REFLECTION ON PAST JULY 4TH'S & NEW ROLLATOR

June 30, 2014

By Olivene Godfrey

So much has happened here since I last posted a blog.  So, I will just touch on the high spots today.

We've had a lot of rain, with some hot, sunny days.  The patio plants are gorgeous since Barry started putting fertilizer on them.  The crepe myrtle bush is about ready to burst with blossoms which are a thing of beauty.

Barry and I will have a quiet July 4th with a cookout of filet mignon steaks on the electric grill.  It hasn't always been this way.  For many years we had a big 4th of July party/cookout (my late mother celebrated her birthday on the 4th).  I would plan the party for weeks before the big day.  We got out the big Weber grill and Barry barbecued hot dogs and hamburgers for our dinner party.  After birthday cake was served, mother opened her gifts.  For that last party I had a florist make a pretty table centerpiece which I still have in a closet.  We haven't had a family July 4th party since mother passed away in 2000.  And, I always feel sad on that holiday.

Tam's dad was admitted to the hospital last week and she wasn't able to be here.  He seems to have had a COPD attack and we've been praying for him.  I had to stay alone one day and Barry had left a lunch for me in my sitting/bedroom fridge which worked out well.  The only problem I had was transporting the food to my recliner.  So, an idea was born in my mind.  I told Barry that night about my problem which led to his order of a Rollator for me.  It is basically a walker with a comfortable padded seat and a basket which can be used to carry personal items.  The Rollator doubles as a comfortable chair giving you the opportunity to rest and refresh yourself any where and at any time.  My sister, Jeanette, has had one for several years and has tried to get me to get one.  I was, and still am, a bit worried about the Rollator's brakes.  But, I'm excited about it as I could move freely around the house when I'm alone.  It should be delivered tomorrow from Amazon.

I have really missed Tam and am looking forward to seeing her this morning, if all goes well, please God.  Have a happy July 4th!

See you next time.  Comments welcome.  (As told to Tam)

I GOT A BOOSTER SHOT & SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEW NOVEL

June 25, 2014

By Olivene Godfrey

Yesterday, Barry drove us to my blood doctor's office in Calhoun, Georgia.  My recent blood test revealed that I needed a booster shot which stimulates the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells.  The resulting rise in red blood cells increase the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.  I hope the shot will soon give me more energy.

My new novel centers on two women, Nickie Morrison and her aunt, Jill Kinley, and the events, people and the men they love who influence their lives as they struggle to break out of the roles assigned to them by time, places and social class.  The novel is set in Chattanooga, Tennessee and North Georgia with portions set in New York City and San Francisco, California and Treasure Island, Florida.

Interwoven in the novel are scenes that depict the World War II home front in the United States, the rapid development of plastics in industry and medicine, and of alcohol addicted, Nickie's husband, a brilliant scientist, the Southern structure of the era and portraits of the professions of the major characters.

Tam is working hard preparing the ebook for publication.  I'll let you know when the book is published and available through Amazon.

See you next time.  Comments welcome.  (As told to Tam)

THOUGHTS ON HAIRSTYLIST, CARRIE, HEARING IMPAIRED & DOCTOR VISIT

June 20, 2014



By Olivene Godfrey

Tam's daughter, Carrie, recently gave me a short haircut.  She has magical fingers.  When she gives me a haircut I can use my fingers (which aren't magical) to fluff up my hair until I find time to brush it.  She works at "N Style" beauty salon, located on Cleveland Hwy., in Dalton.  She inherited her mother, Tam, and late grandmother, Sue's beautician abilities.  I highly recommend Carrie's haircuts.  Tam uses her magical fingers on my hair to keep it looking pretty.

If someone you know is hearing impaired, please be patient with them.  Since I am "hard of hearing" I wear hearing aides and I suspect that when I'm in a room with more than 2 people, some think I am either anti-social or mentally challenged.  My hearing aides magnify the voices and I just hear a loud roar.

Yesterday, Tam drove me to my primary care doctor's office for a check-up.  My recent blood test showed I need a booster shot.  I have been feeling tired and Barry reminded me that I have COPD and I'm anemic which can rob you of energy.

See you next time.  Comments welcome.  (As told to Tam)

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES OF BEING HOMESICK FOR FIRST TIME AS A CHILD

June 16, 2014

By Olivene Godfrey

I often think of my first experience with being "homesick" at this time of the year.  When I was a child, my Daddy would take our family to visit his parents about once a month.  They lived on a large farm in Middle Tennessee, we lived in Chattanooga.  I loved visiting the farm and being with my grandparents and two unmarried aunts.

