10/7/2009 6:00:00 PM
JUST AMONG FRIENDS
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By RACHEL EVANS
Excitement is mounting! The stage is set for the bridge benefit to be held tomorrow evening at the Holy Cross Catholic Church located on Byrd Avenue here in Philadelphia. Scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m., the benefit will begin with an auction and an on-going silent auction, all proceeds going toward the work of Habitat for Humanity.
Your $25 ticket will entitle you to an evening of bridge, refreshments, and the chance to win valuable prizes which have been graciously donated by businesses and individuals in our community. You do not have to come with a partner and tickets will be available at the door. Your ticket and any purchase you make at the auction are tax deductible.
Come out and join the fun for a very worthy cause. You may go home with a cake, a painting, a hoop of cheese, a book, an Indian basket, a weekend get-away, jewelry, clothes, accessories for your home or free gasoline, to name a few.
Our supportive donors include Frankie Harpole, Sammie Sharp, Dancing Rabbit Gallery and Press, Jerome Tank - Season to Season, Williams Brothers, Dees, Kademi, Steve's on the Square, The Frame Factory, The Clothes Line, Sybil James, Glenda Lundy, Brenda Matthews, Rachel Evans and Betty Steward, Moni McKee Nowell, Jane Kynerd, Oddlee Unik, Stanley O'Neal, Prince Oil, Phillip Martin, Bobbie Ann's Interiors, Dr. Bill Molpus, The Cole House, Roberta and David Byars, Bill and Nancy Yates, Peal River Resort, Treasure Bay Casino and Hotel, Riverwalk Casino and Hotel, Isle Casino Hotel and Gold Strike Casino Resort.
Keelon Boston is one! The big day was celebrated on September 12 at 105 Willow Crest Circle in Brandon where the little lady lives with her parents, Dr. Christopher and Meredith Nowell Boston. Joining the party were Keelon's grandparents, Mae Mae (June) and Bo Bo (Sam) Nowell, great-uncle Greg Jackson, great-great grandfather Jeffie Jackson, uncle Ty Nowell and Paige Hutchison of LaGrange, Georgia, and Tim and Dr. Jennifer Bryan of Jackson.
Also sharing the party fare of hot dogs, chicken, and cupcakes topped with a "K" were Keelon's five cousins from Alabama and her little neighborhood friends. The afternoon continued with everyone watching MSU and LSU football. What a tense afternoon that must have been!
I checked it out, and everyone there was a Mississippi State fan, except maybe Meredith who "went against the grain and went to Ole Miss", and certainly Chris who is an avid LSU fan, to the extent that his and Meredith's wedding decorations were accessorized with purple and gold!
Amy Steele spent the weekend with her parents, Kay and John Steele, enjoying "Mississippi weather at its best" in the low 80's. Returning to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania where she is in school studying to be a nurse anesthetist, "I can't believe it!", she told her parents on the phone. "It's sleeting!"
Lovern's Barn and Grill off Highway 19 North at Arlington is fast becoming "the place" for birthday parties. Where else can you ride a mechanical bull and a real horse and chase chickens! Ask Eli Moran who celebrated his 8th birthday there. "Chasing the chickens was the highlight of the party", Eli's mother, Emily, told me, "but watching Brett (Eli's dad), daddy (Danny Hicks) and Jim (Hicks) trying to keep the chickens in the arena was even funnier!"
After enjoying birthday cake and goodies seated in the bleachers surrounding the Neshoba County red dirt arena, Eli, his sister, Mary Kate, 6, and little brother Charlie, who is one, and all their guests, piled into a real wagon pulled by real horses for a buggy ride through the woods.
What a birthday! Exclaimed grandparents, Regina and Danny Hicks and Bonnie and Donald Moran, as did aunts and uncles Dr. Brian and Hattie Hicks and Jim and Betsy Hicks.
Others attending the party were Christy, Don and John Ryle Barrett, Jennie and Clay Eubanks, Windee, Clay and Blake Sanders, Wendy, Scott, Phillips and Julia Hines, Chuck, Tammy and Justin Fox, Mark, Emma and Maggie Taylor, Asher Morgan and Anna Sistrunk.
