AFTER CHRISTMAS MUSINGS

By OLIVENE GODFREY

The old man's beard was white and his longish white hair was topped with a Santa Claus hat. He wore denim overalls with a work shirt but he was still the spitting image of the classic Santa pictures. He sat in a rocking chair on the front porch of my doctor's office building. No one else was in sight. Son Barry and I approached the porch and I said in a loud voice,"Look
there's old Santa Claus!" The man flashed a wide smile and his eyes twinkled as he said in a booming voice, "Merry Christmas!"
When we left the building about an hour or so later, the old man was gone.

During the long Christmas weekend, my thoughts turned to the old man on the porch several times. Could he be the real Santa? I imagined. Maybe he was taking a rest break and giving sick folks a lift at at the same time. I mentioned him to Barry on Christmas day and he said, "He may have been the real Santa"
And we will never know....

My holiday weekend was interrupted by a horrendous bout of Irritable Bowel Syndrome which was why we were at the doctor's office. My sister, Jeanette, had sent me a clipping from Parade magazine about a new treatment for IBS which was having good results. I was at my wit's end and ready to try a new treatment.
I asked the doctor to look at the article and she found it interesting and gave me a prescription for the drug that had been used in the study. I have been taking it four days and can already feel some improvement. I will keep you posted and if it works wonders for me as I hope and pray, I will tell you.

Barry and I had Christmas eve dinner here at the house. He helped me and things went smoothly and he liked having the aroma of good food cooking in the air. He missed that when we ate at a restaurant on Thanksgiving day. We were disappointed that the Butterball turkey breast was not like the many others we had in the past. Oh, it was tender and juicy but instead of the traditional one Barry thought he bought, it was a Cajun
style turkey breast. We had never heard of it before and Barry got up from the table and looked at the label and in small letters it was marked Cajun style. In the future, we will double check the labels. I guess it pays to check out even the oldest products labels.

On Christmas day, we went to my sister, Jeanette's house in Dalton for a dinner and family party. The dinner was delicious and exchanging the gifts was fun and her six great-grand children
livened up the place for all of us. Jeanette makes the world's most delicious chocolate fudge and until I was diagnosed with diabetes in 1984, she always gave me a container of the Christmas fudge. Last year, instead of giving the fudge to me, she gave it to Barry and I only ate one piece of it. This year, she gave Barry a container and I have only eaten one piece of it, using all my will power. I hope I can keep my resolution not to gain any weight this holiday season.

Since I had my cataract surgery, I had been wearing drugstore glasses for reading. Barry took me to the eye doctor office to pick up the new glasses a few days ago and I am happy with them. I hope to catch up on the stack of reading material in my office. I can do that on these cold winter days.

See you next time.

THOUGHTS OF CHILDHOOD CHRISTMAS MEMORY EVOKED

By OLIVENE GODFREY

A nice looking young man, wearing a gold wedding band and pushing a brand new bicycle,was in line ahead of Barry and me at a K Mart store last week. I thought of the joy a young girl or boy would have this Christmas with that new bike. And, suddenly,
thoughts of a Christmas long ago rushed into my mind.

I was barely six but I wanted a bike more than anything that year. My parents had bought several acres of land on the outskirts of Chattanooga, TN which was considered "in the country" those days. It is now a part of a small city. Mother and Daddy built a nice house and a small barn on the land .
Daddy bought a cow which provided us with milk. He had big vegetable gardens and Mother's green thumb beautified our yard. That memorable Christmas on our "mini farm", Mother and Daddy before the big day talked often about the pony that Santa was going to bring me. But, I would protest, "I don't want a pony. I want a bike!"

As the holiday neared, the tension grew. When I prayed my "Now I lay me down to sleep....." at night, I added that I had been a good girl and please send me a bike. On Christmas morning, I woke up early and woke my parents and my two-year-old twin sisters and we all rushed to the living room. My heart jumped with joy when I saw the beautiful blue and white bike under the tree. I don't think small bikes were made back then and mine was a big one, especially for a tiny girl. But, my new bike was a "girl's bike" which was a good thing as my little legs weren't' long enough to touch the pedals as I sat on the big bike seat. I solved the problem by just not sitting down as I climbed up on the bike that morning.

During the night, snow had fallen and the ground was covered with snow which worried me. But, Daddy and I got bundled up and took the new bike outside. The road in front of our house was made of chert, a form of quartz, and there had been some light traffic that morning and Daddy found a smooth surface and helped me stand on the pedals. He pushed the bike, holding onto it tightly. I was in seventh heaven and suddenly I looked back and saw that Daddy wasn't holding the bike anymore. Yes,
I was soloing! What a thrill that was for a little girl.

