Twenty-eight minute hours

The year has raced past. If it is true the earth is spinning faster without signs of slowing, will we eventually have 28" hours. Would we get more done or less? Would a break still be 10"? Would the day end after twenty-four 28" hours or would we have over 48 hours in a day. I used to say I needed more time. Is that how we'd get it? I could read more, write more, eat more. Skip the eat more. Would it be easier to set aside an hour to garden, an hour to walk the dog, an hour to nap. Noooo! I want a 60" nap.

Could I visit more countries in December and learn how people celebrate the holidays? Would Denmark's Legos fall faster? Would Santa have enough time to deliver all the toys?

If the world continues to speed up, hours might shrink to a moment or less. Then what? The past, the present and the future would all happen at once. They already do. Unresolved issues sneak into today. Our thoughts wrapped in feelings go into the future to circle back with more of the same.

New Year's Eve we will walk through the lake of Violet Transmuting Flame to erase our unintentional errors for the year - the Grace of God at work. January 1st feels like a fresh start.

Whatever happens, my wish for you is: Peace in your Soul
Love in your Heart
and Plenty.

Enjoy the ride. Take care and God Bless.

Love,

Maeann

P.S. While I was writing this for you . . . there was an explosion in the kitchen. Uh, the eggs I was boiling got through before I did.


2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Christmas and an F2 in Clarksdale, MS

A week ago St. Paul's Methodist Church had an outside nativity with multiple scenes. Two hundred and seventy people drove through. I volunteered for a 30 minute slot and was assigned the position of the Announcing Angel. Oh, Goody, I hadn't been an angel since I was a child in Sunday School. My blog will not upload my pics. Imagine me in my down-filled winter coat and boots. The girls pulled a white cotton gown over my head, wrapped a gold scarf around my neck, attached tall wings with gold trimming and a halo. With outstretched arms, I looked up and smiled. It was a lovely experience. I wanted to keep the halo but they said I had to earn it.

Saturday, the 21st, was the shortest day of the year and the scariest! As they say in the South, You better hope you're prayed up. Mother Nature reminded us who was in charge when She sent an F2 tornado that had worked its way north leaving a fatality at Rena Lara, MS. The west and northwest sides of Clarksdale have the msot damage. Animals are good barometers. Ours were unconcerned. I took that as a positive. High winds raked our shingles up but the house stayed put and so did the pansies. A neighbor's tree fell in our backyard - minor, and the power was off about 12 hours.

There is widespread damage which includes huge uprooted trees at the cemetery behind our house and light poles leaning toward the road to Stovall. Coahoma County High School has roof and water damage. Our street was littered with branches and pecans - the silver lining. We're grateful it wasn't an F3, 4, or 5. Our hearts go out to all affected.

My wish for all is: Peace in your soul, love in your heart and Plenty.

Merry Christmas and may the New Year be your best ever!

Love,
Maeann

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

The Grinch vs Christmas

I tell myself, "Thank you Father for everything, I have no complaints whatsoever." It's been an effort lately, even though I know positive thoughts and feelings benefit me and negatives circle and bite.

I intended to blog every week, but I have not had internet for a month, and my computer still isn't right. For one thing, it repeats what I type - without my permission. My computer guru suspects I have one or more sticky keys. I love honey on my cereal, but I have not fed any to my keyboard.

My fb is sooooo slooooow. I send right-side up pics from my phone and they appear sideways on fb. People comment on them, but I can't find them to "try" to turn them to the right.

The Grinch did it: Someone out of the country tried to make a withdrawal from my bank account. Fortunately the Fraud Dept. caught it. They asked, "Did you charge this?"
"No"
"Have you been to the UK recently?"
"Nope," but my heart flutters at the prospect of travel. "When I go, you'll be notified."
These people need legitimate jobs. I'll put that on my prayer list. I didn't say Christmas list, there's no wishing, I'm taking action. Grinch be gone!

We wanted to go to the hills to cut a little tree, but Mother Nature decided otherwise. She sent rain that turned to ice. Here in the Deep South we don't have snow removal or scatter except for bridges. Improvise! I bought 6' of pine boughs at our Miss Dell's. They smelled so good I wore them home collar-style. Our creche sits`in the center on the tiny kitchen table by the window. That's Christmas.

May the Grinch not get a hold of your Christmas. May your holidays be wonderful and the New Year the best ever!

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

John Pritchard's new novel: Sailing to Alluvium

Mr. Pritchard was in Clarksdale last week promoting his new work, "Sailing to Alluvium". If you're familiar with his first, "Junior Ray", you'll find this, his third, very entertaining. "Yazoo Blues" is second. We especially enjoyed Junior's rendition of the story of Moses. Imagine it spoken by a Mississippi redneck with attitude and opinions he isn't shy about sharing. If you're easily offended by the language, skip the first and last words of the sentence and some of the word's middle. Not all of course, but that's the way it is here.

Gollee Moses

It all got started back a long while
When Pharaoh's daughter was swimmin in the Nile;
She looked in the bushes and saw a little chile
And said, "Gollee Moses!"

One day the Lord said Moses, you're the man
To lead all the Chillum to the Promise' Land.
Well, Moses struck out with Pharaoh at his heels,
Moses on foot, the Pharaoh on wheels.

When they got up to the Red Sea waters,
The chillun ast Moses, "What we gon do?"
And Moses told the Chillun, "Orders is orders,"
And the Chillun of Israel walked right through.
Well, Gollee Moses!

Weeelll, the army of Pharaoh followed after Moses,
But just fo' the waters covered up their noses
The whole army said: Gollee Moses!
Moses on a mountain top thinkin very hard,
Long come a cloud, and out jumped God,
Well, Gollee Moses!
The Lord put the Law in Moses' hand,
Said, Moses,tell the Chillun they better understand,
If they don't do what these things say,
I'll wipe out the world in half a day!"
Well, Gollee Moses!

Moses told the Lord, "It weren't none a me,
Just a big epidemic of iniquity!
I gave the Chillun your Ten Commandments,
And they come up with the First Ten Amendments!"
Well, Gollee Moses!

Moses come down bout an hour'n a half,
Found all the chillun round a golden calf;
He said, "Chillun, Chillun, what's goin on?"
They said, "Laughin, dancin, singin a song!"
Well, Gollee Moses.

Moses told the chillun, "Y'all make me mad,
jumpin round and actin bad,
But I'mo tell y'all one thing now:
You gonna get rid of that golden cow!"
Well, Goollee Moses!

From then on down to this very day,
When folks don't know just what to say,
They open their mouth and bug their eyes,
They take a deep breath and say with surprise"
GOLLEE MOSES!

