Betty’s Week
It is great to be back on our regular schedule. Began our week this Monday morning, instead of on a Wednesday morning as per the past two weeks. Also, David had delivered the papers for several weeks, but I was back at my post last Wednesday—was good to visit with everyone. Was sorry that Linda at Water Valley Food and Gas Mart was very sick—pretty sure she had the flu, but she had no one to substitute for her.
Told her I’d gladly take over for her, had I known how to run the business. My schedule would have allowed it, as David and Mel could have handled the Herald for the day. Many Vallians have had the flu or the stomach virus over the past couple of weeks. Our family has been very fortunate, with non of us being ill with these sicknesses. Nephew William did have a flare up with his chronic gastric problem—glad to report that he’s better now. However, we all missed getting to visit with him and his family at the Christmas gathering.
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Great-niece Caroline got her pony for Christmas and I went with Jimmie and Bill over for a post-Christmas dinner in the home of her grandparents, Bubba and Mary McDowell in Amory. Their home is next door to my nephew, Michael, and his wife, Missy, along with Jack and Caroline. Both live on mini-farms and Michael’s and Missy’s is a very cute probably 50s house, Bubba’s and Mary’s looks like a castle—so pretty. I just fell in love with it. It has a swimming pool, a pool house, a doll house, and another building that sheltered a dog kennel.
We arrived in time to watch the cooking process and even help a little. Mary and Missy made some of the best macaroni and cheese, ranch potatoes, and apple dumplins, I’ve ever eaten. Apple dumplins were made by wrapping Granny Smith apple slices with butter flavored crescent rolls, then covering this with melted butter and sugar and pouring a 7-Up over them. Next they were baked until they were brown. Recipe called for cinnamon, but I talked them out of this—I don’t like cinnamon and don’t think anyone missed it. This delightful dessert was served with vanilla ice-cream. There was also barbecue, baked beans, cole slaw, pasta salad, and yet another wonderful dessert—pecan pie. You guessed it—I ate way too much.
Michael is the State Farm Insurance agent there and his mother-in-law is his office manager. Also, those grandparents made excellent baby sitters. The properties join and on their back lots there is a path from one house to the other—children can walk, ride bikes or the four-wheeler, and now the pony, from one house to the other, without getting on the street.
Then there was a birthday party for Caroline’s sixth on Saturday at the Cole Farm in Pope. I’d planned to attend, but got a stomach ache and had to stay home. This was so disappointing, considering I rarely have a gastric problem. Know what caused it though, Mom had a restless day on Friday, so I was stressed and didn’t even take time to eat,.Therefore, when I got home I was starving and ate way too much and much too late. It was a hamburger supper and I’d been wanting a good hamburger for weeks and the Cole’s do cook a great burger. Also, would have enjoyed seeing all the Coles.
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Discussion has been on what animals I saw a couple of weeks ago, that I thought were Santa’s reindeer. Research ruled that out, because caribou (reindeer) males and females both have antlers and the back one of these critters did not have antlers. Most of us think they were probably elk. I saw a news blip last week about elk having been spotted as far south as south Arkansas and that’s not a very long distance from us. But David has seen some very large whitetail deer, caught on his wildlife camera, and says that is probably what I saw. I’ve also seen in the past some very large whitetail deer.
Only problem I have with this is that these two appeared to have dark rumps and the white tails have light coloring under their tail, along with the white tails. Haven’t seen them again, so they have probably moved out of our area. Doesn’t really matter what they were, except I was hoping it was elk—that’s probably my favorite meat and I’d sure like to have a herd on my hill.
From reports over the weekend, the whitetail herd must be plentiful. Heard one report of a buck chasing at least five does across the highway, and another of one following several—said it might have been five. Several folks reported almost hitting a deer. I was fortunate coming home Friday night—didn’t see one, but that’s not to say they were not near me. My visibility was terrible, with drizzle, light fog, cars coming toward me and one with bright lights following on my bumper for many miles.
I was so glad to see bright sunshine Saturday morning—unfortunately it did not last long.
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On one of my days off (couldn’t tell you which, as most of the past two weeks I’ve not known what day it was) I decided to clean out my walk-in closet, which is only 8’x12’. Got boxes for Salvation Army donation, for attic storage, gift for friends and family, and several big garbage bags for trash. Made piles for all these and then got tired. The only place to sit in my house is the little love seat I sit on—rest of the sofas and chairs in the den, living room, bedroom and dining room are full of junk, as is every table, the piano and any other flat surfaces. And to make things worse, I can’t tell that I’ve made any space in that closet. When you take items out, those left just spring out to fill up the space—I give up.
On another day I needed to put back all the kitchen storage items that had been at other homes and they all seemed to come back at one time. Well, that storage space had also been filled, so I undertook decluttering kitchen storage space. Got rid of about six bags of old bowls, etc., stacked the rest neatly and was able to get about half the storage and baking dishes in. The Rest I piled on top of the fridge and on the pie rack in the sunroom.
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Was also good to get back to our normal church schedule Sunday and we will have Wednesday prayer service tonight. Our visiting speaker for both services Sunday was Derrick Redwine. It’s always a joy to have him visit with us and to hear his wonderful sermons. Also, directing our music Sunday was a former music director, Linda Williams. Linda directed the music for many years at Bethel, then taught in the Northwest Community College Nursing Program, before directing for us several years during Bro. Ken Izzard’s pastorate. It’s always a joy to have her.
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Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and now it’s on to Super Bowl, Ground Hog Day, and then Valentines. Valentine decorations and candy were out before Christmas, so the stores are ready.
