The gnats are flying and the humidity is soaring. Oh well, it’s that time of year.
But it’s the pesky weeds, not insects or weather, that is on my mind.
The weeds rear their heads as early as February, popping up in flower beds, foundation plantings and the lawn, growing to gigantic proportions wherever they please. Especially distasteful are the thorny vines that appear overnight like stealthy thieves.
They work under the cover of darkness bursting forth in the azalea bushes and other shrubs, choking them with their thorny tendrils and growing taller every day. It’s like a competition to see which one can develop the fastest.
You can almost hear them boast to one another in a raspy whisper-like voice, “Hey look at me; I grew more than you did overnight. We’re really making that lady that lives in the house shake her head in disgust.”
They realize they have an advantage over her for she’s not allowed to lean down to yank them up by their roots this year.
However, she’s on the attack and the weeds are slowly losing ground — a trusty gardener is at work. “No worries; we’ll be back next year,” the weeds taunt as they’re dumped by the curb to curl up their toes and turn brown.
As the yard slowly becomes weed free it is also getting updated with lovely growing plants: gifts of an apple tree, a Mandeville and pink petunias — welcome additions that make us smile.
Elsewhere, we were in the audience for last Saturday’s performance of “Heaven Can Wait,” Sumter Players’ final production this season. Kudos to the cast, crew and of course, the director Patrick Peacock for their hard work. It was an enjoyable event and evening that began with dinner at The Station, where we saw Kent Sole, Shirley Litwhiler, Sharon Parks and Mike and Gaynor Cheokas. Walking into the theater, we encountered Sue Dupree who introduced us to a Florida couple spending the night at the Windsor and taking an after-dinner stroll. Sue suggested they attend the play and they took her up on it, earning Sue the good ambassador award.
Meanwhile, Jane and Ricky Arnold, Sam and Reba Hunter, Bob and Drenda Sternenberg, Wes and Jean Wheeler, of Americus and Dr. Bob and Pam Bartosh of Moultrie more than likely still have California on their minds. They recently returned from there, where the first stop was in Carmel. While the men enjoyed playing the courses at the Pebble Beach Golf Club for three days, the gals went sightseeing and shopping. Then they toured through the wine country — Napa Valley and Sonoma before concluding their vacation in San Francisco.
And those enjoying a long weekend of rest and relaxation at Indian Pass, Florida, last weekend were Rene and Angela Smith, Meg and Chris Usrey, Hope Henderson, Nick Owens, Marilynn Joiner and James Edgemon.
Long-time friends, members of Americus High School class of 1964, are having fun “catching up” at their 12th annual reunion at the Lake Burton home of Lucy Morgan Harris this weekend. They are Dee Manry Hardin, Jane Merritt Myers, Beth House Williams, Linda Bailey Bartlett, Marilyn Moore Jacobs and Mary Robinson Torbert. They were joined by Nancy Powell Addison of Phoenix, Arizona, Brenda Makinen Gauthier of New Hampshire, Jeannette Sheppard Shiver of Cairo, Alice Forehand Cosby of Virginia, Susan Griffin Woods of Hilton Head, S.C., and Kay McCall Hipp of Asheville, N.C.
Smile and say hello to William Cullen Sheppard, who was born Wednesday, May 17. Will, as he is called, is the son of Judge Cullen and Katie Sheppard of Lexington, Kentucky, and has three sisters. He is the grandson of Bill and Gay Sheppard of Americus; cheers to Heather Stanley who is recovering from a traffic accident and Dr. Gatewood Dudley is “up and at ‘em” following heart surgery; Tripp and Marisol Pomeroy and family will make Americus home again in mid-summer after living in Miami for the past few years; best wishes to Carole Mott, who is healing from a bone marrow transplant but remains in Atlanta for a while; huge congratulations to Morgan Youngdale, rising senior at Southland Academy. Morgan will be among more than 50 students from across the nation to attend the Washington Workshops Seminar in Washington, D.C., in June, and is one of the three Georgia students named national winners in the Colonial Dames-sponsored essay contest.
Leila Sisson Case lives in Americus.