Eating soft

Took Vi Pham to lunch for her birthday!  She is recipient of Mark's scholarship, graduated from Central and is from Vietnam!  She is very quiet but is starting to talk to me!  We went to Chans!  The soup and rice fine;  egg roll not!

Doing fine! Dental work at 1:15 today!

Hoping it all goes well!

Hot golf tournament!

Went out to Booster Golf Tournament yesterday since Greg Brune wanted me to go and it was hot as hell!

Orlando Massacre

I can't fathom the idea that a human being could do something so vile!

Went out last night!

Went to Outback last night with Joanne Angelia, my scholarship recipient, and Jauwan Scafife, assistant basketball coach for women at Semo!  We had a great time!   Adore them both!

Getting up late on Saturday!

Coffee tastes good!  I think I will do nothing today but do it sincerely!

Yesterday I visited and visited!

It is who I am!  I like to be "out among 'em"!   Ty came and was my driver!  He is a track man and he takes care of me and gets me places!   We stopped to congratulate our new athletic director and then went to the Red Cross Luncheon!  It was a fun day!

Headed for a luncheon today!

Nothing much going on!  I need to get out among 'em today!  Visited with people at home for two days!   Ready to get out!   I was trying to avoid all political talk and response!  Sick of it already!

Mark and Sara called last night!

Mark is not going to funeral of Ali!  Getting ready to go to Germany!  Sara just got back from Savannah Ga and she helped Bailey move in!  I am getting around!  Hope you are fine!  Someone has a birthday coming up!

Aunt Julia and television

Aunt Julia turned the television cnn on yesterday and there was a story on about  Mark Stacy and Muhammed Ali!  She was awestruck and she called last night! Hope you can call it up or google it!  I tried to send it to you!  Happy day!

Bad hair day!

Going to shop with Debbie Bickings today!  So you know that I would scare children!  Have a great day!  I will spare you  "before" pic!

Jennie was buried two years ago today!

Just saw it on my memories on Fb and then Mark sent a great tribute to Ali!

Death of Mohammed Ali

My son, Mark, was his doctor at the Ali Center in Phoenix and Ali liked to visit with Bryan!   

Back is better! Rain is pouring!

I don't care!  I am getting my nails done at nine and going out to lunch!  I have given this stupid back four days to heal!  That is enough time!   I may not look too good but I am shedding this place for awhile today!

Party on!

We had a surprise party for Faisal last night at the home of Carol and Ron Robinson and I went, brace and all!

Party on!

It was a good one and the party came to me!  

Semo alumni are everywhere!

I was watching the national news yesterday and all of a sudden I see and hear a blast from the past, Mike Braun, talking about the capture of El Chapo!  Mike is Semo alum who served as director of operations for DEA!  I texted him to say I was watching and he texted right back asking how I was doing!

Semo alumni are everywhere!

Kristi Stacy and kids

Kristi Stacy came to see Mark and Tina yesterday with her kids, Ashley And Brian, and they went to Duke Chapel!

Mothers Day 2016

The "grandsons" who are graduating next week brought me flowers yesterday and we went to Andys!  Watch out world:  these guys from Kenya, Sri Lanka and Paris will change their world!  They have changed mine with their love!

The gift of words

I just got off the phone with my younger son, James, and I am still in a state of shock.  He is a riot because he says things out loud that other people think.  I used to try to muffle him; now I let him spew and erupt!  We laugh together!  Today, he blew what's left of my mind when he said, "Mom, there's not a day that I don't think about you"!  I took it as a positive!  Oh how I love that kid and his mouth!

Inauguration over!

I enjoyed seeing people and I was surrounded, at all times, by people who care about me!  I did not go to reception! Came home, changed clothes and went downtown to listen to music at Mike night to people who thought they could sing and did it off key and loud!

Cinco de Mayo

Stay tuned!  We are inaugurating a President at Semo Today!  He is special to me!  I called it from the start!

Mark Stacy's birthday!

He was born May 4, 1959!  Go figure!

