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.

DOGWOOD ACRES, JULY 21, 2008, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. Although I do not have a garden, we are enjoying fresh harvests of Arkansas peaches and melons from Missouri’s boot heel.

Rick and I went to Eureka Springs for a couple of days last week and visited their Farmer’s Market where we loaded up on fresh baked bread, peaches and vegetables.

Jim and Kendra Harris brought a trailer full of watermelon and cantaloupe to church on Sunday and we will be feasting on them all week.

Christie and Sean picked blackberries Saturday morning while Madison was their “bear spotter” in the cool car. Jim and Dawn picked Sunday evening so there are probably not enough berries left to make it worth a bear’s time to visit.

Bill Biggs came home with a sunburn after spending several days in Joplin at a Farm Show out in the middle of a field. Christie had volunteered to go and spend the weekend with him until she found out the show was not going to be inside a nice cool Convention Center.

Ashton, Erin and I worked outside picking up rocks most of the day Saturday and finished our day with a cool dip in Swan Creek. I found a spot to sit where the water was running all swift and bubbly, something like a “hillbilly spa”.

Several folks from our church attended a benefit auction in Ava Saturday night for Sean and Rhonda Dobbs. Once again, local folks showed how much they care by spending amazing amounts of money on pies, cakes, watermelons, quilts and even luau attire. I heard that the grass skirts I donated went home with Kevin Clayton after a fashion show by models, Neal Crum and Brad Siler.

Greg Blair..

56.5# STATE RECORD STRIPER

The Blair boys have really made news with their record breaking Striper fishing. I heard they even made it to church Sunday morning after hauling in two big fish with a total weight of over 90 lbs. Rick said there were a lot of fellows at the fishing hole with sea going equipment hoping to catch another of those big fish. He came home with Walleye as usual, but something bigger got away with one of his lures, leaving only a little metal eye behind.

Congratulations to Greg on his record breaking Striper. It must have been quite a thrill to pull that big fellow in.

Our sympathy goes to the family of Irene Luttrull of Sparta. Irene was the mother-in-law of my cousin, Bonnie Bilyeu Luttrull (little Bonnie to our family). Bonnie’s mother passed away right after Christmas and now with Gary’s mother passing they will have two big empty holes in their hearts. Bye for now.

ELANE CRUM
Cell: 417-239-4059
Website: www.elanecrum.com
Website: www.elanec2580.remax-midstates.com
Blog: www.dogwoodacresOnline.blogspot.com

FARM FRESH

I bought a dozen eggs tonight from nine-yr old granddaughter, Erin, who made sure I knew how much I owed her!
I always look forward to opening their eggs....because they are different each time. Just Look! There is a small brown egg that came from a little banta hen. One green egg that some South American chick produced...a few normal white eggs and some EXTRA large thick shelled white Duck eggs. As far as I can tell that is where the difference stops...once they are cracked and scrambled together in a skillet, they are all the same. Their must be a moral to this story :)

BERRYVILLE

Rick and I had a little getaway - gone almost 36 hours in fact! Our plan was to go to Eureka Springs for an overnight vacation, eat out a time or two and walk up and down the hilly streets. We did all of that and could almost imagine that we were in one of the little European towns that we visited a few years back.

Although our mini-vacation was all that we had intended it to be, I would have to say that the most memorable part of the trip for Rick was in Berryville (Burrville). I drove down and he slept all the way, waking up only when I stopped at a yard sale in Berryville. (I spent $2.25 on three Craftsman screw drivers and a sewing machine drawer).

Continuing on our journey, he was still groggy from sleeping so hard and trying to figure out just where we were and how I got there. About three blocks later as I came to the first traffic light with an old deserted building on the corner, he came to life! Although he didn't know how I got there, he recognized the old Kraft Cheese Plant where he made his first run from Springfield thirty some years ago. There was the tiny loading dock that presented quite a challenge. As the years passed he could back a truck into anywhere and almost with his eyes closed, but I don't think it went that well that day.

That was a regular run for a few years, but eventually the plant closed and his trips to Berryville ceased, until now.

DOGWOOD ACRES WEEKLY 07/14/08

DOGWOOD ACRES, 7/14/08, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. Another stormy weekend came our way with rain, thunder and lightning Saturday night. This time our electricity stayed on and no trees were blown down so we felt fortunate.

The Ladder Club had a busy week at the fishin’ hole, although not as many fish were caught. I was told the moon is wrong, so guess that time will tell. I sure hope the moon sets things straight in a week or two; otherwise we have a good selection of lures, line and poles that could just go to waste.

