June 26, 2017

 

40th Anniversaries can be traumatic (just a suggestion) use whatever you like.

Ray and Teresa Anthony had plans to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary with longtime friends, Pat and Ann Tomez. The foursome was entering a restaurant to enjoy a nice quiet meal together. Just as Ray was walking past a mirror sitting on the floor, it moved and Ray’s reflexes reacted to “catch” it which he did but the edge cut his hand deeply. A wise decision was made to go to a nearby clinic which promptly used six stitches to put his hand back together. The procedure didn’t cancel, only delayed, the special dinner date. They returned to the same restaurant and had two reasons to thankfully celebrate: a 40th anniversary and an injury that could have been much worse. The evening ended with a complimentary dessert. Congratulations and may you never celebrate your anniversary the same way.

Lewis and Shirley Ivey’s 41st anniversary was June 25th. Their anniversary trip this year was to coincide with the graduation wishes of their grandson, Dalton Powell, for a family camping trip to Garner State Park. Dalton’s plan to enter the US Army in July was moved up; the required tests, etc. caused the Garner trip to be cancelled. Last Saturday with no packing to do, Shirley, her daughter Brandy and KK decided to pamper themselves with appointments to get their nails done. As Shirley completed her pedicure and was getting out of the chair, she slipped down. The injury wasn’t enough to keep her from getting a manicure but later that evening her foot continued to swell and a decision was made to seek medical attention. An x-ray determined a broken foot and strained toes and ankle. She was sent home wearing an orthopedic boot which didn’t detain her and Lewis on Sunday morning, their 41st anniversary, from attending the Diboll Church of Christ and observing their 16-year-old grandson, Bill McGuire, being baptized. What better way to celebrate a wedding anniversary?

Jimmie Woodard was on the road again, but this time for just a day trip.  She and niece, Traci Parish Hall took Traci’s two girls, Sadie and Remie, to Gators and Friends in Greenwood, La.   2-1/2 year old Sadie was all smiles as she fed the many species of deer and goats.  There was a yak, capybara, zebra and llama all waiting for her little hand to reach in with food for them.  The kangaroos were all having a lazy day and the group did not get to see them hopping around, but the ostriches were very active and eager to be fed.  The lemurs were just “hanging around” and on a special diet, so no feeding them.  And then, the awaited alligator feeding!!!   The attendants came out, beat on the side of a bucket full of gator food and the gators lunged into the water to go get their dinner.  Attendants put the pieces of meat on a long hook pole and the gators “jumped” to get their share.   After the gator feeding, a baby gator was brought out (with his jaws taped closed, of course) for the children to hold and have their pictures made.   Sadie got right in line and waited her turn to hold the baby gator.   To Jimmie and Traci’s surprise, Sadie was excited and eager to do so.  9-month old Remie was too young to feed the animals, but was all smiles and excited to watch her sister feed them and to be pushed around in her stroller. The group closed the day with Sadie riding the Shetland ponies twice and then celebrating their fun day with a snow cone! Sadie and Remie’s dad is Andrew Hall. Their maternal grandparents are Cindy and Andy Parish and their paternal grandparents are Roy and Julie Hall.

Good friends, Bettye Greer and Garvis Baldree, decided they shouldn’t let their traveling abilities get rusted and decided to drive to Arkansas. Their destination was a cabin in Petit Jean State Park, one of Arkansas’s historic treasures. They were unable to get reservations in the Mather Lodge which holds the distinction of being the only lodge built in Arkansas by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The rustic Adirondack-style architecture of the mountain lodge is built of native log and stone with its bluff setting overlooking rugged Cedar Creek Canyon. The girls enjoyed meals served in the updated Mather Lodge restaurant. The original portions of the lodge date from the 1930s but the girls enjoyed their rustic-looking cabin with modern amenities. They commented this would be a great place for family camping trip with the rugged beauty of the mountain, hiking trails, streams, waterfalls, swimming pools and picnic areas. The park encompasses 2,658 acres of rare natural beauty. I learned the mountain received its name from the legend of Petit Jean, the story of a French girl who disguised herself as a boy and secretly accompanied her sweetheart, a sailor, to America.

Janice Farley called me to report that she and Tom have a new great-granddaughter, Lillyonna Rilynn Farley, who was born June 20th in Sholow, Arizona. Her parents are Shea and Kim and her grandfather is Richard Farley of Huntington. Janice, Tom, Richard and his family will be traveling to Snowflake, Arizona in July to attend the Ramsay family reunion which is only 11 miles from where Lillyonna lives. Last week Tom and Janice traveled to San Antonio and stayed with their son Randall and family to watch their 15-year-old grandson, Malachi, win second place in a tennis tournament. Malachi is going into his sophomore year and is ranked number 33 out of 705 other students. His 14-year-old brother Zeigen, is a member of a baseball team that will be playing in the World Series in Florida. Tom and Janice then drove to New Braunfels to visit with their son Allen and his wife, Amanda, who lived in Diboll for a while. Their children are: 14-year-old Aubra; 6-year-old Dax and 11-year-old Elijah whose base base team will also be attending the World Series in MS. Everyone was very proud that Elijah was chosen MVP, Most Valuable Player! Lots of congratulations to Janice and Tom Farley.

Fred Flournoy came in with his 10-year-old granddaughter, Abbieann Flournoy. She and I had a great visit, I couldn’t believe a 10-year-old could be such a great conversationalist and not in the least intimidated by an older adult but then I have to remember her grandmother is Cecilia Flournoy. Abbieann has a 7-year-old sister, Addiemay and a 3-year-old sister, Ammielee. Their parents are William and Jamie Flournoy. While the younger two girls are attending day care this summer, Abbieann is having the pleasure of staying with her PaPa Fred.

The Diboll Business Association encourages you to attend an Open House and Ribbon Cutting for Star Spangle Treasures, June 29, at 2:30. They are located in the former Flowers Body Shop just north of the new fireworks stand on highway 59 near the Diboll Depot. Please take the time to stop by and visit, they have a world of treasures.

The Diboll Business Association is also helping to sponsor “July in the Park” this Saturday, July 1st at 6PM in the beautiful Old Orchard Park. Lots of activities and fireworks!

Come see us…’round the table.