Christiansen's Comments

First Published Hinds County Gazette
 May 23 2013

  Saturday I attended two parties, a crawfish boil out at Montgomery Lake to celebrate Julian Gibbens birthday.  Julian turned 100 on Friday May, 17.  One hundred!!!!

And he still has his mind! Still writes letters…still enjoys telling stories…remarkable! (When I consider  living to 100…All I can think about is…that equates to having to put up,  decorate and take down the Christmas tree 31 more times!)

Julian came from a large family of Louisiana Cajuns…I guess they are Cajuns…, people in Mississippi refer to folks from Louisiana as ether Cajuns or Coon ___ (I am not allowed to say the word or write the word.  I can still taste the soap mother use to wash my mouth when I said a word she considered offensive…There were lots of them back in my day….The only person who was allowed say “hell” was the preacher.) So anyway his Louisiana relatives came up and cooked crawfish to celebrate Julian’s birthday.  

My word!  I have never seen so many crawfish!  A wading pool full! 

Whit stirring Crawfish, Julian is Whit's "Paw"

 The children were fascinated with them…Actually touching the wiggling creatures.  Crawfish are not ugly exactly…but I have to wonder who was the first somebody who had the nerve to eat one?

 I don’t think that coon___  nickname is necessarily derogatory ….I am thinking it is like us rural folks in Mississippi being called “rednecks”.  The good ole Mississippi country boys don’t seemed to be insulted by being called “red neck”. 

100 Balloons!  Photo P.A. Mckey

 

 

 

 Later Saturday afternoon, I went from a party celebrating a long life, to celebrating a little girl who is not yet born. I attended a baby shower for Mary Frances Hilbun, Mary Frances was not in attendance…I guess she was, but Mary Frances will not be born until July.

Mary Frances is the daughter of Marrianna and Jamie Hilbun, the granddaughter of my friends Dave and Suzanne Harpole.

.

The shower was given by some of Marrianna’s young lady friends ….Us old ladies have wondered “who is going to do the parties when we get to old to do them”…… let me tell you we can stop fretting…. this younger generation knows how to do a party…the food, flowers and table were absolutely beautiful. 

And I learned something from them….you do not have to make everything from scratch ….stand over a hot stove for hours…The cupcakes were exquisite…and tasted sooooooooooo yummy!  They were bought, not from a fancy dancy bakery…but from a local grocery store!

Miss Mary Frances received many beautiful gifts….or so I was told…us older attendees, stayed seated at a table in the breakfast room, as the gifts were being opened, ….we were just plum dumb giddy … we were at a party!! We were enjoying being waited on!!! We never shut up…talking loud and laughing….If we were not so darn loveable we probably would never get invited to another party.  

We old ladies were unsure who we could pass the party, Bible School, etc baton to….Actually I am not sure we were looking….we were hanging on to it with a white knuckle grip…They had to come peel it out of our hands.

 The young ladies have proven they can do it.   They learned from the best!

Call if you need me

P.S. I received a note from Julian yesterday May, 29, 2013
informing  me there were no Cajuns at his party. 

Christiansen's Coments...Hinds county Gazette

Yippee

Blog spot would not let me place pictures like I wanted today...Taylor is at the bottom of the page...

Keith McKey and Whit

Angela and Whit thier first meeting

Yippee!!!!!

I just became aware, this very morning, that there is still one thing on this old body that still works.

Yesterday, Sunday, was the day we changed our clocks, left daylight savings time behind and went back to the real, genuine, authentic time. Back when I was growing up the time never changed. When did daylight savings became official …early 70s? Well, not sure… but when ever it was, since then, I have been discombobulated for two or three weeks in the Fall when we “fall back” and two or three weeks in the Spring when we “spring forward”.

My knees hurt, my hands ache, my brain and body has slowed down, way down. But when I woke up this morning and the clock said 5:30 and not 4:30...4:30 has been my usual time since Spring…It tumbled to me, a “Bear of little brain”. I do not wake up abnormally early…It is my body clock, it just does not change, I wake up the same time summer and winter. So the rest of my old carcass is wearing out, but my body clock is still working!!!! Never stopped!!!!! For some reason I find that comforting.

I still do not like the shorter days…but there are no more hours of sun light in the days of winter…. no matter what time we by.

