Sallie Satterthwaite's blog

Smart Little Snowman

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:48:25 -0500

It has been heartening to me the number of grandmas whose grandbabies have been diagnosed with autism. Whether at church or Curves or the Kroger, grandparents of autistic children come up to me with huge smiles and saying, “We have an autistic grandchild too and you’d never know it.”

This is the winter

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:33:43 -0500

This is the winter our grandkids will mean when they tell their grandchildren, “You call this snow? Ha! Once we had snow so deep I could stand up in it and disappear. This is nothing! Predicting another 18 inches tonight? Pshaw! We had three feet in Virginia in the Winter of 2010, without drifting. In just one day. With another two feet predicted for the next day.”

That’s just the way it was.

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:43:54 -0500

When I look back on the 10 or so years that I worked at Peachtree Medical Center, I see the history of medical services in my new hometown. Occasionally another member joined the staff, but for at least its first decade, Dr. Henry Drake’s staff consisted of Bonnie, Juanita, Mary Ann and me.

The Doctor is In – Finally

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:07:17 -0500

Of the trickle of sightseers who had heard or read about Peachtree City and Fayette County, most landed here singing essentially the same chorus: There’s nothing here. Lovely trees and a sparkling lake, yes, but no library, no middle and high schools, no police department except for a fellow who cruised around town like a night watchman. Virtually no bad guys who made it all the way to Peachtree City either.

Dealing with Samuel’s Autism

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:33:06 -0500

Readers’ response to how our daughter Jean’s working with her mildly autistic son Samuel has been gratifying indeed, and makes me believe that there are lots of other first-time mothers and grandmas holding each others’ – and their children’s – hands as they navigate the treacherous waters of the childhood years together.

“Shaken, not stirred”

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:33:25 -0500

Sometimes it matters to hold onto material – notes, books, old addresses, friends – because odds are they’ll be useful some day.

Hard Winter for Critters

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:58:11 -0500

Fond as I am of the little people who are truly our closest neighbors – the occasional field mouse or wood rat, even the chipmunks, squirrels, and birds – sometimes they try my patience.

New Year 2010

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:34:00 -0500

Another holiday come and gone. Another year redolent with feasting, bread baking, and candy hardening. In the 1940s my Mom was at the center of holiday hubbub, coming out of it occasionally to fuss that she could use a little help.

Roughing it in an RV

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:10:18 -0500

You may remember my account, several years ago, of a friend we’ll call Jack, who broke himself into many pieces trying to blow leaves off his roof. His several surgeries and arduous rehabilitation resulted in a truly remarkable recovery.

A Christmas Story, Part II Of II, 1992

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:42:47 -0500

Last week, my grouchy toy bear Griz began telling me how he flew with his jackdaw friend Bergdohle to witness the arrival of angels in Bethlehem...

A Christmas Story, part I of II - 1992

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:40:27 -0500

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and it takes a few moments to figure out why. Abbie stays in now that it's cold, and I've almost learned to sleep through her periodic inspection of the dark house, her stumbling on the steps and her jingling tags.

Code of the Road

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:06:17 -0500

When we drove to Leesburg for Thanksgiving with daughter Jean and her family, the weather was nice and the roads mostly dry. In these latitudes daylight is brief. It behooves the traveler to pick his weather and his day.

How Many a Story of Fame for Us…

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:45:57 -0500

When Jean was at Georgia Southern 25 years ago – a quarter century! – we made a point of getting together early in May to celebrate Mother’s Day and her birthday.

Samuel and Autism, 2nd Edition

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:10:26 -0500

Home schooling has its merits, but a lack of intrusions is not one of them. Big grown-up Isaac is going to a Christian school in Loudon County, Va., and Jean sorely misses his help with the little boys. He’s playing football and seems very happy with the way his life is going.

What emergency?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:31:11 -0500

The cruise ship Noordam we boarded last summer cost a small fortune, but that’s why I write. Dave takes responsibility for keeping the house intact, paying for prescriptions and groceries, and for vehicular maintenance. My meager wages go into an account labeled “Fun.”