CLAIRE: GIRL ON THE RUN

This past weekend Jimmy and I went to see our daughter, Paige and her family. They live four hours from us and we try to see them when Jim is off on weekends. Unfortunately, weekends come approximately once every two months. This particular weekend we had to leave real early on Sunday for we wanted to see our granddaughter, Claire participate in the 5k “Girls on the Run” for fun. As quoted on their website, “Girls on the Run® is a non-profit prevention program that encourages preteen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running.” Last December she ran the 5k (3-miles) and we did not get to watch her participate. She completed this race full of excitement and big smiles. Her Nana and Papa were extremely proud of her. We wanted to make sure that we were there this time. Her run was scheduled for two in the afternoon, so we arrived early morning to boost her spirits. http://www.girlsontherun.org. The founder has a blog spot called:http://mollyontherun.blogspot.com/


Upon arrival Claire’s spirit was down and we thought it was because she was anxious about running. I took her over to registration. She got her entry sign, fancy crochet purple bracelet and three rainbow Band-Aids placed in the middle of her forehead, knee and arm. She had this real cool t-shirt with the run inscribed on the outside front and a list of sponsors on the back. Claire by the way is in the 3rd grade and is 8-years old. I, the camera junkie that I am, got busy taking pictures of everyone and everything.

Her team/group was from her elementary school, Riverview. The race began with over 500 participants. It was an enthusiastic group of runners (anyone could participate) all hoping to complete the 5k run. I waited anxiously for her to appear after her first mile to get a picture. My granddaughter did not make her whole 3-miles (5k). What we thought was anxiety for running turned out to be a 102-degree temperature along with a hot afternoon. She did not want to disappoint herself or us; therefore, not telling her mom she was not feeling well she decided to run anyway.

She completed one-mile of that race and we were very proud of her. Although she should have told her mom/dad how she felt for it could have had serious consequences, she was still motivated to at least try to do her best. In my estimate she did just that…….Her Nana and Papa are very impressed at her stamina and courage to want to at least try.

ZAPPERS REALLY WORK

Do you have mosquitoes? Do you have big time mosquitoes? Well I am here to tell you I have trillions of them. I live in the Low Country of South Carolina and they multiply at a blink of an eye. Of those trillions I have at least fifty or more in my house depending on how many times or how many people come in and out our house at a given time. When I enter my house I will literally pop in and slam the door letting in at least 5 to 10 mosquitoes. Then there is Jim who lets in at least twenty at a time because he is slow moving and sometimes forgets that we do not live in a barn. Unfortunately, it does not matter who you may be. If you do not get in quick enough to suit me I start fussing. Sometimes when you look up you see dots of black all over my yellowish walls by the tons. It is definitely not a pretty sight.

One day a year or two ago friends of ours, Dalia and Richard, gave us a zapper. I started laughing thinking they were joking because I was always swatting at mosquitoes even climbing furniture trying to kill these beasts of prey. (Humans, dogs, cats, etc.) Anyway, the advertisement claimed it would kill mosquitoes. The one they gave us looked like a yellow tennis racket and it had a place on the handle for batteries. It even had this safety feature where you had to hold in two buttons at the same time for it to work, therefore children could not zap themselves or others by mistake. (I have two grandchildren so this feature was most appreciated. Claire, grand daughter backs off every time she sees me coming with my assassinator.) It was awkward to use at first, but after working with positioning it at different angles I started lunging at these biting pest. Zap! It not only decimated the little rascals it fried them. Little sparks of light flashed on my zapper, then there was this exhilarating snapping sound and bang the mosquito was a goner. It totally took me by surprise. I was flabbergasted and kept searching, zapping, and killing any bug I could find. I kept waiting for the CSI Mosquito/Bug Patrol to coming looking for me. It was like an answer to my prayers.

Unfortunately the place they bought this zapper was about to go out of business so I immediately headed to Hilton Head (a hours drive away) just to get another one for the car. The novelty store only had about four left, so I purchased all of them. The thin crossing wires responsible for the “bug shocking” were tightly meshed together, but if one came loose it would no longer bump-off my bugs. (This demolishing machine not only slaughtered mosquitoes, but flies, spiders and any other small bug.) I wanted to make sure I had all areas of my bug life covered. I made Jim keep one by his chair, I had one by my chair and I put one in the car. Am I phobic? Yes, I am. (I even have these two cobwebs I will not remove from two rooms in my house for they serve as traps for the annoying mosquitoes.)

