PRECIOUS MEMORIES

     
When Danny and I first got married, he worked at the Mary Leila Cotton Mill as a doffer. He took me on a tour of his work section one day when we were dating…I was awed at how fast he had to be to keep up with those huge machines!

I remember there was cotton blowing everywhere in that room. The whole  room’s air was infiltrated with tiny loose cotton strands. No wonder Danny use to come home after work with the white fuzz all in his hair, his nose, his throat, and all over his entire body. All the workers did. His mama and his  grandmother both worked with Danny at the Mill, and would come help him catch up with his section at lunch, so they could all eat together.

When we married, we rented a little 3 room shotgun house from the Mill. It was right in front of the Mill’s front office and though empty now, it still stands. We didn’t own a car, so we walked to town to get our groceries…Back then there was very little money, so there were very few groceries to carry home! We mainly lived off beans and cornbread and only occasionally would we have meat for supper.  But we were so happy!

Back when I lived on Horseshoe Bend…we had chicken maybe once a week on Sunday morning.  Mama had to go outside and catch that chicken and kill it, scald it, pluck it, clean it and then and only then, was she able to fry it. Sometimes during the week, if daddy had time from working his two jobs to go  fishing, we would have fried catfish or bream and if it was hog killing time, we had pork…but mostly beans and potatoes or just white gravy and biscuits…Oh what I would give for mama’s good white gravy and great big fluffy cat head biscuits now!

You know, in the fifty plus years God has granted me here on this earth, I have come to understand that it is the simplest things which give us true happiness and most times, we don’t realize it until much later in life.

It is the simple things from my past that I miss the very most …like snuggling up with Danny on cold winter nights,he and I both fussing because our feet are so cold… holding each other’s hands while walking , seeing my babies take their first steps, going to get a Christmas tree with Danny and our kids, taking our babies to see their grandparents for the first time, me and Danny picking up pecans with Kathy and Donnie, and laying in bed talking with Danny.

These times in my life didn’t cost a dime, but I couldn’t and wouldn’t be able to put a price on them.

Remember the old hymn Precious Memories? 

Memories like these are priceless.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

REMEMBERING MARGARET SEELIGER

September 11, 2001

          

It was a beautiful morning,with bright clear blue skies as  Margaret Seeliger and her husband Bruce left their Manhattan apartment and stood in line to vote in New York's primary election. It was a sunny day and all the airports were reporting 100% visibility.

After voting, they would have walked on toward work together as usual, but Bruce had a doctor's appointment. So this morning, they kissed goodbye at the corner of 76th Street and Third Avenue. Bruce stood watching as Margaret boarded the train that would take her to her job and unknowingly, to her fate. You see, only thirty-four years old, Margaret Seeliger was employed as Head of the Student Health Division of Anon Insurance.

Which happened to be  located on the 100th floor at 2 World Trade Center in New York. 

Margaret had boundless energy, and lived her life to the fullest. She felt and often stated that "you never know how long you have here on this earth" so she  was always busy. Many of her weekends were spent in Buffalo visiting with her mom, who had fallen victim to Alzheimer's. Margaret was a very important part of her mom's care, attending to even the smallest details for her.

Since her mother was no longer able to do so, Margaret had taken over the role of being "Grandma" to her 11 nieces and nephews. She and her husband Bruce were constantly traveling to soccer games, or school plays in Rochester, California, Philadelphia and Atlanta. Looking so much like her own mom, the children had even began calling her "Grandma".

On some weekends, she and Bruce would catch a flight to Atlanta to visit with her sister Beth and her three children. It was on one of those last visits that Margaret asked Beth to hold on to the crib and baby clothes that she had in her basement...secretly confiding that she wanted to start trying to get pregnant that November.

November never came for Margaret.

On that bright and beautiful morning of September 11, 2001, Bin Laden ordered an attack on AMERICA, killing thousands of innocent people as planes crashed into the the Pentagon, an open field and… The World Trade Center Towers.

                 Where Margaret worked.

I can not imagine the fear and the panic that had to be running rampant through the buildings as people tried to flee to safety, but Margaret Seeliger bravely gave up her space on the last over crowded elevator that would leave the 100th floor of 2 World Trade Center…

So that two of her colleagues could make it out.

MARGARET SEELIGER DIED A HERO.

So, Bin Laden…YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SCUM…

             YOU FAILED.

FOR  YOU DID NOT DETROY THAT WHICH HAS MADE AMERICA THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD…

LOVE, COMPASSION, LOYALTY, BRAVERY AND OUR  BELIEF IN THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD.

God bless you Margaret Seeliger and May Our Almighty God rest your soul….May His Holy Spirit continue to bring comfort to your family and friends.

YOU WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN.

