Azaleas and Pretty Girls

Me and Dorothy come down to the Lighted Azalea stuff they has in McComb. This were on Monday evening. The day what started out cloudy and cool turned off real pretty. Ever body brung their own chairs and circled around the pool. The pool was built way back in the 1920's and were designed for swimming, but they made a big mistake by putting the deep parts right in the middle and the shallow parts all the way around. I heard they had some drownings there when kids walked too far out and couldn't get back to the edge. Anyway now they use it for ceremonies and for just looking at. The Azalea Court were crowned here. They started with little first graders all dressed in suits and dresses. The young'ns walked all the way around the pool so ever body could get a good look. Then they had the court--boys and girls who had earned this special award. Couples walked around and the announcer told all about what they done in high school. Woowee!! Me and Dorothy couldn't believe how much they had got done in those short years of school. Some had to slow down their walk to get it all in. At the end they crowned the king and queen. They was spectacular!! After the parade of royalty we picked up our chairs and walked back to my truck. Then we rode around and looked at the lighted-up azaleas.
Tomorrow: Settling Down in Harper

Hollis' book read in 2010:
Slaughterhouse Five - Surviving POW camp, abduction on a flying saucer, a marriage of convenience, and other little ruts in the road of life.

Church and the Last Lunch

Sunday morning I met my Atlanta cousin at the Baptist Church. His brother, my cousin who lives just down the road from me, teaches a Sunday school class there. Next we went to the Methodist Church where the class was meeting to worship together. During the service a cat came in and were walking right up the aisle. One of the usher mens gathered him up and took him out. I ain't been a lot to the Methodist Church, but it ain't a much different from the others.
Next we met for lunch at a local restaurant. There must have been more'n fifty peoples waiting to eat there. I ain't eat there in years, but were looking forward to it, so I waited with the group. We was finally seated at this big round table with the middle part made to turn around to present different things to eat right in front of you. When you wanted something you was supposed to take the dish off and put it between you and a person next to you. They had fried chicken, ham, beans, peas, squash, greens, fried eggplant, and a bunch of other good things to eat. I'll bet they had at least ten different desserts. Of course, they had all the sweet tea you could drink. After all we is in the South. After we was filled up we said goodbye to the classmates. I was so glad they was so nice to me and my cousin said he wouldn't take anything for coming to the reunion.
Tomorrow: Azaleas and Pretty Girls

Hollis' book read in 2010:
The Shunning - Mama don't allow no guitar playing in here

Shindig at the Park

Sorry for being so late. Hollis went to Jackson and got tied up until late this evening.
Saturday night we had quite a shindig at the park. Once again my Atlanta cousin brung me along. We got a guy around here who can cook catfish to beat the band. He uses what they call a thin breading and that way you get more flavor. They had slaw, french fries, chicken strips, and a whole bunch of desserts, including bread pudding. The drinks were what we called soft drinks unless you brung your own hooch.
I ain't been drinking for a lot of years and I just watched other peoples boozing it up. Nobody got drunk or nothing, just had a good time. After we ate, a local entertainer gave us a treat. He's a poet, song writer, comic, singer, advocate against breast cancer, and presidential advisor. We all laughed a lot and a few was
brung up to the stage to help him with a song about a hound dog (not the Elvis one.) We said good night and drove back to where ever we was staying. Of course, I went back to Harper since it's right up to road.
Tomorrow: Church and the Last Lunch

Hollis' book read in 2010:
Saturday - Surgery, squash games, home robbery; just another day in London

Breakfast on Saturday Morning

We all gathered at this place what gives you all you want to eat for around six dollars. They had all kinds of eggs, bacon, sausage, pan cakes, grits, potatoes (in case of Yankees), and just about anything else you might want to eat for breakfast. I was real glad to be there and was real glad to be recognized by the peoples I met last night. More hugging. One funny thing I saw: I were standing in and amongst four men and one of 'em dropped a leaflet. They just stared at each other for about twenty seconds before one of 'em got down on his knees to retrieve it. Stiff joints, don't you know. They was a lot of picture taking which brought on a lot of smiling and grinning. I couldn't get over how much these peoples liked one another. It were real inspirational. I kept thinking they must have had about as much fun in high school as it is possible for a human being to have. After ever body had finished eating, we just stood around and talked some more. More hugging.
I am gonna be sorry to see this weekend over, but they is having a shindig at the state park tonight. My cousin wants me to come. I reckon he's a little shy to go by his self. He's from Atlanta, you know.
Tomorrow: Shindig at the Park

Hollis' book read in 2010:
My Antonia - You can come home again, only it's not really there anymore.

