Taney County, MO, New Judicial Center

Rick and I were privileged to attend Open House for the new $27.2 million Taney County Judicial Center in Forsyth, Missouri, on Thursday. It is a very impressive building which the citizens of Taney County can be proud of. After taking a walking tour of the 120,000 sq. ft. complex, we have a greater appreciation for the size.
There was a very nice opening ceremony with a number of speakers including officials from all levels of county and state government.
Special recognition was given to Chuck Keithley for his 20+ years of service as Sheriff of Taney County. Chuck's handsome grandsons stood at his side as he shared his appreciation and special memories .

Dogwood Acres Weekly 08/25/08

DOGWOOD ACRES, 08/25/08
Hello friends. News was a little slim last week and will be again this week, due to time issues. Doesn't everybody have time issues? Of course, and that is not a very good excuse. I went to San Antonio last week for a real estate seminar and got home late Saturday. Sunday is a day to spend at church and with our family, so by the time Monday got here, a mountain of work waited at the office. Work is a good thing and I am thankful for the three closings that I have this week. I have returned phone calls and emails all day and still have a few that will have to be done Tuesday morning. In fact I am writing so late that I may be too late for publishing deadlines.

Glenette Brown called and asked me to mention that the Bilyeu Reunion will be Saturday, September 20, beginnning at 11:45 a.m. That is still a few weeks away but many people need some time to plan work or vacation schedules.

Something a little closer is the Waymaker's 50th Reunion Concert on Thursday, September 4, 7:00 p.m., at South Haven Baptist Church in Springfield. Those of you who have been around these parts long enough to remember the Waymaker Quartet know this is something you don't want to miss. If you are a newcomer since the 1960's, and like the quartet sound of those days, I promise you an evening of Gospel Music that will be a blessing. Big Smith Band will be accompanying their parents at this concert so it will be a nice mix of young and old.

In a recent email from Gary Gideon, son of Herbert and Bessie (Rossner) Gideon, I learned that Bessie is going to be off her feet for a few weeks. A mis-step got the best of her and broke her right leg just above the knee. The surgeon expects her to be walking within 3 months, back to her old self and climbing stairs within 6 months.

Lone Star Church gets a facelift as several of the older fellows spent a couple of days scraping and getting it ready to paint. It should be done before the homecoming in October.

Bill and Christie had Steve and Anita Biggs, Clint and Abby over for dinner Saturday evening. I don't think there was a birthday cake, but the birthday boy was Steven, who has reached the big 40! I wonder if he realizes that is almost middle-aged? I expect he would say if he is middle-aged, then just what does that make me?? Happy Birthday Steve!
Bye for now.

Dogwood Acres Weekly, 08/18/08

Dogwood Acres, 08/18/08

Hello friends. Some of us Walleye Widows are getting our husbands back. Victor Fisher called Rick last week to report that he had caught a couple of nice ones in the wee hours of morning and wondered why Rick was not there. I had to tell him that Rick was in bed sound asleep, right where he has been every night now for almost two weeks. His interest is turning now to squirrel and deer. He has a new squirrel gun and has been taking Pete into the woods where the Hickory nut harvest is attracting bushy tailed squirrels. Bow season opens in less than a month so he is also moving deer stands around. I guess I will have to cook a few more venison and fish meals to make freezer room for squirrels and deer.

Rick and I went to the Bilyeu Family Concert in Springfield on Sunday night. It is always good to get together with our family and see old friends. There was a huge crowd, probably close to 3000, but just by chance we sat beside Eula Holmes and her son, Wendell. I see Eula occasionally but had not seen Wendell since grade school days in Highlandville.

Hosea invited his brother Buddy Mack to the platform and they sang a duet, probably one of the first songs they ever sang as a special in church. Although it happened to be Bud's birthday and now he is as old as Rick Crum, he did real good, remembered all the words and everything. It's kinda funny, but as I listened to the words of that song, instead of two past middle-aged men up there, I saw two skinny little boys standing up front at New Haven Church when it was still in Dry Holler.

All of their brothers and sisters, except Emma Lou who is in Heaven, were there; also nieces, nephews, grandkids and two special aunts, Betty Sackett and Bonnie Bilyeu. Our elders continue to inspire us and the little ones are reminders that we are rapidly becoming the older ones. Bye for now

ELANE CRUM
RE/MAX Associated Brokers, Inc.
Office: 417-336-7987
Cell: 417-239-4059

Website: www.elanecrum.com
Website: www.elanecrum.remax-midstates.com
Fax: 417-334-5300

Hosea Bilyeu Family Concert

Betty Sackett & Bonnie Bilyeu

Hosea with granddaughters Ella and Ally

Rick and I attended the 24th annual concert tonight at Remington's. This was the third and final presentation and the building was full. Although Hosea had been fighting a cold all weekend, it appeared that he still had a double portion of energy and enthusiasm for the Gospel which he proclaimed.
There was a good representation of family there, including all of his siblings, Aunt Betty Sackett and Aunt Bonnie Bilyeu.

