ADD A MILD HEART MURMUR , HYPOTHYROIDISM & IMPACTED EAR
WAX TO MY LIST OF AILMENTS BUT DON"T COUNT ME OUT YET!
BY OLIVENE GODFREY
I have been busy the past week, seeing my doctor for a physical
and a follow-up visit to review results of my tests. (I Still
have a mammogram set for later.) I had an ultra sound one day
after the doctor heard a clicking sound while listening to
my heart. The test showed that I have a mild heart murmur
known medically as Mitral valve prolapse or benign floppy
heart valve. I don't need any treatment but there
is a serious infection that makes it important before
dental or surgical procedures to take antibiotics. and the doctor gave me a prescription for one to have on hand.

Back in the 1970s, I gained weight and had physical fatigue
among the many symptoms of hypothyroidism, the disease state
caused by insufficient production of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland. I had about forgotten that period in my
life and didn't connect it to the ailments I have been having recently. The doctor increased my thyroid medicine slightly
for the condition and I hope I will feel chipper again soon and can lose weight again too.

The doctor also wants me to take my blood pressure often
to monitor it as it has been high lately. My lab work results
were all good and that's a relief.

About the ear wax. I have been having trouble hearing for some time and doctor said I had wax in my ears. The nurse tried,
in vain, to jar the wax loose from my ears, making me feel like
my brains were about to spill out. I will put some ear drops in my ears for two weeks and go back and let nurse try it again.
Meanwhile, I am harder of hearing than ever.

I had a bone scan today for osteoporosis study and don't know when I will get results from it.

See you next time.

RAMBLING THOUGHTS

By OLIVENE GODFREY

For the first time since I fell April 10, 2005, and
injured my right arm and shoulder, son Barry drove us
to Chattanooga for my "Sunday Outing" yesterday. We
went to the huge Hamilton Place mall and ate a delectable
early lunch at the Piccadilly, our favorite place for superb
Southern cooking. After we ate, Barry pushed me in my
wheelchair all over the mall. He says it is good exercise
for him . We went upstairs and returned to the first floor
via the glass elevator which is a bit scary, but fun, for
an old lady. We arrived home before the thunderstorms
moved into the area.

A combination of bad air quality and ragweed pollen
caused us to feel miserable last night. I was tired and
we took our allergy medicines and I went to bed early.
Barry says he can't go to bed before the sun sets but
it doesn't bother me.

Barry did some research on ragweed on the web and found
some interesting facts about the pesky weed. For
instance, each plant is reputed to be able to produce
about a billion grains of pollen over a season, and the
plant is wind-pollinated and is highly allergenic as
a lot of us can testify to. People used to seek refuge
from the plant in some high mountains and desert areas
of North America. But, increased human activities
such as building and other disturbances of the soil,
irrigation, an gardening have caused the pollen to
spread to those areas as well. And, today, no area
in the United States is ragweed pollen free and moving
can only offer a degree of relief.

Our crape myrtle is in full bloom and is a sight to behold.
It was planted six years ago in memory of my mother and
was a gift from my late husband’s brother, Ray, and his wife, Joyce.
We have a good view of the bush from our windows in the
dining room and my office and we enjoy looking at it.

The days are growing shorter, reminding us that these
warm days will be replaced with cold weather almost
before we know it. See you next time.

DIARY OF BUSY WEEK

By OLIVENE GODFREY

Compared with my usual recluse-type life, this past week
has been very busy. Much needed rains came, and, afterward,
the temperatures were cooler and there was a hint of
autumn in the air. Unfortunately, there was also rag weed
pollen in the air, playing havoc with mine, and son Barry's
allergies. Barry didn't have to work last Friday, so
we went to the mall again. (I told you last week about our
awful trip over there in the oppressive heat.) There
weren't many shoppers out that early and I was able to
get a quick, good haircut. We browsed in the mall and then
ate a delicious, early lunch at the Chick-Fil-A.

WE were reminded of another recent visit to the mall when we
ate at the Chick-Fil-A. As we approached the restaurant order
counter, Barry remarked that no one was waiting to order so
we should get quick service. The words were barely out
of his mouth, when people from three directions seemed to
swoop down to the order counter. We were momentarily
startled and then we chuckled as it was amusing.

On Saturday, I stayed busy and Barry bought groceries early
and then he and a friend went to Chattanooga for lunch and
shopping. It rained at intervals before clearing off.
We discovered our phone was out of order and Barry called to
report it.

Since it was about five thirty on a Saturday, we
didn't think it could be repaired until today. But, the
repairman came right out and had installed a new lead in line
to the house by seven thirty and the phone worked fine.
The ragweed pollen was making me feel bad so I took one
of my prescription allergy pills and went to bed. Barry
went out a while and I fell asleep and felt better on
Sunday morning.

On Sunday, we ate an early lunch in Chatsworth and then went
to the cemetery to put flowers on my late husband, Ralph's
grave. We stopped at Ingle's pharmacy on the way home, and
bought a few items. After I rested a while and finished reading
the Sunday papers, I called my sister, Jeanette, and we had an
enjoyable conversation.

