2009

Welcome back Friends and Family to another edition of how the Tidwells survived another year to greet you this Merry Christmas. We greet you with a swipe of our brows in relief that we are still gainfully employed (a VERY Merry Christmas to our creditors!) and for me past my mid fifties and Susan somewhere behind me, we are still holding our own in health matters. Our girls are still living close to us as are most of our grandchildren and all of them are still employed and healthy...... so all in all we are having a good year personally, though our concern and empathy for many of our friends and family in not such good shape weighs on our minds and hearts. To hear of the plight of so many, and how quickly devastation can happen is very scary to we middle class folks. The middle class has been losing ground for years but the stubborn "can do" basis that was inherited from our parents who lived through the previous great depression usually served us all well to keep plugging away in hopes of making a good life for our families. But the "perfect Storm" of what has befallen working folks now will surely test the steel of many... but as in the movie Apollo 13, the quote "I believe this will be our finest hour" is what I believe.

So… with this somber introduction... I welcome you back to my revelations from here on Burnt Mountain in Georgia... our home in the hills.

My work has once again taken me to varied locations and each was a blessing in it's own way. I will always hold a special place for the little town of Royston, Georgia where I was privileged to do a major remodel for the friends at Pinnacle bank. They truly are my kind of folks... treated us just like family as I also feel about them. Then revisited our previous campground near Chattanooga for a project in Rossville for a spell. Now after more than a few weeks of doing odds and ends jobs I am about to begin a project for another previous friend I was privileged to build a bank for more than 10 years ago. Always rewarding to be able to rekindle past friendships with clients. As to my general demeanor I seem to have accumulated a few more gray hairs and various wrinkles... but all in all I'm holding up OK.

As to Susan, she is still transcribing away, as there will always be a need to listen to doctors do their reports as we all know they are too lazy to type themselves and they certainly couldn't write it down as you can tell from prescriptions they scribble. Susan is in the Christmas mode right now in guiding the grandkids through shopping and making presents, passing on a tradition of the joy of giving (although they DO enjoy the joy of getting also!) I have had one solicitation to use my shop to make one present this year so I hope to pass on a little of my sawdust enthusiasm that I inherited.

We took off on a couple of camping trips and revisited a favorite beach down on the panhandle to sit and watch the crabs and enjoy the quiet solitude. And we just returned from a repeat Christmas trip to Dollywood with our girls and their families. Was cold but that is part of the experience that makes it special. A friend of Susan's from her past when she worked at Fannin Regional Hospital has come to spend some time with us and has been great to have around the house. Sherry has a good sense of humor, which helps her put up with us and our cat Maggie who certainly appreciates her when we are gone and she is here to feed her and rub her belly. Sherry also went with us to Dollywood and shivered with the rest of the Tidwell clan.

Melissa and her family reside literally just down the hill from us and are all doing great. At the end of our day when Susan and I are sitting down to eat or watch TV I ask if she heard from the kids today…there is ALWAYS some good story to hear about what this one or that one has done, said, or is planning. The TV is a pale comparison to the comedy or drama that kids can bring to your life. When I say kids, this means grandkids and our kids... they will always be my kids, no matter how OLD they are getting... oh yeah... Melissa turned 30 this year... so Carrie reminds us frequently... who turned 27 this year... payback will be certain and severe in 3 years I predict!! I will lay low as my 60th is coming up in a "few" years and hope it goes unnoticed... uh huh. Hey... I've always got my OLDER sisters I can throw off on thank goodness... Just no fun being the "elders" now. Mother and Dad handled it much better than I see myself... I guess my sisters wore them down by the time I came along so they were mellowed out.

Melissa's kids are into track, band, chorus, church youth groups and more social activities than I can pretend to keep up with... but I LOVE to hear about all of them, I live vicariously. Two of the grandkids started driving this year and so far the trees, mailboxes and various forest animals have faired well. But it is early yet!

Carrie is now working in Jasper after her timely leaving of the banking business (the fates dealt her a better hand than they did the banks!). She still works at the gym in Ellijay also and is living over by the river in town (a townie!) She has to come out to the "country" to see her sister and parents and make sure we know what is going on in the outside world we can't see from our porch. Unlike some folks we can't see Russia... but I can see the highway when the fog's not too bad...

Life here in the hills goes on and God willing we will be able to pay our taxes and keep our little corner of heaven that Mother and Dad left to us. According to the very astute (wanted to spell that with 2 s's but the spell checker wouldn't let me!!) property assessors (THAT's spelled correctly) there is a real estate bonanza here in the hills and our property gained in value by a mere 800% in the last few years... so I am sitting on a true gold mine... as are all my other neighbors who are tending their chicken houses, not aware that they could sell their property for millions... but really, who would want to do that when they can tend chickens 24 hours a day, every day of the year... a much better life than sitting on a beach in say Florida where property is of less value... apparently... as all the Floridians are moving here to buy up the gold mines from under us. So I wish all the assessors a wonderful Christmas and give them an atta girl\guy for supporting their own jobs of listening to the entire county appeal for over a year only to begin again the next year... pretty smart huh? But I digress and lose the Christmas spirit when talking of such things...

Just didn't want all of our friends to think we lived in total bliss here in God's country... we have our moments of dissatisfaction….or at least I do! But when I come home in the evenings and the sun is setting in the mountaintops in a glorious blaze, sometimes I have to stop and just watch it in amazement of what we have been given. And sometimes when I am late going into work and get to see the sunrise I speak out loud and say "Oh My..." Makes me want to see each and every sunrise and sunset that is left to me on this earth and I feel I am cheating myself when I don't stop and admire the miraculous beauty that is laid out for us….the forests, the lakes, the mountains, the oceans and all the creatures sharing this great gift. So my wish for you this year is to stop and put your busy schedule on hold for a few moments and see the world that has been given to us…..what a gift. And if you don't have a good place to see the beauty, call me and I will be more than happy to give you directions how to get to such a viewing place... and I will come and meet you there... time grows short with each day that passes... one more sunrise and sunset that will never come again in our lifetime... don't waste this life we have been given...

And this glorious time of the year... reflect on your family and friends and know that The Tidwell clan will be thinking of you.......Have a Wonderful, Merry Christmas and make this coming year one to remember.

Love..... Buddy, Susan and the family.