Next week ,I will be bringing my Christmas tree down from the attic and begin the setting up process, then commence hanging ornaments….This might be a bit early even for me. But, I am not even one of the “busy” people and my calendar is filling right on up. And Of Course I do not want to miss anything….So the tree will get ornamented in fits and starts again this year

.

I am more energized about setting up the tree up this year…because of Whit…but I am not so sure he will be very excited…. at 1 ½ years old …everything is new to him…so even quite atypical occurrences are just part of his normal day. He watches with curiosity, and great interest, but not with amazement…..it has been my observance it is when children get a little older, is when they begin realize, a speeding fire truck with sirens screaming, is not an everyday happening…then they get excited and amazed. Right now for Whit, a train whistling down the track is no more or less exciting then finding a new rock. Whit is rather fond of rocks, he has quite a collection.

Last week, East Group Properties in down town Jackson , had a Trick or Treat Party. Keith, Peggy Ann’s husband, and my daughter Angela work there…it was for the children and grand children of the employees. Peggy Ann and I, not ones to miss a party if we can help it, went and borrowed us each a grand child, Whit and his big brother, 5 year old, Taylor…and headed to Jackson. I told you all of that to tell you this… Taylor was far more excited then Whit…to Whit it was just another day in his world…an interesting day to be sure…but no more fascinating then standing at the fence in his back yard watching the goats.

Taylor looking uo at the tall building in down town Jackson Mississippi

Got to go! I want to try a new tamale recipe Lindsay Noble Jr. gave me…interesting, instead of wrapping them in corn husks they are wrapped in coffee filters.



　

Whit enjoying his loot

Christiansen's Commments Hinds County Gazette October 6 2011

While folks were worrying about me and my bus trip….

My friend Peggy Cannada McKey was in Grand  Rapids Michigan, attending a National board meeting for Bethany Christian Services , Bethany is a non-profit Adoption and family service agency…This is a cause close Peggy’s heart, and for years, ever since I have known her, the entire McKey family has supported Peggy and they too have been committed to this organization. The family through the years kept and cared for many Bethany babies that were waiting for families.
WWW.Bethanyservices.org

Let me get back to what I was telling you…Peggy while in Grand Rapids was hit by a truck! Peggy was headed out for an early morning walk, she had to cross five lanes of traffic…She waited for the traffic to stop, then commenced to cross the street…a truck that obviously did not see her, began making a right hand turn, collided with Peggy, and tossed her several feet, with a force great enough to knock one of her shoes off. Peggy fell backwards landed on to her elbows and her head bash into the pavement…It was cold so Peggy was wearing a coat…the heavy coat kept the scrapes and bruises from being real bad and ugly. And her head landed on her pony tail…Peggy has a very thick head of hair…so thiick in fact she didn't even have knot on her noggin! However the barrette holding her pony tail, did succumb to the impact of Peggy Ann‘s head meeting the pavement ….it was in pieces. And some body retrieved her shoe…So she is calling it all Good! She is Not out done with anybody…..

Those McKeys are resilient lot…All of them…the kids, the grand kids… all of them! Active bunch too…and once in a while something gets broke… an arm or leg ….but more often then not they just bounce…and are right back up.

We are experiencing ideal weather here in mid Mississippi…cool , dry and abundant sunshine. Perfect for working outside….And that is what I have doing, I have been out with my arsenal of tools, conducting a war here at 201…I set out to conquer that tangle of thorny elaeagnus…the hedge at the bottom of this hill…I don’t know how long that hedge is 30 or 40 feet… maybe more. I hauled a least 6 pick up loads of branches to the burn pile. It took days, but I persevered and won! But this was not a battle with out injury, the barbs on elaeagnus stabbed right through my clothes and scratched my arms all up. And!! I was attacked by a flying insect of some kind…I heard it, but didn‘t ever see it ….it stung me on the back of the neck. But still and all Victory was mine!

Do not worry about the elaeagnus, believe me it will come back, to fight another day, stronger then ever. I am getting older….the strength and endurance I use to take for granted is waning ….I know one day the elaeagnus will be triumphant….but it wasn’t this time.