The Country Club Meeting

They invited me down to the country club to a real nice dinner for the classes of '55 and '56. I think I told y'all my cousin from Atlanta had me as his guest. It were a real good get-together and ever body was talking just like they had seen each other just yesterday when it were over 50 years since some of them had talked. Pictures and old high school annuals was set outside the dining room for peoples to walk down memory lane by looking at the pictures. We all come in and found a seat. They must have had eight or more tables with each one holding about ten class members. We had fried chicken and roast plus a bunch of vegetables. For dessert they was a kind of lemon pie, brownies and other goodies. Ever body around me ate a whole bunch of food and said they usually didn't eat that much. I reckon they was telling the truth.
After the meal they had a memorial service for all the classmates who had passed on. It were a real quiet and sad bunch of folks as the names was read and a candle was lit for each of our departed. Afterward there was more talking and hugging. I was particular fond of the hugging.
Tomorrow: Breakfast and a Good Supper at the Park

Hollis' book read in 2010:
Mrs. Dalloway - All over London in a day

A Special Weekend in Harper

Spring is really here in Harper. I'm sitting hear looking out on the lake and enjoying all the wonderful things what God has give us. The wisteria is ablooming big time and the leaves is most nearly all out on the trees. It's a wonderful world of green and blue, sprinkled with reds, whites, purples, yellows, pinks, and several other colors which may have there own names; but I don't know those names to tell you. What really makes this weekend special is they is having a class reunion down in McComb, a town right down the road from Harper. It's for the classes of 1955 and 1956. My cousin from Atlanta come by and picked me up and taken me down to meet and greet all the folks what showed up. They come from all over, as far off as Texas and Florida. I hadn't met most of them since I were out working or fighting in Korea when most of them was growing up. Besides we Harper folks mostly stayed right in Harper. We didn't have no reason to venture out for the most part. But I want to tell you how good ever body were to me. They treated me like I was one of their group even though I'm a lot older. I reckon when you get to a certain age in life, old is old no matter how many years you hook on to it. Y'all know how I told y'all I'm real good at noticing things. Well I noticed a lot this week end and over the next few days I'm gonna tell y'all all about it.
Tomorrow: The Country Club Meeting

Hollis' book read in 2010:
Lord of the Flies - This little piggy should have stayed home

Bully Continues

Like I said Bully's story were different from that one about the ghost of past, present, and future. His ghosts were people he knowed. A old teacher what once brung him to justice in the stay-after-school class for more'n a month, a judge he once had to appear before for shooting bb's into a widow woman's windows, and a boy he once teased who had been in a car wreck (Bully had nothing to do with the wreck.) They all come hovering over him while he were tied to the tombstone and scaring him half to death, so he said. About three in the morning a angel who he didn't even know come and untied Bully and brushed her wings over his head giving him a good dusting of angel powder. She told him that since he had been coated with goodness, he couldn't never be bad no more. I reckon it taken, because he has really made something of his self. Now I know this is hard to believe, but I swear there is as much truth in what I'm telling as there are in all the stuff I been saying to y'all all along.
Tomorrow: A Special Sunday in Harper

Hollis' book read in 2010:
Lolita - Mr. HH sings "Thank Heaven for Little Girls"

