Baseball

When I were coming up baseball were real important to all of us. In the big leagues, most of us pulled for the St. Louis Cardinals. We loved Dizzy Dean when he was pitching and when he got hurt we loved to hear him talk on the radio. He didn't like to fly and often he were at the depot right here catching the train to Chicago or somewheres else. A notch down, were what we called semi-pro baseball. I had three uncles what played semi-pro and one year when I were six or seven they won the Mississippi state championship. They was all good and my mama said that at least one of 'em would have made the big leagues if it warn't for WWII. We didn't have no Little League back then, but we could get a game together in a few minutes on the school ground or church back lot. I were a fielder and were good at hitting. I warn't too good at throwing and had to practice a lot to throw straight from the outfield to the catcher. I reckon if I'd put my mind to it I could have been good as my uncles, but I liked the money I made at the Neighborhood Pantry
Grocery Store and spent all my time bagging up peoples meat and vegetables. Sometimes I wish I would have paid more attention to baseball.
Tomorrow: Football

How Me and Bethel Met

If y'all want to go back to the September 14th post, you can see the story I used to tell about how me and Bethel first met. This warn't a true story and I just told it to fun around with Bethel. We really met when Bethel come in to Harper to stay with her grandparents. Her daddy were sent off to the Pacific with the navy and her mama went to a town in Louisiana to work in a munitions plant. Bethel were a couple of years younger'n me, but was only one grade behind me. I had to repeat the second grade because I had the mumps, two kinds of measles, and double pneumonia all in one year. I don't think I had any disease after that. I just had 'em all in one year. Bethel were real smart and I walked her home from school a few days after I met her and ever day after that until I dropped out in grade seven and one-half. It warn't too long till Bethel were helping me with my homework. She had me using real good grammar and talking right. You see, my folks all talked better English than  me, but it was all my storytelling and going hunting with my friends what got me talking like I do. I ain't gonna change. Ain't got no reason to. If Bethel were still here I would. But she ain't. And that's a fact.
Tomorrow: Baseball

While Daddy Were Away

My daddy left for the war in Europe in late 1942. I were ten year old. When me and my mama come home from seeing him off on the train to New Orleans, we had our bags ready and moved out to live with mama's folks out in the country. Mama could have stayed at the big house, but she wanted to be close to her mama and daddy since her husband and two of her brothers was off afighting. We didn't know it then but daddy were sent to Italy. He wrote home about all the wonders of that land, but not right away cause they was just in Scilly at first, you know that island that the boot of Italy looks like it kicking on the map. He liked the food and he could say some Italian since he had lived with that Italian family in New Orleans when he were not married and were working on that oil rig out in the gulf. He already knew a lot of the songs they was singing there since he had a lot of them on records. Me and mama did not want for much during the war cause we had eggs and milk and meat from her daddy's farm. They even churned their own butter and could make more than one kind of cheese. They let me help and I learned a lot of good stuff about farming. Ever Sunday we would come in and go with daddy's folks to the Harper Lake Baptist Church. We kept in touch that way.
Tomorrow: How I Met Bethel

Troop Trains

One of my first memories of the trains was the soldiers riding to and from their duty. This started even before WWII. And boy, when the war really hit most of the cars was filled with military peoples. When my daddy went off, mama and me was there to send him on his way. Mama didn't shed a tear; she just stood there and watched the train till it were out of sight. Then we went home and begun our war days. Things was pretty tough, for we all was sharing in the war effort. We had to have a ration coupon before we could get anything and somethings didn't have no coupon cause there was what they called shortages. At school we had paper drives and metal drives (even toothpaste tubes was needed.) One of the big boys at school fooled me for a while telling me the peoples what collected the tubes would fill them back up with toothpaste, but my grandma told me different, so the next time I just laughed when he told me that like it were the funniest joke in the world. We couldn't always get a train ride when we needed it cause the soldier  boys had first shot. That's how it should be. We, mama and me, was there when daddy come home on a train. When he climbed down, the look on his face told me he warn't the same as when he left. And he never were the same again.
Tomorrow: While Daddy Were Away

