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By  Betty Etchison West

Cana/Pino Correspondent

Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church had a good sermon the day before the Fourth of July by the pastor, Arnold Gosnell. The service included appropriate Independence Day music and Holy Communion.  I was happy to be back in my back row pew after not being able to attend because of my husband Roland’s illness. A visitor at the service was Jayden Ellis, the grandson of Bob Ellis who lives in Raleigh, but is visiting his grandparents, Kathy and Bob Ellis, for a few weeks.

The worship service was followed by Sunday school. Lisa Dixon West is the teacher of the adult class. She was well prepared and did an excellent job teaching the lesson, “A New Community of Believers.”   Lisa was the Lay Delegate of the Farmington United Methodist Charge to the Western North Carolina Methodist Conference at Lake Junaluska a few weeks ago. Lisa gave a report on the conference at Farmington and Wesley Chapel last Sunday. Lisa mentioned again Sunday the inclusiveness of the United Melodist Church emphasized at the Western North Carolina Methodist Conference.

I had a great experience after church. I visited my new great-granddaughter, Birdie Frances Burchette, for the first time. She is an absolutely beautiful baby with the tiniest hands and fingers. The baby weighed 5 pounds and 3 ounces at birth on July 23. Birdie Frances’ parents are Elizabeth (Izzy) and Joe Burchette and her proud big brother is 10-year old, Joseph Burchette. Her grandparents are Frances West Tutterow of Cana and Mary Ann and Neil Burchette of Clemmons. Larry Tutterow, the baby’s maternal grandfather, died several years ago, but he would have been so proud. Birdie Frances is my fourth great-grandchild. In addition to Birdie and her brother Joseph, my other great-grandchildren are: Reese and Harper Tutterow.  (Can you tell that a great-grandmother wrote this?)

Eaton’s Baptist Church had its annual Fourth of July service on the lawn Sunday. The service included the music of a band, followed by a picnic lunch, in which the members enjoyed food from the grill but homemade desserts.  Henry West made several freezers of ice-cream. A large crowd enjoyed the service.

Last Sunday, Susan Cujas, Oliver Cujas, Missy Cujas, David Michalski, and I went to Charlotte to visit Amy and Ryan Applegate. Amy Applegate is Susan Cujas’ oldest daughter. She and Ryan were married at Frostland in June and recently returned from their honeymoon on the island, St. Lucia. They bought a town house on Lake Wiley which is fairly near the places where they work in Charlotte. Everyone enjoyed activities on the lake except me. I enjoyed a nap on the sofa.

I learned this week that as my aunt once said, “I am overcome by the logistics of everyday living.” This I discovered when I moved into the 21st Century and bought an I-13 smart telephone. I really don’t know if that is the right name, but I do know that I am not likely to learn to use it. I have managed quite nicely with a flip-phone all of these years, but it  just wasn’t working anymore so I decided to move into the next century—big mistake. My technology-suave family says that I will learn to use the new phone and will like it. As this point, I doubt it, but I’m trying to be open minded enough to believe I might master this instrument, which I almost called by another name.

I am going to visit my sister and her husband, Marty and Bill Babcock, who live in Raleigh, soon. I think Bill has every technical gadget or instrument made so I am sure he will want to give me a tutorial concerning my new phone. I just hope I am not too old to learn—I will be 90 next month. While on the trip to Raleigh, I am also going to spend some time with my sister-in-law, Rachel Etchison, in Siler City.  Rachel is the widow of my brother, John Etchison, who died last year.

I had a surprise visitor last week.  A lady I had not seen in 40 or 50 years knocked on my door. Her name is Louise Davis. She lives in Statesville and she may have a married name. I knew her when she worked at Frostland and her name at that time was Louise Davis. Her parents, who also worked at Frostland, were Will and Emma Davis. She was glad to see that someone was still living that she knew all of those years ago, and I was happy to see her.  Some of you readers may remember the Davis family.

John Ray Latham, a Cana boy who still lives near-by, is recovering from heart surgery at a Winston-Salem hospital. John Ray is the son of Millard and Mildred Walker, and he grew up on Angell Road. Cana people are thinking of John Ray and want him to feel much better after this surgery.