I finally remembered to get the photo of Grandpa Jem when he was a young man and am posting it today in honor of his carnival. We leave tomorrow for Missouri and his hometown. We are driving there in Dad's chevy blazer and will get there on sunday dad says. The carnival starts saturday and ends a week after sunday. Grandpa says that this may be the last time he goes so he wants to stay the whole time and see all his old friends that "can still remember who the heck I am". I said that last year a lot of people remembered him and he said that hopefully he'll remember them. I laughed, but was a little embarrassed that I was laughing. He said that its ok because losing your memory isn't all bad. I was kind of surprised about this but didn't ask why. Maybe someday I will know what he's talking about.
I am bringing my writing journal and will write all about our trip so that I can post it when I get home. Although when I asked Dad if Uncle Don has a computer at his house, he said "I am not even sure he has a microwave yet". Uncle Don is kind of old-fashioned but Dad says he is a very honest man and a very good accountant. Cousin Bruce, Uncle Don's son, says that his Dad "squeezes the nickel so hard the buffalo poops". I looked and there is no buffalo on the nickel. He also says that he is also stubborn, "like all Buckheisters". That is today's word, "stubborn". It means "having or showing dogged determination not to change one's attitude or position on something, esp. in spite of good arguments or reasons to do so". A use of it is "he was stubborn in his refusal to eat vegetables". Now I know what cousin Bruce means.
I have to go pack my clothes before Mom gets a hold of them and makes me bring clothes that I don't like. By the way, the horse in the picture is Hank and not Ferdinand. Hank was Grandpa's favorite.