Happy Birthday, Sis!

In Loving Memory

Mary Lynn Stricklin Horton

January 12, 1937-December 2, 1990

Let's just pretend, because it is your birthday,

that the lump in your breast was a mosquito bite

that disappeared in a few days and your life

stayed normal, if normal can describe life.

I will call you up and tell you to come by, the

coffee is on and there is coconut cake.

We'll talk about hair color and plants. You will be

amazed at how the grandchildren have grown.

We will speculate about Rosie's new man

and how high the price of groceries will rise

because of the early freeze. I will make you a

copy of that quilt pattern you've been wanting.

We will giggle at old stories: the time you broke

your foot riding a bicycle, the leaves in the chicken stew.

We will groan about our weight gain and I will say

your boobs are as big as the moon.

We will refuse to talk about cancer. We won't

think about chemicals and radiation and

Lord help us get through this. There will be no

emaciated body that lost its strength to talk about.

When it is getting close to suppertime, we will hug

and I will say Happy Birthday and you will say

Forty, again, and then you will go home.

But not very far, so I won't miss you.

~Wanda Stricklin Robertson

Comments

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 (o...

Out of the Dirt: Bragg-ing

Like every reader, I have my favorite writers. There have been so many that have stirred my emotions and made me a part of their world, and I'm thankful for that. The one is love the best, the one I cherish , is Rick Bragg. Yesterday, Rick was in our area. We were privileged to see a newly released documentary about his life called Out of the Dirt . Afterwards, he talked to us about family and roots. His first book, All over but the Shoutin' , was recommended to me years ago. Very early in the book, I was thinking, "Who is this? He is writing about me, about my family." I have never actually met anyone in the book, but they are all my neighbors and kinfolks. His other books are just as well-written. In his book, Writing for the Soul , Christian author Jerry Jenkins had this to say about Rick Bragg: I read other writers and strive to be like them. I read others, like Rick Bragg, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist, and simply surrender, knowing I will ...

Faith, Folklore, and Friends

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