Douglas and Janie Lovern have operated an outside arena for bull rides and horse shows for 22 years. About two years ago, they conceived the idea of Lovern's Barn and Grill. Linda Jenkins says the steaks are "the best I have eaten!". The Barn and Grill is available for birthday parties at all times, and is open on Saturday evenings from 5-10 p.m. for dinner in the Cowboy Café which is located inside the big barn. In a sunken arena, you can watch or participate in chasing chickens or riding the mechanical bull or real horses. The Loverns will stage their annual fall trail ride Saturday, Oct. 10, beginning at 10 a.m. Your $10 ticket includes a lunch of chicken stew, hamburgers and red beans and rice served at 1 p.m. Makes you want to get on your horse and ride!
Fourteen children were born to Ed and Doella Barnett Watkins of the Dixon community. I recall writing about "over the river and through the hills to sweet Mama's house we go". There were Juanita Mosley Johnson, Jones, Grace Fox, Ruth Beavers, Robert, Woodrow, Buck, Irene Dumas, Sue Yeoman, Jack, Carl, Martha Evans, Rosie, Keith Johnson and Ann Sudduth.
With the passing of Rosie in Grand Junction, Colo. last week, Ann and hundreds of descendants scattered far and wide remain of this wonderful family.
The word is out, tickets are now on sale for "Casseroles and Mistletoe," you'll read it first in "Just Among Friends." That crazy cast of characters are ironing their house dusters, fluffing their hair and getting ready to entertain everyone.
If you haven't caught up on the news from Possum Creek Chronicle, here are some tidbits! With all this rain, the creeks are up and so are Manzie Lou's skirts! Mona Lee hosted a "designer" fanny pack party. I just don't know if those things will ever catch on. Gracie reported that Doc is feeling much better. It is not the swine flu but a bad case of gas. It seems that he has eaten one too may of her "peanut butter, banana and pork and bean" sandwiches.
Maudie and Thomas Ray were seen at the local motorcycle store. It seems that they are looking for a little adventure. They were also seen at the leather store, "Skin Tight and Out of Sight".
Don't miss your chance to enjoy the fun, the laughter and all the hilarity that goes along with a visit to Possum Creek. Call 601-656-9838 for your tickets to see "Casseroles and Mistletoe."
Dr. Bill Molpus has figured his travel miles from September 2008 through September 2009 to be 75,000 miles, "That is like going around the world three times." Bill has been good to share a part of his travel tales with "Friends", for which so many of you have expressed your interest and appreciation. This report on his most recent trip, and third trip to Kyrgyzstan, had a personal significance for Bill. He went for the possible wedding of Asylbek who became Bill's friend while attending school in Philadelphia as an exchange student. As is the custom in Asylbek's country, his family had arranged a possible bride for him. "After one date, Asylbek said 'no', so the hunt continues for a bride."
One thing became obvious to me as I read Bill's account of the trip. I've known him a long time, first through his parents, Virginia and Norman Molpus, and then as a friend to his beloved wife Shirley, so I knew he had a sense of humor.
As I read his travelogue, I was keenly aware that something had sharpened his wits, "all those toasts maybe"! Bill concluded his report by saying, "I think I will take my suitcase to the attic and give it a rest. God has been so good to me and has given me safe and interesting travels." I doubt the part about "resting his suitcase", but I feel sure you will enjoy his report as follows.
This also was to be a trip for rest and relaxation, away from the heat and humidity of Mississippi. Asylbek's family has a compound in the village of Cholpon-Ata on the shores of lake Issyk-Kol. By "compound" I mean their property is surrounded with a brick wall and inside is their new house and several smaller houses plus a small restaurant. For three months out of the year they run a busy bed and breakfast business. I had a private room with a private bath in one of the smaller buildings.
The view from my front porch was like a view one would have in Switzerland, snow capped mountains. The lawn was filled with flowers and fantastic rose bushes, all blazing with color. It was cool during the day and cold at night and very low humidity. The altitude is about what it would be in Denver, 5300 feet above sea level.
