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By Ruth Gadberry
So, what kind of weather did you have last week? Hot, of course, but that was the way it was all over our area. Did it rain and mess up your July 4th activities? There was some rain but not enough to please most people. One morning the folks in Stringtown got an inch of rain, but out Redden way JC only measured a quarter of an inch. Not enough to help a lot but it was appreciated anyway. Sunday while they were coming home from worship services it rained on them twice. Just a few drops one time and it rained pretty hard the next time but for only a jiffy and then it was over. It helped though, at least cooling the air a bit.
So, get ready for hot weather and lots of it. The rains are getting further and further apart and less and less in the rain gage. We’re in the midst of July now, and July and August are just about the hottest months of the summer. The weather people say we will have some dangerously hot weather this week and it looks like the rains are just about over for who knows how long. Before you know it, but don’t even think about that. It will be here sooner than you think.
JC and Ruth did enjoy a shower Monday afternoon. JC measured just over a half inch of rain but that was most welcome. Folks in Stringtown didn’t get that much. Well, they already had their turn.
It was hard to tell how many people were at worship services Sunday morning at Stringtown First Baptist Church. They were pretty well scattered out, observing the social distancing thing. Every other row of chairs had been removed and placed in the gym, which was opened up to sanctuary, giving much more room for the worshippers. A few people were wearing masks but the majority didn’t wear them. Should they decide everyone should wear masks, the people will respond to the instructions.
There were a lot of disappointed kids. The modified Falls Creek Youth Camp has been cancelled at the last minute. Why? Well, with the coronavirus count rising so quickly they thought it would be best not to take the kids to Falls Creek. Maybe next year kids. Some of you will be too old for camp next year. There is always something else. When one door closes, another door opens.
Someone commented that Preacher Joey’s sermons are even better since the coronavirus scare. Maybe, but maybe people are just listening better.
Yes, the virus continues on and on. It was thought by many that maybe the hot weather might slow or halt the virus but that hasn’t happened. In fact, more and more cases are reported every day. Places that had opened up have closed again. That hurts everybody. People are asked to stay at home as much as possible and to wear mask when they go shopping or to other places. Masks are mandatory some places and optional at other places. Some people do their best to observe the guidelines; wearing masks, washing their hands, staying home, social distancing, etc. Others seem to think, ‘it won’t hurt me!’ and go on about their business as usual. The numbers of those who test positive increase every day.
Did you hear the President’s speech Saturday night? The one from Mount Rushmore. He stated that he will protect our national monuments; they WILL NOT be torn down, destroyed, or desecrated! As one of the speakers, a retired military man said, ‘you can’t build tomorrow by destroying yesterday’. Those statues and monuments are a part of our history, like it or not. You just can’t destroy history! Who was it who said that if we fail history we’ll have to repeat it? History happened, but much of it we definitely don’t want to repeat.
By the way, why did they take Aunt Jimima away from us? That lovely lady has graced our tables for generations. Generations of people of all ages have enjoyed Aunt Jimima’s syrup on their biscuits, cornbread, pancakes, waffles, and fingers and faces. Yes, lots of little sticky fingers and faces prove that even little children have enjoyed that tasty treat.
Another thing; can’t they bring back Uncle Remus? That gentleman from Days Gone By entertained generations of children with his delightful stories. Especially animal stories. Fortunate are the children whose parents still have copies of Uncle Remus and his wonderful stories and can read them to their children.
Back to the celebration from the White House lawn Saturday evening. Wasn’t the airplane fly over fantastic? First were the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds. Amazing! How those planes can fly in such close formation! You think they are almost touching each other while flying. The maneuvers they do? You just have to see it to believe it!
Many years ago when the Gadberry family lived in Duncanville, Texas, one of their neighbors was a pilot for the Blue Angels. That must have been way back in the early days of the Blue Angels.
Then they had all kinds of planes fly over. Military planes from every war since they invented planes. A brief history of each plane was given; size, load capacity; everything. JC enjoyed seeing the planes built by the aircraft company he worked for in Grand Prairie, Texas. Paratroopers, and helicopters, and, well, all sorts of things. It was great!
What did it cost for all those planes, helicopters, etc., to fly over? Well, so says the President, not as much as you’d think. See, all those pilots have a certain number of hours to complete as a part of their training. They were training in the skies over the White House!
Last week Ray came out and set out a climbing rose bush and three honeysuckle bushes for Ruth. Sunday evening he went out to water them for her. Guess what he found? Each of the honeysuckle bushes had been pulled up and laid beside the hole where they had been planted. The bush was laid at the same place by each of the holes, on the same side of the hole. The soft dirt Ray had put in the hole had been dug out. What happened? Who did it?
JC thought it might have been a raccoon. Roy voted for an armadillo. Anyway, Ray replanted the bushes and sprinkled chili powder and cayenne red pepper around the plant. Will that stop the critters who dug them up? Ruth said it would be just her luck to have a Mexican armadillo who would just slurp up the hot pepper and beg for more.
Is that a racist remark? Absolutely not! At least it didn’t offend Ray and he should know.
More neighbors and more squash! Wonderful! Gardens must be doing quite well this year. Ruth’s garden is quite small. She has three tomato plants and three pepper plants. The sissy peppers, not the hot kind. The tomatoes are in five gallon buckets and the peppers are in smaller buckets. They are setting by the ramp at the back door, where they get lots of sunshine but not the hot, hot late afternoon sun. They are doing great! Far better than any she has had since she quit planting them in the ground. The ground is just too far down to plant stuff so all her plants are grown in pots and buckets. Getting old; it does have its problems.
Anyway, she has lots of tomato blooms and some tiny little green tomatoes. She has already harvested several peppers and they, too, have lots of blooms.
Claude and Sassy, is that sign in your front yard for real? That you are selling your newly restored and decorated house? Well, that’s okay, as long as you don’t move away. Rumor has it that you will be moving back into the house where you’ve been camping while they did all the work on your house after the water heater flooded it big time. Well, that house has more barns and out buildings and that sort of thing. You won’t have so much lawn to mow will you? You won’t be close enough to the highway to see who is going by every day. Maybe that’s a good thing.
So, how did you celebrate Independence Day? At the lake? Cookouts? Fireworks? Visiting family and friends? Did you remember what occurred on July 4th, 1776? It might be good to get out your kid’s history books and just review the events of that great day. Thank Almighty God for our Independence!
Alberta loves fireworks but even she had her fill of fireworks Saturday night. They were visiting their kids in Ada and could just sit in the back yard and watch the fireworks. Did you say it was about an hour and a half that you watched? Exclaimed in wonder over each of them? You just can’t beat that!
Tuesday morning dawned cloudy with not a leaf wiggling on the trees. Still, with a promise of big time heat before the day was over. Also a promise of what is to come in the coming days of summer. If hot weather really can kill the coronavirus the next few weeks should take care of it.
God chooses people, not on their ability but on their availability. When we are available. He can take care of the ability part.