Three Ghosts and a Angel

Like I told y'all I ain't gonna tell y'all the real name of Mr. Bully cause he is real well known in today's circles. But back then he were meaner than a snake. Yesterday I told y'all how we caught Bully and tied him to a tombstone in the grave yard. All that night I kept thinking about all the things what could go wrong and didn't get a lot of sleep. But the next morning Bully were at school all spiffy looking and shaking hands and smiling like he were running for office. That may be a little hint about what he come to in life. We didn't know nothing about how he escaped from the graveyard or what happened while he were there until years later. One night me and one of the other boys what tied him up was out a the local drive in and Bully come and got in our car. He told us what happened that night. He said he were visited by three ghosts and a angel. At first I thought it sounded a lot like that Christmas story about them ghosts visiting that mean man. You know the one with Tiny Tim. But Bully's story were different.
Tomorrow: Bully Continues

Hollis' book read in 2010:
The Jungle - The road to becoming a vegan

Bully Attack

Me and a couple of friends was walking home from school one day when Bully seen us and taken it for an invitation to get our goat. He were on his bicycle and come riding all around us just barely missing our feets and heads. I were carrying a big stick but warn't about to swing it at Bully. I knew what it would mean if I missed or just stunned him. Besides even if I knocked him out it would be heck to pay the next day after school. But in spite of all that on one of his near misses of us, I rammed the stick in the spokes of his wheel and that bike come to a quick stop. Bully didn't. He come flying over the handle bars and landed in a hedge all dazed and stunned. He kept coming in and out of being awake. While my buddies was watching Bully I run home and got some rope and rushed back to the scene of the dis-biking. Me and the other guy taken Bully and put him over his bicycle seat kinda like you see when they bring a dead cowboy home slung over his horse. We wheeled Bully down to the grave yard and tied him to a tombstone real snug and tight. And since it were getting kinda dark we hightailed it out of there and left Bully to his own defenses.
Tomorrow: Three Ghosts and a Angel

Hollis' book read in 2010:
Invisible Man - Maybe it was the world that was invisible

A Harper Bully

I been seeing a lot about bullies on the TV. Like that one down in Australia what got slammed by the boy he were bullying on. Back in the early forties just before WWII we had this bully in our school. I ain't gonna tell his name because he ain't bullying no more. In face he's a whole different person. But his change didn't just happen. Me and a couple of other boys were kinda responsible for it. Before I tell you what we done I need to let you know how bad he were back then. All the boys in my class (he were one class above us) was scared to death of him. He were real big from pitching hay and wrestling around with cattle and other big animals on his daddy's farm. He broke Jimmy Pritchard's arm and Jimmy told ever body that it were caused when he fell off his bicycle riding down a steep hill. Jimmy even went so far as standing at the top of a hill and letting his bicycle go down by itself. It took him about four times to get the bicycle in bad enough shape for his mama to believe him. Bully did damage to almost all of us and we all would come home with stories of falling tree limbs and rocks jumping at us from under the wheels of a passing truck. One boy (when he run out of stories) come home and told his mama he were hit bit a meteor. He called it a shooting star. His mama tried to get 'em to put it in the paper but they wouldn't.
Tomorrow: Bully Attack

Hollis' book read in 2010:
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - A deaf man living among blind people

Father Mulligan Tells How He Wants to Help

Bright and early this morning Father Mulligan showed up down at my fishing cabin with all his fishing gear. Of course he can come and fish anytime he wants to and use any of my boats or docks, but he always wants to fish when I'm around. It warn't too long before I finished my breakfast at Dorothy's Cafe and headed for the lake. It were just too nice a day to leave the fish to their own devices. We headed out in the boat and it warn't too long before Father started talking about how happy he were that Sarajean took to the Catholic church and how much he were looking forward to her return. I asked him if he were afraid she would backslide. That's a term you can hear most anytime you walk into a Baptist church. Well, Father Mulligan told me he warn't allowed to talk about none of that, but that he did want Sarajean to have access to his services even if she was out in California. I told him I would see if Dorothy wanted to give him her sister's address out yonder. But when I talked to Dorothy she told me that even though she were happy Sarajean had got Catholic and all, she did not feel right to give out any information about her whereabouts.
She said that were strickly up to Sarajean herself.
Tomorrow: A Harper Bully

Hollis' book read in 2010:
Finnegan's Wake - I won't lie. I may never finish reading this one.