Tuesday and Gloria is here to clean!

Gloria has been here on Tuesdays for too many years to count!  She is getting old too but who is counting!  I hired al graduate yesterday to come on Fridays!  She is going for her Masters and she needs the money!  She comes highly recommended by Susan Burton!  Good enough for me!   

She is a certified athletic trainer!

Hiring Monday

I have run out of help and drivers so I am hiring today a new crew!  Karel has her own business in summer, Matt is leaving next month for seminary, Mark has cancer of the colon and he will be going thru an operation so I am hiring!  Tina Bickings is losing her job at Chartwells for the summer so she is available after mY fr14!  I need two people to help with computer, drive, do errands and allow me to do what I want to do!

The new girl, Elizabeth, comes with high marks from Susan burton!  That is enough for me!

An Indian gentleman

Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of meeting Mukul Varshney--father of Mannat, a Semo student!  He is head of the John Deere plant in India and I first heard of him from Charlie Stamp, a Semo alumnus and long-time friend!

The Varshneys came to my house and we had a wonderful evening! It was a delight!

Saturday rain and good sleeping!

It is 9:00 and I just got up!  All I have on my agenda today is Mannat Varsey is bringing her father over to my house at 5:00.  He owns the biggest John Deere implement place in India!  Mannat is one of my grandchildren so I will be happy to meet him!   It just goes around in circles... This friendship blessing!

Ran my legs off yesterday!

Kept after it all day!  Visited with people who had been sick in neighborhood, went up on campus to BSC for last Thursday lunch of the year, a friend called who had gotten some bad news and she came by and we talked,  Debbie did my hair and found someone to work for me this summer and then Matt took me to The Elks at Sikeston for the Missouri Delta Foundation Dinner!  We do Mama cooper,s Wall together there and I have a scholarship there to entice doctors to come there after they finish medical school!  So far, we have gotten two doctors there!   Did not stay long but had a great time!

Helped Matt in first Baptist church

Matt Porter came over today and was dead tired and had to get dinner fixed for church!  I told him I would go out and help him, so I went out and scrubbed and wrapped 60 potatoes to be baked and sliced banana peppers!  Then I gave up and told him to take me home!  Those low sinks were hard on my back!   But I needed a dose of human beings after two days of rain!  And I slept like a log!

What a downpour of rain and hail!

I am sitting drinking coffee this morning watching and hearing the rain,  then I get I note on computer, "lightning detected!"  Do you think?  duh!  We haven't even needed to turn on lights yesterday!  One of the great reliefs of retirement is I can sit here in my family room in my robe and watch the world of cars go by!   It is a good thing!  Anything worth doing is worth doing at home today!

Monday a reflection day!

Matt Porter and I started the day by doing errands and going to the bank and cvs and BSC and the university and then stopping at Wendy's for our favorite chicken sandwich!   I came home and talked to Julia and Betty who were both at Julia's house! Raphael got back from taking his medical school exam in Kansas City and he looked so tired! So it was a typical Monday but a new week is starting!  

We had a fun going away party for Matt on Sunday!

Matthew Porter party

Yesterday I went to a going away party for Matt Porter at  BSC and it was fun time.  I hate to see him go but it is time for him to transition and go to seminary!  I will always be grateful for his being here for me;  he took me to hospital when I fell down the steps and just last week he spent the night when I had dental surgery!   He is a good friend and he cared about me!

A sonata performance!

Yesterday Mark and Tina Stacy went to Chapel Hill NC to hear a senior recital music student play a Sonata written by my sister, Rose Marie Cooper Jordan, in 1985.  She wrote it in three weeks in Charleston on our piano!

Here is a picture of Mark and Rose Marie!

Waiting to hear some news!

Waiting and praying and hoping that all is getting better!

Laurie Stacy's mother is ill!

One of the most difficult parts of living away from your children is not being there for them in critical times!  I have six children and the word "in-law" is not something that comes to mind when I think of them!  Laurie, just know that you are in my thoughts and prayers and my love will reach you!  

