Talk about hot! I do believe we feel it more because we live with air conditioning. We used to work the fields and not pay too much attention. Not so today.

I got a call Friday night about 9 and our daughter announced they would arrive from Florida on Saturday about 5 p.m. They started to surprise us but thought it fair to tell us. She wanted to check on Mother for herself. Needless to say we have had a good time. Our Georgia and Huntsville families were here Sunday and there were beds all over the house. Bobby has had lots of help and was ready for it. Today Bobby and I have had a quiet day as the others went to Nashville to the Frist Museum to see the Egypt Exhibit. Eight-year-old Cole is interested in King Tut as he watched recently on the Discovery channel. Yesterday there was some fishing in the pond and I think all caught something. Amazing how those fish grow with each telling. Jesse, 9, from Georgia and Cole are in charge of Granny’s recliner. Bobby’s power has slipped. I doubt he minds.

Bobby attended a Jones family get-together Saturday afternoon at the home of Ben and Janice Jones Renegar in Skinem. Nice seeing cousins except at funerals. Death has taken three first cousins in a year with the passing of Eloise Jones Slattery, Vera Oneida Jones, and Ray Jones.

Bobby’s brother Bill, wife Jean and daughter Lisa visited and had dinner with us Saturday night. Our Tracie, from Florida loves barbeque so that is what was served. We always try to see she gets it at least once while here.

Our son Todd and family have been camping in Yosemite this past week. We miss that trip every time. They will come to Tennessee in the fall. Our granddaughter is attending summer school at Pepperdine University. Can’t believe she will graduate next summer.

I told Bobby if someone named Jackson Pratt had asked me out at 16, I would have felt uptown. After sleeping with two of those names for over 2 weeks, I had enough. I got one Jackson Pratt drain out last Thursday and the other came out past Monday. Now that I think about it if I was 16 I’d probably recover faster. Actually I am glad I am this late in life dealing with all this. That way I haven’t missed much. I can walk, see, talk so there is much to be thankful for. My favorite song is Mo Bandy’s Too Old To Die Young. Yep, I have watched my children grow to see what they become. Can’t get much better than that.

If you have cancer and get your care in Nashville there is a wonderful place that can lodge you if you are 50 miles or more from there . It is the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge on Charlotte Ave. Your doctor, nurse, or a social worker can refer you. It opened in 2004. Fan fare started and we couldn’t get a room for June 7 so my doctor’s office referred us there. As I had to do preliminary things day before and be at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. on June 8, it was a blessing. Since Tammie, our daughter stayed with me each night, Bobby stayed at the Hope Lodge. I was tickled because the computer room where one could stay in touch was named for Minnie Pearl. A wonderful staff of volunteers were on hand certain hours. I haven’t always been pleased with fund raising as didn’t know enough about it. St Jude is a pet project of mine and now Hope Lodge will be.

God Bless

Maple Ferguson