On the way to the cemetery, Jerry starts asking me if I hear something. "No, I only hear the grinding of wheels on old pavement." Are you SURE you don't hear anything? "No, but my ear is ringing. What do you hear?"
We found the grave and removed the old, faded holiday oriented flowers and replaced them with these pretty (fake) hydrangea blooms. Grandma's favorite color was always red, so we thought she would like them.
As we were working on the flowers, we look up and see this beautiful double rainbow. I think it was a sign that Grandma did indeed like the flowers!
After working on the flowers, Jerry returns to the subject of his car and how something is definitely wrong. I'm thinking maybe we have a flat or near flat, but he's already looked at that. So I get down on all fours and see that a fairly large piece of SOMETHING has fallen off the bottom of his car and has been dragging the ground since half-way to Baylor!
By now, I'm thinking Grandma and Pa must be rolling over with laughter because the small double rainbow had turned into this ...
I've already got cutting and digging tools in my hands, so I get the bright idea to pry the only remaining fastener loose and throw the thing in the trunk. Easier said than done - neither of us could make it turn loose. We left the cemetery, drove to dinner, the Brookshire Brothers and back to Rainbow Courts dragging this piece of the car all along the way.
When we pulled into the gravel parking lot, our friendly black cat RAN to the car and immediately inspected the strange piece of plastic sticking out from the car. We were cracking up. These cats sleep under the cars at the hotel and I guess he hadn't ever seen anything like it either. With some serious elbow grease, and under the watchful eyes of the kitty, Jerry managed to get the thing off the car, so at least we didn't have to worry about it dragging around the rest of the trip.
Whew, that was enough excitement for one day.
The next morning we headed back into town for breakfast at the new McDonalds, which was about as dramatic of a contrast as you could see. The interior was sleek and wild and "modern" - looked like a throw back to the 70's to me - and we laughed about what those farmers drinking coffee must think about the bright orange sitting stools and techno-modern art. Ha!
After our pancakes and scrambled eggs, we hit the Library for a little research. YEARS ago, Mary and I went with Grandma to a Sesquicentennial Ceremony where Rockdale residents placed letters and other small items into a "time capsule" to be opened in 2024. Although I don't remember exactly what we put into the capsule, I remember writing a letter to my then toddler-aged niece Britt. Grandma wrote letters too and the older I get, the more curious I am about what's in there. If I'm able to attend, I'll be there in 2024 to collect the items we "preserved for the future" - it will be a fun look back at our family and spending time with Grandma Skinner.
Next we headed to the Harmony Cemetery and it's sporting a brand new marquis - fancy!
Just inside the gates we noticed a new marker commemorating my grandmother and Mrs. Foster for their tireless work and dedication in keeping Harmony together throughout their lives.
The headstone looks great and we replaced the existing flowers with some big colorful (fake) sunflowers in an array of fall colors. Mother always liked the "fall palette", so I hope they like them.
Front
Close up
Back
After the Harmony stop, we headed to "the farm". I haven't been there since Grandma died in 1995, but I remember so many good times there. As a really young kid, we would go out there and just look around. There was an old cabin on the far side of the spring-fed lake, but it was in terrible condition, and Grandma was "deathly afraid" of snakes, so we never stayed there.
As a middle-schooler, Grandma bought us a horse and we began to spend lots of time at the farm. She would drive us out there and sit with her friend Edie Arrington in the 100 degree weather or in the dead of winter and let me ride Red for hours. Soon, there was so much renewed interest in the farm that the family worked together and built another cabin - now close to 40 years old.
There are still cows, although less than when Grandma was living nearby to manage their care. Uncle Bozo lives in Austin, but it's a lot to handle.
The trees around the lake have really grown up in 15 years and the lake is low. I could tell stories of playing in knee deep quicksand and the "mud pies" we made as kids. Spending time with Grandma Skinner was ALWAYS an adventure!
It's still a pretty place.
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