My goodness, the weeks sure do go by quickly. Last week saw 6 more genealogy packages go in the mail. Now I’m working on updating my father’s maternal ancestry from Vik-i-Sogn in Norway, which goes back to 1600. Three to four hours a day is normal as much information needs to be corroborated. Oh well, with this heat it gives me a good excuse to stay inside.
Randy has certainly kept busy with work, driving truck and putting up hay. If July and August are true to history the lawns, pastures and gardens will suffer as they are already doing so in June. I mentioned a few columns ago that it wouldn’t be long and we’d be praying for rain. Well, that time has come. We had a “threat” with some thunder boomers on Sunday midday and very early Monday, but no rain here.
I’ve been warned not to take the Hwy. 14 detour down to Goodhope and then on Hwy. 76 into Ava as the roadwork was not well planned or carried out. I heard that one vehicle went off the road with much damage to the vehicle (tires, wheels, bumper). So, I took road 519 as detour and all went well, only adding a few miles to the round trip. I try to avoid gravel roads although 519 is now being kept better than I’ve seen it in my 36 years here in the Ozarks. We don’t have the usual traffic on Hwy. 14 here on Dogwood Hill lately.
Back when Willie and I drove a farm pickup milk truck for Ronnie Nash, it seems we were on every gravel road in the area. Some were downright scary. We picked up a new Grade C dairy producer and tried to find the doggone place. After driving a long ways on a pasture down in Ozark County we discussed how embarrassed we would be if some farmer found us there. We turned around and went to the nearest farm back up on the gravel road, about a mile away, and we were told we needed to go further on that pasture, down to the creek and make a right turn on what these folk called a road. Rocky rough, very slow travel but, we found the dairy. Back in those days, we were hauling milk between milking our own cows and putting in some very long days, Willie wanted me with him when possible as so many dairies had gates to be opened and closed both entering and leaving the property. That is no longer allowed as access has to be clear. Anyhow, Ronnie Nash’s truck’s shotgun door didn’t work so I had to climb out the window to open the gates, regardless the weather. I sure couldn’t do anything like that these days!
Our son Ryan was visiting here from California in 1976 or 1977 and went on the milk route with Willie. The weather wasn’t pleasant and there was ice on the roads. As they were heading north on BB a vehicle coming toward the truck on a curve made an un-signaled left turn just feet away and Willie had to hit the brakes to keep from flattening this older driver. The milk truck slid into the ditch and flipped over on its side, causing Willie and Ryan to be piled up on each other. After this mishap, after the truck was righted and back on the road, Ryan came back to the farm. I can’t begin to recount the number of times some vehicle would pull in front of the milk truck when the truck was going the speed limit – and then that vehicle would go about 20 miles under the speed limit. For those who don’t know, the farm milk trucks don’t have any baffles in the tank so when the brakes are hit, the milk sloshes forward, back, forward, back, and the brakes give minimal control. Hint: Don’t pull out in front of any trucks!
We had an interesting Mass on Sunday as we honored Corpus Christi (The Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ). The priest prayed quite a bit in Latin. It has been a long time since that has happened. Membership was down a bit, mostly due to vacations, some due to road conditions. We offered a special prayer for Troy Stewart as he nears the end of this life.
Do not let your lips use words that Jesus would spurn!
From the desk of Jamey Herd:
Pleasant Ridge Baptist had good attendance for Church. Pastor Carl is teaching a class for the next few weeks on membership and becoming a Christian. We have seven to be baptized in the near future. Laveta and Susie had 10 young ones in Children’s Church with a couple of extra helpers, Angie and Trevor. The Children’s Church is working on a special program for this coming Sunday for the 4th. Also there will be a cookout BBQ in the afternoon in celebration of the 4th and our independence and freedom to worship the Lord.
It seems like the rains keep skirting our area. The earth is getting thirsty even after all the rain we received earlier this year.
Billy Joe and I attended a fish fry at First Baptist in Fair Grove this past Saturday. It was held in conjunction with the Fishers of Men and the Jericho Commission. A close friend does a prison ministry and is a fisherman and supplies a lot the fish for the fish fry. He invites us to attend every year.
Last Wednesday Sara & Jerry Paul, Billy Joe and I met with Kenneth and Joanne Lupton (from LaFayette, IN) for lunch at Kentucky Fried Chicken. Kenneth and Joanne were in the area for the Buchanan reunion. We had a very nice visit.
That is all the news from this side of the fence. God’s Blessing to each and everyone.
