Pages

Friday, July 16, 2021

Watermelons, Georgia, and catching up

We put two of the watermelons on the wood pile then cut one for the refrigerator...


 The farmer who lives on Hwy. 39 about 10 miles from us opened his roadside stand on July 4th. We've waited all summer for this. He grows these watermelons in a field  behind his house. These are the best! Big heavy sweet watermelons!

Remember way back when country folks, during the summertime, would keep a watermelon or two laying on the ground under a shade tree? Several years back Poppy and I went way down in Georgia...never seen such long country dirt roads...so I could meet some of his kin folk. Poppy's brother Joe and some of Joe's family drove down too.

After driving for miles and miles down a dirt road, we pulled into the driveway of Poppy's Uncle Bob and Aunt Weeda's home. They were not expecting us, so we visited in the yard. After a while Aunt Weeda said, "there's a watermelon over there under that shade tree y'all can cut if you want to".

I looked through an old picture album and found these two pictures...


Uncle Bob, Aunt Weeda, and cousin Johnny. All three have passed on now. 


and their little farm house. We didn't visit with them long, but went on to other places. There were miles and miles of old country roads Poppy wanted me to see. Poppy and his brothers and sisters were born in this little section of Georgia and would probably still be there if his Dad had not been killed in a truck accident. Poppy was four years old when his Mother packed them up, all five kids, and moved back to North Carolina, into a small two bedroom house next to her parents. 

Time sure flies, doesn't it! and the days are so busy...I've had dreaded doctor appointments, the garden to look after, and the dogs...

one being a big overgrown puppy who loves to tear up socks but she is such a sweetie pie. We've had dry weather, then all of a sudden a storm that drops five inches of rain in just a few hours...


and did you know that Guineas do not have sense enough to get out of the rain? See them in the bottom left corner of the above picture and sitting on the fence below...


There are more than enough shelters for them to get under but they refuse.

Shelby and I enjoyed the Bee Jubliee held in June...think it was the 26th?? Anyhow, here we are...


Don't know how in the world Shelby keeps all these jams and jellies made...and there were boxes and boxes stored behind us, plus she brought the usual baked goods. Shelby's goods are always a success. 


It was lots of fun and the best part was spending the day with Shelby...so much to talk about and so many good laughs. 

Oh my gosh! Here it is 9:45. Poppy will be headed this way, yawning and cutting out lights. Guess I'd better end this. I will be around to visit and catch up. One of these days I'm going to blog the right way and stay caught up. 

Love,

Henny 

Oh, and the computer was in the shop for a couple of days this week! :)




39 comments:

  1. Guinneas are silly indeed, but glad you got some rain. Too bad it didn't lollygag a little instead of hitting all at once. Love old dirt roads.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That watermelon sure sounds good. I remember when I was a kid growing up in Arkansas we would have big family picnics next to a large, very cold creek. We would always tie up watermelons in that cold water and when we ate them they were just right and so good! I really enjoyed hearing about your family visits in Georgia. It reminded me of my childhood. I love that picture of you and Shelby. Her jam looks so good and I bet you sold a lot of your aprons and such too. You and Poppy take care Henny and love those sweet fluffy babies for me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My husband's dad died when he was four years old. His mother raised four children by herself. I know you and Shelby have wonderful times together. You both look so happy. I always enjoy getting together with my sister, but that's very often.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That was a lot of rain. Those baked goods and jam sure look good and with all your sewing items it looked like a stall I would want to visit.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Henny, love it when you have such a varied post. Crazy hens, must have liked having a natural bath in the rain.
    It's been wet here since April first, I do believe. Glad you got free water for the garden, but 5 inches at once is
    a bit too much to even soak in. I can see Ellie is getting as large as Eli, but I also still see the puppy face in
    her look. They fill the couch together. I bet your sister's foods did sell out, too. Lynn and Precious

    ReplyDelete
  6. There's always a lot of gladness and sadness
    in ones history and growing up..! :(.
    Certainly a lot in mine, sometimes, get the old
    shoe box out from the bottom of the stairs time
    to time, and go back to reminisce..shed a tear here
    and there..but then that's what life is all about!

