What a Time to be Alive

What a Time to be Alive!!!

Two years ago I swore that I would be more diligent about posting to my blog.  I think that's important because there are people that may like to know what one person's life was like.  I have always regretted that I didn't think about (or consider important) what my grandparent's generation experienced and what they felt about their lives and their experiences.  Perhaps, my own grandchildren will want to know how my life unfolded for a time, and I can leave them a record for when I am gone.  Truly, young people think things have always been as they are now.

So, to catch you up:  I last posted in April of 2018.  My oldest granddaughter was just graduating from high school and had just been admitted to UNC for the 2018-2019 school year.  Katie (19) remains enrolled at UNC and is an excellent student.  She has been admitted to the business school (a difficult feat) and we remain proud of her.  Her siblings are in high school.  Reni (17) will graduate this year and JJ (15) is in the 10th grade.  They are Jon's children and live in Charlotte, NC.  Adam's children, Gracen (14) and Avery (12) are in 9th and 7th grades respectively.  They live in Austin , TX, though they spend considerable time in Pagosa Springs, CO where Adam and Shanna have a second home.  They have spent considerable time there during the current Covid-19 epidemic. You will see pics of all these precious people as this blog progresses.

Jim and I still live in the hills of western North Carolina.  We have lived here full time for 11 years.  We have not regretted our move a single time!  We stay busy keeping up 53 acres, keeping bees (yes,  we still do that), and growing and preserving some of our food.  

When I worked in public education, I had the best job ever where I was a teacher evaluator for the North Carolina Career Development Program.  I worked in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, of course, and there were maybe 50 of us at the program's largest and we came and went, so not all of us knew each other.   As you can imagine, we were not the most popular people that crossed the paths of the system's teachers, so we learned to depend on and support each other.  Career Development ended in the late 90's, I think, and we all went our separate ways.  One of our number, Sam Sipes, decided that a reunion was in order and she planned and held it at her home on beautiful Lake Norman.  Not as many people came as any of us wished, but those of us who were there had a wonderful time!  How nice to see people with whom we shared a common experience.  We ate, and laughed, and cried, and shared life's experiences since being Observers.  How much fun!  This picture is of the group that attended.

As I mentioned previously, oldest granddaughter Katie, graduated from high school in the spring of 2018.  Of course, that is a time of great celebration in any family, no less ours.  It was such a celebration with our family and our daughter-in-law's family.

The Riggsbees: Patti, Reni, Jim, Lynn, Katie, JJ, Jon

The Star!!!

And not to leave out the other group in the family, this photo was taken on the occassion of the wedding of Shanna's (my other daughter-in-law) brother in Colorado in the summer of 2018.

The other Riggsbees:  Avery, Shanna, Adam, Gracen

After a last restful summer, Katie headed off to college at UNC-CH.  It was a family affair and they commemorated it with this picture taken at The Old Well in Chapel Hill.

Jon, Reni, Katie, JJ, Patti

I love to have guests and try to keep up with friends old and new by inviting them to spend some time at my home.  This particular group was interesting.  It's members included a high school classmate (Kaye) who is the mother-in-law of the child of a CMS colleague (Susan), and a college classmate  (Paula).  We spent a wonderful weekend together playing bridge and being "girls".  Jim waited on us while we played and has now become the designated "butt boy" of the group.

Front:  Susan, Paula  Rear:  Kaye, Lynn

Since our mother died, my siblings and I have made every effort to remain connected by visiting in each other's homes from time to time.  In the summer of 2018, my sisters and I joined our brother and his wife at Lake Tillery for a weekend of family connection and fun on the lake.  This picture is of my brother, Charlie, while we were on his boat on a Saturday afternoon.  When Mama was in the assisted living facility, all of us participated in her care.  Judy and Charlie, who both lived nearby did the most and Mary and I visited regularly to do our share.  As our mother liked wine and had some difficulty using it in measured quantities, Charlie was the one who usually delivered her daily allotment.  He was extraordinarily devoted to both our parents as they aged.  We love him very much!

Our brother, Charlie Nichols

For many years, we have hosted our college friends at our home in October of each year.  2018 was no exception.  It is always fun to catch up.  We laugh because we used to talk of substantive things, but now we talk about our illnesses!!  This picture of of the group in the fall of 2018..

Classmates:
Front: Marti Shope, Ruby Lynch, Lynn
Rear:  Jim, Bob Blaylock, David Shope, Penny Baldridge

Each December, Jim and I try to go to Texas to see our granddaughters perform in "The Nutcracker"..  They belong to a performing group that does this performance every year.  As their ballet skills improve they get parts which are more difficult.  It is always a wonder to watch their supple little bodies.  These pics make my legs hurt!!

