IN PRAISE OF AIR-CONDITIONING IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH

By OLIVENE GODFREY

About a week ago, son Barry's AC stopped working in his ten year old car. Barry has taken good care of the car and keeps it in our enclosed garage when it isn't being used. And the car looks like a new one but Barry said that its old enough now to start needing repair work. Barry said he might consider buying a new car if the U.S. economy was more stable. Barry inherited his late dad, Ralph's mechanical talent. The AC compressor stopped working about this time last year and Barry replaced it with a new one but he says it was hard work. But, last Friday morning Barry installed a new compressor in his car and it is working fine now. He is hoping the AC will continue to work okay for at least the rest of the summer.

This incident reminded me of the many years we drove cars with no AC during the six months of the year when the weather is either warm or very hot in the American South. I remember when I wore dresses and panty hose all the time except for casual wear and I would go out for interviews or other business on hot, sultry days and would be miserable by the time I returned home. And, for years our houses were also hot and oppressive.
And during the "dog days of summer" the nights remained hot, too.

I vividly remember one summer before Barry was born and we lived in Dalton, Georgia. We drove to Daytona Beach that year for a vacation. Until you've traveled from north Georgia to the Florida line, you can't realize just how large the state of Georgia is, especially when you are in a car with no AC.
On that particular trip, the temp was over one hundred degrees in south Georgia and our old car was like a furnace blasting
hot air on us. I was wearing shorts and a shirt and they were both wet with sweat. This was in the days before U.S. Interstate 75 was built and we traveled on old U.S.41 to Florida. There were no fast food places and few "tourist cabins." on this route. As we drove along a barren stretch of highway in south Georgia, we spied a concrete building with a welcome sign of "cafe". We had foolishly not brought any water with us and we stopped at the cafe which did have AC and we asked for water. A kind waitress brought us glasses of iced water and I'll never forget how wonderful the water felt on my parched throat.
We ordered a light meal and left the cafe feeling better.

Back in the 1960s, we had no AC in our cars and we still appreciate the AC in our vehicles now. Barry's truck, which he inherited from Ralph, has a good AC but I can no longer get in and out of it. And, I need a car with AC because of my breathing problems. When we lived in Florida, few homes had AC and we suffered during the hottest months. We didn't have AC in our car then either. Now I am so grateful for central air in our house and I never take it for granted.

I hope all U.S. readers have a happy Independence Day, July 4th.

See you next time.

GOOD NEIGHBOR IS A TREASURE & DOCTOR REPORT & LUNCH AT EDNA'S

By OLIVENE GODFREY

I've written often about the many kindnesses that my friend and neighbor, Genevelyn, has shown me and also son Barry and my late husband, Ralph, over the years. She brought us a bag of produce fresh from her garden this weekend, including new potatoes, one of my favorite foods. After she had brought us another bag of green beans last week, I told her that Barry likes them cooked Southern style with a slab of salt pork and cooked 20 minutes in the pressure cooker. She said she liked them that way, too, but because of her cholesterol, she stir fries her green beans.

Barry and I wanted to do something for Genevelyn and last week, we decided on a small token of our appreciation to her. I made a picture of her old homeplace where her daddy was reared a number of years ago. At that time, the old house was vacant and no longer stands. I liked the picture so well as I am fascinated by old houses that I had it enlarged and it hangs on my office wall now. The first time Genevelyn visited me, she saw the picture and exclaimed, " That's my old house!"
So, a week or so ago Barry printed a copy of the enlarged picture and I gave it to her yesterday and she said she said she would treasure it. And, Barry and I treasure her friendship.

Last Friday, Barry had the day off from work and he drove us to our family doctor's office for my three month checkup. I discussed a few routine problems and then she examined a seborrheic keratosis (benign area of thickened, flaky skin) on my right shoulder which she had done a biopsy on a few months ago. She said if it bothered me, it could easily be removed but I decided not to have it done now. I don't need to return to her office for three months and I hope I can remain healthy that long.

Barry and I left the doctor's office about lunch hour and decided to treat ourselves to a meal at Edna's. a popular northwest Georgia restaurant. As usual, the food was superb. I ordered chicken and cornbread dressing, macaroni and cheese and their delicious candied yams. Our meal was served with Edna's
delectable cornbread muffins. Needless to say, we ate a very light supper that night.

I seem to have written a food column today. But, when you are 80-years-old, good food is one of the few pleasures left to enjoy.

See you next time.

HISTORIC RENOVATED DOWNTOWN DALTON,GEORGIA EVOKES NOSTALGIC MEMORIES

By OLIVENE GODFREY

Last Sunday, here in northwest Georgia, the weather was perfect for an outing with plenty of sunshine, blue skies and a balmy breeze. Son Barry had promised to take me on a tour of my old "stomping grounds", historic downtown Dalton, Georgia, which has been renovated with some work still in progress to the old town's buildings.

Barry and a friend had driven to the main street of the old downtown in search of a blues club which they located last Saturday. Barry said the downtown had been bustling with people walking on the sidewalks and traffic on the street. The downtown street has trees planted on the sides and center of it which I like. Well, hey, I'm a tree-hugger, remember?