Christie has been in the blackberry patch and filled several ice cream buckets with beautiful sweet berries. Sean told her he could see where a bear had been sleeping amongst the berries, but she didn’t seem to be afraid.

Bill, Chris and their family joined about 30 Biggs cousins for their annual vacation at Blue Waters Resort in Protem this last week. Even with the high waters and rain for two days it didn't stop them from having a great time boating and tubing. Each year seems to gain new cousins and memories with each of them eager to get booked for next year.
Vanessa Bilyeu was involved in a basketball tournament at Forsyth gymnasium Saturday, winning all 3 games and then playing for championship on Sunday…I have not heard who won that game.
The recent flooding has affected many in our area including one family very near Dogwood Acres. Helen and Wimpy Everett's home place is now enjoyed by their granddaughter Brandy and her family. Many rainy seasons had kept Wimpy and Helen monitoring the water level over the years and putting in the pretty little bridge had given them a sure way to access until this year. Brandy and her family had a pretty exciting morning a couple of weeks ago when waking to water up on their doorstep and rising up over the wheels of their car. The swollen little creek swept away the stash of firewood for next winter, damaged their lawn equipment and everything that was stored in and around the barn.

Neal, LeaAnn, Ashton and Erin made a quick trip to Ft. Jackson and Myrtle Beach in South Carolina last week. Neal had purchased some tents at the base and they enjoyed the beach and rode the waves on a boogie board.

Saturday night we went attended a birthday party at Plainview School for Doyle Humbyrd who turned sixty-something. One of the neighbors made a kettle of authentic Louisiana Jambalaya. Frances made cornbread and beans and then there were all kinds of salads and desserts. After we had eaten, Frances took some of us ladies to see their house. They moved into Grandma Comer’s house after she passed away and have done some remodeling. It is really cute and has a lot of character that only comes with an older home. Handmade quilts on the beds, hand crocheted throw rugs and family keepsakes made you just want to sit down and rest a spell.

Jim and Dawn spent some time in the sun canoeing with Kasie and Trent on Bull Creek Saturday, then came home and fried fish for supper. Before leaving the creek Dawn got to use her new fishing equipment from Forsyth Bait and Tackle to catch a good mess of perch and goggle eye at the mouth of Goodnight. She said the lure that Joe picked out for her is the best lure she ever had. She called it her secret lure, but if you twisted Joe’s arm he would probably tell you what it is.

While she fished in Swan Creek Sunday night, Jim sat up in Roeder’s field at a groundhog crossing, but never saw a thing. Dawn caught a few little perch and bass there, but no keepers. She did lose her “secret lure” so will be visiting the bait shop again.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Rich Dinkela whose wife, Linda, passed away last week. Although Rich and Linda’s home is Winfield, Missouri, they own property near us and have enjoyed their camping trips here for many years.

Rick and I were on Hwy 176 last week and he spotted a home that looked like an old school and I told him that was the Pleasant Shade Schoolhouse. While going through old papers and pictures recently I found a news clipping of the Pleasant Shade news column from January 3, 1963, written by Goldie Bilyeu. I will close with a couple of paragraphs from Goldie. “Last Friday night Jeff Blansit, Willie Capeharts and Elzy Bilyeus attended church in Craig Hollow, just west of Highlandville, the reason being we wanted to hear Willie Bilyeu preach. H brought a good message straight from the Bible.”

“Saturday night the fiddlers and other music makers around here met at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Bilyeu and enjoyed a music party. The report is there was standing room only.”

I expect that most of the music makers from that group have long passed on, but they left a rich heritage of “making music” and one can still find a group of Bilyeu’s making music somewhere just about any time.

Bye for now.

ELANE CRUM
Cell: 417-239-4059
Website: www.elanecrum.com
Website: www.elanec2580.remax-midstates.com
Blog: www.dogwoodacresOnline.blogspot.com

DOGWOOD ACRES WEEKLY, 07/07/08

DOGWOOD ACRES, 07/07/08, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. Sunday dinner on the farm was truly home grown. PaPa Bill Hodges fried a fine mess of perch that Erin caught in the pond. Granny Mary Lou fried freshly dug new potatoes, sliced some sweet onions and ripe tomatoes and had coleslaw made from fresh cabbage. From last year’s garden there was homemade tomato juice added to a pot of macaroni and a bowl of sliced beets. LeaAnn baked a birthday cake for Martin, who had made a freezer of homemade ice cream spiked with a can of Diet Dr. Pepper. Is it any wonder that taking a Sunday nap seemed the natural thing to do?

