Gene and Rose Fowler arrived for a short visit on the 3rd of November. We had lived across the street from each other for a long time and they were like family. Our visits with them were few and far between now that we lived in Willow Springs. Rosalie and I gabbed all afternoon about our crafts and passions. Normally we shared the same but she fell in love with genealogy and that was something I just couldn’t get interested in. I knew quite a bit about my family history and was content with that. Our stitching and crafts bound us together, however.

They stayed over night and after breakfast and a trip to see some local crafts, they were gone. I missed Rose a lot. I was busily getting the house in order when mom and aunt Beulah dropped in. On a spur of the moment visit, aunt Beulah decided to drive up from Arkansas and surprise us. I loved her free spirit and unorthodox life style. When a mood hit her….off she went. If she spied something interesting on the way to “wherever”…she stopped to check it out. With my scheduled life she was always like a breath of fresh air. Miss that woman.

Mid month we had a torrent of rain which flooded half the town and caused power failures and damaged a lot of property. The following night a small twister took the roof off one house and hit a barn on the next road over, then the outdoor theatre. The concession stand was totally ruined. We slept through the whole thing and discovered it on a trip to town the next day.

We had a nice visit to Becky’s in her new home over in Ozark. She had it decorated nicely and was almost finished with her unpacking. I took one of the geese I’d been stuffing for decorative purposes and it looked nice on her hearth. We had a fabulous meal, a good visit with Jennifer and Jonathan and wished them all a happy Thanksgiving, soon to come. They had plans to visit friends and we were going to Barbara’s parents at Vicksburg for a couple of days. Mom and George had arranged to go with us and John and Barb were coming up from New Orleans with little John. It made a good meeting place for all of us to be together.

Our trip down was pleasant. I crocheted all the way and we arrived a little before 6:00pm….everyone was surprised to see George as he was a last minute surprise. Mom always made trips like a trooper….she could ride longer than I could before needing a stretch. Barbara’s sister and husband were there when we arrived and there was a festive air about the whole house. Southerner’s really know how to make you feel welcome and comfortable.

The next couple of days were spent shopping, having Thanksgiving dinner and surprising Bear with a birthday party. We got rid of the guys in the morning and John stayed behind to blow up balloons and help decorate. We also had our Christmas gift exchange at the same time since none of us would be able to be together at Christmas time. It was a wonderful evening….just being together and enjoying the moment. Is there anything more wonderful than dancing eyes, laughter and smiles from dear friends and family members? I just don’t think so.

Mary insisted on packing a lunch for all of us to eat on the road home the next day. She wouldn’t hear of us leaving without something to eat on the way. We had our goodbye hugs and left for home. The balmy southern weather was soon behind us and it became colder the further north we drove. At each rest stop it was noticeably cooler with a raw wind blowing. The roads were dry so we were fortunate in that respect.

Once home, we called back to let everyone know we arrived safely and John called to check in with the same results. George had to leave us the next morning and so our trip was officially over when I reported back to work. Christmas would soon be here and there were still a lot of stitches to make…………..

Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther