Multitude Monday: Traveling Mercy

I hope y'all missed me last week. To celebrate Hub's retirement, we were on a cruise to the Western Caribbean. In the next few days, I plan to talk about where we were and what we saw, so I don't have to tell all of y'all individually! :)

We were aboard the Norwegian ship Spirit, which travels out of the port in New Orleans. The Superdome Holiday Inn has a 'Stay and Sail' plan, which lets you leave your car parked there a week, for free, if you spend the night. It also provides a free shuttle to the dock, but you have to pay for the trip back to the hotel.

It had been eight years since we had been in New Orleans. It started raining soon after we got there, and street construction made it hard to get around, so we didn't venture far from our hotel. Next morning, we caught the first shuttle and went through embarkation early. We were ready to board when the ship started taking on passengers.

While waiting to board, we met three couples from Iowa, Indiana, and Mississippi. They all were good friends by the time the cruise was over. We spent almost every evening with the Mayos from Indiana.

Cold rain and low clouds kept us inside once we were on the ship, but we had lunch and unpacked. Then after the safety drill (they were serious about that), we left New Orleans and headed down the Mississippi to the Gulf. It took us three hours to reach the open water of the Gulf of Mexico.
Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you about rockin' and rollin' through the Gulf.

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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...

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 wil...

Faith, Folklore, and Friends

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