Flooded Seafood

Me and Dorothy don't hardly never eat out except when we coming back from New Orleans we stop at this seafood place. This only happens about once or twice a year, but we always stop when we can. They has good fish, shrimp, and oysters. I seen a picture somebody taken after all the flooding and it got me thinking: seafood is real good to eat, but only if it's dry. I mean think about it, the stuff comes from deep in the waters and yet you got to get it on good, solid, dry land before you and enjoy it. Well, that ain't the way it is now down there. And from the look of things it's gonna be a long time before it is again.

Rising Water

We finally got a few hours without rain falling all over the place. The lake down behind the big house are over my dock and keeps on arising up. I don't know if y'all been keeping up with what's going on down at the state park but the dam down there are about to bust. Peoples south of there in Mississippi and Louisiana are being told to get to higher ground. My generator are running good and we can keep a light or two on and can watch television. As long as it are cloudy we are all right with just fans to keep us cool. Dorothy cooks with gas and I can turn off lights for a minute or two to use the microwave. We doing all right.

We Holding Up Good

Some of y'all been wondering how we doing; well, we doing real good. Like I told y'all we stocked up good on food, gasoline, other supplies. We ain't had no electric problems, so Dorothy's been cooking up a storm (no joke meant.) She made up enough casseroles to take care of a Baptist pot luck supper. I counted three pies and she said there was more in the ovens. We gonna have to run around giving food to peoples after the storm are over 'cause we ain't never gonna be able to eat even half of it. I been watching the news on TV and they been showing how bad things is in New Orleans. There is peoples on roofs again (like with Katrina); not as many but some. Now if these peoples couldn't get away because of money or things that warn't their fault, then shame on neighbors, churches, and others in the community. If they stayed 'cause they just plain stubborn, shame on them.

No Bread

Like I was telling y'all me and Dorothy was pretty well set up for the hurry cane what are coming soon. Well, not so fast. Hold your horses. Dorothy decided she needed pump-your-nickel bread for a special kind of sandwich she wants to make up. So off I go in my truck to the Big Deal Super Store to grab a loaf. When I got to the parking lot, I'm here to tell you, I ain't never seen so many cars with Louisiana tags. They all running from New Orleans what flooded so bad with Katrina seven year ago. The store were jam packed with peoples all talking the way them New Orleans folk talk. And the shelves was pretty near empty. When I got to the shelves what held the bread all I seen were one little package of hot dog buns; no real bread, doncha know. Didn't take me to long to decide. I bought 'em.

Hurry Cane

We got a hurry cane, name of Isaac, on his way to visit us. They say we's due some winds and a whole bunch of rain. Lake Harper are in pretty good shape, water wise, but the ponds on both sides of the big house is down a lot and can stand some rains. We just hoping we don't get so much it makes the rivers and creeks rise up between us and town. I ain't too concerned 'bout me and Dorothy cause I got 'round 50 gallons of gasoline in 5 gallon cans and I got 5 generators what I can hook up in case the lights go out. And Dorothy has both pantries well stocked up--the one here at the big house and the one at her cafe. We ready for ole Isaac. I went down to the library and looked up Isaac to see what that name means and I found out it means "he who laughs." I don't like to find out stuff like that 'cause hurry canes ain't nothing to laugh about. Especially since we seen what Katrina done.

What-not

Me and Dorothy were scrounging round this yard sale and come up on a corner what-not just like my grandma had in her living room. I asked the young woman what were selling the stuff how much she wanted for her what-not. She didn't know what I were talking about. I told her that brown shelf what fit in a corner were called a what-not and she said she ain't never heard nobody call it that. It got me thinking things is moving so fast I reckon there will be a time when real young peoples and real old peoples will be talking two different languages. We might as well be in Paris, France if nobody knows what nobody else are saying.

Sink or Rise Swimming

Now I liked the Olympics, most of it. But what I had trouble with were this thing they call Sink or Rise Swimming; and Sink or Rise Diving. I know it taken a long time and lots of hard work for them girls to get all that straight, but it just don't seem like the same kind of sport (if y'all want to call it a sport) as say, baseball (what they cut out of the games.) It kinda reminds me of them old dance movies what Dorothy likes to watch all the time; them old thirties movies where all them girls dance around and form lines and circles what look like when you look into a Clyde O'Scope. I reckon that little play pretty were invented by Clyde O'Scope hisself and I figure he must come from Ireland 'cause a lot of them peoples has a O' in front of their last name. Anyway I ain't saying much about it around Dorothy cause she are a big fan of the Olympics. She are also a big fan of England. I made the mistake of saying that the beginning night with all them smoke stacks belching soot and all them hospital beds rolling around with sick kids having nightmares were a little sad. She asked me if I would mind watching in the den where I could make all the bad comments I wanted without her having to hear them. And I did go to the den and I rewatched one of my favorites DVD's called The Babe Ruth Story. 

Baseball in Harper

One of the things what's been around in Harper since I were a little boy and even before that are baseball. Way back yonder we didn't have no stadiums like all the towns and cities has today. We just marked off a part of a field and the peoples sat on rail fences, or just stood, and watched. We used homemade bases and marked off baselines with a stick if we couldn't get some kind of chalk powder to line 'em up. And we used the same ball till the cover were tore off it. We listened to baseball on the radio and the team we listened in on the most were the St. Louis Cardinals. They had another team in St. Louis called the Browns, but we never took much interest in them. I reckon the Dean brothers and what they called the Gas House Gang (Cardinal infielders) was what kept us tuned in. I once upon a time had a chance to ride the train up to St. Louis and see a game in person. At that time St. Louis were the biggest city I ever went to and I were so confused by all the getting around problems up there that from then on I just tuned in to KMOX radio. I played a little for what were called a semi-pro league. We didn't get no money, but it were fun anyway. I warn't too good at pitching and catching, but ever now and then I could hit the ball a far piece.

Billie Sue and Henry Jack at The POW

We got this drive in and eat-in-your car place out by the highway what are named The Pow. Some fellow named Powell started it up a bunch of years ago. He's long since dead but the new peoples what bought it kept the name mainly because the sign were already up and a new one would cost a lot of money. Why I'm  telling about all this is 'cause Henry Jack Hurryman were telling 'bout how him and his wannabe girl friend went out there last night. You'll see why I say wannabe in a minute. Well, Henry Jack went to bragging 'bout how he had planned a cracker jack good evening trying to woo Billie Sue. First he bought her some toilet water what come from Z and B Dollar Store. He said it were named Lydia E Pinckham or something I ain't never heard of. Then he taken her out to eat at The Pow what are his favorite restaurant. He said he told her, "Girl, look up there at that board and I'm gonna buy you what ever your heart desires. Up to a total of five dollars." Now here's what I know: Billie Sue are what might be called a large girl and there ain't no way five dollars at The Pow are enough for even a partial filling. According to Henry Jack, Billie Sue come up with what she called a splitting headache and had to be took direct home. He said he's been calling all day and her mamma says she can't come to the phone or have any company. Henry Jack says he just can't figure it all out seeing as how she must have enjoyed her meal 'cause she ate ever bite of it.