Sarajean Gets Called Back to California

Last night a call come in for Sarajean from California. She commenced to crying, almost wailing, when she
set down the phone. Looks like one of her sons, the least one as I understand, is in trouble with the law. Something to do with smoking marynello cigarettes or some such foolishness. Sarajean says she has to go back out there because it ain't the first time with this young'n. She says they have a three strikes and you're out law out yonder and he may be about to receive his last pitch. Dorothy said she thought the three strike law were for more serious crimes, but Sarajean warn't to be consoled. She run into see Father Mulligan and was gonna catch the train to New Orleans and head back out on a airplane. She's going back to the very place what got her into such a fix before. Sure hope we see her again.
Tomorrow: Father Mulligan Tell How He Wants to Help

Hollis' book read in 2010:
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Putting a nail gun to good use

Sarajean Is Approached by One of Them Jackson Boys

Sarajean ain't never been what you call pretty, but she were always pleasant to look at and she had some kinda thing, what I call rays of the magnet, coming off her. You couldn't see 'em of course, but mens sure could feel 'em. Now, even if she is older, she must still have them rays because I been seeing mens watching her where ever she goes. In particular, Warren Henry Jackson. I were sitting in my truck waiting for her to come out of the drug store the other day and noticed Warren Henry standing around outside the door of that establishment. I told y'all I were real good at noticing things. Well, when Sarajean come out Warren Henry walked right up to her and started talking to her. She looked like she might be warming up to him. I been hearing about him and a whole bunch of womens all his life. I just got out of my truck and walked up to them, took Sarajean by the arm, and brung to her seat in my truck. It were kinda like when my dog gets in heat and I gotta be there to break things up. And you know what? She thanked me and asked me not to tell Dorothy nothing about it. I said I just come over to help you with you package; a bottle of aspirin can get mighty heavy some days.
Tomorrow: Sarajean Gets Called Back to California

Hollis' book read in 2010:
The Girl Who Played with Fire - Always carry a cigarette case. You never know when you may need to
                                                     dig yourself out of a shallow grave.

We Hear a Little of the Confession

I reckon we asked the wrong question of Sarajean. All we said was is you gonna be okay? Oh man, that girl broke down and started telling us things about her life as a hippy what I ain't gonna repeat. I will say she were married three times out there. Well I were married three times too, buried two of and one run off with that tent preacher, so I don't reckon I can hold that against her. Except she commenced to tell us about how she warn't too good a wife. Running around, taking drugs, drinking, and smoking ever thing except a turkey. Me and Dorothy just stared a one another not having no idea what to say. Finally I said to her, "You just gotta leave all that stuff behind you and start all over. We on your side. So is Father Mulligan. But what ever you do, don't tell nobody else around here if you want to stay in this county." I reckon I shouldn't have said that cause she started up crying again, louder and wetter than before. She finally calmed down and Dorothy brought in some of her pecan pie, all warmed up and topped with vanilla ice cream. Ain't no room for saddness when you eating pecan pie aller comode.
Tomorrow: Sarajean Is Approached by One of Them Jackson Boys

Hollis' book read in 2010 :
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Size really doesn't matter (when you're writing fiction)

Sarajean Comes Home All Confessed and Ever Thing

When Dorothy closed up her cafe, I were sitting there eating a slice of her apple cranberry pineapple pie with a blob of vanilla ice cream on top; and I were drinking a cup of black coffee to wash it down with. Dorothy asked me to come home with her cause she were expecting her sister, Sarajean, to come back from going in to the Catholic Church. It warn't but a twenty minute drive, but Dorothy seemed to be a little concerned about that young girl. Well I reckon she ain't all that young anymore. She is ten year younger than Dorothy and when she left Harper and made her way to California to become a hippy, it not only upset Dorothy's family, but the whole community. Ever now and then we'd hear something about Sarajean but for all practical purposes she were dead to us. Then one day we heard she were getting married to one of them guys what run the cameras when they is making a movie. We seen her pictures from the wedding and then we didn't hear nothing until she come home all out of sorts to see her mama.
When she come home from church, she looked ten years younger than when she first come back to Harper. She were smiling real big and told us she were off on a new path.
Tomorrow: We Hear a Little of the Confession

