Bragg Family South

Just thought everyone would like to see an up-to-date picture of the kids. Seeing them toddling around the house or hamming it up in the morning is a joy to Hope and me...I find myself continually reminding myself to enjoy them at this stage, warts and all. Stopping to smell the proverbial roses, if you will--even if they smell like a dirty diaper! I have been participating in a local chapter of the Arkansas Archeological Society. Just yesterday I dropped some aerial photographs I borrowed from a couple of elderly members (Ed and Patsie White), and they showed me their personal collection of artificats gathered over decades of effort in the Ashley County, Arkansas area. They were so proud of what they had been able to do, yet were somewhat dismayed that they weren't sure of what was going to become of their collection when they pass on. They really want their fantastic artifacts to be preserved and displayed for people to enjoy, and not simply stored in some dusty boxes or shelves ...

Spring is going full force here in Arkansas. The picture above is of a redbud just about to come into full bloom outside of my office. Many of the flower trees and shrubs are starting to show good color, and the spring beauties are carpeting the ground. A few trees have even started to develop small green leaves, and I'm thinking of getting the lawnmower ready for action. Hope planted some colorful annuals in the beds along the front of the house this afternoon while Beth and I snoozed, and I think she and Kenny are going to plant some strawberries later. However, the storms that accompany our springs here have also started, and these can be troubling. Today, we have hit the mid-80s (second day in a row), and with a lot of humidity in the air and a strong south breeze, we have the ingredients for an outbreak of severe weather. Many places in the region need the rain, but not in this form! A persistent area of rain has sat over the Ohio River valley, and some places in southe...

We just returned from a business trip to Knoxville, Tennessee. I (Don) had a paper to present at the most recent Central Hardwoods Conference, and since it was relatively close to Monticello, we made a family "adventure" out of it. The drive over went pretty well, and we had a good supper and had just started swimming in the pool at the hotel when Hope slipped on the steps leading into the pool, caught the little toe on her left foot, and proceeded to dislocate and break said toe... This resulted in a 3+ hour visit to the emergency room in large city late at night, and many days of limping for Hope. The rest of my meeting went well, and besides a family-wide meltdown on the way home, the trip was an interesting one. The cannons pictured above were at Shiloh Battlefield National Park in southwestern Tennessee, where General Grant defeated a Confederate army after two days of tough battle in April 1862. Shiloh is reminiscent of many of the other Civil War battlefields in ...

Last week marked my return to a full week work schedule. It has been one month since I had back surgery, and judging from how I was able to climb through the woods last week, I feel almost completely healed, and no longer limited by the bulging disk that had slowed me over the last couple of years. I had a good week of field work remeasuring an inventory of a small old-growth pine-hardwood remnant south of Monticello. The picture is taken of pines near the parking area of this stand, which is known as the "Levi Wilcoxon Demonstration Forest", named after the Crossett Lumber Company forester who had enough vision in the 1930s to convince the company to set-aside this stand as an example of the pre-logging virgin forests. Time, of course, has taken its toll, and many of the big pines have started to succumb to insects, lightning, windthrow, and other sources of mortality. There are some big pines out here, for sure, including what I think will be the National Champion shortleaf...

Yesterday (Friday) the family and I traveled to Pine Bluff to meet with my back surgeon, Dr. P.B. Simpson, to get my 3 week follow-up examination. There are usually long waits at his office, so while I waited, Hope and the kids went to Sears to look at a new kitchen stove we're going to order. Dr. Simpson gave me a clean bill of health, and released me from virtually all of the restrictions I had been on since the surgery (the only one I need to keep is to not lift heavy items for another 4 to 6 weeks). Thus, I will return to work full-time next week, and resume driving and riding in vehicles. Dr. Simpson explained that the procedure he performed, a modified lumbar laminectomy, was less invasive that traditional laminectomies, and this helps the patient recover faster. I have no doubts about that--prior to my appointment that morning, I walked for 2 miles with no pain or discomfort, and have not had any noticeable problem with my back for a while. I still have a little stiffne...

Just a quick note on my recovery from back surgery...Hope kindly announced the success of the procedure immediately after my surgery, and I would like to tell everyone that things are still going great. I have very little discomfort or stiffness remaining, and my activities are becoming more and more normal. I walked for 1.5 miles this morning, and I have been coming in to my office for a couple hours per day this week (I hope to do even more next week). I have a follow-up meeting with my surgeon next week Thursday, and I hope at that point I will be released to begin a "normal" schedule. We would like to thank everybody for their thoughts and prayers, and especially thank Mom and Dad for their help with the kids during my recovery!!

Forgive me if this look odd, but this is Hope just providing a brief update on Don's surgery. On Thursday Don and I drove to Pine Bluff to await his surgery. After a long wait for the doctor, he had a modified laminectomy. Basically they relieved the pressure on the nerves around one of his vertebra. He is doing as well as can be expected, and we brought him home Friday afternoon. The kids have been very good so far, although Beth wishes to be picked up and can't figure out why she can't be held right now by Daddy. Don has been walking about a 1/4 of a mile each day, and by the end of the week the doctor would like him to be walking a mile a day.