Lots happening around rural Hinds County in October…

Raymond is having their Pilgrimage beginning this week…goes for two weeks…lots of do not miss events….They were listed in last weeks Gazette and I bet they are in this paper…. Or you can go to their web site. www.friendsofraymond.org

St Mark's Raymond
Thursday's Lecture

There going to be an Old Time Gospel Sing at the old Rock Springs Church Saturday…I hope to be there…Then Sunday, Bethesda Presbyterian Church is having their Home Coming.. I plan to be there. It is Second Sunday at St. Marks in Bolton too. Besides the 4 O’clock prayer service, they are having a blessing of the animals at 3...I plan to be there.

St Mary's in Bolton
Second sunday services

Blessing of the Animals at St Mary's
Billie Abraham
 Angela Christiansen
Scout

Bethesda Presbyterian 1826
Home coming

Edwards Cemetery was Day Saturday (october 1)….beautiful day, big turn out!

Love to all

"Christiansen Comments" Hinds County Gazette Febuary 3 2011

I am so much better now the sun has shined!

I puttered in the yard Friday and Saturday, actually I did more then putter, I got a pretty good bit of work done. Friday I sheared the crepe myrtles…but only lightly. Because, my friend Peggy Ann, a master gardener, called what I have done to them in the past “Crepe murder”. Following Peggy’s logic that made me a “crepe murderer“….I didn’t much like the sounds of that…. So I did not cut them back to waist high as was my usual habit ….just the very tips.



But in my defense, I was told to get crepe myrtles to bloom, I had to cut back them quite severely. And I must say this, in all of the years I have cut them back so brutally…none ever died….but come to think about it,,, they didn’t bloom profusely ether…. So to my crepe myrtles, I opted to be horticulturally kind this year.

At the bottom of the hill I have a contorted mulberry and a cedar tree…. they were becoming entangled…I thought giving a rather messy, unkempt appearance to that part of my yard…The contorted mulberry, obviously needed more room. Saturday morning, I walked to the bottom of the hill , bow saw in hand.

I stood and contemplated on the two trees… cedar was a volunteer it came up on it’s own…it grew up, to it’s present 15 foot height…with no help, and very little encouragement from me. The contorted mulberry on the other hand, has been pampered and praised, from the day it was planted…That contorted mulberry is the most exotic plant on the place….one year ago December, when one of it’s very large branches broke and fell to the ground, I shed tears..



I was ready to cut the “dime a dozen” cedar to the ground. Even though, standing between the two trees, I came to recognize, it was the mulberry encroaching on the territory of the cedar…robbing it of sun light. But, I knew, if I didn’t do something, eventually the cedar would become weak.



Because, I know how I feel….after days and days with out the sun‘s reassuring warmth and bright light….I didn’t want to….but I had to do, what I had to do. I took a deep breath and walked up to the enormous offending branch on the mulberry, and cut it off.



Love to all, call if you need me


PS
For those of you who read me both in the Gazette and on line, I hope you see, I do know how spell crepe myrtle..(It's not crape myrtle)..I am one of the world's worst spellers, so normally would not know if a word was spelled correctly or not...but  as I was writing that morning I looked it up...because I thought maybe crepe myrtle was one word....I blame the spelling error on an auto spell check program...they are built in to most word processing programs........it must have been turned on that day at the newspaper.

PS
 to my PS Crape Myrtle can be spelled ether crepe myrtle or carpe myrtle.

Country Girls can Survive....

HCG January 21 2010




I have a tile for this column, But no beginning



If I begin at the beginning, that will make for a prolonged ramble …that you may or may not have time to read, depending on the weather….Or may have more to do with your personal tolerance level for endless chatter. And besides I don’t know if this tale has a beginning….or an end for that matter. That is my strongest weakness, when it comes to writing, I don’t know where to start or when to end….so that makes the middle rather disorderly too.



Maybe...I shall begin by telling you that the Edwards Fellowship Club held their Christmas meeting here at 201...Sometimes the Christmas meeting is here, sometimes at Peggy Ann McKey’s. It had been raining for days, the ground around my house and even on my old drive was muddy… squashy. …this clay in my yard was ready for some one to come along and trap in it’s slippery clutches.



Most of us in the Club are not as young as we would like to be….and the thought of getting stuck in the mud…well it is enough to make you stay home. But Russell Cannada volunteered…maybe more like insisted he and Scott would come get anybody who was stuck in the mud ….out of the mud……I wasn’t suppose to let them try to get out on their own….I guess he figured we would be calling him anyhow if there was a problem…and the task would be by far less complicated if we called for help, while we were still just stuck and not mired in…. up to the axle.