DOGWOOD ACRES WEEKLY 08/11/08

DOGWOOD ACRES, 08/11/08, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. When I told Rick I wanted to go trout fishing, he did not take me too seriously. I guess I can understand why as I do not fish. Early in our marriage I went White Bass fishing with him and he burned me out on the whole fishing process. He still fishes more hours at a time than most people and I still do not want to go fishing with him. So, what changed? Our youngest granddaughter has been asking to go all summer and with school starting next week, I decided it was time.

I took the girls to get their trout stamps and I got my fishing and hunting license combo so will be legal for the rest of 2008. Rick saw that I was serious so he got the fishing poles ready and we were at the lake just as dawn was breaking. Ashton was the least excited about going but she caught the first fish and was also the first to limit out. Erin has only to see the end of a pole wiggle and she is on it, anxious to play that line out and see what is on the other end.

Then, there was me who had not cast a line for forty years. When I pulled my first one out of the water, it became a team effort. Erin helped me get it to the dock, Rick pulled the hook out of its mouth and they got it on the stringer for me. Of course I wanted a picture and Rick made me hold it by its sharp little teeth for the best pose.

It was almost noon before the girls and I had our limits and we called it a day. The dock was beginning to fill up with other fishermen and Rick was happy to leave with one trout on his stringer. Night after night he fishes on his own but this was different. I think he was beginning to fray around the edges by the time he had untangled our lines and restrung our poles a few times. We could not have done it without him and I think he is proud of our catch. With trout on the grill and a skillet of fried potatoes for supper, we called it a good day.

Ida Harmon visited the fishing dock and we had a good visit with her. Paul Sullenger also came by to see what we were catching.

I got an email from Rick's cousin, Gene Stockdall, son of Charlie and Evelyn (Stolpe ) Stockdall. I had sent an email to his dad several weeks ago inquiring about Evelyn, who had a stroke back in the spring. Gene said his dad reads email but does not send it, but his mom is much better. I hope she will be well enough to attend the Lone Star Homecoming which is October 12.

Ray and Mary Farris are settling into their Rockaway home quite nicely. I went by to check on them a week or so back and Ray was busy doing some finish work in the sunroom he had built. They have lots of room now for those times when their big family all gets together.

Ashton, Erin and I followed a yard sale sign Friday and found ourselves at Jeremy and Stephanie Chambers home. They are trying to get things sorted, packed and ready to move when their new house is finished.

There were two birthdays in our family last week, Dawn Bilyeu and Bill Biggs. I thought we should have had a big blowout for Bill who reached a significant milestone, but he chose to celebrate quietly. Christie said he made a new dish over the weekend, using JoAnne Rice's green tomato casserole recipe. I guess I won't be trying that one as my green tomatoes are about as big around as a quarter.

Sean and Makaylee Tilley went to the Bryant Ridge revival Sunday and really enjoyed the Ledbetters. Granny Mac sent us an invitation and I really thought we would get there, but never made it. LeaAnn went Friday night and I talked to Esther Hankins who had also attended.

Grandma Christie tells me that Makaylee Tilley has taken up boxing and attacked her poor daddy the other night, smacking him while he was not looking. Although he said he didn't deserve that kind of treatment from her, he may have started it.

Makaylee and Ashton will both be high school freshmen this year, age fourteen and now the years will pass so fast.

The Hosea Bilyeu Family will be in concert next Sunday, August 17, 9 a.m. & 11 a.m. at Ridgecrest and 6 p.m. at Remington's. They will be featuring music from their new studio project, "REVIVAL", in a concert that isn't just a celebration of what God has done, but what He wants to do in the days ahead. They invite you to come experience REVIVAL. Bye for now.

GIRLS RULE!!

I took off work a couple of days so we could spend a little extra time with the girls before school starts next week. Erin has begged Papa for weeks to take her fishing, so that is what we did. I took them to the store at Taneyville to get legal with trout stamps and a license for me. I believe this is my first ever fishing license!
Rick fishes all night for Walleye, but prefers to start about daylight for Trout, so we rolled out early.
Ashton does not really care much for fishing, but she was a good sport and tended the poles Papa set in front of her. Her pole was the first one to wiggle and before we hardly knew what was going on she had a nice sized trout ready to put on her stringer. She was also the first one to limit out and then could relax in her chair and concentrate on the Nintendo DS.
Erin is quite the little fisherman and stayed right in there until she got her limit.
My stringer was the third one to fill and I am rather proud of my catch. I had never gone trout fishing so it was quite a thrill.
Rick only caught one and six hours after we got there he was packing up and ready to go home. To be fair I have to say that he was an excellent fishing guide. When our lines got crossed, he helped get out the tangles. When we snapped line, he restrung our rods. With his handy-dandy lure puller, he retrieved lures from the fishies mouths. All in all, I think it was a rather stressful morning for him, but he was proud of us. We could not have done it without him!
Following a good afternoon nap, he watched the Olympic Opening Ceremonies with us, then took off for Walleye Land about midnight.

