Outlook

Well...(that’s always a deep subject for the beginning of a news column; but, I’ll proceed from there) and I will tell you about a most frustrating Monday evening I had when I was trying to organize my thoughts in order to write this column. For some reason, I decided to work on my alarm clock which has been hard to wind up and even harder to pull out the little dingies in the back which enable me to set the alarm and wind up the “gears.”

I thought this would take only a few minutes at the most; but, I also thought that I should get the whole mechanism out of the clock’s exterior cover. (I wanted to put some WD-40 on the “wind-up” knobs on the backside.) Well, as usual, this wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I pried off every one of those wind-up levers and took the front and back cover off of the clock mechanism. Then, I sprayed the WD-40 oil where-ever I thought it might help to make the “wind-up” gears easier to turn. And, then I had to put it all back together. Did all that effort do anything to make it easier to wind and set the clock? Maybe...but I don’t know if it was worth the effort. If Wal-Mart still stocks “Big Ben” wind-up clocks, I will probably buy a new one. I have no idea how old my Big Ben clock may be. (Not as old as I am; but, it’s several years old.)

This past Saturday was enjoyable for the ladies of my Sunday School class as we met for a late breakfast at McDonald’s. We always have such a good time as we relax and drink extra cups of coffee while we keep on chatting for a spell.

Later on Saturday, I picked up my sweet friend, Mrs. Lola Porter and drove her to the Beauty Doctors to get her hair done up in a pretty style. We went on to Wal-Mart from there and did a bit of shopping for some necessities. I stayed on at her house and visited a while after we had returned there.

Sunday School and worship services were good at Woodlawn Baptist Church this past Sunday. We always have some lively discussion during our study hour and the choir specials, children’s church and our pastor’s message make our worship time memorable in the morning and evening services. (My son, Kirby, was the speaker for “Children’s Church” which is a feature of the regular worship hour each Sunday morning.} He had all of us just about hanging on the edge of our pews as he described a recent incident in which he almost got buried in a quantity of mud on a pipeline job where he was working as an inspector. I didn’t really feel quite up to par that day so I didn’t join the “lunch bunch” for the Sunday eat-out time. (I just “played mouse” and went to my house and ate a snack there.)

You may recall that Kirby and his wife, Linda, have had her Minnesota relatives visiting them all this past week. But, they headed out to Florida Sunday morning and I know they are hoping the weather will be warmer there. Of course, they are used to snow being on the ground in Minnesota pretty well through the winter and into early spring. (I remember one winter many years ago when the snow had been extra heavy and it got so deep and packed down around Linda’s grandmother’s house that the mailman just walked over the roof of her house instead of going around it to get to the next house.) That’s way too much snow for me...

but, I just heard a forecast on this Tuesday morning in which possible snow is predicted for the next day or so.

A CHUCKLE: After cashing a check at the bank, the lady in front of me just stood there staring at her money.

“Did I give you enough money back?” the teller asked. “Yes,” the lady said. “But just barely.”

I had an enjoyable outing one day this past week as I accompanied my sweet friend, Mrs. Lola Porter as she went to the Beauty Doctors place to get her hair washed and set. I just waited and watched the various operators as they performed their “magic” on the hair of their customers. Lola and I went on from there to do a bit of grocery shopping prior to our return to her home where I stayed on to visit a while longer and enjoy a cup of Lola’s good coffee.

The Monday night meeting of the area senior adult group, Saints Alive, was good and well attended at Rayville First Baptist Church. The supper menu featured a pasta meal with good spaghetti and meat sauce along with bread sticks, green salad and cake for dessert.

Entertainment was furnished by a charming couple, Reyland & Kim Trisler, who sang a variety of songs - hymns and gospel numbers. Kim designated the audience into two groups and had them “compete” in singing some well-known gospel songs. Reyland & Kim are a charming couple and they really did a great job in singing and leading the audience into the participation.

CHUCKLE #2 - The lady was being admitted to the hospital prior to a surgical procedure and the office clerk asked for her wrist, saying, “I’m going to give you a bracelet.”

“Does it have rubies and diamonds?” the patient asked coyly.

“No,” the clerk said. “But it costs just as much.”

Being a proud grandmother, I must mention that my only great-granddaughter, Miss Abby Wiggins had a birthday this month - February 23 and she is now sweet sixteen. I can hardly believe how the years have flown by. It seems only a few years ago when she was born and came to grace our lives with joy and pride. Of course, her parents and grandparents also kind of think that Abby is pretty special. And, she really is!!! I will vouch for that! And, we all wish Abby many more happy birthdays.....

And, even while life goes on for most folks, others are called to their heavenly home. Our community paid final respect to Mrs. Ida Mae Stuckey this past week as she departed this life here on earth. As I watched the filmed sequences of Ida’s life at the funeral home, I recalled visiting with Ida and her next door neighbor, Ethel Hazlewood during the several years in which they shared the duplex apartment building on Pine Street. They didn’t have to phone each other every time they wanted to communicate a message - sometimes they just knocked on the wall between their duplex apartments. I know Ida really missed Ethel so very much after she moved to Colonial Manor sometime ago. (Ida had a long hospital stay sometime last year and she went to Colonial Manor for a while afterward; but, she wanted to go back her apartment and stay as long as possible.

I always enjoyed visiting with Ida, especially after I learned that she and I shared the same birthplace location - Plain Dealing, LA. I think she and her folks had already moved from there by the time I was born; but I still felt a closeness to her because we were both born in the same area. And, I loved to hear her tell of the years when she was a cook on the riverboats all over many of the great lakes and waterways of our country. Ida was truly a remarkable lady and one who will be sadly missed by a large and loving family and many, many friends. May God’s great love and peace be sufficient to comfort and sustain all those who grieve over the death of this dear friend and loved one.

And, early this Tuesday morning, I received word of the death of a former Rayville resident and member of. Woodlawn Baptist Church, Mrs. Ann Boone. Oh, my, my....I have shared many hours with this special lady as we worked together in Woman’s Missionary Union projects and traveled to various WMU meetings over a long period of years. She also taught the older Ladies Sunday School Class at Woodlawn BC for many years. Ann has been a resident of St. Joseph’s Nursing Home in Monroe for sometime - I don’t recall just how long and I haven’t gotten to visit her in a good while. Longtime residents here will recall that Ann’s husband, Jim Boone served as our local Postmaster for several years until his rather sudden, unexpected death many years ago now. Ann and Jim both were “salt of the earth” folks - the kind you enjoy knowing. I just thank the Lord for the privilege of knowing both of them and claiming them as dear, special friends. May God’s great peace and love be sufficient to sustain all those who grieve the passing of Mrs. Ann Boone, a very special lady and my longtime friend and companion.

Birthdays are coming up soon for: Rev. Joe Senn, Caleb Sansbury, Scott Harris, Sarah Lyle and Rebecca Williamson on 2/25; LaVerna Parrish on 2/27; Ashley McCowin on 2/28; Nelda Sue Hagood on 3/1; Sarah Thomason, Nora Brooks, Lara King and Kirk Williams on 3/2 and for Donna Jordan and Karen D. Darling on 3/3. May all of these good folks enjoy a special celebration of their natal day and we wish them many, many more.....

And, that will bring this edition of the Outlook to a close. Did it contain any of your happenings or other family news? I appreciate all those who share family happenings in this column. Friends and neighbors like to read about what others are doing, so this column is one way to share and be neighborly. So. keep that in mind from day to day or week to week. Be sociable and let me know about it. You know how to reach me....

PARTING THOUGHT: There is a time in the life of every problem when it is big enough to see, yet small enough to solve.