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Generally speaking the 90's decade was not a good period for Basil and me. I had lots of trouble with my heart and the lung cancer was a problem and still is for that matter. Our Dr. Brandon who is our general care doctor, and has been for some 35 years or more, says he is not really concerned about the cancer. According to him something else will take me before the cancer does so don't sweat it. That statement seems to be both good news and bad news and I wasn't sure just how to take it at first. What he meant was that the cancer is a slow growing malady and so he recommends I simply forget it as much as possible and live my life as if it is not there. That is what we try to do and I do think it helps.
Basil who looks healthy and is full of energy and seems strong as a much younger man, has a bad heart and could have a problem at any time. We never knew he had a problem until one day it suddenly stopped without any warning and he colapsed to the floor. Strange as it may seem, he had no pain and as suddenly as it stopped it started again and before we got him to the hospital it must have stopped seven or eight times. The next day our heart doctor implanted a pacemaker. He has been doing just fine ever since.
We are now well into the 21st Century and a new decade looms ahead. Anyone reading this web site will know that both me and my husband grew up in Texas, fell in love and were married at age 18. During the years we were raising our children we were determined that our family would grow up knowing their relatives, their cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents and great grandparents on both sides of the family. To insure this happened we tried to visit as many of our extended family as possible each year regardless of what else happened in our lives. To this day our children know just about every relative they have where ever they live in this great country of ours.
Last year, 2005, even our many health problems my husband and I decided we had to once again make the trip back to Texas and make contact with the latest generation of our family. Basil and I were not able to drive that distance so we arranged for our son Don Duncan and his foster brother Don Young to make the trip with us and do the driving. They were happy to have the chance to see as many of their family as possiible, so off we went. My husband was a little worried about me having another heart attack but the doctors felt the good we would derive from relating to family would out weigh any dangers of health risks. As it turned out I did have a couple of attacks and they did prevent Basil and me from visiting some very good friends from his Marine days but other than that we survived all the pitfalls and made it back no worse than before we left. All in all it was a wonderful trip and we enjoyed seeing most of our relative and friends who were there.
Our sons really had a ball fishing and at each stop they seemed to find a lake or river where the fishing was good. They left most of our people well stocked with fresh catfish filllets and some bass. Most of the fish they caught weighed in at 10 to fifteen pounds and really went over well with the locals. I think the boys would like to repeat the trip but I'm just not sure I will be able to do so. Like the doctor says though, one can never tell what the future holds, so don't ever say never.
Desha Michelle, our son's oldest daughter who teaches in a charter school here in Escondido Calif. and who has been given one of the highest ratings in the entire school, thinks her grandfather Basil is the most wonderful grandfather in the whole world and according to Basil she thinks of me the same way. All we know for sure is that she is one of God's great blessings to us. She never misses seeing us once or twice each week and always greets both of us with her very special hugs.
She is so proud of her grandfather and the role he had with the Marines in WWII, that she managed, on two occasions, to escort him to the very formal U.S. Marine Corps Ball. So this year as last, she will be with him and hundreds of active duty and former marines on the birthday of the Marine Corps, November 10, 2006. On that evening he will be dressed in his Tux and she in her gown and I will be so proud of both of them as he stands so tall and looking much younger than his 82 years and her so proud of her grandfather.
At the ball a retired Marine Corps General gave the address and when he was looking over the audience he asked if there were any WW11 marines present. It so happened Basil was the only person standing and received a wonderful ovation. Needless to say he was a proud former marine to be able to participate and have the modern day Corps show their appreciation of his generation.
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