Our patio plants seem to be thriving in our hot summer.
The wildflowers that Barry planted in a large container are so
pretty and a tiny hummingbird is enjoying their nectar. The
asparagus fern, Christmas cactus, the red impatiens ,
pink geranium , the tropical tree and other green plants are
tolerating the bright sun and are exploding with growth.
And, the plants inside are doing nicely, too. The incredible
poinsettia is huge with dark green large leaves and still a
few red ones. We are hoping to keep it alive and healthy
until this Christmas.

See you next time.

THANK GOD FOR AIR CONDITIONING
By OLIVENE GODFREY
As I write this, we here in northwest Georgia are still
having an oppressive heat wave. And when the weather folks
tell us that cooler temps are forecast, they really mean
that the temps won't soar above 95 degrees. Last week,
the official temp one day was 100 degrees and the heat index
has routinely been around 104 degrees outside.

Son Barry stayed in air conditioning most of the time this past
weekend as he had suffered so much last week from the heat. He dreaded going back to work on Monday and says it is almost
unbearably hot during his ten hour work day.

I hadn't been outside of my AC house in about two weeks or so until this past Sunday. I had some business I needed to take
care of at the Dalton mall and I also planned to get a haircut
while we were over there. The day didn't start well as I didn't
feel too good but decided to get outside no matter what. Barry
drove us over there in his AC car and during the drive, we noticed that the wicked rag weed alongside of the road is in
full bloom. And, Barry and I are so allergic to it that we
can drive by the plants in a car with windows up and still
get an allergy attack.

We walked from the car to the mall and I began to realize
just how hot the weather is now. We had brought my wheel chair
along in the trunk and I thought I might need it before the
trip was over. I wasn't able to resolve all of my business
at the mall which was frustrating and there was a long line
of people waiting to get haircuts. I had forgotten that the
weekend was Georgia's tax free weekend and the mall was becoming
more crowded by the minute. I decided I needed to go home and
to come back on another day. Barry went to the car and got
my wheelchair and pushed me to the car. While I waited in the intense heat in the car as Barry put the wheelchair in the trunk,
I thought of how horrible it must be for small children who are left in hot cars alone and of those who don't survive .
Those responsible for such acts deserve severe punishment.

when we arrived back at our house, I went inside and quickly
changed my clothes to cooler attire. Then, I medicated
myself and splashed cold water on my face. I then relaxed
in my recliner. I did get up once to eat a small bowl of
orange sherbet. When I got rested, I felt better. Barry
told me the next Friday he doesn't have to work, we will
return to the mall for our haircuts. Hopefully, the heat
wave will be broken by then. I hope all of you are staying
cool these days.

See you next time.

HEAT WAVE, OLD DRYER "DIES" & HEE HAW TV RERUNS

By OLIVENE GODFREY

Today, August 1, the National Weather Service advised people
here in north Georgia to try to avoid strenuous outdoor
activity during the hottest part of the day, from noon to
9:30 P.M. all this week. Today's forecast high of 96 degrees
will near the record high of 98 recorded almost 50 years
ago on this date at the Chattanooga airport, according to news releases. And, the heat index, or how hot it actually feels
is expected to reach triple digits. Isolated thunderstorms
are expected each afternoon and evening with lightning and
wind gusts of 35 to 40 MPH expected.

People working outside or in buildings without AC are
advised to drink plenty of fluids to avoid health related
problems. I am grateful that I live in a cool air-conditioned
house but I worry about son Barry and others who are working
hard without AC and are really suffering from the intense
heat and we hope the heat wave will break soon.

--------------------------------------

Our trusty old Sears Kenmore clothes dryer "died" last
Sunday night. It was 17 years old and had dried clothes
almost every day of that time. I got on the phone and
called Sears'800 number and made an appointment for a repairman
to come to the house on Monday. Sadly, the repairman told
me that motor had burned out and some other parts needed to
be replaced and the total repair bill would have been more
than the cost of a new dryer. So, I ordered a new Sears
Kenmore dryer by phone yesterday and it was delivered this
morning. We have a load of laundry to be done so we will
try out the new dryer tonight when Barry gets home.

We have had to replace several major appliances during the
past year, plus having the new electric heat pump installed,
so we are hoping that we don't have anymore unexpected
expenses for a long time

----------------------------------------------

Last Saturday night, I was searching for T.V. program to watch
before my bedtime. And,for a few seconds, I thought I had gone
back in time to the 1970s as I saw an old Hee Haw show being
rerun on CMT. Son Barry did a quick check from Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia on the web, and found the history of Hee
Haw, a long running U.S. television variety show hosted by
musicians, Roy Clark and Buck Owens. The show featured
country music and humor with rural,"Korn Field Kountry"
as a backdrop.

Although the show had respectable ratings, according to
the Wikipedia, the show was dropped by CBS in 1971.
Seems the network executives felt the show's viewers
were somewhat older and less affluent than they desired, so it had to go. The producer put together a syndicated
deal for the show which continued for 20 more years. The show
was well known for the beautiful, voluptuous, scantily
clad women in stereotyped Southern farmer's daughter outfits
and its corn pone humor.

Last week, CMT announced that it would begin rerunning
the series this past weekend. It was enjoyable for me to
watch the cast members and the music was great. My late
husband, Ralph, often watched the show and said the jokes
were so bad, they were funny.

See you next time.