Hollis' book read in 2010:
Heart of Darkness - Imperialism: The horror, the horror

The Father Lands a Big One

Father Mulligan were pretty good at fishing and brung in a real nice supper for him and the rest of the peoples down at the house the church provides. But he landed a bigger fish than that this week.
We was out in the middle of the lake when he started telling me how he loved to come out and fish with me, but his big job were as a fisher of men. I knew what he were talking about cause I had heard that in a lot of different churches. About a month ago Dorothy's sister, name of Sarajean, come back to Harper from California. She said it were to be with her sick mother. Me and Dorothy talked about it and both agreed that something were wrong. She looked plumb yellow looking and her eyes was red and glassy. Then we begin to notice she were sneaking around and drinking hard licker. She tried to hide the empties but were careless and we found some. I mentioned all this to Father Mulligan and he come by Dorothy's house to see Sarajean. Whatever he said were the right thing cause that girl started going to his church and ever day she drives down to light candles and all that. She's looking better and me and Dorothy is real hopeful for her future. A lot of peoples in Harper think she's been what they calls man-nip-u-lated. Me and Dorothy thinks it's a good thing.
Tomorrow: Sarajean Comes Home All Confessed and Ever Thing

Hollis'  book read in 2010:
The Call of the Wild - Go where it's cold and miserable and you could end up rich, or dead.

Fishing With the New Catholic Priest

I reckon I told y'all 'bout how all the churches around here is after me to join up with them. I used to go to the Harper Baptist when I were married to Bethel and to the Catholic Church when I were married to Mary Kate. Trixie, my third wife, didn't get after me to go to just one church. She liked to jump around particular when they was having a revival. I'm sure you remember Trixie were the one what run off with the tent preacher. Well the Catholics is after me again. They got a new priest and he likes to go fishing with me. He ain't put a lot of pressure on me cause I give right regular to his church anyhow (and some other too.) I stayed a Catholic of a year or two after Mary Kate warn't around no more. She got hit by a streetcar in New Orleans. The new priest is Father Mulligan. He is originally from up in Boston. I think he is having a hard time getting adjusted to life in the Harper area. I told him he were lucky he could be a missionary over in Africa or somewheres. He said, "You know that's not a bad idea. A missionary. Hmmm." I may have opened a barrel of worms.
Tomorrow: The Father Lands a Big One

Hollis' book read in 2010:
The Portrait of a Lady - You may as well marry for money

Weir Wolf

Back in the 50's we had a weirwolf roaming around the woods and fields around Harper. This went on for several months and had about half the county running around in a panic. Peoples had several different descriptions of this wolf and he always showed up when there were a full moon. Some people said he were black with white patches under his chin and some said he were brown with black spots, but they all said his teeths were plentiful and probably about 3 inches long. Ever body said he would run up on them and snarl and roar. They all run off and left him standing there roaring. He never did bite or scratch nobody. Well this went on for close to a year and peoples were getting ready to do something. They all decided they would spread out over the county with shotguns and finish this creature off. And he stopped showing up until they figured he were gone and stopped looking for him. But he come back. The night he showed up again the moon were as bright as you ever seen it and the wolf come upon a group from Harper Lake Baptist Church just getting back from a church picnic. It were a mistake on part of the wolf cause in an amongst that group of Christians were Halo Harbinson. Halo had just come home from a couple of years playing football for one of them Canadian teams way up yonder. And when he seen the weir wolf standing there snarling, Halo taken it for an invitation and run head-on into Mr. Wolf like as if he were a tackling dummy. Pretty near killed him, the wolf that is. All the church peoples come up to the beast and seen his head were coming off. Halo reached down and pulled it the rest of the way off. And you know what. It were one of them Jackson boys. Woodrow Wilson Jackson. He had gone to New Orleans and bought his self a Halloween outfit. They called an ambulance and taken Woodrow Wilson to the Infirmary Hospital. He had to stay for about a month which the county or state or somebody had to pay for. Halo taken his wolf outfit and when W. W. (that's what they called him for short) come home he were there waiting for the ambulance at the Jackson house. Halo moved the attendant out of the way and pushed the wheelchair up to the front porch of the house. He were snarling all the way.
Tomorrow: Fishing with the New Catholic Priest

Hollis' book read in 2010 - Darkness at Noon - Three hearings and you're out

Good Movie???

