I started high school when I was twelve—of course, the youngest kid there. I was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the army when I was eighteen—the youngest one I ever met. I was talking with a crotchety old great uncle, Joe Mason, once about often being in situations when I felt like a spring chicken in a flock of old chickens. He told me not to worry about it, it wouldn’t take long until I would feel like the oldest rooster. I thought he was talking about something a long way off in the future. Well, it really wasn’t that long ago.
My birthday was a special day. Debby and I went to the temple in Franklin and then out to eat. Debby fed me shrimp at Red Lobster. (Not literally – he is still able to feed himself – Debby)! We had planned to go to an afternoon movie but couldn’t find anything we wanted to see.
The only negative about getting older is the occasional meeting with someone my age. Whenever I run into an old school friend that I haven’t seen in a long time I always walk away saying to myself, “I hope I don’t look that old”. Of course, I have to assume they are walking away saying the same thing.
We have worked at Rocky River continuing the never ending quest to destroy every possible hiding place for snakes and ticks. We continue to slash and burn. I have also planted some muscadines and some hybrid blackberries. I plan to plant some fruit trees in a few days. They should have been planted in the fall---but…
One Sunday we talked mom into coming down to Little House with us. Knowing she did not like the water, we were expecting her to be full of words of caution; such as, “Don’t you let those grandchildren near the water!” But, she didn’t say that. She just appreciated our efforts to clear the underbrush. We had a nice walk along the “beach” and she seemed to enjoy it very much. After our walk, we sat on the back porch a few minutes. She quickly announced that it was time for her to go back home.
We continue to go out there whenever we get a chance. Occasionally we spend the night but more often we go for day work. I don’t think Debby looks as longingly at the rocking chairs on the back porch as I do. Someday…
We have had several small daylily and hosta orders this spring. Buyers seem to be cautious. Their orders are fewer, smaller, and they often pay with credit cards. We have picked up a new customer as a result of my phone calls to North Carolina. He is a landscaper who has ordered twice already, a total of 600 Stella de Oro daylilies. He is my new friend! One old customer drove down from Northern Illinois to pick up his order. It was nice to meet him after knowing him only as a phone voice. His wife had planned to accompany him but became ill as they were ready to leave. We offered him and his wife a free stay at Rocky River on their next pick-up trip. We instantly liked him.
The Ellsworths came to stay a week. During that time I went with them to purchase fruit trees. I am always up for that. I found my new favorite fruit tree buying spot-- CCC Nursery in the Dibrell area. We bought really nice trees for $6 each. I am going back. The owner told us that he had 8000 trees to ship and he had already shipped about ¾ of them. He also said that during economic recessions his fruit tree sales go up. He was a young man. He said his father had told him that during recessions a nurseryman needs to sell fruit trees, garden seeds, and then produce to sell to all the people who bought the trees and seeds but didn’t take care of them.
On the 7th Brett, his friend Theo, and I went with several other young and old men to Kentucky to help clear the debris left over from the ice storm. We rode with David Blocker who is married to the former Debbie Stuart. I used a chain saw almost constantly all day long. Brett and Theo were busy dragging and piling limbs and chunks of tree trunks. There were around 120 of us who went from our stake. Our directions were to go to the homes of the church members in the area, clear their yards, and then go to their neighbors and offer to help them. We were divided into teams of about 12 people each. Each team had three or four chain saws. It was interesting to watch the Altamont loggers laugh at the toy chain saws most people had. Our team cleaned up 12 yards. One elderly widow had a tree limb through the roof of her house but we weren’t allowed to remove it because the insurance company had not yet seen it. We were in an area where every single tree was either down or had most limbs broken off. Power lines were sagging at eye level. At the time we were there, they had been without power for 10 days but most had received it the day before our arrival. Some homes had the electric service meter ripped from the house by the weight of ice on the power line. It will be quite a while before those people receive power. It felt good to help.
Jonathan Wade took his own life and the funeral was on the 21st. Jonathan has had a very sad adult life. He had three children who were not a part of his life. His youngest was adopted by his brother David and his wife Sandy. Jonathan suffered from severe depression/bi-polar disorder. He was not pleasant to be around. I don’t know how much of that was in his control and how much wasn’t. I saw his first wife, Amy, at the funeral home and went up to introduce myself. I said, “I don’t suppose you remember me.” She replied, “You married Jonathan and me, I remember you.” I said, “I hope you don’t hold grudges.” I wish I had a better memory!!
Anyway, I spoke at the funeral. There were several people at the funeral. Jonathan’s mother, Joanna, is loved and respected by so many people. I was reminded again of how much it matters to “mourn with those that mourn”. We really do lift one another’s burdens when we share their sad times. Something miraculous happens when we attempt to share the pain of one we love. Somehow their burdens are lifted by us, and yet we feel lighter also. Both of us are blessed in the process.
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