Springing Into March (March 2026)
Spring is always a busy time for us. It usually includes lots of work getting the yard and garden prepared and taking care of various outdoor maintenance needs such as fence repair, trimming bushes, weeding and tilling the garden, mower prep, and removing weeds from the lawn. Every spring we also increase our physical activity and exercise. This includes spending time in our fitness room, walking on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, restarting our time playing pickleball, and dance practice. March is also a month where we remember the loss of our youngest son. Finally, this month included a trip to Texas for a special celebration.
Health and Fitness
We recently finished adding equipment to our fitness room and have fine-tuned the exercises and amount of time spent in the fitness room. Between the two of us we spend around four to five hours every day in the fitness room walking, lifting weights, stretching, and doing calisthenics.
Recently the Swamp Rabbit Trail opened a new 1.8-mile spur which they named the Gold Line. It is located next to Travelers Rest High School just north of the Travelers Rest downtown. It ends at the Theisen Family YMCA. The spur meanders behind four subdivisions and crosses over three pedestrian bridges, two creeks, and one swamp. It has a concrete surface and is about 12 feet wide. It has more hills than the main Swamp Rabbit Trail. On the day I walked the Gold Line spur I saw maybe 30 people which consisted of mostly older couples and just a few bicyclists. Later in the month Tammie joined me on another walk on the Gold Line trail.
Allen Jacobs Memorial Prayer Breakfast
Every year Bob Jones University hosts the Allen Jacobs Memorial Prayer Breakfast. This year was the 10th anniversary of the line of duty death of our son, Greenville Police Officer Allen Jacobs. The Memorial Prayer Breakfast is a wonderful tribute to Allen and the law enforcement officers in Greenville County who have sacrificed their lives over the last 100 years. We were able to attend this year with all three of our grandchildren, our daughter, and the girlfriend of one of our grandsons.
The Memorial Prayer Breakfast was led by the president of BJU, Dr. Bruce McAllister, the master of ceremonies was local news anchor, Jane Robelot, and the guest speaker was the Greenville mayor, Knox White. Several currently serving officers were recognized for their bravery and achievements. If you are interested in contributing to the Allen Jacobs Scholarship for criminal justice majors at BJU, go to this link: https://give.bju.edu/donate-endowment/ then click on the I Want to Support dropdown menu and find the Allen Jacobs Scholarship. While there you can also see the Donny Jacobs Scholarship for nursing majors.
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
We attended a performance of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe at the Logos Theater in Greenville, SC with some friends. The play based on the novel by C. S. Lewis which is part of his Chronicles of Narnia series. The play was well acted and the stage design and puppetry involving Aslan was amazing. It is a 3-hour extravaganza that is well worth the cost.
Texas Celebration
In the middle of March, we flew to Texas to visit with Tammie’s mom and to celebrate her 90th birthday. As strange as it sounds, this was the first time the two of us flew together to Texas. We had both flown separately at various times and, of course, most of our visits over the years we drove there.
After arriving in Texas, we spent the first three days transporting Tammie’s mom to a variety of doctor visits. The last half of the week we cleaned her mom’s house which has been for sale for a year and a half and prepared for a 90th birthday party. The party was held at a local restaurant and nearly 20 family members were in attendance.
We also enjoyed some time walking around Lake Bob Sandlin and walking in historic downtown Pittsburg, TX.
Lake Bob Sandlin
Pittsburg, TX
90th Birthday
Sunday School Game Night
During the month of March we participated in our Sunday School’s second monthly game night. We are trying to get a group of our adult Sunday School class to meet to play board and card games on a monthly basis. This time we had 12 people show up which was the same number as last time but included at least a few different people. Everyone brings food to share and a variety of games. We were able to play two different games over the 2 ½ hour night. Hopefully, we will be able to get additional people to show up at the next game night.
Other Activities
The rest of our month included spending time with our grandchildren, playing pickleball, and dancing. All three of those activities require time and effort but well worth the commitment.
