Rainy Sunday......

Well rain for the last three days at least. Seems like it has been forever. Today I just lay around and read and shopped online  a little for Christmas. That is much better than going out in the rain and the cold. I wanted to go get the Christmas tree but I wasn't about to go out in the weather. I love the real ones. They smell like Christmas.

It is not supposed to rain all this week. I am glad. I know I should not say that . But it is true. We have had enough rain for a little while. It was cold Friday when I had to leave the window down all day while it was raining. Doing my paper job.

Here in White Settlement we didnt get that paper that appears in your yard. I think they didn't throw it. I know I did my job.

All the leftovers are gone now. I made meat loaf tonight. My son devoured most of it. It was a nice change after all that turkey and potato salad. For lunch I went to Taco Bueno and had tamales. They were so good. They only have them in the winter time.

Tomorrow I guess I will go get my tree and try to do all the decorations. I got about 7 tubs to get out. My son got them down from the attic for me. Thank goodness I don't have to do that. I got so much wrapping paper I will not have to buy any of that. I already got some presents. I just have to wrap them.

I am going to get  a lot of my shopping done this week. I hope too anyway. Before more rain comes....

I Am Grateful For So Many Things This Thanksgiving.......

I have a lot of things to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. Let me count the ways. One and most important thing is I am alive and healthy. I can still work and do. Not much physically wrong with me. Mentally that might be another story.

My kids are healthy. They are not sick. Thank God for that.

And  my nice house. I have been here twelve years. Longest I ever have lived anywhere. It feels comfortable and feels like home. It is home. I am the only one (besides my kids and exes)who have lived here. I decorated it the way I want it. It feels great!

There may be things I want that I don't get but as far as need I have everything I need. My bills get paid. I always have lots of food. I will never go hungry. I have good transportation. I used to drive old cars that could barely get me where I needed to go. Some had no heat in the winter. Some had no air in summer. But about 10 years ago I bought me a new CRV. My friend Jane loaned me the money for my down payment. I kept that car for eight years. Then I got this Jeep. I have had it for two years. Long as I can drive I will have a good car now.

And lets not forget books. I have lots of books. I had rather have a good book than anything else I know of. I have a stack of about 50 right now that needs to get read in the near future. And there are lots of others I would love to have. One can never have too many books.

So I got a nice warm house, I got a car, lots of food and books, and healthy kids.. What could anyone need besides all of that? I feel so lucky. And I am happy with my life right now.

Harper Lee....A Great Writer

It's strange I had never seen the movie " To Kill A Mockingbird". All of a sudden this year I guess when Harper Lee's book came out "Go Set A Watchman" I took notice of her first book "To Kill A Mockingbird."  I was told to read the older one first. The other one had been written first but was never published. The Mockingbird was published long ago. Anyway I read both of them. She is a great writer. I also bought the movie which was great.

I am now reading a book about her life called "Up Close: Harper Lee By Kerry Madden. She tells about Harper Lee's life and  she really went by the name of Nelle which was her first name. Her life was a lot like the book "To Kill A Mockingbird." She knew Truman Capote back when she was a child. He was probably Dill in the book.

It is very interesting how she wrote. back in that time I guess black folks was not in a class with white people. I have never liked that name "nigger" but it is used so much in that book. It is amazing to me it is that popular. But yet I can see why. It was a very good book. And surprising she never wrote more books . She was going to be a lawyer but then decided to be  a writer and go to New York instead.

I haven't finished all of the book telling about her life so I don't know yet how long she stayed in New York. I am just at the part where she goes there. Not knowing a soul there except her childhood friend. Truman Capote. His first book " Other Rooms, Other Voices" is a must read for me too. It had some of the people in it from Monroeville, Alabama. where Harper Lee was born and lived.

So readers out there if you haven't read these two books, please do. You wont regret it.

A Year Ago Today Was Rough.....

A year ago today I left Sweetwater. I miss the town but not the situation I was in. I had been in bed for weeks with the  stent   from the kidney stone. It hurt so bad every time I walked or anything so I just tried to stay in bed most of the time sleeping. Of course that didn't help make the little pieces go away. My daughter Darla kept telling me I needed to walk around. But dang it hurt to move.

Anyway on this day I decided I needed to come back around family. Helping my son John pack up everything and go that day made it get better I think. It hurt to move but I had to help him. He had a friend of his drive me to Fort Worth.

After they left I was alone but I love my house and I just lay around and thinking about my situation. I had an appointment in a few days with a urologist . I got my next door neighbor to drive me there. They done X Rays and he said they were all gone. I was over joyed. It was very traumatic when they took it out and I had nausea for two weeks but I got over it.

It has been hard this year adjusting to being alone. Guy and I went back together a few times but it just didn't work out. We have a love/hate relationship I think. I never had one like that before. We still text. It seems like we miss each other when we are not talking.

I have learned to go places alone. Do my shopping alone. I even eat out alone sometimes. I guess you adjust to whatever life you have. Sometimes it takes awhile.

I spend a lot of time with my grandkids. I eat dinner with Jana and her family a lot. I do hate eating alone. I have my job I do every Wednesday and Thursday. Seven hours of driving is not easy. I take  a break at lunchtime and usually go to Burger King. That helps a lot after sitting in the car all that time. I get home after all of that and glad to be here.

There are some good things about living alone. You can watch what you want on TV. You can go where you want too. If you don't want to cook you don't  have too. But it can be really boring doing everything alone. With the holidays coming up and no one to share it with is not good either. But like everything else I have done this year. I will adjust!

Arlin Walker Williams........My Uncle

This being Veterans Day got me to thinking about the uncle I never met. He was my Daddy's only brother. He was in World War ll and died  in 1943 and he never made it home except in a box. He was only 24 years old. And he didn't make it home for burial until 1949. He was five years younger than my Dad. My Dad couldn't go because of a bad back.

My Uncles name was Arlin Walker Williams. He was married to a lady we called Cat. They had one son Bobby Joe Williams. He used to come down summers to my Granny's house. I don't remember the last time we seen him. I don't know if he is still alive.

On my Granny's wall there was a big picture of Bob( that is what everyone called him). I don't know where that name came from since his name was Arlin Walker. The picture was of Bob in uniform. His hat looked like a sailor hat. I am not sure what he was. I hadn't really thought of it all my life. I knew he died before I was born but never got all the details. Now I can't. They are all gone. My brother who was named after him knows more than I do so I ask him a few things about it.

There are two Arlin's in the family besides him. I don't think I know anyone else named that. My brother was named Arlin Wayne. Then my nephew (my sisters son) was named Arlin Eugene. I would like to know where my Granny and Grandpa got the two boys name. Arlin Walker was not  a common name back then I don't think. Then my Dad's name was Alton Sealy. These are not common names either. I don't know anyone named Alton except my other brother and his nickname was Butch.

I have been thinking all day about how so many men lost there life's fighting for their country. It is a very sad thing that they had to lose their families. And die so young. He is buried in Coleman. Thinking about all of this today makes me want to find out more about Bob's life and his son Bobby Joe. What happened to him? Is he still alive? I intend to find out.