Sorry I missed writing last week; it was one of those days when life and two closings scheduled for the day just took over my time. That weekend had been busy starting with a storm that blew trees down on a power line next to the house and sent us scurrying to the basement. Then, there was no power until mid-afternoon. In the meantime, the girls and I got ready in the dark and went down to Aunt Reba’s early so that Erin could get her lemonade stand set up for the auction. It did not turn out to be a very good day for lemonade as the rain poured for hours, not stopping until after the auction had ended.

In spite of the bad weather there was a good crowd for the auction and everyone seemed to have a good time. I came home with some vintage quilts and a big basket. Rick got an iron kettle to cook chili in, but we will wait for cooler weather to do that.

Uncle Jim and Aunt Dawn took Ashton and Erin home early from the auction and they went on a tour of the county looking at flooded roads, lakes and creeks all out of their banks. We all ended up down at Powersite Dam where Rick was checking to see if anyone was catching fish.

Last week’s lightning also did quite a number on a large tree in Lone Star Cemetery. Glen and Patsy Kenyon heard the strike and after seeing what was left of the tree, I am surprised there were not some broken windows.

Chris and her family are really enjoying the Forsyth Garden Club Cookbook that she picked up at their bi-annual plant sale. About midnight this past Friday night Kasie dropped in at Aunt Chris's and next thing they knew Kasie, Sean and Christie were baking a Peach Custard Cake that had been submitted by Henrietta Curtis. Blackberries were substituted for the canned peaches and about 1:00 a.m. they were taste testing the warm version and talking about next time they would have to bake two so one could be set aside to chill because there was NO way they were waiting ‘til daylight to taste THIS one.

Marty and Tanja had high winds hit their house and garage last Thursday evening. Strong wind came up from the lake and laid a TALL tree across the front of their garage and tore all the shingles off the lakeside of their home. It didn’t even rain in Blue Eye, where they were at a ballgame.

Justin and Kasie had neighbors, friends and family over Thursday night for a cookout, bonfire and fireworks. Rick and I had just gotten home from that when rain began to pour and lightning knocked out both of our transformers leaving us in the dark again for several hours. With a few candles and a dandy little TV that runs on batteries we made it just fine.

Friday, the fourth of July, was a leisurely day for Rick and me. The day started out gray and rainy so was a good time to catch up on sleep and watch Christmas movies. After the rain stopped Christie, Madison and Sean rode the 4-wheelers over to see us. That Madison is quite a little charmer who entertains us all with her cute ways.

Rick and I were in Branson Saturday afternoon and took a stroll down the lakefront at The Landing. He doesn’t mind that at all since the walk ends at Bass Pro. We visited with Ronnie Bilyeu who works in the camping department and also saw Ron’s family who had brought grandbaby Ethan for his first Bass Pro visit. Little Ethan, born at 24 weeks and weighing 1 lb, 9 oz, now weighs over 11 lbs and is quickly becoming a little chunk. His first visit to Grandpa and Grandma Bilyeu’s home seems to have been a busy one with a family picnic at Bull Creek and lots of aunts, uncles and cousins to play with.

Rick came in from church Sunday night, got changed and headed for the fishing hole. He would hate to miss the one that got away last week. Steve Biggs caught a 23# Striper on 8# line last week. Something has been bending Rick’s hooks and getting away, so he has made some equipment changes and will keep trying.

His biggest Walleye so far has been 29” long. I took a picture of it about 4:30 one morning, so now I tell him not to wake me up unless he brings home another record breaker.

I understand that Rick started a trend of ladder fishing. At first the others thought he was a little odd, but Victor Fisher brought Teresa’s stepstool from the kitchen and several others have joined the “Ladder Club”. A fisherman will do whatever it takes. Bye for now.

ELANE CRUM

Cell: 417-239-4059

Website: www.elanecrum.com
Website: www.elanec2580.remax-midstates.com
Blog: www.dogwoodacresOnline.blogspot.com

AUNT REBA'S AUCTION

Aunt Reba stayed inside and visited with friends most of the day, only venturing out this one time to watch some of the auction activity. It was less than ideal auction weather with 4.5 inches of rain falling throughout the day.

Powersite Dam @ Forsyth, 6/28/08

POWERSITE DAM after 4.5 inches of rain which resulted in numerous washed out bridges, closed roads and 32 water rescues throughout Taney County.