Wreck in Resaca

It's always something.

JULY

JULY. Happy July. Can you believe we're having such a spectacular Independence Day? Georgia has changed their laws and now we can legally have real fireworks. You used to have to go across the state line to get your fireworks fix. Oh happy days! All you kids of all ages be careful playing with those things. You just know some redneck is going to end up in the emergency room by Sunday. All I'm saying is, stay safe.

I got to make a trip to Chattanooga State with Katie and Bennett and we had a nice picnic near the Chickamauga Dam. It was awesome.

Did you notice the house sitting on top of  the tower?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Krista, Jeremy,Darrel, Athena, Connie, Jennifer, Christy, Nathan, Madison, Holly, Coven, Tristan, Evitt, Tillie

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

HAPPY HOLIDAY

RIP

AS ALWAYS

PIO

JUNE

Mamma and I went to Red Lobster for her birthday. We had a great time and indulged in the ultimate feast. Mamma has always loved seafood but she and Daddy never went out to eat. I think she should enjoy herself and Red Lobster is especially enjoyable. I think I finally gave her a gift she liked.

***********

I have become a goat herder, if you can call anyone who only has one goat, a "herder." Actually, I am a dubious caregiver to a goat, one surly old dog, and a neurotic lovebird plucking itself to death. They all want to follow me around. If the goat can keep me in her sight, she won't cry. But, low, if she can't see me, she goes a bellowing "ma!" all the time. I think she's trying to say "Pam" but she just can't make a P. That's my theory anyway. In all honesty I'm enjoying being at home more and watching the goat is a bonus. 

The bird has developed a crude form of communication. He raises the door of the water bowl and drops it until I look to see if it needs water. He also does the same thing when he wants seed. That's pretty smart for a bird brain. I guess he had to figure out something because sometimes I ignore him.

*******

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Aaron, Dustin, Tyler, Sara, Colt, Tim, Eddie, Jimmy, Gary, Dana, Nancy, Hanna, Keegan, and Shanda

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Chase and Krista Sheram

RIP

J.L. Strickland, Mary Bell Carter, Sam Burchfield, Charlie Burchfield, 

and Steve Yeargin

REMEMBER

Dixie Highway 90 Mile Yard Sale June 5-7th

Flag day June 14, Father's day and Summer June 21st

AS ALWAYS

PIO

MAY

Whew! Nobody told me getting older was going to be so hard. If they had of told me I'd have tried harder not to get old. 

It's always something. Right now I am transitioning from constant caregiver to part-time homebody. I get so distracted when I'm not on my own schedule that I forget to keep up with my bills and laundry. Needless to say, I get behind.

Things have "flipped" again, in my life. My baby boy, the Coltman, has flown the coop. He moved out on his own. Yeah, now Donny and I are empty-nesters. Colt is working in Atlanta full time now. What to do, what to do?

*******

Between running up to Dalton every day to check on Momma or Bennett I don't have much time to do everything that needs to be done around here. I have literally a mountain of junk piled in Scout's room that I've accumulated since he's been gone. Now I'm sorting through Colt's room moving stuff around trying to figure out what I should do in there. It's a mess.

I think I am psychosomatic. I probably suffer from ablutophobia or possibly disposophobia. I collect things. Things ordinary people would trash. For example, I have an overabundance of plastic meat containers with lids that sandwich meat comes in. I took a stack of them to the Christmas dinner with Donny's family so everyone could get leftovers to take home last year. It impressed my sisters-in-law. I don't know why I haven't thought of using them like that and depleting my reserves before. 

*****

I promised to keep Mamma's yard mowed and, between Scout and me, it's looking pretty good. I went to mow Saturday. Colt was loading the truck up with spare furniture he salvaged from Momma to take to his trailer.

Jason and Hanna were there with their little boy, Tristan. Jason is Scout and Colt's oldest friend. He and Hanna are expecting their second child soon. They're having a little girl. Tristan is a doll so I know the baby will be, too.

Another white car was sitting in the driveway when I drove up but I didn't pay attention. I finally heard Katie say something about Joann and asked her what she was talking about. She said, "Joann is over there," pointing at the white car. I had totally blown by her and didn't even notice.