The Panama Limited

You know how some things are just way out of your reach? That's how I always felt about the Panama Limited, a special train what run between New Orleans and Chicago. It were named back in 1911 for the Panama Canal and warn't nothing but pullman coaches and a club car and dining car. So unless somebody from Harper was heading to Chicago the Panama Limited warn't no use at all. This special train was cut out during the depression and come back in December of 1935 when I warn't but three year old. Now like I said my grandpa were a engineer and one day he come home and told my grandma to get ready they was going on a little trip. He wouldn't tell her what it was, but he said I could go if I were good. I reckon I were about six or seven then. Well we went down to the depot and stood there waiting. We both, grandma and me, thought we was just going to wave the super train by, but that warn't the surprise. When it stopped, grandpa told us to get on and we did. We went back into the club car. Peoples was drinking beer and whiskey drinks back there and grandma was upset at first, but grandpa told her to never mind and enjoy the ride. This porter fellow come back and told us to follow him. We did and ended up in the dining room, with white tablecloths and silver salt and pepper shakers. And we had what they called the King's Menu. I guess they meant if were fit for a king, but you know the funny thing, they didn't ask what we wanted. They just kept bringing stuff out: clam soup, green salad, some kinda flat fish, real big steak what were kinda red in the middle, all kinda vegetables, and pecan pie with ice cream. Grandma and grandpa coulda had wine if the would have wanted it. It were a day I won't forget. The Panama Limited don't run no more. Not that it would help me much, but I did enjoy waving it by and remembering my ride.

Jackson

Another place we went a lot on the train was Jackson. It's the state capital and we had to go there to see the doctor for my little brother. He had asthma back then. They said he'd out grow it and he did. The doctor we went to with him was in a big old house on State Street. I went with them back then because I liked to eat at the Mayflower. Ever now and then we would spend the night. We stayed at the Heidelberg Hotel on Capitol. They done tore it down now all 15 or 20 stories. Seems a shame to me cause we had such a good time staying there. We also stayed there when there was a football game in Jackson or for parades and such. I was always glad to get to go to Sears. I could have spent the whole day there. Another big thing in Jackson was the state fair. They had all kinds of rides and what my grandma and mother liked a lot was what they call the Grand Stand Show. I liked it a lot for all the dog and other animals, but not so much for the dance numbers. We all got a day off from school for the fair. It was in October and we got off whether we went or didn't. I went until I stopped school in grade seven and one-half. Then I kinda lost interest in a lot of things.
Tomorrow: The Panama Limited

Gwin Turn

Like I said, my grandpa were a engineer on the railroad. They had what they call a call-boy and he would get on his bicycle and come to the house of the engineer and let him know he was next to go out on a trip. It may be a trip to a city pretty far off and then the engineer would stay overnight in a hotel where a lot of railroad mens stayed. But the trip grandpa always liked to get was called the Gwin turn. It were a trip to this little town up yonder north of Jackson and a return trip right away, so there warn't no staying over night. My grandma loved that trip too. When grandpa would come in from his run, grandma would have a big supper ready for him. She would fix things like chicken and dumplings, fried chicken, skillet steak, and catfish fillets. Of course, she always had vegetables from out of her victory garden. I reckon it was just a garden until the war come up and they started calling it a victory garden. I liked the Gwin turn too, because it meant I could hear some of my grandpa's opera music. When he were out all we heard was Ernest Tubb and Kitty Wells.
Tomorrow: Jackson

Sugar Bowl

One of the place we would go on the train were to the Sugar Bowl Game in New Orleans. The first one I remember going to was in 1947. I were about fourteen year old. Georgia whooped North Carolina. Over the years I went most ever year. We would catch a early train down and get off at the Carrolton Avenue Station and catch a streetcar to some street where we had to walk from. They had more peoples at them games than I ever seen. After the game we went to this little cafe; it warn't one of them famous restaurants you hear about, but New Orleans is full of good places to eat. I used to like to eat raw oysters a lot and this little place had three mens at the counter shucking 'em as fast as they could. What made them so good was this hot sauce you put on 'em. The story about a man tying a string on a oyster and swallowing it and pulling it back and swallowing it over and over again just ain't true. Makes a good story though. After I got married to Bethel and was called up to Korea, I ain't never been back to the Sugar Bowl. Now I just watch it on TV.
Tomorrow: Gwin Turn

