Found A Book

A friend thought I’d like this book and my library had it. “Gales of November”. It’s about the Edmund Fitzgerald going down in 1975. I don’t read a lot of fiction. I used to but after I turned 60 years old, I began having difficulty reading fiction. I’ve started this book and am thankful for something to read.

Fleta’s son found this baby and tried to save her. She didn’t make it. Several strikes against her from the start. 

 

Reading

 Sometimes Erin sends me a video of Ada reading. I love reading and am so glad she does too. Erin is not encouraging reading as much this summer as Ada does it on her own. They are working on math skills. Ada loves camp. She gets to swim and engage in all types of brain building activities each day. Greta may have a game at Hot Springs this weekend. If she does Ada will stay overnight with me! My treat. Ada has a speech impairment but it’s improving too.

I was blessed with two very smart girls. I took them to the library in the summer, but I don’t think their achievement had much to do with my assistance. They are just highly intelligent girls who learned at school. 

June 3

Astrid has tomatoes getting ripe.

Mostly I have Cardinals at my bird cam.

I get lunch today with my friend Kay. She first said Mexican but yesterday she asked if we could go to Brangus Steakhouse instead. I’m thrilled as ribeye is my favorite. It’ll be expensive though.

I did not find any books. Left empty handed. I requested one I want to read by Theodore Catton. I hope Kevin can borrow it.

Logan E is at drill at Fort Chaffee for two weeks. Siggie is here. She doesn’t like staying alone. She’s working at C & D. She likes pickle ball and on family chat asked if anyone would like to go to the courts. Astrid said maybe after it cools off. Logan R said 10:00 pm. It’s been way above 90 each day and humid. A front came through and this morning it’s nicer. Arkansas weather has extremes.

Ada has to get going early to go to camp. Erin sent this of how her hair looks each morning. It reminded me of the 1960’s when we “ratted” our hair and then combed the top out and added hair spray until it was stiff. I’m glad that fad has passed.

 

June 2

 I went to the post store and sent this beach bag to Amherst, New Hampshire. I hope Heidi likes it. 

I lifted weights this morning. I was going to go to yoga class but it’s changed to Wednesday all of June. I’ll go in the morning. I used the weed eater and mowed some with the push mower. My life is pretty boring. 

I finished the book The Third Act of Theo Gruene. I liked it. Now I’m out of reading material.

I bought some pollock fish. I tried to pan sauté it. Pretty gross. Most went in the chicken feed.

June 1

Astrid has a green thumb. Her gardens and flowers are flourishing.

I think Ada read the weekend away. Because she is the third child of a lover of books she has a good assessment to choose from.

Astrid bought an old quilt in Alabama. It’s called “flower garden”. She loves vintage things. 

A new week has started. I hurt my knee the last day of our trip. I’m hobbling around. I’m hoping it’ll be better this week. I will do my strength building today. I’ve road my therapy bike. My friend Kay is buying my lunch Wednesday. She chose Mexican.  

I must get my roadside mowed. It was really wet from our big rain and I didn’t go down it on my Kubota. I have to push mow part of it as it stays to wet and is a steep incline. I’m thankful for things I need to do or I would just sit and vegetate!

 

May Ends

I finished another tote. It’s going to New Hampshire. Laura’s childhood friend Heidi wanted one. She goes to the beach on the east coast.

Mowing done for another week. The grass had grown and I could easily see my path. It takes under two hours now I’m not mowing as much of the back.

Astrid grew some nice garlic. I’d like to try a clove in cooking to see if it’s different from store bought.

Ada read a lot this weekend. Going to camp is a busy play time and she’s tired each evening. Erin and she are playing dominoes to work on math skills. Ada is always happy.

Sigrid did not like the hospital pharmacy. It’s an isolated position. She is back at C & D, the owner said he’d take some days to play golf and she could fill prescriptions. He is past retirement age. So is great for both. In a few weeks she has a month of internship with a pharmacy in Little Rock. Her life is busy. 
 

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Laura is cross stitching as something to fill her idle time. These went to Sigrid, Ingrid and Astrid.

We watched Razorback baseball as we ate. We won.

 Eric had a birthday. We celebrated with hamburgers, hotdogs and coconut pie. Astrid and Sig sent photos to our family chat as conversation. The above of Sigrid got a laugh. It’s a highlights magazine! 

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.