Skip to content

Betty’s Week

By Betty Shearer


    Had a friend stop by to tell us that everyone needs to keep a close check on their mailboxes. They had two packages taken from their box and said that he knew that on several other occasions the mailbox had been opened. If you know you have packages coming, be especially careful.
–––
  I actually got a holiday last week. Decided I really don’t want holidays—have to work to hard.
  Left the office about one Wednesday afternoon, went to the grocery store, then home to pack to go to Courtland. The phone rang at my house and it was Steve Ford. He needed light bulbs. Told him I was on my way and would pick some up. Got that chore done and got to Moms where I answered some of Steve’s questions, then started cooking.
  Cooked until about eleven. Was getting a head start on Thanksgiving dinner because I wanted to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade. This is a favorite of mine and I’ve not gotten to watch it in several years. Bo had the first shift with Mom, Rance and Ginny the second and I took the last.
  Had everything ready to just heat up when the parade started. I got out the vacuum and dust cloths to use during commercials. This worked fine, but you sure do get tired doing it this way—jumping up and down is more tiring than just continuous cleaning. Don’t know why, but it is.
  Was disappointed in the parade. Seems that they now show more entertainment than parade and even the balloons and floats were not as exciting as I remembered. Could have just done my chores and cooking Thursday morning, because they re-ran the parade in the afternoon when I was sitting with Mom and I could have watched it without interruptions.
  Following the parade we watched the dog show and it was exciting to see a hound win. He was cute.
  We ate lunch in shifts, and it worked out fine. It’s not hard to keep turkey, dressing, gravy, green beans, squash casserole, and sweet potato casserole hot; and the congealed salad, cranberry sauce, lemon meringue and peanut butter pies cold.
  Bo fried the turkey breast and I cooked the rest. Had a great time doing it. I enjoy cooking and have not gotten to do much of it lately. Peanut butter pie was a new recipe and it was delicious, rest of the dinner was old stand-bys. Forgot rolls, but didn’t miss them. I had left-over biscuits and cornbread which were good stand-ins.
  Only problem was that I cooked way to much and had left overs.
–––
  I have the day shifts on Friday and Saturday. Friday morning it was way below freezing when I left Mom’s at 5:30. Had to go out and crank the van about 30 minutes before leaving. On Saturday morning I thought it was to be warmer so didn’t get out until I was ready to depart. Bad mistake—the van was again covered with frost. It took about 20 minutes to defrost and I was late. Night sitter was so gracious and said it didn’t make a bit of difference, she wasn’t ready to get out into the cold anyway.
  I took my lunch both days and it was a good thing. The boys were hunting and Jimmie and Carolyn were babysitting, so no one came to feed me.
  Mom seems to be improving. She got up with just the two of us, got into her wheelchair, and to the bathroom and back, then back to bed at bedtime.
  Our main problem now is eating. She’s always been an excellent eater and now she eats a few bites and says she doesn’t want anymore. We did enjoy our morning Coke, peanut butter and cracker party and our chocolate pudding party in the afternoon.
–––
  I’ve never seen so many critters dead on the highways as there was over the weekend and so many live ones to dodge. The only thing I didn’t see were deer—must  have been too cold for them.
  Coming home Sunday morning I’m sure I saw a dozen or more squirrels, several dead, and even more alive. One little fellow got by me–with me slowing way down and him running very fast. Then he turned and started back across right in front of me. Of course I hit him and I do hate to do that.
–––
  Had two tragedies over the weekend in the Pope area. The Back Porch burned again. They’d just started cleaning up the first location. This was one of the iconic old gas stations and the one that burned over the weekend was another. Think they were a Pure and maybe a Gulf station. Could have been a Texaco. The boys were talking and seems that this establishment had also had a location between these two, which also burned. Don’t think I’d want to insure them.
  Then on Friday night, just before I started home, word came that there had been an accident down Hwy. 51. I didn’t leave for Mom’s until I found the exact location—I don’t like to wait while an accident is being cleaned up. I’m not impatient, I just don’t enjoy seeing ambulances, mangled vehicles, and wreckers. Finally found that the accident was not actually on 51, but on the road going to 55 between Pope and Courtland. Report was that one was killed, another was air-lifted to the Med and three more were injured. Holiday periods usually have accidents.
  I was amazed though at how slowly the traffic was moving on 51, both mornings and nights as I was going to the nursing home and then back home. Don’t think I saw a single vehicle pass and everyone was dimming lights and obeying signs. Traffic did not see very heavy either.
–––
  Sunday night we had our Lottie Moon Offering emphasis program. The featured country this year is Peru and as we studied it I realized that I knew very little about this area. Knew Lima and the Andes Mountains—that was about it.
  Found that they have a large population of Chinese people, who came there about the same time the large immigration of Chinese came to the U.S. Also many people live in the high mountainous areas, in very primitive conditions. Roads are almost impassable and these people rarely leave their homes. Missionaries have a hard time reaching these areas.
  Belinda Warren and Cindy Hurt from Highland Baptist Church in Senatobia were our guest speakers. Both had been on multiple summer mission trips to Peru. Their accounts of these trips were most interesting. Belinda is a daughter-in-law of Cathryn Ann Surrette (daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Doug Surrette) and the late Cecil Warren of Senatobia and Cindy is the wife of Rev. Greg Hurt, pastor of Highland Church. On these mission trips they flew  into Lima and immediately departed by bus for the remote villages—a 24 hours ride, stopping only three times on the trip.
–––
  Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day. Now we’re all looking forward to Christmas.

Leave a Comment