Farmer Dan and His Hired Help

Last Friday I helped my orchard neighbor do some plowing. He farms a lot of sorghum silage around the perimeter of the pecans in addition to working for a large dairy. He was way behind on his own farming so I agreed to help him get caught up. After an early morning flat on one of the big tractor duals I got started running a field cultivator over the fields that he wanted to plant this week.

Beverly, Taylor and Presley brought me lunch and that gave Taylor an opportunity to ride in the tractor with me which is one of his favorite things to do. Taylor is much more savvy about tractors (especially John Deere} than most 5 year old children. He can tell you the model numbers, whether it is a 4 wheel drive or if it is articulated. You can ask him what that means! Presley and Beverly even climbed in the cab for a few rounds and Presley seemed to enjoy it as much as Taylor.

Plowing always brings back a lot of memories from my growing up days on the farm where we learned to drive tractors pretty early in life. There is something about plowing that is soothing and relaxing to me, especially if you don't have to think too much about what you are doing! We got a good rain this week so the planting will have to wait but nobody is complaining.

Kitty Litter Or What The Easter Bunny Brought Us

The only really good cats we've had since we've been married have been those that just walked into our lives off of the street. Oh, we got one from the Waco animal shelter that we named Shadow, but he didn't come with a personality. His stay in the shelter must have caused him a deep seated psychological disorder or it might have been because we had him neutered, but we had him the longest of any cat, about 7 years!

Beverly is really the cat lover in the family but these first two cats were such good cats that even I took a liking to them. Unfortunately, one of them died of feline leukemia and the other was hit by a car. One day about six months ago a cat appeared on the front porch one night that looked remarkably similar to the two that we had earlier. With a personality deluxe, she won a place around the Phillips household with no problem! She seemed to adopt the entire neighborhood, going from house to house for a free lunch, but always coming back to us for her home base.

Well, as cats will do, she started looking a little pregnant and then a lot pregnant. She delivered four kittens 3 weeks ago tonight. From the looks of things, their Daddy must have been a Siamese because 3 of them have that look and blue eyes. The other one, a male, looks like Mama. So, in about 3 more weeks, they will be ready for adoption. If you are looking for a kitten, we'll be looking for a home for them. Send us your adoption information and we'll review it before making a decision!!

Remembering Oklahoma City

Today marks the 14th anniversary of the bombing in Oklahoma City of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. It commemorates one of the saddest days in American history when domestic terrorists took the lives of 168 innocent American citizens, many of them children in a day care center.

A beautiful memorial, which was dedicated on April 19, 2000, now occupies the space where the building once stood. We visited the site in 2005. To say that it made an impression on us would be an understatement. It is something that you have to experience in person to appreciate fully. If you ever get to OKC, go by and see it. You will not be disappointed.

This entrance plaque helps to explain the contents of the memorial.


Looking across the reflection pool at the nine rows of chairs representing the nine floors of the building and those killed on each floor.


Looking at the reflection pool.


This statue entitled "And Jesus Wept" is outside of the memorial on a nearby street.


Danny, Dorothy and John after breakfast at the Cracker Barrel. We were in Oklahoma City for John's World War II Navy reunion.

Another Sister, Another Birthday!

Although it may not seem like it lately, I do occasionally blog about things other than birthdays! It's just that three of my siblings have birthdays in the first three months of the year unlike my personal family where there are seven birthdays in the span of about a month. But April 12 is my sister Brenda's birthday and I want to wish her the best birthday ever.

Brenda is an older sister and therefore was "in charge" a lot when we were growing up. Being in charge carries with it certain responsibilities but also certain privileges. I would have to say she rarely overextended her authority and we got along pretty well as far as I can remember. I do carry one battle scar, however. I have a scar down my back (although it has faded with time) of an encounter with her fingernail, probably gotten as I tried to escape following some wrong doing on my part!

I guess all of us kids are known for some trait that we exhibit in our lives. Brenda, as we all know is the "clean queen." You could eat from her floors and not be concerned. The floor would be as clean as her plates! She vacuums everything; the carpet, her sheets, even her refrigerator! We even accuse her of cleaning her baseboards with a toothbrush.

Brenda also loves to sing when we get together as a family. She likes to learn new songs and has introduced me to some really good ones, especially "Glory Land." Her only fault as far as I can see is that she is an Okie but I think her heart is still in Texas. She was born on an Easter Sunday so I hope you've had a good Easter. Happy Birthday Brenda and many, many more!