MY STRONG SISTER, JEANETTE

January 27, 2015

By Olivene Godfrey

My sister, Jeanette Cooper, is a true survivor.  It started way back when she and my late sister, Joan, were born at our Chattanooga home.  I was four years old when the twins were born.  I was so proud of the identical babies.  Unfortunately, the twins were put on a formula that caused them to become very ill.  The treatment and tender loving care restarted their health.

When the twins were young women they had a double wedding.  Jeanette married Charles Cooper.  They had two children, Charlene and her younger brother, Kenneth.  Charlene married and had two sons whom Jeanette and Charles adored.  The family was living in Douglasville when tragedy struck.  The family lost their beloved son, Kenneth to death.  The following years were hard but Jeanette proved she was a survivor again.  They moved to Dalton and a few years later Charles had a brain aneurysm that left him an invalid.  Jeanette was his caregiver for 28 years until his death.

During those years Jeanette had many major surgeries and has continued to have eye surgeries the past few years.  Her twin, Joan passed away a few years ago, and Jeanette mourned her.

Jeanette lives alone in her comfortable home with her great granddaughter, Alex coming to help when she needs her.  Alex drives her to her doctor visits, the grocery store and to the beauty shop once a week.  Her daughter, Charlene lives nearby and also helps her.  She is also close to her grandson, Dusty Norton and his wife, Danielle.  She says her six great grandchildren help her to "think young".

Jeanette says for the first time in her life she can go to bed and rise in the morning when she wants to.  She also reads quite a bit and watches TV.  She still endures pain and is now seeing a pain doctor.

No matter what Jeanette faces she is a survivor.

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

THE SAINT IN MY FAMILY

January 23, 2015

By Olivene Godfrey

If ever there was a saint on earth, my Aunt Eula was one.  She was born hearing impaired and never wore hearing aides which were not very sophisticated until she was an elderly woman.  She never married but she loved all the grandchildren like they were her own.  She was a large woman and had a wonderful lap for small children to rest on.  She was also a fantastic cook.  She made the best chocolate fudge and divinity I ever ate.  Her biscuits would melt in your mouth, and her sausage balls defy description.

When I was little, Aunt Eula and her younger sister, Aunt Esther, lived with my grandparents in a farm house on their farm in Middle Tennessee.  Her other siblings, including my daddy, were all married and had families.

My parents lived with my sisters and me in Chattanooga.  Our family would visit the farm about once a month.  When I was seven or eight years old, I would spend a couple of weeks in the summer at the farm.  I can still remember the fresh strawberries with real cream that I'd eat for breakfast at the farm.

Aunt Eula and I had a daily routine.  After the mid-day meal, she would heat rain water that had been caught in large barrels in the wood stove reservoir for my bath.  She would place a large wash tub in the smoke house where hams hung from the ceiling and the floor was thick with salt.  That was where I took my bath.  When I had bathed and dressed, Aunt Eula would proceed to bath, dress and comb her long hair into a pompadour in front with a bun in the back.

We would then walk to the post office which was held in a large general store.  After Aunt Eula had collected the family's mail, she would let me choose a little bag of candy from the display case.  Then, we would walk back home and rest until supper time.

I can remember feeling so sorry for Aunt Eula because she was "hard of hearing".  I hoped that would never happen to me.  But, it did!  In 2010 I started wearing hearing aides.  Recently, I've had more difficulty hearing voices even with my aides.  I have an appointment next week to visit my audiologist to try to determine what I need to do now.  I can't find words to describe my emotions when I'm straining to hear voices.

Please say a prayer for me when my hearing will be tested and they determine what, if anything, can be done for my hearing.

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

MORE ON COFFEE & JANUARY THAW

January 19, 2015

By Olivene Godfrey

The steroid shots my primary care doctor gave me last week hasn't stopped the intense pain in my knees.  As I write this on Sunday, I am having an electrode "TENS" treatment on my knees which gives me temporary relief from the pain.  Also, I don't have the sense of well being most people who have steroids claims to feel.

