Paul doesn't make rash decisions, and once a decision is made, you can be very sure he has given the matter a lot of thought. And I think he is as ready for retirement as anyone I know! Once you know, "you know."
I didn't expect to hear the announcement on the radio Friday morning at 10:00, during his interview with Lindell, (I think Paul wanted to surprise me!) but it's plain as day - no being vague about it any more. And we weren't keeping anything back that wasn't true at the time. It just seems that once the decision was made to move, everything seemed to fall into place. At least so far. We (or at least I!) may be moving sooner than I thought, if we sell our house here (Wynne). And if not, then sometime mid to late summer,
We spent Easter weekend in Iuka with family, also doing yard work (Paul) and house cleaning (me). I'm always eager to see what has bloomed every time we go and this time it's the irises and red clover on the highway rights-of-way and median. Every trip brings new surprises, renewals and wonderful times with family. We had supper Friday night at Homer's with Mike and Marsha (my brother and sister-in-law), Saturday night with Tommy, Carol, Whitney and Marianna (his brother/family); and church Sunday at Harmony, Aunt Ginny's church, with David, Sandra, Jessi and Jenni.
Mama Nick isn't doing well; I thought she seemed restless Friday. Sunday when we saw her before leaving Iuka, she was more agitated than... Well, she was agitated, and she is not by nature, and has not been. It was sad and unsettling to see her anything other than calm, even in the situation she has been in for the past several months... We aren't sure if something else has happened.
When we arrived back home, yesterday evening, a couple came to look at the house. It seems a little surreal to think of leaving this little house we've lived in for 37 years, and leaving Wynne after 42 years... I'm sure that last drive away will be much different from all the mini-exits of late. I can hardly talk about it to my friends - it's one thing to speak of it objectively, and quite another to be subjective. Wynne is a wonderful city and has given Paul, Amy and me some of the best, if not the best, years of our lives. We have great friends, neighbors, church family: it is truly The City With a Smile. We have put down roots in Wynne, but Iuka is the trunk of the tree. Family and family history is there. In fact, the two acres we bought (with the house) is part of a tract that was probably, according to Aunt Ginny, homesteaded. So we get to carry on a little piece of history. The three tracts that were originally in the family are still owned by descendants.
For myself, I know I am blessed. I ask people how they are and one will inevitably say, "Better than I deserve." And that's the way I feel. I am way more blessed than I deserve to be. And I am so very thankful. So, friends - you will always be dear to me.
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