Going Places on the Train

When I was a young'n we got a pass to ride the trains for free because my daddy worked for the railroad. This were during the depression when we didn't have the money to take advantage of this benefit. We did go to Jackson to visit a doctor what was good with children, for my little brother with asthma, and my mama would take us to New Orleans to visit a lady friend of hers whose husband worked for the railroad down there. We got to see the zoo and what they called the dueling oaks in City Park. They had these little boats that peoples would sit in and both paddle like riding a bicycle. My mama's friend was from a big Italian family down there and they would have the greatest picnics you ever seen. They had stuff to eat I never had heard of like Sarah Heartburn cakes and what they called wop salad. My mama told me I shouldn't call it that, that was only a name they could use. My cousin who was about eight years younger than me once rode the train all the way to Tucson, Arizona. He come back talking about cactus tall as pine trees, purple mountains, and deserts as far as you could see. It made me really want to go out there. I remember back then when I would see clouds way off in the distance just above where the earth met the sky, I would play like they was mountains. It kinda worked if I really used my 'magination.
Tomorrow: Sugar Bowl

The Caboose

That little red car on the end of freight trains is called a caboose. You may not see many these days, but when I were a small boy they was ever where. The caboose was real useful back in the day for that's where the train workers would go to do paperwork, fix their food, and rest. Sometimes they would sleep there on long trips and sometimes a crew would live there when they was out fixing a section of track or taking care of a wreck. I remember a man who would go out with these wreck crews and feed them. He owned a real good restaurant where we would go eat from time to time. I always got the chicken fried steak. I hear'd tell that mens would get all excited when a wreck was announced because they got to eat his good cooking. In the town in the next county, where the railroad shops used to be, they has a museum. Outside the museum you can see a big train engine and a caboose. I may, at a later date, give you a website where y'all can look at pictures of the railroad museum. They has a picture of my grandma when she was attending a ladies' meeting of some sort. She was all dressed up like it was a real big deal.
Tomorrow: Going Places on the Train

The Railroad Storehouse

Now that I think about it, it was called the storeroom, not storehouse, but it were more of a house though.
Why I know about it, my daddy worked there before he went off to WWII. I was a little fellow and my daddy would load me up in this little A model Ford he drove. It had a wood part on the back my daddy built what he used to carry groceries, caught-fish, shot-birds and rabbits, and other things that needed hauling, and off we would go to his 3 to 11 shift. He worked in the office and when a worker needed a part Daddy would have him write out his order and then all three of us would go back and find what was needed. The storeroom was at least a city block long and half a block across. When things warn't busy Daddy would let me wander all over the place long as I stayed inside. They had all kinds of steel rods, screws, bolt and washers, big engine parts, batteries, light bulbs, and my favorite thing of all fusees (them things you could strike real hard against something and it would light up like nothing you ever seen, so
railroad mens could warn others coming along if they was a wreck or something.) Outside they had barrels of oil and kerosine and Daddy would hold a jug under the spout and crank out a jugful for the worker.
I could use the typewriter and rearrange the paperweights as long as we was by ourselves. Back then I wanted to be a storeroom worker real bad, but when Daddy got called up I reckon I kinda forgot about it.
Tomorrow: The Caboose

Watching Grandpa Pass From Coney's Grill

I think y'all remember me telling y'all Harper was a railroad town. That's because a bunch of the people who lives here works for the railroad. The town where the railroad shops is located is about ten miles from here in a different county. So when grandpa was scheduled to come through Harper on his way to the getting off place, me and my grandma would go down to this place called Coney's Grill to watch him pass by. Coney's warn't a real classy place, as I remember, but it had outside tables where peoples ate when the weather were good. You had to buy something to sit there so grandma would get me a hotdog and a coke and she would just get herself a RC Cola (that were her favorite drink) and we would take our place outside and wait. The railroad tracks ran just a few feet from this waist-high wall old man Coney had built so we could see real good. When the train passed us grandpa would blow the whistle, stick his head out the window, and wave like crazy. I was just a little fellow and it gave me a thrill ever time grandma took me to Coney's.
Tomorrow: The Railroad Storehouse