To tell the truth, I really didn't think about Joann being there. She's not supposed to drive and I never thought about her getting her friends to bring her by the house.

She said they rode by my house, but figured I was sleeping and didn't stop. Mind you, it was going on noon by the time I got to Mamma's house. Oh Joann sure is a kidder. 

She had Nancy and her friend Sandra with her. Sandra is a truck driver. She's about my age. 

We had a full house Saturday. Not only were Jason and Joann there but my aunt Mary was visiting with my momma. She had been visiting for a while. Mary lives in Savannah with her son now. We love it when her daughter-in-law, Tonia, brings her for a visit. Mary went back home on Sunday.

I was hoping Momma and Mary and I could do some things together but Momma didn't want to socialize. Mary kept herself entertained reading a paperback and chain smoking. 

Thankfully, Mamma's church family fixed them several meals and brought them to Mamma's house. They are excellent cooks, especially Shirley, the preacher's wife. They're good people.

*****

Burger's Market is open again this season so I got a beautiful tri-colored pink mandevilla plant and gave it to Momma for Mother's Day. I bought myself two different kinds of ferns. I love them. They give any house a southern vibe.

Poor Donny has to tend to our yard alone. Nobody else is ever around to help him. I've started doing my part by tying the goat out so she can eat some of our overgrown spots. Bonnie acts like she's always starving so it's a win-win for all of us. Well, all of us except Buddy. He got off on the wrong foot with the goat and she doesn't like him at all.

Now Buddy cowers in fear when the goat gets on a tear and decides she wants to butt him. Oh well. Live and learn, I always say. Maybe next time he'll be a little nicer when he meets a goat.

*****

I'm becoming cautiously optimist that this might turn out to be an awesome summer. Here's hoping. 

Bless you all as you go about your daily struggles. We all have our crosses to bear. Just think "this, too, shall pass" and carry on. I love you all, even when I'm being a bitch sometimes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Rachel, Steve, Connie, Maranda, Nita, Junior, and Madison

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

REMEMBER

Edwadene McAllister, Grampaw Carter, Ev Chastain

RIP

Vivian

AS ALWAYS

PIO

We're All The Same

You know I'm feeling better when I can get my mind fired up on social issues instead of dealing with drama. I was reading an article and thread, what I like to call the reader's comments, on a new database tracing the number, ethnicity, and relevant details like "armed" or "unarmed" when I realized I was becoming  engaged again. I felt fire burning in my chest and a sense of righteous indignation on the behalf of my fellow men who are being gunned down in cold blood under the guise of the law. 

I wondered why I was the type of person who tried to look at the issue of racism in America from the perspective of the real black people who had to deal with that bullshit every day of their lives and didn't have the same laissez-faire attitude of so many white people.

I don't have any black friends and I don't really know many but I do know I would never want to look down on someone because of the color of their skin no more than I'd want to mistreat a handicapped child or kick a dog.

When I was young the movie Gone With The Wind came out to a new audience. I remember getting Civil War "money" in oatmeal boxes. On the back was a discount pass for the movie. I thought it was so neat that we came from the south. I had no idea of the deeper meaning of history. The only knowledge I had was from old movies like The Little Colonel with Shirley Temple and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. And that, my friend, was the first interracial dance scene filmed in America. Shirley Temple, Bojangles Robinson

Sometimes I wondered what it would have been like if the south had won the war. Would I be a privileged white child, or maybe a poor white child who felt inferior and was glad to be one rung higher up than the black people around me. 

I think of the theme in To Kill A Mockingbird where a whole town was turned upside down because of the accusations of rape by a poor white woman about a poor black man who wasn't believed. Atticus Finch was the lawyer who was trying to save the poor black man's life. It was a powerful movie showcasing racism in the south.

Finally, I read Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Over the years I began to think about how awful it would be to "belong" to someone like an old dog and have to "obey" their commands. My natural reluctant nature caused me to realize I couldn't do it. I could not live in slavery. I certainly wouldn't want to be kidnapped and shipped to America in the bottom of a rocking, stinking, dark, dank ship. I can understand why so many people died before they ever reached the islands or America. I couldn't have made it. 