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Cellar doors and sewers

Nebraska snow on the cellar door was entertainment for the cat, and the cat was entertainment for us. Late one moonlit night, we caught him slip sliding down it. He was having so much fun, he did it again and again. It was a winter of lots of snow, and he did lots of cellar door skiing.

We lived there a year, and I didn't go to the basement unless I absolutely had to. No one entered the house through the cellar door, that I'm aware of, but every time we planned to go to Omaha, which wasn't often, the sewer backed up. Was it afraid to be home alone? Trips were cancelled waiting for plumbers and cleaning up. Tree roots were blamed. Were they planning to climb the stairs, find us in our beds and strangle us? I'd best continue this in the daylight.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

The deer stand and the Book Thief

The conversation went like this: I’m going to work on my deer stand. You can come if you want.
Oh, it’s optional?
You don’t have to. Come on Buckshot.
All four feet are ready for anywhere he can run like wind and fire.
I’m thinking, I could sit in the truck and read.
I go. Buckshot rides in my lap. Our four-wheel drive squishes and squirms 2.3 miles on rain-soaked roads. Buckshot jumps out of the window to chase a jake turkey. It flies off. He goes only as far as the edge of the woods, comesback and runs alongside the truck. It must feel great to run wide open. He's good for a mile or two at 25 mph.
We stop at an enclosed, abandoned stand near the road. I can't wait to read some more of The Book Thief.
Here, he says. Take this window cleaner and newspapers, climb up there and wash the windows.
Rats! There goes my reading time.
He goes ahead with a sling blade to clear a path. At the foot of the ladder, I look almost straight up. No way! He put up 300’ towers. I'm afraid to climb ten rungs. I get no sympathy. Focus. Both hands and both feet are engaged one rung at a time. I get to the top and have to make a choice. Stay standing, grab the rickety door frame and step in, or go in on hands and knees. Hands and knees win.
Here’s the broom. Sweep it out while you’re there.
The stand is about 4’ by maybe 6’ with a lawn chair taking up half the space. My every move is calculated. Plexiglas scratches and does not clean to glass standards. I clean a pair of small glass windows from the inside and reach as far as I can to wash one of them on the outside. He will need a ladder to wash them. You notice, I slipped that job onto him. Two windows were shot out. Not surprising. If a big buck was visible from that direction, the windows were expendable.
We are remote, but still, a man on a bulldozer comes down the road and stops. He asks my guy if he can help him fix blah blah on the dozer.
Sure. He comes to the stand and yells up, I’ll be gone about five minutes.
News flash: Mississippi minutes are not 60 seconds long; they can be hours or days or longer. I fantasize being Rapunzel, but even on a good day, I don’t have enough hair to “let down” far enough for anyone to climb up.
His 5" turned into an hour. While climbing the ladder, his phone rings. He frowns and nods. We’ll be there in thirty minutes. Deer stand repairs are abandoned. We go back to camp and find company. There’s no leaving until all the b.s.ing is done and everybody’s had a beer, except me.
We finally head out, and we can’t find Buckshot. I feel like Chevy Chase’s wife in that goofy vacation movie. We go without him, a first. I bury myself in The Book Thief so I don't worry about him. Twenty-five miles later,we load the piece of machinery. More b.s.ing amongst the adolescent grownups. More beer and I’m driving back as the sun dives below the horizon. Buckshot is waiting on the doorstep. We’re glad. He’s ecstatic.
It’s pitch dark. The outside barrel stove is still hot. The neighbor comes over with a plate. I brought your supper: three hot pieces of barbecued chicken and fries. Yum! All is well.
The guys chat around the fire. I slip away to The Book Thief. Horribly depressing, inspiring, humbling, too. I wish Liesel had kissed Rudy. It had never occurred to me to write a story from the perspective of the Angel of Death. Nice work Markus Zusak.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Seven Chimneys Farm, Clarksdale, MS

Seven chimneys? Yes, seven. The original part of the house was built in 1848 for Colonel William J. Oldham. It's been updated several times, but it has not lost its charm. Before the levee, the MS River came close, which was ideal for loading timber and off loading supplies and passengers. The land around the home was the Stovall Plantation and birthplace of Blues icon Muddy Waters. A few miles north on #1 is Friars Point where County Music Star Conway Twitty was born. I love his "Hello Darling".

The barn is a new addition on the farm. Don't think animals, it's for workshops with a stage for musicians and presentations. Tom Frankllin and Beth Ann Fennelly read from their new book the "Tilted World". I look forward to reading it. We enjoyed a Barbeque after. The proceeds went to the P.O.R.C.H. Society: Preservation of Rural Cultural Heritage.

I mosied out to the bonfire. Guests were gathered around in porch rockers absorbing the warmth and chatting. The man to my right had a camera and an accent. I had to ask where he was from. "The Netherlands." He was photographing the Delta for a Dutch RV America article. The Delta is a popular destination nationally and internationally.

Photographer Magadalena Sole was there for her photography workshop. Google her. The things I see never looked as interesting. She shines capturing life in the now.

Make a reservsation for a Deep South experience.

SevenChimneysFarm.com

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Fire: The Mother of All Fear

I was mesmorized by the flames in the cast iron barrel stove. "Study the fire," our friend Dago urged.

Perched on the cast iron picnic bench, I let myself go into its mind. Primitive. Raw energy. Cleansing. Tall flames licked sticks, then hunkered down, got serious, and had their way with logs. I shuddered to think what they could do to a house, a car, a person. Suffocation or water could stop it, but it would sizzle resistence to its end. Maybe the smoke off it made designs like clouds make shapes. I didn't see what Dago did.

Fire has a purpose. Animals eat ashes for salt and minerals. Ashes and lye make soap. It kept us warm, heated our teakettle on the cookstove, and baked Mom's bread. She knew exactly how many cobs it took to make a perfect angel food cake. My first encounter with fire was when I was a pre-schooler. It was my job to reach into the cob basket and pick out those with kernels of corn left on. Mom lifted the stove lid for me to add cobs one at a time to "feed the fire," she said. All was well until I rested my wrist on the stove. Ouch!!! An inch by 3/4 inch blister shot up. I ran outside to show Daddy, slid face down in the mud, and peeled off my top layer of skin. I have a permanent ID on my left wrist. I learned respect for fire, and I continue to be educated by its blessings and dangers.

Each spring Daddy bought a hundred three-day old chicks and brought them home to the brooder house. Mom caught one and held it to my ear. Its cottony coat tickled me, and the chick talked to me, "Peep." Everyday I wanted to play with them. It wasn't long until they sprouted feathers and we couldn't catch them. One cold morning, Daddy looked out and saw too much smoke rising from the brooder house. He ran out to save them. Mom and I watched him carry the circular stove out and drop it in the snow. He came in breathless. No chicks died, but, the front fell off of his new leather jacket.

