Cool Friends at Cool Springs

March is off to a great start.  First, a weekend trip to Atlanta for a fun and enjoyable family reunion.  It was also an 85th birthday party for my Aunt Frances, my father's "baby sister."  Within 48 hours of our return home, we hosted all four grandchildren.  Just being out of town had made it seem like we'd been apart forever!  But we made up for lost time.

Wednesday morning I made the pleasant 25 minute drive to the historic Glendon area of Moore County to share time with friends at Cool Springs Methodist Church.

For the second month in a row, the "cool" senior citizens of Cool Springs invited me to be their guest.  Last month, I spoke for the better part of an hour about my book, "Mystery at the Loyd Homeplace." I showed them my powerpoint show of family history and Atlanta Civil War history.  They had great questions and interaction, and invited me to return in March to share more as well as lead an old-fashioned singalong.  I was delighted to return for two of my favorite activities.

Well, make that three.  A wonderful covered-dish lunch was included!

My dear friend Jeanette, a long-time volunteer at Moore Regional Hospital, first invited me to speak to her senior citizens group after reading my book last fall.  Jeanette and her husband Cy are wonderful friends.  I see them each week when I play the piano at the hospital's outpatient lobby.

I'm wearing my Stone Mountain Civil War shirt.
Jeanette is wearing her St. Patrick's Day attire (her
shamrock socks don't show).  And you'll never see
her without her trademark flower in her hair (albeit,
a different flower every time)!

 A cold windy day kept attendance down somewhat, but I had a great time with these young-at-heart seniors.  Their nonogenarian secretary gave me the most amazing review as she recounted in her February minutes every detail of what I had shared.  Most significant to me was her mention of the importance of passing history and family heritage along to a younger generation.

I used the self-timer to sneak into one more picture.  My singalong included such songs as "Daisy, Daisy," "For Me and My Gal," "Alley Cat," and "Oh, You Beautiful Doll." Then I moved from my keyboard to their honky-tonk piano to play the medley I'll perform at this weekend's Old Time Fiddlers Convention at North Moore High School.  This will be the fifth year I've participated since my retirement.  Then I moved back to my keyboard to close today's program with two big band requests: "In the Mood" and "Chattanooga Choo-choo," two Glenn Miller golden oldies.

The group's president joked that I might as well just come back every month.  I laughed, too, but I did agree to come back sometime in the future.  Did I mention that homemade chili and chicken and dumplings?