Winter weather has returned this week with subfreezing temperatures and chilling winds. Showers of leaves continue to flutter down from the maples in the front yard and the young pecan out by the shop. A nice rain Friday morning watered the earth and temperatures were in the 60 ’s but a cold front moved through and the mercury dropped into the 30 ’s by evening. It was not a welcome change for all the fans at Lion Field cheering on the team at their first playoff game.
Tuesday was Veteran’s Day and also sister Nancy’s anniversary. It was a holiday at the post office so there was no mail delivery but I wrote a letter to a friend in Noel to place in the box the next morning. I spent the afternoon reading some newspapers and sorting them for recycling. Jim made stew for supper and that evening Aunt Leta called to give us the welcome news that Leda was home from the rehab center.
Mama was scheduled for a checkup at the clinic on Wednesday afternoon so we left home about a half hour early and dropped by to visit aunts Leta and Leda and cousin Kay who was visiting from Texas. Mama got a good report and received her annual flu shot. That evening I settled down in front of the TV and watched the Country Music Association Awards.
Thursday was a busy day. We took a load of aluminum cans and scrap metal to the recycler and when we returned to Gravette Jim drove out west of town to look over a home that was needing repair. He had a doctor’s appointment that afternoon and then we went to the pharmacy for medication to treat his hand that has been swollen and inflamed. I went to the upper elementary school to set up for the gang awareness program that evening and when I came home Jim was frying salmon patties, a tasty meal when accompanied by green peas and salad. It began raining soon after I got to work Friday morning and the temperature began falling. When I left at lunchtime I went by for a short visit with Leta, Leda and Kay, wearing one of Jim’s caps to keep my head dry. I got a call that afternoon to alert me that my friends Cleta and Lil were coming by. They didn’t stay long but it was really nice chatting with my quilt class buddies. Since Lil has moved to Florida we don’t see her often. The rain stopped by midafternoon but the chilly weather prompted me to bundle up in several layers of clothing before picking up grandson A. J. and going to the ballgame. It was worth the discomfort when the Lions prevailed with a field goal in the last minute of the game. We had a welcome call from nephew David during breakfast Saturday morning to confirm his visit during Thanksgiving week. Another call came from sister Mary Alice who’s also planning to be home for the holiday. She said it was cold and windy in Iowa and they’d already had two snows. After breakfast we took our recyclables to the collection trailer and visited two houses that needed repairs. Jim made a big pot of beef stew for lunch and we stayed near the heater that afternoon and evening. We caught up on the laundry Saturday and there was leftover stew for lunch on Sunday so we had a leisurely day at home, reading and clipping the coupons from the paper. I did a little work on a craft project and wrote my column that evening, then we watched the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. It was another cold day so we stayed inside where it was warm.
—Susan Holland
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