Sympathy to family of Mark Roling

I send my sympathy to the Mark Roling family. Mark was a talented man. He could draw. He could sing. He wrote songs. He could cook. I could go on and on about him In the 1970s and 1980s he was in our home on many occasions. He was a fun, jolly and Christian person.

We went to the Trinity Baptist Church where he went for a number of years. He was active in the youth group as a leader and in other ways as he was needed. He sang with the choir and did solo. The last number of years he was a member of the Madison Baptist Church, where he was active.

He is survived by his mother Edith Roling, step-father Roberto, brother Gary and his wife Ana, their baby nieces and nephews and other relatives. He will be greatly missed in the community and in his family. A person like Mark is hard to find. Our loss is heaven’s gain.
Christie White went to Athens and visited her grandmother and her mother.

Thad Griffith had a birthday on August 20. He is the grandson of the Rassey Smiths. Janice Smith had a birthday on August 28, as does Robert Smith Jr. Happy birthday to all of you. I hope that it was a wonderful day!

Kim and Colton Jones along with Steve and Jo Ann Bryant went to Panama City for a few days.

Scott and Jenifer Doran went to Pigeon Forge, Tenn. to a friend’s wedding. They got a cabin and enjoyed a few days in the 70’s temperature.
Rassey and Edna Smith visited Earl and Almedia Smith Sunday afternoon.

It was nice to run into Margie Ward at Ingles on Friday, We had not seen each other in years. It was nice to get a hug. Our husbands worked together years ago at Wellington Mills.
Frieda White came by to bring my husband some of the birthday things that Grayson had for him. He really enjoyed the cards and everything. So in death Grayson has still sent birthday greetings. We enjoyed Frieda’s visit and the gifts.

Jim and Sylvia Moon came with birthday gifts for my husband but also for me a month ahead of time. That was so nice. We enjoyed having them and the gifts.
We are enjoying a nice crop of muscadines and scuppernongs. I go out and eat and have a bowl to bring some in. One afternoon I had to reach into the vines to get to them. Even after bathing I itched terribly even during the night. I did not sleep well. This is the first time that this has happened. I went out this morning, reaching all into the vines. I did not itch this time. I don’t understand it but I’m glad because I really enjoy eating them. I’m afraid that the deer will get into the vines most any time as they have in the past. Maybe they are too busy eating pears. At any rate last year I got three muscadines. Those were on top of a post. The deer got all of the rest on two different vines on both sides. But this year the vines’ runners are long. The vines are full of long limbs. Because of my husband’s accident last year the vines were not trimmed back. So you have to get up into the vines to get to the grapes.

Our oak trees had very few if any acorns last year. This year it seems to have a fairly good crop. On two days I have seen two squirrels running toward the road. It seems that one is chasing one to go back across the road where it lives away from the acorns in our yard. One will leave and go across the road. The other comes back contentedly eating and burying something. I never saw that before that I remember.

We have chipmunks that live under the end part of my husband’s ramp. One day two came running by my husband’s feet where he was sitting on the porch. Sometimes one will come out and sit on a flower pot near him. I thought that it was really cute one day when a young squirrel was sitting on a picnic table in the yard playing. On the other side of the table was a young chipmunk playing with its tail straight out, instead of up like it usually is. I watched them play by themselves. They were so cute. My husband made the remark that he’d like to pet the chipmunk if he could catch it. I told him that it would bite him badly. The thing is he knew that no one could catch it! The deer come right in the yard making themselves at home to the pears. They bite the fig tree limbs and anything else that they see that they want. To add to these animals there is one really pesty one that I need to get the gun after. We have an armadillo or armadillos that live under the shelter in our yard. They make holes everywhere. When it was so hot I saw one out walking around in the daytime. That’s when we should have shot. I believe that I was too surprised to tell my husband. Perhaps next time. We really have an animal kingdom it seems. I’ll tell you about our black cat next time.

Linda Kincaid spent the night with us last Wednesday. She is from Atlanta.

Happy birthday to Frank Barnett!

The Lake Oconee Baptist Chapel will have their singing next Sunday night. Y’all come!

The Buckhead Baptist Church is having homecoming September 9.Clean-up day is September 8. The church will not be locked next Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. so that anyone can go there to pray on this August 25. The church is having prayer meeting on Wednesdays at the pastorium at 7p.m. so that the youth can have the church for AWANA.
Kennon Howell and Gail Wade went to keep Ava and Sam Seltik so that the parents were able to go out while they were there. Sam is the new baby.
John and Gail Wade went to Centennial to hear the Jubilitaires Sunday night and enjoyed it very much.

Printed in the August 23, 2012 edition