In my last blog, I wrote about enjoying drinking Starbucks coffee and several readers reported their fondness for the drink.  I wondered if they like it black or with cream and sugar.  Barry and I enjoy drinking the coffee black with a dash of one half sugar and one half Splenda.  I drank a cup this morning but won't drink the beverage again until next weekend.

We seem to be having the "January Thaw", the days around mid January when winter briefly loosens it's icy grip.  According to the information Barry printed out for me off the internet, the January Thaw is more than a piece of fanciful weather lore.  The annual averages really do show a slight temperature increase during the third week of January.

Yesterday, Barry noticed a few jonquils in our yard poking up through the earth.  That always reminds me that spring is on it's way.  The weather experts tell us we'll have more cold weather.  We can still enjoy the sunshine and warmer temps of this January Thaw.

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

GOOD COFFEE & MY POOR ACHING KNEES

January 13, 2015

By Olivene Godfrey

On weekends, Barry brews Starbucks coffee with breakfast.  This morning (Sunday) I drank a large cup of the delicious beverage, savoring the taste.  I could easily get addicted to it.

While I read the newspaper, Barry went to Ingle's supermarket in Chatsworth to stock up on food and drinks for the upcoming week.  While there, Barry filled the tank of his car with gasoline at Ingle's gas pumps.  The gas price was so low, when he returned home, he drove his truck and filled it's tank also.

After lunch, Barry took an artificial flower arrangement to the cemetery for my late husband, and his dad's grave.  He made pictures with his "smart phone" so I could see the flowers on the grave.

My name and information about me is engraved on Ralph's tombstone, with only the date of my death to be added.  When I see the engraving, I feel uneasy.  I guess if I live to be 100 years old, I'll feel the same way.  Same things said about life, "Once is not enough", and, I agree!

The weather forecast is for bad weather tonight and tomorrow.  I'm hoping they are wrong as Tam is suppose to take me tomorrow to my primary care doctor to have shots put in my aching knees.  I'm praying the shots will give me some relief of the severe pain.

Monday... Tam drove me to my doctor's office this morning.  The weather was horrible, cold and foggy.  My poor old bones ached from it.  I got the shots for my knees and am hoping they bring me relief.  I can have more shots in 3 months if it helps.  I pray they will work.

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

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

January 5, 2015

By Olivene Godfrey

I rarely make New Year resolutions.  But, I made one this year that's very important for me to keep.

I have arthritis in my knees and the pain is often severe.  I have an appointment with my primary care doctor in about a week to have shots in my knees.  The doctor told me that after the shots that I'll need to walk a lot so that the medicine will go where it is needed and to help relieve the pain.

For several weeks, I've been walking with my Rollator walker from my sitting room in my bedroom to the dining room for my meals.  I walk down the long hallway that goes from one end of the house to the other.

My son, Barry and I live in the country and don't have sidewalks, and our road is too heavily traveled to walk on.  I plan to walk down the long hall several times a day.

I also need exercise to help me lose weight.  I have a large closet full of clothes I can no longer wear.  Tam and I agree that I don't over eat, so the problem seems to be inactivity.  Perhaps by spring, I will be slim again.  I'll keep you posted on my progress.

As I write this, the weather is nice and sunny, with temperatures in the 60's.  According to the weather forecast severe cold weather is moving in.  Saturday night the weather was turbulent with strong winds and rain.

I keep thinking of spring.  When we moved to our house in 1978, there was no shrubbery and few trees.  Since then, the yard has been landscaped.  My late husband planted small trees that are now gigantic and beautiful.  He planted about a dozen jonquils around the rock patio wall.  They poke up through the soil usually in February.  The past few years, the jonquils have been large but didn't bloom.  Barry has put dry fertilizer on them and we hope they'll bloom this year.

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