Lovin'

Two things happened this morning that got me thinking about the difference in lovin' and love. The first thing was when I saw this sign advertising hamburgers that said: I'm lovin' it. And the second was when I walked by Jasper's Cafe and Lounge and heard Hank Williams blasting out "Why don't you love me like you used to do?" Then came the words: "Ain't had no lovin' in a long long time." All that shifted my mind back, I reckon over seventy years, when I was playing in the dirt underneath my grandma's porch. I loved to play there because it was cool and because it was dirty and I was really invested in dirt during those years. This day, my grandma and a friend of hers, Loraleen Deere, were swinging in the front porch swing. They didn't know I was there. They began to discuss their husbands and the thing I remember was Loraleen telling grandma that Jethrow, her husband, was real good at lovin' but didn't know nothing about love. At the time I didn't have a clue what she meant, but the intensity of her voice and the emphasis on the word "lovin'" stuck with me. For some reason that day has come back to me over and over in my life particularly when I caught myself in a situation when I was deeply interested in lovin' and had no regard what-so-ever for love. I ain't bragging, I'm confessing.

Door to Door

You know, you don't hardly see door to door salesmen any more, but we had one to come by Saturday. He was selling encyclopedias. I, myself, use the ones down at the library. Most people just look stuff up on the interweb, so it made me wonder a little why the guy was selling these books and how he could talk anybody into spending good money on a product that was probably out of date before it actually arrived at your door. The first thing I notice about this guy, a man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties, was how he was dressed. He looked like he had stepped out of the 1950's. He sported a crewcut hair style and wore horn rimmed glasses. The next thing I noticed was he had been taught a canned speech because when I asked him a question about something he had already told me, he was forced back to that point in his routine and spoke verbatim words. This poor guy was trying too hard to impress me. Me. I mean I don't figure I'm the kinda guy that anyone would feel inclined to impress, but this fellow seemed to feel the need to do just that. It just so happened that Hollis had left a book here earlier that morning and Dorothy had set it on the hall table to make sure he would find it when he came back by. It was a book by that German, Nietzsche, you know the one who said, "God is dead." The poor bookseller saw the title and proclaimed, "Oh, Nye Check. I've always wanted to read him." I said, "I reckon you heard about him dying and all." "No!" said Mr. Encyclopedia. "When?" "Not sure," said I. "Last week sometime I reckon."
Later I felt a little bad about teasing this poor fellow. He has enough to deal with without a smarty pants like me funning around with him.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

A Sad Day

This morning I saw Marvin Hankerson. He was on his way to the cemetery and was carrying his usual rose to put on Lee Lee's grave. It's been over five years since she passed on and I don't reckon Marvin has miss a single day visiting her. He stopped to talk with me a minute and I commented on his faithfulness to his love one. He said, "You know, Uncle Harvey Lee, people say I must be crazy. My brother is driving around in a fine car and living in a fine house. He has everything a fellow could want. And I live in a trailer on the other side of the lake and have to walk everywhere I go. I will probably never do better than manual labor and will probably never go anywhere outside of Harper. But you know what, Uncle Harvey Lee, I would trade the memory of a single day living with Lee Lee for any of that. People don't know and will never know what we had."
I watched Marvin as he made his way down the road toward his beloved's resting place. And I thought of that sad day when she passed on. I was reminded how many people around her took it as justice from above. That was the saddest part of that day, in my mind.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Under the Scrutiny of the Community

Dolly, the woman I was telling about yesterday, all of a sudden decided maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have a little closeness with Marvin after all. Particularly since Lee Lee was recognized for being very pretty and Dolly could make no such claim. But it was too late. Marvin was happy where he was and since Dolly would not grant a divorce the wayward couple continued to live with one another in an unmarried state. This caused a lot of friction in the community. I was at the town hall meeting when the subject of Marvin and Lee Lee living together in sin came up. One old woman, I forget her name, stood up and wanted action. She said she remembered a story that was read to them in high school about a woman who had a red letter put on her forehead because of her activity out of wedlock. This woman wanted the sheriff and his deputies to hold Lee Lee down and tattoo a big red "F" on her forehead. Somebody spoke up and said they remembered the story and the letter was an "A" but the old woman making the demands was confident it was an "F" and even if it wasn't it ought to be. Of course, nothing ever came of this woman's demands and Marvin and Lee Lee lived together for over twenty years. In about year seventeen of their togetherness Lee Lee got sick, some kind of cancer.
Tomorrow: A Sad Day