Lake Issyk-Kol is the second largest mountain lake in the world and fifth deepest lake in the world. It is "the" place to be in Central Asia during the summer months. Tourist from Russia and Kazakhstan flood the place looking for a cool retreat and a beach and crystal clear water as well as bargain rooms. The water is ice cold and I mean ice cold. It takes a few swigs of fire water before you plunge, once you are totally numb it is okay.
I made it a point to swim everyday. To spice things up we traveled about an hour to another place on the lake, a hot spring. They had rigged up showers so you could get out of the lake and the ice cold water and get under scalding hot mineral water showers. And to top it off you could get a Turkish massage for about four dollars!
Kyrgyzstan is a small mountainous country whose southern border faces northwest China, the two countries are separated by the Tien Shan mountains. The east and north boundaries face Kazakhstan and the west bounds Uzbekistan. All "stan" countries were at one time part of the USSR. Kyrgyzstan gained their independence in September 1990.
During the time they were apart of the USSR, Kyrgyzstan was basically closed to the outside world due to the fact that the Russians used the lake for secret naval operations and secretly mined uranium in the mountains south of the lake. No westerners were allowed in and even Russians had to have special permission to travel there. I have one of those life books published in 1961 entitled Russia. They have beautiful pictures and stories of all parts of the USSR but Kyrgyzstan is not mentioned.
The Kyrgyz people are warm and friendly and enjoy meeting Americans. They are Sunni Moslems and I saw a mosque in every village I entered. It is safe for foreigners since at this point there is no terrorist activity tolerated by the government. Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, has become the leading commercial center of Central Asia. Merchandise of all kind come into the country from China and the countries around about come there to buy.
I went into a new supper market in Bishkek, it was spotless and filled with everything you could possibly want and it was expensive bargains! But the outside bazaara are where most of the folks do their shopping and there are bargains to be had there.
We attended several celebrations during my stay.
They would start around 5 p.m. and finish around 2 a.m. They all pretty much followed the same pattern. A sheep would be killed, skinned and boiled. Usually the first course would be salads and bread mixed with toasts from the host and toast from special guests.
Then sheep with potatoes would be served and then more toasts. It's now time for intermission and dancing or just walking around. The call would go out to return to the dining area and more toast and then large platters of sheep would be placed on the table, with bones and all including the head.
The host would present the head to the guest of honor. He would then cut off an ear and give to the youngest child present. He would then eat the eyes and trim the meat from the cheek and pass it around.
The host would then take the meat from the platters and distribute to all the guests, certain cuts were given to special guests (I never could figure that out, it all looked the same to me.) You ate this like you eat KFC with your hands.
It is time for the entertainment. Usually they have engaged someone to sing while playing the according. Then different guest are invited to sing. More toasts and then it is intermission time.
More dancing and walking and talking (where is the toilet) and back to the dining area. By this time everyone is feeling pretty good. More toasts. Large platter of spaghetti and platters of sheep are mixed together and served.
Traditionally this is eaten with the fingers of the right hand but now days they give you a fork, thank you. More singing and story telling and toast. I quickly learn that you don't drink all the vodka in your shot glass at every toast if you expect to be able to walk away from the table.
The evening ends with hugs and good wishes. Each guest is given a plastic bag with some sheep and sheep bones in it. You might see the contents of this bag at breakfast. I confess, I have developed a taste for sheep (mutton) and one must realize that there is a difference between lamb and mutton. At some of the celebrations horse meat was served, since horse is the most expensive meat in the country it was served at only wealthy folks parties. I tasted it, it tasted like beef to me. It tasted fine, but with all those toasts maybe.
This is a country on the other side of the world and their culture is so different from ours. A few interesting differences, they don't drink anything cold. I never saw an ice cube. They would never give a small child anything that had not been warmed.
I don't know how old a child would be before they could have ice cream . . . but no two year old have it for sure! In the villages they don't use diapers. They train them from birth by holding the baby over a bucket and making a shhhh sound. They told me that it was not healthy for the baby to wear a diaper and even if they were available they could not afford them
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