Gettin' Used To

Hey, Y'all,
Well, I had lunch today with Carol at Mooyah's, which is a hamburger/fries place, and was fun getting out and about. I drove with Carol directing me, and learned a little bit more about my living area. I have met some more neighbors, who are going to be living next door and seem to be a really nice couple, whose children are all grown and out of house. They bought the house that was up for sale at the same time mine was.

I have been ankle deep in paperwork today, trying to make sense of all the changes taking place, and it seems to be coming together, hopefully before I come apart (ha ha) just kidding. Carol has helped with a great deal of it all, and is still giving assistance. Most of it has happened due to the passing of my Sweetie Pie, complicated, of course, by the new address.

I have learned where the nearest post office is, and also most of the places to shop (very important, you know), but haven't been to many of them yet. New decor provides needs for shopping, along with groceries as I need them. There is still a lot of unpacking to do, which I will pursue on the morrow. I am here at Carol's right now, using her computer to pay bills and blog. Yeah!

It will be next week sometime before I get my own computer set up, but as long as I can use this one here, that works for me.

Well, not much else to say today. I did get to try out my new dishwasher this morning and it seems to be doing okay. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for now. Much love to each of you, my friends and family out there in Blogland. Bye for now. More later.

Birthday Celebration

Hey, Y'all,
We had a really nice birthday celebration last evening for granddaughter, Emily, who turned twenty-three. Her sister-in-law, Amy (Matt's wife) had baked a beautiful birthday cake, which was delicious. She had decorated it with a watch and a wedding ring, meaning it is almost time for Emily to be married. Emily and Ben will be tying the knot on September 11th, which is the birthday of Emily's niece, (Andrew and Julia's oldest daughter) and Carol's granddaughter, and my great granddaughter.

Pictures above: Top: Matt holding niece, Alyssa
second: Julia (Brooke's and Alyssa's Mom), Brooke, Amy (Matt's wife)
third: Julia, Brooke, and Amy
fourth: Cake
fifth: Emily and the cake
sixth: Katie (former college room mate and friend of Emily), Emily, Ben (Emily's fiance) holding Alyssa
seventh: Alyssa enjoying some of Aunt Emily's birthday cake.

You will notice that I am not in any of the pics because I was the one behind the camera. Ha.

This morning it was nearly seven o-clock when I awakened, and I was feeling rough. The two previous nights I had gotten very little sleep, and was catching up. I immediately went back to bed and had another two hours sleep. It was wonderful! I really needed that rest.

Today was a very quiet day for me. I did some more unpacking, and came across some of Gramps items that he carried every day in his pockets: his pocket knife, his folding scissors, (both were wrapped in a handkerchief, the way he always did them when he took them out of his pockets at night. I have yet to go through the rest of his belongings. Most of the clothing will be donated to the kidney foundation collection, except for some of it which may be given to grandchildren or children if they so choose.

There is still a lot of paperwork to go through and finish up, along with a lot of boxes left to unpack that have stuff that needs to be arranged and put away.

I just realized when I was doing this posting, that we had four generations of family here last evening. It was wonderful! I look forward to more of those times. It will be at least a week and a half before I will have my own computer set up to use. Right now, I am using Carol's at her house, and I really appreciate the use of it.

That is about it for today. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for now. Much love to each of you, my friends and family. Bye for now. More later.

First Dinner at Home and Happy Birthday, Emily!

Hey, Y'all,
Well, last evening, I prepared a meal and asked Daryl and Carol to come share it with me, which they did. We had a really great time and it was wonderful to have them as my first "dining" guests. I had fixed marinated, boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, potatoes boiled in their jackets, fresh roasting ears, and green salads. We had ice cream and cookies for dessert and played a few rounds of dominoes. As usual, Daryl skunked Carol and me. Ha.

At top you will see pics of the unloading of the POD that took place on Wednesday morning. First pic is of the load as it was opened, next is pic of it as some of the items were unloaded. Next two pics are of the two really great guys who did the majority of the unloading. Carol did a good bit of it and I got to tell everyone where to go (ha ha) and put the items. That was a lot of work for me, believe me!

Thursday evening, Julia (Andrew's wife), invited Carol, Daryl, and me over for supper and then after Daryl had left for a meeting, she took her two darling little girls and went with us to my new abode, and helped us unpack a lot of my clothing and hang it up. It was so sweet of her, and I appreciated it so very much.

I have now spent two nights in my new home and it is wonderful to be here. This morning Carol and Daryl came over and mowed my yard and did a lot of clipping. It really looks great and they worked hard.

Today is my granddaughter, Emily's, birthday.She is twenty-three and is my namesake (the only one I have). She and I share a middle name, and she is a much sweeter person than I ever dared to be. Happy birthday, dear Emily! We love you. We will be celebrating it this evening.

My daughter, Teresa, for whom I asked prayers the other day, is doing very well, and says to tell each of you "thank you" for your prayers on her behalf. We all so appreciate it so very much.