    Watermelons over here are'nt quite that big..l buy
    a sugar melon at the supermarket on sunday's, there
    usually o.k. But! Back home in Sicily, they are very
    large, lovely to eat! :).

    Lovely assortment and display of jams etc..I love
    home made jams and chutneys, my daughter makes both
    jams and chutneys, and wins prizes for them, she'll
    be down in a couple weeks, so Dads stock needs topping
    up..! :).

    The puppy dogs look lovely to..Ellie is certainly
    growing is'nt she..you'll have to get a bigger sofa..! :O).
    🌱 🌽 🌿 🍅 🍆 🍇 🍈 🍉 🌱 🌽 🌿 🍅 🍆 🍇 🍈 🍉

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Willie. I bought one watermelon at Walmart back when they first started getting them in. It reminded me of a giant cucumber. No taste at all. Glad your daughter is coming home soon. Bet her jams and chutneys are delicious.

      Delete
  7. Those of us who only buy watermelons in the store don't knw what a good watermelon is like since they are not stored properly.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What memories of my kinfolk your post has brought back, only mine were all down red dirt roads in Louisiana, sometimes just a two-track rut, really. I had to laugh at the watermelon-in-the-shade part! I remember that, and I remember them being put "in the crick" too! And being given a salt shaker and invited to "go get yersef a tomater" from the kitchen garden...I did not know that about guineas. I just know the expression, "Madder than a wet hen" but I guess that does not apply to the little guineas!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I thought I had commented last night about midnight but who knows?! I kept falling asleep while typing so here I go with another comment.
    I remember my Grandma and our family in Kansas also used to put the watermelons under trees and wherever they could find a cool place in the summer. Sometimes in the wellhouse.
    Shelby is amazing! Those jams and jellies look so delicious and the baked goods! Oh my! Where does she find the time to do it all?
    Blessings and love,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
  10. Very nice post Henny! The dogs looks so comfy and sweet! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Shelby is amazing! Those look sooooo pretty all lined up. Your picture of visiting in the yard reminded me of visiting my paternal grandparents in the summer. It would be so hot in the house we would be invited to sit under a tree in the yard in those horribly uncomfortable metal lawn chairs. Remember those? And my mom would always say on the way home, “and she never even offered us a drink of water!”

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love the picture of you and Shelby!! It's a rare post when you actually show a photo of yourself.
    Those jars of jam are so pretty I'd buy them for their looks alone although no doubt they are delicious!!!
    5 inches of rain in a few hours!! Wow. What a downpour that must have been. I'll bet your garden is doing amazing. Keep cool if you can. GM

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wonderful nostalgic times Henny, we do seem to hold dear those memories of gentler times and loved ones.
    We ate a homegrown watermelon yesterday, it had sat atop the air conditioning vent overnight and was deliciously cold.
    We pups looks so happy and always so beautifully groomed, it takes a lot of effort on your part to keep them looking so pretty.
    Looks like you had so much fun at the Bee Jubilee with Shelby, so many homemade goods and lots of giggles :)
    Hugs,
    ~Jo

    ReplyDelete
  14. Amazing the jams and jellies that your dear friend had made for the Bee Jubilee. It sounds like such a great event. As for those watermelon...they are such a favorite treat. Here in Ohio it is hard to get the old fashioned long seeded kind. They are what I remember fondly that we ate as kids growing up. Now the round seedless ones are delicious but just for the fun would like to have and old fashioned kind. Give those two puppies of yours a hug. Eli and Ellie are so beautiful together. Take care and have a lovely weekend. Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Haven't had watermelon this year yet - but sure do love them.
    So nice seeing the old pictures.
    Ellie sure as grown!!
    So many jars of jam - nice that you and Shelby had such a good time! :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. So good to hear from you Henny....always so much interesting news to cover! Ooh those watermelons you got look so delicious....I hope they taste that way too! Sounds like your long-ago visit to the folks in Georgia was pretty interesting! I hope your doctor appointments all went well. I have one coming up in two weeks for the wrist I broke in early June. It's coming along well so I'm grateful for the good Doc who did my surgery on it! Your pics from the Bee Jubilee look great....I'd love to visit there and buy a few things like you and your sister sell. Glad you're getting some rain inbetween the heat spells! Take good care!