Meeting about scholarships today!

One advantage about getting old and having nine Semo Scholarships is they come to my house for the selection meeting!!  And that is what we did today! Susan Burton came and gave me the criteria info and away we went!  I like to be involved in their lives!  Raphael is moving on and I will miss him!  We need a replacement for him and we need to contact another who did not sign up and see why not!

Ate at five restaurants last night

Okay, so it was a bit overboard! But it was all done to raise money for Semo dance and theatre students!  We went to Ciao for small entree and rice pudding! The winery, my Daddy's for cheesecake, Saffron for salad and chocolate works for you know what!  Matt Porter, Mannat Varshney and Karen Holman joined our group!  It was a really fun night!

Went to Sikeston yesterday to see offices of Mike Parker with Jay Wolz, who is now alumni director!  Mike was president of alumni association for years!  When I got home, my yard was all mulched!  Yea!  I'm finally getting used to my new bridge in mouth!

Bangladeshi New year!

I went to Bangladeshi New Years party last night at Baptist Student Center and we had a packed house!  The students did all the cooking and it was hot!  Like you drank hot sauce out of the bottle!  President and Mrs Vargas came also! What fun!

Andy' s run!

Yesterday my Andys gang and I made a run to get custard!  We get our order and head back to my house to sit on my screened in back porch and talk!  Nelson says we have a "ritual" and we do! They talk about their problems like being torn about wanting to go home or finding work here and the ties that they don't wish to cut!

Growing up is tough no matter what the circumstances are!  So is growing old!  We need each other to make it easier!

Azalea festival

I am doing fine and soft foods make babies grow!  I turned down invitation to go to Charleston for Azalea festival!  Too crowded with busses today! But I have cabin fever so I am getting out today to do errands and go have ice cream with my buddies:  Sindupa and Nelson!  I also have to go to mausaleum to take picture of flowers for Gene Greable!  He wanted to know about Bob Foster so I called him and talked!  Allen and Anne are retired!  Joe is still working!

Getting used to new dental alignment

My role in getting a new bridge is to get used to it and my tongue is getting over its curiosity!  I have overcome the worst but still eating soft!  Time to move on for me!  Mark Hoff has cancer of colon and Karel has pleurisy so I need to be thinking of the people who take care of me who are in far worse shape!

So get over it!   Sending Saras new picture!

Talking with Sara

I talked to my daughter, Sara, last night on the phone and asked her how her church conference went!  She said that 1260 women attended! She was still so excited that she was talking fast talk like she did when she was a child!

Then we talked about the changes I wanted to make in my house to modernize it and help sell it when I get ready!  I said paneling is out and paint is in!  She told me to change light fixtures in  family room and remove the textured ceilings!   Why should I wait till I get ready to sell!  Let me enjoy it!

Getting ready for spring cleaning!

We had a rainstorm which left limbs all over my yard!  I remembered when Adam Dyer cleaned my nasty gutters last year and he told me to get someone every year!  I like to keep my place up and I have to hire everything done!  So I called Mike Ketcherside to give me an estimate on gutters and power washing the house!

Then, out of the blue, a man stopped by with a truck, in the blinding rain, and said that for $30 he would pick up all the limbs and carry them off!  He made a deal and he was soaked already!

Not too sick to go eat!

I made arrangements with my sibling friends who are organization experts, Angelina and Aron , to come help me purge my closets yesterday and carry off stuff to Safe House!  They came and so did Matt!  My bedroom was a hustle of activity and I sat on the bed and said save or pitch!  I even had all my old seminary papers and notebooks! 

Then we went to Chans!  They let me buy their lunch but no cash for their work!  

Early Sunday morning

Today it is cold but I am spring cleaning!  Angelina and Aron are coming over to clean out my closets!  I have stuff in top of closets I have not seen in years and they are organized siblings!  Sunday's are a time for getting a grip!  I'm after it!