The Roundhouse

Like I said my grandpa was a engineer on the railroad. Back during the depression when I was just coming up, he taken me down to the railroad shops where he got on his trains. Right in the middle they had this big house they called it the roundhouse because it were as round as could be. Inside the roundhouse were this big table with tracks on it. They was eight or so tracks coming from all directions up to the turntable and grandpa and me was on the engine and pulled up on one set of tracks. They had the table set to take us on it and we proceeded to move right on, so neither the front nor rear of the engine was sticking off. Then this man who was the turner pushed some levers and the table turned until we got to another set of tracks. Grandpa got the signal that we was set and put that engine to chugging its way off that table and out of the roundhouse headed in a whole different direction. He stopped the engine and took me down to grandma who taken me off toward the depot. We watched grandpa back that engine up till he connected with a whole bunch of railway car that was just waiting for him. I must have been five or six and I'll never forget it.
Tomorrow: Watching Grandpa Pass Coney's Grill

Railroad Memories

I grew up in a railroad town. Why, Harper wouldn't even be here if it warn't for the railroad. The tracks warn't more than a block a way from the big house and ever day the freight trains would come rushing by throwing cinders and black smoke behind them. We kids would come in at night with the soles of our feets as black as smut and it took a heap of scrubbing to get 'em clean. We used Lava Soap and a stiff brush and still it took a long time till mama was satisfied that we could get into bed. I can't remember the train keeping me awake a night. We used to laugh and talk about how we would probably wake up if a train didn't pass by on time. I don't reckon that was the case cause they couldn't all have been on time. My grandaddy were a engineer on freight trains. Sometimes he had to stay over in a distant trip, but one run call the Guin turn got him back home for the night. He loved the Guin turn and got it as much as he could. My daddy worked for the railroad for a while until he got called up for WWII. I would have probably been a railroad man myself except for Korea. The railroad was a big part of our life.
Tomorrow: The Roundhouse

We Take Miz Mildred to Massengill's Nursing Home

If anything would seal my wish to die with my boots on, it would be my visit to the nursing home. We, me and Dorothy, was taking her mama there to stay for who knows how long. The thing what first hit me was the smells. They kept changing from pee smells, to poo smells, to the worse smell of all: the smell of the stuff they was spraying all around to cover up the other smells. It took about an hour just to get her checked in and all that while she was sitting in a wheelchair with no things to hold up her feets. I could tell she was real down about being shipped off to this perfume parlor, but I couldn't think of a thing to say to make her feel better.
We finally got her to her room and it warn't too bad. When she was in her bed she seemed to be more at home with the circumstances. We stayed until her supper come. It warn't too delicious looking compared to what Dorothy puts out. As we was leaving Miz Mildred didn't want to let go of Dorothy's hand and she said in a pitiful voice, "Y'all will come back to see me, won't you." Dorothy was a little taken back and she said, "Of course, mama." On the way home I seen all these valentine pictures in the store windows and I pulled in to the Hot-Digidy-Dog and bought Dorothy a nice valentine supper.
Tomorrow: Railroad Memories

Dorothy's Mama Takes for the Worse

Dorothy's mama must be close to ninety or older. She's been sickly ever since I has knowed her. One day Dorothy told me her mama had had ever test known to medical science except for a autopsy. Her mama, Miz Mildred, had what they call hypercondorea, that means she ain't always as sick as she thinks she is. But this time she really is sick. She can't get out of bed and she has a lot of trouble breathing. Her doctor, Doctor Massengill, is pretty nigh ninety too, but she wouldn't have no other doctor for nothing. Anyway, Dr. Massengill say Miz Mildred needs to be put in his nursing home, so she can get round the clock care. Dorothy don't want to put her there, but she may not have no choice cause the woman who takes care of her while Dorothy works is getting old too. When Dorothy come home last she found a pot on the stove with nothing in it and the fire underneath was going full blast. Dorothy figured the old woman were trying to boil water and forgot what she were doing. I reckon the writing is on the wall for Miz Mildred, the nursing home wall that is.
Tomorrow: We Take Miz Mildred to Massengill's Nursing Home

I Solve the Plowing Problem

After them Jackson's told me they warn't gonna plow my little space for a garden; I come home, hitched up my old mule, and taken the job of plowing upon myself. It didn't take but a piece of the afternoon including the hitching and unhitching of my mule. I come in and ate me a big supper what Dorothy sent over from her cafe, read a little out of the King James Bible, and got me a real good night's sleep. The next morning I got in my truck and drove down to Harper Bank and Trust and writ me a check for one-hundred dollars which I put in my savings account. That was the best money I ever earned, or spent. I want all y'all to know I don't care if Jasper Jackson and his family don't want to work. I just don't want to be paying nothing toward them not working.
Tomorrow: Dorothy's Mama Takes for the Worse

