Up The Creek Without A Paddle
'What a wonderful world'
by Terry Toole

For a boy my age, it couldn't have been a better week, most of the time.

Anytime we are blessed to have our grandchildren come stay with us is a good time. My first wife and I traveled to Columbus Saturday, April 5, to pick up our third grandchild, Mason.

Now Mason is five years and eight months old, going on 10, he thinks.

I haven't figured yet how we got to keep him for a week. He was out of school for spring break, and his mother needed to work at their home where a ruptured water leak ruined the bottom ceiling and top floor.

It's not that Mason doesn't enjoy coming and staying with us, he does. I am afraid that he really is kin to me. He loves to be at his home as night falls almost as much as I do.

I must admit that I had my reservations about Mason being at the Liberal office on Monday and Tuesday. Believe it or not, our crew works on those two days, hard, especially on Tuesday.

To my utter amazement, Mason was as fast as anyone placing the inserts into the newspaper. I asked him if he wanted to quit school and come live and work with us.

He said, "Papa, I think I might ought to go and learn some more. Mom would miss me."

The only thing Donna asked us to do was to work with him on catching the baseball at first base, his new position. He is already a star hitter with a hit in every game and home runs in the past four games. No brag, just fact.

We were going to practice ball toward the end of the week and fish after we got the newspaper out. Well, we did go fishing awhile Wednesday evening before church. We caught four bass and one turtle and had a great time. The boy is going to be a good fisherman. He has the love for it.

We had thought about going fishing the next day, but when we got to work, the computers were down. All of them.

Now computers are the best things that have happened to most of us, when they work. They are considered blessings from God. When they don't work, they are instruments of the devil.

We were studying at church that we are tested in life if we are not totally in God's will and especially if the devil doesn't already have us. If you are in doubt about your life, get yourself a computer, or several. There is no doubt where I am. I knew I was far from being in God's will, and I am positive the devil doesn't have me.

After checking out several options, disconnecting several hundred wires, ordering some new equipment, and rewiring it with the help of experts and telephones, we got them working late Friday. We finished just in time to run home and wash, change clothes and go to a very successful Relay for Life event. It was fun, and a bit tiring after a stressful couple of days working on computers.

We didn't get to go fishing again. We didn't even get to throw too many balls to practice. The bad news was that his mother was missing him and wanted us to meet her Saturday evening with Mason. She had him a surprise. When we got there she had him a new puppy. The bad news, he is allergic to dogs. I'm afraid I might be getting a new puppy.

We got back from Columbus just in time to help serve the folks who attended the dinner and auction to raise funds for our next mural for Colquitt. They did good. I know folks around here are the best anywhere. They give to those who need help and to improve what we have.

As I said to start, we have three grandchildren. My number one granddaughter, Joanna, asked me Sunday night if I knew what Monday was. We celebrated her 17th birthday last Monday. She has become an even more beautiful young lady, and one that her Papa is very partial to, as she well knows.

Since this is about "grands" and computers, our grown grandson, Garrett, checks in on special occasions or when we are having a family gathering.

I've heard the saying that grandchildren are named "grands" because that's what they are. Our three are super grandchildren from five, 17 and 25. They are the icing on the cake for having good children.