Smoke Signals

Looks like summer is here for a while. I find myself staying inside as much as possible. Of course, the dog must be supervised when he goes out but I always hope he finishes quickly! I grew up right here. Our house, our buses, our church nor our schools were air conditioned. We had one summer in this house without air conditioning. There were no extra funds for replacing the unit. At the time, we had a wood burning stove with a blower on it. I found that by freezing gallons of water, placing them in the heater, and running the blower, I could lower the room temp sometimes up to fifteen degrees. Yes, we were hot, but we survived as did many before us. Have you checked on your elderly neighbors? Do they have air conditioning? Do they need help with errands, yardwork, or housework?

I looked at the weather on Monday last week and decided that if I wanted to cut the grass on the coolest day of that week that would need to be that day. Got it done and got the mower back under the shed. With the rain we have had nearly daily, the grass certainly grows quickly. One young rabbit ran from the deeper grass and scurried away. We haven’t had many rabbits in the last few years; however, we do have an increased hawk population.

A few more hummingbirds are using my feeder. Some must be babies as they are so very small. This is nothing like the population that I have had in previous years, but I will feed the ones who grace me with their presence.

I am slowly beginning to feel better and get a bit stronger. Only a bit of vertigo occurred on Tuesday. I still cannot do the things I want to but can do more than I could. I am starting to dispose of things I will never use. We have lived in this house since 1982 and there is just so much. I was even able to complete a few errands around town on my own and visited with a few friends.

The now five-week-old rescue kitten has decided he can eat kitten food. No more bottle feeding every four hours and I know my daughter is happy about that. He is thriving well.

Several of our community members are ill or are battling something long term. Although I am not at liberty to share their personal information, you can lift them up in prayer without knowing their specific names or circumstances.

In a joint effort between the Town of Byhalia and Marshall County, Lowry Road has finally been resurfaced. This was long overdue. There is much construction going on in and around Byhalia. Looks like the days of a sleepy little town will soon be gone.

And here we are with another school year almost ready to begin. Parents are looking for deals on back-to-school clothes and a very long list of school supplies. Kids are squeezing in just a few more days of summer activities. I know our summer breaks were longer. We sometimes did not return to school until September. One factor was the heat and many students had to work in the fields until crops were gathered.

I would love to report your news. Call or text me at 901-246-8843, message me on Facebook at Clair Wagg, or email me at jchwagg@gmail.com.