How To Celebrate The Big 60 Part 1

OK, 60, by anyone's standards is getting right on up there in the age brackets. You begin looking in the mirror and seeing your mother staring back at you!! So how do you actually celebrate this birthday?? Well, part 1 happened today...just two days before my birthday.

We made my birthday trip from Monticello to St. Petersburg for the big football games.. Yes, Rusty and Flip played their final football game of the season. We missed our two biggest cheerleaders, Ruthie and Ellie, but we added their great grandmother, AKA TuTu, as a very qualified cheerleader!! After all, she raised three boys and attended baseball, soccer, and swimming meets...then had four boy grandkids, attending the same. She commented that this was fun, because "We didn't have football back in our day!"

We will start with Flip's game. Here he is with Matthew Stofer, discussing the strategies of the game..Hey, let's run fast and score more than the other team!! I think we get medals for this one!

Here are some of the action shots for the game...Flip pulled two flags and ran for a long gain. He had a great day, and enjoyed the cool weather. Though his team came up a few points short, they played with "determination" and did pick up some medals for their outstanding play!

Next, we move to the Rustmeister's game.

This weekend, the results were reversed. Where Flip picked up a couple of quarters from Grandpa, Rusty almost broke the bank. With blazing speed and dogged determination, Rusty rushed the quarterback, chased down the running backs, and showed excellent speed on the offense. His team won the game, and Rusty walked away with 7 quarters!!!! I know, and so does Adam, that there WERE sparks coming off those shoes , at one point!!

Yes, this was a great start to my birthday celebration. I even chased the two of them down for a big hug!

Dean's mom and I left the game to meet up with good buddies and newly retired, Elaine, Janet, and Charlotte, to wander around the Dunedin Art Festival. It was a beautiful afternoon, filled with great talk, great art, and great Kettle Korn. I do believe Mom enjoyed that the most!!

Turning 60 is a lot more painful than 30, but surrounded by loving friends and family, makes the journey easier. So, thank you my dear friends and loving family for making 60, Part 1 a little easier.

Fall on Lake Burton

Dean's mom has a birthday today, the 24th of October..she will be a beautiful 89. It has been 10 years since she could celebrate her birthday on Lake Burton. As soon as we arrived, all of us breathed in the crisp fall air and settled back to watch the leaves begin turning bright yellow, deep crimson and orange.

Baxter, who had been a howling "basket case" in the motel, settled right down and enjoyed his stay at the lake, and his ride on "Evie's Porch".

 Isn't my coat just precious?? Thanks MOM!!

Yes, we had to bundle up for our boat ride, but it was worth the effort. As usual Evie's Boat Tour was a huge success, as we checked out the latest construction projects, and gave thumbs up or thumbs down to the newest creative endeavors. We don't quite understand the lighthouse or turret or observation tower on the newest house...but someone with a bunch of money must have liked the idea.

We still like coming back to the Jerger place. Just hope that the generations to follow will appreciate having this beautiful place to come. Though Lake Burton is 95% Georgia Power Leased property, Dean's Mom and Dad purchased their 3 lots from long time resident Knox Bynum. With their foresight, and Dad's love of a challenge, our family will never have to worry about leases...Up Yonder will belong to the family as long as we wish to have it. After 40+ years, it still looks great and is such a peaceful place to come.

Ruthie's Gymnastics...The Beginning Chapters

Wow! were we ever impressed on Sunday. Ruthie was participating in only her second competitive gymnastics meet. For those of you who know, she is a Level 4 in experience, and so much higher in perseverance, dedication, and drive.

Her team is  "beautifully" outfitted in TuTu's (Ruthie's great grandmother, Evelyn, from whom she received her first name.) favorite color...PURPLE!!

They began their rotation at the bars, where Ruthie twisted and flipped and muscled her way into the number one position. It was a great start to the meet.

Then, they moved to the beam..I still have no comprehension of the courage it takes to spin, hop, and do handstands on that teeny little board, high above the ground. But, Ruthie did it and with style and grace.

Thirdly, the girls approached the floor exercises. Everyone does the same routine, to the same  music. So, by the time Ruthie got there, we kinda knew what to look out for. Though she fell short of the perfect 10, which I was awarding on every event, the judges rewarded her with the highest score of her age group. 9.375. I think if they would just review the tape, they would see it was really a 10! Again, Ruthie took top honor for that rotation.

