By Betty Moore

We send our sincere sympathy to Debra Bonner and family in the death of her mother Patricia Fielding. I had known Patricia for a number of years and her husband. Fact is Sam Fielding was close kin to my brother-in-law. Our prayers are with you all. She was buried at Buckhead Cemetery.
I understand that the large yard sale at the Buckhead Park was a huge success on Saturday. (I am hoping that Linda Thoman will be home to call me back with more information.) The “Keep America Beautiful” focus with Morgan County and Buckhead as its theme certainly did an outstanding job. I was told that there were many people to sell. I hope that the fire department did well with its concession stand.
Don’t forget the singing at the Grace Bible Church this Thursday at 7 p.m. You are invited.
The Buckhead Baptist AWANA group had a field trip to Parks Mill Recreation Park in Greene County. They enjoyed it very much.
I understand that John Wright and his wife were in the community last week. They went by to see Natalie Wheat. They are from New Jersey.
Almedia Smith is very thankful for a new great-grandbaby from Winder and she is so grateful to the ladies of Sugar Creek Baptist Church for the good supply of diapers that they brought for the several great grandbabies that she has. That’s a good ministry.
The Lake Oconee Baptist Church had a Gideon speaker Mr. Macaway and his wife to be in the service. Lunch followed the business meeting.
The Swords United Methodist Church is happy to add the addition of a new member.
Happy birthday to Levi Alliston who was two years old! He celebrated at home with his family.
Bible school will be at Grace Bible Church on June 2, 3 and 4. More details later.
Ann and Bill Gwathney, their daughter Billi and Tim grandchildren, Kori, Sam, Eric and Sarah flew to San Juan, Puerto Rica to go on a cruise of the Southern Carribean.
Lindy and Delores Walker recently went to Indiana for the graduation of several family members. They enjoyed their visit.
In reporting the Lake Oconee Baptist Chapel news Maudie Jordan told me that Hazel Jordan is doing better. I’m glad.
When Chip Slaughter sang at the Lake Oconee Baptist Chapel on Sunday his sister-in-law from Covington was there to hear him. I understand that he does a very good job.
I read an article with interest today. It seems that a few people are getting chicken yards in a small area in their Atlanta neighborhood. Not only are they thrilled to have a few fresh eggs each day, they enjoy watching the chickens. There are some neighborhoods that it is allowed with reason.
You can ask me nearly anything that you want about chickens. I grew up with mama having penned chickens and some yard chickens. The eggs were delicious and can’t be beat. But when company was coming mama would go to the pen or the coup to get chickens to fix for our meal. I can attest to the fact that the wings tasted really good and for the chickens that were in a coup or pen mama skinned the feet. That too was good. You see when there were so many of us the company and the adults at home got most of the large pieces of chicken. That suited my brother B.F. and me all right. There was nothing quite like the taste of fresh home grown chicken.
As to having to gather eggs it sometimes scared me half to death to try getting eggs from a hen that decided that she was getting in the nest with whatever eggs that were laid that day. I was afraid of being pecked and I was a young child. They could get really upset if they wanted to hatch eggs.
In later years my husband and I grew chickens for several companies. I will never try to explain the strong ammonia smell that gets in a poultry house when the curtains are a part of the way closed. It can be so suffocating. Your clothes smell after working in there. In some 20 years of growing chickens we certainly had many experiences and much hard work until a storm blew a chicken house down and damaged the other. We decided at that point to hang it all up. But I’m sure that these people with the small flocks won’t experience some of the things that we did.
Should we ever decide to have a few chickens, which I doubt that we will but they would really need to be fenced tightly. We have coyotes. But then, my daughter at Dunwoody said that a coyote had been across the street from her in this busy subdivision. I hope that the Atlanta chicken growers are well secure in their pursuit.