Charlotte’s Corner
Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/gentry/Opinion/2462/
Hello, and happy May, I assume, when you read this, it will be May, so I hope your May Day was indeed a happy day.
Do you think April was wet enough to grow those flowers we so love in May ?
I think we have had enough rain, but as one lady told me once, ì I have seen famine, and I have seen too much rain and famine is worse than too much rain, so always go for the rain. î I guess she was right, famine is definitely not good.
Before I forget, I want to give a belated happy anniversary to Earl and Frances Peterson. I used to see these people weekly in the laundromat when my mom and I had the Decatur Laundromat. Now that I am back frequenting that place, I see some of my old customers.
Fran said that she and Earl had celebrated their 65 th wedding anniversary, and their nieces and nephews had taken them to dinner. Then, a few days later, Earl turned 86. They were married 65 years ago in Gentry, but have lived the majority of their life in Decatur.
Happy Birthday time. Sam Quilliams turned 11, so happy belated birthday to Sam. Also, my brother turned 48 this month and my son is 19. Wow ! April is a great month in our family for birthdays. My dad and granddad had birthdays in April, now my son and brother continue the tradition.
My sister Darla Taylorís son Major, graduated this last week from naval boot camp in Great Lakes, Ill., north of Chicago. My daughter Jessica decided it would be great to attend, so Major would know we loved him. So, she and my husband went 1, 300 miles in 36 hours to be there. They drove up, saw the services, which were interesting to my husband because he was in the Navy for five years, and turned around and drove back. Now Major is on to other things.
I noticed that Ozark Academy needs a truck donated for their recycling program. The Adventist Church also needs to update their church library and are desirous of a computer so they can bring their diary up to date. This will make it more efficient and make the bookkeeping easier. If you know of a truck or a computer that is not being used, call the church at 736-8808. This donation is tax deductible too.
April was a month of exciting new things for our family. Benton, a senior, went with his senior class to Arizona to help work at an Indian school for a few days. Then they went to California and saw the Pacific Ocean and Disneyland and went to a Dodgers baseball game.
Benton was recently gone for gymnastic, drama and music tour ó the last big hurrah of the year.
My husband and I were also counselors ó otherwise known as glorified babysitters ó at the annual Outdoor School held in Hot Springs for grades 5-8.
Seventh-day Adventist schools that choose to take their children, go down for five days at Camp Yorktown Bay where the children learn outdoor stuff.
The eighth graders, like my daughter, go to an island where they have survival camp. Yeah, the kind where you have to dig a hole for a bathroom, cook about nine of our eleven meals there in a new invention to me, a Dutch oven ó we had to dig a hole, keep a fire in it and cook our meals on that. Dishes were washed with water drawn from Lake Ouachita and adding bleach to kill all the little animals living in the water.
Oh, we also stayed in tents. Being as old as I am, I took a cot because that ground-sleeping is a bit much for my old bones. My husband stayed back at the camp with the fifth through seventh graders and had a cafeteria, shower and a real bathroom.
I ended up thinking it was a great experience. Karen Lambert from Gentry went down with her Gentry girls; and, while we felt sorry for ourselves, we were each otherís sanity. No baths for five days, no cell phones, no sodas. Hey, what a life !
While the girls may tell you different, it was great food. And while I had hoped to lose a few pounds during our wilderness camping, I hate to say it, but I didnít.
May brings a lot of graduations, Motherís Day and Memorial Day ó family time. Take advantage of it if you can and enjoy the family around you. See you in June.
Can you believe it ? Seven months until Christmas. All I can say is time flies.