(1) cobweb full of mosquitoes (2)Swatting mosquitoes

We had a summer night party at our house on the state park where Jim worked. When the party came to an end I had mosquitoes lined up all over my ceiling too high for me to reach. Ray and Jeff are two real tall state rangers/administrators. They would not believe me when I told them about my miracle killer machine. I gave each of them a zapper and within minutes they had killed all the mosquitoes and even wanted me to open my door so they could kill more. The blasted thing was like an addiction to these two men. (Two grown men giggling/smiling/zapping and cheering with each kill they made)

A few months later tragedy struck. One of my zappers broke and I was devastated. I went searching the internet and actually found that all kinds of zappers existed out there in cyber land. I proceeded to buy two different types. Tonight when I arrived home from town I opened and quickly closed the door for mosquitoes were swarming around the outside of my door by the thousands. They were everywhere, the worse I have ever seen. Jim had the late shift and could not help me with my whacking spree, or should I say “SLAYING SPREE.” Imagine a 65-year old, plump short woman with a zapper in her hand zipping around like a yoyo around the house bouncing from floor to chairs to ladder removing these tiny nipping blood sucking pest from existence. By the time Jim arrived home (He let in at least fifteen more stinging beast.), I had not only zapped most of the bugs, but I had zapped myself in the process. I forgot it would give you a shock if you mistakenly touched it. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck tingle along with the jolt on my leg where the mosquito sparkled after zapping it with my paddle. DA, Sue, proceeded to touch the wiring with her finger to see why it shocked her and got a double whammy. I survived to tell this story…….on to another post

St. Augustine Part I—Memories Past and Present

I have always felt and still think that St. Augustine is one of the most unique cities in the United States. I was excited just to go back to the past and see bits and pieces of it again. When I was quite small we use to go to Vilano Beach for two to three weeks. Back then, unfortunately, the Loggerhead Turtles were not protected and it was a treat to have cake made with the eggs the turtles laid. The cake was a rich moist succulent treasure to eat. Dad would search for the eggs in the early morning or very late at night. He gave them to Cousin Rebecca who made a one-layered rich cake from scratch. (Remember this is a child’s memory, so my facts may be a little off.) Sadly, when I look back, I think about those eggs and the fact that if people back then had been more environmentally conscious we would not have endangered or extinct animal/plants like we do today. I can remember people picking the sea oats and using them in dry flower arrangements. Sometimes I wish we could turn back time and undue all the havoc we unknowingly caused. (Oh, speaking of Cousin Rebecca…..she gave me Fannie Farmer Cookbook when I got married. I still use this book today along with Duncan Hines Cookbook that my dad gave me. Both are the two most precious treasures I possess.)
As I mentioned before, we were in St. Augustine/Mandarin, Fla. for a solemn celebration of Gay, but we were also there to re-acquaint ourselves with Alec and Sharon. Alec is just like his dad and a very gracious host. You could tell he was raised with manners and love. (I can see Gay now in his low-toned, calm, yet serious, no nonsense voice saying, “Now, Alec, I really think we need to rethink this…”) Anyway, three of the four sisters were in Florida on Friday of last week. Alec was not only entertaining but he made an effort to make sure all of us got equal attention. He brought along with him the best treasures of all, pictures to share of Uncle (Cousin) Gay. My youngest sister Gay (named after Big Uncle Gay) was only there for the day, whereas Strawn and I stayed for 4 nights. Bless him for he devoted the whole day to making her feel welcome. We had a great New Orleans meal on the banks of the St. John’s River. Beautiful weather followed us the whole trip and that day was especially gorgeous. Time passed too quickly. It seems as if (sister) Gay and her husband Cecil had just arrived and “bang” they were off again back to South Carolina. Pictures: (1) Alec with Sue, Gay, Strawn, Sharon (2) Sharon, Sue, Gay, Strawn
The condo was located on the front beach. Only a dune with a wide trough separated us from the ocean. Between the dunes was a walkway that carried us to the beach and upon looking down you saw turtles sunning themselves. Rabbits and other wildlife have homes in this trough as well. I actually walked two miles one morning. Of course my walking was looking for shells in a leisurely manner while Alec, Strawn, and Sharon briskly took off. I knew the odds of keeping up were slim so I let them do their “thing” while I had a good excuse “old and decrepit” (I am definitely not either, but it annoys my kids when I say it.) I really enjoy shelling. Again the temperature was perfect and with a little wind. I got sun/wind burned from lack of awareness on how long we sat and how sunny it actually was against the reflection of the ocean. I live in a beach community and know better so I really have no excuse. Alec had some success at fishing. He caught enough for Sharon’s and his supper next week. We ate at this neat restaurant on the marsh called Cowboys. Let me tell you folks, that food was to die for, especially the Key Lime pie. I want a tart mouth sequencing attack on my palette when I eat a key lime or lemon pie. Rarely do I find it prepared this way at a restaurant. I always have to make my own. All of us nearly died in ecstasy.
Pictures: (1) Cypress knob/knees and dock (2) One of many Turtles living in trough
Geese! This is too long. I need to stop and figure out how to shorten what I say. I keep reminiscing. Park II of this saga will come later.
Picture: (1,2) Restaurant out in the Marsh (3) Inside: A little humor!

