Betty’s Week
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
Betty’s Week
By Betty Shearer
From the traffic on streets and highways and the number of customers in businesses as I delivered papers last Wednesday, the holidays must have just continued, combining Christmas and New Years. There were no vehicles on the road as I came in on Hwy. 315, a couple or so on Main Street and then going out Hwy. 32, I did not have a single car in the west bound lane and met about half-dozen on the east lane – that’s unheard of.
Even the animals must have slept in because I did not see a single deer or any smaller animal nor was any road kill visible. Visited a few minutes at Sprint Mart before a customer came in, talked with Faith at Cash Saver for a short time until she had to check a customer out, and even Linda had no one in the store when I arrived, but soon she had several so it was off to the hospital, where the parking lot was almost empty.
At Sayle Oil, where there is always a crowd, there were plenty of parking spaces. One customer pulled in beside me and says, “You’re right on time, I need one of those.” Was glad to know that someone wanted to read. On Christmas week, even with the Christmas edition included, we sold very few papers. Really was surprised – thought with all of us staying inside, everyone would be looking for something to read. Hopefully this pandemic will go away (didn’t sound like it on the news this morning), but we can pray and hope. I’m ready to go shopping and I don’t even need anything.
Went home shortly after lunch Wednesday – we closed early for a longer holiday. Parked the van in the carport and did not move it until Sunday morning.
Had planned go to Panola County Thursday, but the weather really turned bad. It had rained most of Wednesday night and all day Thursday. Rance called early New Year’s Day to wish me “Happy New Year” and report on the weather in Oxford and a report from his rain gauge – over three inches.
When he was outside checking the gauge, he was on the phone with Bo and a big gust of wind blew the gauge down, breaking it, and most of the other stuff in his yard.
Said Bo yelled, “What’’s happening?”
Rance said it was just the one big gust and he was glad because everything might have been blown away had it continued with that force. After Rance, I heard from Jimmie, reporting she had cooked black-eyed peas, but didn’t think it was worth the drive to her house to eat them. So I stayed home New Year’s Day by myself.
Put some clothes in the washer before looking for the New Year’s Parade, which didn’t happen. Realized that I’d turned up the heat in that part of the house before the last cold spell and had not turned it down. So went up to cut the main unit off and adjust the bathroom wall heater to a lower setting.
Well it’s still on high because greeting me from the middle of the floor was a little chameleon. I slammed the door, ran downstairs and got sticky pads to place in front of the door—don’t want that thing out in the house.
How these little pests keep getting in is a mystery. In that room there are four stationary windows and one outside door, which I have duct taped completely – it’s never opened. With these warmer temps I’m sure I have a bathroom oven and it will remain so until I have a visitor who’s brave enough to catch my intruder – or it will die. The last one I sealed in that room did – the brothers came over and I instructed them to catch my lizard and they brought it down dead and says, “Don’t think he will hurt you, Sis.”
I do not know why I’m afraid of lizards—we didn’t even have them when I was growing up. Frogs, spiders, other bugs, and even snakes are not as frightening as these little pests that are deemed harmless, but they terrify me. I know it’s ridiculous, but most everyone has their phobia.
Back in the den I turned on the TV. No parade but I found bits of several previous parades, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Many of these I had not seen. For the past five years I was in the nursing home with Mom and missed most of them. They also showed many of the floats being built and decorated and that’s a huge feat.
After float building I decided to cook, along with tackling my washing and cleaning. Made a pot roast and spaghetti sauce, both still in the fridge. Did clean out one fridge in order to get this food in. The crows and other critter got four big pans, so they enjoyed a fine New Year’s feast. Also cleaned out one kitchen cabinet and they got more food. The longest out-of-date can was from 2012 and many others had expirations up to 2018. Most of them were beans – they looked and smelled good and I even tasted them. Didn’t want to hurt God’s creatures.
Tired of housework, I then settled in to movie watching. There were several good ones on Hallmark, the final one being a show about a hockey player being rehabbed by taking beginning ballet classes. He was not very good at it, but was diligent and it worked. As I watched him doing the moves, I remembered that as a child I thought ballet would be fun.
Can’t for the life of me remember how I even discovered this activity as we didn’t had a TV. Must have read about it in a magazine – we had several magazine subscriptions. I could probably have been a ballerina had I been near a school. I was very agile and could stand on my toes for hours. Must have been an in-depth story on ballet, because I even remembered a few of the moves he was taught on the Hallmark movie.
Now family and friends are probably going to chastise me for this, but as I watched the hockey player, I decided I could do that to. Had on socks, so I stood up by the sofa and proceeded to dance with him. He was on a mat and I was on a hardwood floor. Finally came to my senses and sat down, because if I had fallen I’d probably have broken something and the phone was a long way from where I was dancing. It was fun though, I could do the first couple of moves and I could still get right up on my toes. Wonder if a ballet teacher would take on an advanced-in-age student?
Over the holiday I really ate well – many of you always want to know what I cook and eat. New Year’s Eve I had the usual for breakfast, oatmeal, a piece of whole wheat toast, and a bit of diet Coke; for lunch a green salad, and for supper a glass of buttermilk and cornbread (even though I’d cooked lots of good food).
Then on New Year’s Day I had my usual breakfast, then a bowl of peas and cornbread for lunch, and some more cornbread and buttermilk for supper. On Saturday, same breakfast, for lunch vegetable soup and cornbread, and then for supper smoked sausage, peppers and onions on a bun. I also ate the remainder of a strawberry milkshake for a midnight snack.
–––
Having missed last Wednesday’s prayer meeting, we were all so happy to be back in church Sunday morning. We were also glad to see that beautiful sunshine, even though it was cold. Our attendance was still down, with many sick with things other than the virus.
We were happy to have visitors – Bro. Rob Jones’ parents. As always his messages were excellent and delivery was great. Sunday night’s message was urging us to read, actually study our Bible each day. We all, including the preacher, had to admit that we neglect this. Talking with a fellow member, we questioned why it is that we can watch TV, read a book, or do so many other things for hours, and never get interrupted, but pick up the Bible and began to study it and immediately have many interruptions. Guess to get in-depth in the Bible we’re going to have to take the phone off the hook and lock the doors.
Bud, Wanda, and I, as usual, went for Sunday lunch. We tried the $6 special at Dairy Queen in Oxford. The hamburger and fries weren’t bad, but the chocolate Sunday was delicious. For many years if we came through Batesville on our way home from a Friday night ballgame we’d stop for a snack at Dairy Queen, but I don’t remember eating their food since then.
Hope everyone had a Happy New Year, albeit it, a soggy one. Really though we were all going to mildew– before the rain finally stopped.
