I am worn out! Got up at 2 am to go to the bathroom and came back to bed and lay myself down in a lake of Penelope pee pee! I was upstairs in the guest room. Had to strip the queen size bed of everything. Youngest son heard me so he got up and carried the bedding to the laundry for me. Had to take a shower. I was mad at that dog! Finally got in bed in my bedroom, then got up again to turn on the ceiling fan and the air conditioning. Finally got back to sleep mumbling, “Bad dog,” under my breath. Penelope hates to be called a bad dog but she was a bad dog last night.

Washed the big comforter this morning and had to lay my fat self on the washer while it was wringing out. The washer was trying to walk out of the room. In hindsight I should have taken the bed spread and comforter to the laundromat and used their large washers. The comforter after two drying cycles is still slightly damp and spread on top of several dining room chairs. Well, enough of that.

Picked some squash this morning and had to make myself not pick a few green tomatoes to fry. I saw several cucumbers growing, long and slender, hidden by the vines’ leaves. Cucumbers can get away from you and they love to hide and grow big and fat. We’re still getting rain showers. I was sitting in the porch swing early afternoon eating a bowl of popcorn and a loud clap of thunder ran me in the house leaving a trail of popcorn on the porch. Supposed to rain tomorrow, too. I’ve given up on the grass in the flower bed. The grass can party with zinnias and sunflowers and the lone cantaloupe from a row of seeds. Not going to worry about the grass anymore.

Spent the afternoon writing letters for my grandchildren while they are at Scout camp. I write them a letter every day of their week’s stay. The first year I did this half the letters never arrived so my son, who attends the camp with them as a Scout leader, takes the letters with him and puts them in their mail each morning.

Today is my youngest’s son’s 36th birthday. He entered this world at 4 pounds but you’ve never know it now. Emergency C section that traumatized me. Chief was on the way to the Russell Montgomery Sewing Plant for some event and the Russell Security had to chase him down. Mama just happened to be visiting that day and she took me to the hospital. I was on the verge of having a stoke and the first cut of the scalpel came before I was completely anesthetized. I was 34 years old and Chief was 55. Stewart was spoiled by his older siblings, Thomas and Rosie. Thomas, eight years older, carried Stewart everywhere, was always holding him in family photos.

I came home from town today a different route than usual and rode by where the Roanoke Funeral Home and Grocery used to stand. First time I brought Chief home to Roanoke I carried him by so he could see I wasn’t making this up. He wanted to take a photo but we didn’t have a camera with us. Funny how you drive around in your home town and certain memories pop up in your mind.

I’m always trying to figure out how I used to ride my unicycle past the high school to get to the city library. I’d check out eight books, four for each arm, and home I’d peddle. There was a high hill graded down for a new gym and the thru street is no more. The elementary school perched on top of that hill. Had an overpass from the elementary school, over the street, for the children to walk to the lunchroom. It’s so different now. I cut through the high school parking lot going to town and always try to picture myself on my unicycle riding past the high school and elementary school. The landscape is so different without that hill.

First time I ever got in trouble in elementary school was jumping up trying to touch the top of the overpass on the way to the lunchroom. I was in serious trouble! Had to stand in the dark cloakroom after lunch for getting out of line and jumping up when we crossed the overpass. I also remember as a child we were walking across that overpass when the teacher told us President Kennedy had been assassinated.

When I was thinking about riding my unicycle I remember how determined I was to learn to ride it. I spent so many hours riding down my street from chestnut tree to chestnut tree holding on to the limbs till I finally let go one day and off I went. Determination is persistence to keep going no matter the roadblocks. Babies learn to walk with determination. They stumble and fall and grasp on to furniture but with perseverance they eventually get brave, step off, and begin to walk through their world.

Sometimes we give up when the going gets tough or uncomfortable. Chronicles 15:7 reads, “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” Even though it’s difficult, we can accomplish what we want to achieve if we are determined and persistent. It takes sweat and tears and hard work to accomplish achievable goals. Approach your goals as if failure is not an option. Fight for what you want with determination and persistence. Be self-disciplined.

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination,” — Colin Powel