Columns

Let’s Get Shakin!!

People think of different things when they hear the word, ‘trinity’. If you’re from the south, especially Louisiana, odds are the first things you think of is……. Good food.

The expression “holy trinity” as it applies to Cajun cooking is thought to have originated with famed New Orleans chef, Paul Prudhomme, who specialized in Cajun and Creole cuisines.

Growing up, Louisiana weekends (especially in the fall and winter months) were for family, friends or get together’s of some kind. As you can imagine these get togethers always involved some of the best food to be had.

In my opinion there’s never a wrong time for gumbos, stews, sauce picante’s, étouffées or jambalaya. BUT in the south these are typically made during the colder months; mostly due to the heat down! The last thing you wanted was a stove top heating up an already hot house. Also, these hearty meals aren’t always the best after a long days work in the heat.

A Close Place

Methodist Pastor Kathy Fitzhugh used to say that a “Close Place” was one where heaven and earth were not far apart. She told me that the reason why she often walked around the Female College Museum grounds was because she felt that this old campus was one of those places. Most battlefields have that same hallowed feel to them and, locally, we are our very own nearby.

But the first of the week I especially felt the spirits close by. Coming to work it seemed I saw the gleam of chrome from a passing car as I parked by the side of the Museum. There was no passing car and I thought the sensation odd. As I unlocked the door I noticed the door to the attic open and the handcart in front of it pushed back. As unsettling as that was I also noticed that all of the vanity and cabinet door in the bathroom were open.

Why Can’t Methodists Stay in Their Own Lane?

When I lived in the big city I had many friends who attended other churches. Sometimes I’d go with them to a special concert or maybe a conference. But for the most part we all stayed in our own lanes.

Why did we feel the urge to stick within our own church circles? We weren’t religion snobs— we all had friends who were Catholic, Presbyterian, etc. Goodness, we even had friends who were (gasp!) Church of Christ. Maybe we believed once we picked our churches, we shouldn’t stray. Maybe we were afraid if we spent too much time with other denominations, our pastors might confiscate our membership cards and banish us forever.But honestly I think we all felt the churches we’d chosen met our needs. So why would we dip our toes into other religious waters?

I read about this on the “Neighborhood Food” website by Courtney and thought it sounded pretty interesting. I was imagining a New York gangster turned “little Italy” restauranteur and serving his house specialty to the gang when they came in to do business while they ate and planned nefarious deeds over the red checkered table cloths on the small tables and booths. I was pretty far off… The Johnny Marzetti Casserole was created by Teresa Marzetti in 1896 for her little Italian restaurant in Columbus, Ohio and named for her brotherin- law. She said the mission of her restaurant was to, “… start a new place and serve good food at a profit if we can, at a lost if we must, but we WILL serve good food.” Her little restaurant was on the edge of the Ohio State campus and this inexpensive but hearty dish fed many hungry but broke college students. Kinda like Ramen Noodles back in the day!

I was asked to be the Vacation Bible School (VBS) director for our church one summer. I got the name of the curriculum publisher, ordered according to my predecessor, started gathering the usual suspects and asking them to repeat the jobs they had the year before. I basically phoned it all in. It was super easy.

VBS was fun, but it seemed like we were doing the same old same old. We invited the same kids, had the same rotations, even bought the same snacks as we had done many years before. I felt the Holy Spirit tugging at my heart and convicting me that next year we should shake things up.

The next year I held our traditional VBS meeting and stood before my fellow sisters in Christ. I explained to them I had been convicted to try something completely different this year. As I outlined my changes, I could tell by their faces that I was not getting much buy in.

A Very Old Cookbook

In the last few weeks I’ve been receiving Ms. Hope Calhoun’s collection of books delivered by her Niece, Cheryl Ryder Brightwell, from Cousin Tommy Calhoun AND it’s been a major undertaking. In the 24 boxes delivered I’ve been finding gardening books, bird and plant books, cookbooks and ,most importantly for the Museum, textbooks from the old Female College. Yes, actual text and reference books!

So far some interesting finds as I unpack are a 1924 book on Parliamentary Procedure, a set of “The Student’s Cyclopaedia” copyrighted 1893 most recently updated in 1919, volumes of the “Messages and Papers of the Presidents” with Volume II copyrighted in 1897 starting with James Madison … This is gonna be fun!

Spring is here and summer is very close!! Isn’t it good to be a true Southerner and enjoy tomatoes, watermelons and cantaloupes? Allow this writer to divert from history this one time to write about the above “vegetables” – especially watermelons and cantaloupes. Cucumbers are great but watermelons are more to my liking. This tasty “gourd” – yes it is in the gourd family – is good for much more than a summer picnic. Watermelon is 90% water and a great way to stay hydrated. It is an excellent healthy alternative to sugary drinks and is a good choice for people watching their weight. It’s full of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

DeSoto Extension Agent

A Busy Spring For The Bugs

If you’re a gardener, you know that dealing with pests is an inevitable part of the job.

Two common pests seen on garden plants are thrips and spider mites. These tiny insects can cause damage to the leaves, flowers and fruits of your plants, and if left unchecked, can lead to stunted growth — sometimes causing major damage. Both insects feed on houseplants, flowering plants, fruit and ornamental trees and shrubs as well as vegetables.

Thrips are tiny insects that can be difficult to spot with the naked eye. Typically less than 1 millimeter long, they can range in color from yellow to brown or black. Thrips feed on the sap of plants and can result in damage to the leaves and flowers, causing them to become discolored and distorted. They also can transmit viruses from plant to plant.

Let bygones be bygones dwell not about what may have been a mistake on your behalf. You’re only human, what you did in the past is history so don’t be consumed with guilt instead accept what has begotten you and move on, have prestige in ones self the ultimate guide to correcting ones mistake is to make good choices in future events.

Southern folklore is a combination of beliefs, myths, charms, superstitions, and many more things. It has been a way of life in the South for many years. Southern folklore usually deals with the unsophisticated folks, a category that most of us fit into if we were truthful. The sayings varied some from one region in the South to another as the older generation came up. Some say that it is a dying art.

An old saying about folklore is “You can get a Southerner out of the South but you can’t get the South out of the S o u t h e r n e r. ” Imaginary tales are one form of folklore. One old man used to tell about the 1949 tornado the came through western and central DeSoto Parish. He said, “The twister was so strong it pulled the water well right out of the ground. It blowed so hard it made the road straight and scattered the days of the week so bad that Sunday didn’t come around until late Tuesday afternoon.”