District #70 had a program every month. When I was nine, I broke my leg the first week of school and couldn't be in the program. Miss Anderson put a paper napkin bow in my hair, a candle in my hand, and stood me beside the piano. All went well until I turned my head and the napkin caught fire. Mom jumped out of the audience, ran to me, pulled the fire off my head and stomped it out. I was stunned but not hurt. She said when she saw me with the candle, she never took her eyes off me. Thank God!

The most disturbing fire was the one in our upstairs bedroom. Registers were opened to allow for heat rising off the oil stove. When our parents decided it wasn't enough, Daddy lit the fuel oil stove in our bedroom. It might not have bothered me, if I hadn't been able to see the flame through the glass on the front. I couldn't sleep. I was paralyzed. Somewhere in the deep recesses of my soul, I knew I'd been burned alive. A nightmare? My imagination? Or was it another time? another place? Wherever it came from, it is my mother of all fears.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Harry Truman's advice to parents

From At Knits End by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Harry Truman said, "I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.

"I have three daughters," he said, "and they all knit. The youngest knits with persistence; the middle one with a passion; and my eldest, now a teenager, wouldn't be caught dead with the needles in her hands. At first I thought it was because knitting wasn't 'hip enough' for her; then I thought she was worried about what her friends would think. Finally, I realized that she doesn't knit . . . because I do.

"I will remember that kids need to rebel to establish their own personalities, and that her rejection of knitting is nothing perosnal. I will also try not to rub it in she takes it back up in her twenties."

And that's my contribution to humor for today. Enjoy!

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Fear of city driving

Recounting fearful situations, driving in a big city was high on my list. I lived in Wahoo, NE and did not drive in Omaha until I was thirty. Of course I got lost and was scared to death. I asked for directions twice. Both times they were wrong. A nervous wreck, I finally make it to my destination. Now that I'm in MS, I frequently make the drive to NE in one day, all 800 miles of it. Those baby steps gave me the courage to tow a vehicle through Kansas City, St Louis, El Paso, Dallas, Nashville and Atlanta, to name a few.

Thirteen years ago today we bought a used forty foot motorhome. Talk about a challenge! The rear wheels are set forward, not close to the end like a bus. Too quick of a turn could wipe out a lane of traffic. I learned to drive it and by myself from Big Springs, TX to Tucson, AZ.

If I had stayed in my comfortable NE home, there's a lot I would have missed.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Fear: 1st in a Series

My pre-school years were spent in the country with my parents. I loved my upstairs east bedroom. Sunny mornings sunbeams streamed through my window all the way to my bed and bathed me in happy. It's one of my best childhood memories. One spring morning my peaceful waking was shattered when I heard loud, excited voices outside. I wanted to peek out the window, but I was too scared. The voices didn't stop. I huffed and puffed, climbed out of bed and stomped to the window, pulled the curtain back, and saw Dad clubing something. It moved. I screamed and yelled "Stop it!" through the closed window. I wanted to go down and make him stop, but what if Dad came after me? I threw myself on my bed and sobbed. If it was in his way, why didn't he just walk around it. He's bigger than it is. What can I do? I pounded my little fists into the pillow. What did the thing do to him?

Hours later my mother explained a snapping turtle was in our yard and it was dangerous. I wasn't satisfied. "Why didn't you just take it back where it came from? The mean red roosters don't like me. You don't do anything to them." I backed away from her attempt to comfort me. She didn't defend its life; would she defend mine? Would Dad?

What did I learn? Children relate what happens to something else as something that could happen to them. Mom and Dad had never done me wrong. I hoped they never would. At the time, I didn't know we ate the mean red roosters. Maybe that's why when I cook chicken, I also maked deviled eggs.

Tell us what you learned from your fear.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Pecans then and now

The 9/20/13 Clarksdale Press Register stated, "George Washington liked ‘Mississippi nuts so much he planted his own pecan grove at Mount Vernon and they are still producing.'

“Pecan trees were here before we were. The Algonquin called them ‘paccan,’ which means ‘food from a tree that is so hard, it needs to be cracked with a stone.’

“On a mid-nineteenth century Southern Louisiana plantation, Antione, a slave, grafted trees until he got a softer shell pecan. In 1876 the name ‘Centennial’ was given to the variety to commemorate the nation’s 100th anniversary.

“The U.S. produces over 80% of the world’s pecans. According to the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, the 2012 pecan crop totaled over 150,000 tons.

“Heaton Farm Manager Brian Fyfe said, ‘If Georgia doesn’t have a good crop, prices could be low.'

"The pecan price is also influenced by the international market. If China buys millions of pounds, the price rises.

“In the 1960’s Heaton’s planted two varieties: Desirable and Stuart variation. Customers can buy them in the shell, shelled, roasted or chocolate coated, to name a few." heaton-pecans.com

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Mississippi Sesame Crop

According to the 9/20/13 Clarksdale Press Register, Mississippi farms are planting sesame for the first time. “Thomas Jefferson said the sesame seed ‘is among the most valuable acquisitions our country has ever made.’”

I love them. We eat a lot of hummus with fresh veggies and sauté with it. I see them on hamburger buns and crackers. I’ve bought jars of toasted and plain for salads. Halva is worth traveling miles for. We bought it in the refrigerated section of a Middle Eastern store in Omaha, NE. Krysia and I would slice off tiny slivers and eat them unadorned. La Tourangelle Toasted Sesame Oil is in my cupboard. The label states, “Handcrafted in Japan with 270 years of tradition.” I could leave a bowl of oil out all the time. The fragrance strikes a deep note of satisfaction and reminds me of hot dry days, something we don’t have in Mississippi, simplicity, minimalism, natural fibers, dates and figs, huge tents with Persian rugs on the sand, Sultans, belly dancers, and camels - a mini-vacation.

CPR, "In Middle Eastern and Asian countries sesame seeds are a staple that is hand-picked. The US has few growers which requires importing 75%. McDonald’s is looking for American grown seed. Thanks to some recent engineering, a new variety of sesame that was developed around the turn of the last century now exists and this variety has a thicker pod that doesn’t easily break apart. They are drought tolerant, so it didn’t matter that the summer was long and dry. They can be harvested by machine."

One of the growers brought a sesame plant to church this morning. It stood about 4' high with numberous branches covered with pods about 4" apart. A pod has four chambers of 10 seeds each. He said he will harvest them with the same combine head he uses for soybeans.

