Friday

My Powell Lily is loving the big drink it’s getting. It’s a beautiful Lily gifted to us when Larry’s mother passed in 1998. She died at 66. I’m ten years older than that today. Live for today. Tomorrow isn’t promised.

More rain! I think we’re still a little behind.

When I went to check the rain gauge, all my four legged friends were having a feast on the green grass. They all wanted ear scratching and nose rubbing!

May is ending. I’m reading “The Third Act of Theo Gruene” Talya Tate Boerner wrote it. She’s from my state and I have read all her books. I want to support my own. 

While on my trip, I made Astrid a grocery or farmers’ market tote. She said “no bright” colors for her. This was in my 75% off buy at Hobby Lobby. Dollar find.
 

Pause to Honor

Royle Bradford Luker 1924–1941

Today at approximately 1:00 PM, WWII Veteran Royle Luker passed  through Pottsville and Russellville on his way to the funeral home in Dardanelle.  This 17 year old young man was killed in action during the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, while serving our country. For more than 80 years, his remains were unidentified until a DNA match in 2025 finally brought him home.

Our Pope County Sheriff Wilson encouraged everyone who was able to come out along the route to show their respect and support for this American hero and his family. I honor Royle Luker’s sacrifice and welcome him home with the dignity and gratitude. He is back with family once more. 

He’ll be laid to rest near his mother! I’m sure she mourned for him all her days. The cemetery is in Plainview, AR, south of Dardanelle. 

116 men from Arkansas died in the December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor attack! Many were on the USS Arizona, but our own Royle Bradford Luker was a Fireman Third Class, USN on the USS West Virginia! The USS West Virginia was not destroyed at Pearl Harbor, though she was heavily damaged. Struck by up to nine torpedoes and two bombs, she sank in shallow water. She was later salvaged, extensively rebuilt, and returned to action in 1944, famously witnessing the Japanese surrender.🇺🇸🇺🇸

Below is the USS West Virginia in Pearl Harbor.

Obituary

Royle Bradford Luker, born on March 15, 1924, in North Little Rock, Arkansas, bravely served his country during World War II. As a Fireman Third Class in the United States Navy aboard the U.S.S. West Virginia, he gave his all and was killed in the line of duty during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. For his valor and sacrifice, he was awarded numerous honors, including the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Navy Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and Navy Expeditionary Medal. He was also recognized as a World War II Gold Star Veteran from Arkansas.

Royle is memorialized at the Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial in Hawaii, a testament to his enduring legacy. He was the beloved son of George F. Luker, a veteran of the First War, and Nettie Estelle David Luker. His family, some of whom resided in Kingston, Yell County, Arkansas, during his deployment, remembers him with pride and love.

For decades, he was listed as killed in action, but his remains were declared unidentified, or “non-recoverable”. Advances in forensic science (DNA) along with Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency were able to reopen cases and compare samples to living relatives to restore his name. More than 80 years later, DNA from Royle Luker and a family's willingness to share their DNA bridged the gap between loss and knowing. He will now be returned home and laid to rest.

He is survived by two nephews, Donald Bradford Henderson, John Luker and a niece, Becky Downen Lensing.

Graveside funeral services with Military Honors will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at New Bethel Cemetery near Plainview, Arkansas, located on Kingston Road. Royle will be laid to rest alongside his parents, George F. and Nettie Estelle Luker, honoring his memory and the sacrifices made by his family.

Arrangements by Cornwell Funeral Home in Dardanelle, Arkansas. Online Guest Book and Condolences at www.cornwellfuneralhomes.com.

 

Yucca, Yucca

My old Yucca plant is blooming. I was going to try a recipe using the blooms but mine are covered with stink bugs.

Mountain folks called the old Yucca plants “ghost of the night” as often they were planted by loved ones headstones in graveyards. They were hardy and even made it through very cold winters. When they bloomed at night they had a moonlit glow. When the graveyard lilies are viewed blooming in the dark, the lower dark-green foliage blends invisibly into the night, leaving only the tall stalks of luminescent white flowers visible. It’s an eerie ghostly site. The yucca blooms can be eaten. Here’s an easy recipe—Just chop up some onions, tomatoes, and maybe a little jalapeno. Saute the veggies and some flower petals in a little oil or butter for a few minutes and then add the eggs. That’s it! You’ve got yourself a nice, yummy breakfast.

Astrid spied this Prickly Pear blooming by her house. The yellow blooms are really pretty. After the flower dies a red, egg-shaped fruit will appear. The fruits are edible and can be eaten raw after removing the skin. Jelly can be made from the fruit too. In Mexico and Central America the cactus has been a dietary staple for 1000’s of years.  The pad is also eaten. It’s called nopal. The pad is treated as a vegetable and the pear, a fruit. The cactus fruit tastes similar to a melon, I read. No, I haven’t tried it.

Home Again

I enjoyed my trip but there’s no place like home. Last evening on the beach we saw a rainbow.laura always says it’s her Dad watching over us.

Headed Home Tomorrow

You can see why this tote pattern is called a stretch bag. One can dry it and it will be smaller again. Sig was in a little rain and it stretched but it will return to original. She and Logan left this morning. I enjoyed getting to know Sig’s Logan. His descriptive words from me are responsible, caring, kind, wise,  smart, and even tempered. 

