Greetings to all my readers! I love to write, because so many folk seem to enjoy it. Y’all read and I’ll write! Hoping you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day! Thanking all the mothers for being who they are and loving without limits. To the world you are a mother, but to your family, you are the world! God couldn’t be everywhere, therefore he made mothers. Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love, and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love. “It’s not easy being a mother. If it were easy, fathers would do it.” — Betty White
Our hearts are so saddened by the loss of our dear friend and mentor, Gene Hart. We will miss you. We know that our loss is Heaven’s gain. Mr. Hart leaves behind so many memories for us to cherish. We are also very saddened by our loss of long time Minister and Chief of the Coharie Tribe, the Rev. Wilbert Ammons. He too leaves so many good memories. To be a leader of the church, as well as Chief of the Tribe says a lot. You will be remembered by many all over North Carolina as a leader, as well as a hard worker.
One more reminder of the Big Day, May 24, a day dedicated to celebrating Older American’s Month. Come and join us for a fun filled day. Everything is free, unless you might want to buy a tasty treat from Dairy Queen! So refreshing — the old time favorite. We will be having a cake walk, Red Cross, Sheriff’s Department, all sorts of health information. There aren’t many free things anymore, so take advantage of this day and we promise you will have a good time. A special thank you to all who have donated to our special day. We do appreciate you with all our heart!
As you ride by the center, please drive slow, and watch all the yard work, headed off by Mary Smith, Josie McKoy, and a few more volunteers here at GSC. They are doing such a good job, worthy of being commended. Greatness grows in Garland!
I went by an old friend and co-worker’s house the other day for a surprise visit and boy did I get a surprise. Never in my life have I seen such a wonderfully different way to garden. I was amazed by how Charles “Herman” Smith has his garden set up! A retired Garland native, Mr. Smith has found a way to make his limited gardening space work for him. One of the founding father’s of the South River hunting club, Herman has been gardening for about 40 years. His wife of almost 42 years, Beth enjoys the gardens with him. Charles has even found a way to include his grandchildren in the gardening to help them develop their green thumbs. They have their own little space that is growing pumpkins and sunflowers. Those gigantic cabbages belong to his granddaughters too!
“When I was a little boy I hated gardening but after becoming an adult, I began to love it,’ Herman told me. “Anything that’ll hold dirt, you can grow something in it.”
Limited space prompted Mr. Smith to learn a new way to garden. That is when his container gardens were born. Charles modestly describes himself as a “hobby gardener” with tomatoes being his favorite thing to grow. Herman has found a way to collect rain water in gutters that fill a barrel. The barrel has a tube leading into another barrel that sustains his homemade green house! I am telling y’all this is a real sight to see! He has some of the biggest cabbage to be sure! The spring onions he has grown this year are great and we can hardly wait for those tomatoes to ripen so we can enjoy them. Oh did I mention those fried green tomatoes we all seem to enjoy so much?! His cucumbers are on their way to our plates very soon. I would like to thank Mr. Smith and his wife for their hospitality when I visited. I learned some great gardening techniques on my visit and hope to see the Smith’s again soon.
As always let us live, laugh and love! It does not matter how long it takes, just do not stop. Never give up!
