IT'S COLD OUTSIDE, FEEDING BIRDS, & MY 103 YEAR OLD AUNT'S AMAZING MEMORY & MORE STUFF

By OLIVENE GODFREY

We are having very cold weather here in northwest Georgia now.
When I got up this morning, the temp on our patio was 15 degrees and yesterday, the temp remained in the 30s all day. The temp tonight is forecast for 24 degrees. Our electric heat pump is keeping the house toasty warm and I am hoping that the power doesn't go out this week. In cold weather, our thoughts turn to the many birds that make our yard their hang-out and the yard is a natural feeding ground for them. But, when the ground is frozen, we put feed out for the birds and hope the pesky squirrels will stay away.

I had a letter a few days ago from my cousin,Ernestine. She reads my columns to her 103 year old mother and my beloved Aunt Helen. Ernestine wrote that when she read the column about son Barry folding sheets so neatly, Aunt Helen smiled and was reminded of a day when she visited us and Barry took a bath when he came home from school. She said that when he finished his bath, the bathroom was wet all over with wet towels strewn around and she wondered how such a little boy could makes such a big mess. I read the letter to Barry while he unloaded groceries and he said that he still makes a mess in the bathroom but now he knows that he is the one who will clean it up. Ernestine wrote that Aunt Helen smiled when I wrote that Barry is ultra neat now.

Yesterday, Barry showed me the aerial view of our house on the
Google Earth Internet site. Our house is indeed set in the path of the wind tunnel that comes down from the mountain. Also, our house and the houses of our neighbors, is surrounded by forest land which pleases a tree lover like me. Barry was also able to locate on the map, the site of my childhood home in the Chattanooga area. At that time, the area was mostly farm land and it seemed like country to us.

I had an e-mail from my Florida, English born friend, Annie,
last Saturday night. She said they were having cold weather, at least cold to South Florida residents, she added.
That reminded me of the January Florida trip my late husband, Ralph, and I took when we were young. We went to Daytona Beach and the first night we were there, the temp dipped down to 20 degrees and the entire week was very cold. We have pictures of us bundled up in winter clothes, standing on the beach.

CORRECTION: In last week's column, I wrote about my favorite comic strips and I listed Family Circle as one of them. This should have been The Family Circus. Sorry about that.

The jonquils in our backyard are coming up which always gives me hope that spring in all it glory will arrive on schedule.

See you next time.