Being on the internet and having access to information at the drop of a hat I'm liable to stagger over some interesting articles which spark my imagination and make me believe we deserve social justice for all. We can't erase the past's history, that is, unless you're a Texas school board writing the books many schools and institutions print for this country's school systems. But that's a lie and another matter for another time. 

There has been a steadfast blood lust for unarmed black men and boys over the past several years that have been caught on film, thanks to the inter-tubes as former Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens called it. We've been inundated with videos of cops killing black men and vigilantes like George Zimmerman who killed Trayvon Martin as he was walking in a quiet gated community. It has made the nation aware.

I am amazed when I read comments about any black shooting or any reference to any death when someone tells people to quit whining and get over it. How the hell do you get over something, especially if you are black or your children are black. Every day of their life they have to live with the knowledge that someone, somewhere might kill them for no fault of their own except for the color of their skin. We should be ashamed to live in a society like that.

I don't get that. I really don't. I guess I live from the white point of perspective where I have always had certain rights that I never noticed other people were denied. There are more obstacles for women than men and we still don't have equal rights in the constitution but I think poor black ladies are doubly burdened. 

I guess I have white privilege because I'm not afraid to speak up when I think I'm being undermined but that doesn't mean my opinion means squat most times. I just feel I have the right to speak up. I wonder how many black people have to bite their tongues to keep from speaking their mind, especially when they are around a group of caucasians.

If you'd like to read the article and see the data the young man wrote, you can find it here. Data on Death

Social injustice and inequality are still as relevant today as they were in the past. We have to remain ever vigilant and not fall for crap like "affirmative action is no longer needed." Yeah, right. By whom, might I ask?

AS ALWAY

PIO

Musings

Mamma's beginning to feel better. We've started arguing and getting on each other's nerves. That's a good sign. My main gripe is that's she's too independent and stubborn and won't listen to me. 

Mamma's sister, Mary Jane, came to visit last week and Mamma and Mary Jane have already taken off two times in the car alone. Both times I tried to tell Mamma she shouldn't drive but she wouldn't listen. She can barely walk from room to room. She shouldn't  be driving. When they came back, she admitted she nearly had an accident.

I asked her nurse practitioner if Mamma should be driving yet. She said she thought Mamma should wait until they get her medicine adjusted. Mamma still has home health care and a physical therapist come every week. 

I'm glad May Johnson agreed with me because my little mamma is a daredevil and can scare the bejesus out of you. She turned in front of a car when Katie and I were both with her one day and Katie won't ride with her any more. I can't blame her.

I've been consumed with taking care of Mamma and have barely focused on my life although that's not what some people think. 

Anybody that knows me knows I like to make lists and keep track of things. I've noticed that whenever I'm in a crisis I forget to keep track of my days. That drives me crazy. I like to know what day I did something or when I paid a bill. Stuff like that. I am so far behind I will never fill in those blank days I spent during and after the hospital. Those days are lost to me in a fog.

I do have some more good news to report. I've been monitoring my blood glucose religiously and have begun to get a handle on it. Most days my blood sugar is in the low 100's, which is good but I haven't been exercising and I really feel that! I miss it so much. It really helps relieve stress. 

While I have been staying with Mamma, I have been mowing her yard and trying to get some exercise. I don't consider that much exercise when you're on a riding lawnmower but it's better than nothing. I figure the jiggling is shaking some fat off. Right?

Everybody says I'm not around as much as I should be but I'd like to know how much more around I need to be. I've been there every day and most nights since Mamma was in the hospital and I have languished away waiting to do my mother's bidding when she needed something to eat or assistance with anything. Mostly, I've sat around watching her work circle word puzzles.

I think people have forgotten, just because I don't work, that I have things I need to do. 

Nobody considers that my old dog is stuck in the house all day alone, with the poor old bird stuck in a cage, or Buddy is outside huddled on the porch waiting for somebody to come home and let him inside. 

