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.