OBSERVING 40th ANNIVERSARY AS A COLUMNIST & SISTER, JEANETTE, HAD BAD FALL ON HER CARPORT LAST WEEKEND

By OLIVENE GODFREY

This year marks the anniversary of the first column I had published in a newspaper. Looking back over the years, I have had some glorious moments and some great sorrows and my share of regrets. I wrote a daily editorial newspaper column for ten years and also covered news and wrote articles for other publications. The following ten years, I worked free lance
and wrote fiction. I still wrote an occasional column for the local newspaper and several regional magazines. I had three novels published in Germany and then my late husband, Ralph,
became ill and I was his caregiver with son Barry's help.
I exchanged e-mail letters with my late sister, Joan,who lived in Florida. And then we lost Ralph to Parkingsons and about a year later, Barry suggested that I write a blog column.
He added, "You are writing Joan letters every day that are like columns." So, I have been writing in this space for three and a half years and it gives me an outlet for my writing ideas.

Here's to a few more writing years!

My sister, Jeanette, fell from the kitchen door onto the hard carport floor last weekend. She fell face down which is so scary it's hard to think about. She broke her nose and had a gash on her forehead, near an eye, that required 12 stitches at the Dalton hospital ER. She has two black eyes and bruises and as bad as it was, it could have been a lot worse. She has always been a human dynamo and has tried to keep up her pace as she has grown older. But, she says now that she has learned her lesson and will slow down and be more careful in the future.
Jeanette says she knew she was falling but couldn't stop herself as she hit the floor hard. That's how I felt when I had a bad fall in2005 Since then, I have tried to pace myself and slow down and to be more careful to avoid another fall. I know it is hard to do but is better than the consequences.

Our pink geranium almost didn't snap back after being left on the patio during a heavy frost. Barry trimmed the plant and nourished it and moved it next to the Incredible Poinsettia in the den by the big window. Barry has been feeding the indoor plants with a little Miracle Grow and they are all thriving.
Alas, the poinsettia didn't have any red leaves Christmas as we had hoped it would. It is large and healthy but mo red
leaves. If it lives another year, we will try again.

I am pleased to report that I didn't gain an ounce over the holidays but I didn't lose any either. I will work on that this year.


See you next time.