Smoke Signals and other news
Byhalia Summer baseball begins this week. We will play Monday and Thursday nights in the heat and do what we can to keep the kids and ourselves from melting. The kids just want to play ball and withstand the heat. Feel free to pray for a break from the heat. The kids will be hydrated and take breaks if needed.
May I suggest that parents who register a child to participate in a sport or activity be respectful and notify the organization if the child decides not to participate. The organizations are aware that circumstances may change and are sometimes necessary, but whoever is heading up or working with the organization is forming teams, soliciting coaches or instructors, ordering uniforms and equipment.
Physical therapy continues for my knee, which is not going as well as it should. I will take a short break in the next couple of weeks, and then, unless I decide I can’t handle it, I will have what is called a “closed manipulation” later this month. To me, the next step does not sound pleasant at all, but it was the most I would agree to – no knives involved. I’m still waiting for the day I can say I’m glad I had the surgery.
All my hummingbirds seem to have returned and are drinking as much as they were before their mysterious disappearance earlier this summer. When I asked a friend about their absence, he said, comically but seriously, “They have wings. They go where they want to go.”
How did those of us who grew up without air conditioners make it through the hot, hot days and nights? I remember spending many hours outside under the shade trees or in a tree. We had fans to keep us cool in the house. The windows and most doors were open, but still, we were hot—no need to complain. There was nothing we could do about it, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. It felt wonderful if, by some rare chance, you were allowed to run through water spraying from a garden hose. This was only an occasional treat. Also, if you had a “water gun” or a bottle filled with water, someone could squirt the cool water – and it was awesome. Of course, the schools had no air conditioners. When recess was over, students could get a drink from the water fountain and return to the classroom with a single-box fan to cool the entire room. By the way, we also rode home on buses without air conditioners. It was HOT. I was fortunate to have a friend with an air conditioner in her house. It was so cold in her home that I would have to ask for a blanket.
Please share your news with me at jchwagg@gmail.com or text or call 901-246-8843. You can message me on Facebook as Clair Wagg.