Nobody considers the goat we've got that needs tending to and watched so it can roam free and eat bushes and weeds in the backyard without being attacked by Buddy. He can't be trusted.

Just because I'm an anomaly doesn't mean I don't have a life. It just looks different than yours.

I didn't even notice the dogwoods in bloom because I've been so preoccupied with other things. Spring is really here and I barely noticed. I hate that because spring is the most beautiful time of the year. The azaleas are blooming, too.

I don't think we will have but one more cold snap this year, blackberry winter. I could be wrong.

I don't mean to complain because I am very thankful for my life and everything going on in it. I am tickled to death Mamma is getting better and wants to do things for herself and doesn't need constant supervision. I am grateful for my boys who pick up the slack whenever I'm away. 

Colt and Donny jump right in and make sure they have clean clothes and something to eat. That's a blessing and one more thing I don't have to worry about. I could have ended up with someone like my Daddy who never cooked a meal in his life, as far as I know.

I am thrilled to be a mother-in-law and a granny. Scout picked a winner when he married Katie. She's been a great support to us all.

Katie is starting a new job and, by default, I am starting a new one, too. I am responsible for seeing that Bennett gets off the bus safely every afternoon when Katie isn't home. We bond over chocolate pudding and reading books. He is my best little buddy.  I only hope I'm not a bad influence on him. (Don't ask)

I'm going to get my hopes up again and look forward to a better summer than last year. I hope we are able to plant a garden and keep the goat out of it. I really, really would like a break for a while. I'm tired, already.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

APRIL

It seems like the more things change the more they stay the same. Last year around this time I was caring for my mother when she fell down and broke her hip. She stayed in ICU and finally went to Regency Park for rehabilitation. 

I was hoping we would get through another year without any more incidents but things have a way of changing rapidly. A couple of weeks ago Mama had to be rushed to the emergency room when we thought she might be having a heart attack. It turned out to be pneumonia and she was placed back in ICU until she was well enough to be placed in a room. After a week, she was released from the hospital and got to go home. 

I've been staying with her and helping her every way I can. She's taking breathing treatments every day and a home health nurse comes to check on her twice a week. She also has a physical therapist who is monitoring her progress. So far, so good.

I miss my home and my messy little house. I know the boys can do without me but I sure miss living my own little life on my own terms. I don't know if things will ever get back to "normal" again, whatever that is.

Easter was just another day around here. I spent a couple of hours mowing Mama's yard on Sunday. I love to mow. It is so calming and a good time to get my anxieties out of me. I haven't been walking like I was before Mama got sick and I feel blah all the time. I need to get back in the groove again.

I know too many people who are facing their own troubles and struggles. Here's hoping this year is better than last year and everybody is healthy and happy. We could all use a break.  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Sanna, Patricia, Susie, Debbie, Aja, Allan, and Kathy

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Jason and Hanna, Myra and Noodie, Ann and Jim

RIP
Beulah Burchfield, Henry Cornwell, and Donna Shoates

REMEMBER
Tax Time

AS ALWAYS

PIO

MARCH

I am thankful for the hints of spring we are experiencing now. Temperatures are in the 70's and we are getting plenty of rain. I don't mind, not after the frigid weather we lived though a couple of weeks ago. Our gas heater went out and we had to live through some of the coldest temperatures we faced all winter with space heaters. We worried about the water freezing but we got off lucky. Mama wasn't as lucky. Her pipes froze. Thankfully, they didn't burst.

I don't think we would have been nearly as comfortable if it weren't for Mama and our friend, Joann. Mama gave Donny an infrared heater for Christmas, and Joann generously lent us her extra heater during our crisis. Believe me, we needed them. 

The bedrooms were cold as ice. It reminded me of the times I sent the night at my grandparent's house in the winter when I was a kid. My grandmother always stacked up plenty of quilts and usually put a hot water bottle in the bed for my feet. She also let me wear her mother's flannel granny gowns. I felt warm and toasty in my cold, cold room wrapped in my sweet great granny's old gowns.

I was basically a hermit until we got the heat back on the next week. Now, I am becoming a little bit optimist and that frightens me. I'm like Chicken Little. I'm afraid the sky will come tumbling down on my head if I get too cocky or happy.