Go growers! I am crossing my fingers and stacking up prayers for you.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Car Washers

Real car washers

my sweet friends

Ryker, Aja & Alec

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Nature Funnies

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Bears and Bait

North Central Arkansas

Note the dark spot

upper center

About an inch down

there's a 2' ledge

black bears walk

to their winter den

not now

closer to winter

Cubs are born

while the mother

sleeps

such a deal

Bears trapped with donuts
and collared

Some Canadians
use popcorn bait

An Alaskan hunter

used Oreos

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series



Laboring and Labor Day

America the beautiful!

Toe tickling cold!

Peaceful waters.

Wherever you are, a blessed Labor Day to you and yours.

Labor Day many years ago, my husband and I were painting the front of the house when my contractions started. With his help, I got off the scaffold and went to the hospital. Nothing happened! We waited. And waited. And waited some more. Eventually I was induced and waited some more. Baby came in time for breakfast. We named her Corrie after Corrie Ten Boom. She was worth the wait and still it.

The Midwest work ethic lives in my blood and bones. I love the feeling of accomplishment. I sleep better. Yesterday I declared war on dust and dirt and labored cleaning house. JB went dove hunting and came home with muddy boots. Oh, well, what's one more cleanup? Two cupboard's contents are organized! I'm working my way to the kitchen. We have closets, but no pantry or basement. Today I sorted a stack of handwritten notes. I could spends hours in a stationery store. Maybe you've received one of my handwritten notes. I like to send news, encouragement, thanks and congratulations. Crane cards and stationery are classy. So is wheat grass paper. I watch for artist's work transferred to cards and sometimes make my own.

Here in the Deep South, hunting is work. Yesterday I learned we now have an "alligator season". Ohhh!!!! An 11'3" gator was taken along the MS River about 15 miles from here. The man who told us was wearing a belt from the one his son got. We are currently in dove season. Our frig has bitty dove breasts soaking in salt water. They'll be marinated in Thousand Island or Zesty Italian dressing, wrapped in bacon and grilled. A couple of bites worth. And then in Nov., hunting season starts. Our guys are good providers. They work at it. It was 105 degrees in the truck yesterday. Buckshot opted not to go. So did I.

However you spent your day, I hope you are happy, healthy and safe.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Draped in Dog

Dog days of summer

motorhome lumbers

Buckshot scared

in my lap

head on my shoulder 

legs braced on mine

'tis better parked

at start finish line

Lafayette Springs Dirt Track

front row seats

Grandaughter Bertlee

agrees

a good time was had

by all

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Awesome Southern Pecan Pie

My friend Evelyn gave me this old Southern recipe:

Have all ingredients at room temperature

1 9" unbaked pie shell

1 cup halved or chopped pecans
1 Tablespoon flour
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt
1 cup of Green Label Karo Pancake Syrup
1 stick, 8 teaspoons, of butter

Place pecans in the bottom of the unbaked crust
Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the pecans
Bake pie on a cookie sheet
350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This was my first attempt at Southern Pecan Pie. I made four Friday and gave away three They were a hit. .

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Feet and Food on the Track

Our neighbor said I could have all the figs I wanted from their tree. I picked one and smelled it. It felt Middle Eastern, rich, exotic and reminiscent of ancient lands drier and hotter than MS. Sweet, seedy fruit melted in my mouth. Sigh! I could have eaten a dozen, but I knew what that'd do to my system. I gathered all I could reach, a mere twenty. Emeril Lagasse's recipe called for a cup of sugar. Mine were so sweet, I added half a cup to a rough pound and a half of fresh figs. Simmering shrank them. Their sweet fragrance had me sniffing the kettle often. The whole batch fit in a pint jar, well, almost, I tasted one  . . . or maybe it was three; the jar would have been too full. I think I'll save them for a special occasion. The jar rests at the back of the counter with my four and a half pints of pickled okra. Mom and Grandma would be proud I remember what they taught me about preserving.

I love soft, still, Southern mornings with dew on everything. Saturday morning I carried my "Our Corner Cottage" bag from Wahoo, NE to the Farmer's Market in Lyon, MS anticipating fresh veggies, canned jams and jellies and possibly a peach cobbler or some rare dessert I wouldn't make because I'd have to eat it myself. Just before the railroad crossing hump, I made a right turn beside the tracks. Shoppers were already coming away with bags and baskets; I hoped I wasn't too late.

Speckled butter beans were on my list. They are the size of a large Lima Bean with lighter flesh and spots. I think they have a more rounded flavor. Locals say they're so close to the ground they're hard to pick. I paid premium price for a pint. Purveyors had fresh jalapenos, green and red tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, sweet rolls, fig and peace jams, shelled purple hulled peas and more. I don't understand why some buyers prefer their peas in the shell rather than shelled out. They're the same price. ??? I bought two bags of speckled butter beans and left.

As an afterthought, I turned back to see if the bakery lady from TN had arrived. No. Then I noticed something odd. Have you ever seen a table backed right up to a railroad track? Bold, isn't it. The lady behind it had one foot on the rail. I don't remember ever hearing a train. I surveyed the second track and discovered a separated, bent out rail no train could use. Vendors are making good use of an abandoned location.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Nature's Surprises, Life in Picctures

Best friends Madchen and Schatzie riding high!

Is it a seal pup or a puppy?

 Madchen's summer address.

The silent pet - all that's left of Buckshot's blanket.

fat mice? 

Beside the MS River, a tree and it's happy.

I see a happy turtle. Aja sees a dragon. JB sees a bathmat - no imagination.

What a runaway drop of tea made on the kitchen table. Is it a what or a who?

A drop of coffee making love.

                                               The town of Alligator, MS.                                                                                      

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

The Fork's Life

Dedicated to Angela Levkoff whose Grandmother passed recently.

An heirloom
with its own stories
of foods forked

at Grandma's Sunday dinners

Crispy fried chicken

homegrown potatoes mashed and milk gravy
sweetcorn
picked and shucked Sunday morning

 lettuce
wilted with bacon, green onions

and a splash of vinegar

homemade buns

butter and honey

angelfood cake
real cream whipped

sliced, fresh garden strawberries

on top

and the things it heard . . .
the neighbor is in a family-way
markets are going down
so and so's kid stole the boss's tools
will he go to jail

it's job done
washed in hot soapy water
dried with a soft towel
tucked back in her silver chest

Grandma died
the silver chest laid untouched
until a granddaughter
lifted the lid
oohed and aahed
and took possession

the craftsman heated it

 intertwined the prongs
to make two hearts

and bent the handle

to go around her wrist

one more way
Granddaughter
holds Grandma close

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Mercury Retrograde - Keep a sense of humor!!!!!!

