Saturday - for celebrating milestones and me

After a long and busy week, Saturday was special for me. I joined my sister and friends to celebrate a birthday at the Oar House in Dahlonega, GA. A festival was going on in town, so the quiet restaurant a few miles from the square was perfect for us. We see each other every few months or on special occasions and, while it used to be the six of us, now I make five. For three years after Barry died, I suffered through those days when the six minus one gathered to laugh and share old memories. But today was good. 

I left home around ten o'clock a.m. and returned after nine at night because on the way home I decided to treat myself to a movie. I had been wanting to see the Jackie Robinson Story, 42, and was happy to see it was still up at the Fieldstone Cinema. 

The show didn't begin until seven and I had time to stop in at a Mexican restaurant nearby and order myself a frozen margarita. I seldom drink alcohol, but today it was so good with cheese dip and chips. 

Although it wasn't my birthday, I felt celebratory. I'd had good news about my brother's health, and also I had made another milestone on this journey called grief. After four years one might thing that trip had been completed, but, until you face it, you don't realize it is never finished. It just gets easier as you pass those checkpoints you meet on the way. 

Fun in Dahlonega Georgia

What a lovely day to spend in Dahlonega, Georgia along with some of my favorite folks. This beautiful little mountain town knows the secret of drawing people off the beaten path. We ate at a new  restaurant, the Corkscrew Café just off the square. The food was excellent. My sister, Gay, looked lovely in blue.

Taken from Front Porch balcony

 The next time we got to Dahlonega, we plan to eat at the Front Porch where the owner/manager from Ocracoke, Island, NC  knows all about seafood. We liked the ambiance inside and loved the balcony eating areas in both the front and back of the upstairs bar and restaurants.

The Birthday Girl - Happy Birthday, Gay

As we meandered through the town’s shops, I entered a lovely store that I first had to give the “smell” test. I assumed the shop would reek of artificially scented candles, but no – in fact they told me their business was to stop indoor odors, of any kind, without chemicals. I had to go and call my friends. “Come see this. You won’t believe it.”

The young saleswoman told us about the lighted stones that, when heated, give off negative ions She said they were salt crystals that when heated by the 15 watt bulbs in the beautifully designed holders actually eliminate odors, dander from pets, even dust in our homes. She told of how customers she knew said their sinus problems disappeared almost over night. People who breathed through their mouths because of sinus trouble found they no longer snored.
This seemed like my answer to a prayer. My companions were impressed. Since I go to their homes and since they also deal with sinus trouble as we all do, we all bought these Brazilian Salt Crystals lamps to clean the air in our homes. Mine sits tonight in my bedroom and I hope it lives up to what we were told.

My crystal is not in a pretty container. Mine is the cheaper one. I'll see if it works before I buy the one I REALLY like.

 We plan to go back in a few months and if these glowing crystals don't work, I'm taking mine back.