Donny and I started walking for exercise again and I'm able to walk twice as far as he does now on our treks. He comes home after a few turns around our track and leaves me to walk until I give out. 

I hated walking when I first started but I knew that I'd eventually hit that plateau that people talk about where your body kicks in and starts to "sing" with energy. I hit that peak about six or seven turns around the parking lot where we exercise and get pumped up and want to walk faster and farther every time. I sure am glad. I missed that when I was recovering and the weather was bad.

I've been cooped up in the house too long. It's time to get moving to get healthy. Katie and Joann go to the gym to exercise now so I don't have my walking buddies any more. That's alright. Donny and I are about the same speed anyway. You know ... old farts. We get plenty of walking in when we get started.

Donny actually called me skinny tonight. I don't know if he was being facetious or was really serious. He handed me a dinner plate and said, "Here. You can go before me cause you need to eat, you're so skinny."

What do you think? Was he paying me a compliment, or was he trying to be funny? You can never tell with Donny.

We eat cafeteria style and everybody gets their plate and moves on to the dining room. Our dining room table belonged to my grandmother. I like having family dinners at the same table I've sat at with my grandparents. It's a family thing.

On another note, Donny got his drawers all in a tangle because he hates the pictures I posted of him when he had surgery last year so I decided, in the name of fairness, I'd post a picture of me when I was in the hospital. Just so you know, I look pitiful so you have my permission to feel sorry for me a little but I'm all better now so don't worry about me.

Everybody has to go through their own journeys and we all have burdens we have to deal with. The important thing is to not let the burdens own you. Sometimes you have to cling to that glimmer of hope. We all do.

I love you guys.

Are we even now, Donny?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Heather, Jami, Dana, Mike, Mary Jane, Johnathon, Jason, Alex, Patsy, Sunshine

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

RIP
Jerry White, Debbie Chitwood,
Crick Marshall, Mary Bell Carter, Evelyn Chastain, and Lela Smith

REMEMBER
Daylight Saving Time, St Patrick's Day, Spring, Palm Sunday

AS ALWAYS

PIO

FEBRUARY

A week ago I wrote:

There's a storm coming in the north east and they're predicting blizzard conditions. Everything is set in place for a replay of last year. About this time last year, Katie's father died. There was snow on the ground. We went to Tennessee to the funeral.

You should have seen us. We were a force to be reckoned with. Our goal was to support Katie in her most painful time of need and let her know we cared. Over this last year I have grown to love Katie better than I would have ever thought. She is a remarkable young woman and I think she's a hoot to hang out with and the feeling is mutual. Like Katie said, "We're like two peas in a pod."

Katie and I have become walking buddies. We try to go walking several times a week. We're both getting in shape. We are going to be so fit and so healthy everybody is going to be amazed. Well, I hope we are.

I'm "going under the knife" or whatever this week and I'm a little nervous about it. Not the surgery, per se; just the recovery thereafter. Ouch! I don't like pain. "It's be alright. Surely."

Last year about this time I was about to begin an odyssey with Donny when he collapsed in the bathroom. What I had mistaken for the flu turned out to be a heart attack. We were stuck in ICC during Valentine's Day. Looking back, I am so thankful we have come this far. 

You can imagine why I am nervous about having surgery after everything that happened last year.

*******

This time last week I was obsessing about my upcoming surgery. I didn't know if I'd come through it or not. I was being very pessimistic. I can happily report that I did survive and am beginning to bounce back like the proverbial red rubber ball. 

I spent Groundhog Day, watching the movie "Groundhog Day" over and over again. It felt about right. I've been mulling over the past and realizing you can only do whatever you think is right. We can only hope we make the right choices at the time. We don't get any do-overs. I would give anything if we could try until we get it right like in the movie "Groundhog Day." I have lots of days I would replay over again. I love how Bill Murray's character transforms into a better person by the end of the movie. 

