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I would give anything to take y'all back in time with me to experience Christmas in the poor house. You will need to play along and imagine here. The smells of Washington Delicious apples, Lake Wells oranges, Mama's traditional Christmas cake frosted with icing made with apple chunks and orange slices stewed down in sugar with the peelings still on. Vanilla and egg whites cooked until the frosting was thickened to a smooth concoction. Lort! Our breakfast table was laden with a platters of fried yard eggs, ham, bacon and sausage patties and link...
Foodborne illness will put an instant damper on holiday celebrations. Practicing holiday food safety can reduce the chances of someone getting sick. Preparing and Serving Food “Do not let foods linger during preparation,” said Angela Treadaway, an Alabama Extension food safety and quality regional agent. “Cook them thoroughly and serve them promptly.” Using warming trays, chafing dishes and crock pots can ensure hot foods stay at the correct temperature. Placing serving dishes on crushed ice can keep cold food cold. According to Treadaway, it i...
Alabama's rivers have always been a major transportation artery for commerce and travelers. In the early days of Alabama, flat boats and canoes made the journey down rivers and creeks carrying news and supplies to far flung settlements and villages. Before the War Between the States, the advent of the steam powered river boat brought rapid transport to cotton and commerce. Stories of the ships created an allure of romance and adventure. Sometimes the ships gave rise to legends even bigger than...
It's been dry. On my walk the other day I came to realize just how dry it's been around here this year. As the picture shows, I was able to walk across an area that is usually underwater. The "cypress pond" near the railroad in Bluff Springs was not even boggy. I googled "drought Escambia County, Florida" and found that there have been other dry years lately. A northescambia.com article from December 23, 2016 notes, "Despite recent rainfall that has greatly reduced the risk of wildfires and...
Escambia County Bank of Flomaton hosted a celebration for Customer Appreciation last Friday. I was invited to sell my book alongside the Alger Sullivan Historical Society group who were selling books; all things historical and local. So, the doors opened for business and the gathering of area folks who enjoyed refreshments and reconnected with friends and family. WPFL 105.1 Radio brought news, announcements and live interviews with many that shared their memories and talents from days current and bygone. The coveted historical calendars were...
During the month of December, I have had the opportunity to instruct students across all grades at Brewton Middle School in safe use of archery equipment. During the first week of December, students were instructed in range safety and about types of bows (longbow, recurve, and compound), their parts, and the advantages of types of bows available. After a couple of days of safety instruction, students were each individually coached through their first shot to make sure they knew where to nock their arrow and how the fletchings of the arrow were...
Heck Rumbley of Monroe County, Alabama set down for an interview with The Monroe Journal in 1966 regarding his father, Thomas A. Rumbley, who was a surveyor, a tax collector and a Confederate veteran who lived into his 90s. His father, Lt. Thomas A. Rumbley served in Company H, 17th Alabama. He joined at Old Scotland. Many tales of The War Between The States were recounted to his son, yet it was one amazing story that created a decades long question for some in the Monroe County area. In 1893,...
It seems that there is a general decline of young folks in interest of our country’s past. Some think that Americans have become isolated through the use of the internet and social media. Personally, after much thought, it seems that the problem is that there are no benches. You know, the ones that sat near the front door, usually occupied by two or three local elders. These were the oracles of our history. Liar’s benches was a name eventually given to these thrones of senior knowledge, and it was from these edifices of exaggeration that the...
I don't do drugs for recreation. I have had drugs done to me. So, my first experience with the magic of drugs was when I gave birth to my first baby. A little girl that had made my life miserable for nine months with having me puke and eat tons of stuff. Peanut butter right out of the jars, pickled peaches and the juices that dripped off my elbow, gallons of Coca-Cola from small bottles that had to be filled with slivers of ice; just anything that didn't bite me first got dibs on being eaten. I ate. She rumped around and caused me to cry and ea...
For many, finding the perfect Christmas tree can make or break the holiday season. Luckily, people can easily find a perfect tree if they keep a few things in mind. Species Some people get their Christmas tree from a “cut your own” tree farm, while others buy from vendors with pre-cut trees. Norm Haley, an Alabama Extension regional agent of forestry, wildlife and natural resources, said either of these options usually have several species to choose from. “Common Christmas tree species grown in the South available at farms are Leyland cypre...
We are less than three months away from the election for our number two U.S. Senate Seat. The winner of the Republican Primary on March 3, 2020 will be our next U.S. Senator. Winning the GOP Primary for any statewide office in a presidential year is tantamount to election in the Heart of Dixie. Jeff Sessions is the prohibitive favorite to win back his seat he held for 20 years. He probably regretted from day one leaving a safe U.S. Senate Seat with 20 years of seniority and four-years left on his term, to take a temporary Attorney General...
Somebody moved away and gave Daddy a turkey and a few old laying hens that never laid, but eventually made some good Sunday dumplings. My parents never ask for handouts (we had self-pride), but a hand-me-down turkey wasn't the same as a public dole turkey. Daddy accepted the gift and thought he would make a good centerpiece for our Thanksgiving table. Anyway, as to the turkey, he became known as "that sapsucker." ***Credit to Humpy for that phrase. He called undesirables "sapsucker."*** It was in late summer/early fall that Daddy came home...
