WOW! What a summer
By Sharon Hopper 

I live out here in the county and it is amazing what I see all about me. The tallest corn in several years and soy beans thick and tall waving in the fields like green water in a lake. The wheat and oats were pretty good and hay has been made three times by my neighbors. 

But the gardens……….full of big beautiful vegetables and the grass in the yard has been green all summer. The downside was all my flowers bloomed so early and they are looking a bit haggard at this time but overall they were quite beautiful and June was absolutely the most beautiful time I can remember. We have been fortunate to have rains that were just enough and no storms to deal with. No flooding, no wind damage, no hail damage, and most of all no drought. Wow! you would think we are living in paradise. We have had great temperatures and as I drive by the orchards the trees are bending with fruit. The Greenville Concert band has entertained us really well this year with wonderful music. I looked out over the last few concerts and was very impressed at the no. of persons attending this year. Probably because the weather has been so pleasant. 

 But there is a sad fact just lurking around the corner. After the bountiful harvest that is expected this fall the winter sets in and when you are my age there just is not much good that can be said about winter. It is dark most of the time. Cold and depressing. Hope TV will be better this year than last. And statistics state that people are more apt to become sick and stay sick longer in winter that any other time of year. The cycle of life goes so much faster as I get older, and the ability to move about is much harder. I have an old tree in my yard that has become brittle from age and from the many dead limbs that are still up there it has become more dangerous to be under. It is going very soon. But it occurred to me that I like that old tree am becoming brittle, so I am limited as to my activities in the winter. No skiing for me. So I will just say Wow what a great summer we have had and look forward to the next summer. In the meantime get out there and enjoy every blessed moment we have left. 

By Sharon Hopper