Part I—Memories Past and Present of Florida

I have always felt and still think that St. Augustine is one of the most unique cities in the United States. I was excited just to go back to the past and see bits and pieces of it again. When I was quite small we use to go to Vilano Beach for two to three weeks. Back then, unfortunately, the Loggerhead Turtles were not protected and it was a treat to have cake made with the eggs the turtles laid. The cake was a rick moist succulent treasure to eat. Dad would search for the eggs in the early morning or very late at night. He gave them to Cousin Rebecca who made an one-layered cake from scratch. (Remember this is a child’s memory, so my facts may be a little off.) Sadly, when I look back, I think about those eggs and the fact that if people back then had been more environmentally conscious we would not have endangered or extinct animal/plants like we do today. I can remember people picking the sea oaks and using them in dry flower arrangements. Sometimes I wish we could turn back time and undue all the havoc we unknowingly caused. (Oh, speaking of Cousin Rebecca…..she gave me a Fannie Farmer Cookbook when I got married. I still use this book today along with a Duncan Hines Cookbook that my dad gave me. Both are the two most precious treasures I possess.)

As I mentioned before, we were in St. Augustine/Mandarin, Fla. for a solemn celebration of Gay, but we were also there to re-acquaint ourselves with Alec and Sharon. Alec is just like his dad and a very gracious host. You could tell he was raised with manners and love. (I can see Gay now in his low-toned, calm, yet serious, no nonsense voice saying, “Now, Alec, I really think we need to rethink this…”) Anyway, three of the four sisters were in Florida on Friday of last week. Alec was not only entertaining but he made an effort to make sure all of us got equal attention. He brought along with him the best treasures of all, pictures to share of Uncle (Cousin) Gay. My youngest sister Gay (named after Big Uncle Gay) was only there for the day, whereas Strawn and I stayed for 4 nights. Bless him for he devoted the whole day to making her feel welcome. We had a great New Orleans meal on the banks of the St. John’s River. Beautiful weather followed us the whole trip and that day was especially gorgeous. Time past too quickly. It seems as if (sister) Gay and her husband Cecil had just arrived and “bang” they were off again back to South Carolina.

The condo was located on the front beach. Only a dune with a wide trough separated us from the ocean. Between the dunes was a walkway that carried us to the beach and upon looking down you saw turtles sunning themselves. Rabbits and other wildlife have homes in this troth as well. I actually walked two miles one morning. Of course my walking was looking for shells in a leisurely manner while Alec, Strawn, and Sharon briskly took off. I knew the odds of keeping up were slim to I let them do their “thing” while I had a good excuse “old and decrepit” (I am definitely not either, but it annoys my kids when I say it.) I really enjoy shelling. Again the temperature was perfect and with a little wind. I got sun/wind burned from lack of awareness on how long we sat and how sunny it actually was against the reflection of the ocean. I live in a beach community and know better so I really have no excuse. Alec had some success at fishing. He caught enough for Sharon’s and his supper next week. We ate at this neat restaurant on the marsh. Let me tell you folks that food was to die for, especially the Key Lime pie. I want a tart mouth sequencing attack on my palette when I eat a key lime or lemon pie. Rarely do I find it prepared this way at a restaurant. I always have to make my own. All of us nearly died in ecstasy.

Geese! This is too long. I need to stop and figure out how to shorten what I say. I keep reminiscing. Park II of this saga will come later.