Finally, she made her way to the vault, and again did a magnificent job on that apparatus, as well!

Then, Adam and Lori led us off to the rewards room, where all the "hardware" was presented to the highest scoring level 4's according to ages. Ruthie walked away with the two first places (Bars and Floor) plus a 7th in the vault. This propelled Ruthie into the #1 Overall gymnast in her age group! She got medals and a plaque, and she helped her team finish in 3rd place!

I don't know how, but she was able to muster up a smile and didn't seem the least bit winded by this unbelievable day of competition. I personally was exhausted, and had to rest my back after WATCHING the warm ups!

Way to go Miss Ruthie!!

Are You Ready For Some Football?

NFL?? No, it is not our favorite football league. NCAA?? This year, with FSU playing so poorly, again, not our favorite football league. Club Sports Kids?? YES...with two superstar grandsons playing, by far, our favorite football league.


Dean, Baxter and I headed for the  fields, for an exciting morning of flag football. Rusty and Flip provided two hours of thrilling, hard "non" hitting action that any fan of  the gridiron would have loved! Their fans went WILD!!

First it was Flip's team..Flip played with reckless abandon..grabbing flags right and left, running for a touchdown (which was called back due to the erroneous ref's call that he stepped out of bounds), and chewing his mouthpiece into submission. When it was all over, his team had won, and Flip had garnered 5 quarters from Grandpa, based on the 4 flags pulled and the "touchdown", and he was awarded with the "MPE". That is how Flip explains the, perhaps more commonly used, MVP of the game.

 

Next, it was the big "Rust". His team had yet to win a game. Today, Rusty helped his teammates change that outcome completely. Rusty, as usual, was the thorn in the opposing quarterback's side, as his blinding speed provided little time for picking out receivers. Rusty pulled 3 flags and had a great day on offense, rushing for a key first down! At the end, his team counted their first win, and Rusty garnered 4 quarters from his Grandpa!

We had a great time watching the boys play and playing with the girls. Baxter is still taking a nap after all the walks he took with Ellie and Ruthie.

 

United Way

Yes! This handsome United Way volunteer is none other than, Dean Jerger. Dean is the co-chair of the United Way campaign in Jefferson County. He and Nan Baughman begin this month, visiting or calling businesses in the area, schools, and others to contribute to this worthy organization. The two of them are spearheading this fundraising for the third or fourth year.

When I was an employee of Pinellas County Schools, I resented the fact that the county first took money (not much) for United Way. Finally, I opened my eyes to the kids in my classes who actually benefitted, in some way, from the United Way organizations. Then, I quit griping, and actually increased the nominal contribution. In a large county, like Pinellas, it is so easy to raise the big bucks!

Since we moved to Jefferson County, we have come to understand, not only the unmet needs of a small county, but also the fact, that the good folks and businesses get "tapped" time and time again for so many causes. The most fascinating thing to me is that these folks just keep giving and giving and giving. Even in these tough financial times, they understand that the needy keep getting needier, and that joining their small contributions can make a difference to the organizations in the county that serve those folks.

Jefferson, along with Madison County, are a couple of the smaller counties in the Big Bend area. So, United Way, up here, is called United Way of the Big Bend. The larger county, Leon, is able to raise money much like Pinellas, so the "Big Bend" shares a little of that wealth with the smaller counties. Our county raised $50,000 last year, but distributed over $70,000. Again, I see the generosity of people helping people...

Yes, I know, there are administrative costs in the United Way. In the Big Bend it is 17.5%. As you can see, the "little guys" do not pay any of that percentage,technically, as they distribute more than they raise. Without the organization, I believe many of the needs in a smaller county would continually go unmet.

So, thanks to Dean and Nan, for all the hard work they do for, as you can imagine, many, many causes in Jefferson County. And thanks for Jefferson County residents for "Living United".

Angels again

OK, Mim reminded me that I had not mentioned another angel who would probably be attending the gymnastics meet, our Lillie. She was definitely there; she's always looking after "her girls". I thought this would be a good time to introduce you to Lillie Walker, who next to our parents, taught us Hall girls many valuable life lessons.

We moved to Eustis when I was 3 years old, and Mama was very pregnant with Miriam. We moved into a house right next door to Dr. Debo, who became our family doctor and introduced Lillie into our lives. She was, for lack of a better word, our "Nanny". Mama carried Miriam into the 11th month of her pregnancy, and Lillie took care of Margaret and me, and then later, Miriam, when Mama returned to help Daddy with the nursery business.

