New Hat for Decoration Day

Anyone who lived during the depression learned to be frugal and remained that way, even after the economy recovered and there was extra spending money. My grandparents had a hard time, struggling to keep their family together. Mama remembered eating canned garden peas three times a day during one especially hard winter, a winter when they couldn't go to school because they had no shoes. Having lived through this, Grandma considered it a serious sin to waste money.

She loved her hats, she did, and allowed herself one new hat a year. They were always small and black. It was totally acceptable to wear black hats all year long, but wearing a white hat during the winter would have been considered just plain crazy. Grandma's new black hat was always purchased in time for decoration day, where it made its first appearance sitting on her gray bun and held in place with a lethal-looking hatpin.

Grandma wore a hat to decoration day every year except one. It was in '71 or '72. The day had dawned cloudy with intermittent rain, but nothing short of an F5 tornado would have stopped her from going. She did concede to going to the cemetery early to put her flowers on the graves, planning to go back home and get dressed for church afterwards. The cemetery had lots of exposed red clay dirt, and she knew if she wore her good shoes there, they would be ruined.

My lil' ole sister and her new hubby took her and the flowers to the cemetery early before anyone else got there. As she was walking around, making sure the flowers were properly distributed, she slipped off a wet bank and cut her head on a rock. Profuse bleeding prompted an immediate trip to the emergency room.

The rest of us were sitting in the church house, singing hymns and wondering where Grandma was, when she made her appearance. Instead of her usual proper hat, her head was adorned with multiple strips of white gauze holding a bandage in place. The cut on her head had been long but shallow, but the doctor insisted that she was to go home and stay in bed the rest of the day. Grandma scoffed at the idea. I'm sure she would have insisted on going to church even if she had been on a stretcher. That showed her firm determination, although some spitefully called it just mule stubbornness.

I own several little black hats that I have bought at auctions, but they are all too small for me. When I want one to wear, I prefer the broad-brimmed and very colorful ones. Although she probably wouldn't have left the house in my favorite cowboy hat, it is entirely possible that I got my love for hats from my Grandma Gean.

Thanks, Grandma. Hats have rescued me many times on bad hair days.

Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee. It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures. We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything. Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.

Holy Smoke Pie

I think it was in the late seventies that I first had Holy Smoke Pie. It was at a party at Debra Morris Harville's house. After we ate, Debra had to give the recipe to everyone there. I came home and made it for my family, and it has been a favorite since then. I always make it at holiday dinners, because I believe tradition is important. It has become a favorite of our granddaughters. I've heard it called Chocolate Delight, Four-Layer Chocolate Dessert, and other odd things. We call it Holy Smoke. Here is how I make it: Chop us a cup of pecans; set aside. Add a stick of softened butter (NOT margarine) to one cup of self-rising flour. Cut the butter into the flour. Add the chopped pecans, and work it all together. Save two tablespoons of the pecans to sprinkle on top. Pour into a 9" x 12" pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Spread it over the bottom of the pan. It helps to use your hands (or hand, if you have t

Cedar Trees in Cemeteries

If you ever wander in old cemeteries, and I know many of you do, you are bound to see some cedar trees. The tradition goes back to the early days of the United States and even earlier in Europe. Cedar trees were not always used, but some type of evergreen trees were planted because they were a symbol of everlasting life. Some Cherokees believed that cedars contained powerful spirits, including the spirits of the departed buried beneath them. Perhaps because they are known as burial trees, there are many superstitions that surround cedars. My grandmother told us in no uncertain terms that if we planted a cedar tree, we would die when it was large enough to shade our graves. Some others are: Never transplant a cedar tree; it will bring bad luck. If you transplant a cedar and it dies, you will die shortly. Planting a cedar tree in your yard welcomes poverty. Some say Christ was crucified on a cedar tree, and will bring bad luck if you burn it. If a cedar tree com

Faith, Folklore, and Friends

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