I recent spent what turned out to be an unusual, yet pleasant, day. My wife had received information that a 95-year-old cousin and a very dear friend of her mother's was now living in an assisted living home in Fairfax, S.C.

It was a beautiful, sunshiny day. As we drove through what was virgin territory to me, I could not help but think of all the beautiful countryside in our dear state that I had never traveled.

To give you a complete rundown of the trip, it went from Holly Hill and through the Providence Community down to our bypass of Orangeburg. The trip continued through Cope and Bamberg.

Shortly thereafter, we found ourselves heading south on U.S. 301, the once much traveled artery that runs from north to south. Making a left turn on 301 through Ulmer, the last leg of the trip continued through Smoaks before ending in Fairfax.

The lady we were visiting was housed in the John Edward Harter Nursing Center. We found a warm and very friendly atmosphere. Everything glistened with cleanliness.

We dined for lunch in a fast food establishment in Allendale before returning to the home, where we enjoyed reflections for about three hours. As we drove the return trip, I could not help but think of the time in the near future when I would be confined to a situation such as this myself.

Or car is programmed to make frequent stops at "Wally World." While picking up a few items and browsing as always, we ran into some friends that I had not seen in a long time.

Tina Herdon and her mom stopped me, and we had a nice little visit. While we were talking, I noticed another lady that I did not recognize sort of lingering nearby.

She asked me if I were Rinehart Chewning who wrote for The Times and Democrat. I answered in the affirmative. She gave my ego a real shot of fuel when she informed me she had every article I had ever written, some of them even tucked in her Bible.

The lady said she was Mrs. Daisy Davis. Thanks again to this lady for all of her kind remarks. Writing is most rewarding, especially when my regular readers write or call.

I have wanted for some time to mention some of our other good columnists who also frequently write. There are Rush Button, Teresa Hatchell, Harris Murray, George Plagenz, just to name a few. Of course, there's my dear friend and editor Carol Barker.

I had failed to mention in an earlier column about Carol's accident on Christmas Eve. To the best of my knowledge, this dear soul is still recuperating at home. She will hopefully be back to work soon.

You've read in several of my columns that I suffer from macular degeneration. Although I have a tele-sensory machine, there are days when my vision is worse than other days.

It is during these days that I have to depend on my dear wife to whom I dictate as she writes in long-hand. This system gets a little hairy at times, but it's during these days that I am determined to write as long as The T&D will have me.

Thanks to Carol Barker and her staff who are always assisting me.

You must be logged in to comment.