Hello to Our Friends

I hope this winter has not been too hard on you. We had an ice storm in East Tennessee last week but got through it without any real harm.

This is Jim writing… and I wanted you to check my blog today as I am writing a little about Dad and his poultry and egg business. I am showing some of the advertising  that Dad used such as this old ink blotter, etc.

Click here to read more: http://tennesseegrandaddy.blogspot.com/

Updates
Mary & Prince seem to be doing good. Prince is good company in her Knoxville apartment.

Jim had hip replacement surgery 4 weeks ago and is progressing normally with the help of physical therapy.

Dad’s home has been on the market for several months, but it appears we may be closing later this month.

As you would know our sadness lingers, as we think of Dad every day. He continues to remind us to smile and show kindness. We chuckle a little at times when we think of some of the funny things he said.

Happy New Year! 2013, It’s Here!

It’s hard to believe that we are moving steadily into another new year. Mary and I want to wish all of Dad’s and our friends the best of wishes for a very happy New Year.

Some News
On the last day of 2012, New Years Eve, Jim had his hip replacement surgery. He came home from the hospital yesterday and is doing good. You can get more details from Jim’s

Tennessee Granddaddy blog.

Christmas 2012

Mary and I want to wish all of Dad’s Friends a very Merry Christmas.

This our first Christmas without our Dad. We miss him but remember the joy, kindness and love that he shared with us and all who knew him.

Jim made a short post on his Tennessee Granddaddy site today with a little news: Tennessee Granddaddy.

Update From Jim

Thanksgiving was a big day for us in Kingsport, Tennessee. The picture below was taken  after the big meal.

We missed having our dear Dad with us, but having our new Atley (my great grandson) with us was a good thing. My Aunt Helen is holding him in the picture above.

I’ll name those in the picture above, all from left to right.

First row: Mandy, Alex and Kara.
Seated: Jim, Helen, Atley, Roy, Zachary, Sylvia
Standing: John, Karen B, Nathan, Pat, Beverli, Karen C, Mary, Bethany. Mavis, Beverly, Sue, Lesley, Kevin

What a gang!
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

~~~

I know we are not writing much these days, but we hope to do more. Please keep checking in from time to time. Mary told me that she going to add some things to Dad’s blog soon.

You all take care, keep smiling, and best wishes for a Merry Christmas season, and enjoy the holidays!

Brief Update to Our Friends

This is Jim writing.

This has been a difficult year. We knew that one day we would lose Dad, but you are never prepared for death. We loved him dearly and miss him so much.

Update on Dad’s House

I am in the final stages of settling Dad’s estate as the Executor. Also we have had an estate sale and the house has been readied for sale. It is now on the market. It very sad to go through this process. Sometimes I felt like I was destroying the things he loved. It had to be done. While many of the physical things have been removed, no one can destroy the memories of Dad and all the things he enjoyed in this life.

Mary and Prince
Beverly and I saw Mary & Prince last weekend. It looks like both of them have grown accustomed to their new apartment life. Also, we took Mary to her doctor appointment at Vanderbilt a few weeks ago and she got a good report. 

Dad’s Blog
We are going to keep Dad’s Tomato Garden blog active. Mary and I will try to make a post from time to time to give you an update on what is happening in our little world.

Dad’s Book
His first printing is almost sold out. Only a few copies are available. Our friend who wrote the book for Dad will be taking over future orders and making decisions about a second printing.

Another Update

I have been negligent in posting on Dad’s blog as well as my own, but thanks for dropping in to check on things.

Mary is all settled in a senior living apartment. It is very nice and I think it will be a good place for her. She lives there with Prince and enjoys his company very much. A pet is wonderful therapy as well as a great companion.

We had an estate sale at Dad’s home last weekend on Friday and Saturday. We sold lot of things, and were happy to see them go on to be used again. Many came buy just to buy something that Dad had owned in his house. It was sad on many different levels. We still have things that did not sell that we plan to donate to charity within the next few weeks.

As many of you know, last Sunday was Dad’s birthday (September 2). Dad would have been 99 years old. We are disappointed that he did not make it 99 and many more years. We are glad he had such a good state of health up to the very end of his life. He is sorely missed. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of something I want to tell him or ask him.

Here’s a picture of Dad when he was working on his blog. He was always looking for something interesting to post.

Up and Coming
We have met with a realtor and she is now evaluating the property for value. We also have a home improvement expert looking at the property to see what might need to be done to promote the sale of the property. Then will make some decisions like selling as-is or with improvements.

We also have our church convention coming up at the end of this month. Dad always looked so forward to going over to the farm and attending the 4 days of spiritual help. I would help him get his golf cart over to the farm to use during those four days. It was very helpful to him and others. We will certainly miss Dad a lot during those four days.

All else is going pretty good. I feel a heavy burden on my shoulders right now as I work to get the estate settled, the house sold, and taking care of things around my own home. This shall pass and there will be brighter days.

Let’s Cheer Up
I’m a little down but I purpose to cheer up. As Dad used to say, “Someone said cheer up, things could be worse. So I cheered up, and sure enough things got worse.” He would have a big smile when he said that.

Dad would have a word of encouragement for all of us. Often he would tell us to “Hang in there.”

~by Jim

 

A Short Message to all of Our Friends

This is Jim writing again. We just returned a short while ago from our Wednesday night Bible Study. We had Matthew, Chapter 10. It’s a good chapter.

Beverly and I were in Knoxville from Sunday through Tuesday this week working on the home place. We’re hoping to have a yard/garage sale soon to provide new homes to many of the household goods. At the present time we are targeting to do this on Friday and Saturday, August 31 and September 1.

It’s sad in so many ways… and we must be selling the house also. We’re hoping to get it on the market this fall.

Dad’s Tomato Garden
Dad’s tomato garden is really doing good this year. He would be so proud of the big, ripe and delicious tomatoes it is producing. We picked a few more on Tuesday before we left to come back to Kingsport. Just look at them…

I hope you are smiling. Dad would like that.