WAITING FOR KATRINA, A FAREWELL TO MY CAR & PEAR TREE"S CHARACTER

By OLIVENE GODFREY

As I write this, Katrina hasn't hit land yet but we have a wind advisory for our area tonight and tomorrow which worries us as we are afraid a tree might fall on the house. Also, often strong winds knock out our power and we worry about our frozen foods.

The family of my late sister, Joan, still live in West Palm Beach, Florida, and I called, Annie, Joan's daughter-in law last week and they survived Katrina and Annie said the worse of the storm hit south of them.

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I sold my car last week. Or, Barry sold it for me. I had no sentimental attachment to the car. I did feel a pang of regret as the new owner drove away in the car. I felt that I had closed a door on the part of my life when I practically lived in my car. I don't regret the decision not to drive again as I am not as alert as I should be to drive now. But, I will miss my independence as I dislike having to depend on others for my needs.

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Our pear tree is loaded with pears this year. Most years, the tree gets bit by an early spring frost. The tree was small and shaped pretty when we moved here 27 years ago. Now it's large and the branches seem to be reaching for the sun. Barry and I discussed it recently and we decided the tree's irregular shape gives it character so we won't have it pruned anytime soon. As delicious as the pears are we could never eat all of the fruit. So, we give away a lot of the pears and the varmints in the yard and sky feast on the ones that fall on the ground.

I tried to make pear preserves one year and it was a disaster. My late mother, and a neighbor, both tried, too, with the same results. So, evidently, the pears are only good for eating fresh off the tree.

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Yesterday (Sunday), I felt pretty chipper for a change, so Barry drove me to a nice restaurant in nearby Dalton and we enjoyed a delicious, early lunch. Then we went to the mall. We had brought along my wheelchair so Barry got his exercise by pushing me around the mall. We spent some time at Sears, looking at new refrigerators. Barry is considering buying a new fridge for the kitchen. The old one is noisy and not energy efficient. WE have a very old fridge in the garage which is still going strong. But, it doesn't look so good. All I ask for in a new fridge is that it have an ice maker. My arthritic hands has a hard time with the ice cubes in trays. I know young folks will wonder how I have lived nearly 79 years without an automatic ice maker. It just worked out that way.

Before we left the mall, I got a quick haircut and my hair is now really short but will require little maintenance which is how I like it, especially at this time in my life.

When we got home, I was feeling really bad with several ailments acting up. I medicated myself and then rested a while in my recliner and recovered somewhat before bedtime.

See you next time.

DOCTOR VISIT REPORT & BUTTERFLIES & CUT BACK ON RED MEAT

By OLIVENE GODFREY

I had a physical exam in my doctor's office last week. The office exam was fine but I will have fasting lab work tomorrow so will know more about my well-being then. I discussed with my doctor being unsteady on my feet when I walk since my accident in April which resulted in injuries to my right shoulder and arm and was a traumatic experience for me.

The doctor told me it would take time to regain my strength and that the balance exercises that the physical therapist taught me would help me to walk more steady. I am doing those exercises and the ones for my shoulder and arm regularly. I use a cane to help me walk and it is scary when you feel as if you may fall at anytime. I will continue to hope and pray that I will have a complete recovery.

I also have a dental appointment and an eye exam appt coming up in next few weeks. My accident last April interfered with the dates of my medical exams but I will soon be finished with all of them, I hope.
These hot summer days, after my chores are done, I rest in my recliner and gaze out of the windows onto the plants on the patio. Some days I see pretty butterflies feasting on the
flower nectar of the red impatiens. I realized I didn't know much about butterflies. I did know that the transformation
of the ugly caterpillar into an elegant butterfly is one of the regularly performed miracles of nature.

Son Barry researched butterflies on the internet and printed out some materials for me. I learned that butterflies can
see red, green and yellow. Also, to obtain nectar, a butterfly's mouth is a long tube it keeps rolled up until ready to use, and is then used as a straw.

I recently read an article that advised all of us to cut back on red meat to avoid colon cancer and that we should eat fish or poultry instead. It was pointed out in the article, that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish, as salmon and sardines, have anti-cancer activity. Fortunately, Barry ad I like fish and poultry which just happens to be good for us, too. We eat red meat once or twice a week and eat lots of poultry and fish, too.

See you next time.

BY OLIVENE GODFREY



REFLECTIONS ON LOCAL PHONE SERVICE NOW AND IN PAST & NEW STUDY SAYS DIET SODAS MAKE YOU FAT & AUGUST FOGS AND OTHER WEATHER STUFF

Recently, we had a problem with our phone service. There was a noise on our phone line and this was the first problem of any kind that we had with our phone service since we moved in our house 27 years ago. During the Blizzard of '93, when we were stranded with two feet of snow and no heat, power or water, our phones still worked and was our only contact with the rest of the world for four or five days.

A courteous, nice repairman came out promptly when I reported our problem and he seemed pleased when I told him he was the first repairman to come out to the house since we had lived here. When he left, I reflected for a while on the changes in the phone service in northwest Georgia since I moved to Georgia about 1940 with my family from Chattanooga, TN. My daddy was a Methodist preacher and we lived in parsonages in three different northwest Georgia towns during the 1940s.

