The DFM Oxford Walk

She popped up at the passenger's side window giving me a little bit of a startle. I was composing a haiku, one about our upcoming activities, while Penny and I sat in the Dollar General parking lot in Carrollton waiting for the rest of Team Centerville to arrive so we could get our convoy on and head to Oxford, Mississippi. We were going to do the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi's walk on that beautiful Ole Miss campus. Sheila Mitchell held out a baggy full of something, sausage balls we learned.

"Y'all want some?" she asked.

"Sure," Penny answered. 

Then the Johnsons arrived and we wasted no time but hit the road, three vehicles and nine people bound for the school up north. When we got to town, we turned off Highway 6 onto Jackson Street and stopped and some kind of fancy sandwich shop. The cashier asked me if I wanted a half or a whole when I ordered my Turkey Guacamole BLT Sandwich. The question made me think of a footlong so I thought a half was plenty. Boy was I disappointed when they brought out a little runt of a sandwich.

After eating, or snacking in my case, we made it to the Lyceum where we thought we had to be by 1:00 o'clock. Turns out that registration started at one and the walk at two. That was OK, though, because it gave us plenty of time to get signed up and for us to have our devotion on the steps of that famous building I can't remember the name of.

Irena McClain greeted us as we walked up. When we registered, we had a little over $200 for a donation. That entitled us to four T-shirts (one shirt for each $50.00 donated). Irena told the girls working the table to let the whole team have a shirt since we were the ones who did the Chicot Challenge. Thank you, Irena.

When the walk started, I had planned to run at least 2.1 miles to finish out a twenty-mile week, my first of that volume since injuring my knee a couple of months back. But there were several Kandu Kids up front and I didn't want to pass them so I waited until we had a sidewalk and started shuffling on it therefore passing them without fanfare. I ran several side streets and thus stayed close to the main pack while getting my distance in. Then when we got to the square downtown I caught up the Gerald, Debbie, and Penny and walked the rest of the way with them. As we neared the Lyceum, Gerald started shuffling and we went another .23. All in all, I shuffled 2.33 miles and walked 2.52.

The weather was glorious, the skies being clear and the temperature hovering around 70. Huge, beautiful trees cover the campus and squirrels play like a litters of kittens on a carpeted floor. Gerald remarked that the tree rats here have a pretty good life. I reckon so. Since sponsors of the event supply hot dogs and other amenities, we sat around, ate, and had easy conversation while enjoying the weather, the squirrels, and each other. The day's events capped off a great weekend. 

Then it was time to go. I had to get back and stay with Mom. Gerald, Debbie, Kelsey and Trevor stayed in town and ate again. Yeah, they're good like that. 

Team Centerville: Front row -Trevor McClain, Beth Moore.
Middle row -Debbie Johnson, Sheila Mitchell, Penny Hodge, Kelsey McClain.
Back row - Gerald Johnson,  Zane Hodge, Gary Moore.