Dogwood Acres Weekly 07/28/08

DOGWOOD ACRES, 07/28/08, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. It is definitely blackberry weather. Christie and Sean are picking several gallons almost every day and have enough to make cobblers, jelly and fresh berries for the Farmers Market in Forsyth.

Sean was there Saturday morning and plans to be there again on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings as long as the berries hold out. We may only have a couple more weeks of berries so you berry lovers better get them while the getting is good. Sean gave me a jar of fresh jelly that he had made and it is really good. There is nothing quite like the taste of fresh wild blackberries. Farmers Market is held in the parking lot next to the Presbyterian Church.

28" Walleye

Rick is still spending a few nights a week at the "ole fishing hole". He usually brings home a walleye or two, sometimes even four, although I believe he really goes just to socialize. The high water is beginning to drop and I think they are all afraid the walleye will leave with the water.

Ashton, Erin and I picked up Dakota Ray from Christie’s house Saturday evening and were all set to go swimming when it began to thunder and rained on our parade. I unplugged the TV because of the lightning and it was good to see them huddled around a checkerboard. Dakota said he let Erin win all the games just to be nice. She is a competitive little checker player for sure.

On Friday morning I attended the funeral of Melba Blansit, another of our dear old-timers, who passed away last week. Melba and her late husband, Earl, were such good friends to my mother and her sisters, Roma and Wanetta. Aunt Roma was telling me that she stayed with them during the months before their daughter, Viva, was born. Of course she was a teenager and said it seemed that the new baby would never come.

Melba was an excellent seamstress and in 1948 made beautiful dresses for Mother and Aunt Roma. Aunt Roma brought me a picture of them in their new dresses with circle skirts spread out around them as they sat in the yard of my grandparents new home on Oak Ridge.

Rick went to watch young people from Sandy Church play softball Saturday at New Mansion Church. It was such a hot day that I opted to stay home and make jelly in my air conditioned kitchen. At the end of the day I had several jars of Crabapple and Peach Seed-Peach Peeling jelly to show for my efforts. I bought jars and lids from Ruby Brafford at the Frazier/Chambers family yard sale at the youth camp. So seldom do I can any more that I never have jars of my own to recycle.

Rick came in from the ball game hot but not too tired as he was just an onlooker. There were six different churches participating, a lot of young people and a few not quite as young. Pastor James Hathcock from New Vision Church won the Home Run hitting contest, so there is one who showed the young kids how it is done. Way to Go James! Bye for now.