THE BAILEYS' 2006 NEW YEARS LETTER
with ROYCE, JUDY , JILLIONNA AGE 16 AND
JOSIANNE AGE 15
JANUARY. The New Year of 2005 begins in beautiful Southern
California at Royce’s parents lovely ranch. The whole family was together:
Gramee, Papa, offspring, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Royce mentioned that nephew Carsten had a full diaper. Uncle Neil said, “I
don’t think so. The diaper package says, “Good for up to 25 pounds.”
Cindee and Neil have learned that with one child your lifestyle is slowed down.
With two children you’re, “dead in the water.”
Neil said to Cindee, “If we leave now, we can still be late.”
After church, Neil said, “We can go now, there are no more cars in the
parking lot.”
Aunt Cindee got a perm in her hair. Christian, age 4, said, “You got your
hair scrambled.”
On the flight home Jillee and Josee didn’t want to sit by each other. When
Royce asked why, the comment was, “when she falls asleep she drools on
me.”
FEBRUARY. A patient said that her family was so poor growing up, that she couldn’t
even afford to pay attention.
“Children can be independent of their parents, but the parents are never
independent of their children.”
We’ve now been in North Carolina for 18 years. We asked one of our mountain
friends if we were a “redneck” yet? Your granny don’t chews
no “tab-back-ee”? “You’ve never been to a NASCAR race? “Yo
mamma never fixed you no liver mush!” No, you’re not! Judy says, “this
is good.”
Royce doesn’t know how he got over the hill without getting to the top.
You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.
We continue to be very busy with home schooling, music, animals, church work,
etc., and Royce can’t think of anything he’d rather be doing than
Cardiology. Grandma and Grandpa Wolter help us tremendously, we appreciate them
so much! Music lessons include: Harp, piano, dulcimer, guitar, banjo, flute,
organ and choir. The girls play around with violin, mandolin and harmonica (not
for public performance).
Royce and Judy went to Loma Linda to attend the alumni reunion, for the first
time since leaving 18 years (1987) ago; for Royce’s 25th anniversary graduating
from medical school. Memory lane was awesome. Class night was memorable and only
one person fell into the pool, fully clothed. Royce found that old age is when
former classmates are so gray, wrinkled and bald, they don’t recognize
you. First you forget names, then you forget faces, then you forget to pull up
your zipper. It’s worse when you forget to pull it down!
Clifford (our 10 year old dog) ate rat poison on a recent Friday night. We induced
vomiting with hydrogen peroxide and he is still with us.
MARCH. Isabel, our Golden Retriever, ate our freshly made gluten from the top of
the kitchen counter (that was to be our lunch), and now ends up being hers.—she
was pregnant .
The girls dissected a frog in biology class. Then with several warmer nights,
the frog family in our Koi fish pond laid their eggs. Several clumps of jelly-like
egg bundles found their way into the kitchen in fish bowls; we then watched the
polliwogs emerge.
Isabel had seven golden retriever pups March 10.
March 18 our home school group toured the BMW plant in South Carolina.
March 19 Our goat Maggie was lost. We thought she was either dead (killed by
coyotes) or hung-up in the fence. Royce found her with her back leg caught in
the top of the fence and she was hanging between heaven and earth. She had tried
to get over the fence for greener pastures. Royce freed her while wearing his
Sabbath suit, before church, and she is now happily back with the herd.
Jillee had her wisdom teeth out. Grandpa Wolter said that her consent form is
the longest he had ever seen, but was missing two items. Your head may fall off
of your shoulders after this procedure and what is your favorite mortuary? Jillee’s
friends wondered out loud if Jillee had any wisdom left?
Josee is getting ready to take Driver’s Ed. A speedometer on a car is for
measuring____? Yes, speed. So, Josee was asked what an odometer on a car was
for? Her answer was for measuring odor.
One of Royce’s patients' daughters moved away for the first time.