Ingrid and Justin joined us yesterday. 

Justin has had to work some. It was a pleasure being with them yesterday. Ingrid is my reader. The book she’s almost finished with was written by the author that wrote “The Help”. 

Justin loves to fish and often “catches” their supper. He cooks it too. He’s off Wednesday and Ing often comes home to a clean house and gourmet meal.

Siggie and her Logan! 

Laura loves the sun and salty water. She, Sig and Logan E played catch in the water. 

Astrid walks each day and she has been able to keep the pace on the shoreline. Tomorrow we’ll drive all day. Treat is we’ll listen to an entire book. I am hoping we pick one Laura said was read by Meryl Streep. I love her voice.

 Below is the book Ing’s reading. She said it was a little unconventional. 

Rainy Trip

I finished Sigrid’s stretchy tote. She likes bright colors.

I am enjoying my trip. Since I can’t walk distances, I have not joined in on the excursions. I have stuck by the shore. The others have picked something to do each day. I’m happy hearing the sound of the Gulf. It’s been stormy and rains come and go. They don’t last all day.

My three granddaughters—Ingrid, Sigrid and Astrid.
 

There was an old woman!

There was an old woman

Who went to the beach

Her granddaughter Sigrid 

Believed she could teach

Her how to relax 

Just listen to the waves

Before coming to the end of her days.

I can see I like the sound of waves. 🌊 It is monotonous. I like monotony. Doing the same thing, at the same time and repeat is joy to me. It’s stability. It’s a known future. 

The rest of the crew are off on an adventure but I’m happy here doing nothing but what I choose.

 

Gulf

 We made it to Ing’s. It’s beautiful.

Thursday

Fleta gifted me a solar hummingbird light when she visited. It changes colors. It was made to stick in the ground but she zip tied it to my feeder pole. I’m enjoying it. Tomorrow we leave early on our trip. Hope I don’t drive everyone crazy.

Returned  my books to Pope County Library! My lucky day as I found the book about Mollie Brumley and how she survived the Civil War living on Richland Creek in Arkansas.

Mollie Brumley, a thirteen-year-old orphan, was living on a farm in the mountainous Ozarks of northwest Arkansas when the Civil War broke out. In a borderland region on the northern periphery of slavery and the western edge of white settlement, her corner of Arkansas saw terrible destruction—but not primarily from fighting between opposing armies. Mollie Brumley's Civil War was one of guerrilla warfare and outlawry, shifting loyalties, betrayals real and imagined, and, for some, death by starvation. In telling Mollie's story, drawing largely upon her 1902 autobiography, Theodore Catton offers a rare, intimate look at the heroism and desperation of war conducted on the home front—all amidst the anything-but-ordinary romantic adventures of an adolescent who lived during an extraordinary life!

Neighbor horses grooming each other across the fence!

Busy Day

Learning to read has really changed Ada. She behaves so much better in school and at home. She can focused.  She used to have trouble staying on task. She’s still a little spoiled but she is progressing in all areas of life.

I did get a little more rain after that almost 3 inch down pour. Today, I got my yard mowed, oil changed in my car, car washed, went to the bank, bought some small things for our trip at Dollar Tree. I’m pooped.

My friend Patti shared a picture of her scarecrow lady. The scarfs move in the breeze. Pattie taught math at the same school I did. She has a big garden and keeps bees. She loves studying the sky. She knows lots about the heavens.

Laura got her diploma framed.

 

Tuesday

 

The old Ditch Lilies are blooming. 

My friend lets her chickens out. They go to the garden for a dust bath. When I let mine out when we had a garden, they scratched the plants up.

This is the picture Ada brought home from school. Erin said—who’s this. Ada said, “ oh, it’s McKenzie. She wanted my picture so we traded. “ Ada is one of a kind.

We’re getting a good rain. We needed it. It waited until I was home from lifting weights and my yoga class. 

New Week

Fleta is putting flowers on the graves at Alpena cemetery. Helen made arrangements each year. Fleta and I kicked in with cash, but mostly Helen did it all. She has a lot of flowers and stuff in storage. Fleta and I are not arrangers though. These two stones belong to Helen and our baby sister, Debbie. Debbie was a down’s.  She lived 29 years. The flat stone is Helen’s. All my siblings and my parents are here. My Grandmother’s ancestors are here too.  I sent a donation to help with the mowing.

Fleta and I loved seeing all of Astrid’s outside flowers. This one was special.

Ingrid shared this. She works in radiology and loves pink. I’ll see her this weekend on our trip to Alabama.

Astrid’s Sign on her Chicken Coup

My favorite Pope County Library called Saturday and I picked up a book I requested—Unread. It’s a memoir by Oliver James. He graduated from high school and went one year to a local community college. He was functionally illiterate.  I’ve read about half the book. Many folks are living like Oliver. Everything is a hurdle. Oliver survived by keenly observing everything, everyone and not saying much. He started trying to read at 32 and has became avid reader. Should one be happy Oliver learned to read at 32 or sad it didn’t happy at age 6?