Judging Others

People around here say they got what they deserved. I'm talking about this couple who lived over on the other side of the lake. Marvin and Lee Lee Hankerson have not done well financially compared to other around here. They didn't start out that way, at least Marvin didn't. His dad ran a pretty big dairy and he and his brother were all set to take over when the old man retired or passed on. Marvin was married to a young girl, Dolly, whose family was well settled and you might say wealthy. From the beginning it seemed the marriage was doomed. Word was out that Dolly spent many nights back at her daddy's house. She told her friends that she found Marvin repugnant and shuttered at the thought of his touch. Along came Lee Lee. Her family was not well off but were good people. It wasn't long before Marvin and Lee Lee were living together. Apparently she did not shutter when Marvin got frisky. Marvin was still married and the community came down hard on him. So did his family. The brother was set up to inherit everything and Marvin was left out in the cold.
Tomorrow: Scrutiny of the Community

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Special Coffee Mugs

I like to drink my coffee in a mug. I have a couple of mugs that are my favorites and I seem to have one or the other in my hand filled with black coffee several times a day. I was telling y'all about a mug I found with MAKE HASTE written on it. I like that because my grandmother used those words a lot. I reckon I may have been a slowpoke or at least not up to her speed requirements. Yesterday, I came across the ad for a company that will make you a mug with whatever you want written on it. I decided that I would get mugs with all the old expressions I could remember. Call me sentimental, I don't care. So I am making out my order with: MUCH OBLIGED, I'LL SWANEE, and I'M ALL FRAZZLED. I'm not sure about the last one, but I heard my daddy say that quite often. Anyway I will wait a few days and see if I can come up with at least six. They have a special price on six mugs.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Things People Used to Say

I came across a coffee mug the other day that had the words MAKE HASTE printed on it. It got me to thinking about my grandmother and how she used those words all the time. Now you hardly ever hear anybody using that expression. As I recalled my grandmother, it prompted the thought of other things we heard growing up. Phrases like: I'll swanee, gracious plenty, pretty nigh, bye the bye, and "be still my heart." Words like: tribulation, tyro, and breadth were commonly used; today, not so much. My grandmother used the word pray instead of please, "Pray, come in and have a seat." Gentle talk, doncha know? I miss all that gentle talk.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Valentine's Day in Harper

Today is Valentine's Day in Harper. Well, I reckon it's Valentine's Day where you are too, but anyway. This morning I went by Harper Drugs and Soda and saw how empty the boxed candy rack was. Wilmer Jr., the druggist, told me they sold out before they closed last night. Dorothy doesn't want any ordinary gift for this special occasion. She would prefer that we go together down to the nursing home where her mother was when she died and give out a few gifts there. I reckon we will since we have done that for the last couple of years. I was hanging around the barbershop earlier today when Bozack Winsloe came in. He was carrying a big bouquet of roses shaped like a heart. Bozack and Mary Jean (Doodle) Winsloe are a funny looking couple. She must outweigh him by sixty pounds and she is several inches taller than he is. They have been married for over forty years. Bozack had a big smile on his face and was whistling The Way You Look Tonight. One of the men said, "Why you so happy, Bozack?" And Bozack replied, "Tonight's the night, fellows. Tonight's the night."

