would have liked to have grown up with him as a friend, I can easily understand why Granny and Grand Pa had grey hair so early in life. He recently divulged that he lied about his age and joined the Tennessee National Guard when he was 13 years old, he could field strip and reassemble a Thompson Sub Machine gun in mere minutes. An earlier comment found him telling my niece Tina that he used to babysit her Dad and I when he was a teenager, said babysitting duties included the changing of dirty diapers.
     I think it is important that these little morsels of history be remembered and cherished for future generations, it would be a shame if they were to disappear with the passing of a generation.

What Do We Do Now

   









          A few weeks back I turned 73 years old, I thought that by now there would be no more surprises, nothing to get the old heart racing. Well I have been wrong before and it appears that I am wrong again, Mother Nature or rather someone who was tinkering with Mother Nature has decided to liven things up for this world we share with her. A few years from now history may tell us what actually happened, was somebody in fact monkeying around in areas they shouldn't have or it will confirm that a microscopic little bug that lived in the blood of animals took a leap to the human population.
         Whatever the truth may be, a virus that normally lives in animals is now running amuck on the worlds human population, we have even given it a name - "Corona Virus 19" or "Codiv 19". Like it's predecessors the Black Plague, Spanish Flu, H1N1 and others it has infected more than six million people world wide and almost four hundred thousand have died. This is a new virus and we have no vaccine and no known cure, it has infected people of all ages but is most deadly to older people and anyone with a pre-existing condition such as heart disease, COPD, kidney disease. You could have the virus and not know it, you can pass it along to someone else by sneezing or touching a surface that will sustain it for up to two weeks.
      With the travel oriented society of today it didn't take long for this virus to spread. We do know that this virus comes from China's Wuhan district  where coincidently there is a lab studying the Corona virus. Because China is a secret society we do not know for sure when it got loose, we are informed the first cases showed up in China in December of 2019 but some say that is a fluid date and those in the know seem to disappear, another quaint trait of China. By February 2nd there were 17389 cases globally ( 24 countries ) and 362 deaths, the US had 11 cases, nine days later there were 42,708 infected people globally with 1017 dead. So far the virus has invaded pretty much every society around the globe, there may be a small Pacific island that has been unaffected but all major countries around the world are struggling with the effects of Corona. As of June 1, 2020 we here in Georgia have just over 47,000 cases and 2053 deaths.
     Life as we know it is different now, we have learned new terminology like "shelter in place" and "social distancing". At first we were told to stay away from large groups, do not touch your face, wash your hands often no more hand shaking and stay 6 feet from the nearest person, work from home if possible. All major sporting events have had their season delayed or out right cancelled, conventions were cancelled. There was a mad rush at grocery stores, their shelves were stripped bare, people were hoarding toilet paper, bottled water, bread, hand sanitizer. Cities, towns and even whole states are mandating that people "shelter in place" in other words do not leave home unless it is essentially necessary. All businesses not essential to fighting the virus were closed. Nationally millions of people are out of work, unemployment in the U.S. has exceeded historical levels.
      Kay and I have been doing our part, neither of us have had a haircut in four months and because all of our usual activities have been put on hold I decided to grow a beard so I have not shaved in about three months. We have been good as far as staying away from people, I went about a month before I even left the house on my own, we don't dine out anymore mainly because the restaurants our closed, Kay orders our groceries on line and picks them up in the store parking lot. We do still go for our rides but we just ride, we don't stop and get out we just ride. We have hooked up the boat and gone fishing only to find that all of the laid off fishermen had the same idea.
       The virus has even effected the political arena, democrats and republicans are at each others throats with each blaming the other for the mess we are in, it is an election year and both sides are taking advantage of the virus to gain votes. Theorist are having a field day with their ideas of how serious the virus really is, some say it was intentionally unleashed on the American public because our economy was the best in our history. Theories about the best way to combat the virus or various cures are endless. One theory questions the real need for a vaccine as some believe certain sectors want to insert micro chips in the vaccines that would track our movements and push us into a new world controlled by a one world government, maybe George Orwell really was trying to tell us something.
     People are divided, a part of society says the virus is all a hoax while seniors and people who are most susceptible are running scared. Another new catch phrase is "new normal", many things have changed and may never be the same again. Online sales for everything from groceries  to furniture has soared, order your groceries on line they will tell you when the order will be ready for pickup. When you arrive at the store parking lot call and someone will bring your groceries to you and put them in your vehicle. Working from home was encouraged and has gone so well it may be that many companies will continue on a much larger scale.
     Wearing of protective mask is advised and in some places required but not everybody wears them. most store employees wear them but it seems that the customers are of mixed opinions - some do, some don't. Most restaurants offer drive thru or curbside pickup only, those few that are starting to reopen require a reservation, you have to wear a mask that you can take off after you have been seated, they will not seat more than six people to a table and only use every other table, oh and they ask that you not dilly dally around - eat and get out so other customers can get in.
     Going in to the month of June things appear to be getting better, the number of infected people is declining as are the deaths, we have "flattened out the curve". Some people are ecstatic while others are not ready to concede to the flat curve theory.
     Experts, depending on who you believe, say all of the precautions we took were useless, others say we are returning to normal too soon a new outbreak can happen anytime. People are tired of staying in place, tired of having no work, tired of stores that have little to sell or are closed because they are not necessary. They are tired of wearing face mask, tired of living in fear, tired of not knowing who to believe, which way to turn or what the unknown future holds for them.
     So where do we go from here, that is a big unknown, I doubt this is the last we will see of this virus, will it come back later this year, will it evolve into something worse ? Only time will answer those questions, only time will put people back to work and take away their fear. Only time holds all the answers.

