I'm back!

Memama and I returned from Shallowater yesterday afternoon.

I have mixed feelings about our trip.

I have never liked "staying" with someone. Even family. I have always felt that the hosts need a break as do the guests, where you can just back it down and relax. (No entertaining).

This trip found Rian ailing. Try as he might, he did not feel well. He has been to the doctor, been to the hospital for further testing, and is scheduled back to the doctor this week. While a preliminary diagnosis is in and steps are being taken to medicate and treat it, further attention is warranted.

Rian had a small project he wanted help with, but while we looked at it and analyzed it, he obviously didn't feel up to it. So we still have his project.

Erica stays busy and is a good little hostess.

The three boys are a puzzle. They can be the sweetest things one moment and they can be the most unbelievable miscreants the next. Biggest thing I noticed is that what one does, the others do.

Shortly after our arrival at their home, Rian and Erica were fixing a drain in a bathroom sink. Prior to them going to work on it, Rian was loading pellet guns for the boys to shoot outside. Erica was expressing her concern over the safety of it. Rian was explaining that the new pellets were "soft" and wouldn't hurt or damage anything if shot with them. And the boys have been instructed on gun safety.

There are three boys and only two guns, so the biggest two boys went outside first. Moses was sitting in a chair watching televisions so I sat in the floor and was talking with him. In a few minutes Reid, the oldest, came in the house low on ammunition but not out. I stretched out on the floor, rolling over toward where Reid was at. When I looked up He had his pellet gun cocked and pointed at me. I told him he knew better than to point a gun a someone, and reminded him that you don't shoot a gun in the house, and that his Dad had given him specific instructions.

Reid began smiling a little grin as he pulled the trigger and shot me on the back of my left side just below my armpit. The most alarming thing for me was he made a conscious decision. A close second was that it hurt like hell!

I closed the distance between us quickly and ripped the gun from his hands and put it up on the bar.

In the mean time, Holt came had come in and saw what Reid had done. He thought it was funny. By this time I was sitting on the couch next to Memama. When he walked to the middle of the room in front of me he pointed his pellet gun directly at my face. I really thought with his love of hunting and the amount of time he has spent with his Dad, he would be the least likely to shoot at someone. Just to be safe, I raised an object in front of me, just as he pulled the trigger. The pellet ricocheted away. Just when I thought the crisis was over, Moses appeared having retrieved the gun from on the bar. I became somewhat alarmed when Holt helped Moses cock his gun. Then Holt positioned himself in front of me again while Moses had gone around to my right side.

Having determined that Holt was the greater threat I was talking to him and had extended my right hand to protect my face and eyes. Holt pulled the trigger shooting me in the middle finger, right at the base of it.

While Moses struggles to cock a pellet gun of pull the trigger, somehow he pulled the trigger shooting me just in front of my right ear.

I was up in a flash, ripping the gun from Moses' hand and I was going for Holt's gun. He thought it was funny and began running, but I caught him and grabbed the gun barrel. As I lifted the gun he was screaming bloody murder while refusing to release his grip and dangling from the gun at the end of my arm.

Almost immediately Holt's mother appeared. I am sure I looked like the villain. Holt dropped to the floor crying and telling her I hurt his side and arm.

Right behind her Rian appeared wanting to know what was going on! He had a hard time suppressing a laugh until I touched my sideburn and when I moved my hand away, blood ran down my finger.

Rian was surprised that the soft pellets had broken my skin. He asked me for the confiscated guns which I had in my pockets and he took them and locked them away in the gun safe.

Then came the summons for all three boys to come to Rian and Erica's bedroom. After an extended period, I heard the swat of a board and Reid came out, swat,then Holt came running by shouting that he didn't like me (that's o.k., I didn't like him much right then either) then swat and Moses came out bawling.

Still, I'm not totally satisfied with the discipline. I wanted to and still want to shoot them! I probably hold Reid more responsible, then Holt, then Moses. I think it was a case of monkey see monkey do.

If I had been alone on this excursion I would have been home in less than three hours Thursday afternoon.

I was talking to a friend who told me their grandson shot someone with a BB or pellet gun and his punishment was wearing an eye patch for a week to make him realize if he had struck that person in the eye and blinded them, what it would be like.

Two inches from my eye, an inch from my ear opening. I vote for all the above! Paddle them, shoot them and make them wear a patch.

Ironically, last time I visited Rian and family on a planned visit, Reid shot me with a supersoaker that had soured water in it. Nasty!

I really enjoyed my time with my Mom. We drove up, stopped at Riversmith's in Lubbock for a late lunch and then made our way on to Shallowater.

Late Thursday, Rian fired up the grill and cooked veggies and rib eyes! Erica prepared baked 'taters and a tossed salad. Excellent supper!

Later we drove to Nickie's Swirl (or something like that). It is a chain that has sixties decor and rock and roll music along with a vast array of frozen yogurt flavors and toppings. They give you small paper cups to sample their wares and when you find what you like, or a combination, you get a cup and fill it with the desired amount and desired toppings. Then they weigh it and sell it by the ounce. It is a neat concept. I only saw one person working in the entire store.

By the way, my favorite was Italian Creme Cake.

After sleeping about three hours shortly after midnight I woke and read parts of a book and responded to some correspondences until morning.

I had heard a door open and close towards morning and Erica had gone out to her morning run. When I made my way to the living room later the boys, sans Moses, were in the same chair covered to their chins with a quilt watching Jack and the bean stalk.

Shortly the garage door opened and closed and Erica went to the oven where she had left a breakfast casserole of sausage, egg and cheese cooking. She removed it and put in a pyrex of oatmeal. Rian and I retreated to the back porch (which is his pride and joy) while it cooked. We enjoyed a Diet Coke on ice until he went into the house and retrieved breakfast. I had never tried baked oatmeal, but Rian assured me it was great. He was right.

Before I left I took a picture of the recipe with my phone.

About lunch the car was unloaded and reloaded, we spent some time outside watching Moses ride his bike without training wheels, and watching the two bigger boys hitting golf balls. Then it was time for us to get in and hit the road.

It was a quiet ride back. Memama thinking about Rian and Erica's new house and their family. Me planning my revenge! (just kidding. I'm going to buy them all dresses and dolls for Christmas).

Memama and I stopped at the Shack in Snyder for a late lunch. We ate their famous chicken fried steak. It was good, but I guess I am getting old as I found I enjoyed the salad bar at Riversmith's and at the Shack more than the meal.

By mid afternoon we were at Memama's and I was taking her bags in and moving mine to my truck before putting her car in the garage.

Pat came by and we discussed a few things. One of which is to have the OnStar activated on Memama's car. I felt this was important should Memama experience a problem, but also if she became disoriented and lost we could locate her. While she has only had one episode, I feel this would be a good precautionary measure.

Before I left Memama's, Kyle Patrick Henry Hagerman and his friend Danny came in, fresh off their week long vacation that culminated at Galveston and the beach. Oh did they have stories.

Well, the lawn beckons. Damnit!

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for safe travel. Thank YOU for giving us children when we are young! We will glorify and praise your name!