Talked to Mark and Tina yesterday and they are fine!  He is off to Berlin in a while and she is going to half time!  They are doing well and that is a good thing!  So am I!

Feeling better this morning!

Got a good nights sleep! It is cold here!  Today I may do nothing but it is just because I choose to be lazy, 

Blah ! Humbug!

I have a 24 hour stomach bug and I am running to bathroom!  I hate it and had to cancel my night last night and stuff tonight!  Yucky!,  it's going around!  I was sure to get it!

Birthday party for Joan Gohn

Last night Joan and I and Judy Brown went to Dalhousie for Joan's 69 Th birthday and we enjoyed it!  Saw Steve Limbaugh and Joel Montgomery and others!  Joan and I have traveled the world together and she is a wonderful friend to me!  I enjoy the time I spend with her and we just pick up the conversation where we left off! Never a hassle...always in each other's corner!

A day for visiting

I only had one item on the agenda for yesterday:  birthday lunch with Kristi Thurman who worked with me when she was a student but when I came home Raphael came by to take a break from studying and Angelia and Aron brought their mother by before she returns to Sri Lanka!  I enjoyed having guests who felt comfortable enough to drop in!  Aron is the master of selfies!  Doesn't even use a stick!

Monday funeral

Juan Crites and I went to the funeral for the father of Monte Seabaugh yesterday at Ford and Sons!  Monte was my secretary for many years and I love her!  Juan worked with us on Hsc! Later Juan and I had a long lunch and talked and laughed!  It was good!

John Wittenborn funeral

John Wittenborn died and I went up to his funeral in Steeleville Illinois yesterday!  Hired a driver because I wanted to say goodbye to this great player who played with Bill Stacy and the Imans and Gary Nichols!  It was a long trip, we witnessed a bad wreck in front of us and I called 911 while my driver ran for the truck, lines were long but I saw his first wife, Janet, and their kids and they knew someone from their Semi past was there!

And he went on to play pro ball with the Eagles and was on their championship team in 1960!

Bangladeshi Night!

I am exhausted this morning!  I was special guest last night at Bangladeshi Night and Faisal's parents sent me a sari to wear!  It took an hour to get on and Aron and Angelia had to come over and put it on me!  I sat with President and Mrs Vargas and we took thousands of pics! It was a splendiferous night!

Game on tonight!

Oklahoma State plays tonight in the final four!  Lew Hill coaches there and used to be coach at Semo!  He wanted to come back as head coach recently and I tried to help him but he didn't get the job!  We still keep in touch and I'm pulling for him!

April Fools Day!

In my childhood days, my brother, Jim, who tormented me from the day I was born, spent the day telling me stuff that I, like a fool, believed like Albania had declared War on the world and they would soon be invading Charleston coming down the river!  But if I told anyone they would take me away!  And that was tame for his April l Fools stories!

But before dawn on April 2 I would sneak into his bedroom and announce, for only his ears: "April Fool's is already past; you're the biggest fool at last!"

Power of Women Speech

I went to the Power of Women luncheon on campus yesterday!  The main speaker was Dr Maureen Clancy-May ,supt of schools in St Louis area and who was on my Homecoming Steering Committee at Semo!   She got up and talked about her two mothers and one of them was me!  I was stunned and touched!

Luncheon for volunteers

Yesterday I went to a luncheon for volunteers who wanted to show us a coffeehouse the people from St Andrew Lutheran Church were putting together on Sprigg Street next to Cafe Me which has Thai Food!  First, I loved the Cafe Me fried rice and we made new friends! It was fun and I believe in cooperation!  It takes all of us to make a world!

Phone calls and errands

My day yesterday was one of phone calls from my sister Betty who is so hoarse after her Easter concert and putting up a cross outside the church, Sara Dyer and Adam Dyer and going to do errands with Matt Porter and visiting with him about what BSC will do without him!  I had two funeral visitations but I sent contributions!  It is difficult for me to stand forever in a line like I used to do!  My back rebels!

I think it is time to put Easter away!  But it was nice!