The daughter called to tell her mom to bring plenty of warm clothes for her upcoming
week end visit. Then she added, “Bring enough clothes to last until the
year 2007.”
Jillee and Josee played in the Asheville/Buncombe County Youth Symphony at the
Asheville Civic Center.
EASTER, the girls head to 3ABN for a new recording session on the “Kids
Time” set.
Royce asked a patient, that was recently hospitalized, how he was feeling. He
said, “I’m feeling better, but I’ll get over it.”
APRIL.
Spring is so colorful with the white flowering pear trees, the red bud, the yellow
forsythia and daffodils. The weather is so unpredictable this time of year and
it can make you hungry. So it is said, “Chili today and hot tamale.” (chilly
today and hot tomorrow). Get it??
Royce was asked what the blood pressure parameters for a stress test should be?
He answered, “I want the patient to have a blood pressure before and a
blood pressure after each test.”
Royce goes as the “gopher” (go-for) to the Carolina Conference Women’s
Retreat in Gatlinburg, TN. He and the speaker were the only ones without “indoor
plumbing” He’s the “roady,” because he “goes
for” the musical instruments and such. Judy and the girls played harp,
flute, and dulcimer.
We were given a donkey (Flapjack) and his goat friend (Buddy). The girls love
to ride “Jackie,” because he is closer to the ground. Jackie is not
sure if he is a goat (he spends time with the goat herd) or a horse (spending
equal time with the horses).
A thunderstorm knocked out our phones. Royce saw the lightening hit, about 200
yards from the house, our underground line. It then snowed the next day, on the
24th of April; the dogwoods, wisteria, azaleas and apple trees are in full flower.
Our fruit trees may have been damaged from the freeze (again, happens ever year).
Judy said to her doctor, “I’ll need prozac if you make me get on
that weight scale.”
About the time everyone was getting sick on the cruise lines, Dr Gammy (Royce’s
partner) announced, “I won a cruise. On the Lysol Cruise Lines, sponsored
by the Norwalk virus.”
MAY. Our male peacock is an attack peacock, chasing everyone away from the barnyard;
we have to carry a stick with us for protection.
Royce’s ribs have been sore all week from a playful kick from Cassy, our
two year filly. The horses got out into the neighbors yard and were running back
to our barn. The girls had to extract Royce from the barb wire fence as he lay
on the ground in pain.
The girl’s bottoms are sore from sitting on paint cans de-sprouting last
year’s crop of potatoes in the lower garage. Ready to eat or plant!
The girls played in the youth symphony (Jillee Harp, Josee flute) at the Asheville
Folk Art Center.
Royce asked Josee which side of the street the new site for harp lesson was on-right
or left? Her answer was, “It depends on which direction you are driving!” Fortunately,
Jillee remembered where it was located.
Some dear friends treated us to a week-end at Leatherwood, NC (between Lenoir
and Wilkesboro). We took six horses and had a grand time on the spectacular trails.
Again (the fourth year in a row) the girls played for Live “Kids Time” Campmeeting
at 3ABN. This time no harps were requested but Judy had her’s because she
and the Wolters picked it up from Lyon & Healy on the way to 3ABN. OK, Chicago
is not close to 3ABN but it’s closer than here in NC. “Appalachian
Praise” (Jillee hammered dulcimer, Josee on Royce’s old banjo, and
friends) did great on live TV. Appalachian Praise also played at Lake Junaluska
for the Carolina’s Campmeeting. Judy, Jillee, Josee and Kathy Russell played
a harp quartet for the campmeeting, which was angelic.
Overheard: “Acquiring gilded pedal harps worth the price of a house is
a challenge while living on this earth, but it does include a free trip around
the sun every year. No cartage extra for the harp.”
Allergy season is about over but the flowers have been great. At the end of May
we see: wild orange azaleas, pink mountain Laurel, white wild roses everywhere.
The domestic flowers include pink, purple, lavender, red rhododendron, pink lady’s
slipper and all shades of blue, white, yellow and pink flags.
