Decorations are up: Star’s on the barn and Santa’s on the tractor

It's beginning to look like Christmas around here; I have done a little, little bit!  The star is up on the barn and Santa Claus is on the tractor.  Hopefully this week, I will get the rest done, while it is such pretty weather.  I have even put up my "Pecans  For Sale" sign!
Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent as  at church we  lit the Joseph candle.  Joseph certainly didn't understand why Mary was with child as they were just betrothed, not married, but he had enough faith in God to follow through and just believe what God had told Mary– that she was to be the mother of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Joseph should be an example to us to be mere humble servants and to pay attention when God is speaking to us, even when we don't understand.  Again, "God's ways are not our ways" and God works in mysterious ways many times.  We just have to trust and be obedient and many times, trust is all we have to draw on.
It was a beautiful weekend for the Tour of Homes and town was really full of visitors!  Madison is really beautiful at the Christmas season!  I went down to the Steffen Thomas Museum on Friday afternoon and they have it all decked out for Christmas with lots of nativity sets from all around the world.  They also have a nice little gift shop with homemade crafts and  whatnots that are very reasonably priced.
We certainly want to extend our get-well thoughts and prayers out to Gladys Watson and Dean Strange this morning.  Gladys had the misfortune to break her leg over the weekend and just when they were planning on making the move to their new home in Oklahoma.  The truck was already loaded and thanks to some men at the Mission, it will continue on, but Gladys and Ben will have to wait it out until her leg situation is stable.  Dean was admitted to St. Josephs in Atlanta over the weekend also, with his ongoing lung and respiratory problems, but hopefully it won't be a long stay.
   On Saturday night the children of the late Ottis and Nan Harper, Bruce, Sally, and Carol Sue and all of their children and grandchildren  had their annual Thanksgiving and Christmas get-together down at the Mark Wilkins with close to 30 grown-ups and children.  Blanche and Jake Wilson also came and joined us.  It was a lot of little children running around like wild little Indians.  The food was delicious and a lot of visiting and catching up with each other went on.
With all the children running around, Mama related about when all of us were little, she would often have John Richard and Emelyn Wilson with their three boys down for supper every now and then, and then Emelyn would have us up there every now and then.  Mama told how she would work herself to death cleaning up the house and had it all in ship-shape order to get ready for company.  After we would get through eating, the grown-ups would go in the living room to visit and talk and us children would go back to our bedrooms to play with our toys, supposedly.  What really happened was that we would start chasing one another, playing tag, playing hide-and seek, which would always mean we would hide in the closets, behind things, etc.  It never failed that at some point someone would start crying and nine times out of 10, it would be something that happened between John and Bertie Mae.  I think they had a personality clash!  By the end of the night, it would look like a tornado had gone through the back of the house.  I remember one time in particular when everyone had gone home and we were trying to put things back together, that Daddy found his Morse Code record broke.  Daddy was a radioman in the Navy and he to this day is always trying to learn something new.  Well, he had this Morse Code record that he was was learning from to teach him the Morse Code: dot, dot, dit and dit, dot, dash, etc, etc.  Morse Code is  how they used to send telegraphs.  I remember him listening and listening to it.  He started asking questions as to who had done this awful thing and he was very mad and upset.  I don't remember many times when my Daddy got mad and upset; he is the cool and collected one of that pair, I tell you!  He has the patience of Job!  But seeing his Morse Code record broke was one of those times.  He questioned all of us, but none of us owned up to it; I doubt we even knew it happened during all the mayhem and us children acting like "hooligans!"  So we all got a whipping, one of the few that he ever gave.  He REALLY loved that Morse Code record!  I imagine Carrie found a few things "out of place" from Saturday night, too!
McCayla Cook, daughter of Patrick and Deann Cook,  will be singing and playing at Perk Avenue this coming Friday night, Dec. 7 in a benefit concert for the Morgan County Bulldog Band of which she is a member.  It will begin at 7 p.m.  McCayla has a beautiful, strong voice; I know it will be good.
We also congratulate Patrick Cook as he was named Chief Information Officer of the year by Hometown Health.  Patrick is CIO for Morgan Memorial Hospital and has been employed by them for 19 years.  
Shannon Porter is glad to report that her step-father, Bill Hodges, (Boppy) has returned home from the hospital after heart surgery.  Shannon, her boys, and many others were called into action to decorate his and Sue's beautiful home, Sandtown, in Social Circle, since they had already committed to having it on the home tour this coming weekend.  On Sunday, their home will be open to the public from 2-6 p.m. for a fund-raising effort for a sick lady in their community with a $10 donation at the door.
Troy Lancaster of Hendersonville, N.C., has been and is a houseguest of his sister, Pat Stinchcomb as he is helping her remodel a rental house of hers.  He took a Thanksgiving break, but will be back on the job this week.
Our Maggie was student of the week in her Kindergarten class last week.  She is in Mrs. Shelly Ewing's class and loves school.  Karalyn Clifton participated in a swim meet in Gainesville on Saturday and Sunday and placed well against some stiff competition.  She qualified for state in some events.  Congratulations!!
The pastor, his wife and others of the church family at Trinity have begun a visitation ministry on Saturdays.  Several from there including the Rev. Darrell Horne and his wife called on Frances Brewer on Saturday morning down at the Lake Oconee House which she really enjoyed and appreciated.  She said he hasn't missed a week yet of visiting her.  The congregation is slowly growing and they had several visitors on Sunday.

Printed in the December 6, 2012 edition