******

Last month we got to go to Chuck E. Cheese's to celebrate Bennett's birthday. I forgot how much fun it is to be surrounded by about a hundred little rug rats, running and screaming, all around you. We got to fill up on pizza and enjoy the ambiance. Kids were crawling through bright colored building blocks overhead and other kids were playing various token machines happily gobbling up everyone's money. 

After about an hour, we had all had enough. Everybody split up to leave. 

Donny and I got turned around and lost before we got turned back around in the right direction and came home. 

Whew! I don't envy people who have to drag their kids to parties all the time. I can only handle that kind of excitement about once, or twice, a year.

*******

Savor every moment you have with the people you love. I can't say that enough. Love the one's you're with. Who knows if we'll ever get that opportunity again. Even if you have to face your phobia about germy kids and noise. "It'll be alright."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Mikki, Alicia, Brooke, Don, Douglas, Bailey

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

RIP
Delbert Callahan

AS ALWAYS

PIO

JANUARY

I was diagnosed with hyperglycemia and sent to a clinic this year. They taught me how to regulate my diet and take care of myself. It seems, diabetics should pay close attention to their eyesight, and their feet, among other things. One speaker told us to take off our shoes and socks when we go to the doctor to let them inspect our feet. 

I had to see the nurse practitioner the other day for a pre-op visit so I peeled off my shoes and cooled my hot feet on the cool linoleum. I told her I have a problem with cracked toes and was worried because they were sore. She checked my feet and asked me if I felt her touch. "Yes! Yes, I did." "Good. You're alright." She recommended an ointment for my toes. Good deal.

I am trying to cut out all the sweets and breads I used to eat and keep my blood sugar under control. Donny and I have been walking at the Church of God across the street.

Since October I have lost about twenty pounds. My pants nearly fall off. I've taken to wearing belts and not overloading my pockets so my pants don't droop. I haven't been dieting. I've just been trying to stay away from the foods I used to eat before I found out I was diabetic. 

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My mind is all over the place. I'm unable to focus and haven't felt like spilling all the beans on my blog. Nobody wants to hear, "My life is so hard." blah, blah, blah. Everybody has problems, some far, far worse than mine. I don't want to exude fake exuberance and pretend like life is peachy keen, either. "Santa brought me a pony!" although he did one time. But that's another story.

This has been a hard year for everybody, my family included. Things have settled down a little and I don't like rocking the boat. I just hope things keep on improving but it doesn't really look that way.

Don and I went shopping for a flat screen TV and I nearly had a breakdown when I realized I didn't have a hundred dollars I thought I had put in my wallet. I kept going over everything in my mind and really believe I saw the money in my billfold while we were at the house. I just don't know. Either way, I have to let go of that little dream. I hate when I get mixed up about money. It makes me crazy. I guess that's another one of those "old fart" moments.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Rhonda, Amanda, Evelyn, Ann, Frankie, Lisa, Angie, Sue, Norma, Joey, Donna, Valerie, Angela, Jacob, Bennett, Mika, Brenda, and Teresa

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Donny and Pam

RIP

Roy Burchfield, Jimmy Hutson, Sam Burchfield, Vivian Shoates, Lela Smith, Beulah Burchfield, and Roger Rowland

HAPPY NEW YEAR

AS ALWAYS

PIO

DECEMBER

We had our family thanksgiving dinner on the last Saturday in November this year. It turned out nice. It was almost perfect. Almost . . . 

Katie complimented me on my potato salad and dressing. That made me feel good. Nobody else seems to notice my cooking unless it is bad. If I burn something I usually tell them it's Cajun cooking. The boys used to believe the smoke detector was my timer. That meant dinner was always burnt. Ah, good times!

Anyway, it's time to plan the next wave of this holiday season, the one I hate the most, Christmas. It's always been about the money and some one-upmanship game I don't care to play. But I do like the feasts. 

I love rubbing elbows with people and catching up with them as we jockey around the dessert table. I love being with family. It reminds me of other times and other holidays and makes me hope for many more with these sweet and wonderful people. The older I get, the more I realize that's what is important.

This has been a year of change and reaching out. I am learning to treasure every moment. I just hope we don't have any more stress because it makes me blow my gasket. 