St. Augustine Part I—Memories Past and Present

I have always felt and still think that St. Augustine is one of the most unique cities in the United States. I was excited just to go back to the past and see bits and pieces of it again. When I was quite small we use to go to Vilano Beach for two to three weeks. Back then, unfortunately, the Loggerhead Turtles were not protected and it was a treat to have cake made with the eggs the turtles laid. The cake was a rick moist succulent treasure to eat. Dad would search for the eggs in the early morning or very late at night. He gave them to Cousin Rebecca who made an one-layered cake from scratch. (Remember this is a child’s memory, so my fact may be a little off.) Sadly, when I look back, I think about those eggs and the fact that if people back then had been more environmentally conscious we would not have endangered or extinct animal/plants like we do today. I can remember people picking the sea oaks and using them in dry flower arrangements. Sometimes I wish we could turn back time and undue all the havoc we unknowingly caused. (Oh, speaking of Cousin Rebecca…..she gave me a Fannie Farmer Cookbook when I got married. I still use this book today along with a Duncan Hines Cookbook that my dad gave me. Both are the two most precious treasures I possess.)

As I mentioned before, we were in St. Augustine/Mandarin, Fla. for a solemn celebration of Gay, but we were also there to re-acquaint ourselves with Alec and Sharon. Alec is just like his dad and a very gracious host. You could tell he was raised with manners and love. (I can see Gay now in his low-toned, calm, yet serious, no nonsense voice saying, “Now, Alec, I really think we need to rethink this…”) Anyway, three of the four sisters were in Florida on Friday of last week. Alec was not only entertaining but he made an effort to make sure all of us got equal attention. He brought along with him the best treasures of all, pictures to share of Uncle (Cousin) Gay. My youngest sister Gay (named after Big Uncle Gay) was only there for the day, whereas Strawn and I stayed for 4 nights. Bless him for he devoted the whole day to making her feel welcome. We had a great New Orleans meal on the banks of the St. John’s River. Beautiful weather followed us the whole trip and that day was especially gorgeous. Time past too quickly. It seems as if (sister) Gay and her husband Cecil had just arrived and “bang” they were off again back to South Carolina.

The condo was located on the front beach. Only a dune with a wide trough separated us from the ocean. Between the dunes was a walkway that carried us to the beach and upon looking down you saw turtles sunning themselves. Rabbits and other wildlife have homes in this troth as well. I actually walked two miles one morning. Of course my walking was looking for shells in a leisurely manner while Alec, Strawn, and Sharon briskly took off. I knew the odds of keeping up were slim to I let them do their “thing” while I had a good excuse “old and decrepit” (I am definitely not either, but it annoys my kids when I say it.) I really enjoy shelling. Again the temperature was perfect and with a little wind. I got sun/wind burned from lack of awareness on how long we sat and how sunny it actually was against the reflection of the ocean. I live in a beach community and know better so I really have no excuse. Alec had some success at fishing. He caught enough for Sharon’s and his supper next week. We ate at this neat restaurant on the marsh. Let me tell you folks that food was to die for, especially the Key Lime pie. I want a tart mouth sequencing attack on my palette when I eat a key lime or lemon pie. Rarely do I find it prepared this way at a restaurant. I always have to make my own. All of us nearly died in ecstasy.
Geese! This is too long. I need to stop and figure out how to shorten what I say. I keep reminiscing. Park II of this saga will come later.

GAY: The True Gentleman

After 90 years Uncle Gay passed away. Cousin Alec had his ashes in limbo for about a year. He did this so we could be there when he sprayed Gay’s ashes into the St. John’s River near St. Augustine. We had a simple ceremony just like Uncle Gay wished. He will be missed.
As I mentioned before Uncle Gay was a gentleman and so is his son Alec. Gay and my dad were childhood playmates and shared many life experiences up until my dad passed in 1985. I can remember many a story those two would tell us about their experiences on the St. John’s river, life with family in St. Augustine and Jacksonville. It was through Uncle Gay that I developed an interest in genealogy. To this day I will never forget losing a book that Gay entrusted me with on our family. It was lost in the mail and all he got upon arrival was an empty envelope with the book gone. He was needless to say upset for it was the only copy we had, but in his gentle manner he made me feel as if it wasn’t my fault. To make matters worse the author of the book had died. The envelope was not strong enough to handle the heavy book, therefore the fault laid in my hands. I put out a mail search to no avail. I then headed for the internet trying to find the book or someone in our lost family that may have the book. In the process I found a long lost 2nd cousin who had not only done his own genealogy that he shared with me, but knew a relative that had copies of this book. I managed to get two copies. Needless to say Gay was extremely happy and my guilt lessened some.
He had a fantastic dry sense of humor that got him in trouble at times. He would tell people, “my name is Gay and I have been Gay all my Life.” Well needless to say if he said this to someone who did not know him, which was often, it would have some people walking in a wide circle away from him. Not understanding he was talking about his name, not a characteristic. He use to spend hours swinging my sisters and me by our feet and arms in a big arch or up and down making us feel like we were flying. I can remember how excited I would get when I knew Uncle Gay was coming and I would go racing around the house yelling at the top of my lungs (I had and have a very loud carrying voice) that I was going flying with the birds. He swung me around until I was at least ten years old. As we grew older we got separated by time, circumstances, etc: I was not the greatest letter writer in the world. (Bad handwriting and laziness) but he would write beautiful letters to my parents that they would share. He could bake great cakes and bread from scratch. He was a yard man like my dad. One of my last memories of him was at his home in Florida stuffing me with figs (one of my favorite fruit along with kumquats) from his yard.

