Betty’s Week
By Betty Shearer
Tommy White was in last Thursday to place an ad for gasoline. White’s Local Express self-serve station, located on Highway 315 west in Water Valley, will now have gasoline without the ten percent ethanol added.
Brother-in-law Bill and brothers Bo, Rance, and Don, along with lots of other folks I’ve talked to, think the increased mileage will far outweigh the 10 cents per gallon higher cost. They also think it will be better for my engine and know that my lawn mowers will be much better off. I had just filled up, when
Tommy came in, but from now on I plan to use the pure gas. Tommy always has some great stories, unfortunately he begins by saying, “This is not for publication.” Just squashes so many great columns. Well I enjoyed the visit and the stories, even if I can’t repeat them.
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Went in one night, having left the television playing while I ran over to the church. Found an old movie running and the scene I arrived on was two little boys in a hole covered with lizards. I had to turn it off fast, and then couldn’t close my eyes without seeing lizards everywhere. When I described the scene to the family, they knew about the movie. Bo says the title of the film is “Holes.”
In the movie, the legend was that there was a fortune buried, and for most of the female characters life her father had made her dig holes looking for the treasure. When he died, she set up a juvenile detention camp and made the inmates dig holes. Two of the boys escaped and they were the two in the hole with the lizards.
Bo says that they’d eaten only onions for about two weeks and that’s why the creatures would not bite them—these lizards were deadly (not my little non-poisonous garden variety). I knew there was some reason that I enjoyed eating onions.
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Early Friday morning Jimmie followed me to Heafner’s Motors in Batesville, where we left the van to get the oil changed. The “Change Oil Light Now” sign had been staring me in the face for a couple of weeks. Van is still under warranty, so thought the dealer needed to service it. We went to LifeWay in Southaven to pick up a few things needed for VBS. That only took a few minutes, so we decided to shop. After spending a lot of time in four stores, we came out without leaving a single penny. Now clothes and shoes are pretty bad when us two shop-a-holics can’t find anything we want.
Jimmie did buy a few things in Marshall’s—picture frames, flower pots, baskets, etc. She picked up one shirt that’s ugly—tried to convince me that it would look good over a brown outfit she has. I found her a leopard outfit to go with those ugly shoes she bought last year, but she thought it would be to much of a good thing and said she’d just continue to wear them with her black outfit. Boy, was I glad— it was a joke, but as soon as I suggested her buying it I was afraid I’d have to look at the thing for years. We love each other and can say anything and get away with it. She says things just as bad to me—I just don’t tell them.
After we’d shopped (looked) out, we ate soup, salad, and bread sticks at The Olive Garden. Food is always good and service is great.
I came on home down Highway 6 and across 315—I’m not real fond of this trip, but it’s much shorter if I’m coming from Batesville. Spent the night washing clothes, dishes, and doing a little ironing. Hung up a few clothes and picked up some junk.
Early Saturday morning I went to the church to help decorate for VBS. Margie Pilcher came in and we set out to find the sticky stuff that attaches posters, etc. to walls without making marks. Never did find it, but she had some picture hanger, with the pull tabs that released clean and went home to fetch them.
While she was gone, Jimmie arrived with the train and other decorations, on loan from Pope Baptist Church. She rebuilt the mural, using my manual screwdriver. Fussed all the time, telling me if I wanted her to build something, I could at least provide a power driver. Then I had to go home and conduct an Easter egg hut for my power stapler. Found it, but didn’t find staples. This required a fast trip to Valley Lumber. They also had to give us a lesson in how to put in staples. Lynn Warren finally got it going for us. The reason it would not release was that someone had over filled it last time it was used—probably Ed.
We ran out of sticky tabs, so Margie went to Fred’s and bought all they had. Jimmie had brought three huge blow-up kangaroos. Again, Margie was in the road. This time she took the ‘roos to her house, where Husband Billy blew them up. They had leaks, and they patched until they were holding air. Packed them onto the pickup and brought this herd of ‘roos back to Woodland Hills.
Margie said they almost caused a cyclist to wreck, while trying to figure out what they were hauling. She said shortly after they passed him, the things flew off. Gathered them up and came on, but they required more patching. Nathan Keel and his mother, Linda Neeley, are now trying their luck at restoring these decorations.
About 4:30 we ran out of sticky tabs again, so we we called it a day. Margie went to the Oxford Wal-Mart and I to the Batesville store, where we bought all sticky tabs available. After worship Sunday night, we finished our decorating. We do have lots of decorations up, thanks to several churches in the area who have shared with us. We do appreciate all the help.
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We were delighted to have Rev. Ken Rhodes, with the State Baptist Board Mission Department, fill the pulpit for both services Sunday. He’s an excellent speaker and also shared several incidents that had happened to him in the mission work. Lela Mae McMinn and Mary Alice Hayles fed him lunch, so he got a real taste of Water Valley and Woodland Hills hospitality.
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Column is being written Monday afternoon. I’m trying to get things done ahead of time this week, since I’ll be in VBS each night and need to leave work early.
Being the director is easy, though, with talented musicians, a very capable missions director, great teachers, and a wonderful food, crafts, and recreation staff. Told the nominating committee I’d take the job again next year, if the whole staff would also do their jobs.
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Rain and cooler weather is great today—hope it’s like this for Carnival Weekend.
