The Long Hot Summer

Courtesy of Pixabay

Fall is one week away, but today the temperature records in Atlanta were shattered.  Instead of the mid 80’s, we have had 97-99 temperatures for the past week.  The last time it was this hot in Atlanta was in 1900.  We finally got some rain, but everything is suffering. My low energy level is a product of this extreme heat. If I don’t get my errands done in the morning, they don’t happen.  Regardless of what some people think, there is not a whole lot I can do to change the weather patterns. What caused the heat back in 1900 in Atlanta and what is causing the heat today are probably not the same weather process. 

It is said that the invention of the air conditioner allowed the South to rise again after the decimation of the Civil War.  The first air conditioner was invented in 1902 by Willis Carrier, not to keep humans cool but to keep factory equipment from overheating. My first experience with an air conditioner was in 1958 when I visited my sister in Atlanta for the first time.  The heavy-duty window unit helped to keep my upstairs bedroom cool in the hot Georgia summer.

I am ready for the cooler weather of fall.  The stores are filled with darker colored clothes, sweaters, and boots. I am ready for a wardrobe update, but it will have to wait a while longer. My plans to make my winter staples of soups and stews have been put on hold too. Today I saw a display of forlorn looking gourds and pumpkins in front of the grocery store.  They looked out of place and slightly shrunken from the intense heat. 

Many trees are trying to turn to fall colors, but I’m afraid they will go from green to shriveled brown.  What a disappointment that will be.  I checked the weather in the town where I was born in upstate New York.  The daytime temperatures average in the upper sixties and nighttime in the upper 40’s.  They will have beautiful trees by the end of this month.  I do miss that annual colorful display.

Wouldn’t it be nice to save some of this heat and release it next January?  Then I will be complaining about something else.  A Bible verse comes to mind: “This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24   No matter what each day brings, we all have so much to be thankful for.  I was challenged recently to write down three things I am grateful for each day and to thank God for each one and to share that list with others.

Book cover courtesy of Pixabay

The first item on my list is to thank God for you, my blog readers.  Some of you have followed me for the past seven years since I started writing. You are the reason I write.  Your support keeps me sitting at my computer asking God to help me put words on paper. When you comment and share my blog post, it means so much.  God bless.

Georgia On My Mind

Fifty-four years ago this month I left my relatively sheltered life on the banks of Lake Ontario from the small town of Webster, New York to begin a new life in Atlanta, Georgia. It was quite a transition from being surrounded by the red maple trees and rural life in western New York to the tall pine trees and red dirt of north Georgia. At that time, Atlanta was just an up and coming city trying to make a name for itself.

My oldest sister, Jan, and her husband, Curt, lived here and it was at their invitation that I made the big move. My high school diploma was still wet and I needed a place to go to get some advanced education.  My high school goal was to attend a small campus of the New York State University system and major in education and international studies. My family’s finances could not make that dream a reality, so I flew to Georgia to attend a much more reasonably priced Executive Secretarial program that would train me to enter the workforce sooner rather than later.

It was at times a difficult adjustment due to the different cultures. The Old South was still very much a reality in the early Sixties and as a Yankee my accent and interests stood out like a sore thumb. I think everyone assumed that when I got my training that I would return to New York to look for a job. A funny thing happened on the way to graduation.  I decided I liked the Southern lifestyle and especially the weather—no blistering cold and lake effect snows for five months every year.

So many good things have happened to me since I left my comfort zone and embarked on a new way of life. Interesting jobs, marriage, children, a spiritual renewal, more education, a second marriage, a liver transplant, and good health in my later years to enjoy all that God has provided.

I have been blessed with Southern girlfriends who at times tease me about my Yankee roots. When I moved here I was 100% Yankee. But now based on the number of years I’ve lived here, I am 25% Yankee and 75% Southern. 

My memoir, Born Three Times—A New Life, A New, A New Love, fills in the blanks and tells the rest of my story. It tells the story of God’s amazing gift of second chances and provides inspiration for those who are going through difficult times. I would like to reach more people with the message of my book. You can help by clicking below on my Frieda Dixon, Author Facebook Page. After you open my page, be sure to click LIKE. My goal is 100 LIKES which will help me become more visible on Facebook. Thanks for your help and support of my blog.

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