By the way we had two new pairs of helping hands for this luncheon…I had ask Angie Zadrozny and Lesley Cannada to come help serve plates…they are young ladies from the church…I must confess, I had an ulterior motive for requesting their help…like I say, we are not getting any younger and when it comes my time to go live with Jesus, I want the young ladies of the church to be familiar with my house, where the knife, forks, wine glasses, coffee cups and all such as that are kept…the funeral dinner will be much easier on them if they know where stuff is.



Dish clothes and tea towels seemed to be the most elusive articles to find in a strange kitchen. When Barbara Pennebaker helps with a funeral she always has a pretty basket filled with useful articles…Kleenex, breath mints, serving spoons, I don’t remember what all…But I had a kit too…mine always had tea towels, dish cloths, hot pan holders and dish soap.



Well Angie had a conflict so she couldn’t come ….we were standing in the middle isle at the Presbyterian church when she broke the news to me. The person, in the closest proximity to me was, bless her heart, Sherry Cannada, I pounced, “Will you take Angie’s place?”…without hesitation she said she would.



The lunch went well, we spent a lovely, relaxing time visiting…with an anxiety free mind, …. if the mud grabbed us…. we had Russell to call. Folks were tickled to have Lesley here, she brighten our party for sure and great help! And every one was glad to see Sherry ….better known to the older set around Edwards as “Al’s wife“. Al’s wife is also grand help!



When the guests left, no one got stuck!



Or so I thought! Out my kitchen window I saw Peggy Ann’s car and Sherry’s vehicle still in the drive way, I assumed they were visiting….several minutes later they were still out there…yet another while past and they were still there…it tumbled to me, “it is drizzling rain…they aren‘t standing in the rain visiting!”… I went to the door to see if there was some kind of trouble….Peggy Ann, in the drizzling rain, was on the ground, half way under her car, in her party clothes and Sherry in her party clothes was toting a chain to her.



I ashamed of my self…but the first thing I did ,was run for my camera….Angela had it in Madison, so I crabbed my phone, it can take pictures and went back to the door…snapping pictures as I hollered “Want me call Russell?” *

Peggy and Sherry

An emphatic “No!’ was PA's  answer “We can handle this.”

And they did! PA fastened one end of the chain to her car…Sherry fastened the other end to her four wheel drive pickup truck…and that was it! Out it came!

Here is my title

Country Girls can Survive!

I am sorry to say, the pictures did not turn out well…..

Love to all

It was three years ago today that John died, if the Lord allows the deceased to look down and check on those they left behind, I believe John would be proud of the way , our golden retriever, Charlie and I are adjusting, we miss John but, we are settling in to a routine, we do a lot of puttering, we shuffle around in the shop a good bit…we go for a drive most every day…..we always have some kind of project going…We are happy….John would want us to be happy. …The days are getting noticeably longer, soon the daffodils and Japanese magnolias will be blooming…Charlie and I enjoy the longer days….longer days make for shorter nights.

Gloria ChristiansenChristiansen's Comments, Hinds County Gazette

Isla and Peggy


Friends of Terry dinner theater


Christiansen's Comments
Hinds County Gazette
October 1, 2009


I do not watch the news or listen to talk radio…there is nothing wrong with doing ether…I used to be a news junkie…And John always listened to Mississippi talk radio on his way to and from work, he would come home all riled up. One time he stayed in a stew for weeks over the state of the public schools in Mississippi,,,… and how much money was being wasted, seems some of the superintendents in some of the districts were being paid enormous amounts of money…and not much to show for it .....education wise.

Of course all of that has been rectified by now…Soon as those folks in charge became aware there might be reason for concern…they flew in to action and resolved the problem…Right? ..because that was years ago….They have… haven’t they? Of course they have…they promised to do so when we elected them.

I forget now where I was going with that…..So let me tell you about, Peggy Ann, Isla and I driving over to Terry Mississippi, last Saturday evening for The Friends of Terry, Dinner Theater at the depot. During the ride down Midway Road…we were lost conversation…about clouds, sunshine…we hadn‘t seen the sun in days and reminiscing about Porter Herb Farm that was once in the area.

