APRIL 17-19, 2009

What a busy weekend! Friday afternoon I had several hours in the garden and I finally feel like I'm making progress. I've now planted broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, sugar snap peas and blackberries. My jalepeno, banana and bell peppers should be in this week and I hope to get those and my watermelon, cantaloupe and strawberries in the ground before the weekend. Abby planted close to 90 gladiola bulbs last weekend and I still have more to plant. I have a row of daylilies and I've planted seeds for wildflowers and lavender. And my roses, of course. I still have several different kinds of flower seeds to plant once I re-line my coco baskets, along with some potato vine and purslane.

Saturday threatened rain all day so I was hesitant to get started on anything outside. I had no choice but to do the dreaded housework and laundry. Saturday afternoon I attended Brian and Leah Herndon's wedding at the Church of Christ here in Oxford and got to visit with many Aberdeen friends. Afterward Mike and Mona, Mike and Marie, Gus and Judy and Eden and I met for dinner and it was such fun. The Caysons had to get back to Starkville, the Jones to Tupelo and the Mills had an early flight to DC on Sunday so we had to say our goodbyes fairly early. Eden and I headed to City Grocery to meet up with the Herndon wedding crowd. By then it was pouring rain, but it didn't spoil our night. We had a great time.

Leslie and I both love to ride around and explore country roads, so since Nicky and Eden had gone to the farm and Abby had company, on Sunday afternoon we set out to see what we could see. I discovered while researching my family that Daddy's Maternal Grandfather, Eugene Riley Jones had been born in Sardis, MS and Mama's Maternal GGG Grandfather, A A Edmonson had moved his family to Saline Co. Arkansas from Coffeyville, MS. We headed to Panola County to Sardis initially, but we ran into wind, rain and finally hail. The sky looked much clearer the other way so we turned around and headed toward Yalobusa County. We took a detour by Enid Lake first(Leslie had never been there).

From Enid we took Hwy. 51 North, then cut through to Scoby to hit Hwy. 330 to Coffeyville. We passed this old cemetery somewhere near Scoby. There was no sign or marker of any kind. Some of the graves were way back in the woods and many of the monuments were on the ground. I'm sure I'll end up with a good case of poisen ivy because it was everywhere, but I couldn't resist traipsing through the neglected graves. Although several of the graves were well tended and cared for, I had never seen so many graves that appeared to be abandoned and forgotten. Some of the markers were very ornate and finely crafted and others were very roughly inscribed as you can see. It made me very curious.




I wanted to walk through some of the old cemeteries in Coffeyville to see if I could find any Edmonson graves. We stopped at the main cemetery in town, but never saw the name Edmonson. There was a very impressive Bryant famly plot, with some of the biggest monuments and markers I've ever seen. They were obviously a very important family in Coffeyville. I did notice that one of the Bryant men buried there was a Circuit Judge in Arkansas, which I found to be a little coincidental(he had every school he ever attended and every job he ever had on his tombstone . . . it was massive!). He was from Coffeyville and became a Circuit Judge in Arkansas; my mama's people went to Arkansas from Coffeyville; there's a town in Arkansas named Bryant . . . never mind. Anyway, it started to rain again so we had to cut our visit short. I've noticed that everytime I try to visit cemeteries looking for family graves it starts to rain. Leslie says it's a sign! Of what, she didn't know. I'll have to ponder that one.

We drove around Coffeyville for a bit and saw a quaint little town. I also located the Yalobusha County Courthouse. I hope to visit there on a week day sometime to do a little Edmonson research.

I'd never been to downtown Water Valley, so we drove over there. It's also a pretty little town with many nice homes and gardens.

I didn't make much headway in the genealogy department, but it's always a delight to spend a day with Leslie. I'm looking forward to our Sardis Sunday.

NICKY'S BIG DAY

On Wednesday, April 15, 2009, Nicky got his top braces put on. We weren't quite sure how he would react, but I was so proud of him and, frankly amazed. He was very nervous while it was happening, but he did exactly what he was instructed to do, and never complained or let out a whimper. After we were finished I expected to have to take the rest of the day off to take him home where he would want to lay around and eat ice cream, but he wanted some lunch and was ready to go back to school. He, Sallie and I had a nice, soft pasta bar lunch at the University Club,then I took him to school and I went back to work. He loves to talk about his braces, but so far he hasn't complained once. That boy is just full of surprises.