Well, this is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. More later. Much love to each of you, my friends and family. Bye for now.

Phone Calls

Hey, Y'all,
Yesterday, I spent most of the afternoon making necessary phone calls. Calls after a death must be made to put affairs in order. There are insurance companies to be called, along with those companies that make deposits and withdrawals into and from bank accounts. So many details must be repeated and then corroborated so that it becomes an almost endless task. Many of the calls involve automated systems, and also long waits while the caller must listen to ongoing canned music.

Yesterday was no exception. The music they choose to drum into the ears is pathetic and should only be played in the dead of night when there is no one there to hear it. I suggested to a couple of people who are not responsible for the music that the company might choose a Willie or Waylon song to play instead. Of course, i got the response I was looking for - laughter - and agreement that the music is, indeed, horrible.

Anyhow, when I did get to speak to humans instead of machines, there were only wonderfully understanding people on the other end of the phone line. I did get most of the calls made, with only a few left and it was heartening to get them made.

I received a call early yesterday afternoon before I made the calls, that the pod was due to arrive at my new dwelling place. So I went over and got there just after the POD delivery guy got there. I am so glad that I saw it unloaded. What an interesting sight it was. The truck parked parallel to the house and then the frame holding the POD lifted the pod, and began moving toward the driveway end. The frame has a double wheel at each corner and when it got even with the driveway, the frame turned on those wheels, positioning the POD with the end to be opened facing the house and then continued on up the driveway so that when it set the POD down, it can be opened facing the door of the garage. There are operating levers on the rear corner of the frame holding the POD. It was absolutely fascinating. The fellow then unhooked the chains holding the POD, and moved the frame back onto the truck bed using those levers, fastened the frame to the truck bed, shook my hand, and said goodbye.

I was fortunate enough to meet one of my new neighbors. He was across the street watching the whole procedure. His name is Brian and you will probably hear more about him and his family as time goes by. He has a wife named Paula, 12 year old son, and a 15 year old daughter, and is a CAT salesman. He is a very interesting person and i also found out he is a Baptist.

Today, I will be going early over to my new house (that has a nice ring to it) and begin the real moving in process. Carol has hired a couple of fellows to unload the POD beginning at 9 a.m. I really look forward to the getting settled in. I packed my suitcase last night in hopes of sleeping there beginning tonight.

Speaking of sleeping, I went to bed at 9 p.m. last night and as of an hour and a half ago, I had all the sleep I could take, so I am up at 4:30 a.m. and writing this entry. I will probably creep back up the stairs in a few minutes (very quietly so as not to disturb the two sleeping yet).

This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for now. More later. Much love to each of you, my friends and family. Bye for now.

Other Things to Do

Hey, Y'all,
Right now I am waiting for word that the POD is being delivered to the new house. It is supposed to be there sometime today. I also have a lot of calls to make and some shopping to do for items needed. Yesterday, I did a Walmart run to pick up some cleaning supplies, and some bathroom needs like bathmats and commode cleaning brushes, etc.

There should soon be a cable guy to install my new internet/cable/phone service. The electricity also should be turned on today. With a heat index of 102, I don't think I want to sit in a non-air-conditioned house, would you? It is going to be so neat to have a closed in garage with my own little door remote!

It is like I have closed the door on one phase of my life and begun another one, but oh, I miss my Sweetie Pie! It is going to take some getting used to.

On Sunday afternoon, Daryl, Carol, Matthew, Amy, Ben and I went over to the new house and cleaned. Ben, Matt and Daryl brought over my new (used) fridge, big overstuffed easy chair with ottoman, and baker's rack, and then helped clean the house. I mostly rested and did the vacuuming of the floors. (Pictures above). Carol spent most of the time on her knees cleaning the kitchen floor with a scrub brush. It is ceramic tile and looks really beautiful. Amy was down on her knees rinsing and wiping the floor as Carol scrubbed.

Ben did the baseboards and fans overhead, Matt did some scrubbing as well, and Amy also did the kitchen cabinets. They really worked hard. Daryl worked on the garage and they all did a beautiful job on the whole house!

Pictures: Top: Ben, Carol, Amy and Matt taking a rest
Second: Carol and Amy giving a "thumbs up" on getting the kitchen floor clean.
Third: Matt scrubbing floor
Fourth: Ben cleaning the ceiling fan
Fifth: Daryl with the broom getting ready to sweep garage.

Well that is about it for today. Got lots of stuff to do yet before bedtime. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for now. Much love to each of you. Thank you for your continued prayers on the behalf of myself and my family. Bye for now. More later.

Life Goes On....

Hey, Y'all,
Yes, life does go on, although right now it seems as if a vital part of me is missing. I am posting some pics of the family gathering.