During his last years he lived in Maine. The four sisters went to see him. (This is another story. Think four sisters, four different personalities, four different interests, and four different ages traveling together.) Anyway, Gay was as sharp as ever and he, Alec and Sharon made us feel so welcome. It was the last time we saw him. I am so thankful we made that trip together and the memories of our visit were such good ones.

ST. AUGUSTINE "Better Late Than Never"

Learning how to do a blog and the timing in writing versus posting the blog is a slow process for me. I wrote this blog post before I left for St. Augustine and forgot to post it. In order not to waste this I decided to post it “after the fact” and will do a follow up in a few days.

I am headed to St. Augustine, Florida tomorrow. I am looking forward to this trip for I enjoy my cousin Alec and his wife Sharon. They are real nice down-folk people. Last year they visited my sister and me in South Carolina and we so enjoyed their visit. We managed to sightsee quite a bit in the Savannah/Beaufort/Charleston area. I love photography and I managed to take some really great pictures. (One of these pictures I framed for them). I hope to do the same in St. Augustine, especially since a portion of our family’s genealogy is from that area. I am hoping one of the old homestead houses will still be there. We also have to scatter Uncle Gay’s ashes into the St. John’s River. My dad and Uncle Gay (I always called him uncle) were best pals growing up and I absolutely adored him. I will share memories of Uncle Gay in another blog report. Gay died last year and this will be a celebration of his life at his request. He is and will be missed by all of us. He was a true gentleman as is his son Alec. He lived into his nineties. He was one of those that aged well and was a handsome man until the day he died


The only negative part about this whole trip is making the decision on what to take to wear. Here it is April and we are having 50 degree weather. Two days ago it was 75 degrees. Florida is further south than us so I am assuming it will be warmer. It would just be my luck I pack clothes for warm weather and it turns out to be cold. Thank goodness I am not flying for I would be limited not only on weather clothes, but suitcase weight. (In August I head to Michigan….Lord help me on trying to decide what to take for I am flying on this trip.) The only thing I dislike about traveling is making decisions on wearing apparel. I usually start packing a good two to three days ahead of time. I am constantly putting clothes in and taking them out. I worry about forgetting something so I put the “stuff” I need beside the suitcase hoping I will not need it before I leave and if I do I hope to remember to put it back. I even half-dream about what I am taking or might be leaving and I mentally do a check list instead of getting a good night’s sleep. Well anyway after all of that ranting I am packed and pray I have not forgotten my toothpaste and u-pants.

I am a "CHICKEN"

After all these years I am still a "chicken" when it comes to shots. I just visited Lacy's Blog and I saw her giving herself a shot. (Legal, for fertility reasons) I was so in awe of the fact that she could actually do that to herself. I have a friend that has diabetes and she does this as well. I feel so ashamed that I actually look away and cringe when she gives herself a shot. At least I do not pass out when I see a needle like I did when I was small. When I was little I broke my nose while catching a baseball. The bat swung around and I guess my nose swung with it. I vividly remember that while in the hospital the nurse would wake me up to give me a penicillin shot. The needle was huge in my eyes and it hurt like heck. (1947) My dad had to go with me to Dr. Bozard's office even when I was a young adult. He had to remind the nurses and my doctor to approach me without showing me the needle. I cannot believe I am still such a "wuss". Needles today are so thin you can hardly feel them. I guess it is the thought of them that send the chills up my spine. Most needles are for the good of the individual, or they are supposed to be. I try to remember this when my finger is pricked or when a flu shot is stuck in my arm, etc: I guess this is one reason of many that I am not a drug addict. How theses addicts do what they do I will never know. Not only would giving myself the needle send me into orbit, but not knowing what I am doing at all times would be as frightening as hell. I like to be in control of my life at all times. I do not believe in drugs anyway and hate taking the ones that I do need to correct my "AFIB" condition. Thank goodness I do not have to take my "meds" by needle for I really would be "up the creek without a paddle".