Gracen

Avery

On the same trip that we made to see "The Nutcracker", we visited the George H. W, Bush Presidential Museum.  It was a marvelous experience that occurred almost immediately after his death.  Wandering around the museum and the grounds lent somber respect to the office.  Even in these tumultuous times, the awesome responsibility that falls to the holder of that office is unmatched by anything else in the world.  We have plans to visit as many of the Presidential Libraries as we can (if Covid-19 ever lets up!)

The George H. W. Bush Presidential Library

I love the Christmas season!  I always decorate my house, whether or not anyone is coming.  Sometimes, we spend the holiday alone, sometimes we celebrate with friends or family.  In 2018 and in 2019, we spend the holiday with family.  In 2018 we went to Charlotte and spent time with Jon and his family, including Patti's family.  It was so much fun.  On Christmas Eve, we all went our to dinner and had a funny little gift exchange.  I laughed and laughed!  Patti's family is, shall I say, exuberant and there is always love and laughter when one is around them.

Jim and The Mad Hatter

The Riggsbees, the O'Connors, and the Girouxs

MiMi and the Grands, Reni, JJ,and Katie

Christmas 2019 was spent at our house with all the family in attendance.  Adam and his family came from Texas, and Jon and his family came from Charlotte.  It was such fun!!  Even though I swore that I was not going to decorate so much, I did anyway, even resorting to buying some new decorations that I certainly did not need, but that added so much to the festivity of the occassion. As the grandchildren get older and get their own lives, it is harder and harder to get together with everybody.  That makes the times we do have all the more special.

The girls:  Shanna, Lynn, Patti

The boys:  Adam, Jim, Jon

 Gracen, Katie, JJ, Avery, Reni
Jim and Lynn
Jasper

Right after Christmas 2018, I went to Colorado to visit Adam and his family at their home in Pagosa Springs.  Colorado is cold and snowy in late December and January.  Adam and his family are outdoor enthusiasts so we hiked and snowshoed and skied.  They do cross country skiing, an activity in which I did not participate.  I did snowshoe, soak in the warm springs from which Pagosa Springs gets its name, and even made an ugly snowman.  It was great fun, only marred by a head-on accident in which Adam's truck was totaled.  No one was injured, though I did lose a hearing aid!  It was such fun!!!  I want to go there in the summer, but I'm going to have to quit keeping bees to do that!!

MiMi, the Snowbunny!

Shanna and Lynn

Adam and Mom

MiMi and the girls, Gracen and Avery

The Ugly Snowman

In the springs:  Gracen, Adam, Avery, Shanna

Three years ago we adopted Jasper, a Plott hound mix who was about 3 1/2 years old and who had spent a great portion of his life incarcerated in one shelter or another.  He was, and is, an extraordinarily sweet dog.  He barks and growls sometimes, but it's usually when he's asleep.  Once in a great while he will bark at a delivery person or at a repair person.  The UPS guy has gotten so he brings dog biscuits.  He's Jasper's best friend!  He's big, weighing in a 80 pounds and certainly looks more ferocious than he is.  Certainly not an alpha dog, I doubt if we could depend on him for protection!!  This picture epitomizes his personality.

No caption needed

Occasionally, we take weekend trips with our friends.  In May 2019 we journeyed to Beaufort, SC to see the Blue Angels with our friends Jarleth and Jim.  It was a wonderful weekend, and one that we were certainly unable to duplicate this spring!  Beaufort is a beautiful seaside town in coastal South Carolina and has a rich history.  We love Jarleth and Jim.  Unfortunately, Jim's health has taken a turn and travel is much harder for him.  We are looking forward to a short visit with them next weekend when they come up for a few days.  It is easy to socially distance here, so everybody feels safe.

Jarleth, Jim and Jim

Our only grandson's middle school graudation and church confirmation were causes for celebration in the spring of 2019.  Once again, these events are an affirmation of love and family and we all had fun, though the ocassions themselves were solemn and meaningful.

MiMi, JJ, PapaJim

Reni, Jon, JJ, Jim, Lynn, Katie

Friends continue to be important to us and in the fall of 2019 we went to Hilton Head with our friends Jaime and Mike.  It was a peaceful few days in a lovely spot and the company ws perfect!! Mike has also had some health issues, but is on the road to recovery (we hope) and we look forward to seeing them sometime before too long .

The sun rises over Hilton Head

Mike and Jaime

And, guess what?  it's time for The Big Chill again.  In 2019, a couple who almost always comes, but who missed 2018, is once again in attendance.  For the first time, we made it a weekend event with our friends arriving on Friday and staying until Sunday.  Everybody brought contributions to the larder and took turns cooking.  That's a good thing because I could never have done it all myself!!!

