“Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.” ― Jack London

Good Friday morning and we open the envelope to find this one is September 4, 2020. The wife left last Sunday afternoon for her sister's place over in Louisiana near the Toledo Bend Dam site to help in the cleanup and recovery from Hurricane Laura. They have worked each day 'can to can't' dealing with downed trees and debris. The entire area is without power, but, they do have a couple of generators which does give them some basic provision. She hopes to be back by this upcoming weekend. The photos show how they are drying their clothes. The second photo shows the cornbread the wife made using a waffle iron being run by one of the generators. Those photos reminded me of some things from my growing up days. No matter how many times we were taken down running in the yard at night by a clothesline, it did not seem to keep us from doing it again, and again. I suppose we were slow learners or we just loved to play chase more than to consider the dangers. The 'make-do' cornbread reminded me of the first time I was allowed to go on an overnight camping trip with my granddad. We had no real camping gear. Just stuff we brought from home. We slept in the back of the old pickup truck wrapped up in old homemade quilts. I awoke to get ready for the hunt. It was a chilly morning but PawPaw had a fire going and I smelled something cooking. He had fried a couple of cat squirrels and made gravy to go along with the homemade biscuits that were baking in a skillet in the coals. He had coffee made. He fried us some eggs. What a great memory and what a great breakfast. One that I still remember today as it was my first cooked entirely over a campfire. 

Since tomorrow is the 5th and that's the birth date of our Granny Mac, Gertrude McMillan, (1903-1983), I wanted to honor her memory with this tidbit from last year. ~ 

Granny and Paw Paw Mac

Here we go again, we get up, grab a cup of Community Coffee, say a prayer, and get on with the day the Lord has given to us. Today is Thursday, September 5, 2019, and it is the day we have always paused to remember our legendary Granny Mac, born on this day in 1903. She went to her reward back in the Spring of 1983, but, those in the family who are left, which now are the grands, the great grands, great great, and beyond, well, many of us carry a small part of her legacy each and every day. She had that kind of impact on her family. Someone of modest means and with only a basic education, yet, she became a voracious reader throughout her time here on the planet. She loved inspirational books, commentaries, and other devotional types of Bible studies. When she passed on she left stacks of books that had been given to her over the years, typically on her birthday, Christmas, Mothers Day, or some other special day of recognition. Each one had the name of the giver inscribed in her own hand so they could be returned after her passing. In some ways, she was easy to buy for because she always loved the latest Billy Graham book, Dale Evans, and others of that ilk. I can't really go further than to say she had a hand in raising not only her 7, (8 total but one died as an infant), but also had hands-on for dozens of us grands and great grands. The hands-on is just what it implies, figuratively, and literally. An iconic woman of faith and duty, a renowned cook, a wife devoted to our Paw Paw, and, someone who loved to hug, hold, and laugh with her offspring. Even today, so many years later, I can almost hear her voice. It was a lovely voice. That is, unless, she was calling you with a belt in one hand.

Thanks for showing up this week to peruse my rambling discombobulations. I apologize if they seem at times to be one long-running repeat of the life and times of yours truly. When the grammar program said I used more unique words than 87% of those using the program, I had to laugh. I can't remember if I laughed out loud (LOL) or if I chuckled to myself (CTM). It numbered the unique words at 1,061 over a 30 day period. Are you kidding? My guess is it has to do with my archaic mindset where I am stuck in a timewarp from yesteryear and even the grammar program has forgotten most of the words from way back then. I still reserve one compliment from years ago given to me by a lady. It is my favorite. She said when she reads my writings she can hear me speaking. Yay! I do love that one. In case you wondered, that is my goal. A conversation, albeit, one way, but one that resembles talking on the front porch. Okay. Y'all take care now, you hear? I'll do my best, Lord willing, to see you next time here at the ole blogger ranch. May God bless. Amen. .....More later.