“Off We Go Into The Wild Blue Yonder”
This isn’t a rallying cry for an old sailor. “Anchor’s Aweigh, My Boy, Anchor’s Aweigh…” is more my style. It certainly makes more sense to me. However, my grandson is career Air Force. I’ll at least hum the tune for him.
Thus far, he has had an interesting career in the Air Force. His military duty has taken him from Wichita Falls, to Great Britain to South Korea to Italy with short stays in Florida. His primary duty involves mechanic work on fighter jets.
He ventured back home to Texas for his annual leave, (which he receives about every 18 months, military time is different from civilian time). He came all the way from Aviano, Italy. That’s quite a journey. But, this story is not about his military occupation. It is about family.
All my grandchildren are very special to me, and Jeremy, being the oldest, has been faithful in visiting his grandpa. Over the years, he has made extra special trips to visit me regardless of where I have lived. I treasure those visits and I am truly grateful he is willing to come and see me. To be sure, I was not the only reason he came home. He also visited his stepfather, mother, his sisters and cousins.
Most of us do not have the opportunities to be around family as much as we would like. When it does happen, it is an exciting happening. One of those happenings was supposed to take place last Saturday. My great grandson, Judah, was having his first birthday. We were supposed to bring potato salad. That’s another story.
We left our home around 9:30 in the morning. Had the camera, the birthday presents, and the potato salad. While driving through the small community (which shall remain nameless at this point), we passed several antique automobiles traveling the opposite direction. A driver in front of me had stopped in my lane and as I recall, no turn signal and I never saw any brake lights. I hit her car in the rear.
Let me say this, we were not injured severely enough to require any medical attention, for this we can be thankful. And on that note, that ends any further conversation concerning our collision. But, some of the potato salad spilled in the ice chest.
Over the years, people experience difficult times. If that has not happened in your family, then you have something for which to be very grateful. However, I suspect that is not the case. Because of the accident, I was bemoaning the fact we would not have the chance to visit with Jeremy. That is, until his mother called and said, he wanted to visit. It would be a very short visit for he has to return to Italy next week and he still has friends and folks to see.
As I said, it was a short overnight visit. We managed to spend some quality time with him, his mother and his half-sister. We took them out to dinner and shared a few stories. It was special and I am so glad he came.
On Thursday, they left returning to his mother’s home in Alvarado, Texas. He will continue on to Houston and back to Italy. I suppose you could say, “Off he goes into the wild blue yonder…”
So often, I think about how lives were much simpler in years past, when our children were younger, times were focused around family life and and most of us had our family around us. It may have something to do with my age.
Nowadays, we are so scattered around the country, even the world. Seldom do we see them enough. Granted, travel is easier today (although more expensive) as opposed to the fifties, yet, lives are so busy that we never seem to find the time. That is a sad thing. I do not know how to change that.
Some of us are reaching our age limits. We need to find the time somehow to keep families together. We need to hum those old tunes, laugh at those old corny jokes, and remember those “good old days” a little more often. We need to at least try to relive those days in some sort of fashion. And we need to eat more potato salad. (Come on over, I have some left.)
Yes, life does go on. Thanks, Jeremy, for coming to see your “old grandpa.” . ©September2011 Have a great day
rancherwriterpoet 
Sounds like the potato salad is a winner!
I had a friend who rear-ended a pickup in Emory that was stopped in the middle of the road with no lights or turn signals on, and she hit hard enough to slam the pickup off the road and onto its top. The Mexicans had just stopped there in the road for some reason?? they didn’t say. She got a new vehicle as her Buick was totalled out, and the insurance company settled with them. She didn’t know for how much. But she did not get a ticket, thank goodness as they were at fault for stopping like that.
Life is so different than it used to be. For instance, when learning to drive, my dad taught me NEVER to stop in the middle of the road, esp without flashing those brake lights.
If you had to turn left back then you had to use your arm signal to let others know you were turning, and he always made sure come hell or high water we knew we were to use those arm signals and not do like some who were afraid to get a little wet in a rain storm. (Will it ever rain again here?) lol
And if you had an engine problem you were to head for the side of the road as far as possible off the lane, and then make sure you waved others on. What happened to those simple principles?
It just doesn’t make sense that people don’t learn things like that anymore. But then, lots of things that were so simple to us back then apparently are not taught or are not simple to some of those coming along now.
Well my day was wonderful in that my little mower didn’t explode on me while I was mowing the right-of-way that was a tinder box this morning.
When I came home from having lunch with my granddaughter and great granddaughter, I found gas all over the garage floor where it had leaked out of the gas tank, and it wasn’t just a little leak either. And talk about a messy area to clean up and also it was still dripping ~ and now I smell like gasoline as I type. So far all the soap and water hasn’t taken away the smell.
More like a split in the tank, I just know for sure the Lord was with me today and that He was also with you when you made that trip.
So far Sears says it doesn’t have that model # for my Craftsman mower that I bought here in town. I think they would be wise to find it. lol
Always thankful for family, friends, and first and foremost the Good Lord Above, talk to you later.
Jackie