The movie me and Dorothy seen was Red Riding Hood and I ain't sure whether it were good or not. Dorothy liked it and I warn't too sure. I like Westerns and there ain't too many of them around anymore.
To make matter worse there ain't too many picture show houses around her no more. Brookhaven has one with four different movies playing at the same time. There ain't none down in McComb. I remarked one day that McComb with out a movie house were like Los Angeles were with out a football team. I reckon that ain't necessarily a good example, but you get what I mean. Now this movie warn't exactly like the fairy tale about Little Red Riding Hood mainly because there warn't nothing little about this Red Riding Hood.
And the wolf in this movie were a weir wolf. Back in the fifties there was stories about a weir wolf in and around Harper.
Tomorrow: Weir Wolf

Hollis book read in 2011:
Blood Meridian - Hang on to your scalps

First Sign of Spring in Harper

For real, the first sign of spring in Harper come a few weeks ago, but now it's breaking out all over the place. Little green leaves is pushing their way out of the tree branches and all kinds of flowers are in bloom. The bees and other flying insects is ever where and the whole lake seems to be alive again. Fish is jumping around like they know it's time to show off again. And my old dog, Maxine, can't seem to get enough of outdoor living. You know they say in the spring a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love.
Well an old man's thoughts get all sweet and light too. I done something I ain't done in years. I called up a girl and asked her to go with me to the picture show in Brookhaven. It were Dorothy.
Tomorrow: Good Movie??

Hollis' book read in 2010:
The Beautiful and the Damned - Being rich is damn hard

Pete Patton and the Foul Ball

Pete Patton were a grade behind me at the Harper School and he were about the dumbest knot head you ever seen. He started out a grade ahead of me but by the time we was six graders he were just a fifth grader. One day after school we was all funning around and walked past these older boys playing baseball.
Pete started making fun of the batter telling him he couldn't hit nothing and the guy whose name were Billy Jarvone must've got real mad cause the next pitch coming to him he swung at it like he were gonna send it into the next county. Only thing was he hit it foul. And he hit it right toward Pete and hit him square between the eyes. It knocked Pete out and they taken him to the hospital with a brain percussion. He were out for four days. When he woked up the first thing he said were, "I couldn't figure out why the ball were getting bigger and then it hit me." Well, after he come home he was always saying cleaver things like that and went on to graduate high school and college and enter law school. Now he's a politician living somewhere up north and he's running for governor of the state where he lives. My daddy used to always say he were gonna knock some sense into me. I reckon I should have stood closer to home plate when I were playing ball.
Tomorrow: First Sign of Spring in Harper

Hollis' book of the day:
My Antonia - You can come home again, only it's not really there anymore.

Elvis and What He Done for Harper

Back in January of 1975 a tornado come through here. It were like a two mile path what tore up that town down in the next county and then it rambled thru Harper. It knocked down a silo on my property what I lease out to Barrymore Fisher and his boy. They farm soy beans and corn and a few other vegetables. They has a few cows and a couple of horses. It didn't hurt nobody except they had a goat missing. We was all in a mess especially the ones what didn't have much money. But Elvis come down to Jackson and had a concert and give all the money to the victims. I didn't take none because of my oil money and stuff, but was glad Barrymore and them others got some. Now ever time I hear Elvis sing Dixie I can't help but get a tear in my eye.