                  FOR

WE WILL NEVER FORGET

GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

LABOR DAY AND DENTISTS

 

Sign of the times…Fall is coming!

This past Saturday at the BBQ was our first Georgia Bulldog Game, the start of Dove hunting season, Labor Day weekend and the first week of the month, all rolled into one long day! So needless to say, we were busy! After opening at 9:00am, we sold out of meat and stew by 11:30 am and had to get more brought in.

              FUTURE BULLDOG FANS

People were lined up in the dining area as soon as we got there for the fried pork skins and it was all we could do to weigh them and get them bagged and sell them. We sold out of ALL the pork skins within 15 minutes of opening. We had a very brisk day, selling out of meat and stew twice more before we finally called it quits at 7:30pm. 

                  

We had some Georgia Bulldog fans ( ADULTS ) come in and sit at the long back table near closing time. On each side of that table hung up on the wall are Georgia Bulldog rugs.  In the middle of the rugs is an approximately 3ft x 4ft Georgia Tech Banner hung a little higher up on the wall in honor of my boss’ nephew ( he is also the owner’s grandson) who graduated from there. When the Bulldog Fans left, I went back to clean off their table and found the Georgia Tech Banner wadded up under the table with the chairs sitting on top of it.  Now wouldn’t you think that ADULTS would have more respect for other’s property than that?  We may have been poor little critters out there on Horseshoe Bend, but my mama taught us ALL how to have respect .

Just a moment before Will pulled his brother’s ear!

After I got off work, I headed home and took the pups out for a quick walk and then headed back over to Amanda’s house to  babysit my grandsons. It was Kelvin’s sister Liz’s birthday and they wanted to take her out to celebrate. They had a whole lot of folks, Dan included,  going along with them to Cowboy’s…a country music dance hall over in Milledgeville. My grandboys were so sweet…never had an ounce of trouble out of either one of them. Amanda and Kelvin are blessed with two good natured little tykes. Little Wyatt was so happy to see me when I come in  that he started hopping up and down and doing the happy dance!!! I asked him; “Wyatt, what are you doing?” and he said, “I happy Maw-maw!” and then he ran and put his little arms around my legs and just hugged me so tight! God have mercy, that baby can melt this old woman’s heart.

                Watching TV together!

It was around 5:00 am when Amanda, Kelvin, Liz and Dan  finally made it home and everyone seemed to have had a wonderful time! I had let the boys stay up as late as they wanted because I knew their parents would probably want to sleep late the next day…but I stayed awake the whole time. So I was more than ready to head back to my house and crawl into my bed when they all came home! I went to bed as soon as I got home and went back to bed off and on all day Sunday….and no I didn’t make it to church.

        Will took Wyatt’s pickle!

            Wyatt took his pickle back!

        So Will got his very own pickle!

Yesterday morning,  Amanda, Kelvin, the boys, Dan and I all got together and went to the Crawfordville Labor Day Fair. Kelvin’s mama and Liz came over there later on too. For it to have been so cool when I got up around 6:30, it sure did get hot during the fair! I got sunburned on my neck and face. We kept the kids in the shade and kept them well hydrated. I had heard the parade would start at 10 am but found out once there that it wouldn’t start until 2:00!  Right after the parade, we left and came home. We had a real nice time, but I missed getting me some scuttlins and muskidines….and gosh, I sure did want some.

          Keeping the fluids coming!

Watching the parade with mommy

Playground near the fair…One tired little Will

I woke Dan up this morning around 7:00am and after getting dressed, we headed to Athens to the dentist. He had to have oral surgery to remove three teeth. He was suppose to have four pulled but once there, he asked the dentist not to pull his front one yet! So the dentist said he would wait a while on that one.  I tell you what, we couldn’t have asked for a nicer dentist! Matter of fact all of the people there were very kind and tried their very best to make Dan as comfortable as could be. Of course Dan was so nervous that the dental chair was shaking violently while he sat there waiting to get it over with!

          Today at Dentist.

Right about the time I took this picture, I thought he was was going to get up and go!  It didn’t help matters that someone across the hall…a grown man…was screaming his fool head off every time the dentist stepped near him! I wanted to step over there and help him out…by knocking his butt on out…the hard way!

Man, he had Dan scared to death!

You have to understand, Dan has been terrified of doctors and dentists since he was a baby and it has always been the hardest thing to get him to go. It was so  awful when he was younger because  sometimes, we had to literally drag him into  the doctor’s office or hospital kicking and screaming. It hasn’t gotten much better either, believe me! For one thing, he is a lot bigger and hard for me to mange.

All and all, he did pretty good today and I thank God for the kindness of the dental team up there at Athens' Family Dental Clinic.

And I thank you my friends for all your kind words and prayers;  for I am sure they helped make the day a little easier…

But, I am so glad that this day is over with!

GOD BLESS YOU ALL .