Before her husband, Scott, introduced her to golf, she had been an avid tennis player. She has been addicted to the challenges of golf for more than 60 years and is still going strong.
“I love to be outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine in beautiful surroundings,” Nall said. “I love the people I meet on the golf course, and I love being with them. I guess you could say I enjoy their companionship.”
“I have been fortunate to live on or nearby the Mayfield Country Club for many years. Scott’s passion for golf even led to his assistance in laying out the current 18 holes in the early 1960s when the course went from nine to 18 holes.”
Though she has always lived slightly north of the Mason-Dixon line, Jane Ann possesses many characteristics of a true Southern lady, including a life-long drawl. However, she has had to deal with the prevailing winds of change in her life. Surviving the death of her husband and two adult children, and recently a divorce, she proudly declares she is trying to get better as she gets older.
Knowing that downsizing was a requirement and determined to remain near the golf course, a condo was found last year by life-long friends of Nall. Guess what her new address is? It is Links Lane, just a stone’s throw from her beloved turf. With most of her cherished possessions and belongings placed in storage, she sought the remarkable services of professional re-designer Bonnie McMillan to assist her in downsizing.
Unlike an interior decorator, a re-designer works with what you already own. After several consultations, inspecting her client’s belongings and appraising the condo’s floor plan, Bonnie made her recommendations as to what should be moved and what should stay in storage.
“Bonnie has the talent and excellent taste of placing what I already had in the right spot,” Nall said. “Her expertise quickly lifted my sagging spirits and lessened the stress I was feeling caused by having to relocate. My growing pity party began abating. Now wherever I turn in my new surroundings, I find comfort in having familiar items all around me. Even on the deck outside my bedroom window, my vintage outdoor lawn furniture has been strategically placed so as to frame my view to the golf course. I consider Bonnie a wizard.”
Family heirlooms and antique furniture fill her living space. Treasured paintings and artwork cover the walls. Family photos smile down at her from varying angles. Displayed trophies, scorecards and prizes won at golf tournaments bring to mind hard-fought championships. Hanging on her bedpost, the ever-ready skimmer hat is on standby whenever she receives an invite for nine holes.
All things considered, however good or bad a situation, Nall has discovered it will change. Arthritis has required the grips on her golf clubs to be built-up assuring a better grip. She has traded in her small metal knitting needles for larger wooden ones so she may continue her output of afghans made for special friends. Her yearly production count is still in double-digit numbers.
Even though her needlepoint work has diminished as of late, her classic needlepoint pillow collection sewn in days past fill her settee, chairs and beds with creative charm and memories.
A spirited competitor in golf, tennis, card games, and most board games, this agile and quick-witted octogenarian adores winning. Nothing brings a beguiling smile to her face quicker than a victory in a game of “Hand and Foot.”
“Someone once told me that life is not always what it is suppose to be. It’s the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference,” Nall said. “And the changes you make adjusting to it.”
We may call this gleeful soft-spoken lady a ‘seasoned citizen,’ but she is a young girl at heart open to change.