We're taking Katie and Scout to the Cracker Barrel this weekend to celebrate their birthdays. They are only two days apart. I can't wait.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas this year and all your wishes come true.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Schylar, Katie, Scout, Amanda, Kiersten, Tony, Denise, Todd, Carmen, Andy, Noody, and Carole

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Diane and Larry

RIP
Albert T. Silvers, Edwadene McAllister, Delbert Callahan

REMEMBER

Be Nice To One Another

It's Christmas

NOVEMBER

Donny wanted to take a trip to Ellijay so we planned a family outing. Scout and Katie wanted to go. We all piled into the old Merc and rode over Fort Mountain. Ellijay is on the other side of the mountain. Ellijay hosts an apple festival in October every year.

Donny stopped at the top of the mountain to enjoy the view. The fall colors were on full display and there was snow laying in shady patches. Bennett was excited. Well, Katie was really excited. Katie gets excited about everything. It's all new to her.

Donny didn't feel good last year when we went to the Ellijay apple festival so we had to cut our trip short. I think that's why Donny was determined to go back to Ellijay this year. It's a man thing. I reckon. I'm just glad he's up and around. We had a heck of a scare this year.

Donny, Katie, Scout and Bennett posed for me at the mountain overlook. It looks like Bennett is mesmerized with the view. I don't blame him. That's a long, long way down. Donny looks like Popeye. That must be where Scout got that look. Maybe that's Don's pirate face. Aaarrrgg!

We came home by another route. We got apples and other goodies at the Red Apple Barn (Hwy 76) on our way home. I'm glad I can eat fruit because we bought lots of apples. They didn't last long though. It appears I'm not the only one who likes fruit.

I went to a class for diabetics at the Hamilton Diabetes Center last week and they stressed the importance of eating a balanced diet and fruit is part of a balanced diet. 

An RN talked to us about diabetes. She also had a nutritionist and and ophthalmologist talk to us. The nutritionist had fake food and portion sizes to help us visualize healthy servings. I haven't got there yet but I am trying. The ophthalmologist told of dangers to our eyes and the importance of having a dilated eye exam every year. You have to take care of your teeth and feet, too.

Diabetes affects every part of the body. It's scary. It made me want to take care of myself from now on. That is why I'm exercising and trying to stay away from the sweets. 

Wish me luck in my new journey to become healthy again as I wish every one of you the same fortune in your own life. This won't be easy but the apples will help. So does the support of friends. 

If you think I'm rambling now you should be listening inside my head. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Samantha, Dawn, and Larry

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
~Mama and Daddy~

RIP
Albert Silver, Charlie McAllister, Edwadene McAllister, 
Delbert Callahan, Crick Marshall, Frances Causby, 
and Roy Burchfield
~Daddy~

REMEMBER
HAPPY THANKSGIVING

AS ALWAYS

PIO

PBS 11-12-14 Wednesday 10:06 PM EST

OCTOBER

I've been through the ringer here lately. I had to go to the gynecologist for my physical and he sent me to a general practitioner who did blood work on me. I thought it was hormones. Instead, I found out I have diabetes and high cholesterol and they put me on medication. I'm trying to get plenty of exercise so I recruited a couple of friends to go walking with me. 

Donny was borderline diabetic and lost lots of weight and was able to come off of his medicine. I hope I can bring my blood sugar down and do the same if I lose weight. We'll see. 

Just about everyone in the family has had to go to the doctor here lately. Colt got busted in the head with a 2x4 and nearly had a concussion last week. He should have gone to a doctor but he came home and rested all day. 

Even old Buddy is getting into the act. We took him for his physical and to get more flea and heartworm medicine. The vet said he had a couple of abscessed teeth that needed to come out so we have to go back again for surgery. Between him, and me, and Donny, and Mama it seems like we're going to the doctor all the time.

Sometimes I get to feeling sorry for myself but I think about all the people I know who are facing bigger challenges than I am and I count my blessings. I look around me and think how thankful I am to have my husband and my mother in my life. They are two of the strongest people I know. They had a lot of health problems this year but, no matter what obstacles they face, they soldier on.

