Thursday, February 24, 2005
SEPTEMBER....1987
We took some extra days over Labor Day week-end and drove back to Bob and Mary’s in Vicksburg….spent the evening and stayed over night…..then left the next morning for New Orleans to spend some time with John, Barbara and LJ. This time we went alone. The trip was too long for mom and with all the sight-seeing which requires a lot of walking, the spicy food and irregular hours we knew she couldn’t go this time. I hated to leave her but I also felt the need to get away for a while and think about something different.
John was taking classes at the seminary and working……..Barb had a job also and LJ was staying part of the day at the seminary nursery. Somehow with all of that to work around, we managed a lot of quality time with all three of them. We did the French Quarter several times, shopped at the malls around, ate at all of the good places we could and watched lots of movies the evenings we were “home.”
Two things happened while we were there. The news reported that one of the cars in a train had blown up about a mile from where John and Barb lived. The danger was, it was carrying hazardous material……and people were being evacuated from the immediate area. Warren had taken John to get a haircut so I was alone at the apartment….I spent most of the afternoon watching the firemen and news media as they reported and defused the danger. Thankfully, the wind blew the fumes in the opposite direction and we were not in harms way.
The second thing being….the Pope was to visit New Orleans the next day. The railroad car burned through the night and was still burning the next day. The city was in wild anticipation of the Pope coming….New Orleans is mostly Catholic and school was let out in hopes the children could see the Pope. It was a once in a lifetime for those of the Catholic faith to see the leader of their church in their city. The Pope, in an effort to accommodate the well-wishers, had speaking engagements all over the city and each place was filled and overflowing.
We drove home on a Sunday and the next day I had to get up and go back to work. I was not very enthused about working but like everyone else….it’s a necessary evil. Coming home from vacation puts your job in perspective….you need to make more money after a vacation. We went to see mom and hear about her week as we told her about ours. She was doing well. I was asked by the nominating committee at church to teach an older class of ladies and I accepted. I enjoyed the older women very much and my message to them was always….. “It ain’t over till it’s over. There is still a lot you can do and just because you are in your golden years….some of you are widowed…..your life can have real and lasting meaning. Stand up and be counted.” Now that I am one of the “golden girls” I am taking my own advice and attempt to live a full and productive life. It’s all just a matter of choice.
This same month, we took a few days and drove up to Shawnee to see George. We were able to see several of my friends who still lived in the area….the neighborhood was changing rapidly with the city taking in more of the outskirts and homes were being built everywhere. Traffic increased as more people moved to the suburbs of Kansas City. Our little neighborhood was taking on a whole new look to the point it was getting harder and harder for me to feel like it was the same place. Each visit took more and more away of the old images.
After our visit with George we loaded the car and headed for Blair to visit uncle Roger and aunt Phyllis. Uncle Roger (Buster) had told us to come up and he’d give us a good deal on a car. He was the manager of a car dealership and had something in mind for us. We went straight to the business to let him know we had arrived and he said Phyllis was waiting for us…….he came at lunch time and Phyllis fixed a great meal. She can whip something up in no time and it looks and tastes great. In the afternoon we went down and traded for a gray Bonneville with all of the extras, the car was a beauty.
Warren spent most of the next day at the garage with Buster while the car was being detailed and ready for release. That evening Buster and I stayed up until 1:00am talking about old times, our families and the fun we remembered. We planned to leave the next morning but they insisted we stay one more day….which we did. When we came home, we went out to see mom and just as we got out of the car, aunt Beulah and Mildred drove up so we all went inside and had a good visit. I called Becky and Jennifer to come out so we could enjoy the time together.
These times are so enjoyable to recall. The mind does funny things over the years. I was blessed with a good memory…..so good….that I only have to think of these things and it seems like yesterday. I guess that’s why us older folks get mixed up as to what is real and what is simply in the past……….
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
John was taking classes at the seminary and working……..Barb had a job also and LJ was staying part of the day at the seminary nursery. Somehow with all of that to work around, we managed a lot of quality time with all three of them. We did the French Quarter several times, shopped at the malls around, ate at all of the good places we could and watched lots of movies the evenings we were “home.”
Two things happened while we were there. The news reported that one of the cars in a train had blown up about a mile from where John and Barb lived. The danger was, it was carrying hazardous material……and people were being evacuated from the immediate area. Warren had taken John to get a haircut so I was alone at the apartment….I spent most of the afternoon watching the firemen and news media as they reported and defused the danger. Thankfully, the wind blew the fumes in the opposite direction and we were not in harms way.
The second thing being….the Pope was to visit New Orleans the next day. The railroad car burned through the night and was still burning the next day. The city was in wild anticipation of the Pope coming….New Orleans is mostly Catholic and school was let out in hopes the children could see the Pope. It was a once in a lifetime for those of the Catholic faith to see the leader of their church in their city. The Pope, in an effort to accommodate the well-wishers, had speaking engagements all over the city and each place was filled and overflowing.
We drove home on a Sunday and the next day I had to get up and go back to work. I was not very enthused about working but like everyone else….it’s a necessary evil. Coming home from vacation puts your job in perspective….you need to make more money after a vacation. We went to see mom and hear about her week as we told her about ours. She was doing well. I was asked by the nominating committee at church to teach an older class of ladies and I accepted. I enjoyed the older women very much and my message to them was always….. “It ain’t over till it’s over. There is still a lot you can do and just because you are in your golden years….some of you are widowed…..your life can have real and lasting meaning. Stand up and be counted.” Now that I am one of the “golden girls” I am taking my own advice and attempt to live a full and productive life. It’s all just a matter of choice.
This same month, we took a few days and drove up to Shawnee to see George. We were able to see several of my friends who still lived in the area….the neighborhood was changing rapidly with the city taking in more of the outskirts and homes were being built everywhere. Traffic increased as more people moved to the suburbs of Kansas City. Our little neighborhood was taking on a whole new look to the point it was getting harder and harder for me to feel like it was the same place. Each visit took more and more away of the old images.
After our visit with George we loaded the car and headed for Blair to visit uncle Roger and aunt Phyllis. Uncle Roger (Buster) had told us to come up and he’d give us a good deal on a car. He was the manager of a car dealership and had something in mind for us. We went straight to the business to let him know we had arrived and he said Phyllis was waiting for us…….he came at lunch time and Phyllis fixed a great meal. She can whip something up in no time and it looks and tastes great. In the afternoon we went down and traded for a gray Bonneville with all of the extras, the car was a beauty.
Warren spent most of the next day at the garage with Buster while the car was being detailed and ready for release. That evening Buster and I stayed up until 1:00am talking about old times, our families and the fun we remembered. We planned to leave the next morning but they insisted we stay one more day….which we did. When we came home, we went out to see mom and just as we got out of the car, aunt Beulah and Mildred drove up so we all went inside and had a good visit. I called Becky and Jennifer to come out so we could enjoy the time together.
These times are so enjoyable to recall. The mind does funny things over the years. I was blessed with a good memory…..so good….that I only have to think of these things and it seems like yesterday. I guess that’s why us older folks get mixed up as to what is real and what is simply in the past……….
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
