The road home

Although still mighty cloudy, the rain finally stopped.  I looked at the weather map and noticed that it was still raining/storming in eastern Kansas and into Joplin, so I decided we would drive via Tulsa to the kids' home rather than mess with rain.

At Tonkawa, we turned east to Ponca.   

           Of course I have to stop at historical markers!

We turned south on 177.  

We took back roads to Pawnee.  It was a hoot!  We laughed and laughed as we went up and down hills!  It was like a roller coaster!

What?  What did that sign say?  

Black bear country?  Are there black bears around here??  

Well, I guess the highschool mascot in Pawnee is the black bear.  And the river that runs through the town is called Black Bear Creek.  I found this out later.

But we found this!!  Granny's Treasures!  

          "Let's stop, kids!"

There had been so much rain that the mugs were full!

We found a few treasures and continued on.

We got onto 412 and continued on.

Al called and suggested that we stop at the dam and see how it was running because of all the rain.  It definitely was running fuller!

The kids wanted to stop at Napolis again in Sand Springs.  Can you tell how much the kids love this food??

Tummy's full, we continued on our journey.

When we got home, we hung up the bird feeders that Eli had gotten.

The next morning, I played Eli a game of Monopoly.

Then I said my goodbyes to the kids.

I noticed flags being flown at half-mast.  They were for the children at Uvalde.

I was still about 2 hours from home when some guy decided to pass me and the car behind me.  Around a curve.  I had to hit the shoulder so he could get in before an oncoming car hit him.   I had just passed a sign saying there was a passing zone 2 miles ahead.  People.  Use common sense.  Be patient.  I was not driving slow!  Don't put your life and others on the line.  

When I got to Kansas, I saw damage from the Andover tornado.

There is much tragedy in this world.  But God is WITH us in the "storms" of life.  I cling to Him!!  He is my Shepherd, my Guide, my Comforter.  He is Compassionate.  Don't shake your fist at Him.  Take His hand.

"We are fragile, but His Word strengthens us." - Justin Welby, Thy Kingdom Come

Norms, Pickleball and muscles

 Today's riddle was:

We shall see the world

Then balls shall be hurled.

A tisket, a tasket,

We'll fill up a basket.

We'll use your strong muscle

And later we'll hustle

Put...put...put...down the road

If we don't have to get towed.

We "saw the world" at Norms coffee shop.

My dear friend Tarenda and her friend Jerry taught the kids pickleball, thus "balls being hurled".  

For lunch, we went to the Bread Basket (a "tisket a tasket").  When we were playing the game Newtonopoly, Eli "owned" this place!  

Norms was also on that game board, along with the Big Blue Sky sculpture

and watertowers.

After lunch, they used their "strong muscles" to help us move books off the bookshelves and take the boxes to the basement.  We are getting new carpet and the bookcases needed to be emptied so that the carpet guys could move furniture easier.

For supper, we had a "smorgasborg" - eating up all of our leftovers from the week!

We watched Wheel of Fortune.

The kids seemed to enjoy this evening ritual of ours.

Papa and Emeri modeled their "cool" clothes.

The last line of the riddle we weren't able to do.  Boo hoo.  We had hoped to drive the old '54 Chevy to Sonic (put...put...put), but with the buckets of rain coming down, it wasn't going to happen.  The windshield wipers don't always work properly.  Oh well.  

Eli and Papa continued their game of Newtonpoly.  It looked like Eli might win for awhile, but in the end, Papa won the game!

We had had a wonderful time with the kids.  Papa told the kids good-bye, because he would be at work most likely by the time they woke up in the morning.  And I would be taking them back to Arkansas.  Their parents were returning from Israel!