With the weather turning colder and football season coming to a close a lot of us begin to think about hunting and camping for the upcoming hunting season. One of the advantages of living in this area is the opportunities for hunting and fishing in this area. I've been on a several memorable camping trips but some are more memorable than others. One very memorable trip happen back in the early 1970's. This happen just a couple of weeks after what became known as the Pascagoula UFO abduction which at the time was all over the world news....
It's a time honored tradition on Thanksgiving to enjoy a meal with loved ones and, as we age, traditions with loved ones become all the sweeter as the years pass by like a river. Yet it's easy to take for granted that a hot meal, with turkey and fixings, will be waiting when we come out of the woods at dinner time on that special day. It's special for a lot of reasons but not the least of which is the easing of the climate from the oppressive summer to the milder fall, the slight changing of...
In Birmingham, Ala. Kenneth Reese, the 2019–2020 Alabama 4-H state ambassador president, lives the 4-H motto. “I want to be a role model to youth and show them all the opportunities 4-H offers,” Reese said. “This is a goal I have had for years. First introduced to 4-H in school, he started his own 4-H club at nine. Growth through Leadership Serving as a state 4-H ambassador provides additional skill development in leadership, public presentation, citizenship, community service and public relations, as well as team building. Reese leads 24 addi...
Our emotions are our best servant when they act on our own behalf. When our emotions are on our side, we learn to take life in stride. Personally, I battled emotional extremes much early adult life. What you find below are some things that have helped me to fight emotional extremes: Think realistically. Learn to put things in perspective. Not getting too high or too low when confronted with a challenge, can bring your stress level down. Manage time wisely. Controlling your time rather than having your time control you, aids greatly in...
The use of Williams Station's original cemetery continued through the first decade of the 20th century. Thereafter, many bodies were removed to Oak Hill Cemetery. Yet in the quite, lonely cemetery at the west end of Church Street rests the memories of an earlier time. Some of the graves were merchants and business owners. Some were saw mill workers who came to the Williams Station earn a living. One example is Nick Reaves. According to The Atmore Record of November 17, 1910, the young man...
So here I sit this day pondering on what my offspring really feel about me as a Mom. In all honesty it doesn't matter now because they turned out as awesome humans, so I must have been okay, RIGHT? From the moment I felt the first flutter of life I was elated and crying at the same time. They both caused me to get fat and fatter. They caused me to eat everything in the kitchen and from all the Tom Thumbs that sold Little Debbies and wash-downs of Tab. Calories were high on my doctor’s attention. Tabs would take care of the calories, RIGHT? I sp...
Last Saturday, Nov. 16, the Flomaton Community Center on McCurdy Street was buzzing with energy as runners and walkers who endured the chill took off to complete the Flomaton Lions Club’s annual Veteran’s Day Celebration 5K Run and Walk to honor past and present veterans and their families. Matt and Teresa Dobson were there providing completion times and awards for the 20 -plus participants. Boy Scout Troop #31 raised the flag and the Star-Spangled Banner was sung to honor the colors and begin the day’s events. Around 10:30 that morning, a mem...
Every year, our Extension Offices across the state conduct their Grassroots Survey to gather input from people about the types of educational programs they believe would increase the quality of life of the people of their community. During the past few years while I have been in Escambia County, one of the consistent top needs identified by the survey population has been healthy living. This includes nutrition education, substance and drug abuse, and physical fitness. This issue is not exclusive to Escambia County, but is an issue facing many c...
Recently, I was in Oklahoma visiting with the grand kids. It brings to mind the thoughts of raising children. Talking about raising them now is easy. Doing it fifty years ago, was anything but easy. Many of you know what I mean. Let’s just say, I have turned out to be a much better grandfather, than I was a father. The truth be known, there are a lot of others burning rubber right behind me. And they certainly not all males, either. May I begin by reminding those who have young children, they grow up only once. I have younger friends who s...
Richard Benjamin CPL Richard Benjamin KIA Vietnam from Atmore, Ala. We are remembering you on this very sad day, Feb. 6, 1968, long years ago. You have served Christ well young man. You were 19 years old and served as an Indirect Fire Infantryman with "A" 2nd Bn. 14th Inf. 25th Inf. Div. in a little, run down war ravaged country called Vietnam. You served your country holding your head higher than we do. You served only three months and six long miserable days during an awful and trying time in...
An interesting period in the regional history of the panhandle is the few years during the War Between the States. Although events here merit little historical interest compared to many terrible events during this time, this region was a war area and there are interesting stories. In 1862 the Confederate Army defending the coast at Pensacola and at Apalachicola was ordered to move north to meet the Northern military’s advance into Tennessee. Small detachments of Southern troops were left in the area. Locally they were stationed along the P...
The Williams Station Cemetery is situated at the western end of Church Street in Atmore. Yet to find the location it becomes necessary to search and look beyond the houses at the western extreme of the street. A glancing scan soon takes the searcher down a tiny sidewalk which leads to the enclosed graveyard and, as if passing through time and space, the traveler soon finds a gem of local history among the stones erected to memories of those who passed long ago. Among those faded memories is that...
In my childhood days, the month of November brought busy work and fun times to this country girl. To say November was the best month would be a stretch, but let me explain myself. Before the busy-ness of November, October had us harvesting our crop of sweet potatoes. Daddy and Mama had prepared a place to "bank" our potatoes for keeping them through the winter months and have some for starters for our crop the next year. The banked potatoes were piled in a trench that Daddy had made for the base of the bank. About four feet wide and 10 feet...