Tomorrow: Pete Patton and the Foul Ball

Hollis' book review:
Atonement - It's never too late for atonement as long as you are a writer of fiction

Elvis Spotted at the Piggly Wiggly

Elvis were seen coming out of the Harper Piggly Wiggly. But don't get too excited. The one what seen him may not be too reliable. It were Emma Jean Wiskborne. She's been known to see lots of peoples, living and dead, and ain't been know to keep it to herself. The sighting what stands out in my mind were when she seen that man from Mars. She were just getting off to sleep one night about ten year ago when this knocking come up against the door to her mobile home out yonder on Lakeside Drive. When she opened the door she seen a tall man wearing a bathrobe and a hat kinda like a football helmet. He had four little aerials coming out of his hat and was a shiny green color all over including his bathrobe. Emma Jean were left in a panic because she claimed the space man shined a light on her and sexually abused her. When we asked her how she knew she were abused that way, she said I seen where he pointed that light. Nothing ever come from it, I don't reckon, but I do get a little suspicious what she may be right when I look at her youngest son Jupiter. He's kinda green looking and acts real spacey.
Tomorrow: Elvis and What He Done for Harper

Hollis' 2010 Book List:
"Air Raid Nights and Radio Days" - Growing up in Indianapolis during WWII

Dorothy Cooks Up a Storm

Dorothy got to work soon as we got home from New Orleans. The first thing she done was make what she calls a booley base. It's kinds like a soup, but it's chock full of seafood. I mean all kinds: shrimps, oysters, scallops, more'n one kind of fish. It's real spicy; some peoples think it't too hot, but they eats it anyway. I love it. Word spreads fast in Harper and when people heard we'd been to New Orleans they come arunning, They was a line out the door. Dorothy plans to serve seafood with every meal till all the fresh stuff runs out. Of course, she always has fresh catfish and fishes that me and Willie catch out of the lake. You probably know there is always a lot of other stuff besides fish. Pretty soon we gonna have pictures on the posts and then you'll see what I'm talking about.
Tomorrow: Elvis Spotting at the Piggly Wiggly.

From Hollis: Beginning tomorrow I will begin listing the book I read in 2010 along with a brief (twitter-like) description.

Hollis Looks for a College

I reckon y'all know Hollis is typing this in, the way I say it, so it may be a little sticky for him.

Hollis told me last week it may be time for him to move on to a big college and leave our little community college after one year. He loves it there but may need to find a school for his writing career. He is thinking about the University of Iowa and Lawrence University in Wisconsin. This is because of two DVD courses he taken last year. He liked what the professors had to say and they was from those two schools. Of course, he is also considering Ole Miss and LSU. I hope he'll stay close to home but I want him to pick the school what's best for him. If any of y'all have any ideas let me know.
Tomorrow: Dorothy Cooks Up a Storm

New Orleans

I used to come to New Orleans a lot when I was a young'n, but I don't hardly come down any more particularly since that hurricane flooded the place. It were a mess and peoples warn't prepared like they ought had been. They is still recovering from it, but the places me and Dorothy had to go is doing okay.
She bought a bunch of cajun spices and we grabbed up some fresh seafood from this seafood market she goes to. I had put some coolers in the back of my truck and we iced down the oysters and shrimps and other stuff she got. They gonna be some good eating at Dorothy's Cafe next week. We had stopped down in the French Market area to get coffee and ben-yeas. Dorothy got some coffee beans to bring back for them what likes dark roasted coffee. We finished our shopping and headed home. After we was back on
 I-55, I pulled off down to this seafood restaurant ever body just loves. They recently added a outdoor eating area and since the weather were pretty good me and Dorothy sat out there and ate raw oysters and fried shrimp. Things couldn't have been better.
Tomorrow: Hollis Look for a College

Dorothy Asks Me to Drive Her to New Orleans

We got up at five AM to drive down to New Orleans. Dorothy had to do some grocery shopping for spices and things we ain't got in Harper. We drove out on the state road until we got to I55, got on it, and headed south. The weather were good and it was clear sailing till we got to all them bridges over the swamp. They has to have bridges down there even over dry land cause you never know when it gonna be wet. It were real pretty watching the sun come up over the swamp lands. The road seemed rougher to me down there. Dorothy has to go ever so often to get these special things I was telling about. And most of the time I drive her down. She don't feel comfortable in Louisiana by herself. Peoples is just different when you reach the state line. It's like you in a different country. But they do have some good cooking and things to eat down there. We got down to where we joined the highway what comes from Texas about seven o'clock. Then we seen the tall building of New Orleans.
Tomorrow: New Orleans

