Greening Up of the Hollow

by Dee Dee Parker 

Welcome Sweet Reader,

I love when the hollow starts to green up.

Sometimes, it seems like overnight all the trees take to budding. Along with the trees, the flowers also come into full bloom, leaving the hollow ablaze with a painter’s pallet of colors.

Lowell Keys said he had been digging in the chocolate cake soil of his yard for several weeks now. He said the dirt is so rich he thought a body could plant catalogue pictures of flowers and they would sprout. His sister, Darlo, who lives in another state, said her dirt was poorer than poor and that she just went ahead planted her flowers dead. Ha! Lowell is good at making funnies.

Pink spring roses coming back to life

Speaking of flowers, I’ve had a strange thing happen. An old variety of rose that hadn’t bloomed in forever just up and flowered this year as pretty as you please. The rose’s fragrance is divine. I’m thankful the Good Lord let it come back to life. He’s good at life restoring, you know.

Addie Lou Thompson said she found her favorite trowel last week after it wintered over in her side garden. She said she was getting forgetful in her old age and was always losing things. I shared with her as how I’d lost a brand-spanking new watchband last year, still in the package mind you, and found it a little before Christmas in the freezer compartment of the Frigidaire. Truth with my hand up. Addie Lou said she felt a lot better after hearing she wasn’t the only one prone to these follies.

Thistledown Hollow Gazette

May 2020

Vol.24

I’m filing this under Pure Sweetness.  

Blue bird painted with car paint

James and Bess Parker have had the sweetest tradition for many of their fifty-two years of marriage. Seems Bess found a glass figurine of a small bluebird at a next-to-new-store soon after they’d wed. The little bird did have a sizable ding out of one of its wing and a small chip off its beak. But Bess, being crafty, thought she could fix it right up and so she bought it. James decided he would surprise Bess by fixing the bluebird himself. He tried to touch it up with some leftover car paint named Sapphire Glitter Blue and made a mess of things. Bess was not happy! An argument ensued and after a night on the couch for James, all was forgiven. Now, here’s the sweet part. After any argument, either Bess or James sits the bluebird on the supper plate or the pillow. Once after a deeper argument, James sat the bird atop the family Bible for extra emphasis, realizing the depth of his offense. 

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The give-away was so successful last week that Hair Do's and Makeup Don’ts is having another one this week.  With a standard hair set, you’ll receive a combination rain/wind bonnet with its own little carrying sleeve. These come in standard colors and also leopard print. These bonnets will go fast! I appreciate your business.

Thistledown Hollow public gazebo

Wedding Bells
Rufus Campbell and Marylee Sisk had a lovely wedding at the Thistledown gazebo on Saturday. Marylee’s flowers were cut from Tine Sutton’s garden and were arranged in mason jars that were tied with twine. Her dress belonged to her mother Jinx, and with Jinx being a mite more ample than Marylee, a lace jacket became part of the ensemble.  The lightning bugs added a pinch of magic as they flew around the table set out for finger food and punch. The slight mishap with the candles and overuse of hairspray did nothing to hamper the beauty of the ceremony. Several other weddings will be featured over this month.

Road Closure
Wolfpen Highlands Road, leading into the hollow, will be closed for four days. The heavy rains did a number on the road surface and it is in need of repair. Plan to take Iron Skillet up into the hollow during the maintenance. Preach Amos said a road a mite wider would insure the safety of the hollow residents. He reports this after Aunt Mat Mayapple experienced a small skirmish in the large curve by Potter's barn.

Hal’s Fishing Report 
Trout streams are about to open! Fellers, stake you out a good spot over on Crooked Neck Stream next week. These fish will be keepers. Ladies, plan to get the cole slaw and hushpuppies ready. Yum!!!

Thistledown Hollow Home Owners Association

Haywood Coggins, head of the Thistledown Hollow Home Owners Association, asked me to remind all of you Thistledown residents that it is time to pay your Hollow dues. For those new to the hollow, the dues are only five dollars a year. The money is used for things like repainting of the entrance sign or putting a small condolence wreath due to a hollow death, or a jubilee wreath in celebration of a birth or wedding anniversary. Haywood jokingly said the line between condolence and jubilee was near about blurred with some anniversaries and he wasn't quite sure which wreath to put on a couple's door. 

I heard he had to eat supper at the Snack & Stack Design Your Own Sandwich Food Truck down in Frog Pond for two days due to what he said about the anniversaries. Sarah Jane, Haywood’s wife, told him he better take better care of how he crafted his words. I also understand that Sarah Jane received a big bouquet of store-bought flowers and a sizable gift certificate to Belk due to Haywood’s disregard of Sarah Jane’s sensitivities.

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Bobby Joe Messer invites you to be sure and drop by The Hive this week. With every two pints of sourwood honey you purchase, you will get a honey stirrer free. These stirrers are handcrafted here in the hollow by Cole Blumer. This deal won’t last long after the folks down in town hear about it. Cole said his lovely wife, Susie Mae, had a few stirrers in her cute bookstore along with several interesting books on beekeeping. Thank you for your patronage!

Sweet mountain lemonade

I saw where lemons were on sale at several grocery stores in the vicinity. So now’s the time to make some of the homemade nectar for all of the porch swinging that’s coming up. Sally Mae Julie Justice (former editor of this publication) said I always did have a way with words, so here’s a little ditty I penned.

Lemonade and wooden porch swings…   

the best of summer’s offerings.

Easy Fresh Squeezed Lemonade:

Ingredients:

5-8 lemons

1-1/4 cups sugar

6 cups cold water (divided)

Instructions:

Make a simple syrup. Place sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. 
Over medium heat, bring to a boil. 
Reduce heat and stir to all of the sugar has dissolved. Cool.

Juice the lemons over a strainer until you have 1 cup.

Mix the cooled simple syrup and remaining 5 cups of cold water.

Add the fresh lemon juice.

Mix well.

Garnish with fresh mint and fresh lemon slices.

Words of Wisdom

Preacher Amos, Thistledown Baptist Church and Pastor Otis Williams, Ivy On The Rock Church, reminds us to love each other for The Good Book says: "Love your neighbor as yourself.” 

Sweet Reader, come go home with me next week. You are loved and welcomed here.

Be kind to each other.

Ruby Lee Brown