On after while, we found ourselves, not exactly lost, but a bit discombobulated…Until Peggy remembered she had a GPS on board…we were not satisfied with what it was telling us , about that time… we, spotted a man, up the road, mowing his grass….after a bit of contemplating, whether or not we should interrupt his work…you know how temperamental lawn mowers can be …sometimes after being shut down they refuse to crank back up….but after just a few words of deliberation…we decided he looked perfectly capable of fixing the machine if it needed it….so we asked him for directions, he set us right and off to Terry we went…..we did not look back….

The dinner theater was so much fun! The food was delicious, it was roasted pork loin, some of the best green beans I ever ate….real bacon don’t you know. ….a roll that tasted homemade and strawberry shortcake for dessert…Oh! yeah and rice… flawlessly seasoned.. The food was cooked, and served by the members of The Friends of Terry, some of the ladies and gentlemen after serving and clearing plates, pouring tea and coffee, pulled off their aprons and stepped in to costumes and took part in the play.

The Play, Lilly, The Felon’s Daughter, is one of those villain plays, where the audience gets to participate by hissing, booing and throwing peanuts. I do not believe, I am revealing anything to you, that the cast was not already aware of, when I say….…“Hollywood need not send talent scouts to Terry Mississippi“…On the other hand Foodnetwork would not be wasting their time by coming down for a look.

But, It was grand fun and oh! sooooo entertaining, the cast was having so much fun…they infected the audience with their enthusiasm. Sitting in the back of the depot watching all the silly carrying on, taking place on that makeshift stag…I could have been in Mayberry, with Andy, Opie, Barney Aunt Bea and all the rest of the town.

The likes of which that happened in Terry Mississippi last weekend, and what will be happening in Raymond this weekend, with their Pilgrimage…That is the real America.

The members of Friends of Terry, and the rag tag cast…every one a volunteer were not looking for fame or fortune…They come together for a cause. The profits generated by the dinner theaters are used for the restoration and up keep of the depot, a train engine, a box car and a soon to be on sight caboose.
　
Trough their generous gifts of time and labor have achieved something far greater…then fame or fortune.

"To affect the quality of the day – that is the highest of arts." Henry David Thoreau.
Thank you, all of you, for affecting the quality of my day.

Love to all and call if you need me
　
　
GloriaChristiansen@gmail.com　

Gloria Christiansen HCG April 30 2009

Saturday morning, I went to front porch with my second cup of coffee …it was a spectacular morning, the sun was still low in the sky, it was not even bright enough yet to cast shadows. (I get up very early) The air was sweet with the honeysuckle, right now the woods are full of it. Above and beyond , and mixed with the honeysuckle there was another pleasing scent, it was a familiar, but I could not for the life of me figure out from where that wonderful smell was coming. I had nothing in my yard blooming except roses and it was not a rose scent….and it was strong.

Way on after while, it came to me what it was that was perfuming the air…. I fuss, fume and fret about it …I chop, pull and spray it….You all, its the privet hedge that also grows in the woods at the edge of my lawn! It is in full flower right now… And I knew it had a magnificent scent in the spring….but in the summertime I get so mad at it, I forget how lovely it is in the early spring.\

I went to contemplating, “Is there a life lesson to be learned from privet hedge?” “Is God trying to tell me something?” “Could it be, even the most obnoxious (folks, plants, animals, insects) may have sweet qualities, we might would notice,….. if we did not get and stay so angry, that we repeatedly over look the good?” I now have something to ponder over this week…while I do dishes, mow etc.

Later in the morning, I drove the five miles down old 80, out to the Shadows, the home of Peggy McKey, to attend a bridal shower for Marianna Harpole. Along side the road the purple fetch was blooming, the queen’s lace and the clover….. perfection!

The lane going in to Peggy’s is flanked by live oaks, for a moment you are in a tunnel of green…perfection! Then you are in front of the beautiful home, brick with white column that rise to support a second floor porch Lovely! A story book setting.….

At the front door was Marianna, she was just lovely, she was wearing a spectacular sundress, all white and she was wearing high heeled shoes, the color of ripe persimmons….Perfection!!!!.

Ordinarily Marianna is extraordinary shy and very quiet, but for this occasion she was able to overcome her shyness, and was at the door smiling and greeting the arriving guests….Marianna is a honey…she is beautiful ….She is appreciative, she is respectful , and she is gracious… the mark of a carefully raised young lady born to the South.

Love to all, call if you need me