I've learned to keep a sense of humor when Mercury goes Retrograde. 6/26/13 thru 7/20/13. It's do over time. Annoying but not disastrous. The best advice is Keep a sense of humor! 

July 4th we went camping at a mini-lake with a dock that stretched half-way into the lake and two port-a-potties. Yah! Two fellows said they'd seen the very large three-legged alligator that lives there. We didn't. Thank goodness! However, the generator wouldn't work, which meant we didn't have electricity. The propane tank made more whooshing noise than fire. And short, rusty wires kept the outhouses wired shut!

We had a flat tire on the truck. We aired it and I headed home. About ten miles out I checked and the tire was flat again. I aired it to 35 psi and limped the rest of the way. The next morning the tire was flat with a hole as big as the end of my finger.

After careful editing, I UPS'd a letter. When I got home I discovered I hadn't completed the address. If it comes back, I'll do it over, thanks to Mercury Retrograde.

Yesterday I went out of town to pick up a car  and couldn't get its doors to unlock. One of the shop guys opened it. Okay, I'm good to go. The next time I tried to get in, I had to enter through the passenger door and climb over the console. That wasn't the cool look I wanted driving a flashy, two-door, black and white BMW with multiple buttons and switches, but I was laughing too hard to care. At the gas station I couldn't open either door. Dawn had to pump and pay for me. A hundred miles later I parked it at the owner's home and neither door would open. This car has security issues! Just as I was stretching to go out the window, I spotted a lock button on the console. It's situations like this that make extra laundry.

In spite of careful editing, I suspect there are clerical errors here, too:)

CamilleAlbrecht.com for more on Mercury Retrograde

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

July 4th Gunshot Celebrations

    image courtesy of nirots/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Clarksdale Press Register article 6/26/13

   "It's something that we've grown accustomed to during the last few years. The 4th of July and New Years being rung in by the sounds of gunshots mixed in with the bottle rockets, Black cats and Roman Candles. The sheriff's deputies and Clarksdale police officers alike will surely be chasing calls in the hundreds as citizens make reports concerning the celebratory sounds they are hearing next week.
   "Not that the geniuses that actually decide it's a good idea to fire weapons into the air are actually reading the newspaper, but hopefully others that can pass on this message, 'GUNSHOTS FIRED INTO THE AIR HAVE TO COME DOWN SOMEWHERE! THEY DON'T JUST DISAPPEAR!'
   "The bullets travel up to a mile into the air (depending on the angle) and fall back to the earth at terminal speed.
   "If we're lucky enough not to be hit by the returning bullets, they can still damage property and cause major repair bills.
   "We celebrate the 4th of July to honor those who had to fire guns in order to protect our freedoms. Don't dishonor them by firing yours needlessly."

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Drink Tea and Talk Nice

My friend, Evelyn, and I had a "tea for two" party at her house. I wore my new straw hat with the high crown, 4" sloping brim, and wide black ribbon with a flat bow, a long blue flax skirt and blue linen blouse. I felt "Southern". I don't remember what she wore. It's her complexion that catches my attention. It's to die for: peachy and without a single line.

Welcoming Petunias spilled out of front porch containers sharing their sweet summer fragrance on a hot spring afternoon.

Her cottage is decorated in white, crisp and subtle blues. I could live on her large screened-in porch with its swing and ceiling fan.

We "took" tea in her dining room. She served icy cold lemon and black tea. Refreshing! We shared cucumber sandwiches on savory sesame crackers with a smidge of sour cream and dill weed, and nibbled cold oven almond pound cake. We talked recipes, family and friendship. She brought out her latest commissioned needlepoint project. Over the years several churches have commissioned her to needlepoint kneeling bench pads and other projects. She paints free-hand on wooden eggs for any occasion, too. I celebrate her creativity!

Rose-like double impatience grace her shaded and fenced-in back yard of little paths between the monkey grass. There was "something" growing at every turn. Her green thumb is evident inside and out.

Lace-cap hydrangea centers remind me of elderberries that grew wild in
Nebraska. Grandma and I used to ride through the country side searching the ditches. It was a dusty job collecting them. All our efforts netted a few half-pints of jelly, but our time together was priceless.

Hydrangeas peeked around the corner of her house. So brilliantly colored, who could ignore them? I grew them in NE and saw houses surrounded with hydrangeas on Nantucket. They are voluptuous fresh and dry well.

We had a pleasant afternoon. A tea party represents a slower, kinder time. I'd like to have a cottage by the sea like Evelyn's, where I could drink tea with friends, retreat, read, write and rewrite to my heart's content and take walks on the beach. I'm putting it on my bucket list.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Paula Dean

I've been living in the Deep South for three years. To my surprise, I have witnessed the African-American population call each other by the forbidden "n" word. Where do whites line up to complain about being called "Honky and Georgia Cracker"?

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Master Sergeant Derrick V Washington retires

The 5/29/13 issue of The Clarksdale Press Register announced "Master Sergeant Derrick V. Washington is  to retire from the United States Marine Corp after 24 honorable years of Service. The ceremony will take place at Quantico Marine Base, Virginia May 30, 2013."  Google or Bing his name and find his list of degrees, campaigns and medals.

Master Sgt. Washington is a credit to his country, his family and community. I pray his life inspires our undirected youth.. Life exerts itself in poverty. There's nothing to do. Testosterone rages. Lines drawn. Guns drawn. Another young life is cut short.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

MS grown well-known actors

MS grows more than cotton.

Per the Clarksdale Press Register, the most famous Mississippian is Morgan Freeman.
Elvis is 2nd.
Oprah Winfrey is 3rd.
James Earl Jones is 4th.
Stella Stevens is 5th.
Sela Ward is 6th.
Parker Posey is 7th.
Gerald McRaney is 8th.
Cassi Davis is 9th.
M.C. Gainey is 10th.
Mary Ann Mobley, Gary Collins, Diane Ladd, Johnny McPhail, Joey Lauren Adams, Finn Carter, Lacey Chabert, John Dye, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Cynthia Geary, Garry Grubbs and Robert Earl Jones are also Mississippi actors.

I met Johnny McPhail at a local Tennessee Williams event. He was excited about his next movie. I stood right next to him and craned my neck. He's 6'4". Meeting Morgan Freeman is on my Bucket List.

2013 Red Convertible Travel SeriesClarksda

Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly's "Titled World"

According to The Clarksdale Press Register, "Tom Franklin and his poet wife, Beth Ann Fennelly, co-wrote the novel 'Titled World' set in the April 1927 MS Delta flood. He read a portion of it here last week."