The Man With the War on Poverty

Years ago I was walking down to the bus station. That's where I sit out front and whittle with my friends.
Well, this fellow pulls up besides me in this great, big car. He rolled the window down and air conditioning along with smoke from his big cigar slapped me in the face. His radio was playing real loud. In this booming yankee voice he asked me whar he could find Jasper Jackson. When I hesitated he told me he was here to help Jasper. "You see I'm in the war against poverty." I looked over his fine automobile and fancy suit and I told him I had no doubt he'd already won. Jasper Jackson and all his kids is just the kind of folks that does stand in line: the welfare line, food line, soup line; ever kind of line except the employment line. I hear'd one time they was in bad shape and in need of food. So I went over and asked Jasper if he was willing to plow a little space whar I were gonna plant me a garden. He said he didn't reckon he would have time to do that since he needed to stay at home in case opportunity knocked. I told him it just did and he said he was talking about a bigger opportunity. Then I asked him if any of his boys (he got six) would want to take on the job. He said he didn't reckon they could cause none of 'em could plant a straight line. I said warn't no problem with that cause my old mule knew what to do. All they had to do was say whoa at the end of the row. Jasper said they still couldn't do it cause the was all afraid of mules. Then I told him they was afraid of work too; all of 'em including Jasper.
Tomorrow: I Solve the Plowing Problem

Harvey Lee Takes a Stand (sorta)

A fellow asked me something the other day what's been bothering me ever since. He said he had heard a whole bunch of my stories over the years and he couldn't figure out what I stood for. Well, I told him I didn't stand for nothing much outside of the National Anthem and when the preacher told me to. He said naw, naw, naw, what I want to know is if you is a Democrat or a Republican. You shoulda seen the look on his face when I told him I warn't neither. He said you got to be one or the other cause ever body else is.
And I said didn't matter to me, I warn't neither one. Now, I do vote, but ain't nobody gonna know who or what I vote for. I will say that I votes for whoever or whatever I feel like is gonna leave me alone. I heard in a speech one time a fellow said, "The ten most feared words in the American language is: I'm from the government and I'm here to help you." Now that's something I believes in. And so does Willie.
Tomorrow: The Man with the War on Poverty

Me and Willie Go Fishing

Me and Willie ain't got together to fish in about a month, what with me going to England and the weather and all. Well, this morning I got up about 5 o'clock and met Willie at Dorothy's Cafe around 6:15. She was already jumping around the kitchen making up stuff. Soon as we sat down, here she come with our coffee and right after that she brung me my pancakes with real butter and molasses and a side of bacon. She brung Willie his three eggs over easy, sausage patties, cheese grits, biscuits, real butter, and molasses. She already knowed what we wanted. After we ate, we took out down to the lake and set out in Willie's boat for a day of fun and fishing. Me and Willie don't talk much politics because neither one of us believes in either party.
We was funning around one day and decided we belonged to the LUA party. That stands for Leave Us Alone. Both of us feels we have done real good as long as the government stayed out of our way. Of course, I do get my oil money, but Willie has sent all his kids through college and they all doing just fine.
A lot of them got scholarships because they was good in sports or other things, but anyhow they all finished up and is doing good. Willie and me was laughing about that fellow what asked me what I stood for. I'm gonna tell about that tomorrow. We caught a mess of fish and had a real great day.
Tomorrow: Harvey Lee Takes a Stand (sorta)