Left to right:  Penny and John Baldridge, Claudia and Bob Blaylock, Marti and David Shope,
Ruby Lynch
Jane and Ken Teasley, Lynn and Jim

And it's Thanksgiving on again. This year my siblings and I decided to have Thanksgiving Dinner at my youngest sister's house.  She lives in the house that Mama and Daddy made a home for us and this holiday was to honor and remember them.  Of course, the food was good, what TG food isn't?  But Mary, my youngest sister, is exuberant and creative and she had games and dress-up clothes for everybody to play with.  All of us were a little silly!!  Such fun!

MiMi and PapaJim with Reni, JJ, and Katie

The siblings:  Charlie, Mary, Judy, Lynn

And then, Covid hit.  Jim and I did like most older people (notice I did not say "elderly") and mostly stayed in, choosing our destinations and times carefully.  Up here in the mountains, we do not have delivery service from anywhere, so grocery shopping was a must.  We took to getting up very early and leaving home around 6:00 a.m. to travel an hour to Waynesville to visit our favorite groceries (Publix and Ingles).  We'd get to Publix when the store opened, each of us with a list.  We separated, purchased the items on our list and met at the cash registers.  We were usually out in about 20 minutes.  Then we went across the street to Ingles and did the same thing.  We were always done by 8:00, so we went to the drive-thru at McDonald's for breakfast and headed home.  We arrived home no later than 9:00.  Now that things have loosened up we still get up early to shop, but also go at other times, taking care to wear masks and socially distance.  We have stayed well.  We finally saw Jon and his family sometime in early July when we went to Charlotte for a doctor appointment for Jim.  We all sat in the garage, 6 feet apart, and gave virtual hugs and kisses.  Charlotte is a hot spot, so we didn't stay there except long enough to go to the doctor.  The young Riggsbees were going to come up here for a few days, but Katie had a Covid scare when her roommate and her boyfriend tested positive for Covid.  Katie tested negative, but came home and I think all of them are being careful.  I doubt if we will see them, but I am going to take Patti some pickles at the end of the week when I go to have a tooth extraction.  At some point we're going to have to move everything up here.  I have a primary care doctor and a GYN up here and Jim has just today found an orthopedist for his knee.  A periodontist, a regular dentist, and an eye doctor are next on the list.

On that same trip, we went from Charlotte to Greensboro and celebrated my high school best friend's birthday with a very small gathering and, the next day, had lunch with all my siblings and some other family members.

The siblings:  Mary, Judy, Lynn, Charlie

But even Covid does not stop birthdays!  On July 21st I turned 74 years old.  I did not want to keep bees, pick and can beans, make pickles, or work in the garden.  So Jim took me on a day trip. we have this book of backroads tours of western North Carolina and we took one of them.  It had scenic views, wild and turbulent waters, and quaint towns.  It was a wonderful day.  We're going to take another trip as soon as we can get the honey harvested in a couple of weeks.

The Route

The Husband

The Birthday Girl

While talking to a friend the other day, she asked me why I worked so hard.  After all, don't I deserve a little rest?  I made some smart answer , but today while I was picking beans, I thought about that.  I work because I can.  I am active and healthy and see no reason to spend my day sitting.  I work because I don't sit well.  I work because I like being productive.  And I work so that I don't obsess with all the things that are wrong in this country right now, and about which I can do nothing.  I am neither oblivious to them; nor am I without opinion.   I've thought about the diversity of opinions about our government, about the state of our society, and about the variety of experiences within that society.  I believe that each person with an opinion is convinced that he has the moral high ground.  It is important to most of us to believe that we are good people, so our opinions have to appear moral and just if only to ourselves.  I have not had the same life experiences as you have, so my perspective is different than yours.  We should be able to explore our differences and come to some workable option.  The problem with violence, either physical or verbal, (and that violence is not limited to just one side) is that it cuts off dialogue.  The destruction of property (regardless of who it belongs to) adds another dimension to the problem and people that are aggrieved will demonize the perpetrators (who think they have the moral high ground).  See the conundrum?  When I was younger, I was somewhat of a rounder.  I would argue with anybody with whom I did not agree, thinking that if I was indignant enough they would see that I was right.  They didn't and I solved very few problems.  Age has mellowed me and I have learned to keep my mouth shut.  If I do that, the other person can spend their anger and then we can reach a resolution.  That is not happening in many places in this country.  We are all Americans and losing our country is a real possibility with the forces of Marxism and Socialism and anarchy moving against it.  No outside force is strong enough to take us down, but we can be destroyed from within.  A house divided cannot stand.  We have to shut up, trust each other, and work together for the common good.

Hopefully it won't be another two years before I blog again.  In the meantime, stay well and be happy!