DOGWOOD ACRES WEEKLY, 03/16/09

DOGWOOD ACRES, 03/16/09, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. There are obvious signs that Sucker Grabbing time is here. I took an alternate route to church on Sunday morning and The Corner of the Lower Field on Swan was full of pickups and fishermen. I saw at least one fellow on a ladder, but I know it was not my husband as he was sick at home. ...or was he? That is where I left him and he was there when I got home with no evidence of having been fishing.

When I was a kid, Daddy would bring home Suckers and Mother would can them in the pressure cooker; to be made into fried fish patties at a later time.

Emmett Biggs asked me to remind those with loved ones buried at the Forsyth-Swan Cemetery that there will be a spring clean-up day next Saturday. That will be at 8:30 a.m. on March 21. Bring rakes and whatever other tools you expect to need.

Christie and I attended a family gathering in Branson Wednesday night, spending an evening with our cousins, Alvie and Judy Davis, from Charleston, Illinois. They stayed for a week in a lovely condo, went to some shows and enjoyed an Ozark Mountain Country spring vacation. It has been a long time, close to sixty years, since Alvie lived on a farm at Ponce.

I stopped to see Uncle Bill and Aunt Roma Smith in Forsyth on Saturday afternoon. Their yard is so colorful with a number of early blooming shrubs and trees showing their colors. Friends, family and neighbors have helped rake leaves and get their little garden ready to plant. While Uncle Bill did a little raking and burning on his own, an old dead tree was shooting some hefty flames and scared Aunt Roma so badly that she asked a neighbor for help. She said before she knew it there was fifteen cars and a fire truck or two at their rescue. Not only did they put the fire out, but cut down the old tree for them. They are so appreciative of this great outpouring of help.

Frank Layson has moved from the hospital to Cox Walnut Lawn Skilled Nursing Facility, where he will continue physical therapy. Jim Bilyeu visits often and brings home encouraging reports on Frank's recovery.

The Winter's Bone movie set has moved from Layson's home to other locations, but we continue hearing bits and pieces. Daddy's string of turkey beards was used as a prop in some of the log cabin scenes. I think they hung them on the wall for added atmosphere. Richard and Kelly Michael had two long strings of sweetheart rocks that were hung from the front of the log cabin. For those of you who do not know, sweetheart rocks are simply rocks with holes in them; they can be found in the gravel beds along our local creeks.

Ken and Nita Puchta took Jim, Dawn, Justin and Kasie on a guided hike through the woods Sunday afternoon. Jim said they visited a spot near the head of Bright Hollow where it was said there had been a sawmill at one time.

Daddy had told Ken that he remembered being there when he was about seven years old. Jim took Daddy's metal detector to see what treasures could be found, but did not find much. There was half of a horse shoe, a piece of an old iron stove and then quite a few short pieces of twisted iron scattered over a large area. Jim said it made him wonder if the sawmill had blown up.

It is too early for mushrooms so Ken and Nita took hotdogs and they had a little weiner roast way back in the woods. They had dropped off in the hollow behind Puchta's house and walked through the hollows coming out on the road near the Phillip's Field. Way back in there somewhere they found one of Daddy's old tree stands with his trademark cedar steps.

Rick said he remembered when that tree stand was built and used only one deer season as it was a long haul to drag the deer out of the woods.

I think basketball tournaments are over for us for this year. Granddaughter, Erin, played seven games in the last two weeks; first week at Taneyville, then last week at Bradleyville. She is in the fourth grade and still learning all the ins and outs of the game, but we were all busting our buttons at the last game. She was top scorer, making eleven of the total thirteen points that her team had. I think that game put them in third place for the Bradleyville Tournament.

A house full of neighbors were at Jim and Dawn Bilyeu's for coffee and breakfast Saturday morning. Mike Stenger told me that the men were fixing breakfast and if the ladies did not like it, they could cook next time. Fluffy hot biscuits and sausage gravy was very good; I heard not a single complaint so surely there is no danger that ladies will have to cook next time around. Bye for now.