And On the Personal Side
The cute little girl with the puppy is my granddaughter Jessica (we call her Jessi) a few years back. Now Jessi is all grown up and in love. She and her beau Juan are planning their wedding. We've had Jessi around us since her birth. While she was going to grammar school through eighth grade, she stayed with us during the week as the school in our mountain community was much better than the one where she lived with her folks. She and her folks moved into our little house next door by the time she graduated and they all still live there. We had slumber parties at our house for her birthdays. She asked me to come to every class and talk about writing. (Same kids, new teacher each year so would have to talk on different subjects.) We went to her soccer games in middle school and high school. When she started high school she met Juan. At first she wasn't interested, though she did go to a couple of formal dances with him. When he started coming to church every Sunday and then help...