The Sheltering Sky (Hollis)

The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles
Key words: Marital difficulties, travelers vs tourists, three's a crowd, infidelity, cultural ignorance, flies, sand, typhoid, desert love, oblivion.

Reopened After the Flood

Just heard from our friend Nancy that our favorite seafood restaurant have reopened. Me and Dorothy usually don't go except when we is headed back or going to New Orleans, but we making a special trip tonight. Dorothy are already talking about fried shrimp and I'm gonna get one of them seafood platters. Maybe I'll start off with oysters on the half shell if they is good now. They say only eat oysters in a month what has a "r" in it. And of course September has a "r." We'll see.

Cutting for Stone (Hollis)

As Uncle Harvey Lee instructed me to tell you, I will now and then bring to your attention a book that I have recently read. Today, I will tell a little about Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.
Keywords: A pair of docs, Ethiopia, Missing Hospital, missing finger, pregnant nun, abandonment, adoption, female circumcision, rebellion, escape to America, livers, sacrifice, living on after death.
Excellent book.

Liberry Job

I got me a parttime volunteering job at the Harper Liberrry. Dorothy kept suggesting I get out of the house and do something, so when I were down checking out a book I asked if they need any volunteering and they said, "Sure." In case y'all wondering I can read a lot better than I can talk. I been reading most of my life and when I'm inside of a book I kinda loose sight of ever thing else going on in the world. My job are easy. All I got to do is put the returned books back on the shelves where they go.  Friction books is placed by the last name of the author. I knew this already because I been picking books off the shelves for my own reading for a long time. Hollis, my great nephew, what writes this thing for me (trying to make it the way I talk) is a real good reader. He ain't but twenty and he's already read hundreds and hundreds of books. Hollis says he will fill in writing this blog thing on days when I ain't been able to talk to him. He will tell about some of the books he's been reading.

SEC Football

Hollis, my nephew what writes this thing, trying to use my exact words, come over a little while ago to watch SEC football with me. Dorothy are piddling around the house doing the things what she does, so me and Hollis is on our own. Of course she left us plenty to eat. Hollis talked me into getting this big screen TV and the SEC package on the satellite and I'm glad he did. Gotta go; the team I'm pulling for are about to score.

Naming Kids

Peoples need to be more careful-like when they is naming their kids. Most likely them kids is gonna have to keep that name all their lives. Some folks name their childrens after family members, like a old uncle or aunt. Some use the names of movie stars, ball players, Bible peoples, or even political folks. Around here we got a lot of peoples with funny sounding names. Like them Whimberly twins: Dickey Donald and Rickey Ronald. That's what they calls 'em too. We got Scarlet Redd, Clarence Sale, Jack Frost, Jack Handle, and Phil R. Rupt. And then there's all the nick names. Toughy Breams, Bruiser Bounds, Dimples Smith, Big Butt Morrison, Sweetie Pie Bailey just to name a few. Real names is given but nick names is mostly earned.

A Bunch of Babies

We got a family down county what has had four twins. I don't remember what you call it when there is four babies what come at once, but that's what they had. It's kinda funny cause the mamma and daddy is both over forty year old and they has been trying to have a young'n since they was married over twenty year ago. That's when they heard about this doctor down on the Gulf Coast what could help them. He's what they calls a fertilizer doctor and he gives pill and shots what help make the woman be with child. Well in this case he kinda overshot the mark. It's like back in the fifties when we was having a long, dry spell. It hadn't rained for months and the crops was plum brown and dying right before our eyes. So all the peoples got together and held prayer meetings asking for rain. All the churches was asking their members to pray long and hard. After about three weeks of this there was announced on TV that a hurry cane were on the way. And it come right through here and we was flooding up all over. Then peoples was praying for a dry spot of land to stand on. I reckon it may be better to take what comes our way and be happy to get it. You always gotta remember you may just get what you ask for.