Lillie was "colored"...she insisted on that term, even when the world became "enlightened", and the "word" became black. "It took me a long time to not be a "N....." and be "colored", I don't need no more changes." Lillie was born on a plantation in Tallahassee, and was never formally educated. But that lady knew that a "N....." was not just black, she used that term on black and white folks alike. Anyone that received one of her notes, though the spelling was not up to par, valued it for the love it contained.

Some lessons:
1. When you go out to pick your "switch", there are some decisions to be made...the little skinny ones, stung like the dickens, but the big ones could leave a lingering pain..maybe 30 seconds or so. Funny, I cannot remember the "switchin", but I DO remember the decision making on the "switch".
2. If you get an invitation to a party, and you weren't invited, at first, but only after the other little girl couldn't make it...you do not go. "You are nobody's second choice."
3. When a restaurant makes one of the family eat in the kitchen, you better believe that the younger members of the family cannot understand the "prejudices" and "rules" of the day. You might just lose a customer, or worse still, have to deal with a screamin' youngun', who is completely dependent on that wet dishrag that Lillie so lovingly supplied after every meal. Nope....even the whitest, fanciest, cloth napkin could not replace the love from her hands.
4. Santa Claus will NOT come while you are still awake!

Lillie, along with Mama and Daddy, taught us all so much, during times that prejudice and hatred ran rampant. There were separate drinking fountains, racist sheriffs, back doors and separate waiting areas for the doctors' offices, "invitations" from the KKK, ad nauseum, ad nauseum.....

We three Hall girls grew up learning respect and love for our Lord and our fellow men and women, regardless of race, or any other labeling system, the world threw out. We were "poor" in material things, but rich in love; no one was "better" than us AND we were "better" than no one else; nothing was more important than giving and receiving love..... just check your selfish, ornery, attitudes at the front door OR be ready to "Pick out your switch"!

Angels Part 3

I am going to end my "angel" series talking about one of Dean's and my earthly angels. We have 4, you know, Ruthie, Rusty, Philip Dean"Flip", and Ellie, our grandchildren. We share these "grand" angels with Gwen and Joe, and Phil and Susan. I also want to share a little something about 3 angels from above.

This weekend, Ruthie competes in her very first competitive gymnastics meet. We got a sneak peek this weekend, as she showed some "moves" on the front yard. When she set that jaw and pushed those lips tightly together...I could see Adam standing up at the plate, getting ready for the pitch. Thankfully, when she began her routine, I could see Lori's beauty and grace. Don't get me wrong...anyone who has seen Adam's Olympic "dismount" will say "it is a thing of beauty " :)

So after years of hard work and practice and the recent recovery from a stress fracture...our little earthly angel is taking center stage.

Now, here is my take on our angels above. I believe that God lets them take a break every once in awhile and lets them take in an earthly show..Well, I know at least three that will be taking a jaunt over to Daytona for a beginning gymnastics meet.

First, my mama, Grandma Frances Hall, who left us 13 years ago in October. I believe her "steady" job is protecting the travelers... she did that while she was on the earth...she wanted to know whenever we were on the road or in the air...so she could concentrate her prayers at that particular time. I believe her most noted success was getting Adam all the way from Auburn to Eustis, by himself, in the dark!!

Next, two years later in May, we said goodbye to Uncle Rusty. I believe his "steady" job is being able to speedily and with great strength, get to the emergency situations and cushion the blows. I know that an angel was there to cushion Flip's fall from the front stoop; and one was there to guard Ruthie on the seawall until Lori could get there...A couple of Rusty's assignments?

And lastly, Dean's dad, PaPa. His steady job has got to be flying with those pilots in Iraq, Afghanistan, and anywhere else that young men are in the air facing great peril... He literally has his own "wings", and doesn't have to worry about anymore crash landings! Dad left us two years ago, this weekend. Coincidence?? No, I don't believe so...10 years ago, December, after heart surgery, he made his way from the floor above to hold his new great-granddaughter, Ruthie. So, this weekend, he will "pilot" the others coming from above, to watch one of their earthly angels "strut her stuff"!!

So, do angels get to sometimes call their own assignments?? Does God let them come back and visit and cheer at a gymnastics meet?? Did our God create this entire cosmos?? Did he hang the stars?? Does He love us that much?? I know what I believe...