Scuttlebutt About Me

This blog is not about me personally, but about memories, emotions, “pet peeves”, very short stories with a lesson to learn, people that have crossed my life (good or bad), and my family. Whatever pops up in my thoughts, dreams, etc: My daughter-in-law, whom I absolutely love, has a blog. Through her blog I have gotten to appreciate and understand her better. Her blog is so entertaining and sometimes very emotional. It is a wonderful way to keep abreast of what is happening in their lives since they live in Michigan and I in South Carolina.

I doubt if anyone will respond much less read this blog. For that matter I am not telling anyone I am doing this until I feel more familar with what I am doing. If they happen upon this blog, then I pray I have not been offensive. Fred, my son-in-law, is on the police detective and believes it is not safe to have a blog, therefore I am trying to keep it on a “as safe as I can” basis. He is very protective of his family. My life is full of mistakes and my grammatical errors will most probably be plentiful so please ignore them if possible, that is if you decide to read this stuff I write. I love to forget to add ed, ing, s, to my words and typographical errors will appear regularly. Please if someone out there realizes who this is, please whatever you do…..DO NOT TELL MY YOUNGEST SISTER.

Unknown to him, my son came up with the “shenanigans” part of my blog title. Most appropriate I might add, because you never knew what was going to come out of my mouth or what trouble I would brew from one second to the next. Sorry, one and all, I am still this way. The “scuttlebutt” comes from my beloved departed dad that would say “that’s a bunch of scuttlebutt” every time someone said something he disagreed with that was beyond farfetched. He also used the term “highway robbery” in reference to anything that was priced ridiculously, etc. The S.A.L.T. is my initial that actually spells a word, just like SALT, SAL and SAT. I was always told that if initials spelt a word then you would have wealth. Well I am here to tell you I am almost as poor as a church mouse when it comes to money, BUT if the saying refers to family then I am the wealthiest lady alive.
As a matter of introduction, my friends call me Sue. I am the oldest of four sisters, whom I adore beyond words. Although, it is debatable on how they each feel about me. (My poor Dad was outnumbered by women and seemed to enjoy and love us without going up the wall with female chatter.) I am part Yankee and part southerner. (Dad was from North Carolina/Florida and Mom was a New Yorker). I am originally from Virginia, but was raised in South Carolina in a small town in the middle/lower part of the state. For most of my life I have lived in the “low” country. The last ten years I have lived at the beach.

I am 66 years old. I am bored out of my mind so I thought I would try my hand at a blog. I have two children and two grandchildren that are the “highlight” of my life next to my husband Jim. I have always felt appreciated and loved. I am not always understood, but I am loved. I am one of those lucky individuals who have one of those husbands that believed when two parents worked we should share in the responsibility of the home. This included taking care of the kids along with shared responsibilities of taking care of the different chores that keep the home clean and safe. This has been going on for forty plus years.

I am an ex-school teacher of thirty years and most of those thirty years were the greatest years of my life. I was not a great teacher by any means, nor was I the worse. I was above mediocre and I was involved in many of the school’s activities. I was a Varsity Cheerleader sponsor for 14 years, a head girls basketball and volleyball coach, headed-up my school’s evaluation committee for the Southern Association of High Schools and Colleges for four different evaluations, chairperson for several science fairs, editor of the Parent Link Newsletter, and involved in our school’s Science area of the Academic Challenge, just to name a few. So my retired life is not very active and it is hard making an adjustment even after all these retired years.
My husband, a retired school teacher has found a life after teaching. He is one of the Assistant Managers of one of our bigger state parks here in South Carolina. He started as a night ranger when he was teaching school and has worked up to this position. He is 68-years old and has gotten his last two promotions after retiring as a school teacher. So you can understand how proud I am of his accomplishments.

I have two children. I love them without reservation. (This picture was taken when I was in my thirty's)I was one of those lucky parents whose children decided NOT to give Jim and me a hard time during their teenage years. They basically behaved, made good grades went to college, have a good career, and both are married to great partners. My daughter has given me two awesome sometimes mischievous grandchildren and my son and his wife are trying mighty hard to do the same. So pray it will be soon for they want children, like “right now”. So if anyone has a prayer list, please put them on it. Thanks