IN THE BEGINNING . . .

SPRING 2009




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It was so pretty this afternoon that I wanted to be out in the garden. I didn't have enough time to really get started on anything, so I just decided to take pictures. These will be my "before" pictures. Still so much to be done . . .

PATRICIA ANN ASHCRAFT

JANUARY 2, 1935 - APRIL 16, 2009

EASTER 2009

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I was able to get in the garden for about an hour before getting ready for early church and got my blackberry vines planted along the east fence line. I was feeling very satisfied with my day so far until I put on my new "Easter Dress" and the zipper got hung two inches short of zipping all the way up. It wouldn't go up or down. The zipper was located on the left side and was extremely hard to get to by myself. I yanked and pulled and cussed until I worked up a sweat, and then I asked Abby to try. No luck. I got a pair of needle-nose pliers to pull with and snatched the zipper pull off. By this time I was running late and nearly to tears with frustration. I wanted to take the dress off and put something else on, but it's one of those that won't fit over your head unless you unzip it, so I put on a sweater and went to church. Since we were running late and it was Easter Sunday, there wasn't a parking place to be found within 3 blocks of the church, so I parked in front of the Federal Building. Thankfully the sun was shining, but what you couldn't tell from the car was that the wind was whipping around at 40 miles an hour.

My dress was a chiffon-y Marilyn Monroe Seven Year Itch kind of dress. Earlier I thought it was so pretty the way it swirled around, but now I was fighting to keep it from blowing above my head on the way into church and couldn't wait to get it off and back to the store. First, I had to figure out how to get it off. That gave me something to contemplate during church. Abby's hair was being blown to Kingdom Come and she was thoroughly disgusted by the time we got inside. Leslie and John had managed to save us a bit of room next to them, so we were able to sit pretty quickly. I believe if we hadn't we would have turned right around and gone back home.

The church was packed and there were babies everywhere. The couple sitting next to Leslie had a young baby girl that was in touching proximity, and a baby girl was also baptised. At the peak of Warren's sermon he raised his voice for emphasis and set off all the babies at one time. Because of claustrophobia, hormones and all the babies, poor Leslie stayed in tears through most of the service. All I could do was hand her a tissue. That service seemed to go on forever.

After church Abby and I trekked back to the car. The four of us went out to the cemetery afterward for our Easter visit to Bella's grave. Flowers were strewn everywhere because of the wind, but we had taken Bella's off a few days before. We put them back on and hoped they would stay.

I'm not a big azalea fan, but on the way home I saw some of the most beautiful red azaleas. Lee had told me about some he had seen a few days ago and I bet these were the ones so I took a picture of them to show him. (They were the same ones.)

We were heading to the Aberdeen Lock and Dam to have Easter dinner at Blue Bluff with Mary and Ferrell and Peter and Jan Lee, so we had to hustle to get everything done and leave by noon. but first I had to get that *%#* dress off. I started to get out the scissors but Abby thought she could help me pull it over my head. We got if off. It ripped, but I really didn't care. I dug the price tag out of the trash, then taped it and the zipper pull to the receipt and threw it all in a bag to take back on Monday.

We left on time and would have made Blue Bluff by 1:30 as planned but Abby wanted to drive and it took us a wee bit longer. We were the last ones there, but she did a fine job and we got there in one piece.

Leslie and John were having Easter at John's Grandmother Mize's and Baker and Hollie were having Easter with her Grandparents. Eden and Nicky had stayed at the farm the night before and had gone to Sunrise Service with Mary and Ferrel. Beau had been to a party for Mary Lee on Saturday night in Aberdeen, then had gotten up and gone to church at First Methodist there. I was proud of him. John Dewey came to lunch with us and brought Bones, his dog. I was a little intimidated by Bones ( a Pit Bull) until I got to know him and found out what a sweetie he is.