Now for some identification of subjects in each picture:
1> The wonderful food that the ladies prepared for us to eat after the funeral and interment.
2> The three widows - Mae, me, Imazo (Mae is the widow of my oldest brother, Bill, and Imazo is the widow of my brother, Hugh)
3> back row: nephew Fred (Mae's son) and wife, Doris; Peggy (Jeff's wife) and Jeff, who is Imazo's youngest son; front row: Mae, me, Imazo.
4> My next door neighbors from New Market who are also family to me and Dub:
Mitchell, Olivia, Laurie, Scott, and Gabriel standing next to me.
5> Nieces: Terri, Pam, Donna, our daughters, Teresa and Carol.
Second tier, is niece Little Bonnie,
bottom tier: Big Bonnie (Dub's sister), and Me.
6. Daryl, Carol, me, Teresa, and Tom.
7. Carol, me, and Teresa
8. The Bennetts and me
9. Grandpa Daryl and four of his grands (a candid unplanned shot) Hannah, Austin, Ellie and Noah (Daniel and Whitney's four).

There were many other pictures I should have taken, but somehow, in the stress of the moments there, they didn't get taken. A special thank you to Karen Bible, who sang at the services, and to the ladies in the kitchen and good friends (Faye, Barbara, Darlene, Judy, - I know I'm forgetting someone - forgive me, please - ).
A special thank you, too, to those who spoke at the funeral services, and to all those who prayed and continue to pray for those of us left behind, grieving.

Thank you, friend Ina Ray, for getting me back to Texas safely. it was a wild ride here in the Dallas area, wasn't it?

Yesterday, Matthew, Ben (Emily's fiance), Amy (Matt's wife), Daryl, Carol, and I spent several hours cleaning the house that I just purchased to live in here in the Bedford area. The POD holding my household goods arrives tomorrow, and I begin living this part of my life. I am sure it holds many good things for me, and I look forward to getting to know my great grandchildren better, so that when I leave this mortal body, they will be able to say, "Oh, I remember my Grammy Ruby, and I loved her so much, and she loved the Lord just like my Gramps did."

This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Much love to each of you, my friends and family. Bye for now. More later.

A Gathering of Friends and Family

Hey, Y'all,
Yesterday, we met to pay tribute not to the man alone, but to the life he lived among us. He lived his faith, but did not push it on anyone. One observed the kind of man he was by his actions, words, and kindness. He was a man of quiet faith, but never hesitated to speak out for what he believed in. He was certainly a good example for me and those around us. He was funny, had a dry wit, and never spoke very often. Consequently, when he spoke, people listened. Dubby could always be counted on to come out with a comment that could make me laugh aloud, and was so very much to the point. I, along with many others, will miss him.

While searching for a way to begin this posting, I thought of the scripture from Ecclesiastes 3 which begins:
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,"

For him, last Tuesday was the time for him to die, and a time for those of us left behind to mourn his passing> I know that we will continue to miss him, but we also rejoice in the fact that he is with the Lord and will continue to be.

When we had the services on Saturday, there were several who spoke of his faith in Lord Jesus Christ and from differing perspectives. We began the service with our oldest grandson, Daniel, talking about his grandpa being a man of faith and far-reaching influence, then our friend, Karen Bible, sang "On a Hill Far Away" which Dub always loved to sing, then our niece, Donna Word, gave her memories of her Uncle Dubby and told about his life as a man of God, as an uncle, as a brother to his siblings, as a son, as a husband to me. It was very touching and I don't know how she got through it. i know it was difficult for her.

Following Donna's tribute to her Uncle Dubby's life, came a eulogy by our son-in-law, Daryl, about his life as Daryl knew it, followed by "How Great Thou Art" sung by Karen, then followed by a sermon by our pastor, the Reverend J. W. Taylor.
And as Brother Taylor said, "we each preach our own funeral by the way we live our lives." He gave testimony of how he knew Dub and how much he appreciated Dub's quiet faith in God.

We then convened to the final resting place of Dub, and it was raining. Rain for a funeral makes it seem so sad, doesn't it? Although the occasion was a sober one, we knew that the body being interred was only a shell, and that the person who had once resided in that shell is residing in Heaven, rejoicing with the angels that God is omnipotent, and singing the praises of the One who died that we may have eternal life if we have accepted the sacrifice. Praise God!

When we returned to the church (which is across the street from the funeral home, we gathered together in the fellowship hall where we were able to fill our tummies with good food prepared by the ladies of the church and also we were able to reminisce about Walter (Dub) Young and his life. Both our daughters were there along with son-in-laws, grand children,great grandchildren, sister, sisters in law, nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews, friends, loved ones. It was wonderful and heart warming. I know he would have been pleased and probably surprised that so many had come to honor his life.

I took quite a few pictures but failed to get pictures of the pallbearers. My bad!
There are always things we mean to do, but fail sometimes, due to stress or oversight. I also didn't get pictures of everyone at the meal. Please forgive me friends.

I will be posting pics tomorrow or the next day. Carol is going to help me get them from my camera and saved on her computer.

I know there will be times over the next days and weeks when I will say to myself, "wait til I tell Dubby", then remember that will just have to wait. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Much love to each of you, my friends and there will be more postings to come. That is all for now. Bye for now.