Wednesday, July 06, 2005
JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER....1994
July came in hot and dry, just like always. The O.J. Simpson trial was dragging on and was the topic of conversation everywhere. No one I knew thought he was innocent……and the theatrics continued with every news cast. The month passed on with heat and short crews due to vacations. I had an infection in my bronchial tubes which lasted for some time. Lost my voice and felt miserable in general but continued working and keeping up at home. I kept dragging around and finally got rid of “whatever.”
Pete had a heart attack the 22nd of August. He had been playing golf with his son when it happened and was driven to the hospital, then loaded on the helicopter for St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. He underwent an angiogram and angioplasty. He had a clot removed and they discovered scar tissue from the open-heart surgery he had 2-years ago. We spread out the crews to make up the slack with Pete gone for a while.
We went to visit George over Labor Day week-end. We drove up after work on Friday and spent time shopping, eating out and seeing our old friends. One day we drove out to see Powell’s Farm……a beautiful area with plantings of flowers, trees and shrubs. The admission fee went to the care and expansion of the grounds and it was worth every penny. We met Becky’s friend from high-school, DiDi and her family, for pizza at our favorite spot in Shawnee. Always a “must” of the trip.
On a Saturday in September, the 17th, Becky and I were walking and a little gray kitten came charging out of the weeds along the roadside. He was lost, hungry and desperate…..he kept running to keep up with us and got all tangled up in my feet. The neighbor who lives down the hill behind us had a very large dog who was gentle as a lamb, and quite often, walked with us. The kitten wasn’t afraid of the dog at all and Boots, the dog, kept trying to pick the cat up to bring it along. Finally we stopped and Boots gave me a look I’ll never forget…..it plainly said, “Aren’t you going to do something for this poor little kitty?”
It got the best of me and I knew the kitten would be dead by the time we made our return trip. The road we walked on had lots of cars and they all drove too fast on the back road. The kitten had no idea of what a car was and I couldn’t leave it to a fate like that. I picked it up, rubbed noses with it and said, “From now on, I’m your mama.” The little guy seemed to understand and we turned around and came home. Bear and I washed it and cleaned it up…..picked a bunch of fleas off it and gave it some food. On Monday we took him to the Vet for a physical and got his shots and all that. Tuffy is still “my boy” and he is 11-years old now. He’s been a wonderful pet. I seem to be the champion of lost kitty’s…..and so September ended and the rains began again. “Fall” would soon find her way to us…………..
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
Pete had a heart attack the 22nd of August. He had been playing golf with his son when it happened and was driven to the hospital, then loaded on the helicopter for St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. He underwent an angiogram and angioplasty. He had a clot removed and they discovered scar tissue from the open-heart surgery he had 2-years ago. We spread out the crews to make up the slack with Pete gone for a while.
We went to visit George over Labor Day week-end. We drove up after work on Friday and spent time shopping, eating out and seeing our old friends. One day we drove out to see Powell’s Farm……a beautiful area with plantings of flowers, trees and shrubs. The admission fee went to the care and expansion of the grounds and it was worth every penny. We met Becky’s friend from high-school, DiDi and her family, for pizza at our favorite spot in Shawnee. Always a “must” of the trip.
On a Saturday in September, the 17th, Becky and I were walking and a little gray kitten came charging out of the weeds along the roadside. He was lost, hungry and desperate…..he kept running to keep up with us and got all tangled up in my feet. The neighbor who lives down the hill behind us had a very large dog who was gentle as a lamb, and quite often, walked with us. The kitten wasn’t afraid of the dog at all and Boots, the dog, kept trying to pick the cat up to bring it along. Finally we stopped and Boots gave me a look I’ll never forget…..it plainly said, “Aren’t you going to do something for this poor little kitty?”
It got the best of me and I knew the kitten would be dead by the time we made our return trip. The road we walked on had lots of cars and they all drove too fast on the back road. The kitten had no idea of what a car was and I couldn’t leave it to a fate like that. I picked it up, rubbed noses with it and said, “From now on, I’m your mama.” The little guy seemed to understand and we turned around and came home. Bear and I washed it and cleaned it up…..picked a bunch of fleas off it and gave it some food. On Monday we took him to the Vet for a physical and got his shots and all that. Tuffy is still “my boy” and he is 11-years old now. He’s been a wonderful pet. I seem to be the champion of lost kitty’s…..and so September ended and the rains began again. “Fall” would soon find her way to us…………..
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