I've got several friends who are fighting their own battles which are much harder than my own. They inspire me. Still ...

I don't know who signed me up for this roster of hospitals and illnesses but I wish they'd take me off the list. I've done my time. 

Halloween certainly won't be quite as jolly this year, and Lord knows I'm not going to be happy and I'm going to be tempted on Thanksgiving. It was always my favorite holiday. I only hope I survive the holidays this year. My sweet tooth is my downfall.

A word of advice to the wise:

Y'all watch your sugar and salt intake and floss your teeth. You'll thank me when you're older.

Oh yeah . . . bah, humbug . . . I mean . . . Happy Halloween!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Joann, Shannon, Alesha, Lon, Layla, Matt, Devan, Michelle, Kelly, 

Debbie, Chase, Barry, Diane, and Summer

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Kelly and Troy
Piette and Paul

CONGRATULATIONS
Brittany and Corbin
October 11th

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

AS ALWAYS
PIO

PBS 10-13-14 Monday 11:16 pm EDT  222

PS   Sorry I'm late. On top of everything else I've been having computer problems.

Daddy Called

Mama called me the other day to tell me she got a call from Daddy. We got her a new phone with an alert button she could program two phone numbers into. She has it set with Katie's and my number in case of an emergency. She wears the medallion around her neck. It announces the phone number and the caller's name if we have it programmed into it. She said the phone rang and announced the caller was Roy Burchfield. It repeated the name again before she answered the call. She heard a connection before it went dead and she heard a dial tone. Spooky, huh?

That's all I have to say about that.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

PBS 10-9-14 Thursday 8:40 pm EDT

SEPTEMBER

Well! Color me confused. I tried to call my doctor to make an appointment but kept getting a busy signal on Friday. I tried over the weekend and got another busy signal. I was becoming obsessed with trying to reach the doctor so I tried to call him again on Monday. I had finally surmised that there was something wrong with this picture because I've never called a doctor's office after hours without reaching their answering service. Today it all came together. The doctor has retired and left me in the dark. Now, where will I turn? I don't like breaking in a new doctor. They make me nervous. Frankly, I don't even like doctors. You can imagine why after the year I had.

*********************

Mama's sister, Mary Jane came to visit with her all last week. She is a joy to be around. Mary's been living in Savannah with her son, Alex, and his family. Mama invited Mary to stay with her until my aunt, Patsy, could come get her. She's going to stay with Patsy in Illinois for a while. I think Mary was good company for Mama, and vice versa. My cousin, Donna, came to get her. They headed back north this morning.

Mary Jane had intended to fly out from Atlanta to visit Pat a couple of months ago but she got confused and never got on the plane. Mary is developing dementia. Mary didn't worry about missing her plane because the flight staff took her under their wing and invited her to their private lounge and took care of her. She was supposed to be supervised by the airline so they probably worried about getting in trouble for not getting her on her right flight. Her son had to drive all the way back to Atlanta to pick her back up.

Mary had such a good time she promised to come visit them all whenever she came back to Atlanta. She wasn't even depressed about missing her flight.

If you didn't know Mary Jane you wouldn't know anything was wrong with her but her memory is not good any longer. She's a big cut up and enjoys being around people. Her mistake was almost as good as a vacation.

********************

I finally talked the guys into putting up guttering on the front of the house.
We bought the guttering Saturday and they had it up on Sunday. Not bad for a project we've put off for years, I'd say. The fascia board on the back of the house has to be cleaned and then they can finish the job. I'm almost embarrassed to admit I wish it would rain. I can't wait to test them out.

********************

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Butch, Katy, Kim, Susan, Carol, Larry, Corbin, Gail, Melissa, Melody, Erin, Emily, Debbie, and Jesse

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Resaca Rose

RIP

Gary McNamer, Robert Burchfield, Jack Rat

REMEMBER

Labor Day, Rosh Hashanah*, Autumn

*Rosh Hashanah: Jewish New Year, 24-26th

AS ALWAYS
PIO

PBS 9-9-14 Tuesday 12:34 A.M. EDT