Spring Break 2006

The following is an email I wrote in 2006...this was the height of our frustrational times with Papa...many have requested I send it to them again...so decided to post! 

Four generations....Jim holding Shelby, Andy...and Papa! This was taken on Father's Day
...celebrating sweet Dads. 

Sat...uneventful...begin to wind down...looking forward to the glorious week stretching ahead....putter around the house. Jim is under the weather...but goes ahead and teaches a hand gun class at Gander Mountain. Nice to be alone in the house.....ummmmmmmmm!!!!

Sun....go to pick up Papa at Stonebrook....he is surprised I am there. He thought we were in California?????? I have never been to California....don't reckon I am planning to go there....He had called Daisy and she was supposed to pick him up from church. He tells me that his phone is not working ... he fell on his cell phone and broke it. SO....I go to his regular phone...pick it up. It works just fine. I try to catch Daisy at church....can't ...call Bill, her husband...he is about to leave to pick up Papa. I tell him not to come...that I am at Stonebrook. He wonders if we canceled our trip to California?

Mon...Papa is distraught because he says he fell on this cell phone and broke it. Yes, it is REALLY broken into about six pieces. It cannot be repaired. Jim goes to Stonebrook (leaving around 10) takes Papa to get a new cell phone. Before he leaves he has to "fix" the regular phone (that was never broken???) They get to Cingular....they tell him (as we have told him a dozen times) that his cell phone cannot be repaired. SO....now we are on a quest for another cell phone. Papa is not thrilled with this idea......he wants his old cell phone repaired. Again....not possible. Finally, they try to get him an older model phone from the back of the store that is a little bigger, bigger buttons, etc. so that he can handle it. Now.....you need to know that this phone cannot be dressed in the different colored covers that Papa so enjoys. You know how he likes to change the covers to match holidays ...and screw up his phone. Well, he can't play dress up with the new phone....he is not happy!!!! Now....you know the Cingular drill...cancel the old contract, deactivate old phone, new contract, activate new phone. Then, patiently, Jim takes him back to Stonebrook, programs all the numbers for him and they have phone lessons! Gets home about 3 that afternoon......weary and frustrated....but it is only Mon after all.......and the promise of the week ahead is still hopeful!

Tuesday.......nine o'clock...phone rings......Daisy Miller. She is letting us know that Papa has called her and he wants her to come get him so he can take his old phone to Wal Mart so that they can fix it! She wants us to know that he is not happy with his new phone that he cannot work it.....and it is black! Yes, we are aware the phone is black......and NO....Wal Mart cannot fix the old phone.....AND even if they did it has been deactivated....a concept that Daisy is not quite sure about. So....I tell her not to go pick him up....that Jim spent the entire day with him on Mon and what Papa wants does not exist. Daisy gratefully backs out of the phone deal....and is glad to hear we didn't go to California!

While Jim is running a few errands....I get three phone calls from Papa.....letting me know that the phone is not working out. He can't punch the numbers and because it is black he can't see it very well. He tells me that the people at Cingular are waiting for him to get there.....I assure them they are not! When Jim gets home he goes and picks him up and takes him to Cingular to see about trading phones. They wait for two hours......finally get to the lady.....and Papa goes into his big ..."let me tell you about my life" mode. He tells the lady behind the counter that he has had cancer and every week (he had about 5 treatments) for a year he had chemo. The chemo caused him to fall and when he fell he landed on his cell phone AND....now this is the good part....are you ready? You will really love this.......he broke his middle two fingers on his left hand! He raised up his middle two fingers and showed them to the lady! Because he has broken those fingers.....he cannot use his pointer finger on his right hand to punch in the numbers on his new cell phone. Well, good Lord! Why didn't he say so in the first place......who knew he had broken his fingers on his left hand.....that explains everything!!!!!!!

Finally, in frustration (because he is not getting his way) he decided he doesn't need a cell phone. God Bless America....Praise the Lord.......Papa without a cell phone....this is wonderful surprise blessing! SO....Jim returns the cell phone...cancels the new contract.....takes him back to Stonebrook. Jim gets home around 4.....goes to the back bedroom, shuts the door....it is dark in there. Around 7 that evening....Papa calls.....he is upset.....his cell phone is broken!!!! Jim tells him....yes, we are aware of that. Papa tells him that a man at Stonebrook fixed his old cell phone for him and now it doesn't work. Jim tries to explain that first of all.....the man probably didn't fix it......but even if he did that old phone is now deactivated. This is just too complicated of a word....they just don't get that.

Wednesday.....around nine o'clock.....phone rings. Who in the hell invented phones anyway? Alexander Graham Bell.....what were you thinking ....wasn't the world better off when we couldn't contact each other so easily. I don't know about you.....but frankly I don't really care if I am in the know every second of the day. It is Cingular! Yes, it is.....and guess who is there! Papa is at Cingular.....and is about the cross the highway to walk to WalMart.....where they can fix his phone. Then his son (that would be Jim) is going to pick him up there. I asked her how he got there.....she said well, I am assuming that your husband brought him and dropped him off......I said, NO....my husband is in the yard. It appears that George dropped him off.....thinking that Papa had already arranged with Jim to be picked up. AND...no...they cannot fix his old cell phone. I told her to NOT let him cross the highway to go to WalMart (I had to think about that one for awhile) SO......Jim went to Cingular to pick up Papa.....now he has decided he does want a new phone! NOW.....are you ready??????? He picked out the first phone that Jim got for him on Monday......YES, HE DID!!!!!! We are in cell phone hell!


Jim tried to explain to him that this was the very phone that they brought back yesterday because he couldn't punch the numbers with his broken fingers.....So Papa said, once again.....just forget the whole thing. I don't want a cell phone if I can't have my old cell phone. Jim takes him back to Stonebrook and about the time they get to Reba's Ranch house.....he changes his mind. Jim just stopped and pulled off the road and put his head on the stirring wheel. He says he just sat there for awhile. This patient God fearing man is about to blow.....I recognize the signs.

They headed back to Cingular....finally, they picked out another phone that is a flip phone.....but Jim thought he could handle it because the numbers are big....and there is a big red button for stop and a big green button for go. It is simpler. Completed more paper work.....took him back to Stonebrook, programmed it again.....and spent awhile in phone lessons followed by a stern lecture......got home around 4.

Thursday.....phone rings....around 7:30! It is not Papa....it is Andy.....who is number one in Papa's cell phone list. He and Bobbie got 8 calls from Papa between 5-6 this morning.........just making sure that the new cell phone works. Sometimes they could just hear him eating breakfast......sometimes he would just hang up. Andy wants his name removed......At about 8 I intercepted a call from Papa....Jim is not allowed to talk to him today. Papa just LOVES his new cell phone.......and just wanted us to know.

It is around 10 on Thursday morning.....please don't try to contact us.....we are packing for California!