It was windy and threatening rain, but we had some good food and a nice visit. Abby hid eggs for Nicky a couple of times and then the three of us took a walk on the Nature Trail. I wanted to go by Union Cemetery in Wren before it rained, so we left about 3:30. I wanted Mary to go with me so she could tell me what relative was what, but she opted for a nap instead, so Eden, Abby, Nicky and I went to check it out.

The cemetery is so pretty and peaceful, and full of Bakers! There's even a concrete panel on the gatepost, which is a memorial to Eden's Grandpa Sam Baker. Eden's Baker Great-Great Grandparents, Great Grandparents, and Grandparents are buried there and Mary and Ferrell already have their headstones set. We decided it would probably be a good idea to pick out our spots and maybe put in some sort of marker.

It started raining so Eden and Nicky headed back to the farm and Abby and I headed home. It poured down rain on us the whole way back to Oxford. Aside from the dress fiasco, it was a good Easter.

HAPPY EASTER

EASTER SUNDAY REFLECTION

ON EASTER morning, we celebrate Christ’s resurrection, which is more than just a return to life; it is a new, stronger, never-ending life. We emerge from Lent as new people, transformed by our time in the wilderness and by the work we did there. We partake of Christ’s eternal life because we have chosen to make room for it in ourselves. Enjoy the freedom you feel in your clearing. Celebrate its ongoing transformation into a garden, and know that God guards and tends this garden with you today and every day from now on.

PATRICIA ANN ASHCRAFT

PAT ASHCRAFT

Pat is Daddy's oldest sister. She was born on January 2, 1935. In my early childhood she lived in California, but at some point moved back to Arkansas and lived in Little Rock. She stayed there for several years and then moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma, where she lives now.

Pat is one of the people in my life that has made a distinct impression and with whom I feel a special connection. I can't really explain why. I guess the obvious reason is because she's family, but I think the main reason, is that she has that Ashcraft imprint. When I look at her I can see my Grandparents, and Daddy and me. She gets her build from the Jones' side and favors Grandma in that way, but she has the Ashcraft face and mannerisms. The face is strong and a bit stern, but the smile and laugh are quick and easy. I have seen her and Daddy both make a certain face. They cock their mouth to the side and raise their eyebrows. It usually happens when someone says something they might not quite agree with or they find questionable, or if they're asked a question they might not particularly want to answer. It's a funny face and I've seen it many, many times. It's usually followed by a humorous remark or sarcasm.

I remember one time, when I was a little kid, just because she wanted to, Pat picked me up and took me out to eat, just the two of us. She wanted to talk to me about me and tell me about her. It was while she was still living in California and she was probably only visiting for a few days, but she used part of that time to visit with me.

Although I think Pat is very sure of her beliefs, and most of the time very open in her expression of them, she's a very thoughtful person as well, and sensitive to other people's beliefs. She's also a huge animal lover and is probably one of those people who gets more joy from animals than she does from most people. I have a distinct memory of visiting her at her home in Little Rock and of her two big happy dogs and one little bitty one.

Several years ago Pat had heart problems, then a few years after that, she was diagnosed with cancer. The cancer has slowly taken over her body. Today she is in intensive care hanging on to life by an IV. The medicine is keeping her blood pressure just high enough to let her say goodbye to and spend precious time with her loved ones who could make it to her ICU bedside.

Mama and Daddy are there and say yesterday was a good day. Some friends were able to sneak her little dog, Sasha, in to see her. She never had children so I'm certain she has a deep love for her dog. As far as I'm concerned, she got some of the best medicine that she could be given. There is nothing like a dog's love to give you a bit of peace and comfort when you need it most.

Today will be a hard day. The hospital can't keep her in ICU and must move her to a hospice room. Once in hospice nothing can be used to prolong her life. She is awake and aware of what is happening and says she is ready. The doctor has explained that she will become drowsy and probably fall into a coma and then it will be only a short time. Thankfully, she is capable of saying when it's time to go and that decision won't have to be made by those who love her, but they will be there with her as she drifts peacefully into a better place.