Listen to Your Elders – You’ll Probably Learn Something.
When we first moved to our little small town we traveled 50 minutes one way to go to church. We travelled 40 minutes one way to go shopping. We travelled 40 minutes one way to go to the doctor. We travelled 40 minutes one way to go out to eat.
Then one day DH said, “We are sleeping in the country, but we are still living in the city.” He was right. We came back to the farm to sleep, but our entire lives were still in the city, and it was exhausting. My children were constantly in the car. We were going through 2 tanks of gas every week. My home in the country was not our home. It was just my evening lodging place. Something had to change.
So, we decided to start living in the country.
The first place we went was to church. Our former church (50 minutes away) has 20,000 members. That is not a typo. We attended one of the largest churches in America. It is a wonderful, incredible place filled with great Christian people. We loved it. We have scores of friends who attend there. But, it was 50 minutes away. So we decided to “try” the church up the road from our farm. It was a sweet, small, country church. At the time about 70 people attended the services weekly.
Do you know what people love about small, country churches? Everyone knows your name, they miss you when you are not there, and during singing – your voice counts, a lot.
Do you know what people don’t like about small, country churches? Everyone knows your name, they miss you when you are not there & during singing – your voice counts, a lot.
This is where I met Mamaw. She is old. She is wise. She is beautiful. She and I became fast friends. Mamaw has 3 boys. They are all grown-up. They are all manly men who hunt, fish, and spend their waking hours outdoors. Mamaw never had a little girl. She never had a daughter to teach how to make pie. She never had a skirt wearin’ apprentice to show how to fry corn, bake a turkey, or make homemade biscuits and gravy.
Mamaw had all boys, no girls. Then she met me.
One of my favorite ways to spend spare time is sitting on Mamaw’s back porch. My favorite place to eat is at Mamaw’s kitchen. My favorite stories to hear are Mamaw’s.
Here is a list of things I have learned from Mamaw:
- How to make biscuits and gravy.
- How to make chicken and dumplings.
- How to cook a turkey. Go here to see how.
- How to cook a deer leg. Go here to see how.
- How to make pie. Pie Crust here. Award Winning apple pie here.
- What to bring to her house for supper: “an appetite.”
- When to take the pie out of the oven…… “when it’s done.”
- What time to serve supper…… “when it’s ready.”
- That giving, serving, and sharing is better than receiving, being served and keeping.
- How to love your husband. More on that here (Deer Heads, Husbands & Football) and here (Deer Hunting With Your Wife).
- How to be saved. Read about it here.
Thanks, Mamaw. My life is better because of you.
XO,
Candi