Dorothy, the Early Years

Dorothy were born in 1943. Her daddy had left for the Pacific just a month before she first saw the light of day. And her daddy never come back. We all reckon he's dead, but none of us know for sure. He could be living out his life on one of them South Pacific Islands for all we know. Anyhow her mama raised her real good. Like I told y'all before, Dorothy's mama were a good cook and opened up this little cafe. It's been going strong since 1945. They have a funny thing there; everybody eats at a big round table with the food in the middle on a turntable. You can eat all you want. Each table will hold about twelve people. She has added tables over the years and now they's probably about eight. She also has a room in the back with little tables where you can order what you want. That's the only room open for breakfast. Anyway, when Dorothy were growing up in Harper she were real popular. She had lot of friends, but she always were real nice to Bethel and me. Dorothy were about ten years old when me and Bethel was married. She has been my special friend for all these years.
Tomorrow: Dorothy Asks Me to Drive Her to New Orleans

Dorothy Says No

Dorothy told me she didn't reckon she could take me up on my offer for her to move into the big house and me stay down at my lake house. She said it would be real good for her to do that, but peoples around here would never let up on talking about it. She reminded me about that preacher several years ago that packed up and moved to another church when the local members here gave him a hard time. Seems he and his wife and a deacon and his wife went out to the creek for a picnic. The preacher had a cast on his leg and the deacon's wife had a bad cold, so the deacon and the preacher's wife was the only two what went in swimming. Some church members was passing over the bridge and could look down on the couples from up there. They spread it all over the church and by the next day they was calls for the preacher to resign. They called it: Mixed Bathing!!! I wanted it writ that way so y'all could read it loud and clear. Well the preacher who was one of the best we ever had didn't fight it. He just left. I have heard real good things about him in his new church. The preacher they got were just right for them. He were so ugly nobody was gonna accuse him of being mixed in anything. I told Dorothy I seen what she meant.
Tomorrow: Dorothy, the Early Years

Dorothy's Mama Gets Worse

Poor Miz Mildred, Dorothy's mama, been laying in that nursing home in the midst of all them smells for about a month now. Last night they hooked her up to a breathing machine. We went by to see her, me and Dorothy, and she were real pitiful. Pitiful looking, all yellow and dry looking, and pitiful sounding, wheezing and gasping. And that machine were making sounds too. They had to put a little jar with water in it ahead of the tube coming into her nose, cause they said the oxergen would dry her mouth and nose out. Once again when we tried to leave she didn't want to let go of Dorothy's hand. Dorothy would probably stay there all the time, day and night, but it's against the rules. I reckon poor ole Miz Mildred ain't gonna be with us much longer. Then what's Dorothy gonna do. I been thinking about asking her to stay at the big house and I'll go back to my lake cabin. She could sell her place and have money to live on for a long time.
Of course, she ain't got nothing to worry about for money as long as my oil wells keep pumping.
Tomorrow: Dorothy Says No

Football

Football were harder to play in one way and easier in another. It were harder because we always played tackle and we didn't have no pads and stuff. It were easy cause all you really needed were a football and a field. Baseball needed all kinds of stuff and the field had to be marked up real good for bases and home runs and all kinds of things. Over the years the local high schools had some real good teams. One town in the county just south of here won the state championship a couple of times when I were coming up. I got to go to a lot of games cause my daddy were a referee and let me ride in with him and sit in the stands while he did his field work. Back then there warn't no mixing of the races and the Afro-American kids played on Thursday nights and the white kids played on Friday nights. We could go to the Thursday night games, but they couldn't come on Fridays. Huh? I really got in to going to as many college games as I could. I went to see Tulane, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and once to a Alabama home game. The fans for all these schools were real devoted to their team; just like today. We had one kid in Harper who warn't into football or any kind of ball for that matter. He got a football for Christmas (I reckon his daddy wanted him to like it.) I guess his daddy didn't know much about football either cause the ball were white. He would bring it out and play with us cause he didn't want his ball to get dirty. I wonder what ever happen to that boy.
Tomorrow: Dorothy's Mama Get Worse