One summer when I was about six or seven, we had an especially good time and I asked my parents to let me stay at the farm for a week.  I had never been away from home before, but my parents agreed to my visit.  I noticed my Mother looked teary-eyed, but I was still happy.  My grandmother and aunts kept me busy until late Monday afternoon.  This was before TV's and my Grandpa listened to the news on the radio.  I wandered out to the large back porch and leaned against a column and was overcome by a wave of desire to see my parents and sisters.  Suddenly, my Aunt Esther came out on the porch and asked how I was feeling as she said later, she could see the homesickness in my face.  Suddenly, I felt my lips quiver and then the tears and sobs came.  Aunt Esther took me back in the house and kept me busy until bedtime.

The aunts and my grandparents let me help with the farm chores, like gathering the hen eggs.  Aunt Eula always got "primped" up after lunch and was ahead of her time, as she "teased" the front of her long hair and then put it up in a pompadour.  She helped me take a bath in a wash tub in the smoke house.  They didn't have indoor plumbing and my bath water came from one of the large rain barrels behind the farm house.  When Aunt Eula and I were "ready", we walked to the post office which was inside a large general store.  I chose the few pieces of candy Aunt Eula bought me.

One day that week the family all got in my Grandpa's car and we traveled to the nearest town.  Grandma bought me a dress I loved, as it was long and my Mother sewed short skirts for my sisters and me.  When we returned to the farm house, it was discovered that Grandpa had bought a watermelon for me and so had Aunt Esther.  We all had a big laugh about that , as I loved watermelon.

I was happy to see my parents and sisters when they came for me.  But, I've never forgotten being homesick that first time.

See you next time.  Comments welcome.  (As told to Tam)

IT IS A PRETTY WORLD HERE IN GEORGIA'S HIGH COUNTRY

June 9, 2014

By Olivene Godfrey

Following a long restful sleep, I awoke to a beautiful refreshed world Sunday.  It had rained during the night and had given the grass and our plants a shower bath and it was a clean world.  As I ate breakfast, I thanked the good Lord for letting me spend my last days in such a lovely environment.

Saturday, Barry bought a new chair for the front porch.  He had been using a patio chair.  The new chair has a straight back so that he can sit and read as a cool breeze wafers down from the mountain.  Sometimes, the wind turns destructive.  Thus, it is designated by the forest service as Windy Gap.  So, its nice to feel the gentle wind in the gap.

We have a wall of large trees at the edge of our front yard which helps protect us from the strong winds.  But, our view of the pretty farm next door is blocked until the fall when the leaves turn from autumn colors and then fall to the ground.  These trees and the huge cedar trees in the back yard give us privacy up here on our mountain foothill.

See you next time.  Comments welcome.  (As told to Tam)

AN OLD LOVE LETTER BRINGS BACK MEMORIES

June 2, 2014

By Olivene Godfrey

The love letter was written in 1947 by my late husband, Ralph, when we were newly weds.

Tam has been looking for an old letter among letters I had saved over the years.  That letter was a personal letter I had received many years ago from Barbara Walters.  We still haven't located that letter.  But, Tam found so many special letters I've received over the years, including the only letter Ralph ever wrote to me.  As I read it, I wept and was engulfed by old, sweet memories.  Ralph and I were married 55 years.  We had our ups and downs, but we had more "ups" than "downs."

I saved our hotel bill from the old Henry Grady Hotel in Atlanta where we spent our honeymoon.  Our total bill in May, 1947 was only $16.50 for three nights.  I remember we went to a movie in the grand Fox Theater.  World War II had only ended a couple of years before we wed.  Ralph served in the U S Army Signal Corps in the Pacific for 15 months, and we didn't have much money in our early married years.

Tam found two old Western Union Telegrams also.  One was delivered by a boy on a bicycle as Ralph and I left the church following our wedding ceremony.  It was from a friend who wasn't able to attend the wedding.

The other one was a birthday greeting from my parents on my 32nd birthday when Ralph and I lived on Treasure Island, Florida.  My birthday is December 10th and Barry was born December 14, 1959.  Unknown to me, my daddy had contacted a bunch of my first cousins, and they all sent birthday cards to me that year.

Ralph passed away in August, 2002 from Parkinson.  He had mild Dementia also but had periods when he was lucid.  I was his caregiver for a number of years which took a toll on me.  Barry adored his dad and helped me a lot with him.  We both still miss him.

See you next time.  Comments welcome.  (As told to Tam)