Franklin said, "The tension of rising waters in the book provides an effective metaphor for rising human tensions."

CPR, "The size of the flood was the costliest disaster to ever hit the United States. It guaranteed widespread misery and hardship and those things provided the well-spring of concern. With so many people drowned and others displaced, there is no end to the possibility of stories. It inspired dozens of blues songs, William Alexander Perry's classic memoir 'Lanterns on the Levee',  and the novel 'Southern Cross the Dog' by Chinese-American Bill Cheng."

Clarksdale hosts at least one author a month promoting their new work. We are fortunate to have a grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation with support from the Delta Bridge Project, the Friends of the Library and KCP & L, and partnership with the Coahoma County Higher Education Center. Hors d'oeurves by Alexander Pretti & Co.

The MS River is six miles from us and held back by the Levee. Locals pay attention to the Helena, AR MS river stage. Excessive rains in Ohio and Illinois and up the Missouri keep us on our toes. The questions on everyone's mind is: Will it flood behind the Levee and how high? Do residents need to evacuate?

In 2011 the Hamburg, IA Missouri River Levee breech sliced off the Levee like meatloaf. The Missouri flows into the MS near St Louis. The Mighty MS is a force with a mind of its own. It bears watching.

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MS Delta Crud

pollen
pesticide
insecticide
h u m i d i t y
mine for breeze
Hack. Hack.
fever
chest rattle
diaphanous
antibiotics
cough suppressant
etc.
floaty days
spotty sleep
sweaty day and night

Yah for winter!

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Clarksdale, MS water table

This is a phenomena unheard of in NE. In Clarksdale the ground water level was so high, it heaved empty swimming pools out of the ground.

Thou shalt not poke a pipe in the ground, unless there's a pre-determined, proper place for the water to go.

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CROSS ROAD, author Christopher J. West

The story was inspired by the legend of the cross-roads in Clarksdale, MS, wherein a struggling musician sells his soul to Satan in exchange for talent and fame.

As a minister, Chris says, "If a person can truly 'sell' their soul, then supply and demand takes effect A person or entity that might want to own or possess your soul, if you will, may pay a high price for it."

The main goal of his story is, "No matter what happens to you, there's always redemption."

If someone sold their soul, how would they collect on it? Wouldn't they need another body to occupy? Would they push somebody out of theirs? Drugs and alcohol alter the mind opening the aura for anybody to walk in and take over. Is that what they'd do? What do you think?

For the record: "Hear Yee. Hear Yee. My soul is not for sale; I AM the Lord's."

West will read and sign books at the Carnegie Public Library at 4 pm today.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Remembering. Memorial Day 2013

We are One Nation Under God 

indivisible 

with liberty and justice for all.

 Remembering the many who gave their all
Appreciating their sacrifice and our freedom.

 Remembering the soldiers closest to my heart
scared, brave, courageous
 night sweats, malaria bouts, nightmares, regrets, guilt,
standing for the Pledge of Allegiance with hand over heart,
deep love of the USA

 Honoring the named,
the unknown who didn't come home
the families without closure

Remembering the far away and long ago
General Patton buried with his men

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Going home, coming home

Windows down, I inhaled the familiar scent of Nebraska soil. It will always be home. The rolling hills. Less humidity. Friendly faces. Warm welcomes. Hugs and back scratches. Visiting school and spending time with my young friends and their families. Watching baby squirrels play in my sister's tall trees. Filling my trunk with books to give away. Cooking with my sister and laughing lots. She made a cream cheese cake that didn't make it to the picnic. I made Southern cheese grits with shrimp they loved. I must return often; it fuels my soul.

Old Fashioned Cream Cake

I yellow cake mix
1 large egg or 2 smaller ones
1 stick of soft butter
   Mix and pat into a 9x13 pan or dish

Mix together:
3 eggs
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond flavoring
Spread over cake mixture in the pan

Bake 350 degrees, if a metal pan, 325 if glass, 30 to 40 minutes  The top should be slightly brown.
See how fast it disappears for you.

On my return to MS, I stopped in Nebraska City at the truck stop on I29  and sat at the counter for faster service. A breakfast burrito was delivered to the man on my far right. I only noticed because he was upset about the sliced black olives on top and refused to eat any of it.  Since I do not have "olive anxiety", I offered to take them. He relaxed and ate his burrito. I enjoyed my olive topped omelet while he talked and talked. Among his other problems, he hated boiled yellow squash, too, after having to eat it three times a day at the babysitters. The poor guy is a hostage of his negative feelings.

I took a side trip to visit friends at Mt Vernon, MO. Moore, OK, had already been demolished. We were in a new tornado warning and took refuge in a friend's basement. When Joplin, MO was destroyed by a tornado, x-rays from their hospital blew more than 30 miles into this Mt. Vernon yard. Our evening was uneventful. Thank God! As they say in the South, "You must have been prayed up."

Tornado warnings continued through Tuesday keeping me in Mt. Vernon an extra day. No problem! If you like fresh ground coffee, go to Keen Bean. Enjoy their pastries, sandwiches, soups and cold drinks, too  Eighth-grader Skylar and I made the cream-cheese cake that did not make it through the day, either. He made the chocolate and oatmeal boiled cookies, monkey bread and Alfredo. His little sister, Adalyn showed us all up by winning numerous games of UNO. Tawnya Krempges is near becoming a National Sales Director for Mary Kay. Go Tawnya! I love MK"s new "TimeWise Repair Volu-Firm". My face feels firmer in just a few days. What will months do? Contact me here or on facebook if you're interested in trying it.

New routes can be interesting, challenging, or just plain dull. In pre-dawn and light fog, I discovered Arkansas has mountains on its west side with high-off-the-ground bridges connecting them. It reminded me of driving in Belgium. I hugged the left lane here, too.

Mississippi greeted me with humidity that slows my steps, proof of mice in the house and two cats doing nothing about it.  I would prefer not to use poison. If you know of a saint who drives out mice, I'd appreciate the info.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Tomato Aspic Revival

Long ago, and far away, we cooked our veggies, except for cucumbers. I "heard" older women speak of  Tomato Aspic, but I wanted no part of olives and uncooked veggies in jello.Yuk! UnAmerican! If the veggies weren't cooked, I wouldn't eat them.

Life blessed me with all the things I didn't like or was afraid of. Ever curious, I asked a dear Southern friend what a Tomato Aspic was. She smiled wide. Her eyes dilated. Annabell sighed. "I haven't had it in years. I put baby shrimp and olives in mine." It wasn't on my bucket list, but for Annabel, I would try. 

