My Exciting World

It is Monday morning. It was a great weekend. TV is boring these days. Mostly I I work on writing on my book about my family history ...the Zooks or the Goodes, or the Evers, or the Brooks, which is Eddie’s mother’s side of the family. That is the most interesting one I think, besides the Zook History. I keep finding new things about the Zooks because the Amish and Mennonites were such an interesting part of American History. Maybe this week, I can get more motivated to write.

And the Brooks were such a mystery, and there are unexplained gaps in the early part of the last century, that needs to be filled in. Like why did Clough Brooks take the 4 children(including my husband's mother) from their mother, Gregoria Brooks in Mexico, in 1905, and hide them out from her, for years? Their daddy told the children that their mother abandoned them, but she searched for them for 5 years and found them in San Antonio, but he had already divorced her. She left and lived in Laredo for most of the rest of her life. I think about that book all the time.

So, I regress. Getting back to the weekend. Saturday - Rocia and her children came to help her clean the house. Her teenaged son, Pablo is so good and thorough. She moves the furniture where she can and dusts everything, including the pictures on the wall, the blinds, the ceiling fans, and all my knick-knacks and sometimes washes the windows!

At noon I went the local farmers vegetable stand on 10 St., to get some fresh vegetables, and then to Curl Up and Dye to get my hair done.

In between my local ventures, I avidly read a new book I got in the mail. It is Bad Dad, by Dave Lieber. It was so good; I could not put it down. And finished it that night! I have met Dave Lieber before. Kristi had a book signing for him at Sullivan Street, our Book Store Coffee House in Roanoke. He wrote a story about Kristi and Sullivan Street in his column that year too. And he and I exchanged books. He bought my Rainy Days and Starry Nights, and I bought his book that day. I had had a book signing at Sullivan Street that year too. Back to the book, that is the most interesting book, maybe because I knew the town he was writing about, Watauga, and some of the people in his story, I knew, mostly from reading about them in the Ft.Worth Star Telegram newspaper.

Also, Dave had written a column for the paper for years and was sort of a Watchdog writer. In fact now he writes that kind of column for the paper. Called The Watchdog! He stirs people up - makes them mad by telling the truth. Especially when he writes about local politicians like police chiefs, mayors, and city council men and women. You either love him or hate him, depending on what you have done. Or if you are victim or the perpetrator.

But this recent book is about when the shoe was on the other foot. Dave had tiff with his 11 year old son, at McDonalds, and to teach him a lesson about his little rebellious streak he told him to walk home –less than a mile away – shorter if he took a known short cut – but turned around and came back to get him – to teach him a lesson, and found someone had called the police, and they questioned him, sent him home with the son.

But next thing he knew, he was arrested and CPS got involved. What happened during the next few weeks and months, was a nightmare for Dave. So, you can imagine how engrossed I was in the book. Wanting to find out what happened next! So, I finished the book Saturday night!

Sunday dawned with still no rain, hot and dry. After church we went to lunch at Trailriders on C St. It was so crowded. We had to wait for 30 minutes to get a table. I wish there were more restaurants open on Sundays in this town. Almost all of them are closed on Sunday. You have to alternate between Trailriders and Jack’s Café! Unless you like Mexican food. But eating Mexican food every Sunday you tend to get burned out!

The good thing is you see a lot of your friends at either Jacks or Trailriders, because there is no place else to go! We ran in Ross Barrera who we know. He is a local builder who has built lots of houses in Floresville and Lavernia. His homes are beautiful. He is a custom builder. We had waited for a table for 7, and we had room for one more so our friend, Freddie invited him to eat with us – he was alone. I love meeting new people and hearing their story. Well, he was not new, because we had met him in other occasions, like - he was the builder of Eric and Karen’s house in Eagle Creek near Lavernia, and that was where we first met him when they had their housewarming party. He is Eric’s uncle.

Well, Ross’s story is such an awesome testimony of how God restores someone when all is lost and he changes and turns his life over to God, and God begins to make all things new. He has chosen the right way! Wow. I want to write his story, if he gives me permission some day. You would not believe the things that happened to him. And he has overcome, and gives God all the glory. He is such a nice person. Ross Barrera is a man you should meet.And build your house!!!

So it was a nice afternoon, good food, good fellowship, good friends, and then home to take a nap! Julie and Liz and their friends decided to go to another movie at the Arcadia at 3:30. Then they went to Dairy Queen for dessert! Ha. Julie was so keyed up with her day, she couldn’t even go to sleep last night, either. She probably will sleep all day today!

And the day ended with Julie and I watching the Dallas Mavericks play the Miami Heat in the NBA finals. The Mavs won! I don’t watch my sports team play unless they are winning! I am a real fair-weather fan! And that's the truth.

We were watching a movie and kept going back to see what the score was…it was not until the last 4 minutes, that I watched it to the end. It looked like they were going to win then, so I sort of was confident. Wow. Their first championship ever!!!! Finally, after so many years. Can you tell I like the Dallas Mavericks. I don't broadcast this is Spur country!!!

So I went to bed happy, but I could not go to sleep even after taking a sleeping aid, reading, working a crossword puzzle, praying, and reading some more …I guess the last time I looked at the clock it was 1:00 AM.

So, it is Monday morning! I was awake at 6:30! I wonder what God has for me today. I love Mondays!