Since we have had so many emails and calls checking on us, I thought that I would send this short blog out to let everyone know that Riverview and all of the Riverview family escaped the death and destruction from the violent tornadoes in our area. All of us got to know our closets intimately as we had to take to shelter twice on Saturday night and once on Sunday morning. However, at the last minute, each of the three tornadoes heading at us took a turn to the north at the last minute.
I now know that Martha has a lot more shoes in her closet than even I knew. I also know that I need a chair in her closet as sitting " Indian style" on the floor makes it difficult for me to get up.
Please pray for the folks in South Georgia who were not so fortunate. Due to the night time hour of the worst tornadoes, I do not believe that we are even close to an accurate death count, especially in the Albany area. We very much appreciate everyone's concern, but we are completely unscathed at Riverview, by the grace of God.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Random thoughts
I read this quote by Mark Twain the other day that really hit home to me. He said," Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did". With the exception of about four years in college, I would tend to agree with that comment. I fear that the things I DID do during that time might be more regrettable than the things I did not do. I also applied this same thought process to my high school years. I have no memories of those great grades in English or calculus, but I can recall certain football dates with great clarity.
By now you may be wondering where am I headed with this thought process.I believe that people with many and varied interests not only live the longest, but they also live the happiest lives. If you enjoy the beautiful piney woods and quail hunting of South Georgia, don't put off a trip to Riverview just to spend another two days in the office. I have found that I could come to work each morning with a completely empty slate, and manage to stay busy all day long. The work and tasks will always be there, but opportunities to really experience and enjoy life go by us daily. So, if you have not scheduled a break to let your soul breathe for a couple of days, give us a call to refresh and rejuvenate your lives. I can guarantee you that the office will still be there when you return. I have learned that the hard way this year as I am only spending a couple of days a week in the office.
Martha and I started a "bucket list" eight years ago of places we wanted to go, and things that we wanted to do. Our thought at the time was that we should do it while we were both in good health, and could enjoy it. It was one of the best decisions we ever made because we checked the last one off this past summer before Martha was diagnosed with cancer. By the way, she is doing great, and we are both very grateful for the thoughts and prayers from so may of y'all. At least for a good period of time now, there will be no long trips in the future as chemo sessions are a regular part of our lives now, but we still know that God is great, and He holds our future.
Now , just a few random thoughts to close with. Will January 20th end this season of political insanity, or have we become the Divided States of America? Had Hillary won, I would have been very disappointed, but she would be my president, and I can not envision myself hoping for her to fail because, if she did, so would our nation. Do politicians really care about anything other than being re-elected? I like the old country music song line that goes," You've got to stand for something, or you will fall for anything". I'm beginning to wonder just what does Washington stand for other than my side beating your side.
And just this one final thought for today: If 60 has become the new 50 and 70 is the new 60, then why can't Thursday be the new Friday? It makes perfect sense to me!
By now you may be wondering where am I headed with this thought process.I believe that people with many and varied interests not only live the longest, but they also live the happiest lives. If you enjoy the beautiful piney woods and quail hunting of South Georgia, don't put off a trip to Riverview just to spend another two days in the office. I have found that I could come to work each morning with a completely empty slate, and manage to stay busy all day long. The work and tasks will always be there, but opportunities to really experience and enjoy life go by us daily. So, if you have not scheduled a break to let your soul breathe for a couple of days, give us a call to refresh and rejuvenate your lives. I can guarantee you that the office will still be there when you return. I have learned that the hard way this year as I am only spending a couple of days a week in the office.
Martha and I started a "bucket list" eight years ago of places we wanted to go, and things that we wanted to do. Our thought at the time was that we should do it while we were both in good health, and could enjoy it. It was one of the best decisions we ever made because we checked the last one off this past summer before Martha was diagnosed with cancer. By the way, she is doing great, and we are both very grateful for the thoughts and prayers from so may of y'all. At least for a good period of time now, there will be no long trips in the future as chemo sessions are a regular part of our lives now, but we still know that God is great, and He holds our future.
Now , just a few random thoughts to close with. Will January 20th end this season of political insanity, or have we become the Divided States of America? Had Hillary won, I would have been very disappointed, but she would be my president, and I can not envision myself hoping for her to fail because, if she did, so would our nation. Do politicians really care about anything other than being re-elected? I like the old country music song line that goes," You've got to stand for something, or you will fall for anything". I'm beginning to wonder just what does Washington stand for other than my side beating your side.
And just this one final thought for today: If 60 has become the new 50 and 70 is the new 60, then why can't Thursday be the new Friday? It makes perfect sense to me!
Monday, January 2, 2017
I remember
Our preacher said something yesterday morning at church that really caught my attention when he said, " Folks, you are about to go somewhere that you have never been before--into 2017". Although it sounded a bit like the beginning of a Star Trek movie, the comment really caught my attention. I can remember thinking that I would never get accustomed to dating any document in the 2000's as I had spent all of my life in the 1900+ dating, but I got used to it fairly quickly.