Me and Hollis Talk About England

Hollis come over today and me and him went over our trip to England. I had to thank him for keeping after me till I finally went. He asked me if I wanted to go other places with him and I said I didn't reckon I needed to go no place right now. But I will probably be more apt to travel since I found out how much I can learn just from taking a trip. Even after I got back I was still learning. Y'all know I dropped out of school in grade seven and a half, so I missed a lot of stuff. Well, Hollis told me that when I heard that tour guide tell the story of Henry D Yates and his wife Anbow Lynn; she was really saying Henry the Eighth and his wife Anne Bullen (that's the way Shakespeare spelled it.) That's alright. I don't mind being ignorant, cause that just means it's just something you ain't learned yet; being stupid means you probably ain't never gonna learn it. We went over our good times: on the Isle of Wight, Rye, Oxford, Dover, Stonehenge, and all them other places including London. I been telling Dorothy about it and she said she wanted me to take her since I knew my way around so good. I didn't tell her about getting lost in London and having to get that nice lady from Dublin, Georgia, who was over there buying a dining room table, to show me the way to go home.
Tomorrow: Me and Willie Go Fishing

Fun, Fun, Fun

Like I said, I ain't give a lot of parties in my life. Hollis and Dorothy really did most of the work. I just greeted the peoples and took their coats and stuff (it's real cold here right now.) Hollis brung in a giant TV, I think it was 60 something inches. The picture was clear as could be and it looked like them Packers and Steelers was running right out of that screen and into my house. While me and Hollis was in England, Dorothy and Willie's wife come over and turned one of the rooms on the back of the house into what they call the den. It has a big fireplace and a bunch of windows looking right out on the lake. We had four or five kinds of beer for them that drinks it and it was alright to bring a bottle of hard stuff if you wanted to go out on the back porch and mix a drink or just take a snort. I don't drink none of that stuff. You can read back where I come home from Korea drinking and mistreating my sweet wife and kids, if you want to. Dorothy made her special chili and had green onions, sour cream, a mix of cheeses, and avocado to go in it. She made her special cole slaw. Some of the guests brung a bunch of different kinds of dips with several kinds of chips and sliced up vegetables. And best of all Hollis brung over his green egg and starting early in the day, made up a fine bar-b-que pork. Dorothy had made her real good sauce. One of the peoples brung over a chocolate brownie dish. We ate and cheered till we was pure wore out. In case y'all don't know the Green Bay Packers won. But it didn't matter to me, we was having so much fun.
Tomorrow: Me and Hollis Talk About England

Super Bowl Party

I was gonna tell about Hollis and me going over our England trip, but I'm gonna have to put it off a few days. We giving a Super Bowl party (me and Hollis and Dorothy.) Hollis brung home a great big TV and had the satellite company come out and hook it up for what they call High Drift. It makes the picture real clear. You can see the blades of grass on a football field. Dorothy has made her special chili and is serving all sorts of good stuff. Tomorrow I'll tell you all about it, but I gotta run now cause peoples is sposed to be getting here any minute. This is my first ever football party.
Tomorrow: Fun, Fun, Fun

Dorothy Sticks by Me

Somebody wrote a comment to me saying that Dorothy seems like a real good woman. I'm gonna have to tell you that is right. Back when my first wife Bethel was so sick, Dorothy brought meals over everyday from her mama's cafe. She warn't no more than about twelve years old then, but she showed up right regular. And after Bethel died Dorothy was right there giving me hugs and telling me everything was gonna be okay. And when my second wife got hit by that street car in New Orleans, it was Dorothy who come over and stayed with my kids while I was seeing to things. Even years later when Trixie run off with that tent preacher, Dorothy was there for me, telling me it were okay and I would be better off without Trixie in my hair. And now me and Dorothy is still best friends. She sees to it I got food and makes sure somebody comes over and keeps the big house clean. Somebody told me one time I better watch out cause Dorothy was just out to get my oil money. I almost punched 'em in the nose. If it had been a man I woulda too. But I just told that ole busy body, I just soon have my money go to Dorothy as anybody in the world, besides Dorothy just ain't in to money and all the things money could buy. She just ain't that way.
Tomorrow: Hollis and Me Go Over Our Trip

From Hollis:
Uncle Harvey Lee want to thank the person who commented on the Chicken Fried Steak and the difference in that and Country Fried Steak. He don't know the difference, but with Dorothy's permission, we are going to post some of Dorothy's famous recipes over the next few months. He hopes you all will enjoy them.

