GOOD OLE' SUMMERTIME IS HERE IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA!
By OLIVENE GODFREY
The past week has felt like summer. Besides the extremely hot weather and thunderstorms and longer daylight hours, there's something in the atmosphere that let's us know that summer is indeed here now. The lizards on our patio rock wall are sunning every day and that's a sure sign that hot days are here for a few months.

Most schools have dismissed for the summer holidays and grads are receiving their diplomas. And in these parts we drink iced tea year round (preferably sweet tea) but it takes on a special
role in our lives in hot weather.

This past Memorial day weekend, son, Barry, packed a lot of activities in his four day holiday. Besides, "being on the go"
a lot, he did some yard work here and household chores. He also installed lever-type handles to the kitchen faucet and my bathroom to make it easier for me to use with my arthritic hands.

Barry drove me over to the mall in Dalton Memorial day morning shortly after they opened. I got a good haircut at MasterCuts
and had a nice chat with the stylist who cut my hair. She noticed my sandles and said she had a pair exactly like them.
She added that she loved them as they are so comfortable. I told her I bought mine about ten years ago and she said, so did she. We also discovered that both pairs are SAS shoes and
that we purchased them at the same store. A nice coincident.

Barry and I ate an early lunch at Chick-Fil-A in the mall and I really enjoyed it as it had been a long time since I had eaten there. Walking in the mall and the grocery store the previous Friday helped me get my exercise for the weekend. We got home early and rested and did some chores in the afternoon. And, we ate grilled hamburgers with the trimmings for supper, which was a nice finale for a pleasant holiday weekend.

See you next time.

THE VOICE OF THE TURTLE IS HEARD IN OUR LAND....

By OLIVENE GODFREY

"For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone,
The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing
of birds is coming and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land...." - Ecclesiastes- Son of Solomon-2:10-12.

I woke up early yesterday (Sunday)morning and lay still
for a few minutes, trying to figure out why I felt different.
And then it dawned on me. I was free of pain. I was almost
afraid to move a muscle. I even wondered if I was having
a hallucination. When I convinced myself I was really awake,
I got up and went through my morning ritual. I had a few
twinges of pain and I felt more normal. I think the warm
weather we're finally having also helped my health. Whatever the reason, I felt better than I had in years.

The previous night and early morning we had fierce thunderstorms
which I mostly slept through. The sun came out and everything
looked fresh and pretty but more showers and storms were
forecast for the day. Barry and I decided to eat an early
lunch at Dalton's Western Sizzlin. We had a pleasant drive over there and ate a delicious lunch off the buffet bar
and as usual I ate more than I should have despite my resolve to eat only small portions of food. I dropped a morsel of food on my silk,shantung jacket at the restaurant. When we returned home, Barry washed the jacket on the hand wash cycle of the machine and dried it on low and it came out looking like new.

Earlier, we had stopped at the cemetery in Chatsworth and
left a patriotic, artificial flower arrangement in the
vase on my late husband's grave for Memorial day. He was a World War 11 veteran and we have put red, white and blue flowers on his grave since his death August 20, 2002.

Also, on the weekend, I went again with Barry to the grocery store. I walked all over the huge store and got my walking exercise in that day. Barry and a friend also carried the
plants that had spent the winter in the garage to the patio.
Now the patio looks pretty but it will look better when all of the plants have grown more. Barry prunes all of the plants in the fall. The geranium and impatient plants are with the
red poinsettia that I have had since last November which is pretty but startling looking with the new summer plants.

When I was young and slender, I loved banana splits and ice cream sundaes. I hadn't eaten them in years. So, one recent day, I decided to fix a banana split, using low carb,no sugar, ice cream and toppings. I did cheat a little as I drizzled a little chocolate syrup on the top of the concoction. It was delicious but I wouldn't want to eat it every day. I also buy ice cream cones and eat the sugar free, no carb, ice cream
in them which makes a nice snack on hot days.

AS I write this it is cloudy and more showers and storms are forecast for today and tonight. Since we have had several lightning strikes at our house, we un-plug everything electrical before the storm gets too bad. So, I wanted to write this early before the storms hit.

See you next time.

I HAD A WONDERFUL MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND!

By OLIVENE GODFREY

Son Barry gave me a beautiful pink geranium plant
for Mother's day and took me to lunch at Ryan's
to eat off the buffet. The day started with a lovely
surprise that Barry gave me. When I got up Sunday morning I went to the kitchen and was puzzled when I opened the dishwasher door and the machine was empty. Then, I remembered that
the machine had washed a large load of dishes the previous
night and Barry, knowing I dislike emptying the machine, had
done the chore for me for Mother's day. Actually, Barry
does dozens of things for me every week and not just on
Mother's day and I am grateful for having such a fine son.

When we arrived at Ryan's for an early lunch, the parking lot was almost filled with cars and when we entered the restaurant with the many people, we were wondering if we should have
gone somewhere else to eat. But, the cashiers and waitresses
were efficient and helpful and we were seated almost immediately. We were assured that the food was
fresh as Barry says diners were scooping it up as fast as
the food was brought out. Several waitresses wished me a Happy Mother's day and Barry and I chuckled as people often tell us
that we resemble each other and there's no doubt that he is my son.

We had a tentative plan to go up to the Piccadilly at Hamilton Place in Chattanooga on Sunday. But, bad weather was predicted
and we put that plan on hold for another Sunday. I am looking
forward to it as I haven't been up there in over a year.