And that bike was an important part of my life for the next ten years. I grew into it and Daddy bough a basket for the bike and I ran errands for Mother and drove to my piano teacher's house on Saturday mornings for my weekly lesson. But, when I turned sixteen, I thought I was "too old" for it. So, Daddy repaired the bike and gave it to he twins to ride. I don't know what happened after they out grew it.

Years later, son Barry experienced the same thrill I had that long ago Christmas morning when Santa brought his first bike.
My late husband, Ralph, and I were happy to see Barry's bright eyes dance when he saw the bike. He says now that was the best Christmas he ever had. He rode the bike for years and later bought his own adult bike which he still has.

So, the little boy or girl whose bike will be under a Christmas tree, and their parents, will have a wonderful Christmas.

I wish for each of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

See you next time.

79th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATED, THOUGHTS ON HOLIDAYS & ANNIE'S POEM

By OLIVENE GIDFREY

I celebrated my 79th birthday yesterday and you may wonder what I have to celebrate at such an advanced age. Well, one thing is that despite my many ailments, I am still alive and have my mind which is something to celebrate. I am also grateful that because of son Barry's devotion, I am able to live in my comfortable home and have Sunday outings. I also feel fortunate to have known loved ones who have passed away.

On my birthday, Barry drove us to Dalton's Western Sizzlin where diners eat free on their birthdays. I ate off the bountiful buffet and indulged myself with a small helping of strawberry shortcake for dessert. Feeling unusually well, I decided I wanted to go shopping at K Mart which is near the restaurant.
Barry pushed me in the wheelchair across the parking lot and the frigid cold weather had my teeth chattering. Once inside,
Barry took me all over the store and we purchased a few items.
When we came home, I changed into my stay-at-home clothes and relaxed. My Florida, English born friend, Annie, called to wish me a happy birthday. She had sent me a poem when I wrote her after my cataract surgery about seeing all the new wrinkles and she gave me permission to share it with you.

MIRROR MIRROR

Who is this person looking back at me
I look over my shoulder,
There's no one there
It looked like my mother,
But that can't be.
I blink, I look closer,
Yes, it's me.

Who is this person looking back at me?
Bright eyes tell,
Of a sprite unchanged.
Laughter lines, or wrinkles?
Who cares what they're called.
These are the things
I choose not to see.
Annie Burgamy


One of the nice things about the holidays is receiving cards and notes and phone calls from relatives and friends, many that we don't see often. I have talked to my my late husband, Ralph's sister, Agnes, and Ralph's late brother, Ray's wife, Joyce and have enjoyed our telephone conversations. I want to mention that my writer friend, Ruth, sent me cards for Thanksgiving and Christmas that she hand-crafted herself and written the personal messages in her elegant penmanship. I treasure the cards.

See you next time.

EYE DOCTOR REPORT & WINTER IS HERE

By Olivene Godfrey

Last Friday, Barry took me to see the eye doctor for a follow up visit regarding my recent cataract surgery. After I was tested by a technician, I talked to the doctor and he told me that I now have 20 20 vision which is perfect. My right eye still works fine so I don't need any surgery on it now.
All I need is a pair of reading glasses. I return to the doctor in two weeks to be certain the healing process is complete. Then, I will be fitted for glasses. Meanwhile, the doctor said that I can continue wearing the drugstore glasses son Barry bought me for reading and close work. In short, it seems my cataract surgery was a huge success. I am so thankful to God for my good eyesight and for giving my doctor the skill to restore my vision in my left eye.

Winter is here in northwest Georgia regardless of the date on the calendar. We are having low morning temps and cold days, too. Our house is warm and toasty though and I hope the electric power doesn't go out. But, if it does, we have three good kerosene heaters for back up heat. Barry and I are well satisfied with the electric heat pump that we had installed last year.
As far back as I can remember, I have heard and believed that getting cold may lead to cold. But, the scientists always scoffed at the idea. Now an article in Consumer Report On Health publication report the results of a recent study that seems to prove that getting chilled can indeed lead to colds. The research said that previous studies were too small and didn't use natural exposure to cold viruses as the recent study did. The new study isn't definite but as the article points out, it gives us another reason to stay warm in the winter. And, don't forget to dress warmly and wear a cap or hat on your head before going outside. Wash your hands often and try to avoid people with colds is still good advice.

See you next time.