JUNE. We were all working in the yard and we became very itchy. “Royce
do you have anything that will help?” Judy said while scratching her itch. “We
have oceans of lotions, potions and notions on how to treat an itch, but none
of them work,” lamented Royce.
The three girls traveled by car up the coast with friends in June. Gettysburg,
Hershey’s chocolate factory, Boston, Acadia national park, ME, Bay of Fundy,
Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, (PEI--home of Lucy Maude Montgomery-Anne
Of Green Gables), Royce met us at the PEI airport for the weekend, then on to
New York, Washington D.C., saw the ponies on Chincoteague Island and then home.
We celebrated Jillee’s 16th birthday on the trip, what a sweet memory.
Jillee wanted to learn Mozart’s Concerto in C and her Harp teacher, Lelia,
said, “You need to wait until college.” On the way home (soon to
be 10th grader) Jillee said, “I don’t care what she said, I’m
going to learn it anyway.” The next week she had learned ¾ of it.
Lelia couldn’t believe it and said, “I guess we’ll work on
this song now.” Later, Lelia was talking with Josee’s flute teacher,
Pam, explaining what Jillee just learned. Pam said, “I can believe it,
I teach the other one.”
We celebrated Father’s Day late this year. Judy asked Royce what he liked
most about being a father? Royce replied, “Those two sitting over there.” Pointing
to Jillee and Josee.
JULY. Grandpa and Grandma Wolter put in a fire pit for Royce’s B-day behind
the house, just in time for birthday celebrations. There is a learning curve
to cooking food in a fire-pit, but the taste of fresh corn on the cob and new
potatoes is fabulous.
The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.
The sole purpose of our children’s middle name is so she can tell when
she’s really in trouble.
Mid July the wild white clustered rhododendrons are in bloom, as are the pink
to light purple wild roses, honeysuckle, Joe-Pye weed (smells great, looks awful),
phlox, butterfly plant and Queen Anne’s lace.
We spent a week in Williamsburg with friends and were reminded of our heritage
and how our country is blessed.
During the “Jerusalem market place,” VBS week, each of the girls
helped run a different shop/craft and acted out the last five days of Christ’s
life. On the last day, Flapjack (donkey) and Buddy (his goat friend) and four
baby rabbits went to church too.
On Judy’s birthday, post last day of Vacation Bible School (VBS),
we stayed home and off the road, because Josee was having her first day
behind the wheel at Drivers Ed. When Royce mentioned this to her, she
said, “Daaaaaaaad.”
The girls took a knitting class and are making lots of Christmas presents.
July 26, Royce heard the first Christmas songs in our home being practiced for
the coming season.
AUGUST. Few woman admit their age, few men act it.
Grandma Wolter presented a lecture series, at Fletcher Academy, on character
development (that Royce typed). It was an insightful series about what a teacher,
or parent, need to know in training for eternity. If you want a copy let us know.
The girls spent a day with church friends, playing in their lake, shooting silly
string, water balloons and playing tag.
Royce over heard a patient say, “Birthdays are good for you. The more you
have, the longer you live.”
Office staff saying, “Warning: I have an attitude and I know how to use
it.”
Josee had her 15th birthday party at our house. Water balloon fights and swimming
followed.
Raising teenagers is like trying to nail Jello to a tree.
The girls have started 10th grade. We’ve started chemistry (we haven’t
blown up the house yet), Spanish, Algebra II, etc. How time flies. Jillee says, “Do
you want to see time fly?” Royce says, “Yes.” Jillee said
to throw a clock out the window.
SEPTEMBER. Royce and the girls try to go horse-back riding once a week,
but music lessons and bad weather sometimes get in the way. We did get an early
Christmas present-a horse trailer. Royce has, up to this time, always borrowed
one. How much does it cost to keep a horse at your house, Royce was asked? Royce
said, “The
horse is only the down payment.”
With our taxes on extension we feel like, “A penny saved is a government
oversight.”