Dogwood Acres Weekly 08/04/08

Dogwood Acres, 08/04/08

When I got home from church Sunday night there was a message from Kerry Wood who wanted to know how I made crabapple jelly. I called her back and we had a good visit. Her crabapples are much bigger than the tiny ones I had so the task may not be so tedious. Sunday afternoon they had attended the annual Dunn Family Reunion, with descendants of Zephaniah and Mary Curry Dunn. She said as usual, Alice Smith's chicken and noodles was the highlight of the reunion. Awards were given to four-year old Eli Dunn, Marty's youngest, for being the youngest one there, Basil Dunn, the oldest, and Tanya and Gary Marrs from Fayetteville, who traveled the farthest.

LeaAnn, her mom and the girls traveled the roads of Taney County Friday going from one yard sale to another. She said one was at the prettiest place she had ever seen, a picturesque log house overlooking Bull Shoals Lake. It was some of the Gimlin family, although she did not remember their names. They share our Aunt Bonnie Bilyeu and keep up with our family happenings through this column.

Christie says berries are laid to rest for another year. There may be a few more to put back for family, so I appreciate that. Sean has really enjoyed being at Farmer's Market where he has met a lot of nice people and made new friends. I made a berry delivery one day to Brenda Keeter, who is a cousin of ours. She plans to make blackberry cobblers for her brother, Max Mayes, when he comes to visit in a couple of weeks.

Christie has been making cobblers too, although I have not happened to be there when there was any left! I was lucky enough to stop one day when there was jelly making going on. She and Sean had three different batches set out for taste-testing, which I was more than happy to help with.

Near their berry patch they found an Elderberry bush laden with tiny berries about the size of beebees. Christie said at that size it could take 50 trees to make jelly.

The Coffee Club met Saturday morning at Danny and Danita Frazier's home. There was 15 fellows and 9 ladies with ladies upstairs and the men delegated to the basement, which protected the integrity of the Coffee Club. God forbid that we gals should know or even care what all they talk about.

Mike Stenger brought a bag of cucumbers to coffee and I cabbaged on to them for my attempt at microwave pickles. I had pickles made by noon and they turned out pretty good...maybe not the same as Mother's Lime Pickles, but then I didn't have to rinse and soak them for a week either.

Last week's birthdays marked the end of an era at Jim and Dawn's house - no more teenagers as Melissa turned twenty. Trent turned twenty-three; these kids are beginning to make me feel old.

My brother called this morning to make sure I heard the heat warning for today, it was orange which he said meant that old people should stay indoors. Of course he is so much younger than me that it does not apply to him. How nice to know that he cared enough to call. Actually I am pretty safe today as it is my day for floor duty and I am sitting in an air-conditioned office for nine hours.

Ashton and Erin went with me to a cousin's funeral in Ozark Saturday afternoon. Danny Ray Wood, age 54, was the son of Ray and Billie June (Bostic) Wood. Other Cupp cousins there included Buddy Mack Bilyeu and Saundra Matthews Long. We are all descendants of Isaac and Nancy Anne Cupp who are buried in Meadows Cemetery.

Colby Biggs attended a Regional Youth Convention this weekend at New Life Temple in Hollister. Calvary Full Gospel's youth group, led by Brian Gross enjoyed the weekend filled with worship, fun and fellowship.

Christie Biggs took a drive down memory lane Saturday, via Keithley Road and Reno Hollow Road. Those are the roads most traveled by Mother and her family during their childhood years in the first half of the twentieth century. She found the gate that goes up Hurricane Hollow to the Davis family home place, but since it was all of 100 degrees decided NOT to take a hike up there. On Keithley Rd, she visited with Becky Tate at her charming Bear Creek Bed and Breakfast Lodge. One of our young cousins from Kansas had just been married there in a garden ceremony and stayed a few days. Christie said it is a very nice place in the depths of the woods with all the charm of a hideaway for a private romantic wedding. I think they also have accomodations for family reunions, small church groups and conventions.

I have been trying to motivate myself to get up early in the morning and walk. We have such a nice big circle driveway that I could make several rounds and never have to get out on the main road. Now I know why I cannot do that. Someone passing by our place said they saw a little black bear cub trotting down our driveway. Now, I am smart enough to know that where there is a little baby bear, there will also be a big mama bear. This may be the time I consider putting a treadmill in front of the TV! Bye for now.

Crabapple Capers

An ornamental crabapple tree near my office has been loaded with little apples, hardly bigger than a big cherry. They were just going to waste; even the birds were not eating them so I picked a basket full. Looking on line, I found several recipes for jelly and began my experiment. Erin helped cut the stems and blossom ends off; we chopped them in half and threw them in a pot of water to boil. After they turned mushy, I drained the liquid, added sugar and began to cook down to jelly stage. We did finally get jelly, although it seemed to take a lot of little apples to make 6 jars of jelly. It is a little on the tart side, although very, very sweet. My sister said it tastes like Horehound Candy! Nevertheless, they are pretty little things and were beautiful cooking in the kettle.