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Snowbound

I talked to my cousin in Atlanta. They are in the midst of a snowstorm, kind of a rare thing this far south. He said they were doing okay but they may be snowbound for several days.
This brought back a horrible memory of my school days. We had this teacher in the sixth grade who came from Minnesota. She had married a boy from Harper and they moved back to his home during the Great Depression. When anybody in her class misbehaved (and that was a category I seemed to lean toward) she would use a drastic punishment to help us mend our ways. We had to copy a very long poem titled Snowbound. It was written by a poet named John Greenleaf Whittier. The poem was 4617 words and it had to be written out in "acceptable" cursive. The teacher, Ms. Warrinton, was the judge of the acceptable part. I am amazed that I remember so little of the poem since I had to write it (and rewrite it when it was not deemed acceptable) many times during the year. My big problem was talking too much. Even back then I seemed to have a lot of stories to tell. That experience (copying this poem) may have been my first recognition with irony. First the poet's middle name, Greenleaf, always looked strange right under the title: Snowbound. And second the chance of us being snowbound in Harper seemed remote and pretty much unlikely. With the way things are going this year it does not sound impossible that we would be caught in such a predicament as being snowbound.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Be Prepared

I talked to my cousin in Atlanta this morning. They are expecting a snow/ice storm over the next few days. I asked him if he was prepared. He said, "Almost." I reckon that means there are things that he either has left on his list or things that he will not be able to accomplish before the storm. He and his wife went to the grocery store yesterday and got comfort food for use during any confinement in their house. They collected all the flash lights, lanterns, and candles. They grouped together the batteries that were scattered in various drawers throughout the house. They made sure iPhone, iPad, computer, Kindle, etc were well charged. The cars were fill with gas and backed into the garage. Clothes were washed and dried. Soup was brought from the downstairs freezer to the upstairs refrigerator. Everything was in order except the two generators in the basement. Those devices have been begging for repair for the last ten years. I reckon they will get worked on sooner or later, probably later.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Waste

When I was a kid we were encouraged to clean our plates at every meal. I should probably have written  encouraged in all-caps. We were told to appreciate our full plate because children in China were starving. When I was very young the image that came to mind was that my leaving a single pea at dinner would result in excruciating pain and death for a youngster over there. As I grew older the habit of eating everything stayed with me. When I had children around I even finished the things they left uneaten. Then one day someone told me that old expression, "Waste is better than waist."
With Dorothy the problem of leftover food is no longer an issue. She is the best I have seen when it comes to using all food in house. And her food is delicious. We have two freezers and Dorothy makes good use of them. She makes wonderful soups with whatever veggies she finds in the downstair freezer. One good thing about it all the soups are different to a degree. I must emphasize they are all good. I wish y'all could come over one of these cold winter nights to see what I'm talking about.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Talk Radio (Harper Style)

We got this little radio station here in Harper. The studio is located in the Harper Lake Motel and you can drop by any time and watch the announcer or DJ as they perform their duties. The station manager is a second or third cousin of mine and is real creative. He has had shows that gave away trips to the Gulf Coast, free meals at local cafes, and occasionally a radio or TV. The sponsors foot the bill and use it for advertising purposes. One of my favorite shows is call Swap Column of the Air. People call in with things they want to swap or even sell. I had a friend down from Missouri and we were riding around Harper Lake. I was showing him the sights. He started fiddling with the car radio and came up on the Swap Column show. People were trying to sell or swap such things as washing machines, TV sets, and even cars. One fellow called in and wanted to sell some puppies. Seems his dog had a litter of eight and he was asking ten dollars a pup. He said they were pure bred beagles. The way the show works is to allow the seller and the sellee to discuss the transaction on the air. One caller inquired, "Do these dogs have papers?" "No need," replied the seller. "They is all completely house broke." My friend thought this was funnier than I did.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Paula Bear

We got this woman here, Paula Jean Smythers, who goes into her swimming pool every day, no matter the weather. She has been doing this for years. And with the approval, actually the encouragement, of her doctor. As far as I know she is healthy and seems to be doing better than most of the ladies here who have passed the seventy year mark. She has earned the nickname, Paula Bear, bestowed upon her probably by those who wish they had the stamina and courage to perform such a feat. This morning Dorothy asked me to drop off some pamphlets for something they are working on together, some church thing I guess. Dopsie, the Smythers live-in housekeeper, showed me in and took me back to the den where a fire was blazing in the fireplace. I wasn't there for more than five minutes when the sliding glass door that leads to the pool opened and there stood Paula Jean in her bathing suit. She was blue. And when I say blue I mean blue, not light blue or powder blue, but as blue as the mark of a blue crayon on white paper. She didn't say anything but stood in front of the fire wrapped in a hugh white towel. Slowly her body returned to its pinkness and the shivers stabilized. It was only then that she was able to speak. "How are you, Harvey Lee?" she asked. "Warm and dry," was my reply.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Moving On