We were able to spend a week in Hilton Head with friends for R&R before the
major holiday onslaught. It was colder there than at home. We did bike ride a
lot, this explains why Royce is walking funny.
Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
Royce overheard, “The only thing golden about getting old is my urine.”
Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.
Love is blind but marriage is a real eye opener.
OCTOBER. Jillee and Josee, with the four Wagner children, practiced their
16 songs (that they have recorded at 3ABN for Kids Time) for a CD and DVD. “Appalachian
Praise” is their gospel blue grass group. They recorded it in the studio,
with three cameras, and the next day filmed the outdoor scenes on location. They
were very nervous at first, but quickly became relaxed with the recording session.
They should be used to cameras in their faces after recording over 100 songs
for 3ABN over the last four years. Their DVD will be available at the end of
March 2006, through your Adventist Book Center or at http://members.aol.com/harpists4u or
call us at Judy’s Musical Ministry: (828) 687-8971.
The doctor says I’ve got good news and bad news. What’s the good
news the patient asks? “You’re as healthy as a horse,” the
doctor said. So what’s the bad news? “And? your horse is 35 yrs
old and ready for the glue factory,” replied the doctor.
Amazing! You hang something in your closet for a while and it shrinks two sizes.
Sometimes I think I understand everything, then I regain consciousness.
NOVEMBER. Jillee played the harp with the Brevard Philharmonic for the first time
and received $100.00. She is principal harpist of the Asheville Youth Orchestra
for the third year. She also plays with the Blue Ridge Orchestra. Yes, harp IS
her instrument.
On Thanksgiving we hosted our 15th annual potluck dinner at the church. We entertained
the guests with music and a fashion show of sorts, ie. Box Suit (cardboard box),
Simple Print Dress (made out of newspaper), Sack Dress (brown grocery bags and
plastic bags for puff sleeves), Popcorn Stitch Sweater (sweater with popcorn
glued on it), Cable Knit Sweater (sweater with jumper cables across it), Smoking
Jacket (smoke bomb under jacket), etc.
The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then, your body
and your fat are really good friends.
Royce says to get people’s attention-Warning! Don’t try this at home!!!
Exercise may result in improved health and weight loss.
Royce has noticed that parental instruction is trumped by the kid’s peers.
Royce’s mother says, “Mothers of teens know why animals eat their
young.”
It is not unusual for us on Sabbath to load two harps, a dulcimer, and flute
for music at church. The girls each know what to bring or layout for Royce to
load in our beat-up 1991,15 seater, Ford van. The last question asked is (once
everyone is in the van), do you have your music? It is not normal unless everyone
runs back into the house at least three times for something they have forgotten.
DECEMBER. Jillee and Josee have played multiple piano duets this Christmas season.
The family performed in costume at the annual “Walk Through Bethlehem.” Royce
and Judy said their lines inside the Taylor’s Shop. One of Royce’s
lines was, “Be still, you don’t want your hem to drag in the dirt
like Malachi the beggar?” Jillee and Josee said their lines as gossipy
women at the well.
Our church is blessed with two wonderful pastors; we never hear a bad sermon.
The associate pastor has started Thursday evening youth Bible study, on end time
events, and a Sunday morning youth study, on prophecy. God has sent them for
such a time as this.
Both girls played in the Youth Orchestra Holiday Concert. Josee played the flute
and Jillee the harp. Several people attending the concert said, “If you
hadn’t told me, I’d never known they were just high schoolers playing” Thanks
Ron Clearfield!
The holiday season found Judy at the Biltmore House many evenings, playing at
private parties, providing music for local churches, and taxi-ing the girls to
their holiday performances. Royce catches up with the family when he finishes
his schedule and we’re glad to say he hasn’t missed an event yet!
It has been a full year and God has richly blessed. We praise His name for life,
happiness and health. May you all feel His presence as He guides us through 2006.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Contact us at: http://members.aol.com/harpists4u
THE BAILEY BUNCH
|
