Smoke Signals and other news
My lawn is cut once again. I left no clover patches for the bees or rabbits this time because it was mostly dried up. I enjoy the lovely white and yellow daffodils someone planted so many years ago. I am blessed to live on this hill. The beautiful daffodils still pop up every spring. Their beauty is shared for many to see and their fragrance attracts the bees.
haven’t seen our bunny in my yard this year. Hopefully, he is doing a good job hiding from the hawks. I see daily the hawks searching for a meal. Also, I have not yet seen the annual snakeskin I usually find while cutting grass. Of course, it gets a bit bigger each year. I have never seen its owner. I don’t mind if he stays in the undergrowth in the backyard if he eats a few mice.
My nephew did stop by on Saturday and did a bit of weed eating, which is something I can no longer do. This yard requires so much trimming and I am grateful for any help along the way.
I admit I have not finished picking up all the limbs from the ice storms and high winds. I was able to pick up many of them today, but I just cut around and hope to get them up before the summer is over.
Our neighbor rents the pasture next to our home for his cattle. I enjoy watching the new calves run and play as they discover their new world – watching how one cow stays with a group of calves while the other cows wander off to eat. It shows that God has taught all living things how to care for themselves. The cattle think the grass is greener in my yard. I bent my fence down so that they could step over and munch on my side of the fence, especially when it is muddy. I admit the fence is old and not too sturdy, and I should replace it. Growing up on the farm, I worked on enough fences. I can’t do it anymore.
Just a reminder, if you are able, check on your elderly family and neighbors. Maybe you could do something for them that won’t involve too much of your time or effort. It would be a blessing to them. Perhaps they need limbs picked up, grass cut, weeds pulled, laundry done, bed linens changed, vacuuming, mopping, and even washing dishes – chores that may be harder to do since they are older. It could also be a life lesson for your children that are old enough to help.
County recreational baseball, softball, and tee ball games start this week with a kickoff jamboree at Sam Coopwood Park in Holly Springs. Watch the kids play their hearts out and overcome this season’s struggles.
Parking, for this week only, is $3 per car. It is not expensive for the awesome entertainment. Plus you get to see the excitement on some sweet faces.
You can relate to this if you are a “dog” person. Since I am retired, (you wouldn’t think so with all I still do), but I occasionally decide to “sleep in.” My little dog doesn’t handle that very well. If I am not up by 7 a.m. he starts his wake-up routine. Demanding that I get up and start the day. Then, at night if I stay up past 10 p.m., he is at my side barking to make sure I know it’s time to go to bed.
Many local events are planned over the next few weeks. Get out, meet your friends, and support the these local events.
The Byhalia Area Arts Council is adding an activity to the Eats and Arts Festival on May 13. They will host an art contest for local youth grades K-12. Each category will have three winners. Prizes will be awarded at the festival. For more information check out the details on the registration form.
History lesson: Dempsey and Matilda Nesbitt came to this area, settling about three miles west of town in the 1840s from Piedmont, South Carolina. The Nesbitts were instrumental in establishing the Corinth Presbyterian Church, three miles west of Byhalia, and they donated a beautiful bell that is still in service at the Byhalia Presbyterian Church.
The Nesbitts were an educated and cultured family. Dempsey found room in their wagon for his beautifully bound classics books with dates of issue predating back to the Revolutionary War. Many of these leather-bound books crossed the Atlantic with his ancestors from England. The Nesbitt’s later moved from their farm into town, building a small log home. Matilda brought a twig from a lavender tree when they came from South Carolina. (This same tree in South Carolina had grown from a twig from England many years before). This twig grew into a large tree that became a landmark for many years. When Oliver Franklin Eddins married Elizabeth Nesbitt, they lived in the log house, making it more prominent. Clapboard siding was added many years later. The Nesbitt’s log house in Byhalia later became the Eddins’ “homeplace” on Church Street. This property was later owned by Mr. and Mrs. J. V. Crabb.
Please share your news with me at jchwagg@gmail.com or text or call 901-246-8843. You can message me on Facebook as Clair Wagg.