I got busy being Methodist and made Tomato Aspic with Plan B to buy a cake from Kroger.  I added chopped green and yellow bell peppers, green and black olives, Bumblebee baby shrimp, blanched asparagus tips and a finely chopped vidalia onion. The inverted dish fit perfectly on the found-in-the-closet platter. I felt confident the presentation would please the eye first, and hoped the taste would come close to what they remembered. Drum roll! It was a hit! Ladies not only enjoyed it at dinner, they took servings home. I came home with nothing more than a lick left. 

Tomato Aspic

2 envelopes Knox Gelatin                               

½ cup V-8 Juice                                                               

2 ½ cups V-8 Juice

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp sugar

2 tsp. onion juice

2 tsp. vinegar

1/8 tsp. tobasco

Dissolve gelatin in 1/2 cup V-8. 

Heat 2 ½ cups V-8.

Ingredient options: artichoke hearts; asparagus; green or black olives; green and other peppers; celery; shrimp; or whatever you like.                                                                            

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate in a ring mold, muffin tins, 8 x 8 dish, or your choice. If you plan to invert it, grease the container first.

Cottage Cheese Topping

12 oz. cottage cheese

3 spring (green) onions chopped

¼ cup mayonnaise

1/8 tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. salt

Mix together

If you used a ring mold, place the topping in the center. If not, put it on the side or in a separate bowl. 

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

River banks are imaginary boundaries

Water boundaries. Wait a minute. Oh, we've diverted it for our use. Hmmm. Maybe that wasn't a good idea. If we let it "go home," so to speak, the MS Delta would be flooded from Cape Girardeau to the Gulf of Mexico. It already has 35', or more, of topsoil. Nebraska got here before I did.

The Missouri River begins in Montana and is the eastern boundary of Nebraska. Record rainfall created the worst flooding in North Dakota in 130 years in 2011. I don't know what this year's record is. Record snows in the Rockies have not yet melted. High water will continue moving southward for some time.

There is no place on this planet where there isn't "weather". We are all in this together. It is wise to help each other. We never know when we're going to need it.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Pinocchio

A Mexican woven decoration to the left. My handmade one to the right.

I bought Pinocchio in Italy where the author of Pinocchio, Carlo Collodi was inspired in 1880.

His first movie was 1940. Easily led astray by con-men, Pinocchio has a problem with right and wrong. Jiminy Cricket is his "official" conscience. He must be brave . Only when he proves himself deserving of the Blue Fairy's trust, and his father's love, will he become a real boy.

Mediterranean Chiavari Hotel so quiet Dali & I called it the "Dead Zone". We later learned Archaeologists were meeting there.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Memory Malfunction: the elephant and I

photo by Leroy & Alice Patocka-Fortner in Zimbabwe, Africa.

The elephant leaving the pool must have forgotten something. Me too. I published this picture and a short piece 10/27/09. Over the weekend I came across more information.

The community watering hole attracts sable, impala, bush buck and giraffe. Other visitors needing a sip, slurp or splash are oribi (small tan-colored antelope), zebra, leopard, hyena, eland and blue wildebeest. Wild hogs, baboons, monkeys, warthogs and guinea fowl join the fray. And there are probably other species as well.

Not only do they all come to drink, they bathe, pee and poop in the water. Natives come to wash their clothes and hang them on bushes to dry. Alice and Leroy's laundry was washed in well water, dried and ironed to kill the crud. Here at the pool vehicles are washed, and natives take water home for drinking and cooking. That about covers it.

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Civil War History

I don't know much about it. Nebraska didn't become a state until 1867. Gone With The Wind sticks in my mind as a story of people's resiliency and ingenuity, and a whole lot Rhett romance, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." And poor Scarlet, helpless as a rattlesnake.

In this week's Today in Mississippi, Walt Grayson addresses Mississippi's historical anniversaries. "...the 150th anniversary of the Vicksburg Campaign of the Civil war. Gen. U. S. Grant and 17,000 Union troops crossed over the MS River from Hard Times Landing, LA to Bruinsburg, MS."

"It's also the 200th anniversary of Andrew Jackson's march down the Natchez Trace with his TN Volunteers, hoping to get to the British at New Orleans. And he was following Rachel Robards, a Nashville divorcee, to Springfield Plantation, west of Fayette, where she was staying with family and friends. If you know your history, you know they eventually married and he was elected President. (I just learned that.) The plantation is still standing and will be open for tours occasionally during some of the Natchez pilgrimages."

We had cheese grits and shrimp at noon, and now I'm hungry for MS history.

Walt Grayson is the host of "Mississippi Roads" on MS Public Broadcasting TV, and the author of two "Looking Around Mississippi" books and "Oh! That Reminds Me: More Mississippi Homegrown Stories.     Contact him at walt@waltgrayson.com

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Winter in May

The air is charged with anxiety. May is not warming, it's more wet winter. Will it flood? When will it quit raining? Is the snow ever going to stop?

We're grateful we live about 20' higher than the creek to the north of our house. Behind the Levee is another matter. Camps are evacuated. Houses that were raised 17' after 2011 hope they are high enough. Excessive snow melt and rain flow into the MS River could produce flooding for months to come. Farmers aren't able to get into their fields. The mettle of us all is being tested. It's a knee-bender. I am reminded no problem is bigger than God. And being the all powerful, all knowing, everywhere at once Creator, it makes sense to me to align with it rather than do it my own.

I overheard two ladies talking about the "end times" being near. When I was a child, I heard on the radio that people were taking refuge in US mountain caves anticipating "the end".  It raised concerns in my young heart. How come we weren't told? What are we supposed to do? I took note of how many months until "it" was supposed to happen. It didn't. The earth didn't turn inside out. I wondered if the cave-hiders were surprised or embarrassed. That's not to say it couldn't happen some day. Nebraska has been a desert. Large animal bones similar to African species have been found in north central Nebraska. And Nebraska has been part of a large inland lake.

When I hiked the Grand Canyon, I studied nature's cupboard of resting fossils. Saltwater seashells, fresh water fish skeletons, flowers and petrified wood are evidence earth's axis shift.

Whatever does or doesn't happen, I find it beneficial to my peace of mind to ask the Lord to take care of everything and put me where He needs me. In the South they say "You better hope you're prayed up!" I don't know where the water line is on that, but only God knows which prayer tips the scale.

Wishing you warm, sunny days, an unemployed snow scoop, rivers confined to their banks, and farmland  easily growing this year's crops.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

MS River on the move

Is winter finally coming to an end in Minnesota? When my sister lived in St. Paul, she said they had two seasons: shovel and swat.

Here in Clarksdale this past Wed, we had low temps, wind, rain and heavy cloud cover making everything seem winter dark .It reminded me of Scotland.  I compared it to November here and thought about Christmas shopping.

