rainy day and it IS Sunday!

But it didn't get me down! Actually, I woke with terrible pain in lumbar and hip regions! Bill massaged it forever and I could at least move. Then, for the first time in several days, I marched 10 minutes with the General. Since the rains were torrential and the museum did not open until 1PM we took the morning to do housekeeping and bookkeeping chores as planned. We watched Remember the Titans--a ten hankie movie, if ever there was one--at least for me--no Bill tears! I just adore Denzel--he's a Fordham boy, you know! On Letterman one night he said, in regard to ivy league, " Well, we Fordham boys say if we need a Harvard man, we'll hire one! "Letterman liked that being a Ball State grad himself! Then at 1PM we went up the hill to the Five Nations Museum only to find that,despite both brochures which said it opened at 1 pm on Sundays, they've changed their hours and are CLOSED on Sunday. It was 48 degrees and rainy and windy so very, very, bitterly cold. We walked around a bit and took some pictures but quickly sought a restaurant for lunch. Found a hole in the wall--greasy spoon and it was--on Shawnee By-Pass. But the food, once more was good. Small salad with puckery good home-made creamy Italian dressing. Bill had hot hamburg sandwich with brown gravy, green beans cooked with bacon and seasonings that made it taste like collard greens, and half a can of kernel corn, I swear! I had a pork chop ( after I ordered it I realized it was going to be breaded and fried and it was!!! And quite salty) and the other half a can of corn! Cannot wait to get to the real South for my lovely sweet tea but this was okay once I added a cup of sugar! The best part of the meal though was our waitress, Maggie. 21 years old she has a 3 year old daughter, Kay-Lee Gray Effridge! Kay is Maggie's mom's middle name; Lee was her dad's middle name, he died in 2002; and Gray was her mother's maiden name! Kay-Lee is in the 97 percentile for height but the 13 for weight and Wick is giving Maggie some hassles. She is upset--she feeds her child, she loves her child and the doctor says the baby is doing fine. Though not married she is with Nathan Clint Effridge and they are talking of having another baby--they are hoping for a boy whom they think they'll name Ethan Clint! Maggie was just so effusive and friendly you just couldn't help but like her. Also, though they are young, she and Nathan are going to do all they can to make a go of it--they've had their ups and downs but both love their lives and their child. Listening to the level-headed Maggie and looking at the picture she'd proudly whipped out of Kay-Lee, I cannot help but believe they will. We've had students who've started this young and made it so it can be done. Let us hope so--one thing I know --Maggie hates being stereotyped as the typical 17 year old girl who has had a baby and has no interest or ability to be a Mom. She hates when someone says you're 21 and you have a 3 year old. She says you can see them doing the math and sometimes they'll even say--oh, you were 17! I told her to say really nicely '" yes", and then acting impressed continue "you're really good in math! " That will shut them up. Well, having finished our meal, through which this conversation took place, and the business picking up we paid our tab and came back to our room. Bill is watching a hockey game and I'm going to watch Night at the Museum 2, which I've carried cross country from Netflix. The dancing pairs are competing tonight at 6 CST so I'll finish up just about on time. Oh, yes, came across the receipt from the hardware store in Grove--so if you'd like a name for my Cherokee man there--Odes Allen! I bet it is pronounced Otis! Well, hope the sun is shining in your neck of the woods--it sure isn't here. Have a great afternoon--K and B