Betty’s Week
Our mailing program has been completely revamped, so if you missed a paper last week or you miss it this week, – please let us know. We’ve had only one reported missed locally last week, but to only have one out of thousands missed would be almost a miracle.
We have had several in the Oakland area reported and some others out-of-town. In the past local patrons may not report missing papers for a couple or more week and we have appreciated this. However, for the next few weeks if you miss one let us know and also check your address to make sure it has no errors. This applies to both local and out-of-town papers. Thanks for your help.
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Jimmie and I went to Jackson early Friday morning to assist at the Mississippi Agiculture and Forestry Museum. It was Harvest Fest – the biggest week of the year for the museum. All the regular events were in place. Our print shop was fully staffed, with T. J. Ray of Oxford, along with Mary Sue and Bennett Anderson of Olive Branch, going down on Wednesday, and then Jimmie and I joining them for Friday and Saturday.
We printed, demonstrated equipment and explained the process for several thousand children and many adults. In addition to our educational experience (we teach and learn) we also have wonderful fellowship, meeting so many people from every walk of life, with many of them having printing backgrounds (usually second or third generation—translated to they’ve seen and heard about it, but never experienced it hands on).
Friday we had the daughter of one of our contributors come by. Then on Saturday we were visited by two of her brothers and her son. The father had owned and operated a rubber stamp/seal manufaturing business in Baton Rouge most of his life and the children all knew the process, even though they chose to go into other professions.
One son was a lawyer, the other a plumber, and the grandson was a historical restorationist—an architecural engineer. .
We’ve all pretty much learned the spill and can demonstrate all the equipment except for the the lynotype—that’s Bennett’s baby. We all know how this machine works, we just can’t get type out of it. T. J. and I both can now get lines out of the Ludlow. Jimmie and T. J. will not touch the saw or cutter, but they understand them. Mary Sue doesn’t run any of the equipment, but she knows the facts and figures better than any of us and she keeps her hands clean so she can pass out our samples—she’s a great hostess.
Doyle Goodwin reported that the sorghum mill made more molasses than ever. Must have because at the end of the day Saturday there was a supply in the general store and we purchased a can to bring home—it is very good. Doyle also reported that he almost ran out of cotton. He runs the little cotton gin, probably the cutest demonstration you’ll see there. The old steam powerd gin gave up the ghost a few years ago and they broke out a little gin that I first thought was a toy. Found that it was designed to gin cotton for the plantation women for their quilts. Doyle is the ginner, when he’s not attending to maintenance chores (he’s the chief maintenance person there—in other words he keeps the museum up and running). Jimmie and I offered to go out and scrap some cotton fields for him. Next fall we may need to hand pick a little cotton from some of our cotton farmer’s fields. Sawmill turned out lots of great looking boards and the blacksmiths next door were very busy—they even taught a class.
In the old farm house on Friday the goat farmers were making goat soap and everything else goat. As always, the White Lily Flower Company supplied flour for homemade biscuits. They were served with syrup throughout Harvest Fest and were delicious—I wonder how many biscuits they had to cook.
A musical group, “Promise” sang and played all day long Saturday on the porch of the General Store and they were great. Had the best bass voice I’ve every heard and all the other voices were excellent, as were the instrumentalist. They were packing up as Jimmie and I went to the store for our sorghum, so we got to visit with them for a few minutes. They gave us a card but it only gives the name of the contact person (Jean Dennis) and her number. We think they were from Scott County.
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The foliage was beautiful on the trip down and even brighter on our return—went down in the early morning and returned late afternoon, both really lit up the colorful leaves.
Friday night we stayed in our favorite B&B (Brother Terry’s home in Brandon). Thought we’ve never get there, though. Jimmie, who’s an excellent driver and navagator, kept getting into the turn lanes and we toured most of the parking lots between the Museum and his home in Brandon. In the five o’clock rush hour traffice if you’re in a lane you’re pretty much stuck there. We’ve get into that outside turn lane and have to go off. She’s find a business with a parking lot for us to turn around in and then we’d get back onto the main street. During these manuvers she hit several curbs and then going down Airport Drive had to run over a large chunk of metal, which was completely across our lane—it was hit it or hit a car. I began to wonder if the car was going to survive the trip.
Arrived back in Pope in total darkness, but I still drove on home. Don’t like to drive in the dark, but it’s better than facing that early morning sun. Made it fine—as a matter of fact I did not even see a deer.
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I’m certainly enjoying this beautiful weather, but know it can’t last. Little Bit and I went for a walk Sunday afternoon and he was so intrigued with the falling leaves. He’s stop and watch, then try to catch them. Squirrels took a back seat on this outing.
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Last night Al and Betty came by and took me out for supper. We went out to Sylva Rena Grocery for barbecue and found them closed for the holiday—think this is a first—so we came back and enjoyed Mexician. Food was delicious and it was fun catching up on all that’s going on with the grands and seeing the new pictures.
Must stop this rambling and help get the paper ready for the press.
