Smoke Signals

250 years of freedom. I remember the celebrations of 200 years and 225 years. As you celebrated with friends and family, did you remember that freedom came to us through sacrifices of many men and women. My grandparents on my dad’s side had three sons in WWII. They all came home. Mother’s brother did not come home but was killed on the battlefields in France receiving a silver star after his death. As with many who served during this time, my dad did not relish reliving the things he had seen and been forced to do.

As I finished my column last Sunday, I finally acknowledged that the intense itching I was attempting to ignore wasn’t going away. I often have flareups if I eat the wrong food, but I have been careful and usually I can bring it under control with Benadryl. After taking Allegra and too much Benadryl, trying to nap through it, and many tears, it finally relented after twelve hours. I have recently been seeing an allergist who has made a tentative diagnosis. I did a bit of extra research and found that a flare can be brought on by exposure to heat. Well, I had certainly been exposed to heat on Saturday at the softball tournament. I don’t want to try that again to see if it causes another episode.

I left my daughter’s house on Monday after waiting for a package that was supposed to arrive on Friday but had not. Still no package, but it was time to head to Mississippi. I drove to the home of a longtime friend where we caught up on news of family and friends and went out to eat. I spent the night and left on Tuesday morning for the long drive home. GPS kept trying to take me through Atlanta and although I could take that route, I did not want to that day. Instead, I went through Montgomery and Birmingham, Alabama, both of which have their own challenges. I happened to hit light traffic in both and was grateful when I left Birmingham!

The thermostat in my house had been set between 75 and 79 depending on who had been by to check on the cat and fill the bird feeders. When I walked in it was 80 degrees. The house is well insulated, and the air conditioner unit is only a few years old. It was midnight when the unit eventually cut off. I’m sure my next utility bill will reflect that. As with many of you, I grew up without air conditioning and have gone a few summers in this house without it, but it is not something I want to experience again.

There is still so much to share about Hawaii. I found the variety of trees interesting. The chickens run free-a result of past hurricanes destroying fences and pens. Outside of Honolulu it is not unusual to encounter a mother hen and her chicks any time of the year. Although pigs are also supposed to run free, we only saw one. Kualoa Ranch is a working ranch with more than 500 head of cattle.

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.