Overheard, out and about, Mrs. Grundy sees all, tells all

Mrs. C.R. Grundy

Published Friday, April 24, 2009

Peeping through my Venetian blind, I noted the Seven Sisters roses overgrowing the gateway trellis from my front yard into my side yard. Jim and Eva (Nix) Maloy gave me my start of that rose, and I am reminded of them when I see it bloom each April. (Eva is back in Auburn, I understand.)

April has a wealth of blooms – purple iris, yellow iris, redtop, snowballs, English dogwood, Sweet William, pansies, purple verbena, petunias, and roses, roses, roses. The Knock-out rose has swept the countryside; it’s the most popular landscape plant since the Bradford pear.

Driving home from Montgomery this week, I stopped in Greenville to have breakfast at the Cracker Barrel and noticed how the Knock-out rose had been used to beautify that pretzel of roads at the first exit to “the City of Camellias.”

Mrs. Gotrocks joined me at the Hopalong Cassidy table by a window, and we sat and rocked a spell on the porch after we’d finished breakfast. One of those cool, April breezes fanned us delightfully.

All along I-65 were roadsides with hills of white daisies, pink primroses, red clover, white clover, yellow clover, and fields of Indian cane and wildflowers.

Already along the road are May flowers — yellow coreopsis, the buttercups (primroses), and honeysuckle, o’ergrowing rustic fences.

I seldom take an interest in cars, but one has really caught my attention of late – the P.T. Cruiser. I like it, especially in pale yellow.

Speaking of cars, those with blue lights have been active lately. On my way to Montgomery I saw three, each within sight of the others, which had stopped motorists. Heading back to “the Dimple of Dixie,” I saw one, hiding in a dip by the woods between Greenville and Georgiana. Before I could blink, the Man That Shineth the Blue Lights came up out of nowhere and became the Man That Taketh the Green Money. He passed me though I was zooming along at 40 mph. Some poor soul ahead of me was stopped.

There’s roadwork at the new school being built for Georgiana. If you’re heading to the Capitol or home again, prepare to drive slowly thereabouts.

I ran into Judy Scott at the Piggly-Wiggly this week. She was vivacious as usual.

I stopped by Gertrude Nelson’s to wish her a belated “happy birthday” and found her, cooking a supper of biscuits and fried white meat.

A bluebird has built a nest of pine straw in my newspaper box and laid the bluest eggs you’ve ever seen.

In last Sunday’s Advertiser there is an article with two pictures about the late William Norred, who was awarded posthumously the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bombing missions over Africa in World War II. Norred, the father of our own Pennye Anderson, coached briefly and long ago at the Andalusia High School. He and his wife Doris spent most of their lives, though, farming in the beautiful village of Pine Apple. Pennye and her husband Ziba both hail from Pine Apple. Norred died at 9l last August.

Cameron Napier, regent for several decades of the White House of the Confederacy in Montgomery, where President and Mrs. Jefferson Davis lived briefly, has retired amid much fanfare. Among Mrs. Napier’s honors was a luncheon at the Montgomery Country Club at which she was presented a statuette of President Davis, copied from the one standing on the front lawn of the Capitol. I understand that the statuette can be purchased in the gift shops of the Capitol and the Governor’s Mansion.

Seen at Perry’s, enjoying the Friday seafood buffet, was the admirable John D. Stokes, 92, a guest of his nephew, Robert Lee Holley.

I received a card this week from Felix’s Fish Camp on the Causeway leading into Mobile. It was a thank-you note from my waitress, Elise, for having dined there. She even mentioned what I had ordered. I’ve never before received such, and was much impressed.

Miss Flora Covington wants me to remind you again, gentle reader, that Jasmine Hill’s Greek gardens are to be open, Lord willing, each weekend between now and May l7, 9 – 5 on Fridays and Saturdays and noon-5 on Sundays. Miss Flora plans to take her sisters, Miss Cora and Miss Dora, Miss Purdie Birdie, Mrs. Gotrocks, and me. We usually go each year and take a picnic lunch. Mr. Topper Propper and Miss Prissy Primme may take a second rolling machine.

I came across a poem by William Henry Davies this week. Davies, born April 20, l87l, was an English farm hand, peddler, and tramp, who lost his right leg, boarding a train. George Bernard Shaw, the greatest playwright since Shakespeare, “discovered” Davies and encouraged him to write poetry and prose. Davies did so till his death at 70 September 26, l940. His most popular poem begins with the following couplet, “What is this life if, full of care,/ We have no time to stand and stare?” Those lines have often been a comfort to me and a reminder to “stop and smell the roses.”

Representatives of District 24 of the Alabama Education Association, representing Conecuh, Covington, and Escambia counties, assembled for their monthly meeting April 20 at Reid State Technical College in Evergreen.

Officers for 2009 – 20ll were elected as follows: Jimmy Ponds, president; Jacqueline Earthly, vice-president; Joe Wingard, secretary; and Dianne McKenzie, treasurer. Ponds is currently concluding a two-year term as president of District 24 and is concurrently serving a two-year term as president of all AEA teachers in Covington County. Ponds is librarian at Straughn Elementary School. Wingard is serving a two-year term as president of the retired AEA teachers in Covington County.

Also attending the meeting from the Andalusia area were Ethel M. Robertson and Emma Locke.

The next meeting was set for May ll at 6:00 p.m. at Reid State.