Dorothy

We iced in. It just ain't natural all this ice and snow in Southwest Mississippi. Why, when I was a boy if we seen snow once ever ten years it was something. They say it's gonna warm up. Dorothy didn't open the cafe today. She had to close it twice last year, but just for a day or two. I don't reckon I had much to say about Dorothy yet. She's a real important part of my life, but we ain't got no romance going or nothing like that. Dorothy lives with her mother who had a stroke about six years ago so she needs a lot of attention. And Dorothy is just the one to see to that. They got this woman Lawanda who comes in every day except Sunday and tends to Mrs. Smith. That's Dorothy's mother's name, Smith. Me and Dorothy been knowing each other since she was a little girl. She used to come into the grocery store where I worked stocking shelves and bagging groceries when I quit school in grade seven and one half. She warn't but a little girl come in holding her mama's hand or riding on the top of the cart. Her mama run the cafe back then. I reckon that's one reason we ain't got too romantic since I has knowed her when she was just a baby.
Tomorrow: Dorothy Sticks By Me

Dorothy Gives Trixie What For

I ain't never claimed Trixie had all her chickens in the coop, but she warn't what you might call dumb. Or so I thought. She made a big, bad mistake when she decided to take a meal at Dorothy's Cafe. At first Dorothy warn't going to say nothing, she were just gonna serve Trixie her Chicken Fried Steak with garlic mashed potatoes and snow peas. But Trixie, who had heard a little about me and Dorothy spending time together, just couldn't keep her mouth shut. She told Dorothy that I still was crazy about her and she figured I would soon be begging her to come back and live with me in the big house. Well that warn't a good thing to say. Dorothy got one of them styraphone boxes and walked over to Trixie's table and commenced to dump everything off Trixie's plate in to the styraphone and wrote on it with a magical marker these words: For Take Out Only--Now And Forevermore. Trixie jumped up and started to complain, but them that seen it said Dorothy was standing over Trixie and looked about eight feet tall to Trixie's five foot four. I expect Trixie to be leaving soon.
Tomorrow: Dorothy

Storms, Cold, and Trixie

Yesterday we had storms. I mean real high wind that sent raindrops bouncing against the windows of the big house what faces the lake. Today it turned off cold. Colder than it was while we was in England. Huh?
It won't last long though. I reckon it's sent by the Lord to keep us from getting too smug about our good weather. Smug, that's a word Dorothy uses a lot. Mostly about other womens but sometimes men too. Trixie is staying down at the lake house. It ain't but a mile away, but she ain't got no car and I know she ain't gonna walk a mile to get up here. That makes me feel better. She got something on her mind about working me over and getting me to take her back. I know it's just to keep her in food, shelter, and money.
Dorothy is a little miffed about her staying down yonder. That's the word she used miffed and I could tell by the look in her eyes it warn't no good thing. I can feel the steam building up in Dorothy. She is a real easy to get along with woman, but if a thing ain't right by her estimation she's libel to boil over.
Tomorrow: Dorothy Give Trixie What For

Hollis now reading: "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest"

Trixie Fills Me In

I can't say I thought a lot about Trixie since she run off with that tent preacher. I was kinda between: how could she do this to me and good riddance. Good riddance gradually took over the whole deal. So when I looked up and seen her walking across my yard wearing that lime green pants suit with orange shoes I kinda lost my breath for a second. What was she doing here? I soon found out. Last time she come home things hadn't worked out with that revival man and he packed up his tent and piano and leaflets and headed to Oklahoma. When she come back to Harper and tried to take up where she left off with me, I said no dice. Trixie went back to  Texas and taken up a job selling beer and whiskey to hard working men. I reckon I figured she warn't having no problem finding her a man, but I was wrong. Most of the mens had seen her handing out song books and taking up collection for her tent man and they were scared to fool with her. Kinda like getting struck by lightning or something. One new fellow in that town did try to get in with her and they went out one night and he got hit by a sixteen wheeler and was broke up real bad. He lived if that's what you want to call it. So this cemented the wall between Trixie and all the mens in town.
She had come running back to me wanting me to put her up for a while. Just till she got her feet on the ground. I come to a compromise with myself. I let her stay in the cabin while I was up at the big house.
Tomorrow: Storms, Cold, and Trixie

Hollis' funny name of the day:
Marge Enwright writes all over the page
(this concludes Hollis' funny names for a while. There are names left on my list, but they are rated "R" and Uncle Harvey Lee, even though he doesn't know what they mean, would not approve when I told him the nature of the humor. Sorry.)