    ReplyDelete
  17. oh, one more comment. You and your sister look so cute in that picture! I love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Diane. I didn't know you broke your wrist. Hope it heals really soon. It must be hard to manage with just one hand. Wish you could have been at the Bee Jubilee with us. Take care Diane. Love you.

      Delete
  18. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  19. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hope the computer behaves now!
    I had my first watermelon of the season last night. So good!
    Looks like you and Shelby had fun.
    Ellie is grown right up!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I know I've said it before but you are so lucky to live close to your sister. My sister is 13 hours away south of here so we don't see each other much at all. I do miss her more as we both get older. Time runs on and away awfully fast.

    Your watermelon story reminded me of when my folks ran a small hotel in a little town in East Texas. There were a lot of regulars who stayed with us, salesman who came round on a regular basis. Along sometime in June someone that we called "The Watermelon Man" would come through and stay with us for a few days. He was checking with farmers in the area that the company that he represented bought watermelons from (and probably other stuff as well). But we always knew that summer was coming on when he came through for his stay. Long time ago.

    ReplyDelete
  22. It's good to see you/hear from you. I always enjoy my visits to the teeny tiny farm.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Looks like you had a gorgeous day for that Bee.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hi Henny- Nice photos- especially the one of you and your Sister Selby at the Stall. We're in Lock Down now and will be for awhile- times like this when the NET on the Computer and Blogging is a real Plus! Regards. KEV.

    ReplyDelete
  25. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hi, I always LOVE reading your posts Henny. Because I am from Wisconsin, learning the ways of Southern life is just plain old fun for me. I enjoyed the watermelon story.
    Love, Carla

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hello Henny ... so lovely to pop into your blog today & see all your happenings. Your posts are always delightful & it feels like you are sitting chatting to me. I've been away to my Mums & am just catching up with blogs now. I loved the photo of you both at the stall. Have a wonderful week Dear Henny. xxx

    ReplyDelete
  28. Melba, I have to tell you how much I love that picture of you and Ms. Shelby. My remaining sister live in another state and I sure do miss having her around to do things with. Oh and girl, I remember those watermelons under the trees. That probably has a lot to do with me not liking cold watermelon! I've eaten many a warm melon and to me the flavor is always better! Gosh, I wish you were closer because I need a new apron for VBS this week!

    Hope your week is wonderful...and maybe a bit drier!

    Grace & Peace,
    Pam

    ReplyDelete
  29. Such fun to hear about visiting with family, the doggies, watermellon-all happy things! I didn't know those birds wouldn't get out of the rain!!!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Love those pretty lids on Shelby's jars! That would certainly have pulled me in! The only watermelon I've had this year, I'm ashamed to say, is the cut up kind from Walmart, but it was really good watermelon! I guess I lucked out! Funny about the guineas!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Oh Henny, your posts are the highlight of my day! what a lot of information! So true about the guineas, they won't move for love nor money, for anybody without help. Great picture of them in pouring rain. We have had some gully washers up here in the mountains lately too. I love the picture of your and Shelby with all those wonderful jams and jellies, I still remember your post about frog jam I think it was the best. Take care of yourself! XO

    ReplyDelete
  32. So glad you had a good time with Shelby. The watermelons look so good and the jams and jellies, too. I enjoyed your posting of visiting with family.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Watermelon just goes with summertime! WE have one chilling in the fridge!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Henny, I have wonderful memories of the summers I spent at my Uncle's farm in Mississippi... and yes, splitting open a watermelon out in the field when my cousin and I were hot and thirsty is one of those memories. And I love your pictures of the dogs... and the rain... and the Bee Jubilee!

    ReplyDelete
  35. I want some watermelons. I can taste it.
    www.rsrue.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from you. Thank you for your comment.