Yesterday, Mag
gie came in to show us a 35 pound watermelon she had grown. Maggie is 85 and she is our oldest homeowner.
Maggie was working in her yard and noticed an unusual plant. She took a picture and Googled it to learn that she had a watermelon. Since Maggie had not planted any watermelons, she guessed the seed came from a watermelon that she had eaten sitting on her porch earlier that summer. She Googled a little more to find the best way to take care of a watermelon plant. Google recommended cow manure, blood meal and straw. Her watermelon plant responded so vigorously to this treatment, she had to put an 8″ x 8″ fence around it to keep it from taking over her yard! Her plant went on to produce seven huge watermelons. (You can see Maggie holding one of them in the picture above.)
Maggie originally hailed from North Carolina, but she and her son moved to Atlanta 49 years ago. While caring for her son with cancer 13 years ago, she looked into the Habitat program as a way of lowering her expenses. Her son is no longer with us, but she is going strong. She works in her church’s daycare center two days a week. She is getting her certification in adult CPR. After that, she wants to start sitting with people who have a medical concern and need someone to be with them at home. On top of all this, she expects to pay off her mortgage in four years.
We are so proud to be a part of Maggie’s life. She is an inspiration to all of us.