I am an eternal optimist, and I look forward to the great things that are going to happen in 2017. Before looking forward, I think that it is always a good idea to look back. 2016 will be remembered here as year of weather extremes. We broke a record for consecutive days without rainfall that was established in 1904. We followed that with the second wettest December on record. On one day in December, we recorded 8.5 inches of rain. Thankfully, our December rains came mostly at night or on Sundays when we are not hunting; so we lost hardly any hunting time due to the weather.
During the summer, we made a lot of progress in our English Cocker training program, and also finally made some money in the fresh sweet corn business for the first time in three years. Maybe it's just an age thing, but I believe our summers are getting hotter, and I KNOW our gnats are becoming more numerous.
This is also a time of the year that I like to recall years gone by. My daughter, Cadie, posted a photo of Martha and I when we were in college. The funny thing is that I can remember everything about the date, time, and where that photo was taken. However, prior to receiving the post, I had spent ten minutes looking for my sunglasses that I had just placed somewhere less than 30 minutes ago. Now why does our mind work that way?
My older sister sometimes accuses me of having "stolen memories" as I claim to remember things from before I was born. She tells me that she recounted those stories to me, and somehow I have convinced myself that I was around at that time. But, I have learned that it is not wise to argue with big sisters; so if she says so, I will accept it.
However, I do have some memories that I know are not hers as she never participated in them such as hitting the tobacco patch at sunup and working until dark. Pop paid me $3 a day. I learned that the other employees were making $4 a day. I threatened to strike. He informed me that he was not providing food, clothing, and shelter to the other employees. Then he struck, but it was with a swift kick to my butt. That was my last effort in labor law.
I remember raising my first litter of bird dog puppies whose Mom rejected them. I fed them with one of Sis's baby doll bottles. I also have very fond recollections of the first bird dog I ever trained. Bimbo will always be a cherished memory to me. I killed my first quail over Bimbo with Pop's double barrel LC Smith 12 gauge. It had double triggers, and I accidentally pulled both triggers at the same time. I killed the quail, and lost my front two teeth at the same time!
My favorite memory was the first time I ever laid my eyes on Martha Holland in 1968 on the campus of the University of Georgia. She was the prettiest girl that I had ever seen, and I found out that she was even prettier on the inside than outside. I knew that I had found the woman that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. 46+years later, she still hasn't managed to shake me. And the joy of holding our three babies after they were born are precious memories indeed !!
Now, let's all go out and make some great memories in 2017. Some of those can occur right here at Riverview, but open dates are becoming scarcer than hen's teeth; so I would encourage you to call soon.
Happy 2017 everyone !!
I am an eternal optimist, and I look forward to the great things that are going to happen in 2017. Before looking forward, I think that it is always a good idea to look back. 2016 will be remembered here as year of weather extremes. We broke a record for consecutive days without rainfall that was established in 1904. We followed that with the second wettest December on record. On one day in December, we recorded 8.5 inches of rain. Thankfully, our December rains came mostly at night or on Sundays when we are not hunting; so we lost hardly any hunting time due to the weather.
During the summer, we made a lot of progress in our English Cocker training program, and also finally made some money in the fresh sweet corn business for the first time in three years. Maybe it's just an age thing, but I believe our summers are getting hotter, and I KNOW our gnats are becoming more numerous.
This is also a time of the year that I like to recall years gone by. My daughter, Cadie, posted a photo of Martha and I when we were in college. The funny thing is that I can remember everything about the date, time, and where that photo was taken. However, prior to receiving the post, I had spent ten minutes looking for my sunglasses that I had just placed somewhere less than 30 minutes ago. Now why does our mind work that way?
My older sister sometimes accuses me of having "stolen memories" as I claim to remember things from before I was born. She tells me that she recounted those stories to me, and somehow I have convinced myself that I was around at that time. But, I have learned that it is not wise to argue with big sisters; so if she says so, I will accept it.
However, I do have some memories that I know are not hers as she never participated in them such as hitting the tobacco patch at sunup and working until dark. Pop paid me $3 a day. I learned that the other employees were making $4 a day. I threatened to strike. He informed me that he was not providing food, clothing, and shelter to the other employees. Then he struck, but it was with a swift kick to my butt. That was my last effort in labor law.
I remember raising my first litter of bird dog puppies whose Mom rejected them. I fed them with one of Sis's baby doll bottles. I also have very fond recollections of the first bird dog I ever trained. Bimbo will always be a cherished memory to me. I killed my first quail over Bimbo with Pop's double barrel LC Smith 12 gauge. It had double triggers, and I accidentally pulled both triggers at the same time. I killed the quail, and lost my front two teeth at the same time!
My favorite memory was the first time I ever laid my eyes on Martha Holland in 1968 on the campus of the University of Georgia. She was the prettiest girl that I had ever seen, and I found out that she was even prettier on the inside than outside. I knew that I had found the woman that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. 46+years later, she still hasn't managed to shake me. And the joy of holding our three babies after they were born are precious memories indeed !!
Now, let's all go out and make some great memories in 2017. Some of those can occur right here at Riverview, but open dates are becoming scarcer than hen's teeth; so I would encourage you to call soon.
Happy 2017 everyone !!
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