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     Well here I am a little over a year later, as predicted the virus mutated into what is known as the "Delta" virus that is meaner and more deadly than the original. Infection rates have risen to epic proportions, the hospitals are again full to overflowing and the death toll is climbing. The majority of those being infected are younger between 30 to 55 years old and some even younger. Better than 95% of those infected have not been inoculated. There is a sector of society that are opposed to the vaccine and refuse to take it because they feel it is an infringement on their freedom or that the vaccine contains a tracking device that record their movements, they also refuse to wear mask for the same reasons. I am not one of the "never vaxers", I have been taking vaccines for one disease or another since I was a kid, I believe in them besides I don't believe in tempting fate as it has a way of jumping up and biting you on the butt when you least expect it. 

     Politically the Republicans are blaming the Democrats for the spread of the disease as President Biden opened the southern boarders to tens of thousands of illegal immigrants many of who are sick with the virus. the Democrats on the other hand are blaming the mishandling of the virus on policies initiated by former President Trump. Mask mandates have again gone in to place by many businesses, school boards and whole counties and yet many people are protesting the mandates again because it's an infringement on their freedom of choice. The turmoil over these issues is boundless, the nation is deeply divided.

     Many school systems opened up only to close a few days later after students tested positive for the virus. The infection numbers for younger children is climbing even though the vaccine has been approved for kids 5 years old and up.

     The hope is that the infection rate will peak in a few more weeks, I fear that if they don't peak the nation will go back into a mandatory shut down again and that would not be good for our struggling economy.

     I'm sure I will be back with an update hopefully one that has a more positive outlook.