Until last Friday, I hadn't been to the grocery store since
before last Christmas. I have only been a few times since I fell and injured my shoulder and arm last year. Barry does an excellent job of shopping for groceries. I make a detailed list and he follows it. But, I like to go sometime to select
my groceries. I've spoken to several friends and relatives who have health problems and feel strong regrets
that they are unable to do their own shopping. And, for me,
it is still a treat to tag along with Barry to the store.

I always enjoy shopping at Ingle's super grocery store in Chatsworth with its high ceilings with skylights and everything
painted white and the spacious layout of delicious foods
and large aisles. During our shopping trip, I made it fine until we were almost finished with the shopping. I was beginning to feel tired and Barry suggested that I rest in one of the easy chairs in the book store while he finished the shopping. I didn't protest and nearly fell asleep while I waited for Barry.


I hope all of you had a Happy Mother's day, too.

See you next time.

DOCTOR VISIT, QUAD CANE & HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

By OLIVENE GODFREY

A week or so ago, I called my doctor's office about
a refill on a prescription. In a little while, the doctor's nurse called and since I hadn't seen the doctor in about
seven months, she said the doctor wanted me to come in for a check up. I have a physical every August but I made an appointment and a few days later, I saw the doctor. She
was pleased that I wasn't sick all winter despite not
being able to get a flu shot. She was also glad that my
blood sugar tests are still normal. After the check up,
the doctor seemed to feel that I am as well as possible
with so many ailments.

The doctor gave me a prescription for my allergies and one for a quad cane. My old regular cane has served me well and I will use it as needed. But, the new four-legged one gives me more
support and I am not constantly dropping it like I did
all day with the old one.

I told the doctor that I never seem to feel really good now. I am always feeling either better or worse. She didn't
seem surprised so I will continue to plod along and keep going.

For several days before I went to the doctor, I felt like
"doomsville" was hanging over me. All my life, I have been an optimist. I've had my share of dark times but even
then I always had a spark of hope that things would be better one day. All week, little things I had been worried about
turned out okay. Still, I had the nagging feeling that
something bad was about to happen. As I mentally checked
off the worries, I felt my old optimism returning.

Every bad thing that ever happened to me stunned me.
So, hey, I 'm not a psychic, not even a little bit.

On this past Sunday, the weather was rainy and cool
So, Barry drove to town and got take-out dinners for us and afterward, Barry decided to go to the Home Depot in Dalton to stock up on Zep cleaning supplies. I had also called in two prescriptions and he agreed to pick them up at the pharmacy for me. It had rained most of the morning, but seemed to be in a lull when he left the house. He hadn't been gone long before we started having torrential rain here. When Barry returned,
his hair was wet as he forgot to take an umbrella with him.
Our rain gage showed it rained an inch which we needed. Now
everything is even prettier and more green outside.

We are planning a special outing for Mother's day and we hope the weather will be nice and I will be feeling well.

Have a Happy Mother's Day!

See you next time.

A LAZY SUNDAY, STRONG WIND GUSTS & THINKING OF EARLY MARRIED DAYS 59 YEARS AGO
By OLIVENE GODFREY
I was awakened about four-thirty last Sunday morning by a loud roar outside. At first, I thought it was a heavy rainfall.
I got up and looked out of a window and the trees were swaying and bending in the strong wind and the night light blinked in my bedroom. I was afraid that a tree would fall on a power line and knock out our electricity. I went to the kitchen about five A.M. and carried a small flashlight in my robe pocket in case of a power failure as it was still dark outside. I was grateful for the tree windbreaker in the front yard as the wind gusts were really throughout the day, we had strong
winds but they finally died down last night. There was a chill in the air which was probably Blackberry winter lingering
for a while.

I didn't go out all day and son Barry went to town to get take out dinners from the Village cafeteria. After reading the papers, I just took it easy all day. I wish I felt rested this morning but I have too many aches and pains for that.

A few years ago, lightning struck one of the beautiful oak trees that my late husband, Ralph, planted 28 years ago in our yard.
The lightning left a deep gash in the trunk of the tree but it looked healthy and we were involved in other things and didn't seek any advice about the tree. This year, I finally called
our county agent and discussed the tree with him. He said most
trees can tolerate lightning strikes well unless they are forked. (We have a forked tree that is still healthy). He said we should keep a close watch on the tree which we will do.

Today ( May 1 )would have been my 59th wedding anniversary
if Ralph had lived. On our 50th anniversary he gave me a gold chain necklace which I wear often now with my gold wedding band on it.

While thinking of the anniversary,I remembered when Ralph and I had been married a few weeks and were living in a cold water flat a few blocks from downtown Dalton. Ralph gave me a ten dollar bill one morning to use to buy groceries for the week. I remember walking along the sidewalk to the grocery store that was about a block from our apartment house. I carried a black patent leather pocketbook that had been part of my wedding
outfit under my arm and I smiled, and thought, " I am a married lady now and am going to the store to buy groceries." It was a new experience for me as I could only cook Brownies and fudge.
I don't remember what I bought and there isn't any telling what we had for supper that night. I do recall that I bought a six pack of 6 ounce Cokes for a quarter plus deposit on the glass bottles. After the first time, we returned the empty bottles.
We only bought one carton a week and were careful about rationing our Coke servings.

See you next time.