In one of the towns which at that time was little more than a village only three residents had phone service to my knowledge. None of the three towns where we lived had dial service.
When we wanted to make a call, we lifted the receiver and
an operator would answer with, "Number please.", and we would tell her the number. Often, she would chat a while with us before ringing the party we were calling. Most of us were on a party line, which was a shared telephone line. And, some people were known to listen in on other people's phone conversations.

I was never sure why , but the phone service in two of the towns where we lived would stop working if we had a heavy rainfall.
Then, I remember how excited we were when dial phone service was installed. And, we were pleased later when direct long distance service became a reality for us.

ABOUT THOSE DIET DRINKS--- I had a tizzy just about when I read in USA Weekend magazine recently that a new study shows low calorie soft drinks can pour on pounds. When I was diagnosed with Diabetes Type 2 last year, I went on a diet, and I cut out Classic Coke which I dearly loved. To my surprise, I soon learned to like Diet Coke and I have lost 30 pounds the past year. So what gives with the study with the surprising results. In conclusion, the article said that one theory is that because the soda is calorie-free we feel we can eat foods more liberally. And, we have all observed people drinking a diet drink and eating a candy bar or other fattening foods.
So it pays to be careful what you eat with your diet drink.

Old Timers in these parts used to say that we would have a snowfall in the upcoming winter for every August fog we had.
We will have a lot of snowfalls this winter if that is true as we have had fogs here almost every morning this month.
We have had rain showers and storms almost every day and we are growing weary of so much rain and dampness.

The squirrels in our yard have stopped playing and resting and are busy gathering nuts and acorns from our trees as they prepare for the winter that will be here too soon for me.

See you next time.

BARRY"S TOMATOES ARE TASTY & SMALL PLEASURES & MORE

By OLIVENE GODFREY

Barry's patio tomato plant, Better Boy, is producing tasty and tart tomatoes as only homegrown ones can be. These tomatoes slice beautifully and are juicy and tender and perfect to add to a sandwich or salad or just sliced and served as a side dish at a meal. Although Barry doesn't care for eating tomatoes he enjoys growing them and he gives them plenty of tender, loving care.

Sometimes I think that it's hard to be an optimist since so many bad things have happened to Barry and me within recent years. I start feeling blue and then that old eternal optimist inside me says to me that I have a lot to be grateful for, so, hey, stop whining and get on with your life.

At my age, little pleasures are savored, and are some of the things I look forward to when I get up in the morning, such as watching the sun, in all its glory, rise up over the mountain and sleeping on clean sheets on my bed, that "wake up" taste of chilled orange juice for breakfast, a refreshing, hot shower bath, reading a new magazine or book, looking forward to Sundays when son Barry takes me out to eat lunch at a restaurant of my choice, and much more.

As I write this, we here in northwest Georgia are having a rainy day. The first newspaper column I had published long ago was about rainy days. I asked a number of local residents how they felt about rainy days. Most of the people I interviewed said they enjoyed an occasional rainy day. I don't think they would have liked all the rainy weather we have had this year. At least, the rains keep the temperature down somewhat and everything pretty and green.

The crape myrtle that is a memorial to my mother who died five years ago is in full bloom and is a sight to behold with its red blooms weighing down the limbs of the tree. It's planted just outside of our dining room and we enjoy admiring it while we eat at the table. We think Mother would be proud of the crape myrtle as she worked as a florist for many years and had a green thumb.

See you next time.

NOTES FROM THIS WEEK'S MEMO PAD

By OLIVENE GODFREY

The oppressive heat wave we had recently was broken by thunder storms with torrential rains last week. It is still summer time so it is hot but so far not like the intense heat we had for a while. But, this is the first day of August which is usually the hottest month of the year so we aren't out of the woods yet.

Recently, I heard a brief ad-lib conversation between two news people on television. The woman said that she was confused about when to use the plural, "fishes." The male news person said that you use the plural when you refer to different species of fishes. I may have known that at one time but since I was a student in the dark ages, I could have forgotten it.

One recent night, I ate the best steak I think I have ever eaten. It was a fillet mignon with KC Masterpiece steak seasoning with garlic rubbed into the steak on both sides. The weather was very hot so son Barry cooked the steaks on the indoor grill and he cooked them to our idea of perfection, pinkish inside and brown on the outside. The steak was tender and juicy and made me feel great to be alive and able to eat the steak.
We have discovered that the indoor grill is great for cooking catfish fillets and Barry says he recently found out that catfish contains the good fish oil so it is good for us, too.

FOR THE LADIES-- Have you ever had a favorite lipstick shade and discover that it had been discontinued by the cosmetic company that made it? That seems to happen to me a lot of the time.

After eating lunch yesterday at the Village cafeteria, Barry and I came home and I rested a while. Then Barry drove me to the Dalton mall to get a haircut. This past weekend, Georgia had a no sales tax sale and while we were early at the mall, it was already getting crowded. I had a haircut that was done in less than 10 minutes at a reasonable price. I felt fairly well but we decided to leave before the crowds came in.

I hadn't thought of shredded wheat cereal in a long time. On the way home from the mall on Sunday, we stopped at the pharmacy in the big supermarket, Ingles, in Chatsworth, to pick up a prescription. The previous night I had dreamed of shredded wheat and decided to buy a box. Last night, Barry and I ate servings of the old standby cereal and agreed that it still taste great and is good for you. I am still eating oatmeal for breakfast so may start eating the shredded wheat cereal for snacks.

See you next time.