Some of the downtown stores that I remember are still in business and new shops with engaging names have located in the old buildings along with banks and offices. When we drove down the old street, there were a lot of people moving around on the sidewalks. I had heard some criticism of the amount of money the City spent on the downtown project. I'm not an expert on that but I did like what I saw and look forward to browsing around in the shops one day soon. I had told Barry often about many people strolling down the street in the 1940s and 1950s after seeing a night movie. But, I don't think I would do that now as it isn't safe anymore even in a small town.

My neighbor and friend, Genevelyn, brought us a bag of green beans fresh from her garden last week. I cooked a big "mess" of the green beans along with grilled chicken breasts, steamed corn, and cornbread muffins and Barry ate until he was about to pop, he said. (He ate three large portions of green beans.)

Years ago, I bought a good quality magnifying glass for viewing small print. Now that I'm an old lady, I keep the glass on the work island and use it often. And, Barry hates to admit it but he uses the magnifying glass about as often as I do. My prescription reading glasses and frames were expensive and I don't like to carry them in my handbag when I go out. And, often, I carry the magnifying glass with me if I'm going shopping and it comes in handy.

My sister,Jeanette, called last Saturday and we had a good chat, catching up on family news. Jeanette spoke of Barry's recent bout with poison ivy and recalled when she got poison ivy in her eyes and had to see her doctor. Barry sprayed our poison ivy plants with some stuff he bought at a hardware store and he says the plants seem to be dead --until next year.

See you next time.

A BUMPER CROP OF POISON IVY AND A WEED EATER PLAYED HAVOC ON SON BARRY'S SKIN
By OLIVENE GODFREY
Poison Ivy is a woody vine that is well known for its ability to produce a skin irritant that causes an itching rash for most people. It is normally found in wooded areas in suburban and exurban areas of New England, the Middle Atlantic and Southeastern United State.
Barry decided to use his weed eater to destroy the Poison Ivy in our yard. Instead, the flying pieces of the hated plant covered Barry's arms and legs, causing the awful rash. Barry is like me, if I walk by the plants, I could get the rash.
This past weekend Barry sprayed some stuff he got at a hardware store that is supposed to kill the plants in a few days.
We shall wait and see....

Nowadays, I only do light housekeeping and some cooking with Barry doing the heavy cleaning and yard work. While folding a large basket of laundry, I thought of how difficult it is for me to do even the most simple chores since I need to walk with a cane. But, I know it is good for me to stay active and we all need work to do.

I was thinking this week that in July, I will mark my 5th year of writing in this space and it has been a good outlet for me now that I am retired. In the past, I wrote with deadlines and it is good not to have them. Yet, Barry says I worry if I haven't written columns by a certain date. I guess that the years of having deadlines is a habit I can't seem to break.

We are having a heatwave now with temps in the 90s during the daytime and in the 70s at night. I have been staying inside of our air-conditioned house but Barry's shop doesn't have AC. Since I haven't been outside the house in quite a while we had an early buffet lunch at Western Sizzlin in Dalton on Sunday.
The food was delicious but we didn't "pig out" like we have done at buffets. My dessert for the week was hot apple cobbler pie topped with a dollop of vanilla, soft ice cream. We were glad to return to our cool house and take naps. Then we had chores to do and it was a good day.

See you next time.

LOCAL TENT REVIVAL SITE EVOKES MEMORY OF LONG AGO

By OLIVENE GODFREY

One recent day, son Barry drove us to nearby Dalton and during the drive we saw that a tent revival was underway. A tent flap was opened and the thick layer of sawdust on the ground was visible and my mind flew back to a tent revival of long ago.

A tent revival is a gathering of Christian worshipers in a tent specifically for revival meetings, healing crusades and church rallies. Tent revivals have had both local and national ministries. The night most vividly in my memory was a tent revival conducted by my Methodist preacher daddy somewhere in the Chattanooga area.

During the sermon in my memory, my twin sisters who were about two years old at that time, were fascinated with the sawdust on the ground. The twins were playing in the sawdust at Mother's feet and she didn't try to stop them as they were at least quiet.
Then to Mother's dismay, the twins ran to the mourner's bench on the ground and began to throw sawdust at Daddy's feet, laughing all the while. Somehow, Daddy continued to preach and then Mother marched down to where the twins were playing and she snatched them up in her arms and carried them to our car. I was only about six years old and went along . too.
When we were in the car, Mother gave both twins pops on their bottoms and warned them not to play in the sawdust again.
After a brief spell of crying, the twins fell asleep. But, the incident has remained in my mind.

I recently read an interesting article in Arthritis Today magazine entitled, "Instant Energy Boosters. The article list 14 quick, easy tips to boost energy. One tip is to listen to music which the researchers found to boast energy and stimulate positive thinking. Listening to music has always affected my moods. Another tip is to wear red. Some of you may recall that my spirits are lifted when I wear my red jacket. The article reports that studies indicate that color has a huge impact on how a person feels. And, red, in particular, has been shown to improve mood and alertness.

The Arthritis Today, May-June, 2008 issue,gives more tips and
much more.

My insomnia has been especially bad recently. I have drank caffeine free coffee and tea for years. Recently, Barry bought regular tea as the grocery store had sold out caffeine free tea. Barry thought the regular tea might be causing my insomnia. I do drink Diet Coke which has caffeine in it but I don't drink it after lunch. But, Barry bought me a carton of Coca Cola Zero which has some caffeine but not much. He also bought a box of caffeine free tea. And, for whatever the reason, I have slept good the past few nights, thank God.

See you next time.