Smoke Signals
A quieter week this week. I decided to stay in Georgia to spend time with family and go to Olivia’s last softball tournament of the season. I went with her to pitching and batting lessons and her team practice. For a girl who did not want anything to do with softball as a little one, she has developed a love for the game and is willing to put in the work to be the best she can be. Mom and Dad even built a batting cage in the back yard where she faithfully practices pitching and batting. She currently plays for a travel team.
First softball game was at 8 a.m. Saturday morning. The girls lost their first game. Olivia did a great job pitching, only pitching 14 balls facing 14 batters. It was a disappointing loss, but they played hard and after a break went on to win their second game. The Georgia sun was relentless! I sat in my car running the a/c for a while waiting for bracket play to begin. Players, parents, coaches and umpires were melting. Hydration breaks were allowed mid innings. Courtesy runners were allowed/ encouraged for pitchers and catchers. Coaches were using water guns to help players cool off. Even Olivia, who is normally a tough player, was beginning to struggle. The team lost the first bracket game, but no one complained as that meant escaping the heat. At one point my car thermometer showed 107 degrees.
Landon puts in the required work for football even in the heat of summertime in southern Georgia. He also works a part-time job and picks up odd jobs around the neighborhood. Both kids help with household chores, meal prep and taking care of the family dog. It is hard to accept that they are old enough to be so independent and don’t require much adult intervention.
Ellen and Olivia took me to the National Museum of the Mighty 8th Air Force. These men and women played an important role in World War II. The 8th Air Force—known as the Mighty Eighth—conducted the largest and most consequential strategic bombing missions of World War II, flying more than 440,000 missions and dropping 697,000 tons of bombs against Nazi Germany.
The grandson who graduated college last December, has a grown-up job, has purchased a new car, and moved into his own apartment, is currently in Scotland. A college friend is getting married there and invited the wedding party and several close friends to come to the wedding and stay in a castle. I tried to convince him he needed Grandma to chaperone, but he felt he could handle it!
On Monday, I plan to begin my journey back to Mississippi, stopping along the way to visit a friend. My time in Hawaii and Georgia has come to an end. I will miss my family in Georgia but it’s time to be back home. I haven’t prepared a meal since early in June, other than an occasional simple breakfast. My SIL will have knee surgery on Tuesday to hopefully stop the pain he has endured with this knee. Everyone will be back to basic routines and hopefully my Charlie will be happy to have me back home although he has been spoiled staying with my daughter.
I would love to report your news. Call or text me at 901 246-8843, message me on Facebook at Clair Wagg, or email me at jchwagg@gmail.com.