This will be my 933'rd time to post on this blog. I have committed (to myself) to reach 1000. When I do I will stop this particular blog and move on to something else. I haven't decided what that something else will be but I have 67 days to decide. I will leave this blog up and will made enough entries to keep it active, whatever that may entail, so anyone who wants to go back and read older material will be able to do so. I must remind readers that the first blogs were written in my "storytelling voice" and later blogs were not. This was to please my wife, Dorothy, who felt the older ones were demeaning (her word, not mine). One of the main reasons I write a regular blog is to force me to think of something to write on a daily basis. Somedays it is harder than others. Today may be a good example of one of those hard days.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Fads

When I was a young fellow back in the fifties, pink and black clothes was all the rage (hope I chose the right verb). I resisted for a long time then finally broke down and bought a full outfit: sport coat, slacks, shirt, and tie. I found a pair of white buck loafers to set off my uniform. Within a few weeks pink and black was history. Over the years I have seen lots of things come and go. Everything from hula  hoops to diets to exercise routines. Fortunately most of these things came and went without costing a lot of money or causing a lot of pain or trouble. While watching the Super Bowl it occurred to me that tattooing of the body may be a fad. Back year ago about the only people who got their body colored up were sailors and quite a number of them did it while under the influence of alcohol. Today's young folks better hope this is not just a fad. To reverse their decision to decorate their bodes there will be money and pain involved.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Defeat

The Superbowl is over. I won't say it was the worse Superbowl of all time but I will say it was the least exciting. The reason it wasn't the worse was because for approximately half the fans it was a good game; the rest, not so much. One thing I thought was good was how the losing team did not blame anyone for the loss. In fact, I heard a lot of praise for the other teams defense.
Saturday, I attended a memorial service for a friend who lost a health battle far too early in life. During the eulogies I learned several things about this man that I did not know. He was a modest man and lived his life without the need to proclaim any deed as extraordinary.
For the losing team in the big game, life is not over. They will have next season and hopefully many seasons to come. For my friend, he will remain in the minds and hearts of many who loved him. Every time someone thinks of him he lives.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Oyster Day

Superbowl Sunday around here could also be called Oyster Day. I made a run to New Orleans and brought back several dozen oysters. Dorothy has a number of recipes using oysters as the main ingredient. My job is to get the pit ready. We have this hole in our back yard, down close to the lake, with a rectangle of metal over it. I build a fire in the pit and we put oysters in the shell on top and roast them. For those that like their oysters raw, Dorothy has prepared several sauces (my favorite is her cocktail sauce which has just the right amount of horseradish to suit my taste) and they are set around on tables under tents. The weather is not being cooperative and with fog early and rain predicted at game time so we will probably have everybody inside. Hollis is bringing over a couple of extra widescreens and will have them all hooked up in rooms that normally aren't used for TV watching. All in all we are looking forward to a great day. Some people will watch the game, but everybody will eat.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)

Cousin Maudie and Her Clothes

I got a cousin, Maudie, that lives over in the next county. She collects clothes. Her husband, we call him Forebearing Fred, has never put his foot down even though a lot of the family income goes to support her habit. He even built a large barn to accommodate her excesses. You would have to see it to believe it. The sad thing is a lot of her things have never been worn. The price tags are still in place and they are hung on long rows of racks with no organization that I can figure out. We were out there last week and Fred took me on a tour. He complained of not knowing how to solve this monumental problem. I was my usual frank self. I told him I was certain he did know the solution to his dilemma. It was a lack action not a matter of ignorance. He said it would make Maudie very unhappy if he forced her into any kind of temperance. I told him he was not thinking of Maudie's feeling but of how this would affect him. He got a little huffy but when I left we were on good terms. Think of all the good those clothes would do if they were hanging on the backs of needy people instead of all those plastic hangers in a barn.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)