March 28 eleven senior adults from First Baptist of Andalusia motored through some stormy weather to Colquitt, Georgia, to attend the Swamp Gravy production of Ain’t No Telling, centered around the Great Depression and based on true stories from members of the community.

The outing included a meal at the Tarrer Inn Restaurant prior to the play.

Enjoying the supper, fellowship, production, and new friends were Margaret Prestwood, Margie Elmore, Barbara Bradley, Kittye Wyatt, Cathy Gresham, Dr. Morgan Moore, Wilma Short, Kim and Eleanor Dyess, and Gordon and Trudy Vickers.

The senior adults of First Baptist also “spread their wings” April l4 with an outing to David’s Catfish House right here in “the Heart of South Alabama,” as Miss Sue (she runs this town; she do) likes to call it.

Ordering a la carte were Betty Lawson, Margaret Smyly, Wilma Short, Gordon and Trudy Vickers, Herb and Sue Carlisle, Graham and Peggy Tucker, Neal and Kittye Wyatt, Bill Law, Louise Jones, Kim and Eleanor Dyess, Jean (Carter) Fuqua, Zelmer Jones, Betty Bass, and Joe Wingard.

Seen, playing dominoes in the Fellowship Hall of First Baptist, were the witty, clever, and fun-loving Jake Merrill, the reticent Dr. Morgan Moore, the bubbling Jean (Carter) Fuqua, and the mischievous Gillis “Combman” Jones.

Trudy Vickers decorated April 2l the Fellowship Hall of First Baptist for the monthly luncheon of the senior adults, using grapes and grapevines to illustrate the theme, “Fruit of the Spirit.”

The beloved Trudy received applause for being present; it has been about a year since she was able to be out and about on a regular basis.

Recognized for their April birthdays were Tina Moore, Wilma Short, Sarah Gene Clark, and Helen Hinson, president of the Adult Choir.

Herb and Sue Carlisle were recognized for their twelfth anniversary April 9. Herb was at a loss of words to explain the knot on his noggin, but Mr. Dofunny accused Sue of hitting Herb with a piece of fire wood. Sue denied it.

The speaker was Leroy Cole, who works with church and community ministries, a subdivision of the Covington Baptist Association. Cole came to Andalusia in l993 to preach at West Highland Baptist. He joined up with the CBA in 2003. He explained his work with people affected by natural disasters in this area and with the Christian Service Center on South Three-Notch. Cole said that he needs volunteers and contributions – cash, canned goods, dry goods, appliances, furniture, and clothing, though he has so many clothes right now that he can’t keep them sorted.

Mary Hill, the “Belle of Excel,” was quick to point out that Cole comes from good people and has relatives in her hometown, Excel, near Monroeville.

Oh, yes, Cole credited Neal Wyatt with starting the Christian Service Center, which has been of great use to thousands.

Margaret “Mother” Prestwood, one of the great matriarchs of Andalusia, asked Mr. Cole to sing a song before he concluded. She had heard him sing on Easter, I think. Cole sang out “Victory in Jesus,” a cappella. He has a fine, strong, deep, powerful voice.

When Cole finished, John Givhan was heard to say, “That’s a voice!”

The CBA has set a “Senior Adult Revival” at Southside Baptist in Opp for May l2, ll:00 – noon, with Dr. Harrell Cushing, a former pastor at Andalusia First Baptist, as speaker. A luncheon is set for noon – l:00 p.m.. The deadline for anyone to sign up for the luncheon is April 30. Call one of the lovely ladies in the office of First Baptist. I suppose non-Baptists could sign up to go, too, even Tim Trent and those Dimpletonian Methodists down the street.

Bill Law, that historical-minded, jolly fellow, gave me some sad news – the famous Talisi Hotel in Tallassee, Alabama, is ceasing serving meals. I understand that the hotel itself will remain open, though. How many thousands upon thousands have enjoyed the good food at the old Talisi? How many have come from far and wide to taste its morsels? Alas, alas, alas! I actually saw the Portly Gentleman sit down and sigh while a tear rolled down his plump cheek. Even the offer of a petit four could not cheer him.

He rose and waddled away.

By the by, a childhood friend of mine from Montgomery, George McCain, has been elected mayor of Tallasee. When we were children, he told me there was no Santa Claus. I hit him.

Tomorrow is the birthdate of Edward Gibbon, the Englishman who wrote the most famous history book of all times, A History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. In it he summarized the causes of the fall. His list seems a description of the United States today. If so, our days are numbered.

Tomorrow is also the traditional Confederate Memorial Day in Alabama.

Colonel Covington, speaking at the Andalusia Lyceum last week, said, “There is a scene in Gone with the Wind that reminds me of today. Remember when Rhett and Scarlett are in that old, one-horse buggy while Atlanta burns about them? Scarlett, who really was a terrible person when you get right down to it, complains about the Confederate soldiers, blocking the way of her escape. Rhett reminds her that those poor, wounded, weary men are the only buffer between her and chaos, between her and destruction, between her and death. Scarlett’s contempt made me think of the ill treatment given Christians and Christian values today by the liberal media and brazen sinners. Anti-Christians don’t realize and certainly don’t believe that Christians, like those exhausted Confederate soldiers, are the only buffer between the destruction of this country and the salvation of this nation.”

Well, gentle reader, here’s Miss Flora at my front door with a big bouquet of English dogwood, bless her heart. Please excuse me while I open the door.

By the by, I won’t be able to visit with you next Saturday, gentle reader. I’m sorry. The reason why is a great secret.