Letters To Editor – Oct. 14, 2010
Community Sing-Along Promises To Be Great Fun For The Whole Family
To the Editor and to the Citizens of Yalobusha County:
The Water Valley Arts Council is sponsoring a Community Sing-Along. The daytime family-friendly event promises to be great fun at City Park (the park at the north end of town) this coming Saturday, Oct. 16 at 2:30. Bring the kids! The Sing-Along is a good way to introduce our children and grandchildren to the songs we love so much. If they get bored, the adjoining playground is there to amuse them while you belt out Sweet Home Alabama, How Great Thou Art, Hey Jude, and Sentimental Journey.
Mrs. Betty Hart will open the Sing-Along leading us in God Bless America. Our song leaders are the best! We’ll have great accompanists and even a drummer. There will be a couple of breaks for listening — to Gail Thompson singing a gospel solo and to four of your neighbors entertaining as a barbershop quartet. A Music Exchange board will offer space for posting notices of music teachers, pupils hunting for a music teacher, and musical “For Sale” items.
Bring a chair. The First Christian Church has offered to host us in case of rain.
Ya’ll come! Be part of something good.
Betsy Person
Here’s Hoping That You Don’t Get Too Floppy
Dear Betty,
I am sorry that you had to remind me that I had failed to renew my subscription to the Herald, without it life would be short one challenge: when will it arrive? That is not a complaint, just an observation. To compensate for my negligence you will find enclosed a check to cover same for the next year. I read in our local daily yesterday that if newspapers are too “floppy” they will not qualify for the special postal rate, so if you get too floppy and have to pay more postage please notify me and I will increase my payment.
I have a long list of news and requests, I really should write more often, so if it gets to be too lengthy for inclusion you can edit out some of it. I was delighted to have you give reference to Pear Honey (Herald 9/30/10). I lost the recipe I had from my mother (Frances Williamson Sissell) and had about despaired at finding another. Up here in New England they seem to have never heard of it despite having a wonderful variety of pears. I won’t request the pear peeler, but would appreciate a copy of the recipe, maybe the Herald will allow a little space to print it.
Pear Honey
5 lbs. Kiefier pears (2-2/3 cups pears equal 1 pound)
10 cups sugar
1 16 or 20 oz. can crushed pineapple
Peel pears, remove core and discard. Put pears through food grinder, using coarse blade. Combine fruit, sugar and pineapple. Cook until the mixture is thick and pears are clear. Pour into hot jars and seal. Makes 7 pints.
On personal notes, as most everyone knows, Chatham is part of the greater Cape Cod resort area. Yes, some of us are here all the time, but we are graced by many who come regularly or occasionally to enjoy the beauty and serenity of our “elbow”. The First United Methodist Church of Chatham has many of those visitors and seasonal resident. Among them is a couple by the name of Gerald and Mildred Mulhall who summer in Chatham, and winter in Como. They have restored Mildred’s family home. This summer we had for two weeks the pastor of First United Methodist Church in Oxford. I beg forgiveness for not remembering his name, but most of your readers will compensate for my bad memory.
They knew both the U.M. ministers in Water Valley, the Reverends Barry Dickerson and John Rhodes, whom I have never had the opportunity to meet. He could not place your august journalist, William P. Sissell, even though they live just down the road from Nannette and him. When I told him Bill taught Bible classes in the Batesville U.M. Church he was sure they had met. He knows well our cousin, The Reverend Mr. Kenneth Sissell, retired United Methodist minister who lives with his wife, Robbie, in Senatobia. He immediately referred to Kenneth as having been a “good pastor” everywhere he had served. This is exactly the phrase that is consistently used to refer to him. Whatever our reputation as clergy we like for folks to remember us as having pastored well.
I regret I was unsuccessful at reaching our transplant in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Jennifer Cofer Flanagan. If she still receives your paper, I send her husband and her my regards and best wishes for her continued good health.
I am amazed at your extensive travel. Forget exhausted vans and collisions, I am constantly concerned that one of these days the kudzu is going to reach out and grab you and they will never find you until the next ice age. That is a caution to take care and I send to all your readers added wishes that life will continue to be good.
Sincerely,
Bill
(Dr. William Earl Sissell, Jr., who is also a Reverend of Chatham, MA)