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Memories of Golde Dicks Markham (1996) Golde Markham Dicks 97/125

Philip Browning was much more than my boss when I substituted; he and Ethel were

our neighbors for many years. Sharon grew up with their boys, Philip, Jr., and Tommy. The
boys were like brothers to Sharon and still are. Ethel has always been like a second mother
to Sharon. They moved into another neighborhood, but they have remained our close friends
to this day. I know if I needed anything, there’s nothing Ethel wouldn’t do for me.
For quite a few years, I entertained myself with a plant nursery as a hobby. I liked

digging in the dirt rather than cleaning house. My hobby boomeranged unexpectedly, and in
no time, I had a full-time, twelve-hour-a-day job. It got to be so demanding that I could
hardly keep up with it. By having my nursery, I was able to have things that I wouldn’t have

been able to afford otherwise. I worked very hard, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

I always loved to travel; but Eric didn’t give a hoot about going anywhere. He was
perfectly happy staying in the store and going fishing or hunting. He never seemed to mind
me traveling. Before Sharon came along, our neighbors moved to Philadelphia. They came

back to visit several times, and then I went back with them. They took me to New York City
and Atlantic City. We also went to Trenton, New Jersey, to see the courthouse where the
trial for the Lindbergh baby kidnaping case was held.
J.C. Penney opened a store in Lake City run by Sherman Wheeler. Hazel Wheeler was

J.C. Penney’s niece and'had been raised by him. The Wheelers were our neighbors and
became very close friends of ours. They eventually moved to Atlanta; we visited them some­
times. I took Opal1 with me on one of these trips. Opal had just gotten out of the hospital,
and I thought a trip would be good for her. The Wheelers took us to Stone Mountain near

Atlanta and to Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga.
After Sharon was bom, Eric took us on several summer vacations to the mountains in1
Georgia. Just before Sharon got married; he took us on a very enjoyable cruise to Nova

Scotia. We also went on a cruise to the Bahamas. Lenvilt and Julie took Eric and me with
them out west and on up into Canada and Alaska.
We enjoyed going to the Florida-Georgia-Alabama Hardware Convention for many

years. The convention was always held in the state that the elected convention president was
from. It had to be in a city large enough to have hotel convention facilities. The year that
Eric was elected president, Sharon was on the banquet program tap dancing and doing

acrobatics. Her act went over real'big; Eric was so proud of her.

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