Noodle Fishing

Hey, here's a grand video I took of my Dad and me noodle fishing for catfish at Lake Eufaula last Thursday.

Quick update: I started my new job and it went very well. I'm working three 12 hour shifts. I met some very dedicated folks and some beautiful old folks. It is physically demanding and, of course, the learning process is a bit trying. Otherwise, all is going as planned. I'm set up to start volunteering at Habitat for Humanity in a few weeks, and I went to church this a.m. (Tuesday). At St. Joseph the Worker in Chipley, Mass is every Tuesday a.m. with a Bible study to follow, which I plan to start soon. Today was a Communion service only, as Father Sean is on vacation and the gentleman who led was very learned re. Old Testament history and the like. There were 1/2 a dozen or so of us there.

Anyhoo, I'm at the library in Chipley and my battery is running low, so Peace Out!

What's for lunch Mama Gladys?

Mom fixes lunch every day unless Dad is busy with Disaster Relief (Southern Baptist organizaton), busy with his latest project. or fishing.

This was the fare last week sometime: BBQ'd chicken, creamed corn, sliced tomatoes, french bread, speckled butter beans with okra mixed in. Of course, sweet tea is the beverage.

(I'm heading to all of the plates o' food photographed right now to call them "What's for lunch Mama Gladys?")

My Sentiments Exactly

Being out at the compound is like my safe pasture. We all have like mindsets and there are few surprises. We are definitely not without our issues, but there aren't too many new ones :). Here is Coco the wee min pin with her perpetual grin at Mama Gladys and Grandpa's.

Fish Fry Lead Up

Here Dad was teaching me how to fry fish and hush puppies in the barn kitchen (I love the barn kitchen). See previous post. Dad rocks!

We are very fortunate in our family to get along. The day we had the fish fry, we had all already gotten together for a dandy breakfast of scones, biscuits, sausage (provide by Caleb and Leanne on their last visit), blueberry preserves, coffee and tea...

We were celebrating the visit of Kathy who flew in from Pennsylvania the day before.

Please keep Uncle Wally and the Comegys in your prayers. Uncle Wally is dealing with colon cancer. The man knows how to keep positive!

Housekeeping

All of the following groups of words mean the same thing. They are synonyms, that is. Sometimes when referring to stuff in our family, it can be confusing because we use different words for the same thing.

The following words refer to the whole property south of Chipley, FL:

Granny's

The Farm

The Compound

This is the 100 acres that was homesteaded by our "people" sometime in the 1800's. There are 4 houses on the property now. The following is a list of what they are all called:

1.

Granny's

Carla's

Comegys'

2.

Tom and Lorraine's

3.

Ralph and Gladys'

Mama Gladys and Grandpa's

(Mom and Dad's)

4.

Aunt Anne's

Aunt Lola's

Tommy and Susan's

The house in Navarre that my family owns is known as:

Cheryl's

Navarre

The house where we all go in Seagrove, FL is known as:

Old Charcoal

Seagrove

Aunt Lola's

The Beach

Here's a pic of a fish fry we had last week. I decided to try out the timer feature on my camera. It's not the best pic but you get the idea. We had the fish fry up at Aunt Anne's. (I tend to refer to things by the original names - Aunt Anne passed in Feb. 2007).

The Coffee Cup in Pensacola

--- Here's a pic I forgot I had. Cheryl and I were in Pensacola early one morning after taking Natalie girl to the airport. We always wanted to eat at "The Coffee Cup". In the background is Creola, the cook who has apparently been there for 37 years, according to a newspaper article in the lobby.

---I'm in Chipley this week. Dad has kept up the old homestead property like a park and it's supremely peaceful to walk Coco around outdoors. She and I took a boat ride yesterday on the pond, her first ever boat ride. She was a bit scared but calmed and was looking over the side at the water.

---My sweet boy Matthew is arriving tomorrow - hooray! First I have to take a basic ed test (TABE) at the vocational school in Chipley to get the ball rolling with LPN school, a program that my new job will pay for. Starting o-ver a-ga-ee-in...Sung like the Reba tune!

---Quick aside: Nat's beau's Mom (Michelle) and sisters stopped by the other day and it was so nice to talk with them. They are moving to Texas to live with Michelle's in laws while her husband is deployed to Iraq. Besides Chris she has 3 daughters including one newborn! Living in Navarre puts you up close and personal to what folks go through for our freedom. God bless our troops and their families.

---Peace...

(This is my first ever post using dial up -- patience IS a virtue.)