Author: rakeeter

It was hotter than blazes in Garland when we visited the Wylies, et al, and thus we hunkered down under the AC, mostly.  We did, however, attend the funeral of Joyce’s friend Joyce Johnson.  Mrs. Johnson had cancer and it finally got the best of her.  While Joyce had attended one or two black funerals, it was my first.  The presiding pastor announced it was a homecoming celebration rather than a time for mourning, or some such thing.  Like the air conditioning in the small South Dallas church, the PA system didn’t work very well.  There was a large and participatory group of celebrants.  Recently there has been a black couple attending the church service Joyce and I go to and I’ve wondered how they felt among a congregation of palefaces.  At this funeral, the white folks could be numbered on the fingers of one hand but I didn’t feel as though I stood out, even though I’m sure I did.  Anyway, there was a lot of back and forth between whoever was speaking and the attendees.  The piano player was imaginative and enthusiastic, and though she meandered around, I think she stayed in the same key. Continue reading “Trip to Garland” →

We’re winding down the summer here on SA.  Days are getting shorter, nights are getting cooler and school started this week for the neighbor kids.  Someone stuck a sign next to the 2005 driveway saying Home of Future Tascosa grad, or something along that line.  They must do that for the athletes.  I can’t think they would do it for everyone likely to graduate from THS.  Abigail seems to have survived her first week of high school, even having to be a VB practice at 6:30 each morning.  An Li’l r reported no problems managing her first week of third grade.  No report yet on how the Wylie girls fared, but no doubt they handled everything with their customary aplomb. Continue reading “Winding down” →

It was a small but noisy thunderstorm that cruised through town in the wee hours Sunday morning and I might have been able to sleep through it if the weather alert radio hadn’t gone off.  The alert was a warning of possible flooding.  The only people that would hear the alarm are those who are home sleeping in their beds and in no danger from high water in our part of the world.  The drunks out on the road at that time of night aren’t  going to hear the alarm and probably wouldn’t respond appropriately if they did.  If there is a tornado hovering overhead or on the ground at the edge of town, well, fine, go ahead and wake us up.  But don’t interrupt the sweet slumber of the righteous for the possibility of flash flooding.  As it turned out we only got three tenths of an inch of rain, hardly enough to threaten anyone with any sense.  Granted, even after the three or four days of dry weather since the two three inches accumulated over last weekend the ground isn’t going absorb water very fast, but that little squall wasn’t going to create enough runoff to shake a stick at, even if there was anybody out on the roads to shake a stick. Continue reading “2 a.m. alert” →