I sure have been to a lot of funerals in the past year. I guess when you become older than dirt, that happens.

One funeral was conducted by a preacher who loved to sing. Not only did he lead the congregation in song, but when he followed the deceased up the aisle, he was belting out a song with all he had. And yes, he was good at it.

At another funeral, the deceased for decades had always sat in the same seat. If you’re a church-goer, you know that the faithful will always sit in the same spot, and woe be to those who dare to occupy that spot. Read More»

I moved to Fayetteville in April 1966. While in the process of moving boxes in, my 6-year-old son fell off his tricycle onto the concrete driveway, causing a few gashes on his forehead.

I don’t remember who we called to find a doctor, but we were led to a small white clinic that sat beside the Fayetteville Methodist Church.

Forty-eight years later, my son still has a couple of thin scars from that event.

This was my first introduction to Dr. Ferrol Aubrey Sams, Jr. For the next 40 years I or my children were a patient of his. Read More»

I have lived in Georgia since 1959, first in Forest Park for six years and for 46 years in Fayetteville. The 27 years before that were spent in Akron, Ohio, about 50 miles due south of Cleveland.

From November through March, snow was always a factor of daily life in those months. Read More»

My dad was raised on a farm in southeast Ohio. His bunk was in the eaves of a farm house and, needless to say, was very cold. He got used to five or six blankets on top of him, and even in later years when given an electric blanket still preferred five or six blankets.

Books were very important to him, with games taking second place. This passed on to my sister, who was two years younger, and me. We enjoyed reading and playing games whether with the family or with friends who might drop by. Read More»

Let’s say you are going through an intersection and have the green light. I plow through that intersection on a red light and hit your vehicle. What are the first two things you and the police will want to see? And if I don’t have those two things, you will sue me. Yep, a driver’s license and an insurance card.

From birth to death, we must have various certificates and IDs throughout our entire lives.

We don’t live in small villages anymore, where everyone knows everyone else and we are there our entire lives and we know who can be trusted and who can’t. Read More»

I was a good speller in school. Eighth grade was a long time ago, but I believe I won most of the spelling contests.

I don’t remember that class I had in college that required spelling, but I remember the professor asking for the spelling of the second month of the year. I will always hear him saying, “Febrooary.” Anyone not spelling it correctly just wasn’t listening.

I was privileged to work at the Peachtree Executive Conference Center (now the Wyndham) its first 13 years. I did the public relations and the signage for the restaurant, the bars and the meeting rooms. Read More»

Let’s remember the 1996 Olympics, you know, when it came through Fayette County.

There were 12 honored folks here who carried the Olympic torch some of the distance from Greece to Atlanta right through Fayette County.

One precious torch bearer died shortly after; one carried the torch strapped to his wheel chair. We came in all sizes, shapes and colors. Read More»

There was a discussion at the Fayetteville City Hall recently as to whether the city fire department should remain a part of the city, or join with the county fire department.

Many people in authority spoke and various charts were shown. The possible savings were expressed but there was one side not available on charts.

The opinion of the firemen could only be expressed in person. And they did. Read More»

Things I take pleasure in remembering: when my mother baked pies, after rolling out what she needed for the crust, she would slice the remaining dough into 2-inch wide strips. The strips would be plastered with a cinnamon mixture and rolled up and baked. I can still remember that delicious smell.

My dad worked evenings at Firestone when I was in grade school. He was usually still sleeping when I went to school in the mornings. But if it was raining he would get up early and drive me to school. Read More»

I always seem to be on the short end of the stick. If I want to buy something special for a family member, they have just sold the last one.

I’m allergic to a number of perfume scents, and when I find one I can tolerate, and the bottle runs out, it seems they no longer make it. I can search from store to store, not a bottle can be found anywhere.

This lot in life also seems to apply to any book I am associated with. Read More»