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Promises Kept

     Back in 2005. Linda and I got to looking around at all of the repairs our house needed and after totaling everything up, including my time to do the work, we decided to sell it and buy one more home. We bought our new home, it had everything Linda wanted, ranch style, gentle slope to the yard and trees filled with birds, squirrels and butterflys. Linda was happy.
     We didn't have a dog at that time, which suited me just fine, but Linda did have the most annoying and loud parrot you could imagine, Mango was it's name because it's coloring resembled that of a mango. During the move we left  Mango with Clay, a few days after Linda brought him home he died, possibly from stress brought on by the move, Linda was devastated. It wasn't long till she was wanting a dog to keep her company while I worked long ours.
     I grew up with pets, more specifically dogs, Linda and I had owned six or eight none of whom died of old age. I didn't need another pet, I didn't want another pet, more than anything,I didn't want to bury another pet. Linda pleaded  with me and even cried, there were some things that I could never deny her, this is where Lizzy comes in.
     Lizzy was a rescue dog, a mixture of Labrador and Cocker Spaniel, if I remember correctly the rescue group gave her the name Lizzy and her nickname "Licking Lizzy". The dog was so happy to see people that her tail went to wagging on the rear end and her tongue went to licking on the other end, she had the longest tongue anybody had ever seen.
     We kinda got the cart before the horse with Lizzy, the rescue group charged us $50.00 including shots and while Lizzy was going to be an indoor dog she did have moments where she needed to go out and that meant one of us had to go with her. That $50.00 dog got more expensive as the days went on, first it was a long plastic coated wire tethered to a screw in the ground, that was about $30.00 then because we didn't want to have her on a leash we installed a chain link fence for about $2,000.00. The fence worked fine as far as keeping Lizzy in the yard but every time she went out she brought in a lot of dirt so we laid in about 14 pallets of Bermuda sod for another $1,500.00, then because we didn't want to be up and down to let her in and out of the door I installed a storm door with a doggy door inset for another $150.00. Our $50 rescue dog wound up costing around $3,800 in the first month, none of these numbers are exact because that was some fifteen years ago but they are close enough, I was just glad she was a rescue dog.
     Lizzy became Linda's constant companion, always by her side ready to be scratched behind the ear or sneaking a good licking of Linda's hand or cheek. Lizzy was not what I would call a bright dog, about the only thing she seemed to be trainable for was when to eat, beyond that she was about as dumb as a brick but Linda loved her.
     The years went by all to quickly, I changed jobs, got laid off then retired. Linda and I did our best to enjoy my retirement, I went fishing every now and then, we went on weekly drives visiting state parks. We visited my sister when she was working in south Georgia and Linda's sister in Florida. Life was good but lurking around the corner was a darkness waiting to strike when we were least expecting it.
     Late in 2011 Linda's health started to decline, her role of taking care of me for years soon reversed to me taking care of her. Through the next two and a half years I became Linda's caregiver, if she needed something I got it for her, if she needed to go somewhere I took her. Lizzie's roll never changed, she never left Linda's side, she was always ready for Linda's hand to scratch her ear or ruffle her fur, she was eager to lick a finger or hand.
     Linda had a lot of things on her mind in her last weeks and days mostly it was concern for those she was about to leave, she was worried for me because I would be alone for the first time in my life, she was worried for Clay that he would have someone to love, she was worried that MJ would not remember her and she worried what would become of Lizzy. I went about putting her mind at ease, Clay and I were adults and would deal with what came our way, as for MJ and her unborn brother Matthew I started writing stories about Linda so that when they got older they could read about her and know that she loved them.
     A few days before Linda passed she told me she was worried about Lizzy, that is when I made Linda a promise, I would take care of Lizzy for her remaining days. Lizzy became my responsibility, feeding, haircuts, vet visits whatever she needed I made it happen.
     After a time I met and fell in love with Kay. We were kindred spirits in many ways, her husband Wayne had passed away a week before Linda and she had a coon hound named Boone that was more Wayne's dog than hers, we became family. Boone became sick a couple of years back and Kay had to put him down, Lizzie's time had not come yet.
     In a couple of months Linda will been gone six years, Lizzy's health has taken a turn for the worse over the last year or more, her hearing is almost gone, her eyes are clouded with cataracts, large lumps are scattered around her body, two of which have been removed in the last six months and yet she finds it more difficult to get around. These last few days she has not eaten much, she limps and spends her time laying in one spot or another.
     As I contemplate having her put down I think about my promise to Linda and wonder if I have done enough for Lizzy. Those same thoughts have crossed my mind many times since Linda's passing, could I have done more for her, was there something else I could have done to make her last days better. All I can say is I think I did the right things, I hope I did the right things. Now I am thinking these same thoughts about Lizzy, did I give her the best care I could have. I think these thoughts about Linda and Lizzy will haunt me forever.
     Today is May 29, 2020, Lizzy is not improving, the day I have been dreading has arrived, I didn't want Lizzy to suffer any more pain so I had her put down. In reality I have a soft heart, having Lizzy put down has weighed heavy on my mind, Kay senses my feelings, she tells me that when she had to put Boone to sleep it was like she had lost the last part of her husband Wayne even though she still had her daughter Katie, for the last few years it had been Wayne, Boone and her, now it was just her. Kay put into words the thing I had been thinking, Lizzy was left in my care until it was time for her to once again join Linda, like Kay I felt the last part of Linda leave with Lizzy.
     I have done my best to keep my promises to Linda, memories of her fill pages of this blog, I did the best I could to give Lizzy a good life. I hope Linda and Lizzy find each other in Heaven, it would make them both very happy.