The MS river is rising about a foot a day. Locals are relocating whatever is movable from behind the Levee. We watch the Helena, AR gauge. At 4 pm today, it was at 37.74'. Next Wed. it is expected to hit 40': Take Action Stage. I did not see mention of 40' as the crest. With all the snow and rain up north, west and east, it could be an eventful summer. We've done what we can. Now we watch and wait.

2/21/1937 the river reached an all time high of 60.2' The all time low of -4.20' was 7/11/1988.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Chiropractic care

At a young age, I  became acquainted with the local "bone crusher".  The hogs had wrestled me for their five gallon bucket of food and knocked me down one too many times. Give me cattle care any day. I don't remember much about the treatment, but it opened my eyes to the idea there are a variety of ways to get things done.

Fast forward to the mid-eighties.  I stopped at a yellow light and the guy behind me didn't giving me a whiplash. I drove straight to my chiropractor in Wahoo. He determined the jolt had lifted my head off my axis and set it down crooked. He said it was his job to put my head on straight. Let's don't push it. I like me just the way I am.

Residue from the accident stayed with me for decades. I didn't like the cracking method of adjustment, but it was all there was. I'd ask if he had a to-go box in the event my head did snap off.

Fast forward to  2011. Lifting and moving and a slip on the ice left me walking with a cane. Dr. Alia McCoy of Delta Chiropractic, Clarksdale, MS, is a pediatric specialist, just what I needed, since I AM a big baby about adjustments. I am more than pleased with her treatments. She gives the kindest, gentlest adjustments I have ever had.  I no longer need to ask about a to-go box. I can go for long walks again. When I turn my head, my neck no longer sounds like I'm crunching potato chips. She adjusts my extremities. I haven't been in this good of shape for decades. If you are in the Clarksdale area and need help, call 662-627-7640 for an appointment with Dr. Alia or Dr. Patty and tell them Maeann sent you.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Geraldine Holly Collins Obit

Where I'm from, an obit might not make it to my blog. Ms. Geraldine's is a unique piece of Deep South history worth sharing. She passed on January 19, 2013. "She was born June 23, 1933 on The Logan Place in Coahoma, MS. She lived and worked on the P. F. Williams Plantation and later moved to Friars Point, MS, where she became the 'EPITOME' of a great wife, mother, and caregiver. She was a woman who was loved throughout the community. She was preceded in death by two sons and two daughters. She is survived by 8 sons and 9 daughters, 111 grandchildren, 155 great-grandchildren and 6 great-great-grandchildren."

The stories she could have told. I wish I could have visited with her.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Clarksdale, MS coming events

There is no end to celebrations in Clarksdale. About 20,000 people came from all over the world for the Juke Joint Festival. The weekend was a huge success. The sales tax alone is a huge boost to the city.

If you're looking for something to do, take notice, and call the Clarksdale Chamber of Commerce for more information: 662-627-7337

May 2013: Clarksdale Caravan Music Fest 
                    (Their link didn't work. Call above #0)

               
June 2013: Delta Jubilee  clarksdale-ms.com

August 2013: Sunflower River Blues Fest  sunflowerfest.org

October: Tennessee Williams Festival  coahomacc.edu/twilliams
                 I love the porch plays.

October: Pinetop Perkins Homecoming  hopsonplantation.com

October Hambone Festival  hambonefestival.com 

Should you be in a literary mood, there will undoubtedly be someone doing a book signing.
Jane Bennett Gaddy came last week with her latest Civil War book.

Make your reservations early, Clarksdale is a happening place. If I hadn't answered my door 14 years ago, I wouldn't be here to tell you about it. See you there!

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Love the Great Healer

In the January/February issue of Angels on Earth, editor, Colleen Hughes, commented about the joy of receiving a hand written letter. I love to send and receive them. They aren't limited to Valentine's Day, they're good for all occasions. Check out their link angelsonearth.org/valentine  Someone you know might like a love note from you today.

Love is mightier than fear.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

The Anti-Christ

I don't think it is a person. I think t's fear and the belief we are separate from God and each other.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Boston Marathon bombing

I long for the order and simplicity of Andy Griffith and Mayberry, USA; Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and cowboys in white hats.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Clarksdale,MS Juke Joint Festival

It's Juke Joint Festival Clarksdale, MS time. Google it. People are here from around the world to stay at Hopson's Shackup Inn shackupinn.com, mingle in the streets, listen to a one man band or a group, eat crawfish, barbecue, catfish, chiliburgers and more. We ate crawfish at Delta Amusement (Google it) and visited with a couple from Alabama. Meeting people is half the fun. I shucked out the leftover crawfish and took them home. This morning I made cheese grits with sauteed onion and green pepper, Ro*Tel and tails. Scrumptious!

Vendors are a source of inspiration. I commend other's creativity. Bryan Weems carves on Cypress knees. He and I agreed we see personalities in them where they grow in the water. He said, "When I pick up a piece of wood, it talks to me." Like Michael Angelo, he carves to let the woods spirit's image out. Three grown together knees stand shoulder to shoulder. Carved, they look like brothers. I'd love to have them in a garden. One carving about 30" tall had two tops. One is the face of Christ in fervent prayer. The other is his praying hands. Nice work. Bryan doesn't have a website yet. If you're interested, leave your contact information and I will pass it on to him.

Artist and Educator, Rosalind Wilcox (Google her) has a studio of original art in many styles and gorgeous handmade jewelry.

Sugar Coated is the new Hands and Feet Beauty Bar on Delta where 225 used to be. It has a soothing, classy feel. I wish them well. No website yet. 

For a listing of events, Google Clarksdale Chamber of Commerce. Maybe we'll see you next year.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

Cemetery Walk

This week we've had mist to drizzle to down pour. April is living up to her "showers" reputation - tears after March's bi-polar rant. This morning was foggy as the Blue Ridge Parkway. Fog lights lit the roadsides and driving was treacherous when last we traveled it.

Here at home I took my umbrella and went for a walk without boots and raincoat. Even though the day reminded me of Scotland, I was confident our drizzle would not turn to straight-line rain. There hasn't been a recent hurricane in the Gulf.

My destination was Oakhurst Cemetery. The drive curves around old, old oak trees. The recent graves were my priority. I wanted to see (with my mind's eye) who was dead and didn't know it. (Only the body dies. The soul doesn't skip a beat.) I touched each heart so they knew they were acknowledged and not alone. Heart to heart we conversed. Those who were ready to go "home", I took to the tall, wood carved double doors that open into the afterlife. The right door opened a sliver for them to enter. I did not. I have more work to do here.

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series