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.