Many of you may not believe this, but I once lived in Atlanta. That is something that I try to forget.

I guess being fresh married to my first wife of 54 years, and having our first child should have been a great time, and it was, but knowing me, the call of Colquitt was ever there.

So what has that to do with the price of eggs in China? Back in the 60s, the mother of a newborn didn't set her feet on the floor for at least a week. When Betty Jo said it was time, Betty Jo, Uva and I jumped into my auto, and slip and slid across Atlanta from Hapeville to Georgia Baptist Hospital. It was snowing pretty well. We came home with a nine pound, two ounce beautiful baby girl.

Tammy Jo Toole was born on January 30, 1958, in downtown Atlanta. In fact that is the best thing that ever came out of Atlanta.

When Tammy was 10 days old, I rented a UHaul trailer and started loading up all our stuff. I got most of our stuff in the first load and took it to Colquitt.

In the same day, I drove back to Atlanta and picked up Betty Jo, Tammy and Uva and the rest of our stuff for a final trip home to Colquitt.

I'm not cheap, but we couldn't afford to rent the U-Haul trailer another day. I was leaving a good job with Southern Railway to go to a $45.00 per week job at Ma's Western Auto.

I never have cared that much about money and had rather work cheap in Colquitt than to have to live in Atlanta. We've all been right here ever since.

Last week, I almost tied my two trips to and from Atlanta in one day. I'm a lot, lot older, and it took me two days.

Almost a month ago, my first wife went to Atlanta for an overnight trip to see about her sister, Mealie Earl Webb who was in the hospital. Betty Jo got back to Colquitt last Wednesday, almost a month later.

Mealie got deathly ill, and after over three weeks in ICU, she died last Tuesday. Betty Jo was there at the hospital alone with Mealie when she died.

I had been going on the weekends to give Betty Jo some relief, and Donna, our youngest daughter, came when she could to let me take Betty Jo to a hotel to sleep in a bed one or two nights instead of the chair. She said she really bonded with that chair.

I know I should have been with her, but we also have Uva, their mother, going on 97, to take care of at home.

Tammy had stitches in her from removing the chemo port in her stomach, and couldn't stay with Uva much, so from Monday until the weekends for three weeks, I stayed at home with Uva. It is my pleasure, but I was torn between where I should be.

In my spare time, I helped the other two girls, Wanda and Debra, get out the Liberal each week. I'm glad I am the boss. Otherwise, I would have been fired.

When Betty Jo called Tuesday evening and said Mealie had passed away, I called Donna to go get her mother and then called Danny to go get Mealie and bring her home.

Daivd, Mealie's husband, is in a beautiful home near their home in Morrow. He is in bad shape.

Back to my Atlanta trips,

I caught a ride with the transport company to the funeral home that had picked up Mealie, Wednesday morning early. Donna and Betty Jo picked me up from Hapeville where the mortuary was located. That was my first trip back to Hapeville since I brought my bunch home when Tammy was born. We went to pick up Betty Jo's car at the hospital and headed home.

Thursday morning, Betty Jo, Tammy and "ye scribe" headed back to Atlanta for a beautiful memorial service at Mealie's church, where she was a member for over 37 years. After the service we drove back to Colquitt, which was about as close as I'll come at my age to matching the trips some 52 years ago.

Friday, we had the final services for Mealie, and laid her to rest in Colquitt. It was a good Home going.

Her friends and family in Morrow and Colquitt had lots of good things to say about her. She had many crowns when she met our